Chapter 50: Sudden Change on the Cliff
Sure enough, Meng Lanxi's voice was heard. Although it was vague from a distance, it was definitely his: "Feng Yi, at this point, I advise you not to fight like a trapped beast! The imperial officials and soldiers have arrived, so just surrender!"
Unfortunately, his persuasion went unanswered. Under the intimidation and pushing of the people on the opposite side, Meng Lanxi was forced to the edge of the cliff, with the turbulent canyon rapids at his feet.
The soldiers on the opposite side were very anxious and shouted "Stop".
Feng Yi heard the noise and hastily looked back from between the bushes. His expression could not be seen clearly from a distance, but the outline of his face was clear. Although he looked dirty and haggard due to fleeing, Qian Deng, Ling Tianshui and Cui Fufeng all recognized him at a glance. It was Feng Yi.
Seeing that they were on the side of the cliff and there was no path connecting them to this side, they could not come to rescue them at all. Feng Yi was fearless and kicked Meng Lanxi hard, determined to kick him off the cliff.
In the midst of danger, Meng Lanxi grabbed the vines on the cliff next to her and hung in the air, luckily avoiding being kicked down by him.
The soldiers cried out in subconsciously, thinking that even though they were on the side of the cliff, they were a long way away and could not go over to rescue people in a short time.
Ling Tianshui shouted sternly, "Feng Yi, let Meng Lanxi go. I'll give you a way out!"
Feng Yi had suffered a great loss at his hands in the dilapidated temple, so he was still frightened when he heard his voice and paused subconsciously.
Meng Lanxi seized the opportunity, struggled up, and slammed into Feng Yi.
Feng Yi was caught off guard by this and was knocked to the ground, falling forward.
Meng Lanxi took advantage of the situation and leaned against the cliff behind him, holding on to the vines, and kicked hard, trying to kick Feng Yi, who had lost his balance, off the cliff.
Although only some messy scenes could be seen from the gaps in the dense forest, Qiandeng, like everyone else, felt his heart in his throat at the suddenness of the attack.
Seeing Meng Lanxi turning the tide in desperation and counterattacking, there was hope for him to escape, but Feng Yi was a veteran with more than 20 years of experience after all, and he was very quick to react. When he was swept down, he quickly hooked his legs and tried to grab the upper part to gain leverage.
Meng Lanxi, who was standing on the edge of the cliff, let out an unexpected cry and was then dragged down the cliff by Feng Yi. Amid the strong wind and the snapping sounds of the surrounding branches, the two of them fell straight down like kites with broken strings.
Qiandeng felt his heartbeat stop for a moment, and he immediately grabbed the branch beside him and tried his best to look down.
The two figures were quickly swallowed up by the rushing water below, and only the screams, which could not be identified, continued to echo in the canyon for a long time without stopping.
The canyon is high and steep, and falling from the cliff is already unlikely to survive, not to mention that it is now flood season and the torrent is rolling, so I am afraid there is no way to escape.
The Northern Court's Imperial Guards quickly summoned their soldiers and searched along the river for the two men. The Dali Temple and the Changhua Palace also sent people to search together, hoping for a miracle to happen.
Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. After sending so many people and searching for two days, they still found nothing.
Helpless, Cui Fufeng went to the Ministry of Works to borrow several heads of the Ministry of Water Resources to discuss the matter of finding people. The leader was Jian Anting's father Jian Taiping.
He was well versed in hydrology, and after examining the terrain of the canyon in detail, he made a suggestion that no one expected. He believed that the water vortex in the canyon was reversing, and it was very likely that the body would be blown upstream. Therefore, no matter how many people they sent, it would be difficult to find any trace of the body if they searched downstream.
Several other leaders also agreed with his proposal. After all, there was a precedent a few years ago where the mythical beast that controlled the river was washed back upstream in the water. Now there was really no trace of it downstream, so it would be better to change direction and try to salvage it.
Seeing that it was getting late and the terrain of the canyon was complicated, there would definitely be no results in a short time. Cui Fufeng advised Qiandeng to return home first and wait until they found out the whereabouts.
When they returned to the Changhua Palace, Aunt Xuanji came up to them hurriedly and told Qiandeng hesitantly that someone from the Meng family had come, and it was said that they were Meng Lanxi's uncle and aunt.
It had been two days since Meng Lanxi's accident, and the Meng family naturally knew about it.
