Chapter 48 [VIP]
Chapter Summary: Ayu.
“Little Jade, how much time has passed? Your master should be back by now, having gone from Guizhou to Wanjiang Mountain,” Cui Hong said to Ayu while picking through the beans.
Ayu was sitting in the courtyard doing needlework. In fact, she had thought about this problem a few days ago. It wasn't the first time she had gone to Wanjiang Mountain with Shenghua, and she knew how long the journey would take.
"Your master hasn't forgotten you, has he?" Cui Hong asked cautiously in a soft voice.
"Mother, what are you saying?" Ayu said, somewhat annoyed by Cui Hong's words. She couldn't concentrate on her needlework either. After embroidering for a while, she put down her needle and thread and said, "Father's medicine is almost gone. I'll go to the pharmacy to get some more."
"Okay." Cui Hong knew that A Yu was unhappy, and replied in a low voice.
Ayu put away her needle and thread, stood up and went out. The market was crowded. Ayu had been taking care of her father at home for many days and had not been to the market for a while. She went straight into the pharmacy.
What would you like, young lady?
Ayu took out a prescription from her bosom and handed it to the waiter: "Make the medicine according to this prescription."
"Alright, please wait a moment, miss." The waiter replied, taking the prescription to get the medicine. After a while, he turned back and said to Ayu, "Miss, the price of this Pinellia has gone up."
"Price increase? Why did the price suddenly increase? I came to get my medicine a few days ago and it's still not there," Ayu asked in surprise.
"Young lady, you don't know?" the waiter asked in a low voice, frowning.
Ayu was a little confused, then heard the waiter say, "A few days ago, a caravan of people was ambushed and killed by bandits at Qian'an Slope outside Guizhou City. I heard that the whole caravan is dead! The government is investigating now and has closed the road for two days. Banxia can't get in from outside the city, and the shop doesn't have much stock, so the price is naturally higher."
"They're all dead!" Ayu exclaimed, her voice rising a little.
"Yes, at first I heard they were all dead, but then I heard that a woodcutter saw bandits forcing a carriage to the cliff at Qian'an Slope. There was a man and a woman alive at first, but they jumped off the cliff." The waiter said mysteriously, "But the cliff at Qian'an Slope is so high, how could anyone survive jumping off!"
"It's such a pity. I heard that the clothes worn by those servants are made of better material than those worn by some wealthy people in Guizhou City."
Hearing the waiter's words, Ayu felt extremely flustered. Suddenly, a bad premonition arose, and she asked, "When did this happen?"
"Just... a couple of days ago, I think?" The waiter replied, puzzled, seeing Ayu's serious expression.
"Where are the bodies and the cart frames?" Ayu asked anxiously.
The waiter was somewhat frightened and stammered, "Of course... of course it's the government office."
Ayu took off running towards the government office, but was stopped by the yamen runners when she arrived.
Who is it?
Ayu's mind raced, and she said with tears welling up in her eyes, "I heard about what happened at Qian'an Slope. My cousin went out with the caravan, and he should have returned a few days ago, but he still hasn't come back!"
She couldn't be sure if it was Yu Jing and the others, and she also had no way to prove her identity, so she could only try to go in and see if it was true before making any decisions.
Upon hearing this, the constable at the gate relented and said, "Come with me."
"Okay, thank you, brother!" Ayu replied, but her heart was in her throat. Judging from the waiter's words, it was very likely that it was Yu Jing and the others. If it really was Yu Jing and the others... she didn't dare to think about it.
After following the constables for a while and turning two corners, they smelled a foul stench, and Ayu felt like vomiting.
Seeing Ayu's appearance, the constable fanned himself and said, "It's been a bit hot these past two days, so a bit of an odor is normal."
Ayu suppressed her nausea and slowly approached. She saw the clothes of the person lying in the hall. They belonged to Yu Jing's attendant. Her mind went blank, and she stood there stunned, not knowing how to react.
The next second, the constables saw the woman who had just been hunched over, seemingly about to vomit, rush into the hall and lift the white sheets covering the corpses one by one. Ayu lifted the white sheets covering all the corpses in the hall, but didn't see Yu Jing, Xiao Ting, or Xie Xuan. While relieved, she became anxious again. The waiter said that a man and a woman had been forced to the edge of Qian'an Slope and jumped off.
The constable followed her in and, seeing that Ayu had lifted all the white cloths, covered her nose and asked, "Is there any?"
After thinking for a while, Ayu turned to the yamen runner and said, "These are the Empress Dowager's carriages and horses. These dead are the Empress Dowager's personal guards. I am the Empress Dowager's personal maid. Because my home is in Guizhou and my father is seriously ill, the Empress Dowager took pity on me and left me in Guizhou to wait for the imperial carriage to return to the capital."
"The Empress Dowager has most likely jumped off the cliff. Her fate is grim. Please inform the Governor and send someone to search for her!" Ayu forced herself to calm down and said these words.
She knew how high the cliff at Qian'an Slope was; falling off that cliff would likely be extremely dangerous!
"The Empress Dowager's imperial carriage?" the constable retorted with a sneer. "If it is the Empress Dowager's imperial carriage, then these people lying here must be masters from the capital and even the entire Beihuai region. If they are masters, how could they not even subdue mere mountain bandits? You claim to be the Empress Dowager's personal maid, but what proof do you have?"
