AFDPIRAB Chapter27

Wuzhou is a little more humid and cold than Jinzhou in winter. The sky has been very gloomy these days. It is already past Maoshi[mfn]5-7am[/mfn], but one still needs to turn on the lights to see the inside clearly.

 

Tao Bo held the list handed to him by Yun Jiangli in his hand, frowned, and tapped the table lightly.

 

This person is too stubborn.

 

Tao Bo originally thought that since he had been rejected twice, according to the rumored arrogant temperament of the young hall master of Renji Tang, he would not run into a wall again.

 

I didn’t expect that ah.

 

He sighed and pinched his brows hard. He didn’t know how that little ancestor, Prince An, had offended this young hall master, making this cold and arrogant young hall master so persistent.

 

“Someone, come.”

 

Tao Bo called out, “Go and tell the people at Renji Tang that I’ll be waiting to see their young hall master at the third quarter of the hour of Chenshi[mfn]7-9am[/mfn].”

 

Seeing his subordinate leave the room after receiving the order, Tao Bo picked up his brush and thought for a moment, and finally wrote down briefly about the affairs of the Young Hall Master of Renji Tang with His Highness Prince An, preparing to deliver it to Prince Cheng’s residence in the form of a family letter.

 

This matter is not worth making a concession and wasting resources either. After all, it is a family matter, so just pass on the news, and that’s it.

 

As for what will happen after this letter is reported…

 

It’s hard to say whether Prince An will be scolded by his two elder brothers… or not.

 

.

 

Yun Jiangli has stayed in Wuzhou for a long time. Although he has not met the governor of Wuzhou, but he has also not been idle.

 

Although Wuzhou is adjacent to Jinzhou, but it is far superior to Jinzhou in terms of geographical location and prosperity. It is more convenient for him to inquire about news from all directions here.

 

The person that Ah Xiao sent out to investigate the youth’s short blade yesterday finally brought back news, saying that the pattern of the blade should have been drawn by a famous weapon-forging family in Yingzhou.

 

The imperial court of this dynasty has regulations that, although ordinary people can own a few simple weapons for self-defense and to prevent thieves, but it is different from weapons, and the shops that can make these types of weapons must be registered with the Ministry of War.

 

The people sent by Ah Xiao checked these registered shops one by one, but none of them recognized the short blade.

 

“Oh, by the way, when the subordinate’s people came to report, they mentioned that an old blacksmith asked about the material of this short blade.”

 

Ah Xiao stood in front of Yun Jiangli’s desk and reported, “After hearing his subordinates’ description, the old craftsman was very sure that this material was rare and not something that ordinary people could have.”

 

After saying that, Ah Xiao stopped talking and secretly observed the expression of his boss.

 

A few days ago, after Ah Xiao’s repeated hints, which he thought were inconspicuous, his boss had already sent someone to be in charge of the Renji Tang branch in Jinzhou and also transferred Shopkeeper Qi to Wuzhou.

 

The people following the Young Hall Master with him now, besides himself and Lao Qi, include another person named Du Zhong, who rushed over from the Renji Tang headquarters and has followed the Young Hall Master since childhood.

 

Without exception, all three of them are extremely curious and gossipy. They don’t know if it’s because Yun Jiangli has been too aloof since he was a child or not, so the people around him are such a contrast.

 

“A family of weapon forgers from Yingzhou?”

 

Yun Jiangli was still playing with the youth’s short blade. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Is it the Shangguan family?”

 

Du Zhong, who was standing behind him, responded, “If it’s Yingzhou, it should be the Shangguan family. But hasn’t the Shangguan family only produced new patterns for the royal family? Could it be that the person you are looking for is related to the royal family?”

 

Du Zhong had never seen Yan Muning, he had only heard Ah Xiao and Lao Qi describe him in exaggerated terms, saying that he was as beautiful as a fairy, gentle, smart, and cute…

 

He thought this was all absolute nonsense. It was already absurd that his boss, that thousand-year-old ice block, would be tempted, so how could he be looking for a cute one?

 

“Interesting, this brat seems to be really related to Prince Cheng Mansion ah…”

 

It seemed that Yun Jiangli was in a particularly good mood today because he had finally found some clues.

