Chapter 031: Partridge Sky (VI)
It was not yet the afternoon, but the heavy rain made the sky gloomy. Meng Yunxian hurried up the stairs and threw his umbrella to the servant who followed him. He left a trail of wet marks as he stepped into the room.
He Tong and the others were driven out of the inner room by Zhang Jing, and they ran into Meng Yunxian head-on. They immediately bowed and called him, "Mr. Meng."
"Why did he suddenly vomit blood? Did you call a doctor?"
Meng Yunxian glanced at the inner room through the curtain, then shifted his gaze back to He Tong.
"I have already asked for it and taken the medicine."
He Tong answered.
Meng Yunxian lifted the curtain and went in. The bitter smell of medicine hit him in the face. Zhang Jing had dishevelled hair and was lying on the bed with his eyes closed. It was unclear whether he was awake or asleep.
"Chongzhi."
Meng Yunxian walked to the bed and called out, but looking at his thin face, he forgot what he should say for a moment.
"If you have nothing to say, why bother coming?"
Zhang Jing closed his eyes, his throat seemed to be rubbed by rough sand, "When we parted ways, we agreed that even if we have the chance to meet again in this life, we will never look back."
"That's what you said,"
Meng Yunxian wiped the rain off his face and said, "It's not me."
"Aren't you afraid that people will laugh at you, Meng Zhuo, for being shameless?" Zhang Jing sneered, and a thick noise came out of his lungs, causing him to cough.
"You know I don't care about these things." Meng Yunxian shook his head. "Chongzhi, when you parted ways with me, did you really think I was wrong? If so, why are you still willing to work with me now?"
"It's hard to disobey the emperor's order."
"Is it just that the emperor's order is hard to disobey?"
There was a long silence.
Zhang Jing opened his eyes and looked at Meng Yunxian who was standing beside the bed. "Do you really have to ask? Meng Zhuo, do you know that the thing I regret most in my life is that I agreed to promote the new policy with you!"
He didn't say whether it was right or wrong, but only said he regretted it.
"Meng Zhuo, at least for now, don't let me see you."
Zhang Jing was trembling, his breathing was shaking slightly. He turned his back and clenched his fists under the quilt.
The rain came in fast and became heavier, hitting the eaves with a crackling sound.
Meng Yunxian walked out of Zhang's house with heavy steps and was helped by Neizhi to get on the carriage. He was shaking all the way and he didn't know how he got home.
"Look at you, did you see him or not? How is Mr. Zhang?" Meng Yunxian's wife, Jiang, welcomed him in with an umbrella.
"Yes."
Meng Yunxian barely came back to his senses and let Jiang wipe the rain off his body. "He is lying in bed sick, how can he stop me? But Madam, he said something to me today."
"What?"
"He said, at least for now, don't let him see me."
Hearing the sound, Jiang stopped wiping his clothes and raised her head.
"He didn't look at me coldly, nor did he scold me. He said this to me very calmly," Meng Yunxian's Adam's apple moved, and he couldn't explain the complicated feelings in his heart, "but it made me feel like I was being tortured..."
"You deserve it." Jiang hit him. "What kind of punishment did you receive? It was you who dragged him into the fire pit, and it was you who let his students escape. Even if he picks up a stick to beat you now, you deserve it!"
"I'd rather he hit me with a stick."
Meng Yunxian took the tea bowl handed to him by Jiang, and the hot mist slightly blew away. His eyes were a little hot. He raised his head and looked at the misty rain outside the eaves. He sighed slowly: "Back then, Chongzhi followed me on this path because he read my "Cleaning the Canal". But later, when the government abolished the New Deal, I was demoted and he was exiled. When he was exiled, his wife and children all died..."
"A Shao, I have you by my side, but who is by Chongzhi's side?"
…
It was pitch black when Zhou Ting returned to the Night Court, still covered in sweat. Han Qing swept the things on the case with a gloomy face and angrily shouted, "He was just in court yesterday, and you searched before dawn today, how come you can't find him!"
Zhou Ting lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Before dawn today, Lin Yu opened his mouth and spat out "Du Cong". Who is that Du Cong? Isn't he the doctor of the Ministry of Rites and the deputy envoy of the Ministry of Revenue who rescued Miao Yiyang, the son of General Miao, from the night court last time?
As soon as Lin Yu confessed, Zhou Ting led his close officials to Du's house to arrest him, but unexpectedly, Du Cong had disappeared.
Zhou Ting searched in the rain for a whole day but still couldn't find Du Cong.
"Without Du Cong, how can we investigate this case?" Han Qing certainly did not think that Du Cong was the culprit in this case. Du Cong was already an official in the court and had no children, so why would he take such a risk to earn a future?
