Losing composure (edited)
After several days of continuous rain, the sky cleared up for half a day. Then, as evening approached, a cool night breeze suddenly swept in, blowing down the bamboo poles that the young girls had set up in the backyard to dry their handkerchiefs.
The bamboo frame fell to the ground with a crisp sound, startling and waking a series of sparrows that were resting on the roof ridge.
Granny Qin glanced worriedly out the window, then casually lowered the curtain in front of the door. As dusk approached, the night wind carried a chill, sounding like the low sobs of a woman, with no sign of it stopping.
"Madam, the kitchen has already prepared a warming medicinal meal. Since the freshly harvested vegetables are all tender and delicious, the kitchen has also carefully prepared a trendy spring platter for you. It's best eaten rolled in spring pancakes. Would you like Rongwei and the others to serve the dishes?"
Ever since Lin Xu caught a chill in the winter, her body has become extremely sensitive to wind. Originally, Nongyu was skilled in moxibustion and would feel much better after a few treatments, but a few days ago she was worried about Liang Si and couldn't sleep at night, and after running back and forth several times, she became even weaker.
Moreover, the other day she disguised herself as a maid to visit the prison in the Ministry of Justice and spent a long time in the cold and damp dungeon. As a result, her health has deteriorated significantly.
Qin Mama was considerate, so she carefully instructed the kitchen to prepare medicinal meals to dispel cold and strengthen the body every day. Although Lin Xu disliked bitter tastes, there was nothing she could do.
Each time, I could only frown, pinch my nose, and drink it down, then quickly chew a piece or two of candied plum to neutralize the bitterness in my mouth.
She raised her eyebrows and glanced out the window. The moon was cold and the stars were few; it was long past the time when the Ministry of Works was on duty.
Dou Yanxun, however, has not yet returned.
Thinking about it carefully, it seems like it's been a long time since he's come home this late.
Lin Xu stood up, carefully folded the thin velvet blanket she was wearing, and said softly:
"Alright, I feel tired after sitting for half the afternoon, let's have some food soon."
A beautifully crafted octagonal birdcage with inlaid gold and carved decorations hangs by the window in the side room. After a long time, both Little Red and Little Gray have grown quite a bit. A few days ago, Zhu Ling replaced their cage with a new double-layered one, which made them much more spacious.
But Xiao Hong still insisted on sleeping close to Xiao Hui, often pushing Xiao Hui to the edge of the birdcage and ignoring how Xiao Hui pecked at her.
The two birds were cheerful and lovely, and they helped her through countless difficult times, even in ordinary and challenging days.
Whenever she had a spare moment, she would always tease the birds herself. Lin Xu had fed the two birds millet and water that afternoon, so she figured they weren't hungry yet and sat down comfortably.
Soon, steaming hot dishes were served one after another. Usually, Xiao Hong would be especially excited at this time, and would even shout and imitate a few words. But now she was still curled up in one place, not moving at all.
Lin Xu took a sip of the medicinal food and felt a bitter taste in his throat. He quickly took the plum preserves that Zhu Ling handed him, chewed them carefully, and then felt much better.
She gently wiped her mouth, glanced at the birdcage again, and suddenly an idea struck her.
Something is clearly wrong.
The usually lively Xiao Hong was unusually dejected today, her eyes were closed, and even the tuft of red hair on her head seemed to have lost its luster.
Lin Xu moved closer and held the usually calm and quiet Little Grey in his palm, only to find that it looked listless and weak.
Both birds seemed to be sick and lifeless.
Zhu Ling, who was serving nearby, saw Lin Xu's anxiety and quickly examined his birdcage as well:
"Madam practiced calligraphy for a while this afternoon. At that time, the two little ones were clearly full of energy. How come they suddenly collapsed together after only a short while?"
Little Red and Little Gray stayed with her for a long time. Even though she didn't like birds before, and especially disliked the noise of parrots, she was now deeply worried when she suddenly saw the two little creatures suffering so much.
The Dou family does not have their own doctor at home. Now that it is late at night and everyone is quiet, going to a clinic to fetch a doctor would not only disturb others, but also delay things and make them late.
As Lin Xu hesitated, he carefully examined the food box and water container in the birdcage, and his long, sharp eyebrows furrowed even more.
"This water has clearly been tampered with."
