Chapter 86 A touch of crimson at the corner of her lips: "I've come to apologize."
Recently, a truce was declared and the Northern Yan commander returned to the city to rest and recuperate.
Upon hearing this news, the happiest person was not the eunuch and his group who were ordered to cause trouble, but Hongdou.
It's so nice to live in the city, where there's hot water and medicinal herbs. If I went to the military camp, I'd definitely have nothing.
It was full of uneducated, rough women who only knew how to brandish knives and guns.
Asking for two more basins of hot water might be considered fussy. The sect leader is not in good health, and she dares not cause trouble for the sect leader. Asking for hot water would go against the idea of taking good care of the sect leader.
These past few days have been incredibly stressful for Hongdou, but now things are much better; she probably won't have to deal with those rough women anymore.
Thinking this way, Hongdou didn't realize she had also insulted herself, and was happily looking forward to arriving at her destination so she could take a good bath.
She waited anxiously, but when she saw the white-clad figure sleeping soundly on the bed, Hongdou suppressed her emotions and dared not wake the sect leader.
By the time they arrived at their destination, it was nearly dusk.
The blood-red setting sun hung over the city walls. The ancient city was desolate. Due to the war, there were very few people left in the city. Those who could escape had already fled, and those who remained were forced to leave.
The once prosperous city is now deserted, and the remaining residents return home early, before nightfall.
Once the sun has completely set, the people should go to sleep. At this time, oil is more expensive than gold, so everyone uses it sparingly.
Suddenly, the people who were packing up their belongings in the last rays of the setting sun heard a rumbling sound coming from afar, followed by the clatter of horses' hooves, and a group of people poured into the city.
At first, it was the children with sensitive hearing who heard it, but later even the old man heard it. Instinctively, he grabbed the nearest bundle, grabbed the arm of the curious child, and tried to run away.
"It's the city gate! The city gate is open!" The child's innocent reminder brought the adults back to their senses, and they all went to the windows to peek out through the cracks.
Today is strange too. The city gates were already past closing time, so why are they open again?
The sound of approaching hooves grew louder and louder. The first to appear in everyone's sight were the imposing guards, riding tall horses, dressed in brocade robes and carrying swords. If you didn't know they were guards, you would think they were wealthy young men on an outing.
The carriage was accompanied by attendants, some holding torches for light, others carrying boxes, all waddling like geese or ducks.
Dozens of people crowded around the magnificent golden carriage in the middle. Whether it was an illusion or not, the swaying jade tassels seemed to emit a fragrance, lingering as people passed by.
This group of people appeared out of place in the ancient city of Puzhou, as if they were gods passing through.
A quarter of an hour later, the group was completely gone, and the sound of horses' hooves could no longer be heard. Those who had witnessed it thought they were still dreaming.
"Who's here with such a grand entrance?"
Most of those who remained in the city were unable to leave; they had been born and raised in Wuzhou their entire lives, and the highest-ranking official they had ever seen was a general on horseback.
But the general was there to save everyone, so everyone felt both awe and closeness towards him. When the passing caravan saw him, they had to turn around and face the wall until the caravan had passed before they could turn back.
Thanks to the carriage of the supervising eunuch Zhang Yang, Xi Congshuang's gray cloth carriage went unnoticed and was even mistaken by the prefect and his men for the supervising eunuch's carriage for storing miscellaneous items.
The prefect chatted with the military supervisor, while the constable who had been left behind waved for the next carriage to go inside: "Put it next to the military supervisor's carriage first, and I'll have someone come and move the things inside."
The weary coachman jumped off the carriage, stood sullenly to one side, and gestured inside with a series of "ah ah" sounds.
"So he's mute." The constable asked, puzzled. "I can't understand what you're saying."
Without the coachman saying anything more, the gray curtain was lifted, revealing that there were people inside.
The girl in the blue dress glanced at the constable, then jumped off the carriage with a flick of her hair ribbon. The mute coachman unloaded a stool from the back of the carriage and placed it under the rut.
Before long, another person came into the bailiff's view, his snow-white, spotless shoes stepping onto the bench and landing on the ground.
Not to mention the servants, most of the busy people in the courtyard immediately fell silent and looked toward the carriage.
A person wearing a white veil cone hat stood by the car, looking ethereal, but seemed to be unwell, coughing incessantly.
