Chapter 164 Leaving the Capital (Chapter 48) Awaiting the end of the year...
After dinner at the palace, Jiuli immediately returned by carriage. Upon arriving at the gate of the Qi residence, Rongle said he wanted to go in to visit Yuqi. Jiuli was afraid that refusing would arouse suspicion, so she had no choice but to go with him to the guest courtyard. When they entered the main room, they saw that Li Mama was brewing medicine in the inner room, filling the room with the fragrance of medicine.
Zhang Da sat on the couch drinking tea and said, "Mr. Yu said that this medicine needs to be decocted for a long time to be effective. Madam Li, you've really gone to a lot of trouble. Please don't mind. Once Mr. Yu is better, I will thank you properly during the festival."
Mother Li laughed and said, "What are you saying? This is nothing to be ashamed of."
Jiuli glanced at Rong Le, then slipped inside the screen. "Brother Zhang, is Uncle feeling better?"
When Zhang Dayi saw Rong Le following behind her, he quickly stood up and bowed, "She still has a high fever and is sleeping inside."
Jiuli then led Rongle into the bedroom and softly called "Uncle," but there was no response. She lit a lamp and went closer to the bed to look. She saw Yuqi lying on the bed, his face flushed and his cheeks covered with short stubble. Rongle saw that he was really sick, so he didn't want Jiuli to wake him up and instead pulled Jiuli outside.
"Should we call the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau to take a look?"
Jiuli couldn't help but scoff, "I'm not exaggerating, but the doctors in your Imperial Medical Bureau might not even be as skilled as my uncle. There's no need to trouble yourself. My uncle has already prescribed his own medicine, and he'll be fine after a few days. Eunuch Le, if Eunuch Shen asks when you get back, please tell him not to worry."
Rong Le bowed and replied, "Where is Second Master Qi?"
Zhang Da said, "He went out to buy New Year's supplies and hasn't returned yet." Rong Le nodded, then took her leave. Zhang Da saw her to the door and asked Li Mama to see her out as well. After a while, she returned to the house and saw Jiu Li holding a medicine pot and preparing medicine. Yu Qi was coming out of the bedroom, wearing a large fur coat, and sat down on the couch.
Jiuli went to the long table to light the lamp, and while she was there, she shone the light on Yu Qi's face. The redness was gone. She put down the silver lamp and couldn't help but laugh, "You didn't slap your face until it turned red to get by, did you?"
A few strands of hair were messed up by sleep on her forehead. Yu Qi glanced at her through her dark hair and asked, "How's your case going today?"
"There's been progress!" She turned and poured the medicine into a vase, then walked to the bedside and looked at him and Zhang Da. "Today I went to Jixiang Hutong to check Zhang Shun's house. Not only did I find Shuqiang's needlework, but guess what else I found?!"
Zhang Da leaned forward, "Stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me already!"
"You'd never guess what I found under his pillow: a piece of camellia wood with bloodstains on it."
“This camellia tree makes sense, there’s blood on it—could the murder weapon not be the dagger, but this piece of wood?” Zhang Da tilted his head. “That doesn’t make sense.”
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Yu Qi's mind. The autopsy file from the Ministry of Justice stated that Shu Qiang's genitals had uneven wounds, including lacerations and abrasions. Everyone assumed it was caused by male violence during rape. But who says only men can commit rape? Besides, aren't eunuchs considered men? Those wounds might simply be friction marks caused by the rough surface of the wooden stick. And then there were the pinch marks on Shu Qiang's body. A eunuch, unable to perform the act himself, might inevitably have some sinister personality and violent behavior.
Thinking of this, he asked Jiuli, "When you went to the palace, did you not check the short branches in the camellia garden?"
Jiuli nodded repeatedly, "I found it, it's a tree next to the corpse!"
"Have you spoken to the Emperor?"
"No, I remember what you said, that we should delay this case."
Yu Qi nodded, "Don't frighten Zhang Shun, lest he run away first."
“He probably already knows that I went to his room to check today, and he probably guessed that I suspect him. But Uncle, why can’t we arrest him?”
"It's not that we don't want to arrest him, it's that we can't arrest him right now. We need him to do something for us in a few days."
Jiuli frowned slightly. "But Zhang Shun was planning to leave the capital anyway. What if he leaves before that?"
Yu Qi pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "The New Year is just around the corner, and there will be fewer carriages and horses everywhere. Where could he go? He would definitely wait until after the New Year to leave. Besides, he doesn't know what you've found out. He's just worried, not desperate enough to run away without thinking."
