Chapter 78 You saw a ghost and Jingnu holding a letter in his hand...
"Xiaoyue!"
The sky was turning a pale white, and a light mist after the rain enveloped the quiet streets and alleys. The bluestone pavement was wet, and the puddles in the potholes had not yet dried, reflecting the gray tiles above. Water droplets suddenly fell, creating ripples.
The door creaked open, and a gust of wind carrying the scent of rain and earth rushed in, startling Zheng Shuman, who was sitting listlessly under the eaves. She looked sharply towards the door and saw Xue Rongyue stepping over the threshold and walking in. Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense all night, finally settled down.
Zheng Shuman burst into tears of joy and rushed over, crying, "Come back!"
She grabbed Xue Rongyue's arm and looked her up and down anxiously: "Why are you only coming back now? Are you alright? Are you hurt?!"
"I'm fine. I wasn't in any danger, and I wasn't injured."
Xue Rongyue took her hand and led her to the corridor. Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, she frowned and asked, "Didn't you sleep a wink all night?"
Zheng Shuman breathed a sigh of relief and wiped away the tears that had fallen from the corners of her eyes: "You didn't come home all night. I know you're all alone on the mountain, how could I not feel at ease?"
Xue Rongyue pulled her into the house: "Perfect timing. I bought some breakfast on the way. You can eat and then go rest for a while."
Zheng Shuman nodded. Jingnu took out the breakfast from the food box one by one and placed it on the table. Zheng Shuman stared at the basket of honey cakes in front of her and suddenly fell silent.
Linxian County's honey cake is the most famous. The outer skin is made of glutinous rice mixed with lard, and it is soft and chewy with a light fragrance. The filling is made of honey, hawthorn and fresh flowers, which is sweet and sour and very appetizing. It is also shaped into the shape of flowers, which is also very beautiful.
A tear rolled down her cheek, Zheng Shuman's lips trembled, and the pent-up resentment and pain poured out at this moment: "...My maternal grandmother knew that I loved honey cake the most, and every time I visited her, she would happily prepare a lot for me. In the Zheng family, everyone bullied me, but I thought that at least, at least I still had my maternal grandmother's family... who were wholeheartedly devoted to me. I never expected, I never expected..."
Hot tears streamed down Zheng Shuman's thin chin, a suffocating feeling stuck in her chest. She trembled all over, squeezed her eyes shut, and forced out a tearful, blood-stained sentence through clenched teeth: "We...we are blood relatives!"
Xue Rongyue looked at her quietly, her eyes and brows, still damp with tears, drooped slightly. Her lips moved slightly, but she couldn't bring herself to smile with relief. After a while, she gently hugged Zheng Shuman and said, "If you want to cry, then cry. You'll feel better after you've cried."
Zheng Shuman leaned on Xue Rongyue's shoulder, her thin, bony body soaked with warm tears. Her sobs went from suppressed to wailing to hoarse, as if she wanted to let all the grief and unease in her heart flow away with her surging tears.
Only when her body was completely exhausted and no more tears could flow from her eyes did her emotions slowly calm down. She covered her red eyes and buried her head.
"Alright, we're practically family, why are you being shy?"
Xue Rongyue scoffed softly, pulled her hands down from her eyes, glanced at her tear-soaked shoulder, and sighed, "It saves you the trouble of washing."
Hearing this, Zheng Shuman said shyly, "Take it off, I'll wash it for you later."
Xue Rongyue resolutely refused: "Come on, you'll definitely ruin it. This fabric is quite nice, don't let you ruin it."
After breakfast, Xue Rongyue persuaded Zheng Shuman to rest. After Jingnu boiled hot water, she went to the inner room to bathe.
"Were Luo Zhen and the others injured?"
During breakfast, Xue Rongyue specially set aside two food boxes, which Jingnu carried to find Luo Zhen and the others to eat together. Knowing that Xue Rongyue would be worried, she also asked about the previous night.
