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TRANSLATOR'S NOTE: This novel is written by Qing Dong, and I am just translating in English only.
UPDATE TIME: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
BONUS CHAPTER {if any}: On Sundays
NOTE: ●Hou = Marquis ●Yuan Yuan = Nickname of Zhong Yuncheng ●Mrs. Marquis = Marchioness
In late spring in March, there is still a spring chill in the wind in the capital.
The atmosphere in the Marquis of Huai'an's Mansion has been quite depressing recently. It's quiet around the study in the back hall. The servants sweeping the courtyard are holding their breath and staying far away, not daring to make a sound in the fear of disturbing the two people talking in the room.
The two people in the study were sitting by the window playing chess, but their minds were obviously not on the chessboard, and they had not yet made a move.
"This morning, his Majesty is still absent from the throne. He has been absent for a month."
After a long silence, the Marquis of Huai'an spoke slowly: "I heard that the man from Mobei has returned to the capital. Now he is ill and living in a courtyard outside the capital."
When he said the second half of the sentence, his voice was especially soft and he was quite afraid.
Upon hearing "that one", the expression of Zhou Shilang, the Minister of Etiquette, who was sitting opposite, changed slightly.
The Marquis of Huai'an was distracted by this game of chess. He tightened his grip on the chess pieces and became more and more upset: "The situation in the court is unclear now, and several princes have not left the capital..."
Zhou Shilang made a silent gesture in time, looked around, and said in a low voice: "Lord Marquis, be careful what you say."
The two of them were talking in low voices when a burst of messy footsteps suddenly came from far and near, rushing into the courtyard, breaking the silence in the courtyard, and running towards the study.
Who doesn't have the foresight to dare to break into the study at such a time without notification?
The Marquis of Huai'an frowned and was about to scold him in displeasure when he saw the man who rushed in fell to his knees, panting and shouting with joy on his face: "Lord Marquis, please go to Chunwu Courtyard, the young master is awake!"
The anger in Huai'an Marquis's eyes dissipated without a trace, he stood up abruptly, and ended the conversation just now.
After Zhou Shilang was stunned for a moment, his tense shoulders relaxed a little, and he patted his hem and stood up: "Since the young master woke up safely, Zhou will not disturb you anymore. Congratulations, Lord Marquis, go and take a look, there is no need to send----”
Before he finished speaking, his old friend had already abandoned him and was heading to Chunwu Courtyard faster than the boy who ran over.
The atmosphere in Chunwu Courtyard was particularly warm.
Zhong Yansheng had just woken up from a chaotic and broken dream. As soon as he opened his eyes in a daze, there were bursts of chatter in his ears, and many people were talking.
His consciousness was not yet fully awake, and those voices seemed to be separated by a layer of membrane, making it difficult to distinguish what they were saying.
He raised his eyes in confusion, and saw several extremely familiar faces in a daze, all of them with happy faces, and their lips opened and closed to say something.
Seeing those faces, the blood in Zhong Yansheng's body suddenly ran cold, but on the contrary, his eyes instantly became hot. His pale lips moved, and his throat squeezed out a few broken syllables hoarsely: "....Father? Mother?"
Why are they here?
I clearly saw them all being beheaded.
Or am I dead too, otherwise how could I see them?
As soon as the hazy thoughts popped up one after another, Zhong Yansheng felt like he was being hugged by someone.
The familiar fragrance spread over the tip of my nose, and a voice with a weeping sound came from above my head: "My dearest, you really scared mother to death this time... Don't cry, don't cry, mother is here."
Zhong Yansheng blinked slowly as his mother's warmth enveloped his body.
It is the breath of life.
Zhong Yansheng blinked hard again, and the mist in his eyes suddenly turned into tears, which were cold and fell down his cheeks. The blurred vision finally became clear. He leaned into his mother's arms and looked over her shoulders, he saw the Marquis of Huai'an, who was standing beside the bed with a serious face.
He had just woken up from a serious illness, his soft hair was still messy, his handsome and beautiful eyebrows were as pale as a piece of paper, and his lip color was also light. His whole figure was like a fragile flower, who was about to wither on a branch, set off by his soft and messy long black hair, which was shocking.
At this time, he looked over with tears in his eyes. He was so pitiful and well-behaved that even the Marquis of Huai'an couldn't help but soften his expression. He couldn't maintain the image of a strict father. Furthermore, he coughed and said, "How old are you? Why do you cry when you are sick... you have just woken up.”
As he spoke, he showed an almost invisible smile of relief.
The maids and servants in the yard were all looking out, their faces were more familiar and fresher than the last, chattering in lowered voices, looking at him excitedly.
All are alive now.
It was only then that Zhong Yansheng finally came back to his senses and slowly remembered what happened before he passed out.
At the beginning of this year, the Marquis of Huai'an received a transfer back to the capital. He followed his family back to the capital after many years of absence. His childhood friend King Jing heard that he was back and was surprised to see him out for a garden outing.