Hongdou turned to the coachman and said, "There's a wooden box behind the curtain, full of medicinal herbs. Be careful when you move it."
The coachman nodded, reached inside, and pulled out a box about three hands wide and tall, with a gourd painted on it with a green ribbon tied to it.
He carried a box of medicinal herbs and smelled strongly of medicine on him, so he must be a doctor.
Everyone's eyes followed the two figures as they left. Soon, someone came to greet them, and a sturdy maid was temporarily pulled over to serve them and carefully lead the way.
Those who came with the military supervisor were all distinguished guests, and we dared not neglect them. Moreover, they were doctors, so we could not neglect them even more.
The supervising eunuch who got off the carriage first didn't walk fast, and the master and servant quickly caught up. The two didn't intend to go up and exchange pleasantries, but stood at a distance and listened.
Hongdou, supporting the person, stood still and looked around.
The supervising eunuchs murmured among themselves, dissatisfied. They thought they had come on imperial orders, so why was only a prefectural governor coming to greet them?
Just as the supervising eunuch was about to launch an attack, he said, "His Majesty has been troubled by this matter recently and specially sent me to convey his imperial will, asking me to speak with Marquis Pingding in person. Where is Marquis Pingding?"
The prefect, sandwiched between two men like a meat pie, kept wiping his sweat and said, "General... General, she has gone to relieve the troops. She's been quite restless lately."
The military supervisor raised an eyebrow: "The rotation of troops is a major event and should be taken seriously. When did she leave?"
The prefect was sweating even more, and stammered, "They left this morning, before dawn."
"This morning, humph." The supervising eunuch sneered and said nothing more.
With a young eunuch acting as his mouthpiece, he continued, "Yesterday, the military supervisor sent a letter to Wuzhou, yet the Marquis of Pingding chose today to go and relieve the troops?"
The prefect was at his wit's end: "Because the barbarian king was seriously injured by the general, he's not doing well lately. His sons all want to take his place, and while he's still alive, they're competing to see who can kill the most people, with the winner inheriting the throne... It's just a disorganized mess. The general's trip is to make arrangements and regroup."
The military supervisor said, "The thirteen battalions of Northern Yan are filled with heroes, and every matter requires the Marquis of Pingding to personally handle it. How can His Majesty feel at ease with this?"
The prefect had a bad feeling; his premonition that something terrible would happen if he continued talking was growing stronger. He then changed the subject and mentioned that a banquet was being held that night to welcome the military supervisor. He suggested that they go instead.
The military supervisor was still unhappy, but since no one responded, he had no choice but to agree, but he had to wash up first before attending the banquet.
No matter what he was going to do, as long as it wasn't to light a beacon fire on the city wall, the prefect would agree, personally escorting the emperor's spies to the gate and pouring them in like rice.
After that, there was another round of fuss in the yard. They were dissatisfied with this and that, so they replaced the things that had been prepared in the yard.
The prefect pretended not to hear, but when he heard his servant say, "The military supervisor went into the room and asked someone to grind ink and light the lamp. He is writing extensively in the room," his head began to ache.
"It's like gods are fighting, and I'm getting bullied from both sides."
*
As darkness fell completely, the prefectural government office became lively, with servants bustling about, bringing wine and meat to the tables one after another.
The sounds of string and wind instruments were incessant, but at least they were somewhat restrained and didn't call in dancers to join in the fun.
The prefectural government was even more crowded at night than during the day. Apart from the thirteen battalions, everyone who could come to the banquet was there, from generals from neighboring prefectures to wealthy gentry.
If someone were to suddenly decide to spread poison, Wuzhou and the surrounding cities would be largely paralyzed.
After seeing this meal, no one could tell that Wuzhou was in the midst of war. Even in a peaceful year, ordinary prefectures might not be able to put together such a meal so quickly.
One person at the table watched coldly, drank only one cup of tea, looked sickly with his eyes downcast, and didn't touch his chopsticks.
As a nominal subordinate of the supervising eunuch, Xi Congshuang naturally had to attend the banquet, and also to follow Prince Xin's orders to plant seeds of treachery or spread rumors about the Northern Yan commander-in-chief.
Now that everyone is here, it should be her time to shine. Several people have urged her to continue, but Xi Congshuang has refused, saying she hasn't taken her medication yet and is too weak to continue.
The young eunuch had no choice but to leave. Judging from his expression, he was going to imitate the supervising eunuch and write a long letter in his room to send back to Yongdu. Prince Xin would also write a long letter to scold her.
