Chapter 29 Undercurrents "My master told me to remind the young lady to be careful..."
Ying County is surrounded by mountains on both sides, and in winter the wind blows incessantly, and the temperature is lower than in other places.
Perhaps for this reason, Ji Ming's high fever lingered for several days without completely subsiding. Even after the two scabs on Ning Lu's elbow fell off, he still looked listless and lethargic.
That day, while Ji Mingchen was still asleep, Ning Lu wrapped herself in a cloak and rode her horse into the city.
She didn't know if it was because of the strong winds lately or something else, but every time she went out recently, she felt like someone was following her for miles around, and she couldn't find anyone when she looked around.
Along the way, she sometimes sped up and sometimes slowed down, looking left and right, using all the anti-tailgating and anti-tracking techniques she had learned before, but she still couldn't shake off the subtle feeling of being followed.
With the city gate of Ying County right in front of her, Ning Lu dismounted and strolled through the gate.
Today marks the Great Snow solar term and the 18th day of the lunar calendar. The market in the city has opened, and it's bustling with noise and chaos.
She found a secluded corner, tied the horse to it, tightened her clothes, and slipped into the crowd.
Having been in ancient times for so long, she hadn't really had a chance to experience the local customs and culture. But now, mingling with the crowd and looking around, she actually found quite a few interesting things.
Sugar figurines, paper figurines, cosmetics, and jewelry—the dazzling array of items evokes the atmosphere of strolling through a trendy market after evening classes.
The street was crowded, and people were bumping into each other from front to back. She was small, and a man bumped into her several times, which made her angry.
Just as she looked up to complain, she met the man's sinister gaze. Only then did Ning Lu notice that his skin was dry and dark, and that he was wearing coarse, tattered clothes.
He had his hands tucked into his sleeves, his eyes flashing menacingly as he made a threatening gesture.
Ning Lu immediately shrank her neck and buried her head in the crowd, silently praying that the lucky ones would give way, pretending that nothing had happened.
Only when she could no longer catch a glimpse of the man's fierce eyes did she breathe a sigh of relief and slip to stand beside a small teahouse on the right side of the long street.
This open-air teahouse wasn't high-end, but its proximity to the city gate and its prominent location made it a popular spot for travelers and merchants to rest. It offered a greater density of information than other places.
Ning Lu discovered this treasure trove soon after arriving in Ying County, and would come every few days to hear if there was any new excitement.
A while ago they were talking about the beautiful singing and dancing of Su Yun Niangzi at Yan Chun Lou in Changzhou City, who was said to be captivating and seductive. But these past few days they've been talking about the thirteenth concubine of the governor of Changzhou.
The common people's fantasies about women, mixed with lewd words and boisterous laughter, spread, making everyone feel uncomfortable. Ning Lu listened to half of it and ignored the other half. She glanced around at the diners, but didn't see any new faces. Knowing she wouldn't get any new information, she didn't bother to stay any longer and prepared to turn around and go home.
"The reason why Lord Pan dares not welcome these thirteen concubines into the house must be because of that Censor-in-Chief, Lord Xie. In the court, the emperor only listens to the reports of this one person. If he says anything bad, he may never be able to recover his position. So Lord Pan is naturally on guard."
"So powerful, who's the person behind it?"
"It seems they are from the same school as our Lord Cen. Are they both students of Lord Sima?"
“I’ve heard of that too. Our magistrate was once a high-ranking official of the third rank in the capital. When the new emperor ascended the throne, Xie Qinghe submitted a memorial to the emperor, demanding that the Sima family be imprisoned. Our magistrate Cen was implicated because he pleaded for the Sima family.”
She had never heard of this.
Ning Lu's eyes lit up, and she grabbed a handful of leftover melon seeds from the guests at the table, then leaned forward with one ear.
"That's right. Lord Sima is a senior official in the court, and he was Xie Qinghe's first teacher. It's rumored that he personally taught Xie Qinghe his beautiful calligraphy."
"The Sima family is also in a terrible state. The entire clan was exiled and became evil spirits in the north."
"Yes, it's only because of His Majesty's benevolence that Cen Qingtian's life was saved. Otherwise, we people from Ying County would have frozen and starved to death in this cold winter."
"I heard that Pingcheng County has arrested a lot of men, and many people have starved to death."
It is said that people in ancient times respected teachers and valued education, regarding teachers as fathers. How could someone be so cruel as to harm their own teacher?
