Ch. 29 - Zhong Yansheng: It's going to rain heavily, let's leave the forest quickly
Reborn: I Found The Wrong BrotherThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
The Huzhou brush given to Zhong Sidu was very effective. For the next two or three days, Zhong Sidu only came at around 9 o'clock.
Zhong Yansheng was able to get enough sleep, and his slightly manic tendencies disappeared. Under Yun Cheng's terrified gaze, he turned back into the well-behaved and quiet young master.
Zhong Yansheng had not forgotten that he had borrowed money from His Royal Highness Prince Jing, so he asked Yun Cheng to run to Prince Jing's mansion to send it back. When Yun Cheng came back, he brought two boxes of exquisite bean cakes. During the lunch break, he sent a message: "Master, His Royal Highness Prince Jing said he would go hunting in Yannan Mountain the day after tomorrow, and he would come to the Marquis's mansion to pick you up then."
Zhong Yansheng opened the cake box, picked up a bean cake and took a bite. Surprisingly, the food cooked by the kitchen of Prince Jing's Mansion was very much to his liking. Even a picky person like Zhong Yansheng couldn't find any fault with it. He hummed in response and buried his head in eating the bean cake.
Zhong Sidu listened to the two talking, and saw Zhong Yansheng's white and pink cheeks puffed up slightly. He curled his fingertips and said in a gentle voice: "Want to go out and play again?"
Zhong Yansheng had almost gotten used to Zhong Sidu's attitude. Although he didn't quite understand why Zhong Sidu suddenly stopped being so cold and sarcastic, it indirectly proved that their relationship had improved. He swallowed the bean cake and nodded: "His Royal Highness Prince Jing is in a bad mood, I will accompany him out to relax."
By the way, avoid homework.
Zhong Sidu seemed to want to say something, but in the end he just said, "Be careful."
On the appointed day, King Jing came to the Marquis's residence early in the morning to pick up Zhong Yansheng.
Zhong Yansheng didn't expect to get up so early. He wiped his face, changed into a lighter riding and archery outfit, and couldn't open his eyes when he got on the carriage with his veil. Pei Hong couldn't help laughing when he saw him like this: "It's my fault that I came too early. Sleep for a while in the carriage. I'll wake you up when we get there."
Zhong Yansheng felt that he was a very nice person except that he came a little too early.
Yun Cheng naturally couldn't get on the prince's carriage, so he stood on tiptoe outside: "Then I'll trouble Your Highness to take care of my young master."
Pei Hong nodded kindly, and Yun Cheng went to the carriage behind with peace of mind.
The carriage of His Royal Highness Prince Jing was very spacious. Zhong Yansheng lay down with his clothes on and closed his eyes. After a while, his breathing became even.
Pei Hong seemed to come closer, observing him for a while, scratching his face with his fingers, and muttering, "Sleepy cat."
When he was about to fall into a dream again, Zhong Yansheng felt that the carriage had not left yet. Pei Hong seemed to be talking to someone, but perhaps because he was concerned about his sleep, he spoke in a very low voice.
The voice of the person who was talking to Pei Hong sounded familiar, but he was sleepy and the other person's voice was too soft for him to hear clearly.
Finally, he only vaguely heard the word "promise" and then the surroundings became quiet again.
The carriage began to move.
As the carriage swayed gently, Zhong Yansheng fell into a deep sleep. When he woke up, the carriage had stopped for a while.
He sat up and saw that Pei Hong was not in the carriage. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. He heard some noise outside, so he opened the carriage curtain and stuck his head out: "Your Highness Prince Jing?"
As soon as he got out, he bumped into a large group of people who came here because of the reputation.
Zhong Yansheng: “…”
That group of people: “…”
Both sides fell into a stalemate.
Everyone was talking and laughing, but unexpectedly a little head popped out of the carriage of His Royal Highness Prince Jing, and the eyes could not stop looking at him.
The young man who came out of the carriage was obviously not fully awake yet. His eyes were misty, his hair was black, his skin was white, his lips were a touch red, and he was as clean as a willow in the spring moon, and very beautiful and eye-catching.
