Chapter 4 Brother Tiezhu~ Sister Cuihua~
Chapter 4
You're sick!
Shen Suining was too lazy to waste words with He Hansheng; catching up with Sheng Qingge was the most important thing right now.
She swung her palm at him, but He Hansheng dodged to the side, grabbed her wrist, and with a judo throw, pinned Shen Suining to the snow.
Shen Suining roared in anger, "You have no martial ethics!"
"If you're not as skilled as others, you need to practice more. What kind of ability is it to just be good at talking?"
He Hansheng pinned Shen Suining's arm to the ground, pressed her leg down with his knee, and laughed, "Miss Cuihua, are you willing to admit defeat this time?"
"I'll admit it! Let go of me, my arm is about to break!"
As the saying goes, "A wise man knows when to yield," and Shen Suining, who has always been able to bend and stretch, immediately surrendered.
He Hansheng was satisfied and let go, then stood up and brushed the snow off his body with elegance and ease.
Lying in the snow, Shen Suining sat up and asked irritably, "How did you know it was me? I was clearly disguised."
"I'm not blind or stupid, recognizing someone shouldn't be difficult for me, right?"
Shen Suining grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at him, gritting her teeth, "The effects of your medicine wore off pretty quickly, and you can move now."
"Thanks to Miss Cuihua," He Hansheng smiled and dodged away, "I am in good health and everything is fine."
Shen Suining rolled her eyes at him. "You keep calling me 'Miss Cuihua,' so affectionately. What's your name then?"
“I am…” He Hansheng paused, then slowly uttered three words: “Wang Tiezhu.”
"..." Shen Suining's lips twitched. "This name... is quite unique."
"Where? Not as good as Sister Cuihua, she knows how to have fun."
Feeling a bit cold sitting on the ground, Shen Suining propped herself up on her arms and stood up, patting the snow off her hands. "Well, we've become friends through a fight. Since you're calling me 'little sister,' I might as well give you a heads-up, Brother Tiezhu."
He Hansheng leaned forward slightly, "I'm all ears."
Shen Suining leaned forward, stood on tiptoe, and took a deep breath: "There's poison in the smoke."
He Hansheng: "..."
"That's all. No need to thank me. Just be careful..."
Before he could finish speaking, He Hansheng fell straight forward, creating a huge human-shaped crater in the snow.
"..." Shen Suining patted her forehead and gave an awkward smile: "Too late."
At this moment, Shen Fengyu, carrying Jiang Yuchu who was also unconscious from the poison, stood panting at the entrance of the inn.
...
He Hansheng woke up again in the middle of the night.
He lay on the wooden couch in the inn, the candle beside him long since burned out, the charcoal crackling and casting a faint light. A window was open, and the door was ajar. Jiang Yuchu lay beside him, still unconscious.
He Hansheng took a deep breath, got up, scooped up a cup of water, and splashed it on Jiang Yuchu's face.
"..." Jiang Yuchu opened her eyes blankly, her eyes clear and confused.
"I'm up."
Jiang Yuchu suddenly sat up and knelt on one knee, saying, "This subordinate deserves to die."
"It's alright."
He Hansheng suppressed his anger, annoyed that he had fallen into one trap after another, wasting time for nothing.
Jiang Yuchu then stood up.
He fell off his horse when he fainted, and he's limping now, but fortunately he's not seriously injured.
"Young master, there's something here." After Jiang Yuchu lit the lamp, he saw something wrapped in a handkerchief on the table with the words "antidote" scrawled on it.
Jiang Yuchu hesitated, not daring to open it, and turned to ask He Hansheng, "Young Master, what do you think..."
He Hansheng didn't speak, but raised his hand and waved it open, revealing some dark herbal residue inside. Apart from its unappealing appearance, it seemed normal.
Jiang Yuchu stepped forward, crushed some of the dregs in her palm, and tasted them. "Young master, this is not poisonous."
He Hansheng walked to the table, pulled out the handkerchief and examined it from all angles, but found nothing else suspicious.
The only thing drawn on the back of the handkerchief was an eye-rolling emoji and four large characters: Believe it or not.
He Hansheng: "..."
