SIXTEEN
The boy said this with his head down, as if he was absent-minded or in a bad mood, and his fair little face looked a little confused.
Lin Bozhou lowered his eyes and looked into his eyes: “Are you blaming me for not coming to see you?”
The tone is low, with a hint of itch.
Like a whispered inquiry.
This sentence made Meng Huan stiffen, and he looked up, somewhat at a loss. He said it casually, but he didn’t expect Lin Bozhou to associate it with something so ambiguous, and he didn’t know what to say.
“No—” Meng Huan was about to shake his head, but Lin Bozhou had already sat down.
“Then I will stay with you tonight.”
“…………”
Meng Huan swallowed the second half of his sentence.
The more I explain, the more it will prove in his eyes that I am just being upset, and that I love him… I’d better just play the role of an obedient concubine, Meng Huanxin thought.
“Your handwriting is not beautiful. Sit down.” Lin Bozhou picked up the brush on the table and said, “I will teach you how to use the brush first.”
Knowing that he was right, Meng Huan still blushed and sat next to him mumbling. Lin Bozhou took his hand, and his fingers were stained with ink. Lin Bozhou raised his eyelids slightly: “Why are you like a three-year-old boy?”
“…” Meng Huan said nothing. He watched him take out a handkerchief from his sleeve and wipe him roughly.
“You used to be famous for your talent and well-known in the capital. You were said to be a popular talent among the young candidates. Now you can’t even write or read?” Lin Bozhou seemed to be laughing.
Meng Huan said guiltily: “Since I hit the pillar last time, I have forgotten a lot of things. Maybe my brain was damaged.”
“Maybe.” Lin Bozhou gently pried open his fingers, fixed the brush and pressed them back one by one, making it into a standard posture, and said, “This is the right way to write, otherwise your wrist will get tired if you write too much.”
Meng Huan said “hmm”.
Lin Bozhou’s hands were cold, but when he touched the back of her hands, they inexplicably became hot, and her knuckles felt itchy and numb. It was very strange. The “high fit point” system in her body would make her blush and her heart beat faster when he touched it.
“I will teach you how to write these dozens of characters. You should write them one by one according to the order I show you.” Lin Bozhou took out another piece of paper and picked up a brush again. “Did you hear me?”
“I heard it.” Meng Huan nodded.
The yard was quiet, with only the sound of pages turning. Lin Bozhou’s handwriting was indeed very beautiful. In this era when only letters were available, beautiful handwriting was a stepping stone. It was written in the book that in order to gain recognition from Confucian scholars, Lin Bozhou cultivated himself very well and put a lot of effort into writing. He wrote in the cold winter in the northern frontier, and he got frostbite on the back of his hands, and the blood flowed onto the pages. He worked hard every day to get this beautiful handwriting.
Meng Huan couldn’t help but look at his hands.
“What are you looking at?” Lin Bozhou noticed.
Meng Huan didn’t know what to say, so he just tried to get away with it.
He tried to find the wound on the back of his hand, and sure enough, he saw some dark brown pigmentation, which should be the scar from the scab that had fallen off the wound.
——With treacherous officials like this, how can ordinary people survive?
No wonder all the good guys in this book were beaten by Lin Bozhou.
While she was daydreaming, the maid came closer and asked in a low voice: “Madam, is it time to eat?”
Hearing about dining, Meng Huan’s eyes lit up and he asked tactfully, “Where is the prince going to eat?”
He hoped that Lin Bozhou could understand that this was an order to expel him.
“Right here.” Lin Bozhou focused on writing and his voice was flat.
“here?”
Lin Bozhou: “Don’t want to?”
“…”
Meng Huan looked at Feng Zhi silently: “Let’s cook.”
However, Fengzhi looked a little embarrassed.
Meng Huan realized what she wanted to say, stood up, and walked with her to the kitchen: “What’s wrong?”
Feng Zhi said, “I don’t know why, but the travel restrictions in the palace have suddenly become stricter these days. Xiao Shun, who used to help us buy vegetables and meat, can’t leave the palace anymore, so there’s nothing in the kitchen now, and we can’t light the fire.”
“Then how do we eat? We can’t let the prince go hungry,” Meng Huan thought for a moment, “Should we ask the dining hall to prepare dinner?”
Fengzhi nodded: “I will go right away.”
However… thinking about the leftovers from the previous two days, they probably wouldn’t be so bold as to act rashly while Lin Bozhou is still here, right?
Meng Huan was no longer worried. When he returned to the yard, Lin Bozhou had already written a word on the rightmost side of the manuscript paper as the first character, and asked Meng Huan to follow suit.
Lin Bozhou couldn’t stand his sloppy writing: “Come over and practice.”
“…” Feeling the pressure from the strict teacher, Meng Huan picked up the brush and wrote down the strokes resignedly. His control of the brush was steady, but the structure was not good, and the characters were crooked and slanted, especially in front of Lin Bozhou’s elegant regular script, the characters looked even uglier.
The more Meng Huan wrote, the less confident he became. What’s more, he was being stared at by Lin Bozhou. The back of his ears turned red and he buried his head heavily.
After writing the last word in the first row, he whispered, “Excuse me.”
“You also know how to make a fool of yourself.”
Meng Huan lowered his head like a primary school student being scolded.
“That’s what the prince taught me.”
But as his eyes turned away, he was not entirely convinced.
Lin Bozhou was a little helpless. He stood up, pressed down his robe sleeves with his fan, and stretched out a thin and clean wrist: “Give me your hand.”
“Ah?” Meng Huan was puzzled.
“Give me your hand.” Lin Bozhou repeated, and put his large hand on the back of his hand.
His hands were long and clean with distinct joints, but Meng Huan’s hands were even smaller, so he held them easily. The back of his hand and the palm of his hand pressed together, exuding warmth, and the skin-to-skin contact made his palm numb as if it had been electrified.
Meng Huan lowered his head and could feel Lin Bozhou leaning against his back, his shadow covering him completely. The faint scent of sandalwood from his clothes wafted out and was inhaled into Meng Huan’s lungs, making him dizzy with the heat.
“Don’t use too much force with your hands. Just follow me and write.”
“……Um.”
The hand he was holding seemed not to belong to him. Meng Huan stiffened and his hand also began to harden. As Lin Bozhou rubbed it, the white skin turned a deep red.
Lin Bozhou: “So nervous?”
“I’m not used to it.” Meng Huan had to say.
“After writing this word, I’ll let you do it yourself.”
The life-saving straw was right in front of him, and Meng Huan wrote with great difficulty, as if he was carrying a heavy mountain. When Lin Bozhou let go of his hand, the back of his hand was covered with glistening sweat, and his forehead was also red with heat.
Lin Bozhou lowered his eyes and smiled: “Write it.”
Meng Huan started writing awkwardly, and the upright characters collapsed again with a “pop”.
“Practicing calligraphy doesn’t happen overnight, but over many years,” Lin Bozhou raised his eyebrows, “take your time, don’t rush.”
Meng Huan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At this time, the servants at the door came in a row, carrying dishes in their hands.
“Have you eaten yet?” Meng Huan, “So soon?”
