Chapter 109 Strange Nighttime Events (Part 1: The End) Waiting...

"The Empress has just passed away, and even such an important event as the Crown Prince's succession to the throne has been simplified. This is truly a rare occurrence."

Pei Mingli and Feng Yujiao casually mentioned this while taking care of the two children's meals.

But Lin Zhi always felt that something was off.

"Brother, what kind of person do you think Xiao Ting is?"

Pei Mingli paused slightly as he picked up his chopsticks, frowning in thought: "I knew he had a lot of lives on his hands when he was still the Crown Prince. Back then, besides the Emperor, only Pei Lang... could keep him in check."

As soon as Pei Mingli blurted out the name, someone pinched the soft flesh on his waist.

He looked up and saw his wife's beautiful eyes glaring at him.

Feeling a little awkward, Pei Mingli pursed his lips. He wanted to say something more, but Lin Zhi interrupted him: "In that case, the price for him to pass the throne to the Crown Prince is to order the death of the Empress."

"If the Xuan Ting Pavilion was instigated by the Shen family, why would they be willing to exchange an empress for such a throne?"

"The Crown Prince is still young. Without the Empress's assistance, what difference is there between this throne and one in Xiao Ting's hands?"

Feng Yujiao was stunned. She blinked and wiped the vegetable juice from the children's mouths. "Azhi, you are so different now than before."

“Somewhat unlike you, somewhat like…” Pei Lang.

Pei Mingli quickly covered Feng Yujiao's mouth and chuckled, "Your sister-in-law just hasn't seen you in a long time. She'll be fine in a few days. Let's not talk about this anymore, let's eat!"

Lin Zhi was still thinking about this matter for a long time when Luo Qinzhi knocked on the study door with the organized accounts.

"Miss Lin, I have redone all these accounts. Please take a look."

Lin Zhi suddenly came to her senses, and after flipping through a few pages, she couldn't help but praise, "It's really a waste of your talents to ask you to do these things. Thank you for helping me."

"By the way, Brother Qinzhi, do you know about the Xuanting Pavilion in the capital?"

Luo Qinzhi, sitting opposite him, nodded: "I've heard of it. Before the imperial examination, I stayed in the dormitory. I also heard that some people wanted to ask Xuan Ting Pavilion for exam questions, but the price they asked for was too high, so it didn't work out."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhi couldn't help but soften her breathing: "So it's not that they don't have them, but that the prices are too high for us to afford?"

"Who exactly is behind the Xuan Ting Pavilion?"

"They have such extensive connections and influence."

Luo Qinzhi also found it strange: "I have never heard of such a place before. In just half a year, even the throne could be decided. It is really not simple."

After pondering for a moment, Lin Zhi felt a slight ripple in his heart.

After settling Mianmian in, Lin Zhi put on her veil and boarded the carriage through the back gate of the Pei residence.

"Madam, this is Xuan Ting Pavilion. However, it is a place where all sorts of people mingle, so please be careful."

As Lin Zhi was getting off the carriage with the help of the maid, someone whispered a reminder in her ear.

"Okay, you guys wait for me around here, I'll be out in half an hour."

From the outside, Xuan Ting Pavilion looked like an ordinary teahouse, but inside it was completely silent. Lin Zhi was stopped at the door.

"Madam, this place is not open to just anyone. Please present a gold ingot to prove that you are qualified to enter the Xuan Ting Pavilion."

Lin Zhi didn't speak, but decisively took out a gold ingot to show him. The guard waved his hand, and soon a light-footed young man came over to lead the way.

"What is it that you seek on this journey, Madam? A child or wealth?"

The young man's voice was clear and pleasant, but Lin Zhi had no intention of chatting with him: "Lead the way."

The man chuckled and led her to a room, opening the door for her: "Please come in, Madam. As long as your price is right, Xuan Ting Pavilion will do whatever it takes for you."

Seeing the shadowy purple gauze curtain in the room obscuring a figure, Lin Zhi felt a little uneasy. She tightened her grip on the short knife in her sleeve and slowly sat down in front of the person.

"What does Madam wish for? Simply place the gold ingot on the table before you."

After a series of sounds, gold ingots covered most of the table, but Lin Zhi didn't even blink.

"I need your help to find someone."

"The former Grand Secretary, Pei Lang."

The figure behind the purple curtain remained silent for a long time before shaking his head with feigned profundity: "Madam's request is rather difficult. Let me go and ask the Pavilion Master. Please wait a moment, Madam."

As soon as she finished speaking, the figure in front of her disappeared in the blink of an eye. Lin Zhi's heart tightened, and she was about to reach out to lift the purple curtain when the young man outside the door interrupted her, "Please sit down, Madam."

"The curtains must not be lifted in Xuan Ting Pavilion. If this happens again, please leave, Madam."

Lin Zhi slowly lowered her hand, which had been stretched out in mid-air, and pursed her lips, unable to express the complex emotions in her heart.

She thought she had given up hope when she heard that Pei Lang's body couldn't be found, but now she didn't know why she still came.

Even though she knew that Xuan Ting Pavilion was strange in every way, she still didn't want to give up and wanted to give it a try.

Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, she's unwilling to give up.

Even if it's just a corpse, she will bring Pei Lang back.

"Madam, you have been waiting for a long time."

