After Jianxiu Gave The Villain In The Book A Wedding To Bring Him Good Luck - Chapter 12

In the present, nobles often burn a blend of incense called Sihexiang. Ning Bumo, however, dislikes the scent, preferring the elegant and crisp fragrance of mountain forest herbs. Those in the estate had always been aware of his habits, so why had they replaced it today with this imperial-bestowed Sihexiang?

Lin Zhong quickly explained, “It was discovered while organizing the storehouse. I worried that if it were kept longer, it would lose its intended fragrance, so I burned a ball for the room.”

That being the case, there was little else to say. Ning Bumo dislikes waste, so he waved his hand to dismiss the man. However, once he and Mu Wan were alone, he approached the incense burner, lifting the lid to inspect the Sihexiang.

“What is it? Do you suspect it has been poisoned?” Mu Wan asked, leaning in to join the curiosity.

It must be said that expensive ingredients have their benefits; the scent was well-blended and rich in layers. As for whether there was a problem, Mu Wan truly could not detect one.

“Perhaps I am being overly suspicious,” Ning Bumo said, pushing the lid back into place.

Whether it was the lingering sadness from sending Du Heguang and the others away, or his lingering suspicion regarding the incense, Ning Bumo did not sleep soundly that night.

In his dreams, blood permeated everything.

Recently, the soldiers had only been able to survive on rice water. Ning Bumo was accustomed to the life of the battlefield and knew when the rations should have run out. Even though he could still set a roast chicken on his desk, he still discovered the reality of the situation.

“Is this all the soldiers are drinking now?” Ning Bumo scooped the contents of the large vat before him, looking at the thin layer of pale, rice-colored water, his face filled with rage.

“There are still vegetables!” a soldier quickly began to explain. But Ning Bumo inspected it carefully, and when he pulled out the wild grass usually used for livestock, all he felt was fury and failure.

The Great Yong had enjoyed peace for so long that the grain in the granaries was molding, yet the soldiers at the border could not even get a full meal.

He could not wait any longer.

The connection between Lingzhou and the outside world had been severed. Although he did not know why messages were not getting out, they had to break through the encirclement and head to Guanzhong to mobilize reinforcements.

Having defended this place for so long, Ning Bumo naturally knew a path to the outside, but the journey would be perilous. Once discovered…

“Hey, Ning Bumo?”

A voice calling out as if from beyond the heavens echoed in his ears. The man immersed in the dream furrowed his brows tighter; beads of sweat broke out on his forehead due to the intensity of his emotions.

Mu Wan sensed something was wrong with his companion in the middle of the night. Ning Bumo, who usually slept quietly, looked as if he were trapped in a nightmare, his hands clenching the quilt into a ball.

Mu Wan called out several times without waking him, as if Ning Bumo’s usual alertness had completely vanished. After a moment of thought, Mu Wan condensed a wisp of spiritual energy at his fingertip and merged it into Ning Bumo’s body.

This finally had an effect.

With the help of the external force, Ning Bumo struggled out of the dream. His torso sat up abruptly in bed; his vision was blurred, everything condensing into a haze.

“How do you feel now?” The clear, spring-like voice dispersed the mist before his eyes. Ning Bumo focused his gaze, first seeing the slender, white wrist reaching toward him.

He subconsciously grabbed it, pulling Mu Wan into his embrace. As their skin pressed together through the thin undergarments, Ning Bumo belatedly realized something was wrong.

The slender waist felt as if it could be encircled by a single hand, soft and delicate. Realizing his own lewd thoughts, Ning Bumo was secretly annoyed and instinctively wanted to push Mu Wan away, yet he felt that would be too rash. He froze, unsure of how to move.

“What, are you treating me as your enemy?” Mu Wan teased, pulling back from his arms, though his ears turned a faint shade of pink.

It would be fine if he really were treating him as an enemy; fighting would not lead to such thoughts. But Ning Bumo simply gripped his arms and did not move, deep in thought, to the point where their pressing bodies could feel the rising heat of each other’s chests.

It was strange.

Trying hard to ignore the odd sensation, Mu Wan returned to the matter at hand. “What did you dream about? You would not wake up no matter how I called you; it was as if you were possessed.”

He should not have brought it up; as soon as he did, Ning Bumo felt his headache return. Noisy, clamorous emotions filled his mind, leaving him with an unexplained anger and nowhere to vent it.

“It was about the Battle of Lingzhou, a bad memory.” His gaze fell upon the incense burner. The burning had stopped, and the scent of the Sihexiang was barely perceptible.

Guessing that he was suspicious of the newly changed incense, coupled with the fact that today’s nightmare was indeed problematic, Mu Wan suggested, “Let us have someone change the incense back tomorrow.”

Changing the incense was easy. Within the estate, regardless of their secret thoughts, everyone had to follow Ning Bumo’s orders.

However, the sudden nightmare still worried Ning Bumo. He did not pester Mu Wan during the day, having gone off to do something unknown.

At Wanfeng Pavilion, Mu Wan tapped his chessboard, pondering Ning Bumo’s odd behavior from the night before.

Even if an ordinary person were trapped in a nightmare, it would not usually require spiritual energy to awaken; Ning Bumo’s situation resembled an external influence. Yet, yesterday’s incense had truly shown no problems.

