Chapter 1104 - 1106 A Good Play at the Guest House_1
In the Bo Residence, Marquis Jingping, Bo Qun, at the report of the steward, his face darkened. Having been saved by Bai Ruozhu, he had almost fully recovered, and besides his deep gratitude toward Bai Ruozhu, he felt an even greater aversion to the elderly Bai Fu couple—because after his mental state improved, he learned that Bai Yihong was not Bai Fu’s biological child.
He naturally despised the actions of Bai Fu. Failing to keep a promise to a friend was unrighteous; neglecting and mistreating an orphan was inhumane. How could he possibly respect such unrighteous and inhumane people?
He thought of his late aunt who had once been considered a heroine among women, daring to save her brother from danger under the noses of government soldiers without regard for her own escape. Why hadn’t her eldest son inherited even a trace of her style?
At that moment, a young servant came to announce that Bai Fu was requesting to see him.
"Let him in," Bo Qun said with a tone that was not very pleasant. The servant shrank his neck and hastily retreated, calling Bai Fu at the doorway to come in by himself.
Bai Fu entered and paid his respects to Bo Qun. Although he was related to Bo Qun, being his cousin, the other was a Marquis, with an official rank that was there for all to see, and Bai Fu was not foolish—he felt that Bo Qun was not keen on acknowledging the kinship.
"Your Excellency, my wife lacks understanding; I will discipline her properly in the future to avoid causing trouble for the Marquis’ Residence," Bai Fu said very politely.
Bo Qun glanced at him coldly and said, "It’s not trouble for the Bo Residence; it’s trouble for Bai Yihong’s family. Three days from now, you will set off, and Bai Yihong’s family will also be there to see you off. On that day, I expect you to control your wife; if she dares make more trouble, don’t even dream of having your son saved and returned to his hometown!"
Bo Qun was extremely impatient with Bai Fu, wishing he could finish his speech in one breath, so that the other would leave at once. He, too, had become accustomed to military life, and spoke in a way that resembled those old soldiers, which made Bai Fu frown at the word "wife."
"My lord, we are relatives," Bai Fu reminded him.
"I have always sided with justice rather than relations. Are you in the right?" Bo Qun looked down on Bai Fu scornfully.
"You mustn’t listen to just their side; I..." Bai Fu began.
Bai Fu was cut off before he could finish. "Enough, don’t disturb my recovery. Remember what I said today," Bo Qun interrupted.
"You should believe me..." Bai Fu tried to explain, only to be dragged out by the servant.
Freeing himself from the servant’s grasp, he strode quickly towards the Old Master’s yard—where he and the Liu Family lived. His face reddened with anger, Bo Qun’s attitude hurt his pride, and more importantly, he felt that the old matters being dug up had blemished his lifetime of reputation.
Well then, did he really have a reputation? He couldn’t even find it amusing.
Upon meeting the Old Master, he also took the chance of the Old Master’s inquiry to subtly complain a bit. But to his surprise, the Old Master did not scold his son for being rude to him; instead, he remained silent, as if he had heard nothing.
He was very puzzled. Could it be that the Old Master believed Bai Ruozhu’s words?
In fact, Old Master Bo did not believe Bai Ruozhu, but his son, who he had always been proud of, had just suffered a serious injury and had nearly lost half his life. Even if he liked Bai Fu more, could he really scold Bo Qun now for Bai Fu’s sake?
...
Bai Ruozhu quickly found Lord Gu and narrated to him the matter concerning Ling Shan. Lord Gu, upon hearing it, dared not delay and immediately ordered a detailed investigation before submitting a memorial to the emperor.
The emperor flew into a rage upon reading the memorial, dispatching his Shadow Guards to the Guest House for investigation, and indeed, the Shadow Guards encountered difficulties until midnight, when they finally caught sight of Ling Shan’s figure.
"What a woman you are, Ling Shan. I will not spare you lightly!" Emperor Wuning, Tang Yin, gritted his teeth in anger.
