Chapter 42

Meng Fushan was ultimately executed in secret. Even though he had not participated in the rebellion, nor personally ordered those atrocious massacres of entire households at the Suzhou gardens, sheltering rebels and hunting down Guan Jiasheng alone were enough to warrant his death a hundred times over.

His publicly announced crimes were corruption, fraud, and wanton murder.

Chu Huaiyin specifically hired a storyteller to compose an "official" tale about Meng Fushan the faithless husband. With its twisting, engrossing plot, once it spread through the restaurants and teahouses, the common people promptly forgot about the remnants of the previous dynasty. All they remembered was that Meng Fushan was scum who had climbed the ranks by relying on women, a beast in human clothing worse than pigs and dogs. When the storyteller reached the part where Meng Fushan abandoned Jiang Yao, accomplished in both literary and martial arts, to favor Lady Zhou, only to be implicated when the Zhou Family joined a rebellion, everyone applauded. As for Meng Zhou and Jiang Yao, under deliberate guidance, everyone expressed sympathy whenever the two were mentioned, waving their hands as they advised those who did not know the truth, "They're descendants of the illustrious Jiang Clan, with all its military achievements. Don't lump them together with that faithless husband."

As for Meng Fushan's son, Meng Huaidao, he had always held posts outside the capital and had little connection to it. Chu Huaiyin merely stripped him of his official position and did not make things too difficult for him.

The court issued a notice stating that an adviser to the Liu Family had masterminded the Suzhou case, and the reward kept rising. Too many people coveted the Meng Residence's supposed treasure map, seriously disrupting public order in the capital. After obtaining the plans, Chu Huaiyin ordered the residence razed and the site turned into a vegetable market.

The enormous Meng Residence collapsed overnight, without so much as a brick remaining. Meng Fushan's name vanished from the capital.

Rumors came quickly and faded just as fast. The favorite topic in restaurants and teahouses had already changed to news of the Feng Kingdom's envoys arriving in the capital.

Meng Zhou silently kept Old Madam Guan company over breakfast. Meng Fushan had been the man hunting Guan Jiasheng, and for a moment, he did not know what to say to her.

Come to think of it, with Meng Fushan dead, his responsibilities as Meng Zhou were fulfilled, and his responsibilities as Guan Jiasheng were half discharged as well. There seemed to be no reason for him to keep occupying Guan Jiasheng's identity now. Meng Zhou waited silently for Guan's mother to raise the matter.

After two bites, Guan's mother set down her bowl. Looking at Meng Zhou, profound regret surfaced in her eyes. "Back when Jiang Yao fell for Meng Fushan, I knew his character was poor, but I kept silent out of concern for my own reputation. I wronged Jiang Yao. If I had spoken up... Meng Fushan would never have climbed to the position of left chancellor, much less hunted Jiasheng. Cause and effect come full circle. It was all retribution. You've helped Jiasheng so much. All I feel is gratitude and guilt. If you need Jiasheng's identity, then keep using it."

"I've sent people to check on Brother Guan. If his health can withstand a carriage journey, we should bring him to the capital to recuperate."

"Won't they be targeted?" Though Guan's mother wanted to see her son, she knew their enemies were hidden while they were exposed. The situation did not look promising.

"No. I sent them on detours through different prefectures, splitting them into several groups. They won't be able to tell their real purpose."

"That's good, then..."

Meng Zhou's instincts told him that although the fake A Hu appeared to be an assassin kept by Meng Fushan, he actually served another master. At the theater, his story had been full of holes as he tried to lure Meng Zhou inside. But according to Meng Fushan's confession, he had not arranged for anyone else to ambush and kill Meng Zhou at the theater that day.

Unfortunately, the fake A Hu was extremely tight-lipped and would not talk even under severe torture. His adoptive parents claimed ignorance about everything, insisting they had merely adopted him. They had not supervised him strictly, and there was nothing they could do if the boy had fallen in with bad friends.

