After the Crybaby Married the Disabled Villain - Chapter 4

As Lu Shiyan’s hidden guard, Mo Han naturally reported everything that had happened that day in full detail. Upon hearing the news, Lu Shiyan said:

“For these next few days, simply follow An Yu’s arrangements.”

Having received his master’s orders, Mo Han spent the following days observing in the shadows with Xiao Zhi. Just as An Yu had suspected, the old servant finally showed his hand on the third day.

The sky had turned completely dark. Mo Han and Xiao Zhi hid quietly in an abandoned room within the old servant’s courtyard. From a crack in the window, they could perfectly see the situation inside the old servant’s room.

The chirping of crickets was exceptionally loud in the night, and the sounds of various insects rose and fell in succession. Just as the two were preparing to take turns resting as they usually did, another person’s voice came from the old servant’s room.

“How is it going?”

The moment those words were spoken, Xiao Zhi recognized the voice. This was the same subordinate he had heard at the abandoned temple that day. Meanwhile, as Mo Han saw the man, the rage in his chest almost became impossible to suppress.

“My Lord, for some reason, that person has been staying in the kitchen every day lately. this old servant simply had no opportunity.” The old servant knelt on the ground, his voice trembling as he answered.

“His Highness has already asked once. If there is a next time…”

The man did not finish his sentence, but the two listening—or rather, all four involved—knew exactly what kind of end awaited him. The old servant’s legs had turned to jelly; he lay prostrate on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, his voice shaking beyond recognition. Hearing the threat, he hurriedly said:

“Yes, yes, yes. This old servant… this old servant will definitely not fail My Lord, nor fail His Highness.”

The man gave a cold snort after receiving the guarantee, glancing with disdain at the old servant sprawled on the floor. Then, with a faint sound of the door closing, he vanished from the room.

The old servant collapsed on the floor as if a heavy burden had been lifted. After a while, he stood up shakily and staggered to the table to sit. His forehead was drenched in sweat from the tension, which he wiped away crudely with his sleeve.

His wrinkled hands tremblingly picked up the tea set on the table, and from a groove at the bottom of the teapot, he took out a packet of white powder. With a ruthless expression, he squeezed it tightly in his palm before carefully tucking it into his inner garment.

The two witnesses watched the entire scene with grave expressions. Mo Han had long since lost his usual carefree attitude, his lips pressed into a hard line as he remained silent. They exchanged a look, and without intending to alert the enemy, they quietly left the room and walked quickly toward An Yu’s courtyard.

The night was pitch black, yet An Yu’s room remained brightly lit. Piles of books lay on the table—history, poetry, and novels were scattered in a disorganized heap. The dim yellow candlelight reflected on the youth’s face, lending him an indescribable sense of tranquility.

A knock at the door broke that peace.

“Come in.”

Withdrawing from the ups and downs of the plot he was reading, An Yu rubbed his aching, reddened eyes. When he looked up, Mo Han and Xiao Zhi had entered, both wearing serious expressions. Seeing them like this, An Yu knew there must have been a development. Before he could speak, Xiao Zhi spoke up impatiently.

“Young Master, that old servant met someone tonight. That man’s voice is exactly the same as the subordinate’s voice I heard in the temple that day. I guarantee it was him.”

The two had walked very fast—especially Xiao Zhi, who had to run to keep up with Mo Han. He hadn’t even caught his breath yet. After calming down slightly, Xiao Zhi told An Yu everything they had seen and heard. As soon as An Yu heard it, he realized things were exactly as he had suspected, and the unease in his heart deepened. It seemed the plot had indeed changed.

Mo Han stood to the side with furrowed brows. Though he had guessed the overall picture, he still spoke: “Young Master, could you tell me everything you know?”

Under the dim light, the youth looked up. “You haven’t told me your name yet.”

“This subordinate is Mo Han.”

It was An Yu’s turn to be stunned. Mo Han—in the original novel, he was one of Lu Shiyan’s four great hidden guards and his right-hand man. During the four years at the border, it was this Mo Han who stayed undercover in the enemy camp to transmit intelligence, allowing Lu Shiyan to turn the tide in many critical moments. This man only disappeared after Lu Shiyan’s death.

It seemed Lu Shiyan’s story about his family being killed and him falling into the enemy camp was a lie. An Yu felt somewhat downcast, though he understood that such precautions were necessary. However, now was not the time to dwell on such things.

“Then you must have already told His Highness everything that happened these past two days,” An Yu said with a tone of certainty.

“Yes.”

Although Mo Han’s actions made An Yu unhappy, he couldn’t find fault in them. Moreover, if the man was Lu Shiyan’s hidden guard, this matter would proceed much more smoothly. Pushing other thoughts aside, An Yu had Xiao Zhi repeat what he had heard at the temple a few days prior.

As expected, the seriousness on Mo Han’s face deepened.

“Fine, since you know everything, you will definitely tell His Highness. I won’t interfere further.” After saying this, An Yu casually flipped a few pages of his book and folded a corner on the page he was reading. Then he closed all the books. “Xiao Zhi, help me put these books away and then go rest. I’m going to sleep too.”

An Yu had taken many books to read over the past two days; he now had a decent grasp of this dynasty’s history and culture. Only a few novels remained unfinished, but An Yu wasn’t in a hurry to finish them.

“Thank you, Young Master An. This subordinate takes his leave.” Mo Han gave him a deep look, performed a standard bow, and exited. He walked quickly toward Lu Shiyan’s courtyard.

