Chapter 5 Imperial Gift of Persian

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Lin Xihe pricked up her ears: This voice... sounds so familiar.

A servant in the opposite courtyard said, "Second Young Master, it came from the back of the inner room."

The man then called out in that direction several times: "Cuihuang, Cuihuang—"

Lin Xihe immediately recognized the person in the picture. Wasn't that her betrothed husband from childhood?

Cuihuang?

Good heavens! So he had a woman?

The visual impact was so strong that Lin Xihe cursed under her breath several times, calling him a "rotten person."

In the courtyard of the Wen family mansion, two servants held up lanterns, and in the dim light, Wen Zhixu, dressed in thin clothes, stood on the broken bridge, looking down at the pond.

With a splash, the fish suddenly swung its tail, shattering the light and shadow in the water.

Lin Xihe also held her breath, gripping the edge of the artificial hill tightly with both hands, her eyes fixed on Wen Zhixu without blinking.

"Cuihuang," Wen Zhixu called softly.

Dark shadows loomed at the bottom of the pond, as if lurking in misfortune. A terrible thought popped into his head: had his carefully tended bird fallen into the water while struggling, perhaps at the hands of a wild cat?

A sudden feeling of being watched washed over him, and Wen Zhixu abruptly looked up—

My gaze pierced through the night, leaping straight to behind the artificial hill in the Lin residence.

Lin Xihe froze instantly.

In the long silence, the feeling of being caught red-handed grew wildly.

Before Lin Xihe could even process what was happening, a meow escaped her throat: "Meow..."

Sure enough, Wen Zhixu glanced towards the artificial hill and saw that it was a stray cat.

He scoffed, "Go away, go somewhere else and call it Spring."

Lin Xihe: You're the one who's called Spring! Staying up all night, you're like a lost soul, shouting women's names all over the yard.

Wen Ba suggested, "Second Young Master, tomorrow I'll go and catch some wild grass to mix with the fish fry—"①

Wen Zhixu frowned: "What? A poisonous wildcat?"

Seeing Wen Ba nod, Wen Zhixu immediately snatched the lantern, hit him on the back of the head with the handle, and scolded, "How dare you!"

Wen Ba grimaced, but dared not cry out in pain.

Peng Guinian once wrote a poem: "I have no heart to reject you, all things breathe the same air." Do you know the profound meaning behind this?

Wen Ba was completely confused, but he was clear on one thing: he had angered the second young master.

Wen Zhixu's expression softened slightly: "Bring the black tiger here tomorrow and let it stay here for a few days to scare away the wild cats."

Standing on the other side, Wen Qi, observing his master's expression, quickly replied, "Yes."

Wen Ba's pupils dilated in shock. Was this the Second Young Master's ingenious trick to drive away the stray cats?!

With a thud, a fruit hit Lin Xihe on the back. Afraid that Wen Zhixu would notice, she didn't think twice and quickly dodged into the artificial cave.

Fortunately, the writing did not stop; the hem of her garment brushed against the dew-kissed grass, carrying away a trace of the night's chill. The white figure gradually disappeared into the distance.

Once she knew Wen Zhixu was gone, Lin Xihe breathed a sigh of relief. The furry little thing in her arms wriggled gently, and she chuckled softly, "Good boy, keep sleeping. I'll buy you a new cage after dawn."

This gave her an excuse to go out for a stroll.

The new little one curled up in a ball and fell asleep very comfortably.

"Miss, please come down quickly." Qingwu had been waiting for a long time under the artificial hill.

"Coming right now!" Lin Xihe replied, but her body suddenly stopped—she was firmly stuck in the hole in the artificial hill and could not move.

Oh no, my head is stuck.

On the first day of the journey, the person is alive, but will soon die in the ancient society.

The Lin family mansion was instantly thrown into chaos.

The Lin family members, who had already retired for the night, were hurriedly awakened by their servants. In a short while, a group of ancient people, dressed in disheveled clothes and with loose hairstyles, gathered around the artificial hill.

Lin Zhaoheng pushed through the crowd to the front, his voice trembling with tears, and said, "He'er, don't be afraid, Daddy's here to save you!"

When Madam Min arrived at Tinghe Pavilion with her two children, she was unexpectedly stopped at the gate by the guards.

