Zhong Yansheng seldom keeps things in his mind. Recently he has only been worried about two things. After solving one of them, the heavy weight that had been hanging on his heart was lifted. His steps as he walked back to Chunwuyuan became lighter.
When passing by Mingxue Garden, Zhong Yansheng noticed with his sharp eyes that the gate of Mingxue Garden was not closed, and it was dark and quiet inside.
Zhong Sidu was very polite and courteous in front of other people, and he treated his servants equally. Not to mention the servants in other places in the mansion, even a few unfamiliar servants in Zhong Yansheng's courtyard wanted to go to Mingxueyuan all day long.
But Zhong Sidu didn't seem to like being served, and there were only three or five servants left in Mingxueyuan.
Don't you usually study hard until three o'clock in the morning?
When I was having dinner with the Marquis's wife, Zhong Sidu didn't come either.
Zhong Yansheng couldn't help but worry if something had happened to him, but thinking about Zhong Sidu's cold face, he gave up on going in. He walked to the gate of the courtyard, ready to take a look, and leave if there was nothing unusual.
The night was quiet, and just as he stepped over, he heard a burst of rapid breathing.
Following the direction of the subtle sound, he looked over and saw a shadow leaning against an elm tree not far away, with its chest rising and falling slightly. The moonlight was hidden in the dark clouds, and he couldn't make out its shape in the dim darkness.
Zhong Yansheng's hair trembled all over his body. He retracted his hands and tried to run. He had just taken two steps when he heard a familiar voice behind him: "Zhong Yansheng."
Like a little annoyed.
Zhong Yansheng stopped walking, blinked, and hesitantly leaned his head back. The shadow was still leaning under the elm tree, with its head tilted slightly, as if looking at him.
It turned out to be Zhong Sidu.
Zhong Yansheng breathed a sigh of relief, but still did not enter the yard: "What's wrong with you?"
Hearing his voice, Zhong Sidu's figure seemed to stiffen for a moment, his breathing gradually became even, and he remained silent.
Zhong Yansheng tilted his head: "Are you feeling unwell? Do you want to call a doctor?"
After a while, Zhong Sidu's slightly hoarse voice came from the other end of the yard: "...No need."
oh.
Zhong Yansheng nodded obediently, without asking any more questions, turned around and prepared to leave again.
His reaction surprised Zhong Sidu: "You!"
Zhong Yansheng turned around again in surprise: "What's the matter?"
"..." Zhong Sidu fell into a long silence and said, "Why don't you continue to ask me what's wrong."
Zhong Yansheng didn't quite understand what he meant: "I asked you if you wanted to see a doctor, and you said no."
Zhong Sidu was silent again: "Why don't you come and see how I am doing?"
"I promised you that I wouldn't mess around in front of you."
When he wasn't lowering his voice or correcting his intonation, Zhong Yansheng's voice had the clarity and mellowness that only teenagers have, with a few soft ending notes, and he spoke slowly but logically, "Besides, if you were really feeling unwell, you wouldn't have the time to tell me this."
Zhong Sidu stopped talking.
Zhong Yansheng thought that he might be about to chase him away, and he didn't want to stay and be disliked, so he retracted his hand and slipped away lightly with a light gait, disappearing in a flash.
Like a beautiful little bird that was briefly perching, it tilted its head to observe for a while, then flapped its wings and flew away without much concern.
Zhong Sidu leaned against the tree trunk and relaxed for a long time before turning back, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.
Zhong Yansheng didn't think too much about Zhong Sidu's abnormality. He was in a good mood. He returned to the room and fell asleep peacefully wrapped in his own quilt.
Maybe it was because he met Xiao Nong during the day and saw the red headband wrapped around his sleeves, which reminded him of some unspeakable scenes, that he had a dream.
In his dream, he was back on the pleasure boat that was swaying in the wind and waves.
The moonlight was half-bright, pouring down through the gauze curtains at the head of the bed, and he sat on it with his hands bound by a forehead band, kissing Xiao Nong's lips incoherently. Like a little animal, he licked the gap between his lips flatteringly, eagerly craving something.
