Chapter 48: Weird Earl's Mansion
That night, at Anyang Marquis’ Mansion.
After the carriage stopped at the gate of Bo's house, a man got out of the carriage. It was Jiang Xun who had returned from the palace.
Bei Feng was accompanying him and couldn't help asking, "Sir, are you coming back to get something or...staying in the mansion tonight?"
"I will stay at home."
Jiang Xun left a sentence and walked inside.
He first went to the main courtyard.
To be precise, there are now two main courtyards in the Anyang Marquis's mansion. The Anyang Marquis lives in the east courtyard, and the Anyang Marquis's wife lives in the west courtyard.
Jiang Xun went to the East Courtyard.
When the servant saw Jiang Xun coming, he hurried inside to report, and when he came out again, he led Jiang Xun to the study in the courtyard.
When they arrived at the door of the room, the servant said respectfully, "Master, the master has ordered that if you just want to pay your respects, you only need to bow at the door."
The lights in the study were on brightly, and a hunched black shadow could be vaguely seen.
Jiang Xun said nothing, he stood in the courtyard, bowed, and said calmly: "I pay my respects to my father, I hope my father is well, I will take my leave."
After saying this, he stood up and turned to leave.
The servant beside him was obviously used to it and escorted him all the way to the gate of the courtyard.
Bei Feng followed Jiang Xun and felt very uncomfortable all over.
When they reached the fork in the road, Jiang Xun suddenly stopped, bowed from a distance towards the courtyard to the west, and then walked away.
Bei Feng saw this scene and wanted to say something, but when he saw Jiang Xun's calm face, he swallowed the words back.
Soon, a yellow courtyard came into view under the moonlight.
The reason why it is "yellow" is that the doors and walls of the courtyard are covered with talisman papers.
Even Beifeng, a big, strong, rough man, couldn't help but shudder when he saw this scene.
Jiang Xun's expression remained unchanged as he calmly pushed open the gate. Suddenly, he heard a clinking sound in the yard.
It turned out that there were many bells wrapped above the yard, one end of which was connected to the gate. As long as the gate was opened or closed, all the bells would shake and ring.
"Wow, what is this!"
Bei Feng couldn't help but exclaim.
At this time, a person came out from the yard. It was Nanfeng who had been following Jiang Xun before.
Seeing Bei Feng's surprised look, Nan Feng followed his gaze and said indifferently, "Buddhist banners, Lao Bei, haven't you seen them before?"
Bei Feng's mouth twitched slightly. He had seen it in temples, but he had never seen anyone display it at home...
Nanfeng no longer paid attention to Beifeng at this time, and quickly walked to Jiang Xun's side and said respectfully:
"Sir, the master bought a victorious general the other day and couldn't let it go. He has been playing with it in the study these days, forgetting to eat and sleep."
"Madam just went to the Jokhang Temple yesterday. She left the house at 9:00 pm as usual, had a vegetarian meal in the temple, and returned home at 5:00 pm."
Having said this, Nan Feng glanced at the two bright banners in the courtyard and continued:
"This is what my wife brought back from the Jokhang Temple yesterday."
Jiang Xun responded softly, and just as he stepped into the house, he suddenly remembered what Shen Jiasui said during the day:
"I know that Lord Jiang has always been cautious and will not make mistakes easily, but - what about the people around you? Your relatives, mentors, friends..."
His brows furrowed suddenly, and he turned around and asked, "Do you know from whom did you buy the crickets? Where did you buy them? How much did you pay for them?"
"Also, do you know who Madam met at the Jokhang Temple and what they talked about?"
Nan Feng was stunned when he heard this.
Because the master and mistress had been doing this for years and nothing had ever happened, he took it for granted that there was no difference between now and the past, and did not go into it deeply...
When Jiang Xun saw Nan Feng's expression, he waved his hand and said, "Check carefully and make sure there are no omissions."
Nan Feng was filled with shame and bowed: "Yes!"
......
After bathing, Jiang Xun was the only one left in the room.
He walked to a locked cabinet, took out the key and opened it, and what came into view was a cabinet full of small porcelain bottles.
