Although Jiang Suizhou looked like he was reading a book, his eyes were
sneaking peeks at Huo Wujiu.
He knew that Huo Wujiu was the kind of man who wouldn't say anything
even if he was dying of pain, so Jiang Suizhou would probably have to wait
a lifetime for Huo Wujiu to take the initiative to say he was hurt.
However, Jiang Suizhou also knew that even if Huo Wujiu was in severe
pain, he was helpless and could do nothing but nailbite.
But he just couldn't help it. He wanted to know Wujiu's condition at all
times.
Jiang Suizhou saw Huo Wujiu sitting on the bed, as silent as a grave. His
eyes were closed, as if he were refreshing his spirit by closing his eyes.
However, his lips were white; his face was unsightly, and his eyebrows
were very tight.
Jiang Suizhou also felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
He seemed to be particularly reluctant to see others endure pain by
themselves.
A moment later, Jiang Suizhou hesitated before speaking with uncertainty,
"Would you like to read a book?"
Huo Wujiu opened his eyes and looked at him.
He heard Jiang Suizhou seriously say, "It's more or less a distraction."
He was partly sincere. He didn't like to watch TV and play video games
since he was a child, and had always felt that the noise was bothersome. His
family was in chaos, and there were so many messy things that he loved to
hide in his study. Although they were rather obscure books read by adults,
they could make him concentrate on them and unconsciously kill time.
However, Huo Wujiu was sizing him up for a moment, without speaking.
Huo Wujiu didn't know Jiang Suizhou's experiences and thoughts. He only
knew that he would get a headache from reading since childhood, and that
hadn't changed now.
For him, what was even more cruel was that he was now unable to move
and could only read books to pass his days, like a bandit being forced to
recite scriptures.
However, when he heard Jiang Suizhou's proposal, he didn't feel bothered.
Somehow, not even when Jiang Suizhou looked at him; he was
expressionless, but looked like a gentleman.
Huo Wujiu had hated gentlemen since he was a child.
However, Jiang Suizhou's appearance looked surprisingly pleasing to the
eye, as if he wasn't be a high and mighty Prince, flaunting his powers, but a
teacher covered in ink.
If he had been a teacher…
He probably wouldn't be the kind who would hold a ruler and force his
students to read. The moment he took a seat and looked at people quietly,
people would have an impulse to listen to him.
Huo Wujiu didn't recover his senses for a while.
Jiang Suizhou asked in confusion, "Huo Wujiu?"
When Huo Wujiu returned to his senses, Jiang Suizhou said, "Shall I ask
Meng Qianshan to bring you a copy?"
Huo Wujiu paused, feeling that he had been bewitched just now.
Would he read or not? He was usually forced to suffer from this kind of
mental torture purely because he had nothing to do. He was numb with pain
now. It was hard for him to speak, so he'd better not make himself unhappy.
"No need," Huo Wujiu said faintly, and then closed his eyes again.
He had constantly sustained injuries, big and small. Every time the pain was
unbearable, he would recite the spiritual calming mantra that his martial arts
master had taught to him, and it was quite effective. He had been chanting
just that. Although it didn't really alleviate anything, it could purge the
disquiet in his heart and improve his endurance to some extent.
Unbeknownst to him, Jiang Suizhou got the wrong idea.
He only thought that Huo Wujiu's momentary daze was due to the pain in
his legs. On second thought, he had to endure both severe pain and
presumably all the flowers in front of him, so he had even less energy to
spare on reading a book quietly.
An extremely immature impulse suddenly sprouted inside Jiang Suizhou's
heart.
He blurted out, "How about…how about I read to you?"
Only after saying this did he suddenly come back to his senses.
What am I doing!
Am I trying to read a story to the War God Huo?!
Jiang Suizhou was shocked by this realization. He looked at Huo Wujiu
somewhat hastily, waiting for the latter to say something in refusal so that
he could take the opportunity to retract what he had just offered.
But he saw Huo Wujiu reopen his eyes and look at him quietly.
Huo Wujiu said nothing.
Jiang Suizhou stared at him for a moment and spoke somewhat stutteringly.
"Th-Then, shall I start?"
——
Jiang Suizhou was holding a travelogue in his hand.
He had read a lot of ancient official history books. On the contrary, most of
these folklores were lost in later generations, and many were compiled and
distorted, mixed with unofficial history. So after transmigrating, Jiang
Suizhou got interested in these 'leisure books'. In addition to reading
official documents and secret reports sent by his staff, he would read these
books to kill time.
He read to Huo Wujiu from where he had left off last time.
Fortunately, he was a teacher by nature. Except for feeling squirmy at first,
he gradually immersed himself in what he was reading.
His voice was gentle and soothing. Perhaps it was because his tone had a
great impact on his voice, so when he was reading the book, Jiang
Suizhou's voice sounded seemingly clean, making the surrounding
atmosphere rather serene.
Meng Qianshan stood nearby with bated breath, tsking deep inside.
He said to himself, My master is really good at chasing someone.
Look-look, he's reading to him. What ordinary person can think of this kind
of method? Who else with his identity can do this?
I believe that even if Madam Huo has a heart made of iron, it would be
melted by this.
With this in mind, Meng Qianshan couldn't help but look at Madam Huo.
However, he found that Madam Huo was just sitting on the bed with eyes
closed and without saying a word. His face was still white, but his frown seemed to have disappeared…
I told you so! I guess it won't be long before I can help Madam Huo to move
back into His Highness's room once more!
Meng Qianshan thought this way and could not help but cheer up.
Just then, Madam Huo opened his eyes.
A pair of thick black but transparent eyes coldly looked at him.
