Chapter 483: Chapter 341: Two Miserable Won
How Gu Changsheng punished the little at bun, Gu Ze, let’s not discuss that for now. Instead, let’s talk about another place—the City Lord’s Mansion!
Having just returned from an assignnt, Du Chenzhi heard that Yhan Qinrui had arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion, and he was instantly all flustered!
Yhan Qinrui was not just anyone—she was his wife’s cousin!
The official circles are just like this! There are only so many prestigious families, and marriages are ticulously arranged to match family status, making it impossible to escape this peculiar cycle of marital alliances!
Du Chenzhi’s father had once risen to the rank of Chancellor, and among their relations were those who held command in the Ministry of War. What can one say about that?
Military and politics should avoid each other, yet concerning marital ties, among prestigious families, it’s inevitably unavoidable!
“Why has Yhan Qinrui co to Liuzhou City? Isn’t she just married into the Li Mansion? Being newly wed in Capital City, she should be enjoying ti with her husband. What’s she doing running off to Liuzhou City? And why would she stay at the City Lord’s Mansion? How is this okay? How is this okay?” Du Chenzhi anxiously stamped his foot, pacing in circles.
The people in his mansion might not be aware, but he couldn’t be more clairvoyant!
He certainly wouldn’t think that the daughter of the Minister of War would co out to frivolously travel during her honeymoon. He also wouldn’t flatter himself thinking that Yhan Qinrui had co to Liuzhou City to see her cousin-in-law!
He knew well that in Liuzhou City there was only one person who could preoccupy that high-minded woman—Lady Changsheng, Gu Changsheng, the forr wife of Yhan Qinrui’s husband and their savior from the Du family!
Considering this, Du Chenzhi paced anxiously like an ant on a hot pan.
“God help us, I hope that Yhan Qinrui does not go seeking trouble with Lady Changsheng! Please, don’t let it happen!” Du Chenzhi clasped his hands together, praying repeatedly.
Godfather! Given Lady Changsheng’s temperant, if Yhan Qinrui dares to confront her, who knows what might happen!
It would bring nothing good, that was certain! Du Chenzhi thought with complete certainty, offering yet another round of fervent prayers.
“My lord! My lord! It’s terrible!” a guard rushed in with a look of panic.
“What’s terrible?” Du Chenzhi quickly approached him, asking anxiously.
Godfather! I hope the worse won’t co to be true, I hope nothing bad actually happened!
“My lord, the young lady from the Ministry of War Minister’s Mansion who was staying in the Guest Garden has returned! But… but…” the guard struggled to catch his breath as he spoke, a look of terror showing on his face.
“But what? Just spit it out!” Du Chenzhi’s urgency kicked him into action.
“But… when she left, she was fine, but when she returned, neither she nor her servants… none were unhard!”
“What do you an?” Du Chenzhi exclaid, completely aghast.
“They all sustained injuries! All of them sustained injuries! Including the young lady from the Ministry of War Minister’s Mansion, her half body drenched in blood, carried back…”
“Ah, my dearest cousin’s grandmother, this is serious trouble!” Du Chenzhi yelled, clutching his head as he knelt down, “What are you standing around for? Run to Prince Mu’s Mansion and fetch the Imperial Physician!”
Yhan Qinrui mustn’t suffer any mishap! Even if there must be trouble, it can’t originate in his City Lord’s Mansion!
Hearing this, the guard hurriedly ran out.
Du Chenzhi’s face bore a look of deep resentnt as he spun around several tis before finally heading towards the Guest Garden.
Why did he have to return to the mansion at this ti? He should have loitered outside for a few more days! Out of sight, out of mind!
Getting involved in this ant dealing in blood, and if he was unlucky enough to displease His Highness Prince Mu, he wouldn’t even know how he died!
…
Speaking of Prince Mu’s Mansion.
Barely had Zhou Mu, who had been kicked out of the mansion by Gu Changsheng that morning, returned ho when he summoned Yuan Bao.
“Was there any activity at the Paulownia Courtyard today?” Zhou Mu asked brightly, sitting majestically in the grand hall.
Yuan Bao glanced up stealthily, noticing his master’s cheerful mood, imdiately felt reassured, and quickly responded, “Reporting to my lord, soone used a decoy strategy yesterday to divert the guards, and during the chaos, soone slipped out of the mansion!”
Yuan Bao, grinning slyly as he edged closer to his lord with a cunning look, said, “Yuan Bao, following your instructions, intentionally let them get away, presumably to spy on Gu Residence. Did the individual end up in your hands?”
Zhou Mu, his handso brow slightly furrowed, massaged his forehead in distress, “No!”
“What?” Yuan Bao, startled, gaped for a mont before finding his voice to hurriedly inquire, “How could that be! My lord, didn’t you send word for to satisfy those at the Paulownia Courtyard, with you waiting at Gu Residence to trap the person, at least to avenge Lady Changsheng?”
Zhou Mu, hearing this, his brows clenched, his face filled with defeat as he shook his head, “Lady Changsheng, my cherished, had prepared a dicinal bath for , but to my surprise, it contained tranquilizing herbs…”
Leaving so words unsaid, Yuan Bao, though not the brightest, grasped the unspoken part of his lord’s ssage.
Understanding this, he was imdiately at a loss for words!
This was quite clear: his lord had been outplayed by Lady Changsheng!
This wasn’t part of the plan at all!
