TGFH Chapter 15: Shengjing Ajou
Shengjing, Anguo Marquis Mansion.
Xiao Yiran sat expressionlessly in the hall of the Marquis' Mansion, motionless with his eyes closed as if in meditation. Mo Yan sat beside him, also drinking tea calmly. The two seemed to be waiting for someone and had been waiting for a while, but neither seemed anxious.
After a while, a cough was heard from the inner hall. The sound was not loud, as if it was deliberately suppressed. Xiao Yiran opened his eyes immediately after hearing the sound, and stood up to greet the person. Mo Yan also put down his cup and stood up to look at him seriously. After a while, a person was seen walking out of the inner hall slowly.
The man was wearing a dark blue gown, with his hair simply tied up and hanging behind him. He had an ordinary appearance but a gentle temperament. His eyes and brows were full of tenderness. His slightly pale face and occasional coughs revealed a kind of morbid beauty. If the women in Shengjing saw him, they would probably be overwhelmed.
"Ahem, how long have I been waiting? Why didn't you let someone call me when you came? Ahem..." As he spoke, he asked Xiao Yiran and Mo Yan to sit down, and asked the maid to serve tea.
The one who came was the Marquis of Anguo, Bu Huaiyuan, a man who was said to be as gentle as the wind and excellent. There were rumors that if it weren't for the poor health of the Marquis of Anguo, the people who came to discuss marriage would have trampled down the door of the Marquis' mansion long ago.
However, Xiao Yiran came to find Bu Huaiyuan not for this reason, but because Marquis Anguo had two other identities: the commander of the imperial guards and the commander of the Shadow Guards.
The commander of the Imperial Guards is Bu Huaiyuan's public identity besides his identity as a marquis, while the commander of the Shadow Guards is his hidden identity. The Imperial Guards are the strongest military force in Shengjing, while the Shadow Guards are the most hidden and powerful intelligence force in Shengjing, and both are directly responsible to the emperor.
Although Mo Yan was in charge of Qinlou, it was only a source of information under the Shadow Guard. Therefore, if one wanted to get the real news, it would be quicker to find Bu Huaiyuan. Unfortunately, Xiao Yiran was busy with military affairs these days and had no time to find Bu Huaiyuan. Now that he had taken time to go to the Imperial Guard to look for Bu Huaiyuan, he learned that Bu Huaiyuan was unwell and had taken leave, so he came to the Marquis of Anguo's Mansion.
"You are not in good health, so just rest more. We can wait." Xiao Yiran frowned and saw that Bu Huaiyuan's complexion seemed to be worse than before he left Beijing.
"These are all old problems of mine, nothing serious. Ahem... Are you here today because of the Qinlou matter?" Bu Huaiyuan let go with a chuckle and got straight to the point.
Xiao Yiran nodded.
"The person who spread the false news in Qinlou has been caught, but he committed suicide on the spot. I sent people to investigate. This person has been in Qinlou for more than a year. He had been hiding and undiscovered before. He was only discovered this time." Bu Huaiyuan still spoke very gently, as if he was talking about the simplest things. He coughed lightly a few times and said, "I have checked the list of people this person had contact with in the three months before the incident. There is no one who has a direct relationship with Prince Luo. At most, there is one person who happens to be a distant relative of a servant in Prince Luo's mansion. There is no strong evidence to prove that it was Prince Luo who instructed to spread the false news."
"Has Prince Luo made any unusual moves recently?" After nodding to indicate that he knew, Xiao Yiran continued to ask.
"Well... Prince Luo has been having a good time with the Crown Prince of Yanguo recently. The Emperor doesn't seem too happy about this." Bu Huaiyuan thought for a moment and said with a smile.
It was no secret that Prince Luo liked men, and there were many male favorites in Prince Luo's mansion. The Crown Prince of Yan, Murong Yao, was a hostage sent by Yan to Zhao. Being in a foreign country, the Crown Prince's status was just a decoration. Although Prince Luo and the Crown Prince were close friends, the fact that the Crown Prince of Yan had fallen into the hands of Prince Luo was just something that no one had said openly.
