Chapter 4 The Visitor from Wu County is Probably a Cat Demon Who Has Become a Spirit
"What happened?"
Meng Lingyao lifted the carriage curtain and saw a dirty little beggar sitting on the unmelted snowdrift, his tattered cotton-padded coat covered in mud, and he was so thin that he was just skin and bones.
Cang Dian quickly jumped off the carriage, pressed down on the little beggar, and asked him a few questions. He returned shortly to report, "Miss, he said he was so hungry he couldn't see the road and accidentally bumped into the carriage." He scratched his head, a rare hint of uncertainty on his face, "That's roughly it. I didn't quite understand what he was saying..."
Meng Lingyao's heart stirred. She took Songlan's hand and stepped out of the carriage. Her embroidered shoes touched the ground as she softly asked, "Are you hurt?"
Before she could reply, she called out, "Songlan." Songlan immediately took out a small piece of silver from her purse and handed it to the little beggar, saying, "This is a reward from the young lady. Go and treat your injuries and have a good meal."
The little beggar looked up at Meng Lingyao, his face purple from the cold, but his eyes were bright and clear like stars. His lips trembled as he uttered a few words: "I'm not hurt. I... I don't need any money..." Before he could finish speaking, he coughed violently, his hand tightly covering his mouth, and a few strands of cotton wool peeked out from his torn sleeve, making him look even more pitiful and embarrassed.
Zhou Yizhi noticed the commotion, dismounted, and his gold-trimmed boots crunched on the snow. "Miss Meng is kind-hearted, don't let this little beggar fool you."
He was very tall and looked down at the little beggar. His voice was cold. "There are often people like this outside the city who deliberately bump into the carriages of nobles, pretend to be injured, and swindle money. It's almost become a business."
"No, no!" the little beggar cried out, his whole body trembling violently. His eyes were fixed on Zhou Yizhi. Suddenly, he noticed the city gate guards looking in their direction. He hurriedly grabbed the silver and stuffed it into his pocket. "I, I will pay it back!" After saying that, he darted into the crowd like a nimble eel.
Meng Lingyao gazed in the direction he had disappeared, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing together. The way the little beggar had rolled his tongue at the end of his sentence reminded her of the lotus-picking song she had heard at the Marquis of Weiyong's residence last year, sung by a courtesan from Wu County.
“Miss Meng is too soft-hearted.” Zhou Yizhi sighed, his tone tinged with a smug “I knew it.” But the gazes fixed on Meng Lingyao were even more intense, as if a lucrative deal was about to be struck.
"How about I make a bet with Young Master Zhou?" Meng Lingyao's eyes flashed as she summoned Cang Dian.
“Go and follow that child.” She glanced at the crowd of people passing by, then added, “Don’t let him see us.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yizhi smiled and shook his head, "Alright, I'll make this bet with Miss."
Meng Lingyao easily detected the nonchalance in his tone. His manner was no different from that of a child who was being dismissive and unwilling to admit defeat.
She blinked rapidly, clenched her hands tightly in her sleeves, and blushed slightly. She raised her hand, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, making the blush on her face even more obvious, then curtsied to Zhou Yizhi and returned to the carriage.
The movement as he turned was a bit too large, and the hem of his cloak lifted up, causing snowflakes to splatter onto Zhou Yizhi's brocade robe.
Zhou Yizhi casually dusted off the corner of his clothes, a smile always playing on his lips.
The moment the carriage curtain closed, Meng Lingyao's face returned to calm, and the blush of shyness faded as if it had never appeared.
A woman who is beautiful and kind-hearted, but not so smart, is most likely to let down her guard with someone like Zhou Yizhi who is busy calculating gains and losses every day.
However, the little beggar's Wu accent and his flustered expression made people suspicious.
She leaned back, sinking into the cushions, her brows slightly furrowed.
At the corner of the city gate, Pei Xu reined in his horse and looked back at the carriage that was gradually disappearing into the distance. The cold air from the grass and trees in the suburbs still clung to his black robes. Behind him, two subordinates were bickering.
"If you ask me, Miss Meng is truly kind-hearted." The round-faced guard loosened the reins and breathed warm air into his palms. "In this cold weather..."
"Heh." The pale-faced guard let out a sneer.
"why are you laughing?"
"I'm laughing at your blindness and naivety." The pale-faced guard curled his lip in utter sarcasm. "Didn't you see the Zhou family's peacock standing there? Nine times out of ten, it's just for show. When I left the capital last month, I saw Lu Heming eagerly delivering things to the Meng family. In the blink of an eye, he was out of the city with another man."