Behind the purple curtain in front of her, a tall figure appeared again. The deep voice startled Lin Zhi. She stared at the figure but couldn't see anything clearly.

"I said I need to find someone, can your Xuan Ting Pavilion accept my request?"

"The person you mentioned seems to have been dead for a long time. Xuan Ting Pavilion has one price for finding a person, but it has another price for finding a corpse."

Name your price, I can afford it.

But the person behind the curtain remained silent for a long time. Just as Lin Zhi was losing patience, a large hand reached out from behind the curtain.

"Madam, please place your palm upwards, and I will see where the person you are looking for is."

Lin Zhi frowned, and reached out her hand with some doubt, but it was suddenly grabbed and she couldn't pull it back!

"what you do!"

As the calloused fingertips traced the lines of her palm, Lin Zhi couldn't help but tremble slightly.

I frowned and stared at the hand, but it seemed strangely familiar.

"The person you are looking for may have long since died, and now even their body may not be intact. Is it really necessary to spend a huge amount of gold and silver to find them?"

"Besides, Madam has a noble destiny. Even if she doesn't find this man, she will meet a good man again. Why not let go of the past and have the best of both worlds?"

"How I am with him is none of other people's business."

"Whether it's a person or a corpse, even if it's just a handful of bones and ashes, I will bring him home!"

"My people, even in death, will remain my ghosts."

The words, though ominous, sounded strangely tender and affectionate coming from Lin Zhi's mouth. The man's fingers curled slightly, then withdrew after a moment.

"In that case, Madam, please return. Xuan Ting Pavilion will not receive you."

"A bunch of people who seek fame and fortune!"

After such an unpleasant turn of events, Lin Zhi never expected Xuan Ting Pavilion to accept the offer. She angrily picked up the gold ingots from the table and turned to leave without looking back.

The young man guarding the door was still puzzled as he watched Lin Zhi's angry departure: "Sect Master, this woman comes from a wealthy family and is well-dressed, why didn't you accept her?"

"Even if it's just some other corpse, it would be fine..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sharp hidden arrow grazed his cheek and embedded itself deeply into the pillar behind the young man.

"Watch your mouth."

By the time the young man came to his senses and knelt down, his face pale, the figure behind the curtain had already vanished.

[At the edge of a high cliff, the wind howled, making his robes flutter wildly. Pei Lang was seen exchanging blows with the assassin when, caught off guard, he was attacked and fell heavily off the cliff. When he hit the bottom, he was covered in blood, and a mouthful of dark blood gushed from his lips, a truly pitiful sight...]

"Pei Lang!"

As the night deepened, Lin Zhi sat up in a cold sweat, and it took her a while to calm down before she realized that it was just a nightmare.

She weakly raised her hand to cover her forehead, wondering if it was because she had visited Xuan Ting Pavilion today and mentioned Pei Lang that she had such a vivid dream.

Lin Zhi raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and let out a long breath, but her heart still felt like it was being crushed by a huge rock, making it difficult to breathe.

"lady?"

Dongxue knocked on the door and came in carrying a tray.

"Did you have a nightmare, Madam?"

Dongxue walked lightly and silently, handing the calming soup to Lin Zhi, her brows furrowed as she looked at her with some concern.

"If I had known that you were so afraid, I should have gone in with you."

“That Xuan Ting Pavilion is strange in every way; the lady must be terrified.”

Lin Zhi waved her hand weakly, took the lukewarm calming soup, frowned, and drank it down in one gulp.

"It's alright, I'll feel better after drinking it. You should go and get some rest too."

After Dongxue left, Lin Zhi lay back down on the couch. However, for some reason, the calming soup took effect very quickly. Not long after lying down, her eyelids became heavy, and she couldn't help but close her eyes.

"Hmm..." This time she didn't have any nightmares, but Lin Zhi seemed to dream of Pei Lang. In the dream, Pei Lang carefully and tenderly held her cold feet in his arms to warm them, while his large hands wandered around improperly.

His large, calloused hands sparked like tinder all over his body.

"call!"

When Lin Zhi woke up again, she was woken up by Dong Xue. "Did you sleep well last night, Madam? I came twice yesterday but didn't hear you wake up again."

Despite what she said, Lin Zhi felt unwell all over. Not only was she in excruciating pain, but she also had several ambiguous red marks on her private parts, which made her heart pound with fear.

Fortunately, the person helping with the changing didn't notice.

Did she dream of Pei Lang again last night?

Lin Zhi struggled to move her aching neck, but then noticed two obvious red marks on her wrist beneath her slipped sleeve.

Frowning in confusion, Lin Zhi reached out and tried to grasp it herself, only to realize that it was clearly a red mark left by someone's grip...

Many terrifying thoughts flashed through her mind, but she ultimately did not make a sound. Instead, she doubled the number of guards and maids in the courtyard.

But after several days, Lin Zhi's body remained the same. Finally, she couldn't bear it any longer and stared intently at the calming soup that Dong Xue brought over.

"What's wrong, Madam?"

"The calming soup is a bit hot today, you can go down first, I'll drink it later."

"yes."

After the door closed, Lin Zhi poured the calming soup into the flowerpot by the window with a heavy heart, and thoughtfully put down the empty bowl.

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Author's Note: Countdown to completion! Please look forward to tomorrow! [Rabbit head with upright ears][Heart]

Thank you for supporting genuine reading!