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Chapter 2 - Zhong Yansheng: Brother?
Yuncheng waited for a long time, and when he was sure that Zhong Yansheng had nothing to say, he scratched his head and said, "Master, you haven't told me yet. What is the name of the person you are looking for? What does he look like? Where does he live? What is his identity?"
Zhong Yansheng, who was asked, became mute.
I don't know anything.
Everything in the dream was vague. When he woke up, he could only remember the general development. It could be said that he had no information about the real young master.
You can't just ask Yuncheng to find a needle in a haystack.
Zhong Yansheng pursed her lips, thought hard for a while, dug out some clues with difficulty, and said dryly: "That person is currently staying in a courtyard in the suburbs of Beijing. He is sick and has a special status. It's not convenient to meet people.”
Yuncheng looked at Zhong Yansheng: "..."
Zhong Yansheng looked at Yuncheng sincerely: "..."
Zhong Yansheng paused guiltily for a while under Yuncheng's eyes, then slowly added: "My father and mother should know the specific location."
Yuncheng was puzzled: "Then why don't you ask the Marquis and Madam directly?"
Zhong Yansheng opened his mouth, and there was a sudden itching in his throat. He put his fist to his lips and coughed violently. His pale face showed a sickly flush, and his lips turned white, which made people's hearts tremble just looking at it.
Yuncheng was startled and quickly handed the hot tea to Zhong Yansheng and patted his back gently to calm him down.
He was pretending to cough, but it turned out to be really uncomfortable. Zhong Yansheng coughed so hard that stars appeared in his eyes. He finally regained his breath, held a cup of tea and moistened his throat. His voice was hoarse, and he struggled to squeeze out a broken cry : "You can't ask. You can't say anything in front of them."
Seeing him like this, Yuncheng dared not have any doubts, and he promised fearfully: "Yes, yes, don't worry, young master, I won't say a word to anyone else!"
Zhong Yansheng was a little satisfied and looked at the sky outside the window. Seeing that it was getting late, he drank the last sip of hot tea in the cup and rushed away: "Okay, go and have a rest. I'm fine. Don't guard me."
Yuncheng did not leave immediately. He observed for a while and made sure that Zhong Yansheng was really fine. Then he picked up the book again and said, "Master, do you want to burn the book?"
"Won't burn anymore." Zhong Yansheng decided to be more open-minded and spare the life of that bullshit book. "I want to be alone for a while. You can go and sleep on the couch outside."
After Yuncheng obediently walked around the screen and left, Zhong Yansheng began to think deeply about his plan.
Everything can still be saved for the time being. Since it's not easy to start with your parents, let's start with the true young master.
He planned to have a good relationship with the real young master, ease the atmosphere between him and the Marquis, and change the attitude of his parents.
As he was thinking about it, he unconsciously rolled his head into a ball and fell asleep under the quilt.
Perhaps because he figured out a way to save the fate of the Marquis Mansion, he was finally no longer plagued by nightmares that night, and it was rare to have a peaceful sleep.
Early the next morning, it was a quarter of an hour.
Yuncheng tiptoed around the screen and leaned against the bed. Without noticing the young master's head, he turned around and lifted a corner of the quilt, only to see the young man huddled inside.
His face was red from sleep, and he was breathing evenly.
Yuncheng smiled reassuringly, then tiptoed away. He walked out of the room, exchanged glances with the maid who was guarding outside the house, and said in a low voice: "Young master is still sleeping, go in and watch, but don't disturb."
After that, he was ready to go to the kitchen to see how the medicine was cooking.
The kitchen is not far away. Zhong Yansheng is very picky and cannot eat this or that. Mrs. Marquis dotes on the young master and specially built a small kitchen in his yard. It is only a few steps away.
The kitchen was busy with smoke, cooking fish maw porridge and medicine. Seeing Yuncheng coming over, the women who were guarding the medicine cup hurriedly asked: "Yuncheng, how is the young master? Feeling better now?"
The young master was so delicate that everyone asked questions along the way. Yuncheng picked up a cooking pancake and took a few bites. He shook his head and was about to speak when someone outside called him: "Yuncheng! Come here, Madam is looking for you.”
She is the maid beside Madam Hou.