The two talked on and on, leaving Zhang Da completely confused. "You mean, the murderer really is that Zhang Shun? He's not a eunuch!"
"Hey! You call yourself a man?!" Jiu Li stomped her foot and pulled his ear to speak.
After hearing this, Zhang Da first realized what was going on, then glanced at her and said, "I'm telling you, you're a girl, but you know a lot."
Yu Qi felt embarrassed, coughed twice with a cold face, and retorted to Zhang Da, "It's not that she knows a lot, it's that you, Officer Zhang, know too little. Yu'er grew up reading medical books, what doesn't she know about men and women?"
"They know so much, they know more than I do, even though I have a wife and children—" Zhang Da muttered to himself, then wondered why both uncle and nephew were blushing.
He was about to ask more questions, but Yu Qi, fearing that if he stayed any longer, he might arouse suspicion, so he sent him back to his room with a few words. Jiu Li saw him to the door, closed it, and turned back. She saw him staring at her like he was looking at a criminal, which made her nervous. She straightened her clothes.
After examining her and finding nothing amiss, Yu Qi was relieved. Just as he was about to sip his tea, he noticed a pair of silver fox fur hand warmers she had left on the couch and couldn't help but ask, "You didn't wear hand warmers when you went out this morning. Where did these gloves come from?"
Jiuli understood immediately. So he was looking at her all over to find clues about her relationship with Lü Jing. She rolled her eyes twice and said lazily, "Lü Jing bought it for me right away, so what?"
Yu Qi silently took a sip of tea, swallowed it, and after a long while said, "He is not a gentleman at all."
Jiuli glanced at him and said, "You think you're such a gentleman! Anyone who fawns over me is a bad person in your eyes! I may not like him, but don't talk nonsense about him like that. You haven't even met him yet!"
When did I say I was wrong?
"Isn't Wei Hong of the Wei family a good person?"
"Hmph, I never said Wei Hong wasn't a good person."
Seeing that she only spoke up for Lü Jing, Yu Qi's displeasure grew. He finished his tea in one gulp and prepared to return to his bedroom. Seeing him about to get up, Jiu Li quickly sat down beside him, took his arm, and smiled, "Then tell me, how is Lü Jing not a gentleman?"
He couldn't give a clear answer, only glancing at the pair of silver fox fur gloves, "He didn't take advantage of you, did he?"
Seeing that he was clearly jealous and deliberately trying to provoke him, Jiuli said, "No, he was very well behaved when the two of us rode in the same car."
"You're all sharing a car?"
She nodded innocently, "Yes, think about it, how can we talk if we're sitting so far apart?"
Yu Qi snorted coldly, "If he were a gentleman, why wouldn't he refuse to ride in the same carriage with a strange young woman?"
Jiuli smiled at his cheek, "You spoke ill of someone before you even knew about this, that's hardly the act of a gentleman!"
She turned to run away after saying that, but Yu Qi suddenly grabbed her, asking, "What did you say about me?"
She slumped into his lap, tilted her head back and giggled, tracing a few whiskers on his lips with her finger, then puffed out her cheeks and tilted her head from side to side, "The tiger is about to roar!"
Just as she was about to exhale, Yu Qi kissed her. His breath seemed to enter her heart, making her feel a tightness and fullness within, like Du Zhong's body still warm, with nowhere to vent. He kissed her for a while, then pulled her arms away slightly, lest they let their emotions run wild. Jiu Li's eyes were misty, her expression a mixture of surprise and reluctance.
He breathed out hot air and said in a low voice, "Tell Aunt Li to boil some water for you to take a bath. You seem a bit unwell."
The tone was both gentle and firm, like a command. Jiu Li, unusually obedient, didn't utter a word of rebuttal and nodded slightly. She glanced towards the doorway, where a faint crescent moon was rising from beneath her chin on the window.
As night fell, Rong Le escorted Jiu Li back to the palace. She first gave Shen Quan a detailed account of the Qi family's situation, and Shen Quan then went into the palace to report back to Zhou Hao. After listening, Zhou Hao remained silent for a long time. He then got up and walked to the side of his desk, tapping two fingers lightly on the desk, causing the candle to flicker as if it were about to go out.
