Chapter 43: Well, a little bitter
The medicine was finished quickly.
Xiao Zhinian took out a clean handkerchief from his sleeve. One corner of the handkerchief was delicately embroidered with a bamboo pattern.
It was exactly the piece that Chen Zhejiang originally had.
After gently wiping the corner of Shen Zhejiang's mouth that was stained with residual medicine, Xiao Zhinian felt a little pain in his heart. He said, "The medicine is so bitter, sir, you didn't even tell me."
"What's wrong with that, I..."
Shen Zhejiang paused, the words I'm used to hanging in the air, and then were swallowed back into his throat.
Then changed to: "Well, a little bitter."
Xiao Zhinian had originally guessed what Shen Zhejiang wanted to say, but he was surprised to see that he had changed his mind temporarily. Suddenly, he realized something, and a bright and warm smile gradually blossomed in his eyes.
Xiao Zhinian put the empty bowl on a small table beside him, where there was an oil paper bag. He picked it up, held it in his palm, and slowly opened it. Five plump and round candied fruits were neatly stacked inside.
Originally, he intended to use it when Shen Zhejiang complained about the pain, but he did not expect Shen Zhejiang to drink the whole bowl of medicine without changing his expression.
But fortunately, it is still useful now and not wasted.
Xiao Zhinian picked out the one on top and stuffed it into Chen Zhejiang's mouth. With a smile on his face, he asked, "Sir, is it delicious?"
Although the bitterness is strong, it melts away easily and is covered by the sweet taste.
For Shen Zhejiang, it was unprecedented to combine decoction with candied fruit.
Although Shen Zhejiang is the only son of the Shen family, he did not grow up in pampering. In his memory, his father always had a serious face and was always very strict in teaching him, not allowing any mistakes.
I remember one time, when he was about four or five years old, he thought the medicine was too bitter. His mother felt sorry for him, so she secretly bought two candied fruits to coax him to take the medicine. But I don’t know where his father got the information from, he immediately snatched the candied fruits from his hand and threw them into the brazier, and even hit him ten times on the palm of his hand with a ruler.
Because of this, my mother had a big quarrel with my father. Their loving relationship had become a legend in the capital at that time, but the sound of the quarrel drowned out all other sounds in the mansion that day.
It was from that time that Shen Zhejiang no longer needed these things used to coax children.
“Very sweet.”
Shen Zhejiang nodded and smiled lightly.
Xiao Zhinian's eyes flashed with cunning, and he suddenly moved closer to Shen Zhejiang, only half an inch away: "Really? Let me have a taste too."
As soon as he finished speaking, he leaned down and kissed Shen Zhejiang, even boldly rolling the candied fruit in Shen Zhejiang's mouth that had not yet melted. The sweet scent spread and lingered between the two people's nostrils.
Breathing is a little rapid.
Shen Zhejiang clutched the corner of the quilt, trying to divert his attention, but Xiao Zhinian pinched his chin, and they fell into despair together.
The handful of preserved fruits slipped from Xiao Zhinian's hands one after another at some point, trembling like someone's heartbeat, and rolled to the edge of the gauze curtain.
When Xiao Zhinian had tasted enough, Shen Zhejiang panted slightly and said in a low voice: "There are still so many, you want to snatch them from me?"
Xiao Zhinian licked his lips that still had the fragrance and smiled freely: "Because the master is the sweetest."
"......" Shen Zhejiang couldn't do anything to him for a while, so he just said, "I'm sleepy and I want to sleep."
"good."
Xiao Zhinian helped Shen Zhejiang to sleep, pulled the quilt over and covered him carefully, tucked in the corners of the quilt carefully, and quickly and gently lowered the curtains.
Shen Zhejiang turned his head and saw Xiao Zhinian busy tidying up through the hazy gauze curtain.
He brought a thick quilt and spread it on the floor, then put another layer on top of it. Then he lay down in it, and finally he calmed down.
"...Are you going to sleep on the floor?"
"Um."
Xiao Zhinian put one hand on the back of his head. In the dim candlelight, he saw Shen Zhejiang looking at him, so he turned over and faced Shen Zhejiang sideways.
For some reason, Shen Zhejiang felt his heartbeat speed up, like the sound of a drum.
