Chapter 27
◎In person. ◎
The pearl earrings were put back in their place, the lacquer box was closed. On a stormy night, the young man sat upright at the desk, flipping through the geological map with his fingers. Next to it were the ships recorded at Chang'an Wharf today. Under the warm candlelight, the ink-stained brush left marks one by one. Soon, only a few marks remained on the geological map.
Finally, Xie Huaijin put down his brush and looked out the window at the already dark night. Thinking of what Ru Zhen said today when she was standing in the lobby, he smiled gently and called Zhu San.
Mo Yu watched Zhu San walk away, then returned to his senses and looked at the young man who was opening a book. "Sir, news has come from Mobei that Yuwen Shu is seriously ill. Zhu Yi and Zhu Er have already captured the groom who escorted the lady out of the mansion and brought him back. They've sent someone to ask what you should do with him."
The young man stroked the scroll. "It turns out the reins holding the horse are old. Mo Yu, retreat to Mobei."
Xie Huaijin sighed as he spoke. "Back then, when Yuwen Fu was sent to Chang'an as a hostage, he knelt before me and begged me when no one was around. My father told me not to meddle in his affairs, saying that someone like Yuwen Fu was unworthy of important positions. I didn't take it seriously at the time, but now it seems I was truly bewitched by a woman, so bewildered that I lost sight of the situation and made such a mistake."
The young man said calmly, "Since that's the case, my father is ill, and it's my duty as a son to go back and take care of him."
Mo Yu understood clearly, replied "yes" in a low voice, turned around and walked out.
Like ghosts, they were scattered across the sky and earth. Suddenly, a strong wind blew outside, and the April flowers and trees swayed gracefully, accompanied by large amounts of rain falling.
Inside the study, the young man's face was gloomy and unclear, and after a long time he chuckled.
interesting.
Yuwen Shu pretended to be sick and tricked Yuwen Fu into showing his fangs. He has always been kind-hearted, so he naturally fulfilled Yuwen Fu's wish.
But it might not be that interesting, because after a while, in the empty study, the young man lowered his eyes and looked at the empty small couch not far away. He stroked the white jade ring on his thumb, and his thoughts passed through his heart like a feather.
Would you rather die than leave Chang'an?
Ci Ying.
The mountain becomes high because it does not resist dust, and the sea becomes vast because it does not refuse to be filled.
Whatever.
Since she's crying and insisting on going out, let's go and take a look.
*
It was three days later when Ci Ying got off the boat. She left some small change in the cabin as a ticket for this trip, pulled her veil over her head, and followed the crowd into the city.
There was a search going on. Ci Ying stuffed some silver into her pocket and was about to go in when a sickly-looking scholar grabbed her sleeve. The officer asked the scholar, "Where is your customs document?"
The scholar gave the soldiers an awkward smile. As Ci Ying stepped forward, her sleeve was pulled. Then she heard the scholar say, "I'm with this girl."
Ci Ying turned her head to look over, and the scholar coughed several times and smiled awkwardly.
Ci Ying suppressed her anger, took out some small change from her sleeve and handed it to the soldiers.
The officers and soldiers smiled happily. Ci Ying pulled the sleeve from the scholar's hand, but there was a cough behind him, so he turned around and rushed into the crowd.
Seeing Ci Ying leave, the scholar put down his handkerchief and walked into the city with his head lowered.
In the gentle water town, there are many cruise ships on the water. The weeping willows in April are swaying gently, and gentle tunes can be heard from the cabin from time to time. Ci Ying paused for a moment, then touched the silver bracelet on her wrist.
She walked forward with her eyes lowered, and was pushed forward a few steps when she was surrounded by the crowd. This was also a new experience for Ci Ying, so she followed the crowd to the notice posted in front of the city wall.