Her expression hardened: "You dare to stop me?"

The guard lowered his eyes, his face respectful: "The master has ordered that no one is allowed to enter."

"Be gentle! Watch out for her neck!" Lin Zhaoheng's shout came from inside the courtyard.

Upon hearing this, Madam Min was enraged: "What right does he have to go in?"

The guard at the gate replied in a low voice, "Second Madam, the master is the eldest young lady's biological father."

"Then I'm still her..." Min Shi stopped mid-sentence. What was her status? A concubine, how dare she pretend to be someone else's mother?

Thinking of this, a cold smile crept onto her lips again. The first wife was indeed the rightful heir, but alas, she had already been tricked and driven out of the Lin family mansion.

"Mom! Lin Xihe has run away with my father!" Lin Zhirou added fuel to the fire.

"Shut up." Madam Min's face was truly ugly. She had been burning incense and praying to Buddha day and night, hoping that Lin Xihe would die soon, but who knew that the other party would be so resilient.

If I had known this would happen, I would have rather prayed to Buddha to bless Lin Xihe to be foolish for the rest of her life!

Lin Pinyan, who was still dozing off, heard that there was something interesting to see and hurriedly ordered the servant, "Quickly bring me brush and ink, I need to paint for my second brother. Haha, his future wife..."

"I am Zhixu's wife!" Lin Zhirou stomped her feet repeatedly, making the bluestone slabs thud loudly.

Min had a headache for no reason. Weren't these enemies already causing enough trouble?

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The old woman placed a handkerchief under Lin Xihe's chin, while Qingwu tried to pull her head away.

"Hiss..." Lin Xihe gritted her teeth, her forehead beaded with sweat, she had completely lost face.

She didn't travel to ancient times to enjoy life, she came to suffer! It's all that bastard surnamed Wen's fault!

"Sir, it's stuck too tightly, we really can't pull it out." Everyone was at a loss.

In his haste, Lin Zhaoheng lost all sense of reason: "Quick, get a hammer! Smash this eyesore of a rock!"

The steward said, "Master, the hammers in the manor are probably not enough. The Duke of Wen's manor has even bigger ones."

"Hurry up and borrow it!"

As Lin Xihe closed her eyes, Wen Zhixu's mocking image flashed into her mind. Her legs went weak, but her mouth remained stubborn: "Absolutely not! You can't lend it!"

She suddenly remembered a news story she had seen before: a mischievous child got his head stuck in a children's toilet and had to carry the toilet to the fire station for help. At the time, she laughed so hard she slapped her thigh, but now, thinking about it, it really was a case of karma coming full circle.

This is definitely karma!

The shadows of the trees swayed, and the night wind carried a pungent, burnt smell.

Flames suddenly erupted from a courtyard in the distance, thick smoke carrying flames that tore the night apart.

"Fire...?!" She stared blankly at the flames, feeling as if she were an extra who had accidentally wandered onto a film set.

This isn't some ancient Chinese family drama; it's clearly an apocalyptic disaster movie!

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"Fire has broken out!"

"Go and notify the firefighters immediately!"

"Protect the Second Young Master!"

Wen Zhixu intended to return to the study to salvage the calligraphy and paintings, but was instead lifted up by two loyal servants and taken away without a word. Mo Hu barked softly as he led the way, and the three of them walked quickly until they entered the courtyard of Yinquanxuan, where they finally steadied themselves.

"Second Young Master, are you alright?" Wen Ba was still in shock.

Wen Zhixu said coolly, "If you had run any slower, the fire would have extinguished itself."

"..."

The fire started in the outer room of Wen Zhixu's bathhouse. The servants reacted quickly, using the leftover bathwater to bring the fire under control immediately.

Unfortunately, the wooden houses were clustered together, and flames leaped to a corner of the main house, blackening the beams and pillars. The stewards and servants who arrived one after another worked together to extinguish the fire.

Wen Zhixu frowned, staring at the rising smoke, wanting to go back and see for himself. He had just taken a step when Mo Hu grabbed the corner of his outer robe, whimpering, and insisted on dragging him deeper into the courtyard.

"Mo Hu, stop fooling around." He scolded lightly, but his steps had already caught up with his beloved dog.

