Chapter 74: Holding Pei Xingju's waist tightly
Not long after, the two came to a deserted garden in the west. There were many bamboos planted in the garden, and an aerial attic was clustered among the bamboos.
There was a pond under the attic, planted with lotus flowers. It was almost July now, so naturally there were no flowers, only a few stumpy lotus stems.
"It should be up there," Zhuang Wan said. "Originally, this place was used for viewing the scenery, but later it gradually became a storage room."
When Zhuang Wan passed by here before, he heard Qiu Tan talk about this place, so he knew something about it.
Pei Xingju looked up and saw a plaque hanging above the attic door, with the words "Tingyu Pavilion" written on it. On the side of the attic was a staircase, winding up.
He stepped forward.
Zhuang Wan hurriedly followed him.
The night wind picked up, rustling the bamboo trees and casting ghostly shadows. The full moon was still shrouded in thick clouds, and all around was pitch black.
The old wooden planks of the stairs beneath my feet made a creaking sound, like the prelude to a suspenseful detective story in a TV drama.
Zhuang Wan was frightened and subconsciously grabbed Pei Xingju's sleeve.
Pei Xingju paused and couldn't help but slow down his pace.
The two of them climbed the stairs to the second floor. There was a rockery connected to the attic, and to enter the attic, they had to go through a cave in the rockery. Once inside, it was pitch black.
Zhuang Wan's mind was filled with various scenes from the suspense film, and she was completely focused and terrified.
Suddenly, a black shadow passed by. She screamed in fright and quickly hid under Pei Xingju's armpit.
"Did you see it? What was that just now?" Zhuang Wan asked in a trembling voice.
Pei Xingju had, of course, seen it; it was just a black cat. This was supposed to be its resting place, but it had been disturbed by the two of them.
He stiffened his body and looked down at Zhuang Wan, who was curled up in fear, his eyes deep and gentle.
"It's just a cat, why are you so scared?"
"Is it really a cat?" Zhuang Wan poked her head out, a strand of hair across her face. "But I see a huge shadow. Is it a cat demon?"
"Cat demon?"
"Hmm," Zhuang Wan said, "Could it be a demon transformed into a cat?"
It's not her fault for being superstitious. If it were in her previous life, she would never believe in these things about gods, demons and ghosts. But she came here alive, and if this kind of thing can happen, other things are not impossible.
She was really scared, and the expression on her face was one of genuine doubt.
Pei Xingju read for a while, a smile spreading across his eyes: "There are no monsters or ghosts in this world. You should read less nonsense books."
"Oh." Zhuang Wan blew the hair away from her face and realized that she was hugging Pei Xingju's waist tightly.
She was embarrassed for a moment, then pretended to be calm and let go.
"I'm in front." She took two steps forward and walked in front of Pei Xingju.
Pei Xingju was puzzled: "If you are afraid, why are you still going ahead?"
"Because I'm more scared later. What if there's a ghost?"
“…”
After passing through the rockery path, we finally arrived at Tingyu Pavilion.
Tingyu Pavilion wasn't large, consisting of two connected rooms, one inside and one outside. The inner room was sealed, separated by a curtain and a moon-shaped door, while the outer room had windows on three sides, low and wide, perfect for enjoying the view. However, having been unused for years, the windows had been tightly shut, and the room was filled with miscellaneous items. Mostly discarded papers, pens, ink, books, calligraphy, and paintings, along with some broken and worn furniture.
Pei Xingju pushed open two windows, letting in a little light.
Zhuang Wan looked around. It was pitch black everywhere and she had no idea where the thing was hidden.
She asked, "Do you know where it is hidden?"
Mrs. Zhuang did not mention the specific location in her letter. Perhaps she was afraid that the letter would be stolen along the way, so she was very cautious and only said that it was placed in Tingyu Tower.
But Tingyu Tower is neither big nor small, and it is full of messy things. It is really difficult to find a letter here.
Pei Xingju silently surveyed the surroundings, and in a moment, he jumped onto the beam with a tip of his toes.
Zhuang Wan was startled and looked up at the beam.
There is a plaque hanging on the beam with the words "Flowers fall leisurely" written on it, which is taken from the first sentence of Wang Wei's "Among Birds Singing": "When people are idle, sweet-scented osmanthus falls, and the spring mountains are empty in the quiet night."
At this time, Pei Xingju was searching behind the plaque.
Soon, he seemed to have found it and jumped down lightly.
Zhuang Wan was stunned. Is this even possible?!
The male protagonist’s brain circuit is indeed amazing. Who would have thought of hiding something behind the plaque on the beam?
She asked curiously, "How did you know where it was?"
"Is it hard to guess? The beam is high, so it's hard to see within sight. And it's up there, there's no wind or rain, so the letter is safe."
"......oh."
She didn't know if it was her illusion, but she always felt that Pei Xingju secretly despised her IQ.
Pei Xingju walked to the table, took out a tinder from his bosom, lit a candle that had fallen ashes, and unfolded the letter to read in the dim candlelight.
The surroundings were dark and silent, the wind stirring the bamboo swaying in a strange and eerie manner. Pei Xingju's face was solemnly reflected in the candlelight. Zhuang Wan waited with bated breath, feeling the tension of following a powerful figure on a grand mission.
However, as Pei Xingju watched, his handsome eyebrows gradually furrowed.
"What's wrong?" Zhuang Wan asked, "Is this what you wanted?"
Pei Xingju remained silent for a long time, then folded the letter and put it in his sleeve.
"Go back," he said.
.
That night, Pei Xingju entered the palace with the letter.
Zhuang Wan didn't know what was in the letter. Perhaps, as Mrs. Zhuang said, it was something that could help Pei Xingju.
Pei Xingju did not return home the next day after entering the palace. When Zhuang Wan met Chen Yi when she went out, she asked him casually.
Chen Yi said, "Master Pei is in the palace discussing with the Emperor about going to the temporary palace."
Zhuang Wan nodded and was about to get on the carriage.
Chen Yi called her over again, "Miss Zhuang, you might as well get ready."
"What are you preparing for?" Zhuang Wan turned her head.
"Let's go to the palace." Chen Yi said, "Master Pei plans to take you to escape the summer heat."
Take her away from the summer heat!
This news was like thunder and lightning. Why would she want to avoid the heat? She felt a chill in her heart.
She had originally planned to part ways with him amicably while Pei Xingju was at the palace. Now that he was taking her to the palace, how could they break up?
Zhuang Wan's smile was uglier than crying: "Yuzhi never told me about this before."
"Oh," Shen Yi nodded. "He was worried that you wouldn't be used to it, so he wanted to keep you in the capital. I was the one who suggested it to him."
He thought this was an excellent suggestion.
How could Pei Xingju leave Miss Zhuang alone at home while he went to the palace to escape the summer heat? Miss Zhuang would inevitably be sad again. He couldn't bear it, so he gave Pei Xingju some advice before leaving the court today. Pei Xingju didn't object and nodded in agreement.
Shen Yi said sincerely: "Miss Zhuang, you don't have to thank me. It's my duty to eat so many of your cakes and pastries."
""
I thank your eight generations of ancestors!
Zhuang Wan was so angry at him that she almost died!
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