However, there were only two or three dishes on the table. The chief eunuch You Jin frowned: “Didn’t you see the prince is here? What are you doing? It’s against the rules.”
The maid hurriedly tried to clear the food away. Lin Bozhou lazily leaned back in his chair, raised his hand to signal her to leave, and asked, “Madam, are these the only dishes you have every day?”
Meng Huan was a little silent.
“Madam loves to eat and wants to try everything. Are these dishes enough?” Lin Bozhou pushed open the lid of the bowl with a chopstick: “I want to see what kind of soup it is—”
Pushing it open, there was a bowl of vegetable and tofu soup with a few yellow vegetable leaves floating in it. The soup was pitch black, and mixed with the tofu, it had a faint sour smell.
The air became much quieter.
Lin Bozhou raised his eyebrows and used chopsticks to open the lid of another bowl.
Inside was a plate of mushy fish meat. There was some meat, but most of it was bones, placed in a mess on the plate.
“Hmm?” Lin Bozhou asked softly.
The scene was so quiet that it was a little eerie.
Lin Bozhou looked at Meng Huan thoughtfully, “What did you mean by ‘falling out of favor’ just now?”
Meng Huan felt that someone was going to be unlucky, so he said with a stiff upper lip: “Not all of them.”
“Can you eat all this for every meal?” Lin Bozhou lowered his eyes, “I remember that you like to eat mixed and spicy food. It seems that you like to eat a little bit of everything.”
Meng Huan said honestly: “We didn’t eat these things. We made a fire and cooked in the kitchen in the yard. We didn’t ask for anything from the canteen.” The maid repeated what happened that day when Xu Fanggu came over in a weird manner.
Lin Bozhou hummed, his face showing no sign of rage. He just tapped the table with his finger, turned around, and looked at the maids who were serving the dishes: “Are you serving these rotten soups and rotten vegetables for me to eat?”
The maid suddenly knelt down, “Your Majesty, I don’t know! I don’t know either—”
“If you don’t know, then find someone who knows. I asked about Madam’s condition a few days ago. How come no one said that Madam and Xu Fanggu had a feud? Who is hiding this from me?”
This time, not only the maid who was serving dishes on the ground, but also the chief eunuch opened his eyes and knelt down suddenly: “Your Highness, this old servant also didn’t know—”
Lin Bozhou lowered his eyes, smiled, and said, “Okay, now this prince and my wife have become outsiders in this palace. Don’t give the good food to this prince’s wife, and keep the affairs of the palace secret from this prince, okay…”
With just one sentence, the atmosphere in the yard suddenly dropped to freezing point. Everyone felt a layer of icy chill on their backs, like a maggot attached to their bones. Not only did their backs feel cold, their knees became weak, but their throats were also so dry that they couldn’t utter a word.
Lin Bozhou frowned, and his elegance disappeared, replaced by the calmness of a person in command: “Go and call Chen An, the Chief Judge and the Commander of the Royal Palace Guard.”
The eunuch You Jin broke out in a cold sweat.
The judge is in charge of the palace’s criminal cases, while the palace guard commander is in charge of the palace’s military.
This is going to kill people!
Everyone looked terrified. Meng Huan realized the seriousness of the situation and looked at Lin Bozhou: “Husband…”
The boy seemed frightened and looked sideways at him with a dazed look on his face.
The regent, dressed in splendid clothes, sat on a chair and said with a smile, “Huanhuan, come and sit down.”
The man who was about to kill someone in the next second was still very gentle to him.
But Meng Huan knew best the bloodlust and cruelty beneath his gentle appearance.
Meng Huan licked his lips and tried to explain: “In fact, only Xu Fanggu and the group of people who beat people at that time had problems. There was nothing wrong with the others. Your Majesty, please don’t be too angry…”
Lin Bozhou’s eyes seemed to be filled with spring breeze, infinitely warm, and he smiled slightly: “The matter is much more serious than Madam thinks, but Madam, don’t worry.”
He patted the seat next to him. Meng Huan walked over to him.
His hand was held by Lin Bozhou, and his breath was breathed into his ear.
“Your husband will do justice for you.”
SEVENTEEN
As night fell, the palace guards, wearing uniforms and holding swords, stood solemnly on both sides of the road.
Xu Fanggu and Xu Mam knelt on the spot, and the male servants and maids who had previously assisted in the protest also knelt on the ground, crying and shouting deafeningly. The other servants were also called over and stood aside.
Lin Bozhou ignored the voices present and scanned the whole place with his calm eyes: “Today, I will make the decision for you. Apart from withholding Madam’s food, what other wrongdoings have the Xu family done in this mansion? You can tell me.”
The servants looked around and seemed to be a little hesitant, but slowly one of them stepped forward and kowtowed: “Xu stole things from the treasury without permission, and I caught her once.”
People knelt down one after another.
“The maid Ah Liu jumped into the well because she offended Aunt Xu Fang. She was abused in every way. The floating corpse that was fished out was covered with wounds, but Aunt Xu suppressed the matter.”
“My mother offended Aunt Xu and had her legs broken. She has been lying on the sickbed ever since…”
“Xu’s family rented out the equipment in the mansion to make a profit…”
“…”
The atmosphere was eerily quiet. Any evil deed would have made him furious, but Lin Bozhou showed no emotion. He would just say “OK” when he heard something, and when he had heard enough, he would gently raise his hand.
“I’m here!” The commander knelt on the ground with a loud clatter.
“Take him away and chop him off. Place the head around the mansion for all the servants to see.”
The inspection of heads in government offices is similar to the inspection of traitors’ heads in the armed forces during wartime, which is intended to serve as a deterrent and warning.
As the distance got closer, Meng Huan saw Lin Bozhou’s handsome and bright face facing the general and gave the order ruthlessly without any ripples.
“I obey your orders.”
The guard commander signaled to the guard next to him. The other party took out a big knife, the blade was black and shiny, it was the glossy shine that only comes from drinking enough human blood, and raised the knife.
“Wait a minute.” Lin Bozhou remembered something.
“My Lord, do you have any other instructions?”
Lin Bozhou turned his head and met Meng Huan’s eyes.
For a moment, Meng Huan’s eyes were empty, as if he had seen the true face of a god. His eyes were burned by lightning and flames, and he buried his head.
Lin Bozhou said thoughtfully, “Have you ever seen someone being killed?”
“No.” Meng Huan said.
Lin Bozhou hummed and signaled the commander: “Take him away. Don’t use the knife in front of the lady. The lady can’t bear to see this.”
“…” Meng Huan clenched his fingers tighter, his back tensed up and felt a little painful.
The crying and screaming people were dragged away, but they were dragged mercilessly by the collars of the armored soldiers like an object, leaving traces of their feet kicking in the mud on the ground, accompanied by heart-wrenching screams.
Meng Huan’s heart was numb from the shouting, and he looked at Lin Bozhou in a daze: “Did the prince kill them for me?”
Lin Bozhou: “Not all of them.”
