Ch. 64 - Zhong Yansheng: Get well soon

Zhong Yansheng was not surprised to hear Xiao Nong's answer. He wiped his eyes with the clothes on his shoulders and sobbed: "Oh..."

He was pretending to be stupid so perfunctorily and obviously.

That's recovery.

Zhong Yansheng had been crying so hard that he could hardly breathe. He was shaking while clutching his collar, like a miserable little bird beaten by a rainstorm. It was heartbreaking to hear him. Seeing that his breathing had evened out, Xiao Nong put his finger on his chin and gently lifted his face to look at it carefully, as if he was treating something fragile and precious. His tone was very gentle: "Better?"

Zhong Yansheng nodded with red eyes, then shook his head.

Whenever he thought about those things, his chest would feel tight and blocked, and he wanted to cry.

Everyone thought that the crown prince was favored by the emperor and that he was forcing the emperor to abdicate in an urgent bid to seize power. His father and mother died on the day he was born. The entire East Palace was burned to ashes and has since become a bloody taboo.

Over the years, the Huai'an Marquis' Mansion carefully protected him, and Wei Ling had to hide his real name and did not even dare to engrave his name on the spirit tablet.

No one dares to cry for them openly...so let him cry.

Xiao Nong's eyes swept across the entire hall, and his gaze fell on the spirit tablets enshrined in the middle. He had a vague premonition, and slowly stroked the soft black hair on the back of the person in his arms, pressing his head back into his arms, without rushing to ask what happened.

After a while, Zhong Yansheng's mood improved a little. He struggled a little, but his voice was still hoarse: "I'm better."

He still had some questions to ask Wei Ling, so he rubbed his eyes and lowered his head. Only then did he realize that Wei Ling, who had just fallen to the ground, had been dragged out.

Xiao Nong stroked his face and turned his head back: "Tell me first, why are you crying?"

Zhong Yansheng opened his mouth, and a bunch of words came to his lips, but he didn't know where to start.

Xiao Nong put his hand on the back of his neck and said, "Don't be impatient, speak slowly.”

At the same time, the atmosphere outside the main room was very strange.

A bunch of bandits squatted beside Wei Ling, some handed water, some fanned, and some blocked the sun.

Li Yimu was particularly worried and kept asking Zhan Rong, "Is your antidote really effective? If it's not, we will never let you leave Shuiyun Village even if we die today!"

The black-armored guards who had climbed up from the trail behind the cliff last night received the signal and have all gathered together, standing neatly and silently on Zhan Rong's side, like a dark cloud emitting an ominous aura, confronting the bandits.

The bandits of Shuiyun Village were well-trained by Wei Ling. After the previous chaos, they have now reorganized themselves. Although they are not as powerful as Xiao Nong's Black Armored Army, they are not too timid.

Zhan Rong covered his face, leaned against the pillar with his hands folded, and said in a cold tone: "Just you guys?"

Huo Shuang had cut a gash on his neck just now to help Zhan Rong. The knife of the secret guard was too sharp and blood was still flowing out. He had to cover it with a handkerchief. Hearing Zhan Rong's attitude of asking for a beating, he could no longer bear it: "Can you shut up!"

Zhan Rong opened his mouth to mock Huo Shuang, but when the words reached his lips, he saw the blood from the handkerchief on Huo Shuang's neck and choked.

Although he was very reluctant, Huo Shuang did help him.

Zhan Rong thought for a moment, then took out a bottle of medicine from his arms and threw it over: "We're even."

Huo Shuang snorted coldly, took the medicine and said nothing.

The atmosphere suddenly became more and more weird. Fortunately, Wei Ling woke up at this time, and the bandits immediately surrounded her.

Li Yimu was overjoyed: "Chief, you are awake!"

"Is the boss okay? Is there any problem with the medicine?"

"Boss, who is that young man? Is the one with blue eyes really Prince Ding? I heard that he is the male lover that the young master bought from the Western Regions for 300,000 yuan..."

