By the time Mo CangJing had sent Emperor Mo HuaYan back to the Imperial palace and returned to his residence, it was already nightfall 1 . There were only a few pedestrians on the street, and the countless lights of all the houses had dimmed one by one, leaving only the two crimson lanterns high on the eaves of the Prince’s residence and the silver moon high in the sky.
After the palanquin was lowered, the steward hastened down the stairs with a lantern and opened the brocade curtain for him, after which Mo CangJing stepped out of the palanquin himself. Several servants led the way, and a group of Imperial bodyguards cautiously followed behind him into the residence.
“Has the Prince had his evening meal yet? If not, this servant will take care of it immediately!” the steward asked respectfully.
“No need! I have just had dinner with His Majesty!” Mo CangJing said waving his hand indifferently as he walked forward, then after a pause, as if he suddenly remembered something, he turned around and looked at the steward, “Have you delivered dessert for Young Lord ZiLi’s late night snack? Now should be the time for him to have an empty stomach.” During the time he had spent together, he had become well aware of the extent of ZiLi’s need for food. Even if ZiLi was full 2 at dinner, his stomach would still rumble with hunger at night.
“About that――”
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Mo CangJing frowned and cast a displeased glance at the terrified steward, “Have you forgotten?”“No― no, I haven’t, even if this servant forgets to eat, I will not forget your orders, Your Highness! It’s just that Young Lord ZiLi is gone!” When the steward finished speaking, he lifted his gaze and saw Mo CangJing’s sudden look of fury and became terrified in his heart.
***
“Boss Su, do we― do we really have to go?” the two brothers asked hesitantly after looking at the several tall and sturdy armed escorts in front of them and then back to ZiLi.“En.” ZiLi nodded affirmatively, then pushed them into the carriage.
The two brothers stuck their heads out of the carriage window and looked at him with pitiful and expectant eyes, saying, “Boss Su come with us! Let’s go back to Chu Jing together!”
The corners of ZiLi’s mouth twitched as he walked towards them. He flicked their foreheads and said, “Are you braindead! I just managed to get out of there and now you want me to go back, do you think I am stupid, ah? Just go, stop talking nonsense! Also, keep that sealed letter safe, and remember, you two have taken a death vow not to tell anyone about my whereabouts, if you do――”
“We get it, okay!” the brothers replied dissatisfied.
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Only then did ZiLi nod in satisfaction and gesture to the armed escorts to set off. The wheels began to turn, carrying CunGong and CunShou, who were still sticking their necks out to look back, further and further away!Indeed, there is no such thing as a never-ending feast 3 ! ZiLi waved his hand slightly sadly, although they most likely did not understand this body language 4 of his at all.
“Great, I finally got rid of those two pesky brats!” ZiLi said, comforting himself. “So where should I go now?”
*Grrr* ZiLi rubbed his stomach which had begun to protest, “Ugh, if I had known earlier, I would have eaten a late night snack before leaving!”
After raising his gaze and looking around, he saw in front of him on a beautiful pavilion the word ‘Wine’ in large letters. ZiLi walked with quick steps towards the restaurant, which was doing a brisk business. Because the waiters were busy, ZiLi had to wait for almost half an incense stick before he found a seat. After ordering one meat and one vegetable dish, along with a plate of Luo Song Tang 5 , a hungry 6 ZiLi could finally start eating.
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*Hiss* When he raised his hand just now, he realized that his right wrist was very swollen. “Damn quack doctor, did he even know how to pop a wrist back into place properly? Motherf•cker, it hurts like hell!” As soon as he had left the Prince’s residence, he had sought out a doctor to put his wrist back into place. Although ZiLi had been screaming in pain at that time, with a ‘pop’, it was done in a blink of an eye. It could be seen that the doctor had actually done a good job, but who would have thought the aftermath would be like this!Looking at his hand, which was so swollen that it looked like a pig’s trotter, ZiLi cursed those quack doctors 7 on the one hand and worried about whether his hand would need to be amputated on the other. But that was not the most important thing at the moment, for the most important thing now was figuring out how he was going to hold the chopsticks to eat. He tried several times with his left hand, but could not even lift a single vegetable. When he was about to get angry, a tablespoon was suddenly handed to him.
ZiLi looked up in surprise and saw a man in a black veil hat 8 , sitting opposite him at the table, handing him a clean tablespoon. His expression was invisible through the black veil in front of his face, but ZiLi could sense that his gaze had no malicious intent.
“Thank you!” he thanked gratefully, and then took the tablespoon.
It was already dark when ZiLi finished eating. As he came out of the restaurant, he suddenly exclaimed in bewilderment, “Oh no, will the city gates already be closed by now?”
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An old man walking by gave ZiLi a strange look and said, “It’s already dark. The city gate has long since closed!”Well, looks like I won’t be able to leave tonight! I’d better find an inn without delay to stay the night before I leave tomorrow!
***
“Ehm, does the dear guest want to have a meal or book a room?”“I want to book a room!”
“All right! Dear guest, please register here. The deposit is fifty copper coins 9 !”
ZiLi searched his lapels but found that the last of his money had already been used for the meal he had just eaten a moment ago, “Innkeeper, I don’t have any cash on me now, is it okay if I pay with this pearl instead?”
“No money? If you don’t have money, you can’t stay in the inn! Who knows if that pearl of yours is real or not!” As soon as the innkeeper heard ZiLi’s words, the smile on his face immediately turned to disgust and impatience. Recently, a group of swindlers who deliberately pretended to be Young Lords of a wealthy family had come to the capital to exchange goods for money. Not only were the items counterfeit, but they had also got hold of the real silver with which the owners had paid. “Shoo, shoo, shoo, don’t make trouble in my business. If you don’t leave, I’ll have to report you to the authorities.”
Please read His Majesty's Hostage Chapter 59 on Project Bezemwagen :-)
“I get it. No money, no room. Why be so fierce!” ZiLi muttered, twitching his mouth.It was completely dark and the shops in the street closed one after another. ZiLi wandered dejectedly along the street. Where could he spend the night? Going back to Mo CangJing’s residence was out of the question, especially for fear of having hurt the other’s feelings! In fact, when he suddenly left, there was also an element of acting in a fit of anger, for he was still upset that Mo CangJing, who had always been kind and caring to him, had treated him like that.
ZiLi thought as he walked forward, not noticing that a wall of people in front of him was blocking the way.
“Ouch!” It was only when he bumped into it in a daze that he discovered that a large man with a face flushed with anger was cutting the road with ill intent, and behind him were several equally bad local ruffians around him.
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