Zhong Yansheng slowly moved his eyes and scanned the large group of people around him. He thought blankly, aren't they just him and Prince Jing out hunting?
Why are there so many people?
Outside King Jing's carriage, in addition to some servants and guards, there were at least a dozen well-dressed noblemen.
Many of them looked familiar. He had seen them when Xiao Wenlan took him to Changliu Villa to see the "good things".
Thinking of this, Zhong Yansheng turned his gaze and saw Xiao Wenlan looking at him in the crowd.
Damn thing!
With new and old grudges coming to his mind, Zhong Yansheng immediately jumped off the carriage and walked quickly to Xiao Wenlan with a menacing look. Xiao Wenlan hesitated for a moment, but did not dodge, and let Zhong Yansheng angrily punch him in the stomach.
Xiao Wenlan cried out, bent his waist and begged for mercy and apologized: "I was wrong, I was wrong, Young Master Zhong, please don't be angry, okay?"
Zhong Yansheng retracted his fist with a stern face, trying to calm down.
His force was not strong, and Xiao Wenlan let out a half-serious hiss of pain and explained, "I really didn't mean to leave you at my brother's place last time. When you came in that day, I was about to follow you in, but the door slammed shut! I waited outside for a long time, and only left when I saw that you didn't come out..."
Zhong Yansheng was suspicious: "Really?"
Xiao Wenlan nodded vigorously: "It's absolutely true! My brother didn't make things difficult for you, did he?"
Zhong Yansheng: "…"
Zhong Yansheng didn't know what to say.
His Royal Highness Prince Ding did not make things difficult for him, and his attitude was not harsh either.
But it feels much worse than when we were together in Changliu Villa.
When he thought of the cool fragrance that lingered on his nose that day, his ears began to feel hot again, so he quickly stopped the thought.
When the other people around heard Xiao Wenlan's address, they looked at Zhong Yansheng with a hint of shock.
Young Master Zhong?
Is this the fake young master of the Huai'an Marquis Mansion that was rumored everywhere in the capital a while ago?
There were many rumors in the capital, but most of them were praises for the real young master and denunciations and denunciations of the fake young master, describing Zhong Yansheng as ugly, uneducated, and with a dark personality.
When Zhong Yansheng appeared, he always wore a veil hat, so his face could not be seen, which seemed to fit the description of "dark personality", so everyone had a general preconception of him.
But they never expected that this fake young master would be as beautiful as spring flowers and bright moon. He was really...
He is only eighteen, and his eyes and eyebrows are still a little immature. They wonder what he will look like in a few years.
People always have a natural liking for good-looking people. People around gradually came over and greeted him with a smile: "Young Master Zhong? Do you remember me? I saw you last time at Changliu Villa."
"I didn't expect the young master to be here too. Do you want to ride with me later? I'll hunt rabbits for you."
"Go away, stop crowding the young master."
Zhong Yansheng was so busy settling accounts with Xiao Wenlan that he forgot about the group of people around him. When he saw them surrounding him, he hid away in fear.
The next moment, the people who had gathered around were unceremoniously separated, and then a veil was placed on Zhong Yansheng's head. Pei Hong said impatiently, "Go away, what are you all doing here? Xiao Sheng, take your hat."
The second half of the sentence softened.
Zhong Yansheng put on his hat and said "oh".
Yun Cheng also squeezed through the crowd and stood guard beside Zhong Yansheng vigilantly.
Everyone was upset when they saw Pei Hong blocking Zhong Yansheng behind him: "Your Highness Prince Jing, show us what happened to Young Master Zhong. It's not like he will lose a piece of flesh."
"Your Highness is really too much. He left Young Master Zhong in the carriage by himself without telling us."
"Haha, are you guys done yet? Be careful not to scare others."
"Young Master Zhong, would you like to ride with me? I'll hunt rabbits for you!"
This man was so diligent that Zhong Yansheng couldn't help but reply, "I don't want a little rabbit."
The man got the response and became even more excited: "How about I hunt tits for you?"
Zhong Yansheng shrank back: "No."
He likes furry, big-tailed snow-capped cats.