Suddenly, Yuan Bao recalled a phrase that Lady Changsheng had once said: Plans cannot catch up with changes, ideals are abundant but reality has always been so stark…
However, compared to being skinny, Yuan Bao still preferred plumpness quite a bit!
On this point, Yuan Bao would pat his belly and guarantee, with utmost sincerity, that it was like twelve thousand percent pure gold!
“My Lord… What about the result?” After weighing it out a bit, Yuan Bao still didn’t dare to speak the reason why his master was overthrown. He could only hesitantly and obscurely ask.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Mu’s eyebrows imdiately relaxed, and his countenance opened up like a divine figure resplendent and enchanting, joyfully saying, “The result… She did not fall into my hands but into the hands of my beloved! According to what Changsheng my beloved said, she must have been beaten up quite hard…”
“Yikes!” Yuan Bao gasped upon hearing this, but then he nodded his head in understanding, “That truly sounds like sothing Lady Changsheng would do! No wonder last night Xiao Si Xi was muttering and brought back a sack! It seems that beating people with a burlap sack is indeed sothing Lady Changsheng is quite skilled at!”
Hearing this, Zhou Mu’s face showed a look of doting adoration as he slightly curved the corners of his mouth, then got up to walk outside, “The autumn day is clear and bright, co with to the Paulownia Courtyard. I shall invite my sister Shuixian to go boating on the lake!”
Upon hearing this, Yuan Bao made a face.
The more his master interacted with Lady Changsheng, the more wickedly he seed to behave!
Look at how righteous his words sounded, yet in reality, his master clearly just wanted to enjoy the spectacle of soone being beaten up!
Goodness… He was also curious! He wanted to see too!
So, without even yawning, Yuan Bao hurriedly followed.
It was a rare honor for His Highness Prince Mu to visit the Paulownia Courtyard, an event happily anticipated once in a blue moon; however, as soon as the people in the courtyard heard Yuan Bao’s distant singing, their shock outweighed their happiness!
“What to do! What to do! The young lady is still unconscious, and in this state, if His Highness Prince Mu sees her, that would be terrible!” Ru Ge imdiately beca as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, bustling around with no end in sight!
“Keep your composure! We must keep our composure! Now that it has co to this, there’s no avoiding it, we have to bluff our way through!” Ru Yu said worriedly as she looked at the unconscious young lady lying on the bed. She tried to calm herself and speak.
“But we need a strategy! If His Highness Prince Mu asks, what should we reply?” Ru Ge was still frantically stressed.
“We should say…”
Before Ru Yu could finish her sentence, Zhou Mu’s figure had already appeared in their sight.
Seeing this, the two of them dared not delay and imdiately walked out to the outer room, crouching on the ground to greet him.
“The maids greet His Highness Prince Mu. May Your Highness live for thousands upon thousands of years!”
“Rise! Where is Shuixian? I have specially co to invite her for boating on the lake!” Zhou Mu stood tall in a purple robe, his deanor graceful like a jade tree.
However, Ru Ge and Ru Yu were too starstruck to care at this mont, trembling as they heard his words.
“The… The young lady… She is slightly unwell, I’m afraid it’s inconvenient for her to leave the mansion…”
“Unwell? Just yesterday she was playing music and singing with , how co today she is unwell?” Zhou Mu said this while striding toward the inner chamber.
Seeing this, Ru Ge and Ru Yu imdiately panicked and rushed forward a few steps to block the entrance of the veil in front.
“Your… Your Highness Prince Mu, it’s inappropriate for you to enter the young lady’s inner chamber…”
“Oh? Inappropriate, how so?” Before Ru Yu could finish her sentence, Zhou Mu coldly interrupted.
Feeling the oppressive aura coming at them, Ru Ge and Ru Yu imdiately withdrew their hands used to block the way, anxiously retreating to one side.
In the bedroom, Huo Shuixian was lying weak and delicate on the bed.
Yuan Bao saw this, leaning his neck to look closely. Huo Shuixian’s beautiful face was intact, but around her neck, it started to look artful with bruises that were blue and purple, almost like a palette…
Surely, the injuries must get worse further down!
Yuan Bao pretended to be terrified, covering his mouth and bowing his head, but in reality, he was secretly rejoicing at the calamity.
Speaking of a thorough beating, it surely was a thorough beating!
Just look at how she was beaten, truly too unfortunate!
Zhou Mu looked expressionlessly at the extrely disheveled Huo Shuixian, his long lashes subtly veiling the mirth in his eyes, and he sternly said, “Impudence! How dare you deceive !”
As he spoke, his sleeve swept with force, and instantly, the brocade quilts covering Huo Shuixian’s body were flipped open, revealing her roughly bandaged body, wrapped like a mummy.
The instant the brocade quilt flew up, Ru Ge and Ru Yu were already trembling all over and fell to the ground.
“Your Highness, please forgive us! Your Highness, please forgive us!”
“Your Highness, please forgive us! Your Highness, please forgive us!”
When Zhou Mu saw this, his foot kicked out, sending Ru Ge flying to one side, then pointing at the mummy-wrapped Huo Shuixian, he fiercely exclaid, “This is what you call a slight ailnt? If this is just a slight ailnt, then what would it take for it to be considered a serious one?”
“Your Highness, please forgive us!”
They continued their desperate pleas!
Zhou Mu kicked out again, similarly sending Ru Yu to another side, “Now tell the truth, how did she get hurt like this!”
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