Chapter 61 - Help! Miss He

Gao Jue lay there. His eyes were half closed, but there were constant snores under his nose. Liao Zhiyuan didn’t know whether he was asleep or awake.

“So what? People who lied to you were your father and father-in-law, so you couldn’t hack them. The woman who married you was passionately devoted to you over the years, and you watched her growing up like a sister. You couldn’t hit or scold her. Moreover, Lord Ling said clearly that everything was his arrangement, and his second daughter just obeyed him. He wanted you to be kind to her.”

Liao Zhiyuan stretched on the wide couch, and his whole body spread-eagled. He squeezed Gao Jue to the end of the couch, and the laughter came from deep inside his chest, “And Lord Ling also said what he did is for your own good, because you were a man of love and loyalty. If you had known the death of your fiancée before marriage, you wouldn’t have married any other women, perhaps you would have stubbornly mourned for his eldest daughter Ling Miaochun for 3 years. Then Lord Gao continued to say that you would be 26-year-old by then. If you had not married a wife, it would not have been easy for concubines to marry in, then your offspring would be more impossible. There are three forms of unfilial conducts, and the worst is to have no descendants. He ordered you to think about who was more important, a dead woman or the parents who hoped to have grandchildren.”

Gao Jue opened his eyes suddenly, and asked coldly, “Who told you all of these? Even Lu Jiangbei and Duan Xiaolou don’t know the story as much as you do.”

Lu Jiangbei and Gao Jue joined the Imperial Guards in the same year, and Lu Jiangbei’s rank grade was still above Gao Jue’s. It could be said that he was Gao Jue’s superior and the best friend. Gao Jue was difficult to get along with because his unsociable personality made him an isolated character. Lu Jiangbei was the only one who could get along well with him in the whole Department of Imperial Guard.

Although Duan Xiaolou was Gao Jue’s cousin, their tempers were extremely different. They didn’t like each other, and their verbal communication was almost replaced by nonverbal communication. If they felt a little bit displeased, they would punch each other immediately. And when Gao Jue was married, Duan Xiaolou and Liao Zhiyuan were still practicing Hanqing Cold Palm in De’an’s Wujianmen School, Duan Xiaolou just heard a little about Gao Jue’s “marriage secrets” from Duan’s mother, but Liao Zhiyuan knew it clearly as if he had seen it on the scene, which made Gao Jue suspicious.

“Sometimes people are not out of pain, they just learn to live with the pain.” Liao Zhiyuan was not affected by Gao Jue’s questions. Instead, he chuckled and turned to look at Gao Jue’s cold eyes, “Gao, I heard that after you got married, you changed your non-womanizing temper, and took 8 concubines continuously in a separate courtyard outside the mansion. Also, you allowed two of them to give birth to a son and a girl for you. You really have boundless fortune in love affairs.”

Seeing that Gao Jue didn’t respond, Liao Zhiyuan continued, “Although Lord Gao and Madam Gao achieved their wishes that they got their lovely grandchildren happily, your new wife was so jealous that she went to the separate courtyard and gouged out the four eyes of the two concubines. But presumably the two concubines were not your loved one. You didn’t even uphold justice for them after the incident, just directly sent them to the nunnery outside the city, and arranged a few senior subordinates to protect the six frightened concubines left. I never thought that a woman growing up in a literary family like Ling’s Family would be so heartless and cruel. Since Third Miss Ling Miaoyi has such a sister, which man dares to marry her?”

Gao Jue frowned and explained, “She was just temporarily angry and also very regretful afterwards, so she cared for the son and daughter of the two concubines to express her guilt for them.”

Liao Zhiyuan looked at him in surprise, as if he had just met him, then he shouted in a low voice, “Are you crazy? You let that woman touch your children! How could a shrewd and prudent man like you be so stupid on this?” Seeing Gao Jue’s face was still calm, Liao Zhiyuan shook his head and sighed, “I don’t know if you’re infatuated or ruthless! You have never forgotten your dead old lover, so you found 8 concubines whose eyebrows looked like hers and showed special favors to them. Many people often said that you were an infatuated man after knowing it. But you abandoned the two concubines who had given birth to children for you. And now when you mention them, you just call them ‘the two’. Do you still remember their names?”

Gao Jue pinched his lip and spoke nothing. His statue-like and cold face seemed to concede Liao Zhiyuan’s complaint against him.

