lcionline Chapter 285 Are You Still a Man?
Chapter 285 Are You Still a Man?
To actually slander Fu Yingli's innocence is going too far.
Although Su Mowan didn't like Mu Qingchen before, she hadn't realized how shameless he was!
At that moment, I had an urge to kick him until he was crippled!
Fu Yingli is such a pure and innocent girl. She was so reserved when she went on a date with Su Ruofeng. But Mu Qingchen, that scumbag, actually resorted to such despicable and low-class means!
This is absolutely disgusting!
Thinking of this, Su Mowan suddenly asked, "Brother, will Mu Qingchen come today too?"
Su Mobai seemed to know what she wanted to do. He nodded first, then said, "Just wait and see the show."
The implication was that she should watch quietly and not interfere.
Su Mowan was a little confused. How could she possibly watch the show? Was she supposed to rely on Su Ruofeng? With Su Ruofeng's temper, he wouldn't just be watching a good show; he'd probably lose his composure.
In this situation, Su Ruofeng should not make any mistakes. After all, Su Ruofeng has just achieved good results and needs to make a good impression on Emperor Mo Yao. He cannot lose points in the impression.
Su Mowan suddenly thought of Shangguan Qingqi.
As the martial arts champion, Shangguan Qingqi will definitely be here today. The main reason is that Shangguan Qingqi and Mu Qingchen have never gotten along, and Shangguan Qingqi is probably quite cunning.
Su Mowan's eyes darted around, thinking she would find an opportunity to urge Shangguan to teach Mu Qingchen, that immoral scum, a lesson!
The hunting grounds in the northern suburbs were quite large, covering an area of about ten miles in circumference. It was late autumn now, and the trees were bare, withered leaves covered the ground. When the north wind blew, the leaves swirled and tumbled on the ground, making soft rustling sounds.
The hunting grounds are crisscrossed by numerous paths that meander through the woods.
Beyond the entrance was a grassy area, now withered and yellow, where several people walked, their footsteps making a rustling sound.
At the end of the meadow stood a magnificent palace, which covered a vast area; judging from its layout alone, it must have been at least 300 meters in circumference.
This is the Northern Suburban Imperial Palace.
Su Mowan sighed inwardly at the extravagance. They only came twice a year, in spring and autumn, yet it required such a huge undertaking.
Moreover, people have to be stationed there to manage it. Rich people really can be capricious!
Thinking of this, Su Mowan recalled that three months ago, Emperor Moyao sent the Crown Prince to Jiangnan to provide disaster relief, and Su Mobai went with him at that time.
Later, when her wedding day arrived, Su Mobai suddenly returned to the capital. After she entered the Prince Qin's mansion, Su Mobai ran off to Jiangnan.
Could it be that Su Mobai came back just to stop her from running away from the wedding?
No, that's not right. She remembered that Murong Jing said Su Mobai had swindled him out of 100,000 taels of silver before leaving. So Su Mobai took those 100,000 taels of silver to Jiangnan.
Su Mowan felt she needed to find an opportunity to properly understand all of Su Mobai's assets.
From afar, a cluster of tents could be seen outside the palace, indicating that some people had already arrived.
The young men mingled in twos and threes, joking and laughing, and their chatter could be heard from afar.
One of them suddenly turned around and looked over, his eyes lighting up slightly when he saw Su Mowan and her group.
It is Tang Minzhi.
Murong Jing noticed the change in Tang Minzhi's expression and felt a surge of displeasure. How dare she spy on his woman in broad daylight!
In fact, Tang Minzhi's eyes lit up earlier because he saw Su Mowan, but when he saw Prince Qin looking at him with a gloomy expression, his gaze shifted slightly and met that of his own brother, Tang Jingzhi.
Tang Minzhi skillfully concealed his momentary lapse in composure. As the group entered, he first bowed to Prince Qin with clasped hands, then humbly expressed his admiration for Su Mobai, and finally addressed Tang Jingzhi as "brother."
He didn't greet Su Mowan at all from beginning to end.
This made it seem deliberate, and Tang Minzhi knew that it would make her seem guilty, but she couldn't help it; she just couldn't control her guilty conscience.
After Tang Minzhi, several other young men came to pay their respects. Seeing that there were more and more people, Murong Jing signaled Feng Yue to proceed to the palace.
Su Mobai and Tang Jingzhi held official positions and were allowed to enter, so the group turned and entered the palace.
At first glance, the palace appears simple and elegant, but upon closer inspection, it reveals a sophisticated layout. Su Mowan silently memorized the surrounding arrangement, just in case.
The palace servants who were stationed there knew that His Highness Prince Qin had arrived, and immediately came out to kneel and greet him. Su Mowan glanced at them and saw that there were as many as sixty or seventy of them. She couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Aren't they too idle?"
The palace complex was scattered throughout the imperial palace. The palace staff led us to a relatively quiet place that still looked grand and luxurious.
It's right behind the largest palace.
Tang Jingzhi actually wanted to go to the place where officials were entertained, but Su Mobai gestured for him to follow.
Upon arrival, they found the place to be quite spacious, no smaller than Huangfeng Garden where Su Mowan lived, but the decorations were simple and naturally not as comfortable as Huangfeng Garden.
The palace servants then brought in two stoves burning charcoal. Su Mowan was already a little uncomfortable with the smell, but she had to endure it because it was too cold.
