Chapter 40
Lin Qingyu sat quietly on the bed for a long time, and for a moment he could not distinguish between dreams and the real world. He looked at his hands blankly, as if he could still recall the touch of the boy's lower abdomen, but he could not remember the appearance of the person in his dream.
He only remembered that the man was taller and more "handsome" than the Lu Wancheng he was familiar with, had a better voice, and could easily pick him up. And...what else.
His memory of the boy seemed to be covered with a veil. No matter how hard he tried, he could only see a vague outline.
Hua Lu fetched some hot water for him to wash. He asked, "Did you dream about him last night?"
Hualu's eyes turned red again and she shook her head.
Lin Qingyu slowly closed his palms: "He's back."
"Did the young master say anything to the young master?"
Lin Qingyu smiled: "He is the same as before, not talking about the main business, but just talking about useless nonsense."
He refused to even tell him his name. He is such a beast. He should be hung up and beaten.
But even if it is nonsense, the atmosphere of the dream is still warm enough to make people linger. It’s a pity that once you wake up from the dream, everything is gone.
Lin Qingyu began to collect Lu Wancheng's belongings one by one, selecting some as burial objects.
There were too many things, so he asked Hua Lu to sort them out first, picking out the things that Lu Wancheng had used in the past year. The others that were too old could be disposed of at will.
The clothes I wore, the jade crown I wore, the bowls and chopsticks I used, the game of pitching pots I played, the books I read, the birds I played with.
In the first half of the year, Lu Wancheng was not in too bad health. He collected a lot of strange things and even raised a thrush and a starling. Later, his health gradually deteriorated and the starling also died of illness. Lu Wancheng personally took care of the funeral for the two birds, humming a cheerful tune as he sent them off. He said the tune was called "Black People Carrying a Coffin" and asked him if he wanted to learn it. He said he could teach him, and when he died, he would have the fierce men play the tune on the suona while carrying his coffin to send him off.
At that time, I was too lazy to pay attention to Lu Wancheng. I let him say outrageous things in my ear without even looking at him. Fortunately, he has an excellent memory, and even if he didn't pay attention to it at the time, he can still recall a lot of details now.
Lu Wancheng likes things that allow him to have fun without having to move much. One day, he suddenly had an idea and wanted to know how the people of Dayu plucked their sheep, so he asked the steward to bring a sheep from the farm and shear off all the sheep's wool in front of him.
"If I were that sheep, I would be so shy." Lu Wancheng said as he lay on the recliner.
This recliner is also Lu Wancheng's favorite. He likes to lie on it to bask in the sun, swaying and squinting his eyes, like a lazy cat.
Lin Qingyu followed Lu Wancheng's example, lying down on the recliner and picking up the book beside him to read.
He was deeply impressed by this storybook, a collection of folk detective stories. Lu Wancheng circled the murderer's name on the third page, making it impossible to read on. He wrote the word "Get lost" on it and gave it to Lu Wancheng, and never read the book again after that. He didn't expect that Lu Wancheng would reply to him in the book.
“This man is the murderer.”
"roll."
"In the end, it was Doctor Lin who was the victim! I'm so sorry, I kowtow to you."
Lin Qingyu looked at someone's scribbled handwriting, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
Lu Wancheng is always like this. He first makes people speechless, and then quickly apologizes sincerely, making it impossible for people to get angry.
At that time, Lu Wancheng was still an out-and-out playboy, who ate and drank all day and stayed in bed and refused to get up. Since when did he become so cunning and thoughtful?
Feeling a slight dull pain in his chest, Lin Qingyu closed the storybook, but still couldn't cry.
Maybe what he lost was something he shouldn't have had.
In the study, Lin Qingyu found Lu Wancheng's last writing a month ago. In his letter, he said that all the dowry left by his biological mother, Wen, would be left to his widow, Lin. Secondly, he hoped that his grandfather would advise the Queen that since he was dead, the matter of marrying a male wife to bring good fortune should come to an end, and Lin could be allowed to return to the Lin Mansion, and from then on, they should have nothing to do with each other in marriage, funerals, and so on.
When Wen got married, Duke Wen prepared a ten-mile red dowry for her. Twenty years have passed, and it has hardly been touched. It is comparable to the entire Lin family's property.
In addition, after Lu Wancheng left, Zhang Shiquan also settled accounts with Lin Qingyu. Since taking over the general affairs of the Marquis' Mansion, Zhang Shiquan quietly transferred the deeds of most of the Marquis' Mansion's fields, villas, and shops to Lin Qingyu's name.
