Chapter 47 Chapter 47 "Is it for him, or for...
Nan Qiongshuang lowered her long eyelashes and looked at a white jade hairpin between her fingers.
The hairpin was simple, made entirely of pure silver with fish scale patterns carved on it, and only a snowball-like white jade was inlaid on the top.
This is the hairpin she wears most often in Tianshan Mountain.
On the dressing table, a brocade bag lay spread out, filled with her already packed jewelry. A dense-toothed comb made of seven-eight-wood, small earrings made of seven-eight-wood, these small, fragrant items couldn't be left here, so she put them all into the brocade bag.
It’s just an ordinary hairpin.
She thought about it and hid the white jade hairpin in the deepest part of her dressing table drawer.
He then took out a small jar of almost empty lip balm and placed it in another hidden drawer.
Then, tie the drawstring of the brocade bag tightly.
Finally, she looked around the room. It was now completely empty. All the small items she often used, such as the jasmine cream, had been taken away. Although it was not a building, it was indeed deserted.
Suddenly I saw the orchid on the bookshelf again.
She snorted coldly.
But the good thing was really ruined by that fog knife.
Last night, she reluctantly begged Gu Zhi to let her stay and rested on Gu Zhi's couch for a night, while he copied Buddhist scriptures all night beside her.
When she woke up again, the man who had hugged her and comforted her with sympathy yesterday when he saw her crying suddenly became very calm and asked her to move out.
She was so angry that she laughed. She hated him in her heart and had no idea what was going on in this man's mind every day.
Suddenly, there were two knocks on the door. The person outside the door said in a childish voice, a little stuttering:
"Miss Chu, the elder asks you... please come out for questioning."
So he put down his luggage, opened the door, and was led by Aliang to Huide.
When she looked up, she saw Song Yaojie looking at her with a look of joy and a hint of pride. She understood what he meant and bowed her head silently.
"Meet the elder."
Huide raised his hand slightly, motioning her to stand up, and said straight to the point, "A Song's head was found in Miss Chu's room?"
"yes."
"How did you find out?"
"I returned to my room and was about to rest when someone threw something in through the window. I thought someone was playing a prank by throwing a ball in, but when I looked closely, I realized it was..."
"When was it discovered?"
"It's about... midnight."
"What was the girl doing at the time?"
Nan Qiongshuang raised her eyes, and her gaze met Gu Zhi's for a moment. The next second, he lowered his eyes and stared at the ground.
She said, "At that time... I had just washed up and wanted to read something by moonlight before going to bed, so I took the book to the bed, and then..."
She deliberately omitted the part about applying the medicine, and naturally did not mention the fact that Asong asked her to apply the medicine. After she finished speaking, she glanced at Gu Zhi with a questioning look.
He still kept his eyes down, as if he didn't know she was looking at him.
"So." Huide took another sip of tea, slurping his tea. "Do you have any special connection with this Ah Song?"
"Not really. Ah Song is a very measured person and he doesn't usually say a word to me."
Huide pondered for a long time.
Gu Zhi, who was standing to the side, finally spoke up. "Master, the coroner has examined the head and found that the victim was beheaded with a sharp weapon. With Miss Chu's body, it's impossible for her to have cut off someone's head."
Song Yaojie interrupted, "But these days, she's been set upon by a trap, pushed into a well, and now, someone in your yard has died, and she's the first one to be linked to it. How come she's been involved in all the recent incidents on the mountain?"
Gu Zhi couldn't answer for a moment.
Huide put down the teacup, glanced at him vaguely, and then turned his gaze back.
"I'd like to ask, what was Huai Jin doing that night?"
Nan Qiongshuang's heart suddenly tightened, and she clenched her folded hands.
Gu Huaijin was such an honest person that she was afraid that he would feel guilty and would not dare to lie, so she told him everything.
Sure enough, he fell silent, his lips pressed into a straight line, and he just stood there like a statue, not saying a word.
Huide suddenly glanced at her again, and she lowered her head almost instinctively.
With a guilty look on his face, Huide's small but cunning pupils immediately turned around, staring at Gu Zhi like a hawk, and he sipped his tea slowly:
"It seems that he is with Miss Chu?"