Wei Ling had just woken up when he was overwhelmed by the barrage of questions. He raised his hand to signal them to shut up, took a breath and stood up again. Then, remembering that he had something else to say, he walked towards the main room.

As soon as he entered the main room, he saw Xiao Nong holding Zhong Yansheng in his arms and coaxing him gently. His eyelids twitched twice.

The bandit soldiers who went out to investigate the situation brought back two people, one was seriously injured and the other was seriously ill. Wei Ling received the news, but he did not expect that the two people were Prince Ding and the young master.

Thinking of some past events between His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Xiao family, Wei Ling paused for a moment before speaking: "Your Royal Highness Prince Ding, can you please leave? I still have something to say to the young master."

Taxue still had hostility towards Wei Ling. When he saw him come in, he arched his back, his eyes became sharp, and he let out a threatening low growl.

After just a while, he started to cry like this. Xiao Nong's brows were slightly chilled, and he said indifferently: "I'm stupid and don't understand."

Wei Ling frowned. If Xiao Nong was stupid, then there would be few sober people in the world.

Zhong Yansheng felt a little embarrassed to shrink in Xiao Nong's arms in front of Wei Ling. He got out of his arms, thought for a moment, and said, "Wei Ling, if you have something to say, just say it. You don't have to avoid His Royal Highness Prince Ding."

After thinking for a while, he remembered that Xiao Nong was still playing dumb, so he added: "He is stupid and can't understand."

Wei Ling: “Ah?”

Since the young master had said so, Wei Ling hesitated for a moment, but still said, "It's about Huo Shuang."

Anyway, Huo Shuang had already appeared in Shuiyun Village and was seen by Xiao Nong, so it didn't matter whether he said it in front of Xiao Nong or not.

Zhong Yansheng's emotions had stabilized a lot by now, and he wanted to ask about Wei Ling and Huo Shuang's situation.

After all, before this, in his heart, Huo Shuang was the old emperor's man. Although not as hateful as Wanzhou, Zhong Yansheng now hates Huo Shuang and thinks that the old emperor is not a good person, and neither are his people.

Wei Ling thought for a moment and said, "Huo Shuang's father is one of ours... Huo Shuang was only a few years old back then, and was hidden in a secret passage. He luckily escaped the bloodbath, but when he grew up, he changed his name and joined the Jinyiwei, becoming one of our secret agents in the capital."

Zhong Yansheng looked at Huo Shuang's back outside the house in astonishment.

"Over the years, we didn't dare to have too much contact, and we didn't even know each other's identities. We only contacted each other two or three times in a specific way... It wasn't until this time when he followed you south that we were able to meet."

Zhong Yansheng remembered that when they were at the inn, Huo Shuang suddenly seemed to have made up his mind and came to his room, as if he wanted to confess something.

Huo Shuang knew who these bandits in Shuiyun Village were, but Shuiyun Village was too hidden, and he and Wei Ling did not know each other's identities, so he had no way of contacting Wei Ling. He was probably worried that with Xiao Nong's skills, he would really use thunder-like means to wipe out Shuiyun Village.

So he came over that night, probably to plead for the bandits in Shuiyun Village.

After all, it was impossible for him to go find Xiao Nong, but Zhong Yansheng looked soft-hearted at first sight.

It is also possible that Huo Shuang also had some guesses about his identity, so he came to talk to him tentatively.

However, because of the news that Xiao Nong was assassinated and lost, Zhong Yansheng forgot about Huo Shuang's matter, and only now gradually understood what was going on.

"The other day there was chaos in the mountains, and several groups of unknown forces appeared. When I led people out to investigate, I met Huo Shuang and found out each other's identities."

Wei Ling lowered his eyes and said, "He has always obeyed the emperor's orders and dared not make any mistakes. After being ordered to get your portrait, he became suspicious, but he didn't know much. After meeting me, he explained your situation... I have been wanting to see you since the night before last."

Zhong Yansheng pursed his lips. He didn't expect that Huo Shuang had such an identity. Then he could understand why Huo Shuang sometimes looked at him with strange eyes.