 

“Knock, knock—”

 

There was a knock on the study door, and Ah Xiao went to open it.

 

“Young Hall Master, the governor’s office has reported back, saying that they would like to invite you to see him at three quarters of Chenshi tomorrow.” Lao Qi said hurriedly as he walked in.

 

The Governor of Wuzhou finally agreed. If he returned the business card, Lao Qi was really afraid that his eldest brother would impulsively climb over the wall in the dark night to block the person.

 

If it were in the past, he would definitely not think so, but ever since he saw his boss hiding a beauty in his golden house, and the beauty ran away…

 

As long as it’s related to that little beauty, his boss is likely to do anything.

 

Yun Jiangli finished listening, lowered his eyes, and nodded with a smile.

 

“Alright, I’ll go meet Governor Tao tomorrow.”

 

.

 

Ever since he realized that he had lost face in front of his subordinates, the little prince had been secretly angry for several days.

 

On the day he returned to the capital, the little prince called Chen Mo to his presence before entering the palace and gnashed his teeth, “Don’t say anything!”

 

Chen Mo nodded repeatedly. He saw his little highness was about to turn around, but he turned his head again and pointed at the people behind him, adding, “Them too! Go and tell them not to say a word!”

 

Having said that, Yan Muning walked into the mansion without looking back.

 

As soon as he stepped over the threshold, Xiao Jiu rushed over: “Your Highness! You are back!”

 

The little prince quickly leaned to the side, fearing that he would be knocked over by this guy. You know, his back and waist are sore now, and he would definitely not be able to stand it if he was knocked over.

 

The next moment, Xiao Jiu stopped walking, stared at Yan Muning’s neck with wide eyes, and said very frankly, “My master! You, you’ve found a girl with a hot temper ah! It’s quite passionate… mmm…”

 

Shiyi, who was following behind Yan Muning, took a big step forward, covered Xiao Jiu’s mouth, and dragged him away.

 

The little prince’s head was buzzing when he heard this, and he felt his temples throbbing with anger.

 

A certain prince, who was so angry that he was dizzy, walked towards his own yard, locked himself in the room as soon as he entered, and sulked.

 

In the end, Shiyi climbed over the courtyard wall, pried open the door, then grabbed Xiao Jiu’s ears and knelt in front of the little prince to admit his mistake. Only then did he manage to appease the furious Prince An.

 

.

 

However, although he was almost coaxed, the emperor sent people to summon Prince An to the palace twice in the next few days, but Yan Muning refused each time on the grounds that he had a cold.

 

The emperor listened to the eunuch who was talking and imitated Prince An’s words and replied, “Chendi has not recovered from the cold, and he was afraid that it may have infected Your Majesty. Wish Your Majesty good health.”

 

The young emperor waved his hand, asking the person who came to report to leave, and frowned as he looked at Prince Cheng beside him: “You say, did this little bastard do something bad outside and hide himself from Zhen?”

 

Prince Cheng lowered his eyes and replied, “According to Chen Mo, Lao Qi did catch a cold, he is not deliberately hiding from Your Majesty.”

 

Yan Muchen, who had heard Chen Mo mention it a few times, could only helplessly cover up for his youngest brother.

 

“Humph, stop speaking for him. When did he dare to approach Zhen after coming back from outside covered in mud? When have you ever seen him behave politely in front of Zhen?”

 

The emperor didn’t believe it at all. He thought for a moment, but he still felt sorry for his brother: “Lao Wu[mfn]Fifth Brother[/mfn], go and help Zhen check on that little bastard if he is really sick. If the physician in the mansion can’t help, ask the Imperial Medical to check him out.”

 

Prince Cheng smiled and replied, “Yes, Chendi will go and see it now, so that Your Majesty won’t worry about him.”

 

The emperor raised his eyebrows and glared, “Who was worried about him? Zhen wants to summon him to discuss serious matters. Hurry up and tell him that if he doesn’t come to the palace, Zhen will go to Prince An’s mansion to arrest him himself!”

 

Yan Muchen agreed helplessly and went straight to Prince An’s mansion after leaving the palace.

 

.

 

“Aiyo, Your Highness, why did you come here so suddenly? You didn’t even send a servant to inform in advance. The old servant didn’t even prepare anything in advance.”