It led its master to the wall where the two mansions met, then suddenly stopped, raised its head, and barked at the other side of the wall. No matter how Wen Zhixu tried to soothe it, the black tiger continued to bark at the rabid dog.

The Lin residence, just outside the wall, was even more bustling than usual.

Wen Zhixu followed the sound and looked towards the unsightly artificial hill next door, where there seemed to be some unusual activity. He quickly retreated to the stone table by the bridge, leaped up, and raised his gaze.

At the top of the artificial hill, a small opening came into his view—and inside, a head was tightly wedged in.

Below, a maid held up a lantern, and the candlelight instantly illuminated a pair of dark, thick eyes.

Their gazes swept over the top of the courtyard wall.

When Lin Xihe was surrounded by servants in the mansion, she was still able to pretend to be calm, as if she were a monkey in the zoo who clocked in on time and forced a professional smile at the tourists.

But the order of events was different—at this moment, he glanced in her direction, a faint smile playing on his lips. Lin Xihe suddenly felt as if she had been taken directly to the execution ground after leaving Monkey Mountain—from a little monkey with an official position to a prisoner being publicly executed.

"What are you looking at..." Lin Xihe was about to cry.

"I've borrowed the hammer!" The butler, panting, carried a massive, incredibly heavy hammer. Using it to chisel away at the artificial mountain was a complete waste of its potential.

Lin Xihe's face flushed red, burning with heat. She stiffened her neck, desperately trying to spot the hammer out of the corner of her eye.

But Wen Zhixu casually reminded her: "Miss Lin, please be very careful. If you hit her with this hammer, her brains might splatter everywhere."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Xihe's knees buckled, and her center of gravity plummeted. Qingwu steeled her resolve and seized the opportunity to pull the young lady's head back.

The person was rescued.

The Lin family mansion was in an uproar once again.

Wen Zhixu nimbly jumped off the stone table and said to Mo Hu, "See? Her brain was saved. I'm her savior, right?"

Mo Hu looked up blankly, his dog eyes filled with clear stupidity.

Wen Zhixu flicked its forehead with his finger: "Silly dog, talk to me."

Mo Hu: "Woof!"

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Lin Xihe was helped back to her room.

Qingwu held the ointment in her hands and carefully advised, "Miss, this medicine should be applied to your face."

In ancient times, when medical conditions were limited, this was already the most effective wound-cleansing ointment.

Lin Xihe looked at her dark face in the bronze mirror and sighed inwardly, thinking, "I'll just treat this as applying a seaweed mud mask."

The old woman found an old birdcage, and Lin Xihe gently put the sparrow inside. The sparrow turned its neck in the cage, surveying its new territory.

"This temporary villa looks like it's made of mahogany. Are you satisfied?" Lin Xihe asked for its opinion in a serious tone.

The sparrow was very supportive, letting out a "caw," but its voice sounded like a broken gong.

A human and a bird engage in cross-species language communication.

Was ancient times fun?

"Okay...ga."

"You can talk? You're not a crow, are you?" Lin Xihe's face, covered in medicinal mud, moved closer to the birdcage, and for a moment it was hard to tell whether her complexion was darker or the bird's feathers were darker.

"Gah."

"It's alright, if you really are a crow, I'll accept it."

"I transmigrated here, and my dad is a high-ranking official who treats me very well. But I'm just not used to it."

Lin Xihe ran her fingertips over the birdcage, finding someone to confide in: "And you, who is your father?"

“Wen…gaga.”

"What?" Lin Xihe leaned closer to listen.

The caged bird kept its beak shut, unwilling to speak again; speaking human language was too tiring for a bird.

“I need to give you a more stylish name.” Lin Xihe examined the little black, shiny creature. “You’re so dark, let’s call you Blake.”

"Gah?" It tilted its head, its call filled with confusion.

"Hmm? You think it sounds awful?" Lin Xihe blinked. "This name is the most fashionable in my world!"

The bird flapped its wings, and a few feathers flew out of the cage. Lin Xihe turned her head to avoid it, omitting its accusation.

“Is the nickname ‘Bu Bu’ alright, Mr. Bu Lek?”

"Caw!" I am the mother bird, the mother bird!

