Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Gu Yanzhou, deep down, hides...
"Someone is smuggling tribute tea!"
Gu Yanzhou heard the news as soon as he stepped into the study. He paused, unable to react for a moment: "What?"
"Someone is smuggling tribute tea."
Song Siyun repeated it again, then walked around from behind the table to his front, explaining, "Today, my mother and I went out to worship Buddha, and on the way, we saved a man. He claimed to be the inspector of Yunqu County, and was being hunted down here."
"Why did the Yunqu County Inspector come to the capital?"
Gu Yanzhou frowned in confusion. "Even if they discovered smuggling, they would have sent reports up the chain of command."
"What if the envoy died?" The man in front of him had a gloomy face and spoke in a very low voice.
The two looked at each other, one was determined, the other had dark eyes and no emotion could be seen.
After a while, someone spoke up, "How did you find out?"
"Gu Yanzhou," Song Siyun called him, his brows lowered, his words filled with pity: "If you saw him, you would believe it too."
He raised his eyes and stared at him, continuing, "He had countless wounds all over his body, including a pierced left chest. If it weren't for the fact that his right side was born different from the average person's, he would have died by now."
"Gu Yanzhou, no one would risk their life to deceive others. Moreover..."
She paused, as if remembering something extremely painful. She closed her eyes briefly, suppressing the turmoil in them. "When have you ever seen someone eat someone's flesh raw to gain their trust?"
"Eating their flesh raw...you mean..."
The person in front of him finally changed his expression, and the doubt in his eyes gradually disappeared.
Song Siyun nodded and told him about the smuggling case: "Since the smugglers dared to murder the local envoy after the incident was exposed, it shows how bold they are. Or maybe -"
Having said this, she stopped talking and looked at him with a smile. He also looked at her.
After a few turns, I have made up my mind.
After an unknown amount of time, the girl in front of him finally took a few steps forward with a smile, came closer and stared at him, as if challenging him: "Since you are so clear and strict, do you still dare to take this case, Master Gu?"
Gu Yanzhou lowered his eyes, his gaze passed across her eyebrows and landed on the girl's sarcastic lips.
Raising his finger, he slowly brushed past La Ping, pushing him further away. Fang Yang smiled and said, "Why not? How can I be so presumptuous on the king's land?"
The inky black robe made the man's figure look even taller. He smiled with his chin raised, and between his eyebrows was an unbridled arrogance that was unique to young men but had not been seen for a long time.
As Song Siyun watched, he suddenly remembered what his father once said: "The two brothers of the Gu family, the elder one is like bamboo and chrysanthemum, elegant and gentle; the younger one is like pine and cypress, tough and mature, with strength hidden in his bones."
At that time, she thought this was just a trivial evaluation, but now she feels that her father's vision is really as sharp as a torch.
Gu Yanzhou usually looks mature, steady and suspicious, but deep down, he still has the arrogance of a young man.
A young man of twenty-one cannot tolerate any flaws.
This sixteen-year-old lady is even more so!
The candlelight was dim, and seeing the fleeting arrogance in the eyes of the person in front of him, Song Siyun suddenly smiled.
She walked up slowly, put her arm around his shoulders, and whispered, "I'll help you."
Gu Yanzhou turned his head, and it seemed as if he had fallen into a galaxy of shattered starlight. He fell into it without any warning, and became addicted...
Hazily, he replied, "Okay."
"Then let me go this time."
The girl's light voice reached his ears, as casual as an everyday chat. For a moment, he almost agreed. But the words were on the tip of his tongue, but he bit them tightly. His eyes, which were usually calm, suddenly widened.
The shock was palpable.
Song Siyun was amused by him and asked in a nonchalant manner, "What's wrong? Didn't you just agree to let me help you?"
"That's different." The man in front of her fell silent. After a moment of contemplation, he looked at her hand and said, "Your hand is injured and needs daily dressing changes. You can't go."
"I can take Cui Yu with me." Song Siyun retorted.
After a while, she raised her hand wrapped like a steamed bun in front of him and said with a smile: "What's more, I can pretend to be a gambler. A gambler with all ten fingers cut off, at the end of his rope, and in debt, takes a risk. Who would suspect me?"
What she said made sense, but the dangers ahead were obvious. How could she, how could she go?
