Peony
Within a few miles outside Yanjing City, there are many houses with blue bricks and tiles, pieced together in one area. Because this area is too close to Yanjing, the scenery is decent, and the house prices are quite high. Most of them are private residences bought by officials and wealthy merchants in the capital.
"I'm so sorry, Auntie, it's all my fault. I made you miss the train. Don't worry, once I see my father, I'll make him let you go right away." A girl dressed as a man in the room was clearly restless, pacing anxiously around the room, her words full of guilt.
Seeing that Mei Sheng was somewhat absent-minded while holding the bundle, he put his hands together and said with a hint of regret in his eyes, "Auntie, take these as my compensation."
After saying that, she took out some gold jewelry and silver notes from her waist and stuffed them all into Mei Sheng's hand.
It was this action that finally brought Mei Sheng back to her senses. Staring at the silver coins in her hand, she could only manage a bitter smile.
I never expected to be so unlucky, encountering one obstacle after another.
Bai Qi felt she was implicating others and was too embarrassed to get too close to Mei Sheng. Thinking of this, she didn't dare to say anything more even if Mei Sheng didn't reply.
Who told her to accidentally bump into her aunt while running away! And it even prevented her aunt from getting on the boat.
The room wasn't small, and there was a carved wooden window on the west side. At that moment, the wooden window was pushed open forcefully by someone outside. It was already dark, and the little girl handed in a lacquered wooden food box, then closed it again.
The girl was not one to stay still. Upon seeing the maid's face, she stepped forward, pounded on the window frame, and cried out, "Xiao Lan, let me out quickly!"
The maid named Xiaolan timidly said, "Miss, I'm sorry." Then she fell silent.
The old woman guarding the gate was so loud that her ears hurt, so she could only coax her, "Seventh Miss, please calm down."
"We servants have no choice but to do this. The food has already been served. Miss, please stay put and don't throw a tantrum, otherwise you'll be the one who suffers."
Bai Qi didn't accept the words of comfort, but only sneered, "A bunch of cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong!" She cursed a few more times before stopping.
After a moment, she squatted down, propping her small face up with her hand and staring blankly.
"Tell me, why me of all people?"
The girl stared blankly, lost in thought.
Mei Sheng opened the food box and took out the food. On the top layer were sesame cakes and steamed apricot milk pastries, and on the bottom layer was a dish of sweet lotus root with osmanthus.
Having ended up in this predicament, she should have been furious and resentful of this twist of fate.
But Mei Sheng was not one to wallow in self-pity. After a long day of running around, she was exhausted and extremely hungry.
She was unusually calm and comforted a girl in a similar situation: "Eat something. You'll have hope if you're full."
Fate is fickle. If the old man hadn't warned her about the pickpocket, she wouldn't have checked her bag before boarding the ship, wouldn't have turned around hastily after discovering her jade pendant was missing, and wouldn't have bumped into the girl in her panic.
Thinking about it this way, she felt a sense of loss and silently ate the pancake.
Both being fellow sufferers, Bai Qi was stubborn and refused to eat, but seeing Mei Sheng enjoying her meal, she couldn't help but try a few bites.
The girl kept talking as she ate.
Her name was Bai Qi, and she was the seventh child in her family. Her father, wanting to curry favor with the powerful, wanted to give her to a high-ranking official and a villain as his second wife.
Tonight, while her father was receiving a distinguished guest, she disguised herself as a man and escaped from the Bai residence, just like in the stories of women in tales. For some reason, she was discovered not long after leaving the residence.
Bai Qi rested her chin on her hands, looking confused: "Why do the storybooks say that if I change into men's clothing, people won't recognize me? Auntie, don't I look like a man to you?"
Upon hearing this, Mei Sheng took a closer look. The girl opposite him was dressed in a crescent-shaped cross-collar robe and a square scarf on her head, looking every bit the refined scholar.
The girl had arched eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, without any makeup, and her lips were red and her teeth were white. There were only noticeable small holes in her ears, and no obvious protrusions in her throat.
Without needing to scrutinize her closely, anyone with a deep understanding of women would recognize her at a glance.
After careful consideration, Mei Sheng said, "It's similar, but there are still some shortcomings in the details." He then offered some suggestions.
Bai Qi seemed to understand something, grinned, and praised, "As expected of your aunt." After saying that, she suddenly stared blankly at the meat pie she had just taken a bite of.
