Chapter 97: Zhemei 7 Who is Brother Xiaoyan to you?
Although his consciousness was groggy, he felt at ease.
In early spring, the rain in the south of the Yangtze River is drizzling but gentle, and the soft wind makes the banana leaves in front of the hall rub against each other intimately.
It was a good time to sleep in the afternoon. Song Yanze leaned against the bed, lit a lamp and read a book, his head nodding.
I don't want to watch it, but the teacher has an exam tomorrow, and if I don't hurry up, I won't be able to sleep at night.
After falling asleep for the fourth time, Song Yanze simply got up and opened the wooden window. Fresh water vapor hit his face, the sound of falling rain was very pleasant, and the bells under the eaves rang in the rain.
"Where did this beggar come from? Go away!"
Song Yanze had his hair loose, with only a red tassel tied at the end of his hair. He stretched out his hand to catch the water drops.
"Are you still not leaving? If you don't leave, I'll call someone..."
Song Yanze suddenly stood up, and shouted loudly, "Lianxin? What's wrong?"
Normally he would not care about these things, but today he was sleepy and could not concentrate on reading. He put on an indigo brocade robe, walked out of the courtyard holding an oil-paper umbrella with a red plum painting on it, and pushed open half of the back door.
Lianxin was just a child of fourteen or fifteen years old like him at that time. She was even more furious when she saw that she had alarmed her master. She picked up a big broom and was about to beat the man who was standing in front of her yard.
“Wait!”
"Master! You don't know, this guy is waiting at our back door, and just now he tried to climb over the wall to get in. He's a thief!"
Lianxin couldn't speak Mandarin yet, so she spoke Suzhou dialect in a hoarse voice. Song Yanze quickly gave him the umbrella and told him not to worry about it.
This is the back alley of two mansions, with white walls, black tiles, and bluestone slabs shining brightly from the water. A figure is curled up beside the backyard door, wrapped in rags and a torn straw mat.
You don't even need to get close to it, the unpleasant smell makes people frown.
Song Yanze did not go closer, but observed around, and saw that his fingernails and toenails were dirty but neat, there were wounds on his exposed arms, and his clothes were dirty and torn, but it could be seen that they were cotton brocade clothes, not the ordinary beggar's linen.
Not to mention that he was holding a delicate little dagger in his hand. No wonder Lianxin reacted so strongly. She was afraid that he would break in and hurt someone.
"Brother? I wonder what kind of trouble you are in? Why do you become a thief..."
"I don't!"
A hoarse voice interrupted him, and it was obvious that it sounded just like Lianxin's, who was in the voice-changing period like him, and was not much older.
What surprised Song Yanze even more was that he could understand Gusu dialect, because the man replied in Kyoto Mandarin.
Song Yanze saw the pair of black eyes under his messy hair. The two looked at each other for a moment and were both stunned.
He was obviously trembling and looked like he was about to faint. Song Yanze pursed his lips and took two steps closer to discuss things.
"Give me the dagger first, and we will take you in to rescue you. When you are ready to leave, we will return it to you."
"Sir! What do you care about him?"
Song Yanze's white brocade boots stepped in the water, his black hair hung down, and the red tassels twirled gently in the wind. The smell of ink from his books mixed with the fragrance of plum blossoms drifted over in the soft mist of Jiangnan.
The dim light from the sky shone through the red plum oil-paper umbrella. Song Yanze stretched out his hand to him, with a little excitement and curiosity in his eyes.
"Do you agree?"
He subconsciously grasped the small dagger in his hand, hid it in his arms, and refused to let go. Seeing that his cheeks and eyes were red, Song Yanze immediately squatted down and reached out to touch his forehead.
He stepped back cautiously and bumped into the wall.
Song Yanze still put his hand on it. He frowned, and his beautiful eyes were outlined like ink. The scent of his body was on his cuffs, fragrant and warm.
"Sir! Dirty!"
"Lianxin, he has a fever." Song Yanze looked at him with some embarrassment and assured him again.
"I don't want your things. Although there are no women in the courtyard, we still have to consider safety."
He spoke in Suzhou dialect with a gentle tone, deliberately speaking slowly, and the soft Wu dialect tickled my ears.
He finally reached out and handed him the small dagger, then relaxed his body and threw himself into his arms.
"Lianxin! Come and give me a hand! Oh, forget about the umbrella!"
He leaned on the young master's shoulder. The soft and smooth black hair had a faint fragrance, which tickled him along with the wind and rain.
A sudden surge of anger and cruelty arose in his heart. He reached out to grab his hair. The hair slid smoothly through his fingers, and only a piece of red hair tie was held in his hand.
The young master smiled and spoke to him softly.
"Go to sleep, you will be fine after a good night's sleep."