Gu Yanzhou was at a loss for words and could only repeat with his neck choked: "You are not allowed to go."
"Gu Yanzhou, you're being a little unreasonable."
Song Siyun pointed his finger at him, trying to quibble, but the moment he opened his mouth, the study door was pushed open, and a man came in with a sullen face and a loud voice: "Yanzhou is right, you are not allowed to go!"
The two turned around in surprise: "Dad? /Father-in-law?"
"Hmph!" Grand Tutor Song glanced at them, lifted his robe and sat on the armchair. The man who always doted on his little girl now looked furious: "You, you, how dare you interfere in everything! You think you can interfere in something related to tribute tea? What nonsense!"
"Dad~"
Song Siyun walked over in small steps, patting his shoulders and trying to get away with it. "Dad, don't be angry first, listen to me. I know this matter is serious, but how many eyes are watching you in Kyoto? If you move, there's no guarantee that you won't alert the enemy. But I'm different. I'm a woman in the back house. I don't like to see people on weekdays. I just need to draw the curtain and claim to be sick in bed. Let alone two or three months, even if I don't come back for years, no one will notice."
"Don't you agree?" She became more and more proud as she spoke, and turned her slack hand between the two of them, nodding lightly left and right.
These words were truly irrefutable, and even the well-read Grand Tutor Song was speechless. Gu Yanzhou wanted to argue, but after a long time of arguing, he couldn't find any point.
After all, the most feared thing when planning something is to alert the enemy.
Master Song, who was sitting in the armchair, slowly raised his head and looked at him with pale eyes.
Both of them knew that Song Siyun was the best choice for this matter.
But out of selfishness,...
"well--"
After pondering for a long time, he still couldn't pick out a person, so he could only frown and instruct: "Be sure to protect yourself when you get there! Remember, you are only going there to investigate the tribute tea smuggling case. Once you catch the tea dealer and get the account book, return to Beijing as soon as possible! Don't stay."
"Don't worry." Song Siyun smiled and nodded, and assured him hurriedly: "I still know what is important and what is not. Moreover, everything started with the smuggling of tribute tea. I just need to bring the tea dealer back to the capital, follow the clues, and I will definitely catch the murderer who killed the envoy."
"Yes." Master Song nodded, very pleased that she could have such a big picture.
Seeing that she had made up her mind, Gu Yanzhou thought for a moment and said, "I'll let Qingfeng Lingfeng follow you."
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he was rejected: "No, no need." Song Siyun raised his hand and turned around to explain: "They are your personal guards. It would be too conspicuous to follow me. The less people pay attention to my trip, the better."
After saying this, he seemed to have thought of something and hurriedly added, "Cui Yu Que Mei will stay in the mansion then. If Qiao Qiao comes to look for me, I'll need the two of them to cover for me."
"Okay." Gu Yanzhou nodded, and finally said: "Let Qingfeng follow you."
Seeing the man frown in confusion, he coughed twice and explained, "Qingfeng made a mistake a few days ago, so we punished him by sending him to the military camp. Tomorrow, we can find an excuse to have him leave from the camp outside the capital to look for you."
Since it was a convenient thing to do, Song Siyun naturally accepted the kindness. Moreover, she was not good at martial arts, and this trip was dangerous. With an expert accompanying her, she felt more confident.
After everything is discussed, we will set off the next day.
Yunqu is a long way from Kyoto; even at the fastest possible speed it would still take twenty days. Since there was no time to lose, we decided to leave early and return soon.
She had calculated everything well, except for Cuiyu Quemei, who would hug her and cry non-stop. She tossed and turned until midnight before she could finally rest.
The next day, at dawn, a brown horse quietly left through the back door, swishing its tail.
At the same time, in the camp outside Beijing, after the morning exercise of the new recruits was over, the commander found a person who was not on the roster when he called the roll, and ordered his men to throw him out.
Confused, Qing Feng knocked down four people with two punches, but was eventually knocked unconscious by the black hand and thrown into the forest...
When Song Siyun saw the person, she stared at him for a long time and didn't dare to recognize him. Until he called her "Madam"...
She covered her mouth and laughed heartily for a long time before she took out the blood-dispelling ointment from her bag and handed it to him: "Apply this medicine externally once in the morning and evening, and you will recover within three days."
