Chapter 88: When we first met, didn’t she know that men and women shouldn’t touch each other? ...
Xiangyu placed Zhu Hao in a side room far away from the main courtyard. Although the room was fully furnished, it was just some ordinary items that were just enough to make do.
Zhu Hao didn't think much about it.
Moreover, although the Song Mansion covers a large area, it is a desolate place when you step inside. There are few servants in the mansion, the paint on the corridor pillars is mottled, and the eaves are carved and knocked, revealing the decay of years of disrepair everywhere.
Seeing this scene at the Song Mansion, Zhu Hao couldn't help but think of the two words "short of money" that Song Xieqing said without any concealment when they were in the brothel.
What a corrupt official! He swallowed up so much stolen money, yet he couldn't even afford to repair his mansion? Where did all that money go?
As soon as Zhu Hao entered the room, she immediately fell asleep on the new quilt spread on the couch. The fatigue of the past few days came over her like a mountain. She no longer cared about thinking about the strange and bizarre experiences she had experienced in the past half month. She just leaned over and sank into the quilt and fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke up, it was already noon. Zhu Hao stared at himself in the mirror, still feeling dazed.
Zhu Hao not only returned to a hundred years ago, but her current appearance, body, and everything about her were all herself.
She stared at the mirror for a long time, but couldn't figure out anything. She could only sigh and give up for the time being.
Why not look for Song Xieqing?
However, as soon as she opened the door, the scene in the courtyard outside made her legs nailed to the ground.
There were five or six young ladies sitting around a square table, all of them beautiful and graceful, with slender waists. Some were flipping cards with smiles on their faces, while those who hadn't been given a seat were standing in groups of three or four to one side, sometimes cheering with sweet voices, sometimes whispering instructions. When everyone saw Zhu Hao frozen in place, they all looked up. One of them waved a handkerchief over her lips and smiled, "Are you new here, sister?"
Zhu Hao asked: "Who are the sisters?"
"I am the beauty that His Majesty personally bestowed upon the Imperial Preceptor."
"I was sent here from Huaicheng by your uncle."
"And me, I am..."
The chirping of sweethearts and swallows continued when the young lady standing at the door turned and left alone. Everyone looked at each other in confusion, and behind their handkerchiefs, they scolded, "Hey, why is she so bad-tempered? I wonder who is so tactless as to send such a person to the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion. She might be kicked out tomorrow."
"Look at her... she looks like she's going to eat someone..."
Behind him, there was laughter, followed by the crisp sound of leaf cards knocking on the table. Zhu Hao walked quickly, like a headless fly, without paying attention to the direction. The buzzing voices in his ears gradually dissipated in the wind. Zhu Hao waited until the depression in his chest subsided a little before he stopped and looked around.
Where is this?
Although the Song Mansion is dilapidated, it is a large place.
Zhu Hao put her hands on her hips and looked around. All she saw was wildly growing grass and trees, tangled together in a disorderly manner. The Yuhua stone path she was standing on had already been mostly occupied by wild flowers and weeds. Looking ahead, the road ahead was completely submerged in desolation, and even the slightest trace of a path was almost gone.
She couldn't help but smile coldly. He had enough money to support a family of beauties, but he was too stingy to renovate his mansion, which made her wander around in the wilderness without knowing where to go.
Zhu Hao no longer moved forward, but turned back. She passed through a moss-covered moon-shaped door, and a half-open wooden door suddenly caught her eye. Zhu Hao held her breath and concentrated, and could faintly hear the neighing of horses, occasionally mixed with a few whispers, but she could not make out clearly.
Zhu Hao hesitated for a moment and decided to move forward.
Unexpectedly, after walking more than ten steps and still five or six steps away from the wooden door, he heard a "creak" and the door opened by itself.
When Song Xieqing pushed the door open and walked out, there was still a gloom between his brows and murderous intent hidden deep in his eyes. When he saw who was coming, all the impatience and vigilance on his face disappeared in an instant, and he also took back the short blade in his sleeve that was firmly against his wrist without a sound.
"How did you find this place?" he asked in a cold and calm voice.
Zhu Hao didn't beat around the bush with him, "I was so angry that I lost my mind and went the wrong way."
He glanced at her from head to toe. Why was she so angry? Suddenly, a strange feeling crossed his mind. It seemed as if her anger was directed at him.
Although Song Xieqing had doubts, he did not ask any further questions. He tapped the door panel three times with his slender knuckles. Then the sound of horse hooves and wheels rolling over bluestone bricks gradually became clearer in their ears.
Since there is enough space outside the door for a carriage to pass, it must be connected to the outer street. This place was originally the side door of the mansion.
"Song Xieqing, who are you sending off?"
"Li and Wen."
Zhu Hao opened her eyes wide. She didn't care that Song Xieqing was blocking the door. She walked straight past him, raised her hand and naturally grabbed his elbow, then stood on tiptoe and leaned out of the door.
The carriage had traveled several feet when, just at this moment, a man leaned out of the window, lowered the rolled-up bamboo curtain, and Zhu Hao saw a familiar face.
The person who was supposed to have the strings of the flower-shaped zither broken.
Song Xieqing lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on Zhu Hao's hand that was tightly gripping his arm. He carefully studied her expression, from her willow-like curved eyebrows to her rosy, plump lips... She suddenly leaned back, their eyes met, and Song Xieqing turned his eyes away.
Zhu Hao originally held him with one hand, but now, due to some kind of surprise, he subconsciously climbed up his arms with both hands. The warmth of his palms seeped through his clothes and penetrated every limb of his body. "They are not... they are not the broken pianos..."
