Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 739: The Duke’s Perfect Counterattack in the Trial (4)_1

Chapter 739: Chapter 739: The Duke’s Perfect Counterattack in the Trial (4)_1

"Mm!" Mo Yan furrowed her brows, biting her lip and answering softly.

Concern creates chaos, ever since Mo Qingze proposed the court challenge, Mo Yan’s heart had been hanging. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her father’s power, but the matter was so important, she couldn’t help worrying. Now, hearing that Xiao Ruiyuan had another way to prove her father’s innocence, she had wanted to ask, but swallowed the question back.

Seeing that she clearly wanted to know, yet was cautiously not asking more, Xiao Ruiyuan felt a softness in his heart, "No matter what, I won’t let Uncle Mo get into trouble. After the challenge in court and Uncle Mo has proven his innocence, you all can reunite as a family. Trust me, okay?"

His voice, already deep and pleasant, carried a trace of lingering sound that entered Mo Yan’s ears, gradually soothing her somewhat restless heart. She nodded, her eyes filled with trust as she looked at Xiao Ruiyuan.

The way she looked at him made Xiao Ruiyuan’s heart warm, but his gaze unconsciously fell on her lips that she had bitten into a bright red, suddenly feeling his mouth go dry. An indescribable restlessness surged to his head, and he was seized by an impulse to crush the person before him into his arms and kiss her deeply, as if only by doing so could he quench that sudden craving.

As a man in his twenties, he was very clear about where that craving came from. Precisely because of this, he felt extremely ashamed, feeling like he had desecrated the person before him, and it was at such an unsuitable moment – when she was at her most vulnerable.

But when emotions run deep, some things can’t be controlled by will, even if he was once the Great General renowned for his indomitable will on the bloodstained battlefields.

Mo Yan was startled by Xiao Ruiyuan’s intense gaze and hurriedly lowered her head, unconsciously taking two steps back. They were at the busy palace gates; if they really did something inappropriate, a celebrated Great General and a County Lord caught in the midst of controversy would become tomorrow’s talk of Jing City, spreading through every street and alley.

Her withdrawal abruptly brought Xiao Ruiyuan back to his senses. He thought she saw through his sordid thoughts and wished he could flee far away, though his usual expression gave nothing away to those who aren’t familiar with him.

Mo Yan had her head down and missed the uncommon occurrence. In reality, even if she had seen it, having no such experience, she wouldn’t have known why Xiao Ruiyuan felt awkward.

Chu Heng, having finished seeing Emperor Huian, walked out and saw a man and a woman at the palace gates, standing in awkward silence. The atmosphere between the two was genuinely odd. He approached in curiosity and saw the flush that hadn’t yet faded from Xiao Ruiyuan’s face.

"Hanzhang, why is your face so red? Are you sick?"

As he spoke, Chu Heng reached out to check Xiao Ruiyuan’s forehead.

Xiao Ruiyuan’s face darkened and he stepped back decisively, "No!"

"With a complexion so abnormal, even if it’s not a fever, there must be some other problem. It’s better to have Oldman Ghost take a look!" Chu Heng said worriedly, summoning Doctor Gui without waiting for Xiao Ruiyuan to refuse.

Doctor Gui had left the palace gates with Mo Yan and Xiao Ruiyuan earlier, knowing they had private words to exchange, so he had kept his distance. Hearing Chu Heng’s words, he quickly came over, grabbed Xiao Ruiyuan’s wrist to take his pulse.

Chu Heng and Doctor Gui were rightly anxious; Xiao Ruiyuan had gone to the frontiers at the age of thirteen and had experienced countless battles over ten years, often injured. A few times, the injuries were so severe he was nearly beyond saving. Some scars seemed healed but had left hidden problems, which might not appear worrying in his youth but could cause various health issues after reaching thirty.

Xiao Ruiyuan didn’t decline the good intentions of Chu Heng and Doctor Gui, but the next words from Doctor Gui almost made him bite off his own tongue!

"Hmm, the Xiao lad’s body is not seriously affected; it’s just that young men tend to be fiery. Taking more cold showers should help," Doctor Gui retracted his hand, glancing meaningfully at Mo Yan, stressing the words "fiery" heavily.

Usually so upright, and yet now, with a young girl in front of him, he exposed his true colors. If the situation had been appropriate and there wasn’t a young girl present, he’d have teased the Xiao lad thoroughly.

Mo Yan, not catching the insinuation in Doctor Gui’s words, thought Xiao Ruiyuan indeed had excess fire. Hearing Doctor Gui suggest cold showers, she was puzzled and said, "Can cold showers reduce internal heat? We are already into the winter months; wouldn’t bathing in cold water cause illness? It might be better to drink more mung bean soup!"

"Cough cough!"

As a man himself, Chu Heng understood Doctor Gui’s implication and was about to make a jibe, when caught off-guard by Mo Yan’s serious talk about mung bean soup, he choked on the cold air and started coughing violently until his face turned red.

Formerly, whenever there was a slight commotion, Xiao Ruiyuan would be concerned for Chu Heng, but this time, he watched indifferently. Turning to Doctor Gui, who was barely suppressing his laughter, his mustache twitching, he coldly said, "Your Highness seems to be quite unwell; perhaps Oldman Ghost should take a closer look."

Having said that, he didn’t care whether he would be seen or not, and took Mo Yan, who was clueless about the situation, and walked straight away. He didn’t want the elder and the younger man to speak any more of their improper words before the woman he cherished, corrupting her ears.

Fortunately, besides the guard at the palace gates, there were no bystanders, so the scene of them holding hands went unnoticed.

Watching the two harmonious figures receding, Chu Heng finally managed to stop coughing. An expression of relief mixed with a hint of loss appeared on his face.

Pretending not to see, Doctor Gui stroked his beard leisurely and said, "I watched the Xiao lad grow up, never thought I’d see the day he’d show such spirit. Ha ha, truly a cause for celebration. Tonight, Your Highness should have the kitchen prepare a few extra dishes for me; I need to drink a few more glasses to celebrate properly."

Chu Heng: "..."

To say his cousin now has spirit, does that mean his cousin seemed like a dead man in the eyes of the old man before?