Who among the gangsters wants to fall in love?

Chapter 382 Lovesickness

Dong Dong————

The morning bell rang throughout the capital.

More than a month has passed since Zhao Wumian disappeared. It is already August. The hot summer seems to be coming to an end, and with a few fallen leaves, there are signs of autumn.

It was early in the morning, and a thin mist lingered in the streets and alleys of the capital. Some hurried civil and military officials of the court ate breakfast in their favorite street stalls in twos and threes, then tidied their appearance and slowly walked into the palace.

It was a very ordinary day, but as if influenced by the early autumn, a lingering sense of depression lingered in the deep palace.

All the civil and military officials came to the Taiji Hall. Before the time came, they suppressed their voices and whispered to each other, discussing state affairs in advance.

"There has been some unrest in Yanyun recently. The King of Yan sent a letter saying that the Rong people are secretly contacting Goguryeo, perhaps wanting to join forces."

"Goguryeo, you damn bitch! I've known for a long time that they have been coveting Yanyun for a long time. Seeing that we have started a tug-of-war with the Rong people, they are so eager to get a piece of the pie. I took the Goguryeo prince to visit the Xianggu Pavilion last time..."

"The Prince of Yan has been mobilizing troops these days, but His Majesty is determined to send troops to Nanzhao in Miaojiang. If a war breaks out on three fronts, the wealth accumulated by the late emperor will probably be greatly depleted in just a few years."

"Alas, Nanzhao also has wicked ambitions. Sooner or later, changes will happen. The preemptive strike was also the result of discussions between Your Majesty and Marquis Weiming. However, man proposes, God disposes. What can we do if Goguryeo suddenly wants to interfere..."

"Your Majesty should withdraw his order and temporarily keep the Southwestern Army in Miaojiang in place. Otherwise, fighting on three fronts will do more harm than good."

"How can I collect it? I heard that His Majesty is now bedridden and his health is getting worse day by day. It seems that he has to rely on the Queen Mother..."

Prime Minister Shen Yiwen stood in the front row of the Taiji Hall, silent and with his eyes closed.

Tread————

There were footsteps coming from the back of the Taiji Hall. Everyone in the hall immediately fell silent and bowed.

Someone looked up and saw a mature and beautiful woman in a crimson phoenix skirt slowly walking out from the side hall, causing all the civil and military officials present to fall silent, and then they couldn't help but burst into an uproar.

Although the palace had been informed of the news in advance, the officials could not help but make an uproar when they saw that the empress dowager had actually appeared in the morning court in place of Luo Chaoyan.

When Prime Minister Shen Yiwen saw the Queen Mother show up, his expression changed slightly and his heart sank.

Under the bewildered gazes of all the officials, the empress dowager walked quickly up the stone steps with a calm expression and slowly sat down on the small couch next to the dragon throne. Lian Xue and several female officials pulled up the veil... and ruled the country from behind the curtain.

"You have all heard about His Majesty's recent health condition, so I don't need to say more. For the next few days, I will temporarily take His Majesty's place..."

None of the civil and military officials had the heart to listen to what was said next. They bowed and looked at each other in bewilderment.

Is His Majesty really bedridden? How come this situation is similar to that of the Crown Prince? But the Crown Prince at least had several sons to stabilize the court, but now His Majesty has no son, let alone a marriage...

Everyone felt a sinking feeling in their hearts, as while there was a war in the front, the Emperor fell ill first in the rear, and they couldn't even find someone to take charge of the situation, so they had to pull in the Queen Mother to take charge... The foreign relatives were interfering in politics.

Although it was to put out a fire, the officials were also afraid that the Queen Mother would hold on to this power. You know, the Queen Mother and the Prime Minister are siblings...

It's over. The current situation is so sensitive that any slight change will turn Dali into chaos.

If the emperor had an heir, he would not be so passive.

With mixed thoughts, Lady Zhongli spoke loudly:
"Ascension!"

"Greetings to the Queen Mother—"

All the officials paid their respects. The Queen Mother knew it was inappropriate for her to show up in person, so she seldom spoke. She just sat there and acted as the backbone and mascot.

Prime Minister Shen Yiwen was still in charge of all important affairs, but the influence of the Empress Dowager's behind-the-scenes rule was so great that all civil and military officials had no time to discuss government affairs for a while.

What if the rebels start to cause trouble at this moment? This, this...

But they didn't know that the biggest rebel in Dali was in the harem.

In Kunning Palace, the peonies planted by the Empress Dowager withered for unknown reasons even though the palace maids took good care of them.

Recently, the emperor has been seriously ill and has been taken care of by the Empress Dowager, so he lives in Kunning Palace.

