Xizhou Qu (5)
The morning light was dim, and golden light shone through the fan-shaped curved windows onto the brown wooden floor. The summer in Xizhou was not very hot. Last night, it rained for the first time this year in Xizhou. The air was damp, and the palace maids were busy sweeping the floor without touching the ground.
"Your Highness."
Su Wujin had just returned from outside, and the busy palace maids and servants looked up and greeted him repeatedly.
"Is Miss Xu okay?" Su Wujin found the personal nanny who served Xu Ning and asked in a gentle voice.
The nanny touched his shoulder and kowtowed, "Your Highness, the young lady went to bed after midnight last night and hasn't gotten up yet."
Su Wujin nodded, indicating that he understood.
Xu Ning and Taran worked for half the night before they found the exit. As soon as Su Wujin entered, Xu Ning climbed over the wall and entered.
Su Wujin came over slowly, and Xu Ning walked quickly along the eaves. If she had not been proficient in light skills and had lost a lot of weight recently, she would have been discovered long ago because of Su Wujin's cautiousness.
"Dong Dong Dong"
"Xu Ning."
Su Wujin knocked lightly on the door. After a while, no one responded. He knocked again, "Xu Ning?"
Still no one responded.
Su Wujin pushed the door open and walked in.
The woman was sleeping soundly on her side, seemingly unaware of the arrival. Su Wujin called out a few more times, and Xu Ning rubbed her eyes, pretending to wake up half asleep. She turned her head slightly and asked, "What do you want from me so early in the morning?"
A hint of surprise flashed across Su Wujin's eyes, and he smiled faintly, "Nothing. The housekeeper said you had a poor appetite yesterday, so I had time to come and see you this morning."
A second before Su Wujin entered the room, Xu Ning entered from the back window, took off his clothes and lay on the bed. His movements were smooth and fluid, and he stuffed his night clothes into the quilt without any flaws.
"Oh, the weather has been hot and humid these days, so I can't eat much. You don't have to worry." Xu Ning still squinted his eyes.
After a while, Xu Ning didn't hear the sound of the person next to him leaving, "You're not leaving yet? I want to sleep a little longer." Xu Ning yawned again.
Su Wujin raised his eyebrows and finally walked out.
Xu Ning didn't sleep all night and didn't eat anything, just wanted to catch up on some sleep.
…
Tang Xixu traveled a long way and arrived at Xizhou half a month later.
He had been inquiring about Su Wujin's news for a long time, and only today did he get some clues.
"Isn't this His Royal Highness the Second Prince? You look at your dress and you don't look like someone from Xizhou. Why are you asking about the Second Prince?" Tang Xixu was looking for a tavern. This place was close to the royal court of Xizhou. Within a radius of ten miles, all the nobles and common people knew the royal family members.
Tang Xixu took Su Wujin's portrait and asked, hoping to try his luck, but he didn't expect to actually come across it.
"You have a good eye, little brother. It's true that I'm not. The Second Prince is a good friend of mine. I came to visit him just because I passed by." Tang Xixu raised his sleeves, and the waiter wiped the table. After a while, he brought a bowl of steamed buns with fine grains, plus a bowl of mutton soup.
"So that's the case. Then sir, you must try our delicious food. This is the mutton soup with steamed bun you ordered." The waiter grinned and put a towel on his shoulder.
"Would you like some chili oil, sir?" The waiter bent down to pick up the lid of the cup and scooped up half a spoonful of chili, remembering that the guest was a foreigner.
"Yes, thank you." Tang Xixu smiled and nodded.
The aroma of chopped green onions mixed with the freshness of mutton offal, the soup was drizzled with a circle of chili oil. Tang Xixu gently blew away the oil droplets and took a sip, the hot soup with spicy taste jumped on the tip of the tongue.
"Master, I found out." Buhuo City had spies all over the world, and Tang Xixu contacted them a few days after entering the city.
"Madam entered the palace with that bastard Su Wujin. He didn't come out yesterday."
