Grudge Breaker

Chapter 267: The Painting Boat Incident (Part )
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"Brother Yuheng, long time no see!"

Song Weichen looked at the person who came with a smile, and saw that Zhuang Yuheng was wearing a silver moon-colored official brocade robe, black satin boots with silver braids, a half-tied bun with smooth jade hair, and his hair was as silky and as black as ink. He was indeed a rare handsome man in the world.

"I must have been dazzled just now," Song Weichen was immediately relieved.

I must have mistaken Zhuang Yuheng, who was dressed in silver and white, for Gu Cangyue in a moment of amazement.

If it really was that big bird, how could it just glance at her from afar and then quietly disappear into the sea of ​​mortal world?
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Seeing Zhuang Yuheng walking towards him at a rapid speed, Song Weichen wisely raised his two wrists. He didn't know since when, the "greeting ceremony" between the two had turned into feeling the pulse.

"Tingfeng said you were coughing up blood again?"

"Well, it's just a little bit. It's normal to cough it out occasionally." Song Weichen looked like nothing had happened.

Her words are really not credible at all.

As soon as Zhuang Yuheng took Song Weichen's pulse, he frowned fiercely. How could such a strange pulse appear in just a few days?

In the blink of an eye, many changes occurred, one real and one fake.

The previous moment, he was in a state of death, with "left inch being frightened, right inch being short of breath; left chi being weak, marrow being exhausted and essence being dry; right chi being weak, yang being weak and life being over."

The next moment it turned into the sign of "strong blood and strong pulses, fire and heat congested; strong pulses, big and firm; long pulses, with both ends connected" which represents the condition of excessive fire.

It's like a dying and extremely weak person, whose body is controlled by a strong and violent soul and forced to run, burning the candle at both ends.

"you……"

Zhuang Yuheng's fingers couldn't help but tremble. He looked at Mo Tingfeng in confusion, "What happened to Weiwei during the days I was away?"

Mo Tingfeng and Song Weichen exchanged a glance, and the latter gave a fatal warning, saying that they must not tell anyone about the curse of death and the mask of the ghost king of corpses! Otherwise, if the matter of Zhuang Yuheng's transformation into a demon corpse is revealed, he will suffer.

The opponent's plan was very clever. It seemed to be aimed at Song Weichen, but in fact the target was Mo Tingfeng and Zhuang Yuheng. It was a three-pronged approach, and the plan was quite cunning.

"she……"

While Mo Tingfeng was hesitating, Song Weichen chose to answer himself.

"I'm really fine. I've just been practicing too hard recently and haven't gotten enough rest, so I keep having nightmares. So my pulse is inevitably a little abnormal. It will recover after a while. It's not a big deal."

She pulled her wrist away and poked the head of the little guinea pig on Mo Tingfeng's shoulder to change the subject.

"Little Biezhi, what's wrong with you? You didn't even take the initiative to say hello to Brother Yuheng when you saw him. You are becoming more and more rude. How did your father teach you?"

The little meatball was originally sitting on Mo Tingfeng's shoulder with his legs apart, watching the fun, but he never expected that the war would break out so suddenly. He had no choice but to stand up, put his two paws on his belly, and bowed respectfully to Zhuang Yuheng.

"Great blessings to Yuheng!"

Unfortunately, Zhuang Yuheng couldn’t understand what the little meatball said, and all he heard was a rhythmic “chi chi chi”.

He just felt that the little guinea pig's expressions and movements were sometimes quite similar to Song Weichen's. He liked it, so he raised his hand to Mo Tingfeng's shoulder.

"Come?"

The little meatball was quite tactful. He jumped directly into Zhuang Yuheng's palm, blinked his little black eyes twice and smiled, his flattery was too obvious.

Zhuang Yuheng found it even more interesting. He held it in his palm and rubbed it gently, scratching its chin from time to time. The little guinea pig had never enjoyed such treatment before, and it stayed in his palm as if it had taken root.

"I have also cultivated a very cool phantom spirit. After the banquet is over, Brother Yuheng, don't leave in a hurry. Go to Tingfeng Mansion and watch me show you my skills."

Song Weichen was eager to "present his treasure".

"Okay, it just so happens that I also need to tell you and Tingfeng in detail about what we gained in Wu Zi Pavilion this time."

Zhuang Yuheng looked at the two of them very seriously, "I have found a way to remove the ban on Ting Feng's love killing."

"really?!"

