Chapter 2 When they meet again in the drizzling rain, he is determined to make her pay for it…
He finished speaking and gasped for breath, his rapid voice sounding as if he had been seriously injured.
A knife was practically pressed against her face, who would believe that?
She nodded, feigning great fear, as the lantern's light dissipated with the remaining ashes, leaving only the eerie, thick darkness of the night.
The two seemed to be trapped in wax, and a cold wind blew, freezing them together with their faint breaths.
Fortunately, she could no longer see the blood, and Xue Chan's thoughts began to race again.
Just as the lanterns caught fire, she saw him clutching his lower abdomen, so he must have been injured.
And he was seriously injured.
Seeing that Xue Chan was no longer struggling, the person behind her loosened their grip on her.
Despite feeling dizzy, Xue Chan immediately tilted her head and bumped herself backward. The other person groaned in pain and couldn't help but take two steps back, and the hand holding her loosened considerably.
She quickly pulled out her long hairpin and stabbed it into his neck.
But the other party quickly grabbed her wrist and twisted it downwards, causing Xue Chan a sharp pain. She simply raised her knee and kicked the other party's waist and abdomen wound, then endured the pain and twisted her wrist to stab him in the chest.
When faced with life-or-death situations, people can always unleash an extremely strong will to survive. Xue Chan endured the pain in her wrist and struggled to cut downwards, the long hairpin piercing the flesh of the person's heart.
Swift, efficient, and ruthless.
She was determined to kill him.
Jiang Ce couldn't help but release his grip in pain, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xue Chan had already run out quickly.
He leaped to his feet, grabbed her shoulders, and slammed her to the ground, pressing her down with his knee as she struggled. He held her wrist with one hand and pulled out a long hairpin with the other, tucking it into his clothing.
"You're all smiles on the surface but cruel at heart! Didn't I already tell you I wouldn't kill you!"
"You're talking to a ghost!" Xue Chan ignored the pain and struggled fiercely.
Suddenly, her grip loosened, and the person holding her fell to the ground with a thud.
Xue Chan felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and as she looked up, she heard a voice: "Miss!"
Yun Sheng, holding a vase, knocked the man unconscious.
Xue Chan gasped for breath, leaned against the wall to stand up, and pointed at the person on the ground: "Quick! Quick! Throw him away."
Yun Sheng helped her up: "Where did you throw it?"
Xue Chan shook her head, trying to clear her mind. She retrieved her hairpin, her voice trembling: "Tie him up... and throw him into the back mountain."
Yun Sheng didn't ask any more questions. Under Xue Chan's direction, he tore off the other person's clothes, tied their hands, and then lifted them up.
“Girl, you…”
"Take care of him first, we'll talk about the rest later!" Xue Chan said directly, and immediately stepped forward to support her on both sides as they walked out.
They pushed open the back door, walked through the bamboo forest, found the stone wall Buddha cave, and stood on the hillside.
Xue Chan coldly looked at the person lying on the ground: "Push him down."
Yun Sheng stepped forward to make the move, but then hesitated: "Miss, are we really going to do this? What if he dies?"
Xue Chan forced herself to calm down and raised her head.
It's started raining again.
At first, the rain was fine and soft, but as it fell from the cold night sky, it was condensed into thousands of sharp rain needles by the mountain air.
When it pierces a person's body, it leaves a sharp, numbing sensation.
She wiped the water off her face; it was so cold that her hands were trembling uncontrollably.
In the next instant, she groped in the dark, gently loosened the cloth binding the man's hands, and then kicked him down.
There was a rolling sound, and then silence returned a moment later.
"Who knows who he is? What if he's a notorious bandit or a murderer? Whether he lives or dies is up to fate."
Xue Chan grabbed Yun Sheng's hand, her voice trembling: "Yun Sheng, keep tonight's events to yourself, understand?"
Yun nodded vigorously, repeatedly replying, "I understand, I won't tell."
"Okay..." Xue Chan breathed a sigh of relief, finally unable to hold on any longer and collapsed onto Yun Sheng.
Yun Sheng carried her on his back, all the way back to the meditation room along the same path they had come from.
