CHAPTER 41: MORNING AFTER AND MUSHROOM MONEY

But then again, he was under someone else’s roof. In order to survive, he had no choice but to lower his head for now.

While his thoughts wandered, he noticed the man’s breathing gradually even out, followed by the faint sound of soft snores.

Yue Mingxuan turning his head slightly and studied the man’s face.

The long lashes that was covered his narrow eyes; his tall and straight nose that was sat above his thin and tightly pressed lips.

The sharp lines of his face were smooth and pale, it was glowing softly under the candlelight which make him look more beautiful than the finest jade.

Beautiful. Too beautiful. This man was like a demon in human form.

Yue Mingxuan looked at the faint crease between his brows and gently smoothed it out with his fingers.

In front of others, this man was always so domineering and powerful. There’s no one would guess he was once held as a political hostage.

People often said that behind every great man was untold suffering. Could this man be one of them?

For the first time, Yue Mingxuan truly saw Shang Qinghua differently.

Weak? No. Powerless? Hardly. He was clearly cunning, sharp minded, and dangerously charming.

Seeing how deeply he slept, Yue Mingxuan couldn’t help but wonder if the man trusted him too much.

If he had bad intentions, Shang Qinghua’s life would be in his hands.

Why did he trust him so easily?

But Yue Mingxuan didn’t dwell on the thought.

After running around for half the night and massaging for another hour, his hands were completely numb.

With a quiet sigh, he flipped Shang Qinghua onto his side, then crawled off the bed himself.

He collapsed onto the chair nearby and within moments, he was fast asleep.

The morning sunlight streamed through the window like a soft golden ribbon.

Outside, Sui He called, "Young Master, are you awake yet?"

Yue Mingxuan was in the middle of a dream about eating chicken legs when the call startled him.

He immediately jumped up and glanced toward the bed.

It was empty.

Only a thin silk blanket remained, carrying the lingering scent of a man.

Yue Mingxuan moved closer and touched the faint warmth left on the sheets.

His heart skipped a beat.

The man’s presence was still hauntingly strong and almost impossible to shake off.

He shook his hand as if trying to fling away the warmth, then yawned and pretended to have just woken up.

"Come in," he said casually as Sui He called again from outside.

Sui He came in while carrying a basin of washing supplies.

When she saw Yue Mingxuan’s face covered in powder and cream, she looked surprised and asked, "Young Master, didn’t you say you wouldn’t put those things on before bed? Didn’t you say it’s bad for your skin?"

Yue Mingxuan reached out to take the damp towel Sui He had prepared and began wiping his face angrily.

You think I want to do this? he thought bitterly.

If that perverted prince hadn’t shown up, I wouldn’t bother with all this nonsense.

After all, he had spent the night alone with Shang Qinghua.

Yue Mingxuan didn’t dare to imagine what would happen if that perverted prince saw his true face and got any strange ideas.

He wiped his face clean, and then reapplied a thick layer of powder to cover his delicate features.

With each stroke of the brush, Yue Mingxuan’s heart ached.

This skin is perfect. It was white as jade and smooth as silk.

However, here I am ruining it like this. If he wanted to survive safely, he had no choice.

After hastily finishing his morning wash and the he reached for the small cloth bag he used last night.

The jade pendant was gone but at least the mushroom he worked so hard to dig up were still there.

Today, he was going to the city to sell them for silver.

The capital of Beirong was bustling and lively.

Yue Mingxuan slung his little cloth bag over his shoulder and wandered down the crowded streets, looking for a medicine shop.

He wanted to sell the reishi mushrooms quickly.

At last, he found a fairly large pharmacy and stepped inside.

"Is anyone here?" he called out.

A young apprentice hurried over and smiling politely. "Sir, what do you need today?"

Yue Mingxuan placed the bag on the counter and took out a single mushroom. "I want to sell this. Tell me how much it’s worth."

The apprentice’s eyes lit up when he saw it.

He quickly motioned for Yue Mingxuan to sit and ran to call the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper came out and picked up the mushroom. He sniffed it carefully and said slowly, "Five taels of silver for each one."

"Five taels? Why don’t I just give it to you for free?" Yue Mingxuan snapped.

He snatched the mushroom back, stuffed it into his bag and turned around to leave.

The shopkeeper’s face changed immediately.

Seeing his potential seller about to walk out, he smiled quickly. "Wait, sir! Don’t rush. We can still negotiate the price."

"You have no sincerity," Yue Mingxuan said sharply. "These reishi mushroom are top quality and very old. Fifty taels each."

He had already noticed the flash of excitement in the shopkeeper’s eyes earlier. He was sure that it was a sign that these mushroom were worth much more.

The shopkeeper frowned. "Impossible! That’s far too high. Can’t you lower the price a little?"

"No."

"Thirty taels and I’ll take them all."

"No deal."

"Thirty five taels?"

"Not a chance."

"Forty taels?"

Yue Mingxuan’s patience snapped. He glared with cold eyes. "Forty five taels each. Take it or leave it."

"Alright, alright! Forty five taels it is!"

A short while later, Yue Mingxuan walked out of the shop with over a hundred taels of silver in his bag.

He should have been happy but his lips were still pouting in annoyance.

If I’d kept that jade pendant, he thought, I could’ve exchanged it for a thousand taels. My poor silver...