Gu Zhi lowered his head even lower. It had come to this point, so he couldn't hide it anymore. Perhaps explaining it clearly would be better, so he said:
"Miss Chu applied medicine to me at night. She had just returned to her room when the incident occurred. Therefore, she was with me during that time, and this incident has nothing to do with her."
Huide listened, but could not deny it. He just lowered his eyebrows leisurely, pinched the tea lid, and scraped the tea foam leisurely, as if he had not heard or was absent-minded.
There was silence for half a minute.
The sudden silence caught everyone present off guard. Song Yaojie rolled her eyes at Nan Qiongshuang, who stole a glance at Huide before suddenly noticing Gu Zhi looking at her. After a brief exchange of glances, she looked away.
These days, the mountain flowers are almost gone, and only some scattered petals are left on the stone table.
After a long moment, Huide sighed, "I should have told you this a long time ago. Huaijin."
Gu Zhi bowed his head respectfully.
Huide: "For seven years, as the Young Master, you have been the most impartial and selfless. But are you still as impartial as before these days?"
The words were so ruthless that everyone present fell silent for a moment. The servants knelt on the ground in the distance. Gu Zhi took two or three steps over, raised his arm, and half-knelt in front of Huide.
Nan Qiong Shuang took a half step back imperceptibly, pinching her five fingers nervously.
To say that he is partial is not to openly criticize her for misleading the young master.
In front of so many people, I didn't want to give him any face today.
She will only become more of a target.
"Uncle Master, this is indeed the case. There is no falsehood. If you don't believe me, you can bring the small jar of the Golden Wound Powder to me for inspection."
"Elder," Ah Liang knelt timidly and kowtowed, "Last night Ah Song wanted to apply medicine to the Young Master, but the Young Master said that everyone on the mountain should learn from him and not show him any pity. Ah Song had no other choice but to ask Miss Chu, who was visiting the mountain. We servants all saw this happen."
Upon hearing this, Huide was silent for a long time.
After a long time, he sighed, glanced at the teacup, and signaled Qingdeng behind him to pour tea.
Before Qingdeng understood what she meant, Song Yaojie naturally took a half step forward, first poured out all the remaining tea in the cup, then skillfully picked up the teapot and filled it with new tea.
Huide turned around and looked at her, nodded approvingly, took her hand and squeezed it in his palm.
Song Yaojie froze for a moment, then slowly withdrew her hand.
When Nan Qiongshuang saw this, her brows gradually furrowed and she lowered her head in thought.
Huide said, "In that case, let's investigate this matter first. Huaijin will come down the mountain to see you soon. You should focus on selecting candidates and stop worrying about these things. Yaojie will investigate this matter thoroughly."
Before Gu Zhi could speak, Song Yaojie said, "Yaojie will definitely find out the murderer and the real culprit who pushed Miss Chu into the well that day. Please rest assured, Master."
Gu Zhi was just about to use the excuse of investigating today's case to delay his descent from the mountain. Hearing Huide's words, he realized that Huide had already guessed what he was going to do. He was caught off guard and could only say, "Uncle Master, Asong has been my confidant for many years. I'm deeply troubled by what's happened to him. Please, Uncle Master, let me handle this matter."
Huide sneered, his small eyes fell on Nan Qiongshuang, and a meaningful look passed through his eyes for a moment:
"Is it for him, or for someone else?"
After saying this, he poured out the remaining tea in the cup, turned around and left without saying a single word.
*
After Asong left, the person who was most useful to him in Muxue Courtyard was Aliang, whom Asong had always kept by his side.
Aliang is a down-to-earth person, but he is still young and has no experience in doing things, so sometimes he can't help but appear timid, childish and timid.
Seeing Ah Liang coming in with a stack of girlish letters, Gu Zhi forced a smile and said, "I still have some official business to attend to, so I'm busy right now. Put it aside for now."
Ah Liang hesitated for a moment and said, "Just now the elder instructed me to ask the young master to read these letters first, no matter what, and to put official business aside."