Meng Huan couldn’t tell whether he felt relieved or heavy: “Is that so…”
The reason why Lin Bozhou killed people was probably because the people in the mansion deceived their superiors and subordinates, killed people wantonly, stole public property, etc. After thinking about it this way, his guilt for these lives was alleviated a lot.
But Meng Huan was still a little at a loss.
The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only a few people. Lin Bozhou turned around and said, “It’s time to eat.”
He held Meng Huan’s hand, but felt the little hand trembling in his palm.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Bozhou raised his eyebrows.
Meng Huan shook his head and followed him obediently until his forehead lightly hit his back. Meng Huan stopped and looked at Lin Bozhou.
Lin Bozhou: “Afraid?”
Meng Huan said nothing.
“Um?”
Only after realizing Lin Bozhou’s sincerity did Meng Huan say, “I’m afraid of the way you look now.”
Lin Bozhou stared at him with his dark eyes, the light showing a faint orange glow, and he was interested in his reaction: “What do you mean?”
Meng Huan tried to describe his feelings: “This is a person who can kill whomever he wants, and has whatever he wants. He has the power of life and death in his hands. Some people may choose to cling to him and use his abilities to satisfy their own selfish desires; but some people will feel afraid and stay away from such people.”
Lin Bozhou looked at him with dim eyes: “What kind of person is Madam?”
Meng Huan scratched his palm and said nothing.
He seemed to have made a choice in silence.
The way he lowered his head made Lin Bozhou’s lips curl up inexplicably, and a strange feeling surged in his chest.
He was surrounded by a pack of wolves, sleeping in the open air, snatching food from the knife edge, blood and bones covered every inch of the land here, and suddenly, a lost harmless lamb walked in here.
The lamb was snow-white and well-behaved, with its eyes wide open. It was so scared when it saw the brutality of the predator that it didn’t know what to do with its four hooves.
Lin Bozhou gently touched his head and said, “People don’t learn from their mistakes and are selfish. If I don’t kill them, the people in this palace will see that they have a good ending. When they take over the position in the future, they will be lucky and move around, be greedy, and not take you seriously. In order to solve the problem once and for all, you must establish your authority and establish it enough.”
Meng Huan looked at him in a daze.
“So,” Lin Bozhou whispered, “Madam, please don’t blame me.”
Meng Huan: “…”
Lin Bozhou smiled, narrowed his eyes and restrained the light.
He said, “Okay?”
After Lin Bozhou got angry just now, the food on the table was immediately changed to the standard of thirty dishes. The servants lined up like butterflies and placed the dishes on Meng Huan’s table, which was not spacious to begin with, making it very crowded.
Lin Bozhou sat in a chair, leaning lazily. He had just killed a few servants and was a little bored, without any psychological pressure.
Meng Huan silently picked up the bowl and chopsticks, sat next to Lin Bozhou, and took on the responsibility of accompanying the concubine to eat: “My Lord, is it time to eat?”
Speak in a sweet and coquettish voice.
The dishes served to Lin Bozhou by the palace’s kitchen are different every day, but there will be a number of people serving them. For example, if the prince takes three bites of a certain dish, it will be prepared again next time. But if the prince only takes a look at a certain dish, it will be removed next time. Grasping his preferences is his life mission.
Perhaps because he hadn’t eaten so well in days, Meng Huan was so focused on eating that he didn’t notice that Lin Bozhou stopped eating with his chopsticks and looked at him quietly.
Lin Bozhou didn’t know what he was thinking of, so he asked, “You had an argument with someone a few days ago and were bullied, why didn’t you take the initiative to tell me?”
“…”
Meng Huan’s chopsticks stopped for a moment.
Meng Huan licked his lower lip, licking the oil from the food. He gently wiped the corners of his lips with a handkerchief, not knowing what to say for a moment.
In his mind, no matter how much Lin Bozhou treated him as a concubine or a wife, in Meng Huan’s eyes, he would always be a treacherous minister who bullied officials and killed people without blinking an eye.
Whenever he was wronged, he would go to him and borrow his power. Meng Huan felt that he had benefited too much and was about to become a treacherous minister.
After all, he had received modern anti-feudal education, and psychologically, Meng Huan was always unable to accept him.
With his head lowered, Meng Huan muttered after a while: “Your Highness is busy with official duties, I don’t want to disturb you for such a small matter.”
Lin Bozhou said in a tone of disbelief: “Really?”
Meng Huan nodded: “Your Highness goes to court every day to handle government affairs and returns home at dark. It’s very hard work. I would feel embarrassed to bother you with some household disputes.”
“Tsk.” Lin Bozhou lowered his eyes and laughed with an ambiguous meaning.
“…”
He didn’t ask any more questions.
Seeing that the topic was avoided, Meng Huan quickly lowered his head and turned his food around to prevent him from bringing it up again.
After a while, Lin Bozhou whispered in her ear: “Madam, why do you want to learn to read these days?”
Meng Huan’s back tensed up again, and he immediately thought of the two letters, and his chopsticks stopped again.
He was so nervous, and every emotion was visible on his face. Seeing this, Lin Bozhou’s lips slightly raised, and he said in a calm voice: “Could it be that you want to write something or read something?”
“…”This guess.
Meng Huan became even more nervous. He put down his chopsticks and rubbed the corners of his lips with his handkerchief.
His scalp was numb, and after a long while, he managed to utter a sentence: “Life in the palace is boring, I want to learn to read some books, write something, so as to kill the loneliness when the prince is not around. After all, the prince didn’t come to see me at that time, and I thought I had fallen out of favor.”
Lin Bozhou raised his eyebrows: “What’s going on?”
“Hmmmm.”
Meng Huan’s eyes are more real than pearls.
Lin Bozhou leaned forward slightly, his dark brown eyes looking down at him, his breath falling on his nose, hot, and he spoke with a little breath: “If I don’t come to see you, you will always think about me?”
Meng Huan blushed uncontrollably, lowered his head, and spoke a little haltingly: “Yeah.”
Lin Bozhou tapped the table lightly and smiled, “It is true that I have neglected you these past few days. I will reflect on this and come to see you every night after court, okay?”
“…” Meng Huan opened his mouth.
Lin Bozhou stood up and said calmly, “Then I will stay at your place tonight.”
EIGHTEEN
Meng Huan’s room was cool and spacious, with homemade dolls placed beside the bed and some candies and melon seeds on the nearby tea stool. Unlike the bedroom where Lin Bozhou lived, this courtyard was full of the style of a small family, not luxurious, but clean and bright.
Lin Bozhou stood at the door. Seeing Meng Huan climb onto the bed and patting it, he carefully smoothed the folded corner with his butt raised. He turned around and asked, “Does the prince like to sleep inside or outside?”
“Where do you sleep?”
Meng Huan: “I like to sleep inside.”
Lin Bozhou hummed: “Then I will sleep outside.”
“Okay, Your Highness, please take a rest first. I still have to do the homework assigned by the teacher this afternoon.” Meng Huan jumped off the bed and was about to leave in his slippers. “I have to write each of the dozens of words I learned this afternoon ten times.”
As he spoke, Meng Huan couldn’t help but make a bitter face, looking aggrieved.
