"Good boy! Hahahaha!"
Han Mo burst into laughter and reached out to pinch Zhe Yourong's cheek. But as soon as his lecherous hand moved, it was slapped away.
"If you dare to be so flirtatious again, I'll fight you to the death!"
Zhe Yourong's face turned as red as a monkey's backside. Seeing him about to become even more indecent, she refused to let him take advantage.
"A beauty is indeed a beauty, truly fragrant!"
Han Mo was not annoyed. He brought his right hand, which had been slapped by Zhe Yourong, to his nose and made an exaggerated sniffing gesture, humming a tune and helping himself to his tea.
"Scoundrel! Don't forget your promise!"
Zhe Yourong gritted her teeth and said.
"What's the big deal? Just wait for my good news! Since your body is no longer ailing, I'll go visit your father-in-law tomorrow!"
Leaving Zhe Yourong here might attract unwanted attention.
However, if a living person were to just disappear, it would also raise suspicions.
This gave Han Mo a bit of a headache. After all, who knew if there were any spies from the Imperial City Department in this mansion?
He was about to start dancing on the edge of a blade, so he had to prepare the details carefully.
"But what about the aftermath here if I leave like this?"
As Han Mo was pondering, Zhe Yourong spoke directly.
"Besides Chun Tao and Yan'er, who else in my courtyard has seen you?"
Han Mo pondered for a moment and then asked again.
"I haven't been out recently. At most, the little servant beside you might have seen my profile!"
Zhe Yourong spoke, carefully choosing her words.
"Then it's simple. Are there any women in your mansion who are similar in height and age to you?"
Han Mo hesitated for a moment and asked again.
"Of course, there are. But this needs a reason..."
"It's simple. Han Mo's concubine Caiwei is a great cook, and Miss Zhe particularly likes her, so she will stay by Miss's side to serve her day and night!"
Han Mo said with a smile.
"Isn't that a bit far-fetched..."
"Then let's make it not far-fetched. However, this matter still requires your father-in-law's cooperation, and ideally, a witness!"
Han Mo smiled, choosing his words carefully.
"How should he cooperate?"
"A new son-in-law arriving home naturally calls for a banquet to celebrate. Then, during the feast, everyone enjoys themselves, and finally, a couple of excellent poems are exchanged. The rest will naturally fall into place!"
Han Mo smiled and said again.
"Then I'll write a letter, and you can send someone to deliver it to the city!"
Zhe Yourong hesitated. It seemed there was no better solution at the moment.
She had been out for so many days; her father must be going crazy by now.
"This is the only way. You write the letter first, and I'll go prepare the visiting card!"
By the time Han Mo finished writing the visiting card, Zhe Yourong's letter was also done, but a new problem arose.
The visiting card was fine, but this letter was still somewhat sensitive!
After much thought, Han Mo decided to entrust this important task to Chun Tao.
Although Xu Fengnian appeared respectful now, Han Mo was still wary of such matters.
After specifically briefing Chun Tao, Han Mo returned to his study.
The night passed uneventfully. The next day, Han Mo spent the day at the Imperial Academy, and it wasn't until dusk that he walked out of the academy gates, slightly tired.
"Brother Mo!"
As soon as he stepped out, Chun Tao rushed forward with a look of pleasant surprise.
"Are all the things prepared?"
Han Mo smiled and asked.
"Everything is ready. I guarantee there will be no problems! Pastries from Wanfu Tower, preserved fruits from Granny Liu's, almond crisps from the Li family in the south city..."
Chun Tao began listing them on her fingers, reporting them one by one to Han Mo.
"Stop. Who told you to prepare these things?"
Before Chun Tao could finish, Han Mo rolled his eyes to the heavens.
What on earth were these things he bought?
"I went with Sister Caiwei! She said these are the customary gifts!"
Now he had found the root of the problem. After all this, these were probably things she liked to eat!
"I..."
Han Mo was frustrated. This girl was clearly doing it on purpose.
Even though they were just pastries, each of them was quite expensive. This half-cartload must have cost at least dozens of strings of coins!
"What 'I'? Hurry up and go!"
Just as Han Mo was about to complain, Zhe Yourong's voice came from inside the carriage.
"Brother Mo, these things cost twenty-five strings of coins! They will definitely not make you lose face!"
"We're just paying a casual visit, what do we need face for..."
Han Mo was exasperated.
"But the Zhe family is an official family. If you go empty-handed, you might be gossiped about!"
Chun Tao said softly.
"Alright! Let's go!"
Han Mo finally understood. This woman was doing it deliberately.
However, fortunately, he had some savings, otherwise, he might have had to live on instant noodles for the next six months.
Since they were already bought, the most Han Mo could do now was give Zhe Yourong a glare.
However, Han Mo also knew that the angrier he got, the happier this girl would be.
Therefore, he didn't mention the matter at all on the way. He even wore a faint smile and chatted with Chun Tao about the scenery along the road.
Zhe Yourong had initially intended to see Han Mo's angry and annoyed expression, but she didn't expect this fellow to play by the rules at all!
He hadn't shown any signs of anger since getting into the carriage. This caused all the sarcastic remarks she had prepared to remain unsaid.
This feeling of having strength but nowhere to use it was quite frustrating!
The three of them rode in the carriage and, guided by Zhe Yourong, arrived at a mansion belonging to the Zhe family near Longjin Bridge.
"This mansion has quite an ancient feel!"
As soon as Han Mo alighted from the carriage, he casually remarked.
"Is the young gentleman the official Han?"
As soon as Han Mo finished speaking, a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed as a steward, stepped forward.
"It is Han Mo. May I ask who you are?"
"This old servant is called Liu Wu, the steward of this mansion. Master is waiting in the mansion. Young official, please follow me!"
As the old steward walked, it was clear that the characters for 'archer' were tattooed on the back of his hand.
Although he was missing two fingers, he was likely a veteran soldier who had retired from the battlefield.
"Steward Liu looks spry. Did you also go to the battlefield in the past, fighting for the country?"
Han Mo chatted with him as he walked inside.
"You amuse me, young official. These two fingers were lost on the battlefield, but I shot down three Western Xia curs in that battle, so it was not a loss!"
This was perhaps Liu Wu's proudest moment in his life. Even his back straightened as he spoke.