Chapter 12 Listening to the Wind "Where we come from, using this kind of setting..."
You know him too?
Seeing that he knew, Ning Lu quickly finished the rice in her bowl, speaking faster and with a hint of excitement.
It's currently the busy farming season, and the farmers are sitting at the village entrance chatting after harvesting their crops. She originally just wanted to hear if there were any legends or strange tales that could be related to time travel, but unexpectedly, amidst a bunch of heavy topics about harvest and corvée labor, she overheard this piece of gossip.
She slapped her thigh immediately; this kind of eerie and sinister story was just right for Ji Amin in her family, and it was the perfect story to tell him.
I was right.
"Although you've heard of him, I guarantee you don't know that he has connections to the highest levels, to the point that he can assassinate members of the royal family."
Seeing Ji Ming slowly put away his needlework with a mocking look in his eyes, Ning Lu was very satisfied. She rolled up her sleeves and drank the soup.
She slammed the bowl down on the table like a gavel and began to comment.
"Rumor has it that Xie Qinghe, also known as Xie Zhongcheng, was cunning and scheming from a young age. He climbed to a high position by stepping on his mother's corpse, betrayed his ancestors, and disregarded human life. His past is well-known, so I will not go into details. I will only talk about a strange incident that happened in the capital recently."
"As we already know, the late emperor passed away, and the crown prince's ascension to the throne was not smooth. First, there were Prince Xian and Prince Jing who coveted the throne, and then there was a rebellious party gathering, which was not open but covert. Among them, Prince Xian was the most radical in this matter, and he attempted to rebel and launch a coup several times, but all of them were predicted by this Minister Xie and nipped in the bud."
She was quick-witted and articulate, even more so than the storytellers in the teahouses of the capital. Although she told mostly clichéd stories he was tired of hearing, she still managed to draw Ji Ming's frequent glances.
"This matter dragged on for three months before the Crown Prince ascended the throne. Everyone knows that our new emperor is kind-hearted. When he was the Crown Prince, he was repeatedly reminded by the late emperor because he was too soft-hearted. If it weren't for Xie Qinghe, who was as handsome as Pan An but as venomous as a snake by his side, I'm afraid the emperor would have really been someone else."
"On the other hand, even if the Prince Xian had gone so far as to rebel, the new emperor was still dreaming of brotherly love and harmony. After the rebellion was quelled, he simply issued an imperial edict to place the mastermind, the Prince Xian, under house arrest in his residence, while the other Prince Jing was escorted back to his fiefdom of Changzhou."
"Guess what?" Ning Lu tapped the table lightly, keeping everyone in suspense.
"The wise king has passed away."
“Yes, but not entirely.” Ning Lu was satisfied with Ji Ming’s response. She pointed at him and continued, “He is dead, but his death from illness was just a pretext. This story begins a few days after the new emperor ascended the throne.”
As Ning Lu lowered her voice, gusts of autumn wind squeezed through the crack in the door, whistling softly. The arguing between the couple in the front yard stopped, and the entire room fell into a deathly silence.
Ning Lu focused on creating the atmosphere, continuing to whisper in a breathy voice: "The candles in the Prince Xian's mansion go out by themselves every night without wind, there are shadows on the windows but no human voices. The figures in the bronze mirror are like ghosts, pale and thin."
"The wise prince wandered day and night for this reason, becoming emaciated and nearly insane. One night, he awoke from a dream and saw the late emperor in the bronze mirror, angrily rebuking his unworthy descendants. The wise prince fled barefoot and ran to the study."
"Guess what?"
Ji Ming lowered his eyes, hiding the contempt in them, and shook his head silently.
Snap!
Ning Lu tapped the bowl and chopsticks on the table and continued, "On the desk in the study, there is a letter with only eight large, bloody characters on it."
“The wise prince has plotted rebellion, and I will not pardon him.”
"You must know that this wise prince was famously filial and obedient during the late emperor's reign. The late emperor never knew he would rebel until his death. But the eight characters on that letter were exactly the same as the handwriting on the late emperor's imperial edict. The wise prince, who was almost insane, could not bear such a shock. He cried and begged his father to spare his life, rushed out of the study, and just then, in the middle of a rainy night with lightning and thunder, lightning struck down, and he died."