Some people were curious about who this nameless man in white was, so they turned to ask the supervising officer at the head of the army. After hearing his answer, they all kept quiet and kept their distance.
The most trusted retainer of His Highness Prince Xin recently, the head of Yihaotang.
If it were just his previous identity, people would still be very willing to get close to him. After all, he is a retainer of the future crown prince, and it would be good to leave a name in front of His Highness Prince Xin.
But the sect leader of Yihaotang is different; rumors in the martial arts world say she'll poison someone at the drop of a hat and is stingy with the antidote.
The attendant, who had been questioned, asked in shock, "How did you know?"
"..."
She really does spread poison wherever she goes!
However... everyone's eyes kept turning to her.
So this is the sect leader of Yihaotang. There were rumors that the sect leader of Yihaotang had been taken under the wing of Prince Xin and was serving him. I thought it was just a rumor spread by someone with nothing better to do. Now I've actually seen him in person.
At this moment, Xi Congshuang was unaware that her reputation for poisoning wherever she went was about to spread. She was a little tired, and the thought of having to drink a big bowl of medicine when she got back made her even more tired.
She had refused before, but whenever she hesitated, Hongdou would start crying, though it was a lot of noise but little action, which made Xi Congshuang's head ache.
I don't understand why everyone's way of dealing with her is to cry. The system does it this way, and this little girl does it too.
Following her "I haven't decided yet" motto, she left the banquet first, taking Hongdou outside to think things over.
Hongdou asked, "Shall we go back and take our medicine now?"
Xi Congshuang shook her head: "No, let's look around first."
Hongdou, unsuspecting, helped the person by the hand to the lakeside to relax. As the wind picked up at night, Hongdou put a conical hat on her and helped her to sit in the pavilion for a while.
The scenery in the garden was different from what we had seen along the way. Outside, the spring chill was still in the air, there was no greenery, and everything was desolate.
Xi Congshuang suddenly sighed, "It is often said that gold and jade are found abroad, but this prefectural government is different. It is far in the north, yet one can still see the scenery of Jiangnan."
Red Bean didn't understand, but nodded repeatedly: "Yes, there's a lot of water here, and there's a big moon on the water."
Xi Congshuang: "..."
Hongdou then said, "What a fat fish! Can we use it for fishing?"
Xi Congshuang's headache worsened.
She wasn't in the mood to sit there in the cold wind any longer, so she got up and prepared to go back to her room.
Hongdou carried a lantern, illuminating the path beneath their feet. As the two passed the artificial hill, they heard hushed conversations inside.
"This Xun Suihuang is truly arrogant and has the ambition of a wolf."
A pair of passing figures paused, their faces turning slightly beneath their white conical hats.
Xun Suihuang? Is that the name of the Marquis of Pingding?
This was the second time Xi Congshuang had heard the phrase "wolf's ambition."
The first time I heard it, I thought it was a subordinate trying to curry favor with the sect leader. The second time, I heard it from the eunuchs.
These are eunuchs who have direct access to the emperor. The head supervisor even has an imperial badge hanging from his waist. The fact that he can utter this word suggests that the eunuchs may have heard it from somewhere.
Another voice replied, "Indeed, why did they have to leave right when the military supervisor arrived? Isn't that disrespectful?"
"That's right. My godfather came on the emperor's orders, but the Marquis of Pingding left without a word. And now, no one from the Thirteen Battalions has come to apologize."
"He's truly become too ambitious. He dares to defy His Majesty's summons to the capital, truly tarnishing the reputation of the old Marquis of Pingding... Who is it?"
Catching a glimpse of the shadow outside, the little eunuch's heart tightened. The two of them went around behind the artificial hill and came face to face with the lantern-carrying Hongdou.
Behind Hongdou stood a familiar figure, none other than Xi Congshuang, dressed in white.
The two breathed a sigh of relief, almost thinking that someone who couldn't hear them had overheard their words, which would have been disastrous.
"Who do we have here? It's Military Advisor Xi! What are you doing here?"
"It's noisy inside, I came out for some fresh air," Xi Congshuang said calmly.
The young eunuch nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, the adults are talking about important matters, so it's only right that they speak loudly."
Then, one of the eunuchs said with a troubled expression, "What you just heard..."
