Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Favor
Sui Qing swung the axe and glared at Su Sheng with a forced smile.
"Who's making a fuss? Sui Qing, don't scare Su Sheng. He and I just met by chance, and he has no reason to save me. It's better to rely on yourself than to rely on others."
Chu Xian pulled her cloak tightly around her, but despite the scorching heat, she still felt a chill on her back.
Sui Qing hung his head, moved to the girl's side, and reached out to support the girl's trembling arm.
"Give me the axe and I'll handle it myself." Chu Xian took off her cloak and threw it on the crescent stool.
"Let me do it, Lin Shu, you take a rest."
Sui Qing was worried. The girl's face was completely pale, and one could even faintly see green bloodshot under her skin.
Su Peisheng tucked his hands into his sleeves and looked at Lin Shu. She was wearing a single gown that was too plain for her head, with a smile on her face. The smile hung abruptly on her bare face, making her look quite charming and sad.
Like a beautiful ghost in a mountain legend, she is more like a beautiful corpse standing in the wind.
If an ordinary woman encountered such a misfortune, she would definitely cry and be terrified. How could she still laugh?
He became more and more certain that Lin Shu must be insane, so insane that it was frightening.
"Su Sheng, please step aside for a moment."
Chu Xian took the axe with a smile and slowly walked to the corpse thrown in the corner.
Su Peisheng terrifiedly dodged back to the west wing and rushed to the Fourth Master with horror in his eyes.
"Master, Lin Shu is not feeling well. For the sake of my master's safety, I dare you to leave this place immediately."
Su Peisheng was horrified by the intermittent sound of bones being chopped into pieces.
A cold look appeared in Yinzhen's eyes. He raised his hand and half-opened the tightly closed lattice window.
In the corner of the wall, amidst the rosy clouds, Lin Shu was swinging an axe to chop a corpse, and a bloody head rolled to her feet.
She chatted and laughed with Sui Qing, stepping on the head under her feet.
He is truly hopelessly insane. Nara deserves death and is so cruel that she is so mad that she would send a madman to be his concubine.
But on second thought, perhaps Lin Shu was sent by Nala to see Zhuangzi not because he had offended Nala.
It was because Fei Yanggu and his daughter accidentally discovered that Lin Shu was insane that they did not dare to take the risk of sending the madman to him to gain his favor.
Just a crazy abandoned pawn, he never took it seriously.
Lin Shu is hiding many secrets. Maybe he can use Lin Shu to completely overthrow Fei Yanggu and his daughter and ruin their marriage.
Thinking of this, Yinzhen put away his disgust and gave the madman a rare warm smile.
After chopping the corpse into pieces and burning it, Chu Xian laughed happily: "Sui Qing, set up a target here tomorrow so I can learn archery."
"Ah? But I'm not good at archery. I'm good at swords, spears, halberds, Qimen Dunjia, and the art of Qihuang. Why don't I wait for Xianrong to come back and learn?" Sui Qing looked embarrassed.
She and Xianrong both have their own strengths, but neither of them is good at archery. Archery is just a pastime for them to show off their taste, and there is no chance of winning in times of crisis.
"It's okay, I'll figure it out myself. You can find some time to make a clever hidden arrow for me to use for self-defense."
Chu Xian threw away the bloody axe and turned around to see Chi Zheng sitting in front of the window, looking at her.
Seeing her look, he nodded and smiled gracefully.
A trace of mischief and panic flashed in Chu Xian's eyes. How could she not feel guilty when someone saw her dismembered body?
She quickly moved her eyes away from his handsome face and met Su Sheng's eyes beside Chi Zheng.
Although Su Sheng was also smiling, the smile on his lips did not reach his eyes.
Chu Xian couldn't help but look at Chi Zheng's clear and warm face again.
At this time, Chi Zheng actually pointed at his chin to signal her.
Chu Xian understood what he meant and raised her sleeve to wipe her chin. The edge of her wide, moon-white sleeve was immediately stained with an annoying crimson.