When she changed the water in the afternoon, she even played with Xiao Hong for a while in the side room. At that time, the water in the water trough was clear and transparent.
However, the bottom of the water feature appears somewhat murky, with a hint of brown. If one does not observe carefully, it may be mistaken for the color of the water feature itself.
Who would want to harm her birds...? They're just two parrots, why...?
Upon seeing this, Zhu Ling was startled and immediately tried to recall:
“Reporting to Madam, after you had breakfast today, you did not come to this west side room again. Today, the head maid in the detached courtyard was on duty with me and Rongwei. I stayed by your side the whole time, and Rongwei was used to watching the maids near the garden. The study... that side was looked after by Nongyu, but this room... I didn’t pay special attention to it. Perhaps it was after Madam finished feeding the birds that that person sneaked in and did something.”
Granny Qin, being older and more composed, said with a displeased expression:
"If the water was indeed tampered with, then it must be someone close to the Madam in this separate courtyard who could sneak into this room undetected and poison the birdcage. But whoever did it, to have such a vicious mind and dare to do such a despicable thing right under the Madam's nose!"
Lin Xu glanced at Little Gray in his palm; it still looked desolate and was trembling slightly, as if it were suffering greatly.
The person who could enter this west side room so easily... isn't that someone from her other courtyard?
She tenderly put Little Grey back into the birdcage and said to Granny Qin and Rongwei:
"Send Zhou Qi to find the clinics that are still open. Make sure to find out what's in the water. I want Xiao Hong and Xiao Hui to live well."
As soon as the group carried the huge birdcage away, Lin Xu lowered his eyelids slightly, a look of utter impatience flashing across his face.
"If they dare to tamper with my parrot today, they'll dare to poison my medicine tomorrow! Zhuling, go and find out exactly who came in here this evening, and who couldn't resist tampering with it!"
She was so annoyed that she unconsciously spoke a little harsher.
Zhu Ling dared not delay and hurriedly retreated. Lin Xu looked at the table full of food and lost his appetite. He felt a cold breeze seeping in and his body was covered in chill.
Perhaps Zhu Ling hadn't put the curtain down properly when she left, because when she turned around, she saw a tall figure standing on the threshold, completely silent, which was why she hadn't noticed him for so long.
The night wind howled incessantly, and with the door wide open, the wind seemed to grow even stronger.
The newcomer wore a pale white robe trimmed with cloud patterns, which swayed in the wind. He was tall and slender, but his posture was exceptionally steady, like an unyielding pine tree in the forest.
It clearly possesses a pure and lustrous appearance.
However, the strong smell of alcohol mixed with the cool breeze that wafted into the room seemed particularly eerie.
He was clearly drunk.
Lin Xu smiled gently and said, "Why is my husband standing there so blankly? Have you had dinner yet...?"
Dou Yanxun stood motionless, his eyes cold and unyielding, his gaze sweeping over her relentlessly.
Although spring was over, the night wind was still chilly. She was dressed in thin clothes, and as soon as she opened her mouth to face the wind, she felt her breath catch and couldn't help but cough.
Dou Yanxun stepped forward, getting closer to her. The smell of alcohol that had been present earlier became even stronger, surrounding Lin Xu and lingering there.
How much alcohol did he drink?
Lin Xu covered her mouth with the handkerchief she was wearing, then looked up and met Dou Yanxun's eyes. His gaze made her freeze for no reason.
It was a gaze she had never seen on him before—an undisguised aggression and ferocity, tinged with a hint of pity that she couldn't quite explain.
Before she could think it through, she suddenly felt him gripping her shoulders tightly, and in an instant, the world spun around her.
Dou Yanxun scooped her up in his arms, ignoring Lin Xu's attempts to stop him, and quickly carried her out of the side room. She nestled on his shoulder, watching as Dou Yanxun headed straight for the main palace, kicking open the still-closed door with a loud crash.
He used an unknown amount of force to kick over both white jade flowerpots placed behind the door.
With a jarring sound of porcelain shards shattering, all the servants in the courtyard were startled and rushed over, but they were too frightened to utter a sound because they rarely saw Dou Yanxun in such a state.
"My husband..."
Lin Xu's heart was pounding like a drum. She didn't care about anything else and tried to push him away, but Dou Yanxun tightened his grip, making it impossible for her to break free.
