Prince Sui was not a magnanimous person. Initially, Cui Xingzhou’s mission to the Northwest to fill the void left by the Great Yan had little to do with him. However, Cui Xingzhou’s actions of blocking his revenue stream were truly unforgivable!
How could a royal nobleman like Prince Sui tolerate such an affront? More critically, if those merchants he had arranged fell into Prince Huaiyang’s hands, the damning evidence of his collusion with the barbarian Chanyu would also be in Prince Huaiyang’s possession.
At present, the factions of the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager were locked in a fierce struggle. If Prince Huaiyang were to submit this evidence, Wu Yao Fei would have no reason not to use it. Wouldn’t Liu Pei then be left in a purely defensive position?
Even if he could ultimately extricate himself, he would lose the reputation for virtue, respect, and filial piety that he had painstakingly cultivated.
Prince Sui decided to test Cui Xingzhou’s intentions. However, he also needed to keep a close watch on affairs in court. He absolutely could not allow Cui Xingzhou’s impeachment memorial to reach the Emperor.
Furthermore… everyone who knew about his private iron mining business could not be allowed to live! He had heard that the merchants who had liaised with Yangshan had escaped the pursuit of the assassins he had sent. These individuals were intimately familiar with the details of how he had bribed A’gushan.
It seemed he would need to dispatch more men to root out these weeds thoroughly!
In truth, Prince Sui was overthinking. Cui Xingzhou had gone to great lengths to grasp this wolf’s tail of Prince Sui’s; how could he be willing to use it lightly?
The untimely supply of grain and fodder to the Northwest remained a major concern. If Prince Sui could help smooth things over, the rice in the Northwestern army’s pots would taste much sweeter.
So Cui Xingzhou wasn’t in a hurry. He simply bided his time, letting that grandson of Prince Sui stew in his juices.
As for Cui Xingzhou himself, he was busy day and night… In recent days, spring had finally arrived late in the Northwest. The streets had burst into bloom almost overnight.
At this time, the streets were filled with the fragrance of fresh grass and flowers, truly embodying the essence of spring.
Unfortunately, Mian Tang had been rising late these past few days, also seeming to embody a sense of delayed spring.
Although it was already late morning, the master bedroom of the small-town courtyard remained tightly closed, with no sign of anyone calling for water.
After a while, a slender, snow-white arm emerged from the closed curtains, groping for the undergarment hanging on a nearby chair.
However, moments later, a strong hand enveloped that arm, pulling it back inside.
Ever since returning from the hot springs, Mian Tang had been entangled with her husband for three days and nights of ceaseless passion.
Now, she ruefully recalled Physician Zhao’s admonition to “be cautious with medication.”
Who would have thought that a mere kidney-tonifying wine would invigorate her husband to such an extent as if he had become a different person?
Mian Tang had no recollection of her newlywed days, so she didn’t know if this was due to excessive supplementation. But she was certain that her current frail physique could hardly keep up with her husband.
So when her husband was about to become entangled with her again, she repeatedly begged for mercy: “My lord, the shop hasn’t opened for days. I need to go and manage it… Shouldn’t you also return to Jinjia Pass?”
Cui Xingzhou’s insomnia had greatly improved over the past few days. This morning, he was in particularly good spirits. He had wanted to ride the afterglow of last night’s two bouts of lovemaking to reach another peak, but hearing his little wife’s words that seemed to be chasing him away, his eyes darkened slightly: “What? You want to drive me away?”
Mian Tang, lying on his solid chest, pouted slightly: “Who’s driving you away? I’m just worried you’ll neglect your duties… Should I prepare another dose of heat-clearing medicine for you?…”
Prince Huaiyang raised an eyebrow and said concisely, “From now on, you’re not allowed to casually prescribe medicine for people!”
However, he had indeed been too indulgent in the boudoir these past few days. Cui Xingzhou decided to return to Jinjia Pass after breakfast.
As for Mian Tang, after several days of wild passion with her husband, she felt as if her waist was about to break.
Despite her husband’s usually refined and profound demeanor, in the dim lamplight behind tightly closed curtains, such an elegant man became like an unleashed beast…
Thinking this, Mian Tang’s heart warmed, and her cheeks immediately turned pink.
