“Reporting to Young Marquis, we found a man in riding attire in the garden. He’s already admitted to being a woman dressed as a man.” A guard came running with urgent news.
Upon hearing this, Wu Yanle immediately lost all interest in the pair inside and rushed out without hesitation.
When he left, naturally he took everyone else with him.
Only the madam remained, her face full of apology. “Truly sorry—the Young Marquis drank too much, which caused this incident.”
Yuan Cheng smiled gently. “Madam needn’t be concerned. Commoners don’t contend with officials, much less royalty. We’ll let it pass. Please close the door on your way out, and hopefully the rest of the night won’t see anyone else disturbing the good business between me and this beauty.”
The madam repeatedly promised it wouldn’t happen and quickly took her leave.
Mo Zi finally breathed a sigh of relief, when suddenly Yuan Cheng turned over, face to face, almost touching her nose.
She shrank back into the bed, laughing dryly twice. “Now that there’s nothing wrong, you… quickly put on your clothes, lest you catch cold.”
“Is Miss burning bridges after crossing the river?” Yuan Cheng also moved closer into the bed. “After using this humble one, you want to kick me aside with one foot?”
“…” Mo Zi was left speechless. “…Then what do you want?” Still with this “Miss” and “humble one.”
Yuan Cheng gazed deeply at her, his eyes richly inked, fire at the bottom. “I want—to continue. Did Miss think what I just said to that Young Marquis was a joke? Heaven above, I was absolutely sincere. Such a beauty on such a night makes my feelings unbearable.”
“Yuan—Cheng!” She had already retreated as far as she could. “Enough already. Don’t keep adding debt upon debt. I still remember that Xiaohun Pill incident.”
This man whose expression was always gentle raised his voice in laughter. “Mo Zi, oh Mo Zi, you’re truly cruel to me. You’ve long understood my feelings. When a man faces a woman he cares for, unable to restrain his emotions and wanting to seek intimacy—isn’t that natural?”
He could laugh, which meant he was clearheaded. He left the bed, put on his black silk undergarment, donned his outer robe, and arranged his crown and hair.
“I…” also like him. The words reached her lips but shrank back.
Even if she were to tell him, it couldn’t be now. His upper body was completely bare—if she revealed her feelings at this moment, it would be like a fierce tiger pouncing on sheep. And she probably couldn’t resist. Just letting him kiss her had made her whole body go soft, her heart beating so hard it almost leapt out of her body, yet she wasn’t afraid—nervous and sweet. If there hadn’t been people present, the probability of her responding to him would have been one hundred percent.
“How did you happen to come here?” She hadn’t even thought of coincidentally encountering him here. “Don’t you need to find that madam who might unlock the secret of the Golden Phoenix Song?”
“Thinking carefully, rescuing the Yuling Crown Prince would better demonstrate my world-shaking talent. Since so many people praise me this way, how could I disappoint everyone? So I volunteered to His Majesty once more. As for that matter, I’m having Ming Nian handle it—he can’t be a servant his whole life.” He pushed open a window crack, seemingly to listen to the outside commotion, yet spoke again: “I’m lying.”
“Hm?” Mo Zi was crawling out of bed.
“Lovesickness has penetrated my bones, the illness terminal. I traveled a thousand miles seeking you, only for medicine.” Yuan Cheng’s eyes burned brightly.
Could this person please stop saying such mushy things? Not like him at all! Yet perversely, she was shamefully moved by him.
“Did you obtain it?” She pretended to lower her head and arrange her clothing.
“I obtained one dose. To cure the root of the illness, I must continue taking it.” Yuan Cheng sighed, yet smiled. “I fear I’ll depend on this medicine to survive for life. However, I’m completely satisfied.”
He left the window and walked behind her, using his ten fingers to comb her hair. Once, twice, slowly and gently.
“Sir? Master Yuan?” Someone came to the door again—this time it was Teng Guo.
“It seems tonight I’m destined to take only one dose. What a pity, what a pity.” Yuan Cheng narrowed his eyes and went to open the door.