Ever since Mo Han finished recounting the events in full, the atmosphere in the room had been quite low.

Mo Ying was the first to speak: “General, a message has been sent to Doctor Yun. He will return to the capital in two days.”

“Lately, Yang Yuan’s movements have indeed been suspicious. He has entered the vacant partition behind the Willow Courtyard more than once.”

At the thought of Yang Yuan betraying his master, Mo Han’s rage became uncontrollable. “Lu Youqi really has the manners of a petty man—assassinations and poisoning, he truly knows how to play those games. And then there’s this Yang Yuan.”

“Have someone seize that old servant. You two will interrogate him personally. As for Yang Yuan, have men watch him closely.”

“Yes, Master.”

After the two left, Lu Shiyan sat in the night breeze, thinking back to the night three days ago. He remembered the undisguised pity in An Yu’s teary eyes and that sentence: I have admired Your Highness for a long time.

Lu Shiyan, who rarely suffered from insomnia, found it difficult to sleep. It seemed the lie he told An Yu that morning had already been exposed. At this thought, the corners of Lu Shiyan’s mouth curved, and a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes.

The next day, the sky was gloomy, and before long, a drizzling rain began to fall. Lu Shiyan was flipping through a book in his room, his eyes frequently drifting toward the window. Suddenly, he set the book down and wheeled himself to open the door. Seeing this, the guards at the door immediately followed with an umbrella.

The rain wasn’t heavy; June rains were always intermittent. By the time Lu Shiyan reached An Yu’s courtyard, the rain had almost stopped.

“Greetings to the Crown Prince.” Xiao Zhi saw Lu Shiyan and hurriedly bowed, only to see Lu Shiyan wave a hand to signal him to rise. “Is your young master awake?”

“Young Master has just finished washing up.”

Just as the words were spoken, the door was opened from the inside. An Yu, dressed in light green, stood at the entrance, carrying the air of a refined gentleman from Jiangnan. He looked at Lu Shiyan in his wheelchair. After the rain, the weather was gradually clearing. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling Lu Shiyan’s warm white robes.

Having become familiar with him, An Yu was rarely stunned by Lu Shiyan’s face anymore, yet a morning like this, following a rain, always made one’s emotions stir. However, An Yu still remembered being lied to. Although he couldn’t entirely blame the other, he was still a young master who had been pampered since childhood; that bit of frustration remained stuck in his chest.

His voice carried a mixture of joy and an awkward sense of anger: “Why has Your Highness come?”

“I’ve come to offer an apology to Little Yu.”

Hearing this, An Yu’s mood instantly brightened, but he couldn’t quite let go of his pride yet. He stammered: “Where has Your Highness gone wrong?” After saying it, An Yu felt a bit lost—he had only known the man for three days, yet why was he acting so spoiled toward him?

“Of course I have done wrong. Can Little Yu let me inside so I may apologize properly?” The man’s voice was cool yet gentle, possessing a quality that soothed the heart.

“Then come in.”

The youth went inside, and the guards immediately pushed the wheelchair to follow. Once Lu Shiyan signaled, they quietly withdrew. After Xiao Zhi prepared tea for the two, he also sensibly retreated outside the door.

“Concealing Mo Han’s identity was indeed a deception. I shall use tea as a substitute for wine to apologize to Little Yu.” After saying this, Lu Shiyan picked up his teacup and drained it.

Seeing this, An Yu also drank his tea to signal his acceptance. “Your Highness needn’t be like this. Given your current situation, it is naturally necessary to be more guarded.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Little Yu.” Lu Shiyan’s eyes were always full of smiles when he spoke. He lowered his gaze and continued: “Even more so, I must thank Little Yu for providing the clues this time. We caught my second brother’s spy. Otherwise, the consequences would have been truly unimaginable.”

By the end, the man couldn’t help but give a bitter laugh, as if he had already envisioned the more tragic fate that would have followed once the medicine took effect.

This expression of self-deprecation struck An Yu’s weak spot perfectly. Heart-wrenching scenes of Lu Shiyan’s suffering in the original novel flashed before his eyes, and An Yu couldn’t help but feel his eyes redden again.

The youth then asked with a choked voice: “Your Highness, has that chef been caught? What was that medicine for?”

“Mm, he has been caught. The doctor in the manor cannot yet determine the medicine’s effect, but my military physician will arrive in the capital in two days. We will know then.”

An Yu lowered his reddened eyes, his mind full of thoughts. Once the military doctor determined the medicine’s effect, he would know if the plot had completely changed. If it truly was the medicine for blindness, it meant the overall events were happening earlier, and they would need to be even better prepared.

“Your Highness, if the military physician is so skilled, why has he not treated Your Highness’s legs?”

The man looked down at his legs, his tone lonely and desolate: “These legs have been like this for two years. I have tried many different methods, but the physician is also powerless.”

An Yu suddenly thought of a CEO from a neighboring house in his previous life. After a car accident, the man’s legs were paralyzed. Every expert consultation said recovery was hopeless, except for one young doctor who said, “If you persist in rehabilitation, perhaps a miracle will happen.” From then on, An Yu often saw that CEO doing rehab, so he knew the general outline of the process.

After a moment’s thought, An Yu spoke up: “Your Highness, I have a method that might give your legs a chance to recover, but it requires daily practice. Is Your Highness willing to try?”

Lu Shiyan froze for a long time upon hearing this. Only then did he speak: “Alright.”