"Hey! Pretty boy, can't you talk properly? Maybe they bumped into each other by accident? Why make such malicious assumptions?"
Pei Xu raised his hand to stop the two from talking, his gaze sweeping over the patch of trampled snow in front of the carriage, leaving behind several distinct sets of footprints. The little beggar had already disappeared into the crowd, not even a trace left.
"My lord, should we pursue him immediately?" The round-faced guard composed himself and tightened his grip on the reins. "This kid is lucky. He's traveled thousands of miles from Wu County to the capital, and he's managed to evade several waves of pursuit. He's actually made it to the capital."
"Wait." Pei Xu withdrew his gaze, his bamboo hat casting a shadow that obscured his expression, revealing only a section of his sharply defined chin. "Let's observe how things unfold."
-
The Lu family mansion in the capital.
Lu Heming slammed his hand on the rosewood table, causing the inkstone to spill a few drops of ink onto his sleeve. "What use are you if you can't even keep an eye on a half-grown child?"
The steward, his body hunched over, looked down at his nose and said, “Young master, please calm down. Just as you said, Shen Xiaoshan is just a kid. He could have died in some remote mountain valley on a journey of thousands of miles. That’s why our family hasn’t been able to catch him.”
Looking up, he caught a glimpse of Lu Heming's distorted face and continued, "These days, I've also arranged for people to guard the city gates and keep watch throughout the city, so you can rest assured."
"It's better to be safe than sorry." Lu Heming's face was gloomy. "If we don't get rid of him, he will always be a hidden danger."
I should have never laid a hand on that girl; she was nothing special, and she died in a few blows. I killed the old man, but I never expected there would be a young one who escaped…
Then I thought about how the Meng family had not responded to this day.
She still dares to act arrogantly; she's truly disobedient. Once she enters the manor, we'll definitely teach her a lesson!
Lu Heming gritted his teeth, feeling an unnamed anger surging within him, desperately seeking an outlet.
Just then, the maidservant brought in a freshly brewed cup of Biluochun tea. The celadon cup was placed on the table, making an extremely slight sound.
Lu Heming suddenly sneered and waved his arm.
Clang—
The teacup shattered on the ground, and the little maid stood there stunned. Lu Heming kicked her, yelling, "You ungrateful wretch!"
"My lord, spare me!" The little maid bumped into the antique shelf, causing a white jade Guanyin statue to sway. The steward quickly caught her.
Lu Heming grabbed her by the neck and slammed her against the wall. "You lowly servants dare to laugh at us, don't you?"
With veins bulging on his arms, Lu Heming stared intently at the little maid's face, watching it flush red and gradually turn pale, a strange pleasure rising within him.
Seeing that the maid's struggles were becoming increasingly weak, the steward coughed twice in a low voice, "My lord! The time that Lord Wang of the Hanlin Academy has scheduled is approaching."
Lu Heming suddenly let go, and the little maid slid down the wall, revealing five shocking red finger marks on her neck. He straightened his scarlet cuffs, noticed three bloody marks on the back of his hand, and frowned. "Clean it up."
Watching Lu Heming leave, the butler turned his head, his gaze pressing heavily on the little maid, "What do you know about what you should and shouldn't say?"
The young maidservant was limp and huddled in the corner, nodding repeatedly.
The next day, another amusing story was circulating among the Hanlin Academy: Lu Hanlin's cat had become a spirit and scratched its owner's hand with fingernail marks.
"Wang Hanlin said that when he went to the Lu residence to have tea with Lu Hanlin, he noticed that Lu Hanlin's hand was wrapped in gauze and asked him a few questions. After all, people in their line of work need to turn pages and write all day long, so their hands are very important." Meng Yan sat upright at the table and recounted the story he had heard from his colleague in a serious manner.
"Get to the point!" Madam Zhong couldn't help but interrupt him, tapping the table to urge him on.
Meng Lingyao nodded in agreement.
Meng Yan sighed and quickened his pace, "Lu Hanlin only said that he was injured accidentally and that it was nothing serious. However, when he was making tea, the gauze was not wrapped tightly and came loose. Wang Hanlin then saw three distinct scratch marks on the back of his hand."
"Lu Hanlin said it was scratched by a cat."
"A cat?" Madam Zhong fiddled with the grapes in the glass cup, picking out the prettiest one and placing it in Meng Lingyao's palm. "It's probably a cat demon that has become a spirit."
