Chapter 45
Chapter 45
“Is this for me? Is it really for me?”
Little Mushroom’s voice was brimming with joy.
“Don’t want it?” Ji Yan’an felt like teasing her.
“I want it, I want it! I definitely want it!”
Fearing he might take it back, Jiang Yunsui hurriedly snatched it from him.
Clutching the jade gourd, she beamed so brightly that her little teeth showed, and her large eyes curved into beautiful crescent moons.
Little Mushroom was moved to tears. This was a good boss.
“Young Master, you’re too kind. I’ll definitely repay you in the future by looking after you in your old age and giving you a proper burial.”
Little Mushroom’s expression was incredibly earnest.
“Pfft… *cough, cough, cough*…”
Nanshu, hearing her shocking words, choked on his own saliva.
Ji Yan’an was drinking tea and ended up spitting some out as well.
Nanshu rushed over to wipe it clean.
The others’ lips twitched. No, they really wanted to laugh. What were they supposed to do?
Jiang Yunsui looked confused. What happened?
Ji Yan’an said, “In the future, if you don’t know how to speak, just keep your mouth shut!”
Jiang Yunsui’s face fell as she let out a small “oh.” She clearly thought she had said something very nice.
“Young Master, someone from Commander Wang’s manor has arrived again.”
“I know.”
Ji Yan’an stood up. “Mr. Shen, I’ll have to trouble you.”
Shen Qingzhu nodded. Under Jiang Yunsui’s bewildered gaze, he pricked Ji Yan’an with needles a few times.
Jiang Yunsui watched in shock as Ji Yan’an turned even paler, becoming almost translucent, looking as if he might drop dead at any second.
She lunged forward. “Ji Yan’an, what’s wrong? Don’t die!”
Ji Yan’an, with his leg being hugged: “…”
The others, hearing this: “…”
Ji Yan’an crouched down halfway and pinched Jiang Yunsui’s small chin.
“This isn’t the first time you’ve called me by my name, Ji Yan’an, is it? Hmm?”
Jiang Yunsui felt guilty and argued weakly, “I was… I was just in a hurry just now.”
Her large eyes were welling up like poached eggs.
“But, but you really look like you’re about to die QAQ.”
She had finally found a powerful thigh to cling to!
Shen Qingzhu let out a chuckle. “Don’t worry, the Young Master is fine.”
Ji Yan’an said, “Let go. Don’t delay me from meeting the guest.”
Jiang Yunsui gave a submissive “oh” and quickly followed behind him.
Once they stepped outside, Ji Yan’an slowed his pace and even had Nanshu support him, feigning a state of near-death.
Jiang Yunsui watched with a trembling heart.
If she weren’t so short, she would have run over to help support him herself.
The visitor this time was a Steward from Commander Wang’s manor.
Perhaps having learned from the previous two failures, or perhaps because Commander Wang was desperate for Ji Yan’an to attend this ‘Hongmen Banquet,’ the Steward adopted a very humble stance.
After some back-and-forth, Ji Yan’an ‘hesitantly’ agreed.
As he was leaving, the Steward stole a few more glances at Ji Yan’an.
Ji Yan’an coughed violently.
As soon as the man left, he immediately stopped coughing, his expression returning to its usual cold indifference.
“Let’s go. Back to prepare.”
Commander Wang’s birthday banquet was in seven days.
The intervening days were enough for Ji Yan’an to make his arrangements.
He needed to map out the layout of Commander Wang’s manor and investigate whether their plans had changed.
He also needed to bribe some of the servants in the manor.
Ever since Commander Wang rose to power, he had become arrogant. Aside from a small few, he didn’t treat the servants in his manor well at all.
In the inner chambers, there were even many women he had forcibly taken as concubines.
Some of his methods were cruel; when relatives came to his door asking for their daughters, he would directly kill them or beat them until they were disabled.
He never showed any respect for the women in his inner chambers, not even his primary wife.
