Chapter 48: Night at the Divine Marquis's Mansion
The back alley of the Divine Marquis's Mansion appears even more solemn and desolate than the main street.
Night enveloped the entire mansion in a gray silence. The towering brick walls revealed a dark blue hue etched by time, exuding a solemnity akin to the laws of the land, standing tall in Bianjing and casting shadows. Yet, these shadows were also shadows of protection, unlike anywhere else in Bianjing. Walking here evoked a sense of awe, while only those with ill intentions would show displeasure and hastily depart.
Guarding the back gate were two towering figures, dressed in dark blue-black official uniforms, with standard-issue longswords at their waists. Their eyes scanned the night, alert to any unusual movement. As soon as the carriage entered the quiet alley, the two longswords were immediately drawn, their blades flashing coldly, aimed directly at the front of the carriage.
"Halt. This is the heavily guarded area of the Divine Marquis's Mansion. Unauthorized personnel, please leave immediately!"
Without a word, Shaman got out of the carriage and, following Xie Huailing's instructions, first revealed a brass token with swirling cloud patterns and the faintly visible character "Su" within—the token of the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion. Immediately afterward, she swiftly retrieved another item from her bosom—a waist token Xie Huailing had pulled from Li Xunhuan's blood-soaked robes. The jade-like token, warm and lustrous, was clearly visible even amidst the bloodstains, bearing the inscription "Li Garden."
“Miss Xie from Jinfeng Xiyu Tower, accompanied by Li Xunhuan, grandson of Grand Tutor Li, requests an audience with the Ruthless Chief Constable.” Shaman’s voice was low and urgent, “Young Master Li has been attacked by villains and is on the verge of death. He needs immediate medical attention. Please inform the Ruthless Chief Constable immediately, or it will be too late.”
Her words were focused on Li Xunhuan, and she explained her purpose and identity in a few words. Although she put the names of "Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion" and Xie Huailing in the position of the one seeking help, she showed no pleading attitude despite her urgency.
The guards' gazes fell upon the two tokens in Shaman's hand, each representing a completely different weight. Especially upon seeing the "Li Yuan" mark and the young man, barely alive and covered in blood, behind the hanging carriage curtain, their wariness instantly turned to horror. The two exchanged a glance, both understanding that time was of the essence. One of them pounded heavily on a special mechanism beside the gate, sending a short, sharp message into the Divine Marquis's mansion. The other took the token, immediately pushed open the door, and rushed in, his footsteps echoing as he fled.
The wait was only a moment, but it felt exceptionally long under the influence of the cold night air and the strong smell of blood.
Xie Huailing also got off the carriage and stood quietly, her figure as slender as a willow in the snow, seemingly fragile and delicate. Her outer garment was torn into several strips of white cloth, which she used to bandage Li Xunhuan inside the carriage, stopping the bleeding from his wound.
The heavy door was pulled open again from the inside with a dull creak. The guard who had gone in earlier stepped aside and said in a deep voice, "The Chief Constable requests your presence. Please follow me, all three of you."
Stepping into the Divine Marquis's Mansion, the scene was not the ornate architecture and secluded courtyards one might have imagined. There were no ostentatious plants or leisurely pavilions; instead, a winding corridor stretched out before you. Every ten steps along the corridor, a lamp hung, its light deliberately dimmed to illuminate only the narrow stone path beneath your feet, casting ever-changing shadows. An absolute sense of authority followed like a shadow, pressing down on you.
The corridor was deep, but the guards leading the way moved with lightning speed, clearly very familiar with the area. Finally, they were led to a relatively spacious side courtyard, not a typical guest room, but more like a separate courtyard for handling emergencies.
The courtyard was dimly lit, but still shrouded in a restrained brightness. The door of the central room was wide open, letting in warm yellow light. On the bluestone ground in front of the door, several servants from the Divine Marquis's Mansion could be seen swiftly and silently carrying hot water, clean cloths, and medicine chests in and out. Meanwhile, a cold and solitary figure sat upright at the boundary between light and shadow, an expression of indifference.
He sat in his wheelchair, his pale face, devoid of any color, was sculpted from ice jade. His pristine white robe was spotless, isolating him from all the bloodshed and dust of the outside world.
As soon as Xie Huailing stepped into the courtyard, Wuqing looked over.
