Chapter 308: Chunyu Mingyue
There were several tables of customers in the main hall.
Being scolded by Ms. Hu with his ear twisted in front of so many outsiders, Yan Boshu felt his dignity was at stake.
So the couple began quarreling loudly in the main hall.
“What are they doing downstairs? Why is it so noisy?”
The black-clothed man saw his master put down his chopsticks and frown, saying, “This subordinate will go take a look.”
The cloaked man stood up.
“No need. The food here doesn’t taste good. Let’s go.”
The couple Yan Boshu and his wife were quarreling with red faces and thick necks, but when they saw the master and servant coming down from the stairs, they immediately shut their mouths.
The cloaked man walked to the door to wait, while the black-clothed man went to the counter to settle the bill.
Yan Boshu quickly glanced toward the door, then withdrew his gaze.
The black-clothed man said expressionlessly, “Shopkeeper, how much?”
While working his abacus, Yan Boshu asked, “Why did you finish eating so quickly?”
“My master said the food here doesn’t taste good.”
Such a direct answer made Yan Boshu feel slapped in the face. Though annoyed, seeing that the black-clothed man didn’t seem like someone to provoke, he could only swallow his anger. After clicking the abacus beads several times, he said discontentedly, “One hundred taels of silver.”
He had just casually quoted one hundred taels, but unexpectedly the black-clothed man readily produced a silver note worth one hundred taels, placed it expressionlessly on the counter, and turned to leave.
Ms. Hu looked at that silver note and sighed again in her heart.
Really so generous with money, but such wealthy customers wouldn’t come again.
Yan Shuxiu’s mood, which had just calmed down, began to feel regretful again.
Such a generous young master, how could she have failed to seize the opportunity?
Late at night, when countless lights were extinguished.
In the residence on the back street of Yu Family Private Kitchen, a solitary lantern still glowed.
The young master in flowing white robes was brewing osmanthus wine. At this season, the large osmanthus tree at the front gate was blooming luxuriantly, filling the entire courtyard with fragrance.
Two black-clothed figures suddenly descended into the small courtyard under the moonlight.
“Brewing wine so late at night, Prince Ming really has such refined taste.”
The white-robed young master brewing wine paused in his movements, his eyebrows quickly rising as he looked toward the voice with full alertness.
It had been too long since he’d heard the words “Prince Ming.”
“King of Rongdi.”
Even though the visitor was covered by a black cloak, Chunyu Mingyue recognized from the visitor’s aura and build that this was his half-brother, the King of the Rongdi.
Chunyu Hanfeng smiled coldly under his cloak, then raised his hand and removed the hood.
“After so many years apart, Prince Ming’s eyesight is still so sharp.”
Chunyu Mingyue was very unwelcoming toward Chunyu Hanfeng.
Not only because Chunyu Hanfeng’s birth mother had killed his own birth mother, but also because Chunyu Hanfeng’s sudden appearance here surely carried some purpose.
“What brings Your Majesty the King of Rongdi here with such great honor?”
He got straight to the point, and Chunyu Hanfeng didn’t beat around the bush either, stepping forward two paces, “The military strategist is ill. You need to return to Rongdi with this king.”
“If Tantai Yi is ill, the royal physicians of the Rongdi Dynasty can naturally treat him. My medical skills are shallow, I’m afraid I cannot treat such a distinguished person as the military strategist. Please return, Your Majesty.”
Chunyu Mingyue sneered inwardly.
If he went back to the Rongdi Dynasty with Chunyu Hanfeng to treat Tantai Yi, he probably wouldn’t be able to return to Great Chu.
Chunyu Hanfeng, like the old King of Rongdi, was naturally suspicious. If he went back with him, he would either die or be imprisoned by Chunyu Hanfeng.
Fearing to alert Long Yu’s people stationed in Daxing Town, Chunyu Hanfeng had been speaking patiently just now, but after being refused by Chunyu Mingyue, he became annoyed.