Mo Tingfeng couldn't hide his happiness. If he could successfully lift the ban, he would be able to marry Song Weichen and remove the mark of her past life for her. From then on, the two of them could stay together for the rest of their lives, living in harmony and resonating with the heaven and earth.

“That’s great.”

Song Weichen also smiled with her eyes curved - although she was the one who set up the scheme, she was genuinely happy about it.

Very good, it seems that everything is going smoothly. Ji Baishou was sincere and did convince the owner of Wu Zi Hall to place the "revised version" of the ancient book rubbings in the hall, and it was successfully discovered by Zhuang Yuheng. Now she just needs to go with the flow.

However, when he thought about the day when Mo Tingfeng would lift the ban on love, it would most likely be the day when their relationship would end. No matter how good Song Weichen's "acting skills" were, he still felt an unbearable bitterness in his heart at this moment.
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"Brother Yuheng~~"

Song Weichen was tossing between the two extremes of happiness and sadness and couldn't find a way out. Ruan Mianmian's delicate call gave her a chance to escape temporarily.

After calming down and looking in the direction of the voice, Ruan Mianmian, who was wearing a cherry pink gauze dress, was walking towards them with the beautiful Qin Xueying.

Six steps behind the two men were four maids and attendants, all of whom were dressed in simple plain clothes. It was obvious that they intended to keep a low profile.

When she got closer, Ruan Mianmian glanced at Qin Xueying, and after getting her tacit consent, she let go of her and threw herself in front of Zhuang Yuheng, pulling her cousin's arm affectionately and acting coquettishly. It had been some time since they parted at the Ghost Market, so naturally they had to exchange a few words of personal conversation.

Qin Xueying changed into a thin persimmon-colored gauze dress embroidered with gold. She lost her sense of dignity and distance, and seemed more dignified and approachable. Song Weichen hurriedly went over to her and bowed respectfully.

"Greetings, Princess. I was ill at noon and was unable to pay my respects to you. Please forgive me!"

Qin Xueying held her in her arms, with a kind look on her face.

This time she was closer, so she looked at Song Weichen carefully, then reached out and gently pinched her wrist and shoulder.

"Why are you so thin and pale? Is it because you are seriously ill and difficult to recover? I will ask the palace doctor to come and treat you, okay?"

"I am so sorry, it's just a minor illness, how dare I trouble the doctor of the Territory Lord's Mansion. It's okay, thank you Princess for your concern."

"So good."

Qin Xueying gently patted Song Weichen's arm to comfort him, then walked up to Mo Tingfeng and Zhuang Yuheng and nodded slightly.

"Greetings to the two masters in charge. Xueying has been bothering Si Chen's residence these past few days. If there is anything inappropriate, Master Si Chen must speak up."

Mo Tingfeng smiled and bowed to Qin Xueying.

"That's wrong. The princess is willing to come here, which is a great honor for Sichen Mansion. Tingfeng is very happy. I'm just afraid that I can't take good care of her and don't spoil her fun."

When he said this, Qin Xueying was naturally happy and a blush appeared on her face.

"There is no princess here, only Xueying. It would be too formal for Lord Sichen to address her as princess again."

"So, there is no Lord Si Chen here, only Mo Tingfeng, so please don't be so distant, Princess."

……

The two of them chatted back and forth, and what they said were just polite remarks, but to those who were paying close attention, it sounded like a "story".

Ruan Mianmian deliberately dragged Zhuang Yuheng towards the pleasure boat, "Cousin, let's go to the table first. It's unnecessary to stand here."

As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at Song Weichen, implying, "Who are you? If you know what's good for you, make way for the princess."

Song Weichen was too lazy to argue with Ruan Mianmian, but for some reason, she did have a strange feeling this time. Compared with the past, the way Qin Xueying looked at Mo Tingfeng had a hint of something else——

She couldn’t say what it was exactly, but based on her woman’s intuition, Song Weichen didn’t like this “extra something”.
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Everyone entered the pleasure boat, and found a different world inside.

The inner walls are all made of rosewood, hollowed out and carved into various patterns of flowers and auspicious plants, with great craftsmanship, and then embellished with colorful silk banners. When the wind blows, it looks like a fairyland.

When the little meatball saw Ruan Mianmian rushing towards Zhuang Yuheng, he subconsciously shrank into Zhuang Yuheng's sleeve pocket to avoid the strong fragrance on her body. Now that he entered the houseboat and saw many new things inside, he unconsciously slipped out again and wanted to look around.

As a result, as soon as it showed its face, Ruan Mianmian let out an exaggerated scream. She stomped her feet and took a few steps back, pointing at the little guinea pig on Zhuang Yuheng's body.