Lin Bozhou uttered a sigh as if he suddenly realized something. “Since this is the homework assigned by Uncle Shan, Madam, please complete it seriously.” He curved his eyes and thought for a while. “I will wait in bed first.”
“…”
Meng Huan stood there, not knowing for a moment whether what he said was true or false…
Lin Bozhou laughed softly and stopped teasing him: “Go ahead.”
Meng Huan went to the front hall to write, and the chief eunuch You Jin came in with a basin of hot water and helped Lin Bozhou wash his feet and change his clothes.
Meng Huan deliberately wrote slowly to delay going to bed. He stayed up until past eleven o’clock, feeling extremely sleepy, and then looked inside the door.
Lin Bozhou should have fallen asleep.
Meng Huan tiptoed in and found Lin Bozhou lying on his side in the bright yellow quilt. He had a pale complexion, his eyelids were closed, his long black hair was scattered on the pillow, and the corners of his eyes were stained with dark shadows, and he seemed quite calm.
Meng Huan moved gently so as not to wake him up.
He pinched the corner of the quilt, opened it, and tried not to make any sound while blending into the quilt. When his butt fell down, he said “yeah” in his heart, but when his back became stiff and he lay down –
“It’s pressing on your hair.” Lin Bozhou opened his eyes at some point and reminded solemnly.
“…” Meng Huan quickly pulled out his hair, “Your Majesty, are you still awake?”
“I fell asleep, but you woke me up again.”
“I’m really sorry.” Meng Huan rubbed his hands awkwardly, then lay down in the bed and looked at Lin Bozhou.
“Have you finished writing?” Lin Bozhou asked in a low voice, with a tired tone, as if chatting casually, “Are your hands tired?”
Meng Huan: “In reply to Your Majesty, I’m not tired…”
For some reason, he was a little uncomfortable with Lin Bozhou’s down-to-earth appearance. He always felt that he looked too much like… his dear husband who was waiting for him in bed.
But Meng Huan knew that blurring the concepts of “the person in power who could take her life at any time” and “her dear husband” would lead to big losses.
Don’t be love-brained.
Meng Huan was still trying to persuade him in the last second, and the next second Lin Bozhou stretched out his wrist, put it on his back, and gently hooked it into his arms.
——Like hooking a toy doll.
He patted me gently on the back.
“It’s late, go to bed.”
“…”
Meng Huan rested his head against the side of his neck. His face was pressed against something hot. As expected, it was the skin of Lin Bozhou’s collarbone under his clothes. In an instant, Meng Huan remembered his “tall” and “durable” “weapon”, and his ears turned red, red enough to kill him.
It’s really uncomfortable for couples who have no emotional foundation but still want to have physical contact.
Meng Huan had an uncomfortable sleep, with all sorts of random thoughts, and fell asleep in the middle of the night. But he had only been asleep for a while when he heard a noise.
Lin Bozhou didn’t know when he woke up. He was adjusting his clothes with his slender fingers. He lowered his head, with his black hair hanging down and his jade-white coat draped over his shoulders. He seemed to be getting up.
Meng Huan thought it was daybreak, and he looked up dazedly, only to see silence outside the window and dim light coming through the window.
“Your Highness, do you want to go to the toilet?” Meng Huan asked.
“No,” Lin Bozhou said with a smile, “I have to go to court.”
“Go to court?!”
“Your Highness, it’s midnight.” Said the eunuch outside the door.
Chou time is about two or three in the morning. Meng Huan was confused: “So early?”
“The morning court session is at Mao time. I will go to the cabinet to handle documents at Yin time. When it is almost Mao time, I will go to Taiji Hall to wait for the ministers. This is always the case.” Lin Bozhou gently touched his head. “If Madam feels tired, you can continue to rest.”
Meng Huan was quite shocked while hugging the quilt. He read in the books that the emperors of the previous dynasty had been incompetent for several generations. They did not attend court, handle government affairs, or appoint a crown prince. Some practiced Taoism, some played with beauties, some sawed wood, and some played Go. When Lin Bozhou was in power, a strong wind blew, sweeping away all these bad habits and laziness – but he still did not expect that Lin Bozhou would be so bold!
Traitor! How could it be! This! Volume!
How can loyal ministers survive?
Lin Bozhou changed into court robes, which were scarlet dragon robes with gold and brocade threads interwoven into colorful dragon patterns, and covered the bright red clothes, which looked extremely beautiful. He also tied up his hair, put on a gold and jade crown, and when he sat steadily, he revealed an indescribable majesty.
While eating, Meng Huan got a general idea of Lin Bozhou’s schedule.
After dinner, Lin Bozhou went out on time at three in the morning. The Regent’s Palace was in the inner city of the capital, half an hour’s walk from the Imperial City, so it was four in the morning when Lin Bozhou arrived outside the Imperial City. Normally, the Imperial City would open at five, and ministers would have to wait, but this rule did not apply to Lin Bozhou. After entering the Imperial City, he first went to Wenyuan Pavilion in Wenhua Hall to handle government affairs, and then went to Taiji Hall to receive the emperor at around five in the morning. At half past five, all the ministers arrived and began to organize the morning court.
After the morning court session, the emperor could go to study, while he and five other cabinet members returned to Wenyuan Pavilion to continue processing government affairs reported by the ministers. They were busy until the evening when they got off work and took a sedan chair back to the Regent’s Palace.
After returning home, Lin Bozhou would spend another hour reading and another hour writing letters.
Meng Huan remembered the sentence “You are so young, how can you sleep well?”
Lin Bozhou only slept for one or two hours a day, but he had persisted for six years. During these six years, he relied on his machine-like terrifying self-discipline, methodical but meticulous, to keep every matter of the imperial court firmly in his hands, becoming the most powerful minister with unparalleled prestige.
Meng Huan looked at Lin Bozhou’s departing figure and felt a chill on his back.
I am not afraid of smart people, but I am afraid of self-disciplined people.
Especially a monster like Lin Bozhou who has become a machine for governing the country.
—Have you ever seen the Regent’s Palace at four in the morning?
Meng Huan squatted in the yard for half an hour, doubting his life. He returned to bed and tossed and turned, but couldn’t fall asleep.
Something was poking his back, and the pain was so severe that Meng Huan lifted the quilt and shone the light into his back.
——It was the letter he hid under the bed.
Lu Nanxing agreed to meet him in three days.
That is today.
Meng Huan was confused for a moment, then decided to try his luck and see if he could get out of the palace. He got up, put on his clothes, and walked towards the palace gate.
The guards were on duty, holding swords and wearing armor.
Not recognizing Meng Huan, they said loudly, “You need a token to travel!”
Meng Huan sighed. If he had known this would be the result, he turned around to go back to the yard, but he saw a figure standing there, looking at him with a smile for who knows how long.
It was Shanxing, Lin Bozhou’s close confidant.
He looked at Meng Huan and asked with a smile, “Madam, do you want to leave the palace?”
Meng Huan was afraid that he would discover his intentions, so he said vaguely: “Not really… I just wandered here this morning…”
He was about to leave, but Shan Xing said, “Madam, if you want to leave the mansion, you can. Madam is the prince’s wife and concubine, the master of the mansion, and you can go wherever you want.”
