Chapter 43 Treatment

  Min An raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that being toyed with by the young master was still a privilege, and the suffering he endured didn't need to be mentioned. He muttered to himself, but his words were still smooth: "Thank you, Young Master, for your kindness, I'm honored."

  He leaned his body inward, tilted his head and was about to fall asleep, not showing any signs of being surprised by the favor. Li Peinan was just about to get to the point, when he saw him start to show an attitude of not listening, and couldn't help but inject some force into his hand, hitting the corner of the cage with the wooden ruler, startling the body inside to jump up in mid-air.

  Li Peinan asked: "Did you understand that sentence just now?" His hands were doing oppressive things, but his voice was stern and powerful.

  Min Ankang was about to get annoyed to death, being knocked awake three times in a row, and couldn't help but grab the railing and shout loudly: "I've heard it, I've heard it, I'm very important! Exclusively for the young master's entertainment, without me, the young master would have no fun!" He bit his lip and glared at Li Peinan, but only deepened the smile on Li Peinan's face.

  Li Peinan smiled and said indifferently, "Outside, it's rumored that you're my rabbit grandfather, even the guards in the mansion say so. It's just that you, this rabbit grandfather, don't have any sense of self-awareness."

  What annoyed Min An the most was that normally, when his fellow guards saw him, they would be polite and courteous, but once he left, they would chat idly for a bit. No one dared to gamble with him anymore, and instead, they would bet on which concubine sent by the nobles could successfully spend the night in the Crown Prince's chambers. This had cost him ten taels of silver for no reason at all. Furthermore, those delicate young girls in the inn, who used to be like flowers before him, now lowered their heads and ran away when they saw him. No matter how he called out to them, they didn't dare to gather around him with smiles on their faces, examining the small trinkets on his person as they used to.

  This treatment is like falling from a gentle and comfortable place into an icy cave without any human presence, how can Min An not feel lost and disheartened. He often stands in the corridor, watching the shadows of people hurrying by on both sides, eagerly waiting for them to turn their heads once, even wanting to ask, "You all ignore me now, can you return those handkerchiefs, fans, and combs that you took from me... Especially that fan, I spent a lot of effort making it, how could you just take it away..."

  Of course, he was too shy to ask in the end and didn't know if the fan was indeed in the girls' hands. However, now that Li Peinan mentioned it, he suddenly knew the reason why everyone in the inn was avoiding him. The feeling of knowing the truth was like poking a sore spot, making him jump up instantly, regardless of who he was facing.

  Min An kicked the railing with his leg and said in a harsh tone: "The young master is so shameless, being rumored to be a cut sleeve freak and not knowing how to stop it. If this spreads to the palace, wouldn't that be a bad thing? Moreover, you don't care about your reputation, but I still cherish this humble reputation to mix with the officials."

  "When you hugged my leg under broad daylight and refused to let go, didn't your reputation get ruined already?"

  Min An was stunned, speechlessly staring at Li Peinan.

  Li Peinan also said: "The day you asked me to release Wu Mei, in front of all the guards, you hugged her again."

  Min An kicked the railing with a gloomy face, turned around and faced away from Li Peinan, unable to say anything else. From behind came the third sentence: "In the study, no one saw it, holding on tightly without letting go, even if they were chased away, who would remember my three times of fame?" The slow and steady words made Min An completely cover his ears, his face red to the point of bleeding.

  Li Peinan saw Min An's anger had almost dissipated, and he relaxed the smile at the corner of his mouth. In a calm tone, he said, "Come out, I won't punish you."

  Min An's response was to remain still, like a hedgehog curled up in a corner of the iron cage.

  The night wind rises, the lantern in the hand of the guard flashes, and a sudden noise sets off the silence all around. Just as the air in the stone railing becomes stiff with cold, a faint sound comes from the stone road not far away.

  The guards looked back and couldn't help but feel a little pleased in their hearts.

  A little blue-faced monkey wearing a calabaza hat and a red horse cloak, dragging a bamboo basket, came over with great difficulty, probably reluctant to abandon its cozy nest, so it dragged and pulled slowly. After much effort, when it finally arrived in front of the stone house, it remembered that this was where Min'an had parted ways with it, and it let out a happy cry, wrapped its tail around a branch, and swung up onto an elm tree branch.

  Min An heard the corn calling and turned back to shoo it away: "Hurry up, hurry up, go back home and sleep."

  The corn husk swayed back and forth, suddenly noticing that the figure sitting under the tree was somewhat familiar, also wearing a green gauze robe with white lining, matching the color of the corn husks in the field. Especially similar to the young man who had been feeding it all along. It should be able to get some food from him. So it quickly jumped down and landed in front of the green gauze robe, raised its left arm high, and stared at the person in the chair with eager eyes.

  Min An couldn't help but turn her face and say in a low voice: "Wrong, wrong, it's not him."

  Corn looked back at Min An in the cage, then at Li Peinan in front of him, bowed and still held up his left arm. Min An couldn't wait any longer, took out a piece of maltose from his sleeve and beckoned to Corn: "Hey, come over here."

  The night breeze gently swept over the stone railing, and Li Peinan still smelled the sweet and sticky sugar smell on Yu Mi's body, as well as the unique fur scent of small animals. The domesticated poultry and beasts raised by Li Peinan were usually taken care of by slaves, washed and cleaned spotlessly, their value and appearance far surpassing that of a stray monkey. He didn't call anyone to chase away Yu Mi, which was already a courtesy, but Yu Mi didn't know this and continued to stare curiously at him from behind.

  Li Peinan saw a clever look on the monkey's face and asked Min An: "Is it tender?"

  Min An had always been afraid of Li Peinan's punishment, and now he felt a bit like everything was against him, worried that the corn he was eating would displease him, so he quickly nodded.