Bicao was applying powder for Madam Liu and couldn’t help but praise, “Madam’s complexion is naturally good, rosy and white. You don’t even need rouge.”
Just then, Cui Xingzhou walked over, looked at Mian Tang’s well-coiffed cloud-like hair, and casually selected a sparrow-head hairpin from the cosmetic box: “I bought this for you. Would you like to wear it today?”
Mian Tang nodded with a smile, lowering her head slightly to let Cui Jiu pin it for her.
After Mian Tang had washed and dressed, she left with two young maids. Cui Jiu also led Mo Ru and several guards on horseback out of the past.
Her husband said he had accumulated countless mundane affairs and would return in a couple of days. Mian Tang planned to go to the pharmacy today to meet with some medicine merchants and restock inventory.
Perhaps due to the shop being closed for several days, soon after opening the doors, customers seeking medicine came in an endless stream.
The shop assistants were all extremely busy, and Mian Tang couldn’t attend to restocking. She could only man the counter, collecting money.
Amidst the bustling crowd in the pharmacy, a man with a headscarf entered. After asking the assistant for some medicine to treat external wounds and stop bleeding, he approached Mian Tang to pay.
However, among the money he handed over, there was a folded note.
Mian Tang frowned as she unfolded it. There was only a single line of small characters: “I am your uncle. I have fallen on hard times and cannot meet you in person today. There are many officials around, do not make a sound. Come to the West Gate at noon. Remember, do not bring outsiders to meet!”
Mian Tang looked up in surprise, just in time to see the man pull down his scarf, revealing his face.
That face was all too familiar! It was Liu Kun, the escort from her maternal grandfather’s family!
When she was still a little girl, every time she visited her maternal grandfather’s house, it was Uncle Liu who accompanied her to buy candied hawthorn fruits on the street.
If not for the note’s warning, Mian Tang would have almost called out.
But Liu Kun’s meaningful glance came just in time, his eyes and brows gesturing to Mian Tang not to make a sound. Then he picked up his medicine package and left.
At that moment, Fan Hu walked over, looking back at Liu Kun’s retreating figure, and asked, “Madam, is something wrong?”
Mian Tang just lowered her head, arranged the money, and calmly said, “It’s nothing, you can go back to your work!”
So Fan Hu went to sweep the floor.
But Mian Tang’s heart was about to boil over. The handwriting on the note was indeed that of her eldest uncle, Lu Xian.
His writing was very proper; her mother had even made her learn calligraphy from her eldest uncle before.
Being able to receive news from her maternal grandfather’s family excited Mian Tang. But under these circumstances, she felt more worried than anything else.
Why didn’t her uncle come to see her openly? And why did he sternly instruct in the note that she must not bring outsiders to meet him?
What exactly had happened to Uncle Lu Xian?
Mian Tang thought for a while and felt that her eldest uncle must have encountered some serious trouble.
Hearing this, she took some cash from the money drawer behind the counter. She wrapped it in a small bundle, planning to slip out at noon while the shop assistants were distracted.
However, when she was about to leave, she realized that those few assistants seemed impossible to shake off.
Whether she made excuses to stand outside the door or went to the embroidery shop across the street to choose colored threads, Fan Hu always led people to follow behind her.
Mian Tang became annoyed for a moment, frowning as she said, “It’s midday, Brother Fan. You can take the others to have some wine. Don’t keep following me!”
Saying this, she took out a silver ingot and gave it to Fan Hu and the others.
Fan Hu and the other men looked at each other, and with tacit understanding, turned and left with the silver.
Only then did Mian Tang breathe a sigh of relief. She turned and followed the stone-paved road leading to the West Gate, exiting Wuning Pass through the western gate.
Outside the West Gate was a peach blossom grove. Mian Tang walked a little and saw Liu Kun’s figure.
He vigilantly looked behind Mian Tang, making sure no one was following, before quietly saying to her, “The master is severely injured and has been feverish these past few days. Please, miss, come with me quickly to see him…”
Mian Tang had a belly full of questions to ask, but could only follow Liu Kun onto the carriage, quickly heading towards the dilapidated temple.
When they got off the carriage and Mian Tang saw her eldest uncle, who had become gaunt beyond recognition, she couldn’t hold back and almost cried out.
It had only been a few years since they last met, how had her memory of the plump eldest uncle become so emaciated?
