After conquering seven male favorites, the vicious heroine wants to run away

Chapter 242 Red Beans of Longing

Where there is joy, there is sorrow.

The capital city at night feels especially desolate.

In the Beauty Pavilion, Tao Huiyan sat by the pond in the backyard, fishing without any interest.

The fish bait in the pond had been bitten countless times, but his mind was not on the bait; he stared blankly at the rippling water.

"Young master, don't catch a cold at night."

The matchmaker picked up his outer robe and draped it over him, her eyes filled with unconcealed worry.

Seeing the familiar expression on his face, it was the same when Miss first fell in love with Tao Xun, thinking of him day and night. But the response Miss received was...

Unable to resist, she spoke up to advise, "Young master, there are countless talented women in the world, why be so attached to just one?"

Princess Nanyue has many male lovers, whom she now refers to as her husbands. Who can predict what will happen in the future?

The royal family has always been ruthless, and she didn't want the child left behind by her mistress to end up in a miserable state.

Tao Huiyan snapped out of her reverie, slowly reeled in her fishing rod, baited it again, and cast it back into the pond.

"Aunt, there's something I'm very curious about: how did you become my mother's maid?"

As far back as he could remember, Aunt Hong had always stayed by his mother's side, but she disappeared two months before his mother passed away, and he didn't see her again until six months later.

She claimed to be a distant relative of her mother and asked him to call her aunt.

At that time, he was isolated and helpless in the Tao family, and she was his mother's maid, so he trusted her unconditionally.

The matchmaker's expression stiffened slightly. Instead of answering, she asked, "Why has the young master suddenly become interested in that past event?"

Tao Huiyan leaned back in her chair, casually raising and lowering her fishing rod.

I miss my mother. She has been gone for many years.

So long that he dared not keep track of the years.

Upon hearing this, the matchmaker's expression relaxed, and she sighed.

"Back then, my hometown suffered a famine, and I fled here with no relatives or friends. On the way, someone stole my only food, and I thought I was going to die on the official road. A kind young lady happened to pass by and took me home."

She still can't forget that day when a gentle woman descended from the sky and saved her life.

Tao Huiyan's expression was inscrutable, and Hongniang, standing behind him, couldn't see his expression.

“My mother was kind-hearted, but I can no longer remember what she looked like.”

When his father and mother died, he could only watch helplessly. After gradually gaining power, he investigated the events of that year again and discovered many suspicious points.

As the imperial advisor predicted, both his father and mother were poisoned before they died.

Poisoning!
Even he was later poisoned by Gu, and if it weren't for His Highness's rescue, he would have already died.

There are also loopholes in the story of him being poisoned by Gu.

Thinking of her mistress, the matchmaker couldn't help but feel sad, forcing an awkward smile to comfort her.

"Now that the young master has grown up safely, she can rest in peace even in the afterlife."

The past cannot be retrieved; she has long since let go of what happened back then.

"He can rest in peace even in the afterlife."

Tao Huiyan repeated the sentence with a hint of sarcasm in her eyes, "Mother probably can't rest in peace now, because she was poisoned back then."

His eyes were filled with anger as he stood up and scrutinized his aunt, who had been by his side for many years.

"How can they rest in peace when their father and mother died under mysterious circumstances?"

The matchmaker's flustered expression quickly returned to normal, and she pressed for answers in disbelief.

"You mean the young lady died of poisoning?"

Deeply affected, he staggered back a step, clutching his collar in distress.

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't believed the news that someone in the family was still alive and rushed to reunite with their loved ones, Miss wouldn't have been poisoned."

Helpless, she collapsed to the ground and sobbed uncontrollably, “Miss, I’m so sorry. I should have stayed by your side. You treated me like a sister, but I didn’t know you had been murdered.”

Tears streaming down her face, she stood up and grabbed Tao Huiyan's arm. "Young master, Miss has suffered such a calamity. You must help her avenge her. We cannot let Miss die crying out in injustice."

The pitiful cries echoed in the backyard, bringing tears to everyone's eyes. Tao Huiyan's anger subsided, and she helped Hongniang sit down.