"What does this have to do with Xie Qinghe?"
Ning Lu rubbed her hands together and sighed, "Ah! You've hit the nail on the head. This Xie Zhongcheng is incredibly capable. He has a photographic memory and is skilled in rubbing. The characters he imitates are exactly the same in terms of ink density. Plus, he was the Crown Prince's study companion and often walked in front of the Emperor. Isn't it easy for him to be familiar with the late Emperor's handwriting? I heard that when this Prince Xian was in power, he looked down on him the most and often used livestock as a metaphor."
"That's not all. After the Prince Xian died, everyone who was related to him either had their tongues pulled out and was exiled, or was turned into a human pig and hung in the courtyard. Some died, some went mad, and not a single one was left."
After Ning Lu finished speaking, she couldn't help but click her tongue, tapped the table with her hand, and then poked Ji Ming.
"How was it? Was it exciting?"
"Without direct evidence, saying it was done by someone else is the same."
Ji Ming didn't take it seriously, packed his things and was about to get up when Ning Lu pulled him back.
"I thought you were so smart! Use your brain. There are over a thousand people in the Prince Xian's mansion, and not a single one has survived, not a single clue. Although he is a criminal, he is still a member of the imperial family. Everyone says the new emperor is kind, but after such a thing happened, he didn't even investigate."
"If you ask me, either Xie Qinghe did it and the emperor can't do anything about it, or the emperor did it and he doesn't want to do anything about it."
A cold glint flashed in Ji Ming's eyes as he frowned and glared at her.
"You heard that too?"
Ning Lu didn't notice anything wrong. She picked up the teacup, took a sip, and realized it was already cold. She said, "Wait a moment," and got up to bring in a pot of hot water from outside.
The first bowl of hot water, poured out, was smoothly placed into his hand without lingering in his palm.
"I need a drink of water. My throat is hoarse."
Warmth spread through his palms. He was momentarily stunned, but when he looked at Ning Lu, who had sat back down beside him, the scrutiny in Ji Ming's eyes froze, then became subtle.
"Half and half. That's how it's written in storybooks." Ning Lu said dismissively, "But whoever did it was quite clever. Look, once the deed was done, the whole city was in an uproar, and everyone was in a state of panic. He achieved his goal, and no one could guess who was behind it."
She fiddled with the bowls and chopsticks on the table, lazily drawing out her words: "Deeply scheming and ruthless in her actions, she perfectly fits my stereotype of a powerful minister."
What is a stereotype?
He asks questions when he doesn't understand.
“It’s… um… the fixed idea that pops into your head when you hear this word. For example, seeing your delicate skin, I think you’re a refined scholar who would never wield a knife or gun, or commit murder and robbery.” Ning Lu turned to look at Ji Ming.
The warm glow of the kerosene lamp illuminated his pale face, making him look much healthier. At that moment, his face was filled with curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, which made him appear gentle and endearing.
Recalling his true nature, Ning Lu shuddered and clicked her tongue: "But stereotypes aren't always accurate. Like you, you're very good at handling knives."
Upon hearing this, the man raised an eyebrow and chuckled, then continued, "Then... what are the stereotypes about Xie Qinghe, the powerful minister?"
"You're quite interested in this person?"
He rarely spoke more than a few words, and although Ning Lu was curious, she still obediently answered: "A powerful minister, you know, manipulates power, controls people's hearts, uses others to do his dirty work, and he's ruthless. These kinds of people are not ordinary people."
"Where we come from, someone with this kind of background, barring any unforeseen circumstances, would likely have a tragic childhood."
The kerosene lamp dimmed with a snap, and the warmth on Ji Ming's face gradually faded, his smile almost freezing.
Ning Lu didn't notice his change. She sighed, put her hand to her cheek, and fell into a new round of contemplation.
When she first heard about this, she was genuinely frightened. It wasn't that this Xie Zhongcheng was particularly scary, but rather that, based on the original owner's memories, she thought her identity was at most related to Prince Jing and the Emperor. Little did she expect that a Prince Xian would suddenly appear, making things even more complicated.
But on her way back, she kept thinking about what she had heard before she fell off the cliff.
The new emperor purged the rebels, and the original owner said that Prince Jing was like a spent tool discarded after the birds are gone. Thinking about it this way, the original owner was very likely a loyalist of Prince Xian, and was still speaking up for Prince Xian before his death.
