The Counterfeit Madam Hou Chapter 24

*Unedited

Heading home from the Palace, Xue Mu head directly towards the main bedroom, only to hear Nian Tang report that Liu Qinghuan’s mother and sisters are here .

His eyes gleam as he ask .

” They are all inside? ”
” The 2 sisters are still inside, Madam Liu went to visit Old Madam, but her eyes are red when she left . ”

Xue Mu lowers his eyes and after thinking for a bit, he reply .

” I see . ”

He walk silently towards the door, and heard the Eldest Liu Sister speaking .

” How could he do this? To not consummate your marriage till today! ”

The Second Sister chuckles, speaking sarcastically .

” Seriously, I see no difference between you being married and not~ ”

The two maids in the room have ugly expressions on their faces, but due to their position, they can’t speak up for their mistress no matter how badly they want to .

Liu Qinghuan lies on her bed, listening to them talk, staying silent all this while . Seeing how carefree she is, the Eldest Sister can’t help but be anxious for her .

” Qinghuan, you tell me the truth, do Xue Mu have another woman outside? ”
” Ah? ”

Said Liu Qinghuan, finally forced by her sister to speak out .

” I don’t think so . ”
” Then why are you sleeping in separate rooms? ”
” Is there any other reason apart from 3rd sister not being charming enough? ”

Liu Qinghuan ” …… . ”

Are they really here because she is sick? Is this really the way to treat a patient? Liu Qinghuan starts feeling like her shoulders are aching again .

Eldest Sister glare at her, hardening her heart .

” If he still refuse to consummate this marriage, let’s just get a divorce then! ”
” Yes, a divorce! ”

Second Sister claps her hands, agreeing wholeheartedly .

Xue Mu, who is standing outside the door, face darkens as Liu Qinghuan’s mouth twitches .

” It’s really not that serious, is it? ”
” It is that serious! ”

Eldest Sister crosses her arms .

” We Liu ladies don’t need to take this kind of att.i.tude! Not only will we ask for all the betrothal gifts back, we will even get him to provide 3 years of your food and clothing needs too! ”

Liu Qinghuan ” …… . ”

Wait, why are they thinking further and further?

Ci Tao and Qing Zhi’s faces gets even uglier by the second . Sir, if you don’t come back soon, you are going to lose your wife!

At their praying, Xue Mu finally push open the door and walks in .

Eldest Sister and Second Sister, who are talking loudly a moment ago, immediately goes silent . They have no idea why, but when though Xue Mu is smiling, they feel a chill down their backs .

Second Sister subconsciously hides behind Eldest Sister’s back . Being the oldest one, Eldest Sister withstood the pressure as she looks at him straight in the face .

” Marquise, I’m glad you are back . I had always wanted to ask, why is it that the a.s.sa.s.sins are after you but the one who is lying on the bed is my sister? ”

Liu Qinghuan’s mouth twitches again . As expected of her eldest sister, that sure is a sharp question .

Xue Mu’s gaze darkens at that questions . Looking over at Liu Qinghuan, he says lightly .

” I shall take Older Sister’s reprimanding in mind, as it was my fault for not taking good care of Qing Qing . However, I will never agree to a divorce . ”

The two Liu Sister freeze for a moment, before their faces turn red from embarra.s.sment . The Marquise overheard their conversation!

Liu Qingya cough guilty before pulling Li Qingli outside .

” That, er, we are going to look for Mother . So we shall take our leave . ”

As the two dash off, Liu Qinghuan looks at Xue Mu, laughing dryly .

” Elder Sister only said that in the heat of the moment, don’t mind her . ”

Xue Mu walks over to her bed, and smiles at her .

” I won’t, but you can also forget about the divorce . ”

Liu Qinghuan is stunned for a moment before she nods quickly .

” Of course, of course . ”

Satisfied, he then test her temperature .

” Are you feeling better? ”
” A lot better . ”

Xue Mu then call for Nian Tng, who in turn drag the then sleeping Li Yuanbai over . With a woe-is-me face, Li Yuanbai takes Liu Qinghuan’s pulse before saying .