He suddenly remembered the time when Xiao Zhinian asked him to stay and sleep with him in the palace, except that they swapped positions. After so many years, there are always some things that will never change.
Chen Zhejiang drew circles on the bed with his fingertips from time to time. After a while, he heard himself pretending to ask casually: "Why don't you come up to sleep?"
The sound is very soft.
"Huh?" Xiao Zhinian was surprised and delighted. Perhaps he had not expected Shen Zhejiang to ask him this. He suddenly turned over from the nest he had just built, "What are you talking about, sir?"
There was no way Shen Zhejiang would repeat it again. His face was already a little hot. He closed his eyes and said, "...Forget it if you didn't hear it. It's nothing. Go to sleep."
Thinking back to those words, the more I thought about them, the more I felt that they were like a cordial invitation to Xiao Zhinian to sleep in the same bed with him, which made him seem too eager.
I immediately felt seven points of regret.
After a while, a slight rustling sound came into my ears, followed by Xiao Zhinian's cheerful voice, but it was affirmative: "I heard it, you were asking me if I wanted to go to bed, I don't want to."
The rejection was so decisive that Shen Zhejiang felt uncomfortable, and there was a hint of coldness in his tone: "It's up to you."
Hearing the aloofness in his words, knowing that he must have misunderstood, Xiao Zhinian quickly said, "It's not that I don't want to, but you are injured now, and I'm afraid that if I sleep in an improper posture, I might hurt you. Besides, if I sleep on the floor, I will be close to you and it will be convenient for you to take care of me."
"......"
I see.
After Shen Zhejiang understood the reason, he became annoyed. He actually used these trivial matters to throw tantrums at Xiao Zhinian. Would Xiao Zhinian think he was too willful?
But at this moment, Xiao Zhinian's clear voice sounded again, and it seemed to be much closer to him: "Sir, you also know that I am not very smart, and sometimes I can't understand the meaning of your words, so, sir, just say whatever you want to say."
Shen Zhejiang hummed, still a little sleepy, thinking about what they were investigating, and asked, "What have you found out about Luo Xiaobei?"
Xiao Zhinian said, "I found a lot of medicine bottles in his house, hidden in the secret compartments of the cabinets. So Luo Xiaobei is not always stupid. Maybe he was stimulated as the postman said. I asked Han Weiwei, and those medicines will not kill the post horses, but will make them fall into a coma for a short time."
"In this case, Luo Xiaobei did not deal with the dead horse, but just transported it somewhere else."
"My thoughts are similar to yours, but I don't know where he transported the post horses. In addition, I found a gold ingot under Luo Xiaobei's bed. He must have been deceived by money and bribed."
Shen Zhejiang agreed, "This matter must be related to the merchants in Luocheng who do business in post horses."
"I only know Zhao Jianji, so let's start with him. As for the assassin who hurt you," Xiao Zhinian gritted his teeth and said, "I will not let him go."
-
Two days later, the moon set and the stars moved.
A dark shadow appeared on the roof of a courtyard somewhere in the Zhao Mansion, crouching down to look at everything below. From a distance, it completely blended into the night, with only a pair of sharp eyes showing.
It was Xiao Zhinian.
He looked around and immediately jumped off the eaves, but at this moment, the patrolling guard slowly approached with a lantern. Xiao Zhinian acted decisively and hid behind a tall tree, hiding his entire body in the darkness.
As soon as they walked away, he jumped into the yard.
It was pitch black all around. Xiao Zhinian walked lightly and groped his way forward. He spent two days mapping out the topography of the Zhao Mansion and looked at it many times. He knew by heart where there were grass and trees and where the houses and courtyards were.
This is the study room that Zhao Jianji often visits. If my guess is correct, the clue he is looking for is here.
But where exactly?
Gradually getting used to the darkness, Xiao Zhinian scanned every corner of the room with an expressionless face. The four treasures of the study were inevitably placed on the table, but he searched through them but found nothing.
I looked at the row of antique shelves behind the desk and turned them upside down, but still found nothing.
Xiao Zhinian leaned against the pillar by the window, narrowed his eyes, stroked his chin and thought again in his mind. According to Zhao Jianji's character, he would definitely not put such an important thing as the account book in a conspicuous place.
“Squeak—”
Suddenly, the door opened with a strange noise.
Xiao Zhinian was shocked.
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