Lu Wancheng said on their wedding night that when he died, he could take his inheritance back to the Lin Mansion and live happily.
Lu Wancheng did not lie to him.
There was only one thing left that Lu Wancheng hadn't decided on before he died. "Young Master, the young marquis was not aware of the smuggling of salt in Xuzhou. In your opinion, what should we do now?"
Lin Qingyu originally wanted to use this incident to make Liang submit, and by the way, bring down Lu Niantao after using her - if Lu Niantao really became a royal concubine and gave birth to a prince in the future, it would not be of any benefit to him. Unfortunately, before he could take any action, the mother and daughter died.
But within a year, the Nan'an Marquis's Mansion was in danger of collapse, with people dying, going crazy, or getting sick. Now all that's left is for Marquis Nan'an to be unable to hold on any longer. At best he will retire and return home, at worst he will fall seriously ill and never get up again. There's no need for him to do anything.
It's so boring.
"Clear yourself first and let them continue to make trouble," Lin Qingyu said, "maybe it will be useful in the future."
Zhang Shiquan said respectfully: "Yes."
"Master," Huan Tong ran into the room in a hurry, "The prince is here, and the Marquis asked you to prepare to welcome him."
Both the Emperor and the Empress have expressed their opinions on Lu Wancheng's death, and as the crown prince, Xiao Rong naturally cannot neglect this matter. The fact that he came to the mansion in person to express his condolences was considered a courtesy to Marquis Nan'an.
Lin Qingyu knew that this day would come: "I know, I'll change my clothes and go."
Marquis Nan'an, supported by Pan, greeted them at the gate of the mansion, while Lin Qingyu and other clan members stood behind. Marquis Nan'an originally thought that the Crown Prince would bring his concubine with him when he came to pay his respects, but unexpectedly, only the Crown Prince came.
Xiao Cheng exchanged a few pleasantries with the Marquis of Nan'an, saying nothing more than polite official words such as "I am sorry for your loss" and "I have wanted to come to your house to see you off since early morning, but I was too busy with government affairs to get away until today."
The emperor is getting older, and his health is not as good as before after the cold he caught during the autumn hunt. In order to maintain the stability of the court, he has to let the crown prince assist in the administration. Xiao Cheng took over the Ministry of Revenue from Marquis Nan'an, and his career was at its peak.
Marquis Nan'an now has only one daughter left, and he couldn't help but ask about the concubine's recent situation. Xiao Cheng simply said, "Ms. Lu is ill and cannot leave the palace. I will burn three incense sticks on her behalf for my cousin."
Lin Qingyu looked behind Xiao Cheng. The crown prince left the palace and, apart from the coachman and his entourage, only took two guards with him. Given Xiao Cheng's suspicious nature, he would definitely not be so negligent about his own safety. He must have hidden a lot of his shadow guards in places that others cannot see.
Marquis Nan'an invited Xiao Cheng into his mansion. When Xiao Cheng passed by Lin Qingyu, the corner of his mouth raised up in an arc that seemed like a smile.
Lin Qingyu was the first to look away. He was not afraid of looking into Xiao Cheng's eyes, but if he was seduced by Xiao Cheng now, no one could save his eyes.
A group of people arrived at the mourning hall. As Lu Wancheng's widow, Lin Qingyu lit six incense sticks and handed them to Xiao Cheng.
Xiao Cheng took the incense and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Xiao Qingyu, you've lost weight."
Lin Qingyu looked expressionless, as if he didn't hear anything.
Xiao Cheng looked at Lu Wancheng's spirit tablet and smiled leisurely: "I still remember my cousin once said that as long as he didn't say it was over, nothing would be over. But what about now? He is lying in the coffin, his soul has returned to heaven. The person standing in front of Xiao Qingyu is me - is this not the end?"
Lin Qingyu's heart moved.
Yes, as long as that person doesn't say it's over, nothing will be over.
He forced himself to cheer up and said, "Your Highness, have you heard the rumors about me?"
"gossip?"
"Since I married Lu Wancheng, Nan'an Marquis's Mansion has been plagued by disasters. It is clear that the issue of a man having a wife is unacceptable to heaven."
"Xiao Qingyu, have you misunderstood something?" Xiao Cheng smiled evilly, "How could I possibly marry a man? All I want is your face."