She first changed Xue Chan's wet clothes, wiped the blood off her hands, and covered her with a blanket. Then she took a lantern and went out, cleaning up the bloodstains and gathering up the drawings.
After finishing everything, Yun Sheng rubbed his aching back.
Why does she feel like she's a murderer?
No, no, no, that person managed to escape Chief Liang's notice, which shows he's incredibly skilled. To carry a knife in the dead of night and take her daughter hostage, he's definitely not a good person.
Yun Sheng tidied himself up, calculated the time, and realized that it would be dawn soon.
The rain kept falling.
The person who was kicked down instinctively grabbed a tree branch, which allowed him to land safely, but he simply didn't have the strength to get up and could only lie on the ground.
Rainwater flowed into the wound on his chest, and his whole body ached.
Jiang Ce groped his way to a Buddhist cave and immediately gritted his teeth and crawled over despite the pain.
Once he was curled up in the Buddha cave and out of the rain, he touched himself to make sure the food in his arms was still there, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Ce thought viciously, "It's best not to meet such a ruthless person again."
When they meet again, he will make her pay for it!
The rain continued to fall until dawn.
Xue Chan and her party set off early in the morning, and by the time they arrived in the capital it was already evening.
The carriage stopped in front of a small house in Zhishu Lane, and someone led Xue Chan inside.
After passing through the corridor, a maid hurriedly called out, "Miss Xue has arrived."
From afar, she saw a figure rushing over and hugging her: "Qiao Niang! I've been waiting for so long."
Xue Chan smiled and put her arm around her: "Here we are."
Before the two could exchange pleasantries, a shout came from behind them.
"Cheng Huaizhu!"
Cheng Huaizhu pretended not to hear and hugged Xue Chan even tighter. The woman stepped forward and poked her forehead, saying, "You really have no manners at all."
Xue Chan curtsied: "I hope my aunt is well."
Madam Zhou glared at her youngest daughter first, then immediately said softly, "It's cold outside, let's go inside and talk."
"good"
As soon as she entered the flower hall, Cheng Huaizhu sat down and complained, "Why did you take so long? I was just about to write you a letter."
Xue Chan looked at her cousin, whom she hadn't seen for several years, and smiled, "Huaizhu, you're still the same as before."
Cheng Huaizhu immediately wanted to complain to her, but Zhou Niangzi stared at her irritably, so she obediently sat down and leaned closer to complain in a low voice.
"Ever since we came to the capital, my mother has been making me learn this and that."
As Zhou Niangzi listened to Cheng Huaizhu's chattering, she was about to say something when her mother stopped her, saying, "Look how happy the two of them are, let's just give the second young lady a day off."
"Qiao Niang is here!"
A cheerful voice came from outside the flower hall. A servant lifted the curtain and a tall, thin man in a long robe walked in.
Madam Zhou stood up and asked, "Have you settled all the accompanying people? Should we invite them to stay for a simple meal?"
Uncle Cheng Ying waved his hand: "They're in a hurry to go to the palace."
When he saw Xue Chan, he smiled and said, "Qiao Niang, you've traveled a long way from Yuchuan to the capital. You must be tired."
Xue Chan felt a warmth in her heart, shook her head and smiled, "Now that I've seen my aunt, uncle and Huaizhu, it's all worth it."
Cheng Ying looked closely at the sixteen-year-old girl: "Sigh, you've grown up so much in the blink of an eye. If your mother were still here..."
Seeing that he was about to mention his deceased younger sister again, which might upset Xue Chan, Madam Zhou immediately interrupted him.
"Alright, Qiao Niang must be exhausted from her journey. It's getting late, let's eat early so she can rest soon. We still have plenty of time to catch up."
Cheng Ying knew she was overly upset and said kindly, "Your aunt is right, let's eat first."
The group enjoyed a pleasant family dinner and talked about many things.
"Is Brother Chenghuai still in good health? Is his leg and foot mobility good?" Cheng Ying asked Old Man Xue again.
Xue Chan replied softly, "It's all good. My father has always been in good health. It's just that his leg ailment is a little painful and itchy on rainy days, but it's nothing serious."
"I heard from my father that my brother Qingpei was transferred to Tongzhou last year, but unfortunately I didn't get to see him."
