Yangzhou Seventeen
Sickening breaths hissed in his chest, rough palms rubbed the skin on his face, and the excruciating pain and helplessness of powerlessness invaded every nerve in him. Resentment filled all his senses, and his eyes were like a black sea, swirling with boundless murderous intent.
The hatred from the deepest part of his soul burst out with his last bit of strength. He turned over and pinned the man under him, squeezing his throat with all his might.
The next moment, the man burst into a blood-red sky. His eyes were invaded by the red, and then, a faint moaning sound lingered, and his palm touched a soft and tender thing.
Her smooth black hair lay messily spread across the vibrant silk. Her long, slender eyelashes trembled, the corners of her eyes tinged with a faint crimson. Her lacquer-like eyes were soft and captivating, her red lips slightly parted as she breathed rapidly. Her belt had fallen, her delicate collar had been flipped open, revealing the ambiguous spots on her graceful collarbone. Under his palm, her snow-white skin shone with a lusty, voluptuous color.
"Sir..." Xiuya's face was full of spring colors, with a hint of fragile beauty, like the finest thin bone china, making people want to crush it.
Her hands slowly slid up his neck, inch by inch. Her misty breath ruffled the skin on his neck, and his heart began to beat. Her kiss, light as a butterfly landing on a flower, easily shattered his remaining sanity. Every part of him felt like it was burning in a raging fire. He lowered his head as if bewitched, wanting only to tear the person beneath him, who had become so charming because of him, into his stomach. He listened to her soft words...
Favorite.
"Hehe..." A soft voice sounded sarcastically.
The moment his mind returned to him, everything in front of him turned into fallen petals, and his eyes, which were filled with intense desire, suddenly became clear and frozen.
Inside the dim and narrow cell, with mottled walls on all four sides, there was a chair in the middle of the room. A man sat with his forehead supported in a domineering manner, looking ahead expressionlessly.
Before him, a ragged figure was suspended in mid-air, his tangled hair covering his face, revealing a faint glimpse of a scarred face. Pus and blood dripped from the corners of his mouth, and a foul odor emanated from him. His wet clothes ripped, the flesh beneath it exposed, a bloody mess. His hands were bound helplessly, and he struggled to raise his head, his horrified gaze fixed on the calm figure across from him.
"Su Zirui..." His voice was hoarse and dry, and he could only make vague sounds. "After all, I am a legitimate Wuqiwei... You resort to lynching... Aren't you afraid..."
"There is solid evidence that you were hunting me down. Luo Yin has resigned and confessed his guilt, and all those involved have been executed. You said that because of your mistake, your master lost so many people. If I had handed you over to him, would your fate be better than staying here?" Su Zirui smiled lightly, slowly playing with the thin blade in his hand.
The man suddenly choked, his limp body swaying. The torture he had endured over the past few days had worn away all his willpower, and now he simply wanted to be free. Unfortunately, his tendons in his hands and feet were completely severed, and even his jaws had been dislodged, leaving him unable to bite. He couldn't even commit suicide. He had finally witnessed the legendary purgatory of the Ministry of Justice in Da Qi.
"Don't count on the Zhenyuan Army either. You've privately used a million taels of military pay, forcing the soldiers of the Eighteenth Northwest Battalion to wear cotton-padded clothes stuffed with scraps of cloth and eat coarse rice mixed with sand, paving the way for your own immense wealth..."
Hearing this, the man suddenly opened his eyes and stared at Su Zirui who stood up lazily.
Su Zi's eyes, as if amused by his reaction, were filled with a cold shard of ice, but his tone was gentle, "If you don't want others to know, then don't do it yourself... Luo Yin is so bold! Does your master know that you betrayed him for money? His methods... I'm afraid they will be even worse than the punishment you are suffering now."
His originally powerless body trembled with fear. He wanted to refute, "Su Zirui... We were ordered by Luo Yin. Now we are prisoners and have nothing to say. But... you must not pin this false charge on me..."
Su Zirui walked up to him confidently, his lips curled slightly. "You've been with Luo Yin for six years, and he didn't even know you were serving two masters. Li Qiwei is such a good actor. On the one hand, he covets the soldiers' wages, on the other hand, he pretends to be with them through thick and thin. On the other hand, he is loyal to Luo Yin, and on the other hand, he reports every detail to his real master... He performs the act more completely than the male lead in the opera troupe."
