Chapter 37 The Truth: Barbie's Detective Adventures (The Making of a White Moonlight)...
The setting sun, half-circle in the sky, burned in the rushing torrent of golden and dark red light, while distant mountains, green as parrots and blue as crows, supported the endless crimson clouds.
The clouds and the sun shine brightly, creating a warm and lush atmosphere.
Suddenly, dusk settled in. The air above was a clear, grape-purple color, while the twilight below gradually stained the rocks black, falling like sand between the mountains and the sky.
The last vestige of ochre in the mountains had been floating for a long time before it was finally dragged to the other side of the mountain by the setting sun.
Dusk descended, and a heavy mist hung in the air.
Together with A-Cai, she selected a few commonly used items and placed them in the cabinet on the table, leaving the rest sealed away as usual.
She was opening a collection of Yu Xin's writings when bits of Li Shimin's casual conversation with Lady Liu drifted into her ears.
“Ah Nai, who is the attendant accompanying my father today? His face is so unfamiliar. I don’t remember him being in the retinue.”
“How would I, a mere wet nurse in the inner quarters, know about the social interactions and arrangements of the young masters? Why don’t you ask the Duke yourself?”
"I did ask, but Father was vague. When I pressed him for more details, he said unhappily that it was a distant relative from our family whom we hadn't seen for many years and had only recently started seeing each other again, and told me not to ask any more questions," Li Shimin complained, full of frustration and dissatisfaction.
Changsun Qingjing shook her head. Her suspicions were either due to her overthinking or the awakening of her father's keen intuition.
Everyone in the household seemed to be conspiring to deceive her and Li Shimin, so much so that she could sense the pretense and unease in Liu Niangzi's tone without even looking at her expression.
"Ah Nai is here!" Changsun Qingjing greeted her warmly.
"My lord is well! Madam Liu is well!" A-Cai lifted the curtain, greeted her lord, and then asked Madam Liu about the patterns and colors of the shoes and clothes commonly used in the household, as well as any taboos. The old woman and the young girl then went to the corridor to talk in detail.
If overthinking is a disease, then Changsun Qingjing couldn't figure out whether Li Shimin had infected her or vice versa.
Both of them were in a bad mood. Neither of them mentioned the embarrassing and awkward slip of the tongue they had made earlier in the day.
Compared to the current situation of being deceived, it is really insignificant.
An indescribable dark cloud hung over the hasty wedding, lingering there.
Changsun Qingjing flipped through the book for a while, but couldn't immerse herself in the grief of Yu Kaifu's family and country. She asked curiously, "Have you paid your respects to Father and Mother? I wanted to go at first, but my sister-in-law and two elder sisters advised me that it would be inconvenient to visit the temple before the proper ceremony. I dare not be presumptuous, so I asked you specifically."
"In that case, I also have something to tell you." Changsun Qingjing then told her husband in detail about the strange things that happened: Dugu Cui left and never returned while talking about family matters; her five elder sisters made statues to pray for their mother; Li Chengzong personally saw different doctors entering and leaving the mansion; and her fourth sister left for half a day under the pretext of a quarrel between some children.
Li Shimin rubbed his temples, his turban loose and askew, as if he had something difficult to say. After hesitating for a long time, he finally confessed to his wife: "It seems that Mother's illness is not as simple as it used to be. As her son, I have failed to understand, and I am truly ashamed. Fortunately, you are so quick-witted that you have found out the truth for me."
After pondering for a while, he suddenly knelt down and said solemnly, "Guanyinbi, are you willing to be of one heart with me?"
“Of course!” Changsun Qingjing asked, “Since I’ve gone to such lengths to inquire about my mother’s condition, I’m certainly not someone who’s uninvolved. Speak your mind. What are your plans?”
"In any case, I will go and find out the truth tonight. I think that my mother has been making excuses and not letting me stay by her side, and in the end she has kept her illness from me. If I cannot visit her morning and evening and take care of her at her bedside, I will feel guilty. I can no longer be a blindly filial son. I must find out the truth tonight, and I don't care what my mother's concerns are."
