Chapter 115: Isn't that a bit too lewd?

Oh~

Now that you've changed your names and surnames, you're no longer your family...... but the fifth of the An Nan King's Manor household.

Du Shanü's tone was flat, as if she were saying how many bowls of rice she ate today, or that the price of rice outside had risen by two wen again.

After the trailing sound faded, she still reached out to brush off a bit of grass chaff stuck to her knee; the grass chaff had gone soft from the rain, and it took two brushes to remove it.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Ouyang An was still squatting beside the chair, his face upturned, lips slightly parted; he blinked, and the expression on his round face shifted bit by bit, from bewilderment to confusion, and then from confusion to shock.

Ouyang Yan had already started walking toward Du Shanü, just two or three steps away from reaching her side, but upon hearing those words, his steps came to an abrupt halt.

After two breaths, he suddenly turned his gaze to Du Shanü and the Chinu behind her, only then showing a belated look of astonishment:

You, you all know?

Du Shanü hummed, then finally said:

He now calls himself Ouyang Wu, occupies Dun Cheng, and clearly has some scheme.

I had already suspected him because of our shared surname; I never expected that merely hinting at your whereabouts would make them panic......

Those who come with ill intent—better not to let the night grow long with dreams—I put an end to them.

Du Shanü always prefers to make a long story short.

A matter of a few sentences, she explained the journey here clearly.

However, for others, how could past events be made clear in just a few words?

Ouyang An really couldn't suppress the chill all over; his body kept trembling.

He was young, didn't remember much, but each thing he did remember was deeply etched.

That year he was only four, while his elder brother had already reached the age of thirty.

The consort was fierce, always seeing the eldest son, a child of a concubine, as a thorn in her eye and a splinter in her flesh, dragging out his prospects, refusing to let him take office, and also refusing to let him choose a wife and marry......

Even, even their careful words and deeds in the manor could not earn them enough monthly stipend to live respectably.

So, taking advantage of the festival, he and his elder brother prepared to go to the front courtyard to kowtow to the old An Nan consort for some reward money.

The two slipped through the small gate of the side courtyard, walked along the wall base, and moved quickly.

The elder brother took his hand, the palm slightly cool.

When they reached the corner of the corridor, they bumped head‑on into a group of people.

Leading them was a sturdy man with a slightly dark complexion, wearing a fresh‑made treasure‑blue robe, with a white jade pendant at his waist.

It was none other than the second brother, Si Heng.

Behind him followed several half‑grown children, among them Si Wu......

That is the present‑day Ouyang Wu.

The second brother usually disdained speaking to people like them, so the elder brother pulled him aside to make space by the wall.

But Si Wu seemed eager to speak up for the second brother; he stepped out of the crowd, glanced at the elder brother, then at him.

He was so young then that all he remembered was that person bending down, very close—close enough to smell the fragrance on the other's robe.

Si Wu had a fine complexion, and when he smiled he easily seemed approachable.

He momentarily let his guard down and cheerfully called out, "Fifth Brother!"

But after that, Si Wu felt as if insulted, and he laughed, saying:

Yo, isn't that the lowly spawn of those two slave women?

Eldest Brother, have you forgotten how your birth mother seduced Father and was beaten to death? Now that you don't follow the rules, how can you still raise other slave women's lowly offspring?

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone around laughed.

Amidst layers of laughter, the elder brother pulled him backward, pulling hard, gripping his wrist until it ached.

And he finally realized that his cry of 'Brother' was actually a betrayal of the elder brother.

He actually should have called only the elder brother......

Even though the two weren't full brothers, merely sharing the same father.

Both of their mothers were slave women in the An Nan King's Manor.

The elder brother's mother was beaten to death early on, and his mother also died after vomiting blood one night following a strong decoction from the consort.

He and the elder brother differed greatly in age; the elder brother himself struggled to survive, yet still had to drag him along, seeking a living in the cramped corners of the inner court......