Tang Xixu poured a few handfuls of steamed buns into the pot and said, "I ordered a bowl for you too, eat more."
Ah Jiang looked at his master in confusion. He hadn't seen his master for a long time. He had been loyal to his master since he was rescued from the refugees.
A few years ago, my master was very serious, but now he is probably more gentle now that he has a wife.
"Eat quickly. Don't be distracted." Tang Xixu closed his eyes and said coldly after finishing his meal.
"Oh." A Jiang lowered his head to show off his fandom. It turned out that I was overthinking it. The master is still the same master.
That night, dark clouds covered the moon, a sudden wind blew and rain fell, and wind chimes tinkled in the corners of the corridor.
Except for the servants on night watch, everyone in Su Wujin Palace rested.
Xu Ning drew a map of the palace and the layout of the world behind the secret passage, thinking about how to enter the secret passage without being seen by others.
While he was thinking, a figure appeared in front of the window. Xu Ning quickly packed up the drawings, put on his clothes, blew out the candle and jumped out of bed.
With a creak, a black shadow pushed the door open and walked in, his footsteps as light as a night cat.
He went straight to the bed, lifted the quilt but didn't see the person who should be there. He searched all the places where people could hide but still found no one.
Just as the shadow was about to leave, Xu Ning, who had been hiding on the beam, leaped down and raised his palm to strike the man on the back. The man reacted extremely quickly and intercepted the blow. The two exchanged a few blows, and Xu Ning's palm ached. The move was so familiar that Xu Ning could not forget it in both his past lives.
"Ah Xu?"
"Ningning."
In the silent room, the two of them spoke almost at the same time.
"Didn't I tell you to wait for me to come back? Why did you come here by yourself?" These things have nothing to do with Tang Xixu. If he is not careful, it will cause trouble for him. Tang Xixu is already in the limelight, and this is not good for him.
"I've found some more clues about my father's case. They're in Xizhou."
Xu Ning held his hands together and lit a small candle. The flame was dim, and the shadows swayed, casting shadows on the eyelids of the two people.
Now that she was already here, Xu Ning didn't hide it and told him about Ye Yulan.
"Why are you so calm?" Xu Ning thought he would be at least a little surprised.
Tang Xixu curled his lips, his dark eyes reflecting the dim yellow candlelight, "I'm happy. It seems I need to prepare an extra gift for the proposal."
The woman had a plain face and wore a black cape over a middle-length coat. Her fair face was flushed.
"Speaking of which, the clues we found this time are also related to Master Ye."
Xu Ning's expression changed slightly. "Impossible! My father would never do that. He fell into a coma sixteen years ago. It's impossible for him to lead the Lie Yin Cult against Da Xin."
During the battle to defend Ye County, a powerful army suddenly appeared to support the State of Jin. Fortunately, the Mo family army was so strong that they barely managed to defend Ye County.
This group had only 500 men, but they were incredibly powerful, seemingly possessing endless energy. However, this story was mostly spread by civilians who had witnessed the battle. The entire group perished, and the war happened to ignite them, leaving only skeletons.
The less traces there are, the more suspicious it becomes, as if something is being hidden.
"I know. Of course it wasn't Uncle Ye." Tang Xixu said softly, "My brother might still be alive. It's very likely that he was rescued by Uncle Ye's people."
Tang Xixu buried Mo Tingzhou personally that year, and a spy reported last month that he had seen him in the Xizhou area.
A few days ago, Tang Xixu returned to the courtyard where he lived when he was young in Ye County. When he opened Mo Tingzhou's coffin, he did not find his body.
Xu Ning's eyes suddenly brightened. "You mean Brother Mo is not dead? Then where is he now?"
"It's in Xizhou."
Xu Ning thought that Tang Xixu was also looking for Ye Yulan, so he simply told him all the news he had recently learned.
Tang Xixu held the candle and carefully examined the two maps. "This courtyard is strange. There is a lack of water in Xizhou, but there is water and trees in this courtyard."
"This place should be backed by a wetland." Xu Ning analyzed with a frown.