I don't know which word was funny, but it made Xi Congshuang laugh. The firelight was dim, and the two eunuchs were stunned.
Xi Congshuang said, "I won't tell anyone."
They all served in the palace and had seen all kinds of beauties. Even His Majesty's new favorite was comparable to her.
However, the concubine was only eighteen years old. Her smile was charming and bright, unlike Xi Junshi, whose smile was as beautiful as a fairy. He was aloof and ethereal, but when he looked into her eyes, a chill crept up his back, and he couldn't help but want to stay away.
My godfather was right, Xi Yan is a woman covered in poison.
The master and servant left quickly, closed the courtyard gate, and as the moon rose high in the sky, the lively sounds inside the mansion gradually subsided.
Xi Congshuang woke up at dawn the next day. Her internal organs felt like they were on fire, but her body felt like it was in an ice cellar. She was cold on the outside but hot on the inside, and her thin body trembled uncontrollably while wrapped in a fox fur coat.
The huddled figure was unwilling to be discovered, so she struggled to sit up. The short movement exhausted all her strength, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat.
As expected, the fatigue from a long journey cannot be relieved by a good night's sleep.
The thought flashed through the trembling man's mind. He looked down and saw the blackened veins on his wrist. The poison had flared up again.
I only took the antidote recently, so it shouldn't have flared up so quickly.
"Someone...someone help me..." the person on the bed cried out weakly.
It's still early, and Hongdou must be tired from following her all the way; she's probably still asleep.
When no one answered her calls, Xi Congshuang remembered that she carried a bag of gold needles with her. She reached under the bed and found the bag.
With trembling hands, she opened the cloth bag, pulled out the gold needles, loosened her collar, and began to stab them into her body.
*
Hongdou wasn't sleeping at all; she got up early to brew medicine and was squatting by the stove watching the fire.
He held a palm-leaf fan in his right hand to fan the stove, while in his other hand he chewed on a steamed bun given to him by the cook, his cheeks bulging.
"What's wrong with you, little girl? The wind and sand in Wuzhou are so strong, they'll probably turn your face black." It wasn't time for the master to serve the meal yet, but the cook had already prepared the food and moved another stool to the next table to talk to Hongdou.
Red Bean: "Wherever you are, I am. It's okay, I won't get tanned."
The cook laughed: "No one can avoid getting tanned. I used to be fair-skinned, but the sandstorms of Wuzhou tanned me. And then there's my daughter, who looks just like me..."
The cook stopped mid-sentence, and Hongdou looked at her curiously.
The cook said with a weary voice, "If she were still alive, she would be this big by now..."
Hongdou was about to speak when she suddenly looked towards the door and asked, "What's that noise?"
Early in the morning, there was a knock on the gate of the prefectural government office. The gatekeeper, who was still asleep, was forcibly woken up and scrambled to open the door.
Sure enough, several tall horses stood outside the door, and the female general on horseback had not wiped the blood off her sword.
She held the reins, not even dismounting, and immediately asked, "Where is the military supervisor? I have come to beg for forgiveness."
concierge:"……"
After giving up his main residence, the prefect didn't sleep well all night; he was a bit of a light sleeper.
After finally exhausting himself, he closed his eyes for a short nap when someone came to announce that the 13th Battalion of Northern Yan, who had gone to relieve the troops, had returned and were apologizing at the door.
There are so many things to do every day, who dares to sleep? They get up in a rush and run outside without even getting dressed properly.
As they approached the gate, they heard someone talking. The person, who practiced martial arts, had a deep aura and a booming voice, which carried every word to the prefect's ears.
"I received yesterday's letter. I forgot to report it to Commander Xun. Punish me if you must."
The prefect felt a wave of dizziness, yet also a sense of relief.
Judging from this situation, General Xun must not be here.
After quickly straightening his clothes, the prefect stepped out from the crowd and saw the people outside the door. He thought to himself, "Just as I thought: General Gu, you've just returned from your troop rotation. You look so travel-worn. Why don't you go and rest?"
General Gu dismounted, and the generals following behind her also dismounted. The closer she got, the stronger the smell of gunpowder from the battlefield became.
Even the prefect felt his scalp tingle at the smell of blood.
These are all blood from the scattered tribes.
General Gu: "Yesterday morning, the general received a report from a scout that a group of barbarian tribesmen had sneaked into the village through a side road and had been lying in wait for several days, preparing to burn, kill, and plunder. Since they were not far from here, we took the opportunity to drag them out and kill them. We did not expect that this would cause us to neglect the supervising officer."