The other person's face was as deep and handsome as seen in the daytime. Because of his blue eyes, he seemed a little weird. He was not so elegant and decent. The thin texture under his inner clothes was smooth and undulating, which contained a strong aggressiveness.
He lay there peacefully and leisurely, staring at him with half-closed eyes, which reminded Zhong Yansheng of the mugwort leopard named Taxue, which was also lying in an iron cage, looking at him lazily and almost indulgently at his immature appearance.
After a while, the person in the dream grabbed his finger, lowered his eyes to take a look, then looked at him critically and bit his fingertip.
Everything suddenly turned upside down.
Zhong Yansheng was dominated and controlled in his dream.
The air was no longer cold with the aroma of medicine, but was filled with heat. He hugged the other person's neck in panic and heard a familiar low voice: "Yuan Yuan."
"Don't move."
Zhong Yansheng woke up in a stuffy mood. The ends of his hair had been soaked with sweat and stuck to his neck and face. The cold breath tinged with the smell of medicine seemed to still be lingering in his nose.
He took a quick breath and felt dizzy for a while before he realized that the white gauze he had hidden behind the veil had fallen down and covered his lips.
It feels light and cool, like a kiss falling on the lips.
Zhong Yansheng suddenly felt as if he was burned by something. He hurriedly grabbed the white gauze and stuffed it into the gauze curtain again.
He was so bold and reckless that he not only forced Prince Ding to sleep with him, but also dared to have such a dream!
It was already daybreak outside and the sounds of servants chatting and laughing could be heard faintly as they swept the yard.
Zhong Yansheng secretly lifted the quilt and took a look, then heaved a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, I just sweated a little and didn't dirty the quilt.
Still feeling uneasy in his heart, he crawled back into the quilt, and struggled under it, with his messy, slightly moist black hair. Finally, he pulled out two identical medicine bottles from the inside of the bed. He hid under the quilt like a thief, holding the bottles and staring at them.
The ointment Xiao Nong gave me is as effective as ever. His knee, which was aching slightly yesterday, doesn't hurt as much anymore.
He felt that his luck had been bad recently, so he had to look at the almanac in reverse order.
[Almanac = a yearly calendar giving statistical information on events and phenomena]
When he went to the Flower Fighting Banquet a few days ago, he asked Yun Cheng to help him check the list of names in advance. He went only after making sure that His Royal Highness Prince Ding was not there. As a result, he met Xiao Nong.
According to the gossip that Xiao Wenlan heard from his friends on the road yesterday, it seems that His Royal Highness Prince Ding went to Jinghua Garden to cause trouble for His Royal Highness Prince De, and he did not go through the main gate in order to prevent Prince De from hearing the news and leaving.
He happened to come in through the side door and met him hiding in the corner over there, avoiding the crowd.
Yesterday was even worse. He never expected that Xiao Wenlan would dare to take them to Xiao Nong's territory to see leopards and even alarmed Prince Ding and then was brought back by him.
I clearly checked the almanac every time I went out to make sure it was a good time to travel.
As a result, I always run into Xiao Nong.
The only thing to be thankful for was that he managed to get away with it every time, and Xiao Nong didn't seem to think too much about it.
It's better to go out less. Wait for a while until His Royal Highness Prince Ding has calmed down and doesn't want to look for Yuan Yuan anymore, then go out.
Zhong Yansheng thought about it, and recalled what Xiao Nong said yesterday about coming to apologize. He hesitated briefly, but quickly let it go.
It was obvious that Prince Ding didn't like being disturbed. How could so many people come to his mansion? Besides, no one else asked him to find Prince Ding to apologize.
I guess Xiao Nong just said that and didn't take it too seriously, so he should just listen to it casually.
The dream he had last night made Zhong Yansheng exhausted. He hid the two medicine bottles again, leaned into the bed, closed his eyes comfortably, and prepared to take a nap.
As soon as he closed his eyes, there was a knock on the door. It was Yun Cheng's voice: "Master, are you awake?"
Zhong Yansheng was no longer tired when he heard the voice. He threw off the quilt and stood up. He stepped barefoot on the soft carpet, rushed to the door, opened it, and was pleasantly surprised: "Yuncheng, how are you?"