Could it be related to the lingering chill in this courtyard?

Mu Wan looked around, intending to take a stroll around the estate. But first, he had to catch the little thief who had been observing him from the shadows.

A black chess piece was tossed out, trailing through the air and across a gap in the garden wall, striking the forehead of the onlooker with precision.

A cry of “Ouch!” came from behind the wall. Mu Wan calmly walked over, eyeing the small thief on the ground who, realizing something was wrong, was trying to scramble up and run.

“Who are you? How dare you trespass into the Prince’s estate?”

“Who, who is trespassing?!” Mao Leyou twisted her backside in defiance, glaring indignantly at Mu Wan. Her cheeks, still retaining a bit of baby fat, were puffed up.

That indignation vanished, however, the moment she saw Mu Wan’s face.

She looked at Mu Wan’s ethereal, otherworldly features in shock, her speech stumbling. “You, you, you, you!”

“I, I, I, I?” Mu Wan raised an eyebrow, responding to the stutterer.

This caused Mao Leyou’s face to burn a deep crimson. She frantically brushed off the dust from her clothes, looking left and right, but she dared not look at Mu Wan again.

It was so humiliating! She had only come to observe what this new Prince Consort was like. Why was she unable to speak after a single glance?

Mao Leyou felt like crying. Her already dull mind had tied itself into a knot. Mu Wan, looking at her features, which bore a faint resemblance to Ning Bumo, asked, “Who are you? What is your relationship with Ning Bumo, and who let you in?”

“My name is…”

“Mao Leyou!” A voice filled with suppressed anger rang out from afar. Mu Wan and Ning Bumo looked over in surprise to see Ning Bumo being pushed toward them by Shuangyan. His face was cold as he scrutinized the girl in a ponytail and sturdy tunic, saying with displeasure, “Who told you to come here?”

Knowing Mu Wan enjoyed quiet, Ning Bumo had long ago told his servants not to let anyone disturb him. Who would have thought that he would only leave for a moment before Mao Leyou would come crashing in? If no one had led her, how could this girl have found Mu Wan’s quarters?

His unusual behavior frightened Mao Leyou.

“Cousin-uncle,” Mao Leyou said, her eyes reddening as she looked at him, feeling afraid.

In her memories, Ning Bumo had always been gentle and sunny, very doting toward the children, bringing them toys from the border every year. He had never been this cold or gloomy.

“I am sorry!” It must be because she had crashed in and made her cousin-uncle angry. Her parents had told her not to cause trouble because he was in a bad mood, but she had not listened. “I heard you returned and wanted to visit you. Grandfather Lin said you were away, so I wanted to see the Cousin-aunt and asked him to bring me.”

That explanation did not mitigate Ning Bumo’s anger. He sneered, “So it was Lin Zhong. He certainly likes to act on his own authority.”

Even Mu Wan was surprised. Usually, no matter how unhappy Ning Bumo was, he would not wear his emotions so openly; it was as if he could not control his own temper.

“What is wrong?” A cool, gentle hand rested on his shoulder. Ning Bumo felt as if a spring breeze had brushed against his face, and the pent-up anger in his heart instantly vanished.

Looking at Mao Leyou, who had a large bump on her forehead and a tear-streaked face, he felt an even greater headache coming on. Rubbing his brow, Ning Bumo said, “Enough, stop crying. It is my fault; I should not have been fierce with you.”

Mao Leyou hiccuped through her tears, glancing secretly at him. Once she was sure he was no longer angry, she tearfully wiped away her tears.

But there was still a question to be asked: “What did Lin Zhong tell you?” Mao Leyou would not have come to see Mu Wan without a reason; there had to be a cause.

Mao Leyou stole a glance at Mu Wan, hesitating. But Ning Bumo’s earlier display had been too terrifying, and she dared not hide anything. She whispered, “Steward Lin said that the Cousin-aunt has a strange temper, likes gold and silver treasures, and is very wasteful, so I should try not to offend him.”

But Mao Leyou was the type who would do exactly what she was told not to do, so she had pestered Lin Zhong to show her the way to see Mu Wan’s true appearance for herself. Instead, she had made a fool of herself and gotten scolded by Ning Bumo.

Mu Wan had long ago seen that Lin Zhong was a troublemaker and had intended to use the system task to remove him. Hearing his orchestration behind the scenes, he chuckled and looked at Mao Leyou. “Now that you have seen me, what do you think?”

“I think it looks good on you!” Mao Leyou said, blushing.

Some people were just like that; standing there alone made one feel they deserved the best of everything. Mu Wan was such a person.

Ning Bumo could not bear to look at her aimless behavior any longer. Now that his mood had settled, he said, “Enough, look at yourself. Shuangyan, take the young cousin to tidy up.”

“Yes.” Shuangyan nodded and led Mao Leyou away from Wanfeng Pavilion.

Ning Bumo stood alone, hesitantly watching Mu Wan, unsure whether to explain Mao Leyou’s intrusion or his own sudden outburst of temper.

Suddenly, a scream rang out from outside.

“Is that Shuangyan?” Mu Wan’s expression shifted, and he and Ning Bumo hurried toward the sound.