Xu Hexue could not taste the blood, he only knew the moistness and warmth between his lips and teeth. He clenched his teeth tremblingly, falling deeply into a nightmare of the sound of iron drums, golden knives and tears of blood.
"If you had known this, why would you have stayed on the battlefield? It would have been better for you to be a refined scholar in the beautiful Yunjing!"
The yellow sand and smoke were endless, the blood-stained armor was hard to dry, many of the men who were several feet tall were riding horses with bows, their spears were broken and sank into the sand, such a burly figure was shot by several arrows, standing firmly on the blood hill, sighing sadly.
The man fell heavily, like a mountain collapsing, sinking into the filthy mire.
Countless people fell down and their blood was drained.
A river of blood flowed out from the dry yellow sand.
Xu Hexue was submerged in such a thick red that there was not a single piece of healthy skin or flesh on his body. He was just a bloody, hateful shell.
Without clothes to cover his broken body, he could only dwell in the river of blood, drowned and dissolved.
"Xu Hexue."
At the end of the dream, it was another hot summer day. The willows by the lake were green and silky. His teacher stood in the Xiechun Pavilion, but he had white hair and was old and feeble.
He found that he was still naked, just a ball of blood-red mist, but he knelt in front of his teacher as he had done when he was a human.
"Do you regret it?"
The teacher asked him.
Do you regret that when you passed the imperial examination and had a bright future, you chose to be exiled to the frontier, where you fought in the battlefields and shed blood?
He was a ball of blood mist, not even resembling a human form, but looking at his teacher, he still unconsciously observed all the etiquette and respect, bowed his head, kowtowed, and answered:
"Student, no regrets."
He knew that this was bound to be an answer that would disappoint the teacher, but when he looked up, he saw that all his dreams were shattered and the pavilion and lake had collapsed.
Only he, a ball of fog, was left, floating in the darkness, with no idea where he was going.
"Xu Ziling."
Until, there was a voice calling him over and over again.
Xu Hexue's eyelids moved, and she was about to open her eyes, but she heard her say, "Don't open your eyes yet, I'll clean them for you."
He didn't know that his movement would cause bright red blood to seep out of his eyelids, but when he heard her voice, he obediently did not open his eyes and just let her wipe his eyes and cheeks with the handkerchief soaked in hot water.
Ni Su carefully wiped the dried blood stains on his thick eyelashes, then put the handkerchief back into the basin and said, "It's okay now."
She got up and went out to get some water.
Xu Hexue heard her footsteps gradually fading away, and belatedly opened his eyes, all bloodshot, and he could hardly see.
She is back again.
Xu Hexue raised his eyes, but could only vaguely see her shadow.
"I'll help you up and wash your face." Ni Su put the warm water she had poured next to the couch.
Xu Hexue was no longer in so much pain at this time, but his whole body was numb and he could only get up with her support.
"No need..." Xu Hexue instinctively stepped back when he noticed that she was reaching out to help him wash his face with water.
He didn't have enough strength to speak.
"But how do you wash yourself now that you are like this?"
Ni Su said gently, "Let me help you this time."
The moonlight could help him disperse the dirt and dust on his body, but it was early morning and there was rain and fog outside. Ni Su had been busy all night, and no matter how she wiped for him, she could not wipe away his dried blood stains. Those were solidified dust and could not be wiped off with water alone.
Fortunately, a ray of light flew out from the beast bead, guiding her to the shore of Yong'an Lake, where she broke off a lot of willow branches and brought them back. The water boiled with willow leaves was indeed useful.
Ni Su did not give Xu Hexue a chance to react. She scooped up some water and touched his face. The eyelashes of Xu Hexue's left eye were wet and the blood red faded a little. He couldn't help but blink his eyelashes and water droplets fell. However, through his left eye that had regained clarity, he saw a deep, blood-red tooth mark on her fair and delicate neck.
Some scattered and vague memories come back.
On a night of rain and snow, in a dark room, with a falling candlestick...
It turns out that the warmth on her lips and teeth is her blood.
Xu Hexue's mind buzzed, and suddenly his body became stiffer, but he suddenly showed less resistance and became compliant. But maybe it was not compliance that made him compliant, but he realized so intuitively that he had done something wrong, revealing a rare confusion.