Yun Cheng's body was much stronger than Zhong Yansheng's. He had been coughing and having a fever the day before yesterday, but today he was fine. Seeing Zhong Yansheng running out barefoot again, he pushed him down on the couch in a panic, and went to find the silk socks while muttering, "How many times have I told you not to run barefoot? Not only is the ground cold, but what if you kick and bump into something..."
Zhong Yansheng always responded to the things he didn't want to talk about by saying "hmm" as usual. He lay down on the couch and yawned like a boneless person: "Hmm, Yuncheng, I'm still a little sleepy. Let me sleep for a while. You just recovered from your illness, so don't bother yourself. Go back and rest."
Yun Cheng took the stockings, looked at him, and sighed: "Young Master, don't be lazy. Before the Marquis went to work today, he told you to study with the guy next door. He will come back in the evening and check your homework."
Zhong Yansheng**: “…”**
A bolt from the blue.
He doesn't really hate studying, but the guy next door hates him.
How could Zhong Sidu possibly study with him?
Zhong Yansheng sat up slowly, shook his snow-white feet, and pondered for a moment: "Yuncheng, do you think I can get away with it in the Marquis' place if I read a book in the room by myself?"
Just as he finished speaking, Zhong Sidu's voice came from outside the house: "No."
Zhong Yansheng's dangling feet paused, and he looked towards the door.
Zhong Sidu looked normal, he was neatly dressed, with jewelry jingling, and he looked like the handsome and gentle gentleman he always was. He didn't look weird like he did last night, but the way he looked in his eyes was different from before, as if there was a hint of complexity in it.
Zhong Yansheng's soft black hair was still disheveled, like a beautiful little bird with messy feathers. His eyes were wide open in astonishment as he looked at him in confusion.
Zhong Sidu looked at his messy appearance, paused, pursed his lips, looked away, and said in a tone that was not sure whether it was stiff or cold: "Father asked me to come and study with you."
Zhong Yansheng stopped being lazy and naughty in front of Yun Cheng, sat up straighter, and hesitated a little: "It's not good... I know you definitely don't want to, I'll just read a book by myself."
"..." Zhong Sidu said calmly**, "How do you know I don't want to? Wash up as soon as possible. I'll wait for you in the study room."**
Until Zhong Sidu left, Zhong Yansheng and Yun Chengdu were still a little confused.
Yun Cheng patted his head to make sure he was not dreaming, and turned around blankly: "Master, is he possessed by a ghost?"
Zhong Yansheng felt that it was not nice to say that, but he couldn't help but agree: "I doubt it too."
Regardless of whether Zhong Sidu is possessed by a ghost or not, it seems that we must learn today's homework together.
Zhong Yansheng resigned himself to his fate and got up, washed himself and changed his clothes.
When he stepped into his small study, Zhong Sidu was already sitting at the desk on the side reading a book.
Zhong Yansheng hesitated for a while, then sat far away on the other side and quietly opened the book to read.
Although it was his familiar little study, he still felt a little uncomfortable because there was one more person today.
Yun Cheng was worried that Zhong Yansheng would be bullied, so he followed him in and stood beside him serving him tea. He secretly looked at Zhong Sidu, and only felt relieved when he saw that he kept his eyes down and looked at the book in front of him.
Zhong Sidu was not actually reading.
He was not as calm as he appeared, his heart was still a mess. From the corner of his eye, he saw Zhong Yansheng sitting not far away, flipping through a book at random.
Today at home, he did not put anything on his face, nor did he marinate himself with the jar of perfumed powder. After the strong smell of perfumed powder faded away, the faint orchid fragrance seemed to permeate every inch of the air, refreshing his heart.
After secretly observing for a while, Zhong Yansheng began to feel uneasy sitting still. His eyes were wandering, his sitting posture was swaying, and he leaned back in his chair, holding a book and sighing.
After reading for a while, Zhong Yansheng's head began to nod, and he felt drowsy holding the "Doctrine of the Mean". Probably to keep himself awake, he muttered softly between his teeth: "The way of a gentleman is to be plain but not boring, simple but elegant, warm but rational, and to know the near from the far..."
…
Fell asleep.