Upon hearing this, she replied, "Once the fire started, the bandits didn't care about anything else and rushed to put out the fire. Luo Zhen and his men mingled among them and managed to rescue Madam Zheng from the mountain relatively smoothly. They only encountered two fleeing bandits on the way, but Luo Zhen and his men quickly dealt with them and tied them to trees."
Xue Rongyue scooped up a handful of water, staring intently as the water flowed from her palm. After a long silence, she asked, "Were all those bandits taken away by Qin Jin?"
Jingnu knew she was questioning Liu Lao Er and the others, and nodded, saying, "After the questioning was finished, they were tied up by Prince Qin and taken up the mountain."
Although Liu Lao Er was not honest and omitted some details, his general confession was similar to that of the other bandits and was still considered credible.
Xue Rongyue stood up from the water, and Jingnu quickly wrapped her body with a towel. After drying her off, she changed into her nightgown: "These past two days, Madam has been working hard and worrying. Now that everything has finally settled down, don't just urge Madam Zheng to rest. Madam should also take a short rest to refresh herself."
Xue Rongyue nodded: "You've worked hard these past two days, so you don't need to serve me anymore. Go and rest for a while. Remember to tell your subordinates to keep their mouths shut and not to reveal a single word that shouldn't be revealed, or they'll be in big trouble."
After a pause, Xue Rongyue continued, "After this mission is completed and we return to Chang'an, each person will be rewarded with two extra gold coins."
"Don't worry, my lady, they are all sensible people and won't say anything out of line. I will also remind them." Upon hearing the second half of the sentence, Jingnu's eyes crinkled with a smile. She stepped forward and approached Xue Rongyue, happily holding up a bath towel and asking, "My lady, what about me?"
Xue Rongyue glanced at Jingnu, then reached out and pushed her brow with her finger, saying irritably, "You and Luo Zhen each get five."
Jingnu happily agreed, and her spirits lifted. She ran to the incense burner, lit a calming incense stick, and was about to leave when Xue Rongyue called out to her, "Wait."
Jingnu turned around: "Does Madam have any other instructions?"
Xue Rongyue asked, "Did you write down the cliff that Lin Lao Er mentioned?"
Jingnu replied, "I've written it all down, my lady. Don't worry, I'll write it down on paper later."
"After you finish writing it, give it to Luo Zhen. He won't need to come back to Chang'an with us this time."
“My lady wants to…” Jingnu understood and nodded, “I’ll go tell Luo Zhen right away.”
"There's no need to rush. Let him rest for a couple of days before setting off." Xue Rongyue sat on the edge of the bed, her thick eyelashes drooping, her voice soft. "So many years have passed, a little more time won't make a difference."
It's unclear whether she was speaking to Jingnu or to herself.
Being in the bandits' den, she couldn't sleep soundly. During that time, Xue Rongyue would often wake up in a fright, staring at the gold bead in her purse, sitting up until dawn. She was exhausted. When she first lay down, she wasn't sleepy at all, but as soon as she turned over, she couldn't open her eyes anymore.
The calming incense was gradually extinguished by a small flame, and the winding white smoke dissipated in the wind. The red sun, which rose from the boundless sea, climbed to the top of the sky, but as time went by, it showed signs of decline and finally disappeared behind the distant mountains without a trace.
As Xue Rongyue stood up, night fell, and the bright moon cast layers of light silver light on the stone steps.
Laughter and playful noises could be heard from inside the courtyard from time to time.
Xue Rongyue called softly to the outside, and Jingnu immediately pushed open the door and entered, smiling as she helped Xue Rongyue dress. Xue Rongyue asked, "What's wrong? Why are you so happy?"
Jingnu replied with a smile, "Madam Zheng has bought a lot of wine and food and is arranging the banquet in the courtyard. Hu Dong and Luo Zhen are fighting over the head seat at the second table, each claiming that they have made the greatest contribution, and they are fighting fiercely over it."
