Chapter 50 Dodder (XIV) Disheveled Gu Lianzhou…

The water clock stopped, and the wooden clapper had already struck three times.

Gu Lianzhou sat quietly at the table, his fingertips hovering over the lamplight, his pale skin appearing almost transparent in the light. A slender shadow twisted and squeezed through the crack in the door, slipping under his feet, flicking its 'tail' like a small snake coiled in its nest.

Gu Lianzhou lowered his eyes and looked over, his expression unreadable, and asked, "What have you been doing?"

His response was a room full of silence.

A moment later, as if sharing a feeling with the dodder plant, an inexplicable joy rose in his heart. Gu Lianzhou's fingertips trembled suddenly, and the flame flickered, quickly igniting his fingertip.

Black smoke swirled between his fingers, the man's lips tightened, and a hint of horror flashed in his eyes.

After a long silence, a man's soft sigh suddenly echoed in the large bedroom.

-

The chirping of birds echoed throughout the courtyard. Song Qiling slowly opened her eyes and stared blankly at the bed curtains above her head.

By the way, I wonder how Yu Qi is doing?

Seeing the maidservant bring the washbasin into the room, she quickly sat up in bed, took the towel from the maidservant, hastily washed her face, and mumbled, "About last night..."

Before she could finish speaking, the little maid winked at her slyly: "Young master is indeed a prophet. Last night, I brought the Four Gods Soup into the Seventh Young Master's room. Master asked me what I meant, and I told him what you instructed me to do. After I finished speaking, the room was quiet for a while. I was worried that it wouldn't work out, but who would have thought that Master would hold the Seventh Young Master and be heartbroken, saying things like 'He has suffered,' 'It was my fault,' and so on. In the end, the family punishment was dropped."

After saying that, the little maid covered her mouth and laughed, "Young master, you didn't see it, the fourth young master and his concubine's faces turned green with anger."

Murong Xiao still had a conscience.

Song Qiling breathed a sigh of relief, got up and took the clothes handed to her by the maid and put them on. "I'm relieved that he's alright. I'll go and see him now."

"Oh, my lord, you mustn't!" The maidservant quickly stopped him, saying, "Although Young Master Yu has been spared the family punishment, he still smashed his own brother's head. To avoid gossip, Master has ordered Young Master Yu to be confined to his quarters. I'm afraid you won't be able to see our young master for the next few days."

Upon hearing this, Song Qiling lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment before saying, "That's fine. With his impetuous nature, he might cause trouble for the Fourth Young Master again. Staying in the house these days will keep him quieter."

This would also prevent Murong Zheng from seeking revenge.

After having breakfast, Song Qiling stepped out of her room and looked towards the south wing. Thinking of the unpleasant scene between the two of them last night, she felt a deep sense of resentment.

Her good junior brother, on the other hand, was sleeping soundly, and it was already past midnight.

Thinking this, he stomped his feet heavier, as if venting his emotions, and walked around the courtyard.

In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the door across the hall was suddenly opened. Gu Lianzhou, with his hair disheveled, stood behind the door, looking at Song Qiling pacing in the courtyard, and said softly, "Senior Brother."

That's considered giving a heads-up.

Song Qiling crossed her arms, tilted her head back, and looked down at Gu Lianzhou's pale face, glancing at the dark circles under his eyes. She snorted, "Junior brother, you didn't get a good night's rest, did you?"

Gu Lianzhou nodded: "Senior brother, please stop making fun of me."

Still seething with anger, and feeling like she'd punched a nut, Song Qiling turned away, no longer looking at Gu Lianzhou. "Hurry up and pack, we have to go to West Street again today."

Watching his senior brother's retreating figure, Gu Lianzhou gave a muffled reply and turned to close the door behind him.

After a moment, the man, who had finished washing and dressing, appeared at the door and said to Song Qiling, "Senior brother, let's go."

-

West Street remains as bustling as ever today.

Song Qiling and her junior brother walked one after the other on the road. In the distance, they could see a large, dark crowd of people ahead.

Driven by her love of watching a spectacle, Song Qiling squeezed into the crowd and peered out. She saw that the center of the commotion was the inn where she had inquired about the previous day.

Just as he was wondering what was going on, he suddenly saw the crowd part to let a group of men dressed as yamen runners walk by, carrying long knives and creating a gust of wind as they passed.

"Make way, everyone make way."

"The authorities are handling a case; make way immediately!"

Song Qiling was speechless. As the official entered the inn, the crowd stirred again, pointing and whispering around the inn. Her suspicions grew, but someone tugged at her sleeve.

“Senior brother, this place is too crowded and dangerous. We should leave first,” Gu Lianzhou said.

Song Qiling nodded, but her gaze seemed fixed on the inn's entrance: "I'll stay a little longer before leaving."

There's no reason to only see half of the excitement.

As soon as two yamen runners carried out a stretcher covered with a white cloth, the crowd immediately erupted in excitement, their exclamations like snowflakes drifting into the ears.

What are those things being carried on that carrying pole?

"If I'm not seeing things, it must be a corpse."

"How could someone suddenly die in an inn?"

"What's so strange about that? Maybe our enemies have come knocking on our door!"

"Stop watching, or you'll have nightmares if you watch too much."

...

Staring at the stretcher covered with a white cloth for a while, Song Qiling narrowed her eyes, feeling a strange unease in her heart.

"Stop gathering! Disperse! Disperse!" The constable impatiently held his sword in front of him. Seeing this, Song Qiling turned around and winked at Gu Lianzhou, "Let's go."