Li Qiwei moved his lips and spoke with difficulty, "Not as good as Lord Su..."
"Indeed, I am not. I do not have a wife or children in the hands of others, let alone..." The voice was as light as a whisper, with a cold tone, "secretly harboring a concubine or a child born out of wedlock. Tell me, if I could send the mother and child you have hidden away in your nest of treasures over there, so that you can reunite your family, would that be okay?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Qiwei was so furious that he spat out a mouthful of blood, rolled his eyes, and fainted. Su Zirui quickly dodged with a look of disdain and said with disdain, "You have the guts to play double-faced."
"Sir..." Beili, who was guarding the door, walked in, ignoring the man being hanged, and saluted respectfully, "Sir Jing is here, waiting outside."
Jing Lan? A hint of coldness flashed across Su Zirui's eyes, and he smiled softly, "Send him to Lin Ziyan. The Zhenyuan Army is currently investigating the military pay issue, and many officials are involved. The emperor has ordered the Dali Temple and the Supervisory Office to assist... This water is muddy enough."
Beili agreed and mentally lit a candle for Lord Lin who was facing Luo Ziran.
I don't know what's going on, but his master must have been in a bad mood these past two days. He was more cruel than usual when interrogating prisoners and even dug out people's hearts and livers... If the Ministry of Justice wanted to, they could know the secrets of every household in the capital. This Lieutenant Li was so foolish as to place his concubine in a prosperous place, leaving his legitimate wife and children to suffer with him in the northwest. He deserved it to be dug out.
Three of the men who had pursued them that day had survived, but they all had important backgrounds, and Luo Yin had been desperate, fearing they would not die. Now that the masters had thrown the two men out, Luo Yin could not escape the charges even if he was crippled. If he pleaded guilty and was stripped of his official position, the Luo family would have completely given up on him.
However, with the military pay issue now exposed, the Luo family might find it difficult to completely clear themselves of any wrongdoing. However, their Ministry of Justice remained clean on the surface, thanks to Luo Yin's elaborate maneuvering, which allowed them, as victims, to avoid any further trouble. Now that various factions have entered the fray, they can simply sit back and watch the situation unfold.
The smell of blood and sour food mixed together to form a strange and unpleasant smell. Jing Lan couldn't stand it and covered his mouth and nose with his sleeves, and refused to let go even when greeting.
Su Zirui ignored him and walked out. "Why are you here if you're not going to check your salt administration?"
"Hey, Master Su, please don't be so heartless..." Didn't I just accept Luo Ziran's recommendation and join the Yangzhou government office to assist in the salt administration inspection? It's not like I'm on Luo Ziran's side, so why should I be so heartless? Jing Lan followed closely, "I also don't want to offend Dingbei Hou again. Now that he recommends me a chance to climb up, can I really refuse? I'm not you, I'm just a bachelor."
It's not that he is spineless, it's just that Marquis Dingbei gave him too much.
Not everyone is like him, with a family background, ability, and a reliable fox father. However, Jing Lan felt sorry for him. Just because of such a father who was about to be appointed as a prime minister, no matter how outstanding Su Zirui was, he could not get rid of the shadow of relying on his father.
"Master Jing has a bright future and is destined to be rich and powerful. I hope you will support him." Su Zirui curled his lips. He was indeed not surprised by Jing Lan's choice. He had even secretly facilitated this recommendation. So what? He just didn't like this smooth-talking person.
"I wouldn't dare." Jing Lan decided to quit while he was ahead. He just wanted to clarify this person's attitude. After all, he had just witnessed the Ministry of Justice's methods of digging into secrets, so he really didn't dare to provoke this person.
"Anything else?" Su Zirui raised his eyebrows and asked when he saw that he was still following him.
"Ahem, those are the kids I was checking out earlier." Sure enough, the moment he mentioned this, he stopped, his eyes cold. Jing Lan calmed down, "I used the Qin family and the Ministry of Justice to track down those four kids. Two of them returned to their families and are now ordinary people. One is a peddler, married, and settled down. Only one... was one of the first to arrive at the Tiger Village, and is now hanging out in the Yangzhou Ghost Market."