Then it could only be that he had received favor from someone and was taking advantage of his relationship to do this.
"Your Excellency, Medicine Lady Yang has confessed."
Zhou Ting said, "She confirmed that someone indeed gave her ten taels of gold and asked her to kill Azhou's mother. Some of the killers who were captured also let go. They were hired to kill Yang to silence her."
"Since they are all employed, have they seen clearly who the employer is?" Han Qing asked.
“No.”
Zhou Ting paused, thinking of the leading killer who fell from the eaves, "But I think there is one person among them who is different from them."
Since he is different from those people, he must know something? Han Qingcai took the tea bowl handed to him by the person next to him and put it down with a "bang". "In this case, Zhou Ting, then you should let him speak as soon as possible!"
"yes."
Zhou Ting lowered his head.
It was raining more and more in Yunjing. There had been no sunny days in the past few days, and there was no moon at night. Ni Su had no choice but to go to the shore of Yong'an Lake and plan to pick more willow branches to take home.
A fifth-rank official in the court disappeared, and the whole of Yunjing was in an uproar. Ni Su always felt that this matter was closely related to her brother's case, but since Zhou Ting did not show up, she could not rashly go to the Night Police to inquire.
"I remember that it was Du Cong who mediated the situation and made the Night Bureau release Miao Yiyang early."
Ni Su carefully avoided the wet stone steps and broke a willow branch on the tip of her foot. She suddenly realized, "If it was really him who switched my brother's test paper, then now that he has surfaced, wouldn't Second Master Miao be more of a suspect?"
After all, Du Cong had vouched for Miao Yiyang when the storm was at its peak. Now that Du Cong is missing, wouldn't Miao Yiyang, who was vouched for by him, have to go back to the Night Palace again?
"This case cannot be resolved unless the real murderer is found," Xu Hexue watched her feet, "so Miao Yiyang is the chosen 'real murderer'."
"But you don't have to worry. The killer who killed Medicine Lady Yang that night is still being tried in the Night Court."
"I know."
Ni Su listened to the crisp sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella eaves, and tiptoed to reach a higher willow branch, but saw a hand passing around her.
There was a sound of raindrops falling and willow branches breaking.
In the moist mist, Ni Su looked back under the umbrella, and drops of water fell from between his pale fingertips onto her forehead.
"Are you cold?"
There was wind by the river, and Xu Hexue saw that her right shoulder was soaked by the raindrops blown sideways by the wind.
The green willows swayed in the wind. Ni Su shook her head and let him take the full bunch of willow branches. She took the umbrella from his hand and walked out of the lush green, avoiding the slippery places.
"I don't need you to do this."
The rain and dew were rustling, and there were few pedestrians on the road. Xu Hexue followed her, holding a willow branch.
"But it keeps raining, we can't let you endure it forever." Ni Su walked quickly, just wanting to go back and change her wet shoes as soon as possible.
"You are a human being. Your cleanliness is more important than mine."
Xu Hexue lowered her eyes and saw that the pair of embroidered shoes on her feet were completely dirty with mud and water.
Upon hearing the voice, Ni Su suddenly stopped.
"Why do you have to say that?"
Ni Su held up the umbrella and looked at him, "Yours is important too."
She might not know how much weight her words meant to him. Xu Hexue's eyelids moved slightly, almost trembling.
This section of road,
Even though she walked very fast, the umbrella she held always kept a steady shade over his head, even though her behavior seemed strange to ordinary people.
"If I don't hold an umbrella for you, you won't get sick from the cold, but even if you are a ghost, you probably don't like being wet."
Ni Su pulled his sleeve and motioned him to move forward. "I will feel uncomfortable if I don't take a bath. Isn't it the same for you? You see, we are actually similar."
She tried to use the three words "almost" to gently accommodate the most essential difference between her and him, but in the end, the difference was as great as a thousand miles.
When Ni Su returned to the clinic on Nanhuai Street, he saw Chao Yisong waiting under the eaves and immediately walked up to him: "Brother Chao, why are you here?"
"Miss Ni, why are you breaking so many willow branches?"
Chao Yisong saw that she was holding a bunch of willow branches in her arms and was a little confused.
"Brother Chao, you don't know that willow branches are also a medicine." Ni Su said.
"Ah, then I really don't know." Chao Yisong scratched his head, remembering his purpose, followed Ni Su into the house, took her tea and asked, "Miss, have you heard about the disappearance of Mr. Du?"
"I heard about it."
Ni Su hid from Chao Yisong's sight and put away her sewing, hiding the unfinished men's clothes. "Could he be the one who decided to swap my brother's test paper?"