Ni Su found that he suddenly became like an obedient cat. Whether it was touching his cheek or his eyelashes, he let her play with him.
The blood red was gone, and Xu Hexue's eyes were like clear glass.
His thick and long eyelashes were still wet. They were originally half-closed in a daze. When he heard her stand up to fetch water, he raised his eyelids and said, "Ni Su."
Ni Su turned around, and her pearl earrings swayed slightly.
She saw a look of uneasiness on the pale face of the young man sitting on the bed. He seemed not to know how to face her, but he had to face her.
"sorry."
He said.
Ni Su looked at him, then put the basin back, sat down again, and asked, "Why did you act like that last night?"
Like a trapped beast, it struggles with all its might.
Ni Su felt very painful because her neck was bitten by his teeth, and also because his cold lips and tongue pressed against the broken wound. She trembled and was terrified.
Until he relaxed his teeth without warning and leaned on her shoulder, not moving.
"I forgot the time of release."
Under Xu Hexue's wide sleeves, the wound that was visible last night had disappeared.
"The time of release?"
"There is a pagoda in Youdu. The soul fire in the pagoda is boiling, trapping countless resentful spirits. Every year, the wronged souls leave the pagoda and cross the River of Hate. Only those without resentment can come and go freely in Youdu, waiting for reincarnation."
"When they set out, resentment was everywhere."
Xu Hexue paused for a moment, "I will also be affected."
"If you see me like this again in the future," Xu Hexue looked at her, "I hope you stay away from me, don't get close to me, and don't bother with me."
Why was he affected by the period of Yushu?
Is it because he also had resentment that was hard to let go during his lifetime?
Ni Su looked at him but couldn't ask for a long time. After hearing what he said, she said, "If you hadn't helped me in the beginning, I would have naturally ignored you. If you give me a peach, I will repay you with a jade. I have always done things this way."
It is not possible to visit Xie Chunting in Yong'an Lake for the time being.
Ni Su lit candles all over the room to comfort Xu Hexue's soul. Raindrops were floating in the corridor, and she had to move the medicinal herbs that she had moved to the eaves last night to another place.
The rain was lingering, but there was no trace of last night's snow.
Ni Su leaned against the door frame, looking at the mist and rain outside the corridor. She discovered that once his soul weakened and became as light as fog, snow would fall.
In Yunjing, many people were talking about the rain and snow that happened last night.
Even though the snow only fell for more than an hour before being washed away by the rain, the discussion about it in Yunjing's taverns, teahouses and even in the inner courtyards of the Forbidden Palace remained heated.
"Mr. Meng, how is your old cold leg?"
Pei Zhiyuan walked into the government hall while peeling peanuts. "I also saw the snow last night. Although it was not heavy and didn't last long, it was very cold at night."
"You guys are from the south of the city, so I can't see you from my house."
Meng Yunxian had just heard about the strange snowfall before going to court. It turned out that the snow only fell in the southern part of the city and disappeared after a short while.
"Hey, Mr. Zhang,"
Pei Zhiyuan had sharp eyes. When he saw Zhang Jing, who was wearing a purple official uniform and walking in with a crutch, he went over to him and bowed. "Your family is also in the south of the city. Did you see the rain and snow last night?"
"I went to bed early, so I didn't see you."
Zhang Jing said casually and stepped forward.
"But why did I hear that you, Zhang Chongzhi, had a drink with your student He Tong last night, brewing wine from a red oven?" Meng Yunxian snorted softly from his nose.
He Tong, a Hanlin scholar behind him, was just about to step into the room. When he heard these words, he looked up and met his teacher's displeased gaze. He was embarrassed for a moment and regretted that he had said a few more words to Minister Meng before going to court today.
Zhang Jing said nothing and sat on the chair.
Meng Yunxian was ignored again, and Pei Zhiyuan couldn't help laughing. Unexpectedly, the few peanuts he had just peeled in his hand were all snatched away and chewed by Meng Yunxian.
Well, I dare not laugh anymore.
Pei Zhiyuan held the peanut shell and found his own seat and sat down.
Officials from the East Palace gathered one after another, and they discussed the terms of the new policy together. Only when it came to government affairs would Zhang Jing put aside his private grudges and have a good discussion with Meng Yunxian.
The officials below were the most relaxed only at this moment. These days, they had to eat the green dates from Mr. Zhang and the walnuts from Mr. Meng. Listening to the two old men arguing with each other, they were really worried.