Finally, he couldn't help but be curious: "Didn't Gu Yanzhou say that your martial arts skills are so high that few in the world can rival you? Who hurt you?"
As he said this, he poked his sore spot.
Qing Feng accepted it with a cold face, and seemed to still be breathing when he knelt down to thank him, "I don't know."
He really didn't know. When he woke up and saw the prince, his face hurt. He took the bag and horse sent by the prince and looked around but couldn't find anyone else.
He guessed that there must be a bad person among the people who threw him out, and he patched him up to show his loyalty.
Song Siyun had no idea what he was thinking. She felt like she was choking and immediately lost interest in chatting. She just pouted and urged him to get going. On the way, she also reminded him not to call her "Madam" anymore.
But when Qing Feng, with his face bruised and swollen and eyes full of innocence, asked her what it was called, she couldn't help but burst out laughing, and the breath that was blocked in her chest suddenly dissipated.
Suddenly I realized that maybe he just couldn't speak and had no hostility.
After a long while, he suppressed his laughter and thought of a nickname. "Little Boat, call me Zhu Xiaochuan."
"Okay." Although he was confused, Qingfeng nodded and obeyed.
The journey was so hasty that they lost sight of the passing time. To avoid being seen, they found it difficult to stay in hotels and often slept outdoors at night. After only seven or eight days, they were as exhausted as beggars.
Squatting by the river to clean the wound on her hand, she saw the wild chrysanthemums in the mountains and suddenly remembered that the Double Ninth Festival seemed to be approaching. However, she could not attend the palace banquet this year.
What a pity.
Song Siyun curled his lips and decided to sit cross-legged on the ground to apply medicine to himself. When he stood up, he saw his reflection in the water and was startled by the disappointment in his eyes.
He stared blankly for a long while, then suddenly kicked a stone to disturb the dullness of the pond. Then he plucked all the wildflowers by the river, put them in his bag, and set off again.
Even when he saw Qingfeng staring at him with envy, he kindly gave him half.
After receiving the chrysanthemum, Qingfeng stood there for a moment. Coming to his senses, he tapped his toes on his horse and leaped to the top of the tree. When he came down again, his hands were empty.
As she turned around by the reins, she saw Song Siyun's jaw drop. She pursed her lips in embarrassment and explained uncomfortably, "Today is Double Ninth Festival, a day to climb high and honor the elderly. Thank you, husband... Zhu Xiaochuan, for the flowers. My mother was very happy to see them."
"What about your mother?" Song Siyun came over and asked curiously.
"Dead."
Song Siyun: ...
Climbing in September and celebrating the Double Ninth Festival are days when the ruler and the people enjoy themselves together.
Song Siyun turned back from his horse, looked towards Kyoto from afar, and gritted his teeth: "I will never travel far from now on!"
She was thinking about Kyoto, but she didn't know that the people in Kyoto were also thinking about her.
At the Chongyang Palace Banquet, Li Yuruan was asking Yun Wanqiao, "Why isn't Song Siyun here today?"
It would be fine if she didn't know, but Yun Wanqiao had just gone to see her the other day and promised Cuiyu Quemei to keep it a secret.
Being asked this question suddenly, she didn't know how to answer, and could only evade and give a vague answer: "Of course I caught a cold and couldn't come. I went to her to mix her nail polish the other day."
"Adjusting rouge? Seriously?" This time the person asking the question was Jing Ji, the adopted son of Prince An.
He is not as easy to fool as Li Yuruan. He speaks in a sinister tone, like a poisonous snake waiting in the dark.
Yun Wanqiao shrank her neck because of the cold, took a step back, and responded in a hollow voice.
Perhaps realizing he was feeling too guilty, he took another half step forward, straightened his chest, and said loudly, "Yes!"
"In that case, I think it will be almost healed and can even be used to mix nail polish."
Jing Ji smiled, waved his sleeves and turned around, his expression suddenly changed, and ordered his followers: "Send a pigeon to Yunqu immediately, anyone who inquires about the tribute tea in the near future will be killed without mercy!"
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The author has something to say: Thank you all for your concern, I, Yu Hansan, am back again [let me check it out]
After a good sleep, I printed "Big" and was revived with full health! Now I have entered the "kerka kerka" state and will be fine soon [shy]
I will update daily in the future~ [kiss]
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