Uncle Master was really suspicious. Gu Zhi curled his lips in self-mockery and said, "How can that be possible? I really can't concentrate. If Uncle Master had instructed me to do so, then you can recite it for me."
Then, Ah Liang opened the scarlet-colored letters, which were tied with embroidered gold ribbons and smoked with incense, and sometimes had tear marks on them, and began to read:
"...There are some unruly gentlemen who are like sharpening a knife, like polishing a stone. That day, the young master rescued Yu Nu from the chaos, and left after the task was completed. Yu Nu fell in love with him at first sight, and since then, she has been searching for him for many years. After years of separation, Yu Nu is seriously ill, and only a trace of her soul remains, but she desperately hopes to see the young master again. If the young master still remembers our chance encounter at the Yangzhou Bridge under the colorful trees on the Lantern Festival that year, I sincerely hope that the young master will come to the old water town home to see Yu Nu. I am deeply grateful, and even if I lose my soul, I am willing to accept it."
After reading it, he stole a glance at Gu Zhi's face, but saw that he seemed to be concentrating on reviewing the documents handed to him. He neither said to read on nor said not to read on. So he opened another letter and cleared his throat:
"Writing is like seeing you in person. Huaijin, it's been so many years since we parted at Fengling Ferry. It feels like a lifetime ago. I wonder if you still remember that chance encounter at the ferry, singing poetry together? Over the years, Ziqin and I have formed a poetry club. People at the time called me a person of noble character, but my highbrow poetry is difficult to resonate with. It's hard to find a soulmate, a soulmate. I often regret why I didn't go with you when I knew you were about to return to the mountains. I heard that you're planning to get married now. If you still remember Su Zhaoying at the ferry..."
After reading halfway, he glanced at the person under the window and saw that he was not moved at all and was barely listening. He was just circling the document with his brush. So he tactfully switched to the next one:
"Brother Jin, you've been back in the mountains for many years. Have you been living well these years? I heard that you can finally come to Yueshan. When will you come? I'll go to the foot of the mountain to pick you up! I've had someone dig out the jar of wine we sealed in Butterfly Valley fifteen years ago, and I'm waiting for you to come to the villa to taste it. As for the matter of getting married, when you come, discuss it slowly with my father. My father likes you and he won't disagree. However - compared to my father, I may be the one who has a harder hurdle to overcome. Humph! If you don't bring two jars of Tianshan Peach Blossom Wine, I don't want to see you."
After reading it, before Gu Zhi could react, there was a knock on the door.
When he opened the door, he saw Song Yaojie who was checking the testimonies of the people in the yard.
Gu Zhi raised his head from the pile of documents, "Senior Sister, what's the matter?"
But Song Yaojie was acting out of character. Not only did her usual aloof demeanor disappear, but she was practically trembling, and her eyes were unnaturally red. "You...you, could you please stop reciting these things?"
Gu Zhi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood. "Because I still have a lot of official business to deal with, and my uncle wants me to read these letters, I have no choice but to ask someone to read them to me. Sorry to bother you, Senior Sister?"
Song Yaojie seemed to have a lot to say, but she didn't say it in the end. She wanted to say more but couldn't. In the end, she just lowered her eyes and nodded dejectedly.
He was startled, "Senior Sister, why are you crying?" He hurriedly took out a neatly folded handkerchief and handed it to Song Yaojie.
Song Yaojie unfolded the handkerchief and saw it was a white square kerchief embroidered with red plum blossoms. If the red plum blossoms on this mountain were to be compared, who else could it be besides her? Suddenly, she felt the pain of lovers unable to unite, and she covered her face with the handkerchief and cried.
Gu Zhi has always been the one who is most afraid of people crying, let alone the tears of his fellow senior. He was at a loss and put down his pen, looking around for something to wipe her tears. Finally, he found a handkerchief in the drawer, patted her shoulder, and changed the wet handkerchief.
But at this moment, for some reason, he raised his eyes and looked out the window for no reason.
In the yard, Nan Qiongshuang herself unexpectedly looked at him for a moment, then she immediately withdrew her gaze, turned her back and sat back.
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