Meng Zhou proposed working on the adoptive parents. First, he would disguise the real A Hu as the fake one to coax information out of them. However, despite following Meng Zhou for so long, A Hu had not learned a shred of acting ability and had instead grown even more straightforward. After teaching him for several days, Meng Zhou felt his hair would turn white from frustration.

Watching Meng Zhou fume, Chu Huaiyin found it very amusing. "If only you were as foolish as A Hu, my dear minister."

Meng Zhou: Do you have any sense of crisis about someone coveting your empire at all?

Not only did His Majesty have none, he even insisted on taking his hand and strolling through the streets.

The weather was growing colder, and Meng Zhou tucked his hands inside his sleeves. Chu Huaiyin forcibly pulled one out and cupped it between both of his. "I'll warm it for you."

Meng Zhou thought that next time, he would wear something thick and sew the cuffs shut.

Repeated investigations into the obstruction of grain and fodder shipments to the Shu Region had yielded no results. The route had been cleared, but the stolen supplies remained missing.

Grain and fodder, weapons, military pay, money, and the troops originally controlled by the Liu Family... Linked together, these things resembled an invisible net spread over Great Wei. Though more than half of it had been torn apart, the person weaving it had yet to surface.

Chu Huaiyin had sent Hanlin Academician Ji to the Shu Region to investigate. He had been gone for over a month, and with no one keeping the one at home in check, he had become especially lawless.

Before leaving, Hanlin Academician Ji had tactfully hinted to His Majesty, asking whether he could show leniency if Shen Baiqing caused trouble in his absence.

When Chu Huaiyin cheerfully agreed, he had never imagined he would one day have to deal with Meng Zhou and Shen Baiqing fighting.

It was not really a fight, though. It was merely two bristling kittens bluffing at each other from opposite sides of a river.

The Feng Kingdom's envoys entered the city in a grand procession, and spectators packed both sides of the streets. With his newly paid salary as capital prefect in hand, Meng Zhou decided to splurge for once and book a private room in a teahouse.

The Feng Kingdom lay west of Great Wei, conveniently very close to the Shu Region. Meng Zhou felt this diplomatic mission harbored ill intentions. Especially when he spotted a large group of gorgeous dancing girls among the envoys, he crunched his nuts noisily.

I'm not angry. It's none of my business.

A waiter came in to ask whether he would mind sharing his table. The teahouse was full, and another young gentleman also wanted a seat by the window.

Meng Zhou nodded casually, his mind full of... Eighteen dancing girls. Hmph. Chu Huaiyin certainly has luck with women.

The newcomer greeted him, and the two leaned over the windowsill together.

Meng Zhou turned to glance at him and could not look away.

Isn't this that pregnant young gentleman in white who ran away and was caught by his servants, the one Chu Huaiyin intervened for?

Meng Zhou's gaze unconsciously slid downward. Compared with their last meeting, his belly had grown considerably. Hanlin Academician Ji probably treated him well; even his chin had grown a little rounder. Unlike Meng Zhou, whose small face and pointed chin made him look as skinny as though he never had enough to eat. If he had not been dining frequently with Chu Huaiyin lately, making his lower belly a little rounder, he would not have looked pregnant at all.

Will my belly get that big too? It's grown so much in just two months? Will Chu Huaiyin lock me up if he finds out?

Surprise flashed in his eyes, and before he could conceal it, Shen Baiqing noticed.

Shen Baiqing hated people looking at his belly more than anything. Marrying that Ji fellow had clearly been an enormous windfall for the other man, yet outsiders insisted he was a purchased canary!

Do you understand mutual affection? Do you understand childhood sweethearts?

Shen Baiqing slapped the table. "What are you looking at?"

The waiter came in with tea and jumped in fright. The tea tilted and was about to crash onto the table, but Meng Zhou swiftly grabbed the teapot's handle, hissing from the heat.

Meng Zhou humbly asked for advice. "May I ask what you usually eat, Young Master Shen?"

Forced to consume all sorts of nourishing foods, Shen Baiqing was very reluctant to discuss the subject. He made something up on the spot. "Ducks! Live ones!"