"Let's put it away first." He Hansheng clenched the handkerchief in his palm and noticed that there were also words written on the side of the charcoal brazier: three catties of charcoal, eight coins.
He looked around and discovered that there were far more writings than those.
Tea costs two qian (approximately 6.5 grams) and one wen (approximately 0.5 grams).
Fifty catties of horse grass, two coins.
One guest room, 300 coins.
The waiter's caregiver costs ten coins...
"I was just in the bathroom, and you two are finally awake." The waiter came in yawning. "Which one of you will come with me to settle the bill? I need to go to sleep after that, I'm so sleepy."
"Bill, please?"
"Yes, those two left in a hurry without paying a single penny. They just told me to carry you back to your room and keep an eye on you. They said they'd charge you when you woke up, including the room fee and the tables and chairs you damaged during the fight. In total... I'll give you one tael of silver," the waiter, who hadn't slept, said impatiently, reaching out his hand. "Who's paying?"
He Hansheng: "..."
...
Three days later.
Shen Fengyu came to Miaoyin Pavilion early in the morning to find someone. The manager, who knew the way well, led her directly to a room in the corner.
Inside the room, Shen Suining, dressed as a man, was joking and laughing with four or five girls. The girls took turns feeding her wine, and she treated them all equally, making sure they all drank it without hesitation.
She changed her face to a handsome one, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, plus a naturally superior high nose bridge. Surprisingly, she looked perfectly natural as a man. And her affectionate peach blossom eyes, paired with her flirtatious words, instantly captivated people.
Shen Fengyu sighed, wondering where this girl got her flirtatious nature from.
"Oh, you're here so early today." When Shen Suining saw Shen Fengyu arrive, he released the girl from his arms. The girl immediately looked aggrieved, which made Shen Suining laugh. He opened his mouth and ate a segment of orange that the girl fed him, and coaxed her softly, "I'll find you later, be good."
Shen Fengyu got goosebumps all over her body from watching.
After seeing everyone off, Shen Suining finally couldn't help but reveal her true nature. She grabbed the teapot and gulped down several mouthfuls, exclaiming, "It's so fragrant, so incredibly fragrant! Each of the five of them has its own unique aroma. I'm almost choking on it!"
"If someone wanted to poison you, they could kill you instantly."
Shen Fengyu glanced at him disdainfully, silently opened the window, and casually tossed a handful of herbs to remove the odor into the charcoal brazier.
Shen Suining rinsed her mouth with tea to get rid of the smell of alcohol, and didn't say anything, her eyes fixed on Shen Fengyu.
Shen Fengyu immediately understood and sat down in front of her. "I've found out everything. Sheng Qingge did come to this town. She was injured on her escape and wanted to lay low for a while, but her reputation as the most beautiful woman in Jiangnan was too great. Even though she had received favors from Wan Hua Lou before, the girls in this town didn't dare to take her in. So she didn't stay here for long and instead fled to Suzhou for her life without stopping."
"Given her current situation, would anyone in Suzhou dare to take her in?" Shen Suining spat out the tea in her mouth and frowned slightly. "No, Suzhou... could it be that she's going to Qianchunfang to find Song Sanniang?"
“If she goes to Suzhou, Qianchunfang might be her only chance to survive. After all, there are several groups of people hunting her down, and she doesn’t trust us,” Shen Fengyu paused, somewhat hesitant, “but…would she easily trust Song San Niang?”
Shen Suining pressed her temples, feeling a buzzing in her head.
She tried to calm herself down. "The girl from Miaoyin Pavilion said that before coming to Jiangnan, Sheng Qingge had stayed in Huadu for a period of time and had an ambiguous relationship with the current emperor's son-in-law."
"That's explosive!" Shen Fengyu's gossip instincts were burning brightly, and she immediately asked, "Which princess's husband is he? How dare he cuckold even the emperor's daughter?"
"It seems to be... Princess Biyue?"
Shen Suining was somewhat uncertain.
Matters involving powerful figures in the court are all off-limits to Shuyu Manor. Shen Suining had only overheard someone talking about it and didn't pursue the matter further. If the person who wanted to kill Sheng Qingge was indeed from the court, then she would simply return home.
