Chapter 153

Everything should not be overdone; excess is as bad as deficiency. Hu Xiaotian's confession this time smacks of overkill—like adding feet to a snake. Murong Feiyan sensed that these words didn't sound like his usual style, and she secretly wondered, could this guy be pretending to be clueless on purpose?

The hint of doubt in her brow was instantly seen through by Hu Xiaotian, who promptly changed the topic, yawning and saying: "I'm exhausted, Feiyan, is there anything else? If not, we'd better go to sleep early."

Murong Feiyan's brows furrowed in anger; she hadn't expected this guy to be so obstinate, actually saying such things again. She glared at him and said: "Is your skin itching again?"

Hu Xiaotian stuck out his tongue, got up, and said: "A decent man doesn't quarrel with a woman; I won't keep you company in this pointless chatter. I'm going back to sleep."

Murong Feiyan called out to him again: "You must remember, tomorrow no matter what they ask you, you only say that I'm going to Le Yao because she's ill, to go there and help take care of her."

Hu Xiaotian said: "How would I know she's ill? The Wan Family has so many servants and maids; why don't we notify them? Even if we're lying, we should make it hard to catch the loophole—your story is full of holes."

Murong Feiyan said: "What do we do then? Madam Wan has already gone there, and I've already told her that reason."

Madam Wan - original term: Madam Wan

Second Young Master - original term: Second Young Master (but we need to attach to Wan Ting Sheng? Actually the term is Second Young Master, which is a title. The original term is Second Young Master. We'll list raw_term: Second Young Master, original_term: Second Young Master.)

Hu Xiaotian said: "I was awake when she came in; which of you two came up with this terrible idea? You actually shoved me under the covers—couldn't you have put me under the bed or in the wardrobe?"

Murong Feiyan thought back and realized that the earlier incident was full of loopholes everywhere; however, tonight's events were truly embarrassing, her mind had been in a utter mess at the time, she hadn't thought it through at all, and only after Hu Xiaotian's reminder did she discover how full of holes it was.

Hu Xiaotian added: "Even though I was unconscious then, I could wake up at any moment; if Madam Wan were there and I suddenly woke up and shouted out something, what would we do then? Le Yao's reputation, my integrity—wouldn't they both be ruined in your hands?"

Murong Feiyan was left speechless by his questioning; indeed, that's true—when she shoved him under the covers earlier, she should have sealed his acupoints, but at that moment she was completely at a loss, overlooking all those crucial points. Murong Feiyan inwardly admitted she was wrong, yet she refused to yield: "The more dangerous the place, the safer it is; besides, you weren't exposed anyway."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Just thinking about it gives me chills; you don't know what officials like me fear most? It's problems with personal conduct. If people misunderstand my relationship with Le Yao, even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn't wash it clean. Not being able to clear my name isn't the worst; what's worse is that my bright future would be completely ruined."

Murong Feiyan blinked; what Hu Xiaotian said was true, but his expression of anguish and indignation elicited no sympathy from her. After a moment of stunned silence, she replied: "How do I feel you're taking advantage and acting innocent?"

Hu Xiaotian suddenly realized that understanding was mutual; as he came to know Murong Feiyan more and more, her understanding of him also deepened. His current behavior wasn't just taking advantage and acting cute, was it? The more he spoke, the more flaws appeared, so it was better to just honestly go to sleep.

Thus Hu Xiaotian, bearing the wounds all over his body inflicted by the two beauties, still carrying the lingering scent of their powders and cosmetics, and with romantic, enchanting memories, went to sleep.

Early the next morning, Wan Fu's steward Wan Changchun came knocking; last night the Wan household was haunted again, and the nine incense burners Hu Xiaotian had set up were all overturned, the talismans he had drawn torn to shreds. It seems this ghost is quite ferocious, even Hu Xiaotian's spell formation had no effect.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian's red, swollen nose, Wan Changchun couldn't help but stare; how could the formerly handsome, suave young master become like this overnight?

Hu Xiaotian habitually touched his nose, which was swollen and painful; although he had applied some Golden Trauma Medicine from Yiyuantang, it seemed ineffective. He smiled at Wan Changchun and said, "Last night I got up to relieve myself, dazed and bumped into the wall."

The speaker meant nothing, but the listener took it to heart; Wan Changchun's heart jumped—could it be that the ghost‑catcher was being played by the ghost? He briefly recounted what had happened last night; Hu Xiaotian listened attentively, and the Wan family should be completely unaware of last night's lascivious intruder's intent to abduct Le Yao.

Wan Changchun said, "Sir Wan Yuanwai urgently invites Sir Hu to come over for breakfast."

Hu Xiaotian yawned lazily and said, "I really need to wash up and change into decent clothes. By the way, I came here in a hurry yesterday and didn't bring a change of clothes; do you have any at your residence?"

Wan Changchun nodded and said, "I'll go find some for you, Sir."

Not long after, Wan Changchun returned, bringing a set of sky‑blue scholar's robes that belonged to the second young master, Wan Ting Sheng; the robes had been finished but not yet worn, and Hu Xiaotian, with a stick, shoved them onto the bed. Recently he needs to lie still to recover, so in the short term he has no chance to wear the new clothes. Hu Xiaotian didn't stand on ceremony, told Wan Changchun to go back and report, and said he would be over shortly.

