Chapter 15 Chapter 15 The truth of "The Biography of Ren" It rains when it's sunny...
Pingkangfang is a bustling place at night, but it is quite quiet during the day. The alleys of Nanqu are shaded by green trees, and only Duan Zhiwei is driving a donkey cart.
But as she walked, she inexplicably felt that someone was following her, and the feeling was quite strong. But he turned his head suddenly and found that there was no one there.
Duan Zhiwei's donkey is old and can't walk fast enough. She had no choice but to get off the car and find a tree to tie the donkey to. She pretended to take two steps and then ran away.
There were many small paths in the neighborhood. Duan Zhiwei turned left and right and unknowingly came to the main road. She was about to look back when she was suddenly stopped by someone.
"Who are you?" Two armored warriors stopped her, glaring at her.
Duan Zhiwei had been running for half a day and was exhausted. When he looked up, he found that he had arrived at Yuchun Tower where the murder had taken place. No wonder he was stopped by Wu Hou.
The people should not fight against the officials. Duan Zhiwei saw that the two military marquises did not look easy to deal with, so she said, "I am the Duan family of Xiping... I am here to look for Captain Yuan."
Wu Hou had an awkward look on his face. The people of this dynasty were open-minded. During the days when Yuan Shenji was on duty, all the ladies from wealthy families and the music school were eager to make a move. But only Duan Zhiwei was wearing a plain skirt and only a wooden hairpin on her head. She looked very poor, neither like a lady from a wealthy family nor a lady from the music school.
Apparently Duan Zhiwei herself was aware of this problem, so she had to bite the bullet and said, "I am an old friend of Captain Yuan, and I have something to ask him..."
Her last name helped her. The Xiping Duan family is the largest family in Wuwei County, Liangzhou. Yuan Shenji is on duty in Liangzhou, so perhaps they really know each other. Wu Hou glanced at her and went to report to Yuan Shenji.
Duan Zhiwei paced back and forth under the tree for a while, and soon Yuan Shenji strode out of the room. Seeing that it was really her, he nodded slightly: "It's hot, how did Madam Duan have time to come here?"
She hesitated for a while, and finally told Yuan Shenji about the strange things that happened to Madam Lianqiao outside Shengping Gate. She thought Yuan Shenji would think she was crazy because of the heat, but he listened very seriously. After a long silence, he said, "If Madam Duan is worried, I will accompany you on a trip in two days."
In two days, fifty wedding cakes and candies will be delivered. Duan Zhiwei originally wanted him to send two low-ranking martial marquises to follow up and investigate, but he didn't expect that this person would actually do it himself. He breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at a copy of "The Biography of Ren" on his desk.
Yuan Shenji followed her gaze and explained, "According to the confession of the Wei family's servants, the Wei Langjun who died in Pingkangfang had also been to Shengpingmen."
"So that's how it is," Duan Zhiwei understood. No wonder this fourth-rank official was willing to accompany her in person. "I was just being too sentimental," she thought, looking down at her toes.
Aunt Duan complained a lot about having to stay up all night to make fifty wedding cakes. Duan Zhiwei said, "Mrs. Lianqiao paid nearly a guan of money for the work. If Auntie doesn't want to do it, I will return it tomorrow."
Aunt Duan fell silent immediately, and then whispered: "I am just complaining, I didn't say I won't do it, you kid..."
Pu Tao had already taken a stool and sat down to peel peanuts, while Ah Pan was squatting to make a fire. Duan Zhiwei looked up at the sky in silence, then lowered his head to start kneading dough.
After being busy for half a day, only half of the quantity was left. Someone's stomach rumbled, and it was very obvious in the quiet night.
There was still some bacon left from making the radish cake that day, and Duan Zhiwei was thinking, why not make a bacon rice as a midnight snack?
Thinking of this, she soaked a handful of dried mushrooms and called Aunt Duan to go to the warehouse to buy some vegetables.
Duan Zhiwei took out a coarse porcelain clay pot from the cupboard, brushed a thin layer of oil on it, poured in rice and water (the water was the same as that used to soak the mushrooms, so it had a strong mushroom flavor), and then put the pot on the stove to cook.
When the rice is half cooked, turn off the heat, add the sliced bacon and vegetables, and continue cooking with oil on the side of the pan. Crack an egg into the mixture, pour in the prepared sauce and simmer for a while.
Soon the rich aroma of bacon filled the entire room.
Duan Zhiwei used a spoon to poke the pot and found that the rice crust at the bottom was golden brown and crispy, which was perfect. He then served out a few bowls with satisfaction and shared them with everyone.
