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As night deepened, water stains began to seep from the cracks in the walls of the inn. Then, a straw stalk pierced the paper of the back window, sending a thin wisp of white smoke into the room from the outside.
In an instant, the room was filled with wisps of smoke, soon filling it completely.
Meanwhile, in the next room, it was completely dark, but if you listened carefully, you could hear some small noises.
Fortunately, the soundproofing between the walls of the post station was decent; the only concern was that passersby might think it was haunted.
The young lady from the Liu family lowered her voice and chuckled awkwardly, "Miss Qing, it's the middle of the night, are you sleepy?"
Not long after dinner, Mei Sheng found an excuse to visit Liu Niangzi in the next room.
After blowing out the candle, she began to express her frustration and resentment.
Mei Sheng clutched the handkerchief in her hand, wiping away tears from time to time: "Sister Liu, I'm not sleepy. After hearing your heartwarming words, I'm getting more and more energetic. I even want to talk with you all night long."
"How could I say that? It's all because Miss Qing is quick to understand. I'm just afraid that with the dew getting heavier, you might catch a cold and fall ill. Wouldn't that make that young man feel sorry for you?"
Mei Sheng blinked in the darkness before realizing that she was referring to the guards blocking her way.
In addition, given her earlier revelation of how she abandoned her family for love and eloped with a young man, people are bound to suspect that she and that guard have some unspeakable secret.
Feeling embarrassed, Mei Sheng covered her face and said angrily, "How could he feel sorry for me?"
After listening to the girl's rambling all night, Lady Liu was exhausted and wished she could knock the girl unconscious as soon as possible. However, she was not strong and did not dare to make a decision on her own without contacting the other accomplices.
The girl also laughed, saying that she was very embarrassed to talk about these things, so she blew out the candle.
Even though Lady Liu was anxious, she still went along with Mei Sheng's words: "I am but a humble woman, how could I know such profound truths? I only understand one thing: it is rare to find a true lover in this world."
Mei Sheng nodded, pressed her hands on hers, and nodded repeatedly: "Sister Liu is absolutely right, hmm? This jade pendant is quite interesting."
By using the conversation to steer the conversation toward the jade pendant, Lady Liu's patience and wariness had largely dissipated. She casually replied, "It's just a small item, worthless."
Even so, she still tucked the jade pendant deeper into her waistband.
"But I find its shape quite novel, and I wonder where it comes from."
"A small county in the north." A woman from a humble household rarely went out. Even on her first outing, she unfortunately encountered her. Lady Liu was fearless and not afraid that she would recognize the use of this jade pendant.
Mei Sheng vaguely confirmed it in her heart, so she casually responded with a few words, thinking to herself that it was indeed this group of human traffickers.
She coughed a few times.
This Lady Liu must have only been a member for a short time, yet she was tricked into revealing so much.
Even if Lady Liu is wary, she can't escape what she does to her, so this is the best outcome.
Lady Liu was still looking at him with an air of certainty, as if to say, "You really have caught a cold," when a guard suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pointed a knife at her, instantly frightening her into a state of panic.
Mei Sheng was not afraid of Pei Jue discovering this commotion, and she was more than willing to use Pei Jue's influence to expose those human traffickers from various places who had sold people.
Suddenly recalling that incident from back then, she still felt indignant. If those human traffickers hadn't kidnapped her, how would she have met such a troublesome person as Pei Jue?
Now, let these people receive the punishment they deserve.
As soon as she stepped out of the dark room, Mei Sheng covered her eyes with her sleeve, but the moonlight after the rain was exceptionally bright.
Another guard stood silently not far outside the house, holding two burly men under his sword. The burly men lay unconscious on the cold ground.
Lady Liu realized what was happening and scolded, "You little hussy, you told me you were eloping with one person, but there are two of you!"
After that, he cursed a few more times, and perhaps realizing something was wrong, he begged for mercy, saying that he had nothing to do with the two big men.
However, regarding the jade pendant, they insist that it is an ordinary jade pendant with no other function.
Seeing that she was clearly foolish and wouldn't reveal the key to the matter, Mei Sheng didn't want to explain too much to her.
Just as he was about to knock on the dark wooden door across the way, a pair of strong hands pushed the door open with a creak. Pei Jue, dressed in his nightgown with a black cloak over his shoulders, asked indifferently, "What's all the noise outside?"
Lady Liu, as if grasping at a lifeline, hurriedly cried out in a coquettish voice, "Young master, please save me! I only saw this bastard eloping with the two men, and now I'm being falsely accused and threatened with murder to silence me."
Her voice was drawn out with a mournful and sorrowful tone; someone with an unstable mind would likely be bewitched at first glance.
"Oh? Is that so?"
At Pei Jue's command, the two guards quickly bowed their heads and explained, "Sir..."
This surprised Lady Liu. She hadn't expected that these people were in cahoots. How could this be?
But seeing that the arrogant and noble man in front of her was clearly interested, she had no choice but to fight to the death, lying on the ground with her snow-white skin exposed, trying to grab Pei Jue's hem.
Mei Sheng spoke up: "No."
The words had barely left his lips when blood splattered on the threshold and onto the floor, mingling with the rain.
Before the woman could even cry out in pain after losing a hand, she was knocked unconscious by the guards and thrown aside. The two men immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.