Meng Huan was a little bit unbelievable: “Really?”
“Of course, this is the order of the prince.” Shan Xing had already walked to the door and called the guard, “This is the prince’s wife. The prince has ordered that if the lady wants to leave the palace, she can be allowed to leave and she must not be stopped.”
Everyone put away their swords and guns with a clang: “Yes!”
Shan Xing: “Madam, please.”
Meng Huan was a little stunned. He didn’t expect that leaving the house would be so easy. He stood there for a while in surprise and said hesitantly, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Shan Xing bowed, “This is what I should do.”
Meng Huan turned around and walked out of the palace. He breathed in the fresh, street-like air that did not belong to the palace, as well as the wonderful smell of freedom.
But Meng Huan didn’t walk far before he realized something and turned back.
Shan Xing followed closely behind him, smiling, “Madam, it’s very dangerous outside the palace. There are unruly people, assassins, and bad guys everywhere. It’s easy for a simple and kind person like you to run into trouble. The prince specifically told you that if you want to go out, you can, but you must send someone to protect you strictly.”
“…”
It was like a wake-up call for Meng Huan to understand that the price of freedom is being monitored.
Meng Huan tilted his head and asked, “Are you the one who protected me?”
Shan Xing nodded: “That’s right.”
NINETEEN
The atmosphere became a little tense.
Meng Huan looked at him with dissatisfaction in his eyes.
Shan Xing had no choice but to smile and said, “I hope Madam can understand me. If Madam hurts a little finger when she goes out alone, the prince will peel off my skin, dry it, sew it into a drum, and beat it for Madam’s amusement. I am just following orders.”
Meng Huan didn’t believe it at all, “Stop playing the victim.”
It sounded as if Lin Bozhou cared about him and liked him very much.
But Lin Bozhou initially married him as a concubine in order to humiliate Meng Xueming who impeached him.
Besides, he only likes strong, smart and beautiful women with personality, not insignificant people like me.
Is it affection to find someone to follow you now? This is the possessiveness of the owner towards the canary, not true love – does Lin Bozhou know what love is?
Meng Huan muttered to himself, his steps hurried, Shan Xing asked: “Where is Madam going?”
This sentence made Meng Huan even more anxious.
What he wanted to do now was to get rid of this annoying guy and go to Li’s Restaurant in Anhe Lane, Dongsheng Street to find Lu Nanxing, but this annoying guy was following him too closely and he couldn’t get rid of him at all.
Meng Huan said unhappily: “It has nothing to do with you, I’m just taking a walk.”
“Then the little guy can just follow along.”
“…”
Meng Huan looked at him, “You were sent by Lin Bozhou to monitor me, right?”
Shan Xingjian admitted with a smirk: “Yes, but this is the order of the prince. If you want to blame someone, then blame the prince. I am also paid to eat, so I cannot make the decision.”
“…………”
Meng Huan chose not to communicate with him. He walked aimlessly for a while. Suddenly, Shan Xing behind him said, “Isn’t this Dongsheng Street?”
Hearing the name, Meng Huan stopped abruptly.
He realized that he was now on a busy street. The avenues led in all directions, with cars and horses coming and going, shops lining the roadside, and vendors hawking their wares along the way. It was full of the bustle and prosperity of the budding capitalism, and it was like a very lively place in a city.
This is actually the Dongsheng Street he was looking for!
“Dongsheng Street is famous for its delicious food. Madam, are you here to eat?”
Meng Huan just hadn’t thought of a good reason yet, so when he heard him say that, he just said “hmm” in a non-righteous manner.
As he was looking around for Anhe Lane, a sweet laugh suddenly came from above his head.
“Hehehehehe…” A scented handkerchief fell on his face. Meng Huan looked up and saw a beautiful woman lying on the railing on the second floor. She stretched out her hands and greeted him: “Mr. Meng~~~”
A head popped out from the side of the beautiful woman: “Mr. Meng, long time no see!”
He was a young man in his twenties, with powder and rouge on his face. His features were as delicate as a beautiful girl, with fair skin and tender flesh, and he looked like the son of a wealthy family.
Not remembering who he was, Meng Huan responded stiffly.
The young master said again: “Nanxing is coming downstairs to pick you up, come up quickly!”
Nanxing? Lu Nanxing?
As Meng Huan’s mind moved, a handsome man with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes walked out of the store. He was dressed elegantly and called out from a distance, “Ah Huan, why are you here just now? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
When Lu Nanxing saw Shan Xing behind Meng Huan, he was stunned: “This is——”
Shan Xing introduced himself: “I am a guest of the Regent Palace. I am accompanying Madam Meng out for a stroll. It is an honor to meet you, sir.”
“Regent’s Palace?!” Lu Nanxing’s face suddenly changed.
The atmosphere suddenly became cold and stiff.
Lu Nanxing and the father of Master Xu Ruolin upstairs are both representatives of the Qingliu Party. They are irreconcilable with the Zhuoliu led by Lin Bozhou. Shan Xing is a Qing guest of Lin Bozhou, so he also belongs to the Zhuoliu and is opposed to him.
Lu Nanxing was obviously unhappy: “Come up.”
In the single room on the second floor balcony, the young man was dressed as gorgeously and luxuriously as a woman. He smiled when he saw Meng Huan and mischievously ordered the woman: “Go find Mr. Meng and get your handkerchief back.”
The woman approached with lazily red lips, swaying her waist, and her white fingers wandered over Meng Huan’s body in an intimate and seductive manner: “Mr. Meng—” A strong fragrance filled Meng Huan’s nose, and he took a step back.
Shan Xing said, “Young Marquis, Miss Meng is already the prince’s wife, please don’t make such jokes.”
Xu Ruolin, the son of the Marquis of Zhenguan, a famous playboy and nobleman, chuckled and said, “It seems that Young Master Meng is very favored after marrying into the palace. Yan’er, come back.”
Yan’er took the handkerchief from Meng Huan’s hand, threw him a coquettish glance, returned to his arms, and lay down obediently with a charming posture.
“Openly visiting prostitutes on the street,” Shan Xing said with obvious disdain, “Madam, stay away from him. The prince doesn’t like the smell of these things.”
Meng Huan actually didn’t like it either. He always felt a little disgusted, but he didn’t know what to say.
Instead, Xu Ruolin began to sneer, “What’s wrong with visiting prostitutes? Which noble official doesn’t visit prostitutes?” He changed the subject and deliberately humiliated, “Are you a guest of the palace? Being a guest is good, just hanging out to have fun. We are drinking right now, why don’t you write a poem to liven up the atmosphere?”
Shan Xing remained calm and said, “I am a guest of the prince’s palace. The prince does not allow me to write poetry outside.”
“Hehe, Your Majesty?”
When the word “Prince” was mentioned, Lu Nanxing looked quite unhappy and uttered a mocking sound.
“…………”
Meng Huan looked at this tense scene and licked his lower lip nervously.
How dare you? If you act weird in front of Shan Xing, you will all be doomed if he complains…
Xu Ruolin insisted: “If you write a poem now, I will give you this stunning beauty beside me, how about it?”
