Chapter 129 Leaving the Capital (Thirteen) Fish, what's wrong with me (...)
After a half-month voyage, the boat carrying Jiu Li and his three companions arrived at Huailing Post Station that afternoon. The group waded ashore and requested two rooms to stay in the post station. Du Zhongxu was not picky about the rooms and let the postman arrange them. Jiu Li, however, was not at ease and had the postman lead him and Xiu Zhi, each carrying a bundle, to the back courtyard to inspect both rooms.
There was a main room on the north side, which seemed slightly larger than the other rooms, judging from the windows on both sides. Jiu Li walked straight towards the corridor, but the courier hurriedly came forward to stop her, "Miss! This room is already occupied."
"Oh—" Jiuli had no choice but to turn down from the stone steps in disappointment, glancing back as she did so. "He must be an important official to be able to stay in this main room."
The courier casually draped the rag over his shoulder, chuckled, and didn't reply. Jiuli, even more curious, asked again, "What, he might not be some important figure?"
Xiuzhi hurriedly smiled and took her arm, pulling her forward with a combination of support and push. "Miss, please don't ask. Even Master Qi doesn't hold an official position now. We have to pay to stay at this post station. If the constables staying here find out, it will not only make things difficult for the post station staff, but we might also get ourselves into trouble."
The imperial court had explicitly prohibited post stations from using their official positions for private purposes. However, it was an open secret that post stations in various places were collecting money to entertain ordinary people, but it was not easy to bring it up in public. Talking about it would only cause trouble. Therefore, Jiuli could only purse his lips and not ask. He picked the cleanest room in the east wing, put down his luggage with Xiuzhi, and then went to the main hall to order a table of good wine and food.
Fearing that Yu Qi would catch up too quickly, the group had not stayed overnight at any of the river inns along the way for the past two weeks. Finally, tonight they could sleep soundly in bed. Jiu Li patted the edge of the table with both hands and couldn't help but sigh, "I never thought that sitting on a boat could make people dizzy. As soon as we got ashore, my legs started to slip and wouldn't obey me!"
Xiuzhi rinsed the teacups with the teapot and said with a smile, "If the river hadn't frozen up ahead, we would have had at least another half a month to get to the capital. If you're already complaining now, what will you do later?"
Du Zhongxian wrinkled his nose at Jiuli, then turned to Xiuzhi and sneered, "Don't pay any attention to her. How can she compare to you? As soon as she leaves home, she's always complaining about everything. A few days ago she was saying that someone's boat smelled fishy. Humph, the boat floats on the river every day, how could it not smell fishy?! She's picky wherever she goes, as if she's the only one who's delicate and precious!"
This angered Jiu Li, who reached out from across the way to hit him, yelling, "Shut up! If you keep talking nonsense, I'll throw you into the river!"
"I'll say it anyway! I'll just say it!"
Xu Bai looked around at them bickering and couldn't help but laugh. "You've been arguing all the way and haven't come to a conclusion. What else is there to argue about? Looking at your appearances, temperaments, and personalities, no one would believe you're not twins."
Upon hearing this, Xiuzhi picked up her teacup to cover half of her face, her eyes darting around behind her hand.
Du Zhong put one foot on the bench, glanced at Jiu Li, and said, "She was the one who started it with her mouth! I was just talking back."
After Xiuzhi finished her tea, she quickly put down her teacup and smiled as she advised, "You should say less, or the young lady will really get angry. You always gave in to her at home, so why are you being so uncooperative now that we're out here?"
Jiuli retorted angrily, "Hmph, he just wants to act tough in front of you."
Du Zhong blushed at her words, turned his face away to avoid arguing, and instead poured Xiu Zhi more tea and urged the courier to bring the food. Soon the courier brought the food and wine, including a bowl of smoked pork with dried bamboo shoots, which he recognized as Xiu Zhi's favorite. He placed it in front of her and urged her to eat. Jiu Li deliberately curled her upper lip and bared her teeth, clicking her tongue repeatedly, clearly disapproving of his attentiveness.
