Chapter 21 In the Rain
Since he could think of it, Qian Deng and Cui Fufeng must have known it long ago, but they just didn't say it out loud.
Meng Lanxi ignored him and explained to Qiandeng, "I do have selfish motives, but since he has this underlying condition, how could I not check for the County Master? It's just...it's just that when I was picking the herbs, I saw Jin Tang, and I thought, this medicine is also very poisonous. If he tells others about it, wouldn't he be unable to defend himself? So I dumped them all into the ditch and picked some other herbs to make up the number."
"I didn't expect that I didn't even notice you at that time?" Jin Tang sneered from the back. As for the fact that he didn't even know Yin Yu, he naturally didn't mention it.
Qian Deng did not question it, but only asked: "So, what do you have to say about Zheng Junshan's death?"
"Actually, when I was being tortured, I kept thinking..." Qian Deng had already retracted his hand. Meng Lanxi leaned against the iron railing, resting her head on the back of her hand, and whispered, "Why didn't the inkstone that fell from the door stain the door frame? Why did Zheng Junshan write the word 'Lan' before he died... Doesn't the word 'Meng' have fewer strokes than 'Lan'?"
Qiandeng was pondering, but Jintang gloated, "Because there are people with the surname Meng in the Imperial College, isn't your cousin one of them? But you seem to be the only one with the character 'Lan' in your name, right?"
Meng Lanxi finally stared at him coldly, but said nothing.
Qian Deng asked again, "Why did you go to the dormitory that day?"
"I had borrowed a book from the student who lived next door, and I was returning it that day. He wasn't in the room, so I put the book down and was about to leave when I heard a strange voice nearby calling for the county lady, and was led over."
The other party is not here, so there is still no witness.
Seeing that he really couldn't provide any other clues, Qian Deng could only say, "Okay, Cui Shaoqing and I will do our best to find the truth. At the very least, I will never tolerate others tampering with things under my nose!"
"Thank you, County Lady... No matter whether I can clear my name or not, I will never forget your deep affection and friendship in this life..." Meng Lanxi said hoarsely, looking at her with affection, like a wounded cub clinging to warm comfort, unwilling to let go.
Qiandeng gave him a few more instructions and was about to turn around and leave when he heard Meng Lanxi groaning uncontrollably. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hide the pain.
She looked back and saw a glaring red stain on his prison uniform. He seemed to want to raise his hand to cover it, but he didn't dare to touch it because of the severe pain. His lips trembled with pain and his face turned pale.
Seeing him like this, Qiandeng didn't care about anything else. He tore open the collar of his shirt and saw that the burn wound had not been bandaged and had torn open at some point. The ruptured wound was covered in blood.
"County Lady, I...it hurts..." He squeezed out a few words with difficulty, raised his hand and tightly held her hand that was pressing on his chest.
Qiandeng turned to look at Cui Fufeng and asked anxiously, "Shaoqing Cui, what do you see..."
Cui Fufeng called the jailer in and signaled him to find a doctor immediately to prevent Meng Lanxi's wound from festering.
Seeing Meng Lanxi's face pale with pain, Qiandeng comforted him again before walking out of the prison with heavy steps.
The neglected Jin Tang stared at Meng Lanxi in disbelief and asked, "You... to get the County Lady to pity you, you actually, actually tore your own wounds with your own hands?"
Meng Lanxi gasped in pain and confusion, her voice mumbling, "Nonsense."
"I saw it clearly. As soon as the princess turned around, you reached into her clothes..." Jin Tang pointed at him and blurted out, "You lunatic, you're crazy!"
"So what if I'm crazy? At least I have someone... to help me take care of my injuries. I won't die here with my body festering." Even though she was shaking with pain, Meng Lanxi still clutched her chest and pulled the corners of her mouth towards him with difficulty, "Only the county lady... can let me live."
No matter what, he had to grab this life-saving straw to prevent himself from drowning in the filth and darkness.
When I walked out of the prison gate, it was still raining heavily outside.
The umbrella in his hand could not stop the flying rain. Even though he lowered the umbrella again and again, Qiandeng's lower body was still soaked.
She simply ignored it and let the wind and rain blow on her, stepping deep and shallow in the mud, following Cui Fufeng towards the Dali Temple.
Fortunately, the distance was not far. They walked along the ditch and the Dali Temple was right in front of them.
"To be so hard on himself... I kind of admire him."
Qian Deng vaguely heard Cui Fufeng speak, but the wind and rain were so strong that she couldn't hear clearly. She asked with some confusion, "Who are you referring to?"
Cui Fufeng didn't say anything else, just looked at her and smiled. However, the sarcastic arc at the corner of his lips was totally inappropriate for a man like him, a refined and noble boy from a noble family.
Qiandeng was hesitating when she suddenly heard moans and shouts mixed in the wind and rain, faintly ringing in her ears.
She tilted her head in confusion, looked around, and asked, "Did you hear any sound?"
Cui Fufeng stopped, held the umbrella tightly to prevent it from being blown away, and listened attentively.
The raging sounds of wind and rain and the sound of water rushing in the ditch made their eardrums hurt a little, and even if they tried their best to listen, they still heard nothing.
He raised his eyebrows at Qiandeng with a questioning look.
"Maybe it's a prisoner in the prison?" Qian Deng looked back at the prison not far away, not wanting to stay in such a heavy rain for a moment longer. "Forget it, let's go."
The guards of the palace who were waiting at the gate of the Dali Temple saw Qiandeng finally come out, but her lower body was soaked and her skirt was covered in mud. They hurriedly came forward and said, "County Lady, it's windy and rainy. Please wait here for a while. I'm afraid you can't go back in the rain..."
"It's okay. I'm about to go out now and can take your county lady back with me." Cui Fufeng said when he saw that they had no carriage.
Qiandeng got on the bus of the Dali Temple. The carriage followed the flat road of Chang'an, passed through the heavy rain, and headed towards the Changhua Palace.
Qiandeng, clutching her wet clothes and a veiled hat, leaned against the carriage wall. The Dali Temple carriage was not spacious, so she hunched her knees to avoid bumping into Cui Fufeng, who was sitting opposite her.
However, even if he tried to shrink his body as much as possible, Cui Fufeng's slender body and long legs made it difficult for him to fit into the narrow carriage.
In the wind and rain, he leaned slightly to the side, looking at the file, and tried to keep a distance from her.
Qiandeng also shrank his body, feeling a little embarrassed. He had not expected the imperial bus to be so small.
Outside, the wind and rain roared, pounding against the car walls with a crackling sound. Inside, the two of them sat apart, their bodies separated, and in the silence, they could almost hear each other's heartbeats and breathing.
Glancing at the man leaning against the wall opposite, Qian Deng saw his wet crimson official uniform sticking to his legs, vaguely outlining the outline of his crossed legs, and felt a slight tension in his heart.
With such long legs, they should have been able to stretch across the carriage to where she was sitting...
She retracted her gaze and thought to herself, why am I so nervous? It's not like I haven't been alone with a man before, not to mention that he is Cui Fufeng——
They had once joined hands to fight the enemy in the deep pool of the dark night. He had protected her behind him, and she had supported his body to prevent him from sinking...
However, even though there was close physical contact at the time, given the emergency situation, everything seemed to go smoothly...
The hem of her skirt was wet and wrapped around her legs, and the damp feeling made Qiandeng feel the atmosphere was weird.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com