Since bringing her home yesterday, he has sent people to watch her in secret day and night. He did not see her have any contact with anyone else all night. Even so, she recognized Li Wen and the other man, and even remembered the way they died with flowers on their faces and died from the strings of the zither.
Before "Yu Shu" died, did she really live in that body?
If it happened on any other day, Song Xieqing would have sneered at such a bizarre and mysterious thing, but whenever he met this woman, he would uncontrollably indulge her and go along with her. Not to mention saying harsh words, he even lost all the energy to push her away.
At this moment, she was very close to him, which was not appropriate for men and women to touch each other... He should have pushed her away, but he couldn't help but move closer to her.
...Love at first sight? Lust at first sight?
Absolutely not. He boasted that he wasn't into such things, otherwise he wouldn't have been single for so many years. She... beautiful, but he was in Yingdu, among the rich and powerful, so how could he not see beautiful women? It was impossible for him to be attracted by her the moment he saw her. What was even more strange was that the moment he saw her, his heart was filled with passion. It was clearly a feeling that could only be brewing over the years, yet he had only known her for a few days.
Ever since I met her, everything has been confusing.
Song Xieqing suppressed his chaotic thoughts and involuntarily said truthfully, "I've long known that Li Wen and the other two are accustomed to drinking in brothels, and after three rounds of drinking, they are bound to speak nonsense."
"Whether you believe it or not is none of my business," he said calmly, his eyes deep. "I don't know where you came from, nor do I know how the history books will record Li and Wen a hundred years from now. They were just a pair of frustrated minor officials who, when drunk, enjoyed discussing state affairs and the emperor. The imperial censor who ran into Li and Wen at the brothel had a grudge against the Li family and had been waiting for them inside. To break this trap, I ordered Chenghua to pretend to kill them, but in reality, I fed Li and Wen a drug that would cause them to fake their death. The marks on their necks were to deceive."
"I know Chenghua and His Majesty are very close, but this is just a temporary measure on her part. Therefore, when you left the private room, I did not immediately catch up with you." His voice suddenly paused, and he said, "I misjudged Chenghua and she would take the risk of using you to lure Jiang Zhi. If you were really Yu Shu before..."
"Miss Zhu, it's all my fault."
These words were inexplicably difficult to say. He hadn't expected her to understand him, but the young lady in front of him raised her sparkling eyes and clung to him even tighter. "Song Xieqing, I believe you."
The pen of history is like a knife. It can portray someone as a traitor, and it can also describe a mediocre person as a loyal person. It is difficult to distinguish the truth from the false when commenting on the predecessors based on a thin piece of paper after a hundred years.
Song Xieqing's chest was beating faster than usual, and he heard the young lady in front of him sighing, "That's great."
He felt that this person was always missing something, "What's good?"
"Luckily, you're still Song Xieqing." Her voice trailed off, and she spoke with a hint of guilt, "So you ignored Li Wen and the other two at the brothel that day because you had already made all the arrangements... Even though they weren't destined to be great, you still saved them."
"Song Xieqing, you are so nice."
Did she know what she was saying? She was so close to him, and she kept saying how nice he was. Did she understand him? How could a girl like her trust a man so easily? Didn't she know that there was no such thing as physical contact between men and women? Didn't she know she had to be on guard? Or was she just like this with him? If she was only with him...
She was so annoyed... Song Xieqing put his fist to his lips and coughed dryly, "It's just a little help... Even if the two of them are not heroes, they are innocent if they die like this."
Zhu Hao suddenly let go of him, a sly look in her eyes. "Song Xieqing, you've talked to me a lot today, hiding nothing from Li Wen and the other two. You even explained the whole story to me in detail. Why is that?"
Why? He glanced down at her, and Song Xieqing hastily looked away. It was clearly just a fleeting glance, clearly just a few casual, flattering words from her, but his mind was inexplicably hot and dizzy...
He couldn't answer the specific reason.
He is really sick.
There was a long silence, and the atmosphere seemed to have become strange. Song Xieqing ignored the question and said, "Yesterday, I was rude."
Zhu Hao was stunned at first, but when she realized that the so-called "abruptness" referred to the hug in the woods, she couldn't help laughing.
Oh, what else did she think it was?
Zhu Hao waved his hands and said nonchalantly, "It was just a face-to-face hug... If you like, you can hug me anytime in the future."
Song Xieqing's elation vanished instantly upon hearing this. Why was she, a young woman, so frivolous? Was she... like this to others as well?
The young lady seemed to see through his thoughts. She came closer, smiled and said, "Only to you."
...His head began to feel hot and dizzy again. Did the woman in front of him have to smile at him like this?
Song Xieqing didn't want to look, so he looked away. "What made you so angry that you took a wrong turn just now?"
It would have been fine if he hadn't mentioned it, but once he did, Zhu Hao frowned. Song Xieqing felt like she was facing a formidable enemy. When had he ever displeased her?
Before anyone could speak, Xiangyu came from a distance and reported, "Princess Yunwei is waiting for the young master in the front hall."
The two of them had to put aside their personal grudges for the time being. Zhu Hao followed Xiang Yu all the way to the front hall, looking at him in surprise while examining him in depth.
In the hall, a woman with a high ponytail and riding clothes sat at the head of the table. They should have never met each other before, but when Zhu Hao saw her for the first time, his heart was moved and he embraced Zhu Hao with inexplicable affection.
In a trance, I seemed to see silver butterflies dancing.
She subconsciously called out, "Ayin?"
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