"Don't worry, Aunt, I will definitely avenge my mother."

Regardless of the outcome, he is determined to uncover the truth of what happened back then.

"Aunt, don't cry and ruin your health. If Mother finds out you're grieving for her, she'll be heartbroken."

The deaths of people from the Tao, Wei, Ji, and Shan families were all related to poison, suggesting there must be a connection between them.

In the Drunken Monarch's Residence, Tianxun looked worriedly at his master washing clothes by the stream. The last time he saw his master washing clothes was after the death of the old Grand Tutor.

The master must be feeling very uncomfortable.

Qinghe sat by the stream washing his faded outer garment. He accidentally used too much force, tearing a large hole in the garment.

Tianxun hesitated for a moment before reporting, "Master, they have drunk the tea and gone to sleep."

Upon hearing the word "sleep," Qinghe tore another large hole in his outer robe.

Has there been any news from the north?

Wring out the outer garment and hang it on a bamboo pole in the yard to dry; the four or five large holes are particularly noticeable.

Tianxun followed closely behind him, "but did not receive a message."

Qinghe's usually gentle eyes were now unusually terrifying, and her mind was racing with a variety of thoughts, including various possibilities.

Could it be that they share the same reason?
He walked to the desk, sat down, picked up a pen, wrote a few lines on the letter paper, read it several times, folded it, and handed it to Tianxun.

“Pass it on to Bei Lin.”

If he doesn't have enough chips, he'll add more; he's determined to have Dongchen.

The enchanting sounds of the nightingale ended in the early morning, and the maids blushed as they changed the bedding.

Before he had even tried it, his cheeks flushed red as he held the sleeping woman tightly in his arms. The scene from last night was still vivid in his mind. He realized that lovemaking was so wonderful. No wonder the little fool couldn't restrain himself.

He gazed longingly at the woman in his arms. After the maid changed the bedding, he carefully placed her on the bed, afraid of waking her.

Dissatisfied, Shi Nuanyu rolled back to the innermost side of the bed in her sleep and pulled the quilt over her head.

Without a moment's silence, he lay down beside her, his hand slipping inside the blanket to embrace her waist.

"Warm, you'll suffocate like this."

He gently pulled her out of the blanket and rearranged the thin blanket to cover her.

Looking at the woman's pretty face, he couldn't get enough of it.

"Poisonous woman, you have to take full responsibility for what you've done to me," he said, his slender fingers tracing her features. "If you dare to take what you've done and then deny it, I'll stick to you and annoy you to death."

Shi Nuanyu, still half-asleep, bit down on his finger, hissing and whispering, "Let go, let go, my finger is going to break."

Shi Nuanyu spat out her finger in dissatisfaction, muttering in her sleep with disgust.

"The chicken leg doesn't taste good."

He then fell into a deep sleep.

Without even trying, she scoffed, "You actually look down on me, you poisonous woman, you have no conscience," thinking of their passionate encounter last night.

He quickly changed his tune, "You meant well. You were so clingy to me last night, you must really like me."

The Black and White Duo are right; men still need to fight for themselves.

Half an incense stick later, the maid reported that members of the martial arts alliance were requesting an audience outside the palace. Before he could even try, he kissed her tenderly, then hugged her tightly and buried his head in her neck.

"Nuan Nuan, I have to go back to the Martial Alliance because of something. I'll be back in half a month. Don't forget me, understand?"

Looking at her, he wanted to grab something to hold onto, but couldn't find anything. He grumbled in dissatisfaction, "Even that silly boy has a token of love from you, but I have nothing. You're being unfair."

The last three words were tinged with resentment. He then kissed her reluctantly, got out of bed, dressed, and picked up the lotus hairpin from the table, putting it in his bosom.

Just as she reached the door, she turned around and hurriedly ran back to the shelf, took out a box containing a red bean symbolizing longing.

He took the red beans, walked to the bedside, placed them in her hand, and kissed her red lips with lingering affection.

"Don't forget me."