Xiao Nong also said that Huo Shuang had ulterior motives towards him, but he didn't have any bad intentions.

Xiao Nong stood behind Zhong Yansheng, tall and slender, quietly acting as a fool with a strong presence.

Zhong Yansheng turned around and wanted to talk to Xiao Nong, but he didn't expect to meet a pair of misty blue eyes. He felt something was wrong and reached out to touch the bump on the back of Xiao Nong's head in panic.

Don’t take medicines carelessly and don’t say anything carelessly. How could you be so stupid again?

Xiao Nong seemed to really like being touched on the head by Zhong Yansheng. He bent his head cooperatively, looked at Zhong Yansheng intently, smelled his scent, and squinted his eyes in enjoyment.

When Zhong Yansheng withdrew his hand, he was still a little unhappy.

Unlike Zhan Rong, Wei Ling had a deep respect and faith in Xiao Nong, and was sensitive enough to notice that something was wrong with Xiao Nong's state: "What's going on, Prince Ding?"

Zhong Yansheng: "...You don't have to care."

It seems that Xiao Nong was only awake for a moment, and his consciousness is now confused again.

When Xiao Nong was unconscious, he was extremely dependent on Zhong Yansheng. He was so clingy that he had to hold his hand or hug his waist.

Zhong Yansheng carefully handed his hand to Xiao Nong, feeling very worried.

This state of being sometimes lucid and sometimes confused is too unfavorable. I have to find Lou Qingtang to take a look.

He suppressed his anxiety and worry, turned around, and met Wei Ling's increasingly suspicious eyes. His ears blushed, and he pretended to be calm: "Call Huo Shuang in to talk."

Huo Shuang used the medicine given by Zhan Rong to stop the bleeding. When he entered the house, his face was pale. He knelt down with a thud, feeling extremely guilty: "Greetings, young prince. It was all my fault for not protecting you well the night before that I let you get lost in the forest."

Zhong Yansheng couldn't say that he was captured by Xiao Nong, so he shook his head and said, "It's okay. Wei Ling told me a lot just now, and I know everything... Huo Shuang, I want to ask you, have you really never been suspected by the emperor?"

As soon as this question was asked, even Wei Ling felt a chill running down his spine.

Huo Shuang was also stunned for a moment.

Zhong Yansheng pursed his lips and whispered, "I just feel like it's such a coincidence."

The old emperor had more than just Huo Shuang as his secret guard. He happened to ask Huo Shuang to investigate his portrait, and placed Huo Shuang next to him, and then asked Huo Shuang to follow him to Baoqing Mansion.

He has been in politics for more than 40 years. Apart from the military power that he accidentally gave to Xiao Nong, he always controlled the overall situation and was always well-prepared. As for Huo Shuang, who was under his nose, did he really never have any doubts at all?

Zhong Yansheng's intuition has always been very accurate. Most of the things he feels are weird are really weird.

Wei Ling's expression was extremely ugly: "You mean, he..."

Zhong Yansheng was just a little curious whether the old emperor had suspected Huo Shuang, but Wei Ling thought of something deeper.

The old emperor undoubtedly knew who Zhong Yansheng was, so he never allowed Zhong Yansheng to enter the family tree as the eleventh prince.

Prince De was originally scheduled to go south to suppress the bandits, but a few days before his departure, he was accused of having an affair with Prince Jing's fiancée. The old emperor did not send the wronged Prince Jing, nor did he send the cautious Prince An. Instead, he made the decision to send his "youngest son" who had just been found to suppress the bandits.

If the old emperor had suspected Huo Shuang's identity and followed him to Baoqing Mansion, knowing that there was a group of remnants of the prince's followers here, and that they had become bandits in order to help the victims, and that he had forced the prince to convict and order the queen mother's relatives one by one...

Was it really not intentional to send Zhong Yansheng to Baoqing Prefecture to suppress the bandits?

