At this moment, as if she had noticed Murong Yan's attention, Jiang Mu slowly raised her head to look at him and said, "Why is this gentleman looking at me?"
Jiang Mu's words were neither light nor heavy, but soft, as if she was just asking casually, but it caught Murong Heng's attention.
Murong Heng also turned around to look at Murong Yan, his eyes full of meaning. He smiled and said, "Fourth brother, after listening to the song just now, do you have anything to say?"
Murong Yan's heart tightened; Murong Heng's question stumped him.
He didn't really listen at all just now, his attention was all on Jiang Mu, and he was still thinking about his dream last night.
No matter what the identity of this woman is, she is the one Murong Heng likes, and he cannot have any other thoughts. If Murong Heng knew about it, wouldn't it cause a rift between the brothers? Moreover, he is the king and he is the minister.
Murong Yan could only pretend to be calm and said: "This piece of music is cleverly conceived and innovative. The music lingers in my ears and is hard to forget. It is truly a masterpiece."
Jiang Mu wanted to laugh after hearing such flattery.
It turned out that Murong Yan, who was extremely cold and pretentious in front of her, was also a flatterer in front of Murong Heng.
The emperor's majesty should not be underestimated.
Murong Heng seemed to have heard such words too many times. He raised his eyebrows slightly, but was not very happy. He glanced at Murong Yan for a moment longer, and then changed the subject.
Seeing this, Murong Yan did not relax and was still worried.
At this time, someone came to the door.
There was a knock on the door.
Jiang Mu asked, "What's the matter?"
"Miss, there is a young master Zhao who wants to see you. He said she admires you and wants to meet you."
The person who spoke was Jiang Mu's maid in Xunhuanju, who served tea and water to Jiang Mu and usually stood outside the door to pass on messages.
Jiang Mu frowned. There were hundreds of people who wanted to see her every day these days, but she had already given instructions not to see anyone unless it was someone she designated.
Murong Heng was the one who had received special permission from Jiang Mu, so the people below would not stop him when they saw him.
But who is this Young Master Zhao? Since he could ask someone to report to her, he must be different from other people.
Jiang Mu thought about it and said, "No, go and refuse it."
The maid said awkwardly: "But..."
The maid wanted to say that Mr. Zhao was very generous and gave her a thousand taels of silver just to see her, but there were other guests in the room, so it was not easy to say these words. Jiang Mu refused straightforwardly, so she hesitated for a moment and did not continue.
"I see."
Not long after the maid left, Jiang Mu and Murong Heng chatted for a while. They also played a song together, one playing the pipa and the other playing the zither. The sound of the music spread and many people downstairs quietly enjoyed it. After knowing that it came from Miss Xunhuan's room, everyone praised it and admired Miss Xunhuan even more.
But when asked when the Pleasure Seeking Girl would be able to perform on stage again, there was still no news.
Seeing that it was getting late, Jiang Mu said, "It's getting late, young master, you should go back. You are a little tired of having fun."
Murong Heng had a great time today. He was still in high spirits and didn't want to leave. An idea came to his mind. If he could bring her to the palace, he could talk about music with her every day. Then the two of them could play the pipa and the zither in harmony. Wouldn't that be very happy?
But this matter still needs long-term consideration. He truly loves this confidante and does not want to be too casual with her. He must at least give her a status. However, considering that Jiang Mu is a prostitute, Murong Heng feels that if he wants to bring her into the palace, he should arrange a suitable identity for her.
Moreover, he has not yet told Jiang Mu that he is the current emperor. If he tells her now, it would be a bit too sudden.
Murong Heng decided to go back and think about it carefully.
So he nodded, "Okay, I'll come to see you someday."
He picked up the pipa and handed it to Jiang Mu, "I give this pipa to you. I think it suits you very well."
Jiang Mu was surprised. "This is too expensive. Didn't you say this is your favorite pipa?"
This pipa was made by the best craftsman in the world. Although it is precious, as long as Murong Heng is happy, he can give it to anyone he wants, and he also has many high-quality musical instruments.
The whole world belongs to him, so what does a pipa mean to him?
Murong Heng smiled nonchalantly and said, "It's my favorite. Now it has found an owner who is more suitable for it."