 

When Zhou Fu, the old steward of Prince An’s mansion, heard the servant at the door announce that Prince Cheng had arrived, he hurried out to greet him.

 

“Why would you need to prepare anything when I come?” Yan Muchen greeted Steward Zhou with a smile, got off the horse, and handed the reins to the servant.

 

He lifted his robe and strode onto the steps: “Let me see, where is Muning now?”

 

“It’s been cold these days. His Highness should be staying in the warm pavilion in the west at this hour.” Steward Zhou was old and could not keep up with Prince Cheng’s fast pace, so he jogged behind him.

 

“Alright, you don’t have to follow me anymore, I’ll just go over and take a look.” Yan Muchen came here frequently and was familiar with the people and places in Prince An’s mansion.

 

Steward Zhou agreed with a smile, said he would go prepare some refreshments for the two masters, and then left.

 

.

 

Yan Muchen went straight to the West Warm Pavilion, and as soon as he opened the door, he heard the energetic movements of his family’s youngest child.

 

How can this be considered as not having recovered from the cold?

 

“Shiyi, if you leave the door open and still do not come in, you won’t get any of the honey hawthorn later!” Yan Muning’s lazy voice came.

 

This was because he was annoyed that the cold wind was blowing in when the door was opened. Prince Cheng smiled, closed the door, and went into the inner room.

 

“It’s just the beginning of winter, and you’re already so afraid of the cold?”

 

The little prince then saw that the person who came was not Xiao Shiyi but Prince Cheng. He reluctantly climbed up from the warm couch and said with his head down, “Fifth Brother.”

 

Yan Muchen raised his hand and rubbed his messy head: “Why? You look like this just because you see me?”

 

After saying that, he sat down on the warm couch without any hesitation: “Why have you lost so much weight?”

 

“Fifth Brother. Did Chen Mo tell you about it?” The little prince was sitting next to him, puffing up his face and looking unhappy.

 

“Chen Mo only told me that you caught a cold and had a fever on the way back to the capital and that he was negligent in not taking good care of you.” Yan Muchen was quite helpless. He picked up the teacup on the table and poured himself a cup of warm tea.

 

“But you, Chen Mo, said you had something to tell me in person. I’ve been waiting for you at the mansion for many days already, but you didn’t come. There’s nothing I can do, so I have to come here on my own initiative.”

 

The little prince held his chin with one hand and said vaguely, “Fifth Brother, you just make fun of me. I haven’t figured out how to say it yet…”

 

“I can guess it even without you telling me.”

 

Yan Muchen raised his chin and glanced at his neck meaningfully. “Is this the reason why you are hiding and refusing to enter the palace?”

 

The little prince raised his hands to cover his neck, blushing and mumbling, “What are you guessing? This is a mosquito bite…”

 

Yan Muchen was too lazy to beat around the bush with him: “You, what is there to be afraid of? Whose family’s lady? You are already this age, what’s the big deal if you meet someone you like?”

 

“Or are you worried that the other party’s family background cannot make her a princess consort? As long as you like her, Imperial Brother won’t care about that.”

 

The more the little prince listened, the more he felt upset. He had been feeling extremely upset these days. Although he was a little angry that Yun Jiangli had fooled him… but now that he thought about it, it wouldn’t be that hard for him to accept it as long as it was the big beauty.

 

Besides, in the future, in the future… there will be opportunities to be on top.

 

What’s more, it was he who took the initiative to flirt that night, and the little prince just felt a little embarrassed now.

 

After returning to the capital for so many days, he really missed Yun Jiangli a little.

 

Should he bring the big beauty to the capital?

 

The little prince, who was still undecided, hesitated and whispered, “Fifth Brother…”

 

“En?”

 

Prince Cheng was somewhat surprised to see Yan Muning, who had always been so bold and lawless, actually being a little shy at this moment.

 

“What, what if it wasn’t a girl…” The little prince swallowed.

 

Yan Muchen had not expected that the people of the Dasheng Dynasty were open-minded and that there were quite a few homosexuals. However, his younger brother had never shown any interest in men. Unexpectedly, once he became enlightened, he directly found a male concubine.

