Sizhou Ten
"Master Su, are you really okay?"
"It's okay. I'm fine."
Su Zirui walked quickly into the official inn, but suddenly stopped.
The girl in a lotus-colored dress standing quietly in the yard looked delighted when she saw him.
"Ah! Su Feng, why did you stop so suddenly?" Aruo couldn't help but bump into his back. Covering her nose, she complained in a muffled voice. She looked out from behind him and saw the dignified and beautiful figure. "Huh? Sister Liu? It's so early~"
Seeing the two people's outer robes of the same color, Liu Yurong's smile froze. Her hands unconsciously clasped together under her wide sleeves and she bowed, "Senior Brother, Miss Qi."
"Why are you here?" Su Zirui walked over and glanced at Chun'er behind her. "Why don't you take the young lady into the hall to wait?"
"Brother, it's okay. I just arrived and wanted to wait for you here." Seeing Chun'er's frightened face pale, Liu Yurong quickly explained, "I specially made some cakes this morning and wanted to give them to you, brother."
As she spoke, she opened the food box in Chun'er's hand. Several different kinds of snacks were exquisite and small, and the aroma filled the air. Aruo's nose twitched, and she felt the glutton in her stomach was aroused again.
"Are you hungry?" Su Zirui turned around and saw her silly look as she stared at the snacks eagerly. He suddenly found it funny. "Do you want to eat?"
Seeing Liu Yurong and Chun'er's expressions suddenly change, Aruo glared at the straight man in annoyance, "This is something Miss Liu made specially for you, Lord Su. I've just eaten my fill. You guys chat slowly. I'm a little sleepy, so I'll go back to my room first."
It's rare that she also has a beautiful little Caixin to make all kinds of delicious cakes for her. Aruo smiled and bowed to them. She was too lazy to watch other people's love and hate, and went to find her Caixin.
"Miss Qi."
After turning two corners in the corridor, she heard a call from behind before she even returned to her room. Aruo turned around and saw that it was Liu Yurong's maid who had caught up with her.
"Do you have something to talk to me about?" Aruo pointed at himself.
"Miss Qi, although you come from the market and don't care about trivial matters, you'd better avoid suspicion so as not to tarnish other people's reputation." Chun'er Li was no longer able to speak, and said with a slight breathlessness.
Hearing this, Aruo's eyebrows raised slightly, and the warmth in her eyes, which were always filled with smiles, faded. Standing in front of her with her hands behind her back, she said in a slightly deeper voice, "Chun'er, right? I don't quite understand what you mean. Although I'm a common woman, I'm also open and honest. If I were to sully someone's reputation, it would be you. Your unjustified slander of others, isn't that also tarnishing your young lady's reputation? Others wouldn't know and might think your young lady sent you here to suppress someone."
"You... you're talking nonsense! Our young lady is the daughter of a former Imperial Tutor. Her virtues and appearance are both exceptional. She's a renowned noblewoman in the capital. How could a crude woman like you compare?" Chun'er hadn't expected such a blunt retort. She was momentarily flustered and furious. She had been by the young lady's side since she was little, and she'd always been protective of her. How could she ever be so bluntly rebuked?
She was just a vulgar woman. Chun'er was so angry that she blurted out, "Don't bother Mr. Su. He and our young lady are going to get married soon. With your background, the Su family won't tolerate you even as a concubine..."
"Chun'er!" His black eyes were cold, and Aruo raised his chin slightly to glare at her. "Some words need to be thought out before you speak. Be careful... words can cause trouble. If you insist on making trouble for yourself, a common woman like me is not someone to be trifled with. Whoever your young lady likes and marries is none of my business. That person has your young lady in his heart, so naturally he would look down on other women. If he doesn't have her in his heart, he wouldn't be attracted to her no matter who he is, let alone... you."
A cold voice, with a chilling yet all-seeing gaze, approached. Chun'er felt as if she were facing the young master of the Su family. The guilt of having all her hidden secrets seen through filled her. Her face flushed with anxiety, and she couldn't even speak. "Anyway, anyway, don't pester me..."