If the original owner of this body was a subordinate of the Prince Xian, then the Prince Xian himself and his subordinates have now been almost completely dealt with by Xie Qinghe...
So—that means there might not be many people who knew the original owner?
This guess made Ning Lu secretly excited, and she unconsciously rubbed her chin.
Following this logic, as long as I don't wander around aimlessly in front of Xie Qinghe, wouldn't I be safe from danger?
She nudged Ji Ming: "You think someone as high-ranking as Xie Qinghe wouldn't leave the capital so easily?"
From childhood to adulthood, she could never get concert tickets or meet with leaders during their inspections. She once deeply regretted this, but now it seems like it wasn't such a bad thing.
"You want to see him?"
Ji Ming lifted his eyelids and asked back with great interest.
Ning Lu quickly waved her hands: "No, no, no, I don't want to. Just hearing about that fearsome name, I bet he could crush me with a flick of his finger. I'd better stay as far away as possible."
The mischievous smile vanished from Ji Ming's eyes. He stopped replying and simply continued to stroke the teacup in his hand.
Thinking he was tired, Ning Lu stood up, tidied up the dishes on the table one by one, and prepared to go out to wash them.
He had just stepped out of the house when he turned back like a gust of wind and nudged Ji Ming with his elbow.
"Hey, the person telling this story today is a relative of the village chief. He heard it on his way to Changzhou for business a while ago. It's rare that it's something you're interested in. I'll come back early tomorrow, and we can go to the village entrance together to listen, okay?"
"That way I'll have company, and they won't all say I'm all alone like a loner."
Isn't that right?
He had never seen a girl as eloquent and capable as her, managing everything inside and outside the home.
Seeing that he didn't respond, Ning Lu continued to try to persuade him: "Besides, staying cooped up in the room all the time isn't good for your health. The doctor advised that going for walks occasionally would also help your wounds heal."
The man was about to start rambling on again, but Ji Ming propped himself up with one hand, leaned back lazily, and nodded in acquiescence.
It wouldn't hurt to listen to it.
The story of the wise prince happened in the winter of the year the crown prince ascended the throne, which is more than a year ago and is not exactly new.
This place is located in the southwestern border region, and news traveling from the capital to here takes more than a year, which is not slow. However, given the current special circumstances, it's hard not to suspect motives when such news spreads.
Perhaps it's related to what he's investigating.
As the night deepened and the dew grew heavy, a chill seeped into the room, and Ji Ming couldn't help but lower his eyes and cough softly.
Ning Lu stood to the side and saw that he was coughing more and more painfully. She hurriedly put down the tableware in her hand, wiped it on the rag, and patted his back naturally and skillfully.
His spine was straight and wiry, and even when he coughed until his face turned pale, he didn't bend over.
His shoulders trembled, and each breath he took was more labored than the last.
Seeing the cold sweat beading on his temples, Ning Lu supported him and couldn't help but mutter again, "Those with power and money can still get benefits by racking their brains every day. But what about ordinary people? Every day when they open their eyes, all they think about is how to survive. Today I even heard farmers saying that the taxes are heavy and life is hard."
"Life is only about 30,000 days long, so live one more day if you can. This is true for ordinary people, and even more so for you, Ji Amin, your health is so poor..."
The labored coughing barely stopped, and Ji Ming glanced at her with a cold expression. Ning Lu then realized what she had said and consciously shut her mouth.
The man tightened his robe around his neck with a sullen face, clearly not wanting to talk to her anymore, and moved a little to the other end of the bench.
"Alright, alright, you're in great shape, you're strong enough to lift a heavy weight, you're in your prime..."
"I didn't mean anything by it because it's getting cold and your cough has gotten worse. I didn't mean anything by it."
Seeing that he still ignored her, Ning Lu made a face at him, picked up the things on the table, and walked out.
Men value face highly, and she understands that.
I thought this person was some kind of fierce and ruthless scheming nobleman.
Unexpectedly, he turned out to be just a staunch supporter of the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues, a naive and old-fashioned bookworm who would blush easily and would just keep quiet when angry, which was quite amusing.
"I'm going to wash the dishes. You shouldn't sit here. You look terrible, go to bed and rest."