It was the Jiangnan Governor, seeking tutors for his son. Ci Ying only glanced at the place briefly, not looking closely. Just as she was about to turn around, she heard a young man holding a scroll say, "It doesn't matter if you're male or female. So, apart from such a humble place as the countryside, where else in the world can you find female tutors? Brother Chen, Brother Li, let's go and see if there's really any woman out there who would dare to go that day, hahaha."
There was a burst of laughter all around. Ci Ying stopped and turned back to read the notice again.
The notice did indeed specifically state at the bottom: "Men and women are welcome."
Ci Ying glanced at the person who was speaking. He was wearing a half-green robe, with an air of arrogance that only belonged to a poor scholar, and he complimented the two students who were traveling with him.
Ci Ying guessed that he was probably a student from a nearby academy. Without looking at him any further, Ci Ying turned and left.
She walked on the road, wondering where to stay today.
Larger inns are easy to find, but smaller inns... for her who is alone, they are not as good as larger inns.
This was the first time Ci Ying was alone since she was a child. The veil covered her face, making it impossible to see her figure. She was thinking about how to avoid exposing her whereabouts while ensuring her own safety.
She sat on the shore with a family. The mother held her child in her arms, and the father was repairing the small windmill that the child had just broken. When the windmill started to turn again, the child cried out with joy. Ci Ying watched for a long time, until they left.
The wind in the south of the Yangtze River was more humid than that in Chang'an, and it felt wet on the face. Ci Ying stuffed her flying hair back in, and the dagger in her sleeve pierced the girl's delicate arm.
The singer on the cruise ship not far away was waving to Ci Ying. Ci Ying smiled gently, turned and left.
She arrived at the Jiangnan Governor's Mansion and first handed some small change to the guards.
She asked in a low voice, not hiding her voice, "I heard that the mansion is looking for a tutor for the young master. I wonder if you could go in and tell them for me. My parents passed away two years ago, and I was driven out by my vicious stepbrother. Now I have nowhere to go. I still have some knowledge. Could you take me in for a few days? If I'm not chosen on the tutor selection day, I'll find another place to go."
Her voice was mournful and her words were sincere and heartfelt. Her words made the guards eager to fight. "How could there be such a vicious person who couldn't even tolerate his own sister? Wait for me, young lady. I'll go in and tell you."
Ciying thanked him repeatedly.
That day, Ci Ying moved in. It was a very simple guest house.
There was nothing, not even as spacious as the servants' quarters in the young lady's courtyard, but Ciying was already very satisfied. She pondered the words on the notice, tapping the table lightly with her finger. There must be something hidden in it that others didn't know.
She had a vague guess in her heart, and the emotion in her eyes was unclear. If her guess was correct, she would definitely be elected on the day of recruiting teachers. She didn't even need to compete for a ranking like she did in Lishan Academy. She only needed some knowledge.
Ci Ying lowered her eyes slightly, hoping that her wish would come true. She took out the newly bought paper, ink, brush and inkstone, and spread the paper straight on the table. The rough texture hindered the flow of ink under Ci Ying's hand, but the girl concentrated and slowly wrote in a completely different font from usual.
The great hermit hides in the city, and this grand event of recruiting a teacher can just be her shelter.
For the next two days, Ciying stayed in the governor's mansion and did not go anywhere.
Maids would come to her room to deliver meals in the morning, noon, and evening. Sometimes, when she was practicing calligraphy, the talkative maids would chat with her about things in the mansion.
"The young master has a bad temper and doesn't like to be served. He's had about 10 or 20 maids kicked out of his yard. But, mistress, the young master isn't a bad person. Let me tell you in secret, a maid who used to work with me got into trouble outside, and it was the young master who settled it for her. If the young master wasn't so young, she would have pledged herself to him. But she doesn't think he would agree, hahaha."
When the maid spoke, Ciying stopped writing and listened attentively.
When she looked at her, she would think of many people, like Xiaowan and Ruzhen.
The maid raised her eyes and saw that she had stopped practicing calligraphy. She smiled and said, "Did I disturb the female teacher? Look at me, I just talk too much. Don't bother me, female teacher."
