Si Tian Guan Chapter 142

Chapter 142: Old Dreams

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As the carriage rocked, Liu Zhongming squinted for a while, then lifted the veil. A gust of dust blew in, presumably from the dust raised by the galloping horses in front.

He stretched lazily and saw the trees on both sides of the official road were red and yellow, extending far into the distance. He was about to get off and look for a horse to ride for a while, but someone crouched in.

Liu Zhongming couldn’t help but cry and laugh, and had to dismiss the idea of getting off the carriage.

“Wangye, why don’t you rest in your own carriage? Why did you come to me?”

“It’s suffocating. After such a long journey, it’s not enough for me to get scolded,” Mu Jingzhao sneered and pointed in the direction of the emperor’s carriage, seemingly not wanting to mention it. He bent down and groped for something in the compartment, “Why is there no wine?”

“Drinking too much is bad for you,” Liu Zhongming ordered someone to bring tea and poured a cup for each of them. “We are going on a hunting expedition now. If the emperor sees us drinking on the way, we won’t be able to escape his scolding, and being scolded is the lightest punishment.”

Hearing this, Mu Jingzhao suddenly remembered something.

“What happened to you earlier that made the emperor so angry? And how did you make up with him later?”

“Don’t mention it.” Liu Zhongming waved his hand, with a look of reluctance.

Mu Jingzhao had also been scolded from childhood to adulthood and smiled slyly. He didn’t mention it anymore and leaned over to Liu Zhongming, “Zhongming, you are not kind.”

Liu Zhongming was puzzled, “Your Highness, what do you mean?”

“You’re still pretending to be ignorant with me!” Mu Jingzhao was so angry that he jumped up and down, “I finally saw Little Chenzhou once, and he was crying pitifully, saying that all the things I gave him were taken by you.”

Liu Zhongming felt a blockage in his heart, unable to explain himself despite having a lot to say. He could only frown and say, “Wangye, he is my plaything. What do you mean by giving him gifts? If you keep giving him gifts, what can I do to stop you? And what can I do to stop him?”

“If I see him being superficial and receiving gifts from others again, I will punish him by hanging him in the cold well for a night and see if he can still cry,” he added.

Mu Jingzhao was so angry that he choked up, afraid that he was serious, and quickly tried to stop him. “No, no! Are you crazy? If it were anyone else, and they received such a beautiful treasure, they would cherish and hold onto it. Why don’t you know how to be kind? If you really don’t like it, then give it to me! Even if he’s seventy or eighty, I still want him!”

Liu Zhongming took some snacks out of the hidden compartment and chuckled, “How could I not like it? I love it.”

Mu Jingzhao pondered for a moment, and couldn’t help but sigh. “I believe you. In the past, I used to like showing off my things to others, but now that I think about it, I didn’t take it seriously. If it were Little Chenzhou, I would hide it and not give it away.”

“Since Wangye knows now, don’t think about him again in the future – even if he’s seventy or eighty, I won’t give him away,” Liu Zhongming said.

Mu Jingzhao felt choked up for a long time, before finally slapping his thigh and earnestly advising him, “Zhongming, it’s not me reminding you, but you should treat him a little better, no matter how lowly he is. If you keep treating him like this, I wouldn’t be surprised if he runs away one day.”

Although it was an unintentional comment, Liu Zhongming’s heart was struck, and the name of the person lingered in his mind like a nightmare, never to be forgotten.

Don’t even mention seeing Huai Wang, just thinking about him makes him feel really uncomfortable.”

He rubbed his forehead and casually responded, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Wangye, have you been busy?”

It had been a while since Ning Wang had come to disturb Chenzhou at the courtyard. He had deliberately inquired about it out of schadenfreude. To be honest, he occasionally did feel sympathy for Ning Wang.

“What’s there to be busy about? It’s all because of Liao Guangming and Ren Rui. I just made a casual remark, and my uncle scolded me and forbade me from leaving the house.”

Mu Jingzhao turned his face to the side and raised his eyebrows, gesturing for Liu Zhongming to look out the window.