Before meeting Zhong Yansheng, Zhong Sidu had heard of two different Zhong Yanshengs from the outside world and from his parents.
It is rumored that the young master of Huai'an Marquis' Mansion has been sickly since childhood, spoiled by his parents and unruly, and uneducated.
According to his parents, Zhong Yansheng is well-behaved and sensible, quiet and shy, with a clear mind and a lovable character.
The rumors pieced together by the outside world, the hatred caused by injustice, the jealousy spread by his parents' irreconcilable attitude, all these things, pieced together the picture of Zhong Yansheng that he was a fool with impure thoughts and who only knew how to act like a spoiled brat.
Prejudice set the tone. No matter what Zhong Yansheng did, it became known that he had ulterior motives. Being tolerant towards him was to gain his parents' sympathy.
But if Zhong Yansheng was what he thought, why would he say those words to Marquis Huai'an and restore his identity?
There would be no benefit to Zhong Yansheng in returning the identity to him.
When Zhong Sidu was included in the family tree again and was given the title of Young Master of the Marquis of Huai'an again, Zhong Yansheng... had nothing.
Zhong Sidu closed his eyes.
Totally wrong.
Zhong Yansheng didn't really like reading books like "The Doctrine of the Mean", and the dream he had last night was very exhausting, so it was even harder for him to concentrate on the book. As usual, his eyelids became more and more dry, and he fell asleep before he knew it.
Mr. Zhou, who taught him in the past, would always be so angry with Zhong Yansheng that he would laugh and would want to slap him on the hand.
But no one was willing to hit Zhong Yansheng. After being looked at pitifully by those bright and dark eyes for a while, they basically couldn't bring themselves to do it.
Seeing that the young master had fallen asleep again, Yun Cheng silently poked his waist wildly.
Zhong Yansheng was awakened by the poking. He looked around in confusion, turned another page of the book naturally, and lowered his head to continue reading.
After reading for a while, he nodded his head, thinking that the doctrine of the mean was very effective, and fell asleep again.
Zhong Sidu's eyes had completely shifted from the book to the furry black head lying on the desk. After a moment of silence, he asked, "When did he go to bed last night?"
Could it be that after talking to Marquis Huai'an, he felt regretful and tossed and turned all night like him?
Thinking of this, Zhong Sidu, who had been suffering from pain, felt a little relieved.
It turns out that Zhong Yansheng is not that generous, and does care about his status in the Marquis' Mansion.
Yun Cheng poked Zhong Yansheng twice with a stern face. He didn't like this young master very much, but as a servant, he had to respond: "Young master, the young master went to bed at 11:00 P.M. and got up at 12:00 P.M."
Zhong Sidu: “…”
Across the courtyard, he couldn't sleep all night because of what Zhong Yansheng said in Huai'an Marquis' study, while Zhong Yansheng slept soundly.
Zhong Yansheng was not angry when he was woken up. He lowered his head dazedly and continued to flip through the book. He turned a page slowly, glanced at it twice, and started nodding his head again.
Zhong Sidu took a deep breath and finally couldn't bear to watch any longer: "Zhong Yansheng."
Zhong Yansheng rubbed his eyes and replied a beat later: "Ah?"
Zhong Sidu stared at him: "What does Chapter 20 of The Doctrine of the Mean talk about?"
Zhong Yansheng was still a little confused. He didn't understand why Zhong Sidu suddenly asked him this. He moved his fingers and began to flip through the book.
Zhong Sidu: "Don't open the book."
Zhong Yansheng looked at Zhong Sidu with a dull look, and after a moment's deliberation, he asked tentatively, "Duke Ai is asking about politics?"
"Well," Zhong Sidu was quite surprised that he could still remember what he had watched even though he was so sleepy, "What was it about?"
"…"
Zhong Sidu put down the book, stood up and walked over, his face looking very calm: "I will read the book for you."
Not only was Zhong Yansheng stunned, Yuncheng also thought that Zhong Sidu was trying to make things difficult for Zhong Yansheng on purpose.
After a while, Zhong Yansheng finally came to his senses and realized that Zhong Sidu seemed to be really reading a book to him.
...Damn it!
Is the real young master really possessed by a ghost?