Meng Zhou sucked in a breath. Live ones?

As though sensing something, Shen Baiqing looked at Meng Zhou's lower belly, and his eyes suddenly widened.

This man is like me?

"You're pre-mmph!"

Meng Zhou lunged over and clapped a hand over his mouth. Damn it, there are hidden guards all around. What if they hear?

"I'm not!" Meng Zhou threatened quietly.

Shen Baiqing nodded. Once released, his eyes lit up. "Let's fight. If you win, I won't tell."

Ever since he became pregnant, no one dared to fight him. Even if he tore the roof off the house, that Ji fellow would just smile and say they could sleep in another room.

Shen Baiqing rubbed his fingers together. He had noticed just now that Meng Zhou was trained in martial arts too. With one pregnant man against another, could that be called fighting? That was called exercise.

Astonished by his train of thought, Meng Zhou did not have the nerve to fight someone five months pregnant.

He could still go into rivers, climb mountains, and even hear cases and kill assassins. Why would he need to fight someone for exercise?

With every item he listed, Shen Baiqing grew angrier, clenching his fists and declaring that they absolutely had to fight today.

He even picked up a bench and knocked it against the table. "Hey, I'm provoking you this much. Are you up to it or not?"

Before Meng Zhou could answer, the hidden guards saw things taking a bad turn and emerged one after another, blocking him with fierce expressions.

H-how is it a pregnant man... How are we supposed to fight him?

Seeing their young master at a disadvantage, the Ji household's servants stationed outside hurried in, turning the atmosphere into a genuine standoff.

Shen Baiqing was thrilled and excited. Meng Zhou did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Chu Huaiyin happened to be coming to find Meng Zhou. After receiving the hidden guards' report, he rushed over in alarm. The scene gave him something of a headache.

"What happened?" Standing beside Meng Zhou, Chu Huaiyin asked quietly.

"Young Master Shen wanted to spar with me. I didn't think it was appropriate."

Chu Huaiyin glanced at Shen Baiqing. It certainly was not appropriate.

"Ji Yang, take Young Master Shen home."

Ji Yang's scalp tightened. Why did they always call him for this sort of thing?

"Wait..."

Meng Zhou's heart leaped into his throat, afraid Shen Baiqing would say something earth-shattering.

Fortunately, Shen Baiqing understood how difficult things were for people like them. Seeing that Meng Zhou wanted to keep it secret, he said nothing about it. Instead, he said, "If you have time, my lord, you can come to the Ji Residence for tea."

"All right."

After Shen Baiqing left, Chu Huaiyin coughed. "If you have free time, my dear minister, you might as well spend more of it with me."

The banquet welcoming the Feng Kingdom's envoys was about to begin. Chu Huaiyin had come out to find Meng Zhou.

"How about sitting in the chancellor's seat tonight?"

Meng Zhou was startled. What did he mean?

Chu Huaiyin said, "I promised you military command and the chancellorship. The left chancellor's post is vacant. Which identity would you like to take office under?"

Wouldn't such a rapid promotion invite criticism? The enormous windfall left Meng Zhou dizzy for a moment before he remembered that things were different now. His goal was an official posting outside the capital.

Meng Zhou hemmed and hawed, then said he needed to think about it.

Chu Huaiyin squeezed his fingers. "Whichever one you choose, don't think too long. You should tell your uncle."

The banquet began.

After a crackling burst of fireworks, the opening performance was a dance by the dancing girls, and so was the closing one. Meng Zhou muttered inwardly that the Feng Kingdom had clearly been plotting to fill Chu Huaiyin's harem for a long time.

A refreshing floral fragrance wafted over. The dancers surrounded an ethereal woman in white with a slender waist and captivating movements. Flower petals continually scattered from the silk at her fingertips, fluttering down to cover the ground.

Her waist was slender, her body light enough to dance upon a palm. Like a lotus fairy stepping on lotus petals, the woman in white danced with exquisite, unparalleled skill, holding every guest's attention firmly.

Meng Zhou pressed both hands around his own waist to measure it.