Shan Xing: “I’m sorry, I can’t obey your order.”
“You!” Xu Ruolin’s voice was filled with drunken anger. “Crash!” He smashed the wine pot on the table into pieces. “You are just a commoner! How dare you contradict the Marquis?!”
“………………”
Why are they suddenly arguing so loudly?
Meng Huan was confused, he didn’t understand why the young master’s temper changed so quickly. But who would not die if he confronted Lin Bozhou? Meng Huan didn’t want Lu Nanxing and this young master to really get into trouble, so he called Shan Xing:
“Or you can go wait for me downstairs. Just stand at the stairs and don’t come up. I can’t run away.”
Shan Xing endured it for a moment, as if trying to recognize the faces of Xu Ruolin and Lu Nanxing, and nodded after a moment: “In order not to spoil the Madam’s interest, I will wait downstairs.”
“Hurry up and go!” Xu Ruolin was still yelling.
The figure disappeared at the stairs.
“Huh…finally left.”
Xu Ruolin’s expression suddenly changed. He was no longer drunk and angry, but looked sober. “How have you been recently, Master Meng?”
“…” After all the fuss, it turned out that they were trying to get Shan Xing away. Meng Huan was a little speechless, “It’s okay.”
“Were you bullied by the prince in the mansion?” Lu Nanxing frowned, looking a little weird. “Ah Huan, do you really intend to seduce him with your beauty and then assassinate him?”
Xu Ruolin also looked interested: “I heard that Lin Bozhou never likes beautiful women. He is still unmarried at the age of 26. It is rare in the world! How is he to you? Has he slept with you? Is he bewitched by you?”
Meng Huan laughed directly: “What are you talking about? It’s hard for me to survive in his hands. He doesn’t like people like me at all-“
At this point, Meng Huan vaguely remembered his own character and coughed, “Besides, how could I easily commit myself to such a treacherous minister? The thought of it makes me sick.”
Meng Huan pouted appropriately: “Disgusting!”
Lu Nanxing sighed: “Yeah, it’s disgusting.”
“But you seemed to be fine while staying in the mansion, without any accidents. He even allowed you to leave the mansion. I actually know the guest just now, Shan Pingzhi, the most favored guest beside Lin Bozhou. If he asked him to come and protect you personally, would it be possible…” Xu Ruolin looked thoughtful.
Meng Huan’s scalp tingled at what he said: “What?”
Xu Ruolin’s smile faded and he shook his head: “Nothing.”
“…”
Meng Huan was confused when he was halfway through his speech.
Time passed slowly, and no one knew what the topic was. Meng Huan picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks, feeling a little flustered and short of breath. He remembered something: “Where is my father?”
“They are already on their way to distribute Feng Xiang,” Lu Nanxing said in surprise, “Why, do you want to go find him?”
Meng Huan did mean this: “Is it okay?”
“Of course you can…but we have to get out of this mountain journey now, otherwise you won’t be able to escape.”
The three of them sat, lost in thought.
After a moment, Xu Ruolin said, “Actually, I have a solution.”
“You say.” Lu Nanxing was impatient.
“I’m afraid you’ll laugh at me if I tell you this, so please promise not to laugh first.” After confirming that Meng Huan and Lu Nanxing both nodded, he looked at the prostitute beside him, “Yan’er has a few packets of aphrodisiac on her—”
“………………”
Lu Nanxing coughed violently, as if he was choking.
He is quite innocent and can’t stand hearing these things.
Xu Ruolin waved his hand and said, “I told you not to laugh. I’ll ask that guest to come up and drink some wine, saying it’s to apologize. I’ll put drugs in the wine and let him drink it. Then I’ll arrange for him and Yan’er to have some fun somewhere, and Master Meng will take the opportunity to escape. How do you think?”
“…”
Meng Huan frowned and expressed his doubt: “Wouldn’t it be a bit unfair to this girl and Shan Xing?”
“?”
Xu Ruolin felt like he had seen a joke, “When did Master Meng become a living Buddha?”
“…………”
Miss Yan’er also covered her mouth and giggled.
“Let’s get started now without further delay,” Xu Ruolin took out the powder and poured it into the wine, stirring it. “You two should stop talking. I’ll make the arrangements.”
He had already started acting, so Meng Huan had no choice but to sit and wait for the result.
Xu Ruolin walked to the stairs and resumed his playful tone, “Brother Qingke from before! Come up quickly! Come up, the young master will treat you to a drink, don’t take what happened just now to heart.”
No one answered.
“Brother Shan?” Thinking he didn’t hear clearly, Xu Ruolin called out again.
But strangely, there was still no response.
“Hey, what’s going on? Where are the others?”
Meng Huan was also a little puzzled, and looked towards the stairs –
The dark corridor was illuminated by the afternoon light, revealing a scarlet python robe with flowery patterns, swirling and flying dragon patterns intertwined passionately, a gold and jade crown slowly ascended the stairs, and a tall figure was walking on the wooden stairs, making crisp footsteps.
“Tread”, “Tread”, “Tread…”
Step by step, slow and steady.
Since when, the whole restaurant, even the whole street, became extremely silent. Crowded people knelt on the ground with their heads bowed, not daring to look directly at the face of the most honorable member of the royal family, Wang Ji.
“…”
Xu Ruolin’s voice suddenly stopped, and the atmosphere was filled with a kind of fear that made people’s scalps tingle.
The chopsticks in Meng Huan’s hand fell to the ground with a “crack”.
When Meng Huan saw the person in front of him, the blood in his body suddenly turned cold, his back stiffened, and his almond-shaped eyes widened.
Lin Bozhou arrived at some point. He walked up the stairs slowly with his scooter in hand and stopped two steps away from Meng Huan. He scanned the entire table, but it was clear that he was not paying attention to anyone. He turned his head and raised the corner of his lips slightly, a smile that was both pleasant and a little cruel.
He spoke, his dark eyes fixed on Meng Huan.
The voice was low and full of interest.
“Where do you want to go, ma’am?”
TWENTY
Like a wild beast patrolling its territory, Lin Bozhou looks around with ease and caution, but the hidden dangers can easily tear any prey to pieces.
And Meng Huan was the prey that he was keeping a close eye on.
The air was quiet, Meng Huan was tense, and was frightened out of his wits by the sudden appearance of Lin Bozhou. Before he could come to his senses, he heard the sound of someone kneeling and kowtowing.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
Lu Nanxing and Xu Ruolin, who had just enjoyed insulting Lin Bozhou, lifted their sleeves, knelt down, and kowtowed to Lin Bozhou.
“…”
Meng Huan’s heart choked slightly when he saw the smooth and skillful movements, and his lips moved slightly.
——Didn’t we agree to fight against Lin Bozhou together?
Lin Bozhou seemed to have just noticed these insignificant people. He lowered his eyes and looked at them calmly: “Whose children are they?”
Xu Ruolin was sweating profusely: “I am Xu Ruolin, the eldest son of Xu Shu, the Marquis of Zhenguan.”