It would be better if Taxue could stop jumping on him and licking him.
Pei Hong couldn't stand it anymore and gave a light kick over there: "Shut up."
The man regretted shutting up.
Yannan Mountain is also called "Little Nanshan". It is not very far from the capital city and is a place where many children of noble families in the capital city often come for hunting. Pei Hong called a lot of people today. A large group of carriages stopped outside the forest, and servants were waiting by the side with horses. When Zhong Yansheng woke up, everyone was distributing hunting equipment.
Xiao Wenlan came over and said shamelessly, "Do you want to come with me, Young Master Zhong?"
Zhong Yansheng looked at him suspiciously.
Although he was wearing a veil and his face could not be seen, Xiao Wenlan could clearly sense Zhong Yansheng's distrust.
Xiao Wenlan immediately patted his chest and said, "You still don't believe me? Although I don't look very capable, I am from the Xiao family! There is no one in our Xiao family who is not good at riding and shooting."
Zhong Yansheng became even more distrustful.
Apart from his sometimes bizarre mental state, how is Xiao Wenlan similar to Xiao Nong?
Even his appearance is different from Xiao Nong.
Zhong Yansheng thought quietly that His Royal Highness Prince Ding had half foreign blood, had an exotic look, and was more handsome than any other nobles he had seen in the capital.
He is just a little bit perverted and likes old men.
Pei Hong finished teaching the rioting group a lesson, turned around and patted Xiao Wenlan's head: "Xiao Sheng will naturally ride with me."
Zhong Yansheng was silent for a moment: "Can't I just ride it myself?"
After these words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent. Even Pei Hong looked surprised: "Xiao Sheng, you can also ride a horse?"
Zhong Yansheng was depressed: "Why can't I do it?"
Although he seldom went out when he was young due to illness, after he arrived in Gusu, Huai'an Marquis invited the best teachers to teach him the six arts of a gentleman: rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy and mathematics. Even if he was not very proficient in them, he naturally knew them all.
Xiao Wenlan scratched his face and laughed dryly: "Then, Young Master Zhong can ride by himself. Your Highness Prince Jing, should we set off?"
"Yes." Pei Hong handed over a lottery tube, "Xiao Sheng, draw a lot. You are the only one left. We will be divided into three groups. We will come out in the evening and see which group has more prey."
Zhong Yansheng took one obediently.
The others immediately stretched their necks to see which group he drew.
Zhong Yansheng turned it over and took a look: "Group B."
Half of the people sighed in frustration, while the others cheered, "Great!"
Xiao Wenlan clapped his hands and said, "Great! You are in the same group with me and His Royal Highness Prince Jing. Wait for us to help you win the championship!"
Zhong Yansheng glanced at Xiao Wenlan and felt that this man was unreliable, but he still nodded kindly and responded, "Yeah."
Yun Cheng didn't know how to ride a horse or shoot, so he couldn't follow him into the mountain. He put down the pile of things he was holding, put on knee pads and wrist guards for Zhong Yansheng, and kept nagging: "Young Master, be careful and don't get hurt."
This was the first time for Zhong Yansheng to go hunting with others since he was a child. Influenced by the high spirits of the others, it would be a lie to say he wasn't excited: "I know."
Everyone was almost ready. Pei Hong gave an order, and Zhong Yansheng easily climbed onto the pony that Pei Hong had someone bring, followed him, and rode towards the forest.
At the same time, Xiao Nong, who had just returned from the court, listened to the secret guard's report and asked, "Hunting?"
The secret guard bowed his head and said, "Yes, Young Master Zhong and the Second Young Master followed King Jing out of the city this morning and have now entered Yannan Mountain."
Xiao Nong's eyes darkened, and he looked at the clear sky outside the window.
When marching and fighting, what matters is the right time, right place, and right people. Weather is a major factor in winning. Xiao Nong was able to win every battle, largely due to his ability to observe celestial phenomena and predict the weather.
Although the sun is shining brightly now, judging from the sky last night, it might rain heavily later.
The air in the mountains and forests is extremely fresh.
Zhong Yansheng held the reins and walked on the mountain path, his mood gradually improving.
