Chapter 25
As Mo Shuihan was leaving the brothel, he caught sight of Fu Yi’s back in the distance. He was walking into an unremarkable tavern down the street with Xiao Han, the son of Xiao Yushou’s second wife. They appeared to be quite close. A chill went down Mo Shuihan’s spine. He thought back to the day Fu Yi had tested him. Was he acting on orders, or was it his own initiative?
With a subtle glance, Mo Shuihan signaled to Ling Shi, who understood and departed. When Mo Shuihan reached a secluded spot, Ying Yi, dressed in black, dropped down before him. “Young Master.”
“I had you keep an eye on Fu Yi. What have you found?”
Ying Yi lowered his head. “Fu Yi’s status is complicated. Not only is he privately in close contact with Xiao Yushou, but he also holds some other unknown position within the palace. However, he has not revealed your identity to anyone.”
Mo Shuihan frowned. “Can you be certain whose man he is?”
Ying Yi thought for a moment. “He should be one of the Emperor’s men. His close relationship with Xiao Yushou is because Xiao Yushou’s daughter is interested in him, and Xiao Yushou seems to want him as a son-in-law. But Fu Yi’s attitude has been dismissive; he’s likely using Xiao Yushou’s daughter and remains guarded in his dealings with her father.”
Regardless of whose side Fu Yi was on, this was not good news for Mo Shuihan. As the Prince Consort, if his true identity were to be discovered by the Emperor, the crisis would be no smaller than the one he faced with Xiao Yushou.
Fu Yi was not a reckless man. Even if he suspected his identity, the test he had put him through that day seemed out of character. What was his true purpose?
Ying Yi knelt to ask for punishment. “It was my negligence that allowed Fu Yi to see through the Young Master’s disguise. Please, punish me.”
Mo Shuihan waved a dismissive hand, his mind elsewhere. “Rise.”
Wang Zhao asked, “Young Master, should we have Ying Yi… take care of Fu Yi?”
Mo Shuihan sat down on a nearby step and considered it before finally shaking his head. “We still don’t know whose man he is, nor if he has told anyone else about my identity. Acting rashly will only arouse suspicion. Let me think on it further.”
The moment he returned home, Chunlan came to find him again. “Prince Consort, the Princess requests your presence.”
From behind him, Yu Guan grumbled, “Her informant is fast. He’s barely back and she’s already summoning him. If she wants to keep such a close watch, she might as well tie him to her belt!”
Mo Shuihan shot Yu Guan a glare and sent Chunlan away before turning to his servant. “Starting tomorrow, you will go to the manor and act as steward. You’ll be switching places with Yu He.”
Yu Guan’s face went pale. “Young Master, are you getting rid of me?”
Mo Shuihan said calmly, “You have always been resentful of the Ninth Princess. You even revealed my private affairs to Mo Kui and have been completely careless with your words. This will cause a great deal of trouble. Sending you to the manor will give you more freedom.”
Yu Guan asked in disbelief, “Young Master, are you pushing us all away for the sake of the Ninth Princess? What is so good about her? She forced you into this marriage, disrupting all our plans. Now she’s being willful and unreasonable, even hindering your actions. What is so good about her?”
“Enough!” Mo Shuihan’s brow furrowed in a low reprimand. “The Ninth Princess does not know my identity, but you do, don’t you? In the end, I am the one who has wronged her in this marriage. I know you don’t like her, but since she is my wife, I hope you can truly see her as the mistress of this house. This is what I owe her.”
“And what about Mo Kui?” Yu Guan shouted angrily. “Mo Kui grew up with us! She was sold into a brothel for your sake! She is completely devoted to you. Is this fair to her?”
Mo Shuihan was confused. “What does this have to do with Mo Kui?”
Yu Qi grabbed Yu Guan and shook his head. Yu Guan fiercely wiped away his tears and threw out one last sentence, “Fine, I’ll go! You can send us all away for that unreasonable princess!”
Mo Shuihan watched Yu Guan’s angry, retreating back with a sense of helplessness. Yu Qi tried to console him. “Young Master, Yu Guan is just speaking up for Mo Kui. He has a child’s temperament. He’ll come to understand in time.”
Mo Shuihan sighed. “My identity is already under suspicion. We must act with caution. Although Yu Guan is loyal, he can’t control his mouth and could easily be used by others. Sending him to the manor is also for his own safety. Go and have a good talk with him. Don’t let him leave with this resentment.”
Yu Qi asked with concern, “Is the Young Master’s situation very dangerous?”
Mo Shuihan shook his head. “This was all expected before I even came to the capital.”
It wasn’t until she saw Yu He that the Ninth Princess realized Yu Guan had left. She asked Mo Shuihan curiously, “Yu Guan was doing a fine job, and he’s so loyal to you. Why did you send him away?”
Mo Shuihan just smiled and shook his head. Only she could be so oblivious.
Fortunately, Yu He was steady, capable, and tactful. He quickly found his footing in the residence and won the Ninth Princess’s approval.
Yu He knew that Mo Shuihan was trying to secure the assignment to Jingzhou. When the princess was once again trying to find out Mo Shuihan’s whereabouts, he took the opportunity to plant an idea in her head. “My master is only doing this for you, Princess. Look at the other Prince Consorts, they all come from noble families. Only my master is still languishing in the Hanlin Academy. He’s anxious, afraid he’ll bring you shame, so he wants to achieve something great. If he can contribute to this matter, His Majesty will surely see his worth, don’t you think?”