Meng Yan paused, then slowly nodded. "Wang Hanlin feels the same way. After all, an ordinary cat probably can't leave a scratch mark."
Madam Zhong immediately burst out laughing.
“Wang Hanlin is known for his outspokenness; he can exaggerate even the smallest things into something much bigger.” Meng Yan frowned. “However, the fact that such rumors can spread shows that Lu Heming has always been unethical.”
What was said without malice may have been taken to heart by the listener.
Wang Hanlin simply spread it around as a romantic affair for fun, but Meng Lingyao couldn't help but wonder what kind of situation would lead to scratches on someone's hand.
Could it be another "Isatis indigotica"?
"Yaoyao." Meng Yan looked at Meng Lingyao and said seriously, "This person is not a good match. You should think it over carefully."
Meng Lingyao had already removed Lu Heming from her list of potential future husbands, and upon hearing this, she nodded without hesitation.
Seeing his daughter being so well-behaved, Meng Yan stroked his beard with satisfaction.
The next second, the lady whispered to her daughter, "I happened to run into Zhou Yizhi at the silk shop yesterday. That child has such beautiful eyes, and his smile is like peach blossoms in March."
Peach blossoms?!
"Eyes that sparkle like peach blossoms indicate a womanizer!" Meng Yan exclaimed in alarm. "They attract the most unwanted attention and trouble, absolutely not!"
"This requires careful consideration, and that is unacceptable." Madam Zhong glanced at him sideways. "Then, in Lord Meng's opinion, what kind of person should our Yaoyao be matched with?"
Meng Lingyao also rested her chin on her hand, looking at her father with a smile.
"this……"
Meeting two pairs of identical eyes, Meng Yan was momentarily speechless. In his eyes, his daughter was naturally perfect in every way, and he couldn't quite think of a suitable young man for her.
Outside the door, Cang Dian peeked in, and Meng Lingyao's eyes met his. After a moment's pause, she casually made an excuse and left the main courtyard first.
She followed Cang Dian quickly to the side courtyard. Under the old locust tree that several people could encircle, Song Lan was stuffing sweet cakes into the little boy's hand, saying, "Eat slowly, don't choke."
The clean-washed little beggar revealed a handsome face, except for a speck of mud on his left cheek.
Songlan glanced at him, then glanced again, and couldn't resist taking out a handkerchief to wipe the mud off his face.
The mud spots were exceptionally stubborn and couldn't be wiped off. Songlan gritted her teeth and used some force, but still couldn't get them off.
The young boy swallowed the sweet cake in big gulps, his cheeks flushed red from the Mosuo people's faces, but he was too embarrassed to dodge.
Meng Lingyao went over and pulled Songlan away, "Don't rub it, it's a mole."
"Oh, oh." Songlan put away the handkerchief and said awkwardly, "Really, why didn't you say anything? Are you stupid?"
Cang Dian laughed and said, "Isn't that right? He used the silver the young lady gave him to buy steamed buns and went to ask the beggars in the west of the city for information. Little did he know that the beggars there were very shrewd. They could tell he wasn't a local just by listening to his accent, so they wouldn't bother with him."
He felt sorry for the person who had stolen his steamed bun and then tried to beat him, and thinking that the young lady's words might have a deeper meaning, he brought the person back.
Cang Dian had already told her what had happened, and Meng Lingyao showed no other emotion on her face.
"Your name is Shen Xiaoshan?" She crouched down to be at eye level with the young boy. "Judging from your accent, you seem to be from the south."
Shen Xiaoshan looked up, met her gaze for a moment, and then quickly lowered his head. "Yes. I am from Wu County."
He tried his best to imitate the words he had heard these days, speaking them clearly and distinctly, but still with a touch of the soft, gentle Wu dialect.
Meng Lingyao's heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, inexplicably eased for a moment. She asked softly, "It takes two months to travel from Wu County to the capital. Why did you come?"
Shen Xiaoshan suddenly clenched the corner of his clothes, his lips moved a few times, but no sound came out.
Cang Dian interjected, "He asks everyone he meets if they have the surname 'Luo,' so he's probably in the capital looking for relatives."
Meng Lingyao: "'Luo'? The 'Luo' in 'Luoyang'?"
"No!" Shen Xiaoshan suddenly raised his head. "It's not 'Luo'! It's...it's..."
He was so anxious that he paced back and forth. Suddenly, he saw a teacup on the stone table, rushed over, and impatiently poured out the tea. With trembling fingers, he drew the character "陆" (Lu).
Meng Lingyao's heart skipped a beat, "Lu Heming?"
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