Chapter 52. That gaze was fierce, sinister, and seemed to be carrying a hidden agenda...
Shen Yunzhi and Qi Song spent the hot, humid summer together, accompanied by the incessant chirping of cicadas.
July's heat intensifies, the sweet fragrance of osmanthus fills the air, and the provincial examinations are fast approaching.
The autumn imperial examination in August is held only once every three years.
For scholars, the provincial examination was extremely important, because passing it meant having the qualification to become an official and being eligible to participate in the imperial examinations the following year.
Qi Songzheng came to Jiusi Academy to study after passing the preliminary examination, and he was about to take the autumn examination.
This time, Qi Song will travel to Jinling with his classmates.
After dinner, Shen Yunzhi sat at the table fiddling with her abacus. Hearing Qi Song recount the matter, she calmly nodded. She asked a few questions about whether she had enough money, then said nothing more. On the day Qi Song left, she went to see him off as a formality. Having gotten up very early, she was extremely tired, so she simply closed the bookstore and went home for a nap.
Qi Songshu was well-educated, and Shen Yunzhi already knew this.
For her, it was a trivial matter; even if Qi Song passed the imperial examination, she would not go to the capital with him to take the exam.
She'll just end up being a "wife who has shared hardship" who gets abandoned in the future.
At that time, countless people will pity her for what she has suffered.
However, it happened on the tenth day after Qi Song left.
After a busy day, just as Shen Yunzhi was about to close her shop, someone from the academy came to invite her, saying that the headmaster wanted to see her because it was an extremely urgent matter.
In the six months that followed, and with Qi Song as her nominal "husband," she gradually became more connected with the academy and recognized many faces, including the person before her. However, the man's claim that the headmaster urgently needed to speak with her left her confused.
"I don't know the details, but it seems that Brother Qi has run into trouble in Jinling."
Seeing Shen Yunzhi's hesitation and doubt, the young man said breathlessly, "I'm afraid we'll have to meet the headmaster and ask him in person to find out the details."
Has something happened to Qi Song?
Shen Yunzhi was even more puzzled. Wasn't she going to participate in the provincial examination? How could she have gotten into trouble?
But since she had already said that, she couldn't just ignore it.
Asking the other party to wait a moment, Shen Yunzhi closed the bookstore before hurrying with him to the academy.
I did indeed learn the whole story from the headmaster—
It wasn't Qi Song who deliberately caused trouble.
Unfortunately, this person was a complete jinx. Because his classmate at the same table offended a powerful person with his careless words, he was implicated and thrown into jail as well.
Not only had Shen Yunzhi seen plenty of bullying and abuse of power, but she herself had also experienced it far too often.
Indeed, it's no wonder Qi Song was blamed.
According to the headmaster, it would be necessary to bribe officials to get the person out, so he hoped that Shen Yunzhi could go to Jinling with him.
The relatives of other students from the academy will also go, and they will set off early tomorrow morning.
After understanding the reasons, Shen Yunzhi nodded in agreement.
Although she was going along, the headmaster implied that she wouldn't need to show up; she was actually just there to pick people up.
After leaving the academy and returning home, Shen Yunzhi packed her luggage quickly and went to bed early.
The next day, before dawn, she set off for Jinling with the headmaster of the academy.
The group traveled day and night.
Upon arriving in Jinling, the headmaster first led them to an inn to stay, where they could also wait for news.
On the banks of the Qinhuai River, in a teahouse facing the street, Cui Xu leaned against the window, sipping tea.
Unlike the brightly lit and magnificent buildings at night, the daytime scene is a different kind of bustling and lively one.
After a year away from the capital, he was finally summoned back. Along the way, however, a deep-seated resentment weighed on Cui Xu's chest, rather than joy. If he hadn't been tricked by Shen Yunzhi, he wouldn't have been schemed against by Cui Huai and suffered so much.
His sister, however, said in her letter that she had already avenged him.
Shen Yunzhi is dead.
The person died, but not at his hands, not tortured to death by him. Wouldn't that be too easy for her?
She shouldn't have died so easily.
"Your Highness, these scholars are indeed outspoken and ignorant, and should be punished. However, they are all students who came to Jinling to participate in the provincial examination. Some of them may be very talented. It would be a pity to make enemies because of this. It would be better to show them kindness and win them over. If someone passes the provincial examination next year, they can be used by Your Highness and become an asset."
Cui Xu slowly sipped his tea, listening lazily to these words of advice.
After the other party had finished speaking, he smiled faintly and said, "I'll just lock them up for a few days to teach them a lesson, and I doubt they'll dare to hold a grudge."
Flattery rang out again.
Cui Xu listened casually, his gaze fixed on the long street until he caught sight of a figure.
Slender and graceful, inexplicably captivating, making it impossible to look away.
A silhouette suddenly reminded him of someone.
Cui Xu stared at the figure, curious about the face beneath the veil. Watching the group enter an inn, he pointed a finger at the young woman who had caught his eye: "Go and find out who this woman is."
The attendant obeyed and left, bringing back the news very quickly.