A candle flame rose faintly in the hall, and the maids in the harem slowly retreated with empty plates, small medicine stoves and other items.

"Ahem————"

The sound of coughing came from inside the hall, the voice was haggard, and it was heartbreaking to hear.

Xiao Yuanmu was no different from usual, wearing a dress that was one size larger, sitting at the table with her legs off the ground, holding a text message in her small hands, reading it word by word. When she heard a cough coming from behind the curtain, she said casually:

"Are all the women in your Luo family so weak? The young princess just recovered from her illness in the East China Sea, and now it's your turn... But it's better if you die of the illness sooner rather than later, so that I don't have to kill you and make things difficult for him."

Luo Chaoyan was wearing a nightgown with a wet towel on her forehead. She was covered with a quilt in the August weather and her face was pale. Hearing this, she forced herself to be more spirited and sneered.

"You are only good at talking. You say you want to kill me every day, but now you don't even have the chance... How can you be a hypocritical little woman who is the master of Taixuan Palace?"

"Whatever you think, it's not me who is dying of illness." Xiao Yuanmu put down the text message, poured himself a glass of water, and then said loudly to the maid standing outside the hall:

"Ask the imperial kitchen to prepare some more food and send it in. The more expensive the better."

Although a rebel, Xiao Yuanmu seemed to treat the deep palace as his own home and was not at all shy.

The last time Xiao Yuanmu and Luo Chaoyan met, they almost had a fight at Zeng Lengyue. Now they seem to be getting along well. It is obvious that they are just cooperating temporarily for the same goal... Let's find Zhao Wumian together first, and then think about other things.

At the beginning, the two women quarreled and fought with each other all day long. If Su Qingqi had not replaced Zhao Wumian to mediate, the two women would have thrown the capital into chaos.

But later, as the days passed, there was no news from Zhao Wumian, and coupled with the busy government affairs, Luo Chaoyan had less than three hours of rest a day. He was exhausted, and suddenly one day he fell ill.

The imperial physician said that this was an illness caused by overwork, but Xiao Yuanmu knew that it was a heart disease... lovesickness.

In order to conceal her true identity, the Queen Mother pretended to be ill for a while, but her condition was fake. Luo Chaoyan's condition was real and came with great force.

It had only been over a month, and Luo Chaoyan didn't even have the energy to attend the morning court anymore.

After drinking the water in the cup, Xiao Yuanmu played with the cup in her small hands and glanced sideways at the weak willow in the soft couch. With her eyesight, she could clearly see that Luo Chaoyan's body was like a candle in the wind, fallen flowers in the yard, and dead leaves in late autumn.

It is no exaggeration to say that if this continues she will die of illness in the palace.

Maybe it will be tomorrow, maybe it will be next month, but it will never last until the end of the year.

This is how a woman of the martial arts world should die. When you are in the martial arts world, you will be blown away by the wind and rain. Therefore, your talent and love are stronger than gold, so you should cherish that bit of true love.

Emperors have always been cold-hearted and ungrateful, but at this moment, the emperor ended up like this because of a man.

This is the emperor, he owns the whole world, what can he not get?

Xiao Yuanmu admitted that he had underestimated the woman Luo Chaoyan... She valued Zhao Wumian more than Xiao Yuanmu had imagined.

A lot heavier.

As a rebel, Xiao Yuanmu had imagined many ways and scenes of killing the emperor. After learning that Luo Chaoyan had succeeded to the throne, he also thought about killing her once and for all. However, due to Zhao Wumian, he did not take action.

But no matter what, she never thought that Luo Chaoyan would be bedridden and die soon because of the unknown life and death of Zhao Wumian.

Once Luo Chaoyan died, there would be no son to succeed the throne. There would be a war going on on the front line, Goguryeo would also be eyeing them covetously, and there would be internal and external troubles. If she interfered again, Dali's fate might end here.

But at this moment, Xiao Yuanmu felt no joy in his heart.

Perhaps it was because of Zhao Wumian's feelings for Luo Chaoyan, perhaps it was because they were both women, or perhaps it was because his archenemy died in such a way that he couldn't help but sigh... Xiao Yuanmu couldn't explain it clearly, human hearts are always complicated.

She even felt a little confused in her heart... Why was Luo Chaoyan going to die?
She shouldn't have died like this. If she died, what would Zhao Wumian do?
Because Zhao Wumian stood between the two women, although Xiao Yuanmu had imagined many miserable endings for Luo Chaoyan, he never expected that she would die one day... Zhao Wumian would not let her die.

"What letter are you reading? Is there any clue about him?" Luo Chaoyan's soft voice with some hope came from inside the curtain.