Mo Zi walked behind him, muttering, “Just how many times do you want to take advantage?”
Yuan Cheng heard and laughed heartily.
Seeing such a smiling face, Teng Guo couldn’t help but be startled. If Yuan Cheng hadn’t asked what the matter was, he would have forgotten why he’d come. The words reached his lips, then seeing Mo Zi, he was stunned again.
“This is my third younger brother. Worried I’d make mistakes after drinking, he came to supervise me.” Yuan Cheng explained thus. “Has Wu Yanle’s disturbance settled down?”
“As expected of you, sir—one guess and you know why this humble one came.” Teng Guo hastily picked up the conversation. “I’d just reached the garden gate when Wu Yanle’s people stopped me. I wanted to quickly inform you, sir, but they detained us and wouldn’t let us move freely, saying they were sealing the garden to find someone dressed as a woman in men’s clothing, and had to search every room. Completely absurd! Finally they reopened the gate. I asked the madam—she said Wu Yanle drank too much and mistook someone, taking a woman from the martial world who’d snuck in for an old acquaintance. All that commotion was for nothing. Who’d have thought such a thing would happen today? I heard they even searched your room, sir, disturbing your—” Strange, strange. The madam clearly said everyone witnessed the master engaged in “that activity” with someone. How did it become the master’s third brother?
“You heard the madam say quite a lot. Didn’t she mention I hoped no one would disturb me again?” Only took one bite after all.
“Eh?” He’d come in such a hurry he hadn’t heard everything.
Mo Zi thought of Luo Ying. “Master Teng, did anything happen to that woman from the martial world?”
“Nothing happened.” Mo Zi calling him Master Teng pleased Teng Guo quite well, as he’d always taken pride in the horse ranch. “Dressing as a man to visit a pleasure house isn’t murder or arson, and besides, it was the Young Marquis who was mistaken. Naturally they let her go.”
“In that case, going out now shouldn’t encounter any more obstruction?” Yuan Cheng’s expression returned to gentle.
“Yes. But sir, are you leaving already?” He glanced into the room again, confirming there was no beauty.
“My mood has been disturbed. Why remain here?” Yuan Cheng grasped Mo Zi’s sleeve. “Third brother, let’s go.”
Teng Guo felt the sleeve-pulling gesture looked indescribably intimate. His eyelids twitched several times, and he shook his head repeatedly, thinking it impossible. When he was in Nande, someone had once sent beautiful young men to his master, but the master always passed them on or used them as ordinary servants.
Mo Zi noticed Teng Guo’s gaze and wanted to withdraw her hand, but Yuan Cheng simply took her arm instead.
“What are you doing?” He whispered close to her ear. “I’ve already said I don’t mind even cut-sleeves. Why doesn’t third brother learn to be as carefree as big brother?”
She rolled her eyes. He’d already become fluent in using the term “cut-sleeves.”
They hadn’t yet left the garden when they encountered Luo Ying and the other two frantically searching for her.
Seeing Yuan Cheng, Ding Gou showed slight surprise before saying, “Should have come earlier. Along the way she’s caused who knows how much trouble.” No peace inside or out.
Luo Ying ignored Yuan Cheng, only concerned with Mo Zi. After looking her up and down, she said, “In such a short time, this garden boiled a whole pot of water.”
“Thanks to your cleverness.” Otherwise, the play she and Yuan Cheng performed together might have been exposed by Wu Yanle. Thinking of that dizzying, intoxicating kiss required three consecutive deep breaths before her emotions could settle. That was called false acting becoming real.
Praised by Mo Zi, Luo Ying’s eyebrows rose triumphantly.
But Ding Gou scolded: “How dare you be proud? Going to the privy for no reason? If you were alone, you should stick by her side constantly. Even going to the privy, you should go together. Otherwise, what use are you? Zan Jin and I would be enough.”
Luo Ying pouted. “You’re so capable—couldn’t you hear my footsteps? By that logic, anyone with good lightness skills could take her life. What’s the use of being inseparable day and night?”
