Cake Fragrance (Six)
When Gao Hui's sobbing gradually subsided, Gao Qing was able to bend down completely and see Mrs. Gao's appearance clearly - her death was ordinary, but seeing the hairpin tightly grasped in her hand and the bloodstains on her chest, it can be inferred that it was this sharp object that took her life.
Gao Qing was about to take a closer look at Madam Gao's abnormal condition when a strong hand suddenly reached out and gently pushed her away: "What are you doing! How dare you touch Madam Gao's corpse!"
Gao Qing fell to the ground and rubbed his aching buttocks. When he looked up, he saw that it was the housekeeper Liu Tao.
"What happened! How could the Madam die for no reason? How did you take care of her?" Gao Chang's terrible roar as he scolded the servants could be heard across the garden. This accident must have been too much of a blow to Gao Chang, so he scolded them too loudly, causing his voice to become a little hoarse.
And the servants all trembled.
The madam's unjust death was enough to make them panic, and coupled with the master's scolding, they were afraid that their hearts would burst out of their chests.
Seeing that they didn't say a word, Gao Chang walked out angrily, took just one look at Mrs. Gao's body, and left angrily.
What? Your wife is dead, and you don't care?
Gao Qing's eyes narrowed unconsciously as Gao Chang walked away.
She took advantage of Liu Tao's distraction and immediately climbed forward to check Mrs. Gao's clothes.
When Madam Gao's clothes were lifted, she suddenly screamed, "Look! Madam's neck is covered with black veins! This is... This is poisoning!"
Gao Qing's shouting successfully made Liu Tao's gaze return to Mrs. Gao's body, and he hurriedly bent down.
Indeed! Madam Gao's neck was covered with a few faint veins, reflecting a dark purple hue through her paper-white skin.
"You... take another look. Is there anything unusual?" Liu Tao pushed Gao Qing, his expression changing from indifference to flattery.
Mrs. Gao was a girl after all, and even if she was dead, it would not be appropriate for a grown man like him to touch her.
Gao Qing pretended to be stupid and looked at Liu Tao's forced smile, then slowly moved his feet.
As the clothes were carefully opened, Gao Qing glanced at Mrs. Gao's body, and there was nothing unusual in his sight.
Suddenly, her gaze froze, and she lightly lifted Madam Gao's collar, revealing a small red spot on her chest that looked like a bug bite.
She became suspicious and then turned over the skin at Mrs. Gao's cuffs, but there was nothing unusual.
When she put down her sleeves, her eyes glanced at a corner - it seemed that Mrs. Gao was holding something between her fingers.
She was about to take it away when Liu Tao stopped her: "Is there anything else unusual?"
Gao Qing smiled and replied, "No."
"No? Someone, come and get a silver needle!"
While Liu Tao was talking, Gao Qing secretly put the thing between Mrs. Gao's fingers into his own pocket, then stood up with a smile.
There were no flaws throughout the whole process. After all, this is her specialty.
After a while, the silver needle was handed up by the servants.
Liu Tao gently picked up the needle and aimed it at the slightly purple meridian on Mrs. Gao's neck.
His wrist trembled slightly, and the silver needle pierced into it as accurately as a gossamer.
He held his breath and stared at the tail of the silver needle with sharp eyes. He saw a thin trace of blood slowly rising along the needle. When he pulled out the silver needle, the tip of the needle turned black.
Liu Tao shook his hands, threw the silver needle to the ground, and shouted at the servants gathered around him: "Great! How dare you poison my wife! How audacious!"
The servants present were at a loss for a moment, and they all knelt down, demanding justice.
They rose and fell, and soon, bloodstains appeared on their foreheads.
At this moment, a maid suddenly raised her head, her eyes wandering and unfocused.
Liu Tao noticed his strange behavior and pointed a finger at him, scolding him, "You! You! Do you have anything to say?"
The maid's voice trembled immediately, and she kowtowed several times: "Liu... Housekeeper Liu... I have something to say, but I don't know if I should tell you..."
"Hurry up and tell me!"
"Yesterday evening... your servant... your servant..." The maid stuttered, and for some reason, she looked at Gao Qing who was standing in the distance, "Your servant saw her carrying a bowl of porridge to give to the master!"
In an instant, everyone's eyes were focused on Gao Qing's face, and suspicion was as sharp as a knife, which frightened her so much that she was at a loss for what to do.
"You...you're talking nonsense!"
"But... it was indeed the Madam who asked me yesterday to ask Aunt Ma to cook two bowls of porridge, one bowl for the young lady and one bowl for me..." Another maid stood up, and the two of them sang in unison, making it impossible for Gao Qing to explain even if he had eight mouths!
"If I poisoned it, why is it that the bowl that the young lady drank was fine?" Gao Qing blurted out.
