Chapter 14 - Yuncheng: My young master was kidnapped by Third Young Master Meng
The last time Zhong Yansheng was dragged to Jiuxiang Tower by a group of people, he was curious about the pleasure boat in the opposite river.
He didn't expect that he would come in person this time.
Even in the daytime, there were still several pleasure boats floating in the river, willow trees swaying on the banks, and the river was rippled with clear water, bustling and noisy. The Yunzhongfang was two stories high and was decorated particularly beautifully, making it particularly conspicuous.
There are also smaller cruise boats nearby that can be rented. There is not much business during the day, and many boatmen gather together and sit under the shade of the trees to chat.
Zhong Yansheng glanced at the pleasure boat parked on the shore, but did not rush over. He took Yun Cheng for a walk around first, and sure enough, he found that there were patrolling imperial censors from the Five Cities Army and Horses leading the team on patrol.
This long street is in East City, and people living nearby are from the East City Military Department.
Zhong Yansheng grabbed Yun Cheng, who looked puzzled, and handed him his purse, saying, "Yun Cheng, spend some more money, go to the nearby boatmen, rent a boat and keep an eye on the Yunzhongfang. I will light a lamp by the window. If the lamp goes out, you can ask someone to bring the imperial censor over and get on the pleasure boat."
Before in Jiuxiang Tower, he heard other people talking about how Meng Qiping seemed to be not getting along with the commander of the East City Military Department. The commander of the Military Department came from a noble family and was not afraid of trouble. If they knew that it was Meng Qiping on the pleasure boat, the people from the East City Military Department would definitely come over.
Yun Cheng was stunned when he heard this: "Master, are you prepared?"
Zhong Yansheng blinked strangely: "Do I look like a fool?"
Although he was not so narcissistic and felt that anyone would like him to take action against him, it was indeed strange that Meng Qiping wanted him to go alone.
After the discussion, Zhong Yansheng gave him a few other instructions before pulling his belt and walking over.
Zhong Yansheng has a weak constitution and is more afraid of cold than others. Even in April, he is still prone to catching a cold if he is blown by the wind. In addition to his inner clothes, he has to wear two layers of clothes. After getting up today, when Yun Cheng helped him put on his clothes, he gritted his teeth and wrapped him in two more layers. He also tied the belt very tightly, so he was a little breathless.
There was a servant waiting in front of the Yunzhongfang. Zhong Yansheng just walked over and hadn't spoken yet. The servant looked at him and smiled: "Young Master Zhong, right? Please come in."
Zhong Yansheng swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth, responded politely, lowered his head and carefully stepped onto the deck of the pleasure boat.
The servant followed behind and couldn't help but secretly take another look.
He noticed it before Zhong Yansheng came over.
Meng Qiping only instructed that Young Master Zhong would be here and that he would be recognizable at a glance, and there were no other hints. The servant originally had a little complaint - there were so many beauties on this street, how beautiful would one have to be recognized at a glance?
I didn't expect that I could recognize him at first sight. He is indeed so beautiful that stands out from the crowd.
There was a little more pity in his eyes.
No wonder the young master was determined to take action against him.
The decoration of this pleasure boat is very gorgeous from the outside, and the interior is even more extraordinary. Zhong Yansheng followed the attendant into the room on the second floor of the pleasure boat, took a few steps on the thick cashmere blanket, turned around, and saw a bronze gilded crane-shaped incense burner in front of the stone landscape screen, emitting curling smoke like a dream and fog.
Noticing that there was no one in the room, he frowned and asked, "Where is the Third Young Master Meng?"
"The Third Master has something urgent to do, so he may be late." The attendant smiled and said, "Don't be offended, Young Master Zhong. Please sit for a while and I will serve you some tea."
It was clearly Meng Qiping who made the appointment, but he was late.
Zhong Yansheng was not too happy, but he was not the type to make things difficult for his subordinates, so he reluctantly responded when he saw him apologetically smile.
After the others left, he walked to the window, opened it, and glanced around. He saw Yun Cheng, who was sitting on the cruise boat with his face covered and just happened to look over at him.
The two looked at each other from a distance, Yun Cheng waved vigorously, Zhong Yansheng nodded at him, closed the window, and put a lamp by the window.
The warm yellow light reflected on the window is particularly obvious. Even if the lights in the house are turned on for a while, this cluster of warm yellow will still be very conspicuous.
Zhong Yansheng felt relieved, sat down and started waiting for people.
As a result, the wait lasted a long time.
The servants had come twice and brought tea and snacks, but Meng Qiping had not come yet.
The capital city gradually became hotter in April. The incense in the house was sweet, and it became very stuffy after staying there for a long time. The pleasure boat was swaying gently with the waves, making Zhong Yansheng feel drowsy and his mouth was particularly dry.
He licked his dry lips, looked at the clear tea and exquisite snacks on the table, looked away, and endured not to move.