"The fault lies with me, not with the general. I took the letter but did not report it to the general. I have come here to apologize."
Prefect: "..."
Each step leaves a bloody footprint. Is it a plea for forgiveness or a death sentence?
The prefect knew that General Gu was a stubborn fellow. Years ago, he had been rescued from a bandit den by Commander Xun. He wouldn't listen to anyone but the general, and he had a fiery temper.
While frantically signaling to his attendants behind him, he stepped forward to stop the man, saying, "General Gu, you're being too kind..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was shoved aside. Civil officials are no match for military generals in strength. If it weren't for the servants behind him catching him, he would have landed on his backside.
"master."
The prefect shook off his servant's hand: "Forget about the master, hurry up and go invite Commander Xun here!"
The servant then understood his meaning and scrambled away.
Having successfully entered the gate, General Gu did not have the same impulse as the prefect. She pretended to be led astray by the prefect's servants and unknowingly walked to the vicinity of Xi Congshuang's courtyard.
General Gu stopped and grabbed his servant by the collar like a chick, pulling him over: "Why does it smell like medicine? Where is this? Are you trying to fool me?"
The servant trembled at the smell of blood on her body and stammered, "This...this is Military Advisor Xi's courtyard."
General Gu: "Military Advisor Xi? Never heard of him. What's his name?"
The servant actually knew her name and betrayed her without hesitation: "I heard from the master that her name is Xi Yan."
What a coincidence! It's the place where Xi Yan lives.
Their real target today is Xi Yan; the supervising eunuch will have to wait a while before coming.
The fat eunuchs are easy to fool, but the retainers under Prince Xin are not. Rumor has it that she is Prince Xin's strategist.
I don't know how Prince Xin could bear to release her, or even be afraid that she would never come back.
"I heard she's sickly, and it's probably true."
General Gu's mind raced for a moment before he nudged his servant and said, "Open the door. Since the military supervisor refuses to see me, let Military Advisor Xi relay the message."
Upon hearing that he was to open the gate to the courtyard of the woman covered in poison, the servant, who had been holding back his tears for so long, finally let them fall: "Me? Me? But she...she..."
She hesitated for a long time, but the servant still didn't dare to finish what he hadn't said.
You can't blame him for that. Speaking ill of Xi Congshuang in front of her door is no different from saying "I miss you, I'm coming to find you right away" to the King of Hell.
The generals grew impatient, and since he didn't have the guts to drive, he drove it himself.
General Gu raised his chin and pointed at someone: "Go climb over the wall and open the door."
"yes!"
One person took the order and quickly scaled the wall, pulling the bolt off the door from the inside.
Inside the room, Xi Congshuang was removing the gold needles from herself.
She plucked them one by one, counting them one by one, her pale hands steady.
It wasn't that she didn't hear the commotion outside, nor that she didn't know these people were after her; even if the sky were to fall, she had to remove the needles first.
The footsteps grew closer, and someone's shadow was vaguely reflected on the door. When they were almost within reach, someone else called out to them.
"So, where is everyone at the prefect's residence? Have they all come here to roam freely?!"
As these words were spoken, Xi Congshuang pinched the gold needle in the middle of her collarbone and pulled it out. If she could still see clearly, she would have seen that it was stained with dark blood.
The poisoned needle was removed, and the blocked blood clots instantly cleared. She opened her mouth and spat out the blocked blood clots. Just then, the door was pushed open, and sunlight streamed in, illuminating the figure on the bed.
Before vomiting blood, Xi Congshuang was thinking that she had forgotten to bring a basin to catch it, and that she would have to trouble someone to change the mattress again.
Xun Suihuang pushed open the door and saw a person on the bed. She was coughing softly with her sleeve over her mouth, seemingly startled by the sound of the door being opened. Her thin shoulders trembled even more violently.
Despite his frail health, simple clothes, and persistent coughing, he successfully intimidated a group of generals.
After a brief silence, bloodstains appeared on the moon-white sleeves, resembling fallen plum petals.
Xi Congshuang bent her knuckles and casually wiped the bloodstains from her lips, saying in a hoarse voice, "I have met General Xun. I am not well, please forgive my rudeness."
Looking at the bloodstains on her pale lips, and then at the blood-stained sleeves, everyone was speechless.
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