The rice grains are distinct, absorbing the aroma and fat of mushrooms and bacon, and the rice crust underneath is crispy and delicious. The greens on top are bright and colorful, the bacon is firm and chewy, and it’s topped with a special sauce.
Everyone was eating in silence. Duan Zhiwei also made a promise: "After we finish this, we will have enough money to borrow from Zhaofu Temple, and we can move to the spacious Xuanyangfang."
Aunt Duan was the first to put down her bowl and stood up resolutely as if she had taken up a dose of chicken blood: "I'll go see if the fire is burning well."
Duan Zhiwei: “…”
On the second day, Duan Zhiwei hired two idle men to deliver a large box of wedding cakes and candies to the outside of Shengping Gate. Duan Zhiwei was waiting for Yuan Shenji under the old locust tree at the door.
She was so bored waiting that she looked up and touched the donkey's head, then looked up at the sky again. She found that the sky had become gloomy and the wind made the leaves of the old locust tree rustle. She thought it was going to rain.
In such weather, it’s no wonder that Yuan Shenji was late. She was probably not coming at all. Thinking of this, she felt a little disappointed. She sighed and turned around to go back to the restaurant.
The sound of horse hooves came from far away, and Duan Zhiwei only saw Yuan Shenji riding a horse galloping towards her. She ran over and was about to say something when Yuan Shenji bent down slightly, stretched out an arm to put around Duan Zhiwei's waist and lifted her onto the horse.
All the words Duan Zhiwei wanted to say were stuck in her throat. She sat in front of the horse, half-hugged in Yuan Shenji's arms. She raised her head slightly and could only see Yuan Shenji's firm chin and black hair.
Yuan Shenji rode halfway and looked down at her apologetically: "Sorry, I was late because of something at the office."
Then he explained in a deep voice that if he didn't ride there on horseback, it might be too late, and he hoped that Madam Duan would not mind.
Duan Zhiwei felt a little embarrassed and tried to remain calm and said, "Nothing happened."
It's just riding together, no big deal.
Several large red lanterns had been hung at the gate of Madam Lianqiao's mansion, fluttering in the wind in the gloomy sky.
With the creaking of the door, two people wearing strange masks holding big red lanterns led the way. Four sedan bearers carried a red sedan chair out of the house, and seemed to be heading out of the city.
Duan Zhiwei and Yuan Shenji hurried to catch up. The sedan was moving very slowly, so it was not difficult to follow it.
At noon, the sun just started to peek out from behind the clouds, but a light drizzle began to fall in the air.
The forest is bright in the morning, and the mountains are green with thin clear mist. The rain is crystal clear and beautiful under the sunlight.
Duan Zhiwei looked at the sun in the sky with great curiosity, then looked down at the small pond that was constantly splashing water, and whispered, "Why is it that Chang'an is suddenly experiencing a sun shower?"
Yuan Shenji's face was not very good. He just stared at the sedan chair that was still moving slowly in front of him and said, "There is a folk song in Chang'an that says: 'When it rains after a sunny day, a fox marries his daughter.'"
Duan Zhiwei fell silent for a moment. The fox married off its daughter... She thought of the sad and beautiful story "The Biography of Ren" again.
The forest was filled with fog because of the rain, and the only things that could be seen were two big red lanterns in front of us, emitting a strange red light.
Suddenly the sedan stopped, and the lantern bearer in the lead shouted sharply, "The bride has been picked up."
The fog suddenly dissipated, and a stone archway rose from the ground. The sedan bearers carried the sedan into the gate, and the fog began to spread again.
"Is that the end?" Duan Zhiwei was shocked and looked at the disappearing stone gate and sedan chair, and then at Yuan Shenji. Unexpectedly, he immediately pulled Duan Zhiwei behind him and said solemnly, "Someone is coming."
An old man in Chinese clothes came out, crossed his arms and greeted them, saying, "My son is getting married today, and I don't want to offend you. If you two don't mind, come and have a drink."
Duan Zhiwei and Yuan Shenji looked at each other and had to follow the old man.
After walking for a while in the thick fog, a large house with three entrances and three rooms appeared in front of them. Duan Zhiwei was led into the corridor and felt that the house had winding corridors and high eaves, which was very imposing.
There were already many guests in the main hall. The two were led to a dining table in the corner and sat down. Duan Zhiwei looked down and saw that the mattress on the floor was embroidered with large golden peonies, which showed that this family was luxurious.
Maids filed in, serving cold toad soup, sugar-coated crabs, roasted goose, and single-cage golden milk pastry to the banquet. Duan Zhiwei came to Chang'an and it was the first time he ate such rich and delicious food, and he enjoyed it very much. Yuan Shenji sat aside with his arms folded, without moving his chopsticks or drinking.
