Chapter 159 Curiosity Kills the Cat
It's a little cool at night, and the corridors are quiet.
Song Lingyi walked towards the bamboo garden, unaware that someone was silently watching her in the shadow of the corridor.
The candlelight was dim, and at a distance that was neither too far nor too near, the interweaving shadows of light and dark outlined the man's handsome features. He leaned against the pillar, his eyes fixed on the figure in pink.
The girl had dark hair and a well-tailored spring dress that made her fair skin look even whiter. She probably drank some wine at the banquet, and her alcohol tolerance was not good. A closer look revealed that her cheeks were flushed.
The man moved slightly, took two steps outside, seemed to have thought of something, and retreated back to the shadows again.
Hearing that Governor Guo was holding a welcoming banquet at Heming Tower during the day, Lu Qian specially chose to stay there. Just now, when he came out for a walk, he happened to meet Song Lingyi.
If we meet at this moment, it will inevitably make her think too much.
Seeing that she arrived at Huaizhou City safely, Lu Qian felt relieved. He waited until the figure in pink completely disappeared at the end of the corridor before he walked out of the corner and went in the opposite direction.
There was still music and dancing in the bamboo garden.
Song Lingyi returned to the courtyard and glanced around, then saw Wang Sima, who was wandering among the officials and gentry. He had drunk three or two glasses of wine, and his face was flushed purple.
She couldn't help but feel strange. As a local official, Wang Sima was trying to please his superiors, but why did he act so submissive in front of the gentry?
The doubt only lasted for two moments and was immediately thrown out of her mind. After all, she still had to spend her energy dealing with the rich ladies and wives of officials, so she had no time to take care of other things.
At three quarters past midnight, the banquet ended and the horses and carriages dispersed.
The drunken Governor Guo was carried to the side room by several officials, while Sima Wang was lying drunk on the long table and sleeping soundly, snoring like thunder.
In front of Heming Tower.
Song Lingyi stood at the bottom of the stairs when she suddenly felt a chill on her back. She tilted her head to look back, but saw only emptiness. Lanterns swayed under the eaves, candlelight flickered, and there was no other movement.
"Miss Song, what's wrong?" Du Xuan also looked over there.
"nothing."
Perhaps it was just her illusion, Song Lingyi thought to herself, and turned around and said, "Brother Du drank quite a bit tonight. I asked the maid to prepare some hangover soup in advance. You can have a bowl of it when we get back."
"Thank you, Miss Song."
As they were talking, the Song family's carriage drove up from the back alley, and the servants set up stools.
Song Lingyi had an inexplicable bad feeling in her heart. After getting into the car, she opened the window a little, looked around carefully, and made sure that there was nothing unusual before she felt relieved.
In the bamboo garden.
The servant in the building came to clean up the mess and found Wang Sima still lying on the long table. He was startled and hurried over to wake him up:
"Master Wang, Master Wang..."
The man lying on the table had his shoulders trembled, and after waking up from his sleep, he slowly propped himself up, his eyes half open, and saw that all the guests in the courtyard had dispersed. He was not surprised at all, and just smiled embarrassedly at the servant.
"I'm sorry to trouble you."
As he spoke, he staggered to his feet, and the servant hurriedly supported him, "Master Wang, I will call a carriage for you and take you back to the palace."
"No, no." Wang Sima was very easygoing. "My home is not far away. Going out for some fresh air is just right to sober up."
The servant did not insist. After sending the man out of the bamboo garden, he continued to clean the courtyard.
Sima Wang followed the gallery and left through the back door.
The back alley was dark and cold. He leaned against the wall and vomited for a while. The moonlight slanting into the alley cast several human-shaped black shadows on the gray wall, slowly approaching him.
There were subtle footsteps behind him, but Sima Wang didn't react much.
After vomiting, he stood up and wiped the corner of his mouth, saying to himself: "I've asked, the Song family girl has returned to her hometown to worship her parents, and will leave for Beijing in two days. Anyway, our people haven't arrived yet, so it won't be too late to take action after they leave."
"But why did I hear that she was Xiao Mingyi's fiancée?" The person behind him spoke in a hoarse and low voice, with a hint of hostility.
"Would a prince marry an orphan? That's just nonsense. It's fine if he just fooled the ignorant women, but he even fooled you?" Sima Wang snorted and laughed.
"But the man beside her is clearly under the Crown Prince's command. How do you explain this?"
Sima Wang's eyebrows moved slightly, but he remained silent.
"Xiao Mingyi beat us so badly, he must pay the price. And that girl from the Song family is the daughter of the captain who killed over a hundred of our brothers. We must settle both accounts together and never let her leave the city!"
"Alright, whatever you want." Sima Wang yawned. "I have to go back now. I have to go to the government office tomorrow morning."
Hearing his words, the dark-skinned, mustachioed man across from him chuckled and said, "I see you're becoming increasingly adept at your position as Sima. The people in the city have spoken highly of you these past few days."
Sima Wang smiled indifferently, and the burly man continued, "If they knew that the Sima Lord, whom everyone praises, was the killer who slaughtered thousands of people in Danyang County a few years ago, they would be scared to death, right?"
Thinking of such a scene, the strong man couldn't help but reveal a bloodthirsty and excited gleam in his eyes.
Sima Wang's face darkened, his tone cold, "The time has not yet come. You all should behave yourself in the city. If your whereabouts are exposed prematurely and something terrible happens, don't blame me for being merciless."
Dark clouds obscured the moon, and the back alley was completely dark.
Someone seemed to be moving at the entrance of the alley, and the dark shadows quickly scurried away. Wang Sima closed his eyes and staggered out.
Click——
The sound of branches breaking was particularly abrupt in the quiet alley.
"Who!?" Sima Wang turned around suddenly, murderous intent in his eyes.
The dark shadow sticking to the corner of the wall moved slowly, taking very light steps, and suddenly, a cold light appeared.
The dark shadow in the corner barely dodged sideways, and the dagger left a sharp scratch on the wall.
"Little brother, curiosity kills the cat, but eavesdropping can kill you."
Sima Wang was filled with a murderous aura, no longer as humble and friendly as usual.
Lu Qian's eyes flashed, and he quickly took action, slashing towards him with a palm.
The opponent counterattacked and easily resolved it.
Realizing the difference in strength, Lu Qian didn't dare to fight any longer. He raised his foot and kicked him hard, then moved to the side and overturned the empty bamboo poles piled in the alley.
Sima Wang dodged nimbly and when he looked again, there was no one in the alley.
The crackling noise attracted the thugs from Heminglou. He didn't dare to stay for too long and immediately left the alley from the other end.
The dark clouds in the sky dispersed, and when the people from Heming Tower arrived and looked around in the faint moonlight, they found that there was no one in the alley, only a pile of fallen empty bamboo poles.
One of the thugs lazily complained, "Well, it's probably the Night Owl's doing. It's just a waste of time."
The streets are deserted.
Lu Qian walked out of the back alley, not daring to stop for a moment, and ran straight to Song's house.
But the Song residence was patrolled by guards and there were people on duty at the door, so it was obviously impossible for him to enter through the main gate.
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