He first glanced at Li Xunhuan, who was barely breathing in the guard's arms, and after confirming the horrific nature of his injuries, his gaze became solemn and indescribable. He had no time to look at anything else and made a decision: "Bring him in, quickly call a doctor, and use the best medicine."
The command was concise and clear, without any unnecessary words. Upon hearing this, the constables acted even more swiftly, carefully carrying the object into the room.
After giving his instructions, Wuqing looked at Xie Huailing again; this was their second meeting.
In just over half a month, the girl who came gently in the rain, carrying fragrant flowers, became someone who could turn the world upside down with a flick of her wrist. He didn't even know her name, yet he already knew her nickname, "The Beauty Who Cuts the Sky with Her Delicate Hands"; before he had even thanked her for the flowers, he was already trying to figure out the meaning behind her every move, including tonight.
Xie Huailing nodded as a greeting and said, "I apologize for disturbing you so late at night, Chief Constable, but this is a matter of life and death, and I have no other choice. I hope you will not take offense."
She concealed the key details related to herself before revealing the truth, which could not be considered a lie: "Tonight, on my way back to the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion, I passed through a small alley and heard some fighting sounds. I followed the sound and met Young Master Li lying in the alley. Considering that it would take some time to get back to the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion, Young Master Li probably couldn't wait, so he came to the Divine Marquis's Mansion."
After listening to her explanation, Wuqing replied, "Miss Xie saved a life, how could there be any blame? May I ask where Miss Xie met Young Master Li?"
Xie Huailing replied again, "It was in the vicinity of Seven Bends Alley. When I met Young Master Li, I also saw several corpses, which should all be the people who attacked Young Master Li. But what exactly happened, what exactly happened, we will only know when Young Master Li wakes up."
"So, besides Miss Xie, is there anyone else who witnessed anything related to Young Master Li?"
"Based on what I've seen and heard, only Shaman and I saw Young Master Li. Although there were still people walking around in Seven Bends Alley, they all kept their distance after the sounds of fighting and the smell of blood started to emanate."
Then she looked up at the sky again. The night tide was heavy and lifeless, the moon was pale and distant, and the frost and snow were close.
"Now that I've seen Young Master Li off, I should head back," Xie Huailing said as he walked through the snow. "It's not appropriate for someone from the Jinfeng Xiyu Tower to linger at the Divine Marquis's residence. Besides, at this hour, if I go back any later, I could be scolded until dawn."
That last sentence was the truth. She switched her mindset with ease. After saying it, she was about to leave, but she was silently counting in her heart.
Despite their differing stances, Wuqing couldn't let the only two people in the know leave. Before they could even count to three, he spoke up to persuade them to stay, saying, "It's no trouble at all. It's already noon, and it might be inconvenient for Miss Xie to return to the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion. Why don't you stay at the Divine Marquis's Mansion for the night? Just send someone back to the pavilion to let them know."
Xie Huailing breathed a sigh of relief after his plan succeeded. He then bid farewell to Su Mengzhen, who was far away at the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion: "Since that's the case, it would be impolite to refuse any longer. I'll trouble you, Chief Constable."
Then she went to see Shaman and instructed, "Shaman, tell the coachman to go back and tell my cousin that I'm staying at the Divine Marquis's residence today."
Shaman nodded first, then shook her head. She was used to being impolite to Xie Huailing, but she would still give Xie Huailing some face in the face of Wuqing: "You have to write a letter first. The landlord said that these messages must be written by Miss herself, especially about not returning home at night. You need to explain it properly in the letter."
This was also a policy implemented by Su Mengzhen to get Xie Huailing to practice calligraphy. Hearing this, Xie Huailing, who was practically dead, pointed at himself and said, "Me, writing?"
Shaman nodded emphatically.
Xie Huailing clicked his tongue, and suddenly he didn't feel so much like staying.
The conversation sounded just like an ordinary older brother taking care of his younger sister, the sense of worry lingering, which was quite unexpected. He recalled Su Mengzhen's words, "I'll go teach her a lesson," and suddenly felt that the cousins' identity was most likely true. He first asked someone to prepare a guest room, and then took Xie Huailing and the other person there.
They were still talking when Xie Huailing, who didn't know martial arts and didn't try to lower her voice, said, "Is it really impossible not to write? Actually, I can take the scolding too."
Shaman restrained herself: "Miss, you're joking again."
