by La Mi Tu
“The claw of Wu Ji Gong is really long, to have even stretched to my territory……let Gui Yan continue to watch closely. I don’t like someone committing evil under my eyes.”
“Yes!”
It’s the same as what Jin Mo said. After Feng Cang finished bathing, changed into clean clothes and went back to his room, Murong Qi Qi was already waiting inside for him. She really couldn’t wait till the next day to know the answer. So, she directly waited in the room and wanted to know all about what Feng Cang had experienced.
“Qing Qing, it’s so late. How come you are not resting?”
Seeing that Murong Qi Qi, with one hand supporting her chin, napping lightly, Feng Cang felt heartache. He went forward and took her into his embrace. His big hands held her small hands to give her warmth.
“Wangye, how come you only come back now, ah?!”
Murong Qi Qi rubbed her eyes. She waited for a long time and was somewhat sleepy. So, she took a nap. Now seeing Feng Cang, Murong Qi Qi spirited up. She leaned against his arms and smelled the scent coming from his body.
“Hehe, could it be that Qing Qing can no longer wait till the wedding night and intends to get the deed done in advance?”
Feng Cang was so much in love with this ignorant Murong Qi Qi. His lips gently swept her facial features and locked her in his embrace.
“Not at all!”
Feng Cang’s joke let Murong Qi Qi wake up. Seeing the laughter in his eyes, Murong Qi Qi picked up Feng Cang’s chin. She looked carefully at his face. While looking, she praised: “Zeze, wangye, you really look like a feast to the eyes. If it wasn’t because I saw that you’re very tired today, I won’t mind eating you up! Now, should we not talk about your problem?”
“Problem? What kind of problem do I have?”
Feng Cang continued to play the fool, but his heart felt as sweet as eating honey. She was worried about him. That’s why she waited here for so long! Jin Mo was indeed right. Now, her heart did have him. That’s why she cared.
“Not allowed to play the fool. Not allowed to change the topic. I want to know who harmed you!”
Murong Qi Qi’s expression became serious. She stared at that pair of charming phoenix eyes of Feng Cang with a very solemn expression.
“Tell me the problem about your body in full details! Not allowed to conceal anything! Otherwise……”
“Otherwise, what?”
He was used to seeing the gentle and docile appearance of Murong Qi Qi. It’s the first time he saw her acting so serious.
Seeing that Feng Cang still wanted to pretend to be confused and wishing to hide it from her, Murong Qi Qi supported her chin and smiled sweetly: “I heard that many handsome guys will come to the tournament of the four countries. I don’t know if that’s true or not. By then, I should take a good look to see if there are some who are pleasing to the eyes……”
“I’ll talk!”
Not waiting for Murong Qi Qi to finish, Feng Cang immediately surrendered.
“Qing Qing is mine! You’re only allowed to look at me and not allowed to look at others!”
“Very well! Then tell me, who harmed you like this?!”
The thought of Feng Cang’s appearance earlier in the day and all those poisons inside his body, Murong Qi Qi’s eyes turned a bit colder. The one who harmed Feng Cang was so vicious. If they found him, they should stab and cut him a thousand times. Must pay that person, what Feng Cang had to bear, a thousand times, ten thousand times back!
“I don’t know about the fetal poison, but the cold poison and the gu poison is like this.”
Feng Cang hugged Murong Qi Qi. His gentle voice revealed a coldness.
It turned out that battle at Yandang mountain fifteen years ago, Feng Cang also followed behind his parents. That night, Feng Xie was defeated. The army of Xi Qi entered the city. They killed and robbed. Feng Xie with his wife, under the escort of the eagle troop were about to leave, but they didn’t expect that someone would drug the food on the road and let everyone faint. When Feng Cang opened his eyes, he was in the city, surrounded by a vast sea of fire.
“When I woke up once again, I was already in the ice lake of Yandang mountain. I was woken up by the bone-piercing cold water of the lake. The vines in the lake were tied around my feet. I couldn’t move. Five days later, I was rescued.”
Feng Cang’s voice was very slow. He didn’t describe the tragic fire and didn’t describe the tragic story of the ice lake. He only spoke the facts with a peaceful tone.