As she spoke, a hint of envy flashed in her eyes: "The female teacher's handwriting is really beautiful. It's a pity that I'm about to be expelled from the mansion and I haven't learned a single word in all these years."
Ciying sent the maid away and turned back to have a meal. It looked like it was going to rain outside. She had only been in Jiangnan for five days and it had already rained for two days. It rained more in Jiangnan than in Chang'an.
The next day, when Ci Ying went to participate in the teacher's selection, she sat in the last row and was able to see all the people in front of her.
Dozens of tables were placed in the crowded hall, separated by screens. Far up high on a table stood a long stick of incense. The butler struck a gong and drum on it. "Begin, everyone! The time is two hours. Before this stick of incense burns out, everyone must hand in their exam papers."
A scholar asked below: "When will the results be available?"
Ci Ying narrowed her eyes and recognized the scholar who had spoken so arrogantly that day. She paused in her movement of picking up the pen, thought for a moment, and spread out a new piece of rice paper.
The housekeeper smiled and said, "The next day, please wait in the mansion for a day. We have arranged rooms for you."
As the gongs and drums were struck again, the place fell silent, leaving only the sound of the brush stroking across the paper.
The ink scroll was not difficult. Ci Ying finished writing all the contents on the ink scroll in almost a quarter of an hour. She put down her pen, but did not hand in the paper. Instead, she took out another piece of rice paper and carefully copied it. The ink marks on the two pieces of paper were completely different.
Ci Ying folded the hastily written paper and put it into her sleeve. When there was only half a quarter of an hour left in the incense burner, Ci Ying handed the ink scroll to the servant beside her.
The servant placed the scroll behind a high screen, and someone led Ci Ying down to rest.
On the way, Ci Ying heard someone joking, "A teacher selection is being treated like an imperial examination."
"That's not something you can talk about. Have you ever seen women taking part in an imperial examination?" As he said that, the man winked at Ci Ying, and the others burst into laughter.
Ci Ying didn't look at them, but looked around. Although men made up the majority, there were still a few women standing in the crowd. Most of them stood in the corners. Some of them lowered their eyes, obviously hurt by the words of these men, and some glared at the men around them fiercely.
Ci Ying's heart skipped a beat. She didn't want to pay attention to these people. A sickly voice came from behind her: "Ahem... My dear brother, since you know so much about the imperial examination, you must have been to Chang'an, right?"
The person who was originally boasting was stunned and stammered, "Not yet."
The scholar held up a handkerchief to his lips and said, "Ahem... ahem, my dear, you should focus on your studies. Don't be blinded by the money offered by the Governor. You know, wealth and honor can lead to confusion."
One person complained: "If you regard money as dirt, why did you come?"
Ci Ying turned around and heard the man say, "I am poor, penniless. Look at my long gown, it's full of holes. Sigh... My dear brothers, you all have your sights set on faraway places. It's such a money-guzzling business that makes me cough... "
He was the sickly scholar I met in the cabin that day.
......
When the scholar saw her looking at him, he smiled at her, but after a short smile, he started coughing again.
Seeing that he was about to cough, the people around him moved away and the previous topic also faded.
Ci Ying rolled her eyes. She didn’t feel relieved, but felt like a ghost was lingering.
The next morning, the results came out.
"Mr. Li, Ciying."
When the maid came to deliver the news, Ci Ying vaguely guessed that Mr. Li was probably the man in the cabin.
When she went to visit the governor with her maid, she indeed saw the scholar with a smile on his face.
The scholar greeted her: "What a coincidence, young lady."
The governor stroked his beard and asked, "Do the two masters know each other?"
Ci Ying responded, "We've met a few times."
It means unfamiliar.
Li Sheng smiled and started coughing. Ci Ying's eyes swept over Li Sheng with scrutiny, but she quickly denied the thought in her mind. If Li Sheng was Xie Huaijin's man, how could he appear in the cabin before her?
