Chapter 63 Wildfire "He's talking about you, I'll teach him a lesson for you."...
I thought that after Xie Qinghe's teasing, I would definitely toss and turn all night, unable to sleep.
Ning Lu underestimated her ability to make the best of a situation. As soon as her head hit the pillow, her eyelids felt like they were glued shut, and she couldn't open them no matter what she did.
When he opened his eyes again, it was already dawn. Just as Xie Qinghe had said, there were nearly twice as many guards outside. The imperial guards, all clad in armor, looked ruthless and impartial.
Looking back through the window, unofficial histories are indeed true.
The people around the emperor were indeed all broad-shouldered, wasp-waisted, and mantis-legged. From a distance, one of them could easily take on three of her.
When did these people arrive?
Seeing Qingzhi bring in hot water, Ninglu gestured towards the outside and casually inquired.
"They arrived before dawn."
Did I wake you up too?
If she remembered correctly, Qingzhi was on duty for the first half of the night last night, so she shouldn't have come to serve her so early.
“Miss, you were probably the only one who slept soundly last night.”
Qinghuai pulled the hot cloth out of the water and wrung it out. She exchanged a helpless glance with Qingzhi.
"In the middle of the night, Lord Wei hurriedly went to fetch a doctor, who brought in basin after basin of hot water, but what came out was all bloody water."
"Did you find out what happened?"
Ning Lu's face-wiping motion was suspended in mid-air, revealing her watery eyes.
Completely awake, his tone of voice became sharper.
"The guards who were executed surrounded the north courtyard tightly. This morning, both Captains Zhu and Guo were outside the gate reporting back."
The implication is that they don't know.
She mechanically repeated the face-rubbing motion twice, then tossed the handkerchief back into the basin, grabbed a cloak, draped it over her shoulders, and headed outside.
She was fine when she left last night.
Just as Qinghuai and Qingzhi had said, Guo Chi stood in the courtyard waiting for orders, while the main entrance was surrounded by Wei Zhan's men like an iron barrel.
Since Wei Chun and Wei Zhan weren't at the door, they must have been inside.
Having made her decision, Ning Lu abandoned the idea of going through the window, obediently moved to the doorway, greeted Guo Chi with a nod, and asked the guard to announce her arrival.
Wei Chun was alright, but Wei Zhan acted like he was seeing an enemy every time he saw her, wishing he could drag her away and investigate her thoroughly.
Compared to explanations and excuses, climbing through the window was much easier and less troublesome. In addition, Xie Qinghe almost indulged her bad habit. When entering and leaving his room, she rarely used the main entrance and was hardly a familiar face to the guards.
Before the smile could even form on his face, the tightly closed door in front of him suddenly opened.
The protagonist, whose life hung by a thread in Qinghuai and Qingzhi's words, appeared before her now, dressed in a black official robe, with a calm expression.
"Is the master going out?"
Ning Lu was taken aback and subconsciously looked at Wei Chun and Wei Zhan behind him, who were expressionless, but did not get any useful information.
"Since you're here, let's go together."
Xie Qinghe nodded slightly, tightened his fox fur coat, and stepped outside.
As they brushed past each other, a cold wind blew, and Ning Lu sniffed.
The smell of medicine is so strong.
Noticing that she wasn't following, the man stopped and turned his head to look at her.
"They're here."
Seeing this, she waved and jogged to his side, asking, "Sir, where are we going so early in the morning?"
Ning Lu lagged half a step behind him, smiling ingratiatingly and asking questions.
You'll know when you get there.
Guo Chi, who was walking on the side, couldn't help but glance at Ning Lu a few more times upon hearing the sound.
Although she was dressed as a soldier, she didn't have a particularly effeminate appearance. Guo Chi, being a former member of the Imperial Guard, saw through Ning Lu's true gender at a glance.
Hearing her casual tone when speaking to Xie Qinghe, and the fact that this cold-faced and aloof Lord Xie would patiently reply to her, Guo Chi felt that the relationship between the two was unusual, and his eyes became more inquisitive.
Sensing the complex meaning in his gaze, Ning Lu frowned slightly, glanced at him, and then turned her attention back to Xie Qinghe.
Last night I heard him say a lot of nonsense, and before I could even process what to say today, I heard some heartbreaking news from Qinghuai and Qingzhi.
Only when the person was right in front of her did she belatedly feel embarrassed, flustered, and at a loss for what to do.
As for the gazes around him that found her presumptuous or were shocked by her unusual behavior, she was already used to them and didn't care.
At first, I was worried that Xie Qinghe would keep bringing up last night's topic, but once I got into the carriage, I realized that he was just resting with his eyes closed, not having time to say anything else.
The carriage sped along, and in no time, the group arrived at the dungeon.
The imperial guards and prison guards on both sides received the news early in the morning and were on high alert.
