Chapter 116 – Black-Bellied Regent VS Loyal Shadow Guard (20)
Those young ladies and gentlemen from prestigious families were all dressed up, and because of the current status and reputation of their man, many women and ge’er looked at Wen Renhong with affectionate eyes, making it seem more like a matchmaking feast.
The offspring of various noble families spared no effort to showcase themselves in front of everyone, like peacocks vying for attention. Mu Jin, wearing a poker face, enjoyed watching the spectacle.
Wen Renhong, on the other hand, remained calm, but a hint of radiance flashed in his eyes when he saw the secret weapon specially prepared for him by the emperor.
Wen Renda, sitting in the main seat, seemed quite pleased as well, raising his cup and smiling at everyone, saying, “Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for reunion. Dear ministers, feel free to relax and treat this as an ordinary family banquet.”
“It’s a rare occasion. I know many of the sons and daughters of esteemed families here are quite talented. Feel free to showcase your skills. Let’s all enjoy together.”
As Wen Renda finished speaking, many people began to stir. After all, the imperial banquet was a great opportunity to showcase oneself. Even if it didn’t lead to a skyrocketing career, just receiving a few words of praise was enough to gain fame in the capital.
So, it was like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each showing their own unique skills. Laughter and joy filled the air, making the palace banquet lively.
Because Wen Renhong was now so popular, there were many people vying for his favor. However, the only one who seemed to catch Mu Jin’s attention was the second son of the Marquis of Anping. For some reason, Mu Jin felt that the appearance of that bastard from the Marquis’s family looked somewhat familiar.
It had to be said that this ge’er was the most outstanding among the group. Although a ge’er, his skin was fair, his face as beautiful as a girl’s, making him a top-tier beauty.
Mu Jin had previously heard from 003 outside the court that Wen Renda intended to marry the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Anping to Wen Renhong as his princess. It seemed that failing in that attempt, they had another plan in mind.
Perhaps they thought that Wen Renhong’s preference was for ge’er, so the Marquis of Anping carefully presented his son in hopes of attracting Wen Renhong’s affection.
Thinking of this, Mu Jin’s gaze towards Wen Renda carried a hint of coldness. However, he still had full confidence in his man. Mu Jin believed unequivocally that Wen Renhong was faithful to him. If Wen Renhong were so easily swayed by others, then what was the point of their deep love across so many worlds?
When others finished their performances, the second son of the Marquis finally seized the opportunity to perform a dance for everyone. Dressed in a moon-white robe, he exuded an ethereal aura as he danced gracefully on the stage, impressing everyone with his moves. Even the emperor applauded enthusiastically and rewarded him generously with gold, silver, and jade.
After three rounds of wine, most people had finished their performances. Wen Renda stood up early to leave, saying he wanted to leave the palace banquet to everyone else, so they wouldn’t feel restrained by his presence.
As the emperor left, Mu Jin initially thought about discussing with Wen Renhong whether they should leave early. However, many officials and noble children quickly approached Wen Renhong, offering him toasts.
Mu Jin understood. After all, with Wen Renhong’s current situation, many people naturally wanted to befriend him, and these social interactions were inevitable. Fortunately, Wen Renhong was adept at handling such situations and seemed to be in his element.
As Mu Jin was bored watching from the sidelines, he saw the second son of the Marquis of Anping approaching Wen Renhong. Holding a cup of wine, he blushed and toasted Wen Renhong, saying, “I’ve heard of the prince for a long time and have always admired him greatly. Seeing the prince’s demeanor today makes me even more impressed. Allow me to toast the prince.”
Wen Renhong nodded in response, smiling gently as he sipped the wine. Mu Jin blinked his eyes, feeling that something was off. Upon closer inspection, the man’s features looked very familiar, so Mu Jin decided to activate 003 to analyze the person in front of him.
After scanning the person in front of him, 003 concluded that the person’s appearance had indeed been altered within a small range, and the red mole on his forehead had been added later.
Seeing the original appearance of the person before him, Mu Jin finally realized who he was. Through the memories of the original owner, he recognized that this person was none other than Ye Ran, the steward of the Hidden Pavilion.
But why did Ye Ran suddenly become the illegitimate son of the Marquis of Anping, and even turned into a ge’er? According to the information, Ye Ran was indeed a woman, and she even had a deeply loving partner named Lin Hua.
Mu Jin didn’t need to think too much to understand that this was another scheme devised by his man. But Mu Jin couldn’t help but feel slightly irritated!
