Chapter 77: Xiangxue Tower
Night fell over the earth, and the county town, which had been bustling all day, became quiet.
After Su Xian and Yang Zhilan had dinner, they took a shower and changed their clothes. Then they walked up the creaking wooden stairs to the second floor, and Su Xian went straight to the bedroom.
Yang Zhilan should have gone to the study, but she hesitated for a moment, followed Su Xian's footsteps to the bedroom without saying a word.
Su Xian found her after entering the room and knew that she wanted to sleep on the floor in the bedroom... Actually, this was a good idea, as it made people feel more secure, so Su Xian didn't say anything.
Walking to the bed, Su Xian turned around. Yang Zhilan was standing a few feet away from him, like a tree stump, with no expression on her face.
After taking a bath, she changed into a new set of clothes, which were also Liu Huixiang's old clothes, a set of Hanfu in the style of the Song Dynasty.
Song Mo's Hanfu is more gentle, but Yang Zhilan can't be gentle no matter what.
Therefore it seems a bit abrupt.
Fortunately, she didn't need to go out to meet people... Su Xian withdrew his gaze from her and asked, "Are you still sleeping on the floor in my room tonight?"
" Yes." Yang Zhilan was very frugal with her words. She stared at him with a pair of relatively bright eyes, her eye corners twitching and she held her breath. She was actually a little afraid that Su Xian would order her not to sleep on the floor in the house.
"No." Su Xian shook his head.
Yang Zhilan's eyes twitched violently. The thing she was worried about really happened.
But she had nothing to say, just stared at Su Xian motionlessly. If Su Xian gave an order, she would obey it even though it would be uncomfortable.
"You didn't bring a blanket over here. Are you sleeping on the floor?"
Su Xian pointed to the empty ground.
So this is what the young master meant... Yang Zhilan turned around mechanically and went out. After a while, she returned with a huge quilt in her arms. Just like yesterday, she threw the quilt on the ground and unfolded it into a long strip that was only big enough for one person to lie down.
After the oil lamp was extinguished, the room fell into darkness.
Su Xian was already lying on the bed, yawning, ready to chat for a while before going to sleep.
But at this moment, Yang Zhilan beside the bed suddenly jumped up and stood upright in the middle of the room, motionless.
"What's wrong?" Su Xian was surprised.
"Someone!" Yang Zhilan's voice was still emotionless, but this time Su Xian could hear a sense of solemnity. Before he could ask "who it was", Yang Zhilan added, "Three killers just passed by the roof!"
There is a code? Why didn't I hear it... Su Xian immediately shrank back into the quilt, pulled the quilt under his neck, and whispered, "Are you here to kill me?"
"Probably not."
"That's good."
Su Xian lifted the quilt and sat up, feeling a little embarrassed. Fortunately, Yang Zhilan had been facing the window and probably didn't notice...
Once the topic of killers came up, Yang Zhilan became like a different person and started to talk more.
She turned her head to look at Su Xian and said calmly, "Don't be afraid, sir. No assassin can break in while I'm here."
It turned out that she had just seen... Su Xian's face turned red, and he quickly changed the subject, saying, "Since they are not here to kill me, then why are they here?"
"I want to go and have a look."
"Uh... okay." Su Xian actually didn't want her to go. If she went, wouldn't there be no one to protect Su Xian?
"I'll be back soon." Yang Zhilan said this, jumped lightly onto the windowsill, and disappeared into the darkness.
A long, long time passed.
About half an hour later.
There was a slight sound coming from the direction of the window. Su Xian quickly turned his head and saw a short but agile figure rolling into the room and standing up after a moment.
"You're back." Su Xian asked calmly.
"I'm back!" Yang Zhilan stood in front of the bed, motionless. She was wearing a Song Dynasty-style Hanfu and the faint moonlight, making her look a little creepy.
"Well, go back and lie down on the floor. We can talk while we lie down."
"Okay!" Yang Zhilan returned to her bed and lay down. Without waiting for Su Xian to ask, she took the initiative to say, "Those are three men in black. They are not assassins from the inner guards. I guess they are bandits from outside the city."
"Oh?" Su Xian was surprised. He originally thought that the bandits had already left the county, but he didn't expect them to show up again now...
"The bandits are hiding in a brothel in the north of the city. As for their purpose, we have not yet found out."
"Pinyu Pavilion? "
"Xiangxue Tower!"
“…”
Su Xian pondered for a while and said, "Since we don't know their purpose, let's just stay put for now and observe what they want to do."
"yes!"
"It would be great if we could find out Xiaoxianzi's plan through them, or find the secret envoy of Liao!"
"yes!"
"Okay, go to sleep."
"yes!"
“…”
The next day.
Su Xian went to the county government office and chatted with Tang Ju for a long time in his duty room.
When talking about Su Xian's studies, Tang Ju learned that he had asked for a month's leave. He thought it would affect his studies, so he said, "I will write a letter to you. Take it to the doctor of classics in the county school, and you can resume your studies immediately."
Su Xian thought about it and finally declined.
Although studying for the imperial examination is Su Xian's "main line", but since he has already taken a month's long vacation, he might as well take a good rest first.
After all, he hasn't adapted well to this world yet.
Seeing this, Tang Ju did not insist and turned to talk about Princess Lanling who was about to enter the territory of Yingzhou.
Several days had passed since Princess Lanling had displayed her prowess in Weizhou. During this time, news had been arriving from the southern counties and prefectures, most of which were rumors of officials being dismissed or imprisoned.
Nowadays, everyone in the prefectures and counties in the northern part of Hebei Province is already in danger, and some prefectures and counties have even become a mess...
"After the murder on the city wall, there is no loophole in my Leshou County. Even if Princess Lanling comes in person, nothing will happen. But... I am afraid of unexpected events. If I can't handle them well, my official position will still be in jeopardy."
Su Xian advised: "Uncle, you are worrying too much. Nothing will happen."
"I hope so!"
“…”
Time flies, and the next day comes in a blink of an eye.
Jiaolou Street, Liu Huixiang's home.
On the first floor, at a small wooden table against the wall, the master and servant were having dinner.
Liu Huixiang was dressed up beautifully, with the innocence of a young girl and the charm of a young woman perfectly blended in her. She was elegant and graceful, with charming temperament, just like a blooming rose with dewdrops on it!
...We urgently need someone to come and pick them.
She held a small bowl as big as her fist and ate very slowly, with a slight frown between her brows. Anyone who was not blind could see the hint of sadness in her every move.
Zhang Cuihua ate heartily from the large bowl. When she was full and put down her bowl and chopsticks, she found that there was still one third of the food left on the table!
She couldn't bear to waste it, so she forced herself to eat a little more...
After eating too much, Zhang Cuihua found that the leftovers on the table had hardly decreased.
"Oh!" Finally, Zhang Cuihua sighed and touched her bloated stomach.
"Why are you sighing?" Liu Huixiang looked at her.
"Miss, marriage is hard to come by, and a good marriage is even harder to come by! Although you are a woman, you should take the initiative when necessary, otherwise you will get nothing in the end!" said Zhang Cuihua.
