Chapter 104 Qi-Liang Boundary (Sixteen) Rain is good, rain can provide an excuse...
Logically speaking, when Youjun suddenly asked about Guo Xiuzhi, not only was Du Zhong puzzled, but even Niangzhuang was quite surprised. After sending Du Zhong home, the carriage turned around and she asked Youjun the reason.
Youjun countered, "Do you still remember that servant surnamed Guo from his household?"
Since it was usually Yuqing and Xiuzhi who came to the Yu family to entertain the young ladies, she naturally remembered, "Her name is Guo Xiuzhi. She is a widow. She did work in the kitchen of the yamen for a while before. Later, the Yu family was looking for servants and the wages were quite high. When she heard about it, she transferred to the Yu family to serve them."
The curtains were lifted by the night breeze, and a pale moonlight fell on Youjun's face like a thin veil. She smiled faintly under the veil, "That's good enough."
"What's good?"
“Some time ago, Chen Jia was about to return to the capital with Prince Zhao. Before leaving, he hosted a banquet and invited me to his residence to thank me. Do you remember?”
"It was so long ago, of course I remember. Why are you bringing this up out of the blue, young lady?"
“I’m not saying this without reason. At the banquet, Chen Jia asked me if I had any dealings with the Yu family. I thought he was blaming me for associating with the Yu family. I was hesitant about whether I should admit it or not. But then he asked me if the Yu family had a servant woman surnamed Guo.”
The woman was astonished. "Why is Chen Jia asking a servant instead of Mr. Yu or Miss Yu'er? Just who is this Aunt Guo?"
“Yes, I was curious too, so I made some inquiries. But the connection is a bit far-fetched.” Youjun chuckled. “It turns out that Guo Xiuzhi’s family was in the capital. Guo Xiuzhi’s maternal grandmother’s surname was Luo. At that time, the Chen family was just the magistrate of Wanping County. One of the Chen family’s uncles had taken a girl from the Luo family as a concubine. So, Guo Xiuzhi was related to the Chen family. Guo Xiuzhi probably visited the Chen family before she got married, so Chen Jia had some impression of her.”
"Guo Xiuzhi has such a relationship with the Chen family?" Niangzhuang suddenly realized. "Oh, no wonder. Wang Shanfeng probably gave Guo Xiuzhi that job in the yamen because of this relationship. Why didn't you tell Du Zhong just now, Miss?"
"What are you saying? Guo Xiuzhi herself hasn't said anything, so why should we chime in?"
The smile on Youjun's face gradually faded. Looking out the window by the moonlight, she saw that the wind was blowing many withered leaves around on the street, as if the weather was about to change.
Taking advantage of the dim blue moonlight, Jiu Li returned to the yamen. At this time, most people were gathered in the duty room next to the gate, gambling and drinking. Zhang Da was supposed to be on duty tonight, and his voice was the loudest. Jiu Li was afraid of disturbing him and having to deal with him again, so he gestured to the yamen runner who opened the door to be quiet.
The constable understood and let her in without asking any questions. She quietly walked to the back office and saw that Yu Qi's room was open. Two constables were carrying empty water buckets out of the room. She quickly hid behind a pillar and waited for the two men to leave before slipping through the crack in the door into the room.
Yu Qi saw a wisp of green smoke flash by, turned around and saw Jiu Li standing in front of the octagonal table, grinning at him. He smiled back and closed the door. "What are you doing back here again?"
"I left something behind."
Yu Qizhen looked around. "What's so important?"
Unexpectedly, Jiuli pounced on his back, opened her arms and hugged his waist, pressed her face against his back, and burst into a series of light laughs.
A bathtub was placed not far ahead, just filled with water. The hot steam rose and spread directly to Yu Qi, making his blood feel hot. He turned around, hugged her, and kissed her lips. Her mouth was trembling, and she made soft syllables of laughter, like a lively and playful oriole.
He gently bit her. She paused, not understanding why she always laughed, a laugh that annoyed him. He lowered his head until his neck ached, then pulled her up, looking her straight in the eye. "You turned back again. What did Zhong'er say?"
Jiuli's feet were dangling in the air, her hands clinging to his neck, her face tilted back slightly. "Isn't he easy to fool? You can just make up some excuse to coax him." As she spoke, her expression changed. "But Aunt Guan seems to have noticed. She grabbed me and wouldn't let me leave, insisting on taking me back."
"Did she ask you?"
She pursed her lips and shook her head. "No, I think she just had a feeling. Women's intuition is the most accurate. Women should consult fortune tellers, especially about marriage. They might even be more accurate than the God of Marriage!"
"As long as she doesn't ask you, that's fine." Yu Qi smiled, put her down, and let her place her feet on his. "I don't think she'll ask."
How did you know?
“I’ve said it before, she’s not the type to cause trouble unless it’s of great benefit to her.”