Ning Lu tossed the melon seeds back into the plate, then thought that the emperor wasn't a good person either.
"What kind of leader is someone who lacks his own opinions? He'll only bring disaster to the country and its people."
Suddenly a gust of wind rose, and Ning Lu couldn't help but shiver. She muttered something under her breath as she got up from the bench. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. Upon closer inspection, it was the same disheveled man who had been wandering around in the crowd.
He stood close to the white-haired old woman, his eyes fixed on her every move, his hand, hidden in his sleeve, restless in front of him.
The old woman took out several finished handmade cloth shoes from the basket and handed them to the shopkeeper.
The back-and-forth seemed like haggling, and seeing the woman clasping her hands in supplication, it was clear she was begging the shopkeeper for more money.
Seeing the shopkeeper relent and the money was exchanged for the goods, the skinny man who had been standing there dumbfounded suddenly made a move, his long, thin fingers snatching the silver from the old man's hand with swift and powerful movements.
The old woman reacted and reached out to snatch it, but he pushed her away instead.
The crowd instantly erupted into chaos, with men and women shouting and yelling. Some quick-thinking men had already joined the fray.
But the thief was quite nimble, dodging quickly through the crowd and disappearing from sight in no time.
The old woman's cries suddenly filled her ears. Ning Lu didn't have time to think. She tiptoed over the bench, used the momentum to push off, and leaped several meters into the air.
Even though the man knew the way well, he couldn't keep up with Ning Lu's lightness and agility. She followed him closely and slipped into the dark alley.
There was no one in front or behind.
Lost them?
The exhaled breath turned into white mist, and Ning Lu held her breath to observe left and right.
She was certain that the person had hidden here.
I pursed my lips, just about to leave, when I faintly heard rapid breathing coming from deep within the alley.
That's right.
He picked up a bamboo basket with his toes and held it in his arms, then picked up a few pebbles and put them in his pocket.
Step by step, I quietly entered the deep alley.
All around was silent, filled only with the sounds of heartbeats and heavy breathing.
As the wind subsided, Ning Lu could hardly tell whether she was hearing her own breathing or the thief's voice.
Remembering the old man's tearful face, she gritted her teeth and gave up the idea of turning away.
Ning Lu turned to the side to increase the distance between herself and the corner of the wall, and as she slid forward, she threw the bamboo basket in her hand.
In the blink of an eye, a dark shadow, accompanied by a cold glint of light, burst forth from the shadows.
The short blade was sharp; as it grazed past my ear, it instantly shaved off a few strands of hair.
The slender body instinctively slid backward to dodge, and with a backhand flick, pebbles hidden in the sleeve were thrown out in succession, hitting the man's forehead, shoulder, and knee in turn.
Before the man could kneel down, she reached out and grabbed his arm, pressing down hard. With a cracking sound, a wail echoed through the alley and reached the heavens.
Seeing that he had no chance to fight back, Ning Lu reached up and down and pulled out the old woman's handkerchief from his waist. Inside, there were only twenty coins.
"You even stole this little bit of money, you're utterly heartless."
"have a finger in the pie."
Ning Lu wanted to argue, but then she saw the government officials lead the old woman closer and kick the man in the buttocks, sending him flying far away.
He clapped his hands, his eyes filled with satisfaction and appreciation for his boundless potential.
The old woman, with tears in her eyes, held her hand and bowed repeatedly, saying it was the money that saved her husband's life, and even knelt down to express her gratitude.
Ning Lu was so frightened that her legs went weak and she almost knelt on the ground. In the end, she couldn't refuse the old woman's hospitality and accepted the half bag of chestnuts that the old woman had stored herself before she stopped.
As the crowd dispersed and salt particles began to fall from the sky, she shivered and clutched the food in her arms as she headed towards the city gate.
He hadn't taken two steps when he was stopped by the soldiers from earlier.
"Girl, this is yours, isn't it?"
"Huh?" Ning Lu looked at the exquisitely patterned handkerchief in his hand.
She shamelessly snatched it from Ji Ming to use as a wallet.
The idea is that money will flow to places that already have money, and wrapping silver in fine silk will attract even more wealth.
Belatedly, he reached into his pocket and, sure enough, the money he had brought with him was long gone.
"be mine."
The officer was both amused and exasperated, and handed the silver back to her.