"It was sent by Guan Yunshu. She has been looking for Zhao Wumian in Yanyun these days, but unfortunately, she has no clues about him. They are all about martial arts, which you will not be interested in."

"Tell me something, it will give me some distraction, and I won't miss him anymore."

Xiao Yuanmu was silent for a few seconds. If it were in the past, she would have ridiculed Luo Chaoyan, but at this moment she really didn't have the heart to do so.

She sighed softly, came to the bed with the letter in her hand, lifted the curtain, and sat down beside the bed.

Luo Chaoyan moved to the side, seemingly to make room for Xiao Yuanmu, but in fact, she was just a girl and didn't want to be too close to her old enemy, otherwise it would seem intimate.

Xiao Yuanmu didn't take it seriously. He picked up the text message, pondered for a moment, and then said:

"The Sword Sect has been looking for Zhao Wumian in recent days, so the sect is inevitably a little short of money. However, Guan Yunshu found out about Mo Jingxue's whereabouts in Yanyun, and she suspected that she came for the Sword Sect's 'Sword of Rebirth'. She guessed that the missing Sheath Sheath was probably taken away by Mo Jingxue..."

"It's for Jiu Zhong." Luo Chaoyan smiled. "Back in Pingyang, many people from the martial arts world went to Fenghuang Mountain in Xiaoxitian to cause trouble, also for Jiu Zhong. He helped to deal with it at that time..."

"…Didn't you say you wanted to share some thoughts? Why did you mention him?"

"I can't help it if I keep thinking about it."

"Look at your infatuated look, do you have any spirit of an emperor? Which emperor is like you, who would lose his appetite for a lover?" Xiao Yuanmu smiled coldly and said:
"The Cuojin Boshan furnace is in his hands. When he returns to the capital, his memory will have been restored... By then, do you still think he will like you? I'm afraid that he will abandon you with just one word from me."

Luo Chaoyan's face turned pale. Hearing this, he did not say anything that he would not do that. Instead, he was silent for a few seconds and then asked:
"Will he really do that?"

"He is not a heartless person, but he must love me terribly, so it is just a matter of my words."

Xiao Yuanmu was still sharp-tongued at this moment and did not spare Luo Chaoyan at all.

Hearing this, Luo Chaoyan stopped talking, his eyes were a little dull, staring at the ceiling, and after a moment he said:

"I actually think so too. We met in Jin at the beginning, but it was an accident. If he hadn't lost his memory, my end would definitely not be good... In his heart, I'm afraid I'm really not as good as you."

Xiao Yuanmu frowned, realizing that Luo Chaoyan was in such a gloomy mood at the moment, and he didn't even say "I", which was obviously not good for his illness. After a moment of silence, he couldn't help but said: "Knowing this, why do you take him so seriously? Look at you now. If you continue to be sick, Dali will probably be finished."

This statement was a roundabout way of making Luo Chaoyan feel more open-minded.

Luo Chaoyan didn't know whether she understood Xiao Yuanmu's meaning or not. Upon hearing this, she smiled sweetly.

"It's nothing, he doesn't care about me... I care about him, so of course I like him more than he does..."

A few days later, outside the city of Dali, Nanzhao, a sudden rainstorm left muddy water stains on the streets outside the city, and some mud was splashed by horse hooves.

Recently, when passing through a town, Luo Xiangzhu went to collect some nourishing herbs and changed his clothes.

She wore a dark red right-fronted shirt and a black pleated skirt, which were common among Nanzhao women. She sat sideways on her horse, with a pair of scarlet embroidered shoes dangling gently under her skirt. Her ink-black hair was tied into a braid and hung in front of her shoulders, making her look as gentle and quiet as a beautiful girl from a small family.

Luo Xiangzhu had been bullied by Zhao Wumian these days by pressing on bamboo shoots, so she decided to change into festive clothes and pretend that it was... their wedding night.

Zhao Wumian tossed and turned and still felt that the clothes Su Qingqi sewed for him were the most comfortable... that is, the clothes he wore in the East China Sea. Although they were already dirty and tattered when he came to Nanzhao and had been replaced long ago, sister Xiangzhu was kind-hearted and had already sewed them for him in the past few days.

After traveling for several days, the two finally arrived outside Dali City. From the side, they could see the majestic Black City. Although it was not as big as the capital, it was already the largest city the two had seen in recent days.

There are also buildings of varying heights built outside the city walls. It is bustling with people and the cries of hawkers are accompanied by the awkward Central Plains Mandarin.

The area within the city walls was limited and could not accommodate such a large population, so not to mention Dali, there were also these settlements outside the capital.