Lu Nanxing’s voice was also tense: “The student is the son of Lu Shi, the Minister of Rites.”
I don’t know if Lin Bozhou listened to me or not. He lowered his eyes and hummed, as if a glance was a reward, and said in a flat tone: “Since you are my wife’s friends, please stand up.”
The two men kowtowed again before getting up.
Lin Bozhou’s crimson court dress was out of place in the narrow and cramped restaurant. He was the only one standing straight, while the others had cold sweat running down their necks. Especially Xu Ruolin, who had put on makeup, which was almost wet, and her face was full of confusion.
When Meng Huan tried to calm down his fear of suddenly seeing Lin Bozhou, his hand was clenched by a pair of cold hands. He tilted his head and saw Lin Bozhou, with a smile on his lips, holding his hand and asking him to sit down: “I was originally in the cabinet to deal with government affairs. I heard that Madam met a few friends when she went out to play and had an argument with her entourage, so I came to see her specially.”
The word ”intentionally” was not said lightly or heavily.
Obviously, Shan Xing told him that Xu Ruolin had sent him away.
Meng Huan felt like a canary with its throat strangled. He sat down under his guidance and stumbled, “Just now, I was just drunk…”
Xu Ruolin knelt down again and said, “In reply to your Highness, I was drunk and had an argument with Madam’s attendants. I disturbed your Highness, and I deserve to die.”
There was a brief silence.
Lin Bozhou acted as if he didn’t hear him and just looked at Meng Huan: “Are you drunk?”
The curve of his lips was pressed down, and his voice was very light, so light that people dared not breathe.
Regardless of whether others knew it or not, Meng Huan knew clearly why he met Lu Nanxing. It was to communicate, to try to escape from the palace, to pass on information, and also because of how they had just insulted Lin Bozhou and hated Lin Bozhou.
The back of Meng Huan’s hands were cold, and his voice became lower and lower: “Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”
The young man in front of him had a pale face, like a frightened little rabbit, his ears folded back, and he was silent as a cicada. He stared at the wine glass and dared not say a word.
Lin Bozhou touched his lower teeth with the tip of his tongue imperceptibly.
It was obvious that he was not the culprit. Lin Bozhou was too lazy to be aggressive and turned his head to look at Lu Nanxing intentionally or unintentionally.
——He was also the one who delivered the message to Meng Huan, hinting at the assassination, passing on intelligence, and seducing Meng Huan.
This little guy in front of me, about eighteen or nineteen years old, whose hair hasn’t even grown out yet?
Lin Bozhou picked up an empty wine glass and said with a half-smile, “Lu Nanxing, I heard that you are Huanhuan’s childhood sweetheart? Huanhuan has been taken care of by you for the past ten years, so I’d like to offer you a glass.”
He paused, and said, “From now on, Huan Huan can be safely handed over to me.”
Lu Nanxing held the wine glass stiffly, swallowed his saliva and dared not speak. He stared at Lin Bozhou’s glass of wine, and was so frightened that he almost broke out in a cold sweat.
Lin Bozhou didn’t know that this was the cup that Xu Ruolin had drugged just now!
There is a strong aphrodisiac in the wine, which is intended to be used to promote the whole journey. If Lin Bozhou drinks it by accident, it will be a disaster, with disastrous consequences!
Xu Ruolin also noticed it, and his throat made a trembling “ah…”
“Hmm?” Lin Bozhou lowered his eyes.
“Your Highness.” Meng Huan stood up.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Bozhou paused briefly.
Meng Huan snatched his wine glass and poured the wine on the flowers and plants beside him, with cold sweat on his forehead: “The cup is not clean, I just used it, Your Majesty, please pour a new cup.”
He rinsed the cup several times and poured a new glass of wine before Lin Bozhou: “Your Highness, drink this.”
“…”
Lin Bozhou’s eyes dimmed, he laughed softly, and drank the new wine in the glass.
“This dish is good, Madam, please try it.” Lin Bozhou put a piece of meat into Meng Huan’s bowl.
Meng Huan picked up the food stiffly.
Xu Ruolin and Lu Nanxing looked stunned.
The Regent personally stayed in this restaurant for Meng Huan, which shows that Meng Huan holds a very important position in his heart, which seems to be far beyond what they imagined.
Lu Nanxing was full of vigor and vitality. When he saw Lin Bozhou calling her “Madam” in a familiar tone and putting food into Meng Huan’s bowl, his expression gradually revealed resentment.
“king—”
The chopsticks were placed on the bowl with a crisp sound, and Xu Ruolin grabbed his clothes tightly from below.
Amid the noise, Xu Ruolin stood up and said, “Your Highness, there are only cold dishes on the table. How about I ask the store to bring some new and hot dishes?”
Lin Bozhou glanced at him and said with a fake smile: “Okay.”
“Nanxing, come with me. You are familiar with this store.”
Xu Ruolin dragged Lu Nanxing and quickly left the table.
Only Meng Huan and Lin Bozhou were left at the table, but the atmosphere became even more tense and cold. Meng Huan lowered his head to eat, and there was only rice. He didn’t dare to pick up any vegetables, so he just held the bowl and stuffed the rice into his mouth without even breathing.
Everyone had left, leaving him alone. In order not to talk to Lin Bozhou, he seemed to be eating white rice with great relish.
This evasive attitude made Lin Bozhou pursed his lips and remained silent for a moment.
He came here after hearing Shan Xing’s request to the Jinyiwei. He didn’t want to interfere with Meng Huan’s trip, but there was a man named Xu Ruolin in the crowd. Shan Xing said that this man was the son of the Marquis of Zhenguan, a young marquis with a high status, and Shan Xing couldn’t take him down, so he sent a message to Lin Bozhou to come.
Lin Bozhou didn’t know what had happened, but he actually put aside his official duties and made this trip.
Lin Bozhou knew exactly what the people in the restaurant were planning, but judging by their actions rather than their hearts, there were so many people who hated him that he didn’t have the time to kill them all one by one.
The only thing that Lin Bozhou couldn’t suppress was his anger towards Meng Huan.
Maybe it was because of his closed-ear look that if Meng Huan had been calm and composed, Lin Bozhou wouldn’t have thought too much about it. But during this period of time, Lin Bozhou knew him well, and it was obvious that he had done a lot of things to make him angry just now, which was why he closed his ears so much now.
But seeing that he had frightened himself to death, Lin Bozhou couldn’t vent his anger, so he asked, “Are you happy to leave the mansion?”
Meng Huan: “Happy.”
Judging from his expression, he doesn’t seem that happy.
When answering him, Meng Huan stopped eating the tasteless white rice, and sat there with his head hung, his eyes not moving at all, looking a little dazed.
She seemed very obedient to him.
Also very distant.
——This is the feeling Meng Huan has always given Lin Bozhou.
Even though she smiled sweetly at him, she couldn’t hide the distant look in her eyes.
Lin Bozhou gritted his teeth and asked in a low voice, “Are you angry with me?”
Meng Huan looked up, with a wave of surprise in his eyes: “…Prince——”
“You were out of the house having dinner with your friends, and I came to look for you, interrupting your conversation. Are you angry?”