Xie Huailing exclaimed in surprise at her tone: "You know what? The way you're talking right now sounds like—"
Shaman couldn't hold back any longer. Before she could finish speaking, she whispered, "...You're asking for it!"
.
As midnight passed, the sunlight returned.
Li Xunhuan's injuries were as severe as expected. In addition to sword wounds, he was also poisoned. If it weren't for the Divine Marquis's Mansion, he would have truly died last night. However, even the Divine Marquis's Mansion had to have doctors working around the clock for several hours, with medicines being delivered in a constant stream, to snatch Li Xunhuan back from the brink of death.
However, there are always stronger opponents, and Xie Huailing woke up later than the seriously injured Li Xunhuan.
As usual, he stared blankly at the carved ceiling of the guest room bed for half an hour, until the maid looked on anxiously, wondering what was wrong with the guest. Then he got out of bed and sat in front of the dressing mirror for another fifteen minutes, lost in thought. Only after this whole routine was over did Xie Huailing feel like he had finished filming.
A dense, persistent discomfort began to ferment at the back of the head, spreading smoothly all the way to the back of the neck, shoulder blades, then to both arms and the back of the waist, an unending sensation that made one not want to live anymore.
After spending the night outside, she realized just how good the treatment at Golden Breeze and Fine Rain Pavilion was, and that its beds were truly the best in the world. Even Zhu Qiqi's room was far more comfortable than the one at the Divine Marquis's Mansion. Not to mention, she hadn't eaten anything and had slept too late; in just one night, she had developed all sorts of ailments.
"Am I really asleep?" Xie Huailing wondered.
Perhaps, like sleep. Xie Huailing thought again.
She met up with Shaman, who was waiting for her outside. Shaman was not surprised that she had slept until this late. She draped the cloak that Wuqing had sent over over Xie Huailing and talked to her while tying the sash.
Shaman said, "Young Master Li has been awake for an hour now, and everyone from the Li family has arrived, did you know that?"
"What are you saying? I've been sleeping until this late." Xie Huailing exhaled a wisp of his soul and said, "Besides, to be honest, it's not much different from if I stayed up all night."
Shaman, with her eyes, could naturally see that she was out of her mind and listless. She said, "Of course you can't get used to sleeping in the Shenhou Mansion's bed. Who in the Shenhou Mansion cares what kind of bedding you need or what kind of material your sheets are made of? Let's talk about sleeping when we get back. Young Master Li and the people from the Li Mansion want to see you."
Xie Huailing rubbed her face vigorously, trying to wake herself up: "I know, I know, did you go over there first? What did Young Master Li say? How did you get into this mess?"
Shaman glanced around; even in the Divine Marquis's mansion, she was still a sword ready to be drawn at any moment. She whispered in Xie Huailing's ear, "It's not much different from what you guessed. Li Xunhuan was indeed ambushed at a noodle stall. He had a friend who said that the old woman who ran the noodle stall had exceptional skills, and that her noodles were a hidden gem in Bianjing. So Li Xunhuan went there. Little did he know that the noodles were poisoned, and that there were seven or eight people in the kitchen who wanted to kill him."
Friends?
Xie Huailing listened intently and pressed on, "Which friend of Li Xunhuan?"
Shaman's tone changed; she clearly didn't quite understand Li Xunhuan's actions either: "It's a chivalrous man named Long Xiaoyun, and we don't even know how deep their friendship is. Li Xunhuan even vouched for this man, saying that Long Xiaoyun would never harm him. I'm afraid the information was used by thieves. But is this Long Xiaoyun really as innocent as Li Xunhuan says?"
Xie Huailing replied calmly, "Then we'll only know by asking again."
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Congratulations to Li Xunhuan, the newly appointed official, for joining the Bianjing One-Pot Porridge Set Meal! Delicious, eat as much as you like! [cheering]
Regarding Li Xunhuan's romantic storyline, if you still want to see more after this volume ends, we can expand on it in the side stories. However, it won't be like Di Feijing's storyline, where we'll dedicate a few chapters to it in the main text. This is because there's another important character waiting to appear in the romantic storyline outline of this volume (eyes darting around).
Moreover, Lin Shiyin is included in the main storyline outline, so my main storyline outline is fixed. Lin Shiyin's total appearances are probably more than Li Xunhuan's (looks away again, whistles).
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