"Alright, why are you so anxious? Master Su hasn't even said a word, and you're already rushing to send your young lady over here?" Liu Yurong was a weak-willed person, and her initiative couldn't be guaranteed to be fueled by the maid. Aruo hated people who acted under the guise of doing things for your own good. "Go back! If I get angry, it won't be as simple as just talking."
The woman in front of him had no expression on her face, but her eyes frightened Chun'er so much that she was speechless. She hesitated and took two steps back, then ran back crying, covering her face.
Her behavior surprised Aruo, who was about to give her a lecture. "Why are you crying?"
This woman is too scary. Suddenly I miss Wang's cruelty three years ago...
"Aruo, did you have a fight with that girl?" Cai Xin heard the voice and poked her head out of the room.
"How could that be? Have you ever seen me quarreling with someone?" She was too embarrassed to fight back against such a weak opponent. Aruo rubbed her belly, threw the fragile maid out of her mind, and rushed over. "Xiao Caixin~ I want to eat white sugar cake~"
After finally finishing the last brushstroke, Aruo raised an eyebrow in satisfaction at her work. Looking up, she saw Zhang, the actor, sitting in a royal chair sipping tea. Suddenly, she felt like she was about to take an exam. She had intended to openly confront Fang Jingsheng about the situation, but Zhang, impatient with her waiting, came to her house and caught her writing the ending of Peach Blossom Story.
Aruo was completely unwilling to do so—wouldn't it be a happy ending for the scholar to die a miserable death? So she created a strange twist, refusing to let the scholar have both wealth and beauty, while also ensuring that the actor Zhang Paian was satisfied.
Just as he put down his brush, he heard the yamen official announce that someone was looking for him at the door. Aruo readily threw a stack of papers to Zhang the actor and ran out. Not long after, he heard Zhang the actor's crazy laughter behind him.
"You mean, Constable Li asked me to go to the old house in the east of the city?"
"It's not the ancient house, it's the hill behind the ancient house. Just go through the courtyard of the ancient house. She said she found something very important." The little beggar was only seven or eight years old. He wiped his nose with his dirty hands, thanked Aruo for the copper coins, and left.
Aruo watched the little beggar go away, wrapped his fingers around the hair hanging in front of his chest, and turned to ask the guard at the gate of the official post station, "Brother Lin, is Lord Su at the post station today?"
"My lord is here, but he has a visitor now." The expressionless guard took the time to reply to her.
That meant she was busy. She didn't know if it was the aftereffects of watching too much TV, or if she'd recently been involved in a murder case and was feeling a bit paranoid, but she always had doubts about these messages telling people where to go. But she did ask Xiaoman to investigate Fang Shouren yesterday. Xiaoman was well-informed, so there was no guarantee she'd find anything. Aruo thought for a moment, then ran back to find Caixin, explaining everything to her before rushing over.
I borrowed a horse from the official post station and ran a few miles out of the east city gate before I found this so-called ancient house.
"Ahaha... So it really is an old house." Aruo looked at the shabby plaque above the gate that read 'Ancient House'. He climbed the stairs, hesitated for a moment, and then pushed open the red door covered with spider silk. "Xiao Man? Are you there?"
The courtyard was even more desolate than I'd imagined, overgrown with weeds, even the stone steps covered in moss. Within the courtyard, several willow trees grew lushly, their long branches almost reaching the ground. They swayed in the wind, inviting people in, like floating human figures.
Willow trees belong to Yin in the Five Elements, and have heavy Yin energy, so they are not suitable for residential areas.
Aruo remembered that the master had said bluntly that planting willow trees in the courtyard would easily bring negative energy to the family, which would be detrimental to the prosperity of descendants. Moreover, willows have the sound of retaining, so they would easily retain unclean things.