But her eldest uncle was even more shocked than her. He struggled to sit up, his lips trembling as he said, “Mian Tang… child, you’re still alive. Why didn’t you contact us earlier? Your grandfather, the old man, fell seriously ill from grief over you…”
Mian Tang was somewhat surprised by her eldest uncle’s words, blinking as she said, “I’ve been well at my husband’s home. Although I was ill before… it wasn’t life-threatening. What do you mean by this, Uncle?”
At this, everyone in the dilapidated temple was shocked. Husband’s home? Where did Liu Mian Tang get a husband’s home from?
The long-separated uncle and niece each had their tangled web of confusion.
When Lu Xian heard that his niece had lost her memory and had been cared for by her husband Cui Jiu all this time, he anxiously slapped his thigh and said, “When did you marry Cui Jiu? Do you not remember? Back then, you contacted your second uncle Lu Mu halfway through your journey, and he led people disguised as bandits to take you away!”
Mian Tang’s body stiffened slightly, her eyes widening in disbelief, her voice trembling as she said, “No… impossible. My husband is so good, how could I have wanted to escape the marriage?”
Lu Xian shook his head helplessly and said, “Good? What’s good about him? Wasn’t it because you saw Cui Jiu, who came out of the city to welcome you, and found him fat-headed and ugly, repulsive in appearance, that you wanted to escape the marriage?”
Mian Tang’s expression remained frozen as she said, “Impossible, my husband’s appearance… is excellent…”
Liu Kun, standing to the side, had understood by now and anxiously slapped his thigh, saying, “Miss, how do you still not understand? You… you’ve fallen victim to a scoundrel who deceived you for your beauty!”
Mian Tang suddenly stood up, shaking her head desperately as she instinctively said, “No! My husband… he’s not that kind of person!”
At once, many doubts swarmed into her mind.
His initial polite distance and coldness towards her, and how he always refused to come home before… Suddenly, Mian Tang’s mind was in chaos. Standing in this dilapidated temple, she felt as if she had been in an absurd dream. She even closed her eyes and dug her nails tightly into her palms, hoping this dream would end quickly…
Just then, voices of commotion came from outside the dilapidated temple. In the darkening night, the temple was suddenly surrounded by a flood of officials and soldiers.
Amid torchlight, a tall man wrapped in a dark cloak led the troops, appearing at the temple with a grim expression.
Mian Tang slowly turned her head, looking back at him with a blank expression.
He looked the same as always, his brow exuding an indescribable nobility, his straight nose and thin lips commanding respect without anger…
How could such a man possibly be the son of a merchant? How could he possibly… be her husband Cui Jiu?
For a moment, Mian Tang’s mind went blank, only quietly recalling how that morning, when her husband was combing her hair, he had leaned close to her ear and softly asked if she wanted to wear the hairpin he had bought for her. She had smiled back at him, then lowered her head, allowing him to pin the sparrow-head ornament into her hair…
Cui Xingzhou waved his hand, and the soldiers filed in, surrounding the few people in the dilapidated temple. Today, after receiving Fan Hu’s report, he had rushed here with his troops.
He had waited outside the temple for a long time, long enough to know that the people inside were Mian Tang’s uncle Lu Xian, and to guess that Lu Xian had told Mian Tang that he was not her husband Cui Jiu.
He strode forward with long steps, steadily walking to Mian Tang’s side, reaching out to take her hand. But as Mian Tang was about to fall into his embrace, she quickly pulled the hairpin from her head and stabbed it straight at him.
If her hand hadn’t been injured before, she might have had a chance to hit him. But Prince Huaiyang had long known of her habit of stabbing with hairpins, so he firmly gripped her hand, then looked deep into her eyes, coldly saying, “You want to kill me?”
Mian Tang widened her eyes, staring straight at him, and asked, “Who… are you?”
Liu Kun had seen Cui Xingzhou before, but at that time he was wearing a conical hat and his face wasn’t clear. Liu Kun had only seen his general figure. Now, in the bright torchlight, he could see the scoundrel’s face.
To be honest, his appearance was impeccable. Even the well-traveled Liu Kun had to admit that this was a rarely-seen handsome man.
But if he was so good-looking, he shouldn’t lack for women. Why did he specifically deceive Liu Mian Tang, tricking her into believing she was his wife?