Even if Xie Huaijin had great magical powers, he couldn't do it to this extent. It was just too coincidental...
Li Sheng put down his handkerchief, his eyes showing weakness. "Please forgive me, sir. I have been sick since I was a child."
The governor waved his hand, indicating that it was okay. Then he waved back, and the servants all retreated. The governor stood up and walked to Ci Ying's side, stroking his beard. "The female teacher is really smart. The housekeeper told me the story she told me back then. I feel sorry for her, but..."
Ci Ying waited for the governor's next words. She had guessed the meaning of the notice from the beginning.
The maid said that the young master had a very bad temper and no one except the nanny who had been with him since he was a child would get close to him.
The maid said that the young master did not like to be served and liked to bathe and change clothes by himself.
The maid said that the young master was kind-hearted and had done many good things in secret.
The notice said that the teacher could be of either sex.
In fact, just by reading that sentence in the notice, Ci Ying already had a vague guess, but with the evidence from the maid, her guess was almost right.
The governor, who is approaching the age of 50, has only one child. The child is not a young master as announced to the outside world, but a young lady, who has been raised as a young master since childhood and whose gender has been concealed from the outside world by the governor.
So she only needed to give a quick answer to be selected. The Governor wrote this in the notice, which must mean he was worried about a male tutor teaching alone, so there must be a place for a female tutor.
But later Ci Ying answered the Mo Juan seriously. She thought that the story she told outside the door could fool the guards, but as long as the governor checked, although he could not find Chang'an, he would also know that her story was false.
If the governor was going to risk keeping a person of unknown origin, she would need to demonstrate her worth.
She wanted to prove that her knowledge far surpassed those people, so that the governor would keep her even if he hesitated.
Clearly, she made the right bet.
Li Sheng was watching everything and thinking about it, with his handkerchief against his lips and looking at Ci Ying.
The governor looked Ciying up and down. Seeing that Ciying was calm and composed, he stroked his beard and said, "I won't say much more. I hope you will pay more attention to me. Don't worry, as long as you can teach my son well, you don't have to worry about any trivial matters. If there is anything I can do, please feel free to ask."
Ci Ying did not refuse. She said firmly, "Don't worry, my lord."
Li Sheng coughed twice more, interrupting their conversation. The governor then remembered that there was another teacher nearby and said with a laugh, "Master Li will certainly do the same. Come, arrange for the two teachers to stay in the best wing of the mansion."
......
Chang'an.
Xie Huaijin looked at the news that Zhu San brought back from Jiangnan, his eyes fixed on the poem that Ci Ying wrote on the ink scroll.
The smile in his eyes softened a little, and he picked up the pen to imitate Ci Ying's handwriting.
Dots, horizontal strokes, vertical strokes, left-falling strokes and right-falling strokes.
Each stroke is slightly different, with a sense of awkwardness. Although the combination is acceptable, it is unacceptable if you look closely.
Xie Huaijin wrote a standard character and put the brush on the shelf.
One of Ciying's names was clearly written on the paper - "Ci".
Xie Huaijin thought that she seemed to have said goodbye to him.
With the warm kiss of that day.
It seemed to be raining outside again. Zhu San said in the letter that it had been raining in Jiangnan these days.
The young man walked to the window. He was still wearing the plain clothes that the girl had worn on the day she left. The rain outside the window created ripples on the stone steps. Xie Huaijin watched indifferently.
Knowing that he could easily find her, she still wanted to run away. What made Ci Ying so unscrupulous?
free.
What is freedom.
The bird on the screen looked at the sky quietly.
Xie Huaijin closed the window, shutting out all the ripples behind him. Tiny raindrops slid down the lotus leaves in the distant pond and fell into the boundless pond with a "plop".
Xie Huaijin didn't understand.