"Alright, I'll go with you!"
Li Shimin asked in surprise, "Don't you care about what people say? For example, that an unmarried bride disturbing her parents-in-law in the middle of the night is improper... Sister-in-law, didn't your elder sister repeatedly hint and remind you not to cause trouble before the temple visit?"
"I don't care. There are many rumors about me outside, such as that I'm crazy or eccentric... I can't stop other people from talking. I just want to do things with a clear conscience."
Li Shimin gently squeezed Changsun Qingjing's hand, then cautiously released it, his face a mixture of relief and worry.
At the fourth quarter of the first watch, the two got up as agreed.
Changsun Qingjing tricked a maid into believing he had seen a lynx leaping across the corridor, fearing it had left its enclosure, and then called Li Shimin to search for it together.
The two ran from the west courtyard all the way to the main dormitory without any hindrance.
When the maidservant in the main room saw Erlang and Changsun Niangzi, she used the excuse that the lady was already asleep to persuade the two to return to their room.
Coincidentally, the main room was brightly lit today, not at all like someone who was already asleep.
"You maid, you really can't even lie properly," Changsun Qingjing mocked.
After a series of evasive maneuvers, the two shook off the maid guarding the door and rushed straight into the main bedroom.
"What are you doing here?" Li Jiancheng asked in surprise, looking at the newlyweds who shouldn't be here.
"It's past midnight, why are you all gathered in Mother's room?" Li Shimin asked, pointing to his flustered elder brother, his sorrowful third and fourth elder sisters, and his worried elder sister-in-law.
“We came together to pay our respects to our parents, and we had a pleasant chat, so we stayed a little longer. Now everyone is tired, so let’s go back to our rooms. We’ll meet again tomorrow after the New Bride’s Temple visit ends.” Li Jiancheng said confidently, blocking his way with his two younger sisters, clearly preparing to send the guests away on behalf of their parents.
Do you take me for a three-year-old child?
Seeing the brothers on the verge of conflict, Changsun Qingjing repeatedly said "I'm sorry" but forcefully pulled Li Qiongxi and Li Longyue aside to clear a path for Li Shimin.
The three ladies stumbled and fell to the ground together. The maids screamed in alarm. Dugu Cui covered her face and stepped back. The bedroom was in chaos. Those who did not know the reason might have mistakenly thought that the new bride was causing trouble on her second day in the family.
"Little sister, did you develop this strength by climbing the Nanshan trail every day?" Li Qiongxi said helplessly, rubbing her arm that was being squeezed so hard.
Li Jiancheng clenched his fist and roared at the servants, "Who leaked this information? Who came up with the idea? Who let Erlang and Lady Changsun come here!"
Changsun Qingjing scrambled to his feet, his hair ornaments swaying slightly.
She felt dizzy, but still managed to sit upright by grabbing a lamppost beside her. She then kowtowed towards the barrier, saying, "It was I who instigated him! It is my fault for disturbing my mother."
"It has nothing to do with her; it was all my own decision. She only followed me because she was worried about me." Caught in a dilemma, Li Shimin knelt down against the edge of the barrier. "Why did Mother insist on lying to me!"
The dormitory and the area inside and outside the gate were silent for a moment, and no one dared to drive the two troublemakers away before their parents gave the order.
Only Li Yuan, Lady Dou, and the physician remained inside the fortified area.
After the pulse diagnosis was completed, no one dared to speak rashly.
"The medicine is completely ineffective. How about we try exorcising the ghost? I've heard that the art of exorcising ghosts can be quite effective." The doctor's words were a mixture of helplessness and wishful thinking. A doctor would never ask a patient to undergo an exorcism unless absolutely necessary.
“Alright, I’ll go and make the preparations,” Duke Li Yuan of Tang readily agreed.