"Ah!!! Brother Yuheng, there is dirt on you!!!"

...The little meatball would be displeased by everyone since he was born. He had never suffered such an insult before. He was so angry that his little mustache shook several times. He jumped into Zhuang Yuheng's palm, put one paw on his waist, and pointed his pink index finger at Ruan Mianmian.

"You are the dirty one! Your whole family is dirty!"

"I'm clean, Shushu! You're the one who's dirty! Otherwise, why would I use such a strong fragrance to cover up your bad smell!"

Ruan Mianmian naturally didn’t understand what the little guinea pig was saying, but she could tell that the guy was “swearing very badly.”

"Stinky rat! Quick! Cousin, kill it and throw it out!"

Ruan Mianmian held her handkerchief to her mouth and screamed in a shrill voice with a look of disgust on her face.

Her reaction made Zhuang Yuheng somewhat embarrassed. He quickly glanced at Song Weichen and then at Ruan Mianmian, intending to explain.

"Mianmian, you misunderstood. This is..."

"This is my pet spirit."

Mo Tingfeng responded calmly and waved to the little meatball, who jumped onto his shoulders with three hops and two bounds.

"It's called Laughing Mouse, also called Little Chic. It's a guinea pig, not a mouse."

He patted the little meatball's head.

"It seems that Miss Mianmian really doesn't like you. How about you avoid her first?"

The little guinea pig looked quite dejected. It chirped, bowed to everyone, and was about to get into the lapel of Mo Ting's windbreaker - but was stopped by Qin Xueying.

"Wait, what a cute little guy, Tingfeng, can I see him?"

Before Mo Tingfeng could respond, the little meatball took the lead and jumped in front of Qin Xueying to act cute.

"Your name is Xiao Biezhi, right? You do look obedient and unique. It is said that pets are smart and can read people's hearts. I didn't expect that Brother Tingfeng has such a childlike heart."

"Little thing, are you willing to come back to the Venerable's Mansion with me to play? I will prepare delicious food for you, okay?"

……

Regardless of whether Qin Xueying's love was genuine or fake, at least her purpose of using the little meatball to gain Mo Tingfeng's favor had been achieved.

Similarly, Song Weichen's goal of proving that the little guinea pig possessed the "noble Mo bloodline" had been achieved. With Qin Xueying's words, it could enter and leave the Venerable's Mansion openly without having to worry about being surrounded and hunted down by the guards.

It just embarrassed Ruan Mianmian. Her yelling put herself in a position where she was neither here nor there. It was not appropriate for her to approach the guinea pig and show kindness to it, nor was it appropriate for her to continue to show disgust on her face. She had to stand aside awkwardly.
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After a series of twists and turns, everyone finally took their seats.

The space inside the painted boat was quite large. In addition to the main table where everyone sat, there was also a fifty-foot square dance pavilion. Because Song Weichen had promised Qin Xueying that he would play music for her, he had already ordered people to prepare all the necessary items such as the guqin and incense burner in advance.

Seeing them all seated, Song Weichen walked silently towards the dance hall. She positioned herself as an "actor" tonight - while the nobles drank and chatted, she was responsible for providing background music.

Unexpectedly, Qin Xueying took the initiative to call her, pointed to the seat next to her in a friendly manner, and invited her to take a seat.

"Sister Sang Pu, come sit with me, have something to eat, and chat with me for a while."

Speaking of which, except for Song Weichen, everyone else at this table was an immortal king, a noble, or a wealthy family - to some extent, she really did not have the capital to sit at the table.

But during the conversation, Qin Xueying not only always took into account the dignity of Song Weichen, who was apparently just a mere zither player, but she even took the initiative to serve her food. She was so approachable and friendly that, regardless of what others might think, she had already won Mo Tingfeng's favor.

Maybe they all have the same purpose, but when compared with Ruan Mianmian, the difference is obvious.

……

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere was in a good mood. Qin Xueying suddenly clapped her chopsticks and shouted that she wanted to hear a poem.

"I have long heard that Miss Sang Pu is a kind-hearted lady. In the past, she was as good as ten people at the Feihualing banquet in Sikong Mansion. Even our famous talented lady Mianmian can only be on par with you. Seeing is believing. Tonight, Miss Sang Pu will use this painted boat night banquet as the theme and improvise a seven-step poem, okay?"

Different from Ruan Mianmian's previous show of power, Qin Xueying's move this time was because she knew her ability and intended to "raise her status".