Tangxi Xu spread out a topographic map of the three countries of Jin, Xizhou and Daxin.
Xu Ning marked a few points, and the two looked at each other, their minds suddenly enlightened, and they spoke in unison.
"It's the border between Daxin and Xizhou!"
Daxin has a vast territory, and the border area between the two countries still experiences four-season climate changes, and the changes in desert, snow and coniferous forests are clearly visible.
The two of them figured it out, and that night Tang Xixu took Xu Ning away.
"We must find Master Ye within two days, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous." Xu Ning told Tang Xixu what she overheard Su Wujin saying to the servants that day.
From the prince's palace to the main gate, one will pass through layers of palace gates, and there are palace guards behind each door. Although these people are no match for the two of them, keeping a low profile can always avoid a lot of trouble.
Xu Ning personally went to find Princess Taran and said, "I discussed this with Princess Taran that day. If you agree, I will do my best to help you."
Taran found two sets of servants' clothes for the two of them, and they followed Princess Taran with their heads down all the way.
When they arrived at the last palace gate, the person on duty today happened to be the guard who had once been close to Su Wujin.
An urgent gaze swept from Xu Ning's head to his feet, then from his feet to his head, and finally looked at Tang Xixu in the same way.
"Princess, have you changed your followers recently? These two look very unfamiliar."
Taran pulled his lips into a fake smile, his heart pounding, "Yes, Heyi and Naduo were both sick today, so I picked two new people."
The guard looked at the two again. Seeing that he didn't believe him, Taran added, "The Death Flower Festival is coming in a few days. I'm going to buy some small items. Can the guard let me go?"
The guards felt that Princess Taran was acting strangely today, but they couldn't tell why. They just let her go and said, "Princess, please leave."
"Thank you." Taran smiled back.
Half an hour later, Su Wujin came back. The guard explained the matter to him. Su Wujin glared at him and said, "You idiot! You've been with me for a while, but you can't even see through this trick."
Princess Taran never liked to report her whereabouts to anyone, and she even disliked talking too much with the guards.
When Su Wujin came out, there was no sign of them anymore, and after sending Xu Ning and the other two away, Taran hid back in the Yisha tribe.
Xizhou is not very big, so Tang Xixu mobilized Buhuocheng's spies in Xizhou and found the back door of the courtyard on the last night.
…
Yisha Department.
Taran was breathless and kept scratching her hands around her neck. Her feet were already off the ground.
"You'd better tell her where she went." Su Wujin looked gloomy, like a man-eating tiger.
"Let me go, I, I don't know." The trachea in the middle of the neck was about to be strangled, and the person opposite had no intention of letting go.
Su Wujin thought for a while, then let go of his hand, took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands, and looked grim.
"Is this the person who left with Xu Ning?" Su Wujin waved his hand, and Wen Ran unfolded a portrait. This person was Tang Xixu.
Taran's expression changed slightly, and his eyebrows were slightly furrowed.
Su Wujin smiled with satisfaction, "It seems so."
"Since they came to me on their own initiative, I will just sit back and wait for them." Su Wujin gave orders, asking people to guard the yard strictly.
…
The outer wall of the mansion was nestled in a mountain forest, half belonging to Xizhou and half to Daxin. Fortunately, the forest was relatively safe, devoid of wild animals. However, the temperature gradually dropped with increasing altitude, and Xu Ning, dressed in a summer shirt, still felt a chill.
The outer wall was easy to climb over, and there was an extra layer of silver thread array inside compared to the last time Xu Ning came.
The last time I saw this formation was when I first came here. I still remember that group of weasels that looked like zombies...
Last time, Second Brother found a switch and the acupuncture automatically faded away, and Xu Ning searched around along the outer wall.
"What are you doing?" In the blink of an eye, Tang Xixu had already climbed over the silver thread formation.
"Looking for the switch. Didn't you do it the same way last time?" Xu Ning looked at the person opposite him and asked, "How did you get there?"