"Go to sleep, I'll watch over you."
The only light in the room was the tea oil lamp beside the bed. The room was dimly lit. Jiang Tingyuan took off his sword and threw it aside. He twisted the handkerchief and wiped his cheek, whispering to him.
Leaves, dust, blood
His hands and feet were broken, his head was bruised, and he was hiding in the woods alone.
Such a clean and delicate person.
He should be there in person, he should be there.
The doctor had not arrived yet, so Jiang Tingyuan could only deal with it simply. At least the bleeding on his head had stopped.
There were bruises on the skin under his underwear. After Jiang Tingyuan cleaned it and tucked in the quilt, he realized that his hands were shaking.
There was still a large pool of his blood on his chest. Jiang Tingyuan couldn't help but keep reaching out to feel his pulse. The pulsation under his fingertips was like a thin thread that held his sanity tight.
"Sir, the doctor is here. Will you personally examine those people?"
Jiang Tingyuan said nothing, just watching the doctor treating the person on the bed. His palms were wet, and there was a faint smell of blood. He clenched his palms, and his face disappeared into the shadows.
"My lord, your arm is fine. You fixed it very well. But the injury on your leg is hard to say. You can only fix it and heal it slowly. You can't move."
"Deep cuts on the head are just external injuries. The bumps on the back of the head need to be taken seriously. I'll prescribe some blood-dispersing medicine first. I estimate that he will be unconscious for a few days."
Xuan Qing breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed that his life was no longer in danger.
But when he looked up, he saw that Commander Jiang had no joy on his face. He remained silent and stood guard beside the bed.
"Xuan Qing, those four are from the Imperial Court."
Without even looking up, he took the medicine from the doctor and took care of the wound himself. Xuan Qing was startled and bowed his hands in a deep voice to apologize.
"I've said, only one should be left to be interrogated." Jiang Tingyuan embraced Song Yanze, held him in his arms from behind, and cooperated with the doctor to bandage him carefully.
"The others can be killed right there, without having to hide from people, so that everyone can see."
His voice was very soft, and he was considerate of the person who was sleeping with a frown in his arms, but it made Xuan Qing break out in a cold sweat on his back.
Jiang Tingyuan's intention was not only to kill those imperial envoys, but also those managers in the warehouse.
I killed them until only two were left and went back to interrogate them. I killed them one by one in front of them, not knowing if I would be the next to die.
Jiang Tingyuan lowered his eyes, the candlelight was warm yellow, his eyes and brows were focused and meticulous, his movements were light, and he felt gentle.
Xuan Qing took the order and went out.
Jiang Tingyuan and Song Yanze have always had different ideas.
Song Yanze learned benevolence, love for all people, and education; but he, a man who crawled out of a pile of dead bodies, only learned killing and brutality.
Only by killing and fear can people understand what to do and what not to do. Some people cannot be taught, cannot be saved, and can only be killed.
The next morning, the arranged carriage arrived, and Jiang Tingyuan carried him back to the house. Song Yanze didn't wake up, so Jiang Tingyuan patiently poured the medicine into him little by little.
He also arranged for the medicine to be cooked in the yard, and it could be seen by opening half of the window, so there was no possibility of any tampering.
Lianxin was completely unable to help, with this familiar feeling of being out of favor... He could only stay in the yard to cook medicine and could not even squeeze into the house.
The small courtyard is not big. In order to facilitate office work, Song Yanze used a curtain to separate the bedroom. The other side is where he handles documents when he returns home every day.
The wind blew the gauze, Jiang Tingyuan put down the bowl of medicine in his hand, walked over, lifted the gauze curtain and closed the window.
On the desk, the wind blew the books and a page filled with writing floated out. It was Song Yanze's handwriting, and on it were the names of some people involved in the case, many of which had small notes at the back.
He was about to put it back when he saw his name in a small corner at the bottom, with a line of small words next to it.
"Yanzhou? Kyoto?"
Jiang Tingyuan paused, tapping the handwriting with his fingers. It was newer than the others. Jiang Tingyuan folded the note and stuffed it back. He lowered his eyes and thought for a while, then sneered.
Which little trick of the immortal messenger is this?
The Imperial Court's men turned around to hunt them down, the itinerary that only the two knew about was leaked, and the grain and account books in the warehouse were replaced in advance...
So insidious.
*
After waking up from the misty rain of Jiangnan, Song Yanze was in a daze for a long time. He stared blankly at the bed curtain with his eyes open, always feeling that he would be able to see him if he turned around.
"woke up?"
Now I have come back to my senses. When I turn around, I can only see one colleague standing by the bed, blocking out all the light.
"Thank you..." He coughed twice before he could speak, and his coughing made his head hurt.