"That's your problem!" the maid said logically. "The fact that the young lady is fine means Aunt Ma is clear of suspicion. She had no idea which bowl you would give to the lady and which to the young lady, so she wouldn't poison them. And you, besides Aunt Ma, are the second person to touch these two bowls of porridge, so you're the only one who could have poisoned them!"
At this moment, Aunt Ma, who was originally at the back of the group, immediately squeezed to the front and said, "No..."
But just as she opened her mouth, she was drowned out by the maid's sharp voice: "Don't explain for her, Aunt Ma! I know you have good intentions, but this is not a reason to protect her!"
Then, Aunt Ma's mouth was forcibly stuffed and she was pulled down during a tug of war.
Gao Qing was also left speechless and unable to defend herself by the maids who came out one after another to "testify".
Liu Tao was furious and immediately ordered Gao Qing to be taken away: "Well, you little beggar, we were kind enough to repay you for saving the young lady's life, but you were so cruel as to murder her! Where is your conscience?"
This false accusation made Gao Qing speechless, but even though she tried hard to break free from her bound hands, it was useless due to the disparity in strength.
"It wasn't me! It wasn't me! I didn't poison it! I didn't poison it!"
Watching Gao Qing's figure gradually disappearing into the distance, Gao Hui bit her lip. She couldn't believe it was actually Gao Qing...
Night always falls much earlier in winter than in summer, and with thick clouds and heavy dew, it doesn't take long for darkness to cover the sky.
Although the weather is starting to warm up, it is still dreary.
Gao Qing's clothes were thin and could not withstand the slightest bit of cold. In addition, the dampness accumulated in the small hut over the years forced her to huddle together.
With a sharp creaking noise, the wooden door of the hut opened from the outside, and a thin figure walked in.
"Sister Qing..."
Upon seeing Gao Hui, Gao Qing immediately tried to break free from the chains that bound her, repeatedly clarifying, "It wasn't me! I never did it! Let me out!"
"He is my father. I cannot disobey my father."
"Wouldn't your father ever make mistakes? Wouldn't your father ever wrongly accuse a good person?"
But no matter how forceful Gao Qing's questioning was, Gao Hui just looked at her, with no expression on her face.
It seems that she doesn't believe me either.
Gao Qing's heart sank instantly, and she was disheartened and blurted out angrily: "Yes, I am a rat crossing the street that everyone hates, a filthy thief who does all kinds of evil. So why did you come to me? I was the one who poisoned and killed your mother with my own hands..."
Gao Hui felt distressed when she saw Gao Qing looking so listless.
She hurriedly squatted down, carefully brushing away Gao Qing's hair with her fingertips, and made her feelings clear: "I don't believe it. If you really have evil intentions, why don't you kill me too? Why do you have to do something that will bring you trouble at this time when you are most likely to be criticized?"
People who have lived in darkness for a long time will do everything they can to keep a ray of light, even if it means deceiving others, to make it their own.
The same goes for Gao Qing. She has been used to being hated by everyone, but this is the first time that someone treats her like a treasure and has no other intentions towards her when there is no evidence to prove her innocence.
Gao Hui smiled and wiped away the tears from Gao Qing's eyes with her sleeve, and spoke gently: "Sister Qing... I want to hear your explanation..."
Gao Qing was stunned for a moment, lowered her head and said nothing. She took out a pancake from her arms, broke off a corner and stuffed it into her mouth.
As his teeth rubbed against each other, tears flowed into his eyes. Gao Qing could no longer hold back and took the hard pancake and started to bite it fiercely, making a rustling sound from his nose from time to time.
Gao Hui rubbed Gao Qing's back, took out the water bag from her waist and handed it to her.
After taking the water bag, Gao Qing took a sip, then wiped her mouth to end this "midnight snack". She wiped away her tears, her face dejected, "Even if...even if I told you, what would it matter? Will others believe me?"
"But I will help you! I will help you no matter what!"
"What if I say I did it?"
In an instant, the surroundings were terribly silent, and the only sound lingering in my ears was the rustling sound of the cold wind blowing through the torn window paper outside.
"Sister Qing, you won't lie. Your lies are so fake that even others can't stand it..."
Gao Qing just sneered and turned around to sleep on the straw in the corner.
"I will definitely find someone to help you overturn the verdict." Gao Hui stood up and turned to leave the small hut, "I will definitely..."
"Gao Hui, don't be silly. There is no evidence to prove my innocence right now."
"No, there must be someone who can..."
Although Gao Hui said it casually, she inadvertently enlightened Gao Qing.
Indeed, someone had told her before that if she encountered any difficulties, she could come to her.
Their eyes met, and everything was understood without words.