” There’s no problem . There are still some remaining poison inside Madam’s body but all will be expelled in these few days . ”

Xue My nods and turn to Nian Tang .

” Escort Physician Li back to his clinic . ”

Li Yuanbai eyes sparkles as he looks unbelievably at Xue Mu .

” Marquise, can I really go back? ”
” The kitchen never prepared your lunch for today . ”

” The kitchen never prepared your lunch for today . ”

That made Li Yuanbai sad for a while but the happiness from being set free overcome that tiny bit of sadness . He jump and bounce as he follows Nian Tang out and even receives quite a bit of money and items before he leaves!

” Are these all for me?! ”

Nian Tang nods emotionlessly . Li Yuanbai also pounce on it . That amount is a lot more than three times his salary that he initially thought! Hugging a huge pile of items, he looks difficulty back at Nian Tang .

” If you need me again, remember to look for me at the North Market! ”

Although the Marquise is tough to wait upon, he sure is generous!

Nian Tang’s eyes twitches . She originally wanted to get a few servants to help carry it all back to his home but it seems like he prefer to hug it back home instead .

After quietly recuperating in the mansion for three days, Liu Qinghuan slowly gets better but there are someone who is panicking outside .

Inside Tang Zhibo’s mansion, a figure can be seen pacing about . Putting down his cup of tea, Tang Zhibo looks at that man .

” Brother Hongcai, what is the matter? ”

Looking at his carefree att.i.tude, Hongcai resist the urge to slap the teacup in his hand away .

” Xue Mu just invited me over to his mansion tomorrow . ”

He said, gritting his teeth .

” Oh? ”

Surprise, Tang Zhibo takes another look at him, a corner of his lips curving up .

” Then I would have to congratulate Brother Hongcai for getting the Marquise’s eye . ”
” The heck with congratulations! ”

Yuan Hongcai can finally stand it no more as he burst out scolding .

” Stop pretending you know nothing, this is obviously a ‘Feast at Hongmen’! ”
[TN: banquet set up with the aim of murdering a guest]

Tang Zhibo stares at him silently as Yuan Hongcai continue scolding .

” Don’t you forget, Jing Zhu is send to the Marquise because you asked me to! ”

Ever since the news about Xue Mu slicing Jing Zhu in half reach him, he had nightmares conservatively for three nights . And today, that nightmare is turning into reality! Xue Mu is finally laying hands on him!

Yuan Hongcai’s face is deathly pale as Tang Zhibo frowns at his words . Looking confusingly at Yuan Hongcai, he asked .

” Brother Huancai, how come I understand not a word you are saying? ”

Yuan Hongcai’s face turns even paler as he points a trembling finger at Tang Zhibo .

” Tang Zhibo, what do you mean by that? We are in the same boat, you won’t get away with it either if anything happens to me! ”

” Tang Zhibo, what do you mean by that? We are in the same boat, you won’t get away with it either if anything happens to me! ”

Tang Zhibo laughs .

” Brother Hongcai, don’t blame me for not telling you but you will only die faster if Xue Mu learn about our relations.h.i.+p . ”

Yuan Hongcai’s heart stop a beat as regret downs him out . Why did he board this pirate s.h.i.+p helm by Tang Zhibo at that time?! He should have never believe that fortune teller in changing his name from Hongcai (talent) to Hongcai (fortune)!

Giving a few looks at Tang Zhibo and making sure that he is indeed burning the bridge between them, Yuan Hongcai laughs coldly at him .

” Tang Zhibo, my fate today shall be your fate tomorrow! ”

Leaving this curse behind, Yuan Hongcai walks away without turning back . Tang Zhibo put down his cup of tea as the gleam in his eyes darken .

Back in his own mansion, Yuan Hongcai would not sit and wait for his death . The moment he heard about the slicing-in-half of Jing Zhu, he had already planned his escape .

The mercenaries under his company are just planning to transport a batch of goods out of Chang-An today . Packing up all of his valuables as fast as he could, he change into a servant uniform and sneak into the group .