As Xie Qinghe stepped off the carriage, everyone bowed and knelt down, greeting him in unison.
Upon hearing the commotion, Captain Zhu, who had met Xie Qinghe and Guo Chi several times, rushed out from inside and bowed to them.
Ning Lu deduced from this that Guo Chi's rank should be above that of a captain.
Before she could analyze further, she heard Captain Zhu say in a low voice, "My lord, please forgive me. I have failed in my duty. Pan Xingxue is dead."
Ning Lu abruptly stopped looking around. She looked up at Xie Qinghe. He had rushed out early in the morning for this very reason.
Xie Qinghe, who was always shrewd and resourceful, frowned and quickened his pace slightly.
Ning Lu hurriedly followed, listening to Captain Zhu continue his report.
"As instructed, the food and water delivered were all checked by a designated person, and there were no problems. This morning, no matter how we called him when it was time for breakfast, he wouldn't respond. When the jailer checked, he found that he had been dead for some time."
A sharp glare flew from Xie Qinghe's eyes, and Ning Lu knew that this Commandant Zhu was probably going to get a scolding.
Fortunately, this person was perceptive enough to notice his displeasure and immediately added the key point: "He committed suicide by biting his tongue."
"Who did you see?"
"Your Excellency, there was only one unfamiliar face among the jailers during last night's shift change. I have already sent people to investigate."
Ning Lu, who was standing to one side, secretly glanced at Xie Qinghe. In the past, he would have inevitably scolded her coldly, but now he was silent.
As the group hurried down the steps, she felt increasingly familiar with the scene before her. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was the very cell where she had once been imprisoned.
It was not the same place where Yu Lanzhou was imprisoned.
This place is adjacent to death row inmates, dark and gloomy, with water dripping continuously on the empty steps, making it even more eerie and chilling.
She shivered and slowed her pace.
Xie Qinghe seemed to sense something, turned his head and said in a deep voice, "You wait here."
The dungeon was cold; she felt cold too.
Ning Lu hesitated for a moment before making a decision: "I'll go with you."
It's safer to stay by Xie Qinghe's side than to wait here alone.
As if understanding her thoughts, he merely frowned slightly before turning back to look at the road ahead.
As she followed behind him, looking around, her eyes adjusted to the dimness of the dungeon, and Ning Lu was finally able to see the scene clearly.
Just as Captain Zhu had reported, all the old cases here were overturned or punished after the Imperial Guards took over, and most of her fellow prisoners from the same period, whom she had met once before, had disappeared.
The dungeon was empty, with only two opposing cells at opposite ends, each holding a prisoner.
The last one, with long beard and hair, and dark, rough skin, squatted in a corner of the prison, motionless at the sound, like a wooden stake.
Before she could see clearly, the iron gate near the head of the room was pulled open forcefully.
The chains clanged and rattled in the dungeon. Ning Lu frowned and stood on tiptoe, only to find a person crawling on the mat in their compartment.
Wei Zhan stepped forward first and brushed aside half of the man's messy, dry hair.
The person standing half a step in front of her silently turned aside, blocking all her view.
Just as they were about to protest, they smelled a sour, foul odor.
She swallowed all her complaints and peeked out from Xie Qinghe's shoulder. She saw that the person on the ground had torn flesh, blackened fingers, and a bulging back from torture.
Her gaze shifted upwards, meeting those half-open, dead eyes. She jolted, grabbed Xie Qinghe's clothes, and pulled him back half a step.
"If you're scared, go wait outside."
The sound was already like a storm brewing. Ning Lu closed her eyes and shook her head, still stubbornly insisting, "I was afraid that the filth would offend the adults."
In the past, this guy would definitely have teased her for being glib, but today Xie Qinghe slightly curled her lips and didn't say anything.
Just as she was wondering what was going on, a large hand pressed down on her head and gently stroked it.
"grown ups."
Wei Zhan stood up and shook his head coldly.
The tongue root was broken, and although there were bite marks, it was not a suicide.
They arrived a step too late.
As Pan Xingxue's body was moved, pus oozed out, and a foul stench spread.
"Let's go."
Xie Qinghe grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.
Are we leaving already?
While his words were a rhetorical question, his body betrayed him by moving outwards.
In the enclosed space, the smell made her feel nauseous and gave her goosebumps.
"Once a person dies, he is useless."
Before Xie Qinghe could finish speaking, the man who looked like a wooden stake in the last cell spoke.
"Are the dead useless, or are the people who tried the case useless?"
"Even you, Xie Qinghe, sometimes can't make it in time, and sometimes you can't calculate accurately?"
His tone was harsh and shrill, full of mockery and smugness.
The voice sounded familiar, so Ning Lu slowed her pace and looked at him.
"If I'm not mistaken, you've come about Prince Jing's matter. This time, he's one step ahead of you."
The candlelight was dim, and she couldn't see anything clearly until the person said those words, at which point she immediately squinted.