Jiang Mu pretended to be touched, "It is rare to have a bosom friend in life, and it is even more difficult to find a soulmate throughout the ages. It is a great blessing in life to meet a soulmate like you in my lifetime."
She looked at Murong Heng lovingly, and Murong Yan, who was standing next to her, felt that the look was increasingly familiar for some reason.
It was as if... it was the same look his princess gave him back then.
Yes, these eyes look like Jiang Mu.
Murong Yan stared at Jiang Mu, his suspicion growing stronger and stronger.
But when Murong Heng finished talking to Jiang Mu and was about to ask Murong Yan to leave, he saw Murong Yan looking at Jiang Mu strangely. He frowned and said in a deep voice: "Fourth brother, let's go."
Only then did Murong Yan withdraw his inquiring gaze.
But the doubts in his heart gradually grew.
How could Jiang Mu be here?
No way, it's probably just a little bit similar.
Murong Heng was somewhat dissatisfied with Murong Yan's absent-minded look.
After leaving Xunhuanju, Murong Heng asked casually, "What do you think of this Xunhuan girl?"
Murong Yan didn't know whether Murong Heng asked this casually or was testing him. He thought about it and answered carefully: "I don't have any ideas. As long as the emperor likes it, it's fine."
Murong Heng suddenly smiled, "Really? I like it very much."
Hearing this, Murong Yan felt a little uncomfortable.
But Murong Heng added: "But I see that you seem to have a different view of her."
Murong Yan was startled and said quickly: "My royal brother has misunderstood."
Murong Heng smiled very carefreely: "Why are you so nervous? It's normal for a gentleman to be in love with a woman. Aren't all the men who come to Xunhuanju was after a woman like Miss Xunhuan? It's just that, except for me, no one is worthy of her."
Murong Heng's words gave Murong Yan a warning.
Murong Yan smiled bitterly in his heart.
He was afraid that Murong Heng would think that he was also eyeing the girl for pleasure.
Although Murong Yan felt a little wronged, he couldn't deny that he seemed to have some special feelings for her.
…..
After Murong Heng and Murong Yan left, Jiang Mu lazily leaned on the soft couch to rest.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in. Jiang Mu opened her eyes and found that the window that was originally closed was open.
She stood up and was about to go and see, but before she had taken a few steps, she felt something was wrong.
Sure enough, when she turned around, she saw a man in a purple robe standing behind her.
Jiang Mu recognized that this was the man she had met that day.
"Who are you? How did you get in?"
Jiang Mu looked at him coldly, without showing any sign of panic.
If it were an ordinary woman, she would probably scream if she saw a strange man suddenly appear in the room.
Li Zaoji was somewhat surprised. It seemed that this pleasure-seeking girl was more interesting than he had imagined.
Just now, he heard two people playing music inside when he was outside, and he guessed why she refused to see him.
It must be the people in the room who are more important than others.
So he had been lurking on the roof and peeking, and he also saw the two men in the house.
He guess one of them is her target.
Li Zaoji smiled and said, "It's really not easy to meet a girl who seeks pleasure."
Seeing that he didn't answer, Jiang Mu stopped asking.
This man was able to come in quietly, which meant he had some skills. Seeing how calm he was and not threatening her, she thought he was not afraid that she would call for help, or he could subdue her before she did.
So Jiang Mu had given up the idea of asking for help. If this person wanted to hurt her, she had no ability to fight back.
"Why do you want to see me, sir?" Jiang Mu asked calmly.
Li Zaoji: "Of course I came here because of your reputation. I want to know what kind of person this woman is who can play and sing such a stunning piece of music. I also want to see her true face."
Li Zaoji did not hide his purpose at all, but spoke very frankly.
Jiang Mu smiled, looked at Li Zaoji, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said lazily, "Thank you for the compliment, young master."
Seeing that she was becoming more and more relaxed, Li Zaoji became even more interested.
He actually felt that the figure of the woman in front of him looked familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere.
"I wonder if I have the honor to see the true face of Miss Xunhuan?" Li Zaoji approached her.
Jiang Mu glanced at him without saying anything, but turned back and lay down on the couch where she had rested before.