 

“It’s not impossible. It’s nothing but the heir.”

 

Yan Muchen took another sip of tea and said, “You have a childish temper yourself, so there is no need to worry about having an heir. If you two are willing in the future, it is not impossible to adopt a child from one of your brothers.”

 

Hearing that his fifth brother received it quite well, Yan Muning didn’t know whether to be happy or worried.

 

The issue that troubled the little prince was not about offspring; he had never thought about it.

 

He hesitated, how could he say that he seemed to be… married out, not married the other party in?

 

The little prince was stunned, bah, marrying my ass!

 

Last time was just an accident, he will definitely be on top next time!

 

“Alright, stop thinking about it. I just came to see you today. If you have recovered from the cold, go to the palace to see His Majesty as soon as possible.”

 

Prince Cheng raised his hand and rubbed his younger brother’s head: “Your second brother misses you. Anyway, he told me to tell you today that if you don’t go, he will come in person.”

 

“As for the man you like, if he is not coming to the capital with you this time, you should send someone to pick him up as soon as possible. It would be bad to disappoint him.”

 

Yan Muchen paused, but still said: “After all… you have already… we can’t be irresponsible.”

 

Yan Muning nodded obediently during the first few sentences, but when he heard the last sentence, he almost crushed the teacup in his hand.

 

Is he not f*cking responsible for this?

 

It was clearly me who woke up the next day, and that scumbag was nowhere to be seen, alright!

 

There is no way the little prince would say such words. He is Prince An, so he must be that husband!

 

After fooling his fifth brother away, Yan Muning lazily returned to his warm couch, leaning against the soft pillow by the window in a daze.

 

He really missed Yun Jiangli and had even dreamed about him the day before yesterday.

 

The little prince, who was moved for the first time, tasted the feeling of longing for the first time. He felt both sour and bitter in his heart, somewhat aggrieved, he grumbled at the great beauty.

 

Yan Muning’s thoughts were interrupted when Xiao Jiu and Shiyi came in noisily with honey-filled hawthorn in their hands.

 

“Hiss……”

 

After taking just one bite, the little prince frowned and put down the spoon.

 

“I won’t eat it anymore. I won’t eat it anymore. It’s both bitter and sour.” He picked up the teacup and took a big sip to wash away the sourness in his mouth.

 

Xiao Jiu said bluntly, “I’ve said that Master always likes to eat sweet things. I don’t know what you were thinking today. You insisted on eating hawthorn. This is very sour. You definitely don’t like it.”

 

“Hump.”

 

Yan Muning was unhappy and puffed up his face.

 

He also didn’t know why, but he particularly wanted to eat something sweet and sour today. After thinking about it, he thought of honey hawthorn, and he immediately felt very hungry. He hurriedly urged them to prepare it. However, after taking a bite, he frowned because of the sour taste, so he gave up.

 

“Your Highness… are you worried about something?” Shiyi carefully noticed it and asked hesitantly.

 

The little prince nodded but didn’t know what to say. He lowered his eyes and played with a strand of his own hair.

 

After a long while, he pursed his lips and said, “Shiyi, can you go to Jinzhou City to pick someone up for me?”

 

.

 

A little after the second quarters of Chenshi, Yun Jiangli led Ah Xiao and Du Zhong to the governor’s mansion in Wuzhou.

 

After a while, someone came and led them through the front yard into the central hall of the mansion.

 

“Lord Governor.”

 

Yun Jiangli bowed in greeting.

 

“Young Hall Master is too polite. Please take a seat.”

 

Tao Bai looked at the young man in front of him closely. His appearance was truly stunning, and coupled with his cold aura, it really made people afraid to approach him easily.

 

“The official was really busy these days, which is why it has taken so long. Hope Young Hall Master can forgive me.” Tao Bai said politely.

 

Yun Jiangli knew that this was all nonsense, and politely said, “It’s me being rude.”

 

“But there are indeed some urgent and troublesome matters that I need to ask the Governor in person.” Yun Jiangli did not give Tao Bai the opportunity to continue beating around the bush and went straight to the point.

 

Tao Bai had not expected him to be so straightforward. He remained calm and responded with a smile, “Young Hall Master, please ask, I will tell you everything I know.”

