Chapter 444 Even Crying Counts (Happy Little New Year)
Why are you crying?
"Waaaaah, fairy... I'm so stupid... Waaaaah, I'm the stupidest, without a doubt."
The young woman in Confucian robes wept and choked back tears.
It was the dead of night. Inside the inner storeroom, the cold-blooded girl in palace attire, who had arrived on time, glanced expressionlessly at the pitch-black night outside the door.
"There's still half an incense stick's time left until three days." She turned around and said calmly, "Crying? Crying counts as time too."
"..."
Miao Si burst into tears, crying even harder, with snot and tears streaming down her face.
"Waaaaah, Fairy, it's my fault, I'm the dumbest. I searched for three whole days and still couldn't find the owner of the Butterfly Love Flower. Waaaaah... I'm so sorry, Fairy... Waaaaah... I'm useless, a complete waste..."
The tiny female Taoist priest, no bigger than a palm, sat on the ground, tears streaming down her face. She crawled forward a few steps, grabbed Rongzhen's plain white palace dress, and raised her tear-filled little face:
"Waaaaah, fairy, can you give me another chance? Let me search some more. I don't want to die... I'm still so young, and there are so many delicious inks I haven't tasted yet. I don't want to die... Waaaaah, fairy, please, can you give me another chance, let me try again? Waaaaah..."
Rong Zhen stared blankly at the pitiful little Mo Jing for a while.
She suddenly said, "The time has come."
Miao Si trembled, stopped crying, and stared wide-eyed with tears.
Rong Zhen ignored her and took out a golden mask from her sleeve.
Miao Si was so frightened that she took two steps back, her face turned pale, and she knelt down, sobbing and pleading.
However, Rongzhen did not stop moving at all, and did not look at the little female Taoist priest at all. She lowered her head and put the golden mask on her calm little face.
Upon seeing this, Miao Si's face showed despair, and she collapsed to the ground, her body limp.
With his square face and dark eyes, Rong Zhen stared intently at the tiny, cowardly little ink spirit on the ground.
The air was silent.
She seemed to be asking... whether they had found the person yet, and if not, they would be devastated by the loss of their real name.
Miao Si opened her mouth, but had nothing to say. She shook her head vigorously, her haggard little face full of sorrow.
Rongzhen waited a while, and seeing this, she nodded as if she had received the answer. She then slowly spoke.
The name "墨精妙思真名" is a pronunciation of an obscure ancient word.
“Miao…”
Upon hearing just the first word, Miao Si shuddered. She didn't know if it was just the effect of one word or a simple physiological reaction of being frightened. Her small body stiffened as if struck by lightning, like a javelin stuck in place.
There are still no clues about the author's background regarding the Butterfly Love Flower.
Looking at the young woman in Confucian robes curled up, eyes closed, awaiting death, the palace maid with a fierce-looking face suddenly stopped uttering a single word.
Miao Si curled up, head down, and waited with her eyes closed for a long while.
But the final word of the verdict was never uttered.
She couldn't help but open her eyes a crack and peek at the scene before her.
He was immediately taken aback.
Rong Zhen, for some unknown reason, took off the golden mask, stuffed it into his sleeve, and without even glancing at her, turned and left.
Even though she had some expectations and guesses in her mind beforehand, she couldn't help but be lost in thought for a while when she saw Rong Zhen's clean and decisive departure.
Inside the inner storeroom, the air was quiet, with only the young woman in Confucian robes slumped on the spot, her nose and tears still hanging down her face. However, the figure of the palace-dressed girl who had been extremely imposing not long ago had disappeared.
It was as if nothing had happened.
Did... she really get away with it?
Is that all?
Miao Si had some doubts. She admitted that there was an element of gambling involved, but she gambled correctly.