After Wan Changchun left, this fellow slowly changed into the clothes; unexpectedly, Wan Ting Sheng's build was about the same as his, and the robes fit him perfectly. After changing, he brewed a pot of fragrant tea, sat in the Qingzhu Garden bathed in morning light, enjoying the fresh air after the rain, and felt completely at ease.

Murong Feiyan also came out of her room, still in her official attire, but her expression and demeanor had fully returned to normal, no longer the shyness and awkwardness of last night; this proved that Hu Xiaotian's lie had still succeeded, letting her believe that only she knew what had happened last night, that Hu Xiaotian and Le Yao hardly remembered anything, and only thus could Murong Feiyan continue to face him openly.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian sitting in the courtyard drinking tea, she greeted, "Good morning!"

Hu Xiaotian nodded: "Good morning!"

Murong Feiyan added, "The clothes look great!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "The key is that the person is good‑looking."

Murong Feiyan's gaze naturally fell on his red, swollen nose; she couldn't help laughing, her laughter making her tremble like a blossoming branch, so bright that even the morning's rosy light seemed dim.

Hu Xiaotian of course understood that her smile held little praise; he drew a deep breath—there was really no need to be so exaggerated—but his swollen nose narrowed his nasal passages, making breathing a bit difficult. To say he had ended up in this state was entirely thanks to Murong Feiyan: "Gloating over others' misfortune! Could you show a little sympathy?"

Murong Feiyan placed her hands behind her back, making her chest appear even more prominent; Hu Xiaotian's eyes instantly brightened, but this unconscious movement of hers aggravated her wound—the left breast he had grabbed before hurt again from the strain, and she instinctively covered it, sucking in a cool breath.

In Hu Xiaotian's eyes, these movements were especially sexy and alluring; this fellow feigned concern and asked, "You… what's wrong? Are you sick? Want me to take a look?"

Murong Feiyan's cheeks flushed crimson; she glared at him fiercely, thinking, "It's not like you didn't do this—last night you grabbed me there with such force—but this matter can only be swallowed, never spoken of." She shook her head and quickly covered her neck: "Maybe I just slept wrong."

Hu Xiaotian almost burst out laughing at her blatant lie to his face; he realized that last night his groping had been for nothing, recalling that he had really been pressed hard by those two girls, otherwise he wouldn't have been so harsh with Murong Feiyan: "Want me to treat it for you?"

Murong Feiyan shook her head: "No need!" Pretending it was just a stiff neck, her chest actually hurt; even if you could cure it, she wouldn't come to you.

At this moment Wan Changchun came again to invite him; it seemed Wan Boping really couldn't wait. Hu Xiaotian then went with him, while Murong Feiyan did not accompany them, saying she still had matters to attend to.

Wan Boping was waiting in the pavilion by the Back Garden's pond, a red‑lacquer table already laden with assorted fine breakfast items; seeing Hu Xiaotian approach, he hurried forward, smiling warmly: "Sir Hu, you've finally come." Only upon drawing near did he notice Hu Xiaotian's nose was red and swollen again, and he couldn't help but express surprise: "Sir Hu, your nose……"

Hu Xiaotian sighed, his big red nose certainly drawing attention; he sat at the table, this fellow having tossed and turned all night was indeed a bit hungry: "Let's eat first, we'll talk later."

Wan Boping could only suppress his curiosity and keep him company while he ate. Hu Xiaotian focused entirely on the food before him, not glancing at Wan Boping; Wan Boping saw him eating with such concentration and didn't want to disturb him, so after waiting until this fellow had eaten his fill, he cautiously asked, "Sir, did you sleep well last night?"

Hu Xiaotian lifted the bird's nest porridge, took a satisfying sip, and said, "To say I slept well enough, I just got up in the middle of the night to relieve myself, couldn't find a chamber pot, so I prepared to go out to your Qingzhu Garden to do it, but it was pitch dark, I couldn't see my hand in front of my face, I couldn't make out the road, and I accidentally bumped my face against the wall, ending up like this."

Wan Boping seemed to relax: "Ah, that explains it."

Hu Xiaotian set down his empty bowl and said, "Just last night it was strange—I felt as if someone had pushed me from behind."

"What?"

Hu Xiaotian leaned toward Wan Boping, lowered his voice, and said, "I didn't really want to say this, but… your household is really rather sinister."

Wan Boping instantly turned pale, his voice trembling: "Sir Hu, last night all nine incense burners were knocked over."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Wan Yuanwai, I'll have someone return your three hundred taels of gold later; let's just pretend this affair of the nine cauldrons suppressing evil never happened."

Wan Boping, hearing this, couldn't help but startle and lose color: "Sir Hu, why would you do that?" In fact he already understood: last night Sir Hu must have been entangled by a vicious ghost, which is why he ended up like this; this fellow is Retreat When Facing Difficulty, preferring to voluntarily return his three hundred gold rather than help exorcise the ghost.

Hu Xiaotian gave a wry smile and said, "I've realized that the affairs of your household are not as simple as just driving away vengeful spirits."

Wan Boping said, "Sir Hu, please speak plainly."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Do you really want to know the truth?"