The old emperor did not kill Zhong Yansheng, but gave him an identity and kept him by his side. Could it be that he wanted to "polish" the perfect prince in his mind?

After so many years, that chilling feeling crept over her body again. Wei Ling shuddered silently, looked at Huo Shuang who was also frozen, and said in a deep voice: "Shuiyun Village can no longer exist."

The place where they had been hiding for so many years might have been discovered.

Even if there is only a slight possibility, it can no longer exist.

The old emperor's goal was to let Zhong Yansheng "suppress the bandits". If Zhong Yansheng failed to do so, the consequences would be unpredictable.

Judging from the old emperor's behavior, he might really send people to set fire to the mountain.

The viciousness in Prince De's nature is not entirely without reason.

Zhong Yansheng was stunned for a while, and only after hearing Wei Ling's words did he understand what he meant. He was immediately horrified and could not help but lean towards Xiao Nong's arms, frowning: "Such a large village, with so many elderly, weak, women and children, it's not easy to evacuate."

He subconsciously turned around to look at Xiao Nong, wanting to get Xiao Nong's opinion.

Unfortunately, Xiao Nong was in a state of confusion and couldn't understand complicated words. When he turned around, he just smiled at him.

The ferocious and terrifying Prince Ding was smiling so quietly. The scene was so weird that Huo Shuang couldn't help but frown. "Prince Ding, what is this... I just heard someone say that he bought a male lover from the Western Regions for 300,000 taels of silver?"

Zhong Yansheng's back was covered in sweat. "No, nothing. Don't ask about it. Let's first think about how to conceal the truth and move Shuiyun Village."

Wei Ling knelt down again without saying a word, and said with his head down: "Whether Shuiyun Village is discovered or not, as long as the young master is found, I will follow you through thick and thin. The two hundred elite soldiers I have trained in Shuiyun Village over the years will obey the young master's orders from now on, even if it means death!"

Huo Shuang also knelt down, his expression solemn: "I am also willing to follow Your Highness until death."

Zhong Yansheng didn't expect that the two of them would suddenly kneel down again. He was not used to it, so he reluctantly imitated Xiao Nong's usual behavior and said, "Get up."

Hearing the words "young master", Xiao Nong and Taxue narrowed their eyes at the same time and looked at the two of them with unfriendly eyes.

The sense of danger of being stared at by Prince Ding and a ferocious beast was completely impossible to ignore. Huo Shuang endured it again and again, and finally couldn't help asking: "My young prince, who are you and Prince Ding?"

Xiao Nong understood this sentence.

He was not happy with these two people calling Zhong Yansheng "young master", so he raised his hand in protest, and the ten fingers that he had secretly hidden under his sleeves were now clearly exposed.

Xiao Nong's palm was wider, and he could hold Zhong Yansheng's thin hand tightly, fitting it perfectly through the gaps between his fingers, full of possessiveness.

Zhong Yansheng was caught off guard and executed in public. He was ‘slapped’ a few times with his face red, but he was unable to match his strength.

Huo Shuang and Wei Ling's expressions changed at the same time.

Wei Ling frowned and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Huo Shuang understood something: "So that night on the ship, Prince Ding really went to your room?"

Zhong Yansheng hummed and did not give a direct answer.

Huo Shuang saw from the way Zhong Yansheng leaned towards Xiao Nong that he was somewhat dependent on Xiao Nong, and showed a look of disapproval: "Prince Ding has a changeable temperament, and he is so much older than you..."

Zhong Yansheng didn't know how the topic turned to him and Xiao Nong, but he knew that outsiders had a deep misunderstanding of Xiao Nong, so he seriously defended Xiao Nong: "Although he is a little old, he is a very good person."

Huo Shuang and Wei Ling: "..."

What does it mean, although he is a little old, he is a very nice person?

As the words fell, Xiao Nong beside him seemed to stop moving.

The hand that was forcibly pulling him to show off dropped, and his head also drooped, with an unclear expression.

