Repudiating a Good Wife Is Out of the Question

106. The Handwriting Has Vanished

Translator: Sissy That Walk

Cao Mo walked to the study and asked Xiao Yi, “Yi, the sixteenth is grandmother’s birthday. What gifts do you usually give her?”

“Grandmother worships Buddha, I usually give her scriptures, prayer beads, or paintings.” Xiao Yi put away the book in hand and answered carefully.

Cao Mo scratched his hands and paced back and forth in the study, ‘scriptures, prayer beads, or paintings… …’ he muttered.

Cao Mo alighted on the scriptures that Qingxue had just sent him, he leafed through a few pages and all of a sudden he smelled a faint fishy smell.

Cao Mo narrowed his eyes and put down the scriptures, with that he strode to the parrot and checked its feet, there were traces of ink on its feet as Cao Mo had expected, Cao Mo bent over and smelt the fishy smell as well.

Cao Mo now checked his own hands, seeing the rash on his hands, he was certain what had happened! Cao Mo was allergic to nothing but seafood, and he had been scratching his hands since he had touched the scriptures.

“Yi! Stop reading! I need you to go to Prince Xing’s Manor and tell him now it’s not the time to let anyone else know about Qin and the layout of the capital city!” Cao Mo broke in to a cold sweat.

Xiao Yi asked promptly, “What happened? Please tell me why are you so nervous!”

“The layout must be painted with sepia! Just imagine Prince Xing reports this to His Majesty and shows the layout as evidence, surely His Majesty will examine the layout, but we all know sepia will vanish as time goes by… …”

Xiao Yi rushed out before Cao Mo could finish his sentence.

However, Xiao Yi was too late, Prince Xing had already gone to the palace when Xiao Yi arrived at his manor.

Xiao Yi rushed to Yao Manor and he told the butler in Yao Manor to bring a message to Taifu Yao that he needed to stop Prince Xing from mentioning anything about the layout in the presence of His Majesty.

Xiao Yi waited anxiously in Yao Manor, but there only came a piece of bad news that His Majesty had flogged Prince Xing, but the reason remained unknown.

Xiao Yi wasn’t sure whether it was about the layout or not, he rushed to Prince Xing’s Manor after he heard the news.

Xiao Yi smelled a strong scent of ointment when he walked into Prince Xing’s room.

“I’m so sorry I’m late, I tried to ask grandpa to remind you!” Xiao Yi sighed.

Prince Xing shook his head and said, “No, you weren’t. Grandpa stopped me in time before I could report the layout to His Majesty, it was Prince Ning! He launched an attack and brought up when I used my private troop to look for Cao Mo when he got abducted, you know His Majesty doesn’t like to see us princes cultivating our own power or influence, so he asked the eunuch to flog me as a punishment. Who knows the eunuch used to serve Prince Xing’s mother Imperial Concubine Fair, he has flogged me hard, it’s going to take me a while before I can walk again.”

“I’m so sorry, this is all because me and Mo.” tears brimmed in Xiao Yi’s eyes.

“That’s nonsense. His Majesty has been looking for an excuse to cut down on private troops, he can find something else if not for Mo’s abduction.” Prince Xing comforted Xiao Yi.

“I hope there’s a way to settle scores with Prince Ning soon.” Xiao Yi gnashed his teeth.

“Don’t worry, there will be a time for that!” Prince Xing smiled, “What did you want to say to me, it must be something serious.”

“It’s about the layout of the capital city you’ve found in the hairpin! Mo found out Auntie Lu’s parrot can free itself from the cage, the parrot smelled like fish and its feet were covered in ink this morning, so Cao Mo thought the layout must be painted in sepia, he was worried that the handwriting on the layout would be vanished by now, so he asked me to remind you to check on the layout before you report this to His Majesty.”

Hearing that, Prince Xing’s face darkened, “Eunuch Liu, go bring me the wooden box that I kept in the chamber.”

With that Eunuch Liu held a wooden box and handed it over to Prince Xing.

Prince Xing rolled open the paper only to find the handwriting had vanished.

“What a bitxx!” Prince Xing threw the wooden box on the ground, “I would have swallowed the bait if you had not asked grandpa to warn me! She must have colluded with Prince Ning for a long time now!”

“Your Highness, why don’t we turn Prince Ning’s trick to our own use?” Xiao Yi showed a meaningful smile.

Prince Xing nodded and said, “Hahaha, beat him at his own game! I like that! I will give you a big reward once this is done.”

“I’m so flattered, Your Highness, this is all Mo.” Xiao Yi bowed.

“All right, I will reward you both.” Prince Xing murmured, “Wenyuan somehow is fascinated by Cao Mo, he kept giving me cold shoulder.”

Xiao Yi lowered his head and pretended he hadn’t heard that.

… ..

Xiao Yi came back home with a solemn face.

“Yi, why the long face? Were you too late?” Cao Mo poured Xiao Yi a cup of tea.

Xiao Yi took the teacup and shook his head, “No, grandpa stopped Prince Xing in time.”

Hearing that, Cao Mo heaved a sigh of relief, he gently punched Xiao Yi, “That’s great news, why did you pull a long face then?” with that Cao Mo walked to the bird cage, continuing to study the bird.

“Haha, did I pull a long face? I didn’t even realize that. Prince Xing complained that Cousin Wenyuan kept avoiding him, that’s all.”

“I guess it’s just human nature, probably Prince Xing has wooed Wenyuan too hard and Wenyuan finds it too much.” Cao Mo replied casually, then he walked to Xiao Yi, “Unlike us, all the wooing and sweet talk is just perfect between us.”

Xiao Yi took hold of Cao Mo’s hands and cupped them in front of his chest, “You are so right, my beautiful wife, I guess for now I want to give you some sweet talk and some physical talk as well.” with that Xiao Yi carried Cao Mo in his arms and walked to the bedroom.

“Yi, the bird is still in the room.” Cao Mo buried his face in Xiao Yi’s chest.

“It’s just a bird.” Xiao Yi chuckled.

… …

Xiao Jin walked to Xiao Yugui’s room and reported to Xiao Yugui that Xiao Yi had saved Qin, Prince Ning’s favorite actor and sent Qin to Prince Xing.

“Where did you hear that?” Xiao Yugui asked with indifference, without even raising his head.

“I heard this from a bird.”