Cheng Huaizhu smiled and said, "My brother asked me to give you his regards in his letter. He also sent a small gift, which is in my room. I'll get it for you in a bit!"
She would start talking as soon as she found an opportunity, leaving Madam Zhou helpless.
After the meal, the sky grew even darker.
Cheng Ying left first because she had official business to attend to, and Madam Zhou led Xue Chan to the backyard.
"Why don't you stay at Fengqiao Courtyard in Huaizhu? It'll be close by, so you can study and play together often."
Xue Chan smiled and said, "Okay, thank you, Aunt."
The group entered Cheng Huaizhu's courtyard, where Lin Mama led two maids in.
Madam Zhou said, "I noticed you only brought one maid with you to the capital, and the other two are a cook and a page. That's not enough. These two are Chu Tao and Ying Yue. They can stay with you from now on."
Xue Chan first stood up and bowed, then looked at the two maids.
One is round and cute, the other is delicate and handsome.
She asked, "You guys..."
The plump and lovely girl smiled first and said, "Chu Tao greets Miss Xue."
Xue Chan nodded, "Then the other one is Yingyue."
Both of them sized up Xue Chan, who seemed quite gentle.
Lady Zhou continued, "It seems that Her Majesty will soon summon you to the palace. Her Majesty previously instructed Huaizhu to teach her etiquette, so you should also learn etiquette in preparation for entering the palace."
The two sat facing each other, and Madam Zhou carefully recounted some of the situation of the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion: "The old Marquis of Wu'an's mansion has passed away, and now only Old Madam Qi remains among the elders. She and the old Marquis had three sons and one daughter: the eldest son is Marquis of Wu'an, the second daughter is Empress Jiang, and the third son is General Zhaoyu."
"These three are all gone, as you know."
Xue Chan: "I know, now only the four sons are left to guard the western border."
Madam Zhou nodded and continued, "This Jiang Silang has a daughter who is seven years old. The current Marquis of Wu'an is the only son of Jiang Dalang and Madam Fang. He is now married to the fourth daughter of Grand Tutor Zheng. And the only son of General Zhaoyu is the one you are engaged to."
"Are you clear about everything?"
Xue Chan said seriously, "I know everything my aunt said."
Seeing that it was getting late and Cheng Huaizhu was already dozing off, Madam Zhou said, "I'll tell you the rest another day. It's getting late, go to sleep."
After saying that, she got up.
Seeing her leave, Cheng Huaizhu immediately stood up and smiled as she saw her off, saying, "Take care, Mother."
Madam Zhou warned her ruthlessly: "Qiao Niang has traveled a long way, don't make a scene until late at night."
Cheng Huaizhu smiled and pushed her out the door: "Don't worry, don't worry."
As soon as the door closed, she immediately reverted to her original form, stuffing all the trinkets she had collected into Xue Chan's arms, and then took out a box of incense.
"Your maid said you haven't been sleeping well these past two days. This was made and sent to me by Miss Xiao from the Marquis of Mingyi's mansion. It smells nice and has a calming effect."
Xue Chan looked down at her arms, which were already stuffed full, and couldn't help but pull Cheng Huaizhu, who was about to put her things down, saying, "Okay, I can't put any more in."
Yun Sheng stepped forward and took the things from Xue Chan's arms.
The two sat on the daybed, looking at the fish kept in the small tank.
"Where did you get this fish? It's more refined than the ones sold in the market."
Cheng Huaizhu leaned on the small table: "A friend gave it to me during the Qixi Festival this year, and I think it's pretty too."
Xue Chan smiled and said, "Your friend is quite clever."
Cheng Huaizhu smiled.
After a while, Xue Chan yawned.
"Let's go to sleep if we're tired."
The two snuggled together like they did when they were children. Cheng Huaizhu rolled over and lay down next to Xue Chan: "My mother just talked a lot, but she didn't mention anything important."
Xue Chan yawned: "What important thing is it?"
"Of course it's your fiancé!"
Didn't you already say that in your letter?
Xue Chan wiped away her tears and began to recall what Cheng Huaizhu had mentioned in his pre-wedding marriage letter.