Along the way the two came, there were vast wheat fields less than a few miles away from Dali, and it was almost the autumn harvest season.

Luo Xiangzhu looked up at the towering city walls, and saw the armored patrolling guards on the walls. He knew that Zhao Wumian came here to kill people, and he couldn't help but worry, so he turned around and looked at Zhao Wumian.

Break into the palace directly?

Zhao Wumian pondered for a moment, then said:

"First, go find the secret agent I had planted in Dali and have them find a way to send a message to Chaoyan to let her know that she is safe...

When I came here, I used Cui Xiangwei's head to challenge Zhu Jiuxia, but he may not stay in the Imperial City. We should rest for a while and get some information. Otherwise, if we go to the Imperial City like a headless fly, we will return empty-handed. "

After riding for several days, both of them felt a little tired, so they rode into the city and looked for an inn to stay.

Luo Xiangzhu had been worried about his lack of money before, but as a martial artist, other people's money was his own. Zhao Wumian had made a lot of money in Cui Xiangwei's mansion, so he gave the waiter a lot of reward money and asked him to buy some famous delicacies from all over the city and send them to him, intending to have a full meal first.

After getting some hot water, Luo Xiangzhu, who had been running outside for half a day, felt herself covered in sweat, almost like a princess. She immediately pushed Zhao Wumian away with a red face and prepared to take a bath alone.

Although he had bathed with Zhao Wumian many times in the village before, he felt embarrassed now that Zhao Wumian woke up.

However, if Zhao Wumian took a shower with the girl, it would take at least an hour to finish. The waiter would bring the food later, so it would naturally be inappropriate. So he suppressed his thoughts and sat down in the lobby of the inn.

There were quite a few people in Dali who spoke the Central Plains Mandarin. Presumably, they had been to the Central Plains before. Zhao Wumian listened to the discussions of the people in Dali, trying to find words that he could understand.

"In return for the wine, three cups of blood were poured, and the dragon head was lifted up to the sky at night. Good fellow, this is clearly a request for the imperial master's head..."

"I've never seen such a desperate person. Does he think he is the Weiming Marquis of the Central Plains?"

"I don't know much about Wei Ming Hou. The latest news is that he appeared in the Jade Palace of the East China Sea, but he didn't fight with Wen Wuzheng. I don't know if he was scared or what. But no matter what, he has only defeated two or three martial arts masters so far, so he may not be a match for the national teacher."

"No one knows who is stronger between the two because they have never fought. But Marquis Weiming and the Imperial Master may still have a fight. But is this thief who set fire to the mountain worthy of fighting with the Imperial Master?"

"You said he had done something like setting fire to a mountain, something that harmed others and did not benefit himself. How could he be smart?"

"Too……"

"What does the Imperial Master think about this matter?"

"The Miao border is currently garrisoning troops, and the situation is tense. A war may break out in a few days. The Imperial Master has no time to take care of such trivial matters. He took the King to Cangshan some time ago, probably to offer sacrifices to the ancestors before the war."

Zhao Wumian did not reveal his true identity, so the people in the martial arts world did not take the declaration of war seriously. Zhao Wumian did not care about it either, but just frowned slightly.

Cangshan Mountain is not far from Dali and has an important status in Nanzhao. In the past, the kings of Nanzhao worshipped their ancestors of heaven and earth here. Cangshan Mountain is also the burial site of the previous kings of Nanzhao.

Zhu Jiutian actually went to Cangshan? Just go.

Others don't know Zhao Wumian, so how could Zhu Jiutian not know him?
He will come.

Zhao Wumian did not leave the inn too far. After gathering some information nearby, he returned to the house.

Luo Xiangzhu had finished her shower and was sitting in front of the dressing table, combing her long hair with her hands. Her clothes, shoes and socks were neatly dressed, with not an inch of skin exposed.

Zhao Wumian came behind her, slid down Luo Xiangzhu's shoulders, and then held up the heavy bamboo shoots.

Luo Xiangzhu's delicate body trembled slightly. No matter how many times Zhao Wumian had touched her, her reaction was always so intense. However, she turned around and moved closer to Zhao Wumian, her nose twitching slightly, then she frowned and leaned back, fanning herself with her small hands and pointing her other hand at the bathtub behind the screen, with a serious look on her face.

You've sweated a lot. Ask the waiter to come and change the water so you can take a shower.

Zhao Wumian originally wanted to get closer to the girl, but when he heard that the water had not been changed yet, he immediately became interested, raised his hand, unfastened his belt, and took off his clothes.

Luo Xiangzhu watched Zhao Wumian taking off his clothes in front of her. She glanced down barely noticeably and immediately blushed. She quickly turned her head back, not daring to look any further.