Ji Ming's face darkened even more.
She's getting more and more outrageous.
When Ning Lu returned, her bed was already made. Ji Ming was leaning against the bed, seemingly pondering something, when he heard her voice and turned his head to look inside.
"Tsk—"
Instead of teasing him further, she noticed the short jackets folded on the bench.
When she came back, she saw Ji Ming fiddling with a piece of clothing in his hand. She thought it was his own, but when she got closer, she realized that it was the same piece of clothing that she had worn before.
Ning Lu grabbed the clothes by the shoulders and shook them open. At a glance, she saw the neat and tightly stitched seams at the waist, and she was dumbfounded.
"You...you...you sewed this?"
She had tried many times before and could sew it up, but they were all crooked and unsightly.
Grab Ji Ming, who was leaning against the bed and pretending to be asleep with his eyes closed, and shake him violently, forcing him to open his eyes.
His gaze swept lightly over the worn-out short jacket, and he said in a very soft voice, "I did it on the spur of the moment."
"No, no, no...you're a grown man..."
Ning Lu touched the smooth piece of clothing, her gaze blank.
Why do you know how to sew?
Was embroidery part of the nine-year compulsory education for people in ancient times?
"I saw my mother do it when I was a child."
Looking at the tightly stitched quilt, Ji Ming clutched the quilt tightly around himself, and his breathing became gentle.
"that's all?"
Ning Lu pressed him for an answer, and he calmly nodded.
That's it.
It's just that I have a photographic memory.
"Ji Amin, what other surprises do you have that I don't know about? You're amazing!"
She gripped his shoulders and shook him gently a few times, her eyes filled with surprise and sincerity.
The scent of soapberry wafted to his nose, and Ji Ming's ears burned. He quickly brushed her hand away.
I had originally thought that men and women should be different and not be so close, but when I saw the quilt that I had unfolded myself, I felt like I had a fishbone stuck in my throat.
After a long pause, he could only wave his hand helplessly, trying to brush off her praise.
Ning Lu was used to his hypocrisy. She got up and went to the kerosene lamp, her fingertips gliding over the neat stitches. She couldn't help but call out to him again, "Ji A-ming."
"Um?"
"You are a good person."
As soon as he finished speaking, the man's eyes narrowed sharply as he looked at the tassels of the bed curtains.
"It's been raining a lot lately, and the roads are muddy. I didn't want to wear the new shirt I bought. Now I can wear this one again, which is great. You're so kind."
She said "okay" several times, leaving Ji Ming somewhat dazed. He turned his head blankly to look at her retreating figure.
She remembered that night when she cried bitterly behind the haystack, asking why the first kind person she met had lied to her.
Now, they're treating him like a good person again...
He almost admired her ability to judge people, as she could so accurately bestow such titles upon every unworthy person.
Ji Ming did not respond to her again.
Ning Lu knew he had turned on the blocking mode again, and after being happy to herself for a while, she lay back down on the bed.
Things are gradually getting better.
They developed an unspoken understanding, such as how they used the bed and their lifestyle of her taking care of external affairs while he took care of internal affairs.
They even tacitly agree not to explain their relationship to outsiders.
Now that business is booming, she is very content with the occasional surplus after deducting expenses for meals and medical care.
Today I also learned that the original owner might be a person of the Wise Prince. As long as she doesn't go to the capital and can't see Xie Qinghe, she can live a carefree and happy life.
With the survival crisis gone, all she needs to do is find a way to travel back in time, and all her problems will be solved.
Feeling refreshed and invigorated.
Ning Lu was satisfied. She pulled the blanket tighter and prepared to turn over and go to sleep.
"A high-ranking official surnamed Xie... is coming to Changzhou... and there are more soldiers on the official road..."
Half-asleep, on the day I descended the mountain, bits and pieces of Da Cheng's words drifted into my ears.
In the darkness, Ning Lu suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze sharp as copper bells. As she lay flat on her back, she kicked Ji Ming through the blanket.
"Hey! How many high-ranking officials are there with the surname Xie?"
"I know you're not asleep."
Her voice carried an unusual tension as she urged him on repeatedly.
Ji Ming narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then told the truth: "Xie is a prominent surname, but now only Xie Qinghe remains in the court."
A note from the author:
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