Chapter 38 Tangdi
At this point, every corner of the palace's backyard, including the residences of the young men, had been searched.
Returning to the front hall, they met up with the guards who were searching elsewhere in the backyard and confirmed that there was no trace of Shangluo.
After Aunt Xuanji and the guards left, Qiandeng, Cui Fufeng, and Ling Tianshui gathered together the findings of today's investigation and reviewed the situation in everyone's house.
But the backyard is so small, and the residences of the gentlemen are not big. Moreover, when the prince designed the backyard, he did not set up any secret rooms or cellars for hiding.
Every corner had been searched repeatedly, and Shangluo had indeed disappeared mysteriously from the backyard of the palace, with no trace of him left.
Seeing that it was getting late, Cui Fufeng went to the Dali Temple, ready to thoroughly survey the situation at Qujiang Lake again.
Ling Tianshui returned to Yilan Pavilion. Meng Lanxi came forward when she saw him and asked, "Have you found Shangluo?"
Ling Tianshui said nothing, closed the door, and strode towards the clothes rack in the back room.
Meng Lanxi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly came to her senses and quickly followed him to stop him.
Ling Tianshui waved him away and grabbed a bamboo green round-necked silk gown with linked beads and small floral patterns from the hanger - it was the same gown he had worn when he celebrated the county lord's birthday at Qujiang Lake that day.
Although there was a running spring running through the backyard of the palace and three or two small ponds dotted around, they were all for scenery and naturally it was not possible to wash clothes there. Therefore, the gentlemen had to go outside to find a laundry to wash and dry their clothes.
Because of the incident with Princess Gaoguo these two days, the palace suggested that they reduce their going out, so the clothes he changed that day were still hanging on the hanger and were not sent out for washing.
Ling Tianshui turned over the lining pocket inside his sleeve and saw the light purple marks on the inside at a glance.
"I heard that the damaged parts of poisonous mushrooms will turn purple? You said that all the herbs you picked were hung out to dry on the platform and you didn't bring them back. Then what was that thing you hid in your sleeve and brought back?" He stared at Meng Lanxi, whose face suddenly changed, and threw his clothes at him, staring at him coldly, "Where's the thing? Take it out."
Meng Lanxi opened her mouth and finally said with difficulty: "It's used up."
Ling Tianshui's eyes grew colder as he asked, "Did you use it on Princess Gao?"
"No! Princess Gao and I have never met. Even if I wanted to harm her, how could she eat my food?" Meng Lanxi stammered, trying her best to hide the strangeness in her eyes. "Besides, if I knew how to get close to her, then when she was asleep or alone, wouldn't a poisonous needle or something like that be much more effective than a poisonous mushroom?"
This was indeed reasonable, but Ling Tianshui's expression became even uglier.
He grabbed Meng Lanxi's wrist and asked sternly, "If that's the case, what about the hallucinogenic mushroom now?"
Seeing his reaction, Meng Lanxi had obviously realized where the thing was going. Instead, a sense of relief welled up in her heart: "Why are you so nervous? This thing won't kill anyone. It just helps soothe the mood and make people feel relaxed and happy."
His words made Ling Tianshui even more certain of his guess, and his tone subconsciously hardened: "Did you also go to help the county lady sleep last night?"
Meng Lanxi stared at him intently, seeing his unprecedented anger, a sense of uneasiness and fear swept through her heart, and she did not dare to speak.
Ling Tianshui couldn't control his anger and squeezed his wrist until it was almost blue. "What has the county lady done to you? Why did you want to hurt him?"
"I didn't harm the county lady, how could I harm her!"
After blurting out these words, Meng Lanxi was stunned for a moment before whispering, "This mushroom can cause hallucinations after taking it, but if mixed with incense, it can calm the mind and make one sleep more sweetly and comfortably."
"If that's all, why are you hiding it from others?" Ling Tianshui demanded harshly, "If you refuse to tell the truth, I'll ask a famous doctor to look through ancient texts to see what's so strange about it!"
Under his sharp gaze, Meng Lanxi murmured fearfully, "I won't hurt the county lady... How could I hurt her? It's just that, it's just that after using it for a while, people will become dependent on it. From then on, the county lady will never be able to give up my incense, nor will she be able to give up me..."
Looking at the handsome young man in front of him, whose spirit was autumn water and soul was white jade, and who uttered such words, Ling Tianshui was furious and slapped him.
