Exile. Exile Chapter 59-60

Leaving Consort Lou's room, Jiang Mao went to see the emperor, the original host's biological father.

It was said to go to see the emperor, but in fact, he could not enter at all. Of course, there were people guarding outside, so he could not get in.

In the end, Jiang Mao performed a ceremony outside the emperor's resting place and left.

Looking at the closely guarded emperor's resting place, he was sure that the emperor's illness was by no means simple.

Back in the residence, Su Qingbai was waiting there for him long ago.

After pouring a cup of tea for Jiang Mao, Su Qingbai came up to him and said, “By the way, what kind of person is yuemu [wife's mother]?” Su Qingbai was a little nervous. About Jiang Mao's mother, he wanted to know her as much as possible and better made her liked him.

“Yuemu [wife's mother]?” Jiang Mao raised his eyebrows. “Not popo [husband's mother]?”

“Popo?” Su Qingbai pretended to be surprised. “Popo? My Niang? Didn't you already saw her?”

Jiang Mao touched his head and didn't argue with him about it. He seriously talked about Consort Lou. “My Consort Mother, if you can hide from her, you'd better hide.”

Su Qingbai blinked. There's an inside story?

Small mountain village.

Su Caicai took Grandpa's hand as he walked back home from the school. As he pa.s.sed Jiang Mao's house, he paused. As he saw the door was closed, he pursed his small mouth and pulled Grandpa forward.

Su Lingchuan saw it, and felt that his little grandson was very pitiful, but he couldn't help it. They [JM&SQB] couldn't come back for a while.

After Su Qingbai and Jiang Mao left, Su Caicai cried day and night for a few days. Later, he did not cry much, but it's just that he was not as lively as he used to be, where he loved to laugh.

He was not old enough to play with his small friends and without his dad, Su Lingchuan was the most familiar person Su Caicai knew. Now he couldn't leave Su Lingchuan. Every day Su Lingchuan went to school, he followed his grandpa and went home with grandpa. He also slept with his grandpa. Madam Su couldn't help but feel jealous. She pinched Su Caicai's nose, “Why don't you kiss Grandma?”

Su Caicai giggled only when grandma was teasing him.

Now he was naked, wearing no clothes and laughing while waving his two little chubby arms and kicking his two little chubby legs in the air.

This laugh, when Madam Su heard it, she was about to cry. After Qingbai left these days, this little person did not cry which was good, but he would not even laugh.

…

In addition of being sticky to his grandpa, Su Caicai liked to see his little sister when he was idle. The small little sister was extremely beautiful, white and clean, which was beyond the reach of the mud monkeys in the village.

Su Caicai was not qualified to say that other people were mud monkeys now, because he was also a mud monkey now. The clean freak Dad Jiang Mao left, and so Su Caicai became a dirty mud monkey again. No matter how beautiful a face was, it could be muddy if one rolled in the mud.

The two little people were clinging on each other, saying things that others could not understand. They were very closed and would not finish talking all day. Madam Su worked beside them, watching them being happy.

Jiang Mao also kept several people watching over Su Caicai, but they didn't show up very often.

Su Caicai visited his house under the willow tree every day.

Every time he went to Su Qingbai's room. Every time when he opened the door and there was n.o.body, he blinked his eyes, pursed his mouth, and turned away without saying a word.

On this day, Su Caicai returned to his home, and as soon as the little master came, someone opened the door.

Su Caicai went to Jiang Mao's and Su Qingbai's room as usual. When he saw n.o.body, he crossed the threshold with difficulty. Then he turned boxes and cabinets around, searched for some small toys, and finally went to his room. He squeezed out some candies from the small box Jiang Mao gave him and then swayed away.

As soon as Su Caicai left, the door was locked again.

Holding the candies, Su Caicai ate one for himself, left one each for Grandpa and Grandma, and he was left with a few. Su Caicai thought about it and decided to give it to his little sister.

When he went, Su Ersao wasn't there. His little sister was lying on her own bed. Su Caicai leaned over and squeezed the candy to feed her.

“Yah! What are you doing?” Su Ersao suddenly appeared, and when she saw what Su Caicai was doing there, she was shocked and went up and took the candy from Su Caicai's hand.

Su Caicai was a sensitive kid. He probably knew that Su Ersao didn't like him very much and stood there timidly with his hands covered.

Su Ersao hugged Su Qin and coaxed her, then turned around and looked at Su Caicai.

Seeing Su Caicai's beautiful Yue w.a.n.g's face, she hated it. It was her enemy.

Su Ersao saw that Su Caicai still had a candy in his hand, and she slapped it off. “Kid, why are you so bad? Why are you so bad?”