Liao Zhiyuan also said, “Didn’t you just ask me how I knew these things? All these things were said by a maid named Liu Sui who was rescued by my subordinates. She was a personal maid of Third Miss Ling Miaoyi. Ling Miaoyi ran away from home secretly, and followed us to Yangzhou City. The Madam in charge of Ling’s Family, your mother-in-law, was furious when she heard it. She couldn’t catch Ling Miaoyi, so she vented her anger on Ling Miaoyi’s maids.” Speaking of this, Liao Zhiyuan sneered suddenly, “Your mother-in-law and your wife have the similar interests. Your wife likes to gouge people’s eyes, and your mother-in-law likes to cut one’s nose very much. Liu Sui who had lost her nose escaped from Ling’s Family and planned to go to Yangzhou City to find her lady. However, she met several bandits on the official road. Fortunately, she was rescued by my subordinates. Otherwise, she would be so unlucky to lose her wealth and chastity.”

Gao Jue was silent for a moment and asked, “Since you saved Miaoyi’s maid, just be a good person to complete the whole thing. You can send Miaoyi back to Ling’s Family as well. A few days ago, I met her in Yangzhou City. I lied to her that I would take her to find Duan Xiaolou, and now she is waiting for him at a courier station outside Yinma Town.”

Hearing this, Liao Zhiyuan’s face changed suddenly and lifted his leg to kick Gao Jue, then he scolded, “Dead Face, don’t throw your burden on me! I don’t want to provoke that liar!” After thinking for a moment, he added, “Don’t forget our deal that ‘you would go to Changbai Mount to save my sister and bring her back safely’. We have already negotiated the issue of remuneration and will never give away other services! The delicious wine in my family cannot be bought with money (not really), you’ve made a killing!”

Gao Jue said with a poker face, “Well. Just let Miaoyi wait there slowly. She will remember the way home naturally when she spent all the money.”

Liao Zhiyuan’s lynx-like eyes turned suddenly. He glanced at Gao Jue’s profile slightly and said, “Dude, did you remember the topic about Miss He? Just two days ago, I also got some information about her from my tip-off…” Seeing there were some subtle changes on Gao Jue’s face, Liao Zhiyuan’s heart shocked and he smiled bitterly, “Oh, actually I am not sure, but now it seems that you really care about her. Whenever I mention her name, your ears move unconsciously, and your facial lines are also softer than before…”

Gao Jue turned his head angrily and stared at Liao Zhiyuan, then he scolded coldly, “Enough, just shut up! I’ve heard enough of your nonsense, get out! I haven’t slept for three days and I’m off to bed right now.”

“Hum, you don’t like a true man while you hide your true feelings like that. Love can’t be hidden. Even if you close your mouth, your eyes will say it out.” Liao Zhiyuan pointed out sharply, “Whenever I mention the words ‘Miss He’, your eyes become the same as Master Duan’s, even become darker and brighter than that looked when you infer cases. Look! Your eyes are now a little bit staring, like you are trapped in the memory and indulged in the endless aftertaste … Oh, look at your face, there are a little trace of redness on your cheeks, and now your posture—”

Liao Zhiyuan glanced at Gao Jue’s hands which overlapped on the lower abdomen, then he sneered, “I really can’t imagine that grim General Gao has such a tender side—huh, like a girl who yearns for love!”

Gao Jue’s response was to split out his palm to the left, and used seventy percent of his internal force indeed. Liao Zhiyuan made a strange cry, and fled at top speed with hands and feet. Gao Jue still wouldn’t let him go. He leaped into the air from the disunited couch and stepped towards Liao Zhiyuan.

The huge power enveloped towards Liao Zhiyuan. He could just bite the bullet and beat it back with his palms. Gao Jue was his senior fellow apprentice and predecessor, so his force and skill were far above himself. Besides, Gao Jue was very angry at this time. His boiling blood made zhenqi revolve smoother. He was simply aggressive and overbearing like a reincarnation of the devil! Liao Zhiyuan retreated and used his palms to take the strong breeze which Gao Jue kicked him from above.

Actually, if he surrendered and confessed his mistakes, Gao Jue might stop it, but Liao Zhiyuan was born with a bad mouth. At such a critical moment, he still sneered with his mouth tilted, “Haw-haw, do you know the meaning of your present behaviors? You’re ashamed into anger, trying to cover it up and being in a state of desire! Good boy, just get all the emotions out, keep this momentum, and run to Changbai Mount to find my sister in one breath!”