However, in reality, it wasn’t just Mu Jin who was silently complaining in his heart; even the usually aloof and taciturn Ye Ran was now feeling the urge to vomit blood. He could only be thankful that Lin Hua had gone to deal with matters at the border, otherwise, if the other party found out he had been assigned such a task, it would definitely cause a scene.
On this side, Wen Renhong was accepting the forced unilateral hints from Ye Ran while quietly observing Mu Jin, drinking and conversing on one hand, and on the other hand, keeping an eye on Mu Jin.
He wanted to see if his beloved would show any displeasure on his face, if he would feel jealous because of it. But to his surprise, what he saw was Mu Jin happily chatting with Wu Anhou, who was sitting not far away.
Wen Renhong took a deep breath to restrain the impulse to crush his wine glass, angrily thinking: “This old man Wu Anhou, despite his age, still covets our treasure. It’s simply shameless!”
It wasn’t until Wu Anhou grabbed Mu Jin’s hand that Wen Renhong couldn’t hold back any longer. He frowned and approached, casually pulling back Mu Jin’s hand, and smiling at Wu Anhou, he said, “What are you two doing?”
Mu Jin, who was just diagnosing the old man opposite him, looked confusedly at Wen Renhong. Although the latter had a smiling face, his suppressed anger was terrifying enough to scare people. Without needing his man to say anything, Mu Jin realized that his lover was starting to imagine things again, which made he somewhat amused and exasperated.
It’s ridiculous that Wu Anhou, who is already so old, has grandchildren of the same age as himself, is still feeling jealous.
Just a moment ago in the main hall, when Wu Anhou heard that Mu Jin had developed a formula to eliminate the epidemic, he thought Mu Jin must be highly skilled in medicine. Recently, the old man hasn’t been feeling well, so he wanted to conveniently ask Mu Jin to take a look at him. Who would have thought that Wen Renhong would start imagining things again just because of this.
Fortunately, Wu Anhou was a martial artist when he was young and had several generations living together in his family, so he would never think that he, at his age, would still be suspected of lacking integrity. Not only did he not perceive Wen Renhong’s hostility, but he also praised Mu Jin’s medical skills without a care. As soon as he checked his pulse, he hit the nail on the head.
Realizing his misunderstanding, Wen Renhong’s aura finally eased a bit. After exchanging a few words with Wu Anhou, he felt very disappointed that Mu Jin completely ignored Ye Ran’s ‘seduction‘.
It seemed that Mu Jin only glanced at Ye Ran when he came over to toast just now, and then ignored him, focusing only on the food on the table.
Wen Renhong felt disappointed, and his mood was not good when he returned home that night. Mu Jin naturally noticed his lover’s condition but didn’t know the reason to offer comfort.
He originally wanted to change the topic and talk about something else, but as soon as he started, he was fiercely loved by the man on the bed.
Afterward, with tearful eyes, Mu Jin, not knowing what he had done wrong, could only complain as he looked at Wen Renhong in front of him. Little did he know that the man opposite him seemed even more upset after being accused like this.
The next day, Wen Renhong attended the court session as usual.
After last night’s events, Wen Renda felt that the beauty he had sent out yesterday must have left a deep impression on Wen Renhong. Thinking that although he praised Wen Renhong at the palace banquet yesterday, he did not reward him, he proposed to reward him for his efficient handling of this matter.
When Wen Renhong heard the emperor wanting to reward him, he couldn’t help but recall the ignorant look of his lover last night. However, he couldn’t tell whether it was genuine ignorance or simply not caring enough about him. So he didn’t feel jealous, or even care about the presence of others.
Thinking of this, Wen Renhong clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and finally made up his mind to stand up and said to the emperor, “Thank you, Your Majesty. I am grateful for your favor. But as for other rewards, I would rather decline. I only ask for one decree, to marry me and my beloved.”
Wen Renda heard Wen Renhong say so, and his brow twitched. Originally thinking to avoid this matter, but Wen Renhong directly requested marriage in the court, which couldn’t be avoided.
Could it be that the other party has set his sights on the son of some noble family? If the other party agrees to the marriage, won’t it further enhance his power?
Although unwilling in his heart, Wen Renda still needed to pretend to be happy on the surface, and said to him, “Younger brother is right. You are not young anymore, and you should get married early to expand the family. So, who exactly is the son of which family that makes you so concerned?”
When Wen Renhong heard the emperor say so, he showed a somewhat helpless expression and said to the emperor, “Your Majesty, the matter of expanding the family is a bit difficult for me. The one I like is not the son of any family. You saw him yesterday. The one I like is Mu Jin, the physician who accompanied me to the palace banquet yesterday.”