Xue Rongyue smiled and said, "Let's go out and take a look."
When Xue Rongyue came out, the two had obviously decided the winner. Luo Zhen sat calmly in the head seat with his arms crossed, while Hu Dong was so angry that he kept biting his chair.
"Oh, it's over. I missed a good show."
Xue Rongyue was greatly disappointed upon seeing this, and Jingnu urged from the side, "If Madam wants to see it, let's have another performance, another performance."
Luo Zhen stood up with a smile: "If my wife wants to see it, she'll have to wait until after dinner. She must be starving by now."
Jingnu pouted: "I think you're just starving!"
The group sat down, and Zheng Shuman raised her wine cup, making a special toast to Luo Zhen and the others: "Thank you all, I was able to descend the mountain safely because of you."
Luo Zhen and the others quickly stood up, saying they dared not, and drank the wine in their cups in one gulp. The strong liquor went through their intestines, and even those who often drank couldn't help but squint their eyes. But Zheng Shuman looked completely calm.
Luo Zhen couldn't help but sigh: No wonder he can drink with his wife until dawn, his alcohol tolerance is indeed good.
This proved to be true. After a few jars of strong liquor, both Hu Dong and the others, who had average drinking capacity, and Luo Zhen, who had a slightly better capacity, were clearly unable to hold on. They were all sent back by the guards who had not drunk any alcohol, and they fell fast asleep in their rooms.
When Qin Jin and Ji Dian pushed open the door and entered, only Xue Rongyue and Zheng Shuman were still chatting under the pavilion in the courtyard.
"Have you finished eating?"
Ji Dian looked at the leftover food on the table, then shook the empty wine jar, his face contorted with grief: "I was thinking of going down the mountain to ask you for a few hot meals, but there's not even a drop of wine left."
Xue Rongyue raised her eyelids and quietly looked at the capable Qin Jin. She had thought that because of the follow-up work, she might not see Qin Jin again for a few days.
Upon reaching Qin Jin, Xue Rongyue asked, "Why are you here? Have you finished with things on the mountain?"
Zheng Shuman also came over and snorted at Ji Dian, saying, "If you want to eat, go buy it yourself."
Ji Dian immediately jumped up in dissatisfaction: "Is this how you treat your savior?! Don't forget, when you were first captured by the bandits and brought up the mountain, you burst into tears the moment you saw me... Waaah!"
Upon hearing this, Zheng Shuman's ears immediately turned red. She rushed forward and covered Ji Dian's mouth to prevent him from uttering another word. At the same time, she glanced at Xue Rongyue and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Xue Rongyue had not heard the words and was still talking to Qin Jin.
She then glared at Ji Dian with annoyance, and tugged at his sleeve impatiently, saying, "Come on, come on, I'll take you to see if there's any leftover dog food, and I'll share some with you."
"Mmm, mmm mmm mmm!..." Ji Dian reacted very strongly. Judging from his expression, he must have been cursing quite filthy, but unfortunately he couldn't break free from Zheng Shuman's restraint and was forced to be covered in the mouth and taken to the kitchen.
Qin Jin lowered his eyes, a faint smell of alcohol lingering around his nose: "You've been drinking?"
Xue Rongyue touched her nose, feeling a little guilty for some reason: "I took a sip."
"You can't hold your liquor, yet you dare to drink such strong liquor?" Qin Jin looked away from the wine jar, took a step back, crossed his arms, and raised his thick, sword-like eyebrows slightly. His usually indifferent eyes revealed a half-smile. "Also, didn't you say you wanted to drink with me?"
Qin Jin did not have a gentle appearance. On the contrary, he had high brow bones and deep-set eyes. Even his affectionate peach blossom eyes could not convey any warmth. Although he could not be called fierce, he definitely had a cold and aloof feeling.
Especially when his sword-like eyebrows are lowered, even if his thin lips curve into a faint smile, it is not a smile of pleasure, but more like a casual mockery.