"Thank you, Master Chi."
Chu Xian subconsciously walked to the window, but after taking a step, she stopped.
With a bang, the window closed tightly. Chu Xian stood there in shock, feeling inexplicably lost and melancholy.
She turned around dejectedly and was about to leave when she heard the sound of crutches tapping behind her.
With Su Sheng's support, Chi Zheng limped around to her.
"Miss Lin, there's dirt on your face."
"Thank you, Mr. Chi, for the reminder." Chu Xian raised her sleeve to wipe her cheek.
"I'll help you."
Yinzhen took out a dove-grey handkerchief with a cloud pattern from his sleeve, looked at Lin Shu tenderly, and wiped her cheek carefully.
The cool fingertips brushed across her cheek, Chu Xian's cheeks flushed, and she snatched the handkerchief away.
"I can do it myself, thank you, Master Chi."
Yinzhen smiled without saying a word, standing quietly with his hands behind his back, his fingertips hidden in his sleeves rubbing against his sleeves in disgust.
"Last night's incident was due to my negligence. I will never leave you alone again. I'm sorry, Miss Lin."
"Aren't you afraid of me?" Chu Xian clenched the handkerchief and lowered her eyes nervously.
"Why should I be afraid? I should be afraid of the perpetrators, not the victims."
"You've done nothing wrong, so why should I be afraid of you? Your wound is bleeding, does it still hurt?"
Chu Xian opened her eyes wide, and her pupils were covered with misty vapor. She opened her mouth and murmured, but her voice was as if she had swallowed hot charcoal, and it was extremely hoarse.
"It doesn't hurt." She clasped her hands together and pressed the wound on the back of her hand.
Yinzhen was just trying to figure out what to say to evade the question when he saw that although her mouth didn't seem to hurt, she was nodding slightly with a tearful smile in her eyes.
He was speechless for a moment, and when he lowered his eyes, his gaze was attracted by the setting sun shining on the corner of her blood-stained wide sleeves.
She turned sideways, the afterglow reflected on the back of her cold white hand, light and dark intertwined, brilliance returning.
Her porcelain-white hands were stained with blood, bright and sad.
Yinzhen subconsciously opened his hands behind his back, wanting to hold these delicate and beautiful hands tightly.
Realizing this absurd idea, Yinzhen pursed his lips and clenched his fists.
At this time, Sui Qing took out a dustpan and a broom, swept the ashes on the ground clean, and scattered them in the pigpen.
The master and servant arrived at the stream in the mountain behind Zhuangzi.
"Sui Qing, I need to take a shower. Watch over the entrance to the mountain path."
Chu Xian quickly stripped off her clothes and jumped into the green pool to wash off the blood on her body.
Sui Qing picked up the girl's dirty clothes that she had left on the bluestone and squatted by the water to wash them.
"Miss, those two saw you were ill and couldn't stay."
The smile on Chu Xian's lips froze for a moment, and she dived into the water, floating up and down.
After she surfaced, she raised her hand to brush her face, then slowly spoke: "You can use the incident at Hongluo Temple as a starting point to test the waters of Chi Zheng and his servant."
"If they insist on leaving, you should send them to Shengjing to look for their relatives. Make sure you help them find their relatives."
"We can just find a way to keep Chi Zheng and his servant in Shengjing for two years."
Two years is more than enough, and everything will be settled next year.
"Chi Zheng is not a villain, he is an upright gentleman."
Chu Xian raised her head and covered her face with the clean dove-gray handkerchief.
I don’t know what kind of fragrance Chi Zheng used to fumigate his clothes, but it smelled very pleasant.
"They may never have intended to stay. If Chi Zheng is determined to leave, you are not allowed to make things difficult for them."
"Send someone to Baoding Prefecture to secretly investigate Chi Zheng's background. If there are any problems...kill him."
A wanton sneer appeared on Chu Xian's lips. Her pretending to be weak towards Chi Zheng today made her discover some clues.