I remember now.
The night she was imprisoned in the dungeon, it was this man who said that Xie Qinghe had been imprisoned by the imperial court and that Xie Qinghe and Pan Xingxue were birds of a feather.
At the time, she thought this person knew a lot of gossip, so she took a closer look.
After pondering the unspoken meaning of his words, and seeing that Xie Qinghe was unwilling to get involved with this person, Ning Lu stopped and asked him, "Did you see the murderer?"
Xie Qinghe made a big show of it in order to take Ning Lu out of the dungeon legitimately.
The man recognized Ning Lu without much effort, glanced at her, and continued to focus on Xie Qinghe.
"So what if you saw it?"
"Is it Prince Jing?"
"What about Prince Jing? What about Xie Qinghe? Prince Jing is no good, so how can he be considered a good person? It's just dogs fighting each other."
"You bastard!"
Ning Lu subconsciously rolled up her sleeves to step forward, but was instead grabbed by the corner of her clothes.
"He's criticizing you, so I'll teach him a lesson for you."
She frowned and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear.
Xie Qinghe shook his head, then took her wrist and used the momentum to take a step forward.
His voice wasn't loud, but fortunately, the dungeon was quiet and the echoes made each word clear to everyone.
"The new emperor is benevolent and pardons your disrespect, as well as your wife and daughters. You will be going to Pingcheng to take up your post on the third day of next month."
Ning Lu thought she had misheard and turned to look at Wei Chun and Wei Zhan behind her.
The two of them remained calm, as if they had known this would happen all along.
Seeing that Fang Hong was ungrateful, Guo Chi, who had been silent, stepped forward and shouted sternly, "How dare you, Fang Hong! This is an imperial edict! Why don't you thank the emperor?"
Is he Fang Hong?
Ning Lu finally connected the memorial with its owner, and considering the sharp words on it, it all seemed perfectly logical.
The writing style is consistent, and the content is true to the content.
"Fang Hong is just a commoner, I'm afraid he's not up to the task."
Fang Hong knelt down perfunctorily, still declining the offer.
Guo Chi was about to step forward when Xie Qinghe glanced at him, and he bowed and retreated.
Are you incompetent? Or do you simply not care?
Before Fang Hong could answer, Xie Qinghe turned to the side with his hands behind his back and said slowly, "Either is fine. If you don't want to, then we can send someone to take charge after the new officials are appointed next year."
"The imperial court can afford to wait." He paused, then added, "I wonder if the people of Pingcheng can afford to wait."
The southwest is a remote region, and it has suffered from the evil deeds of Pan Xingxue, Jiang Hong and others, making life difficult for the people. We cannot wait even a moment longer.
Fang Hong, who was able to write the memorial on governing Pingcheng, naturally understood this matter.
"Xie Qinghe, you bastard!" The man indeed jumped up in anger, the chains striking the iron bars with a terrifying sound.
The person being insulted acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, gave a cold laugh, lowered his eyes, and strode out.
With a gentle pull on his wrist, Ning Lu snapped back to her senses and followed beside him.
The people behind him were still shouting.
Those are the ancients, they can even insult without using vulgar language. They just call him a worthless brat, disloyal and unfilial, unrighteous and unkind...
These words had little offensive power to her, a modern person.
However, those who have read the classics should know their significance.
As she walked to the outside of the dungeon, Ning Lu suddenly felt her wrist go empty.
The man quickened his pace, leaned against a tree, and bent over to vomit.
His shoulders were straight, his collar was buttoned up, and his brow was furrowed.
He didn't eat much, and what he took was mostly herbal medicine, so he couldn't vomit anything.
Her voice was restrained and low, but she still couldn't help but choke and her eyes reddened.
The stench of the corpse was so unbearable that she felt like vomiting, let alone him.
Ning Lu took a clean handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to him.
"When did you start carrying a handkerchief with you...?"
He's always good at focusing on the important points.
"Don't bother."
She rolled her eyes and made a move to put it away.
Suddenly, he lightly brushed his fingertips together, then pinched the handkerchief and her fingers as well.
Her voice was hoarse, but she smiled faintly: "Thank you, Miss Ning."
Don't give me that.
"I heard you summoned a doctor last night and rushed to the dungeon early this morning, all because of that Pan Xingxue?"
The implication is that he's not worthy.
"Hmm." Xie Qinghe gripped the handkerchief tightly: "It's still too late."
"Didn't he already confess? Why are we still looking for him? And that Fang Hong, he insulted you like that, and you still gave him an official position?"
"Haven't you always been curious about what's inside the jade pendant?"
"I'm talking to you. Don't interrupt."
Suddenly falling silent, Ning Lu realized something: "You've seen it?"
He glanced down at the jade pendant, then, unable to raise his hand, could only sigh softly.
"Take it yourself, Ning Lulu."
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