Immediately afterwards, she heard Zhao Wumian walk to the bathtub and say, "The water after a girl's bath is always fragrant..."

Luo Xiangzhu's beautiful eyes suddenly widened, and she felt even more embarrassed. She quickly put down the comb and ran behind the screen.

"Why are you stopping me? The water is still warm. I can just take a quick dip."

"Well!"

"I've taken off all my clothes..."

Two people were playing behind the screen, their shadows were vague, and there was a loud rustling sound.

Luo Xiangzhu got angry. She stomped her feet where she was, then turned around and walked out from behind the screen. Her steps were heavy and made loud noises.

She came to the dressing table and combed her hair, ignoring him, leaving Zhao Wumian with only a cheerful laugh.

After the waiter brought the food, Luo Xiangzhu's mood began to improve again. He picked up a small bowl and prepared to eat. Then he saw that Zhao Wumian was still taking a bath, so he picked up a few pieces of delicious food from the rice with his chopsticks and ran behind the screen again.

Feed you.

Zhao Wumian was leaning against the bathtub, resting his eyes as if he was soaking in a hot spring. He couldn't help but laugh at this, but it was Luo Xiangzhu who picked up the rice and gestured "ah", so he opened his mouth.

He looks like a cool and elegant marquis, but in fact he looks more like a pair of clingy mandarin ducks.

After finishing the meal, Luo Xiangzhu saw Zhao Wumian still lying in the bathtub like an old man, not getting up even though the water had turned cold. She raised her little hand and patted him on the shoulder, then turned around and left.

I won't serve you anymore.

But within a few seconds, she came closer with a bowl of rice covered with vegetables.

Today is not a special day, and Zhao Wumian and Luo Xiangzhu did not do anything meaningful.

But Zhao Wumian couldn't help but feel his heartbeat quicken as he saw her hair still covered with water droplets, a few strands of hair sticking to her face, and her carrying a bowl of rice as she walked towards him from behind the screen. He thought to himself:
I must have done a lot of good things in my previous life to be able to marry Sister Xiangzhu.

……

After eating and drinking, Zhao Wumian stood up and wiped the water droplets off his body with a towel.

Although Luo Xiangzhu loves to eat, she doesn't eat much, so most of the food goes into Zhao Wumian's stomach. So she folded Zhao Wumian's dirty clothes early and hung them on the screen, preparing to wash them later.

Zhao Wumian walked out from behind the screen and looked at Luo Xiangzhu. She put her bag on the couch and bent down to get her clothes. Her wrinkled skirt stuck to her hips, outlining an extremely hot curve.

The hem of her skirt rose up, revealing the white socks and delicate ankles inside the embroidered shoes... He walked forward, raised his hand to lift up the wrinkled hem of her skirt, and gently stroked Luo Xiangzhu's legs through her thin pants.

Luo Xiangzhu's delicate body trembled. She looked back with a shy and timid look in her eyes. She bit her lower lip tightly and then glanced at the window.

The windows and doors were closed, but through the window paper, it was bright outside. In broad daylight...

The little mute quickly took out the piece of paper on which she and Zhao Wumian had written the three rules from her bag and held it high. As a result, Zhao Wumian grabbed her wrist, leaned forward with his face, and kissed the little mute on her red lips through the piece of paper.

"Well--"

The straw paper was quickly soaked by the saliva of the two men, and their body temperatures began to rise.

Zhao Wumian casually pulled out a piece of straw paper and whispered to her, "Write another one later..."

crunch————

Luo Xiangzhu felt weak all over and collapsed on the couch, breathing rapidly. She saw Zhao Wumian standing beside the bed and raising his hand to take off her embroidered shoes.

The little feet were wrapped in pure white silk stockings, which were then covered by Zhao Wumian's palm. The stockings were quickly taken off, and the green toes curled up as if frightened. The arch of the foot was beautiful, and the skin between the feet had a blush-like color.

Zhao Wumian held her feet with one hand, stroking them for a while, and then pulled open the thin pants under her wrinkled skirt, but he didn't pull them down completely, just to the bend of her legs...

Luo Xiangzhu had already covered her face with her hands, secretly cursing herself in her heart for doing such a thing before getting married. She was simply bringing disgrace to the Yan Wang family.

As she cursed in her heart, she felt Zhao Wumian holding her legs and pulling her to the edge of the bed, with her legs already in the air...

----------

I have angina pectoris when I sleep at night. It’s not particularly painful, but it lasts for a long time. I don’t know if it’s because of staying up late.

Go to the hospital when you have time.

(End of this chapter)