mtlumby2d Chapter 368: Gambling with the Emperor
Chapter 368: Gambling with the Emperor
When Puzhao mentioned mutants, Shen Wen asked quickly, "Have you noticed any traces of the blood talisman? Is it possible for you to find them?"
Dadi on the side said: "This will take some time. We haven't counted the entire map of the capital yet. In addition, those blood symbols need to appear again, otherwise it will be difficult to find them."
Puzhao also nodded in agreement.
Shen Wen recalled the differences between the two batches of blood talismans he had analyzed before. He was sure that one of the batches of blood talismans was made by someone hired by Prince Rui. As for the other batch of blood talismans, he always felt uneasy whenever he thought about it. This premonition became stronger and stronger. The other batches of blood talismans were the most powerful, and the ambitious people behind the scenes were the most dangerous.
Shen Wen decided to let Puzhao Dadi investigate as much as possible and find out the truth as soon as possible.
Shen Wen then said to Pu Zhao, "As for the substitute, since I will be in front of the public for a while, he must be hidden well. Let's go to the Baicao Medical Clinic and find a new place to hide the substitute."
So Shen Wen and Puzhao Dadi left the three houses and quickly went to the Baicao Medical Clinic.
When they arrived at the Baicao Medical Clinic, they saw three or five servants from Lord Ruan's house who had already hurried to see Ruan Qingxia first, and both of them were crying and sighing with excitement.
And the stand-in Jesse was standing in the crowd, watching it all stupidly.
As a result of their commotion, the news of Lord Ruan's disappearance at Honglian Villa, which had been circulating in the market, was confirmed by the citizens who were watching the excitement. They gossiped and talked about it, and the news spread from mouth to mouth. The news spread rapidly.
There was also that kind-hearted man who clamored to report to the court quickly, saying that Lord Nguyen Qingtian, who had worked for the people, had returned with great fortune.
After hearing this, Shen Wen no longer dared to be negligent and quickly signaled Puzhao Dadi. The three of them quietly entered the crowd and pulled away the ignored Jesse.
Unexpectedly, just as Puzhao Dadi pulled Jesse out of the crowd, a voice said, "Hey, you said Lord Ruan returned safely, but has the other third-rank guard Lord Shen returned? Didn't they say that the court sent troops out to search for the two missing court officials?"
Another person responded, "That's right. The notice posted by the court clearly states that it is Lord Ruan, the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, and Lord Shen, the bodyguard."
So everyone looked at Lord Ruan who was still ill and asked, "Lord Ruan, do you know? Did Lord Shen come back with you?"
Ruan Qingxia, who was pale and weak, first expressed his gratitude to the people for their praise and affirmation, and then said, "I'm back, I'm back! He just went back home for me, notified my family that I was safe, and came to find me with his servants."
Then he pointed his finger to his right, but when he turned around, he did not see Shen Wen.
He couldn't help but blink, thinking that his eyes were blurry. He remembered that Shen Wen was standing beside him and smiling.
Ruan Qingxia raised one hand woodenly, searching for Shen Wen among the crowd around him.
Everyone was curiously looking around, and the crowd that had been gathered like an iron wall became sparse. In the gaps in the crowd, Ruan Qingxia caught sight of Shen Wen and immediately pointed at him and shouted, "Master Shen, why did you go there? Weren't you by my side just now?"
Shen Wen cursed in his heart, slapped his forehead, and under the gaze of everyone, he turned around and smiled at Ruan Qingxia and replied: "Um...you guys chat...chat first, I have to pee urgently, I'm going to the toilet first."
Only then did everyone realize the true appearance of the Lord Shen that everyone had been talking about recently.
Everyone started pointing at him and chatting again.
One of them asked Shen Wen, "Sir Shen, are the rumors about Honglian Villa true? The dead have all resurrected. Did they kill all the troops sent by the court?"
The one who corrected him said, "No, not all the soldiers were killed. A few officers and soldiers escaped, and the other two were lucky adults."
Shen Wen felt very guilty because he was not involved in that matter at all. How would he know what it was about?
So he held his stomach as if he had to pee and his stomach hurt, waved his hands around him, and embarrassedly excused himself to go to the toilet.
Everyone had no choice but to make way for him and let him go out to find the toilet.
Some of the enthusiastic citizens even showed him the way and told him where the toilet was. Shen Wen's face turned red with embarrassment and he wanted to cover his face as he walked through the crowd.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he left everyone's sight, and hurried away when everyone turned their eyes away. The key now was to find the substitute Jesse as soon as possible and ask him about the details of what happened in Honglian Villa.
Shen Wen headed in the direction where Puzhao Dadi had taken Jesse, crossed an alley, and just as he was about to turn left, a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him away in the opposite direction.
When Shen Wen looked up, his expression immediately turned bad. It turned out to be Chu Yanqiu. This person was simply haunting him.