Murong Qi Qi had heard about the ice lake of Yandang mountain. That’s a thousand-years-old cold deep pool. All year round, it’s a bone-piercing cold. Fifteen years ago, Feng Cang was only ten years old. He actually stayed in the ice lake for five days and nights! Is this what a child is able to bear?!
Thinking till here, Murong Qi Qi turned and hugged Feng Cang.
“Everything is fine now. Everything is in the past! Everything is fine now……”
Murong Qi Qi acting like she was coaxing a child, made Feng Cang’s heart warm up.
“Qing Qing, I’m fine. It’s been so many years. I’m already accustomed to it.”
“Then what about the gu? Who put it in you?”
“I don’t know.”
Feng Cang shook his head.
“Not long after I returned to the capital, I got the gu. The emperor invited the imperial physician to come for treatment. The result was that’s a Motherchild gu. Only after finding the mother gu, can the child gu be completely gotten rid of. It’s just that I’ve searched for so many years, I still don’t know where the mother gu is. Presumably, it’s in the hands of the one who put the gu in me!”
After knowing the whole story, Murong Qi Qi frowned.
“Wangye, from your story, great general Feng Xie and princess Ming Yue may have not committed suicide. To be able to get close to your food and drug you, it should be someone close. It’s your own people! It’s just why would your own people do that? Who is the one behind it?”
Murong Qi Qi’s questions pointed out the key. Feng Cang pinched Murong Qi Qi’s nose.
“Why are you more powerful than the bailiffs? Those who followed my parents that day have all been murdered, aside from the palace maid Cai Hua who followed my mother for twenty years. She disappeared……”
It turned out to be like that! Sure enough, it was someone close to them! Murong Qi Qi suddenly realized that there were new questions that confused her: “What about Cai Hua? Has she been caught? Did she confess? Who is the one behind all of this? Why are the rumors telling another story?”
Murong Qi Qi threw questions, one after another, at Feng Cang, making him feel a bit overwhelmed.
“I also suspect that it is Cai Hua, but I’ve searched for so many years and still haven’t found her. As for why the rumors are like that; it’s because in the burned ruins, they found the bodies of my parents. My father was in a posture of committing suicide and my mother had burned to ashes. That’s why they say my father felt guilty towards Bei Zhou and committed suicide. My mother followed her husband…….”
“So, it was like that……”
Hearing the things that happened that year from Feng Cang, Murong Qi Qi could only imagine what kind of horrors it had been. The hands holding Feng Cang held him tighter. There were so many things that had happened which were hidden!
“Wangye, didn’t you tell the emperor the matter about your parents? Why don’t you ask the emperor to find the one responsible?”
“When I came back to the capital, I was seriously ill and had been recuperating in the residence. By the time I could stand up again, the emperor had already told the world about my parents. No one would believe the words of a ten-years-old. Besides, this is my matter. I want to personally catch the one responsible!”
That’s right, ah. At that time, Feng Cang was only ten-years-old! Ten-years-old; he needed to bear the death of both parents and bear the cold poison and gu poison. How much courage did that require, ah?!
“Wangye, let the matters of the past go with the wind! From now on, I’ll be at your side and accompany you to face all the things!”
Murong Qi Qi took the initiative to intertwine their fingers together.
“We’ll take revenge for great general and princess Ming Yue together and pull out the one behind all of this!”
At this time, Murong Qi Qi’s body distributed a firm light, making Feng Cang be in a daze.
“Good!”
Feng Cang clenched his hands. His eyes also became firm…….
Yongzhou was located in the south of Bei four states and bordered with Dong Lu, Nan Feng and Xi Qi. Recently, because of the tournament of the four countries, Yongzhou became lively. Early in the morning, Yongzhou’s governor Meng Tian Qi led a group of men to wait at the city gate because today, Nan Lin wang Feng Cang would arrive with Bei Zhou’s missionaries.
After waiting till noon, the entourage finally arrived. Meng Tian Qi went to Feng Cang’s carriage and bowed respectfully: “This humble official greets wangye!”
“You can stand up!”
Across the curtain came the voice of Feng Cang which revealed laziness and a trace of majesty, making people unable to resist.
“Thanking wangye!”
