There was no emperor or Pang Shao, no torched-eyed servants, and no Huo
Wujiu. He felt that the air in the Ministry of Rites was very fresh.
So much so that he was in a very good mood. When it was time to leave, he
stopped to exchange pleasantries with Ji You when passing by his table.
"Lord Ji, what are you looking at?" He looked at the book in Ji You's hand
and asked.
Ji You looked up and saw that it was Jiang Suizhou. Ji You smiled and
passed the book over to him: "It's just some unofficial history without basis.
It's just to kill time."
Jiang Suizhou took the book and flipped through it roughly, and indeed he
was right.
Not only was it unofficial history, but it was also extremely boldly written
unofficial history. It was almost like a written script with the same surname
and name of the former emperor.
Jiang Suizhou flashed a bland smile, handed the book back to Ji You, and
said with a smile, "The content is interesting."
Ji You smiled and raised his eyebrows in surprise: "Is Your Highness also
interested in this?"
The literati in this world have always been more sanctimonious. History
books written in biographical style were orthodox, so privately compiled
history like this with flourishing imagination was for the commoner's
amusement. The ordinary literati and aristocrats scorned them.
Jiang Suizhou shook his head.
He muttered inwardly: Of course I'm not interested in unofficial history, but
you wouldn't believe me even if I told you. I'm standing here and talking to
you because I'm currently suffering for looking down on unofficial history.
…Of course, you yourself may be living in unofficial history.
These kinds of words could only be said to himself and naturally couldn't
be voiced out. Jiang Suizhou smiled gently and said, "I'm not interested.
But history books are always written by people, and the later generations
will comment on them, so who knows who is telling the truth and who is
telling lies?"
He saw Ji You's eyes light up when he heard his words. His eyes twinkled
with a glow of seeing a confidant.
Jiang Suizhou hurriedly nodded to him in farewell, and then turned around
and left.
——
Jiang Suizhou thought he couldn't afford such a high opinion from the
Minister. After all, he could say such things, all thanks to a student who
pitted him into an unofficial history.
Jiang Suizhou left the Ministry of Rites, got into the carriage, and returned
to the King Jing Mansion.
Once he entered Anyin Hall, he saw people coming and going. Meng
Qianshan happened to send two tailors out with cloth in their arms. Seeing
that Jiang Suizhou had returned home, Meng Qianshan quickly welcomed
him.
"Your Highness!" Meng Qianshan approached him grinning from ear to ear.
"I've already brought Madam Huo here for you, and I've just asked the
tailors to sew clothes for him. Tomorrow, the craftsman will come. I think
his wheelchair is shoddy, so it should be replaced."
Jiang Suizhou looked at him with some confusion.
…I haven't said anything yet. Why is this kid so enthusiastic about Huo
Wujiu?
But Meng Qianshan's eyes sparkled at him, as if waiting for his praise.
Jiang Suizhou paused: "…Hmm, not bad."
Meng Qianshan was instantly happy.
Jiang Suizhou felt blindsided by his silliness. He turned around and walked
towards his room.
He walked at a relaxed pace as he tugged off his cloak that was in the way.
Just as he stepped into the threshold, he suddenly remembered something.
He was about to turn around to ask which room Huo Wujiu had been
assigned to, when the man himself entered into his vision.
The man was sitting in a wheelchair surrounded by elegance and luxury,
which made him seem particularly out of place.
Jiang Suizhou stopped undressing.
…Huo Wujiu.
How could Huo Wujiu be in his room?!
He froze in place, and after a moment, abruptly turned around and stormed
off.
He bumped into an ambiguous and joyful Meng Qianshan. His face was
brimming with reserved smiles, waiting for his compliments.
Jiang Suizhou gritted his teeth.
…Praise you? I wish I could beat you up.
"Master?" Seeing Jiang Suizhou staring at him, Meng Qianshan smiled,
waiting for him to speak.
Jiang Suizhou paused for a moment and whispered, "…Is this what you
arranged?"
Meng Qianshan froze, and then it dawned on him.
"Ah, yes! Look at me, I forgot. Madam Huo came here, but there is no one
to serve him yet!" He said. "I expelled the two maids from the mansion who
were originally arranged for him. Currently, there's only a young
manservant left, but he seems to be honest. Your Highness, you see…"
Meng Qianshan halted there, waiting for Jiang Suizhou's instructions.
