Yellow Bird
"..."
In just two days, the two of them fell from grace, facing Tao Li's inhuman face, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Did this person go to such lengths to find them just to play tricks?
Xie Lingxi was already terrified by him, and now she was even more horrified. She quietly took Liu Xu's hand, trying to calm the turmoil in her heart.
Tao Li, however, had a sharp eye. He noticed the two holding hands tightly and smiled, "I'm so sorry for scaring you, my wife."
After saying this, he bowed, appearing very sincere.
Xie Lingxi couldn't see any of this, but hearing Tao Li's lazy tone, she felt even more teased, so her tone became colder:
"Why has Mr. Tao come here?"
Her eyes narrowed. "Could it be that the wolf that caused us to fall into the river at the governor's mansion that day was also your doing?"
This statement is not without basis.
Tao Li was a man of immense wealth and knowledgeable about all sorts of strange things, far more than the playboy he appeared to be.
That day, they encountered the injured Tao Li in the alley, and the man then naturally revealed his identity, intentionally or unintentionally revealing some words that were both true and false.
They thought their investigation was a stealthy operation, but in reality, they had already stepped into the stage that the "wildcat" had carefully set up for them, waiting for one act to end and another to begin.
This refers to both bold and subtle ink washes.
“You’re overthinking it,” Tao Li said, squatting by the river and tearing off a piece of her clothing to wash her face. “I’m not here to find you.”
The sky was already bright, and the village was bustling with people, washing clothes, cooking, hoeing, and hunting—all had come out in droves.
He cherished his appearance and didn't want anyone to see him in this mad state and ruin his reputation, so he slowly cleaned his feathers and kept quiet.
Seeing this, Liu Xu said to Xie Lingxi, "He is washing his face."
Taking advantage of a spare moment, he vividly described what Tao Li looked like at that moment—
With crimson lips and snow-white skin, and wings on its back, it was an incongruous and grotesque creature, like a demon.
Xie Lingxi imagined it for a moment, and couldn't bear to look at it. She covered her forehead and chuckled.
Tao Li simply lowered his head to wash off his cosmetics. His eyes weren't seeing it, but his ears weren't deaf. He heard the two people behind him recklessly slandering him, and a hint of anger rose on his face:
"Liu Chengzhi, I was wrong just now, but your current mockery of others is truly ungentlemanly, isn't it?"
Liu Xuqi said, "What use is his gentlemanly demeanor when I'm talking to my wife?"
It's a real pity that Xie Lingxi, with her poor eyesight, can't see the wonders of this world.
Moreover, at this moment, the morning light is faint, the grass and trees are just beginning to brighten, the mountain stream ripples around the uncarved rocks on the riverbank, and a few white geese float on the water, creating a peaceful and serene scene.
At this moment, he wished he could retrieve all the poems from ancient and modern books and describe this scene to Xie Lingxi.
"you--!"
Tao Li turned around angrily and saw the two people in front of her chatting and laughing, talking about the yellow dog belonging to Granny Wang at the village entrance.
Liu Xu said that he had just seen the dog being kicked into the river by the white goose with a "plop"—a very ordinary thing, yet it still made Xie Lingxi's eyes crinkle.
When he turned around, water droplets fell from his face like white pearls into a river, which was truly comical. However, Xie Lingxi never looked in his direction, keeping her eyes closed and remaining unmoved.
"you……"
This person is clearly blind!
Tao Li lost her composure, her mouth agape, and finally said sincerely, "Ah, thank you, Madam Xie, I'm so sorry."
"It was truly unexpected that things would turn out this way."
He led the two men to the riverbank where the hunter couple had collected wolf pelts the day before—the place was now spotless, with no trace of wolf hearts, livers, or lungs left.
"I found that wolf pelt at the night market and just threw it here to mislead people."
"Whose eyes are you trying to fool?"
Xie Lingxi groped around and found a boulder to sit on. "I had guessed that you told us about Cui Yu's drastic change in personality in order to lead us to connect her with Tan Shijun, but now it seems that the truth is not so."