Chi Zheng is most likely a Manchu.
The pattern on his handkerchief may seem simple, but it is embroidered with full embroidery needlework.
"Yes." Sui Qing said no more.
After that incident happened, almost all the people who knew the inside story died, with only one person left. That person was the girl's biggest nightmare in her life. She wished she could tear his bones, skin him, and eat his flesh alive.
Sui Qing wrung out the wet clothes, built a bonfire by the Qingtan Pond, and carefully dried the girl's clothes.
When the master and servant returned to the manor, Su Peisheng was using a palm-leaf fan to drive away flies.
"Su Sheng, there's some dried mugwort in the woodshed. Lighting it up will repel mosquitoes."
Chu Xian walked slowly into the courtyard with her damp black hair loose.
"Oh, these flies are gathered in a ball. They can eat ten kilograms in one mouth." Su Peisheng laughed.
"Then eat more. Flies taste sweet."
When Su Peisheng heard this, he felt strange in his heart, as if there was a live fly stuck in his throat. He wanted to vomit but couldn't, and he wanted to swallow but felt nauseous and hiccups.
He was born into a poor family. When he was a child, there was a famine and he had to eat soil and tree bark. He had tasted human flesh and had eaten flies.
Flies are indeed sweet, but they also depend on what they eat.
Sweet-tasting flies are the ones that have bitten human blood.
Lin Shuding also ate flies.
His stomach was churning, Su Peisheng's face turned pale as he fled back to the west wing.
Su Peisheng approached the Fourth Master who was making calligraphy with his own hands and murmured in a trembling voice: "She...she really ate a fly..."
While he was distracted, the carving knife cut a shallow mark on his fingertip. Yinzhen frowned and rubbed his fingertip, scolding him coldly: "Noisy."
Su Peisheng raised his hand and slapped his face with a smile, then approached the table in a flattering manner.
"My official script is elegant, correct, and smooth, and it's really beautiful."
Su Peisheng was puzzled because his master never wrote in the formal official style in private, except for memorials and official documents.
"Mr. Chi, have you had a rest?" Sui Qing's voice came from outside the door.
Su Peisheng saw his master nod, then he went to open the door with a smile: "No, Miss Sui Qing."
Sui Qing was holding the food box and waving the wine jar in his hand.
"I bought some lamb wine from the foot of Tanzhe Mountain. I also bought a roast duck, pork elbow with mashed garlic, fried peanuts, and fried fish with sesame oil."
"Master Chi, Su Sheng, come and have some wine."
"Oh, where's Lin Shu? Call Lin Shu and Nanny Zheng to join in the fun." Su Peisheng took the heavy food box.
"Lin Shu and Madam Zheng went to the mountains to catch fish with bamboo cages. She told us to eat first."
Sui Qing placed the dishes in the food box on the square table.
They were all insightful people who could understand the elegant meaning of music. How could Yinzhen and his servant not know that Sui Qing was not interested in wine, so they stopped refusing.
"Su Sheng, go to the kitchen and get some dishes. Leave some for Lin Shu and Madam Zheng."
Yinzhen supported himself with a cane and slowly stood up.
Sui Qing's reserved smile widened: "Mr. Chi is thoughtful."
Sui Qing waited until Chi Zheng and his servant were seated. The three of them drank a few glasses of wine before she slowly began to talk: "I'm sorry that Lin Shu asked me to apologize on her behalf."
"I need to explain clearly that Lin Shu is not ill. If you had experienced what Lin Shu experienced, you would have gone crazy long ago."
"She was just... frightened by some bad guys at Hongluo Temple three years ago."
Sui Qing was about to continue talking about the past when he heard a cold chuckle.
"Oh."
"Does your master's daughter treat me so harshly?" Yinzhen became more and more disgusted with Nara.
A good servant was driven crazy. It goes without saying what she had been through.
Sui Qing was choked by Chi Zheng and was speechless, and kept trying to defend herself.