Seeing that he still looked worried, Shen Quan had no choice but to comfort him, "Your Majesty, the Qi family is preparing for the New Year at this time because they must think that as long as the case is solved, the Prince will be fine. Miss Jiuli also said that the case has made some progress, which shows that they have relaxed and are thinking that they can have a peaceful holiday."
Zhou Hao pondered for a moment, then turned his head and asked, "Where do you think the two generals, Zhao and Luo, whom I sent to Guizhou, should be?
"This servant has calculated that we should arrive in Chongqing Prefecture by now."
"They'll arrive in Guizhou in a few days. Only when Zhao and Luo reach the capital can I sleep peacefully." He then slowly walked towards the couch. "How are things going with the Chen family?"
"In the afternoon, the young Prince Chen sent someone to say that a group of singers and dancers had been properly arranged and would be sent to the Prince's residence tomorrow in the name of the old prince."
"What about the Imperial Medical Bureau?"
"The imperial physicians have been studying smallpox recently and have found several cases, which has already caused some people to feel uneasy."
Zhou Hao slowly tapped the kang table twice, tilted his head slightly to look out the dark window, and sighed deeply, "Before the late emperor died, he instructed me to treat Zhou Yu and Xiang Yuan as my own sons. Alas, alas, the disease is rampant. Even though the emperor has absolute power, he is helpless against birth, aging, sickness and death."
Shen Quan stood to his side, only looking at his chin, which was illuminated by the red candlelight, yet the sound of the flames was not heard; he was remarkably calm. He sighed in agreement, "Your Majesty has always been worthy of the late Emperor; there is no need for you to blame yourself."
Zhou Hao was speechless for a moment, then turned and sat on the couch, head down, seemingly lost in thought. After a long silence, he said again, "Jiu Li, since she can't stand the constraints of the palace, have someone carefully inspect the entire family's residence. If there's anything wrong, renovate it. After the Lantern Festival, find an auspicious day and have Jiu Li move in. Find a few steady and experienced matrons from the palace to manage things for her, and carefully select some servants."
Shen Quan pondered for a moment, then said cautiously, "But Miss doesn't really want to move in."
“She grew up with Yu Qi and is still unmarried, so naturally she can’t bear to leave him and move elsewhere. But children will grow up one day, and elders will die one day. When someone dies, you can let go no matter how reluctant you are. Let Wang Qian handle this matter.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Quan returned home and summoned Wang Qian late at night. This Wang Qian was the leader of the Shadow Guards. He was eight feet tall, strong and powerful, thirty-four or thirty-five years old, with short but continuous beards, slightly sunken cheeks, and fierce eyes. He knelt down and bowed to Shen Quan as soon as he entered the door.
Shen Quan raised his hand to tell him to get up, and instructed him to secretly kill Yu Qi before the Lantern Festival, without letting the news leak out, and to pretend that it was the work of bandits. Wang Qian said that this was not difficult. After the New Year's Eve, more people would visit relatives on the first day of the new year. At this time, everyone would be carrying gold and gifts, and there would inevitably be bandits on remote roads. If a few people were killed, the yamen would naturally hold the criminals accountable.
“This Yu Qi is also quite skilled. Your predecessor and several brothers were killed in the massacre of the entire mansion back then, probably by this man. He was only fourteen or fifteen years old back then. Now he is in his prime, so you must not be careless.”
Wang Qian's expression turned slightly serious. He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "Rest assured, Your Excellency, I will personally lead a few brothers to handle this matter. It's either him who dies, or I who am about to die!"
"However, he is currently ill, which is a good time. Remember one thing: you must not harm Miss Jiuli, nor let Miss Jiuli know anything about it."
Wang Qian replied and took his leave. Shen Quan sat for a while, and before going to bed, he specifically instructed the little eunuch to make a trip to the Marquis of Yan'an's residence the next day, and to secretly give Lü Jing a few pointers, asking him to think about whether Jiu Li had prepared everything for the New Year.
The next morning, the young eunuch went to the Lü residence to tell Lü Jing. Lü Jing had been waiting at home for Jiu Li to come looking for her, but he hadn't come for a long time, and she was getting a little impatient. Upon hearing the young eunuch's words, she quickly bowed and thanked Shen Quan for his advice. She immediately saw the young eunuch off, then went to inform her father, fetched some of the best ginseng from home, and also prepared some fruit and food. She then hurried to the Qi residence before lunch.
