Chapter 124 Wanlichun (Part 3)
Daybreak, the candle is fading.
The altar was filled with winter dates and tangerines. Ni Su sat on the futon and counted them one by one. There were exactly three hundred winter dates and eighty-one tangerines.
Not one less.
The animal bead was in the middle of the dishes, with incense ash all over it. Ni Su picked it up and wiped it clean with a towel. She stood up with one hand on the corner of the table. Her legs were very numb. She took a moment to relax and then slowly walked out of the room.
She was thinking about Qingqiong, so she slowly walked to the corridor opposite and knocked on the door a few times. Qingqiong didn't respond from inside. She pushed the door open and went in. There was a hill on the bed.
He did not move in the quilt. Ni Su remembered that when he was in Yongzhou, his father passed away. He was like this, forcing himself to sleep day and night, hoping to dream of Youdu after falling asleep.
Ni Su didn't say anything. She turned around and went out, closing the door again.
The cold wind in the early morning stung people's cheeks. Ni Suqiang cheered up, washed, and got dressed. She didn't like to use makeup on weekdays, but when she saw her complexion in the bronze mirror was really bad, she put on some makeup powder and used lip balm in an awkward manner.
You always have to eat.
Even if she doesn't eat it, Qingqiong will eat it.
Ni Su opened the door of the clinic. Pedestrians outside were coming and going in a hurry. The ground was very wet. Ni Su closed the door and walked towards the food stall selling breakfast.
"Sister Ni!"
Ah Fang, who was waiting for hot pancakes in front of the food stall, turned around and saw her. "What kind of pancake do you want? I'll treat you!"
Ni Su reached out and touched her head, "No, I need to buy a lot. Save the money your father gave you."
"Is it that weird brother of yours who eats a lot?"
Afang asked.
"He's not a weird brother,"
Ni Su corrected her, "His name is Qingqiong, the Qingqiong in 'The blood of battle wipes my sword, this sword will break the blue sky'."
"Battle Blood..."
Ah Fang didn't quite understand the poem. She only knew how to read and had not been to school much. "What kind of poem is this?"
"A General's Poem."
"Ah, that weird brother's name is quite nice." Afang said.
The food stall owner happened to give her a hot pancake wrapped in oil paper at this time. She blew on it and did not leave. Instead, she said to Ni Su, "Sister Ni, let's go and watch the fun together?"
"What's the excitement?"
"Young lady, don't you know yet? Those people who were captured by those killers from the Night Police the day before yesterday are said to be released today!" The stall owner chatted while frying pancakes.
"Are you going to let it go?"
Ni Su realized that it was He Zhongping and the others.
"Last night was too chaotic! The vice leader of the Lotus Sect, Zhang Xin'en, was so bold that he killed two imperial officials in one night! He even didn't let the queen's father go!"
The voices of people eating wontons in the oilcloth tent nearby fell into Ni Su's ears.
"Isn't it? There was a curfew last night and there was quite a commotion . I heard that Pan Sansi and Lord Ding were together when they died. Zhang Xinen killed people without hesitation..."
"The weather has changed several times overnight, and the official seems to be seriously ill."
"How many cakes would you like, young lady?"
The stall owner called out, but when there was no response, he looked up and said, "Young lady?"
"Five."
Ni Su was in a daze.
Why is it Zhang Xin'en? Where did the Lotus Sect Zhang Xin'en come from? Wasn't it him? Didn't Pan Youfang and Wu Dai die in his hands?
The stall owner handed over five pancakes, and Ni Su immediately stuffed them into Afang's hands and gave her some money. "Afang, please help me send these pancakes back to Qingqiong. He is sick. You can just call him from the corridor and put the pancakes on the table. Thank you very much."
Ah Fang still had a biscuit in her mouth. When she saw Ni Su turned around and ran away after she finished speaking, she didn't have time to ask any more questions.
The stone pavement of Nanhuai Street was bumpy from the passing vehicles and horses, and the melted snow water accumulated in the cracks. She didn't care about her shoes and socks that were soaked by the mud, and her ears were filled with the whistling of the cold wind.