Su Ersao's strength was not small. Su Caicai felt pain and his lips shriveled, about to cry. Su Ersao was fed up as she saw it and pointed to him as she said, “Don't cry!”

Su Caicai bit his lips with his teeth and dared not cry, while tears were rolling in his eyes.

Su Caicai knew through Su Ersao's att.i.tude that he might have done something wrong, so he secretly wiped away his tears, dared not tell anyone. He climbed out of the threshold and went out to find Grandpa.

Capital city.

“Jiang Mao.” Su Qingbai poked Jiang Mao, “I miss Caicai.”

Xah: Everytime I read this chapter, I felt heartache…

The next day, Su Qingbai stayed at home and did not go out. First reason was that he was embarra.s.sed. If he went out and b.u.mped into someone who knew him, he was afraid of causing trouble to Jiang Mao. Secondly, he was embarra.s.sed to go out in the street as an adult man with a big belly.

In Yue w.a.n.g Residence, besides Jiang Mao, Su Qingbai and a group of bodyguards and pageboys, there were several girls, which were the senior maidservants of Consort Lou. Consort Lou took several to the palace, and now there were still a few left in the residence.

These girls were dedicated to serving Consort Lou. Once Consort Lou was absent, they were idle, often drinking in the courtyard and composed poems as amus.e.m.e.nt.

Su Qingbai and Jiang Mao were not far away.

“Why are you so idle when you get back to the capital?” Su Qingbai teased the crickets in the jar with the vermicular gra.s.s. Following Jiang Mao, he heard news and learned that the emperor was dying and that several princes were all ready to move. Thus he was curious. How could Jiang Mao accompany him calmly every day?

Jiang Mao smiled. “Where am I idle? Aren't I busy with accompanying you all day?”

“You know what I mean.”

Jiang Mao firmed up. “During this period, the situation in the capital is tense. I had only arrived in the capital not too long ago. I did not go up to join in the fun for fear of attracting the attention of interested people.” As he said, he stroked Su Qingbai's stomach. “At least after you give birth, I can rest a.s.sured to do other things.”

“It's still early to give birth.” He touched his stomach; there was still four months away.

“Don't be anxious, I know very well in my heart.” Although he didn't go out much all day, it didn't mean he hadn't done anything.

Although Jiang Mao stayed at home with him almost every day and didn't pay attention to the things in the capital, he had promised to do things for Third Prince before and many people didn't know that the relations.h.i.+p between Jiang Mao and Third Prince had cracked. Therefore, many people still visited him every day.

Take today for example; while he and Su Qingbai were contending crickets[1] together, the pageboy came to report, “Lord w.a.n.g, a Lord comes to see you.”

[1 put two crickets together in a small container and they fight. I used to spider fighting]

There were so many people who had come to see him these days. There were people from Third Prince and even Fifth Prince and Sixth Prince. Jiang Mao was really annoyed. He waved, “Just say I'm not here.”

“Lord w.a.n.g, the person said that he is w.a.n.g Shouzhong of Yiliang.”

“w.a.n.g Shouzhong?” As soon as he heard the name, Jiang Mao sat up and his att.i.tude changed greatly. “Go and invite him in. I'll be there later.”

As the pageboy walked away, Su Qingbai asked Jiang Mao, “w.a.n.g Shouzhong, who is it?”

“When I was in Cangzhou, foreigners invaded my territory. I didn't have many soldiers at that time and he helped me. He's a good man.” Jiang Mao put on his coat and pinched Su Qingbai's fleshy chin. “How about you play by yourself first, and I'll play with you later.”

Su Qingbai nodded. “Go ahead.” One's proper business was important.

After Jiang Mao left, Su Qingbai was bored and went to the backyard.

Outside the backyard gate was a street. It was bustling with noise and excitement and sold many things.

Su Qingbai had the gate open and bought a lot of food. He sat at the gate, watching and eating.

In normal time, he did not go out very much and sometimes he was really bored. He often came here to sit. There was one time that he was lucky where there happened to be a vaudeville setting up a stall not far away.

As soon as Jiang Jing pa.s.sed the gate, he saw a scene of a fat man sitting at the big gate with a table and a lot of things on it, all of which were sold out in the street.

“Isn't that the wrong gate?” Jiang Jing stepped back, poked a fan at the man behind him and asked.

“Answering Your Highness, it can't be wrong.”

Su Qingbai, the fat man, saw the visitors. He put down the bowl of cold gra.s.s jelly in his hand and looked over. When Su Qingbai saw one of the visitor's faces, he slammed the table. “Lin Feng? You dare to come?”