Gu Lianzhou nodded in agreement, then took one last deep look at the towering human figure under the white cloth, his brows slowly furrowing.

As if sensing something, a gust of evil wind suddenly rose, stirring up dust and sand that rushed towards people's faces. Gu Lianzhou squinted and saw that the white cloth was lifted by a corner by the wind, revealing a square face with a wide mouth underneath.

-

Today, Song Qiling actually managed to find out some information.

The person being questioned was a beggar who lived on the street, also known as "the informant," a well-known gossip in the West Street area.

After taking the copper coin from Song Qiling, "Information Master" stretched his legs and reached up to scratch his messy head. "I have indeed seen the person you mentioned. Just a few days ago, when it was getting colder, that person walked past me, tossed me half a leftover cornbread, and was cold and silent. He was even stranger than this old man."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lianzhou took a step forward and asked rather urgently, "Do you know where this person went?"

Looking up at the speaker, "Information Master" grinned: "Looks like they're heading to Pingkangfang."

Song Qiling hurriedly asked, "What kind of place is Pingkangfang?"

Upon hearing this, "Information Master" leaned against the wall behind him and gestured with his chin towards the distance: "Go along this street, and at the end of the road, walk south for about 130 steps. You will come to a narrow cave. Go through it and you will reach Pingkang Ward."

The explanation was detailed, but it didn't clearly state what Pingkangfang was. A hint of suspicion flashed in Song Qiling's eyes. Seeing that this "informant" had already closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, he had no choice but to swallow the words that were about to come out.

She straightened up, exchanged a glance with Gu Lianzhou, and said, "Junior brother, let's go."

-

When they reached the end of the road, the two indeed found the "narrow hole" behind the weeds at the base of the wall.

Song Qiling squatted down, looked at the dog hole in front of her, and clicked her tongue lightly: "I wonder how my martial uncle managed to crawl in."

It was difficult for them even with both arms intact, let alone their sick and weak uncle who only had one arm left.

Fortunately, the dog hole wasn't too low, and the two of them only had to crawl on their knees for a short while before they saw the light ahead.

Behind the dog hole hung low green willow branches. Song Qiling straightened up, lifted the willow branch in front of her, and looked at the scenery before her.

They saw that the road was lined with willow trees, and behind the willow trees, a lake with rippling blue water lay in front of them.

All around was silent, as if isolated from the world.

Song Qiling spun around in place, and seeing that no one was around, she felt even more absurd: "Is the all-knowing man lying to us? Where did this Pingkang Lane come from?"

Judging from the name, it should be a bustling place, but the place they are in now can only be described as "deserted".

Staring at the empty, narrow path against the wall, Song Qiling sighed softly and considered turning back home.

Suddenly, Gu Lianzhou raised his index finger to his lips and said, "Shh."

Song Qiling: ?

Staring at her junior brother's actions, she tilted her head in confusion.

After listening intently for a moment, aside from the rustling of willow leaves in the wind and the sound of each other breathing, all that remained was the faint sound of... traditional Chinese string and wind instruments?

Song Qiling slowly opened her eyes wide.

She turned around and looked at the lake.

Suddenly, ripples appeared on the still, clear lake surface, and a painted boat slowly approached the shore from afar.

The sound of string and wind instruments came from the boat.

This painted boat is as tall as a three-story building, with vermilion railings and colorful curtains hanging from the eaves, making it a truly magnificent sight.

As you get closer, you can see a black plaque with gold lettering hanging above the mouth of the painted boat. The three large characters, "Pingkangfang," are engraved on it in a flamboyant style.

How strange.

Pingkangfang was not a street, but rather a pleasure boat that came and went freely.

Could it be a mistake, with the character “舫” written as “坊”?

Before they could react, the pleasure boat had already docked and come to a stop. A young man dressed in a honey-colored thin shirt stepped off the boat, bowed to the two men, and said in a melodious voice, "Would you two gentlemen like to board the boat?"

Song Qiling stared at the thin powder on the man's face for a moment, then suddenly heard her junior brother cough heavily, which brought her back to her senses. She said seriously, "Of course I want to board the ship. Please lead the way."

"Come with me." The man turned around, lightly lifted his clothes, and stepped onto the boat deck.

Seeing this, Song Qiling quickly followed.

Perhaps due to her lack of experience boarding ships, Song Qiling felt the ship rise as soon as her right foot touched the ground. She lost her balance and almost fell.

In a flash, a hand reached out and caught her at the waist. With this help, Song Qiling finally landed on her feet and boarded the pleasure boat.

As soon as she stood still, she turned around and reached out her hand to her junior brother.

Gu Lianzhou lowered his eyes, staring at the hand so close to his face, frozen in place.

"What are you standing there for? Come on up." Song Qiling reached out and gestured.

But then the man slowly raised his eyes and asked a completely different question: "Senior brother, you're not angry with me anymore?"

Song Qiling hadn't expected his junior brother to ask such a question at this critical juncture. After a moment of silence, he said helplessly, "What do you take me for? How could I be so petty?"

Before her junior brother could react, she leaned forward, then suddenly grabbed Gu Lianzhou's hand and pulled him toward her.

The boat rocked for a moment, and the junior brother also used the force to quickly approach. In an instant, a shadow fell in front of him. Song Qiling looked up and his nose brushed against Gu Lianzhou's clothes.

She felt a refreshing fragrance waft into her nose, unlike the scent of soapberry or ambergris. The smell was... very similar to the bamboo leaf cakes she was used to eating.