"Yan Kingdom? ... Has Murong Yao made any unusual moves recently? Are there any people from Di Kingdom in Shengjing who have been active recently?"
"The Crown Prince has made almost no other moves except for the Crown Prince's Mansion and Prince Luo's Mansion. His identity is sensitive, so he is very cautious. As for the Di Kingdom... Since the Fengqing war, the Di people in Shengjing have been very cautious and there have been no major movements. Only a small number of people have left Shengjing... cough cough..." After thinking for a while, Bu Huaiyuan simply answered Xiao Yiran's question, followed by a few light coughs, which were quickly suppressed.
Xiao Yiran nodded, and when he heard Bu Huaiyuan coughing, he frowned and looked over, "Your health is not good again. Are the imperial doctors in Shengjing not very skilled?"
"Ahem... As people get older their bodies naturally deteriorate, ahem... It has nothing to do with the imperial physician... Ahem, don't worry, I won't die." Bu Huaiyuan said and smiled.
"You should have a good rest." Having already learned the information he needed to know and not wanting to disturb Bu Huaiyuan's rest any longer, Xiao Yiran stood up and prepared to go back.
At this time, Mo Yan suddenly said, "Marquis An, I heard that Prime Minister Mu has been very close to Prince Luo recently..."
"Xiao Qi..." Hearing Mo Yan's words, Bu Huaiyuan showed a helpless smile, but quickly recovered and said with the same gentle smile, "He knows his limits, it's okay."
Hearing this, Xiao Yiran nodded, stopped Bu Huaiyuan from seeing him off, and turned to leave. Mo Yan did not hesitate and followed Xiao Yiran away.
Bu Huaiyuan didn't return to the inner room until he saw the two people leave. He said softly as he walked, "Ahem... Let's check for people from Di and Yan who have been in and out of Shengjing recently."
"Yes," someone responded in a low voice in the air, and then the figure flashed and there was no sound anymore.
…
On the other side, Xiao Yiran and Mo Yan left the Anguo Mansion and were riding their horses back to the General's Mansion.
"General, as Marquis Anguo said, King Luo is indeed very cautious." Mo Yan shook his head, somewhat dissatisfied with the fact that he had gained nothing from his visit today.
"No matter how careful you are, there will be clues. There is nothing in Shengjing that Huaiyuan can't find out. I came here today just to give him some pointers on the direction to investigate." Xiao Yiran replied in a deep voice, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Xiao Mo and Feng Jing haven't returned yet?"
"We received news from Yunxia a few days ago that they are on their way and should be here soon."
"Well, send a message to Qingran, asking her to ask Mo Zhi to take some time to return to Shengjing and show it to Huaiyuan."
"yes!"
"General... General..." Before they reached the General's Mansion, they heard several shouts from afar. Xiao Yiran and Mo Yan looked over and saw a servant from the General's Mansion running over. "General, Military Advisor Mo... The Second Miss sent someone to inform the General that Master Xiao Mo and Master Feng Jing have already arrived at the General's Mansion. Master Feng Jing also brought a young master back, saying that he is the General's wife and is now arguing with Madam Ru. The Second Miss asks the General to return quickly!"
The servant saw Xiao Yiran and Mo Yan chattering away everything Xiao Min had told him to say. When he raised his head again, Xiao Yiran had already ridden away.
Mo Yan smiled and nodded to the servant who delivered the message, "The general has already returned, you can go back to claim your reward." Then he rode his horse and chased after him.
Mo Yan, who had returned to Shengjing with Xiao Yiran for quite some time, already knew about Bai Yi's affairs and had guessed that it was Bai Yi that Feng Jing brought back. Thinking of the self-righteous mother and daughter in the general's mansion and the scene of the general driving his horse at full speed just now, he smiled helplessly.