"Ghost Market?" Su Zirui frowned slightly. How could it be such a coincidence?
"Have you never heard of Yangzhou's ghost market?" Jing Lan enthusiastically introduced it. "It's very different from the one in the capital. Because of the canal, the ghost market here not only gathers specialties from all over Da Qi, but also many banned items and books that can't be circulated on the market, such as Gu from Miaojiang, spices from the northwest, and... spells from outside Da Qi."
"Curse? What kind of spell?" Su Zirui became interested, and the strange cases in the capital flashed through his mind.
After that day, he went to visit the co-magistrate, Lord Hu. There were no babies in the inner chambers of the Hu Mansion, but there were some strange things they had recently purchased. The palace physician had recently purchased a large amount of cinnabar. Although a servant in the Hu Mansion had burns and needed cinnabar as medicine, the amount was... wrong!
"A lot, as long as you want. I once went to join in the fun, and someone was telling fortunes with a transparent glass ball, and it was terrifyingly accurate." Jing Lan said in a reserved and serious tone.
Hearing that there are wizards in the Western Regions who use crystal balls to peek into other people's fate, which is more accurate than the six-line hexagram, Su Zirui was unusually curious. "What do you mean?"
"She said that I would have a prosperous career in the government, three wives and four concubines, and five sons in the future! Isn't that terrifyingly accurate? Now I've even looked at a few more matchmakers, hoping to marry them all at once. Hey, hey, Master Su, why are you leaving? I haven't finished speaking yet..."
He is still a bachelor at his age, and he has three wives and four concubines... You shouldn't have any expectations of this person.
After a light rain, the air is filled with the fragrance of soil. The eaves of the halls are cleaner and tidier after being washed by rain. The trees in the mountains are full of vitality under the nourishment of rain. The smoke of incense is everywhere, and the sounds of monks chanting are heard from far and near. The whole Dayin Temple is immersed in a kind of tranquility and transcendence.
Leaning against the outer wall of the bedroom, Aruo moved his slightly sore legs and looked at Caixin beside him. They could see the surprise and helplessness in each other's eyes.
Inside the outer wall, Aunt Song choked with sobs, while Yiyuan remained gentle, almost indifferent.
"Yiyuan is so stubborn. Auntie just wants to give him some shoes and socks, but he keeps refusing..." Caixin couldn't stand the pushing and pulling inside, and couldn't help but lean close to Aruo's ear and whispered a complaint.
Aruo patted her head and said, "Maybe... it's because I can't respond to your kindness."
"Auntie, too. Even if Yiyuan wasn't her son, she couldn't help but climb those 999 steps every day to see him. Alas... even just seeing him once would satisfy her." Caixin had already been well-cared for by Auntie Song in the capital, and she felt a little sorry for her. But Yiyuan was the abbot of Dayin Temple, with his own duties and many believers seeking his teachings. He really didn't have the time to see Auntie all day. Caught between a rock and a hard place, she could only hide away with Aruo and the others.
"But..." Cai Xin glanced at the quiet girl beside her and asked hesitantly, "Is Yiyuan... really not Auntie's son?"
Cai Xin only met Yi Yuan because of Aruo. She only knew that they had known each other since childhood, and their relationship had been both good and bad. She had never heard them talk about their past. However, since Aruo could become the sister-in-law of the Marquis of Dingbei, it didn't seem too strange that Master Yi Yuan was actually the son of the eldest lady.
"If Yiyuan says it's not true, then it's not true," Aruo replied as a matter of course, "Doesn't he know who his mother is?"
"That's right..." Mother really couldn't just recognize someone randomly, just like she...
Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine. Cai Xin subconsciously raised her eyes and saw the burly figure walking towards her in surprise. She became annoyed again and stamped her feet, "Here he goes again! I already said I'm not his sister, why won't he let me go?"
After saying something to Aruo hurriedly, Cai Xin nimbly crouched down and went into the corridor, then ran away decisively.
"Miss Aruo." Cheng Sheng hurriedly greeted the person leaning against the wall, then jumped down the corridor and chased after her. "Miss Caixin, wait a minute, I..."
Aruo watched the two run away speechlessly and sighed, "Is the drama of recognizing relatives popular among everyone these days?"