Zhong Yansheng was too busy to check on Xiao Nong. He didn't want the topic to go in such a weird direction, so he thought for a while and said, "Among the people who went into the mountains with me the day before yesterday, there was a man named Lou Qingtang, a doctor. Wei Ling, please send someone to help me find him."

In order to deal with Shuiyun Village without leaving any trace, Xiao Nong's assistance might be needed.

If they can successfully hide the truth from the old emperor, they can also take advantage of the situation and let Huo Shuang pretend not to be aware of the exposure and continue to obtain information under the old emperor's nose.

But Xiao Nong's mind was not clear again, and he didn't know when he would wake up next time.

There are several forces in the mountains and forests now. The old emperor's people may come here at any time. Before they come, we have to properly settle the ordinary people in Shuiyun Village.

Time is limited, so I have to find Lou Qingtang to come over and help Xiao Nong get rid of the swelling on his head.

There is also the birthmark on the back of his neck. Wei Ling said that the prince told him, but he was not even born at that time. How did the prince know that he would have a petal-shaped birthmark on the back of his neck?

If this birthmark is not congenital, then there must be some secret that even Wei Ling doesn't know.

Maybe we can let Lou Qingtang take a look to see if there is any interference.

The way Zhong Yansheng gave orders calmly was very similar to that of the prince. Wei Ling was dazed for a moment, but nodded his head in agreement without any objection. He immediately left the hall and sent people to the mountains to capture Lou Qingtang.

Huo Shuang glanced at Xiao Nong again, and said with a cupped hand: "The emperor has assigned twenty guards to your highness, ten of whom are my subordinates. Wanzhou and the rest don't really obey my orders. I've been away for a long time, and Wanzhou is suspicious by nature. I'm afraid he will report it to the emperor."

Zhong Yansheng hesitated and whispered, "He won't be suspicious anymore."

Huo Shuang was stunned for a moment, then instantly understood what Zhong Yansheng meant. He looked at him with a little more awe in his eyes: "I understand, but I should go back... Take care, Your Highness."

Zhong Yansheng nodded.

After both of them went out, Zhong Yansheng breathed a sigh of relief for no reason, but his mind still felt a little groggy and confused.

Before he could come to his senses from the heavy past, he was forced to calm down and deal with many things.

Zhong Yansheng felt heavy-hearted, and many past events popped up in his mind.

He was in such poor health when he was a child that he almost became a sickly child. It might be because he was born prematurely due to shock, which caused the Marquis of Huai'an and his wife to worry a lot.

No wonder the Marquis’ wife often went to worship Buddha and was depressed for many years. It was not until he was able to stand up and call her mother that the sadness on her brows began to dissipate.

A mother who had just given birth chose to give away her own child... She must have been filled with guilt towards Zhong Sidu and suffered for many years, but she never had any resentment towards Zhong Yansheng and was always so gentle and caring.

There is also the contradictory attitude of Huai'an Hou. He hired the best teachers for him, but did not want him to take the imperial examination and become an official. He was both strict and lenient with him.

Did Mr. Zhou, who always taught him to be a gentleman, know who he was? Mr. Zhou had also taught... ‘him’.

Perhaps because they had witnessed the bloodbath in the capital city that year, they could not bear to let him know the truth and wanted him to live out his life in peace.

Many of Zhong Yansheng's previous doubts were answered one by one after he learned about his life experience.

After Zhong Sidu came back, it was not that the Marquis of Huai’an and his wife did not want him to stay in the mansion. They were able to endure the gossip behind their backs, cut ties with the prince, and secretly exchanged their own son for him. So why would they care about the rumors discussed by the nobles in the capital?

They couldn't keep him, and if they were discovered by the emperor, they would probably suffer a catastrophic disaster.

Did the Marquis of Huai'an let him stay with Xiao Nong because his father had a good relationship with the Xiao family? After all, if Xiao Nong wanted to protect him, the old emperor would not have been able to rob him openly.

