Chapter 9 Cannon Fodder White Moonlight 8 Dingcang Pavilion

The new emperor is still young. Among the three regent ministers appointed by the late emperor, Prime Minister Pei Xiuyuan has the highest power and reputation, and is the undisputed number one in the court.

Now, all the prestigious civil and military officials in the court are present at his birthday banquet. Even those who have not received an invitation have already sent visiting cards and birthday gifts to the mansion.

Pei Xiuyuan sat in the highest seat, with Pei Miao sitting beside him. Below them were the other two regent ministers and their wives, and other civil and military officials sat separately.

Before the banquet began, the empress dowager's personal eunuch had already delivered the rewards from the palace, which was a great favor from the emperor.

After three rounds of drinks, more than ten beautiful girls came on stage to perform. For a while, there was singing and dancing, and the sound of stringed instruments was endless.

He's father was not good at socializing. After toasting Pei Xiuyuan with everyone in the Medical Officers' Court, he returned to his seat.

Seeing that He Zhiyan beside him was still absent-minded, He's father said, "First, I went to the capital, and then the nobles in the palace fell ill. I was so busy that I never had any time to relax. It has been a long time since I sat down and had a good meal with you."

He took the tea handed to him by He Zhiyan. The fragrance of the tea dispelled some of the drunkenness. "Did Yan'er and A'li have a fight?"

He Zhiyan paused, lowered his eyes and said nothing.

He's father sighed, his tone worried: "You two are my children, do you still want to hide it from me? Look at you, you've lost weight, and you always look so worried."

When he was in Jin, he earned a meager income from practicing medicine, causing his two children to suffer with him. Yan'er even did some dangerous things without telling him, just to make more money.

He saw it with his own eyes and felt pain in his heart, so he began to think about becoming an official in the court.

After moving to Beijing, although his family became a little richer, he was also busier than before and had very little time to spend with his children.

He Zhiyan shook his head: "I made father worried. It's my fault that I didn't take good care of Ali."

"Alice may look well-behaved and obedient, but she's actually quite stubborn. She always swallows her anger and won't show weakness in front of others easily."

He's father looked at He Zhiyan with concern: "But I saw that when she was recovering from her injuries some time ago, she was often depressed and cried alone in the house."

He Zhiyan slowly placed the teacup back on the table, and after a while he found his voice again: "It's my fault."

Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, He's father sighed and said, "I don't mean to blame you. No matter what happened between you and Ali, you must remember that we are a family. There is nothing that cannot be said."

"We'll shoulder everything together, okay?"

As he spoke, He's father placed his broad palm on He Zhiyan's shoulder and patted it gently.

He Zhiyan looked at the elder in front of him. Compared to five years ago, he had aged a lot, but the words he said were no different from when he accepted him as a member of the He family five years ago.

Just as they were about to say something else, someone came towards them holding a wine glass. It turned out to be a colleague of He's father in the Medical Officers' Institute. After a few pleasantries, He Zhiyan looked a little drunk, so he found an excuse to leave.

The scenery of the Prime Minister's Mansion is unique in Beijing. When the mansion was built, Pei Xiuyuan found many skilled craftsmen and it took more than half a year to complete. Every step brings a new scene and new ideas can be seen everywhere.

But He Zhiyan had no intention of admiring it.

From the moment he stepped into the Prime Minister's Mansion, he had an indescribable sense of familiarity. He looked at the various scenes in the mansion and was able to picture the detailed layout of the entire mansion in his mind. He knew who lived in which house and where was the most convenient place to hide.

He Zhiyan withdrew his gaze from the distance, anger rising in his heart, and uneasy emotions surged like the tide.

He has been to this place before.

But his mind was blank and he couldn't remember anything.

Suddenly, a young servant in blue appeared at the corner ahead. He was walking quickly with two jars of wine in his arms, not even looking at the road, and accidentally bumped into He Zhiyan.

Seeing that the wine jars in his arms were about to be smashed to pieces, He Zhiyan moved his fingertips slightly, and the two shaking wine jars fell steadily into his hands.

"Thank you very much, sir!" The servant looked frightened and took the jar of wine in a hurry.