Jiang Suizhou was livid.
Who asked you this! I am asking you why Huo Wujiu is living in my room!
Is it possible that no other place is habitable in such a huge courtyard?!
When the words reached his mouth, he moved his lips, but no words came
out.
The door was wide open, and Huo Wujiu was inside, so he could definitely
hear whatever he would say.
If Jiang Suizhou brought him here and then kicked him out, wouldn't he
offend him again?
…I originally made this decision thinking that it could reduce the difficulty
a little, but I didn't expect this foolish Meng Qianshan to lift it to a hellish
level.
Jiang Suizhou gritted his teeth, glared fiercely at Meng Qianshan, and
swallowed the words at the edge of his mouth.
"There's one left?" He picked up where Meng Qianshan left off and said,
"Where is he? I want to go see him."
Meng Qianshan smiled and hurriedly led him down the steps.
The people in the courtyard were busy, and the manservant was moving
things with others. Beads of sweat reflecting the light in the sun dripped
down his forehead from over exertion.
When he saw Jiang Suizhou coming, he hurriedly put down his things and
bowed to him.
Jiang Suizhou stopped in his tracks and remembered something else.
He surmised that the reason Huo Wujiu was able to escape from here after
three years was definitely because an insider was coordinating with the
outside. However, the original owner would have never provided him with
this opportunity, which was why it dragged on for three full years.
But…what if Jiang Suizhou helped him?
Wouldn't that be a big favor to him and save himself from having to deal
with Pang Shao's group for another two years?
He pondered for a moment and said to the young manservant, "Come with
me."
This was to give him some private instructions.
The manservant hurriedly followed, and Meng Qianshan had the good sense
to stay where he was.
Unbeknownst to everyone, a pair of pitch-black eyes fell on Jiang Suizhou's
back through the gap in the window pane.
He watched as Jiang Suizhou sought out his sidekick and took him to the
side to talk alone.
As a King, what could he say to a young manservant?
It was definitely to ask him to do something. Huo Wujiu was well aware
that the servant, apart from spying on him, couldn't do anything else.
Why exactly did he suddenly move him to his residence?…The answer
seemed self-explanatory.
He was in the most heavily guarded place in the King's residence.
As for why he was living in the main house…the look of surprise in King
Jing's eyes alone when he came in just now told him that his men had made
the wrong arrangements.
Huo Wujiu prided himself on his calmness, never letting petty gains affect
his reason, let alone losing judgment because his opponent was showing
him a bit of goodwill.
His face was expressionless and his gaze cold and bland, as he quietly
watched the man's every move outside the window.
He rested his hand on his wheelchair, and his fingertips tapped on the
armrest twice with some annoyance.
Jiang Suizhou called the manservant aside, scanned the empty
surroundings, then spoke.
"What's your name?" He asked.
The manservant hurriedly wiped the sweat from his forehead and said,
"Your Highness, my name is Sun Yuan."
Jiang Suizhou nodded and then simply gave him a few instructions.
It was nothing more than telling him to serve carefully and not to make any
mistakes.
The manservant appeared honest and timid. While listening to him, he kept
squeezing the corners of his coat.
Jiang Suizhou scrutinized his every move.
Such a simple and honest man was quite suitable.
After a pause, Jiang Suizhou opened his mouth and asked, "Since yesterday
when you served Madam Huo's side, did anyone ever ask you to bring
anything to him?"
Sun Yuan was stunned, then a look of fright took over his face as he waved
his hands repeatedly.
"N-No!"
That meant yes.
Jiang Suizhou took everything under consideration and realized it. Although
Huo Wujiu was a person of the Northern Liang, his father was a general of
the Southern Jing. Some people in the court, more or less, dealt with him,
so it wasn't surprising if there were one or two secretly making moves.
Jiang Suizhou nodded: "Even if there is, I will not punish you."
Sun Yuan said in a panic: "Your Highness, someone asked me to bring a
letter, but I refused!"
Jiang Suizhou tried his best to put on a pleasant look, and said lightly, "So
there is?"
Sun Yuan was so scared that his legs went weak.