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The fire at Wen Zhixu's residence alarmed Wen Hongyuan. The old man made a decision, ordering everyone in the household to move immediately. Wen Zhixu was greatly disturbed by this commotion. The Wen family had many residences, but his grandfather insisted that he move into his own courtyard.

What's the difference between keeping him under his grandfather's nose and sending him to the Ministry of Justice's prison?

Wen Zhixu sighed and said, "I think it's better to move to my mother's place for some peace and quiet."

Since the passing of her father and elder brother, and her mother's grief-stricken move-out from the Wen family mansion, Yinquanxuan has remained exactly as it was when she left.

"Very well. The house will need repairs after the fire, so you can move there for a while." Wen Hongyuan's tone softened. "How is your mother doing lately?"

I will go see her tomorrow.

"Alright."

Wen Zhixu slept fitfully that night, falling into a bizarre dream. In the dream, there were crowds of people, all with different skin colors, black, white, and yellow mixed together.

A figure resembling the Black Impermanence approached him, its mouth revealing huge white teeth, and it spoke to him in a strange language.

"Suckling... Bu-lai-ke, have you learned it yet?" A clear, girlish voice pierced through the dream.

Wen Zhixu suddenly opened his eyes, and in the darkness, he met a pair of clear, black and white eyes.

He felt a chill run down his spine, grabbed the jade pillow, and threw it at the person.

Wen Ba had only been working for a short time when he was beaten and scolded by his master. He bit his lower lip and dared not cry out in pain.

"Second Young Master, Wen Qi said you get up at 5 a.m.

Wen Zhixu once again had the idea of ​​sending the boy out of the mansion. He only closed his eyes at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), how could he get up at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM)?

He casually threw on his morning robe and stepped into the courtyard with a somber expression.

The courtyard is lush with greenery, and in every flowerbed and tree shadow, one can almost see the figure of my mother pruning the plants.

The image that lingered in his memory was of tender spring grass spreading out at his feet, like a green carpet stretching all the way to the courtyard wall.

The living water in Yinquan Pavilion is drawn from a mountain spring. Several koi carp in the pond sway their tails gracefully, while a black tiger lies by the folding bridge, stretching out its claws to play with the fish.

Suddenly, the black tiger retracted its claws, its ears perking up alertly—

"Just call it Bu Bu."

"Miss, I'd like to learn too. Don't you speak Persian?"

“This is called English,” the girl’s voice rang out like a mountain spring. “Oh well, if you say it’s Persian, then it’s Persian. Anyway, you don’t need to take the CET-4 (College English Test Band 4). Come on, say it after me—Blake~”

“Bu, Lai, Ke”.

“Very good, Black is black.”

“I remember, it’s the same color as the herbs on your face. Let me apply the medicine for you. This medicinal paste needs to be applied three times a day, each time for half an incense stick’s time, and it needs to be applied for seven consecutive days to see results.”

"Put less on, I'm almost turning into an African."

"African?"

"Yes, their complexions are as black as charcoal, and their teeth are snow-white."

The conversation between the master and servants of the Lin family could be heard clearly. Wen Zhixu recalled the absurd dream he had last night. The "blue-faced, fanged" creature in the dream strangely overlapped with what the girl had said.

From the other side of the courtyard wall came the girl's low gasp: "Ouch...it hurts so much."

The image of that little face stuck in the rocks flashed through his mind again. He knew that after the maid pulled her head out, her neck and cheek must have been scraped.

He remembered the Golden Wound Jade Powder in his medicine box, which was made from pearl powder and several mild herbs, and was especially suitable for a girl's delicate skin.

“Wen Qi,” he turned and ordered, “go get the Golden Wound Jade Powder and send it to the Lin residence.”

Wen Qi was taken aback upon hearing this—that was a medicine bestowed by the emperor!

"Don't say it was a gift from me."

"..." Wen Qi was speechless for a moment.

In this city of Shengjing, apart from the Duke of Wen's mansion, which other family can use the imperial medicines from the palace?

A note from the author:

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①Illicium lanceolatum: The ancient version of Poison Jerry Strong (children can figure it out themselves, these three words are censored). According to the "Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica", this herb is cunning and poisonous, and can infect rats and insects.