Seeing that He Zhiyan had already started to leave, he hesitated for a moment and called out to him, "Sir!"

"I just came from the garden and heard from the sisters in the inner courtyard that a young lady from a certain family hasn't arrived since the banquet began, and they're looking for her." The servant lifted the wine jar up again. "I was just about to go to the front courtyard to report. I wonder if the young master recognizes this young lady. I heard her surname is He."

After saying this, the servant's heart began to beat fast. Steward Zhang asked him to quickly deliver the wine to his courtyard in the outer mansion, and as usual, the matter in the inner courtyard had to be reported to Steward Sun. If something happened to the noble lady in the mansion, and the message was delayed because of him, his life would be in danger.

But Manager Zhang and Housekeeper Sun have always been at odds with each other. Manager Zhang would never help him pass on the message, nor would he take the responsibility. He could not afford to offend both sides.

The servant looked nervously at He Zhiyan's back not far away, and only dared to speak when he thought of how he had just helped him.

Hearing this, He Zhiyan stopped and looked back at him.

Seeing He Zhiyan stop, the servant hurried forward a few steps and pleaded, "I really can't leave right now. Sir, could you please help me pass this message to Butler Sun in the front yard?"

He Zhiyan frowned, "Miss He? Where did you disappear?"

The servant thought He Zhiyan was willing to help him, so he spilled the beans: "Her surname is He, and she seems to be the daughter of some master in the Medical Officers' Court. She disappeared after leaving Jingyong Hall. Only one maid saw her heading towards the Chuihua Hall, which is accessible from there by crossing the waterside pavilion. I don't know how she disappeared. People from the Xu family of the Fuguogong were also helping to look for her. It was the Duke's daughter who discovered she was missing."

He Zhiyan looked in the direction the servant pointed, and suddenly several strange images flashed through his mind:

A man covered in blood fell from a tall building. He stood on a high place and looked down with an indifferent expression. The man's hair spread out as he fell, covering his entire face, making it impossible to see who he was.

He Zhiyan continued to watch motionlessly. The body fell heavily to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut off. The slightest sound was drowned in the endless darkness. There was not even a struggle. Blood spread out under the body, and soon there was no breath.

The servant was still saying something, but He Zhiyan seemed to hear nothing. He stood there, all the muscles in his body trembling uncontrollably, and his nerves were instantly tense to the extreme.

"Young Master—"

Before he could finish, the servant felt a flash before his eyes and his hands and feet could not move. He saw He Zhiyan jump lightly and disappeared in an instant.

The servant's eyes were wide open, but his body collapsed to the ground like mud and he fainted.

*

A quarter of an hour ago, Ali in front of Dingcang Pavilion tried to push the gate.

The door creaked heavily, and due to Ali's movement, the door lock slipped and fell to the ground. It looked like the previous person left in a hurry and did not lock the door.

She stepped over the threshold and a figure flashed past behind her.

Ali withdrew her gaze and pretended not to know. Whether it was to investigate the cause of He Li's death or for He Zhiyan, she had to come here today.

In the book, He Li got lost and mistakenly entered Dingcang Pavilion. The news that reached the front yard was that she was lost and in danger, but He Zhiyan did not show up at that time. He Li was rescued by Pei Miao.

Ali couldn't help but look back. Will he come this time?

The grass and trees in the courtyard were lush, but there was not a single leaf on the ground. It didn't look as unattended as it looked from the outside.

A Li walked slowly into the main hall, which was once the residence of Pei Xiao, Pei Miao's brother.

Ali had never seen him, but only knew that he was five years older than Pei Miao and was only twenty when he died. The old people in the mansion all said that the eldest son was even more outstanding than the second son, but it was a pity that God was jealous of his talent.

At first glance, the furnishings in Dingcang Pavilion were very similar to Pei Miao's Lianyunxuan. Ali was dazed for a moment at first.

The difference is that there are many calligraphy and paintings on the table shelves of Dingcang Pavilion, most of which were created by Pei Xiao during his lifetime. The brushstrokes are vigorous and unrestrained, and the paintings mostly depict mountains, rivers and seas.

Pei Miao also had a painting like this hanging in his study, and no one was allowed to touch it.