As long as he manage to leave Chang-An, he would be safe . At least for the moment .

Yuan Hongcai follows at the end of the group, head lowered as he hurry on his way silently . Seeing the city gates soon to be in front of him, all of a sudden, someone lay a hand on his shoulder .

Yuan Hongcai freeze .

He hesitate a moment before turning back, only to see a Mongolian young man grinning brightly at him .

” Hey there, so it really is Yuan Hongcai! I’m afraid that I was mistaken . ”

Yuan Hongcai ” …… . ”

He knows this young man . He is always by Xue Mu’s side and have a weird name… Peng Peng . He pursed his lips, calculating his chances of escape .

……This situation is enough to land a man in despair!

Seeing his increasingly pale face, Peng Peng smile as friendly as he could .

” Now where are you heading to? The Marquise invited you to a banquet tomorrow, you know . ”

Yuan Hongcai ” …… . ”

Can he not RSVP?

Feeling the hand on his shoulder growing heavier, Yuan Hongcai starts sweating . He looks at Peng Peng, drying laughing .

” I, I am just here to see off the team . ”
” Oh, I see . Then I shall accompany you! ”

…… .

Yuan Hongcai stare at the group making their way past the city gates and away .

Afterwards, Peng Peng goodheartedly escorted him back to his mansion and reminded him of the banquet tomorrow .

Yuan Hongcai step into his mansion deathly pale . Looks like Xue Mu already have men watching over his every move . This time, he could only leave it up to fate .

The Marquise mansion is in full grandeur, and even though blood had been shed in this very hall recently, time have already return it to it’s original splendor . Sitting down, Yuan Hongcai keep wiping the sweat off his forehead .

This banquet have started a while ago, but apart from the greetings the Marquise gave him in the beginning, he stay silent . Yuan Hongcai then glance at General Bravo sitting opposite of him and he sweat even harder .

Seeing that the first dance is almost finis.h.i.+ng, his stomach feels overun by b.u.t.terflies .

” Heh, do you have haemorrhoids or something? ”

Li Mo (Bravo) gulp down a mouthful of wine as he glance at Yuan Hongcai . Embarra.s.sed, Yuan Hongcai have no idea on how he should reply . Letting the dancers head down, Xue Mu too, turn and look at Yuan Hongcai .

” Once, we had a dancer named Jing Zhu, who had a great figure, could dance and sing . But alas, beautiful women suffer unhappy fates . ”

Yuan Hongcai face goes pale as Xue Mu continues .

” Come to think of it, that dancer was gifted to me by you . ”

Yun Hongcai’s knees weaken and he almost fall from his seat .

” I really didn’t know she was an a.s.sa.s.sin, I pray for the Marquise forgiveness! ”

Xue Mu smile .

” I heard that you visited Tang Zhibo yesterday? ”

Now Yuan Honcai’s waist is feeling weak too .

” We only knew each other through our businesses . ”
” Just that? ”
” Ju, just that . ”

Not speaking another word . Xue Mu stand and walk over to Yuan Hongcai . He hurriedly stand, only to struggle due to his weak knees . Looking at the imposing Xue Mu in front of him, he wipe off a headful of sweat .

” Marquise, I-I am feeling unwell . I shall take my leave . ”
” Leave? ”

With a slight movement, Xue Mu stands in front of Yuan Hongcai, blocking his way . With a clang, the long sword hanging by his waist is unsheathed .

” Allow me to escort you home, shall we? ”

Without the scream even escaping from his throat, a flash of silver can be seen before the sight in front of his eyes is dye in red .

” AHHHHHHHHH————————————!!! ”

Looking at the head that come rolling towards them, Ci Tao and Qing Zhi scream their lungs out, faces deathly pale .

Xue Mu freeze, the sword still in his hand . Lifting his head, he sees Liu Qinghuan standing at the doorway .

Liu Qinghuan bit onto her pale lips, eyes staring straight at Xue Mu . Now she finally know why he always have a smile hanging off his lips . Because when he don’t, he look just like a demon from h.e.l.l .