Thinking of this, Liu Kun leaped forward, intending to rescue the young miss.
Liu Kun’s martial arts were not bad; he was the top escort in the Shenwei Escort Agency. But his fierce moves seemed like mere child’s play before Cui Xingzhou.
Cui Xingzhou stood unmoved, simply turning his wrist with one hand to easily neutralize Liu Kun’s attack. With a reverse move, he flicked his fingers and struck a pressure point on Liu Kun’s arm.
Liu Kun felt his entire arm shake, the pain causing him to withdraw his hand. He immediately lost balance and staggered back several steps, supported by two other escorts from the agency.
Cui Xingzhou hadn’t spared a glance at anyone else from start to finish, only coldly narrowing his eyes and staring intently at Liu Mian Tang, whom he held firmly.
Just now, she had tried to attack him! Thinking of this, a tidal wave of anger overwhelmed the slight discomfort he felt at having his identity exposed.
But Mian Tang’s confusion and anger had also reached their peak at this moment.
In that instant, she thought of many things. No matter what, the fact that he had lied and deceived her was indisputable. And even though he knew she wasn’t married to him, he still… did that with her!
Just as Uncle Liu said, he was a shameless scoundrel, a thief who deceived her for her beauty!
At this moment, Liu Kun also shouted, “Quickly release our young miss! The ones you’ve been chasing all along are just us men, aren’t they? If you have the guts, come at us! What does this have to do with her, a weak woman?”
Mian Tang’s pupils contracted slightly as she heard this.
Yes, what had he brought all these people here for? Could it be… he had brought this large contingent of officials and soldiers to arrest her eldest uncle and Uncle Liu?
Thinking of how her eldest uncle had mentioned earlier that someone had been constantly trying to kill them, and considering her eldest uncle’s severe injuries, she raised her hand and slapped Cui Xingzhou’s face hard.
Cui Xingzhou could have dodged. But he deliberately didn’t avoid it, instead taking the slap directly. His face turned slightly from the impact but remained expressionless.
Mian Tang had used too much force; her whole body was trembling slightly with anger as she continued to question, “Who are you? Are you here to capture my eldest uncle?”
Mo Ru, standing to the side, couldn’t bear to watch anymore and couldn’t help but speak up in defense of his master: “If it weren’t for our lord coming in time, you would all have been surrounded in this dilapidated temple. Instead of saying thank you, you raise your fists against our lord. You’re truly an ungrateful bunch!”
As he said this, several soldiers dragged a few men into the dilapidated temple.
They were all injured and tightly bound.
Liu Kun glanced at them and realized they were indeed the people who had been chasing and trying to kill them all along! Among them, the man with the scar on his face was the one who had severely injured the master!
Mo Ru continued, filled with righteous indignation, addressing Mian Tang: “Madam, our lord heard that you had left the city alone and feared you might encounter danger, so he urgently brought people here. Besides these few who snuck into the temple, there are more than a dozen in the wild woods outside! If we hadn’t come, how could you few old, weak, sick, and injured people have withstood those men?”
Lu Xian was running a high fever and had lost a lot of blood, leaving him somewhat weak. But his judgment of people was quite astute.
Although he had been furious earlier upon hearing that the amnesiac Mian Tang had been deceived into marriage, now looking at this man impersonating Cui Jiu, he appeared distinguished and unlikely to be the type to deceive women for their beauty.
His move to repel Liu Kun earlier was clean and efficient, showing profound skill.
To be honest, just looking at this man’s martial arts abilities, he was indeed far superior to the fat pig of a son-in-law that Mian Tang’s unworthy father had chosen.
He was quite a good match for his niece.
No wonder Mian Tang didn’t believe her husband was fake earlier. Such a man… would be fought over by girls anywhere.
Most importantly, it had been almost two years since Mian Tang’s disappearance. She had been living day and night with this fake Cui Jiu, surely becoming true husband and wife.
Although Lu Xian was annoyed that this young man had deceived the Lu family’s daughter, from an elder’s perspective, his first consideration was for the girl’s reputation and lifelong happiness.
So Lu Xian suppressed the anger in his heart and reluctantly stood up to politely thank the fake Cui Jiu, giving both sides some face. He decided to wait until he understood the inside story before making any plans. If this man truly loved Mian Tang and wasn’t a great villain, they should leave some room for both sides.