Chao Yisong was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, but now he is missing. We have turned Yunjing City upside down, but we haven't found him. Our Lord Xiao Zhou asked me to come here to tell you about this matter, so that you can be more at ease and not get involved in dangerous things again."
Zhou Ting wanted to warn her as a woman not to act rashly again, but Chao Yisong was too embarrassed to speak harshly and had to be more tactful.
"Please rest assured, Lord Xiao Zhou, I won't do it again." Ni Su said.
Chao Yisong heaved a sigh of relief after hearing her say that. "I don't know if Lord Du had wings or what, he just disappeared out of thin air. But the medicine woman and the killer who were caught that night are still in the night watchman's office, and Lord Zhou is trying them."
"When did Mr. Du disappear?"
Ni Su sat down at the table.
"It's strange. He had attended the morning court the day before. When the night Korean envoy pried open Lord Lin's mouth, I followed Lord Xiao Zhou to find his home. Only his godfather and his wife were left. They had no idea when he disappeared."
This is not something that cannot be said. Chao Yisong drank tea and ate cakes, and then talked to Ni Su about Du Cong. "I have heard a lot about him these past two days. I heard that he was originally a military household. He used to be a military officer in the northern army. Fifteen years ago, he recognized a civil official as his godfather. A military officer in his twenties recognized a civil official in his thirties or forties as his father. Don't you think it's funny?"
Chao Yisong sighed, "I heard that his official rank was actually higher than that of the civil official at that time, but that's how it is in Great Qi. Civil officials are naturally superior to military officials. He got such a godfather, and later he married the widowed daughter-in-law of this godfather. I don't know how he got the relationship, but I heard he even changed his name. In this way, he was promoted to the fifth rank of court official."
Ni Su was about to speak when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw that Xu Hexue had put the willow branches away at some point. His clothes were stained with water and his face looked a little strange.
But Chao Yisong was there, so it was inconvenient for Ni Su to call him.
"Ni Su, ask him what Lord Du's previous name was?" Xu Hexue raised her eyes and stared at Chao Yisong who was sitting opposite her.
Although Ni Su didn't understand, she turned around and asked Chao Yisong, "Do you know what Du Cong's name was before?"
In the past few days, the Night Division has been investigating Du Cong's affairs. Chao Yisong thought about it seriously and slapped his thigh, "Du Sancai! Yes, that's the name."
Xu Hexue's pupils shrank slightly and a strong tinnitus came over him.
Ni Su saw his figure turn into mist and quickly dissipate. She felt uneasy, so she said a few words to Chao Yisong. After he left, she quickly ran to the back corridor.
"Xu Ziling."
Ni Su stood outside his door.
The lights in the room flickered. Xu Hexue saw her shadow on the window screen and said "hmm".
"you……"
Ni Su wanted to ask him something, but looking at the dim light in the window screen, she pursed her lips and said, "I'll go make you some willow leaf water."
Her shadow disappeared on the screen window.
Xu Hexue was still staring at the window. After a while, he covered his eyes with his sleeves.
On the night of Danyuan war, the iron armor was stained with blood.
When he was fourteen years old, he was in the Huning Army, surrounded by many young faces, and drank the first bowl of strong liquor in his life. He choked and coughed continuously, and his face turned red.
They all laughed at him.
"Young scholar, you can't drink much. You need to practice more!" The young captain laughed.
He was young and hot-tempered. He kicked up a spear and broke the wine jar in the captain's hand. He then fought with him amid the jeers of the crowd.
"Xue Huai, are you convinced?"
He pressed his knee against the captain's back.
"How can I not admire the skills of your Xu family?" Captain Xue Huai did not feel embarrassed and continued to smile, "You are so young, but you have such beautiful skills, young scholar, those barbarians will suffer from you!"
After three rounds of drinks, he fell asleep by the fire with his armor as a pillow.
A shy young man suddenly came over and called in a low voice: "Mr. Xu."
"hold head high?"
He responded lazily.
"You became a Jinshi at the age of fourteen, why did you come to the border?" The young man spoke carefully, holding a notebook in his hand, which became more and more wrinkled as he held it.
"What's that in your hand?"
He didn't answer, but stared at the young man's notebook.
"Oh, this," the young man suddenly became more nervous, "Mr. Xu, I, I want you to teach me how to read, is that okay with you?"
"OK."
It was the first time he had seen such a studious person in the military camp. He sat up, patted the dust on his robe, and asked, "What's your name?"
The light from the fire reflected on the young man's face. He smiled and said, "Du Sancai."
Xu Hexue hid in the darkness before his eyes. His knuckles tightened and turned white, and the dust on his body revealed sharp edges and scratched the candle flame.
Du Sancai was not dead.
Why didn't he die?