Ali took a quick glance and walked straight to the lacquer-inlaid treasure screen. The stairs leading to the upper floors were there.

In the book, He Li also found this place by accident, but she was in a panic at the time and was startled by Pei Miao's voice behind her before she could go upstairs. She almost fell down from the stairs.

The second floor seemed to be where Pei Xiao usually lived.

There was a golden cross-threaded Fu Lu Shou velvet carpet on the floor, several piles of books and a thick stack of papers on the sandalwood table, a purple gold incense burner with small animals and an antique pen holder were displayed on the left and right, and there was an unfinished chess game under the east window sill with a few chess pieces scattered around, as if the owner of this place had just left temporarily.

Ali walked closer to the chessboard and took a closer look. Although the endgame was not over, the outcome was already decided.

The white piece was gradually forced into a desperate situation by the black piece that had been lying dormant for a long time. Although it had been prepared in advance, it had lost the initiative. After several fights, the encirclement became tighter and tighter, and there was no possibility of escape.

When Pei Xiao died unexpectedly, the Prime Minister's Mansion quickly announced the death, but no one knew the details of his death. In addition, Pei Xiuyuan was so grief-stricken that he replaced all the servants in the mansion. To this day, there are still many different opinions about the cause of Pei Xiao's death.

After marriage, He Li once mentioned Pei Xiao inadvertently. Pei Miao did not show any strange expression at that time, but He Li sensitively noticed that something was wrong and changed the subject.

Because no one in the mansion dared to mention Pei Xiao at that time, He Li didn't know the reason. Although he felt it was a bit strange, he didn't take it to heart.

Ali stood beside the unfinished game, thinking about everything that had happened since He Li married into the Pei family, but still couldn't find any useful information.

Could He Li’s death be related to the affairs of this Young Master Pei?

Ali suddenly covered her chest. She couldn't remember what happened before He Li died. As long as she thought about it, her heart felt like it was pierced by thousands of silver needles, and the pain went deep into her bones.

She couldn't help but stagger a few steps, and a scattered black piece next to the chessboard was swept off by the corner of her clothes and fell under the cabinet not far away.

Ali, with a pale face, leaned on the armchair beside him for a long time before he squatted down to reach the chess piece, but he was always just a little short.

She took a few steps back and found that the chess piece had not rolled very far and was blocked by something under the cabinet.

Ali took some effort and picked up the thing and the chess piece together.

It's a scroll.

Ali's eyes swept across the bookshelf where the scrolls were piled up. It seemed that someone had accidentally knocked them down and dropped them into this hidden place without them being discovered.

She put the chess piece back where it belonged, dusted off the scroll, and unfolded it.

What caught my eye was an old painting. The paper had turned yellow and curled, and the handwriting was a little smudged.

The painting showed a woman in red riding a horse across the grassland, her eyes and eyebrows revealing a vibrant spirit. Ali held the painting and looked at it for a long time. He felt that the person in the painting looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before.

Judging from the brushstrokes on the painting, this one was also created by Pei Xiao, but unlike those landscape paintings, the brushstrokes in this painting are exceptionally round, vigorous, and soft, and it is completed in one stroke like the wind. It is obviously the painter's masterpiece, but there is no caption in the painting, only the dazzling and heroic figure of this woman.

Suddenly, Ali's expression changed. He quickly put the painting away and hid himself in a secret place. He took the porcelain on the small table in his hand and looked towards the door vigilantly.

Someone is coming.

Who could be coming?

Ali couldn't guess.

If we calculate the time according to the records in the storybook, it was probably the time when Pei Miao appeared and "just happened to save her."

Thinking of this, Ali put down the porcelain bottle, loosened her hair slightly, hid behind the curtain, and waited with bated breath.

The person who came seemed to be looking for something with a purpose, but he went up to the second floor in a moment.

One step, two steps.

The deliberately slowed footsteps were getting closer and closer. It seemed that the person had discovered her hiding place. A dangerous aura was gradually approaching. The afternoon sun shone through the window lattice onto the carpet, and a shadow slowly appeared in sight.

Ali tightly grasped the handkerchief in his hand, his heart beating like a drum. When he saw the appearance of the person who came, he loosened his grip and tears fell.