Soon the bride and groom came into the hall holding the big red silk and were about to start the ceremony when they were suddenly interrupted by an angry shout.
Duan Zhiwei took a closer look and found that it was Liu Zhenzhong who tried to bribe him to get Lian Qiao's address in the restaurant that day.
"Why is he here?" Duan Zhiwei frowned at him, and then suddenly realized: "I was wondering why I always felt like someone was following me when I went out."
Seeing that Yuan Shenji was not surprised, Duan Zhiwei asked, "Do you know he is following us?"
Yuan Shenji nodded slightly. He was on duty in Hexi and had to listen for the enemy's horse hooves in the howling wind at night. A weak scholar following closely behind him could naturally hear them.
Liu Zhenzhong was already pale and looked crazy: "Lian Qiao, you are already my wife, how can you marry such a monster?"
The guests around were all glaring in anger: "What mortal came from to cause trouble in Lord Hu's mansion? Just let us eat him."
Liu Zhenzhong shrank back in fear, but still said to Lian Qiao, who was covered with a red veil, with a sad face: "I want to know you and live a long life together. Have you forgotten the vows we made to each other, and have you forgotten the sad love song "The Biography of Ren" that I wrote for you?"
"Did he write "Biography of Ren"? " Duan Zhiwei was surprised, but he also felt that it made some sense. The protagonist was Zheng Liu, and the protagonist was Liu Zhenzhong, which seemed to be nothing wrong.
Lian Qiao was silent for a moment, and finally lifted her veil. She had a gentle appearance, but now her face was gloomy and distorted with anger: "You mentioned "The Biography of Ren" to me?"
Lian Qiao threw down her veil and said, "My dear kind guests, the story of Ren is sad and romantic, and has spread all over Chang'an, but that story is full of lies. Today, I will tell you the true story of Ren."
She took a step forward and said, "My name is Ren from Xihe. I was married to Yuchun Tower in Pingkangfang when I was five years old. This Liu Zhenzhong came every day and swore to me that he would redeem me. I believed him."
She looked at Liu Zhenzhong angrily: "One day, his cousin Wei came to our residence and persecuted me. I wanted to report it to the authorities, but Liu Zhenzhong came home the next day and advised me to keep quiet."
"You accepted Wei's money and colluded with him, right?"
"You later despised me for losing my virginity, so you pushed me off a cliff on your way to take up my new post, right?"
"You became the author of the famous "Biography of Ren" in Chang'an, and you have both fame and money. In order to cover up the truth, you strangled the young master of the Wei family in the dark and blamed it on the fox spirit, right?"
Liu Zhenzhong looked at her in horror, like a rooster with its throat strangled.
Lian Qiao said, "I was saved by a fox spirit at the bottom of a cliff. You have already made an alliance with the lady from a high family. You are afraid that the matter will be exposed, so you came to kill me to silence me, right?"
Two servants came over, held him down and took out a dagger from his arms.
The guests around him shouted again: "This filthy creature is worse than a monster, why not eat him!"
Yuan Shenji was silent for a long time and then stood up. The hall was silent. He bowed to Lian Qiao and said, "I am Yuan Shenji from the Runan Yuan family. I work in the Jinwu Guard. This man violated the curfew and killed Wei. According to the law, he should be sentenced to death by hanging. Please hand this man over to me. I will take him to the Dali Temple."
Lian Qiao hesitated for a moment, and Duan Zhiwei hurriedly advised: "Take him away, and the whole of Chang'an will know that the romantic and lingering "Biography of Ren" is a huge lie, and this person will be ruined from now on."
Liu Zhenzhong shouted angrily: "No!"
"That's good." Lian Qiao nodded with satisfaction upon seeing his reaction: "Then I'll trouble you two." Then she pulled the veil down again.
Duan Zhiwei only felt a gust of confusing wind that made it impossible to open his eyes. The bride, groom and all the guests at the wedding banquet all turned into bubbles and disappeared quickly.
When she opened her eyes again, the fog in the forest had dissipated, the rain clouds had also dispersed, and a rainbow appeared above the lush mountains in the distance.
Duan Zhiwei took a deep breath. The air carried the fragrance of soil and grass. She looked down and found a purse with yellow forsythia flowers painted on it among the fallen leaves and dead branches.
"What a beautiful bracelet," she exclaimed. Yuan Shenji tied up the unconscious Liu Zhenzhong, and then looked at the purse: "It should be a thank-you gift from the Ren family, you can keep it."
"I'll pawn this when I pass by the East Market. Then I'll have enough money to move to Xuanyangfang next month." Her voice was full of vitality and infinite hope, and gradually disappeared among the mountains.
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