Tang Xixu covered his mouth and laughed, and suddenly found that Xu Ning was sometimes silly and cute. "Of course I turned it over. My Qinggong is pretty good."
Xu Ning looked up, oblivious to the nearly seven-inch-high wire mesh. He glanced at his legs and resigned himself to his fate: "My legs are too short to climb over. Go find the switch."
The inside of the silk screen is paved with cobblestones and has fake hills and trees. If you didn't know that this was in Xizhou, you would really have the illusion of being in the heart of the Central Plains.
As the sun sets, the golden rays of the setting sun illuminate every brick and tile, each strand of silver thread reflecting the golden light. The sound of running water drifts from behind a row of long houses, bringing a refreshing coolness to this somewhat dry summer.
"How is it? Did you find it?" Xu Ning paced back and forth outside the courtyard wall, paying attention to the movements in the woods from time to time.
Tang Xixu didn't find anything around the stone wall, so he looked on the ground.
"Found it." Tang Xixu stepped on a lighter-colored brick behind the bluestone platform.
The silver thread array descended instantly. Xu Ning used the tree trunk next to him to jump off the ground and landed steadily on the stone surface.
Xu Ning dusted off his hands and said, "This Su Wujin has also added a silver thread formation."
"Long time no see, you two." As soon as Xu Ning finished speaking, Su Wujin brought a group of people over and surrounded them.
The silver thread array disappeared, and Su Wujin noticed it immediately. He had set up switches for the silver thread array in many places in the yard, and each place was guarded by someone. Su Wujin knew it when Tang Xixu came in. He had been waiting for Xu Ning.
"Not long, just two days." Xu Ning answered casually.
"You're so familiar with him?" Tang Xixu behind him suddenly said, "We haven't seen each other for only half a month."
Xu Ning turned around, and the young man lowered his head and drooped his eyelids.
The dog repairer feels so wronged.
Xu Ning stuttered for a moment, "Who, who is familiar with him?" She went over and took Tang Xixu's hand, shaking it unsteadily, and said with a faint smile, "I'm only familiar with you."
Su Wujin's face was extremely cold, and the servants around him didn't dare to say a word. They all lowered their heads and waited.
Suddenly, Su Wujin said with ill intentions: "I am very familiar with Miss Xu. I personally cook her meals every day and choose her clothes myself."
Tang Xixu's fist tightened slightly.
"Inside and out, all of it."
Xu Ning turned around, and Su Wujin looked at the two of them meaningfully. Xu Ning glared at him: "Don't talk nonsense!"
"I don't eat on time every day. I just eat a few bites when I'm hungry. The clothes are brought by me." Xu Ning looked into the young man's dark pupils and explained carefully, "Look, this one I'm wearing was bought by you for me." Xu Ning found a place with good light and turned around.
Tang Xixu's long feathery eyelashes trembled slightly, and he smiled softly, "I have always believed in you."
Xu Ning smiled knowingly and walked to Tang Xixu's side, "That's good."
Su Wujin tightened his eyelids and took advantage of the moment when the two were talking and laughing to wink at the person behind him.
"careful!"
A dagger was flying towards Xu Ning's back. Tang Xixu hugged Xu Ning's shoulders and turned around to avoid it. The dagger cut Tang Xixu's sleeve.
The faint smell of rust suddenly filled the air.
"Su Wujin, you're attacking me by surprise!" Xu Ning lifted up Tang Xixu's arm, and a finger-long cut was oozing black blood.
"Xiao Ningning, I'm not a gentleman. As long as I can win, I will use all means." Su Wujin narrowed his eyes slightly.
Xu Ning felt a weight on her right shoulder, and Tang Xixu put his arm around her shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Xu Ning looked at the pale young man worriedly.
Xu Ning turned around and faced Tang Xixu, hugged his waist and barely helped him up.
After standing up for a moment, the handsome face on Xu Ning's shoulder narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to smile evilly at Su Wujin. His dark eyes did not show any sign of hurt and weakness.
Su Wujin's lips trembled and his expression dropped to freezing point again.
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