*Unedited.

Heading home from the Palace, Xue Mu head directly towards the main bedroom, only to hear Nian Tang report that Liu Qinghuan’s mother and sisters are here

His eyes gleam as he ask

” They are all inside? ”. ” The 2 sisters are still inside, Madam Liu went to visit Old Madam, but her eyes are red when she left . ”.

Xue Mu lowers his eyes and after thinking for a bit, he reply

” I see . ”.

He walk silently towards the door, and heard the Eldest Liu Sister speaking

” How could he do this? To not consummate your marriage till today! ”.

The Second Sister chuckles, speaking sarcastically

” Seriously, I see no difference between you being married and not~ ”.

The two maids in the room have ugly expressions on their faces, but due to their position, they can’t speak up for their mistress no matter how badly they want to

Liu Qinghuan lies on her bed, listening to them talk, staying silent all this while . Seeing how carefree she is, the Eldest Sister can’t help but be anxious for her

” Qinghuan, you tell me the truth, do Xue Mu have another woman outside? ”. ” Ah? ”.

Said Liu Qinghuan, finally forced by her sister to speak out

” I don’t think so . ”. ” Then why are you sleeping in separate rooms? ”. ” Is there any other reason apart from 3rd sister not being charming enough? ”.

Liu Qinghuan ” …… . ”.

Are they really here because she is sick? Is this really the way to treat a patient? Liu Qinghuan starts feeling like her shoulders are aching again

Eldest Sister glare at her, hardening her heart

” If he still refuse to consummate this marriage, let’s just get a divorce then! ”. ” Yes, a divorce! ”.

Second Sister claps her hands, agreeing wholeheartedly

Xue Mu, who is standing outside the door, face darkens as Liu Qinghuan’s mouth twitches

” It’s really not that serious, is it? ”. ” It is that serious! ”.

Eldest Sister crosses her arms

” We Liu ladies don’t need to take this kind of att.i.tude! Not only will we ask for all the betrothal gifts back, we will even get him to provide 3 years of your food and clothing needs too! ”.

Liu Qinghuan ” …… . ”.

Wait, why are they thinking further and further?.

Ci Tao and Qing Zhi’s faces gets even uglier by the second . Sir, if you don’t come back soon, you are going to lose your wife!.

At their praying, Xue Mu finally push open the door and walks in

Eldest Sister and Second Sister, who are talking loudly a moment ago, immediately goes silent . They have no idea why, but when though Xue Mu is smiling, they feel a chill down their backs

Second Sister subconsciously hides behind Eldest Sister’s back . Being the oldest one, Eldest Sister withstood the pressure as she looks at him straight in the face

” Marquise, I’m glad you are back . I had always wanted to ask, why is it that the a.s.sa.s.sins are after you but the one who is lying on the bed is my sister? ”.

Liu Qinghuan’s mouth twitches again . As expected of her eldest sister, that sure is a sharp question

Xue Mu’s gaze darkens at that questions . Looking over at Liu Qinghuan, he says lightly

” I shall take Older Sister’s reprimanding in mind, as it was my fault for not taking good care of Qing Qing . However, I will never agree to a divorce . ”.

The two Liu Sister freeze for a moment, before their faces turn red from embarra.s.sment . The Marquise overheard their conversation!.

Liu Qingya cough guilty before pulling Li Qingli outside

” That, er, we are going to look for Mother . So we shall take our leave . ”.

As the two dash off, Liu Qinghuan looks at Xue Mu, laughing dryly

” Elder Sister only said that in the heat of the moment, don’t mind her . ”.

Xue Mu walks over to her bed, and smiles at her

” I won’t, but you can also forget about the divorce . ”.

Liu Qinghuan is stunned for a moment before she nods quickly

” Of course, of course . ”.

Satisfied, he then test her temperature

” Are you feeling better? ”. ” A lot better . ”.