After dinner, as dusk approached, everyone returned to their rooms to rest. Du Zhong and Xu Bai shared a guest room, and the two of them were alone. Du Zhong felt awkward. Firstly, the two of them didn't have much to say to each other, and secondly, he had hit Xu Bai before, and now he was accompanying someone to the capital, as if he had taken advantage of someone, which made him very uncomfortable.
Therefore, Xu Bai wanted him to sleep on the bed, but he hurriedly ran to the couch and lay down, put his hands behind his head, glanced at the bed opposite, and said, "You should sleep on the bed. You are a young master from a prominent family, how can you sleep on the couch? Let a commoner like me sleep on the couch, so that we can both feel more comfortable."
Xu Bai could only stand in front of the bed and smile before turning back to lie down on the bed. "This time you came to the capital, did you really intend to have Yu'er plead with the Emperor to grant you a marriage?"
After a long silence, I assumed he had fallen asleep. But then he suddenly sighed lightly, “Hey, whether Yu’er’s biological father is Prince Feng or the Emperor, it’s all uncertain. Even her master doesn’t know who her father is. Even if she’s of royal blood, who can prove it besides her biological mother? And even if they do prove it, humph, do you think the royal family recognizing a daughter is as casual as a play on stage?”
"Then why did you come along?"
"I'm worried about her, and I know I can't persuade her otherwise. I'll just treat it as a chance to see the world under the emperor's nose. Anyway, I've never been to the capital before."
What are you worried about regarding her?
Du Zhong chuckled, his frankness almost comical, "I don't trust her to stay with you."
Xu Bai smiled silently on the other end. Du Zhong, not hearing him speak, thought he was angry, so he crossed one leg and swung his foot in the moonlight, changing the subject, "Besides, as soon as I asked Xiu Zhi, she was willing to leave her household chores and come with me. Why wouldn't I be happy to do that?"
"Aunt Guo's willingness to leave her family behind truly shows her deep affection for you." Xu Bai paused, then a soft laugh escaped his nose uncontrollably, like a kind reminder.
Du Zhong, being naturally dull-witted, didn't notice anything amiss and continued to swing his leg leisurely in mid-air. Xu Bai couldn't help but tilt his head from the pillow to look at him, only to see his profile set in the deep blue moonlight, exuding a carefree and unrestrained air.
The moon seemed exceptionally bright tonight, casting a hazy white ring on the tung oil paper of the window, like a crumpled ball of cotton. Jiuli lay on her side, staring at the window, gradually becoming drowsy. She vaguely heard Yu Qi's voice, which used to lull her to sleep, deep and steady, with a comforting sense of security. She smiled unconsciously, and soon a wave of sleepiness washed over her.
Thinking that she was almost asleep, Xiuzhi opened her eyes on the couch next to her, tentatively got up, and deliberately made a noise. Seeing that she was still not awake, she quietly opened the door and went out. The light in the main room was still on. She hesitated for a while, then went around the corridor and knocked lightly on the door twice.
Jiang Xu opened the door and let her in. He then closed the door and hurried towards her. "It's been half a month since we set off. When are you going to make your move? If you keep delaying, we'll be in the capital soon!"
Xiuzhi turned to face him, stammering "I" for a long time but then stopped.
Jiang Xu said angrily, "If Du Zhong gets into the capital safely, you can imagine how furious the Second Master will be! Let me tell you, ever since the Second Master was injured, he's not as easy to talk to as before. Not only will I be unable to explain myself, but you won't have a good time either! Even if you don't think about yourself, you should at least think about your son!"
Xiuzhi was filled with anxiety but had no words to say. She could only lower her head and think for a while before finally finding a reason, "I... I'm afraid that there are only four of us on the boat. If he dies, Master Qi and the young lady will quickly suspect me!"
Jiang Xu took two steps forward along the round table, glancing sideways at him. "I told you before, even if they find out, you're not afraid. Du Zhong is just an ordinary citizen right now. Do you know how many ordinary people like that die every year in every province and county? How many of them die without ever making a sound? With the Chen family protecting you, what are you afraid of!"
