PMM - 29

After Nanny Liu asked Lian Sheng to deliver the health tonic to the general, she couldn’t help but stand at the door, eagerly waiting.

After a while, she saw Lian Sheng returning with the intricately carved wooden box, looking calm, as if nothing had happened. Nanny Liu frowned, wondering whether the tonic was ineffective or if the general had a hidden illness.

“Miss, why have you come back?”

“Master drank it. He’s busy with his affairs, so I didn’t want to disturb him. I naturally came back. The wind is strong outside, Granny, don’t stand out here. Come inside.”

“Miss, how did the general react?”

Lian Sheng thought for a moment. Since the tonic had been sent by Nanny Liu, although Yi Cheng’s expression had been strange, in order to reassure Nanny Liu, she replied truthfully, “Master said it tasted pretty good.”

“...” Nanny Liu was perplexed. She couldn’t figure out what went wrong. The general’s tastes were quite unique, and this was the first time someone praised this tonic.

Sighing, Nanny Liu felt disappointed but didn’t show it, so as not to worry Lian Sheng. She accompanied her inside.

Outside, the sky was overcast, and it looked like it might rain. The wind was strong, and the weather was gradually turning colder. Nanny Liu quickly instructed Xi Yu to bring Lian Sheng’s cloak and asked Lu’er Girl to close the windows.

Lian Sheng wrapped herself in a white fox fur cloak, her delicate face pale and soft, looking youthful and adorable. Nanny Liu couldn’t help but sigh again. The young miss was so beautiful, it was such a pity.

“Shall I have someone prepare dinner for you, Miss? Will the general be back for dinner tonight?”

Lian Sheng shook her head. “Granny, don’t bother. Master said he won’t be back for dinner tonight and will be very late. As for me... I’m not feeling well today, so please just make some porridge for me.”

Upon hearing this, Nanny Liu almost slapped herself. She had forgotten the young miss’s condition! She had been so focused on helping the young miss and the general, she had completely forgotten it was that time of the month! Fortunately, the general didn’t react strongly, otherwise, she wouldn’t know how to handle the situation.

Liu Mama instructed Lu’er to prepare a light porridge for the young lady, and also handed her a hot water bottle to hold. The young lady had been outside for a while and if she caught a chill, it wouldn’t be good for her health.

After finishing the porridge, it began to rain outside, with occasional thunder rumbling.

“Miss, you should rest early today,” Lu’er said as she laid out the bed.

Lian Sheng nodded. During her period, she often felt unwell and a little drowsy. After cleaning up, she planned to rest. Lu’er had just helped her remove her outer garments when hurried footsteps approached from the courtyard. Lian Sheng turned around abruptly, and the door was forcefully pushed open.

A thunderclap rang out, startling her. The person who entered made her even more surprised.

Yi Qiancheng, soaked through, his face covered in raindrops, glared at her with gritted teeth. Lian Sheng hesitated, calling out, “Husband?”

Yi Qiancheng almost shouted at the people in the room, “Get out, all of you!”

His sharp, sword-like eyebrows and stern, unrelenting face made him look both cold and harsh. The two maids, never having seen him this angry, trembled with fear. Even Liu Mama, who had seen her fair share of storms, was intimidated by his fierce presence.

Lian Sheng had seen him lose his temper before, but this time, he seemed much more agitated. “Husband, you—”

“Can’t you hear me? Get out, all of you!” he shouted again.

His aura was so overwhelming that the two maids hurried out of the room. Liu Mama, worried, glanced at Lian Sheng, who nodded reassuringly. Liu Mama, still anxious, also left.

Finally, Lian Sheng had the chance to speak. “What’s wrong with you?”

He stormed toward her, lowering his head to look at her. Raindrops dripped from his chin, and his dark eyes gazed at her intensely. Before she could react, he suddenly grabbed her chin, his voice hoarse and furious. “Lian Sheng, what did you make me drink?”

What did he mean? Liu Mama said it was a tonifying soup… He had just been drenched in the rain, so he should have been cold, but now his hand holding her chin was burning hot. Lian Sheng felt a bad premonition.

Before she could speak, Yi Qiancheng suddenly swept her off her feet. His wet clothes soaked through her white fox fur cloak in an instant. Lian Sheng instinctively clutched his neck. “Husband, what are you doing! Put me down!”

He did put her down, but only to place her on the bed. Then, he leaned over her, his hands sliding from her shoulder down, wordlessly undoing her belt. Lian Sheng was stunned, grabbing his hand in disbelief. “Yi Qiancheng! What’s wrong with you!”

His breath was heavy, and seeing the terrified look on her face, he said, “Lian Sheng, do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know? What exactly was in the soup you gave me?”

Lian Sheng’s eyes widened in shock, her gaze reflected in his dark eyes, her calm expression shattered by fear. What had she done? Liu Mama had told her to deliver the soup, but she didn’t realize it might have such an effect! She had seen Yi Qiancheng drink it all!

Her face turned pale in an instant. Seeing her realization, Yi Qiancheng’s expression became more malicious, his earlier restrained desire growing. He deliberately pressed his body down against hers, his abdomen now against her legs.

Lian Sheng looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears, her voice trembling. “Husband! Please get up, we can think of something to solve this…”

She hadn’t seen such a situation before, but with his body pressing against hers, any sane person would know what was happening. In her current state—her delicate beauty combined with her soft, pleading expression—any normal man would have difficulty resisting, let alone Yi Qiancheng, who had already harbored such desires for her and had drunk a whole pot of tonic soup.