Suppressing her joy, the young nun, who had initially displayed a somewhat resolute demeanor tonight, quickly scrambled to her feet. She hastily wiped her tear-streaked, red face with her sleeve, and after cleaning it, shouted towards the direction Rong Zhen had left:
"Thank you so much, fairy, for sparing my life. I will never forget your great kindness. I will definitely do my best to continue searching for you and will report back to you regularly. I will notify you immediately if I find any clues... Fairy, may you rest in peace... I wish you good food and drink, may you never have a stomachache, and may you have a son soon..."
Her voice, filled with gratitude, echoed in the storeroom. It was unknown whether Rongzhen, who left without saying a word, heard it.
It's probably over, otherwise the last two sentences would have been enough to make her come back and slap that silly little devil to death.
Miao Si waited there for a while, making sure the person was really gone, before a slight smile appeared on her lips, and she muttered to herself:
"That's true. This fairy is so cute, who would have the heart to hurt her by calling her real name? Hehe, the smartest, without a doubt."
After basking in her self-satisfaction for a while, the young female Taoist priest, whose acting skills tonight were superb and who made a certain young chief secretary deeply indebted to a little golden statue, looked around at the rows of ink sticks on the shelves around her and secretly swallowed her saliva.
After resolving Rongzhen's crisis, the rate at which she drools increases dramatically, and her cravings remain as strong as ever.
Miao Si, who aspired to become the fairy's number one lackey, nodded with a serious expression.
"Hmm, since you are so kind-hearted, I, this fairy, must help you find that wicked person, but..."
She turned to look at the tranquil night outside the open door; dawn was approaching. She couldn't help but rub her rumbling tummy.
"But before that, it's not too much to ask for a little bonus in advance, right? After all, you need to eat before you start working, right?"
"Hmm, there's an old saying that goes something like that."
"Since things have come to this, let's eat first."
...
Not long after dawn, in a backyard next to the back door of Jiangzhou Hall, the morning sun shone through the bare treetops.
"This is……"
Looking at what his junior sister had brought, Ouyang Rong raised his eyebrows and asked:
"Why did you bring all this, junior sister?"
"Senior Brother, look."
Xie Lingjiang first handed three oiled paper umbrellas to Ouyang Rong.
Ouyang Rong glanced at her curiously, then turned and pulled out an oiled paper umbrella, trying to open it.
After seeing the umbrella surface clearly, he was stunned for a moment, then his heart skipped a beat, and he immediately went to open the other two oil-paper umbrellas.
The same applies.
"What about the poem above?"
Ouyang Rong suddenly looked up and asked in a somewhat urgent tone.
"have no idea."
Xie Lingjiang shook her head, looking at the three oil-paper umbrellas that Ouyang Rong had opened with a complicated expression.
The character "墨" (mo) above has disappeared.
Moreover, the umbrella surface was spotless, as if no writing had ever been done on it.
If Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang hadn't clearly remembered the characteristics of these three oil-paper umbrellas, confirming that they were indeed the originals, they would now be wondering if they had been switched.
"When did you find them, Junior Sister? Where were they at the time?"
"It was placed in the same spot on my desk in the boudoir of the Prince's mansion."
"When I got home this morning, I was going to put them away in the closet, but I found something was wrong. All three umbrellas were in this state... Senior Brother, what happened to you?"
Seeing Ouyang Rong's solemn expression, Xie Lingjiang couldn't help but ask with concern.
Ouyang Rong hesitated, then looked down at the clean, ink-free umbrella surface.
He suddenly remembered something.
Rongzhen kept holding the poems about butterflies and flowers, along with scraps of paper bearing his ink, searching for traces of him and his craftsmen.
And on those three oil-paper umbrellas he gave to his junior sister, weren't there ink stains on them? They were love poems and lyrics he had personally inscribed.
It must be said that it shares the same literary style as "Butterfly Loves Flowers".
Right now, besides Rong Zhen, who else would go to such lengths to find his literary talent... Could it be that Rong Zhen was behind the strangeness of these three umbrellas?
Ouyang Rong was suddenly startled.
At this moment, Xie Lingjiang whispered:
"Senior Brother, there's also this... These red leaves are also a bit unusual; they were found on the same table as these three oil-paper umbrellas."