A group of heavily armored soldiers were escorting someone and patrolling along the caravan.

“Look at how pleased Ren Rui is. With Liao Guangming dead, this is his time to shine. I heard that Mu Jingde is interested in him now. He must be feeling quite pleased with himself.”

Liu Zhongming’s gaze fell on the person.

It was natural for Ren Rui to be pleased, whether it was due to his unexpected success in the matter with Liao Guangming, or his achievements in suppressing bandits in Luo City. Many people speculated that the vacancy in the Jinxiu Ying might fall on Ren Rui’s head.

It was fortunate that they still had Jiang Xingzhi. Qi Wang couldn’t tolerate the Jinxiu Ying, let alone allow someone like Ren Rui to break free from his control and become the next Liao Guangming, sitting on equal footing with him.

When the rumors spread, Qi Wang had already expressed his attitude to the emperor.

It was lucky that things turned out this way, as it saved them from having to worry too much.

Mu Jingzhao continued to babble, “Can you believe that Mu Jingde is daring enough to use someone like him? He must be crazy.”

Liu Zhongming glanced at him and smiled inwardly – no wonder Qu Chenzhou said that compared to the Qi Wang who holds military power, Ning Wang still had some brains.

His gaze involuntarily swept elsewhere, but he didn’t spot Bai Shiyan.

When he left, Qu Chenzhou had specifically mentioned that Qi Wang had gotten rid of Liao Guangming. And just as morale was high, the next target was most likely Bai Shiyan. So he needed to be careful, especially since Concubine Liu was currently highly favored.

However, no matter what, Bai Shiyan was not someone who could be easily manipulated. This time, the most important thing for him was to carefully monitor his sister’s safety.

Mu Jingzhao’s eyes were looking outside, and he casually asked, “Why aren’t you accompanying the noble concubine?”

“I just got back not long ago. She’s feeling a bit carsick and weak, so I just had some medicine sent over. She should be asleep by now,” Liu Zhongming replied.

This hunting trip was accompanied by the previously unknown Zhu Meiren by the emperor’s side. It wasn’t originally her turn to come, but Zhu Meiren was different now. She was pregnant with an imperial prince for three months.

It had been years since such good news had been heard in the palace, and the emperor couldn’t resist Zhu Meiren’s pleading and brought her along.

Zhu Meiren was also quite clever. If she had stayed in the palace with the empress at this time, when the emperor returned from the autumn hunt, they would likely only see a stillborn child.

Watching Ren Rui walk away, Mu Jingzhao spat out, “Don’t like this person,” before turning his head back and taking a pastry from him, making a sound.

“What’s wrong?” Liu Zhongming asked, following his gaze to his hand.

“Where is your ring?” Mu Jingzhao raised both of his hands and looked at them. “You never wear anything normally, but that ring is always seen. Why aren’t you wearing it this time when we’re out hunting?”

“I forgot,” replied Liu Zhongming.

Liu Zhongming grabbed the soft cushion around his waist and laid back, squinting his eyes slightly.

If it wasn’t absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t want to do this.

Taking this probing step had already opened up a rift in the already slight trust between him and Chenzhou. Just a few days ago, they had celebrated their birthdays together, and he had even declined all invitations except for the family banquet. They had shared a few drinks and felt that it was enough for the rest of their lives, and had no regrets.

But that rift had already opened up, and rather than letting it become irreparable, he would rather investigate it himself.

The ring was stuffed under his pillow, and it would inevitably be discovered sooner or later. Chenzhou, more than anyone else, knew that not wearing the ring during their long absence from the capital meant something.

He wanted to know what Chenzhou’s reaction would be, and he also wanted to take a closer look at what was in his dreams.

Hopefully, there was nothing there.

Liu Zhongming leaned over and stared absent-mindedly at the rows of flashing red leaves and green trees outside the carriage, thinking about the pair of eyes that Chenzhou had looked at him with when he sent him to the door before they left. 

Those glassy eyes seemed to have seen through him long ago.

All those behind-the-scenes tricks and probes.

When they arrived at Chengfeng Hunting Ground, they were already tired out.