"It's just that he's good-looking and has an arrogant personality. He's either beaten up the third son of the Imperial Censor Zhang's family or beaten up the son of Vice Minister Li so badly that he couldn't get out of bed. Until four years ago, I don't know what happened, but he actually injured the Prince of Ning's heir in the palace."
Cheng Huaizhu: "Yes, yes, after His Majesty gave him thirty strokes of the cane, he also summoned the young marquis to the palace to reprimand him. I heard that the young marquis looked unwell when he came out of the palace, and regardless of his still-healing injuries, he was bound and sent out of the capital overnight."
"At that time, it was only a few days before the New Year, and it was snowing heavily and freezing cold. They still managed to send him all the way to the Northeast."
How do you know so much?
"I heard that."
Xue Chan smiled and said, "Huaizhu, rumors are not to be believed."
Cheng Huaizhu lay back down: "Okay."
A short while later, she sighed.
Xue Chan laughed at her: "It's my wedding, not yours, why are you sighing?"
Cheng Huaizhu muttered, "It's because of your marriage that I'm not very happy. I don't think this marriage is good."
"What's wrong?"
"It's just not good," Cheng Huaizhu said in a muffled voice.
Hearing her muttering to herself in a low voice, Xue Chan couldn't help but laugh and squeezed her hand: "Is he really as bad as you say?"
Cheng Huaizhu thought for a moment and said, "Actually, it's not that... To be honest, he comes from a good family, is good-looking, and should have made quite a few achievements after going to Liangzhou. Well, I guess it's alright."
Xue Chan chuckled softly, "If everything's fine, why are you still sighing?"
“I don’t want you to marry him at all.” Cheng Huaizhu said dejectedly, “Even if he’s a good person, I still don’t want you to marry him. I’m not happy no matter who you marry.”
Xue Chan comforted her, "The wedding date hasn't even been set yet, there's still a long way to go."
Cheng Huaizhu: "That's right, let's go to sleep. I'll play with you properly tomorrow."
"Okay..." Xue Chan was so sleepy that she closed her eyes and fell asleep, but she still turned over restlessly.
The person beside her groped around in the darkness for a moment, found Xue Chan's hand, and held it tightly. She whispered, "Don't be afraid, I'm here..."
The girl's hands were warm and soft, soothing her heart, which had been tense since last night.
Perhaps she was too tired, Xue Chan started dreaming again.
In my dream, the sky was a deep blue, the autumn light was soft and gentle, and the osmanthus tree in the courtyard was showering down a shower of osmanthus blossoms.
The delicate flowers swirled and landed on the rice paper, sinking into the ink that had just been applied and was still wet.
The child drew carefully, and the pale osmanthus flowers came to life on the paper.
It's so vivid; you can smell its sweet fragrance when the wind blows.
A young woman sat beside her, gently pointing and drawing. She lowered her head, a smile playing on her lips.
The child put down his pen and asked her, "Mother, do you think my drawing is good? Can I embroider this on my clothes?"
The woman looked at it carefully and smiled, "Of course it's good! Qiao Niang's painting is the best."
Xue Chan hugged her waist, nestled in her warm embrace, and said with a hint of grievance, "Mother, I don't want to leave."
But she heard no reply, and even the sweet fragrance that lingered around her nose disappeared.
Suddenly, the sky darkened.
Drip, drip, is it raining?
Xue Chan looked up, and a wave of cold water vapor hit her face.
A tall, shadowy figure stood at the dark corner, the hand holding the knife raised, blood dripping down the blade, the blood washed away by the rain, staining her skirt red.
She trembled as the man's sticky blood covered her neck.
The cold blade sliced through her neck, and hot blood gushed out.
The lantern fell from her hand and suddenly burst into flames.
Whether it was the firelight that ignited her clothes, or the gushing blood that was too hot, Xue Chan felt as if her whole body was on fire, with only the blazing flames before her eyes.
There were many sounds, but they were too chaotic for her to hear clearly.
Amidst the cacophony of voices, Xue Chan recognized Cheng Huaizhu's anxious call for her.
"Qiao Niang!"
"It's so hot! How did it suddenly start burning?"
ah……
It turns out she was sick, not dead.
A note from the author:
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