Xue Mu then call for Nian Tng, who in turn drag the then sleeping Li Yuanbai over . With a woe-is-me face, Li Yuanbai takes Liu Qinghuan’s pulse before saying

” There’s no problem . There are still some remaining poison inside Madam’s body but all will be expelled in these few days . ”.

Xue My nods and turn to Nian Tang

” Escort Physician Li back to his clinic . ”.

Li Yuanbai eyes sparkles as he looks unbelievably at Xue Mu

” Marquise, can I really go back? ”. ” The kitchen never prepared your lunch for today . ”.

That made Li Yuanbai sad for a while but the happiness from being set free overcome that tiny bit of sadness . He jump and bounce as he follows Nian Tang out and even receives quite a bit of money and items before he leaves!.

” Are these all for me?! ”.

Nian Tang nods emotionlessly . Li Yuanbai also pounce on it . That amount is a lot more than three times his salary that he initially thought! Hugging a huge pile of items, he looks difficulty back at Nian Tang

” If you need me again, remember to look for me at the North Market! ”.

Although the Marquise is tough to wait upon, he sure is generous!.

Nian Tang’s eyes twitches . She originally wanted to get a few servants to help carry it all back to his home but it seems like he prefer to hug it back home instead

 .

 .

After quietly recuperating in the mansion for three days, Liu Qinghuan slowly gets better but there are someone who is panicking outside

Inside Tang Zhibo’s mansion, a figure can be seen pacing about . Putting down his cup of tea, Tang Zhibo looks at that man

” Brother Hongcai, what is the matter? ”.

Looking at his carefree att.i.tude, Hongcai resist the urge to slap the teacup in his hand away

” Xue Mu just invited me over to his mansion tomorrow . ”.

He said, gritting his teeth

” Oh? ”.

Surprise, Tang Zhibo takes another look at him, a corner of his lips curving up

” Then I would have to congratulate Brother Hongcai for getting the Marquise’s eye . ”. ” The heck with congratulations! ”.

Yuan Hongcai can finally stand it no more as he burst out scolding

” Stop pretending you know nothing, this is obviously a ‘Feast at Hongmen’! ”. [TN: banquet set up with the aim of murdering a guest].

Tang Zhibo stares at him silently as Yuan Hongcai continue scolding

” Don’t you forget, Jing Zhu is send to the Marquise because you asked me to! ”.

Ever since the news about Xue Mu slicing Jing Zhu in half reach him, he had nightmares conservatively for three nights . And today, that nightmare is turning into reality! Xue Mu is finally laying hands on him!.

Yuan Hongcai’s face is deathly pale as Tang Zhibo frowns at his words . Looking confusingly at Yuan Hongcai, he asked

” Brother Huancai, how come I understand not a word you are saying? ”.

Yuan Hongcai’s face turns even paler as he points a trembling finger at Tang Zhibo

” Tang Zhibo, what do you mean by that? We are in the same boat, you won’t get away with it either if anything happens to me! ”.

Tang Zhibo laughs

” Brother Hongcai, don’t blame me for not telling you but you will only die faster if Xue Mu learn about our relations.h.i.+p . ”.

Yuan Hongcai’s heart stop a beat as regret downs him out . Why did he board this pirate s.h.i.+p helm by Tang Zhibo at that time?! He should have never believe that fortune teller in changing his name from Hongcai (talent) to Hongcai (fortune)!.

Giving a few looks at Tang Zhibo and making sure that he is indeed burning the bridge between them, Yuan Hongcai laughs coldly at him

” Tang Zhibo, my fate today shall be your fate tomorrow! ”.

Leaving this curse behind, Yuan Hongcai walks away without turning back . Tang Zhibo put down his cup of tea as the gleam in his eyes darken

Back in his own mansion, Yuan Hongcai would not sit and wait for his death . The moment he heard about the slicing-in-half of Jing Zhu, he had already planned his escape

The mercenaries under his company are just planning to transport a batch of goods out of Chang-An today . Packing up all of his valuables as fast as he could, he change into a servant uniform and sneak into the group

As long as he manage to leave Chang-An, he would be safe . At least for the moment

Yuan Hongcai follows at the end of the group, head lowered as he hurry on his way silently . Seeing the city gates soon to be in front of him, all of a sudden, someone lay a hand on his shoulder

Yuan Hongcai freeze

He hesitate a moment before turning back, only to see a Mongolian young man grinning brightly at him

” Hey there, so it really is Yuan Hongcai! I’m afraid that I was mistaken . ”.