The group sat down in the main hall, and it seemed they were going to talk about something. Su Mowan simply had Yinshuang lead the way to the bedroom.
Shen Muyue, who had been ignored all along, also found a room to stay in by herself.
Su Mowan left quite decisively, but she had some doubts in her heart. The matter that Su Mobai and Murong Jing wanted to discuss was most likely that one thing, and they didn't even try to hide it from Tang Jingzhi. Was there something more complicated about this relationship?
With about an hour to go before lunch, Su Mowan lay on her bed, lost in thought, feeling utterly bored.
Seeing that she was really bored, Yinshuang actually took the initiative to come closer and said, "Don't you think Consort Shen is a little different today?"
Yinshuang rarely gossiped, so Su Mowan raised an eyebrow in surprise and looked up at her. "What did you figure out?"
Yinshuang frowned slightly. "No, it's just that something feels off."
Su Mowan recalled the first time she saw Shen Muyue upon her return to the manor, and a smile appeared on her lips as she said to Yinshuang, "I'm not entirely sure either, but she does seem a bit different today."
After Shen Muyue tidied herself up, there was no noticeable difference on her face. Su Mowan had to admit, she admired Yinshuang's observational skills.
After saying that, Yinshuang stopped talking. Seeing that she was ready to serve her at any time, Su Mowan said that she might need to take a nap and told her to go by herself.
Yinshuang glanced at her twice, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
Seeing that she was holding it in, Su Mowan said, "What's wrong? Just say what you want to say."
Yinshuang's gaze darted away, seemingly embarrassed. She lowered her eyes and said somewhat awkwardly, "Why have you been so sleepy lately? Could it be that..."
Yinshuang couldn't continue her story after that point.
It was really a challenge to the pride of a young, unmarried woman like her.
Su Mowan understood perfectly well what Yinshuang wanted to say. Then, remembering the slight misunderstanding she had with Murong Jing over this the night before, she couldn't help but smile.
"It's not the one you're talking about, but I don't know why, I've been feeling a bit sleepy these past couple of days."
They're living like pigs.
Since she was about to go to Jiangnan, she didn't go to Hualou and Zuijinzhao much. She spent her days eating and sleeping, and the thing is, she could fall asleep whenever she wanted.
To be honest, Su Mowan was a little impressed with herself.
In the past, three hours of sleep a day would have been enough, but now, if there's nothing else to do, it's not difficult for her to sleep for five or six hours.
Su Mowan stretched out her five fingers and looked at them, finding that they were not as bony as before. She then touched her waist.
This mock exam was truly extraordinary; it even startled her.
Seeing her strange behavior, Yinshuang asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"
It doesn't seem like scratching an itch.
Su Mowan quickly sat up and asked Yinshuang with a serious expression, "Have I gained weight recently?"
Upon hearing this, Yinshuang glanced around at her, her gaze finally sweeping over her chest. She lowered her head slightly and said, "It seems...it does seem a little."
"..."
Su Mowan felt a little embarrassed by Yinshuang's gaze, cleared her throat and said, "Um, have you really gained weight? My face looks rounder than before?"
Yinshuang then looked up and took a serious look, finally saying hesitantly, "It seems to be much better than it was three months ago."
Yinshuang said this because she felt that Su Mowan was too slender and a bit too thin three months ago.
Although she still thinks she's thinner now, she looks much better than she did three months ago.
Su Mowan frowned. She wasn't particularly concerned about maintaining a certain figure, but at this rate, if she continued eating and sleeping like this, it would be terrible!
So Su Mowan, who had originally planned to take another nap, decided to go out and get some exercise.
He called to Yinshuang and they went outside. They didn't pass by the main hall, but they could faintly hear conversations inside.
After thinking for a moment, Su Mowan decided to have Yinshuang inform Murong Jing.
Yinshuang knocked on the door and went in, but came out again a short while later. Just as Su Mowan was about to leave, Yinshuang quickly stopped her, saying, "His Highness said you should wear more clothes before going out."
So Su Mowan had no choice but to wait where she was, while Yinshuang went back and retrieved the fox fur coat she had taken off.
The palace was very large. Su Mowan originally intended to walk out along the original path, but on a whim, she chose a more secluded path.
After walking for about two minutes, Su Mowan realized that they were going further and further astray, so she decided to go back along the original route.
Just then, they heard two familiar voices.
One male and one female.
They quickly lowered their footsteps and leaned against the wall. When Yinshuang saw something was wrong, she also quickly pressed herself against the wall.
All that could be heard was a conversation between two people.
The woman's voice was gentle yet firm. "If you want to regret it, it's not too late now; it's just a matter of saying a few words."
Then the man said, "Your Majesty, I have no regrets."
"No regrets? Then who are you trying to impress? If you're not happy, don't force yourself. I haven't fallen to the point where I need your pity."
"Your Majesty... will be more careful in the future."
The conversation ended abruptly there. Su Mowan thought that was the end of it and was about to turn around and leave quietly when she heard the woman say again, "Are you still holding a grudge about what happened back then?"
After a moment of silence, the man said, "I already know that it was a misunderstanding."
"Song Chuwen! Are you even a man? You dared to propose to me in front of all the civil and military officials, so why can't you admit that you still mind?"