She didn't really believe it, but when she opened the door, she saw the drooping willow branches swaying, which really looked like a person hanging and swinging, which was creepy.
Aruo had the self-awareness of an ordinary person. She was afraid of the dark and even more afraid of death. She took a deep breath and roared a few times with full energy. After waiting for a long time, she didn't hear Li Xiaoman's voice, so she turned around and left very consciously.
The sun was bright, but there was no warmth in the yard. There were gusts of cold wind, and something was wrong. Aruo felt that the owner of this house was most likely the designer of the underground passage of the Fang family.
Suddenly, a woman's gentle laughter was faintly heard from the backyard.
Aruo paused, her hand holding the door uncontrollably stopping. As long as she opened the door and left, she shouldn't cause any problems.
But... the laughter became clearer and clearer, and a familiar voice sounded as clear and crisp as a child's. The soft and soothing voice overlapped with the original beauty in memory.
His black eyes closed slightly, and after a moment of silence, Aruo's hand slowly slid down the door. He turned around and slowly walked towards the source of the sound, with a dark look in his dark eyes.
After she passed by, the overlapping willow branches quickly fell and tangled together, as if they had consciousness, like a veil gradually covering the secret on the other side of the courtyard.
Pick apart the last willow branch and you will see a whole new view.
At the other end of the courtyard, under a blossoming peach tree, a woman in red was reading aloud from a book. Her black hair was as black as lacquer, and was lightly tied with a gilded hairpin. She had a thin figure, and her slender waist was tied with a dark jade belt. Her eyebrows and eyes were picturesque, her skin was like jade, and her every frown and smile was elegant and dignified. She was beautiful but not coquettish, and gorgeous but not vulgar.
Lying on her knees was a little girl with buns on her head, no more than ten years old. The pink petals of peach blossoms danced in the wind, and even the air was filled with the fragrance of peaches.
"Who is this young man on the street, so charming and elegant? I am willing to marry him and spend my whole life with him. Even if he abandons me mercilessly, I will not be ashamed." After the woman in red finished reading, she frowned slightly, as if she was a little worried.
"Sister, this point of view is not right. It's already ruthless, so why are you still ashamed? Change someone quickly. As the saying goes, the next one is always better." The little girl curled her lips, her eyes a little absent-minded.
"Then, what's the correct view?" The woman smiled softly, covering her lips with her hands. The slight sadness between her brows disappeared. She playfully tapped the little girl's eyebrows and imitated her strange vocabulary.
"Give me a peach, and I'll give you a jade in return." The little girl chanted, shaking her head, her big round eyes very pleasing. "Give him a big papaya, and he will give you a beautiful jade."
The woman in red was startled for a moment, then giggled. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes flickered, and she looked radiant and energetic. "Then whoever wants to marry my sister in the future must be extremely wealthy. After all, I have several papaya trees planted in the backyard."
The beautiful picture slowly faded as the peach petals fluttered down, and pink and white passed through the sight. The little girl was no longer in sight, and only the woman stood gracefully under the peach tree, smiling as she looked at Aruo who was standing quietly a few steps away from her.
"As for men, the greater the price, the more he will know how to cherish." Aruo looked at the woman's smiling face and couldn't help but smile.
The woman seemed to have heard her words, her eyes met hers, and as if she had just seen her appearance clearly, she smiled beautifully and stretched out her white jade hand towards her, "Ruoruo, come here."
Although he knew that he shouldn't do that, Aruo couldn't help but slowly raised his hand and reached out to her.
"Girl!"
His shoulders were suddenly grabbed, and an angry roar cut through all the obstacles and came clearly from behind him.
Aruo suddenly came back to her senses, and the woman was no longer in front of her. She turned back blankly and saw the actor Zhang with his usually gentle face distorted.
"Actor Zhang..." Aruo looked at him blankly, looking frustrated.
"What are you doing here?" Zhang, the actor, covered his mouth and nose with one hand and held her arm tightly with the other. "Come with me out now. Don't you notice the miasma here?"