Yuan Hongcai ” …… . ”.

He knows this young man . He is always by Xue Mu’s side and have a weird name… Peng Peng . He pursed his lips, calculating his chances of escape

……This situation is enough to land a man in despair!.

Seeing his increasingly pale face, Peng Peng smile as friendly as he could

” Now where are you heading to? The Marquise invited you to a banquet tomorrow, you know . ”.

Yuan Hongcai ” …… . ”.

Can he not RSVP?.

Feeling the hand on his shoulder growing heavier, Yuan Hongcai starts sweating . He looks at Peng Peng, drying laughing

” I, I am just here to see off the team . ”. ” Oh, I see . Then I shall accompany you! ”.

……

Yuan Hongcai stare at the group making their way past the city gates and away

Afterwards, Peng Peng goodheartedly escorted him back to his mansion and reminded him of the banquet tomorrow

Yuan Hongcai step into his mansion deathly pale . Looks like Xue Mu already have men watching over his every move . This time, he could only leave it up to fate

 .

The Marquise mansion is in full grandeur, and even though blood had been shed in this very hall recently, time have already return it to it’s original splendor . Sitting down, Yuan Hongcai keep wiping the sweat off his forehead

This banquet have started a while ago, but apart from the greetings the Marquise gave him in the beginning, he stay silent . Yuan Hongcai then glance at General Bravo sitting opposite of him and he sweat even harder

Seeing that the first dance is almost finis.h.i.+ng, his stomach feels overun by b.u.t.terflies

” Heh, do you have haemorrhoids or something? ”.

Li Mo (Bravo) gulp down a mouthful of wine as he glance at Yuan Hongcai . Embarra.s.sed, Yuan Hongcai have no idea on how he should reply . Letting the dancers head down, Xue Mu too, turn and look at Yuan Hongcai

” Once, we had a dancer named Jing Zhu, who had a great figure, could dance and sing . But alas, beautiful women suffer unhappy fates . ”.

Yuan Hongcai face goes pale as Xue Mu continues

” Come to think of it, that dancer was gifted to me by you . ”.

Yun Hongcai’s knees weaken and he almost fall from his seat

” I really didn’t know she was an a.s.sa.s.sin, I pray for the Marquise forgiveness! ”.

Xue Mu smile

” I heard that you visited Tang Zhibo yesterday? ”.

Now Yuan Honcai’s waist is feeling weak too

” We only knew each other through our businesses . ”. ” Just that? ”. ” Ju, just that . ”.

Not speaking another word . Xue Mu stand and walk over to Yuan Hongcai . He hurriedly stand, only to struggle due to his weak knees . Looking at the imposing Xue Mu in front of him, he wipe off a headful of sweat

” Marquise, I-I am feeling unwell . I shall take my leave . ”. ” Leave? ”.

With a slight movement, Xue Mu stands in front of Yuan Hongcai, blocking his way . With a clang, the long sword hanging by his waist is unsheathed

” Allow me to escort you home, shall we? ”.

Without the scream even escaping from his throat, a flash of silver can be seen before the sight in front of his eyes is dye in red

 .

” AHHHHHHHHH————————————!!! ”.

Looking at the head that come rolling towards them, Ci Tao and Qing Zhi scream their lungs out, faces deathly pale

Xue Mu freeze, the sword still in his hand . Lifting his head, he sees Liu Qinghuan standing at the doorway

Liu Qinghuan bit onto her pale lips, eyes staring straight at Xue Mu . Now she finally know why he always have a smile hanging off his lips . Because when he don’t, he look just like a demon from h.e.l.l

 .