Yuncheng hurriedly put down the cooking cake he had taken a bite of, and followed the maid to the main courtyard to meet Mrs. Marquis.
Early in the morning, Mrs. Marquis was fully dressed, sitting by the window, staring blankly in an unknown direction. It was not until she heard footsteps that she suddenly came back to her senses and turned back, with a gloomy face and red eyes.
Madam Hou has always looked like this in these past two days... she must be worried about the young master.
Yuncheng speculated, concealing what Zhong Yansheng had not allowed him to say, and respectfully told Zhong Yansheng's situation.
Hearing that Zhong Yansheng's condition had mostly improved, Mrs. Marquis's expression softened, and she nodded: "Go back and take good care of Yuan Yuan. Don't neglect him."
Yuncheng respectfully responded.
When leaving, Yuncheng heard Mrs. Marquis get up and chat with the maid, saying that the young master woke up this time, thanks to the blessing of the Buddha, and that when the young master would be well enough, she would go to the temple to pray for the young master's well-being, he couldn't help but feel a little more envious.
What a wonderful mother-son bond.
As he walked through the apricot blossoms blooming in front of the courtyard, the vague sounds of conversation inadvertently entered his ears.
The tips of Yuncheng's ears twitched, and he cleverly caught a few keywords.
"...still complaining of illness, and it is inconvenient to see people."
"...that person with special status is in capital now..."
After a pause, Yuncheng listened carefully again, and his eyes lit up when he heard the voice of the Marquis. Combined with the clues, Zhong Yansheng mentioned last night.
The young master said that only the Marquis and Marchioness knew the whereabouts of that man.
He is still sick and has a special status, so it is difficult to see people!
Couldn't the person behind the wall be the person the young master is looking for?
Yun Cheng's heart was pounding. He looked around to make sure there was no one nearby. He quietly approached the wall and pressed his ears against it while holding his breath. The sound became clear.
"...I am currently staying in that other courtyard on the outskirts of Beijing... it is said that many people in Beijing sent people to test..."
Still staying in a villa on the outskirts of Beijing!
How lucky!
Last night I thought the information was too vague and I probably couldn't find the person. But I didn't expect that it took no effort at all!
Worried about being caught eavesdropping, after Yuncheng heard which courtyard it was, he didn't dare to stay any longer, so he walked slowly and quickly slipped away.
Therefore, he did not hear what the Marquis of Huai'an said next.
"——What is the plan of His Highness Prince Ding?"
The frown between the Marquis of Huai'an's brows deepened again: "Madam, I'm very worried."
Mrs. Marquis also had a worried look on her face. After a moment of silence in this unexplored corner, she said softly: "Prince Ding is not named Pei."
The only king of Dayong with a different surname and great power, King Ding, was not named Pei.
The current royal family's surname is Pei.
It's okay for several princes to fight overtly and covertly. After all, they are all of royal blood.
King Ding, a king with a different surname, returned to the capital when the emperor was absent from court for a month due to illness. If he had any plans... the world would be in chaos.
The Marquis of Huai'an let out a long breath: "Madam, I always feel that I shouldn't have come back to Beijing this time."
While the Marquis of Huai'an was worried, Yuncheng had already returned to Chunwu Courtyard excitedly with the news that he had overheard.
Zhong Yansheng leaned on the bedside and mixed half a bowl of fish maw porridge. He had no appetite. The maid next to him coaxed softly: "It's the Donghai fish maw, specially sent by the Marquis. Here, it is for you to replenish your health, would you like to take one more bite?”
Zhong Yansheng's fingers gripped the porcelain spoon tightly.
He didn't feel anything in the past, but now he just feels... well-deserved.
The young master has an extremely handsome and beautiful face, and a pair of affectionate peach blossom eyes with moist black ends and butterfly-like eyelashes when he looks down at others, making him particularly endearing.
Faced with such an impact, the maid's will was shaky: "If, if you really don't want to----"
At this moment, Yuncheng rushed into the room: "Master!"
Hearing the unusualness in Yuncheng's voice, Zhong Yansheng perked up, brushed away his messy thoughts, looked at Yuncheng, and swallowed the remaining mouthfuls of porridge, took the handkerchief and wiped his mouth. After wiping his mouth, he calmly ordered: "I'm done eating, you can go down."