"What's wrong?" Ouyang Rong came to his senses.
Xie Lingjiang handed him a basket of red leaves, frowning as she said:
"I flipped through them, and these poems and red leaves felt as fresh as ever. As I looked through them, the sense of spiritual flow that I told you about became even stronger. It was a bit strange, like...like..."
"Like what?"
“A scholarly air.” Xie Lingjiang nodded seriously: “The scholarly air on the red leaves has become much stronger.”
Ouyang Rong frowned, reached out and rummaged through the red leaves in the basket, his mind racing.
These red leaves were originally bought from the little girl in the red coat... Wait, the little girl in the red coat, could it be related to her?
Ouyang Rong suddenly thought of a possibility.
He looked around.
If Rong Zhen was responsible for the oil-paper umbrella incident, then the female officials of the Imperial Observatory should already be coming to their door in a menacing manner.
However, nothing happened. Several days after the junior sister left the Prince's boudoir, everything remained calm.
Therefore, the person who did this was neither Rongzhen nor anyone from her side.
Ouyang Rong looked thoughtful.
Connecting these poems to the suddenly abundant literary atmosphere that permeates the red leaves…
So, is it possible that this person is related to the little girl in the red coat?
This move may not have been malicious; on the contrary, it might have been a way to cover up his wrongdoing.
So only one question remains: how did the person who cleared the ink and literary style from the oil-paper umbrella know that he was being searched while hiding his identity, and how did he know that the oil-paper umbrella would be detrimental to him?
Ouyang Rong frowned again, deep in thought. Just then, he suddenly remembered something and muttered to himself:
"Could it be a blessing..."
"What kind of blessing?" Xie Lingjiang asked curiously.
Ouyang Rong did not answer, but a sudden realization dawned on him, and he felt it was increasingly possible.
The new blessings exchanged for the previous three thousand merits have not materialized. Could it be that this is the fulfillment of that promise?
That day, not only Pei Shisan Niang and her group of Yangzhou merchants were present at Xunyang Tower, but also the Huang father and daughter.
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but recall that day at Xunyang Tower.
When the new blessing was triggered, he had just finished his "debate with the scholars" and was preparing to leave the restaurant.
At the time, I subconsciously thought it was related to Pei Shisan Niang and other Yangzhou merchants, and for a moment I overlooked the Huang family father and daughter.
So, the new blessings were reflected in these three oil-paper umbrellas? They protected him from the disaster of his identity being exposed?
He pondered for a long time.
Ouyang Rong suddenly put down the oil-paper umbrella and the basket of red leaves, turned around and walked out of the courtyard gate.
"Where did Senior Brother go?"
"Go to Xingzifang...to verify something. I'll be right back. Junior Sister, you don't need to come with me. Go back and protect the Prince's Mansion."
Xie Lingjiang hesitated for a moment, then bit her lip and nodded: "Okay."
"Senior Brother," she suddenly said again.
"Um?"
"Remember to bring your sword."
"good."
...
"Father, take another piece of bread with you. You get hungry easily when you work during the day."
"Hehe, Xiaoxuan is the best. Xiaoxuan doesn't need to go for lunch anymore. The grotto camp provides two dishes and a soup, and it's free. There's plenty of rice. The Chief Secretary has been there for the past few days, eating and living with us."
"Okay, Father, be careful."
"Xiaoxuan too."
Huang Xuan stood at the gate of the courtyard, silently watching Huang Feihong's energetic figure disappear into the distance.
Just after dawn, the crowded, slum area of Xingzifang was unusually lively, with many people getting up before daybreak to go out and work early.
Huang Xuan turned around. In the courtyard where she lived, the other three households, like her father, had gotten up early to go out to work. They passed by her one after another under the first rays of the morning sun.
Huang Xuan seemed to be well-liked, as the neighbors who came out greeted her one after another.
"Xiao Xuan is such a good girl. Brother Huang is truly blessed to have such a close daughter."