Yun Cheng took three steps back in fright. Zhong Yansheng was also confused and couldn't even fall asleep. He listened attentively to Zhong Sidu's explanation for the whole morning.
It was almost time for lunch when Zhong Sidu put down his book, glanced at Zhong Yansheng's face, and looked away: "I'll continue later, have lunch first."
Although he didn't understand why Zhong Sidu suddenly changed his attitude and was so kind as to give him a lecture, Zhong Yansheng was very grateful. Seeing that he was about to leave, he took the initiative to ask: "Do you want to have lunch at Chunwuyuan? The dishes in the small kitchen are very good."
Zhong Sidu said after a while: "...No need."
Zhong Yansheng was never polite, so when he saw him refuse, he didn't try to persuade him to stay: "Okay."
Seeing that Zhong Sidu had finally left, Yun Cheng was too embarrassed to say bad things about him behind his back. He scratched his head in confusion and gave up thinking: "Master, I'll go to the kitchen to see how lunch is prepared."
Zhong Yansheng nodded, and after Yun Cheng left, he lowered his head and flipped through the book in front of him, still feeling confused.
Just after turning two pages, Yun Cheng, who had just said he was going to the small kitchen, suddenly ran back to the study, looking nervous: "Master!"
Zhong Yansheng was startled: "What's wrong?"
"Someone just came down and said someone was looking for you, and asked me to pass on a message to you." Yun Cheng was so scared that his face turned pale. "Could it be that young master Meng?"
Zhong Yansheng became nervous: "What did he say?"
Yun Cheng: "He said, 'The master asked me to ask when the young master will come to apologize.'"
Zhong Yansheng: “…………”
Yun Cheng was furious and cursed: "Apologize? How dare he say such a thing? He still refuses to obey even after having his finger chopped off by His Royal Highness Prince Ding!"
...The shameless person you are scolding is His Royal Highness Prince Ding.
Zhong Yansheng hesitated, not knowing how to explain.
If Yun Cheng knew who owned the Changliu Villa that he took him to, he was afraid that Yun Cheng would not be able to sleep from tonight onwards.
Go to the Prince Ding’s Palace to apologize...
Zhong Yansheng subconsciously felt a sense of danger, and felt that if he went, he would be like a lamb to be slaughtered.
After thinking it over, Zhong Yansheng decided to tell a little lie: "Yuncheng, when you go back, just tell them that I... said that I had a nightmare in the middle of the night, fell off the bed, sprained my ankle, and can't move for the time being."
Yun Ben originally did not support Zhong Yansheng's going, so he nodded immediately after hearing this: "Okay, I'll go and reply right away."
After Yun Cheng left, Zhong Yansheng couldn't sit still anymore and couldn't help walking around in circles in the study.
I didn't expect that Xiao Nong was serious about asking him to apologize.
He couldn't help but complain in his heart, being petty-minded.
Xiao Nong leaned leisurely in the carriage, casually fiddling with the Tian Huang stone seal tied with a forehead band.
Lou Qingtang was sitting opposite, and curiously lifted the curtain to look at the gate of the marquis' mansion opposite.
The subordinate came over quickly and replied outside the carriage: "Master, the people around the young master said that the young master had a nightmare last night and twisted his ankle, so he has difficulty moving."
"Yeah." Xiao Nong was not surprised at all, and said calmly, "What is the young master who sprained his ankle doing now?"
The secret guard was silent: "Walking around in the study."
Xiao Nong curled the corner of his mouth.
Whenever the master smiles, someone will be in trouble.
The secret guard's heart skipped a beat, and he almost suspected that Xiao Nong's next words would be to send someone to tie that person up.
Unexpectedly, after Xiao Nong laughed, he casually grabbed a medicine bottle from the secret compartment and threw it over: "Give it to the young master and tell him that this is bone-growing and muscle-repairing ointment. It will heal ordinary sprains in one night."
The puzzled secret guard took it: "Yes."
Zhong Yansheng walked around in the study room for more than ten times, and when Yun Cheng brought back a bottle of ointment, he said, "Master, the man said this is bone-growing and muscle-repairing ointment, and it will be fine after using it overnight. He also asked if you can come to visit tomorrow."