"My family wants me to remind my daughter that when she does good deeds, she shouldn't get herself into trouble."
Ning Lu thanked him awkwardly, then followed his gaze to the imposing middle-aged scholar in the crowd.
The other person met her gaze and nodded slightly, and she could only nod back in return.
"Is that your master?"
"Yes, that is Lord Cen."
Having stayed in someone's house for so long, it seems like I should go up and say hello.
Ning Lu was hesitating about how to speak when the soldier hurriedly bowed to her and followed Cen Wei away.
Looking at that straight back, she couldn't help but think of Ji Amin at home, who had an extremely strong sense of defensiveness and boundaries, and let out a long sigh.
"As expected, aloof people are surrounded by aloof people as well."
The wind howled in my ears, and the lingering clouds swept across the ground. The salt particles that were initially scattered quickly transformed into goose feathers.
As dusk fell, Ning Lu quickly found a horse and hurried towards the courtyard.
Her heroic deeds today will give Ji Ming plenty to brag about for a long time.
The doors and windows rattled loudly.
Behind the desk, in a wide-sleeved robe and an indigo-blue gown, Ji Ming stood with his hands behind his back. His weathered face appeared particularly cold due to the icy glint in his eyes.
He absentmindedly fiddled with the tassels hanging from the edge of the hand warmer with his fingertips, and closed his eyes to ponder.
Wei Zhan bowed and listened attentively to the instructions.
Another gust of wind rose, and Ji Ming tightened the tassel in his hand, his chest heaving as he forced down the cough.
Upon hearing this, Wei Zhan buried his head even deeper.
After hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke in a deep voice: "Master, even if we don't capture that woman, at least you should come back with us first."
"Imperial Physician Luo instructed you early this morning that you must return to the capital before winter." Wei Zhan received no response, so he had to call for reinforcements: "The Emperor said a few days ago that he would like you to come to the palace for the New Year this year. Today is already snowing heavily, and if we delay any longer, I'm afraid you won't be able to make it back in time."
"When did you become so long-winded?"
Ji Ming's voice was indifferent, but it was tinged with weariness.
Turning around, he picked up the letters from the table and read their contents one by one. They were all letters exchanged between Liu Yunying and her old friends.
His gaze returned to the scattered notes.
[To obtain the list of traitors, meet at Siyun Mountain.]
Ji Ming, Ning Lu... Siyun Mountain
Peace and tranquility prevail.
Xie Qinghe
"What happened that night was truly strange. We and Zhao Yue's men were all lying in ambush in the mountains. It just so happened that a thick fog rolled in at that time, which allowed that woman to take advantage of the situation and hurt you."
That night, the moon was dark and the wind was strong. Siyun Mountain was already sparsely populated, and since it was the Ghost Festival, only the cries of cranes and the sound of wind could be heard.
If he had to recall that day and describe it in detail, Ji Ming's only memory was of that gray night-clothes.
"Liu Yunying is on the assassin list, but no one has ever seen her face. If she really is a spy sent by Prince Jing..."
Wei Zhan continued speaking, but Ji Ming seemed to have fallen into another memory, his expression softening slightly.
"Please make a decision as soon as possible, Master."
With a slight pause at the fingertips, the tassel suddenly broke off and fell to the ground at the feet.
Ji Ming raised his eyes and glanced at Wei Zhan.
"master."
Realizing he had spoken out of turn, he immediately knelt on the ground.
After a long pause, Ji Ming closed his eyes, sighed softly, and asked, "Where is Yan Chun Lou?"
"Pan Xingxue and Prince Jing's men have completely surrounded Yanchun Tower. I will investigate again tonight."
"Inquire about another matter for me first."
Ji Ming remembered the news Ning Lu brought back half a month ago and beckoned with his hand.
The wind howled, and when he came to his senses, Wei Zhan had already received his orders and left, leaving him alone in the room.
Outside the window, everything was white and goose feathers were flying everywhere. Aunt Zhang sat under the eaves, preparing the raw meat that Cen Wei's messenger had brought.
The charcoal fire inside burned brighter than usual, yet Ji Ming still shivered.
His body swayed, and he collapsed, sitting down in the rattan chair behind him. All he could see were the scattered tassels at his feet.
Ji Ming frowned and reached out to grab it, but before he could bend down, he felt a black mist envelop him and his ears ring.
Before he could catch his breath, he heard a joyful shout.
"Ji Amin, look what I brought back!"
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