Zhu Ling and Qing Mo rushed over upon hearing the commotion, only to be startled by the scene before them. They tried to comfort Dou Yanxun with great care, but he ignored them without hesitation.
He slammed the palace doors shut, shutting out all the pleas and gentle words of comfort.
Only he and Lin Xu remained in the room.
"My lord...did you have dinner with your colleagues tonight? If you're not feeling well, perhaps you should go earlier..."
Before she could even utter the word "rest," Lin Xu felt those large, warm hands gradually loosen their grip on her waist.
Then she was gently and slowly put down.
After being off the ground for a moment, she felt a little dizzy. The feeling of her feet firmly planted on the ground again was wonderful. However, her joy was short-lived, as she saw that Dou Yanxun was still looking at her coldly.
It was a completely unfamiliar look in their eyes.
Lin Xu felt that Dou Yanxun was drunk tonight, and his expression seemed to suggest that he wanted to skin her alive and eat her.
He had never been so out of control before.
Before he could even think about the reason, Dou Yanxun pulled out a sapphire blue object from inside his slanted shirt.
It looks more like a soft object shaped like a sachet.
Dou Yanxun gripped the sachet he had taken out of his pocket tightly in his hand, his fingertips turning white from the force. Lin Xu opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to do.
He was no more than half a foot away from her, and she could clearly see the almost burning red blood vessels in his eyes, as well as the bulging veins on his forehead.
He used to appear as a refined and elegant nobleman in public, with eyes that never held a glimpse of spring water, but now he is completely different.
They were clearly no different from the most terrifying demons in purgatory.
He abruptly curved his lips into a smile, the crimson lips against his deathly pale face making the curve all the more startling. It was a smile of utter mockery.
"You're so distressed and saddened that you've lost just two birds you kept for amusement? Is it because he was the one who gave them to you?"
Lin Xu stood there, stunned.
But Dou Yanxun's smile grew even more unrestrained and unbridled.
"—Just like this sachet in my hand?"
The royal blue sachet, embroidered with kingfisher feathers and depicting two lifelike birds soaring through the heavens, was originally a gift Liang Zhengyuan sent to her along with a letter a few months after his first enlistment in the army.
She had only been married into the Dou family for a short time when she received the letter. She was overjoyed, but she carefully put the sachet and the letter away together in a pear-blossom yellow makeup box that came with her dowry. She placed it in the study along with the account book and other valuables.
Before she knew it, he had discovered her.
However, after a quick thought, Lin Xu gave a self-deprecating laugh.
The study... Nongyu... So Nongyu was his person from the very beginning... No wonder...
No wonder Granny Chang secretly made things difficult for him. She arranged for Nongyu to live with Zhuling, hoping to find out about the old affairs of the mansion. Perhaps it was at that time that Nongyu kept leaking all the information to him, which is why he found out about Granny Chang's affairs so quickly.
A thin layer of coldness surfaced in Lin Xu's eyes. So today...
"...You actually sent her to poison my two parrots...How could you be so heartless!"
Dou Yanxun flung the sachet away and then grabbed her wrist tightly.
"Are you blaming me for ruining the gift he gave you?!"
She was furious and wanted nothing more than to push him away, but he saw through her thoughts.
The next moment, he picked her up again and carried her to the bedside in a few steps, wrapping her tightly in his arms within the layers of pink curtains.
"Dou Yanxun!"
She was terrified. In her desperation, she shouted his name with all her might, but when she opened her mouth again, no sound came out except for a soft sob.
Lin Xu's eyes widened, and all she could see were two flames burning fiercely in his eyes, slowly approaching her. Behind her was an incredibly soft bed, covered in luxurious crimson silk, yet it transformed into an impenetrable wall.
She was left with nowhere to retreat, nowhere to escape...
A barrage of kisses poured down like a summer night's downpour, leaving her nowhere to hide, weaving a tight, impenetrable net.
She huddled in the net, filled with both hatred and fear, looking into those aggressive peach blossom eyes, losing all her strength.
It looks like the thin layer of floating ice that used to form on the Weihe River when it snowed for the first time in winter.
It makes people incredibly nervous and unsure of what to do.
She stood on tiptoe on the river, but had nowhere to escape, nowhere to land. Even a single step forward, a gentle stomp, would shatter all the ice around her.
Only by being caught off guard, capsizing, and sinking to the deepest, darkest part of the river, slowly drowning until you can no longer breathe...
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