To everyone's surprise, Xiuzhi was still hesitant and couldn't muster the courage. Jiang Xu looked at her, feeling anxious all morning. Women just can't get things done!
He immediately began to secretly calculate that he would have another chance early the next morning. They would have to eat breakfast before boarding the ship. He would put the poison in Du Zhong's breakfast, and it would take half an hour for the poison to take effect. By the time Du Zhong died on the ship, he would have already disappeared. Then he would have to settle the score with this woman! Humph, she's afraid of trouble, but she can't avoid it!
Having made up his mind, a smile slowly appeared on his face. "Alright, alright, go back and think about it again. Anyway, there are still half a month left. Don't delay any longer. Finish things as soon as possible so I can take you back to the manor to receive your reward."
Xiuzhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, said goodbye and returned to her room. Fortunately, Jiuli was still fast asleep and did not know that she had gone out during the night when she woke up in the morning. After the four of them had breakfast, they asked the postman for some vegetables, fish and meat to eat on the road and then returned to the boat.
After the boat had been sailing for a while, they heard Du Zhong complaining of a stomachache. Jiu Li went around to the cabin and saw Du Zhong curled up on the bed, clutching his stomach. Jiu Li came over and teased him, "Who told you to eat so much meat! It's so early in the morning, how can you digest it?"
After saying this, she plopped down on the edge of the bed, ignoring his retort. She turned her head and saw that Du Zhong's nose and eyes were tightly wrinkled and his face was covered in sweat. She then became alert and hurriedly asked, "Does it really hurt a lot?"
Du Zhong clutched his stomach and turned inside out, crying out, "My intestines, my intestines are cramping!"
Xu Bai was walking over from the front table, having poured herself a cup of tea. Watching the tea slosh slightly in her hand, she suddenly remembered the tea they had eaten after breakfast at Huailing Post Station. Back then, Jiu Li had complained about the poor quality tea at the station and had asked Xiu Zhi to fetch their own tea and send it to the kitchen. Those four bowls of tea were what Xiu Zhi had casually brought to the main hall. It seemed that after delaying for over ten days, she had finally given in to her urges.
At that moment, the light and shadow in front of the door suddenly shifted. He turned around and saw that it was Xiuzhi who had rushed over after hearing the noise. He understood, looked away, and placed the tea in front of the bed. "Have a cup of tea first and see if it can help you recover."
Jiuli was so anxious that her face changed drastically. She quickly took the tea and said, "Help him up!"
Xu Bai held Du Zhong in his arms, and Du Zhong's head rested on his shoulder. Only then did Jiu Li see that his face was ashen, his lips were bluish-black, and he had no blood in his body. Jiu Li was skilled in medicine and could tell from a close look that he was poisoned. Her mind was suddenly in turmoil, and she stared at Du Zhong blankly for a moment.
Xu Bai urged, "Feed him quickly!"
She brought the tea to Du Zhong's lips and noticed he was trembling violently. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she wiped the sweat from his face with a handkerchief. "Drink up! A sip of tea will make you feel better. You must have eaten something bad. Ah, a sip of tea will make you feel better—"
Du Zhong managed to take a bite, but then he started coughing violently. After coughing for a while, he suddenly leaned forward from Xu Bai's arms, spitting a mouthful of blood onto Jiu Li's skirt.
The blood, like a red talisman, was fixed on Jiu Li's body, rendering her completely immobile.
Du Zhong looked up at her blankly and asked, "Yu'er, what's wrong with me?"
He didn't want blood to flow straight out of his mouth as soon as he opened it. He tried to wipe it with his hand, but no matter how he wiped, he couldn't wipe it all away, and instead his face was covered in blood.
Xiuzhi had been slowly walking towards this place, but upon seeing Du Zhong's condition, she was so frightened that she couldn't move an inch. After standing there for a while, she suddenly heard Jiuli cry out in a shrill voice, "Du Zhong! Quickly, quickly call the boat to shore!"
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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