But fortunately, when it comes to the new policy, these two gentlemen are absolutely unambiguous.
Today's work was finished early. The officials bowed to the two gentlemen and left soon.
Meng Yunxian was eating walnuts. Zhang Jing, supported by He Tong, was about to leave, but before he reached the door, he stopped and turned back.
"Students go out and wait for the teacher." He Tong said in a low voice, then lifted his clothes and went out.
"Will you buy me a drink? I'm free."
Meng Yunxian straightened his robe and walked over.
"When did I say that?" Zhang Jing said with a straight face.
"If you're not here to drink, then why are you waiting for me here, Mr. Zhang?"
"You ask even though you know the answer."
Zhang Jing supported himself on his crutches with both hands, using the strength to stand firmly. "Did you know in advance about Jiang Xianming's winter test case in court today?"
"What does that mean?"
Meng Yun started to learn from Pei Zhiyuan.
"If not, why didn't you say anything?"
Zhang Jing sneered, "Who are you, Meng Zhuo? If you hadn't known about this first case related to your new policy in advance and had already made your own plans, would you have been silent in the court like a cicada in winter?"
"The emperor is so busy that he can't take care of ordinary cases. The evidence in the night court is insufficient and there are obstacles everywhere, fearing that someone with a big background will be implicated. Censor Jiang is now a favorite of the emperor. He has linked this matter with the emperor's intention to promote the new policy in a few words. Since it concerns the majesty of heaven, won't the emperor be concerned?"
Meng Yunxian was quite calm, "If I keep quiet now and don't cause trouble for Censor Jiang, won't that make everyone happy? The old men in the Censorate are rarely so eager to do this today, which shows that the 'additional salary' that I proposed when I came back is very much to their liking."
"But I heard that the sister of Ni Qinglan, the candidate for the winter exam, behaved in absurd ways." Today in the court, Zhang Jing heard the prefect of Guangning Prefecture mention the so-called "dream-sent" words and deeds of the woman.
What's even more strange is that even after being imprisoned in the Guangning Prefecture's Silu Division, she still refused to change her words.
"Absurd words and deeds?"
Meng Yunxian laughed, but asked, "How absurd is it? Compared to the rain and snow you saw last night?"
It was raining all over Yunjing City, but the snow only occurred in the south of the city.
Zhang Jing sat with He Tong in the corridor for as long as the snow fell.
The coldness that had accumulated in his knees had not yet dissipated.
"Do you dare to tell me what you were thinking about when you looked at the snow last night?"
Meng Yunxian suddenly lowered his voice.
"Meng Zhuo!"
Zhang Jing suddenly raised his eyes and glared at him fiercely.
"I really want to know him..."
"Don't you know clearly enough?" Zhang Jing interrupted him. Although he was furious, he tried his best to lower his voice. "If you still don't know, you might as well ask Jiang Xianming! Ask him how he cut the traitor into pieces fifteen years ago!"
Boom.
Meng Yunxian realized belatedly that today was the day when the former commander of the Jing'an Army, General Yujie Xu Hexue, would be executed.
The hall was deserted and empty, with only Meng Yunxian and Zhang Jing left.
"Meng Zhuo, don't forget that you came back to manage the new policy."
Zhang Jing staggered to the door, without looking back, and said coldly.
There should not be another person who should not be mentioned between them.
Meng Yunxian stood in the hall for a long time, rubbed his sore eyelids, dusted his robe a few times, and walked out with his hands behind his back.
As soon as Chief Censor Jiang Xianming made the memorial, the emperor immediately gave the Night Office the corresponding powers in the court this morning, ordered it to be on duty in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and ordered Han Qing to thoroughly investigate the winter examination case.
The rain and fog in the city had not yet dissipated, and almost all the officials of the Yiyesi came out and searched the Imperial Examination Hall from top to bottom. At the same time, all the officials involved in the winter examination were escorted to the Yiyesi for interrogation.
Zun Han Qing, the envoy of the Night Police, had interrogated He Zhongping several times in the prison. He had even broken one of the iron-spiked whips. His whole body was covered with the smell of blood, which made his temples ache. He came out and took the tea handed to him by Zhou Ting, then sat on a chair and looked at the trembling Yanzhou scholar He Zhongping.