The stage is filled with numerous characters, most of whom harbor their own ulterior motives. Among them, one person consistently plays the role of both "victim" and "savior," stirring up the already turbulent waters into a tempestuous storm.
Tan Yun!
“The governor has been in office for three years, during which the weather has been favorable and the harvests have been plentiful. However, the disorder in the administration of Jingzhou only began a month ago. This does not match the timeline of the ‘major changes in the family four years ago’ that Tan Yun mentioned.”
Either Tan Yun is talking nonsense, or there is no direct causal relationship between the two events.
Upon hearing this, Tao Li praised, "Yes, but he is indeed the son of Governor Tan."
After saying that, as if remembering something, she gritted her teeth and said, "There aren't that many complicated reasons. Yu'er has never liked him. How dare he use the 'friendship' of childhood sweethearts as a pretext..."
"As he said, he has been wandering for many years, yet he still comes back to harass Yu'er. He is truly a wicked man with boundless lust! I only gave him a scare, and sure enough, the next day, I saw him packing his bags and fleeing from Jingzhou."
Seeing the increasingly complicated expressions on their faces, Tao Li sighed: "This matter involves many things and cannot be explained in a short time. If you trust me, let me take you to a place."
...
According to Tao Li, he and Cui Yu were in love and would definitely be husband and wife in the future.
Tan Yun is nothing but a clown. He came to Jingzhou only to seek wealth and honor, hoping to have a governor as his father and a beautiful wife, so that he can enjoy endless blessings from then on.
Liu Xu questioned, "But since he is Lord Tan's biological son, it is only natural for him to want to acknowledge his ancestors and return to his clan."
“Yes,” Tao Li stopped in front of an inconspicuous Guanyin temple, lifting the layers of red silk that were hidden behind the door, “but his father is dead, so where is his ancestor to recognize?”
This Guanyin statue is made of gold leaf, eight feet tall, with one hand holding a flower and the other holding a vase, looking very solemn.
A spirited young woman leaned against a red pillar in front of the Guanyin statue. Her hair was loosely tied up, adorned only with a red coral and gold hairpin, which accentuated her jade-like face. She stood with her arms crossed, two swords tucked into her waistband.
Tao Li strode forward, rubbing her hands together, her fox-like eyes curving into crescents, clearly overjoyed. "Yu'er! I'm here!"
Cui Yu looked at him with a slightly indifferent expression.
After a long pause, he uttered a single "hmm".
Liu Xu's eyes widened upon seeing this—
What kind of mutual affection is this?!
However, the girl in front of him was nothing like the "well-read, gentle and quiet" person Tan Yun had described.
As he was thinking, Xie Lingxi beside him cast her gaze into the void, fixed on a certain spot, and then smiled: "Lady Yu, it's been a long time."
The words "Long time no see" startled everyone into silence.
"oh?"
Cui Yu raised an eyebrow, her eyes unreadable. "You recognize me?"
Xie Lingxi answered honestly, "I don't recognize him."
"However, I have a vivid memory of the incense on my wife's body; its scent is unforgettable."
Incense?
Upon hearing this, the two young men took a careful sniff.
Liu Xu dared not be reckless. He was two or three people away from Cui Yu, so he did not smell any fragrance. Tao Li, after hearing Xie Lingxi's words, leaned forward, but before her nose could even get close to Cui Yu, she was pushed away.
“Indeed. My fragrance has faded, but it still cannot escape Madam Xie’s keen observation.”
Xie Lingxi smiled and pointed her slender white finger at her eyes, saying, "Thanks to Lady Yu."
That's absolutely right.
It seems that what they encountered at the governor's mansion that day was not a giant wolf at all, but simply Cui Yu who had been intoxicated by this "bewitching" incense.
The purpose of this incense is unclear, but Xie Lingxi is clear on one point:
It was because she smelled this fragrance, and because her body was too weak to resist, that she fainted in the forest that night, and dreamed of her past life with Liu Xu, which was entangled with her.
