Chapter 14: Bodhisattva Man (II)
It was foggy and rainy outside the Records Office, and it was even more humid inside the prison. Ni Su huddled on the simple wooden bed. Suddenly, the chains collided with a sound, which made her eyelids twitch slightly.
A shadow was projected on the rugged wall. Light footsteps were heard approaching, and the black shadow on the wall turned into a ferocious ball that quickly enveloped them.
A hand suddenly grabbed the back of Ni Su's neck. Ni Su woke up in a flash, but her mouth was covered tightly by the hand behind her. Her voice was hoarse and she had no strength. She struggled hard but it was useless. The man behind her freed a hand, grabbed the blood-stained towel from the pile of dry grass, and wrapped it around her neck.
In an instant, the sweat towel tightened, Ni Su's eyes widened, she was almost suffocated, her originally pale face turned much redder, she raised her head and saw a pair of fierce and gloomy eyes.
The man was dressed as a jailer, and taking advantage of the fact that she had been tortured and had to lie prone on the bed, he put one knee on her back, covered her mouth with one hand, and pulled hard at her sweat towel with the other hand.
Ni Su's face became redder and redder, as if a huge rock was constantly squeezing her heart and lungs. The wet blood stains on the sweat towel soaked her neck. The man saw that she was struggling more and more, with a bit of sinister complacency in his eyes. He was about to use more force with his hands, but suddenly he cried out in pain.
Ni Su bit his fingers. She didn't know how much force she used at this moment. Her lips and teeth were numb and she just focused on tightening her teeth.
The man's fingers were connected to his heart, and he dared not cry out despite the severe pain. His bearded face showed even more ferocity, and he pulled the sweat towel even harder, forcing Ni Su, who was lying on the ground, to lean back.
The slender neck seemed to be broken in an instant, and the suffocating pain in the chest became more intense. Ni Su's lips trembled and she could no longer bite the man's hand.
The man was about to use both hands to strangle her neck tighter, but he felt a sudden gust of cold wind coming from behind him, blowing the lights in the prison flickering. But in this deep prison with no windows, how could there be such a cold wind?
The man felt a chill on the back of his spine and was about to turn around, but he was hit on the back of his neck by something. His cervical vertebrae made a crackling sound and he fell heavily to the ground before he could even cry out in pain.
The tension around her neck suddenly spread, and Ni Su couldn't help gasping for breath. She coughed violently again, and couldn't lift her eyelids. She only felt a cold hand stroking her back, and then someone called "Ni Su" again.
The girl on the wooden bed stopped coughing. Xu Hexue groped to feel her breath. The warm breath brushed over his cold knuckles, which actually caused a slight itch.
"She was beaten with a stick, but Lord Tian also found a doctor and asked someone to apply medicine to her..." The jailer in the duty room led several close officials of the Night Guard over. As he was talking, he looked up and was dumbfounded. "What's going on?"
The iron chains and copper locks that should have been tied to the prison door were all on the ground.
The close officials of the Night Police all turned pale and reacted faster than the jailers. They walked over quickly and kicked open the cell door. The jailer and several jailers also hurriedly followed them in.
A personal officer felt the woman's breath on the bed, and when he saw them coming in, he turned around and pointed at the unconscious man on the ground: "Do you know him?"
"Recognize, know him, Qian Saner..."
A jailer stammered in reply.
The official had a blank expression on his face and said to the others, "Let's quickly bring this girl back to the Night Palace."
Then he said to the jailer and several guards, "This jailer is suspected of harming people. We will take him back to the night watchman, and then I will send a document to the Guangning prefectural governor."
The jailer was so frightened that he dared not say a word and just nodded.
In her sleep, Ni Su felt as if her throat was burning, dry and painful. She was in a daze, and her dreams were filled with the Clay Buddha Temple on Qingyuan Mountain.
She dreamed that the back of the clay Buddha was broken, revealing the empty inside. Soul fires like fireflies were densely attached to it, slowly piecing together the appearance of her brother before her eyes.
Ni Su suddenly opened his eyes and gasped violently.
Only then did she realize that she seemed to have come to a completely unfamiliar place again. A few scattered lights were embedded in the flat brick walls. Outside the prison door made of fine iron was a square pool with wooden frames and iron chains supporting it. There were many old and mottled red marks on the pool wall, and there seemed to be a faint smell of blood in the air.
A bowl of water was suddenly handed to her. Ni Su shrank back instinctively, but when she looked up she met a pair of lifeless eyes.
Xu Hexue didn't hear her words, nor did he feel her touch the porcelain bowl, so he said, "Drink some, you will feel much better."