The maid who was sent by Mrs. Marquis to watch Zhong Yansheng eat and drink medicine suddenly came to her senses, her face turned red, she secretly glanced at the face of the young master, and then silently packed up the dishes and left.
As soon as the maid left, Zhong Yansheng jumped out of bed impatiently, with his long disheveled hair and bare feet, his eyes shining brightly: "Yuncheng, did you hear about it? So fast?"
The young master had just recovered from serious illness, still he walked around barefoot on the ground. Yun Cheng felt a headache. He helped the young master sit down and turned around to find his boots and socks: "It was a coincidence! When I came back from the main courtyard, I happened to hear the Marquis and Marchioness discussing this. Young master, I am taking a big risk to eavesdrop on them for you!"
"Thank you for your hard work, I'll give you an extra monthly payment this month!" Zhong Yansheng sat on the stool with patience, then looked at Yun Cheng and asked, "Then where is he? Did you hear about him?"
"I heard from Lord Marquis that the place is called Changliu Villa, and I also heard the general direction."
With that said, Yuncheng took the soft foot bag over.
Sometimes I don't blame the young master for being too pampered by Mrs. Marquis because the young master has delicate skin and can only wear socks made of silk. Slightly rough materials will cause red rashes, itching and pain after wearing them for a while.
Even the Marquis would not say anything about these things. The Marquis only said a few serious words to the young master.
Zhong Yansheng shook her snow-white feet and couldn't help but praise: "Yuncheng, you are so reliable and awesome!"
Yuncheng scratched his head, blushed and giggled.
After asking about his residence, Zhong Yansheng couldn't sit still and wanted to go out of the city to find him immediately.
But the timing wasn't right.
The Marquis of Huai'an and Marchioness didn't want him to meet the real young master, so he had to act quietly.
Zhong Yansheng patiently lay on the bed and recovered from his illness for several days.
In the past, I had to stay in bed for half a month due to wind and cold. This time it was so serious at first, but I didn't expect it to go away very quickly. After another five or six days, the rest of the symptoms gradually disappeared.
During this period, the tonics sent into Zhong Yansheng's yard were piled up as high as one person.
It wasn't until the doctor nodded and congratulated Zhong Yansheng on his recovery that Zhong Yansheng understood that the opportunity had come.
Every time he recovered from illness, Mrs. Marquis would go to the temple to pay her respects as usual.
As expected, as soon as the doctor left, Mrs. Marquis took Zhong Yansheng's hand, looked gentle and said with a smile: "Buddha blessed us, Buddha blessed us! Mother will go to Jinfu Temple tomorrow to worship, and pray for peace and safety in the future and turning bad luck into good luck.”
Zhong Yansheng felt soft at the same time, but also felt deeply guilty thinking he stole someone's parents and relatives, and even made him unable to return home.
During these days, every bit of love and care in the Marquis Mansion made Zhong Yansheng feel like sitting on pins and needles.
It was natural for him to hate him, but he hoped that he would not hate the Marquis Mansion... He would pay back whatever was due, and hoped that after that, he would hate him a little less.
At least wouldn't do anything that extreme to Marquis Mansion.
Mrs. Marquis had believed in Buddhism for many years and was quite sincere. Early the next morning, she took her maid to the Jinfu Temple, where she used to go when she was in Beijing. According to her custom, she would probably come back in the evening.
The Marquis of Huai'an was an official in the court and was already very busy with his duties. He was so busy when he returned to Beijing that he could not see anyone. He often took time to visit Zhong Yansheng in the past few days. Furthermore, he had a lot of piled up official duties, thus went to the official office very early.
The entire Huai'an Marquis Mansion was empty, except for Zhong Yansheng.
Zhong Yansheng always couldn't wake up in the morning. It was rare that he didn't sleep in today. He got up early in the morning and walked around the room to make sure everyone was gone before calling Yuncheng.
Yuncheng had already expected it: "Master, are you going to that other courtyard? Shall I arrange the carriage?"
Zhong Yansheng nodded first and then shook his head, and gave a serious instruction: "You can't use the mansion's carriage. We'll do it quietly so we won't be discovered."