However, if this military-clad young man had bullied his Mian Tang, he would have risked his old life to fight this deceiver!
Finally finding someone sensible enough to talk to in this dilapidated temple, Lord Cui Xingzhou withdrew his piercing gaze and coldly said to Mian Tang: “This severely injured gentleman, I don’t know what relation he is to you, but his wounds are too severe and need immediate treatment. If you want to question me, it will have to wait. Let’s first send him back to the city for treatment.”
Mian Tang knew he was right, so she forcefully broke free from his hand and turned to support her eldest uncle out of the dilapidated temple.
For a moment earlier, she had truly misunderstood Cui Xingzhou, thinking he meant harm to her uncle.
But she still couldn’t find any excuse to forgive Cui Jiu for pretending to be her husband, so she could only first send her uncle for medical treatment. She needed to be alone, to carefully sort out these absurd two years of her life.
When the group grandly entered Jinjia Pass, it wasn’t long before the arriving military doctor hurriedly entered the tent to treat Master Lu.
Cui Xingzhou sat calmly to one side, dispassionately asking those people why they had been pursuing them.
Lu Xian, having drunk the fever-reducing decoction prescribed by the doctor, became somewhat clearer in mind. Faced with Cui Xingzhou’s questions, he avoided answering directly and only asked who he was.
Cui Xingzhou glanced at Mian Tang, who had been facing away from him the whole time, and concisely said: “I am an official sent by the court to investigate Yangshan. What exactly is your relationship with Yangshan?”
He didn’t reveal his identity as Prince Huaiyang, because his troops had fought fiercely with Yangshan before. So he temporarily withheld this information to avoid frightening them. Letting them know he was a government official was enough for now, while also briefly pointing out their weakness to discourage any thoughts of deception.
Lu Xian knew he was a government official; ordinary people couldn’t enter Jinjia Pass. And seeing how respectfully the surrounding soldiers treated him, his rank must not be low.
At this point, he vaguely understood the reason for his deception of Mian Tang, so he spoke up: “When you initially deceived Mian Tang, was it to use her as bait to lure out Yangshan’s followers?”
Hearing this, Mian Tang’s hands, which were bandaging her eldest uncle’s wounds, stiffened slightly and even began to tremble.
Cui Xingzhou had been intently watching Mian Tang’s back and naturally saw her trembling. He took a deep breath and said: “I accidentally rescued her from the water. At that time, she was severely injured, with the tendons in her hands and feet cut. I found someone to treat her. Who knew she would lose a period of her memory and mistakenly believe I was Cui Jiu… I am indeed surnamed Cui, and the ninth child in my family. I didn’t intentionally deceive her…”
Hearing of Mian Tang’s condition at that time, Lu Xian’s eyes widened, his lips trembling with heartache: “You say she… she was severely injured when she fell into the water?”
This hidden story of falling into the water was something Cui Jiu wanted to know as well. So he spoke up: “Mr. Lu, you’d better tell us everything you know. It’s good for you and Mian Tang. No matter how big the issue is, I will cover for you to some extent for Mian Tang’s sake.”
Lu Xian had long been dissatisfied with the former Eastern Palace faction of Yangshan, but Mian Tang had been deeply in love with Young Master Zi Yu at the time and was entangled in it.
Thinking of how he had secretly sent people to Yangshan to inquire about Mian Tang’s whereabouts, only to receive news that Mian Tang had been framed by Yun Niang, pursued and killed, severely injured and drowned, his heart ached unbearably.
Looking at it this way, it indeed matched the situation of Cui Jiu rescuing the fallen Mian Tang from the water.
In Lu Xian’s view, Mian Tang and Zi Yu were an ill-fated couple. Whether that royal descendant would end up with boundless wealth and honor or with not even a complete corpse in the future, it had nothing to do with his Mian Tang!
Since Mian Tang had lost her memory after falling into the water because of him, it was heaven’s will.
It was better that she forgot everything about her relationship with Zi Yu and her experiences at Yangshan. Those days were never something a young lady should have experienced!
Thinking of this, Lu Xian decided to conceal Mian Tang’s past as “Lu Wen,” the leader of Yangshan, and never let others know!
The rest, he would bear for her as her uncle!