Chapter 82: Zi Yuan, Can We Stop Harming Others, Please?
The Crown Prince and his group left, and only after no longer hearing the sound of hoofbeats did Lin Xin look at Mo Ziyuan. “Won’t you give me an explanation?”
“Hehe,” Mo Ziyuan gave an embarrassed smile. “Let’s head back first, and we’ll talk on the way!”
Lin Xin glanced at the sky and figured that if they drove fast, they should make it to town before dawn, so she nodded. “Let’s go!”
On the way back, Lin Xin drove very fast. Mo Ziyuan tightly held the basket in his arms, staring straight ahead without blinking, his heart filled with surprise at the speed of this big iron lump, shock at its stability, and curiosity about Lin Xin’s origins along with a strong desire to investigate.
She had the ability of Sleeve Universe, and inside it were many things he had never seen, including that bag of food called bread and the water in the transparent container. He really wanted to know, but didn’t dare ask, and he didn’t even dare guess at Lin Xin’s intention in not hiding this ability from him.
But one thing he was certain of was that she absolutely wouldn’t kill him over this secret. Once this thought popped into his head, it grew uncontrollably wild, eventually forming a dense Large Net that firmly bound his heart. Not only did he not want to escape, he was even happy to share this common secret.
While driving, Lin Xin was also thinking. Last time when Meng Yichen was there, she had unhesitatingly used the Magic Flower to make him forget that experience, but when it came to Mo Ziyuan, she hesitated a bit.
“Forget it, just let him keep his memory. The Imperial Grandson will definitely prompt everyone to ask questions when he brings him back, so let him rack his brains on how to answer.” Lin Xin gave herself a big out. That’s right, it was because of this that she was too lazy to think about these tricky problems!
When the sky was just beginning to lighten, Lin Xin finally drove back to the place where they had gotten in the car before. Her leg that had been pressing the accelerator the whole way was almost numb, and when she got out, she nearly couldn’t stand steady. It was Mo Ziyuan who supported her, allowing her to barely avoid embarrassment.
“When we get back and people ask, you explain it yourself. If I find out you said something you shouldn’t have, I’ll drag you into the Deep Mountain to feed the wolves.” Lin Xin grabbed Mo Ziyuan’s arm and threatened him fiercely.
Mo Ziyuan was nearly thrilled out of his mind inside. When Lin Xin had gone to the Capital City before, it must have been one or several from the Meng Family who took her, but none of them seemed to remember it, which meant Lin Xin had a way to make those who went with her forget the memory of it.
But now she had kept his memory and even entrusted him with the important task of explaining to everyone, which must mean he was different in her mind from those others. Definitely.
Mo Ziyuan happily agreed. If he had a tail behind him, it would definitely be sticking up high and wagging like an electric fan right now!
Lin Xin thought about it and figured that if she appeared at the Meng Family with Mo Ziyuan, everyone would bombard her with questions, so to avoid trouble, she decisively chose to split up with him.
“You take the Imperial Grandson back first. I’ll wait for dawn, find an inn to sleep, and head back later. If Nan Nan asks about me, just say I wasn’t with you, got it?” It wasn’t exactly a lie; after driving all night, she really was very tired.
“Okay, I got it. You go!” Mo Ziyuan’s gaze toward her was so soft it could drip water, and his tone was unusually gentle.
“You go your way, I’ll find a place to eat some breakfast and then go.” Lin Xin’s arm was numb, so she rubbed it. Among the few stalls selling breakfast, she picked one selling wontons, ordered a bowl, and sat there eating it sweetly.
Mo Ziyuan watched her unpretentious “bold” eating manner, smiled, and shook his head, then picked up the basket containing the Imperial Grandson and headed toward the Meng Family.
Except for Meng Yichen, the rest were all martial artists who had gotten up early to practice kung fu. So when the courtyard gate was pushed open and Mo Ziyuan appeared carrying a basket, everyone curiously gathered around, asking where he had been the past two days, how his injuries were, and so on.
Whether he had woken from sleep, was hungry, or needed to poop, in any case, amid everyone’s concerned fussing, the Imperial Grandson woke up and unhesitatingly announced his presence with a loud wail.
The several big men were all startled. The most exaggerated, Gao Yong, actually jumped back over ten feet, looking at Mo Ziyuan like he had seen a ghost. “In these two days, has your kung fu even produced a child?”
“Pfft~” The entire atmosphere was utterly ruined by this remark.
Mo Ziyuan ignored him, carefully lifted the wailing Imperial Grandson from the basket, held the Glass bottle that Lin Xin had given him in his palm and gently warmed it with internal energy, then stuffed it into the Imperial Grandson’s mouth. With food, the Imperial Grandson’s crying immediately stopped.
“Zi Yuan, this… this couldn’t be…” Chu Yu was shocked in his heart. He came from the Lu Guo Duke’s Mansion in the Capital City. His own eldest brother had once been a Reading Companion to the Crown Prince, and he himself had been fortunate enough to see the Imperial Grandson twice.
“That’s right, exactly what you’re thinking.” Mo Ziyuan calmly glanced at him and confirmed.
Chu Yu’s brows immediately furrowed tightly. “Has the situation in the Capital City gotten this bad already? The Crown Prince can’t even protect his own child?”
“His Highness is just preparing for a rainy day. He doesn’t want the Imperial Grandson to become a tool for others to checkmate him.”
Everyone understood the meaning behind his words and fell silent.
“Do we need to return to the capital to assist His Highness?” After a while, Gao Yong’s muffled voice sounded.
Mo Ziyuan shook his head. “When we left, His Highness gave us perfect excuses. Going back now wouldn’t help and would only bring unnecessary trouble to His Highness. Besides, we have our own tasks to complete. Perhaps one day in the future, we can become His Highness’s surprise strategy.”
“Zi Yuan is right. We’ve been here a while and have rested enough. It’s time to complete our mission,” Zhou Qi said.
“Then, what about the Imperial Grandson? We’re a bunch of big men; none of us know how to raise a child! And this is the Imperial Grandson—no mishap would be forgivable even by death,” Ling Qing said, looking at the chubby boy in the basket sucking vigorously at the milk.
“I’ve already thought of it. For now, let’s have Miss Lin raise the Imperial Grandson! I heard she single-handedly raised Nan Nan, so she should have experience in this area,” Mo Ziyuan said.
“Miss Lin?” Ling Qing was stunned for a moment, patted his shoulder. “You say you’ve thought it through, but has Miss Lin thought it through? This isn’t some kitten or puppy; it’s a child, and the Imperial Grandson at that. If she’s not up to it, she’ll be guilty. Would Miss Lin agree?”
“Exactly! Miss Lin is a nice person, and Nan Nan is so cute. Zi Yuan, let’s not get her in trouble, okay?” Chu Yu also tried to persuade him.
“Yeah,” Gao Yong chimed in.
Ever since parting with Lin Xin, Mo Ziyuan had been pondering how to explain bringing the Imperial Grandson from the distant Capital City back to the Meng Family in such a short time. But he never expected they wouldn’t ask about that; instead, they all started advising him not to hand the Imperial Grandson to Lin Xin to raise.
He was utterly speechless.