Outside the Diqian Gate, in front of the main gate of the Youye Division, Ni Su pushed through the crowd and saw the main gate slowly opening. A direct official of the Youye Division in a black robe came out, followed by several young men in tattered clothes. They all had injuries on their bodies, and although their clothes were untidy, they were energetic and had upright postures.
"Please give us back our things."
He Zhongping stood in front of Zhou Ting.
"you……"
Chao Yisong stepped forward and was about to speak, but was stopped by Zhou Ting, "Give it back to them."
"Sir, those collections cannot..."
"I said, give it back to them."
Chao Yisong had no choice but to have all the things that had been searched from their homes moved back to them.
"He Zhongping, if you continue like this, Guangning Prefecture will not want you to work again."
Chao Yisong couldn't help but say.
He Zhongping smiled and said, "If I don't want it, then don't want it. If I can't tell the truth and be a good person as an official, what's the point of me being here?"
He turned around holding his bag. The road was crowded with people watching the excitement. He walked down the steps while facing their gazes. After a moment, he suddenly took out the books from the bag, tore them page by page, and scattered them page by page. "Everyone, I want you to read Mr. Zhang's poems and remember him. I also want you to see Xu Hexue in his eyes. We are not blindly trying to exonerate this person who has been dead for sixteen years. We just want the truth. Don't you want it?"
"Today I am walking out of here alive, and I will still tell the truth! I will still doubt and I will still argue!"
"Even if it means death."
The young men who followed him out also opened their bags in the street and tore off the books inside page by page. "Yes! We still need to doubt and argue!"
"Who on earth is it that wants us to keep silent? Who on earth is afraid that we will reopen this case?"
It wasn't snowing at this time, but the paper pages were like snow, flying all over the sky.
They float in the cold wind and then fall gently, either falling to the ground and getting soaked by mud and water, or falling on people's bodies and being held in their hands.
The last words on the attached page are a general's life story.
It touched people's memories, reminding them that the general who was executed by slow slicing for treason sixteen years ago also once carefully protected the land and people of Da Qi.
As a young man, he has made boundless achievements.
People suddenly remembered that he was only nineteen years old when he died.
"Miss Ni...?"
A sudden call brought Ni Su back to her senses. She turned her head and met He Zhongping's eyes among the crowd.
"Why is Miss Ni here?"
He Zhongping walked towards her immediately.
Ni Su smiled at him, "Come to see you guys."
"Mr. He, I am happy that my brother has a close friend like you."
"I...can't bear this."
He Zhongping felt a little uncomfortable when she mentioned Ni Qinglan. "I harmed Brother Jiming, and because of Brother Jiming, I know what kind of person I should be."
He laughed at himself, "Although the officialdom may not tolerate someone like me, not only did I not accomplish anything, I also got into trouble."
“But I admire you.”
Ni Su said.
He Zhongping was startled when he heard the voice.
Ni Su looked at him and said seriously, "I also want to thank you."
She leaned down and bowed, "Really, thank you."
"...Miss Ni?"
He Zhongping waved his hands hurriedly , "Why are you doing this?"
"I once knew a man who had a bright life, but he was wronged and could not get redress. I asked him if he had any resentment or hatred."
Ni Su stood up straight. "He told me that he still wants to place his hope on people in the world who dare to carry firewood for others. Even if I die, there will be people who come after me."
"You let me know why he has no resentment or hatred, because there are people like you in the world, with warm blood and warm hearts. He is willing to carry firewood for others, and you are willing to carry firewood for those who carry firewood."
“Justice in this world is an inextinguishable fire. Even if it is not in the king’s law, it is in the heart of man.”
"I really want to meet this person you mentioned."
He Zhongping said.
"You already know him."
Ni Su bowed his head to him again, then walked past the people who were scattering pages of books, and headed towards the Night Bureau against the crowd.
"Ni Su."
Zhou Ting saw her and walked down the stairs.
Ni Su bowed to him, "Master Xiao Zhou, I want to ask you something."
"you say."