"Did you see it clearly? Are there any names that you are familiar with, or that Ni Qinglan is familiar with?"
Han Qing took a sip of tea, and his dry throat felt much better.
"The tools have been checked."
He Zhongping handed over the list with both hands, "I remember that Brother Ni and I only knew two of them, and we were not familiar with each other. I marked them all out with ink."
He stammered and added, "But it is also possible that Brother Ni knows someone else that I don't know."
Zhou Ting took it and handed it to the envoy Han Qing.
Han Qing put them on the table and scanned them, then said to Zhou Ting, "Pick out the names of those with good family backgrounds and who have received favors from the emperor."
Zhou Ting had memorized the family backgrounds and names of all the candidates who had taken the winter examination these days. Without thinking, he picked up his pen and ticked off some of the names.
The names on this list include all the candidates who lost their examination papers together with Ni Qinglan.
There are more than twenty people in total.
Han Qing made a rough count and found that there were nine people among those Zhou Ting had drawn out.
"It seems that they deliberately picked out the papers of some poorly educated students from aristocratic families and threw them out together to confuse people." Han Qing sneered.
This winter examination is different from previous imperial examinations.
In order to show its determination to welcome the two ministers back to Beijing to implement the new policy, the government first issued an edict to restore a new law that had been abolished for fourteen years, reducing the number of people who could be appointed as officials through nepotism. If anyone was to be appointed as an official through nepotism, he or she must first be a successful candidate, and then be selected by lottery to find a position in various departments to test his or her ability.
"Your Excellency, is it possible that the murderer is someone who works in various departments but is not recognized by the examiner?" Zhou Ting said from the side.
When the children of officials who were granted imperial favor were assigned to work in various ministries, they would be assessed and tested by the highest-ranking official in the department, and then sent to the Censorate for examination. Drawing lots to a certain extent avoided the possibility of favoritism due to the examiner's relationship with the examiner's family or personal relationship with the examiner.
"Hook it out." Han Qing raised his chin slightly.
Zhou Ting didn't put pen to paper, but just said, "Your Excellency, it's still these nine people."
"None of these sons of noble families are really good-for-nothing." Han Qing held the tea bowl in his hand and glanced back and forth among the nine people. None of them matched the name that He Zhongping had circled out.
Han Qing picked up the list and looked at He Zhongping: "Look carefully at the names of these nine people. Are you sure you or Ni Qinglan don't know any of them? They don't have to be familiar with each other, even if they are just acquaintances or have met once?"
He Zhongping's ears were filled with screams coming from the prison in the dark corridor. He was trembling with fear and did not dare to look at the names of the nine people carefully before answering: "To the Han envoy, my family is poor, not as wealthy as Brother Ni's, how could I have the opportunity to meet the dignitaries in the capital? I don't know any of these nine people."
"Do you know that Ni Qinglan has a wealthy family?"
He Zhongping heard Han Qing's words out of the blue. He looked up and met Han Qing's eyes. He was immediately frightened out of his wits, "Envoy Han! I will never harm Brother Ni!"
"Why are you so nervous? You are different from those people in there. I don't want to torture you right now. The premise is that you have to think about it for me. Think hard about every detail of your interaction with Ni Qinglan in Yunjing. I want you to write it down in detail."
Han Qing naturally didn't think that this person had any means to learn the news in Guangning Mansion so quickly and immediately hire someone to kill Ni Qinglan's sister Ni Su.
"Yes, yes!" He Zhongping responded hurriedly.
Zhou Ting watched He Zhongping picking up the rice paper and preparing to start writing on the low table. He leaned over and whispered to Han Qing, "Sir, this man has been detained by the night watchman today. If he leaves too early, I'm afraid his life will be in danger."
When the murderer learned that Ni Qinglan's body was found by her younger sister Ni Su, he immediately killed her. He was probably worried that Ni Su would go to Dengwenyuan and beat the drum to make the matter a big deal.
The current government officials are not as nosy as they were when they were young, otherwise the Night Police would not have had so few issues in recent years. The government officials do not like to intervene in matters that their subordinates can investigate, and matters that their subordinates cannot investigate, unless they are of utmost importance to the government officials, will hardly reach the emperor's ears.
