Chapter 22: A Moment
To ease the awkward silence, Qian Deng said dryly, "Master Cui, please don't read the files in the car. I remember Yu Guangling was always reading, so much so that his eyesight was damaged. I heard he couldn't see clearly beyond two meters."
"Really?" Cui Fufeng closed the case file and looked up at her thoughtfully. "You should be very familiar with these gentlemen, right?"
"Well, it can be considered as contact."
"Then I may have to bother you again in the future. If there is anything else you need in this case, please provide me with more clues, which may be helpful."
Dim light filtered in from outside the carriage curtain. This elegant and noble young man looked at her so solemnly with his clear eyes that Qiandeng couldn't help but look away, secretly regretting it.
I should have kept quiet earlier. Why do my cheeks seem to be getting hot again?
Fortunately, the Changhua Palace was not far from the Dali Temple. Seeing the carriage stop, Qiandeng put the veil on his head to cover his slightly hot cheeks, and quickly got off the car.
As soon as she got off the carriage, Qiandeng saw Aunt Xuanji standing at the gate with her hands on her hips. Seeing her get off the carriage from the Dali Temple, with a man vaguely visible inside, Aunt Xuanji almost rushed over to grab her ear and teach her a lesson.
"Aunt Xuanji, long time no see." Cui Fufeng lifted the curtain of the car and greeted her.
Seeing that it was him in the car, Aunt Xuanji was stunned for a moment, then immediately smiled and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Cui, please take care of the county lady!"
"No, this time the Dali Temple is grateful for the County Lord's help."
Qian Deng listened to their pleasantries and was secretly complaining about Aunt Xuanji's change of expression when she saw Cui Fufeng. She turned around and saw the doorman Lao Sun coming over, wanting to say something to her but stopping himself.
"What's wrong?" Qiandeng asked.
"County Lady, a woman came to see you today. Because you were not here, she waited for a long time before leaving."
Aunt Xuanji had already sent Cui Fufeng away and turned to Qiandeng, saying, "It was Master Meng's mother. She must have come to see you regarding her son's matter. We told her the county lady was out, but she waited all afternoon and eventually became discouraged. She probably thought you wouldn't see her, so..."
Sun Bo sighed, "She left crying. Today, she is a lonely woman, sitting here silently waiting with tears, and finally left in despair in the rain. Alas, even an old man like me can't bear it when I think about it."
Qian Deng looked at the heavy rain at dusk and ordered, "Go to the Meng family and tell her that I went to the Dali Temple today to inquire about Meng Lanxi's case. Also, please rest assured that this matter is also related to me. The court will do its best to find the real culprit and will not wrongly accuse an innocent person."
The servants in the mansion agreed, hurriedly put on their straw raincoats and mounted their horses, and hurried over before curfew.
The Meng family lived in Huaizhenfang, not far from Kaihuafang. Qiandeng had returned to the mansion for dinner when the attendant returned with a report: "No one answered the door at the Meng family's house. I waited at the door for a long time but she didn't come back. I heard from the neighbors that Madam Meng left early this morning and hasn't returned since."
"Really?" Qiandeng looked up and saw that the rain had stopped outside, but the sky was dark and the streets were already deserted. He couldn't help but feel a little surprised.
Meng's father died early, leaving behind an orphan and a widow who depended on the clan members for survival. Since Meng Lanxi's mother was busy with her son's affairs, where else could she go for help if she left her family?
Could it be that... he went to the Dali Temple to visit Meng Lanxi?
But she and Cui Fufeng stayed in the prison for quite some time, and no one else came.
As she was thinking, a thought flashed through her mind, which suddenly startled her.
The faint moaning she had heard by the ditch outside the prison, could it be that...
Thinking of the slippery canal in the storm, and the woman who was distraught because of her son, Qian Deng felt extremely uneasy and felt that the possibility was not small.
She hurried to the door and was about to call for help, but then she thought they might not know the exact location where she heard the sound. At least the rain had stopped, and now the clouds had cleared and the moon was visible, the road should be easier to walk on.