The bushes not far away suddenly moved, rustling. Aruo stood up sharply and looked over there vigilantly.
Don't be afraid, Yiyuan said that sulfur is sprinkled on this mountain regularly, so there won't be any such slippery, long creatures.
Just as he was thinking this, the bushes suddenly shook violently, and the next moment a white shadow pounced towards Aruo.
"Wow..." Aruo instinctively reached out to take it, and found that it was a soft and fluffy snow-white Persian cat. "Wow, so cute~"
The cat lazily regarded her with its blue eyes, then rubbed her hand as if to show its affection. Aside from some mud on its paws, its white fur was smooth and clean, suggesting it had an owner.
"Little kitty, are you lost? It's okay, I'll take you to find your owner~" Aruo rubbed his face hard a few times before pinching its paw pads contentedly.
Suddenly, a hand reached out from the bushes and grabbed Aruo's ankle. The cool feeling of the restraint on his ankle startled Aruo, and he quickly swung his feet to try to break free.
With some effort, the man was dragged out of the bushes. His hair was a little messy, and his jacket was stained with mud. Only his raised almond-shaped eyes showed a hint of power. After seeing Aruo's face clearly, the man was stunned for a moment, and then pounced on him.
In that instant, Aruo broke free from her hand and ran out with the cat in his arms.
"Rou Rou!" A hoarse voice came from behind. Aruo turned around and saw the middle-aged woman who looked a little embarrassed getting up and chasing after her with her hand outstretched.
God! When did such a person appear in Dayin Temple?
The other person's expression was obviously not right, and Aruo panicked, turning around and running with the cat in his arms. Although the person behind him didn't look normal, his leg strength was indeed quite good, and he could still keep calling Rourou while running...
Wait, Rourou? Rourou?
Aruo belatedly realized what was happening and looked at the slightly fat white cat in her arms. The cat gave her an innocent look. She paused, hurriedly put the cat aside, and bowed to the person running towards her. "Sorry, I'm returning your cat to you. Don't chase me."
After saying that, she quickly turned into the corridor and ran into the Heavenly King Hall.
After confirming that no one had followed in, she carefully peeked out. The woman was holding the cat, and Cheng Sheng, who had appeared out of nowhere, was hugging her and comforting her softly.
"Could that be Madam Cheng..." When Aruo heard that Madam Cheng became ill due to missing her daughter, she thought she was not feeling well physically, but she didn't expect that she was not feeling well mentally.
A hand silently reached out from behind and grabbed her neck. Aruo narrowed her eyes and quickly moved her elbow back. The person behind her dodged lightly, turned around, and dragged the person away.
"Damn Yiyuan, I can't breathe!" Aruo staggered around and pried his hand away angrily.
"Aren't we going to the ghost market? If you don't leave now, I'll have to go to the evening class." Yiyuan dragged people out from the back of the Heavenly King Hall and reminded them in a bad mood.
"I'm waiting for you. Why are you going so late?" Aruo said gritting his teeth.
Yiyuan looked at her in shock, and after enduring it again and again, he finally realized that she really believed it. "You... don't you know that the Yangzhou Ghost Market only opens at five o'clock in the morning?"
The Yangzhou ghost market is a hive of good and bad people, gathering at midnight and dispersing at cockcrow.
Aruo was stunned for a moment, then pulled his hand away with a dry laugh. She pursed her lips, and seeing that no one was around, she couldn't help but whisper, "You... really don't recognize me?"
Only he could handle such a rambling conversation without any pressure. Yiyuan paused, half-closing his eyes. His expression was like that of a mantra recited by a Buddhist monk, neither sad nor happy, yet faintly revealing the compassion of the Buddhist.
"I no longer care about the mundane world. I only have Buddha in my heart, and I will only serve Buddha in this life." Yiyuan glanced at her and said softly, "I have long since abandoned the affairs of the mundane world."
A Ruo groaned, raising her eyebrows slightly, "Then why are you still going to the ghost market with me?"
Yiyuan glared at her, looking disdainful and saying, "You're just too weak. It's doubtful whether you can come out alive from a place like that. Besides, if there really is baby trafficking going on there, I'll report this crime just for the sake of justice!"
Good, good, Master Yiyuan is indeed a famous monk in Jiangnan, with a heart of righteousness and compassion!
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