She nervously glanced around and whispered, "You... You've noticed it too, haven't you?"
Mu Wang had just washed up. His black hair, freed from the hair crown, was tied up high with a dark red string. The ink - black hair twined with red hung down to his cheek, covering the lip marks. He sneered, "I'm not that stupid."
Since he was born, his mother had warned him not to get close to his elder brother, spreading the rumor that his elder brother was a killer.
But one day, he saw a servant drop his father's precious porcelain vase. Yet, his elder brother took the blame on his own initiative and endured ten heavy blows of the cane for that servant.
Even afterwards, he bought Mu Wang's favorite pastries and came to him with an honest and shy smile, asking him to keep it a secret.
That was the first time he changed his view of Mu Wang.
From then on, a barrier between the two brothers seemed to have been broken, and they gradually began to communicate.
Mu Yuan would occasionally slip some silver to him, often take him out for fun, and even supervise his studies. He was nothing like the fiend described by his mother.
Qu Yue wrung her hands together. The breath she exhaled was hot, betraying her uneasiness. "So, have you... found anything?"
He recalled the scenes in his memory. "Don't you think the chopsticks and bowls the emperor used today were rather strange?"
Qu Yue frowned slightly. "Weren't they ordinary silver chopsticks?"
"How did you notice that?"
Mu Wang lowered his eyes and stared at her. On the delicate face of the young woman were dotted small and exquisite facial features. Her bright eyes nervously glanced around, and her slightly pursed lips were as tender as flower buds.
He prodded his cheek with his tongue. "Curiosity killed the cat."
"Don't not tell me just because you dislike me!" Qu Yue was anxious. She straightened her back and explained, "Tomorrow is the day to bury my husband. I want him to leave with the blessings of his family."
Qu Yue's tone was hasty. "But everyone seems not to care about him at all... By the way, what on earth happened to the missing burial object during the day?"
Her soft voice triggered the vague speculation in Mu Wang's mind. He looked up at the sky slightly. The moonlight shone on the gold and silver flowers and branches.
He patted Qu Yue. "Go in and rest."
Qu Yue stared at him in astonishment. How could he just send her to bed after a few words?
She also wanted to help investigate the truth.
Moreover... She still hadn't found out who that person was in the mourning hall that night.
Qu Yue stared at Mu Wang eagerly and forced a flattering smile. "Let me chat with you for a while longer, okay?"
Mu Wang gave her a sidelong glance. "Can you provide any clues?"
Qu Yue was stunned and shook her head. "No..."
Mu Wang raised his voice a bit. "If you don't sleep, will the person who wants to harm you show up?"
Qu Yue had a premonition. She propped her hands on the ground and moved her butt back. "No."
The next second, a thundering roar resounded through the courtyard -
"Then! What! Are! You! Doing! Here?!"
Qu Yue quickly covered her ears and scurried back into the house.
She ran like an attacking rabbit, with her hands arched and close to her sides and her legs kicking very fast.
Mu Wang couldn't help but laugh. "So stupid."
This dilapidated courtyard was the first time he had come here. From the outside, it was overgrown with weeds, looking desolate and barren. He even disliked it a bit when he climbed over the wall.
Unexpectedly, there was a whole new world inside.
He reached out his hand for the quilt Qu Yue had left outside. The moment his fingertips touched the soft fabric, the faint warmth she had left behind also bloomed on his fingertips.
Mu Wang's Adam's apple rolled slightly. A burning fire glowed in his almond - shaped eyes.
He grabbed the soft quilt and pulled it over himself, mumbling, "I'm just a bit cold."
This quilt was filled with Qu Yue's scent. Mu Wang carefully covered his legs with it, and his fingertips were slightly trembling.
He smelled the faint fragrance of the gold and silver flowers. Sitting alone in front of her bedroom door, he could faintly hear the woman's shallow breathing through the door panel. It was like a small stone, causing ripples in his heart lake.