"Miasma?" Aruo didn't understand and took a deep breath subconsciously. The fragrance of peach blossoms filled his nose, but his brain was hazy and his hands and feet were weak.
"Fool! You're so stubborn! You're smelling it!" Zhang, the actor, hit her in annoyance and took out a pill from the pouch on his belt. "Hurry up and hold it in your mouth. This is the detoxification pill your Aunt Song gave you. Let's get out of here quickly."
Aruo dazedly held the liquid in his mouth. The spicy taste numbed his tongue and mouth, and his mind finally cleared up. Not daring to look back, Aruo followed Zhang, the actor's footsteps.
In an instant, the peach blossoms that were originally falling slowly suddenly came like a strong wind, and the petals spun rapidly, reflecting white light in the sunlight, sweeping towards the two of them.
Aruo was startled and quickly stepped in front of Zhang, the actor. The next moment, her waist suddenly tightened, and Aruo was lifted up and spun around. Zhang, the actor who was protecting her, held an open folding fan in his hand, which spun and knocked down all the white light.
In a split second, a silver needle as thin as a hair fell at their feet. Aruo was stunned. "What is this? A hidden weapon? No, Actor Zhang, when did you become so powerful?"
"Do you think you can join an opera troupe without some talent?" Zhang the actor said matter-of-factly, pulling Aruo back. If he had allowed this girl to stubbornly stand in front of him earlier, he would have prepared her funeral by now.
The incompetent fake actress Aruo remained calm as she followed his momentum and quickly retreated towards the door. Just as the two of them retreated to the willow curtain, several black figures leaped down from above the courtyard.
"Who are you? What's your intention in playing tricks in broad daylight?" The actor Zhang Zhengzheng said in a deep voice with an air of a judge on his face.
"The master has been waiting for you for a long time." The leader had half of his face covered. His voice was deliberately low, but it couldn't hide the feminine softness of a woman. His eyes passed over the actor Zhang and stared at Aruo.
Aruo hid behind Actor Zhang, pretending not to hear anything. He raised his eyes slightly and exchanged a glance with Actor Zhang.
The actor quickly opened his folding fan, his demeanor as a scholar. "We have important matters to attend to. Since your lord is waiting, let him wait a little longer. We will choose a day to come and visit you in person. Goodbye!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the fan whipped up the silver needles on the ground and flung them towards the man in black. In unison, Aruo and Zhang Xizi leaped lightly, heading for the gate behind the willow tree. A flash of cold light flashed, and Zhang Xizi reacted with incredible speed, deflecting the longsword with his fan and turning to kick the attacker away. Caught between defense and attack, he had no time to spare for Aruo.
Aruo was forced to spin and leap, and the sword flashed. She gritted her teeth and rushed forward. Her technique was extremely light. She raised her leg and kicked, and the opponent's sword was already in her hand.
The other party was taken aback, and without thinking, Aruo slashed forward, forcing back the person who was trying to grab her. She didn't know how to use a sword, but who couldn't chop with a knife?
The sword danced a few times in the air, both real and fake. Aruo fiddled with the sword in one hand and reached for the small bag at his waist with the other. With a wave of his hand, white powder flew into the air. Zhang, the actor, had the foresight to hold his breath. After all, the powder the doctor had given him in the spring breeze was a stronger version.
The masked man didn't expect Aruo to suddenly sprinkle the medicine, and the three people quickly fell down.
"Go!" Aruo saw a flaw and hurriedly shouted at him, but suddenly he felt a pain in the back of his neck and his vision went dark.
"Girl!" Zhang, the actor's face changed drastically. He threw away his fan and directly snatched the opponent's sword and leaped forward, barely stopping the masked man who was trying to escape with the person on his shoulders. The sword was so sharp that the masked man had to put Aruo under the peach tree and attack with his companions.
Willow branches fluttered in the air between the courtyards, quickly drowning out the figures of those fighting.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