During the hours she was unconscious, he sat there holding the bowl of water.
There was still a rusty taste of blood in Ni Su's mouth, which was left when she bit the man's finger. She said nothing, but obediently leaned against the edge of the bowl, took a sip, and then spit it out.
The smell of blood faded a lot, and she took a few sips of water. This was already very strenuous. After Xu Hexue moved the bowl away, she rested her cheek on the bed and asked in a hoarse voice, "Where is this?"
"Yeshi."
Xu Hexue fumbled to put the bowl aside and lowered his eyes. "Compared to the Silusi of Guangning Mansion, the Yinyesi is much safer for you."
The Night Bureau was appointed by the emperor to be in charge of the keys and wooden deeds of the palace, supervise officials, and gather intelligence. It was not subject to any other supervision and was therefore known as the "underworld on earth."
"What did you do?" Ni Su's cracked lips moved and his voice was weak.
"I asked someone to write a letter on my behalf, informing Han Qing, the envoy of the Night Bureau, of your situation. The emperor is pushing for a new policy, and the winter exam is his first order. Your brother is a candidate who will take part in the winter exam. The Night Bureau will act as soon as they hear the news, and will not let this matter go lightly."
There are some hidden stories in it. For example, Han Qing, the envoy of the Night Division, once received favors from the prime minister Meng Yunxian. This man should be loyal to Meng, but Meng Yunxian has not yet started the first phase of his appointment as prime minister.
Since it hasn't started yet, why not start with the winter test?
"It's just that I didn't expect someone to attack you so soon."
The reason why Xu Hexue took the risk of sending the letter to the Night Police was that he was worried that the person who hid the body would kill Ni Su to prevent future troubles once he found out that the matter was exposed.
Compared with the Guangning Prefecture's Silusi, the Yesi is like an iron bucket, and outsiders can't easily reach in.
"The one who received the news so quickly must not be an ordinary person." It was still early in the morning when Guangning Prefecture's magistrate Tian Qizhong led people to bring her and her brother's body back to the city. Only a few people close to Guangning Prefecture saw it. To be able to hear the news in the government office and know that she was in the Silusi, and to bribe the jailer to kill her so quickly, no matter how you look at it, it is not something that an ordinary person can do.
Her hoarse voice revealed a bit of dejection and grief, "Xu Ziling, if we calculate according to the time they said, you and I were halfway when my brother was killed."
Xu Hexue was silent for a while before saying, "Once the Night Guards intervene in this matter, someone will definitely let the truth out."
"Will it?"
Ni Su was in a trance.
"Then are you going to give up?" Xu Hexue couldn't see anything and could only follow her direction. "Ni Su, if you really wanted to give up, you wouldn't have paid the jailer in the Guangning Prefecture's Silu Prison to deliver the letter to the Taiwei Mansion."
Ni Su said nothing.
The letter that she asked the jailer to deliver to the Taiwei Mansion was actually written by Cen herself. When bandits were rioting in the south, Ni Su's grandfather saved the life of the prefect of Zezhou. The prefect's surname was Cai, and his granddaughter Cai is now the wife of the second son of the Taiwei Mansion.
Cen wrote this letter mentioning this old event simply because he wanted Ni Su to have a place to stay in Yunjing.
"Where do you get the money to hire someone to write your letter?"
Ni Su suddenly spoke.
Xu Hexue was not prepared for her question. He was startled at first, then he lowered his eyelashes, "I used yours. I will return it to you when you get out of the Night Bureau."
"You've been gone for more than ten years. Do you still have any money to use in Yunjing?"
Ni Su coughed a few times, and her throat felt like it had been cut by a knife.
"I also have a brother who is much older than me. He was controlled by my sister-in-law at home and often had no money to spend." Xu Hexue took the initiative to mention his past life. He wanted to comfort her at this time, but many memories came back to him, and he could not hide a trace of emotion on his cold face. "I was young at that time, and I was afraid that he would marry a fierce wife like my brother in the future, and would not allow me to buy sweets and cakes. So I hid some money under a crooked tree."
Ni Su was in great pain, her mind was a little slow, but she could sense that this lonely soul was comforting her in this way. There were still some tears in her eyes due to the pain, and she pulled her lips and said, "Do you like sugar cakes?"
Xu Hexue thought for a moment and said, "I don't remember how it tastes anymore."
Ni Su hummed. The lights in the prison were dim. She looked at him and said, "You asked someone to write the letter for me. How could I ask you to return it to me?"
"Xu Ziling, when I get out, I'll treat you to some sweet cakes."