He had been reassured to send Ling Shan to study acupuncture because she was his trusted confidante and also his woman. It was only because Ling Shan was a disciple of the Medical Saint that he did not formally include her in the Imperial Court. Yet, his own woman had been taken in by Zhou Jue—wasn’t this a slap in his face?
Every time he thought of Zhou Jue who had mastered the Charm Technique, and that androgynous face of his, he felt nauseous and disgusted.
Meanwhile, the Third Prince of Chengshui Country led a group of horsemen at full speed towards the Capital City of Danliang Country, his spirited demeanor revealing he already knew about Zhou Jue’s injury.
In fact, Bai Ruozhu had played a little trick; she spread news that Zhou Jue was seriously injured, while in reality, Zhou Jue was pretending to be bedridden at the Guest House to ensure Jiang Yichun would be severely punished. His nose had only been broken and he suffered no internal injuries; his strength was not significantly affected. So, she let the Third Prince of Chengshui deal with the internal strife.
"Master, we’ve thoroughly investigated. The Sixth Prince has been seriously hurt and hasn’t left his room in the Guest House for a whole day," a man reported to the Third Prince of Chengshui, Zhou Rui, as he rode from the direction of the Capital City.
Zhou Rui’s face lit up with joy, "Good, we must not startle the snake by hitting the grass. Prepare yourselves. We’ll secretly enter the Capital before the City Gate locks at dusk and launch a night raid on the Guest House."
His subordinates sternly responded, "Yes."
A cold light flashed in Zhou Rui’s eyes. He was clearly the best candidate for the Crown Prince, and his father the emperor had hinted at such a decision, as if just waiting to issue the decree.
But he knew his father did not wish to step down from the throne yet, hence his reluctance to appoint a Crown Prince so early. Unexpectedly, the emperor then decreed Zhou Jue, that effeminate, to be the Crown Prince. Zhou Rui held hatred for Zhou Jue and resentment towards his father, but he mostly suspected that Zhou Jue had used some devious means to manipulate his father. He led the ministers of the Imperial Court to unanimously oppose Zhou Jue’s appointment, forcing Zhou Jue to temporarily flee to Danliang Country.
While in Chengshui, it was inconvenient for him to take action, but in Danliang, it was a different matter. He planned to secretly eliminate Zhou Jue and later claim that Danliang Country had failed to protect the prince from Chengshui, thus removing a major threat while also demanding compensation from Danliang.
That very night, a sudden brawl broke out at the Capital’s Guest House, quickly alerting the Jinwu Guard’s patrol team and even waking up the Prefect of the Capital, Fan Li, who rushed to the Guest House. Fortunately, the investigation revealed no severe casualties, and the Sixth Prince, Zhou Jue, had only sustained minor injuries.
While Fan Li was pondering how to handle the situation, a Jinwu Guard discovered that Zhou Jue had "detained" a female doctor from Danliang Country in the Guest House.
"Isn’t that woman the disciple of the Medical Saint, Ling Shan? She had been commended by the emperor before. A few months ago, she was reported to have been killed while serving the Imperial Court. It turns out she was captured!" exclaimed the Jinwu Guard, loud enough for everyone to hear.
The Jinwu Guard immediately went to apprehend Ling Shan, and someone secretly acted against her in the shadows. She softened and, opening her mouth to speak, could not make a sound.
Zhou Jue, with a frosty gaze, turned to Fan Li and said, "What is this about, Lord Fan? This woman is from my Chengshui Country, and it’s her first visit to Danliang Country. She is no disciple of the Medical Saint. Are you trying to arrest my concubine?"
Fan Li thought to himself that he wasn’t the one trying to make the arrest—it was the Jinwu Guard. Talking to me is pointless.
The Jinwu Guard disregarded Zhou Jue, taking Ling Shan away. Zhou Jue, infuriated, wanted to send his men to stop them, but due to his prior clash with the Third Prince, Zhou Rui, which had drained his Qi, and his subordinates too were injured, he had no strength left to interfere.