Chapter 141 Torrential Rain
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The night was filled with strong winds and heavy rain.
The autumn rain was like a blade cutting through the temperature, conspiring with the night wind to sweep away all pedestrians from the streets.
It wasn’t yet curfew time, but the streets were empty except for the lanterns swaying under the eaves, flickering on and off.
The sound of light footsteps blended in with the wind and rain, and no one could hear them.
The person cautiously dropped one foot down from the carriage, then quickly crouched down and rolled on the muddy ground, slipping out from under the carriage and running madly towards a narrow alley not far away.
It wasn’t until his back was against the alley wall that he wiped the rain off his face and spat fiercely, causing his wounds to ache and he couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
On the way back from Luo City to the capital, it was as if he had passed through the gates of h*ll.
He regretted many times, regretted agreeing to that bet, regretted not listening to advice, regretted single-mindedly focusing on winning, and regretted thinking about training soldiers honestly.
And before that, he shouldn’t have let his subordinates mess with the Southern Bureau.
But even after so much regret, he still couldn’t understand how he had come to this situation step by step.
It seemed as if someone had paved the way to the abyss for him, and he had no other choice but to step on it.
Right now, he didn’t have time to think about all of this. The most important thing was to quickly contact his people and meet with the emperor before the enemy realized that he had returned to the capital, even if it meant using some means.
With all these injuries, he could sell his misery to the emperor.
——They want to kill Liao Guangming? No! They want to eliminate the most loyal person to the emperor!”
As long as he saw the emperor, those who stood high and watched him suffer would pay the price!
He checked the direction and walked through the alley, very familiar.
Outside the palace was the territory of the Bai family. Although he could not distinguish who among the attackers on the road was from the Bai family, he knew they were involved.
Since he was already a hunted dog, why bother with his dignity?
Liao Guangming walked under the dark eaves, stepping on the muddy filth and spitting silently in the rain.
As long as he could overcome this obstacle, nobody could predict who would cry and who would laugh in the future!
Whether it was because of the pain from his wounds or the familiar filth hidden in the darkness, he suddenly remembered that he used to run like this in the rain a long time ago.
At that time, he was still a hunter.
“It’s not you who want to kill him!” The queen’s sharp voice was resolute, “He has too many soldiers, and the emperor cannot tolerate him!”
“In a few days, you will go and gamble with him at the spring banquet!”
“The emperor and Ben Gong have a plan, he will not win against you!”
Liao Guangming leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.
Indeed, that’s why the previous scene was so familiar. He had also been the winner at the spring banquet before.
He had never thought that he could one day surpass his master, and his master had been forced to retire as he wished.
It was also pouring rain that night, and he had ambushed his master on the road out of the capital with his men, but in the end, they had failed to keep him there.
Although they couldn’t see each other’s faces through the night, he and Bo Yan were so familiar with each other that they knew they were both there.
If it wasn’t for Bo Yan, if it wasn’t for Bo Yan’s stupid righteousness, how could he have let his master escape?
Liao Guangming shuddered, realizing that he had missed something.
When Pei Xiao was defeated in the past, it was the emperor’s decision. What about this time?
He was filled with dread, and his footsteps unconsciously changed direction, but soon he stopped.
Although there were no lights in the alley, his beast-like intuition made him sense that someone was ahead.
Like a patient hunter, following him from a distance, he was finally forced into a dead end.
“Who are you!”
He drew his sword and shouted angrily.
The figure slowly approached, holding an umbrella in one hand, a silver spear slung behind the other arm, with a shiny pointed tip pointing to the ground.
“Pei Xiao…” The person spoke slowly and asked, “Were you one of the people who drove Pei Xiao away all those years ago?”
Liao Guangming’s mind suddenly tightened. Just by hearing the voice, he knew who the person was and immediately felt a chill down his spine.
“Do you dare to kill me?!”
“I…”
Just as the person spoke, Liao Guangming suddenly rose from the ground, and the sword in his hand stirred up a wave of rain. Almost at the same time as he took the first step, Liao Guangming saw the knife fly out of his hand, and his chest sank. He involuntarily flew backwards, and the world turned upside down before his eyes.
All he could see were the raindrops under the light, and a straight silver spear stabbed in front of his chest, the butt of the spear still trembling. The person lowered the umbrella, blocking the splashing blood, and then turned it around. Blood mixed with rainwater dripped from the umbrella.
Liao Guangming stared with bulging eyes, blood gushing out of his mouth and stopping him from speaking. When the spear was pulled out, it took away his last bit of breath, and the last thing he heard was a sigh.
“Pei Xiao…”
The heavy rain silently poured down, and the only thing that could be heard was the sound of the raindrops falling.