She hurriedly changed into spiked shoes and neat clothes, called two servants, and went out without telling Aunt Xuanji, carrying a lantern and heading towards the Dali Temple.
Carrying the letter from the palace, Qiandeng said hello to the patrol guards and headed straight for the canal behind the Dali Temple.
She held the lantern and shone it along the ditch. After walking for a while, there was no movement. When she turned back, she held up the lantern and shone it downwards. She seemed to see a piece of mottled clothing among the dark bushes, but it was covered with mud and could not be seen clearly.
She raised her voice and tentatively called out, "Is anyone there? Is there anyone down there?"
The illuminated corner of the clothes finally moved, and Qiandeng in the darkness pricked up his ears and listened attentively.
After a long time, a faint voice of "Help..." was heard from below. It was a woman's hoarse voice.
The two attendants quickly climbed down and searched for the injured person in the dense bushes. It took them a lot of effort to carry the person up.
Qian Deng held up the lantern and shone a light on her. He saw that she was covered in mud and her body was limp. She was lying on the ground, unable to move. She could only squeeze out a few words from her throat with all her strength: "Thank you... girl..."
Although she was covered in mud and filth, Qiandeng could still recognize Meng Lanxi's presence in her beautiful silhouette and asked hurriedly, "Madam, are you Meng Lanxi's mother? I'm so sorry you came looking for me today. I happened to be at the Dali Temple to inquire about your son's case. I see you're not doing well, so I'll take you to see a doctor first."
Madam Meng fixed her gaze on the slender figure in front of her, enveloped in the warm light, and uttered with difficulty, "You, you are... the Princess of Lingling County?"
Qiandeng nodded and signaled the attendant to be as careful as possible: "Help the lady up, and let's send her back to Huaizhenfang."
The two attendants responded, raised their hands to support her, and were about to carry her up when someone suddenly strode out from the darkness beside them, opened their hands, and said in a deep voice, "Don't move!"
Qiandeng looked up in surprise. The light from the lantern in his hand was not enough, and he could only see a terrifying tall figure with an oppressive aura and a sense of oppression.
The servants who came with her were all tall and much stronger than ordinary people, but they seemed weak in front of this man.
He also glanced at her, and his dark eyes, which were capable of seeing through her, fell on her, causing her heart to be stunned and slightly palpitate, and an indescribable and familiar trembling feeling surged in her heart.
Qiandeng subconsciously tightened the lantern in her hand. While she was afraid, she couldn't help but want to get closer to see his face clearly.
But he didn't pay attention to her. His eyes swept over her, then he brushed his skirt, not caring about the mud on the ground. He half-knelt beside Mrs. Meng, raised his hand to feel her pulse, and checked the joints of her hands and feet.
His face was hidden in the shadow of the lamp, and only his stern demeanor made the dark night seem frozen, causing Qiandeng and the attendants beside him to not dare to speak.
When he finished his investigation and withdrew his hand, Qiandeng moved his lantern to shine on him and asked, "Who are you, and why won't you let us send her back?"
Before he could finish his words, he heard a loud thunder and a flash of purple lightning across the sky. Before the lights could shift, the cold and bright lightning had already illuminated his face.
In that split second, she saw his deep facial features appear in the dark night, with the strong light drawing unusually clear lines, which was shocking and captivating.
He was wearing a narrow-sleeved hemp shirt with no patterns on his body, and he was not wearing any gold or jade. Apart from the terrifying aura that was like a long sword being unsheathed in an instant, his attire was just like that of an ordinary citizen on the street.
Warm blood rushed out from the tip of his heart, and Qiandeng's palms holding the lantern couldn't help but sweat.
She recalled that when she was young, she went hunting in the mountains with her father and accidentally encountered a black leopard.
Although she knew it was dangerous and could devour people, as she fled on horseback, she couldn't help but look back at its fur gleaming in the sun and its amber pupils filled with murderous intent, as if she was mesmerized by the alluring breath of death and couldn't extricate herself.
The man in front of her instantly brought her back to the moment when death was approaching in her childhood, and her heart began to beat violently.
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