But…
Thinking about His Highness's appearance in the morning, Meng Qianshan
also worked it out.
His Highness used to hate Madam Huo because he hasn't seen Madam
Hou's face yet.
Now that His Highness and Madam Huo spent the night, his attitude
changed this morning. Faced with such ardent love, the disgust of before
naturally did not count…
Meng Qianshan jogged all the way and followed behind Jiang Suizhou.
Not only was this courtyard on low terrain, but all the used water from the
residence was also dumped here. As soon as Jiang Suizhou entered the yard,
he felt damp and cold. Even the wind blowing on his body was several
degrees lower.
…Truth be told, this sickly body is just too sensitive.
He went straight to the room in the middle but found no one in the corridor.
Before he could speak, Meng Qianshan beat him to it. He raised his voice
and said, "Where have all the people in this courtyard gone?"
A few moments later, two maids scurried out from the side room, looking
like they had already hit the sack.
As soon as they saw them, both showed surprise and fear on their faces.
They quickly stepped forward and knelt down in front of Jiang Suizhou: "…Your Highness!"
Jiang Suizhou's brow furrowed.
Although he was still unaccustomed to the ancient concept of masters and
servants, he knew that one should do their job when paid wages. On top of
that, one shouldn't bully their employer.
They were obviously bullying Huo Wujiu.
Beside him, Meng Qianshan caught a glimpse of his reaction and sternly
rebuked, "Why is there not even a night watch at the door? So, did you just
leave your master to sleep like this? Did you come here to serve the Madam
or to be the master yourself?"
The two maids did not dare to raise their heads at all, kowtowing one after
the other to admit their mistakes.
Jiang Suizhou raised his hand and rubbed his temples.
It was apparent that the original owner's death in the unofficial history was
not only because of his own actions, but also because everyone in his house,
from top to bottom, flattered the superior and trampled on the lowly. He
insistently formed a deep-rooted enmity with Huo Wujiu that solidified his
end.
He waved his hand and said indifferently, "Handle it." Then he turned and
went into the room.
Meng Qianshan agreed and ordered, "Men, drag them both away and give
them a beating. Tomorrow, send them back to the slave trader along with
their deeds of sale and sell them wherever!"
The two maids cried for mercy but were dragged far away.
However, Jiang Suizhou couldn't care less about them.
As soon as he entered the room, he choked and coughed violently.
There was dust everywhere, filling the air. After just one breath, Jiang
Suizhou felt like his fragile lungs had been hit hard. He was coughing so
hard that he couldn't distinguish between the north and the south, and tears
welled up in his eyes.
The servants who followed behind were terrified. They entered in a flurry,
helping to pour tea. But there wasn't even a place to sit in the room, and the
pot on the table only contained half a pot of cold water.
Everyone rushed around. Amidst the chaos, Jiang Suizhou vaguely heard
the sound of a wheelchair, low and mute, which was instantly drowned in
the sound of people.
Someone helped him to sit at the side. After coughing for a long time, he
downed the hot tea that people had taken the trouble to find, suppressed it,
and barely stopped coughing.
Only then did he open his teary eyes and saw Huo Wujiu, who was sitting
diagonally in front of Jiang Suizhou looking suspiciously at him.
His dark eyes were like whirlpools.
Jiang Suizhou involuntarily coughed a few more times, and the
physiological tears in his eyes fell in response.
As the tears fell, Jiang Suizhou also closely beheld Huo Wujiu.
He wasn't sure if it was his illusion, but Huo Wujiu's dark eyes seemed to
be covered in a layer of fog.
But the next moment, those eyes moved away and did not look at him
again.
Jiang Suizhou was naturally unaware of how pitiful he appeared in the eyes
of others.
A cold and beautiful sickly man with reddened eyes, teary eyelashes, and a
heavy cloak wrapped around him; when someone took in his tearful
appearance, why did he feel like he was somewhat inviting a ravaging?
Jiang Suizhou was completely oblivious. When he finished coughing, he
gathered the cloak that Meng Qianshan had just wrapped around him, sat up
straight and said indifferently, "Meng Qianshan, is this the arrangement you
said you had made?"
The cough sobered him up. He knew that he had to shift the blame first, so
that he could logically take charge and give Huo Wujiu a new residence.
Hearing this, Meng Qianshan trembled and guiltily pleaded, "It's all my
negligence – it's all my negligence! Tomorrow…um, no, immediately! I'll
immediately let people tidy up another courtyard and have Madam Huo
move there!"
Jiang Suizhou gave a hum of approval and took another sip of tea.
He thought to himself; it would be best if Huo Wujiu was moved closer to
him. After all, he had just taken the advice of those two minions and had to
frequent Huo Wujiu's place in the coming days…
He drank his tea with a start.
Didn't the Anyin Hall where he lived have a lot of spare rooms?
Not only could he see Huo Wujiu daily and prevent others from secretly
bullying him, but he would also have a way to sneak back to sleep in his
own room. Once this reached the Emperor and Pang Shao's ears, his goal
would be achieved…What better way to have the best of both worlds than
this?!
Jiang Suizhou's eyes all but lit up.
He put down his teacup and spoke gently.
"There's no need to clean up another courtyard," he instructed, "Move him
directly to my place."
For a spell, the servants around him froze when they heard this command.
But Jiang Suizhou remained motionless.
Anyway, as the head of his own house, he needn't explain his decisions to
them. He just needed to pretend to be unpredictable.
However…
He noticed under the dim light that Huo Wujiu's face looked somewhat
abnormal.
He wasn't even listening to what Jiang Suizhou was saying. One of his arms
was resting on the armrest of his wheelchair, while the other hand was
laboriously supporting his drooping head.
