mystery
"Um."
Liu Xu hissed, tilted his head, let out a soft snort, and crossed his legs with a disdainful expression.
Xie Lingxi nestled in Liu Xu's arms, clutching Caiwei's handkerchief tightly, feigning fragility. She furrowed her brows slightly and covered her eyes, as if reluctant to look.
All eyes were focused on the dice in the dealer's hand on the table, and sure enough, it was another small number.
Amidst the uproar, even the street thugs who had been watching the spectacle understood the situation. They all pulled out a few coins from their tattered clothes and decided to take a gamble.
But then they saw the rich man with a mournful face, wrapped in the only piece of clothing he had left, and walking out with his wife in his arms.
"well!"
Everyone sighed, sheepishly put away their chips, and went to find other hunting pets.
Meanwhile, the young man in blue who was gambling lowered his gaze, grabbed his outer robe that had been pulled aside, gave a wink to the man lying on the gambling table behind him who was cheating, and then quickly chased after him.
...
The recent days have been filled with heavy rain, and the pedestrians on the street look listless. Although they carry baskets with a few vegetable leaves on them, their backs are bent as if they are being crushed by Mount Tai, and their backs are bent over and facing the yellow earth.
Aside from the decadent lifestyle in restaurants and the unrestrained singing of scoundrels in underground gambling dens, gold and silver flowed like water from the sky, ultimately ending up in the pockets of those in high positions.
Xie Lingxi endured the whole journey, and finally left the smoky gambling den. She took off the handkerchief that had been covering her mouth and nose, and started coughing violently while holding her waist. Liu Xu patted her back, and the oil-paper umbrella was tilted aside, letting the two of them get soaked in the rain.
They were now two streets away from the gambling den. The servants who had been following them had all been shaken off, but a young man in blue robes caught up with them, carrying a sword on his back, and staring at them coldly.
Liu Xu removed his glittering golden outer robe and loosely draped it over Xie Lingxi's head. Seeing the man approach, he straightened his back and asked, "Who are you?"
The man in blue had a cold and stern face, completely different from his jovial demeanor in the gambling den. "My name is Tan Yun, and I am the son of the governor of Jingzhou."
Who doesn't know that the governor's son is a mentally challenged child of just over ten years old? When he went to the capital to take the imperial examination this year, that child was still mentally impaired and could not speak. How could he be the robust young man in front of him?
Liu Xu also noticed something was amiss and raised his hand, saying, "Young Master Tan, may I speak with you in private?"
The three of them walked in silence to the inn where Xie Lingxi and Liu had rested. Suddenly, Xie Lingxi asked out of the blue, "Does my lord like fragrance?"
Tan Yun was taken aback and subconsciously sniffed her sleeve. Sure enough, a faint fragrance wafted out, mixed with the earthy smell of rainwater.
It's really strange. Tan Yun rarely wears perfume or perfume. Although he has been frequenting some entertainment venues lately, he is inherently clean. How could he have such a strange fragrance on his body that attracts bees and butterflies?
Since the attack, Xie Lingxi had often visited old doctors to learn about medicine and pharmacology, so her sense of smell was naturally more sensitive. She frowned and distinguished: "This is the most popular Hundred Eyes Incense in Chang'an incense shops recently."
"Hundred-Eyed Fragrance?"
“Yes,” Xie Lingxi explained, “the name is very straightforward. It means that by applying this fragrance, you can attract the attention of hundreds of people on the street.”
She looked at Tan Yun, "Young master, have you had any contact with anyone today?"
touch?
Xie Lingxi reminded him that he had a very strong fragrance, and the only person who could smell it was someone he was close to, or someone he had lived with for a long time and had unconsciously picked up a bit of the scent.
Holding his sword, Tan Yun recalled the past. Suddenly, a person flashed through his mind: a woman with a charming smile. When they met at the door, she would blush slightly upon seeing him, revealing her fair ears and neck.
"Ayu?!"
——
Cui Yu grew up with him since childhood; she was the daughter of the Assistant Minister of the South Alley.
The two were childhood sweethearts, but unfortunately, a sudden accident occurred in his family. His father's personality changed drastically, driving his mother to her death and injuring several of his uncles. He had no choice but to flee under cover of night, and from then on, he spent half his life wandering and making his home wherever he went.
After saying this, Tan Yun carefully placed his sword on the table, took a sip of tea, and looked at the two men. "You two have come from Chang'an, are you here to investigate the matter in Jingzhou?"
Liu Xu then asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Since they disembarked, they have always followed the behavior of the纨绔子弟 (spoiled young masters) of Chang'an. How could this person see through them at a glance?
If there are any oversights, has this mask already been completely exposed by those hiding in the shadows of the knife?
But Tan Yun laughed and said, "Gambling houses don't use deposit belts anymore. Those rich guys carry gold leaves with them all the time. Why would they bring up several boxes of jewelry like you?"
"A gold belt?"
Liu Xu didn't understand. He pondered it carefully, "Wouldn't this gold belt better highlight my wealth and power?"
Seeing that he was stubbornly insisting on getting to the bottom of things, Xie Lingxi stopped him from pursuing his academic ambitions and said helplessly, "It's my fault."
Tan Yun changed the subject, clearly embarrassed to tell the truth.
Xie Lingxi cleared her throat, letting Liu Xu frown and stare at her, and finally said as expected, "The hairpins and jewels in that box are all fake, but the craftsmanship is so fine that it is not easy to tell."