"It's more than eight lifetimes. Sigh, if only my brat were half as sensible as Xiaoxuan. I don't know what sins he committed in his past life..."
Some neighbors praised it and left while chatting.
Huang Xuan lowered her head shyly.
She immediately turned around, her short legs carrying her back into the house, where she cleaned up the dishes that Huang Feihong had finished eating.
The courtyard quickly emptied as everyone went out to work. Huang Xuan would also be leaving soon.
The main reason is that the ink shop opens quite late in the morning, so there's no need to go too early.
Huang Xuan first went to wash Huang Feihong's dirty clothes and towels that he had changed out of yesterday.
She strung up a clothesline in the yard, stood on tiptoe, and hung up the wet clothes.
After finishing all that, Huang Xuan took a short break and went to the kitchen to make a bowl of still-warm rice porridge, sprinkling some scallions in it.
She carried the bowl of porridge to the door, squatted down, and held the warm porridge in her small, red hands, which were frozen by the cold water. She then ate a few mouthfuls.
After finishing most of a bowl of hot porridge, Huang Xuan suddenly turned around and looked at the cabinet in the room with a strange expression.
Her father and the other tenants have all left, why hasn't she come out yet? Can she stay in the closet for so long?
"A brilliant idea?" Huang Xuan exclaimed crisply.
There was no response.
Is it asleep, or did it go somewhere?
Before Huang Xuan could get up to check...
"Knock knock".
Two knocks suddenly sounded on the door in the courtyard.
"Who is it?" she asked.
The visitors outside the courtyard gate did not respond.
"Knock knock".
Two more sounds rang out.
The person knocking on the door seemed to have obsessive-compulsive disorder, knocking very rhythmically, only twice each time, with the same interval each time.
Huang Xuan placed the bowl of porridge on the threshold and touched a long, hard object tied to her right calf under her red coat...
She stepped forward and opened the double courtyard gate.
Upon seeing what was outside the door, a small face paused in surprise for a moment.
"May I ask... what brings you here?"
...
I noticed that the sky outside was beginning to lighten, and dawn was approaching.
Miao Si reluctantly wiped her mouth and put the ink stick back.
She patted her bulging belly, let out a long sigh, clapped her little hands, and left the inner chamber satisfied.
Taking advantage of the quiet morning, the young woman in Confucian robes returned to the courtyard of Xingzi's room.
Miao Si felt that things were often not as bad as they seemed, just like tonight, she actually managed to get away with it in front of the Fairy with the debt.
It seems that the "debt-faced fairy" was only planning to threaten and swindle her at first. Once she realized that the girl was indeed useless and had no leads, she simply ignored her.
But to be fair, this woman with the debt-ridden face is actually quite nice; thinking about it carefully, she's actually pretty good.
Miao Si breathed a huge sigh of relief.
In a good mood, she hummed a little tune as she returned to her courtyard with a bowl full of ink.
The courtyard was quiet, and the little female Taoist priest, no bigger than the palm of her hand, skillfully slipped through the hole and passed through the old courtyard wall.
He shouted loudly when he was only halfway through the tunnel:
"This fairy maiden is back! Little Huang Xuan, look what this fairy maiden brought..."
When she crawled out of the little hole that belonged to the mouse and saw the scene in the yard, her little face froze instantly.
In the quiet courtyard, a cold, palace-dressed figure stood beside the little girl in the red coat.
Surrounding the two women were eight handsome men and beautiful women with red hair and white clothes, who were positioned carefully in various places in the courtyard.
They were like statues, silent and still; if Miao Si hadn't entered the courtyard and seen them, it would have been difficult to detect their movements.
At this moment, upon hearing the cry of the returning little ink spirit, everyone turned around and looked at her.
“Fairy… Fairy.” Miao Si’s expression was somewhat stiff.
Rong Zhen stood quietly in Longxiu's sleeve, turned her head, and looked at her.
His eyes were as calm and still as an ancient well.
(End of this chapter)
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