Lin Qingyu raised his eyelashes: "Your Highness...what do you want?"
"No hurry." Xiao Cheng bowed three times slightly to Lu Wancheng's spirit tablet. Although he seemed to be burning incense devoutly, he actually said something insulting to the widow of the deceased, "Only by hunting patiently can you eat the most delicious prey."
Lin Qingyu's eyelashes drooped again and he reached his hand into his sleeve, as if he wanted to pull something out. A white light flashed before Xiao Cheng's eyes. Before he realized what was happening, a figure suddenly appeared from nowhere and stood in front of him.
Lin Qingyu felt a sharp pain in his wrist and was knocked back several steps, barely able to keep his body steady. Then, a long sword was placed at his neck.
A maid who was keeping vigil screamed and her mouth was quickly covered. The sudden change stunned everyone present. They saw a young man in black clothes in the mourning hall, holding a long sword, with a murderous look on his face, looking at Lin Qingyu expressionlessly.
Compared with Lin Qingyu, the young man was extremely ordinary in both appearance and figure, and would be drowned in the crowd. But at this moment, with just a slight wave of his hand, Lin Qingyu would be killed on the spot.
Lin Qingyu whispered: “Shen Huaishi?”
Surprise flashed in the young man's eyes.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Cheng asked unhappily, "Why did you suddenly come out?"
The young man said succinctly: "There is a sharp object hidden in Lin Shaojun's sleeve."
Everyone gasped. Assassinating the crown prince is a serious crime punishable by execution of the entire family.
"Oh?" Xiao Cheng narrowed his eyes dangerously, "What stupid thing does Young Master Lin want to do in front of your husband's spirit?"
Lin Qingyu said calmly: "The secret guard has misunderstood." He took out the thing hidden in his sleeve, which turned out to be just a hairpin used by women. "This is the young marquis's relic. After he left, I kept it with me and developed the habit of playing with it from time to time. I didn't expect such a misunderstanding to occur. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."
Xiao Cheng looked at Lin Qingyu, and the others were afraid to breathe until he said, "Get back here."
The young man immediately put away his sword, lowered his eyes and said, "This subordinate deserves to die."
After this little incident, Xiao Cheng did not stay any longer. Lin Qingyu placed the hairpin among the burial objects, letting it accompany Lu Wancheng as he slept forever, so that Lu Wancheng would have nothing to turn to in the other world.
After the wake, the burial takes place. The Lu family's ancestral tomb is in Lin'an. Lu Baishuo specially rushed from his hometown to the capital just to see Lu Wancheng back to his roots. As a widow, Lin Qingyu should travel with Lu Baishuo to see Lu Wancheng off for the last time.
The end of the year is approaching, and Lin Qingyu plans to head south after the New Year. On New Year's Eve, the Nan'an Marquis Mansion did not post Spring Festival couplets, set off firecrackers, or visit relatives and friends. Although Lin Qingyu was concerned about his parents and younger brother, in order to prevent them from suffering too much criticism, he stayed in the Marquis' Mansion to celebrate the New Year.
He gave the servants of Lanfeng Pavilion a holiday, and he and Huantong spent the New Year simply. Huantong cooked a pot of dumplings. The master and servant were eating when a guest arrived.
Hu Ji was alone in the capital, and he inevitably felt lonely when his family was reunited. He first went to the Lin residence, where Lin's mother invited him to have a meal and told him that if he had nothing to do, he could visit the Nan'an Marquis' residence. So Hu Ji came and brought some homemade cakes made by Lin's mother.
Lin Qingyu thanked him and asked, "Is mother okay?"
Hu Ji said, "Master's wife is fine, but I am more worried about Shaojun and the judge who is far away in Yongliang."
Lin Qingyu frowned. It has been a long time since the last news from Yongliang was reported back to the capital, and no new news has been received. The war in the northwest continued, and General Gu's life or death was uncertain, and no one knew when his father would be able to return.
When Hu Ji heard that Lin Qingyu was going south, he said worriedly, "The epidemic is raging in the south, so please be careful."
Lin Qingyu nodded and said, "Yes."
Hu Ji sat for a while and then stood up to say goodbye. Lin Qingyu saw him out of the house and looked up to see the lights of thousands of houses and the Milky Way.
The old year ends tonight, and the new year begins tomorrow.
After that night, the ghost of the young man named Jiang never appeared in my dreams again.
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