Chapter 99
Several figures passed by in the outer corridor, and laughter drifted from afar, drowning out Man Jiangxue's voice.
Yin Qiu frowned, not quite hearing what she had just said, and asked while taking a deep breath, "...Who's drunk?"
“Who else could it be?” Man Jiangxue said, “You.”
"I told you, I'm not drunk..." Yin Qiu forced herself to stay awake and opened her eyes wide with difficulty. She wanted to see Man Jiangxue clearly, but her vision was like being through a layer of fog, and she couldn't see clearly no matter what she did.
Man Jiangxue had no choice but to steady herself and say, "If you don't let go, my back won't be able to take it."
"I want to eat candy..." Yin Qiu's legs were weak, but she held onto Man Jiangxue's hand tightly. "I have to go to Mingguang Hall to practice swordsmanship later. If my martial uncle doesn't give me candy, I don't want to get up."
Man Jiangxue looked at her for a while, and then followed up on Yin Qiu's words: "Then let go, and I'll give you candy."
Yin Qiu stared at her blankly, only able to see a blurry shadow. Her arm sank slightly, but stopped halfway, and she said, "Then my martial aunt must keep this a secret and not tell the sect leader. She also forbids me from eating candy lately, and she's very strict."
Man Jiangxue said, "Okay."
Yin Qiu finally felt relieved and let go of Man Jiangxue, her arms sliding down as if all her strength had been drained.
Man Jiangxue straightened up, stood in front of the bed and let out a long sigh. She walked to the table, opened the oil paper package, picked out a small sugar pill, and when she turned around, the person on the bed already had their eyes closed and were breathing heavily.
She fell asleep.
Man Jiangxue twirled the candy between her fingertips, took off Yin Qiu's shoes with one hand, removed her outer garment, tucked her into the quilt, and lowered the curtains.
The wind and snow were still swirling, and a thin layer of snow had accumulated under the window frame. Manjiangxue had closed the window, and there was a slightly sticky feeling on his fingertips.
It's saccharified.
She opened her palm, lowered her eyes, and looked at the sugar pill. But what came to mind was Yin Qiu's drunken appearance just now.
A peach-pink smiling face, with a touch of red at the corner of her eyes.
“My martial uncle took me in, so I belong to him.”
Man Jiangxue was still looking at the sugar pills.
Her people.
Her?
The sugar coating melted into a puddle of water between her fingertips. Man Jiangxue raised her hand and tasted it.
It's very sweet.
·
Meng Jing finished brewing the medicine, carried the soup from the kitchen through the courtyard, and when he reached the second floor, he saw Lu Huaiwei push open the door and come out, coughing so hard that her face was deathly pale.
"Why are you up, Senior Sister?" Meng Jing quickly went to greet her, her expression showing concern.
"Your bones are practically melting from lying here," Lu Huaiwei said, taking the medicine and gulping it down while pinching her nose. "Has anyone arrived yet?" she asked.
"Who is it?" Meng Jing asked.
Lu Huaiwei glanced downstairs, pulled her thick robe tighter around her shoulders, and said in a hoarse voice without going into details, "Go and invite my martial uncle to the council hall. It's important."
Meng Jing replied "Okay," took the medicine bowl back, and started to leave when Lu Huaiwei asked, "What are you hiding in your sleeve? It looks bright red."
Meng Jing paused, then casually lowered his hand and said, "It's nothing, just a booklet with a vermilion seal."
"A booklet?" Lu Huaiwei sized up Meng Jing for a moment, then smiled. "You're still not behaving properly in front of me. I have a cold, not that I'm getting old and my eyes are failing. You've put the candied hawthorns in your sleeve pocket, right next to your hand. Aren't you afraid they'll melt?"
Meng Jing hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "It shouldn't be..."
“It means it will be sent out soon,” Lu Huaiwei said, looking at her. “It’s definitely not for me, otherwise it would have been taken out long ago, there’s no need to hide it.”
Meng Jing remained silent.
"Is it for Xiao Qiu?" Lu Huaiwei asked again.
Meng Jing glanced at her and said in a low voice, "Um..." He paused and then added, "Someone asked me to pass it on, saying it was from my martial uncle..."