Then, Meng Qianshan witnessed as Madam Huo faintly glanced at his
master, and after seeing that he was absorbed in reading and not paying
attention to his surroundings, he raised his eyes to him again.
Those eyes appeared a few drops colder, and his brow was furrowed with a
chill.
Even someone as dull as Meng Qianshan understood Huo Wujiu's point.
That master thought he was in the way and wanted him to get out.
Meng Qianshan was entirely sensible. He bowed silently to this master and
hurriedly slipped out.
Huo Wujiu watched Meng Qianshan run away with his cold eyes on the
bed, before he slowly withdrew his gaze and quietly glanced over at Jiang
Suizhou.
Jiang Suizhou was so engrossed that he didn't notice Huo Wujiu's gaze.
His voice wasn't loud. His reading was akin to talking to people, gentle and
clear, completely different from usual.
Huo Wujiu's breath unknowingly calmed down.
He didn't expect that a leisure book, read by Jiang Suizhou, would be much
more useful than the spiritual calming mantra.
The content of the travelogue was actually not interesting. A literary man
with nothing better to do than to run around and play, wrote some leisure
books to record his insights.
But Jiang Suizhou seemed to be quite interested in it. Even he himself did
not notice how vivid his eyes were when he was reading.
The corners of his lips were also curled up, looking quite delighted.
Huo Wujiu's gaze paused for a moment. Then, he turned away and slowly
closed his eyes.
He hated reading books, not only because he was too lazy to read the
words, but also because he was disinterested in the contents of those
written, all together.
But at this time, when he closed his eyes, the clear voice seemed to have
become a flowing and clear river, flowing through Bashu and Huguang
recorded by the literati, and sparkling under the thousands of miles of
sunshine.
He seemed fond of those things.
For some reason, it also gave Huo Wujiu an impulse.
He wanted to make those things that Jiang Suizhou liked all belong to him.
He was like a secular person who had finally been canonised and had
finally become a believer of God and Buddha.
This gave him the urge to kneel before the statue of God, wanting to offer
all the wealth and treasures that belonged to him and those that didn't
belong to him, all together to God.
——
Jiang Suizhou stayed in the room until nightfall.
He naturally had dinner with Huo Wujiu before getting up to leave.
Seeing that he and Huo Wujiu were getting along quite well, Meng
Qianshan stepped forward astutely and asked with a smile, "Will Your
Highness still come tomorrow?"
Jiang Suizhou stopped in his tracks and couldn't help but look at Huo
Wujiu.
He actually wanted to come. These days, he was pretending to be sick and
resting at home, so he didn't have to go anywhere. Hence, he was very idle.
Huo Wujiu had just started treating his legs this while, and according to that
doctor, the pain he suffered today would persist for another month.
Jiang Suizhou was a little uneasy.
Perhaps because he was too afraid of death before, it made him develop the
habit of putting Huo Wujiu first in everything. It made him a bit unable to
change over for a while.
Huo Wujiu raised his eyes and met Jiang Suizhou's gaze.
"You don't need to ask for my opinion," Huo Wujiu stilled for a second and
said somewhat awkwardly.
Meng Qianshan's face lit up with joy, and before Jiang Suizhou could
speak, he smiled and exclaimed, "Oh! Then this servant will arrange for
someone to pack up and bring all the books and official documents that
Your Highness wants to read to Madam Huo!"
Jiang Suizhou glanced at him.
He saw Meng Qianshan smiling and saying, "Perfect! I also think that
Madam Huo's light here is better than that of the Prince's study. It's only
right for His Highness to bask more in the sun!"
This kid was so enthusiastic, but it saved Jiang Suizhou a lot of trouble.
He did not refute. And as a tacit acknowledgement, he hummed and got up
to leave.
That night, a letter was delivered to Jiang Suizhou's room.
It was sent by Xu Du. The scouts he had arranged in Changle Square sent
back news that the officials of the Ministry of Justice had mapped out the
location and would be raiding the residence in the next two days.
As early as they made this plan, they knew that because Chen Ti had invited
Huo Wujiu to the flower viewing banquet last time, he had quite a face in
front of the Hou Zhu. Thus, he landed a cushy job these days and was right
in the middle of work in Suzhou.
The only person in the house now was the woman he was keeping there.
She was a woman from the brothel, so she most probably would get caught
in front of the Hou Zhu in the next two days.
Jiang Suizhou finished reading the letter, pondered for a moment and
smiled.
According to the historical records in his memory, although Chen Ti
apparently flattered Pang Shao, he actually had some small selfish schemes.
Pang Shao was greedy for money, and even his men couldn't escape his
scavenging. Therefore, Chen Ti's house was unknown even to Pang Shao.
In that case, when the Ministry of Justice closed the net, that mansion,
along with the woman from the brothel, would be the first to be counted on
Jiang Suizhou's head.
Thereafter, the Hou Zhu would definitely investigate deeper. This case was
also bound to be a huge trouble for him.
By then…they only had to wait for them to use their own spear and attack
their own shield.
Jiang Suizhou felt that there was a good show waiting for him to see. His
mood lifted, and even after putting the letter away properly, his expression
remained pleasant.
Meng Qianshan, who peeked at him, tsked inwardly.
Normally, when the Prince was dealing with official business, had there
ever been a moment where he was so carefree and even smiled at a secret
letter?
What could be funny when the secret letter was full of important matters?
The Prince must have been distracted while reading the letter and thought
of Madam Huo.
With this belief, Meng Qianshan sneaked a peek at Jiang Suizhou as he
withdrew from his bedroom and smirked.
His smirk was rather ambiguous.
The author has something to say:
Jiang Suizhou: What are you smiling at?
Meng Qianshan: I thought of something happy 😀