Meng Tian Qi stood up and looked at the carriage carefully.
“This humble servant did as wangye ordered and cleaned up Meixiang yuan4as a temporary residence for wangye and princess Zhao Yang while staying in Yongzhou. Wangye, will you first go to Meixiang yuan or to the government office?”
“Meixiang yuan.”
“Yes!”
Meng Tian Qi retreated to one side. Only after the carriage moved further away, did his slightly bent back straighten up.
Meixiang yuan was a very quiet place. It’s known for its garden full of red plums. This became Feng Cang’s and Murong Qi Qi’s residence.
The contestants were placed in a house with a courtyard not far away. Without those irksome butterflies, Murong Qi Qi was in a very good mood. These past few days, she had been studying Feng Cang’s disease with Jin Mo. The cold poison was not difficult to treat. Only needed to focus on nursing back to health. It’s just that the gu poison and cold poison were mutually restraining each other in Feng Cang’s body. To cure these two, they could only wait till they find the mother gu. Destroying the mother gu and at the same time removing the gu poison and the cold poison.
As for the fetal poison, it’s what Murong Qi Qi found difficult. Murong Qi Qi had never seen such a fetal poison like the one in Feng Cang’s body before.
At Moyu, she had gotten to know many poisonous creatures and also many poisons. However, she had never seen something like the one in Feng Cang’s body. In the ordinary course of events, godfather collected different kind of poisons from the four countries, Moyu should be the largest poison base in the world. She actually didn’t know what kind of poison that fetal poison was.
“Princess, do you have a clue?”
These past few days, Jin Mo and Murong Qi Qi moved frequently together. He recognized this little junior sister and also knew that Murong Qi Qi wouldn’t do Feng Cang any harm, so he was much better towards her. However, deep down in his heart, he was still very skeptical about Murong Qi Qi’s abilities.
Only when he got to spend more time with Murong Qi Qi and she revised his prescription and also gave him comments about how to improve things, did Jin Mo believe his master’s eyes. He also had gotten to know that this little junior sister did have some real abilities. That’s why, he was more pleasant now towards Murong Qi Qi from the bottom of his heart.
“Senior brother, there’s some weirdness with this poison. At least, I’ve never seen it before.”
Murong Qi Qi saying that was in the expectations of Jin Mo. In the past, when he was at master’s side, he also saw many poisonous things. However, he couldn’t do anything to the fetal poison. He could only try to suppress it.
How would Jin Mo know that Murong Qi Qi spent five years at Moyu and was a master in poisons. Her understanding of poisons was better than him. Since Murong Qi Qi didn’t recognize this poison, then it really was a big deal.
“There are many remedies from the folk and also many unique poisons. As long as we don’t give up, we’ll find a cure. Princess, don’t have to worry too much……”
“It’s been hard on senior brother!”
Murong Qi Qi didn’t tell Jin Mo her identity as Du Xian Er. Godfather loved poisons more than life. He liked to collect various poisons. Whether it’s from the folks or from the imperial court, as long as it’s related to poisons, he’ll think of a thousand ways to get it. Moyu’s collection of poisons; if there weren’t a thousand, then there’ll definitely be more than nine hundred.
Following godfather, hearing and watching, Murong Qi Qi inherited everything from him. She knew every poison inside Moyu and also knew how to make the antidote for every one of them. In other words, in the four countries, there were no poisons that’s difficult for Murong Qi Qi. If there was, then that poison didn’t come out from the mainland!
The mainland consists of the four countries: Xi Qi, Bei Zhou, Nan Feng and Dong Lu.
Now, hovering in Murong Qi Qi’s mind was where exactly did the fetal poison in Feng Cang come from. If it really came from a foreign country, did it have anything to do with Peng Lai island? This Peng Lai island didn’t have many dealings with the mainland. However, it had marriage alliances with Dong Lu. Does this matter also involve Dong Lu?
Even if Murong Qi Qi thought till her head was about to explode, she couldn’t think of where this poison had come from. She could only think of a way with Jin Mo to stabilize Feng Cang’s condition.