"Alright," Lu Huaiwei interrupted Meng Jing with a smile, "There's no need for further explanation; it would only seem superfluous."
Meng Jing was taken aback for a moment, then said somewhat awkwardly, "What's so superfluous about it?"
Lu Huaiwei smiled meaningfully: "Do you think I can't see through your little scheme?" She scrutinized Meng Jing for a while, then continued, "You're not young anymore. These past years, you've stayed at Wenxin Peak, oblivious to everything around you, focusing solely on studying the classics. Your temperament has become increasingly calm and composed, like a silent gourd. I used to worry that you would become a bookworm, but now it seems that my worries were unnecessary."
Meng Jing looked at her with a puzzled expression and asked, "What...do you mean by that, Senior Sister?"
“Xiao Qiu is a good girl. She is outstanding in appearance, excellent in martial arts, knowledgeable, virtuous, and capable in both social and domestic settings,” Lu Huaiwei said. “If you are interested in her, you should act quickly. As far as I know, there are quite a few people in the palace who are interested in her. You should pay more attention, or someone else might snatch her away one day.”
Meng Jing was caught off guard by her words and couldn't help but change her expression. Half surprised and half embarrassed, she said, "I didn't mean that, Senior Sister, don't talk nonsense."
“In this palace, besides me, there is no one else who can say they understand you,” Lu Huaiwei said. “I treat you like my own brother, so you don’t need to put on airs in front of me. If you have someone you like, go ahead and pursue them. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Don’t worry, Elder Xu and I will take care of your marriage in the future.”
Meng Jing looked bewildered and after a long while lowered her head and said, "I appreciate your kindness, Senior Sister, but I'm afraid I will never get married in this life."
Upon hearing this, Lu Huaiwei asked in surprise, "Not getting married? Why is that?"
“I am penniless, without parents, without a distinguished family background, and without a bright future,” Meng Jing said. “Even if a girl takes a liking to me, I would not want to ruin her life.”
“You are full of poetry and books, yet you belittle yourself for this,” Lu Huaiwei said. “Illustrious family backgrounds are not common. Most people in this world are ordinary people. As for a bright future, if Elder Xu retires one day, Wenxin Peak will be handed over to you. An elder of Yunhua Palace, isn’t that a bright future?”
Meng Jing frowned and sighed, "My future may be promising, but my origins are hard to change. I am still... a poor boy from a farming family in the mountains."
"How can you belittle yourself like that?" Lu Huaiwei said earnestly. "If you want to love others, you must first love yourself. If you can't even respect yourself, how can you expect others to look at you differently?"
Bystanders...
Meng Jing's eyelashes trembled slightly.
“I told you, Xiao Qiu is a good girl, she won’t care about these things,” Lu Huaiwei said gently, trying to comfort her. “You’re really overthinking it.”
Meng Jing gave a wry smile: "If it were anyone else, I would believe what you said, but if it's Yin Qiu, then it's a different story."
Lu Huaiwei asked, "What do you mean?"
“I am not good enough for her,” Meng Jing said, clenching his sleeves. For the first time, he spoke to Lu Huaiwei about his feelings. “When I was young, I acted impulsively and made things difficult for her many times. But she did not hold a grudge and repaid evil with kindness. I couldn’t let go of my hatred back then and made a mistake. Although I understand now, it is too late.”
Lu Huaiwei sighed softly and patted him on the shoulder: "Youthful mistakes are nothing to worry about. It's great to know your mistakes and correct them. Xiao Qiu has never blamed you. Who hasn't made mistakes? You're a good kid now. There's no question of whether you're good enough or not."
“I am a useless person,” Meng Jing said. “It is not that I am belittling myself, but that is the truth.”
Lu Huaiwei sighed softly again: "You..."
·
Two armed officers arrived at the courtyard gate, dragging a filthy boy along the way. They rushed under the eaves and threw the boy into the house like a sack.
The council hall was decorated in an elegant style, with bright windows and clean tables, free of dust. Man Jiangxue washed her hands to the side and took the seat of honor. Lu Huaiwei covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and served her tea.