This gave Ji Yan’an plenty of room to maneuver.
Ji Yan’an was busy these few days, so Jiang Yunsui spent her time freeloading off his food and drinks. At night, she would watch over him until he fell asleep before returning to her own room.
During the day, she could sleep in as much as she wanted.
She had also found out that her monthly stipend was significantly higher than everyone else’s.
Because of this, the Little Mushroom declared that she was more than happy to work the night shift! After all, she was a little mushroom who naturally preferred the night.
Of course, the Little Mushroom had her own share of troubles.
Ji Yan’an seemed to have discovered some inexplicable joy in the art of teaching. Whenever he had a spare moment, he would catch Jiang Yunsui and force her to recognize and write characters.
There were rewards for doing well, of course. With such a carrot dangling in front of her, Jiang Yunsui actually applied herself to her studies. However, she was still lazy at heart; the moment Ji Yan’an wasn’t watching, she would start her little antics.
She would either sneak snacks or doodle aimlessly. Day after day, she worked her little brain to the bone just to play a game of wits with Ji Yan’an and slack off a bit more.
Soon, the day of Commander Wang’s birthday arrived.
True to his word, he had invited many guests. For a time, the Prince’s Manor was bustling with activity.
As Ji Yan’an’s carriage slowly pulled up to the main gates of the Prince’s Manor, Commander Wang immediately stepped forward to greet him with great enthusiasm. It was as if the two of them were the closest of friends.
“For the Young Master to attend my birthday banquet despite his frail health, I am truly flattered,” Commander Wang said.
He sized up Ji Yan’an, noting that he indeed looked just as the Steward had described: his face was pale and haggard, he couldn’t stop coughing, and he appeared incredibly weak.
A look of grief crossed Commander Wang’s face, but inwardly, he was overjoyed.
It seemed that although the assassination attempt had cost him many men and his trained venomous snakes, it hadn’t been a total loss. This brat would be better off dead the moment he left this manor.
Thinking of the show he had prepared for today, Commander Wang’s gaze grew even more fervent. Not only did he personally lead the way for Ji Yan’an, but he also guided him to the very front seat.
Of course, this wasn’t done to honor Ji Yan’an, but rather to draw hostility toward him.
In the eyes of the others, Jiang Yunsui was currently in a state of being ignored, following closely behind Ji Yan’an step by step. She kept cheering herself on in her heart.
*Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, Jiang Yunsui. You’re a mushroom who has seen the world now.*
The moment Ji Yan’an sat down, someone immediately began to pick a fight.
“Young Master Ji is a junior. Is it not inappropriate for him to sit there?”
Ji Yan’an coughed a few times, looking pale and deathly weak. Hearing this, he stood up, his body swaying slightly.
“If it is inappropriate… cough, cough… then I shall give this seat to Lord Sun.”
In the next second, he began to cough even more violently as he walked toward the speaker.
“Cough, cough… It is my fault as a junior… cough… I shouldn’t have just sat down where Commander Wang told me to… cough, cough…”
“Lord Sun, please…”
He extended his hand toward the seat he had just occupied in an inviting gesture. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the ugly expression on Wang Hu’s face. A faint, imperceptible sneer touched his lips.
Lord Sun, who had stuck his neck out, was left feeling awkward and humiliated by these words and actions. In front of so many people, he was merely one of Wang Hu’s subordinates; if he actually took that seat, the consequences would be dire.
“Heh, I… I won’t sit there. That isn’t a seat meant for me.”
Ji Yan’an tilted his head slightly, his voice carrying a perfectly measured tone of confusion. “If that is the case, then who does Lord Sun think should sit in that seat?”
His voice sounded as if it had grown even weaker.
Lord Sun looked at the other guests, and cold sweat immediately began to pour down his face.
“This… I…”
If he were to name someone, wouldn’t he be offending everyone else?
“Enough!”