Mei Sheng did explain things to them. She also informed the two guards about the jade pendant, instructing them to send these people to the government office. With the evidence caught red-handed, Mei Sheng didn't have to waste half the night explaining.
The matter of the jade pendant should be examined in particular.
Outside, the two guards looked at each other, and only after Pei Jue nodded did they silently retreat. It seemed that it was not appropriate for them to be by their master's side for the time being.
Mei Sheng had just taken a step out when the man behind her pulled her back into the house.
Pei Jue stopped her at the door, his face calm: "Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"
Mei Sheng quickly realized what he was referring to and said directly, "It would be best to catch the culprit red-handed. How can we convince the public if we only speculate?"
Upon hearing this, Pei Jue frowned: "You mean you're not convinced?"
Where did this unfounded speculation come from? It was late at night, and Mei Sheng was also tired. Not wanting to argue with him any further, she shook her head and said, "No, you're overthinking it."
In the dim candlelight, it was unclear what he had said wrong, but Pei Jue chuckled and turned away.
Mei Sheng stared at his retreating figure, stunned for a moment: "Are you sick?"
Thinking this, she didn't go back to her room, but instead rested.
Right now, it's best to get plenty of sleep and rest. Nothing is more important than good health.
As for Pei Jue, she will treat him as her superior for the time being.
In the following days, she did not see Pei Jue many times. Then, the carriage finally stopped at a town.
The journey was filled with mud and sand, and there were occasional fragments of broken wooden frames, along with an unpleasant smell in the air.
Fortunately, Mei Sheng's carriage was heavily guarded, which allowed her to arrive safely in the city.
Upon seeing this, Mei Sheng belatedly realized that Pei Jue had come here by a roundabout way to supervise the city officials' post-disaster relief measures.
When we arrived, there were still refugees shouting, "Why aren't you distributing grain?"
This also reveals that the city officials were not kind-hearted; they not only kept the refugees out of the city but also refused to open the granaries.
During this period, Mei Sheng behaved himself and stayed indoors, occasionally inquiring about news from the city.
People with some labor capacity were called out to clean the mud from the streets, and temporary soup kitchens were set up on the west street of the city to provide relief to refugees.
Even the stench in the air was somewhat dissipated by the smell of mugwort being burned in every household.
Taking the opportunity, Mei Sheng counted the days and realized that another month had changed. Touching the red string, she secretly made a decision.
Regarding post-flood measures, I would like to try my best, even if it's just a small contribution.
Upon learning that Pei Jue would be returning tonight, she wondered if she should go to the small kitchen, but before she could get up, she heard a young man's voice calling from outside: "Miss Mei, are you there?"
The boy was dressed simply, in a gray-yellow cross-collar coarse linen short shirt and brown trousers, the trousers tied at the waist with a thick hemp rope to avoid getting them covered in yellow mud.
Despite the cold weather, the boy wasn't dressed very warmly, which showed that he was in good health.
"How is your mother?" Since Mei Sheng came to live here, she has met Jiang's mother, who used to bring charcoal and food, several times. Jiang's mother cooks very well, especially her pastries, which are soft, fluffy and fragrant.
Strangely enough, ever since Tang Yun started making her some pastries as snacks from time to time, she has gotten into the habit of eating some pastries and drinking some tea in the afternoon.
Han Zhou once said, "Tang Yun did not take good care of the girl and had already gone south back to Wu County."
Mei Sheng sighed softly, no longer wanting to think about the past.
A few days ago, Pei Jue placed her in this ordinary little house and specifically warned her not to leave unless it was important.
Although Mei Sheng could not go out this time, he could figure out the reason: there was a famine in the city, and it would be unsafe to leave the mansion.
The woodshed was located in a small room on the west side of the house. Xiao Jiang neatly stacked the firewood, then swept it clean, and said gratefully, "I am also very grateful to Miss Mei for lending me the money. Don't worry, Miss Mei, I will definitely copy more books in the coming days to pay off the money for the medicine."
Mei Sheng nodded and smiled, "No rush. I'm relieved that your mother is better. I haven't had your mother's pastries for days, and I've been missing them terribly."
Xiao Jiang took the cup of hot tea that Mei Sheng brought him, wiped his sweat, and smiled, "If Miss Mei still wants some, I'll bring some more from home this evening."
Mei Sheng quickly shook his head: "Let's wait until your mother has rested for a few days before we talk about it."
Xiao Jiang had made up his mind, so Mei Sheng had no choice but to give him more money today. Prices were soaring these days, especially for medicinal herbs. Otherwise, why would a young man studying at the academy need to do the work of copying books?
Even after sunset, the corner gate still delivered a tightly wrapped package in oil paper. Inside was authentic hawthorn cake. Hawthorns are plentiful in autumn, and this cake was both sour and sweet, making it very appetizing.
There was also neat handwriting on it: Miss Mei, these pastries are free, your mother made them especially for you.
Mei Sheng smiled, pursing her lips.
Perfect timing! I'll just give this pastry to Pei Jue today, so she won't have to bother making any food herself.
I'll find another opportunity to get closer, so I can dream about it tonight, remember some of the measures taken after the floods, and do my part.
"Cough cough."
Mei Sheng covered her lips and went into the warm room.
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