Cui Fufeng looked at Qiandeng and asked in a low voice, "Would you like to see me, lord?"
What he meant was that he should send the Meng family away so as not to cause her more trouble.
Qian Deng shook his head and said, "Let's meet him. I want to see the Meng family's attitude."
She walked outside the flower hall and heard Aunt Meng sighing, "It's worthy of being a royal palace. How can ordinary people see such grandeur...Hey, Master, do you think Yongshun can get his seat back after he comes back?"
"Last time, the county lady came to our house specially and asked about Yongshun's condition several times. It's obvious that she is leaning towards our son." Uncle Meng had something to rely on today, and his tone was quite confident. "Even if that kid is lucky enough to survive, he will definitely not be in good condition. By then, he will be disfigured, disabled, and useless. How can he compete with Yongshun?"
The hall was lavishly furnished, seemingly meticulously decorated. The couple sat in a corner, thinking they were speaking in low voices, unnoticed. Unbeknownst to them, this corner was directly around the corner from the outer room, and their whispered words were carried along the carved window lattice, reaching the ears of Qiandeng outside without missing a word.
Liuli was shocked and angry. When she thought that Meng Lanxi's life or death was uncertain and his relatives were still planning such a thing, she was so angry that she raised her hand to hit the lattice window and scare them to death.
Qiandeng raised his hand to stop her and walked into the flower hall with a slightly gloomy expression.
Uncle Meng and his aunt hurried forward, their faces beaming with smiles: "The county lady is such a busy person. We've waited so long to finally see you. Please remember to take care of your health."
Qian Deng took his time sitting down in the hall, raised his hand to take the tea handed to him by the maid, took two sips slowly, and then asked, "What brings you two here today?"
"Oh, it's my son Yongshun, he..."
Aunt Meng had barely gotten half of her words out when Uncle Meng, who was older than her, coughed dryly, stopping her. He quickly said, "I heard that Lanxi has joined the army and is gaining experience there. That's a good thing. But I also heard yesterday that he got into trouble while chasing the rebels. I wonder how he's doing now?"
He inquired about his nephew's situation, feigning concern on his face. Unfortunately, Qian Deng was too lazy to pay attention and simply said, "The Northern Court's Imperial Guards and the Ministry of Works are working together to search for him. I believe they will have a lead soon. You two don't need to worry."
As she spoke, she looked up at Aunt Meng and said, "What happened to your son Meng Yongshun?"
Uncle Meng quickly pulled a letter from his sleeve and presented it respectfully. "Last time, the county lady asked if Yongshun had any new letters, so I could show them to you. Well, I just received his letter today, and I'm hurrying to present it to you."
"Oh, you two are so thoughtful." Qiandeng took the envelope, pulled it out and took a look.
The handwriting on the letter was similar to the last time I saw it. It contained a few words, mentioning that he had recently traveled and met a famous scholar from out of town, a man of profound learning and extensive connections in Beijing. He had decided to become his disciple and to follow him to the mountains to study. He said he would achieve great success within a year or two. By then, with this shortcut to Zhongnan, he would be able to bring honor to his family when he returned to Beijing. He asked his parents to wait patiently.
The letter was signed a month ago, so considering the distance traveled, the delivery speed was normal.
The handwriting is the same as last time, and the ink is still fresh.
But there was a faint fragrance on the letter, which did not match his poor handwriting.
Qiandeng calmly turned around with the letter in his hand, pretending to look closely through the window and flicking the paper with his fingers.
In the sunlight slanting in from the window, a thin layer of powder flew up from the paper and landed on the spotless vermilion window frame, forming a very thin layer of light yellow powder.
——It’s pine pollen.
At this moment, the pollen filled the air in the suburbs of Chang'an and in the camp, causing many soldiers to have runny noses and stuffy noses and need to seek medical treatment.
She held her breath and carefully examined the unnatural white marks on the edges of the handwriting on the letter.
That was not a mark caused by lack of ink at the tip of the pen, but an invisible white space formed at the edge of the words by the fine powder on the paper.
Tiny dust-like cracks prove that the words were written on paper covered with pine pollen.
Pine trees have a short flowering period, and this year, a cold snap hit the western part of Jiangnan, delaying the blooming of flowers and trees. How could it be so coincidental that a month ago, the Dongting area, like the suburbs of Beijing, also had such abundant pine pollen?
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