Zhong Yansheng left Beijing when he was seven years old and has only been back for less than half a month. However, he has a good memory and can still remember a few paths to sneak out.
After changing into low-key clothes, the two young boys secretly walked out of the capital in tandem. They slipped out of the back door of the Marquis Mansion.
The sound of people on the street in the distance came over, and Yuncheng felt excited and nervous: "Master, who are you looking for?"
Zhong Yansheng hesitated. That's right, I haven't figured out how to appear in front of Master Zhen.
The storybook seems to say that the real young master was actually born a little earlier than him.
So if I want to get closer, should I call him brother?
Zhong Yansheng thought with a sullen face: "Don't ask."
"oh."
Yuncheng was stubborn, but he worked quickly. He was afraid of being recognized, so he even covered himself with a scarf. He quickly rented a carriage and drove it out of the city, towards the villa that the Marquis of Huai'an mentioned.
In March outside Beijing, the willows are green, and the flowers are red, the warblers are flying, and the grass is growing. The spring grass falls into the eyes like a waterfall, extending deep and shallow towards the horizon. The scenery is excellent.
Zhong Yansheng opened the curtain of the carriage, looked outside, took a deep breath, and felt a little happy.
I was sick and bored in the house for a long time, but now I finally got some breath.
But the closer he got to that other courtyard, the more suspicious Zhong Yansheng became.
There were actually two or three carriages on the road. They were quite luxurious and had the logo of a wealthy family. He didn't know which family they belonged to, but at first glance they looked like they were rich and noble, and they looked quite lively.
The Marquis of Huai'an probably didn't want to publicize the family affairs for the time being, as the script also said that the real young master was alone in another courtyard.
Then why do so many people go to other courtyards?
Zhong Yansheng felt something was wrong and couldn't help but ask: "Yuncheng, did you really hear the right place?"
"This servant definitely heard it right!" Yuncheng was very confident in his hearing and was very sure, "This is what the Marquis said."
"Then what are these people here for?"
Yuncheng glanced at it twice and said nonchalantly: "It's just for an outing."
"Oh, maybe."
Zhong Yansheng thought it made sense, and kept his trust in Yuncheng, and retreated safely.
Yes, Yuncheng is very reliable, how could he find the wrong place?
After walking for a few quarters of an hour, a villa by the water loomed in the distance, with a pipa half-hiding its face under the cover of a green bamboo forest. The other carriages gradually stopped, leaving only Zhong Yansheng's carriage still rushing there.
Seeing this, Zhong Yansheng realized.
It seems that these people are really here for an outing.
Yuncheng drove the carriage and left the other carriages behind.
Among the carriages at the back, a few heads emerged silently. They looked at each other for a while and looked at the carriage approaching the other courtyard with strange expressions.
They are still hesitant to move forward. Are there really people who are not afraid of death?
The surroundings gradually became quiet, with only the sound of rolling carriages and horses.
Gradually, they walked to the gate of the courtyard, and the four words "Changliu Villa" were written on the plaque. The writing was powerful and the meaning of the words was free and easy.
Zhong Yansheng lowered the curtains, thought for a moment, and felt that it was not good to take someone with him, as if he was here to demonstrate, so he got out of the carriageway: "You can go to play nearby, and then pick me up later."
"Ah? It's not good." Yuncheng hesitated, "Master, if something happens to you again, the Marquis and the Marchioness will tear me apart!"
"It's okay. This is my father's private property. There lives... an elder of the Marquis family. It's very safe." Zhong Yansheng urged, "Go quickly, go quickly."
Along the way just now, many boys and girls went out together to fly kites, and there was constant laughter and noise. Yuncheng was a young man, and his heart had already been moved. Hearing that it was the territory of the Marquis of Huai'an, and the elders of the Zhong family were inside, he felt at ease and discussed with Zhong Yansheng. After making an appointment, he ran away happily.
As soon as Yun Cheng left, Zhong Yansheng realized that the surroundings were too quiet, not even the sound of birds. The wind passed through the bamboo forest, and there was a constant rustle.
