Chapter 36 He didn't believe in gods or Buddhas, but he believed in Chen Yan!
“Ah Xuan, Ah Xuan”
Seeing that Qi Jingxuan was slumped on the chaise longue like a dead fish and wouldn't respond no matter how she called him, Xu Jinyu reached out and pushed him.
Qi Jingxuan was pondering where the archer might be hiding when his thoughts were interrupted. He could only close his eyes briefly, sit up, and ask, "What's wrong? What do you need me for?"
Xu Jinyu glanced at him and clicked her tongue twice: "You've changed. Before, when I looked for you, you would only ask me where I was going and what I was doing, never why I wanted to see you."
"Now that you're marrying a princess, I, as your brother, can only come to you when I need something."
He pretended to turn around, shaking his head and looking heartbroken: "Since you can't stand me, then I'll leave."
He thought Qi Jingxuan would at least call out to him, but as soon as he turned around, the person behind him lay back on the chaise longue, completely ignoring him.
There were only the two of them in the room at this moment. Unlike when they were outside, Xu Jinyu did not pay attention to his demeanor as the heir of the Marquis of Cheng'an. He rolled his eyes without any regard for his image and kicked the chaise longue.
"Get up and make me some room!"
Qi Jingxuan sat up again and cleared half of the chaise lounge.
Xu Jinyu sat down beside him, took a sip of the tea that the servant had just poured, and then said, "The people sent to Fengyang have returned. Cuiling's younger sister was taken away from her second uncle's house two months ago."
"The other party claimed to be a member of my household, saying that Cuiling had been betrothed to a steward in the household and would be getting married soon. He hoped that her younger sister could attend her wedding banquet and see her off. It just so happened that he was passing through Fengyang on business, so Cuiling asked him to come and pass on a message and take her younger sister to the capital."
"Her sister saw that the man had Cui Ling's token in his hand, and without suspecting anything, she said goodbye to her second uncle and left."
“Her second uncle was worried, so he sent someone to follow them, but that person… that person is now missing, just like Cuiling’s sister. I suspect they have been murdered.”
Qi Jingxuan listened silently without reacting. Seeing this, Xu Jinyu couldn't help but nudge him with her elbow: "This trip was a complete waste of time. We didn't find any useful clues. Aren't you worried?"
in a hurry
Qi Jingxuan twitched the corner of his mouth: "What's the use of being anxious? If I'm not mistaken, the people I sent to Liang Chengji's hometown have returned, haven't they? And they didn't find anything either."
Xu Jinyu choked on her words, then awkwardly touched her nose: "How did you know..."
Liang Chengji was the scholar that Qi Jingxuan had asked to investigate earlier. His home was not as far from the capital as Fengyang. The people sent there returned a couple of days ago, but there were fewer clues there than in Cui Ling's hometown.
Cui Ling's hometown managed to find out that someone had indeed taken her younger sister away, but no one from Liang Chengji's side had contacted his mother and younger brother. The old woman and the young boy were still waiting for Liang Chengji's reply, hoping he could find a way to raise some money to go back and treat his mother's illness.
"The people who bribed Liang Chengji were obviously much more cautious than the people who threatened Cuiling. They only found out about Liang Chengji's family situation in order to bribe and use him, but they had no contact with his hometown, so naturally they had no clues."
"That's why I was too embarrassed to come to you right away. I was thinking of waiting for a reply from Fengyang, but who knew..."
But to everyone's surprise, there was no progress in Fengyang either.
"But don't worry, the person who took Cuiling away has made an appearance in Fengyang. I've already had someone draw a portrait and send it to the government. The local government offices along the route from the capital to Fengyang will thoroughly investigate, and they'll eventually find some clues."
Two living people can't just disappear into thin air like that. As long as we search along the way, we'll surely find some clues.
Qi Jingxuan nodded, his expression remaining unchanged.
Everything was going much as he had predicted, because it had been the same in previous lives.
Although he was confined to the Prince's Palace at that time, news from the outside still managed to get in from time to time.
Before he left the capital, neither his father nor the three judicial departments found any useful clues. Since the incident, he had stayed in the capital for a minimum of about twenty days and a maximum of less than a month.
In other words, at least for the next month, no clues will be found.
As for what happens next...
Of the eight times Qi Jingxuan died, he perished seven times before even reaching his fiefdom, and his fate afterward remains unknown. The only time he safely reached his fiefdom, he died again after only half a month, before the messengers sent to the capital to gather information had even returned from their journey.
It's only been about half a month since the incident. Unless the person behind it does something drastically different from what happened in previous lives, it's likely that we'll still be unable to find any useful clues for the time being, just like before.
"Oh, right," Xu Jinyu suddenly added, "I had someone bring Liang Chengji's mother to the capital for medical treatment, and I also brought his younger brother here."
