Translator â Xiao He Lian
Chapter 83.1
These days, Wen Chi has been deliberately avoiding thinking of Shi Ye but when Zuo Zhi suddenly mention Shi Ye, his expression froze for a long time before he let out a soft oh.
Zuo Zhi noticed Wen Chiâs strangeness and fell silent, then suddenly said: âYoung Master Wen, His Royal Highness has returned to the capital a few days ago.â
Hearing this, Wen Chi was surprised. He thought that Shi Ye was avoiding him but he didnât expect Shi Ye to go back directly and he didnât tell him before going back.
But on second thought- As a crown prince, Shi Ye has his own way of thinking. Even the current emperor dare not interfere in his affairs, so how could he put other people in his eyes?
And he, Wen Chi, is just a little male concubine and itâs not worth Shi Yeâs visitâ¦..
Even though he was close.
Wen Chi pursed his lips, clenched and released his hands in the wide sleeves. He clenched his hands back and forth several times and a layer of sweat oozed from his palms causing it to be sticky and uncomfortable.
He glanced up at Zuo Zhi and softly gave an oh.
Zuo Zhi looked at him, hesitated to speak and finally said nothing, âTake care, Young Master Wen.â
Wen Chi nodded: âTake care of yourselves too.â
When he got on the carriage, Wen Chi picked a corner seat and sat down.
The old couple arranged by Zuo Zhi sat diagonally across from him. The old couple greeted him warmly and asked a lot of questions, which was quite flattering.
Itâs a pity that Wen Chi was already in a bad mood and when he remembered that the old couple belonged to Shi Ye, it made him unhappy. He murmured perfunctorily a few times and closed his eyes and pretended to take a nap while the old couple was taking a break.
Seeing this, the old couple wisely stopped disturbing him.
Along the way, the carriage wobbled.
It was almost an hour before the carriage stopped.
âWake up, Young Master.â The old woman said softly, âWe have arrived.â
Wen Chi hugged the bundle that Zuo Zhi had packed for him and was curled up on the cushion like a little chicken.
He hadnât fallen asleep, but his mind was a little groggy, listless and in a very bad state of mind.
He opened his eyes, sat on the seat holding his bundle for a while and then followed the old couple out of the carriage.
After leaving Zhou Mansion for so long, when he stepped in through the gate again, he felt it was strangely unfamiliar.
He followed the old couple without saying a word.
The old couple buried their heads and followed behind the Zhou manorâs servants, the panic and bewilderment of coming to the magistrateâs house for the first time was clearly written on their faces, they were clearly good actors.
The group walked around the courtyard for a while before arriving in the main hall.
As soon as Wen Chi stepped in, he heard a low sobbing sound.
âYoung Master, youâre back.â A pink figure staggered towards him and a small face dripping with tears came into view, âIf something happened to Young Master, this servant would have followed after you. 1(Ruo fang meant that if Wen Chi had died she would kill herself)â
Wen Chi gathered himself together and saw Ruo Fang, crying uncontrollably in front of him, tears pouring out nonstop like falling beads.
Ruo Fang seemed to want to touch him but she didnât dare to. Her hands were frozen in mid-air, she was so bewildered that she didnât know where to put them.
Seeing this situation, Wen Chi was also at a loss. He felt so guilty that he didnât even know how to face Ruo Fang.
In the end, it was Ruo Fang who took the burden from Wen Chiâs arms, wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand and smiled through her tears: âItâs good that the young master is back. Itâs this servantâs fault and this servant shouldnât say such despondent words in front of the young master. â
Wen Chiâs eyes rested on the bundle and it took him a long time to force out a sentence: âIâm sorry, Ruo Fang, I should have come back earlier.â
âYoung Master, donât say that, itâs not your fault.â Ruo Fang shook her head. Her face was extremely pale but her eyes and nose were red, like a rabbit, she hiccuped while sobbing and comforted Wen Chi, âYoung master is really lucky to have returned safely, you will definitely have great luck in the future.â
When Wen Chi saw Ruo Fangâs confident expression, he suddenly couldnât hold back a giggle, âThen Iâll borrow your good wishes.â
The master and servant talked for a while at the door before Ruo Fang led Wen Chi inside.
The main hall was full of people, besides Shi Jin and General Lin, there were also Hua Zi Zang and the group of young talents who were not close to Wen Chi before.
The group of young men who had been so proud of themselves and looked down on others were now sitting quietly in their respective seats, their faces more or less bruised and a gloomy cloud above their heads.
Seeing Wen Chi and Ruo Fang walking in through the door, their dull faces didnât show any fluctuation.
Among the group of people, only Shi Jin and General Lin, who knew Wen Chiâs true identity, were slightly excited. When they saw him, they had already stood up from their chairs and walked towards Wen Chi.
Both Shi Jin and General Lin seemed to believe the old coupleâs words, looked Wen Chi up and down and finally said that they would invite a doctor to check Wen Chiâs body.
Hearing the word âDoctorâ, Hua Zi Zangâs expression changed subtly.
Hua Zi Zang looked at Wen Chi with some confusion and then sighed almost imperceptibly.
After staying in the main hall for a while, a servant from the Zhou Mansion came to say that dinner was ready and asked everyone in the hall to move to the side hall.
Wen Chi didnât have much appetite but he still had dinner with the others. Fortunately, he was currently the fourth younger brother of General Lin, so he only needed to follow General Lin and he didnât need to talk too much.
After dinner, Wen Chi followed General Lin to send away the old couple who had stayed for dinner.
Before parting, General Lin took out a bag of silver from somewhere and gave it to the old couple as a thank you gift.
The old couple was flattered but quickly refused.
The two parties pushed and shoved for a long time, in the end the old couple accepted the bag of silver, seemingly reluctantly, in spite of their generosity.
Wen Chi stood quietly by the side, watched the old coupleâs performance and thought to himselfâit was indeed Shi Yeâs people, who had captured the essence of a child wanting Chinese New Year money and pretending to refuse it.
After seeing off the old couple, General Lin took Wen Chi back to the courtyard where they lived.
The courtyard where Wen Chi lived had been left unoccupied. To be on the safe side, Shi Jin and General Lin simply moved all of Wen Chiâs belongings, including Ruo Fang, to the courtyard where General Lin lived, where there was plenty of room to accommodate Wen Chi and Ruo Fang.
As for the maidservants and guards sent by the emperor to serve Wen Chi, they were also arranged a place in the courtyard where General Lin lived.
The courtyard where General Lin lived alone suddenly became more crowded.
T/N â Will start posting 2 chapters a week from now on! ON Mondays and Fridays.