Then, the freezing wind blew the wooden door shut, and the figure with the cloak fluttering in the night looked like it should be Gao Hui.
---
Xiao Lin and Mu You, who had been busy for a whole day, were already exhausted. They forced themselves to serve tea cups one by one. They were busy for more than four hours before they finally waited until the shop closed. Only then did they get a chance to take a break.
Mu You leaned against the corner of the wall, his hand supporting his forehead, the sweat on his forehead had not yet dried completely.
Xiao Lin chose a bench to sit on, gently kneading his sore calves. His clothes were covered with moisture and dust, his eyes were hazy and he looked exhausted.
After closing, Liuxiangju was eerily quiet, leaving only the sound of a puddle of tea accidentally spilled by a customer, dripping onto the ground along the wood grain of the table.
Xiao Lin was so tired that he didn't have time to think about any trivial matters. He just wanted to sit there for a while and give himself a moment to breathe.
As luck would have it, when the two of them were too tired to speak, Chu Mo came out from the backyard leisurely and stirred up hatred.
He changed into a fur cloak, his body emitting wisps of sandalwood fragrance. He said with a look of concern, "Thank you for your hard work. You are so capable. I really was not wrong about you two."
Normally, when Chu Mo said this, Mu You would have retorted, but today's fatigue turned into tape, firmly sealing the resentment in his heart: "You profiteer, we have been working for more than four hours today, right?"
"Of course." Chu Mo smiled kindly, then changed the subject, "But you already owe me 510 coins. If you work longer hours every day, you can pay me back sooner, right?"
Mu You then muttered, "Workers are really like beasts of burden..."
"Oxen and horses? I quite like this statement." Chu Mo closed the book in his hand and carefully considered what Mu You said. "But you two are definitely not cattle and horses. After all, cattle and horses eat grass to fill their stomachs, but you two eat a pound of my raw meat every day."
"You..." Mu You was choked by him and couldn't say anything back, so he had to give up and let him get bored.
After the bickering, Xiao Lin took a deep breath, then casually placed the rag in his hand on the corner of the table and walked out the door with relaxed steps.
Seeing her move, Mu You quickly straightened up and asked, "Where are you going?"
"Go out and get some fresh air."
"Wait, I'll go too."
Chu Mo didn't stop the two of them, and just let them out onto the street without saying a word.
It was drizzling and night was falling. The bluestone road outside Liuxiangju was shining with a faint luster under the rain.
Mu You trotted to catch up with Xiao Lin, and then walked side by side with her outside the door.
At this time, the crowds on the street were sparse, with only a few people walking by in a hurry, leaving behind a series of light footsteps.
In the distance, there were several shops with matching lanterns hanging on the corners. The two lanterns complemented each other, swaying in the wind, and the mottled light and shadows illuminated the empty road and their companions.
"Oh... When will days like this end..." Mu You used the moonlight to secretly glance at his fingers that were numbed by the cold water, and then pressed them under his armpits to keep warm.
He glanced at Xiao Lin's purple nails from time to time. He wanted to reach out to protect them, but was afraid that she would avoid them, so he could only silently move sideways to block half of his body for her.
Xiao Lin immediately shook his sleeves and tucked his frozen hands into them. "Thinking about having to pay off debts like this every day, I'm getting overwhelmed."
"The key isn't just to do the hard labor. We also have to find Gao Qing and get her to drink her bowl of tea."
Yes, she was busy all day and forgot about this important matter.
As long as they can complete this terrible task as soon as possible and rewrite the endings of the five stories, they can return to their own world as soon as possible and bid farewell to this endless life of hard labor.
But... after wasting so many days, they only managed to meet Gao Qing, not to mention inviting her to drink tea. It was simply a fantasy.
Xiao Lin's heart became even more confused. Mu You noticed her uneasy mind, so he silently moved closer to her.
The two walked as usual, enjoying a moment of peace with anxiety.
But suddenly, a small figure rushed into their sight.
"Excuse me, do you know Xiao Lin?", "Excuse me, do you know Xiao Lin?" - a series of delicate female voices came from the black cloak - but the person's face could not be seen clearly.
The silence of the night made the sound even more distinct, but even though Xiao Lin tried his best to lean forward to see the man's face clearly, he still found nothing.
After a while, Mu You also heard the sound. He tilted his head to look at Xiao Lin beside him, but was surprised to find that she had hidden behind him without him knowing when. "Someone is looking for you."
"I heard it." Xiao Lin grabbed Mu You's sleeve and hid himself deeper in the room. "I don't know who that person is..."
"I don't know him?" Mu You's mind was relatively simple, and he couldn't wrap his head around it for a moment. "Could it be that he's the one you spilled tea on today? Is he here to cause trouble for you now?"