Xiao Wenlan in front was talking to Pei Hong: "I heard that the daughter of the Minister of the Ministry of Rites will go to Yannan Mountain with her female companion today. The day before yesterday, I heard you say that you were going out hunting, so I thought you were going to Yannan Mountain to secretly take a look at the daughter. But when I followed you, I saw that you were going to Yannan Mountain. Your Highness, did you go to the wrong place?"
There are two "Yannan Mountains" in and outside Beijing. This is why Yannan Mountain is also called "Little Nan Mountain", which makes it easier to figure out which is which.
Both places are suitable for hunting, and even people who are familiar with the capital city will occasionally go to the wrong place.
Pei Hong, holding the reins, clicked his tongue when he heard the voice: "Prince De is also going on a hunting trip today, to Yannan Mountain. Wouldn't it be boring for me to go? Don't mention these unpleasant things."
Prince De had a privileged family background and was favored by His Majesty. He always looked down on Pei Hong, and whenever they met he would be sarcastic and speak harshly.
Xiao Wenlan understood and smacked his lips: "Okay."
As Zhong Yansheng listened to them talking, he guessed that the news that His Majesty had arranged a marriage between Prince Jing and the daughter of the Minister of the Ministry of Rites had probably spread.
Even if Pei Hong was unwilling to get married, he could not escape this marriage.
Thinking of this, Pei Hong became even more upset. He turned around and looked at Zhong Yansheng who was following behind him obediently: "Xiao Sheng, I plan to hold a private banquet in a few days and invite you to my house for a drink. Then you can bring that young master Zhong with you."
Zhong Yansheng looked up in confusion: "Huh?"
It would be fine to invite him to the private banquet, but why did you have to invite Zhong Sidu?
Pei Hong snorted lightly: "I've heard about his behavior at the Flower Fighting Banquet. Ask him to come over and give him a beating."
Zhong Yansheng was somewhat touched and somewhat helpless: "Thank you, Your Highness. The relationship between Master Zhong and I have eased a lot. There is no need to be like this."
Pei Hong didn't listen to him: "I'll send him an invitation letter, later, I don't think he dares not to come."
After saying this, he whipped the horse and rode forward.
Xiao Wenlan and Zhong Yansheng looked at each other and said, "It seems that His Royal Highness Prince Jing is in a bad mood, but I understand."
Zhong Yansheng looked at him strangely: "What can you understand?"
"Of course it's unpleasant to be forced into marriage." Xiao Wenlan slowed down, rode side by side with Zhong Yansheng, and lowered his voice, "His Royal Highness Prince Jing is still good, at least he knows whether the person he is going to marry is beautiful or not. My brother is different."
Zhong Yansheng pricked up his gossipy ears: "His Royal Highness Prince Ding was also granted a marriage?"
Why haven't I heard of it?
If His Royal Highness Prince Ding encountered such a thing, he would definitely not be as depressed as His Royal Highness Prince Jing. He would most likely go directly to the palace and ask His Majesty to take it back.
"No."
Seeing that he was interested, Xiao Wenlan thought that telling some gossip would help him regain some trust and favor from Zhong Yansheng, so he betrayed his brother without much thought: "My brother once had a girl who was betrothed to him since birth."
Zhong Yansheng slightly widened his eyes: "Arranged marriage?"
"I don't know the details," Xiao Wenlan said softly, "My brother was only seven years old at the time. He had a big fight with my uncle and got beaten several times."
"Who is that person?"
Zhong Yansheng listened carefully and held the reins tightly with his hands. He didn't know why he was so nervous and even held his breath.
"I don't know who it is. It is said that the child was not born." Xiao Wenlan scratched his head and deliberately showed a gloomy expression in the second half of the sentence. "But considering my brother's temper, he doesn't have an uncle to pressure him now. I guess even if the child is born and grows up smoothly, my brother will not recognize this marriage. He is very disgusted and may even throw the person out of the capital. Out of sight, out of mind."
Zhong Yansheng looked at his expression, his heart skipped a beat, and after thinking for a while, he nodded in agreement: "If it were His Royal Highness Prince Ding... it would seem to be the case."