Song Weichen did not refuse. Composing a poem? That's easy. Just borrow a famous work from our ancestors.

She stood up and walked into the dance hall, took three or four steps as if pretending to think, and then recited the famous poem "Nan Xiang Zi: Riding a Colorful Boat" by Li Xun, a poet from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.

"Riding a colorful boat, passing the lotus pond, the oars' song startled the sleeping mandarin ducks. The girls wearing flowers snuggled up to him and laughed, competing for beauty, competing to break off lotus leaves to block out the evening light."

"Good, good poem! As expected of the talented lady Sang Pu, I am here this time!"

……

The more Qin Xueying praised Song Weichen, the uglier Ruan Mianmian's expression became. She wondered in her heart what the eldest princess was up to.
When we were at the Venerable's residence before, hadn't he expressed his indignation and said he wanted to "vent" for himself? Why did his attitude change completely when we actually met?

Just as she was secretly resenting herself, Qin Xueying looked at her with a smile.

"Mianmian, I'm going to make a bet with you. This Miss Sangpu can not only play and sing, but she must also be a very good dancer. Do you believe it?"

Ruan Mianmian suddenly realized.

What a great trick to kill without spilling blood! It turns out that there were so many preparations, and they were waiting here!

"Does she really want to watch this bitch dance? No, she wants Song Weichen to have a legitimate pregnancy! If she really obeys the will of the territory master and chooses Mo Tingfeng, how could she tolerate another woman giving birth to his child first?"

Ruan Mianmian understood.

Judging from the little bitch's physical reaction when she received the emperor today, it is very likely that she is in the early stages of pregnancy. During this stage, it is most taboo to disturb the fetus. Qin Xueying wants her to miscarry! Ruan Mianmian can only sigh that she is inferior to him in such scheming.

Of course, the little bitch could also refuse on the grounds that she was not good at dancing, but Qin Xueying would definitely have other ways to make her dance. Thinking of this, Ruan Mianmian decided to add fuel to the fire. She stood up and bowed to everyone.

"Mianmian is not talented, but I am willing to play the zither for Miss Sangpu."

After saying this, without waiting for anyone to react, he walked into the dance pavilion, sat down beside the guqin and tried out the sound.

……

Song Weichen was stunned.

What does that mean? Why did she suddenly want to dance?
It’s not that she can’t dance. As a “middle-level person”, she has a flexible body and the ability to dance is a basic quality. But - why does it feel like these two are deliberately conspiring something?
It doesn’t matter, just jump and see what tricks they come up with.

Thinking of this, Song Weichen stood up.

"It's hard to refuse such a kind offer, so Sang Pu will show his ugliness."
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The music played by Ruan Mianmian was naturally suitable for classical dance. Song Weichen remembered the song "Only This Green" that she had seen on the Spring Festival Gala before. She had even memorized the movements because it was so beautiful. Now that the melody and rhyme barely matched, she made slight changes and presented it on the spot.

For a moment, not only Mo Tingfeng and Zhuang Yuheng were all stunned, even Qin Xueying was secretly amazed. She really didn't expect Song Weichen to dance so well - the key point was, she dared to do those moves in the early stage of pregnancy!

Could it be that... I guessed wrong?

Ruan Mianmian was also surprised, but rather than being surprised, it would be more appropriate to say that she was jealous - "This bitch, why is it that she always gets to be in the spotlight, why is it that she always gets to attract the attention of men!"

The song is over.

Song Weichen broke out in a sweat, and his breathing and heart rate were unstable. After all, his body was severely damaged. This level of exercise was nothing in the past, but now it was really difficult.

She bowed amidst the praises, and just as she was about to return to her seat, she felt the blood surging in her heart and lungs, and the sweet taste instantly overflowed into her throat. Song Weichen quickly took out a handkerchief to cover her mouth - in the eyes of Qin Xueying and Ruan Mianmian, this appearance further confirmed her suspicion that she was pregnant! .
Everyone was having ulterior motives during the banquet, but unexpectedly Guyu and Banxia rushed in in a hurry.

"No, it's bad, my lords and nobles, something has happened!"

Banxia looked at everyone in panic.

"A body was just found underwater in this pleasure boat. The dead... the dead was... a maid in Si Chen's mansion. Her name was......"

Banxia couldn’t remember anything for a moment, and looked at Guyu beside her for help.

Guyu's eyes were red because she was trying hard to hold back tears. She looked at Song Weichen, then at Mo Tingfeng, and finally said the name.

"The deceased was a fourth-rank maid in Si Chen Mansion, named... Xiao An."