Zhong Yansheng was stunned holding the ointment, and gritted his teeth: "Go back and tell them that I accidentally burned my hand."
Not long after, Yun Cheng came back with a bottle of burn medicine, confused: "Master, that person said this is comfrey burn ointment, it is very effective."
[Comfrey = Medical plant]
Zhong Yansheng: "...You go and tell them that I caught a cold because I stayed out in the cool night."
After a while, Yun Cheng brought back another pack of medicine: "Master..."
Zhong Yansheng was desperate: "What kind of medicine is this time?"
Yun Cheng also realized that the person who asked him to deliver the message did not seem to be Meng Qiping. He hesitated and said, "This time he didn't say what medicine it was. He just asked me to deliver a message."
Zhong Yansheng: “What?”
Yun Cheng: "He said that the young master has suffered so many disasters."
"…"
Zhong Yansheng looked at the row of medicines on the desk and felt panic.
What does Xiao Nong want to do?
Did he find out my identity? Of course, he didn't.
According to the style of His Royal Highness Prince Ding, he could go to the Marquis of Anping's mansion whenever he wanted, causing chaos at home. If they found him, they would definitely come and arrest him directly, and would not care whether this was a marquis' mansion or not.
Yun Cheng asked cautiously: "Master, who is that? Do you want me to answer?"
Zhong Yansheng had the illusion that he was being teased: "...Don't go."
He was running out of excuses.
Xiao Nong waited in the carriage for a while, and seeing no response, he raised his eyebrows slightly.
It seems that there is no excuse, so he is just going to play dead.
After taking another look at the gate of the Marquis's Mansion, Xiao Nong uttered two words: "Go back."
Lou Qingtang watched the excitement for a long time, and seeing that Xiao Nong was not angry, he finally couldn't help asking: "You wrote a letter to call me back, but you didn't say what it was, and you've been busy around for a long time. What exactly do you want to do? And, the young master of the Huai'an Marquis' Mansion is so bold that he dares to close the door and not see you?"
The carriage started to move. Xiao Nong did not answer for a moment. He played with the seal for a while before looking up and asking, "I have a question for you."
Lou Qingtang thought he had tinnitus, but when he realized what Xiao Nong was saying, he was shocked.
How could His Royal Highness Prince Ding actually ask people in this manner?
He thought Xiao Nong only knew how to torture people.
"Tell me," Lou Qingtang straightened his seat involuntarily, thinking that something important was going on, "What is it?"
Xiao Nong pondered for a while: "If a person comes to you under a false name, gives you things, draws for you, calls you brother, and tries to please you, but doesn't ask for anything in return, and suddenly leaves, hiding from you so that you won't find him..."
The more Lou Qingtang listened, the weirder his expression became.
Xiao Nong's eyes showed a rare hint of confusion: "Why do you think it is? What's the purpose?"
Lou Qingtang had already guessed who the beautiful boy on the pleasure boat was, and also guessed what happened before and after. He said without hesitation: "Why should I think about it? If those actions before were to get close to you and please you, but he didn't want anything and left after that happened. It's obvious that he admires you!"
Xiao Nong paused while playing with the seal and repeated**, "Admiration?"**
"He definitely admires you." Lou Qingtang said firmly, kindly analyzing for this old man who didn't understand love, "Look, he's a pampered young master, he's not idle, why would he come to you for no reason and put up with your bad temper? He must have learned that you were injured and poisoned, and he was worried that you would be in too pain to eat, and he was afraid that you would misunderstand him, so he concealed his identity."
Xiao Nong grasped the key point and seemed to understand something: "Is he so worried that I can't eat or drink?"
If that's the case, it makes sense.
The young master of a marquisate, who is rich and powerful, ran away to a villa in the suburbs without telling anyone and got close to someone that everyone else tried to avoid... There should be no other reason except admiration.
Those evasive behaviors are understandable.
How could a young man of this age not feel shy and nervous when meeting someone he likes?
This realization made him feel an indescribable joy, as if his heart was gently scratched by the tip of a little bird's soft feathers. Xiao Nong's mood suddenly became very good, and the smile on the corners of his lips became gentle.
It turns out that Yuan Yuan admires him.