As a result, he accidentally fell into the water.
It was still very cold in the capital in March, and the water in the pool was bone-chilling. As soon as he fell into the water, his calves cramped, and the water choked his mouth and nose. His clothes were thicker than others, and it was obviously not a deep pool. But he couldn't struggle out no matter what.
In the end, King Jing jumped into the pool and fished him out, regardless of his own safety.
The night he was sent back, he fainted from the fever.
Then I had a... nightmare.
"Did Yuan Yuan have a nightmare?" Seeing that Zhong Yansheng just stared at them blankly over and over again without speaking, with a drop of crystal tears hanging on her eyelashes, Mrs. Marquis, who was hugging Zhong Yansheng, quickly took out her handkerchief and softly wiped his face and comforted him saying, "The nightmares are all fake, don't be afraid."
Mentioning the nightmare, Zhong Yansheng suddenly shuddered.
During the past few days, when he was sleeping, he had been having a strange dream.
Zhong Yansheng dreamed that he was living in a storybook.
In the storybook, he was a "fake young master" who was mistakenly adopted by the Marquis of Huai'an Mansion. However, the real young master of the Marquis of Huai'an Mansion was miscarried and thrown away. He was picked up by a farmer and endured hardship for more than ten years. With the token, he traveled thousands of miles to find his relatives, but he was not taken seriously by everyone in the Marquis family. Even the servants dared to despise him.
Not only that, the Marquis of Huai'an and Mrs. Marquis in the storybook disliked his temper and were worried that he would affect Zhong Yansheng's mood, so they even drove him to a separate courtyard on the outskirts of Beijing to prevent him from entering the capital easily.
Everything in the dream was bizarre, so everything was blurry, but Zhong Yansheng could remember the general development.
Later, the real young master's hatred spread to the entire Marquis Mansion, causing chaos in the Huai'an Marquis Mansion until the end of the family.
Although Zhong Yansheng felt that according to the logic and narrative in the storybook, he and his family were more like the so-called villains, the storybook was called "the true young master of the villain family."
The more Zhong Yansheng thought about it, the more flustered he became, and he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
Seeing that something was not right about Zhong Yansheng's expression, Mrs. Marquis tried her best to coax him: "What kind of nightmare did you have ? Do you want to tell me? Parents are here, so don't be afraid and tell us...."
Everything in the dream felt too real, but the story, the nightmare, the real and fake young master, the family ruin...
Zhong Yansheng hesitated in embarrassment for a while, feeling that if he said it out, according to the temperament of the Marquis of Huai'an, he should ask Taoist priests and magicians to exorcise the evil spirits.
...Why don't you try it first? After all, everything in the dream is like a fantasy.
Zhong Yansheng hugged Mrs. Marquis's arm and whispered: "Mom, I dreamed that I was not your child, and you didn't want me anymore."
Although it was a soft and coquettish tone, Zhong Yansheng clearly noticed that Mrs. Marquis's body stiffened for a moment.
Even the face of the Marquis of Huai'an beside the bed showed a subtle change.
Zhong Yansheng: "..."
Okay, no need to try.
As expected, just like what was written in the dream script, he was the false young master whom the Marquis of Huai'an had mistakenly embraced.
I'm afraid that the real young master has returned, but he was kept outside the capital and not allowed to enter the capital.
He remembered that it was written in the storybook that while the whole family was surrounding him who was sick, Master Zhen was sick alone in another courtyard because he was not acclimated to the climate.
Then according to the next development in the dream, it is...
Zhong Yansheng shuddered suddenly.
Mrs. Marquis quickly regained her composure, touched Zhong Yansheng's head, and said in a deliberately gentle voice: "How could it be so, Yuan Yuan will always be mother's most beloved child. She will stay with you and won't go anywhere. Don't be afraid."
As she spoke, she stabbed the Marquis of Huai'an with her elbow.
The Marquis of Huai'an was stroking his beard uncomfortably when he was poked. He quickly stood up and answered with a serious tone: "That's right, what nonsense are you talking about! Dad is also with you, and you are not going anywhere."
Hearing his father's and mother's warm words made Zhong Yansheng's heart tremble. He held Mrs. Marquis's hand in fear. He was so anxious that he almost blurted out all the words. Furthermore, he wanted to tell them that they couldn't treat that person like that. There would be many consequences. A terrible end.
But when the words reached his throat, he swallowed them alive.
It was so unbelievable that his parents could not believe it. Moreover, according to his understanding, if he persisted in saying this, most likely it would have the opposite effect and make his parents even more disgusted with the true young master. The consequences would be unimaginable.
Zhong Yansheng still couldn't say anything.
The look on his face was very obvious, but the Marquis of Huai'an and Mrs. Marquis were guilty of telling the lie and did not notice it. Yansheng swallowed half a bowl of porridge while pressing the bell, and then stared at him to drink the medicine.