Jiang Mao had said to never hidden things from Su Qingbai, so he knew a lot of Jiang Mao's affairs, such as Lin Feng.

Lin Feng stood in front of Jiang Jing and watched Su Qingbai vigilantly. After a long time, he recognized Su Qingbai. “It is you?” Then he frowned and asked, “Why did you come too?”

As Su Qingbai was thinking that the man had betrayed Jiang Mao and had thought of harming Jiang Mao, he had not even a little bit of favorable impression of Lin Feng. “What are you coming to do?” Su Qingbai watched the two men warily. People who came to other people's home in the daytime without saying a word to house's master or going to the front door, most of them were thieves.

Lin Feng knew Su Qingbai's ident.i.ty. He had no interest in this kind of ignorant and incompetent loitering Gongzi, who only knew to flatter and pander, and not to mention that Su Family was now down and out. “Get out of the way, my master has something to do with Lord w.a.n.g.”

“Tsk tsk tsk.” Su Qingbai looked at him. “Last year I heard you call Jiang Mao the master and this year it became the Gongzi. It's a quick change.”

After seven years with Jiang Mao, which was almost half of his youth, plus Jiang Mao treated him well, it was impossible for Lin Feng to not have a bit of friends.h.i.+p with Jiang Mao.

Lin Feng was very concerned about this. When Su Qingbai said it, it poked his sore thumb.

“Seeking death.” Lin Feng became angry from embarra.s.sment. He lifted his foot to kick Su Qingbai.

“Stop it.” Jiang Jing grabbed him in time and then scolded him coldly. “Don't spoil my matters.”

“Qingbai――” After entertaining the guest properly, Jiang Mao learned from the pageboy that Su Qingbai had come to the back street, so he came immediately and happened to see the scene just now.

“Fourth Brother…”

Jiang Mao ignored them. He went to Su Qingbai and squatted down in front of him. He took Su Qingbai's hand and sized him up again and again. He asked anxiously, “You alright? Did it hurt anywhere?”

“I'm all right.” Su Qingbai quickly covered up half a bowl of the cold gra.s.s jelly with his sleeve. Jiang Mao always refused to let him eat it, but he felt hot and craving. The sourness of the cold gra.s.s jelly was too much for him to resist.

“I haven't done anything to him yet.” said Lin Feng on the other side, as he saw Jiang Mao's anxious face.

Once these words were uttered, Jiang Mao looked up at him with cold eyes. The next moment, Jiang Mao smashed him with his fist.

Lin Feng held up his fist to fight back, but was seized by Jiang Mao. Then Jiang Mao raised his foot and kicked him hard till he bent his leg. Lin Feng did not stand firm and fell on his knees.

“Fourth Brother, what do you mean by this?” As his initial realization pa.s.sed, Jiang Jing stepped forward and stopped it. How dare Jiang Mao to beat his people in front of him? Jiang Mao didn't take him seriously?

However, after thinking that he came to find Jiang Mao for something today, Jiang Jing pushed down his discontentment as he said, “Lin Feng didn't do anything to this Gongzi just now.”

During the New Year, Jiang Mao b.u.mped into Lin Feng. Although he and Jiang Jing didn't say anything about it, they were well aware of the situation.

At that time, Jiang Mao was a single force, he was unable to pursue and neither had power to pursue.

“If he did, he would have beaten more than once.” Jiang Mao let go of Lin Feng and went over to help Su Qingbai -who was sitting there- up.

“What is this?” Jiang Mao opened Su Qingbai's sleeve and asked him.

“Gra.s.s jelly.” Su Qingbai answered with bowed head, feeling guilty.

Jiang Mao glared at him, then picked up the half a bowl of cold gra.s.s jelly and turned to throw it into the dumpster. “Now, you can't eat this, it's too cold.”

Su Qingbai's lips flattened. “Why so serious, last time… that time I didn't know about it, and ate anything cold, but nothing ever happened.” [SQB talked about his first pregnancy]

On the other side, Jiang Jing, who was cold-shouldered, looked at them thoughtfully. Despite Jiang Mao smiling at anyone, but he could see that Jiang Mao was very cold-hearted.

And seeing Jiang Mao's att.i.tude towards this man, without the fake smile and harsh words, yet hardly hid the caring meaning behind it, which was real, he felt that Jiang Mao was quite unusual to this man.

“Hu Hong, you take Third Prince to the drawing room first, I'll come later.” Since Third Prince hadn't shed all pretense of cordiality, Jiang Mao couldn't be too rude on the surface, even if he didn't like him.

Third Prince smiled and followed Hu Hong to the drawing room.

> Chapter 61