“Liang Chengji’s mother was a very reasonable person. After she arrived, she noticed that something was wrong with Liang Chengji. After asking him the reason, she used his illness to pressure him to tell me the truth: whether he had been bribed to do something he shouldn’t have done. If he didn’t tell the truth, she would not see a doctor or take his medicine.”
"After being scolded by his mother, Liang Chengji confessed that someone had indeed used his mother and younger brother to coerce and entice him to take the initiative to strike the knife when the Imperial Guards came to drive them away. They promised to find someone to treat his mother's illness after he died, and also guaranteed that his younger brother could come to the capital to study. Even if he didn't graduate, they would arrange a good job for him in the capital to ensure that he would have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of his life."
“Liang Chengji isn’t stupid. Such verbal promises are unreliable. If he dies and the other party doesn’t keep their promise, then he’ll have died in vain. That’s why he didn’t agree at first.”
"But the man threatened that if he didn't agree, even if he raised the money, his mother's illness would not be cured, and his younger brother's life would be in danger. He had no choice but to agree."
When Xu Jinyu brought Liang's mother and son to the capital, she only said that she knew him, admired his talent, and knew that he had a family matter, which happened to be something she could help with, so she lent a hand.
Under these circumstances, it is not an exaggeration to say that Xu Jinyu is a benefactor of the Liang family.
Liang Chengji was both grateful and afraid of him. He was grateful that he had found a good doctor and used good medicine for his mother, but he was also afraid that Liang Chengji wanted to use him to threaten him.
Liang's mother was ill, not blind. She quickly realized that something was wrong with her son, which led to her refusing to seek medical treatment and forcing him to tell the truth.
"Unfortunately, just as I guessed, the person who threatened Liang Chengji was the same person who bribed that merchant to spread rumors about Miss Shen. He also wore a veil, so Liang Chengji could not describe his appearance."
Xu Jinyu sighed.
The investigation has reached this point. One lead has essentially gone cold, while the other has made some progress, but it's unclear when a real breakthrough will occur.
He was usually very patient, but even he was a little dejected at this moment. Qi Jingxuan, on the other hand, seemed to be in no hurry at all. His expression remained unchanged from beginning to end, and he seemed to be more composed than Qi Jingxuan.
"You're amazing," Xu Jinyu laughed. "Having a wife really changes things; you're much more composed than before."
Qi Jingxuan thought to himself that he wasn't just calm; he had expected this all along.
And now he has something more to worry about, which is the assassin.
If we find that assassin, many things will be resolved.
He suddenly turned to look at Xu Jinyu and said, "Can you do me a favor?"
Xu Jinyu had just finished talking and was taking a sip of tea when he suddenly made a move that startled her, nearly causing her to spill the tea on herself.
He quickly steadied his teacup and asked, "What's the matter?"
Qi Jingxuan told Xu Jinyu about his search for a skilled archer with a bluish-black mark on his face. After listening, Xu Jinyu frowned and looked him up and down.
"Last time you asked us to investigate the student with the surname Liang who caused trouble, saying it was because that student looked particularly shifty-eyed, and you suspected something was wrong. This time... what's the reason? Where have you seen this archer before? I've never heard of him before."
"Just tell me if you'll help or not, why ask so many questions?"
Qi Jingxuan said.
He wouldn't have told Xu Jinyu about the archer if he hadn't been unable to find out on his own.
Although A Yuan was sent to him by his father and was said to be quite capable, he hasn't found any useful information in all these days, so he's not that great.
The Marquis of Cheng'an's family has extensive connections in the capital and is also on good terms with several famous generals in the army. Asking them to inquire might help us find out the answer.
In the past, even though Xu Jinyu and Qi Jingxuan were close friends, he would not have agreed to everything, because some things concerned the family and were beyond the control of even the heir apparent.
But now...
Father said they've been forced onto the pirate ship of Prince Jin... no, Prince Ping. If Prince Ping is bad, his family won't fare any better. We should help them as much as we can. Especially regarding what happened at the Spring Banquet, we must find out the truth as soon as possible.
Although he didn't know why Qi Jingxuan suddenly wanted to investigate this person, since it was just looking for someone and not doing anything else, there was no reason to refuse. It was just a matter of giving instructions in a few words.
Xu Jinyu readily agreed. Having nothing else to say to Qi Jingxuan, she rose to take her leave. As she was leaving, she noticed that a small table in his room had been converted into an incense burner, but instead of incense sticks, an orange was stuffed inside the burner.
"Didn't you always say you didn't believe in gods or Buddhas? When did you start setting up an incense table at home?... Shouldn't the incense burner be used to hold incense sticks, and shouldn't the oranges be placed on a plate in front of the incense burner?"
Even if you've never seen a pig run, you've at least eaten pork, right? Who would stuff an orange into an incense burner?
"Wait a minute, where did you get these oranges from at this time of year?"