"After Liu Ba went to prison, he was listless and depressed for a few days," an officer below bowed to Man Jiangxue. "Yesterday, he suddenly perked up, as if he had a sudden burst of energy before death, and said that he knew who the real culprit behind the scenes that Mr. Ya hadn't mentioned was."
Upon hearing this, Lu Huaiwei understood immediately and said, "Since you brought him to our Yunhua Post Station, is the real culprit here?"
The official said, "That's right. In short, that's what this kid said. If he can really find the real culprit, our prefect said that he can make amends for his crimes and perhaps be spared his life and exiled instead. It's a matter of life and death, so I think he shouldn't dare to make random accusations."
In other words, the real culprit was infiltrated at Yunhua Post Station; the Ziwei Sect's spies were truly ubiquitous.
Lu Huaiwei glanced sideways at Man Jiangxue.
Man Jiangxue, holding her teacup, said without looking up, "Call everyone to the courtyard."
Even though they already knew that the poisoning of the refugees was orchestrated by the Ziwei Sect from beginning to end, they still had no clue who had made the connection with Mr. Naya. Now that the young man was going to reveal the person in order to save his own life, everyone came to help.
The courtyard was filled with the deep shadows of flowers, and a dense crowd of people stood among them. The disciples had received the message and had all put down what they were doing to rush here.
“I met that man once on the night of the poisoning,” Liu Ba said, kneeling on the ground in shackles, cowering. “Mr. Ya told me that he wouldn’t personally oversee the poisoning, but to prevent me from deserting, he said there was an inside man at the post station who would contact me after the deed was done. At that time, I drove away with my brothers, and that man stood at the back door and made a gesture to me. I vaguely remember his appearance.”
"You vaguely remember?" Lu Huaiwei scrutinized him. "It was late at night, and you only had a brief encounter. You only vaguely remember me. If you've mistaken me for someone else, can you take responsibility?"
Liu Ba looked haggard and said with tears in his eyes, "I have thought about it several times in prison these past few days. Even if I only vaguely remember, I will definitely recognize that person as long as he stands in front of me. This young lady, I will be executed in the fall. How could I not care about my life? I assure you, I, Liu Ba, have not uttered a single falsehood."
Lu Huaiwei observed his expression and realized that the young man didn't seem to be lying, so she turned to a disciple beside her and asked, "Is everyone here?"
The disciple nodded: "We have already checked the roster. All the disciples stationed in Yaoding City are here, including those who came with Senior Sister Yin and Senior Brother Meng. They are all included. Not one is missing."
Lu Huaiwei then gestured for her to join the line, and the two officers immediately helped Liu Ba up from the ground and began to identify her one by one.
Snowflakes fell softly, drifting into the tea with the cold wind, only to quickly melt away. Manjiangxue sat under the eaves, quietly observing the people in the courtyard.
Liu Ba was very meticulous. He examined each disciple from head to toe, not only up close but also from a distance. After a long while, he had only looked at about ten people.
The disciples who had been identified all moved to the other side and did not leave easily. Only Meng Jing and Bai Ling moved into the corridor and stood behind Man Jiangxue.
"Want me a chair?" Bai Ling looked at Meng Jing. "You don't look well."
Meng Jing leaned against the wall, holding onto a pillar, and waved his hand, saying, "It's alright."
Bai Ling asked with concern, "Is your heart condition acting up again?"
"Hmm," Meng Jing frowned, pressing his hand to his chest, "It doesn't hurt, but I'm having some trouble breathing."
“You need to rest for this illness,” Bai Ling said. “Of course, you are a doctor yourself, so you know better than I do. But you haven’t been overworked these past two days, so why did you fall ill again? Did you upset your spirit again?”
Meng Jing remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.
"Don't worry too much all the time," Bai Ling said. "You're not that old, but you act like an old man. My master is almost seventy, but he's much more lively than you."
Meng Jing was silent for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Where is Yin Qiu?"
“She’s asleep,” Bai Ling said. “Didn’t you tell me to go and wake her up? But no one was in the room. I looked for her for a long time before I found out she was resting in her uncle’s room.”
"She's sleeping at this time... Is she sick?"
"She's probably not sick. Maybe she just didn't sleep well. Anyway, my master doesn't want me to wake her up."