It turned out that he was a married man, and his husband, Qi Song, was one of the students he imprisoned.
Cui Xu then lost interest.
He waved his hand and agreed to release the person tomorrow.
...
The inn that the headmaster brought Shen Yunzhi and her group to was the same inn where Qi Song and the others had stayed before.
Those who could participate in the provincial examination were all scholars, and unless they committed a serious crime, they would not be in danger of losing their lives. Therefore, Shen Yunzhi was not as anxious and worried as others. She stayed peacefully in Qi Song's room waiting for news. As expected, the headmaster returned with good news when it got dark—they could be released from prison the next day.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but fearing something might go wrong, they rushed off to pick up the person before dawn.
Having no other choice, Shen Yunzhi packed her things and went with them.
They waited outside the prison for more than an hour.
Fortunately, she had packed a water pouch and some pastries before leaving, so that she wouldn't faint from hunger before seeing Qi Song.
In a short period of time, Qi Song, who was already thin, became even thinner.
Now his cheeks are sunken, his expression is listless, not to mention his disheveled appearance and emaciated figure, he has been severely ravaged.
Shen Yunzhi took off her veil and handed Qi Song a water pouch: "It's good that he's alright."
He couldn't offer any more words of comfort.
Qi Song had never expected Shen Yunzhi to come. They weren't a proper couple, and Shen Yunzhi had no reason to concern herself with such matters. Therefore, even just this one sentence was enough to make Qi Song's eyes instantly redden and his heart deeply moved.
"Thank you," Qi Song said hoarsely as he took the water pouch.
As soon as he finished speaking, he drank all the water in the water bag in one go.
They didn't linger.
After confirming that everyone was safe and sound, they quickly left and returned to the inn.
Inside a luxurious carriage, Cui Xu stared intently through the lifted curtain in the direction Shen Yunzhi had left, his heart filled with doubt and unease. The young woman there clearly bore a face strikingly similar to Shen Yunzhi's!
But with just a quick glance and a distance between us, it was impossible to confirm.
How could a dead person appear in Jinling? It is possible that unrelated people in this world can look alike, so it is not impossible that he mistook them.
"Someone come here." After a moment of restraint, Cui Xu could no longer suppress his desire to find out the truth and spoke in a deep voice.
"Go! Immediately bring Qi Song's wife to me!"
Back at the inn, Shen Yunzhi asked the waiter to bring hot water so that Qi Song could bathe and wash away the filth from his body.
While Qi Song was still taking a bath, she instructed the waiter to remember to have the kitchen prepare some food.
After giving these instructions and closing the door, Shen Yunzhi asked Qi Song what had happened. Qi Song gave a brief explanation, which was largely the same as what the headmaster had said. Ultimately, it was a matter of gossip, not a small matter, but not a big one either.
"You're really unlucky this time."
"But if you give me a hundred taels of silver for nothing, you'll have to write a lot more storybooks in the future."
With no outsiders around, Shen Yunzhi casually made a joke.
Feeling guilty, Qi Song, who was bathing behind the screen, quickly agreed.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Hearing the waiter's voice, Shen Yunzhi was surprised that the food had been delivered so quickly, but she wasn't too wary and got up to open the door.
"Yunniang, what is it?"
Qi Song washed up for a while, heard the door close but heard no other sounds, and then realized something was strange.
When I asked aloud, all I got was silence.
Without even taking a bath or washing up, Qi Song hurriedly got out of the tub, quickly dressed, and rushed downstairs. The innkeeper, upon hearing Qi Song's description, was utterly astonished: "Fool! Your wife was just captured by several guards!"
Shen Yunzhi, who had been knocked unconscious the moment she opened the door, slowly regained consciousness. After a few breaths, she realized that she had been blindfolded, gagged, and her hands and feet were bound. A wave of terror immediately washed over her. She didn't know where she was, what had happened, or even who had captured her. She hadn't even had time to see a piece of clothing belonging to the person who had captured her.
Is it Cui Huai?
No, it can't be Cui Huai.
Shen Yunzhi quickly denied the speculation, but for the time being, she had no further clues.
The only thing she could feel was a gaze falling on her, a gaze that was fierce, sinister, and seemed to carry a murderous intent.
When did she ever have such an enemy?
As she caught the approaching footsteps, Shen Yunzhi tensed up, only able to utter soft whimpers.
"Shen Yunzhi, so you're not dead." Cui Xu bent down, grabbed Shen Yunzhi's chin, and ripped off the blindfold covering her eyes. Seeing the panic and helplessness in her eyes, he finally felt a sense of relief.
In an instant, Shen Yunzhi felt waves of despair.
She never imagined that instead of falling into Cui Huai's hands, she would be defeated by Cui Xu.
Why is Cui Xu in Jinling?
Even if His Majesty the Emperor has not summoned him back to the capital, he should not be in Jinling.
It doesn't matter anymore.
Whatever the reason Cui Xu appeared in Jinling, and whatever the reason Cui Xu discovered her, the fact that she has fallen into Cui Xu's hands today will not change.
What kind of unlucky guy is Qi Song?
The real scumbag is clearly herself!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com