She lay on her side with her legs crossed in an elegant and seductive posture, one hand supporting her head and the other hand lazily resting on her legs.
"This... I'm afraid it won't be what you wish." Jiang Mu said softly.
Li Zaoji's eyes were full of affection, and a slight glance was very alluring. He looked at Jiang Mu steadily and said with a smile: "Oh? Why is that?"
Jiang Mu said: "Xun Huan secretly swore before coming here that only my destined person can see my true face. Before meeting that person, I will not take off my veil in front of outsiders."
"The destined one..." Li Zaoji slowly repeated these three words.
"Yes."
As soon as Jiang Mu finished speaking, Li Zaoji suddenly flashed in front of her. His movements were so fast that Jiang Mu couldn't see clearly.
The ancient people were really full of hidden talents. Not only did the current emperor have Qinggong skills, but any random man also had martial arts skills, and they seemed to be quite good.
"Then... take a look at me, am I your destined one?" Li Zaoji came close to Jiang Mu, almost face to face with her.
Jiang Mu subconsciously held her breath and said in a low voice, "I don't see it that way."
Li Zaoji then stepped back a little and said with a smile: "Then what do you think? Tell me."
Jiang Mu: "Of course, you have to be in tune with me, know me, understand me, and love me..."
She started talking nonsense, saying, "He must be proficient in music, love musical instruments, have endless things to talk about with me, and be handsome so that I can be happy when I see him."
Li Zaoji actually thought about it seriously: "Hmm..."
Jiang Mu couldn't help but want to laugh when she saw how serious he was.
"Your requirement is quite strict..."
Jiang Mu was about to nod.
Who knew that Li Zaoji would grin and smile brightly, "But I think I can fully satisfy your request."
Jiang Mu was stunned.
Li Zaoji: "What do you think of my appearance?"
Jiang Mu looked at his face and commented: "Young Master is handsome and has an outstanding appearance."
Li Zao nodded with great satisfaction. "Then I am satisfied with this point. Secondly, I am proficient in music, playing the zither, flute, and pipa. I am sure we will have endless topics to talk about. As for knowing you, understanding you, and loving you... that is even simpler... In this case, am I not your destined person?"
Jiang Mu was stunned.
Li Zaoji smiled and said, "How is it? Are you satisfied with me, your destined person?"
"Sir, you are joking. I have to judge my destined person myself. How can someone like you volunteer to call yourself the destined person?"
Jiang Mu kept talking nonsense, and he followed suit, and his words became less and less reliable.
Li Zaoji: "I said it according to your request, and it's not bad at all."
Jiang Mu shook his head, "No, please go back, sir."
Li Zaoji suddenly put away his playful smile and looked very serious.
Li Zaoji said: "Well, in that case, I won't force you, but..."
Jiang Mu looked at him puzzledly.
"But I heard that the boss behind Xun Huan Ju is related to Piao Miao Palace. I checked and found that the news came from your Xun Huan Ju. Is this true?"
Jiang Mu's expression changed slightly, "I don't know, you are asking the wrong person, sir."
Li Zaoji: "Is that so? Miss Xunhuan from Xunhuanju, who are you looking for?"
Jiang Mu said calmly: "I got my name after coming here, it's just an empty name."
Li Zaoji stood up straight, with his hands behind his back, and looked at her quietly.
"It seems that Miss Pleasure is unwilling to tell me the truth."
Jiang Mu remained calm.
At this time, there was a knock on the door.
Gu Jue said outside the door: "It's me, can I come in?"
Jiang Mu was stunned and said, "What's wrong? Is there anything wrong?"
Gu Jue: "I have something to talk to you about."
"Wait." After she said that, she turned her head to look at Li Zaoji, but Li Zaoji, who had just stood next to her, was nowhere to be seen.
She don't know when he left.
…..
Murong Yan returned to the palace. He originally wanted to go to Mingyue Residence, but as soon as he entered the backyard, he saw the maid from Qiuya waiting at the small door.
It looks like they've been waiting for a long time.
As soon as she saw Murong Yan, she ran over immediately.