Following the servant to the guest courtyard, they bumped into Jiuli watching the old woman sweeping snow under the eaves. She hadn't had time to do her hair yet, as her hair was casually tied up with a few strands hanging down. The snow made her skin look like solidified cream, and the tip of her nose was red from the cold. Her lips were tinged with peach pink, and she looked dazed, clearly having just woken up.
Lu Jing greeted him with a bow from afar, then eagerly walked down the steps to meet him. Jiu Li glanced at him sideways, "Young Master Lu, what brings you here?"
"Yesterday I said I had a ginseng root at home that I brought for Mr. Yu to help him recover his health, have you forgotten, young lady?"
Jiuli nodded in realization, "Please come in, Uncle is taking his medicine."
Lu Jing hurriedly straightened his clothes and followed her through the curtain. They saw Yu Qi sitting on a couch in the inner room talking to someone. He coughed a few times after saying only a few words, his face pale and his spirit haggard, clearly quite ill. Sitting opposite him was a young man in his early twenties, presumably the second master of the Qi family. When the second master turned his head, his face and Yu Qi's face were placed side by side, and they did look somewhat alike.
Xu Bai stood up to greet him, cupping his hands in a respectful greeting. "When I was a child, I often heard my elder brother mention the name of Young Master Lu. Unfortunately, even after our family moved to Nanjing, we never had the chance to meet him. Today, I am fortunate to meet him. It is truly my blessing."
Lu Jing exchanged a few polite words with her, then stepped forward and bowed to Yu Qi, "I heard from you yesterday that Mr. Yu was ill. Is he feeling better today?"
To his surprise, Yu Qi didn't even look at him directly. He only spoke after taking the medicine, and his reply was just a few simple words: "Thank you for your concern. I'm feeling a little better."
Lu Jing hurriedly ordered a servant to present the ginseng, but Yu Qi only offered a few perfunctory thanks, which displeased Lu Jing. He thought to himself that although this man had raised Jiu Li, he was not her proper relative or elder. He was just a commoner doctor, while he himself came from a noble family and held an official position. What did this man mean by putting on airs? He smiled as he pondered this inwardly by the bedside, feeling extremely embarrassed.
Seeing this, Xu Bai sneered inwardly. He glanced at Yu Qi a couple of times, then looked for Jiu Li, who had already gone back to her room to wash up, leaving only the three of them. But when it came to jealousy, Yu Qi was the one who should be jealous. It was just a matter of seeing how he would deal with this young marquis.
Unfortunately, Yu Qi was used to not taking people seriously. Even though it was a young master from a noble family, he would only exchange a few pleasantries before getting up and saying, "Young Master Lu, please make yourself at home. I'm not feeling well and need to go back to my room to rest."
Lu Jing had just sat down on the stool when he busied himself bowing again.
Seeing him enter, Xu Bai smiled awkwardly at Lü Jing, "Mr. Yu has always disliked pretense and formalities, and he is currently ill, so please forgive any slight neglect. If Mr. Yu wishes to rest, why don't we go to my room to talk?"
As she spoke, she rose to lead him away. Lu Jing was only hoping to talk to Jiu Li, so she was somewhat reluctant but could not refuse and had to reluctantly get up. When she reached the corridor, she met Jiu Li who was about to enter the house, so she quickly stopped her and said, "The New Year is only three or five days away. I wonder if there is anything you are missing here, Miss? Just tell me and I will prepare it for you."
Xu Bai smiled and replied, "Young Master Lü is overthinking it. Although the Qi family has declined, they can still afford to celebrate the New Year. All the necessary items for the festival have been prepared in the last two days."
Jiuli nodded in agreement, "Don't worry about it. The empress from the palace has sent many things over."
Lu Jing was afraid there was nothing for him to do to curry favor, so he thought and thought, "I think everything is ready except for a small opera troupe. During the New Year, it's all about having some fun. This mansion is so quiet and deserted, it really needs a small opera troupe to liven things up. I heard there's a very good Southern opera troupe in the capital right now, why don't I invite them to come and entertain everyone?"
Anyway, the matter of rescuing King Zhao can only wait until after the New Year. Since we're idle anyway, and the more it looks like the New Year, the better it will be to keep things under wraps. Jiu Li casually agreed, "Thank you so much for your trouble."
Seeing that Jiuli had agreed, Xu Bai also said, "My house has many spare rooms. I'll have someone clean two rooms and invite that troupe of actors to stay here. They can keep the show going from before the New Year to the Lantern Festival, which will be in keeping with the atmosphere."
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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