Bai Qi looked up, held the pancake up to Mei Sheng's face with both hands, and sniffed, "This looks like the pancake my mother makes, boohoo..."
Before Mei Sheng could think of a way to comfort her, Xiao Fu whispered from outside the window, "It was made by Auntie herself, Miss. Master has fulfilled Auntie's wish and brought her back to the mansion."
The implication is that as long as Bai Qi accepts her fate and marries into the family properly, her mother will be fine.
Upon hearing this, Bai Qi suddenly stood up, her small face filled with fear and anger.
"asshole!"
Bai Qi, her face flushed with anger, kicked the green wall in a fit of rage. The next moment, she winced in pain, unable to cry or be angry anymore, only feeling pain.
"My dad is heartless!"
Mei Sheng looked up in response and offered a few words of comfort. Once the girl's breathing had calmed down, he gently inquired about the houses and streets in the vicinity.
How familiar are you with this area?
Bai Qi's clear eyes froze for a moment. She tilted her head and looked back at Mei Sheng before asking in confusion, "Auntie, I always feel that you and my mother are somewhat different."
"In terms of appearance, I can't compare." Mei Sheng coughed lightly, her calm eyes gazing out the window paper as she carefully planned how to get to the capital as quickly as possible if she were to go out.
To everyone's surprise, Bai Qi shook her head, even she herself only had a vague understanding: "No, I can't explain it either."
Mei Sheng thought to herself, even though the makeup was covering her face and she was being fooled by her appearance, she was still not a middle-aged woman. She raised an eyebrow at her and thought, "This girl does have some discernment."
That night, their relationship eased further. Bai Qi had intended for Mei Sheng to sleep on the bed while she slept on the floor. However, the night grew chilly, and a cold draft seeped through the gaps in the floor. She groggily made her way to the bed, hugged the blanket, and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, as soon as Bai Qi woke up, she saw Aunt Mei sitting in front of the bronze mirror, fiddling with her makeup box. Half asleep, she only heard her say, "That's enough."
The voice was melodious and pleasant, so Bai Qi could only try to coax herself to sleep and not have any strange dreams.
It wasn't until mid-morning that the wooden door opened, and Granny Xu came in with several servants, beaming: "Oh dear, Seventh Miss, Master has important business to attend to and can't come. That gentleman said he's coming to fetch you personally with a sedan chair. You're truly blessed."
Bai Qi blinked, pointed at Mei Sheng, and, realizing she couldn't escape, told Granny Xu to let Mei Sheng leave.
Granny Xu, with her neck stiffened, looked Mei Sheng up and down with a slightly critical eye. She found that there was nothing particularly outstanding about this person, and besides, it was just that her subordinates had grabbed the wrong person yesterday.
She smiled ingratiatingly, "Oh, Seventh Miss, what are you saying? Guards, release them immediately!"
After saying this, Bai Qi dejectedly parted from Mei Sheng, her face gradually darkening as she walked away.
Upon seeing this, Mei Sheng's eyes flickered.
She pretended to be reserved, tucking her hands into her sleeves, and kindly reminded the old woman, "Seeing such a beautiful young lady, I wonder which family is so lucky. But her clothes are rather inappropriate. Why don't you change her into a wedding dress?"
The old woman at the door paused, her gaze falling on Bai Qi's incongruous men's clothing. She glanced at the sun, clutching her handkerchief with a conflicted expression.
Mei Sheng took half a step forward and whispered obsequiously, "If I persuade you to wear that wedding dress, will there be any money?"
The old woman gave Mei Sheng a disdainful look, thought for a moment, and nodded secretly.
If this pockmarked woman manages to do this, then I won't have to worry about it. This Seventh Miss doesn't listen to her!
Bai Qi stood at a distance, puzzled, and asked, "Aunt Mei, what are you talking about?"
Seeing Bai Qi's affectionate address to the pockmarked woman, Granny Xu felt even more at ease. She waved her hand, and several maids behind her entered the room one by one, bowing their heads and putting down the trays in their hands.
The wedding dress was bright red, the veil embroidered with mandarin ducks was red, the wedding gown and necklace were made of gold, and there were also some other headdresses.
As the two entered the house, Granny Xu was still uneasy. She gave a wink, and an ordinary maid followed them into the house.
"Auntie, you actually want me to change into this wedding dress? I really misjudged you!"
"Miss Bai, as the saying goes, a woman..."
After that, Bai Qi's voice gradually disappeared, leaving only the sound of clothes rubbing together.