Liu Qingchi held a book and stood under the eaves, watching the raindrops fall in strings, hit the steps and splash down. Finally, someone passed through the hanging flower gate and casually placed away the umbrella in the corridor.
“Dad, I finished my homework,” Liu Qingchi hurriedly took the umbrella and followed the person into the study, then looked back at the dark sky. “It’s so late, what were you doing?”
“Nothing.” Liu Weizheng took his youngest son’s homework and spread it out under the lamp. “Just sending something to your brother.”
Waking up in a daze, Qu Chenzhou felt aches all over his body. It wasn’t the kind of pain from a broken bone or a torn muscle, but rather as if he had been cut open and clumsily sewn back together.
His limbs were unresponsive, and he laid curled up in bed, not moving a muscle.
He remembered everything before he lost consciousness in the carriage, and he realized what had happened. Even though he didn’t know who had entered the carriage afterwards, he shouldn’t feel scared now that he was lying in his own bed.
But he couldn’t help feeling afraid.
He dreamed that he was still in the Star Gazing Pavillion, on the most unbearable night, where he couldn’t bear the dose of drugs and shamelessly begged for pleasure from someone.
In the dream, it felt too real, and he felt as though that person was still pressing down on him, torturing him and forcing him to beg for mercy.
Qu Chenzhou buried his head in the blanket for a long time before finally moving his leg slightly. After the soft numbness of a night’s sleep wore off, he didn’t feel any unbearable pain.
Slowly rolling up his sleeves, he placed his hands in front of him. His clean and neat arms had only faint red marks left on the wrists, which had not completely faded, but he didn’t have the same filthy and bruised appearance as before.
Taking a deep breath, he moved his hand away from his face and saw the bright autumn sun outside. He had returned from the nightmare to reality.
He heard hurried footsteps outside the door, and the servants stood up straight in succession, knowing who was coming.
“Lazy fox, it’s such a beautiful day, come out and sunbathe your fur.”
The food box was arranged on the table, and Liu Zhongming personally brought a basin of water to the bedside, ready to help him up.
Qu Chenzhou reflexively shrunk back.
Liu Zhongming’s gaze paused for a moment. He sat down by the bedside and handed him a handkerchief without saying a word.
“What’s there to be shy about? I’ve seen it and touched it before, it’s not like it’s the first or second time. It’s too late to be shy now,” Liu Zhongming said.
Qu Chenzhou covered half of his face with the handkerchief, as if he wanted to joke as usual, but his lips moved a few times and he couldn’t say a word.
“Don’t worry,” Liu Zhongming smiled as if he hadn’t seen anything. “I said I would wait until the wedding night, and I’ll keep my word.”
“In the carriage… I think I passed out. Did you carry me back?” Qu Chenzhou asked.
“Who else would it be but me? Who else would you want to carry you?” Liu Zhongming wiped him randomly with the handkerchief. “You were so greedy yesterday, several times. The medicine Fang Wuyang gave you had Qianghuo in it. Do you really dare to eat anything now?”
Qu Chenzhou blushed and touched his forehead, answering quietly behind the handkerchief, “I caught a cold at Jinping Village and was a bit confused. He gave it to me, so I drank it.”
“You were really confused.” Liu Zhongming scratched his chin and joked, “I could see but not touch, it made me suffer.”
“A beauty was teasing me and asking me for rain and dew, yet I didn’t even skin you alive. Don’t tell anyone about this, otherwise they might think I can’t do it,” he continued.
Qu Chenzhou bit his lip and threw the handkerchief into the basin.
Liu Zhongming chuckled and stopped teasing. He led him to sit at the table and said, “These are all your favorites. Eat slowly. You made my side wet yesterday. You need to replenish your energy.”
Qu Chenzhou kicked him under the table, soft and weak, and was grabbed by someone. He could only grit his teeth and say, “Liu Zhongming!”
“Are you angry now? What about the enthusiasm you showed when you hooked me earlier?” Liu Zhongming held onto his foot and played with his toes, asking suddenly, “How much do you remember from yesterday’s events?”
Qu Chenzhou tried several times to pull his foot out, thinking that Liu Zhongming was going to tease him by returning the favor in the same way, forcing him to say something embarrassing.
“I only remember being on the carriage. I don’t remember anything after that…”
Seeing his hesitant expression, Liu Zhongming laughed and let go of him. “Do you want to know what I did to you? Wait until you’re sober, and I’ll show you.”
The untimely sound of hunger in his stomach broke the tension. Qu Chenzhou silently stuffed food in his mouth and stopped arguing with Liu Zhongming.
Liu Zhongming also didn’t pursue the matter any further. He looked at him for a while, raised his hand to tuck his dangling hair behind his ear, and sighed almost imperceptibly.