 

Yun Jiangli took out a short blade from his sleeve, placed it on the table, stared into Tao Bai’s eyes and asked, “Does the Governor know the owner of this short blade?”

 

Tao Bai’s heart skipped a beat. Aiyo, how could Prince An, this little bastard, lose his own short sword?

 

But Tao Bai certainly must not recognize it ah, so he pretended to take a closer look.

 

“Hmm… never seen it before.”

 

Then he threw the question back: “This short sword looks very exquisite. May I ask where did Young Hall Master got it from?”

 

Heh.

 

Yun Jiangli sneered in his heart, he was indeed an old fox.

 

“I got along with someone who is very important to me.” Yun Jiangli answered slowly and then continued to ask, “Does the Governor still remember the pox in Jinzhou City in the autumn?”

 

“Of course I remember.” Tao Bai nodded.

 

Yun Jiangli calmly said, “Then, may I ask if the Governor recognizes the person who wrote to you asking for help?”

 

Tao Bai laughed dryly: “Uh, I recognize it.”

 

Yun Jiangli said calmly, “I hope Lord Governor can tell the truth about that youth’s identity.”

 

Tao Bai hesitated. He couldn’t figure out what the young man in front of him was up to. He didn’t look like he was seeking revenge. If he wasn’t seeking revenge, why did he insist on looking for Prince An?

 

He had watched Prince An grow up, so he could be said to have some understanding of the little prince.

 

Although the little prince was a bit noisy, but he was indeed a very kind and soft-hearted child, and he would never use his status to bully others. Then… Yun Jiangli didn’t know his identity. If the two were friends, why would the little prince run away without saying a word?

 

In just a short moment, Tao Bai’s mind was already in a thousand twists and turns. Since he couldn’t figure out whether Yun Jiangli was an enemy or a friend, he must protect Prince An first—

 

“That child is the youngest son of my lifelong friends. Although he has a bit of a frivolous temper, he is a good child. If he has offended the Young Hall Master in any way, please do not bother with him for this official’s sake.”

 

Having said that, Yun Jiangli knew that asking further would not yield any information either.

 

However, this news is enough for now.

 

Yun Jiangli nodded: “What is Lord Governor talking about? Since he is someone you know, then the confusion has been resolved, and I will not bother you any more.”

 

Having said that, he prepared to get up and say goodbye.

 

Tao Bai seemed to have not expected that it could be dealt with so easily. Was it just such a small matter. Was it worth him sending his business cards again and again?

 

Tao Bai couldn’t understand it, but since the other party had already taken this step back, there was no reason for him to ask further questions either. He stood up and politely saw Yun Jiangli and his three companions out.

 

After leaving the governor’s mansion, Ah Xiao couldn’t hold it in any longer and asked in a low voice, “We leave just like this? We didn’t even find out the answer to the question ah!”

 

Du Zhong saw things more clearly than he did: “This governor is an old fox. He won’t say anything.”

 

Ah Xiao rolled his eyes. Hehe, old fox?

 

How good is our boss? Isn’t he also a little fox? He has all kinds of twists and turns in his heart…

 

Tsk, tsk, tsk, now that he thinks about it, it makes sense that Xiao Qi ran away; otherwise, that innocent little beauty would have been fooled by his boss so much that he wouldn’t have beeen able to find his way.

 

Yun Jiangli seemed quite satisfied, his expression was much more relaxed than when he came, and he also had the patience to explain a few things to Ah Xiao’s stubborn mind: “The information he said is enough.”

 

Since Tao Bai said that the child was from his old friend’s family, then it matches the information he found about the short sword.

 

The Tao family’s old friends must be in the capital.

 

Moreover, if he was from a distinguished family, then it would all make sense whether he was previously hunted by assassins or because of the good upbringing that was inadvertently revealed in his every move.

 

Now, this brat is probably already in the capital.

 

Yun Jiangli lowered his eyes and smiled faintly, then ordered—

 

“Let’s go, go back and get ready, and follow me to the capital.”

 

The author has something to say:

Yun ‘hot and enthusiastic’ Jiang Li: Hey, I’m going to catch my wife!

Yan ‘irresponsible’ Muning: I… am a responsible child, I will go pick up my wife now!