The younger ones could still muster some energy, but Emperor Yu, who was already old, was suffering from the bumpy journey. He only let Yu Dexi come out to instruct everyone to settle down before lying down early.

Liu Zhongming rode his horse and took a lap, finding Bai Shiyan in the south camp.

Bai Shiyan naturally understood his worries and couldn’t help but smile. He pulled him to run a lap outside the camp and walked around the nearby Southern Bureau before patting his back and urging him to go back.

Liu Zhongming knew that his worries were unnecessary but still asked one more question before leaving.

“Bai Shiyan, did Chenzhou say anything to you?”

Before they set off, Bai Shiyan also went to Chenzhou to have his fortune told. Although he did not follow along, he saw Bai Shiyan come out with a solemn expression. He only asked one question and received the answer, “Be careful and watch out for Ren Rui.”

For some reason, he still felt uneasy.

“No,” Bai Shiyan quickly replied, “Chenzhou only said to be careful, and I will be careful. Ren Rui is just a crazy dog. What can he do to me?”

Liu Zhongming had not dealt with Ren Rui personally, but from previous events and Chenzhou’s words, he felt that this person was ruthless and cunning, capable of doing things that Qi Wang would not normally do. However, he could not panic and could only remind Bai Shiyan again before turning back to his own residence.

The bumpy carriage ride made even him feel tired, but he laid on the bed, refusing to close his eyes.

The ring he had worn for nearly a year was missing, leaving him with an empty feeling in his heart. He was afraid that if he closed his eyes, he would see something he shouldn’t see.

Without the suppression of those evil spirits, they tentatively stretched out their sharp teeth and claws from the dark corners.

He stared at the intricate patterned curtains above his head, feeling some regret. The past had nothing to do with him, yet he insisted on investigating to see if it was a mistake.

Liu Zhongming was lost in thought for a while, then suddenly woke up, sensing that something was wrong.

He had clearly been staring at the curtains, but now above his head was a pavilion with eaves, and the vibrant petals of cherry blossoms hung down straight from the eaves.

It was April in JinxI Academy, and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom.

He had dreamed of this scene countless times, but it was the first time he was experiencing it firsthand. Everything around him was no longer ephemeral, as if he was inhabiting another body, looking at a familiar yet unfamiliar environment through these eyes.

The bronze bell with a broken mouth was behind him, and he walked through the pavilion, following the corridor to the south, his heart beating faster and faster.

The corridor was not long, and he soon came to a corner.

Before he could hold his breath, his body took control, and his steps turned the corner.

Yao Family’s second son was indeed surrounded by a group of accomplices, pushing and shoving a person who was kneeling on the ground, with someone riding on the person’s back amidst the jeers.

He scolded them, and the bad boys quickly dispersed, leaving only the person kneeling on the ground.

This time, everything around him was so clear that he dared not go forward, as if subconsciously aware that it was the beginning of a nightmare, a nightmare wrapped in honey.

The next moment, he heard his own voice.

“Are you Qu Sitian?”

Liu Zhongming’s mind was roaring, as if struck by lightning, he could hardly believe his ears. The small suspicion that had only flashed through his mind before was now infinitely magnified by these words.

His body was out of control, but his mind was screaming.

Impossible! The person he met here could not be Qu Chenzhou!

If the person he met here was Qu Chenzhou, what did that mean? Would all of his dreams afterwards be about Qu Chenzhou?

Then… who could the little fox be?

The nightmare in front of him refused to let him go, the person kneeling on the ground slowly lifted their head, and the sunny sky reflected in their glassy eyes, shimmering with teardrops.

It was a face he knew too well, even the scars on it were exactly the same, he could no longer deceive himself.

“Qu Sitian…” Liu Zhongming murmured, finally realizing that he had been deceived from the beginning.

Those clever and evasive words had led him and Bai Shiyan to guess repeatedly, but had brushed past the truth that was right in front of him.

It was as if the inescapable truth was being used to push him into a corner. The person kneeling on the ground bowed to him.

“Qu Chenzhou… pays respects to the Shizi.”

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