Murong Qi Qi and Feng Cang living alone together in Meixiang yuan made Wanyan Bao Zhu very jealous. She had seen that Meixiang yuan. A bright red full garden. Very nice to look at. Besides, everywhere had a nice fragrance. Even just passing by, the body would catch a thin layer of plum scent. It’s an excellent place.
Originally, Wanyan Bao Zhu wanted to live in Meixiang yuan. She didn’t expect, the moment she opened her mouth, she was directly rejected by Feng Cang, making her very embarrassed and also hate Murong Qi Qi even more in her heart.
There were still a few days left before the tournament. Seeing that Feng Cang had gone to the venue, Wanyan Bao Zhu and Mu Yu Die came to Meixiang yuan to invite Murong Qi Qi out for a stroll in Yongzhou.
* * *
Wangfei: main consort of the first-rank prince
Wang/wangye: prince of the first rank
Jianghu: the world of martial arts
Yuan: wing of a residence
Chapter 80: Princess Bao Zhu’s Good Calculation (2)
* * *
“A stroll?”
After hearing Su Mei say that princess had come to invite her, Murong Qi Qi was surprised. She didn’t expect that the two would stay quiet for a few days and were now again not well-behaved. Today, Feng Cang went out of the city to inspect the venue for the tournament of the four countries. The moment he left, the two came over. Really clever.
“Princess, it’s so cold. Don’t go out! They are a weasel paying a New Year call to a chicken, with no good intentions!”
A weasel is an enemy of the chicken, often attacking and eating them when it is dark. If it pays a courtesy call to a chicken during New Year, it does this not out of kindness or politeness, but with an ulterior motive—to find an opportunity to catch the chicken and eat it up. So, never trust the apparent friendliness of a weasel. In this idiom, the weasel is a metaphor for someone with an evil intention, and the chicken is a metaphor for someone weak and vulnerable. This idiom is used to describe someone pretending to be kind and friendly, but with an evil intention at heart or having an axe to grind.
Su Mei disliked Wanyan Bao Zhu and Mu Yu Die to the extreme. If it wasn’t for the big picture, she would’ve taken action long ago .
“Su Mei, do you mean, miss, I, is a chicken?”
“Eh……,” Su Mei sudd
enly remembered that Murong Qi Qi previously told them the meaning of ‘chicken’. She immediately waved her hands.
“Miss, I only did a comparison. You are not a chicken. How could you be a chicken……?”
“Su Mei, don’t talk anymore!”
Su Yue at one side, laughed with a bent back. Su Mei realized that she said a lot of ‘chicken’ and quickly stopped.
“In short, it’s absolutely not a good thing that they came. You should stay in the warm house and shouldn’t lower yourself to their level!”
“Why shouldn’t I go? Could it be that I’m afraid of them?”
People coming personally to search for abuse. How would it be alright if she didn’t abuse them a bit? She also didn’t have to worry about much.
“Su Yue, bring my cloak. I’ll go meet them!”
By the time Murong Qi Qi arrived at the entrance of Meixiang yuan1, Wanyan Bao Zhu and Mu Yu Die had almost frozen to death.
When Wanyan Bao Zhu came to make trouble once; wanting to live at Meixiang yuan, she was driven out by Feng Cang. Feng Cang made a command. Aside from Wanyan Kang, anyone else who wanted to enter Meixiang yuan, must let the guards inform first. This command directly blocked Wanyan Bao Zhu and Mu Yu Die at the entrance.
Of course, Murong Qi Qi knew about this. So, she dawdled in dressing up for a long time before coming out. Now seeing Wanyan Bao Zhu’s and Mu Yu Die’s somewhat black lips, her mood lightened up.
“Yo, letting princess and miss Mu wait for a long time, really sorry!”
Although her mouth was apologizing, but Murong Qi Qi’s face didn’t have a trace of guilt, making Wanyan Bao Zhu and Mu Yu Die so angry, they gritted their teeth. However, here was Meixiang yuan, is Feng Cang’s territory. The place was surrounded with Feng Cang’s guards, how would they dare to use their hands on Murong Qi Qi?
“It’s nothing, it’s nothing! Let’s go!”
Wanyan Bao Zhu put on a smile uglier than crying. In her heart, she was cursing Murong Qi Qi. Bitch, you wait and see! In a while, you’ll see!