The ripples couldn't subside for a long time.
Supporting his head with one hand, he lay down on the ground, covered his face with Qu Yue's quilt, and sniffed like a man stealing fragrance for a long while before reluctantly putting it down.
He just quietly hugged the quilt and guarded until the second watch. The steady breathing in the bedroom was extremely reassuring.
Mu Wang looked at the crescent moon in the sky. After confirming that they probably wouldn't come to trouble Qu Yue tonight, he exerted force with his waist and abdomen, propped himself up, and snorted, "Sleeping like a pig and still wanting to be with me."
He tidied his clothes and tiptoed to the wall.
The young man was extremely agile. He walked up the wall with ease and climbed over it.
He walked quickly and headed straight for Mu Yao's courtyard.
The summer insects accompanied him on the way to confirm his speculation. When he got close to Mu Yao's courtyard from afar, he saw four or five maids standing guard at the door.
They were whispering impatiently.
"I'll take a little nap. You keep a good watch. Don't let anyone see!"
"You're the only one who's sleepy! Got it! I really don't know what this young lady is up to in the middle of the night... Who's there!"
Mu Wang was startled. The maid was holding a lantern, and the light was approaching. The sound of footsteps was getting closer.
He quickly dodged and hid on the side of the wall. His muscular chest heaved slightly. Just as he was about to strike and knock the maid out, he heard a lazy and disdainful voice.
"Where are you going? I just closed my eyes and you're sneaking away? Do you want to die!"
The maid holding the lantern scratched her head. "I just seemed to see someone coming this way."
"You're having hallucinations from being sleepy, aren't you? Hurry back."
The sound of footsteps faded away. Mu Wang let out a long sigh of relief.
But this made him even more curious about what was going on with Mu Yao inside the courtyard.
If she was just resting, there was no need for so many maids to keep watch at night.
This just proved that there was something unusual inside the room.
Mu Wang avoided the maids' sight, found a dog - hole, and crawled into Mu Yao's courtyard.
He had been naughty since childhood and didn't care about his reputation. Crawling through a dog - hole was as trivial as having a meal for him.
He dusted off the dirt on his body and scanned Mu Yao's courtyard.
Having locked in on the bedroom, he stepped closer.
The sweet and greasy moans kept getting louder in the silent night. The sound waves penetrated into Mu Wang's ears, making him feel creepy and shocked.
Sure enough!
As he had expected, there must be something wrong with those chopsticks and bowls.
At today's dinner, his parents' plan wasn't just to recommend Mu Yao to the emperor. Deeper down, they intended to kidnap the emperor directly.
Xie Qichi had already seen through their tricks in the chopsticks and bowls, which was why he had ruined the dinner.
This was even more strange.
Mu Wang still remembered that when Mu Yuan entered the court as a general that year, he had intended to follow him, but Song Luo had threatened to kill herself to stop him.
When he was forced to compromise, she took off the white silk around her neck and got off the stool.
She hugged him into her arms, gently stroked his head, and her eyes were filled with sad tears. "Son, your mother doesn't expect the Marquis Mansion to be famous and prominent in this lifetime. I just hope we can live in peace. Do you understand?"
"Mother, I understand."
From then on, he knew that the Zhaoping Marquis Mansion didn't care about any fame and fortune at all.
If so, why did they want to send the eldest sister into the palace as a concubine?
And the reward that belonged to his elder brother. If they really didn't care about fame and fortune, why did they have to seize it?
The dense fog, just like the annoying mosquitoes and flies at this moment, entangled Mu Wang's thoughts.
He returned to Qu Yue's courtyard with a heavy heart and leaped up skillfully.
Wait.
Why did he come back here?
Since he was sure she would be safe tonight, he could have just gone back to his own courtyard and slept on his soft bed.
Mu Wang glanced at the wall and snorted.
"I'm only staying here to protect her for the sake of my elder brother's reward."