“You two say less.” Zan Jin spoke.
The two actually stopped arguing just like that.
Later, Mo Zi learned the three were ranked by seniority. Ding Gou and Luo Ying refused to yield to each other, so Zan Jin, who’d followed her longest, reaped the fisherman’s benefit. When disagreements arose, Zan Jin’s word was final.
Upon entering the Teng mansion, Yuan Cheng revealed to Teng Guo that Mo Zi was actually female.
“Mo Zi?” Teng Guo repeated it, finding the name familiar. “Could Miss possibly be… surnamed Song?”
Mo Zi looked at Yuan Cheng. Seeing him nod, she admitted, “That’s right.”
Teng Guo’s eyes widened. “You’re the eldest Song daughter whom the Daqiu King is determined to marry as his queen?”
This matter—Zan Jin knew, Ding Gou didn’t know, Yuan Cheng knew, Luo Ying didn’t know—so there were two more pairs of wide eyes.
“He did say that, but I refused.” She then joked, “Master Teng won’t betray me for this, will you?”
Teng Guo hastily bowed respectfully with hands at his sides. “This humble one wouldn’t dare. I originally thought Miss was sir’s intimate companion. I truly didn’t imagine she also had such an identity. No wonder Young Marquis Wu Yanle sealed the garden to find you.”
“Teng Guo, along the way I haven’t heard Daqiu’s people mention anything about Mo Zi becoming queen. What’s the reason?” Yuan Cheng asked.
“For Daqiu King Wu Yan to establish Miss Song as national queen, he mobilized troops to surround the capital. Only court ministers and nobles know the details. The public announcement was to celebrate victory, for military and civilians to rejoice together. Afterward, the nobles’ condition was that as long as Miss Song didn’t enter the Eastern Palace for even one day, they’d keep it secret for one day. Therefore, commoners only know of Consort Xiang, not Song Mo Zi.” Through the military horse trade, Teng Guo could gather much intelligence.
“Never imagined those nobles who detest me would inadvertently help me a bit.” This way she wouldn’t have to worry about her identity being exposed everywhere she went.
“Self-interest, nothing more.” Yuan Cheng hit the nail on the head. “Moreover, even without them, the combined strength of the Wu Yan and Wu Yanle brothers alone would be enough to cover the entire city.”
“Wrong—enough to cover places they think I’m most likely to appear, but absolutely not everywhere. Wu Yan can neither keep his troops surrounding the city too long nor lose the nobles’ support. He must compromise to balance various forces. Actually, being emperor doesn’t allow one to do as one pleases either.” Mo Zi said this far, then: “Master Teng, your information network is so extensive—have you heard anything about my younger sister Song Dou Lü’s whereabouts, or Yuling’s Second Prince Chu Yu?”
Teng Guo shook his head. “Sir already instructed urgent handling. I hadn’t heard before, but as soon as I returned I had people investigate. Today’s banquet was also for this matter, but unfortunately there were no results. However, there are many winding paths—we should know soon.”
After finishing the conversation, Yuan Cheng personally escorted Mo Zi back to the rented residence.
“You’re also under secret imperial orders. Not only won’t you stay together, you won’t even see Xiao Wei and Wei Jia?” Before getting out of the carriage, Mo Zi asked him.
“The time isn’t right yet.” Yuan Cheng already knew everything about Mo Zi’s journey. “I’m afraid if General Xiao sees me he’ll get angry and split his wound open again. I’ll stay at Teng Guo’s place. Huayi will handle communications.”
“You’re not afraid someone will get angry—you’re afraid too many people will get in the way, right? Speaking of which, once feet touch the ground, everything is supposed to follow Xiao Wei’s orders.” Mo Zi’s eyes curved in a smile.
“Neither Xiao Wei nor I need follow the other’s orders. Each acts independently.” Seeing her look as if she feared they wouldn’t fight, Yuan Cheng laughed lightly. “Get out. If you don’t leave soon, I’ll take it as you being reluctant to part and directly abduct you back.”
With a whoosh, Mo Zi dove out.