"Your Highness, you are finally back. Madam is not feeling well. She has not eaten since noon, nor at night, and she refuses to see a doctor. Please go and see her."
Murong Yan's face suddenly changed after hearing this. "What's going on?"
"I don't know. It has been like this since noon. It seems that I feel sick after eating. Madam is also in a bad mood. She had a quarrel with the prince yesterday and has been in a bad mood today."
Murong Yan was worried about Huanruo, so he walked quickly and arrived at Qiuya Pavilion in a short while.
As soon as he entered the yard, someone saw him and immediately ran in to report.
Huanruo was lying on the bed, looking very pale. As soon as Murong Yan came in, she coughed twice.
"Huanruo, what's wrong with you?"
Huanruo frowned and said nothing.
Murong Yan sat beside the bed, holding her hand.
"What's wrong? You look so bad and your hands are cold. How did you serve her?" Murong Yan looked at the servants in the room.
Huanruo pulled her hand out of Murong Yan's hand with a cold attitude and said nothing.
Murong Yan was a little embarrassed. He looked at the maid standing next to him and asked, "What's going on? Did you call a doctor?"
"Yes, but Madam doesn't want to be examined by the doctor."
Murong Yan: "Where's the doctor?"
"He haven't left yet. He's waiting in the hall."
"Go and call him over."
Murong Yan held Huan Ruo's hand and coaxed her softly, "If you are angry with me, don't get too angry and make yourself sick. You can't not eat."
Huanruo glanced at him coldly and said, "Are you afraid that I will be angry?"
Seeing that she was willing to talk, Murong Yan knew that things were looking up, so he immediately said, "Of course I'm afraid you'll be angry. How can you not eat?"
Huan Ruo: "I can't eat it."
"Eat a little even if you can't eat."
He turned around and ordered her servants, "Go get us something to eat."
Huanruo's face looked a little better, not so sad anymore. She looked at Murong Yan and asked, "Where did you go today? Why did you come back so late?"
Murong Yan didn't dare tell her that he went to Xunhuanju, so he could only say: "I was discussing matters with some ministers and forgot the time."
Huanruo seemed to believe it but not quite. She bit her lip and said nothing.
At this time the doctor came over.
Murong Yan coaxed Huanruo to stretch out her hand for the doctor to feel her pulse.
After a while, the doctor stood up and bowed, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! This lady is pregnant, and it's a happy pulse."
When these words were spoken, everyone's eyes widened, even Huanruo herself was surprised.
She was indeed feeling a little uncomfortable today, but the reason she was making such a fuss was because she was angry, and she was doing it on purpose for Murong Yan to see.
Who knew she was actually pregnant.
This is a great joyous event.
The servants in the room congratulated Murong Yan again and again.
The entire Qiuya Pavilion became lively.
Murong Yan was extremely happy, and ordered someone to take the doctor down to ask him about the things to pay attention to, and then bring him to collect the reward.
This matter soon spread throughout the mansion, and the people in Qiuya Pavilion were the happiest.
Murong Yan and Huan Ruo spoke sweet words to each other, and they quickly forgot what happened last night and became friends again.
The maids brought up many of Huanruo's favorite foods. Huanruo's mood also became very good. She sat down with Murong Yan and prepared to eat.
This matter soon spread to Mingyueju.
Jiang Mu just came back from outside.
She pretended to have just woken up from a nap, and the maids immediately rushed in to tell her the news.
Jiang Mu didn't react much. In the original plot, Huanruo announced her pregnancy around this time, but it seemed a little later, about half a month later.
Perhaps she felt that no one in the mansion could threaten the safety of her and her children.
They had no intention of hiding it. Instead, the people from Qiuya Pavilion publicized it with great fanfare, making it seem as if Huanruo's status would rise after she gave birth to a child.
Jiang Mu said lightly, "I understand."
Everyone thought she would be very angry, but she was so calm. The maids thought Jiang Mu was too sad and didn't want anyone to know, so she was forcing herself to suppress her sadness.
When Jiang Mu asked them to leave, Chun Tao looked at her worriedly, "Madam, please take care of yourself."
Jiang Mu couldn't help but smile bitterly, and could only say. "Don't worry."