…Was he sick?
Meng Qianshan did not succeed in helping Madam Huo move courtyards
today.
Once his master found out that Madam Huo was not quite right and did not
respond after calling out to him twice, Meng Qianshan raced all the way
back and personally went to look for the mansion doctor.
Jiang Suizhou, who remained in the room, ordered the rest of the servants to
push Huo Wujiu to the inner room and help him lie down on the bed first.
Huo Wujiu seemed to be running a fever, a severe fever. Although he was
still sitting, his reaction was much slower.
He reacted only when someone tried to help him.
The servant was just about to touch his leg when he reflexively raised his
hand and blocked the man.
That servant was overwhelmed with astonishment. Then Huo Wujiu looked
down and said hoarsely, "I'll do it myself."
Calm but resolute. The servant hurriedly looked at Jiang Suizhou and
waited for the King's own order. However, he found that Jiang Suizhou,
who was sitting beside him, didn't look at him and instead fixed his gaze on
Huo Wujiu.
Huo Wujiu didn't pay attention to them. Instead, he braced his hands on the
armrests. Although he moved skillfully, it was obvious that he was weak at
this time and his movements were somewhat sluggish.
He slowly propped himself up and moved to the bed.
After sitting on the bed, he did not lie down, but propped himself up with
the bedpost.
He sat straight and still.
Although Huo Wujiu said nothing, Jiang Suizhou saw some innate pride in
his movements.
Jiang Suizhou's gaze paused and suddenly he couldn't help but think of
Huo Wujiu from the history books.
He was born in Yangguan as the son of the Marquis of Dingbei of the Jing
Dynasty. He learned equestrian and archery at the age of six, and hunted
tigers at the age of ten. He turned thirteen in the 20th year of Southern Jing,
when the Emperor of Jing forced his father to rebel and rise against
Southern Jing. In the 23rd year of Southern Jing, his father died in the
Battle of Xunyang. His uncle who joined his father in the uprising was also
besieged and surrounded by the army.
It was he who took over the commander-in-chief banner in the rebel army
and rescued his uncle from the sieg. He won against his stronger enemy and
became famous from one battle. Afterward, he defended his uncle and
became the commander of the Liang army step by step.
Prior to his capture, he had not lost a single battle and was an irresistible
power. In just four years, he invaded Yecheng and drove the Emperor of
Jing across the Yangtze River, from which the Liang dynasty divided the
river and ruled.
He was a finely dressed young general, riding on a dashing horse. Even if
historians wrote about him impartially, they couldn't deny his legendary
character.
He was a hero that Jiang Suizhou had studied countless times through
yellowing historical materials, thousands of years apart.
Huo Wujiu was right to be a proud man.
Jiang Suizhou suddenly understood why the emperor broke Huo Wujiu's
legs.
This seemed to be the only way to make him kneel down.
Jiang Suizhou fell into a trance and didn't notice that he was staring at Huo
Wujiu the entire time. He also didn't notice that even though Huo Wujiu
was already burnt out, he was still acutely aware of Jiang Suizhou's eyes
and frowned slightly, staring right back at him.
By the time Jiang Suizhou came to his senses, Huo Wujiu's eyes had
already turned hostile.
Jiang Suizhou read his eyes at a glance.
Huo Wujiu seemed to be asking him wordlessly: Why don't you get lost?
Jiang Suizhou: "…"
The rare bit of emotion that rose in his heart dissipated cleanly.
Jiang Suizhou withdrew his gaze without giving away what he intended to
hide. He masked his guilty conscience with coldness, gathered his cloak
with one hand while walking to the bedside, and looked condescendingly at
Huo Wujiu from above.
"Why hasn't the mansion doctor arrived yet?" He coldly asked the servants
nearby.
The maids and servants around all knew that His Highness had a terrible
temper and was difficult to serve, so they didn't dare to say a word. Silence
reigned in the room for a while.
Nonetheless, only Jiang Suizhou knew that he felt quite embarrassed under
Huo Wujiu's gaze. He was a paper tiger in a hasty search for a remedy to
redeem himself.
From the corner of his eye, he looked at Huo Wujiu, but the man had long
since lowered his eyes and wasn't looking at him.
…Even in sickness, you're extraordinarily unpleasant.
Fortunately, Meng Qianshan came right on time, gasping for breath with the
mansion doctor.
It was still Doctor Zhou.
As soon as he entered the room, he saw His Highness standing cold as ice
by the bed, as if confronting Huo Wujiu who was seated there. When His
Highness saw him enter, he inclined his head slightly, and a pair of icy eyes
shot towards him.
Doctor Zhou has always been timid, so he immediately lowered his head,
not daring to take another look.
"Come and check him out." He heard the King's cold command.
"Look at how sick he is. Don't let him die in my mansion."
That voice sounded so nice, the tone arrogant and gentle, but with some
faintly audible fine wheezing. From the sound of it, he was in bad health
and was out of breath midway.
The doctor hurriedly responded and came forward with his eyes downcast,
just in time to see Huo Wujiu sitting on the bed, subtly lifting his eyelids
and giving the King a meaningful glance.
He was about to withdraw his gaze, yet as if something had attracted him,
his gaze paused and fell on the King again.
Doctor Zhou was about to take another look when his eyes suddenly
collided with a cold, hostile and gloomy gaze.
Huo Wujiu had caught him peering.
Those eyes were evidently feeble and cloudy, but they still scared Doctor
Zhou. He quickly dropped his gaze, walked over to Huo Wujiu's bed, put
down his medical kit, and began to diagnose him.
Jiang Suizhou sat back again.