Seeing Xiao Wenlan leaning against Zhong Yansheng and talking for a long time, the others hurried up to catch up with him in dissatisfaction: "Second Young Master Xiao, what are you talking about with Young Master Zhong? Let us hear it too."
"Are you tired, Young Master Zhong? Do you want me to take you for a ride? I'll hunt squirrels for you!"
Zhong Yansheng: "…No, thanks."
Why is this person so persistent?
As they talked and laughed, they went deeper into the forest. When they caught up with Pei Hong who was running ahead, Pei Hong had already hunted a few medium-sized prey and was resting by the stream ahead waiting for them.
After riding for too long, Zhong Yansheng's thighs were no longer feeling comfortable. The others also said, "Let's take a break. The other groups definitely don't have as much prey as we do."
"I'm starving. Where's the food?"
It was also a bit stuffy in the forest, and wearing a veil hat interfered with his vision and made him uncomfortable. Anyway, there was no His Royal Highness Prince Ding here, so Zhong Yansheng got off his horse, took off his veil hat and hung it on the horse, took the dry food handed to him by others, and suddenly felt a moist breeze blowing across his cheek, which dispelled some of the stuffiness.
He was stunned for a moment, then looked up at the sky between the trees.
I don't know when the sky changed slightly, and it was no longer as clear as when we entered the forest.
Zhong Yansheng was sensitive enough to sense a hint of uneasiness: "The weather seems to have changed. Is it going to rain?"
Xiao Wenlan came over and said bluntly, "No way, the capital has been very dry. It hasn't rained for almost ten days."
Pei Hong glanced at Xiao Wenlan.
Pei Hong was sent out of the palace because there had been a severe drought in the capital for many days, which was considered an ominous sign.
Before Xiao Wenlan realized anything, Zhong Yansheng quickly stuffed the dry food in his hand into his mouth: "Eat it."
Xiao Wenlan choked.
Zhong Yansheng has been in Gusu for many years. Gusu has a lot of rain in summer. He is very sensitive to this kind of weather. He squatted by the stream and watched carefully for a while, then turned back and said, "Your Highness, Prince Jing, I think it's really going to rain. We have to go back."
Pei Hong was just about to make a joke when he felt a sudden chill on his face. He reached out his hand to touch it and found it was raining.
Others also noticed it: "Oh my god, is it really raining?"
"The weather was fine when I went out, how come it suddenly started raining..."
That being said, no one took it too seriously. After all, the servants and guards following behind had brought raincoats in advance. They were made of silk and silkworm cocoon paper and were very fine, so they were not afraid of this little rain.
Zhong Yansheng stood up, his face serious: "It's going to rain heavily, let's leave the forest quickly."
If there was heavy rain, it would be dangerous in the mountains and forests. He would easily catch a cold if he got caught in the rain.
Seeing Zhong Yansheng's serious expression, Pei Hong stopped joking and looked at the sky: "Come on, go find other people and ask them to leave the mountain. We will leave too."
Everyone was puzzled to see that Pei Hong really listened to Zhong Yansheng's words, and then they heard several huge thunders in the sky, which was thrilling and extremely terrifying. The drizzle just now suddenly turned into bean-sized raindrops, crackling down.
A few horses that were originally eating grass nearby were startled, neighed a few times, and suddenly broke free from the servants who were holding them and ran away.
Everyone was shocked by the terrifying thunder and the sudden change: "Why is it suddenly raining so hard?"
"The horse ran away! Chase it!"
In the chaos, Pei Hong raised his voice: "Let's go, get down the mountain immediately."
The rain was so heavy and fast that the horses ran away and everyone had to walk down the muddy mountain road.
As a result, I couldn't go any further halfway.
The small stream that they had just crossed on horseback had expanded several times in just a short while, and the water was turbid and fast, rushing down the mountain.
Xiao Wenlan was stunned: "If there were horses, we could still wade across. Now that the horses have run away... shall we just follow the stream downstream?"
Zhong Yansheng was soaked to the skin, his black hair stuck to his snow-white skin, his face was pale and transparent: "No, we have to go up the mountain."