He hit Meng Lanxi so hard that her head tilted to one side, her cheek became red and swollen, and a trace of blood appeared at the corner of her mouth.
But he still stared straight at Ling Tianshui in front of him. This man was feared by thousands, and his anger was indeed terrifying, but Meng Lanxi looked at him, raised her hand and slowly wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, staring at him stubbornly, without avoiding.
"The county lady trusted you and cared for you. She helped with your mother's funeral and rescued you from prison. I recommended you to the county lady to create opportunities for you to get close to her, but you actually have such ulterior motives!"
"Because I have no other way to capture the county lady."
Meng Lanxi stared at him and spoke with difficulty, but the madness in her eyes was like a burning flame.
"I come from a humble background, have no power or influence, and have no extraordinary talent. To stand out from everyone else and become the county lady's husband is clearly wishful thinking. But I want the county lady to see me, think of me, and be inseparable from me... No matter what means, no matter what, I want to have the county lady, even if it means being despicable and filthy, and even if it means eternal damnation!"
Looking at his crazy and stubborn look, Ling Tianshui didn't know how to refute him for a moment.
Before his eyes, it seemed as if the night when Madam Meng died appeared again. Her hollow eyes had lost their focus, her limbs were twitching, and her voice was hoarse and unclear.
You have everything, but Lanxi has nothing... I beg you... to help him marry the county lady as he wishes, and I will rest in peace in my grave!
Meng Lanxi, who was standing in front of him, stared at him intently, lowering her voice and asking word by word, "When Mom passed away, she must have asked you to help me, right? Otherwise, why would you be willing to take care of me, brother?"
The word "brother" made the furious Ling Tianshui clench his fists suddenly. He stared at Meng Lanxi in front of him with an extremely cold expression.
"Actually, I already knew who you were. Otherwise, who in this world would be willing to help someone as insignificant as me?" Meng Lanxi's bloody lips were accented by deep dimples, making her look both sad and pleased. "Mother suffered so much all her life for a son like you, and died with her eyes open, just to fulfill your wish! But what about you? You only came back to see her after she died, refusing to acknowledge that she was your mother, let alone that we share the same mother! Are you worthy of mother? Are you worthy of me? Do you have your own mother and brother in your heart?"
Ling Tianshui did not answer, perhaps because he really was speechless.
"My father died when I was young, and my mother brought me to the Meng family, where we were bullied and harassed everywhere. She always said, 'It's okay, one day, your eldest brother will come to pick us up...' When the Meng family kicked us out of the house, my mother held me in her arms in the leaky thatched hut and told me that everything would be fine when your brother came back... But in fact, you didn't show up until my mother died, and I didn't get to enjoy your kindness until my death! You ignored us and let us fall to this point. Brother, you really don't understand why I must marry the county master?"
Ling Tianshui pursed his lips tightly for a long time before finally uttering a few words with difficulty: "I do owe you, and your life is indeed not satisfactory, but this is no reason for you to hurt the county master."
"Brother, you have everything. You don't understand how people with nothing feel when they seize even the slightest opportunity, as if it were a lifeline..." Meng Lanxi's eyes were filled with tears. After the grief and anger subsided, she became weak and her voice choked with sobs. "Brother... I know you will definitely help me. You impersonated and entered the county lord's backyard, wasn't it just to help me?"
Ling Tianshui's jaw was as tense as a bow with an arrow on the string, and he remained silent without answering.
"Brother, thank you for helping me. It gave me the opportunity to get close to the county lady..." Meng Lanxi didn't care about his answer and just continued to speak, "So, I will definitely fulfill mother's wish and marry the county lady. Brother, you don't want mother to be unable to rest in peace in the afterlife...right?"
Ling Tianshui felt his weight on his shoulders, his warm, heavy breath, and—this was the first time this younger brother hugged him, so tightly, as if a drowning man were hugging a piece of driftwood.
A feeling of despair and coldness welled up in his heart, without the joy that should belong to brothers recognizing each other.
Why?
He seemed to hear Qiandeng's voice again.
That was the question she later regretted saying. She asked him why he had chosen Meng Lanxi instead of him as the target.
His breathing was a little difficult. It was just like the day when he made that promise at his mother's deathbed, feeling a little lost and not knowing why.
In the end, he pushed Meng Lanxi away and did not repeat the promise he made to his mother that day.
He simply spoke in a low voice, enunciating each word: "I will help you, but whether the county lady chooses you in the end depends on your own ability - at least, be honest and upright, and don't do anything dirty or low-brow!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com