…
The General's Mansion Hall.
"How could this man be Yiran's wife?! Feng Jing, stop messing around here!" A sharp female voice rang out. A woman in gorgeous clothes was standing in the middle of the hall, shouting at Feng Jing and the other two.
"I'm not kidding! Ayi is..." Feng Jing, who was standing opposite the woman, shouted back loudly.
Bai Yi stood behind Feng Jing, looking at the situation in front of him and laughing a little. After nearly half a month of travel, he finally arrived in Shengjing today.
Accompanied by Feng Jing and Xiao Mo, he went to the general's mansion as soon as he entered the city. He didn't expect that Xiao Yiran, who he hadn't met yet, and he would be already confronted by three women in his family.
Although Feng Jing had briefly told him about Xiao Yiran's family situation on the way, and knew that he had a cousin who was adopted into the general's mansion since childhood, he also knew that he had an aunt and cousin living at home.
The one standing in the hall and yelling at them now was Xiao Yiran's aunt, who seemed not very happy with his arrival. He sighed secretly. Although he had prepared a lot mentally for coming to Shengjing, he was still a little sad when facing the unwelcome attitude of Xiao Yiran's family.
"How could my cousin..." The voice was soft and timid, trembling a little, as if it contained some tears. The speaker was a young woman standing behind the woman who looked frail and weak. Bai Yi thought that this was probably Xiao Yiran's cousin Hualan.
"What's impossible?!" Feng Jing glared at the woman who spoke, and the woman immediately shrank and hid behind her mother.
"Alright, it's not proper to quarrel in the general's mansion! I've sent someone to ask my brother to come back. If you have anything to say, we can talk about it after he comes back." At this time, the woman in red sitting in the hall interrupted the two people who wanted to continue quarreling.
Bai Yi looked up and saw that the woman had a gentle face and spoke in a gentle and calm tone, but it was also very effective. She immediately stopped the people who were arguing and sat down angrily. This must be Xiao Yiran's adopted cousin, and the real owner of the General's Mansion, the second Miss Xiao, Xiao Min. She looked very similar to Yun Qingran in temperament, and she really was Xiao Yiran's family.
"This young man doesn't look well. Is he feeling unwell?" As if noticing Bai Yi's gaze, Xiao Min smiled and gestured to Bai Yi, then asked gently.
Hearing that Bai Yi looked bad, Feng Jing was the first one to become nervous. He immediately jumped to Bai Yi and asked worried questions. Even Xiao Mo, who had been standing silently by the side, looked at Bai Yi worriedly.
Bai Yi smiled and shook his head at Feng Jing and Xiao Mo in a soothing way. He was a little tired. He had been traveling since he was pregnant, and his body was always a little tired. But after all, he was a doctor. He had been as careful as possible since he knew she was pregnant. In addition, Yun Mozhi gave him the best medicine, and Feng Jing and Xiao Mo took good care of him along the way, so he didn't feel uncomfortable.
"Hmph, a man is so weak. I wonder who you are showing this to." Aunt Xiao, who was sitting aside, sneered after being scolded. When Feng Jing glared at her, she glared back with wide eyes. Xiao Yiran's cousin next to her shrank back and pulled her mother's sleeve.
Bai Yi took a look at the three women and had a preliminary understanding of Xiao Yiran's family in a short period of time. The fierce-looking Aunt Xiao, the weak and timid cousin, and the dignified and elegant but relatively sovereign Second Miss Xiao.
He lowered his head to hide the slightly raised corners of his mouth. They were just three women. He had already thought about it. Even if there were many problems in the future of marrying Xiao Yiran, he would not back off, because he believed that person would be waiting for him in front.
Just when the three parties were silent, the voice of a servant greeting suddenly came from outside the courtyard. Everyone in the hall immediately looked up at the door, and Xiao Yiran walked in quickly under everyone's gaze.
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