Meng Jing turned his head and said "Oh".
"You were upstairs before, so why did you make me go and call her?" Bai Ling asked casually, shaking the snow off her shoes. "Isn't that redundant? Why do you always have to order me around?"
Meng Jing paused for a moment, then said in a calm tone, "There is a difference between men and women, so it's not appropriate for me to knock on her door."
Bai Ling said as if she had heard a joke, "That's strange. You two have always been on good terms. You used to hang out together a lot when you were in the palace. Why are you avoiding each other now that you're out of the palace?" After she finished speaking, her eyes showed a hint of mockery. "You can knock on my door, but you can't knock on Xiao Qiu's door. Do you not treat me like a girl, or do you treat Xiao Qiu like a girl too much?"
Meng Jing unconsciously clenched her hand that was covering her chest. She turned her gaze to the courtyard and said as naturally as possible, "You two have a good relationship, so it's not wrong for you to knock on her door."
“Two different things,” Bai Ling said, raising the corners of her lips in a meaningful smile. “Am I a girl?”
Meng Jing suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of irritation.
Was she really that obvious?
It was as if everyone in the world knew exactly what she was thinking.
Snow fell on the pavilion, and a few fallen leaves were carried by the wind, desolate and cold. Meng Jing moved her lips, about to speak, when a sudden noise came to her ears. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Man Jiangxue had put down the teacup in her hand on the small table.
A crisp "click" sounded.
·
"Neither?" Lu Huaiwei remained standing in the courtyard, holding an umbrella because she couldn't withstand the wind and snow.
Despite the freezing weather, the disciples were shivering, but Liu Ba was covered in sweat. He looked at the disciples, whom he had already carefully examined several times, with suspicion and said hastily, "I didn't lie... I really didn't lie! Someone really did contact me that night!"
Having endured the cold wind for so long, the two officers had long lost their patience. Seeing this, they shouted angrily, "You're about to die, and you're still lying! You say the real culprit is from Yunhua Post Station, but now you can't identify who it is. Are you making fun of us? Tell me! Have you seen the murderer or not!"
"How could I not have seen it? I wasn't drunk at all, I was perfectly sober!" Liu Ba's face was deathly pale, and his hands and feet were trembling. "How could it not be... how could it not be?"
“Perhaps he’s not even a disciple of Yunhua at all,” Lu Huaiwei pondered. “He might just be keeping an eye on you at the post station. How can you be so sure he’s one of ours?”
Liu Ba was taken aback, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty. He stammered, "But...but he was clearly wearing your Yunhua disciple's robes..."
"That makes it even easier to explain!" one of the officers shouted. "The real culprit is a member of the Ziwei Sect. He deliberately disguised himself as a Yunhua disciple so you would see him, just to frame you and smear Yunhua Palace. Alright, alright, you've killed so many people, you can forget about living. Let's go, let's go back!"
He thought he could save his life by doing this, but it was all for naught. He still couldn't escape losing his head. Liu Ba burst into tears on the spot, regretting his actions.
If I had known this would happen, how could I have been so bewitched back then? To risk my life for two hundred taels of silver!
Liu Ba cried his heart out. Two officers roughly grabbed his arms and dragged him toward the door. Tears streamed down his face, and his body went limp. But just as he was about to leave the courtyard, he suddenly struggled to his feet, pointed a finger at a certain spot, and said, "Wait, wait!"
The two officers paused, their expressions impatient: "What is it now!"
"That person..." Liu Ba was extremely excited, spittle flying from his mouth, "Quick! It's him!"
Everyone's expression changed, and they quickly turned their heads to look in the direction he was pointing. They saw that there was now an extra person in the dimly lit corner at the end of the corridor.
The eaves blocked out the light, making the place dim and obscuring the person's features. All that could be seen was that he was wearing a dirty and wrinkled Yunhua disciple's robe, with his hands hanging heavily at his sides, carrying two wooden buckets.
Before Lu Huaiwei could speak, Bai Ling reacted first, quickly leaping over to the other side and pulling the person out.
In an instant, the wooden bucket overturned, and hot water spilled all over the ground.
A female disciple, covered in filth, with disheveled hair and a face full of scars, immediately came into everyone's view.
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