"I have never done anything evil in my life, so what ghost can I drive away?" The voice from behind the curtain was weak, yet it burst forth with a fanatical power.
"You should rest and recover first. I will take the doctor with Bishamon." Of course, the Duke of Tang and the Crown Prince should have some other things to say that were inconvenient to mention in front of the Lady, so as not to upset the Lady and the young children.
“Everything is as you think, everything is as you see.” Madam Dou breathed slowly and deeply to calm the sudden, erratic, violent coughing. Her blue, glassy eyes were more prominent than when she was healthy, changing colors in the flickering candlelight, like a deep, unfathomable pool, making her appear calm and aloof.
"Your son has disturbed your mother; your son knows he was wrong." Li Shimin knelt down and begged for forgiveness at that awkward juncture between the inside and outside of the barrier.
Changsun Qingjing remained kneeling.
According to custom, she was not yet a formal member of the family. Remaining outside the inner chambers was a matter of mutual respect. Madam Dou had endured this until now because she hoped to see her daughter-in-law complete all the wedding rituals while she was still alive, so as not to cause gossip. This stemmed both from her deep love for her son and from the utmost respect for a destitute orphan.
There was a rustling sound inside the partition, as if Madam Dou was struggling to find a comfortable sitting position. This was followed by a series of soft whispers. Finally, she heard several sobs.
Li Qiongxi wanted to rush into the barrier to see what was going on, but Dugu Cui forcefully pulled her back, making it impossible for her to move an inch. "Fine, since we can't hide it anymore, let Mother and Second Brother have their own thoughts. They'll find out the truth eventually..."
Li Longyue also recovered from her dizziness. Seeing that Changsun Qingjing was kneeling and unable to get up, she sat down beside her and comforted her, "Sister-in-law, it's all over now. There's no need to blame yourself. Get up quickly."
Changsun Qingjing shook her head, insisting on kneeling and waiting for Madam Dou's leniency. The others had no choice but to let her plead guilty.
After a long while, all the lamps inside the enclosure went out, and the room suddenly went dark. Li Shimin, his face streaked with tears and his hair disheveled, stumbled out as if he had stepped into thin air. Li Qiongxi hurriedly caught him.
"My legs are a little numb and stiff," he explained weakly. "My mother is resting."
The crowd simply nodded blankly, unsure how to offer comfort or how to deal with the current situation.
In a single day, Dugu Cui, Li Qiongxi, and Li Longyue watched helplessly as a perfect couple plummeted from the heights of happiness to the depths of despair.
The three women all thought of the same thing: if they were Mrs. Dou, they would probably use a white lie to bring even one more day of joy to their lovers who had finally overcome their hardships!
Until the moment they stepped into the room, Li Shimin and Changsun Qingjing remained silent. They could hardly bear that after bestowing upon them immense joy, Heaven had then cast them into the torment of purgatory.
Li Shimin sat listlessly by the window, his spirits low, as if all the joy he had accumulated over the past few days had been swallowed up by this tremendous change.
Changsun Qingjing sat down in front of him, her delicate hands suddenly covering his trembling hands: "Rest. Listen to your mother."
He suddenly grabbed her hands and covered his cheeks. Then, like a baby, she nestled against Qingjing's lap.
She couldn't see his face, but she could feel his back trembling violently, his chest heaving with a deep, echoing sound. His eyelashes brushed against her fingers, leaving a trail of warm tears.
Her steady pulse responded to the sudden throbbing of his temples. Then, her fingers traced along his tear-dampened chin, embraced his arched, strong neck, and buried his furry, confused young head in the warm, fragrant embrace of the girl.
The cool moonlight filled the entire courtyard, with a few rays of light leaking in through the gaps. Changsun Qingjing's Jinghu bun was clearly visible, like a swan with its feathers fluttering.
Li Shimin looked up and felt that Changsun Qingjing was the only moonlight in his difficult times.
Author's Note: Detective work, silencing each other, scapegoating—the truth is ultimately meaningless.
That's about it.
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