It's not the season for oranges to ripen right now. Even the last batch of ripe oranges was picked in early spring. To get such good oranges now, they must have been stored in a cellar beforehand. I'm afraid there aren't many to be found in the entire capital.
Xu Jinyu was truly astonished. As she spoke, she walked towards the incense table. At first, she thought the oranges in the incense burner had gotten dusty, but as she got closer, she realized that it wasn't dust at all; it was clearly a character written in ink on it...
He subconsciously reached out to pick it up and take a look, only to see Qi Jingxuan, who had been lying there like a dead fish, suddenly leap over like a firecracker, spreading his arms to block him.
"Don't move! This isn't an orange, it's my heart!"
Xu Jinyu was completely stunned. She looked at him, utterly bewildered, not understanding what he was doing.
If he wasn't mistaken, there was indeed a heart written on the orange.
But why would he write on an orange out of the blue, and why would he say it's his...heart?
Qi Jingxuan was afraid he would touch the orange, so he pushed him away while saying, "This is for the people I want to give it to, you don't understand!"
Xu Jinyu: "...I really don't understand."
I don't want to understand.
He thought Qi Jingxuan had probably gone mad, otherwise why would he be acting so strangely lately?
“Ah Xuan, if you… if you’re in a bad mood, just tell me. I’ll ask Gu San to go with you to cheer you up. If you really want to pray to gods and Buddhas, then we can go find a proper Buddhist temple to pray at, don’t be like this… like this…”
"I'm not crazy!"
Qi Jingxuan could easily understand what he meant, but he couldn't explain it to him.
He couldn't very well say that the incense table was dedicated to Shen Yan, could he?
The mother said that if he wanted Shen Yan to be with him willingly and never be separated from him for the rest of her life, he could only win her over with his sincerity.
For the past two weeks, Qi Jingxuan had been trying to show his sincerity to Shen Yan, but for some reason, he felt that it seemed to have little effect.
Shen Yan increasingly enjoys going out with Li Yaozhi and Gu Niannian, and every time this happens, she claims it's a girls' gathering and doesn't want him to come along.
He was anxious and didn't know what to do. A few days ago, when he returned home, he overheard two passersby saying that they had prayed to Buddha at a temple in the suburbs of Beijing and their wishes had come true. They planned to take some time to go and fulfill their vows soon.
Qi Jingxuan had a sudden inspiration and decided to set up an incense table as soon as he returned home.
He doesn't believe in gods or Buddhas, but he believes in Chen Yan!
Gods and Buddhas cannot save him from death, but Shen Yan can!
As long as Shen Yan doesn't die, he feels he has a 80% chance of not dying either.
If he erected a longevity tablet for her and offered sacrifices to it daily, would it perhaps have even the slightest effect?
With the idea that "if it works, I'll make a profit; if it doesn't, I won't lose anything," he immediately had someone find a longevity plaque, intending to have Shen Yan's name and birth date engraved on it.
The two were already engaged and had exchanged betrothal gifts, so he knew Shen Yan's name and birth date.
But he wasn't the only one in the Prince's mansion. Many servants came and went in the house every day. If others saw this and it got out, it would probably be bad for Shen Yan.
Qi Jingxuan hesitated for a long time before finally giving up the idea. In the end, he did not set up a longevity tablet, but silently recited Shen Yan's name in his heart every time he burned paper money and offered fruits.
To demonstrate his "sincerity," he specially had someone find an orange, wrote the character "heart" on it (using the homonym), and burned paper made of the same type of paper.
Unfortunately, this paper was difficult to make and produced in small quantities. He only had one reamer, so he dared not burn too many, burning only one sheet at a time.
As for why no incense was lit, it was because incense was offered to gods, Buddhas, and the deceased. Shen Yan was a living person, and he felt that lighting incense was unlucky, so he simply put an orange with writing on it into the incense burner, using his own "sincerity" to replace the incense, directly offering a piece of "sincerity" to Shen Yan, hoping that she would receive it.
These were all desperate measures he took, and he couldn't tell Xu Jinyu about them, so he could only push her away: "Alright, if you're alright, hurry back. Remember to help me find that archer."
Xu Jinyu turned to look at him: "You're really not crazy."
Qi Jingxuan glared at him, about to scold him, but Xu Jinyu laughed and broke free from him, running out: "Okay, I know, I'll ask when I get back."
Having said that, and taking advantage of the fact that he was several feet away from Qi Jingxuan and couldn't catch up with him, he added, "Although I don't know who you're worshipping on that altar, the fact that you wrote a heart on an orange with ink means you're worshipping a black heart!"
After saying that, he turned and ran, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Qi Jingxuan was taken aback, then slapped his thigh and hurriedly turned back.
"Someone, someone! Bring me the vermilion brush!"
-----------------------
Author's Note: I'm back! Updates resumed. There will be a random red envelope giveaway in this chapter. Happy New Year and best wishes for the Year of the Dragon!
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