That day, the elder brother hadn't received any reward money, yet he took him back.

On the way back, the elder brother didn't say a word, but his grip on his hand was actually trembling all the while.

Outside the window another roll of thunder rumbled, instantly pulling everyone's senses back.

This thunder was closer than the previous one; the door panel vibrated with a hum, and the wind blowing through the cracks made the oil lamp's flame sway wildly.

What Ouyang Yan could remember naturally far exceeded what Ouyang An could, to the point of overwhelming his mind and spirit.

But, given his age, those past events are long gone.

Some things aren't wrong; they're just over.

He walked back to Du Shanü's side, his face paler than before, his lips pressed tight, almost blood‑less, and he whispered:

The second brother likes this fifth brother the most.

His voice wasn't loud, but he spoke very clearly, pausing between each word.

Ouyang An suddenly lifted his head, looking at Ouyang Yan, then at Du Shanü.

He suddenly understood. His face turned pale all at once, paler than Ouyang Yan's:

Yes! Elder sister, the second brother likes the fifth brother the most; he definitely won't let it rest!

Outside, the rain seemed to have been burst open by those words, pouring down with a splatter.

The tiles were struck by the rain, making a pattering sound so dense that one couldn't distinguish the gaps between each strike.

Wind squeezed in through the door crack, letting out a wuu-wuu crying sound.

Ouyang An took three steps at a time, reaching Du Shanü's side in a few strides; he grabbed her arm with one hand, using both hands, gripping tightly:

"Sister, you have to go."

Du Shanü lowered her gaze to look at him.

Ouyang An's voice trembled with suppressed sobs, but he held back tears; only his lips kept shaking:

"Go now, you must go now!"

"Second Brother will send people, he will definitely send people. He likes Fifth Brother the most; you killed him, he won't——"

"Right."

Ouyang Yan picked up the thread, snapping out of his shock, also feeling anxious:

"Second Brother has always seen Third Brother as his arms and Fifth Brother as his strategist; the two are like his two arms. You have now cut off one of Second Brother's arms—how could he let you go?"

"Hurry up, you must hurry!"

"Sigh, for no reason—how could you have started a conflict with him......"

One big, one small, they paced anxiously in circles.

However, Du Shanü remained calm, speaking lightly:

"But he wasn't bullying you?"

"He dares to seek you out right under my nose—he's surely looking to pay a price."

"Don't speak of 'for no reason'; if you can't even protect your own people, what's the use of talking about grand ambitions and the realm?"

Outside the window, the rain continued to patter.

But inside the house, it suddenly plunged into a deathly silence.

Du Shanü only thought her words were self-evident, but she didn't realize how shocking they would sound to others' ears——

"Actually, was it because he bullied them?"

"No wonder, no wonder."

"No wonder Du Shanü, upon entering, first said that Si Wu's visitors were hostile—it turns out it was because...... because of them!"

Doubts aroused by the blood‑clad swords and blades vanished instantly; all that remained after hindsight was admiration.

Ouyang Yan stood there dazed for a moment, then suddenly reached out and undid his own belt.

Chinu: "?"

Ouyang An: "?"

Du Shanü: "?"

"This, this—what are you trying to do?"

Under everyone's gaze, Ouyang Yan showed no shame; instead, his face lit up with anticipation:

"Wife Master, your great kindness and virtue cannot be repaid... From now on let me serve you!"

Ouyang An suddenly understood, also going to undo his own belt:

"Oh oh oh! Then I also want to serve Sister!"

Du Shanü was utterly shocked——

"You, this not‑yet‑grown little winter melon, what mischief are you stirring up again!"

"Don't go offering yourself at the drop of a hat—this sort of thing isn't done nowadays!!!"

"Moreover, moreover, having the two brothers together—this is perhaps too licentious!!!"

"?? came, came, today do you have tickets, dear ones (づ??????)づ"