The vermilion door that was so close looked like some huge thing, as if it could be swallowed up at any time. Zhong Yansheng's heart beat two beats faster for no apparent reason. He swallowed and stepped forward to knock on the door.
For a long time, there was no movement inside.
Not only that, even the rustling in the bamboo forest stopped, and the surroundings became increasingly silent.
Zhong Yansheng began to regret letting Yuncheng leave so quickly.
He bit his lip and knocked on the door a few more times. His voice was small and trembling slightly: "Is the housekeeper here? Could you please open the door?"
Still no movement?
By the way, the real young master is alone in the other courtyard. Is there no servant in the other courtyard?
Zhong Yansheng suddenly understood. He left the gate and walked along the wall for a long time before finding a better place to climb - there was a tree beside the wall with a lush crown and a thick branch protruding from it. Arrived inside the wall.
Thinking of the people in the Marquis Mansion, Zhong Yansheng gritted his teeth and plucked up the courage, rolled up his sleeves, and started climbing the tree with a bang.
In a daze, he seemed to hear the sound of gasping around him.
Zhong Yansheng moved for a moment, and a chill ran down his back.
...is it haunted?
No, no, the sky is clear, and the sun is shining brightly, how can it be haunted? It must be the sound of wind.
Zhong Yansheng swallowed hard, hugged the tree trunk, and slowly moved upward. After a lot of effort, he climbed to the tree, stood on tiptoes, and carefully stepped on the branch that extended into the wall, quite stable.
Dense branches and leaves blocked the view, making it difficult to see clearly what was going on inside the wall. Zhong Yansheng cautiously moved inside in small steps, preparing to jump up when he got close to the wall.
God does not fulfill people's wishes.
After only taking a few steps, there was a crisp "click" behind him.
The hair all over Zhong Yansheng's body exploded. In the flash of lightning, his body reacted first. He threw himself forward without hesitation, just crossed the wall, and fell into the other courtyard.
He was like a baby bird that accidentally fell from a branch. His soft wings had not yet spread out, and he fell into the flowers in panic, disturbing countless petals. He slowed down in the chaotic rain of flowers, rubbing himself and feeling dizziness in his head, and raised his eyes vaguely.
In the blurred vision, a few steps away, there was a person sitting.
Even though Zhong Yansheng suddenly fell from the sky and knocked a bunch of flowers into a mess, and the petals even flew to him, he did not move, as calm as the lake.
Zhong Yansheng fell into the flowers. His head was dazed for a long time, and his vision slowly became clearer, and he could see the other person clearly.
It was a man in a wheelchair.
Although he was sitting in a wheelchair and his legs and feet were inconvenient, his waist was as straight as a pine, showing that he was quite tall. The dark blue robe is embroidered with dark patterns of silver thread, sparkling and moving in the sunlight, and it is very noble.
Looking further up, he saw a face with a three-dimensional and profound outline. Only then did Zhong Yansheng realize that the man's eyes were covered with white gauze, blocking his eyes. However, this did not damage the beauty of the face. His style is still extremely handsome and heroic.
He held a sword in his hand and wiped it slowly. His slender fingers were like jade, and his movements were unhurried and very pleasing to the eye.
Someone's inhaling sound sounded again in a daze. This time, in addition to the inhaling sound, there seemed to be a few pity - like sighs.
The person hiding in the dark shook his head and sighed to the people around him: "What a beautiful little beauty. I guess this beautiful little head will be moving soon."
Another person nodded in agreement: "The master's headache has started to happen again. He is in a very bad mood now, and he wants to jump in at this time to seek death."
"How many pieces do you think he will be cut into?"
"I guess, at least eight pieces."
After saying that, the little beauty who had unfortunately fallen into the flowers got up, patted the broken branches and leaves on her body, hesitated for a moment, and slowly walked a few steps away from the young man who was cleaning his sword. He lowered his head and said hesitantly. He called out: "Brother?"
The voice is sweet and soft, and the sound is pleasant.
After the words fell, there was dead silence around him.
Two secret guards: "...?"
Xiao Nong paused while cleaning his sword and raised his eyelids.
Just when the two secret guards thought that blood would be splattered on the spot in the next moment, they heard their master responding calmly: "Yes."
Um?
Um? ? ?
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