"Our girl is the best girl. It's hard to explain it to you blind people."
"Mr. Chi, give me a promise today. If you stay, we will not treat you and your servant harshly. If you don't stay, I will personally escort you two to Shengjing City to find your relatives tomorrow."
"Hey, Miss Sui Qing, what do you mean by that? Our young master never said he was going to Shengjing City to look for his relatives. Who gives you the right to decide where to go for us?"
"Not to mention that we haven't signed a contract with the master yet, even if we did, we wouldn't be sold into slavery. It's just a hiring relationship."
Su Peisheng gave a cold reminder in a sarcastic tone.
"Oh, I see. Lin Shu was right. You really don't want to stay."
"Our small temple can't accommodate two Buddhas, so you two can stay or go as you please."
"I still need to go and help Lin Shu with his porridge distribution at Tanzhe Temple tomorrow. Please enjoy your meal. Lin Shu has prepared some money for you. Please take your leave."
Sui Qing suppressed his anger, quickly put the twenty taels of travel expenses and two bags of dry food prepared by the girl on the table, and left.
Seeing the silver ingots, the neat bundle and the dry food, including both meat and vegetables, Su Peisheng was dumbfounded and speechless.
Are you really going to let them go politely?
"Miss Suiqing, wait a minute, I have no intention of leaving." Yinzhen responded with a faint smile.
"Ah? Really? Then why are you so reluctant to sign the contract?"
Sui Qing was happy in her heart, but her face was still tense.
Only if the two of them signed the deed and their travel permits were taken away would it be safe. Without the travel permits, they would not be able to leave the capital and go to other prefectures, and would be completely unable to escape.
"Well, you can prepare the deed at any time and sign and seal it."
"Okay, okay, I'll prepare the contract in two days. Mr. Chi, please enjoy some wine and food. I won't bother you anymore."
Sui Qing grinned, then anxiously tightened his smile and turned away.
After Sui Qing walked away, Su Peisheng was shocked and said angrily: "The servants of Fei Yanggu's family are really arrogant. There is no humility and obedience at all. Like master, like servant. If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked."
"What porridge? Nara is definitely seeking fame and reputation, trying to gain a good reputation by providing disaster relief and helping the poor."
"No rush, let's go and have a look tomorrow." Yinzhen filled the wine cup and drank alone with his head tilted back.
"The lamb wine is very good. Go down the mountain and buy some more."
Su Peisheng heaved a sigh of relief and was about to send someone to buy some wine when he heard his master sigh in a low voice, "No need to go. This wine is not available."
Su Peisheng also has an endless aftertaste for the lamb wine that enters his throat.
This lamb wine is made with lamb meat, and its color is as crystal clear as jade. It tastes like orchid, sweet and mellow, with unique aroma of medicine, fruit, meat and wine.
In comparison, Da Nei Gongjiu is slightly inferior.
"Master, this lamb wine is probably home-brewed. I'll go and ask Lin Shu about it. If I can find out the recipe, we can brew our own wine from now on."
"No need to inquire. Lin Shu is open-minded and clear-headed. Just tell her directly. Pick up your pen and ask."
"Tell her that I can teach her the art of riding and archery in exchange." Yinzhen leaned lazily on the bamboo couch, his handsome face stained with a hint of red wine.
Su Peisheng bent over, picked up his pen and went to find Lin Shu.
After learning from the spy that Lin Shu was fishing, Su Peisheng hurried to the Qingtan Pond.
By the green pond, the grass and trees are lush and the willows are green.
"Suiqing, hit that one, quickly! That fish is the fattest!"
With a bang, Su Peisheng was splashed in the face by the exploding water, and he gulped down several mouthfuls of river water.
Look at Lin Shu again, he was holding a bluestone brick as big as a bowl in his hand and smashing the fish.
The two of them rolled around in the water with their trouser legs rolled up, laughing and playfully, without any of the reserve and elegance of girls.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com