Chu Yanqiu didn't care how Shen Wen made a fuss, and kept pulling him away. Chu Yanqiu pulled him away, then looked at Shen Wen and said, "Didn't you say you were going back to your home to hide? How come you are on this street, with Lord Ruan? Don't you know you shouldn't show up in front of everyone? Soon His Majesty will know your whereabouts. When His Majesty summons you to the court, do you know what will happen to you? Do you really want to admit defeat? And then serve His Majesty like His Majesty's personal eunuch every day? Don't forget, you made a bet with His Majesty that His Majesty would dismiss you from your post and send you to the palace to serve His Majesty. That's being a slave, don't you understand?"
Shen Wen looked at Chu Yanqiu with his eyes wide open, bewildered, because he had no idea about the bet with His Majesty. How could he not be shocked when he heard what Chu Yanqiu said? He felt like a cute and delicious little lamb, jumping directly into the tiger's mouth, right?
Thinking of the look in the little emperor's eyes that coveted him, Shen Wen shuddered in his heart, especially the feeling of meeting the little emperor twice afterwards. He felt as if he couldn't settle down in his heart, and he couldn't guess what the little emperor was thinking at all, that kind of ambiguous and sometimes affectionate love...
Ok……
That's how I describe it, it's sticky and has ulterior motives.
Chu Yanqiu held Shen Wen's hand tightly and said, "I have always told you that it is safest to stay with me, but you refused to listen. Do you know how deep the water is in a place like the palace?"
Shen Wen wanted to shake him off, but he failed after two attempts. He was so angry that he said with a sour face, "You say the water in the palace is deep, but isn't the water in your Jiguogong Mansion deep? The water behind you, Lord Chu, is even deeper. You probably forgot that I have been escaping death time and time again these days, and it is all because of you."
Chu Yanqiu was silent. He wanted to explain things to Shen Wen, but he couldn't say anything. He said, "Come back with me first. I will explain my affairs to you later. Listen to me. Let's get through this crisis together."
Shen Wen now looked at the man in front of him and felt that he seemed like a good husband whom he could trust for the rest of his life. If he was still the cowardly and insecure little guy he was in his previous life, he would have surrendered and given himself over to this man long ago.
Shen Wen pried open his fingers one by one.
It's a pity that he is not his predecessor. He is powerful. He can't be said to be much stronger than the man in front of him, but he is almost on par with this man.
Chu Yanqiu did not grab Shen Wen's hand again. He looked at him quietly. He understood that Shen Wen still did not believe him after all.
Shen Wen smiled and said, "Don't you see clearly? After so many things, I have died many times. Or, as someone who has died once, I no longer care where or how I die."
Chu Yanqiu's heart trembled. He was a cold-hearted man who never cared about other people's life or death, but suddenly he felt heartache for the person in front of him. He felt so heartbroken that he wanted to pull this person's hand to his chest and convey his care to this person.
But the hand he stretched out finally stopped in mid-air, and he put it down as if casually.
Seeing Shen Wen just walk away from him, Chu Yanqiu did not bother to pester him anymore. When Shen Wen was about to walk away, Chu Yanqiu turned back and said to him: "Since you have made a decision, I will follow your decision, but I will also do what I say. I will definitely protect you."
Shen Wen didn't even turn around and waved his hand nonchalantly, saying in a very casual manner: "Thank you then."
Shen Wen had something on his mind. When he reached the end of the alley, he turned and continued walking. Unexpectedly, he returned to the front of the clinic and met the people who had gathered around Ruan Qingxia again. The people recognized him from a distance and when they saw him coming back from the toilet, they immediately shouted to make way for him, looking forward to hearing more details from him.
Everyone enthusiastically invited him into the crowd, making it impossible for Shen Wen to escape. He had no choice but to go back. Shen Wen stood beside Ruan Qingxia, exchanged a few words with the people, and then supported Ruan Qingxia with a concerned attitude and said, "Hey, Master Ruan, do you feel unwell? You must be too tired from standing here and need to rest. I think I'd better help you back to the clinic."
Then he turned around and said to the people in all directions: "Let's stop here today. You may not know that Lord Ruan still has internal injuries. It is really not suitable for outsiders to disturb him. I think everyone should disperse and let Lord Ruan have a good rest."
Just after he finished speaking, Ruan Qingxia panted weakly and said to the people, "I appreciate your concern for me. It's not good to stay in front of the clinic for too long today. After all, this is where patients go to see a doctor. Don't delay the treatment of patients. Just go and do your own things."
When everyone saw that Ruan Qingxia was really in trouble, they stopped pestering him and left in groups of three or four.
Ruan Qingxia's servants were also fooled by their master's acting skills. They were concerned and wanted to carry him to the clinic. Ruan Qingxia stopped them and said, "Why go back to the clinic? It's not easy for me to come back. It's only right for me to go home as soon as possible. Carry me home."
The personal servant knew his master very well. Hearing his full-throated words, he looked at Shen Wen with a strange look in his eyes, and waved to the servants, "Listen to the master, carry the master home."
Ruan Qingxia took Shen Wen's hand and said, "Come home with me, this is not a place to stay for long."
Shen Wen originally wanted to refuse and quickly find Jesse's substitute to learn the details, but he was held tightly by Ruan Qingxia and had to leave the clinic with him.