He took out the third porcelain bottle on the upper right with ease, opened the lid and put it under his nose to smell it. After confirming that it was correct, he sat behind the desk holding the porcelain bottle.
There were two piles of books neatly stacked on the desk, with a candlestick standing in the middle.
Jiang Xun rolled up his left sleeve in the candlelight, revealing a dark bruise on his wrist.
He scooped out a light yellow paste from the porcelain bottle, slowly applied it on the bruise, and then spread it on.
He really didn't care about this minor injury.
But the teacher is very careful, and if he notices something unusual, he will inevitably ask questions.
Once the teacher finds out that the bruise was left by Miss Shen, he will be afraid that he will never have peace again.
Thinking of this, Jiang Xun felt a headache.
The teacher is too persistent, obsessed with his lifelong event.
It is obvious that he himself has never married, so why does he insist on finding a wife for a disciple like himself?
This old man...
Jiang Xun shook his head, but a smile appeared on his lips.
The orange candlelight shone on him. When no one was around, he smiled gently, as if this was his true self.
After carefully locking the porcelain bottle back, Jiang Xun returned to the desk again.
He spread out the white paper, his face became stern again, and he picked up the pen and wrote a few words in order:
The grandson of the emperor, the prince of Xiang, the princess, the prince of Rui, and then Shen Jiasui and Lu Yunzheng...
As the night deepened, a fire started in the house, and the white paper on the table turned to ashes, leaving no trace.
————
In the following days, Gu Xizhi treated Lu Yunzheng even more gently, and the two of them were as sweet as ever again.
There were one or two times when Lu Yunzheng almost lost control of his emotions, but Gu Xizhi seemed to be very sober and always held the last line of defense.
One day, Lu Yunzheng returned from his shift and suddenly took Gu Xizhi's hand and said in a gentle voice:
"Xizhi, the fifteenth day of the lunar month will be here in a few days. I'll take a day off and take you to the Jokhang Temple for a walk."
Gu Xizhi's eyes lit up when she heard this. She had been stuck in this villa for a long time, so she nodded immediately.
Lu Yunzheng hugged Gu Xizhi, and seeing her so happy, he felt very satisfied, and added:
"My mother usually goes to the Jokhang Temple to burn incense on the 15th of every month. Xizhi, I want to take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to eliminate my mother's prejudice against you."
When Gu Xizhi heard that she was going to meet Madam Lu, she couldn't help feeling scared, but she also knew that if she wanted to marry into the general's mansion, she had to pass Madam Lu's test.
Fortunately, she had not been idle in the villa during these days, and had been thinking about how to please Mrs. Lu, and she actually figured out a way.
"Yun Zheng, I'll listen to you." Gu Xizhi nodded softly, very obedient.
Seeing this, Lu Yunzheng gently stroked Gu Xizhi's shoulder, with his own considerations in mind.
Ever since he missed the opportunity to attend the flower-viewing banquet, he has felt uneasy.
What was even more embarrassing was that when he left the general's mansion, he left in a hurry and did not carry much money with him, and now he was penniless.
In particular, Lin Zhouzhi fined him one month's salary, making his financial situation even more stretched.
He couldn't possibly give up Xizhi, but he had to return to the general's mansion, and now it seemed he could only ask his mother for help.
The two agreed to wait for the fifteenth day to have an "accidental encounter" with Mrs. Lu at the Jokhang Temple.
————
General Dingguo's Mansion.
Baiji hurried into Chunhua Courtyard and saw Shen Jiasui stopping and putting down his gun.
After a few days of recuperation, the internal injuries he suffered on the first day of the new year were almost healed. Shen Jiasui felt itchy and couldn't help but start playing again.
"Miss!"
Baiji cried out softly, his face full of worry.
Shen Jiasui quickly raised his hands and begged for mercy, "Baiji, I am really fine now, please don't tell mother."
Seeing that his young lady indeed had a rosy complexion and looked full of energy, Baiji swallowed the rest of his words and handed her a piece of paper.
"Miss, didn't you ask someone to check on the wife of the Marquis of Anyang a few days ago? There is news today."
Upon hearing this, Shen Jiasui hurriedly took the note and unfolded it. It clearly read:
"October 15th, Jokhang Temple."
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