It was not until the servant came in for the third time to bring hot tea that Zhong Yansheng suddenly came back to his senses. He noticed that the sky outside was gradually getting darker. He frowned and asked, "What time is it now?"
The attendant replied respectfully, "My Lord, it is almost 7:15 pm."
Zhong Yansheng's eyes opened wide, confused and incredulous.
How could he wait so long? He was totally unaware of the passage of time.
Zhong Yansheng was usually good-tempered, but not without temper. He stood up unhappily. Perhaps it was because the boat rocked again, he rocked as he stood up. He held onto the table dizzily and said unhappily, "Please help me reply to Young Master Meng. I'll be leaving first. Since it's not a sincere appointment, you don't need to write to me next time."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door was pushed open.
Meng Qiping's voice came from far away, across the screen: "I'm late, I deserve the punishment."
Thanks to his parents, Meng Qiping has always had a handsome face. Today, he wore a sexy royal blue brocade robe and looked quite respectable.
Unfortunately, Zhong Yansheng had seen Xiao Nong wearing clothes of similar color not long ago. He took a quick glance and found the contrast too stark and horrible to look at.
His brother was dressed like a pearl or gem, sparkling and dazzling, while Meng Qiping was overshadowed by his clothes, looking gray and dull.
Even though he couldn't see his brother's full face because he had his eyes blindfolded, Zhong Yansheng still thought quietly in his heart that his brother looked better in blue.
He thought Meng Qiping was ugly in his clothes and looked at him with pity. Meng Qiping thought that he was particularly handsome today and attracted Zhong Yansheng. He waved his fan romantically, sat down and said with a smile: "Third brother didn't mean to be late, something happened at home. Don't be angry, Yan Yan, can third brother punish himself with a drink?"
Hearing the nickname and self-proclaimed name he gave himself, Zhong Yansheng felt strange, as if he saw the jar of lard cooked by Aunt Li in the small kitchen.
It's greasy, and he doesn't like to eat it.
Meng Qiping didn't realize that he was being disliked. He dismissed the servants who followed him in, poured two glasses of wine himself, and pushed one of them in front of Zhong Yansheng: "Yan Yan, come, have a drink with the third brother."
Zhong Yansheng looked at the glass of wine that was pushed in front of him, then raised his eyes, staring at him with his distinct black and white eyes, and said calmly, "I don't drink."
If it was someone else who was so disrespectful, Meng Qiping would have slammed the table and cursed, but looking at Zhong Yansheng's flushed cheeks, his heart softened, and he maintained a smile: "Third brother is sorry, third brother almost forgot that Yan Yan doesn't drink. Come, have some tea."
The room was becoming increasingly stuffy.
The swaying of the pleasure boat made one feel dizzy.
His throat felt dry and burning, and he felt very uncomfortable.
Zhong Yansheng really wanted to drink something to quench his thirst. He stared at the cup of tea for three breaths and slowly shook his head.
His hair was black and soft, his skin was dazzlingly white, and he looked suffocated in the room with a blush on his face, like a beautiful and precious porcelain doll, quiet and well-behaved, but his words were not so well-behaved: "I don't drink tea either, thank you. Third Young Master Meng, you said in your letter that you know who spread the rumor, I want to know who that person is."
After being humiliated again and again, Meng Qiping's expression changed slightly, revealing a bit of coldness in his eyes. He said slowly: "Yan Yan, why are you in such a hurry? Let's talk slowly while we drink."
Maybe it was because the belt was too tight, Zhong Yansheng felt like he was almost out of breath. Seeing that Meng Qiping was reluctant to get to the point and was not sincere at all, he simply stood up and said, "Since Third Young Master Meng doesn't want to talk about this, there is no need for me to stay any longer. Goodbye."
Just as he took a step forward, he heard Meng Qiping's indifferent snort from behind him: "I heard from the people downstairs that you didn't even touch a sip of tea or snacks. Are you afraid that I will drug you?"
Zhong Yansheng's long black eyelashes trembled.
He liked to read storybooks secretly. He had seen scenes where bad guys put drugs in food, so he put what he had learned into practice and did not touch anything else.
"Yes, there are drugs in the tea and wine."
Meng Qiping suddenly said something like thunder, and before Zhong Yansheng could react, he added with a grin, "But didn't you notice that your hands and feet were weak, and your face was red? You were quite alert, little bitch. Fortunately, I kept the medicine in the incense burner and fumigated you for more than an hour."
Zhong Yansheng opened his eyes wide.
He wanted to escape from the room almost immediately, but before he took two steps, his feet suddenly went weak. If he hadn't held on to the table in time, he would have fallen to the ground.
Meng Qiping held the glass of wine he had just poured and leaned to Zhong Yansheng's lips. His eyes, like hooks, circled around his extremely narrow waist for a few times. He lowered his head and took a deep breath of his scent, intoxicated: "Finally I caught you."