It was unreasonable. Xiao Lin acted like a child who had done something wrong. She hurriedly pulled Mu You back, fearing that the person who was looking for her would see her guilty and embarrassed look.
However, the two were only a few feet away from the person who was looking for someone, and there were no other passers-by in front of them. Therefore, even if they reacted in time, they still could not escape the man's "magic sound".
"Please stay, both of you!"
The voice came very clearly from behind Xiao Lin, and she was so scared that she quickened her pace and was unwilling to turn back.
"The two people in front! Please stay!"
Another sound was heard, followed by the sound of footsteps becoming increasingly clear.
Xiao Lin kept muttering spells like "You can't see me" to himself, with his eyes closed, pushing Mu You away, almost knocking him down.
But she was still a few steps slower, and before she had gone far, the man caught up with her.
He grabbed Xiao Lin's clothes and forced her to stop. The man didn't even have time to bow before asking hurriedly, "Do you two know Xiao Lin?"
How could I not recognize her? It's clearly her that I'm looking for.
At this point, Xiao Lin couldn't refuse any longer, so he had to bite the bullet and ask, "Who... who are you?"
Xiao Lin's fear was clearly written on her face. Mu You could see her embarrassment just from a glance, so he held her behind him and sandwiched himself between the two of them.
The person paused for a moment, then came to his senses and quickly bowed. "I am Gao Hui, a commoner. I mean no harm. I just want to ask you two about someone."
Wait, Gao... Hui? I seem to have seen this name somewhere before.
Mu You frowned and quickly recalled his previous memories, fearing that there might be any mistakes.
Gao Hui, Gao Hui... That's right! He remembered! This name appeared in the play script Chu Mo gave him, along with Gao Qing! The protagonists of the original story were Gao Qing and Gao Hui!
How come they only care about getting close to Gao Qing and forget that Gao Hui is also the person whose ending they want to change?
After regaining consciousness, Mu You's vision became much clearer, and he slowly saw the face that looked exactly like Gao Qing.
After realizing what was happening, Mu You immediately grabbed Gao Hui's shoulders and shouted, "So you are Gao Hui! You look like Gao Qing!"
Xiao Lin didn't react as quickly as Mu You, so he paused. It was not until Mu You pulled Gao Hui to a bright place that Xiao Lin could see her face clearly.
Gao Hui and Gao Qing do look very similar.
Only then did Xiao Lin remember Gao Hui's name and quickly admitted, "I am Xiao Lin, I am Xiao Lin. You came to see me, could it be that Gao Qing was in trouble?"
After searching along the street for a long time, they finally found Xiao Lin's whereabouts. Suddenly, Gao Hui could no longer suppress the sadness and grievance in her heart, and sobbed: "I... I beg you... please save Sister Qing..."
"Save...save Gao Qing?" Xiao Lin stepped forward, confusion written all over his face. "What happened to Gao Qing?"
Gao Hui's eyes were filled with tears, her fingers tightly clutching the cloak she was wearing, trying hard to suppress the sadness in her heart. Her voice was choked, like the broken catkins in spring, as she lightly told the whole story.
After hearing the whole story, Xiao Lin shuddered.
She happened to recall the booklet that Chu Mo had given to her and Mu You. The ending of the original story was that one of them died and the other disappeared. Now it seemed that the turning point might come at this moment.
However, there were only a few scattered words recorded in the booklet, and no details of the whole story were mentioned. Therefore, for Xiao Lin and Mu You, the difficulty was not in rewriting the ending, but in guessing the opportunity for failure of the incident.
Xiao Lin guessed that if no evidence was found, Gao Qing would die unjustly, his loved ones would leave, and Gao Hui would live in seclusion from the world.
No, we can't let them make the same mistake again.
However, although Xiao Lin has figured out the whole story, how can they intervene to turn this drama into another direction?
The next moment, Xiao Lin and Mu You exchanged glances with each other.
Mu You was the first to ask, "What exactly is your father's official position?"
"It seems...it seems to be the Tongpan..."
"Then is there an official in this city who holds a higher rank than him?"
Gao Hui thought about it and shook her head.
This was a difficult situation. Gao Chang was the highest-ranking official here. If he wanted to punish someone, who could challenge his decision? Was he really forced to return to Tianling and summon high-ranking officials from the capital?
Mu You couldn't help but smack his lips.
It was at this crisp sound that Gao Hui suddenly remembered something and quickly added, "Oh, Sister Qing said she wants you to go find the county magistrate. She wants to know everything that happened here, about... why Yun Chong is so different."
Go find the county magistrate?
If Yun Chong's case was a fraud, the county magistrate would undoubtedly bear the brunt of the officials' mutual protection. Going to him? Could it be that he was just trying to trap them?
If that’s the case, why did Gao Qing ask them to go find the county magistrate?
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