The two of them figured they had gathered enough information to proceed, and it was time to plan their next move.
“Let’s get down to business first,” Shen Fengyu said, expertly pulling out an account book from her pocket and counting on her fingers. “In these three days, besides the money you spent at Miaoyin Pavilion, I also went to three teahouses, two restaurants, five inns, and countless small stalls on the streets and alleys. It took a lot of effort. You can’t put all these expenses on my tab, can you? And our next destination is Qianchunfang in Suzhou, which is a notorious den of iniquity. Song San Niang won’t give you face, so you’d better plan ahead and give me some money.”
Shen Suining's face immediately darkened, and she slapped Shen Fengyu's hand back, "No money, not a single penny."
"I'm telling you," Shen Fengyu said with a laugh, "as the young master, can you please stop being so stingy? I'm ashamed of you when we're out in public."
Shen Suining sneered and grabbed a handful of melon seeds. "Easy for you to say. The higher-ups don't pay me. I have to support myself. Do you think it's easy for me to earn money?"
"To be more precise, it's 'deception'."
Shen Suining was so angry that she stopped eating her melon seeds and threw the plate at them.
Shen Fengyu smiled and reached out to block the melon seeds, which scattered all over the ground.
But jokes aside, if you really go to Suzhou, the cost of accommodation, travel expenses, food, and other unforeseen expenses that may arise during the mission will not be a small amount, so you really have to be careful with your money.
"Hey, Feng Yu," Shen Suining said, gesturing towards the window with a smile, "You'll be rich soon."
Shen Fengyu looked over and saw two familiar... suckers walking by downstairs outside the window.
...
He Hansheng and Jiang Yuchu walked down the street, completely unaware that they had become lambs to the slaughter.
"Young Master, I have inquired along the way and confirmed that Sheng Qingge came to this town two days ago, and it seems that she is... injured." Jiang Yuchu told He Hansheng everything she had learned.
The weather has been bad lately, with snow falling on and off for two days. The roads in the suburbs are covered with a thick layer of ice, making it difficult for vehicles to travel.
Jiang Yuchu thought for a moment, "Young Master, please forgive my bluntness, but Sheng Qingge was injured, which must have been due to a conflict with other forces pursuing her. Therefore, she may find it difficult to trust us. I think, perhaps..."
Halfway through their conversation, the two noticed someone behind them and instantly became alert.
Jiang Yuchu turned around and stood in front of He Hansheng, asking in a deep voice, "Who is it?"
He Hansheng slowly turned his head and saw Shen Suining, who had changed back into women's clothing and was wrapped up very tightly, running over while lifting her dress, calling out sweetly, "Brother Tiezhu~"
Jiang Yuchu: "?"
Shen Fengyu: "?"
Even Shen Fengyu, who was used to similar scenes, almost stumbled.
Jiang Yuchu looked at Shen Suining incredulously, then at her young master, her voice trembling, "Iron... what?"
He Hansheng, the person involved, remained calm and nodded in response: "Sister Cuihua."
Shen Fengyu and Jiang Yuchu: "..."
Although the two did not understand, they were still silently worried about their young master's mental state.
Shen Suining jogged up to He Hansheng. Because the road was slippery, she took the opportunity to support He Hansheng's arm and held on tightly. She smiled and whispered in his ear, "I have a business deal I'd like to do with you, brother. What do you think, Brother Tiezhu?"
"Oh?" He Hansheng's eyes were full of vigilance, but he smiled in agreement. "Tell me about it, Sister Cuihua."
"Regarding Sheng Qingge's whereabouts and her next move," Shen Suining held up three fingers, gesturing wildly, "three ingots of gold."
He Hansheng: "..."
“Sister Cuihua,” He Hansheng said through gritted teeth and a smile, “three ingots of gold, why don’t you just rob me?”
A note from the author:
----------------------
[Mini Theater]
Author: Please describe Shen Suining in one sentence
Shen Suining: Highly skilled in martial arts and as beautiful as a flower~
Author's note: No self-praise allowed!
Shen Fengyu: I spent a lot of money very frugally [heartbroken]
Jiang Yuchu: She has beauty, and she has money, thanks to my young master.
He Hansheng: My wife is the best!
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