A little thick.

He frowned, and Chu Huaiyin immediately sent Xiao Jiu over to ask whether he felt unwell. Meng Zhou hastily dropped his hands and smoothed his clothes, concealing his slightly protruding lower belly. "I'm fine."

In that instant when Meng Zhou measured his waist, Chu Huaiyin also caught sight of the waist usually hidden beneath his long robes. Something seemed not quite right.

He glanced at the dancer, then at Meng Zhou, comparing them inwardly. Just as he was about to summon Meng Zhou for a closer look, an envoy suddenly approached to offer a toast, interrupting his thoughts.

The envoy offering the toast was not very tall. He was said to be one of the Feng Kingdom's best drinkers among its officials and was sent on every diplomatic mission. Still young, he had already drunk himself into a beer belly and was even balding a little.

Confronted with the potbellied envoy, Chu Huaiyin instantly felt that Meng Zhou's little belly was nothing. He reflected deeply on his mistake. How could he compare Meng Zhou with a dancing girl? Men and women were not comparable at all.

Kitten Meng eats a lot. I must have fattened him up.

That little belly must feel wonderful. Chu Huaiyin felt secretly pleased.

Meng Zhou had no idea that the envoy's toast had saved his precarious disguise. He drank two large cups of plain water, feeling increasingly hot as he breathed in the floral fragrance.

Pregnant people were already more sensitive than others. Aside from his one night of intimacy with Chu Huaiyin, he had so much on his mind that he had never had thoughts in that direction, yet tonight they had been stirred. A faint blush spread over Meng Zhou's ears as he unconsciously stared at Chu Huaiyin seated high on the dragon throne. The other man accepted the envoy's toast and drained his cup. Watching his Adam's apple bob, Meng Zhou actually found it exceptionally... sexy.

This is bad, Meng Zhou thought. Fortunately, the banquet was nearly over. He just had to endure a little longer.

After offering his toast, the envoy tactfully hinted that these dancers had all been carefully selected by the Feng Kingdom. If His Majesty liked them, he was welcome to keep them. Miss Shui Bi's dancing, in particular, was unrivaled in the Feng Kingdom. She admired Great Wei's emperor and hoped to remain in Great Wei.

Emperor Tianyuan might have gone along with it and kept them. Feeling slightly heated, Chu Huaiyin knew the floral fragrance might contain a small amount of aphrodisiac. He had always loathed such methods. Meng Zhou was watching him intently now, his ears red, and that worked better than any flower. Chu Huaiyin refused without mercy. "An unrivaled treasure of the Feng Kingdom-how could I take what others cherish? Seeing it today was enough. If you envoys have no other business, please retire to the guest lodge to rest. We will discuss trade tomorrow."

Everyone hailed the emperor three times and took their leave. Meng Zhou mingled with the officials, eager to depart.

"Minister Guan, stay."

Meng Zhou stiffened, feeling that Chu Huaiyin was doing this deliberately.

With a perfectly solemn expression, Chu Huaiyin brought Meng Zhou to the imperial study. Once the door closed, heavy breathing was no longer suppressed.

A vein throbbed in Meng Zhou's forehead. He turned sideways and hid behind the desk, concealing certain strange reactions.

Chu Huaiyin approached Meng Zhou, forcing him back step by step until he sat on the dragon throne. Taking his hand, he abruptly pressed it against Meng Zhou's own aroused part and asked with sincere puzzlement, "My dear minister, weren't you impotent?"

You already know why, so why ask!

Meng Zhou turned his head away, mortified beyond endurance.

Unable to break free of Chu Huaiyin's restraint, he could only close his eyes and let him, through a layer of fabric... do whatever he pleased.

Author's note:

Chu Huaiyin: "I feel a little sorry for Hanlin Academician Ji."

Meng Zhou loudly agreed: "Exactly! Why does Young Master Shen keep challenging people to fights every day?"

Not long afterward.

Chu Huaiyin: "Sorry, my ass. Kitten Meng is even more troublesome."