His eyes darkened, and his hands continued moving, her weak attempts to stop him completely futile. The effects of the tonic soup weren’t this powerful, but seeing her now, the fire in him blazed uncontrollably.

“Husband! My… my period has come!” Lian Sheng suddenly blurted out, forgetting all embarrassment. She had to say this!

His movements froze for a moment, as if doused with a bucket of cold water. Yi Qiancheng’s eyes turned a darker shade, narrowing slightly, before he bit her cheek in frustration. His voice remained hoarse. “Are you lying to me? Hmm?”

“No, I’m not. Really!” Lian Sheng almost cried out.

Yi Qiancheng sighed deeply, his voice laced with an unexplainable, wicked tone. “That’s... fine. It doesn’t matter. It can’t be stopped now. Be good, I’ll teach you.”

——————Censorship——————

...

At the Southern Yuan River, the flickering candlelight cast shadows on the man sitting in the highest seat, creating a strange and eerie atmosphere.

He was dressed in red, with black hair and delicate features. Though a man, his face had a certain alluring charm. After reading through the documents in his hands, he smiled instead of getting angry. “Is this the group of useless people I raised? I told you to keep an eye on Feng Mu, and now you bring me news only now?”

His voice was soft, yet it carried no trace of anger. The ministers below quickly rose and knelt, cold sweat dripping down their backs.

One minister, trembling, stepped forward to explain. He was the one responsible for monitoring Feng Mu’s movements. “Lord… it’s not my fault. I did follow your orders and kept an eye on Feng Mu. But there’s been no sign of anything unusual from him for the past two months. Lord Yan Rong was in good health, but suddenly fell ill. He kept it a secret, and no one knew until recently. I only found out these past few days and immediately reported it to you.”

The man sitting in the highest seat was none other than the Lord of the Yuan River, Xiang Han. Hearing this, he stood up, his expression unreadable. “Oh?”

Slowly walking up to the trembling minister, Xiang Han smiled and said, “You really dare to speak, don’t you? If it weren’t for the people from Sha Ji appearing openly, you would probably never have known that Feng Mu has already fallen into such chaos, right?”

“Lord, spare me, Lord, spare me!” The minister desperately kowtowed, the sound of his head striking the ground echoing, causing the other ministers to feel uneasy. “Please give me a chance, I will definitely redeem myself!”

“A chance? Fine.” Xiang Han tossed the document in his hand onto the minister’s body. The minister’s face showed a slight trace of joy, but Xiang Han continued, “But your eyes don’t work; you can’t see the movements of Feng Mu. Your ears don’t work either; you didn’t hear any rumors. Since that’s the case, I’ll help you remove this useless thing.”

“Guards, drag him out, gouge out his eyes and cut off his ears. Throw him into Feng Mu and see how he redeems himself,” Xiang Han said with a smile.

“Lord, spare me… spare me…” The minister’s cries went unanswered. Two guards came in, dragged him out, and soon a sharp scream was heard. Xiang Han listened attentively, as if it was an incredibly moving sound. When the painful cries finally stopped, Xiang Han turned around and sat back on his throne, his expression finally calming down.

All the ministers secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as everyone knew their lord, Xiang Han, had a strange temperament. When he was happy and calm, his temper was quite good; he was fair when dealing with problems and treated his ministers with generosity and politeness. But once someone offended him, he would not let them off easily, and that person would definitely have a miserable end.

In his rage, Xiang Han became a completely different person. Everyone could only wait for his anger to subside before he would turn back into the gentle lord he normally was. He was highly skilled and had a sharp mind. Originally, the lord of the Yuan Shui region should have been his father, but his father, Xiang Xuan, was weak by nature and was killed by his own younger brother, who usurped the throne. To preserve the reputation, they kept Xiang Han and his mother alive, thinking that a child and a weak woman wouldn’t be able to make much of a fuss.

A mother and son who survived against the odds, no one expected that the seemingly weak young boy would eventually kill his uncle and take back the position of lord. Such a person, with great plans, skills, and the ability to disguise himself, had a heart that was as ruthless as they came. Since taking the throne, everyone had to obey him.

Xiang Han swept his gaze across the ministers below and asked, “Since we’re a step behind Yi Qiancheng, does anyone have any ideas to remedy this?”

None of the ministers dared to speak. Yi Qiancheng was also a formidable character, and this time no one knew Yi Qiancheng’s tactics. If anyone rashly suggested something that would backfire, it could provoke Xiang Han’s greater wrath.

No one spoke. Xiang Han sighed lightly, “Since no one has anything to say, what use are you all to me?”

“Lord, forgive us! How about sending someone to Feng Mu first to make contact? The old lord of Feng Mu, Yan Rong, has two sons, neither of whom are particularly clever. We could inform them about Yi Qiancheng’s plan to attack Feng Mu, and while they’re busy dealing with him, we can seize the opportunity to take control of Feng Mu.”

Xiang Han frowned, after a long pause, he shook his head, “That won’t work. Yi Qiancheng is one step ahead of us. He’s surely thought of the situation where the clam and the snipe fight, and he must have some countermeasures in place. Furthermore, when we tried to win over Feng Mu before, they were most wary of us.”

“Then… what is the Lord’s plan?”

Xiang Han pretended to look troubled, shaking his head, “Being a step behind them, it seems there’s really nothing we can do. Why don’t we just leave Feng Mu to Yi Qiancheng?”

The ministers raised their heads, all looking at Xiang Han in confusion.

The man on the throne slowly smiled, “Yes, let Yi Qiancheng attack, and we’ll temporarily stay out of it. But whether Feng Mu will eventually fall into Yi Qiancheng’s hands is not certain.”