Zhou Ting noticed that even though she put on makeup and lip balm, she still couldn't hide the fatigue under her eyes.
"Who was the one who killed Pan Youfang and Wu Dai last night?"
Zhou Ting pursed his lips, "Ni Su, don't ask."
"What do you mean by don't ask? It's not Zhang Xinen, right?"
“…These things have nothing to do with you.”
“It’s about me.”
"What for?"
"I ask on behalf of my late husband."
Hearing her words, Zhou Ting tightened his grip on the knife handle and met her gaze. His principles did not allow her to ask about official affairs, but when he heard her talk about her late husband, Xu Jing'an, Zhou Ting was silent for a long while before he whispered, "Ni Su, you can regard this as something we did."
"you?"
Ni Su asked, "It's you guys, not just one person, right?"
Zhou Ting didn't know why she asked this, but he nodded and said, "It's us."
Not just one person.
That's not him.
If it weren't for him, then Pan Youfang and Wu Dai's soul fire wouldn't have to be led into the Nether City by him, and he wouldn't have disappeared...
Ni Su suddenly lowered his head and stared at his sleeves.
The edge of her sleeves was empty, without that wisp of mist clinging to her.
She suddenly realized,
If he was not the one who killed those two people, and his purpose of returning to the world of the living had been achieved, would Hell not give him more time? Would he have already...
Ni Su looked up. The cold fog was thick and the sky was gray.
Did he go back?
Going back to being a star?
Ni Su's chest was filled with sour emotions and her eyes were moist. At this moment, she didn't know whether she should be happy or sad.
"Ni Su..."
Zhou Ting wanted to comfort her, but he didn't have any handkerchief on him, so he could only find something to say to her, "The emperor is seriously ill now, and although I don't know what's going on, it's still a little difficult to overturn the case for General Yujie."
"Why?"
"Duke Lu is still looking for the imperial concubine's niece. He is determined to use this to hinder His Royal Highness Prince Jia." Once Duke Lu finds the daughter of the Wu family and proves that Prince Jia framed the imperial concubine, there will still be hope for the child in the imperial concubine's belly. At least before the imperial concubine's child is born, Prince Jia will not be able to succeed to the throne.
"The Duke of Lu also wants to win over Wang Gong,"
Afraid that Ni Su didn't know who Wang Gong was, he explained, "Wang Gong is the commander-in-chief of the Palace Guards. The three yamen guards are all under his command. He seems to be the same as Duke Lu, wanting to delay until the imperial concubine gives birth."
Although Wang Gong was willing to let Prince Jia enter the palace, he had not yet made up his mind whether to make Prince Jia the crown prince at this time.
"Besides, the indictment against Tan Guangwen only lists Wu Dai, not Pan Youfang. They have almost destroyed all the evidence. If they want to reopen General Yujie's case and convict Pan Youfang, they must have the confession of Duke Lu."
"But Duke Lu is a relative of our clan. Without a strong reason, we cannot arrest him easily, let alone interrogate him."
"If so,"
Ni Su raised her face and said, "What if I sue him?"
Zhou Ting was startled, "...you?"
"I've been to Dengwen Drum Court once, and I know the rules there. Officials cannot beat the Dengwen drum to seek justice, but I'm a commoner, and I'm also a member of the Jing'an Army."
Ni Su wiped her face and said calmly, "I am the widow of Master Ni and a witness of the Jing'an Army. I will go to Dengwen Drum Court to sue the Nankang King and his son for colluding with Wu Dai and Pan Youfang to kill General Yujie of Daqi and the 30,000 Jing'an Army soldiers."
"Then you can question him, right?"
"...Have you forgotten the killing stick at Dengwen Drum Court?"
Zhou Ting didn't know why such a weak woman would put herself in danger again and again, and he couldn't hide his shock.
"I haven't forgotten."
Ni Su looked at him, "But I'm not afraid. As long as you interrogate him and use all your tricks as Deputy Envoy Zhou to pry open his mouth, I will be worth everything."
"I promised him that I would ask for a clean name for him after his death, and I also want a spotless reputation for the Jing'an Army."