In the past, Xue Rongyue hated his expression the most, always feeling a sense of being provoked, and wishing she could pounce on him and kick him a few times. But now, facing his ambiguous smile, Xue Rongyue couldn't find that feeling of being so angry that her teeth itched back then.
She touched her cheeks with her hands to cool them, thinking that it was because she hadn't drunk any alcohol for a while. She had only had a few cups, and the effects of the alcohol were already starting to spread to her face.
Qin Jin's smile deepened, and he took a step forward without making a sound. By the time Xue Rongyue noticed, the two were already very close.
Xue Rongyue subconsciously took a small step back, but bumped into the table behind her. The wine jar on it spun around and crashed to the ground.
Qin Jin leaned forward, his warm breath traveling from Xue Rongyue's forehead to her ear. He caught the falling wine jar firmly with one hand, his leaning half almost touching Xue Rongyue's shoulder.
Xue Rongyue could even clearly feel Qin Jin's slightly cool right ear brushing against her right ear.
The moment they touched, their already burning ears felt as if snowflakes were being sprinkled on a red-hot piece of charcoal; instead of stopping the heat, they became even more scorching.
Xue Rongyue smelled the sandalwood scent of Qin Jin on her nose. With just a slight tilt of her head, her red lips could touch the slightly bulging veins on his neck beneath his fair skin.
For some reason, Xue Rongyue's breathing became slightly rapid, and her expression showed a moment of panic. A long time had passed, or perhaps it was just a blink of an eye. After she came to her senses, she was about to take two steps back when Qin Jin had already placed the wine jar on the table, taken two steps back, and created some distance between them.
But Qin Jin clearly had no intention of letting Xue Rongyue off the hook. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he gave a reproachful look with a sneer: "Lady Xue, how could you lie to me?"
Xue Rongyue's gaze slowly moved upwards from Qin Jin's bobbing Adam's apple, meeting his half-smiling eyes. She felt uncomfortable and wanted to look away, but inexplicably felt that doing so would be a sign of defeat to Qin Jin. She could only force herself to meet Qin Jin's gaze.
Little did she know, her neck and cheeks were already completely red.
Clearing her throat, Xue Rongyue was about to retort with a confident and righteous air when the door was once again pushed open from the outside with a loud bang—
Xue Rongyue was startled. She looked up and saw Jingnu holding a letter that had been torn by a cat, her face pale, as she floated in.
Xue Rongyue breathed a sigh of relief, but was also puzzled: "Didn't you go out to get the letter? Why did it take you so long to come back, and why do you look like that? Did you see a ghost?"
Jingnu kept several carrier pigeons, specifically for delivering messages. While they were eating, the pigeons landed on the eaves. Before Jingnu could coo twice to retrieve the message, a wild cat suddenly darted out and snatched the slow-reacting pigeon away.
Since it was something that could get someone from Chang'an to send a letter from so far away, it must be something important. Jingnu didn't even bother to eat, and threw down the chicken bone in her hand to chase after the wild cat. Logically speaking, with her skills, she shouldn't have been dawdling until now to come back, and with this expression on her face.
Jingnu took a breath, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back, especially when she saw Qin Jin next to Xue Rongyue. She couldn't swallow her breath, and her face turned blue, purple, red and blue, looking like a big dye vat.
"No way," Xue Rongyue asked in surprise, "did we really encounter a ghost?"
As if being repeatedly tossed about at the edge of a cliff, Jingnu's face was tense, yet her expression betrayed her terror. She nearly choked on her breath, and cried out, "This...this is worse than encountering a ghost..."
With trembling hands, she shoved the letter into Xue Rongyue's hand: "My lady, you...you ...
Xue Rongyue unfolded the letter with a suspicious look on her face.
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Author's note: I slept better last night and felt sleepy again around 3:30 this morning. Improvement, hehe.
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