A group of phantoms appeared in front of Liao Zhiyuan. Gao Jue kicked 17 feet in an instant, and broke Liao Zhiyuan’s zhenqi that was supposed to protect him. Liao Zhiyuan made a strange cry again and went into the yard, running and yelling with his head raised, “Is anyone alive in the manor? Come and save me! There’s an assassin here!”

Gao Jue followed closely behind him like a gangrene attaching to the bone. He snapped coldly, “Lynx, I will make you remember this in this one time. This time I’ll break one of your arms, next time if you still dare talk nonsense, I will break your two arms and poison you to be dumb!”

When Liao Zhiyuan turned back to face the battle again, he had a barbed silver whip in his hand. So, he swung the silver whip into the air by turning around. The silver whip surrounded Gao Jue’s soap-soled boots like a spirit snake, which could stop him for a moment. During this precious respite, Liao Zhiyuan exclaimed once again, “Gao Jue is flipping out! He wants to kill me! He also likes Master Duan’s sweetheart. That girl named He Danggui! He wants to kill me! He wants to kill me!”

Gao Jue paid no attention to the silver whip on his feet, just walked in the air and followed the direction of the whip. Finally, he stepped on Liao Zhiyuan’s right shoulder, and forced him to lift up the whip tip to block him.

“Boom!” “Boom!” There were two waves of air rolling in the courtyard, making the white sand on the ground stir into the air and swirl to fall from the air. Liao Zhiyuan was defeated entirely this time and was kicked out to fly upside down. His right shoulder was really dislocated and drooped weakly. Liao Zhiyuan screamed in pain, “Miss He, help! Miss He, help!”

Gao Jue was livid. Step by step, he approached the source of that annoying voice in the heavy sand rain, lifted up his palm and aimed at Liao Zhiyuan’s left shoulder…

“Boom!” “Boom!” There were another two loud sounds in the air. Lu Jiangbei worn the bright green official uniform and stood in front of Gao Jue, then he asked in surprise, “What’s the matter? Brothers just have a drink while chatting. How could such a shocking commotion have happened! My arm was numb just now. How could Lynx bear it?”

As soon as Liao Zhiyuan saw the reinforcement arrive, his somewhat listless expression became flexible again. His lynx-like eyes rolled, then he smiled, “Oh, you two are the love rivals to fight against each other, so I’m not going to get involved. Ouch, the pain is killing me!” He said that as he held his right shoulder with his left hand. Walking out of the yard staggeringly, he muttered angrily, “Shit, he can’t afford the teasing than Master Duan. No wonder he never pleased women. He must be rebuffed by Miss He, so he came to vent his anger on me…”

Lu Jiangbei frowned and listened, trying to guess what Liao Zhiyuan was indicating. Then he turned to observe Gao Jue’s expression, and asked hesitantly, “Gao Jue, is what Master Liao said true? Do you fall in love with Miss He? What do you like about her?”

Gao Jue glanced at a copy of Tangwen in his friend’s hand instead of answering the question. He asked, “Have all the people in Yangzhou City withdrawn? When My Majesty knew that Bai Yangbai had run away again, how did he react?”

“You can read it later. Just answer my question first.” Lu Jiangbei stepped forward to put the Tangwen into Gao Jue’s hands, and asked urgently, “What are you doing? Just because of Master Liao’s a few drunk words, you gave him the dead hand. It’s not like you. Could he have spoken your mind, or you really have the special thought of Miss He?”

“Why do you all look like ghosts to give me a grave threat and come to take care of my business?” Gao Jue said coldly, “Neither did I lead her captive, nor I said that I would rob her from Duan Xiaolou. It’s my freedom to like anyone. Don’t tell me that I can’t even think about her in my heart.”

Lu Jiangbei said hurriedly, “I’m not blaming you for robbing Master Duan’s girl. I’m just afraid that you like the wrong person. The day before yesterday, Master Liao and I learned the news. It turned out that Miss He is also your sister-in-law! You already have gotten Ling Miaoqi, who is the half-sister of Ling Miaochun. Such a good woman became possessed and racked her brains in scheming for you, hurting others all the time. Gao Jue, I don’t want you to indulge in temporary imagination, first having relationship with He Danggui, who is Ling Miaochun’s cousin, while in the end, realizing that you still miss Ling Miaochun. By then, Miss He is just another substitute!”

Hearing this, Gao Jue was frowned deeper and deeper. Finally, he couldn’t help pulling at Lu Jiangbei’s official uniform collar, stared at his eyes and refuted, “Nonsense! She is Miaochun’s cousin? I don’t believe it. How could there be such a coincidence in the world!”