He remembered that in the travelogue he had read in Changliu Villa, the author had also encountered heavy rain in the mountains. The travelogue specifically mentioned that at this time one cannot go down the mountain but must go up, otherwise one would not be able to escape if encountering a mountain torrent.
Pei Hong also said: "Go up the mountain."
At this moment, everyone realized that the situation was a bit bad. The previous relaxed atmosphere was swept away. Everyone looked at each other and walked up the mountain: "We won't be trapped in the mountain, right?"
"…It's okay. Our family knows we are out and noticed that it is raining heavily. They will definitely send someone to rescue us."
"But Yannan Mountain is not small. When will they be able to find us?"
"Let's find a cave to stay in first. I'm almost choking from the rain."
Fortunately, after climbing for a while, panting, everyone found a place to shelter from the rain that could barely accommodate more than a dozen people.
It was too cold after being caught in the rain, and their raincoats and dry food were taken away by the frightened horses. Everyone huddled together like quails to keep warm, waiting for the rain to subside, or for rescuers from the capital to come.
Zhong Yansheng squeezed with the crowd for a while, but he didn't feel warmer. Instead, he felt colder and colder, and his consciousness became a little groggy.
Xiao Wenlan was right next to him. He noticed that he was a little too hot. He turned around and was horrified: "Young Master Zhong? Your face is a little red. Did you catch a cold?"
Zhong Yansheng hummed a word, hugged himself and curled up, starting to feel a little regretful.
His Royal Highness Prince Jing is indeed not as unreliable as Xiao Wenlan.
But His Royal Highness Prince Jing is in bad luck.
Pei Hong's expression changed slightly, and he immediately put his outer robe on Zhong Yansheng.
The others hurriedly prepared to take off their clothes as well: "Young Master Zhong, have you caught a cold? I have clothes too, wear mine."
A few people also murmured: "It's all because of his bad mouth, otherwise we wouldn't have encountered such a rainstorm. Why are you being so attentive to a fake guy?"
Pei Hong slapped the group of people away, his face darkening: "Go and see if there is a way to go."
The guard following him responded and left immediately.
It was raining heavily, and the road ahead was unclear. The rain showed no sign of stopping after a long time. Zhong Yansheng's body was already starting to feel hot, and he was afraid he couldn't wait much longer.
Pei Hong frowned when he saw Zhong Yansheng's pale face with a sickly flush on it. Only at this moment did he feel a hint of regret.
At this moment, the guard who went out to explore the way came back: "Your Highness!"
Everyone was delighted: "How's it going? Have you found the way down the mountain?"
It was hard to tell whether the guard was surprised or happy: "No, a group of cavalry came in the rain."
The rescue in Beijing was so quick?
Everyone was even more surprised: "Whose is it?"
The guard hesitated and said, "Yes... His Royal Highness Prince Ding."
Zhong Yansheng heard the name of His Royal Highness Prince Ding in a daze, and was so frightened that he mustered up some strength and, without thinking, took out the handkerchief from his sleeve to cover his face.
Hearing the name that was totally unexpected, the surroundings fell into dead silence.
The sky became completely dark. Suddenly, a flash of lightning flashed across the sky, thunder roared, and a team of black cavalrymen on fast horses split the continuous rain curtain and suddenly appeared in everyone's sight.
The man riding in front had his clothes all wet, but he did not look embarrassed. Instead, it could not hide the deep and handsome beauty of his eyebrows and eyes, which made him look even fiercer. He reined in his horse suddenly, swept his eyes among the group of people hiding from the rain, jumped off his horse, and walked over with big strides.
Pei Hong's face didn't look good: "Your Highness Prince Ding."
Xiao Wenlan had never expected that Xiao Nong would go up the mountain to save him. His eyes were filled with tears, and he was almost moved to tears: "Brother!"
However, his brother simply ignored him, threw away the outer robe covering Zhong Yansheng, took off the outer robe and covered Zhong Yansheng completely, then, in front of everyone's shocked gaze, he bent down and picked up Zhong Yansheng.