Granny Xu smiled with satisfaction.
Before long, Mei Sheng helped Bai Qi, who was wearing a wedding dress and a red veil, step out of the threshold. On the wrist between Mei Sheng's and Bai Qi's hands, a red peony bloomed, making her skin appear even whiter and more like jade.
With a smile, Granny Xu moved the flower onto the wedding dress, pondered for a while, and then took the opportunity to peek at Bai Qi while adjusting her veil.
Who else could it be but Bai Qi?
Now, Granny Xu was completely relieved.
Meanwhile, news had already arrived from Pei Jue's side.
Although he did not stay in Yanjing for long, the nobles he associated with were far beyond what ordinary people could compare to. With just a little inquiry from him, the Yanjing government office in charge of reissuing travel permits would investigate all the travel permits issued recently.
Upon comparison, only a few travel permits were incorrect. Pei Jue sent people to investigate their whereabouts, and the names and ages on those travel permits also fell into Pei Jue's hands.
Suddenly, Pei Jue was drawn to a name: Mei Sheng. He looked at the jade pendant on the table, which was gleaming in the candlelight, and his expression turned cold.
Where is this person now?
A moment later, Han Zhou reported that the man was currently at Prefect Bai's private residence in Xiliangfang outside the capital. Strangely, Commander Lu had also sent people there to keep an eye on him.
After saying that, Han Zhou added, "Could it be that you're holding a grudge because of the last case and want to kidnap the young lady to threaten me?"
"Pass this plan for flood control in the south to Qingyao, and have him quickly send it south to Xiao Yin. He knows what to do."
These days, Pei Jue has been so busy. Besides the several cases in the past few months, the area under his jurisdiction in the south has been suddenly flooded. Currently, one county is suffering greatly, with houses collapsing and food shortages.
What worried Pei Jue even more was the rampant plague that followed the flood, which urgently required disaster relief, as well as the repair of the dikes and the stabilization of public morale.
Han Zhou accepted the order and immediately sent an urgent letter.
Taking the riding whip from the guard, Pei Jue sneered, wrapping the red thread with the jade pendant around his wrist, feeling displeased. A widow, is she? Heading north, is she?
She loves going out so much, but she doesn't like staying by his side!
With that, Pei Jue led his men towards the outskirts of the city. Xiliangfang was some distance from the Pei residence in Yanjing, and it took Pei Jue a few quarters of an hour to arrive.
"Auntie, your painting skills are amazing! You're so unassuming. Could you be a reclusive master who came here specifically to save me?"
Bai Qi touched the area between her thumb and forefinger; there were no flowers there, only pure white.
As Mei Sheng first left that street of houses, unlike Bai Qi, she did not feel the joy of escaping death. Instead, her brows were furrowed and her lips were tightly pursed.
Just after turning a corner, the alleyway branched into several lanes, which were very confusing. Mei Sheng suddenly pulled Bai Qi behind a haystack and gestured for the bewildered girl to be quiet.
Shh, someone's there.
She opened her mouth silently and peered out through the narrow gap. Sure enough, there were several people looking around. Seeing that the alley was empty, they quickly separated to search, and in an instant, the group disappeared from sight.
Mei Sheng whispered something in her ear.
"We'll change into our outer garments and run separately later..."
Little did she know that Bai Qi was staring at her neck, lost in thought, and stood there dumbfounded.
After Mei Sheng explained everything, the two changed their clothes. Just as they took a step, they were startled to their feet by a sinister voice.
"So this is my bride."
Lu Lan stood on high ground, let out a cold snort, and the scars on half of his face became ferocious, making him look particularly sinister and terrifying.
When Bai Qi saw him, she looked at him as if she had seen a ghost, immediately grabbed Mei Sheng's hand, and ran faster than a rabbit.
"Auntie, please do your best. This man is more terrifying than Yama, the King of Hell!"
Just now, Bai Qi was wearing men's clothing under her wedding dress. Now that the two have exchanged clothes, the men's clothing is now on Mei Sheng's body.
Recently, Lu Lan was poisoned, and although his vision was impaired, he could still tell at a glance which one was the wife he was going to marry, and the ugly man who was holding her hand and acting recklessly.
His eyes were filled with ferocity as he muttered, "You're not with me just because of this effeminate man?"
Lu Lan subconsciously took the arrow handed to him by his subordinate, nocked the bowstring, and aimed at Mei Sheng.
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