He knew it. His Highness must have a purpose for suddenly finding him!
Who in the world didn't know who Madam Huo was originally, so how
could he dare to correspond with outsiders on his behalf? But unexpectedly,
His Highness still guessed. Hence, whether he helped deliver the letter or
not, he must be silenced…
The calmer the His Highness's voice was, the more he felt that something
terrible was about to happen, which made his legs soften.
"Yes, there is…but I-I will never…"
"The next time someone sends a letter, you give it to Madam Huo. You
don't have to report it," Jiang Suizhou said.
After all, Huo Wujiu was not stupid. If a letter was so smoothly delivered to
him, not to mention in Jiang Suizhou's courtyard, someone must have
deliberately done it. Huo Wujiu definitely would be suspicious.
Sun Yuan, who was halfway through his speech, was dumbfounded.
"I will never…huh?" He couldn't believe his ears.
Jiang Suizhou paused and restored that icy serious look.
"Just do as you're told and don't tell anyone," he returned.
"You should know what happens…if you ever tip anyone off."
——
After intimidating Sun Yuan a bit, Jiang Suizhou walked away with his
hands behind his back.
The mess in his room was all Meng Qianshan's foolish doing. Jiang
Suizhou took a glance at the room and felt a headache. The thought of Huo
Wujiu sitting in the room made him reluctant to go back.
He promptly decided to pass by the door of the room without entering and
go to hide in the study for a while.
With that in mind, he calmly walked up the steps, then went around the
corridor toward the study.
But at that moment, he caught a glimpse of Huo Wujiu in the room out of
the corner of his eye.
He was the most out of place amidst the lively busy room, sitting in a
wheelchair in the corner as silent as a grave.
He was born beautiful, but his eyes were a bit fierce. Every time he looked
at people, he always frightened them in a snap.
But this time, he dropped his eyes pensively. His long eyelashes covered
that fierce glint. For a time, he seemed so quiet, as if entirely detached from
the world around him.
Jiang Suizhou stopped in his tracks.
Just then, a maid carrying a box passed by Huo Wujiu's side, and
inadvertently kicked Huo Wujiu's wheelchair.
Huo Wujiu only swayed slightly, but the maid stumbled from the bump and
almost dropped the box.
The maid stood still and complained loudly, "Why are you getting in the
way? Don't you know to sit farther away?"
With that, she glared at Huo Wujiu and walked away.
Jiang Suizhou frowned.
His feet uncontrollably turned away from the study, and he crossed the
threshold of the main room and walked in.
"What did you just say?" He asked with a frown.
Why were these people, whose names he didn't even know, so good at
asking trouble for him? He was trying every means to secretly please Huo
Wujiu, but this group of people were good. They're bullying him openly!
The servants in the room were all stunned and looked towards Jiang
Suizhou.
They saw Jiang Suizhou's icy eyes fixed on the maid.
The maid holding the box was startled. The moment she saw Jiang Suizhou
looking at her, she immediately realized that he heard her words. She did
not dare to argue. She hugged the box and kneeled in front of Jiang Suizhou
with a thud.
He looked at the maid with downcast eyes and said coldly, "Do you know
you're wrong?"
The servant girl nodded her head repeatedly and answered yes.
Jiang Suizhou then asked, "To whom should you confess your mistake?"
The maid hurriedly put down the box, kneeled down in front of Huo
Wugou, and kowtowed to him: "I was momentarily rude. Please forgive me,
Madam!"
But Huo Wujiu sat there, leaning sideways without even raising his eyes, as
if everything in front of him had nothing to do with him.
Jiang Suizhou faltered.
He knew that this maid deserved punishment for saying such things. But…
At this time, Meng Qianshan was not by his side. He had just arrived, and
he still didn't know the rules of the mansion about punishing servants. He
did not know how much the penalty should be, and as a modern man, he
could not issue an order to make her kneel or be beaten.
After a moment's contemplation, he said indifferently, "Go find Meng
Qianshan and receive punishment."
The maid hastened to salute him.
Jiang Suizhou found that the roomful of servants were silent and dared not
make noise, so he thought his reprimand was useful. At least the people in
this courtyard would no longer dare to bully Huo Wujiu easily anymore.
He breathed a sigh of relief, turned and left.