"..."
Liu Xu paused for a second.
"That was... a gift, how could it be fake..."
Xie Lingxi was speechless: "Don't you understand why he bestowed these upon you? Did he expect you to risk your life with a bunch of rare treasures?"
The emperor's love of money was no secret among the aristocratic families of Chang'an.
Years ago, her father petitioned the emperor to repair the dilapidated imperial mausoleum, but the emperor flatly refused and even ordered the Ministry of Revenue to re-inventory the national treasury and tighten its purse strings. The next day, he wore a faded dragon robe to court.
"..."
Liu Xu clenched his fists and paused for a moment. Then he heard Tan Yun comfort him apologetically, "I was able to tell the difference because I once worked in a workshop that specialized in making counterfeits. Ordinary people can't tell the difference."
Of course, this excludes noble ladies like Xie Lingxi.
Liu Xuben felt ashamed, but after calming himself down, he reassured himself that it was alright and brought up the main topic of the day: "You are the son of the governor, but do you have any proof? How can we believe you?"
Tan Yun opened the scabbard, revealing an iron sword as sharp as new, with the two characters "Mingguang" engraved on it.
"This was suggested by my father's close friend, Shan Jiaozi. If you inquire about it, you will find out that Mr. Shan rarely gives away his calligraphy unless it is someone he has a very close personal relationship with. Otherwise, no matter how wealthy you are, he will remain unmoved."
Shan Jiaozi was a famous figure in Jing County, and his excellent calligraphy was priceless.
There is a painting hanging in Liu Xu's house. It was picked up by Liu's father from Shan Jiaozi's dirty basket when he was a private school teacher and was drinking with him during a chance visit to the countryside.
"Having already recognized the vastness of the universe, I still cherish the green of the grass and trees."
This sentence served as a family precept for Liu Xu for twenty years. He studied it day and night, and when he saw the words "Mingguang" again, he knew it was true.
After reviewing Tan Yun's various documents, he nodded to Xie Lingxi: "It should be him."
It seems there's something strange about what happened in Jingzhou. Xie Lingxi swirled her teacup, her gaze following the tea leaves at the bottom. "Have you recently reunited with Ayu?"
Tan Yun nodded: "Yes, her father wants to marry her off to a local playboy, who is the same person we are sitting at the gambling table with today."
“She was unwilling, but after we recognized each other, she begged me to help her.”
Recalling the way that rich young man in the gambling den gambled away fortunes, Xie Lingxi smiled enigmatically, "Do you know what it means to help her? The smell on that playboy is exactly the same as yours."
If Cui Yuzhen truly wanted to escape the clutches of evil, why would she have stayed so intimately with that person, to the point that he was covered in her scent?
She observed that although the young man at the gambling den was dressed exquisitely, he had calluses on his fingers, and the sachet at his waist and the thumb ring on his thumb didn't match at all, so he was definitely not the type to like incense.
After hearing what she said, Liu Xu glanced at himself and saw that Xie Lingxi had indeed dressed him in a rich and luxurious brocade robe that morning, with the carp at his waist and the gold trim on his boots complementing each other perfectly.
Tan Yun had come today to keep an eye on that纨绔 (a spoiled, dissolute young man), but he ran into Xie Liu and his friend. He had his friend follow the纨绔, when at that moment there was a knock on the window, and a wild goose came carrying a bamboo tube in its beak.
Unfold the letter; at the top are a few words: "To my brother, at Taoyuan in the western suburbs."
Tan Yun crumpled the paper in her hand, stood up and pondered for a moment. Then she saw the couple in front of her raise their eyebrows and take the umbrella downstairs first.
...
The western suburbs were prosperous, and Taoyuan was the residence of纨绔 (sons of wealthy families who indulged in pleasure).
When the three arrived, the ground was covered in blood, and the person under the eaves was clutching his wound, curling up his legs, and groaning in pain.
Upon seeing Tan Yun, Zhao Wujue threw away the cloth shirt he had been using to cover Tao Li's wound and quickly stood up. "Mingguang, I wasn't watching her closely enough, and that's how it happened!"
"It's alright, I'm just glad you're okay."
Tan Yun sheathed his sword, picked up the injured man, and gestured, "Let's take him to the clinic first."
On the way to the clinic, he explained the whole story to Zhao Wujue, who exclaimed in surprise, "Your father has a new son?!"
What child in his teens? He'd never heard of such a thing before.
Liu Xu frowned: "What? Aren't you from Jingzhou?"
“Last year during the Qingming Festival, the governor brought his family to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors. It was in the village next to my house. I could see clearly that the child was not tall and was undoubtedly his youngest son.”
Before him stood the governor's own son. Xie Lingxi glanced at Tan Yun's appearance and compared it with the person Liu Xu had described, then pondered, "You must have mistaken him for someone else?"
"Both Lord Tan and the Prefect are men with fierce eyes and strong builds, how could they have a frail and effeminate child?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Xu fell silent, exchanged glances with Xie Lingxi, and each gleaned some of the inside story.
Upon arriving at the clinic, the doctor ground some herbs, poured out several basins of bloody water, and as soon as the stitches were finished, Tao Li slowly woke up. Ignoring her abdominal wound, she looked terrified and gasped, "It's fake! She's fake!"
Tan Yun asked, "What?"
Tao Li stared wide-eyed, her sharp fingers digging into the quilt covering her, pulling out a few strands of cotton. "Yu'er is fake!"
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