  Li Peinan took another close look: "Since it's a heart's desire, why is there a scar on the bridge of the nose?"

  Min An's scalp tightened and he didn't respond.

  Li Peinan handed the sandalwood to Yu Mi, who took it and nibbled on it before carelessly tossing it aside. She tilted her head, waiting for the next offering. Having watched him for so long, she could naturally sense that the man in front of her had a cold and dark brow, unlike the young people from daytime. It was as if there was an icy net covering the wheat field outside, separating her heart from his.

  The corn stepped back, standing next to the iron cage, chirping a cry, as if calling Min'an to leave together. Min'an stretched out his hand and nudged it to one side of the cage, then covered it with his own body, with a protective intention.

  Li Peinan said calmly: "Is it because you've done something wrong that you're being guarded so tightly?"

  Min An said with a stiff face: "Is there anything else that has offended the young master's eyes..."

  "The monkey must have fought with the general and got pecked on the nose."

  Min An hastily covered the corn's nose with his hand and said, "The young master's birds are precious, if they peck at us, we dare not fight back, in the end, it is we who suffer."

  Li Peinan had tamed fierce beasts and birds, but at this time he didn't have much experience with a little monkey. He couldn't possibly have snacks in his sleeves, fortunately he was wealthy and casually pulled out a thin piece of gold leaf to coax the little monkey to curiously come over two steps, and if nothing else, it could also attract its owner to take a look.

  Li Peinan held a cicada wing gold silk leaf on his fingertips and shook it at the corn, saying: "What's your name?"

  Min An couldn't help but turn her head to one side and roll her eyes, Yu Mi let out a "tsk" sound, lifted up her left hand, and let out another "tsk" sound.

  Li Peinan said in a low voice: "Tell me the name and I'll reward you."

  Min An said quickly: "Corn." Then Li Pei Nan really put the leaves in Corn's hand. Corn bit the golden leaves and was about to throw them away, Min An anxiously said in a low voice: "Give brother some candy to eat!"

  Corn spread out his palm, blew the golden leaves and handed them to Min An. Min An took it without hesitation and stuffed it into his waist bag. Since he got a fortune, Min An's mood also became much lighter. Later, no matter how Li Peinan asked him, he answered very quickly, as if they had settled their accounts and owed nothing to each other.

  Li Peinan asked, "Why go to the brothel?" He smelled the strong scent of rouge on Min'an's body and the aroma of clear wine that women often drink, so he must have known what Min'an had done.

  Min An replied: "I've looked for Mr. Bi everywhere, but I lost his trail and couldn't find him in the end. I think he's hiding."

  In a question-and-answer session, Li Peinan clarified the first issue and asked again: "Who did corn mistake me for?"

  Min An didn't know why Li Peinan was so particular about this matter, but he subconsciously wanted to conceal the news of Xuan Xu, not wanting Li Peinan to continue investigating further. According to the Crown Prince's temperament, he always liked to investigate the people around him, and if they were found guilty, they would either be isolated or punished by law. His master, Hua Cui, Old Master Bi Si, and others were all examples of this. If Xuan Xu was driven away again, there would no longer be anyone who could speak on his behalf to his master and Hua Cui.

  With a determined look, Min An replied with an unchanged expression: "My master has recently taken in an apprentice who is always fed corn and eats all sorts of things, shouting non-stop." He deliberately spoke with a disgusted face, not realizing that he had fallen into Li Peinan's trap. Li Peinan responded with a faint hum, thus covering up the issue.

  Min An's ability to pass this test was not just a coincidence. Firstly, after being intimidated by Li Peinan, he had been telling the truth, leaving a good impression on Li Peinan. Secondly, during the day when they met Xuan Xu, Lie Qun was no longer by their side and had not sent any guards to follow them, so these encounters would naturally not be reported back to Li Peinan.

  The corn standing beside it was tired and lay back in the bamboo basket to sleep. Min An looked at it curled up into a small ball, his heart so tender that he almost shed tears, and hastily took off his silk clothes, stuffing them through the gap in the fence, saying: "Please, sir... cover it."

  Li Peinan really took over the handkerchief, folded it into a soft quilt and put it on Yu Mi's body. When he did this, he didn't ask anyone for help, which made Min An feel warm in his heart.

  "Please return, young master," said Min An. "The night is deep and the dew is heavy, autumn is indeed cool."

  Li Peinan said calmly: "I haven't finished asking my questions."

  "Then ask quickly."

  "You really fear me?"

  Min An nodded his head in surprise at the question, still able to control his facial expression. He waited quietly for the rest of the questions, but didn't hear Li Peinan say another word. Li Peinan continued to look at him calmly, with a gentle expression, without the usual coldness. Min An scratched his head, unable to understand the reasoning behind it, and eventually couldn't withstand the fatigue, curling up and falling into a deep sleep.

  Li Peinan had been calming his emotions for so long, and he could finally treat Min An in the cage normally. Min An said that he was willing to accept punishment and did not want to come out, and Li Peinan couldn't force him to change his mind. Li Peinan called someone to bring a thick blanket, and with a flick of his hand, it covered all four walls of the cage. Finally, he used his strength to lift the cage lightly and carried it all the way to the main building's study. Just as he took two steps away, he thought for a moment and turned back to pick up the bamboo basket with his left hand, sending the big and small ones to a warm place, while he was destined to spend a sleepless night.

  Busy with work during the day, can only update at night, will try to update daily in July, even if it's a bit late, sorry about that~ typing away

  Thank you very much, beautiful ladies with many moles and swift years, for your hand grenades (*^__^*)

  Thank you very much, Huang Sang, Rong Yayi, Zhu Erduo, Yu Guotian Qing (2), Xiao Weige and 987 six beauties for the landmine haha (*^__^*) l3l4