If they can handle matters involving ghosts and spirits, then altering the perceptions of a few people is naturally within their grasp.
After listening to her explanation, Cui Yu nodded, which meant he agreed.
“I added something else to the Hundred Eyes Fragrance that has a mind-altering effect,” she paused, pondering, “but it’s not as miraculous as you say.”
She had always maintained a somewhat distant relationship with Tao Li and the Tan family. Since Tan Shijun couldn't bring himself to do it, she was naturally willing to help him as much as possible.
That day, she did indeed wear a wolf skin and sprinkled spices around the area beforehand. After everyone had been inhaling the fragrance for several hours, she made her grand entrance.
It wasn't her intention to hurt Xie Lingxi, but it made this woman figure out the whole story, which was truly ironic.
After thinking it over, he vowed firmly, "I will heal you."
Xie Lingxi waved her hand, "Let's talk about why you did it."
She dared not let Cui Yu treat her eyes. This woman was a chivalrous knight-errant who didn't discriminate between meat and vegetables. Once she took action, she would turn the situation upside down. To have this man as her doctor would be truly an insult.
“Alright,” Cui Yu said readily, “then let’s talk about Tan Shijun first.”
——
Tan Shijun was a good official who cared deeply about the country and its people.
During his three years in office, he had governed Jingzhou well, and the people lived in peace and contentment. However, in recent days, he inadvertently stumbled upon a conspiracy.
Some people resold government grain to make a profit, while others exploited the people during grain collection by overcharging and extorting them... using every possible means.
This chain was extremely secretive, and the number of officials involved was so wide that it covered almost the entire Jingchu region.
But even the faintest clues can be hidden for miles.
He tracked down several illegally operating shady shops, but before he could get to the heart of the matter, the person behind the scenes noticed and tried every means to test him.
As a result, some people died. Those who had a pure heart in life were carelessly thrown into the river after death, their bodies shattered to pieces.
Tan Shijun then began to reconsider, and after much thought, he came up with a clumsy method—
It would be better to make this situation even bigger, so that the Emperor will take notice and send someone to investigate.
Just as floods and banditry were raging, Tan Shijun's actions directly led to more than a dozen impeachments.
He was overjoyed.
I thought His Majesty would send a reliable provincial inspector, but who knew that what came were either some pedantic old ministers, or nobles who came to gain political achievements, or even some newly graduated students...
I wonder what he's capable of!
When Xie and Liu arrived at his door that day, although he had expected it, he was still apprehensive, because he remembered that one of the powerful figures behind the scenes was surnamed Xie.
"So you're planning to strike first and eliminate us?"
Liu Xu's eyes flickered, then he shook his head: "No, it would be hasty to judge us as being related to the corruption case based on just a surname."
Tan Shijun, who managed to maintain his integrity while navigating the officialdom, must be a meticulous person and would not make such a mistake.
“Yes,” Cui Yu took out a plain handkerchief and slowly wiped her embroidered spring knife. “He was unsure, so I chose it for him.”
"But I'm not a reckless person, so I arranged for you to fake your deaths and disappear from the public eye, which would make things much easier. I guess this is what I mean by..."
"Mutual benefit?"
Both Xie and Liu looked somewhat displeased.
They had narrowly escaped death, but in Cui Yu's words, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement, as if she had done a great deed. The Xie family and their son-in-law were even expected to kneel down and kowtow a thousand times in gratitude.
The Guanyin statue above watched the confrontation in the temple with indifference, showing neither sorrow nor joy.
Seeing that things were not going well, Tao Li quickly stepped in between them and advised, "Don't be angry, don't be angry. Yu'er is just being straightforward and has no ill intentions."
No sooner had he said this than Cui Yu struck him with the hilt of his sword.
"Stop stirring up trouble."
She looked up at the two of them, like a white egret standing by the water, and finally sheathed her twin swords. "So you really are here to investigate a case?"
Although it was a question, the ending sound was heavy and deep.
"Tan Shijun, come out."
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