“This is not up to Prince Ming.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the black-clothed man behind him touched the ground with his foot and pounced toward Chunyu Mingyue like a whirlwind.
The black-clothed man quickly became entangled in combat with Bai Mingyue.
This was the first warrior beside Chunyu Hanfeng, whose martial arts were unfathomably deep. To save Tantai Yi, the black-clothed man’s attacks were both swift and vicious. After more than ten exchanges, Bai Mingyue was at a disadvantage.
Early the next morning, Yu Family Private Kitchen opened for business as usual.
The shopkeeper Yu and his wife were bustling around serving customers while preparing breakfast for their own family. However, even after breakfast was ready, they still didn’t see Bai Mingyue coming to set up his stall at the entrance.
Usually at this time, Bai Mingyue would have already arrived.
Shopkeeper Yu felt uneasy, fearing that he might be sick at home alone with no one knowing. So he called out to his wife and ran to check on him.
Walking to the back street, he saw from afar that the gate of the residence Bai Mingyue rented was wide open, with osmanthus petals scattered all over the ground in front of the door.
“Young Master Bai, Young Master Bai, are you up? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
After calling out twice at the entrance without getting a response from Bai Mingyue, his heart tightened and he rushed directly into the courtyard.
The courtyard was in complete disarray, with a wine jar smashed on the ground and dried medicinal herbs scattered everywhere.
Shopkeeper Yu could see this looked like the aftermath of a robbery. His face turned deathly pale, and while praying in his heart that nothing had happened to Bai Mingyue, his legs trembled as he rushed to the room where Bai Mingyue lived.
The bedding on the bed was neat and tidy, but there was no trace of Bai Mingyue.
He searched the entire courtyard but found no sign of Bai Mingyue. His heart sank, and he hurried back to Yu Family Private Kitchen in great anxiety.
“Old Yu, why do you look so terrible? Didn’t you go to call Young Master Bai for breakfast? Where is Young Master Bai?”
His wife asked with concern.
Shopkeeper Yu nervously grasped his wife’s hand, pulling her into the back kitchen, his voice trembling, “Something’s happened.”
“What happened?”
“Young Master Bai’s house was robbed, and Young Master Bai is missing too.”
His wife’s face also turned deathly pale.
“Did you search everywhere inside and outside the courtyard?”
“I looked everywhere, but there’s no sign of Young Master Bai.”
“What should we do? Could Young Master Bai be in mortal danger?”
After thinking for a moment, Shopkeeper Yu said, “Should we report this to the authorities and have the government search for him?”
After discussing it, the couple hurried to the county court to report to the officials.
The scene shifts to the military camp at Tongluo Plain.
Yesterday Yan Xiaosi had returned with a full harvest, and now her Portable Space was planted with quite a few medicinal herbs, waiting for the harvest.
Those several hundred wounded soldiers had finally improved after taking the medicinal soup brewed with six-petal lotus yesterday, and they no longer wailed through the night.
Last night, Yan Xiaosi, Murong Qinjian, and the other army doctors and medical assistants finally got a good night’s sleep.
Waking up today, Yan Xiaosi felt refreshed and alert. Long Yu had ordered the mess hall to send over breakfast.
While eating breakfast, Yan Xiaosi noticed that His Highness the War King had smiling eyes and seemed to be in a good mood.
Having won a battle, the commander-in-chief would naturally be in good spirits.
She took the opportunity to make a request: “Your Highness, may I return to Shaoyao Village today? I see that those wounded soldiers’ conditions have stabilized. Even without me, Young Master Murong can handle things alone.”
A few days ago, she had instructed Tian Dazhuang to build greenhouses, and she didn’t know how the progress was going. She wanted to go back and check.
“You may.”
Long Yu agreed very readily.
Yan Xiaosi was just about to thank His Highness for being so understanding when she heard His Highness add another sentence.
“I’ll accompany you.”
Yan Xiaosi quickly waved her hands, “No need. You’re busy with military affairs. I can go by myself and return in the evening.”