But Marquis Huai’an probably didn't expect that the old emperor would use the title of "Eleventh Prince" to justify bringing Zhong Yansheng into the palace. Even Xiao Nong couldn't refute this reason.

Zhong Yansheng felt a sour feeling in his heart, and his eyes were a little hot again. He looked at the silent spirit tablet, pulled his hand away, and whispered, "Let me go, I want to go burn incense."

Xiao Nong was silent for a long time with a gloomy expression. Zhong Yansheng thought he would be unreasonable, but after looking at his expression, Xiao Nong actually let go of his hand very reasonably.

Zhong Yansheng took the incense sticks, walked to the cushion, knelt down, and looked up at the spirit tablets.

The two tablets in the middle are his father and mother.

They hid here with Wei Ling and were not even allowed to have a name.

Zhong Yansheng closed his eyes and thought silently that he must, must make their names see the light of day again.

The old guy on the dragon throne has harmed too many people, including his parents, his grandmother the Queen, the entire Eastern Palace, his grandmother's entire family, and perhaps also the late Emperor and Crown Prince Kangwen.

And there is the Xiao family.

Two years after the abdication incident, the Xiao family was attacked by barbarians, and only two young children, Xiao Nong and Xiao Wenlan, left.

Zhong Yansheng is now completely convinced that the old guy must be behind this matter.

He has done so many evil things... Damn it.

Zhong Yansheng gritted his teeth. His head ached from the mixed sadness and hatred in his heart, and his body felt hot and cold. Until he heard a rustling sound beside him, he turned his head in shock and found that Xiao Nong had also knelt on the mat next to him.

Xiao Nongwu looked at him with heavy eyes: "You're crying again, why?"

Zhong Yansheng cried out, wiped the coldness off his face, and said sullenly, "Get well soon."

Xiao Nong didn't understand now. He wanted to ask what was going on with Xiao Nong's headache and whether it was related to that old guy.

He felt that all the bad things in the world were caused by the old emperor.

Xiao Nong reached out and stroked his head: "Yeah."

Zhong Yansheng bowed earnestly towards the spirit tablet and inserted the incense into the incense burner. Xiao tilted his head to watch his movements, and followed his example, taking the incense sticks and preparing to bow.

Zhong Yansheng wanted to cry and laugh at the same time: "What are you praying for?"

Xiao Nong said: "Whatever you worship, I will worship."

When Xiao Nong's mind was not clear, not only was his behavior not restrained by reason, but his speech seemed to be much more straightforward and passionate than usual.

Usually he either keeps silent or acts in a weird and stubborn manner.

Zhong Yansheng was influenced by him and felt better. He bit his lip and said softly, "I am worshiping my parents."

After hearing Zhong Yansheng's words, Xiao Nong's expression suddenly became much more solemn, and he bowed three times in a proper manner.

Zhong Yansheng watched his movements, blinked his wet eyelashes, and asked in confusion: "You don't even know who they are, why do you want to worship them?"

After a while, Xiao Nong turned his misty blue eyes from the spirit tablet back to him.

Zhong Yansheng met his gaze. His dark eyes were bloodshot, but they were washed brighter and cleaner by tears, like a mirror that could reflect all his thoughts.

Xiao Nong said slowly: "Because they are your parents."

Zhong Yansheng tilted his head.

Xiao Nong curled his lips: "Let them feel more at ease."

Zhong Yansheng began to feel awkward for some reason.

He almost forgot that this was in front of his parents' mourning hall. If Xiao Nong knelt down and bowed, would his parents misunderstand something?

His mind was just full of thoughts on how to avenge them, and he hadn't even figured out how to introduce Xiao Nong to them.

Zhong Yansheng looked at the spirit tablet again, thinking silently, hoping that they could come and ask him in his dream.

Zhong Yansheng had been confused for a long time about who he was, but only today did he know the truth.

The portraits and records of the former crown prince and crown princess were burned by the old emperor, and he had never seen them.

But Zhong Yansheng knew that they must like him very much and be looking forward to his birth.

He really... wanted to see them, even in his dreams.

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