She had clearly seen An Huai, where corpses were everywhere. To her, freedom was like a bird that could not fly in this chaotic world.
Why escape?
Why.
Wasn't he good enough for her?
He intervened in her destiny and protected her like a treasure.
However, she left without saying goodbye again and again for some people who were disloyal and treacherous.
The young man leaned over to light the lamp, and for the first time, his eyes, which were capable of calculating the affairs of the world, showed a blank look because he did not understand someone's thoughts.
This feeling was unfamiliar to Xie Huaijin. He had too many things about Ci Ying that he couldn't understand.
The windows were closed, but the candlelight in the room was still flickering.
Bit by bit, slowly, burning away the night.
Xie Huaijin no longer felt angry.
Getting angry is something only useless people do, like...Yuwen Fu.
......
Mobei.
Yuwen Fu, who was captured by the palace soldiers, was sent to a dark room. Yuwen Shu, who was rumored to be seriously ill, appeared in front of Yuwen Fu with slow steps and asked: "Have you stayed in Chang'an long enough? Are you willing to come back?"
Yuwen Fu clenched his fist and said, "Get lost."
"Is this how you talk to your father?" Yuwen Shu was not annoyed, but just smiled at his only son, who had grown up in Chang'an over the years to become a playboy who was so much to his liking.
"Get out!" Yuwen Fu pushed Yuwen Shu away and was held down by the guards from behind. Yuwen Shu slapped him with a "pop" sound and full force. Yuwen Fu immediately smelled the taste of blood.
"When you talk to your father, you should be more respectful." Yu Wenshu turned his wrist and his voice became colder: "Fu'er, you have been too disobedient these years."
After saying this, Yuwen Shu glanced back. The guards were carrying Yuwen Fu all the way into the dungeon. Two guards tied Yuwen Fu to a pillar and bowed, saying, "My lord, I'm sorry."
Yuwen Fu never thought that this move would go so wrong.
He just wanted to test Xie Huaijin. He originally thought that although this move was risky, it would bring huge benefits. At worst, he could just admit his mistake to Xie Huaijin and give up some profits. Isn't that what gambling is all about?
He has done a lot of things secretly over the years, and Xie Huaijin has turned a blind eye to it.
That day in the study, he saw Xie Huaijin cherishing Ciying's earring so much, and thought that Xie Huaijin must care about Ciying to some extent.
His men took Ciying and fled towards Mobei. If Xie Huaijin valued Ciying's life, he wouldn't have attacked him, no matter how angry he was. Once he had concealed this from Ruzhen, he could use the information about Ciying to exchange for power in Mobei with Xie Huaijin.
Mobei is a useless place for Xie Huaijin. Yuwen Fu originally thought that Xie Huaijin would not care and would be the same as before.
But he didn't get any of them right.
Not only did Xie Huaijin salvage all his forces in Chang'an, he also handed over everything he had arranged in Mobei to Yuwen Shu. In the past few days, Yuwen Fu witnessed with his own eyes that all his plans of these years turned to ashes.
The palace soldiers were still whipping, and Yuwen Fu's peach blossom eyes were gloomy. What should he blame...
You can't blame Ru Zhen's blood for irritating his nerves, you can't blame Xie Huaijin for mentioning his sister who died at birth that day with a faint smile, you have to blame...
If you want to blame someone, blame him for making a wrong move.
Although he and Yuwen Shu had never been father and son for a single day, he was still influenced by his stupid brain.
The secret guards came out from the dark and sealed the mouths of the two palace soldiers. The palace soldier holding the whip slowly fell down. Yuwen Fu stood up from the ground and watched the two secret guards stripping the clothes of the two palace soldiers. He looked at the whip marks on their bodies and said softly: "Wait a minute, here, and here, you can touch up again."
The secret guards, dressed in palace soldier uniforms, bowed. Yuwen Fu said in a cold voice, "Yuwen Shu's concubine is about to give birth. He has hidden her very well. You go contact the people outside and search for her secretly without making any noise."