Jiang Tingyuan placed the medicine on a small table beside him, then slowly and skillfully lifted him up, sat down beside the bed and let him lean on his arms.
Song Yanze couldn't get away from him normally, and now he was like a chicken, letting him manipulate him.
"Thank you..."
"Don't talk, drink the medicine first."
Jiang Tingyuan's tone was not bad, but Song Yanze felt a little emotional for some reason. It was difficult for him to take medicine. He would not drink it if it was too strong, too bitter, too strange in color, or if he was in a bad mood.
Now all four are complete. He purses his pale, cracked lips and closes his eyes.
Jiang Tingyuan knew his problem too well, and without giving him time to react, he grabbed his hand and fiercely pinched his cheek, locking his gums so that he tilted his head back and could not close his mouth.
The sour and bitter medicine was forced into his mouth and he could only swallow it. He pulled Jiang Tingyuan's hand, but it did no good except hurt his fingers.
Before he could curse, he put a salted plum into his mouth. His cheeks felt sour, but the taste was his favorite, so his mouth was busy savouring the flavor.
She just slapped away his fingers and looked at him with red eyes.
"Master Xiao Song, do you still remember who saved you?"
Song Yanze suddenly realized and remembered the word "nerd", but that didn't mean anything.
Brother Xiaoyan is just a refugee and should be in the military camp now. He has no noble status and it is impossible for him to have any connection with the Marquis's family in Kyoto. There is no reason for him to appear in Huizhou and meet him.
"Commander Jiang."
Song Yanze lowered his eyelashes to hide the melancholy in his eyes, and his voice unconsciously became a little cold.
Jiang Tingyuan was choked by his voice, and couldn't help but lower his head and move closer to him, wanting to see his expression.
"But Lord Jiang, it was your Imperial Court who forced me to this point."
Song Yanze sneered. His arms and legs were fixed and he couldn't move. He could only lie in his arms and twist his waist to struggle. He still had the face to do that.
He glanced up and frowned, not used to him being so close.
"Yes, but it was obviously not my instruction, otherwise there would be no need to rescue you that night."
Jiang Tingyuan knew too well what kind of person his Song Yanze was. Don't ask him whether he believed it or not, and don't talk about it in ambiguous ways.
His Lord Xiao Song only listens to facts, and no one can sway his decision, whether to believe it or not.
"You and I are the only ones who know about going to Okura." Song Yanze looked straight at him, watching every change in the expression on his face.
"You should already know about the warehouse account book and the grain. How do you explain it, Commander Jiang?"
"The Imperial Office is not clean. You wrote an official letter about going to Okura, not just told me verbally in private. There must be something wrong with the people who handled this journey."
"During the days you were unconscious, I have reviewed everything from beginning to end. Those who should be killed have been killed, and those who should be detained have been detained. There are twelve people in total. You can come for a private interrogation at any time."
"We killed three of the four imperial eunuchs who were chasing you, and the other one is in jail for trial, so it's hard to pry him open. We found a total of 400 taels of precious banknotes from them."
Jiang Tingyuan spoke one by one with a calm expression, answering every question in detail.
"You have prepared these arguments." Song Yanze listened and did not rush to say whether he believed it or not.
"yes."
Jiang Tingyuan held his shoulders with his palms. He could let him sit or sleep, but the feeling of his chest against his back was too good, and he couldn't bear to let go.
"When I went to the warehouse that night, I looked at the account books and documents. It was obvious that the itinerary had been leaked. They had been prepared in advance."
"You went out alone that day, and the imperial messenger did not report back. You did not return after the scheduled time, and they did not report anything."
"The whole thing is enough for me to guess what's going on."
Jiang Tingyuan didn't mention the note. He wanted to hear Song Yanze ask himself.
Song Yanze exhaled lightly and laughed: "It seems that I have no reason not to believe it."
Jiang Tingyuan tightened his grip and asked him, "Do you believe it or not?"
Song Yanze's eyebrows were calm: "Is it important? Anyway, I won't treat you as an enemy. If there is a similar thing in the future, I will talk to you in person, not send an official letter."
Song Yanze didn't really believe that it was Jiang Tingyuan who ordered it. It's just that in official circles, one must always be cautious.
What Song Yanze said was correct, and it was true in theory, but... it was not enough for him.
Jiang Tingyuan admitted that he was a little impatient and was being unreasonable.
But why can Brother Xiaoyan be trusted unconditionally, but Jiang Tingyuan cannot?
He was no longer Tingyan from Huizhou, nor could he go back to being Brother Xiaoyan. He didn't want to be just Brother Xiaoyan, so he became Jiang Tingyuan.
He is not even better than himself.
"Brother Xiaoyan." Jiang Tingyuan suddenly lowered his head and asked softly in his ear.
"Who is he to you?"
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