As soon as they left, Jiang Mu instructed Xue Teng to tell Qiu Ya Pavilion about Murong Yan's whereabouts tonight.
Qiuya Pavilion has been inquiring about Murong Yan's whereabouts every day recently. Jiang Mu's doing this will not arouse suspicion. She just told them the truth they wanted to know and she did not lie.
So, Huanruo had just finished her meal and was about to wash up and get ready to go to bed with Murong Yan when the maid who went out to inquire about the news came back.
The maid looked unhappy, not knowing whether to say it or not.
While Huanruo was washing up, she asked the maid what she had found out.
The maid said vaguely: "The prince...he..."
"What happened to him? Tell me."
"He went... went..." The maid really didn't dare to say it. Huanruo went crazy about this matter yesterday.
But Huanruo stared at her coldly and said impatiently, "Are you going to tell me or not?"
The maid was startled and could only lower her head and whispered: "The prince went to that pleasure house again."
…..
A quarrel broke out in Qiuya Pavilion at night.
Maybe because she was pregnant and had a bigger support, Huanruo made a much bigger fuss this time than she did last night.
Shw was still holding back her anger last night and just used the excuse of feeling unwell to drive Murong Yan away.
Now she is forcing Murong Yan to tell her where he has been in the past two days?
Seeing her like this, Murong Yan knew without a doubt that she had heard some news.
Although Murong Yan felt guilty, he was also a little angry when Huanruo questioned him without giving him any face.
But he still cared about Huanruo after all. He admitted that he accompanied Murong Heng to Xunhuanju and explained that he was just accompanying Murong Heng.
But explanation is tantamount to cover-up. In Huanruo's opinion, the reason of accompanying Murong Heng is totally untenable.
And even if he went with him, what did he do in that place?
As soon as Huanruo thought about it carefully, she couldn't believe Murong Yan.
The two had never had a big quarrel before. Last time, they almost had a quarrel because of the aphrodisiac. In the end, Murong Yan felt guilty and suppressed his anger and apologized to her, which avoided any conflict.
But Murong Yan was still somewhat dissatisfied in his heart, but he kept suppressing it.
This time, Huanruo kept questioning him and refused to listen to his explanation, so Murong Yan did not choose to endure it and bow his head.
The two of them were arguing fiercely.
All this was within Jiang Mu's expectations.
She had long seen that the relationship between Murong Yan and Huan Ruo was actually very subtle.
Before, Murong Yan was an admirer and pursuer. Huan Ruo maintained her image of a goddess in front of him, cold and elegant. She could be touched but could not be obtained...
Later, she married another man, and she became the white moonlight in Murong Yan's heart. While he longed for her, his admiration for her became stronger and stronger, until Huanruo was in danger and he saved her.
The relationship between the two has changed dramatically. Huan Ruo is no longer so out of reach. Although she is still cold, she will be gentle and kind occasionally, and show weakness in front of him. Although Murong Yan still loves her, he no longer has the feeling of looking up to her as before.
Huanruo is no longer the high and mighty goddess. The last aphrodisiac incident has actually affected Huanruo's position in Murong Yan's heart.
No matter how proud she was, she was already his. He saved her and got her. He should be the one to take the lead in this relationship.
This is what Murong Yan thought.
Last time, Huan Ruo was unwilling to give him the antidote, which made Murong Yan feel dissatisfied, as if she didn't love him at all and was only with him to use him, which was why she was so angry afterwards.
Originally, Murong Yan was in the wrong this time. If Huan Ruo had just given a few pointers, Murong Yan might have gotten the hint, felt guilty, and then treated Huan Ruo doubly well.
But Huan Ruo did not endure it, and it happened to be when she just found out that she was pregnant. She thought that she was still the one being pampered and coaxed in their relationship, and she was still pregnant, so she wanted to make a scene with Murong Yan.
Unexpectedly, Murong Yan did not bow his head again.
Huanruo waited for Murong Yan to ask for her forgiveness, but Murong Yan turned his face away and left. When he left, he only said coldly, "If you don't believe it, forget it. Go to sleep. I'm leaving."
Huanruo was stunned.
The people in Qiuya Pavilion were also dumbfounded.