The doctor added soothing herbs to the medicine. He had just woken up and was low on energy. Within a moment of drinking the medicine, Zhong Yansheng couldn't resist the sleepiness. He had no time to think about anything, so he shrank back into the quilt and fell asleep again.
The room became quiet, Mrs. Marquis and her husband looked at each other, and quietly left.
Zhong Yansheng was born with weak bones. He was always plagued by nightmares when he was young. He would get a serious illness every year, which lasted for half a year. Mrs. Marquis regarded him as her favorite and carefully raised him until he was ten years old. He has gotten better, and had fewer major and minor illnesses in the past two years.
After waking up in the afternoon and taking the medicine, Zhong Yansheng's fever subsided smoothly, and he felt much more relaxed. However, he slept until night and woke up from a nightmare where he couldn't see his face clearly. He sat up in panic and wiped his sweating forehead.
A few days ago, because Zhong Yansheng was unconscious, the Marquis Mansion was lifeless, as if there were dark clouds floating above everyone's heads. Today, it was a lot more lively because of his awakening. Most of the people serving in Chunwu Courtyard were little girls and boys. Mrs. Marquis was worried that they would disturb Zhong Yansheng while he was resting, so she withdrew many people, leaving only Yuncheng, the young man who had grown up with Zhong Yansheng, to guard him.
Yuncheng was taking a nap while leaning on the bed. He saw Zhong Yansheng sitting up in a hazy state. He was so frightened that he lost all sleepiness. Furthermore, he quickly got up and wiped his eyes: "Master, are you awake? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere? Do you want me to call the doctor? Are you still hungry? The kitchen still has warm snacks!"
A series of questions came out without any reply. After a moment, he saw his young master turning his head. The moonlight outside the window fell on the bed, making the beautiful little face pale, and the beautiful dark eyes stared straight at him, and faintly called: "Yuncheng."
In the middle of the night, he looked like a ghost seeking his life.
Yuncheng shrank his neck and said weakly, "What?"
Zhong Yansheng weakly crawled forward two steps: "Get me the book to interpret my dream."
"……ah?" Yuncheng was very confused, but he still got up obediently and went to find a book for Zhong Yansheng.
Zhong Yansheng's study was next to his courtyard. Yuncheng went there with a candle, and within a moment, the book was delivered to Zhong Yansheng.
The warm yellow candlelight illuminated the bedside, and Zhong Yansheng's face also gained some color in the light. He was covered with thick and soft quilts, sitting cross-legged on the bed, holding the book on dream interpretation, and studied hard for a long time. Then he put down the book: "Yuncheng."
"Yes, young master?"
Zhong Yansheng raised his face expressionlessly and handed the book over: "Burn this nonsense."
Yuncheng: "..."
The little ancestor said what he said, so Yuncheng got the copper basin and prepared to burn the book.
Zhong Yansheng was still sitting cross-legged on the bed, wrapping himself in a small ball with a quilt, looking at Yuncheng's back.
In that nightmare, Yuncheng died in front of him.
Yuncheng, who had been most obedient to him since childhood, was stabbed through the abdomen because of the only time he disobeyed him and refused to run away alone. Warm blood spattered all over his face.
That sticky and scary feeling extended from the dream to reality, making his fingertips tremble the moment he saw Yuncheng.
Dream interpretation cannot explain that nightmare.
He can only figure it out on his own.
Zhong Yansheng looked at Yuncheng's confused and busy look and pursed his lips hard.
He didn't want anything to happen to anyone in the Marquis Mansion.
Nothing should have happened in the first place... The true young master and the Marquis of Huai'an are a real family, and they are relatives connected by blood.
Because he hated the Marquis Mansion, he allowed the Marquis Mansion to be destroyed, but as long as he didn't hate the Marquis Mansion, nothing would happen, right?
But what should be done?
Judging from the attitude of his parents in the afternoon, they were probably concerned that he was still ill and did not want him to know about the existence of the real young master for the time being.
Moreover, the young master raised by the Marquis of Huai'an for eighteen years is a fake... If this news spreads, it will cause a big commotion. The nobles in the capital will definitely watch the excitement and not take it too seriously.
Given his status and position, the more he spoke in front of his parents, the more inappropriate he became. Most likely, they would think he was aggrieved by whatever he said.
Zhong Yansheng thought about it for a while, then an idea suddenly came to his mind.
"Yuncheng!"
Yuncheng was busy burning books when he heard the sound and asked quickly: "Master, what's wrong?"
"Help me do something...."
Seeing that Zhong Yansheng seemed to be more energetic, Yuncheng happily rolled up his sleeves and said without thinking: "Master, please give me your orders!"
"Don't reveal a word about this matter." Zhong Yansheng lowered his voice, "I want you to help me find someone."