She knew perfectly well that the "benefits" he was referring to were money. Guan Youjun only cared about money, and for him, it was already an extra benefit beyond that. She glared at him sideways, "You two seem to have a great understanding. She understands you, and you understand her, as if you've known each other since a past life."
He touched the top of her head and looked up at her head. "You seem to have grown a little taller."
She pouted, "Oh, you interrupted me, you're feeling guilty."
He chuckled, "Are you jealous?"
She turned her face away. "Why would I be jealous of her? You wouldn't like her, and she doesn't want to marry you." Then, she glared back at her interrogatively. "Isn't that right?"
"Aren't women's intuitions the most accurate? Why are you asking me?"
He lowered his head and smiled, wanting to kiss her again, but Jiuli pushed him away and stepped off his feet. "You should take a bath first, the water will get cold soon."
Yu Qi began to undress right in front of her. She pretended to watch calmly, telling herself it was no big deal; he was just a man, after all. She should be nonchalant so he wouldn't look down on her. But as soon as he revealed his firm chest, a sudden, deafening roar, like lightning, made her heart leap. She quickly covered her eyes.
Yet, she couldn't help but peek through her fingers. In the candlelight, his skin didn't appear so white; it had a slight sheen of sweat. Why was he sweating on such a cool day? She glanced down and immediately understood.
But instead, he walked up to me unhurriedly and said, "Come and rub my back."
Jiuli calmed her racing heart and glanced sideways; he was already sitting comfortably in the bathtub. She walked to the daybed behind him in a huff and plopped down, saying, "I'm not coming. I'm not your maid."
Yu Qi turned around, looked at her and smiled, "I've raised you all these years, and you won't even do a little something for me?"
"Did you raise me just so I could repay you?"
Yu Qi had no choice but to lean his head back on the edge of the tub, covering his face with a wet towel, seemingly not intending to speak. Jiu Li boldly peered at him and saw that his Adam's apple was particularly prominent under his jaw, moving rhythmically as he swallowed. Water droplets on his chin slid down his neck and into the water, which rose to his chest, rippling slightly with his breathing. He remained silent for a long time.
Was he asleep? Was he really going to leave her here? Jiu Li was feeling disappointed when she suddenly heard him call her from under his face mask, "Come here, I have something important to tell you."
He said it, that's enough. It's not like he can't hear her. Why bother calling her over? She turned her face to the side and glanced at him every now and then. He was still the same. She had no choice but to get up and slowly walk to the bathtub.
Hearing him chuckle softly under his mask, Jiu Li was a little unconvinced. "What do you want to say? Go ahead and say it."
She was turning her head to wait when, unexpectedly, he grabbed her roughly and pulled her into the bucket. As she frantically struggled, he sat up, scooped her up, and held her in his arms. "Don't move."
Jiuli splashed water all over her face and head, and her light green sleeves and skirt turned black in the night, floating in front of them. She was angry and wanted to struggle, but he grabbed her waist with both hands. "Don't move. I have something to tell you."
"What do you mean? Why did you pull me into the water?"
Yu Qi smiled and brushed a strand of hair off her face. "Go to the back of the Qi residence and keep an eye on their second concubine."
"Second Aunt Enoki? What happened to her?"
He shook his head slightly. "I can't quite put my finger on it, but I just feel like there's something off about her." As he spoke, his expression turned serious. "Don't tell Qi Xubai."
That's Xu Bai's biological mother, do I even need to tell her? Jiu Li rolled her eyes. She was already hot from being submerged in water, but she felt even hotter in his arms. She made a move to get up, "Let me go."
Yu Qi indeed removed his hands from her waist and placed them on the rims of the tub. He leaned back against the wall, smiling as he stared at her, as if betting that she wouldn't really leave.
Jiuli deliberately made a splashing sound, as if she was about to leave. He smiled and said, "What a big fuss." She angrily punched him, and he said, "The fuss is even bigger now. Hmm, it seems we're really leaving."
Enraged, she lunged forward and bit his shoulder hard.
He let out a very short, muffled gasp, then suddenly twisted her neck like a kitten and leaned in to kiss her. "Why aren't you smiling now? Are you a little scared?"
She felt the scorching hot iron rod was pressing against her, and remembering the suffering she had endured last time, she was a little scared, but her bones had already gone limp and she couldn't dodge it at all, so she simply wrapped her arms around his neck and said, "Please be gentle, okay?"
He smiled faintly, "It's hard to say."
She suddenly remembered the time when he hit her palms with a rattan cane when she was a child. At that time, she dared not not open her hands to him, but still asked unwillingly, "You hit me lightly, didn't you?" He said with a straight face, "Maybe."
But just like now, although he spoke harshly, he ultimately held back. Nevertheless, she frowned, her nails digging into his back.
The water was splashing loudly, but luckily the people in the duty room outside were having a great time drinking, and the sounds of their drinking games drowned out their noise. He was shaking her so much that she felt uneasy, and after a while, everything made her feel dizzy and drowsy. She suspected that the water around her was coming from her body, and the more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she became. Gradually, she rested her head on his shoulder.