"He's not sick, but he sent someone to spread the news that he's seriously ill. Go and find out what's going on in the mansion and see who that old bastard Yuwen Shu is telling this to."
The secret guards responded one by one.
Yuwen Fu closed his eyes: "Go down."
After the two secret guards dealt with the body, they turned around and left. Only Yuwen Fu was left in the dim prison. He rubbed the piece of flesh between his index finger, wondering if Xie Huaijin had failed to find this group of secret guards.
Yu Wenfu lowered his eyes, not knowing that he had become another step in Xie Huaijin's plan.
...Okay.
Then nothing would happen to Ruzhen.
*
March passed in a flash.
Ci Ying completely adapted to the teacher's daily life. The "young master" of the governor's mansion was a man with a cold exterior but a warm heart. When she first met him, she told the "young master" the story she had told the guard that day. The "young master" then put away his disguised dandy appearance and looked at her every day with eyes that said "you are so pitiful" and "I feel so sorry for you".
At this time, the sickly scholar was standing by: "Cough... cough cough."
The two teachers, one had a miserable life and the other was a patient. The "young master" could not be bullied by anyone. He had a gloomy face every day and carefully watched the expressions of his two teachers.
Ci Ying gradually became familiar with Li Sheng. It was because sometimes teaching a student, even a relatively obedient one, was still a headache.
When two people are together, the headache can be shared.
The "young master" was named Wang Chuyu, and the governor had given him a courtesy name early on - "Huizhi".
The reason for this, seven-year-old Wang Chuyu told them, "Do you teachers know about the Wang family in Chang'an? Dad was kicked out by an uncle there, and he's been feeling resentful for years. After his promotion, the Wang family sent a letter offering to have Dad re-entered the family tree, but Dad refused, wanting to continue the Wang family line on his own."
At this point, the girl sighed, "But... Daddy and Mommy tried so hard for many years to have me as their only child. From the moment I was born, Daddy told me that since he wasn't destined to have a son, I was his son. Mommy couldn't persuade Daddy, so this is how it's been all these years."
Ci Ying didn't say anything, just touched her head.
She didn't know what to say and looked at Mr. Li.
Li Sheng coughed and said, "I'm really enlightened. Ahem... how could you disregard the young lady's... ahem... wishes so much?"
Wang Chuyu lost all his sadness. He looked at Li Sheng worriedly and said carefully, "Master Li, don't, don't be angry." Who can he blame if he gets angry...
Ci Ying chuckled and held the girl in her arms.
Mr. Li also smiled gently.
So this March, the letter that reached Xie Huaijin clearly had the shadow of one more person in it.
Mr. Li.
Mo Yu whispered, "As you think, it was indeed one person. However, the entire Li family was executed, and Li fell ill and died in prison. I don't know how he escaped."
"Is it a coincidence?" The young man pondered, and placed the letter on the candlelight with his slender, bony fingers. The flame illuminated his pale eyes.
"Yes." Mo Yu said, "Mr. Li happened to board the same ship as Madam, happened to go to the Governor's Mansion to participate in the selection, and happened to become the Governor's Mansion's teacher together with Madam."
Xie Huaijin smiled gently: "What a coincidence."
The last word fell softly in the candlelight, the wick crackling. The young man lowered his eyes and said softly, "Three months. I think that's enough."
Maybe it was more than three months. Xie Huaijin did not count the days carefully. After all, there was nothing to count. Zhu San sent a letter every seven days, and it was full of Ci Ying's name. Except for Li Sheng's matter, it was almost the same as when he was with her.
Then why can't I stay with him?
Xie Huaijin slowly raised his eyes.
Mo Yu: "Do you need Zhu San to bring the lady back?"
The young man waved his hand: "I'll go myself."
The young man's eyes rested on the embers left by the burning letter.
【Author’s words】
Tomorrow shallow explosion ~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com