He Zhongping, the candidate from Yanzhou, stayed in Yunjing and was not silenced before. The murderer must have thought that he did not know much about the inside story. But if He Zhongping stepped out of the door of the Yiyesi today, the murderer would inevitably suspect whether he had revealed his identity to He Zhongping if he knew how the interrogation methods of the Yiyesi were. Even if it was just for this suspicion, the murderer would not spare He Zhongping's life.
"Um."
Han Qing nodded, "Until the matter is investigated, leave this person in the Night Bureau."
After he finished speaking, Han Qing suddenly seemed to have thought of something. He raised his head and said, "He Zhongping, let me ask you, among the people you and Ni Qinglan know, are there any others who are not on this list, but which yamen on the list do you know?"
He Zhongping put down his pen and thought for a moment before naming a name: "Ye Shanlin! Ambassador Han, Brother Ni doesn't really like to socialize with people. The people on this list are just acquaintances at best. There are even fewer people outside the list. But I do know more people. This Ye Shanlin is from Yunjing. He also participated in this winter exam and was on the list, becoming a tribute student. However, his name was not on the list for the palace exam..."
"Which yamen does he know?"
"His family runs a bookstore, but it's a small one, and most of the books in it are strange stories. Few officials would patronize it, but I remember he mentioned one to me."
"who?"
"It seems that it is a young master named Miao, who is..." He Zhongping tried hard to recall, and finally a light bulb went off in his head, "Ah, it's the second son of the Taiwei Mansion!"
"He said that the second young master has no other good qualities, except that he likes to collect old books on strange stories! The older, the better!"
Zhou Ting was almost stunned when he heard this.
"Miao Yiyang."
Han Qing pushed aside the lost list of the test paper and found the complete list of participants in the winter test. He accurately found the name among them.
But he was not on the list of those whose test papers were lost.
The second son of General Miao failed the winter examination, and later drew lots to seek a job in the Dali Temple. Not long ago, he was recognized by the Grand Secretary of the Dali Temple and promoted to the eighth rank of Dali Temple Chief Justice. The emperor also promised him a sixth rank position of Chaofenglang in consideration of General Miao's military achievements.
The dense rain fell for most of the day and only stopped at dusk.
Yunjing was different from other places. When the waiters in the restaurants saw that it was almost time for dinner, they would run out to hawk their wares on the street. Ni Su happened to hear this while sitting under the eaves, so he went out and called someone to order some food.
Soon, the waiter came with a food box. Ni Su was still in the room packing books. When she heard the shout, she said, "The money is on the table. Please help yourself."
The waiter was a young man. He came to the back porch and really saw the money on the table. He then put the food in the lunch box out, then picked up the lunch box, collected the money, and ran away quickly.
Ni Su packed up her books and came out, moving all the food to the table in Xu Hexue's room.
"Will you eat with me?"
Ni Su held the bowl and asked him.
Xu Hexue no longer has a flesh and blood body, so he actually doesn't need to eat these things at all. He can't the sweetness of cakes and naturally can't taste the flavor of these meals.
He instinctively wanted to refuse.
But when his eyes fell on her fair neck, the teeth marks were clearly visible.
Every time he watched it, Xu Hexue would reflect on himself.
He couldn't say no, so he sat down in front of her obediently, picked up the chopsticks awkwardly, and ate with her.
"I want Yunjing cuisine. You should be familiar with it, right?"
Ni Su asked him.
"It's been so long, I can't remember."
"Then you can remember it if you taste it."
Xu Hexue finally picked up his chopsticks, but just like the cake she handed to him on the day she left the Yinyesi, he couldn't taste anything.
But when she looked at him, Xu Hexue still said, "It's delicious."
Ni Su was about to say something when she heard a knock on the door. She immediately put down her bowl and chopsticks, got up and went to the front.
Before her hand touched the door of the shop, Xu Hexue, who was sitting in the back porch, suddenly realized something. His figure immediately turned into light mist and then condensed beside her in an instant.
"Ni Su."
Xu Hexue pursed her pale lips and handed her a white handkerchief.
"do what?"
Ni Su's face was bewildered.
Xu Hexue heard someone outside calling "Miss Ni". It was Zhou Ting, the deputy captain of the Night Police. He had no choice but to reach out and gently wrap the rectangular brocade handkerchief around her neck to cover the bite wound.
"Even though I am a remnant soul, I dare not tarnish your reputation."