Qu Chenzhou sensed something amiss and looked up. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Take your time and eat,” Liu Zhongming leaned on the armrest, his eyes flickering elsewhere. “We got news from Shiyan that Liao Guangming escaped all the way and was found dead in the city this morning.”
Qu Chenzhou chewed the fish slices and nodded. “He still has some ability. Even with several forces attacking him, he managed to sneak into the city without a sound.”
“Thank goodness he’s dead,” Liu Zhongming breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness he’s dead. With this, the position of Jinxiu Ying is now available. This is a big piece of meat. Until I get a bite of it, I can’t guarantee that the Emperor won’t turn on me.”
“Has the Emperor been spending nights in the Lijing Palace recently? Without being served the Avoid Child Decoction?” Qu Chenzhou asked.
“Yes. Any news?” Liu Zhongming naturally wanted to know about the gossip.
“Not yet,” he stared at him for a moment before shaking his head. “Since I can’t see the noble consort right now, let me visit the Marquis and the Bai family. Perhaps I’ll get some gains.”
Liu Zhongming’s gaze shifted away from his face and landed on his slightly curled fingers.
“Never mind, you should rest well. If I can’t discern anything significant here, then others won’t be able to either.”
Qu Chenzhou’s chopsticks paused for a moment, then he quickly understood.
“I understand. Regardless of what others might plan, based on the Emperor’s previous reaction to Pan He’s matter, he still holds the Shizi in high regard. If nothing unexpected happens, the time when the Imperial Noble Consort is pregnant may be earlier than expected. Shizi should inform Marquis Liu and General Bai in advance. Once there is news, it will likely be a restless time.”
“We have already discussed this, no need to worry. Sister has also disciplined the people in the palace, ensuring that nothing goes wrong.”
“Nothing goes wrong…” Qu Chenzhou furrowed his brow and sighed, “How can we say nothing will go wrong in the palace? How many people does the Shizi have around him?”
“There are some, but it wouldn’t be possible to have as many as Huai Wang.” Liu Zhongming responded quickly, without explicitly stating where these people were placed.
Qu Chenzhou’s chopsticks tapped against the plate, and he couldn’t help but look up, remaining silent for a while before speaking.
“Shizi, it’s not enough to rely on just some palace maids. Around the Emperor, there needs to be more reliable individuals who can influence him.”
“That is true, but it’s not easy to win over individuals who can influence the Emperor.”
Qu Chenzhou closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke softly. “Shizi, If I go become the Si Tian Guan….”
“No!” Liu Zhongming slammed his bowl on the table, interrupting him abruptly and vetoing forcefully, “No!”
Qu Chenzhou patiently persuaded, “Shizi now has many allies. Marquis Liu and General Bai are also giving their full support. Everything is falling into place. If I cannot meet with influential and powerful individuals, my ability to make an impact will become increasingly limited. It would be better to let me…”
“No!” Liu Zhongming did not give him any leeway. “Do you know how many heads have rolled from that position? Have you had enough of living? You advised me not to consider that idea before, why are you being wishy-washy now?”
Qu Chenzhou earnestly pleaded, ‘I have spent many years in the palace and am naturally cautious. Moreover, Shizi is my backer. I will be fine.’
“Abandon this idea! Absolutely not!”
After a loud shout, the room became particularly quiet. Liu Zhongming glanced at him quickly, sensing his own loss of composure, and eased his tone.
“Chenzhou, listen to me. Don’t play with your life. Accompanying the emperor is like accompanying a tiger. It’s like walking on a razor’s edge. I will never agree to you going. In a few days, Shiyan and I will accompany the emperor to the autumn hunting grounds. You stay at home and don’t go anywhere. We’ll make plans when we return.”
“Understood…” Qu Chenzhou lowered his gaze, and hesitated before speaking again. “I think, perhaps it’s suitable to do something at the hunting grounds and create some commotion. What does Shizi think?”
Liu Zhongming knew that he had rejected Qu Chenzhou’s requests several times and made the little fox, who had let down his guard, retreat back into his hole. He was not feeling good about it.
“This is necessary. Shiyan’s side will also bring the Dragon Martial Army over. These few days, I will take you to take a look and do our best without forcing anything.”
“Yes.”
Qu Chenzhou ate his meal very slowly, and Liu Zhongming patiently accompanied him throughout.
After the servants cleared the dishes, he went to lie down in the canopy bed, and Liu Zhongming did not force him, telling him to rest more before leaving and closing the door.
A figure flashed by on the window paper, but he kept his eyes open, staring blankly for a long time.
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Ah, what a mess! >< And I feel more trouble is coming!
Thank You for the new chapter (๑´• ₃ •̀๑)