“I…” Ayu was choked and couldn’t speak for a moment.
"Besides, when you came in just now, you said you were here to identify the body. You're talking nonsense and have no proof. Why should I believe you? Furthermore, the cliff at Qian'an Slope is a hundred feet high. If someone falls off, they will surely be smashed to pieces."
Ayu retorted angrily, "The Empress Dowager's fate is uncertain, how can you speak such disrespectful words? If the capital finds out, and His Majesty punishes you, can you bear the consequences?"
"Hmph! Talking nonsense and behaving like a madman, I think you're just here to cause trouble! Guards! Drag him out!" the constable ordered.
“Everything I said is true. When the higher-ups blame us, you will all lose your heads!” Ayu said sternly as she was dragged out.
Ayu stood in front of the government office for a while, feeling that the Guizhou government was unreliable, and she really didn't have any credentials. How easy would it be for her to find Yu Jing at Qian'an Slope all by herself? Thinking this, she quickly ran home.
When Cui Hong saw A Yu running back looking distraught and pale, she quickly asked, "What's wrong? Didn't you go to get medicine?"
"Mother, something has happened to the Empress Dowager. I need to return to the capital."
"Something's happened!" Cui Hong asked, puzzled. "What happened?"
"Mother, I can't explain this to you in a short time. I have to get back to the capital right away."
“It’s too dangerous for a young lady like you to go back alone. Even if something happens, there’s no rush. There are so many merchant caravans coming and going in Guizhou City. I’ll go and inquire, give them some money, and it’ll be safer for you to go to the capital with them.” Cui Hong’s words made sense, and Ayu finally calmed down a little. “Then I’ll go and get the medicine first, and then I’ll pack my things and we can talk about it tomorrow.”
"You look so distracted, I'll go get it." Cui Hong's tone was a little harsh, but there was no hint of blame, only concern.
"Okay," Ayu replied. Although she had been in the palace for a long time and had seen many forms of torture, she was still shaken by what she had witnessed. She had been in a state of panic, but now that she had calmed down, she realized that Yu Jing was most likely dead, and that her body might never be found. Thinking of the days they had spent together in the palace, her nose stung, and tears streamed down her face.
According to the waiter and the yamen runner, everyone who accompanied Yu Jing except for her was dead. Since the government didn't believe her, she was the only one who could bring this news to the capital.
With that thought in mind, Ayu made up her mind that no matter what, she had to bring the news back to the capital as soon as possible!
The rain started after nightfall. Yu Jing was half asleep when she heard the pattering of the rain outside, in bursts. Whether it was the sound of the rain or the fact that she had drunk too much water during the day, she suddenly felt like changing her clothes!
She and Xie Xuan had been here for almost half a month. Due to the rain, the puppet troupe that Li Yun had mentioned was also stranded, delaying their arrival in the village. Yu Jing's wounds were dressed daily, and the magic that the Old Man of the Moon had used on her should still be effective, as Yu Jing felt that her injuries were much better.
She wanted to change her clothes, but she was injured, Xie Xuan was sleeping on the outside, and it was dark outside, unlike the bright light inside the palace. The outhouse was outside, and to get out, she had to go through the courtyard.
She turned her head to look at Xie Xuan, but it was too dark inside the tent to see him clearly. Suddenly, she heard Xie Xuan turn over, their breaths mingling.
Xie Xuan was a light sleeper, and a slight turn of his body had already made him more awake. Noticing that Yu Jing seemed to be awake, he softly called out, "Gui Yi?"
"Do you need to change your clothes?" Xie Xuan then asked.
"Mmm," Yu Jing replied softly.
In the past few nights, she occasionally needed to change her clothes, but tonight, the rain outside seemed quite heavy. Li Yun brought in a chamber pot, but she and Xie Xuan weren't really husband and wife, and she truly couldn't bring herself to change her clothes in front of Xie Xuan!
When Xie Xuan heard Yu Jing respond, he threw off the covers and got up. In an instant, Yu Jing felt the light before her eyes brighten, and the dim, warm candlelight filled the entire room.
"Are you cold? Do you need to put on a coat?" Xie Xuancai had just woken up, his voice still a little hoarse. He looked down at her and asked.
Yu Jing shook her head. Although it had been raining these past two days, it had become much warmer. Seeing that Yu Jing was about to get off the bed, Xie Xuan reached out and lifted the blanket a little to make it easier for Yu Jing to get down.
Yu Jing got off the bed, and Xie Xuan, carrying an umbrella, went out together. The rain outside was heavy, and the moment the door opened, raindrops drifted into the room with the wind. Yu Jing felt a cool sensation on their bodies and hands.
There was only one umbrella in the room, and it was rather small. Xie Xuan held the candlestick and sat under the umbrella with Yu Jing. The space under the umbrella was quite cramped, and the candlelight swayed violently from side to side in the wind. It was because Yu Jing needed to change her clothes that she had troubled Xie Xuan. When Yu Jing saw that Xie Xuan had tilted most of the umbrella towards her, she mustered up her courage and reached out to pull him.
Xie Xuan felt his sleeve being gently tugged, and when he looked down slightly, he heard Yu Jing's voice beside him: "Come closer, don't get wet."
The sound of rain was all around, and her voice was soft and gentle, as if it had been soaked in the rain.
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