After he finished speaking, he grabbed Zhong Yansheng's pointed jaw, forced him to open his mouth, and poured wine into his mouth.
The cold and spicy wine poured into his body with a sweet and fishy smell. Zhong Yansheng had always been raised with great care and had never experienced such stimulation. He suddenly started to cough violently and struggled desperately. He didn't know where he got the strength from, but he pushed away Meng Qiping, who wanted to kiss him on the face, and fell to the ground staggeringly.
He coughed so hard that his lungs were about to vomit. His throat was so sore that it smelled of blood and his head was buzzing. It took him a long time to recover. He didn't know if it was because of the violent coughing or the half glass of wine he drank, but his snow-white cheeks were flushed like a drunkenness, his lips became more rosy, and his eyes were washed by tears and were so bright that it was impossible to look away.
Meng Qiping was so excited that he was shaking, his breath was short, and he exclaimed in ecstasy: "Beautiful, really beautiful."
Zhong Yansheng felt a chill in his heart. He covered his burning stomach with his hands. His hands were shaking as he wiped the wine off his jaw. His throat was hurting badly: "Third Young Master Meng... I am the young master of Huai'an Marquis's Mansion. Aren't you afraid..."
"Ha." Meng Qiping interrupted him with a mocking look on his face. "It's been rumored all over the capital that you're a fake young master, but Marquis Huai'an hasn't come out to say anything. I guess the rumor is probably true, right? Besides, even if you're really the young master of Marquis Huai'an's mansion, how dare a small mansion like that challenge our Duke of Pei's mansion?"
Zhong Yansheng was stunned.
He had been closely guarded by the Marquis of Huai'an in a deep mansion for nearly eighteen years. He was surrounded by people like Yun Cheng and had never been exposed to such malice, so he was unable to react.
"Once the real young master comes back, you will be nothing."
Meng Qiping squatted down and patted Zhong Yansheng's red face. The soft touch of his fingertips, like tender tofu, made him rub his fingers several times and lick the corner of his lips: "You might as well follow me, right?"
Zhong Yansheng just felt like he was licked by something dirty and turned his face away in disgust.
Meng Qiping stared at his face, and seeing his reaction, he sneered in shame and annoyance: "I tell you, there is no other way to cure this medicine. If you don't let me touch you now, you will have to crawl over and beg me in a while. Little bitch, why are you pretending to be so chaste?"
Zhong Yansheng's forehead was already wet. The fire in his stomach had just spread to his limbs and burned his entire body, trapping him in the steamer. He was sweating all over, and his mind was becoming increasingly dizzy in the torturous heat.
He bit his lip hard, and with the pain he sobered up a little. He looked at the complacent Meng Qiping with misty eyes for a while, and said slowly: "Can you come over here?"
Meng Qiping's breathing became heavier. He came closer like a dog sniffing a bone, sniffing hard: "Are you feeling very hot? Do you want me to touch you? Little..."
With a crisp "pa" sound, Meng Qiping's words were suddenly interrupted.
Zhong Yansheng lay on the ground for a long time, gathered all his strength, and slapped him hard.
The force of this slap was even stronger than what he could normally exert. Meng Qiping was caught off guard and fell to the ground. Stars appeared in front of his eyes, his ears were buzzing, and his face was burning with pain.
He never expected that he would be beaten. Looking at the weak-looking Zhong Yansheng, he was completely dumbfounded.
Zhong Yansheng shook his hands lightly, his hands hurt a lot.
Meng Qiping finally reacted and flew into a rage. He reached out to grab Zhong Yansheng's neck and yelled like a madman: "How dare you hit me!"
Just as he grabbed Zhong Yansheng's collar, a noisy voice suddenly came from outside: "Sir! This is the ship! My young master was kidnapped by Third Young Master Meng and taken to this ship!"
It was Yun Cheng's voice, as well as the loud warning shouts of the patrolling censor.
Just now, when Meng Qiping was pouring wine into Zhong Yansheng's mouth, he struggled to put out the light.
Fortunately, Yun Cheng had been keeping an eye on the pleasure boat and arrived in time with his men.
Meng Qiping, who was holding Zhong Yansheng, shook his hand and loosened his grip.
He said that he looked down on the Huai'an Marquis' Mansion and ridiculed Zhong Yansheng as a fake young master, but he was still afraid, otherwise he would not have invited Zhong Yansheng to the pleasure boat alone, preparing to drug him and sleep with him first.
After all, in name, Zhong Yansheng is still the young master of Huai'an Marquisate.
Meng Qiping had a gloomy face and was thinking about how to hide Zhong Yansheng when he suddenly heard a plop sound in his ear.
He turned his head in surprise. He found that the window had been opened wide without him noticing. The night wind blew in and the person behind him had disappeared.
Zhong Yansheng actually jumped off the pleasure boat decisively.