The princess’s heart leaped with joy. “You’re saying the Prince Consort is doing this for me?”
Yu He nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Of course. My master thinks of you at all times, Princess. He’s just too reserved to admit it. And he’s a proud man; he can’t bear to ask a princess for help with court matters. If you could take the initiative and solve this problem for him, he may not say anything, but how could he not understand your intentions?”
The Ninth Princess nodded in a moment of realization, then stood and patted Yu He on the shoulder. “You’re much more reliable than Nanny Shen. Yu He, it was a stroke of genius for your master to bring you here!”
Yu He offered a fawning smile. “My master’s most brilliant move was marrying you, Princess.”
Yu Qi and Chunlan, standing nearby, could hardly bear to watch as the two continued to lavish praise on each other.
The Ninth Princess stormed into the palace, alternating between pleading and threatening, insisting that her Prince Consort was a pitiful man with no family to rely on and that the Emperor must give the assignment to him. Faced with this combination of soft and hard tactics, the Emperor finally relented. None of the other court officials thought much of it. Mo Shuihan was young; it was clear he was just going to make an appearance and gain some prestige. What could he possibly accomplish?
This was precisely the effect Mo Shuihan wanted. The more his enemies underestimated him, the easier it would be to investigate. The only headache was that the Emperor, perhaps genuinely worried about his “condition,” also assigned the Ninth Princess to go with him to Jingzhou, under the pretext of nurturing their relationship. Now, the court officials were even more certain that this Prince Consort was just going on a scenic tour.
It was only when they were setting out that Mo Shuihan discovered Xiao Heng was also part of the envoy. His heart sank, but then he saw the guard, An Feng, standing behind him.
Xiao Heng walked over to Mo Shuihan and smiled. “Like you, I’m just here for the scenery. The ones who are actually doing the work are over there.” He craned his neck and pointed to several officials on the other side.
This was the Ninth Princess’s first time leaving the capital. Even though it was now winter and everything was bare, she was still full of excitement. She would frequently stop the carriage and drag Mo Shuihan out to play, growing annoyed when the guards tried to reason with her. The other officials saw this and shook their heads even more.
Mo Shuihan didn’t want to arouse their suspicion, so he went along with her antics. As they were passing through Xiangyang, a heavy snow began to fall, blocking the road. The party had to rest in the city. The Ninth Princess, unable to sit still, heard from the local garrison that there were rabbits on a nearby mountain. After a snowfall, their tracks would be visible, making them easy to catch.
The princess’s interest was piqued, and she insisted that Mo Shuihan go with her to find rabbits. Unable to refuse, the two of them went up the mountain together when the snow let up. As promised, there were occasional tracks in the snow, which the local soldiers identified as rabbit prints. They had a fruitful morning.
On their way back, Yu He suddenly gave Mo Shuihan a subtle look. Mo Shuihan nodded and turned to the princess. “I think I saw a deer run that way. I’m going to go after it. You head back first.”
The princess refused, but Mo Shuihan insisted that too many people would scare the deer away. Yu He whispered in her ear, “You have to give the Prince Consort a little freedom. Watching him too closely will backfire.”
Only then did the princess reluctantly return with the guards. Once they were gone, Ying Er and Ying San, who had been secretly protecting Mo Shuihan, appeared before him. “Young Master, there is someone being pursued up ahead. We heard he is a military strategist for the Left Wing General of Jingzhou, and the men chasing him were sent by that same general. So, we took the liberty of saving him. However, he is currently severely injured.”
Mo Shuihan asked, “Where is he?”
Ying Er and Ying San led him a short distance, and after clearing away some branches covering a patch of undergrowth, revealed a pale, scholarly man lying on the ground, covered in blood.
Mo Shuihan instructed, “Take him to a doctor. Do not let anyone see him. Also, you must find out his true identity. Be careful of a trap.”
As the two men lifted the scholar, a book fell from his robes. Mo Shuihan picked it up and flipped through it. It was filled with dense columns of numbers. He gave the unconscious scholar a thoughtful look and handed the book to Ying Er. “You must save him.”
It was already afternoon when he came down from the mountain. The Ninth Princess saw that he was empty-handed and guessed he had failed, but one of the officials tactlessly ran up to him. “Prince Consort, where is the deer you caught?”
The princess glared at him. “My Prince Consort has a kind heart. He let it go, can’t he?” Honestly, bringing up a sore subject!
Mo Shuihan held the princess back and smiled good-naturedly. “I must have seen wrong. I searched for a long time but couldn’t find it. However, I passed a tavern in the city just now, and they happened to have received a deer. I bought it, so we can all have a feast tonight.”
The official was a straightforward man and thanked Mo Shuihan with a smile. As he walked away, he muttered, “This Prince Consort has a good temper, but he’s stuck with a difficult princess…”
The princess stood up in a huff, ready to go and confront him. “What did you just say…”
Mo Shuihan quickly pulled her back, distracting her. “I found something fun for you, take a look.”
The official quickly covered his mouth and scurried away. The princess, her hands on her hips, fumed, “You’re lucky you ran fast!” Then she turned and pulled on Mo Shuihan, asking to see her gift.
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