After a while, noticing that he hadn't moved much, she gave a dissatisfied "hmm".
Yu Qi whispered in his ear with a smile, "You look sleepy."
"I don't--"
"The water's cold, shall we go to the tatami?"
She could clearly feel him pull away, a tearing sensation, though not very real, more like the pain in a dream.
She was soon lifted up in his arms. She peeked through her eyes and saw that one candle had burned out, with only a small part left to illuminate the desk. The light was dim, making the room extremely dark, but it was also quite cozy.
When did it start raining? A torrential downpour was pouring down outside the window. With the rain as an excuse, she could openly explain to Du Zhong tomorrow why she hadn't gone home. Reassured, she curled up on the couch, watching his blurry figure descend upon her.
The rain continued until the third watch of the night, making it difficult for Xu Bai to sleep. He got up to read, but after reading for half a day, he put it down and took a scroll from the curio cabinet and unfolded it on the table. He knew it wasn't Jiu Li, but he borrowed it to "remember the person by looking at the object."
He smiled after watching for a while, a sudden thought striking him. Back in their youth, he and Jiuli had lived together in the capital. She was the daughter of a military officer, and he was the son of a civil official—they were a perfect match. Who would have thought that now they were both scattered in Nanjing, yet their past relationship had no chance to continue? He was even more illegitimate than Yu Qi.
In truth, they are burdened by worldly concerns, and defeating them and seizing Jiu Li would not be difficult. However, he currently has great ambitions to pursue, and neglecting one thing for another would be unwise.
Just as she was pondering this, Enoki arrived with a lantern, leaving the maid in the outer room. She tiptoed into the bedroom, glanced at the painting on the table, and sighed softly, “What a pity. Miss Jiuli and you are truly a perfect match, but Mr. Yu has high standards and doesn’t even look down on families like ours.”
Xu Bai rolled up the painting, put it back on the bookshelf, and smiled as he turned to the table. "Mr. Yu is too proud to look down on even the most popular figures right now."
Enoki smiled and shook her head, sitting down on the couch. "Speaking of which, she's not his biological daughter, so why is he so strict? Marrying into a family where officials are involved would also benefit him. Is he just incapable of scheming or does he disdain climbing the social ladder?"
Although Xu Bai was unwilling to say it, he couldn't help but praise, "Yu Qi is indeed a man of high aspirations."
Enoki nodded. This man was not only aloof and arrogant, but also very intelligent. She blinked and smiled, "How long are they going to investigate our house? It's just a servant who died, is it really worth making such a fuss?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Bai couldn't help but feel a little doubtful. He had never heard her say such a thing before. She usually managed the household affairs and often heard the mistress scolding the servants, and she would often tell him in private that being a servant was not easy.
He sat at one end, glancing at her through the silver lamp on the kang table. Unconsciously, he said what Jiuli often said, "Servants are people too. No matter how bad Chen Zifang's character was, he didn't deserve to die. Now that he has died a violent death in our house, and I am the county magistrate, I naturally have to investigate. Besides, this matter also involves Yu Qi's innocence."
“That makes sense.” Enoki sighed. “But right now, my wife’s illness hasn’t gotten better, and the house is in such a mess. How can I take care of things? With them coming and going, I don’t want people to think that our family is inconsiderate.”
Xu Bai noticed that her gentle and beautiful face was a little stiff, and his eyes darkened even more. "I will take care of them. Why would Mother say such a thing?"
Enoki's eyelashes trembled suddenly, and she laughed, "It's not that I wanted to say it, but when Madam was having dinner, she suddenly asked, 'Why are there so many strangers in the house?' She was confused and didn't even recognize Mr. Yu and the others. She thought some thieves had broken into the house and even asked Wang Mama to report it to the authorities. I was afraid that the more frightened Madam was, the worse it would be for her to recover, so I asked you. If it's not serious, please tell them not to worry about it. At worst, just give Liu some more money, and she won't pursue the matter once she gets the money."
"A life is at stake. You think she can just say she won't pursue it?" Xu Bai finished speaking, then suddenly realized he was mimicking Jiu Li's way of speaking. He chuckled to himself, "When someone commits murder, it's not like the government can just say they won't pursue it. Don't you even know that simple logic?"
He paused, then asked tentatively, "Is your wife truly confused or just pretending?"
“She was really scared. Who wouldn’t be afraid when they saw Chen Zifang’s body burned like that that day?” Enoki pressed her handkerchief to her heart and saw his resolute expression. She knew that this case was going to be investigated to the end, so she could only get up and say, “You should go to sleep early. I’m going back to sleep too.”
Xu Bai escorted her to the outer door and watched her and her maid walk into the downpour with umbrellas. He was puzzled. In the dead of night, she came in the pouring rain and said these words. What was she afraid of?
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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