Meng Huan shook his head, lowered his eyes, and returned to his dazed look: “Not angry.”
So what if I’m angry.
What if I’m not angry?
Lin Bozhou could crush him to death with just one finger. It was useless to be angry or not. In front of him, Meng Huan had lost all his emotions.
The atmosphere fell silent again.
Somehow, Lin Bozhou felt a sense of anxiety rising in his blood, making him feel a little annoyed for a rare time.
Behind him, Xu Ruolin was holding wine and food: “Prince.”
He smoothed Lu Nanxing’s fur and smiled flatteringly: “This is the fine wine that has been stored in the store for decades. It has just been dug out. Please enjoy it, Your Majesty.”
Lin Bozhou lowered his eyes: “Put it down.”
Xu Ruolin picked up another cup and handed it to Meng Huan: “Madam, would you like to try it too?”
Meng Huan took it and drank it sullenly.
“Madam, do you like to drink?” Xu Ruolin seemed to have something in his eyes, and picked up another bottle of wine, “Here are some more.”
Besides white rice, there was finally something to relieve the awkwardness. Meng Huan took it and poured it into the cup, sipping it in small sips, as if he was trying to drown his sorrows in alcohol.
Originally, Meng Huan had a very low sense of security, and now he had to be wary of being caught by Lin Bozhou if he said a few words casually. He was in danger of losing his life at any time, and an indescribable sense of panic was stirring in his heart.
He was very scared, very scared of Lin Bozhou, really very scared.
Xu Ruolin turned the topic back to apology: “Your Highness, today I was drunk and rude and insulted the people in the palace. Please forgive me. I will come to your house to apologize some other day.”
Lin Bozhou responded indifferently, but his attention was not on it. Instead, he turned his head to look at Meng Huan who was drinking in small sips.
Meng Huan couldn’t drink, but he was so depressed that he gritted his teeth and drank the spicy wine mouthful by mouthful. The strong taste stimulated him and his eyes became a little red after swallowing.
After finishing a bottle of wine, the depression in Meng Huan’s mind disappeared without a trace, replaced by a sense of relief and emptiness, and an indescribable drowsiness and sleepiness, which made his eyelids droop.
“ah……”
Meng Huan yawned with his eyelids drooping, and the smell of alcohol came out of his mouth.
He rubbed his eyes and quite liked the feeling.
Lin Bozhou stood up and said, “Let’s go back home.”
Leaving Xu Ruolin and Lu Nanxing looking at each other in bewilderment behind him, he took Meng Huan’s hand, walked down the stairs step by step and left the restaurant.
Xu Ruolin picked up the bottle that Meng Huan had finished drinking, shook it, the light in his eyes faded, and put the bottle back on the table.
Meng Huan felt dizzy and disoriented, so he squatted on the street.
In front of him was the Regent’s carriage, luxurious and extravagant, with a silk canopy covering the body of the carriage, and tassels woven with gold thread hanging down. Eight tall and strong horses were wearing majestic masks, and the whole carriage was so luxurious that even the wheels were inlaid with gold and jade.
“Wow……”
Meng Huan put his hands on his hips and looked at the carriage, exclaiming in surprise as if he had never seen the world before.
His face was flushed, he walked in a daze, and reached out to touch the expensive car body: “It’s beautiful.”
“…………”
The groom holding the stool looked at the Regent in horror.
Lin Bozhou lowered his eyes: “Madam is drunk. Help him up.”
“Yes.” The servant hurriedly helped Meng Huan into the carriage.
Pushing the pedal, Meng Huan thrust his head into the carriage. A sudden heaviness descended upon his head, as if all the strength in his body had been drained, and he fell heavily forward.
“Bang.” The sound of flesh colliding.
“…” Lin Bozhou’s jaw was hurt by the collision, and he closed his eyes patiently. The tip of his nose smelled the fragrance of Meng Huan’s ears and neck and the strong smell of alcohol. With a blank expression, he tried to lead Meng Huan to the seat next to him, “Huanhuan, sit down.”
But when he hugged Meng Huan’s waist, Meng Huan naturally spread his legs, followed his movements, adjusted his posture to sit astride his legs, and rode face to face.
“…”
Lin Bozhou raised his eyes: “Huanhuan.”
The voice contained coercion.
If Meng Huan were sober, he would immediately understand that the prince did not like this posture and wanted to change it.
But at this time, after Lin Bozhou said this, Meng Huan did not move.
He put his arms around Lin Bozhou’s neck, his body was soft, his eyes were intoxicated, he looked up at him slowly, his eyes were moist and bright.
He seemed to be trying to identify who Lin Bozhou was.
After a moment, Meng Huan uttered a word vaguely: “Husband.”
Lin Bozhou paused: “Hmm?”
Meng Huan regained a bit of logic and looked at the familiar face of Lin Bozhou. The person who flashed through his mind the most profoundly remembered person in recent times was the person in front of him.
Meng Huan confirmed: “You are my husband.”
These two words made his drunken voice sound sticky and soft. Although Lin Bozhou didn’t understand, he roughly guessed that this should be a very intimate name.
“Husband, husband~”
Meng Huan kept calling out, looking up, as if he wouldn’t give up until he got a response.
Are you drunk and so naughty?
Lin Bozhou closed his eyes and simply replied, “Yes, my husband is here.”
Meng Huan in his arms immediately became very happy, smiling with curved eyes, “Wow, I really have a husband! So handsome, wuwuwuwu, wuwuwuwu, exactly the same as in the novels…” Meng Huan moved back and forth on his legs, feeling uneasy and a little inexplicably restless.
“…”
Not knowing what he was talking about, Lin Bozhou raised his hand and stroked his face to stop him: “Huanhuan, be good and stop making trouble. If you are tired, you can go to sleep first. We will go back to the palace soon.”
His fingers were cold as he touched Meng Huan’s pink and hot face.
“My husband feels so comfortable…”
Meng Huan seemed to enjoy his body temperature. He tilted his head and rubbed his slender fingers with his face. However, as he rubbed, his hot red lips also rubbed against hers.
Soft and full, rich and juicy, the words are vague: “It’s so hot.”
Lin Bozhou’s eyes dimmed, and just when he was about to withdraw his hand, he saw Meng Huan gently open his lips, tilted his head, and took in his long finger that was against his lips with a “click”.
——The inside of the mouth where the knuckles were inserted was moist and warm.
Meng Huan eagerly, awkwardly, and instinctively moved his soft tongue to lick his bony long fingers. He licked them erotically, his fingers were wet with saliva, and he called out with a greasy tone: “Husband…”
The atmosphere was extremely weird. Lin Bozhou lowered his eyes and said nothing.
——Until the obscene noises could no longer be ignored.
YOU ARE READING
Transmigrated as the Regent's Runaway Wife
RomanceTitle: 穿成摄政王的侍爱逃妻 Author: 若星若辰 The regent of the Grand Clan, Lin Bozhou, appears to be bright and clear on the surface, but is so dirty and disgusting in his back. A great traitor should be punished by everyone. On this day, a sedan chair carried Me...
