Chapter 23 Meeting Again: Catching the Fox's Tail
When the official boat arrived at the Suzhou ferry, it was already dark.
Pei Xiaoyun wore a black brocade robe with gold trim. He had broad shoulders and long legs, and his robe fluttered in the wind, exuding an air of nobility.
Upon reaching the shore, only the Suzhou Assistant Magistrate and a few magistrates came to greet them. The Suzhou Prefect was still dealing with the case of the Kongchan Sect's attack on officials' families and was unable to arrive in time.
Nowadays, everyone knows that although Pei Xiaoyun is just a minister, he has the title of regent, wields immense power, and is absolute in his word. The officials of Suzhou have long prepared wine and dishes at Baili Qinglelou to welcome him.
The sycophants rushed forward: "Lord Pei, please."
Pei Xiaoyun disdained the flattery of these people, pursed her lips and remained silent, got into the carriage, and her figure blended into the night, appearing particularly chilling.
He came not only to investigate the case, but also to personally inquire about her whereabouts. After so many years of silence, he wanted to see if she had indeed died in Suzhou.
Recently, members of the Kongchan Sect have been roaming around Suzhou, making the streets and alleys unusually quiet. Only Bailiqing remains warm and bustling with tourists and guests.
"Lord Pei, you must be tired from your journey. We have selected a fine pipa dance to help you dispel your worries and relieve your fatigue."
Pei Xiaoyun sat down behind the beaded curtain. The warm breeze carrying the scent of perfume made her forehead throb slightly. When she heard the pipa dance music, her eyes darkened even more.
After Mingying finished her makeup and changed into her dress, she was required to cover her face with a veil for this dance to highlight the unique, hazy beauty.
Her graceful figure, as beautiful as a lotus emerging from the water, made the six dancers beside her pale in comparison, including Hua Rao, who had always regarded her as a thorn in his side.
Hua Rao clenched her fists, having already made her plans, a smug smile playing on her lips.
As three rounds of applause sounded from behind the curtain, seven dancers made their orderly entrance with light, graceful steps.
Pei Xiaoyun saw the figures of the seven women through the swaying beaded curtain and felt bored and annoyed. He wanted to beckon them to leave, but the moment he raised his hand, the sound of a pipa began to play.
The clear, melodious strings reached his ears, and the woman before him danced gracefully. As if guided by the music, his gaze involuntarily fell upon the woman in the front row.
A string of jade bells adorned her snow-white ankles, their clear, melodious sounds emanating from them with her graceful dance, like a spring trickling from a crack in the rock.
His eyes darkened, and he leaned forward unconsciously. His gaze slowly moved from that ankle to that slender waist, delicate wrist, and above the veil were a pair of bright, watery eyes.
A strange feeling rose in his heart, and he frowned slightly.
The music grew increasingly urgent, and Mingying quickened her movements, vaguely seeing a man sitting behind the beaded curtain. Her features were indistinct, and only a silhouette could be seen.
She was replacing Shen Yao. In the middle of the music, she had to step forward and, surrounded by the crowd, perform a standing archery pose.
She adjusted her posture, slowly stepped forward, and stopped near the beaded curtain. She glanced up and saw something that made her freeze and break out in a cold sweat.
The man's hawk-like eyes were deep and sharp, his eyebrows were coldly arched, and his features were filled with gloom. In a quick glance, she realized he was looking at her.
She quickly avoided that terrifying gaze, like an ant on a hot pan, or a mouse being chased by a cat, panicked and at a loss.
She could see it clearly; it was Pei Xiaoyun.
Three years had passed since they last met, and his eyes and brows had become even more cold and dangerous, as if they were filled with murderous intent.
Three years of memories flooded back to her, and she stiffly touched the ground with her toes, her hands dancing like flowers.
Whether it was a premonition or a memory, she felt that his cold, venomous gaze was about to ensnare her and kill her.
At this moment, it wasn't the drumbeats that were pounding, but her heart.
Seeing that he remained seated, Mingying forced down her panic and comforted herself: with the curtain between them and her face covered, perhaps he didn't recognize her.
She's been "dead" for three years. He's married and has children, and he's probably long forgotten her. How could he possibly recognize her?
Now that he's come to Suzhou, she and Lin Xian will leave to avoid trouble after the dance.
It's fine.
As the song ended, she remained still, her hands still gesturing in a flower-like motion, her expression becoming more serene.
Suddenly, she was pushed from behind, losing her balance and knocking over a flower stand. Even the light veil covering her face fell halfway down.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly covered it with her hand, adjusting her posture as she prepared to leave with the others.
Pei Xiaoyun's eyes flickered; he had just caught a glimpse of half of her face, but unfortunately, the beaded curtain obscured his view, preventing him from seeing it clearly.
For some reason, a flame gradually ignited in his heart.
"etc."
He was about to raise his hand to call the woman forward when, in a flash, a sharp arrow pierced through the air, penetrating the window screen and heading straight for his chest. He caught the arrow with lightning speed, his brows furrowed so deeply they seemed to drip water.
"Quick! There's an assassin downstairs! Catch the assassin!"
The accompanying officials shouted.
Upon hearing that there was an assassin, the dancers and musicians screamed and scattered like birds and beasts.
Mingying didn't even have time to change her clothes. She ran barefoot for a hundred miles, heading towards Lin Xian's residence.
Lin Xian heard the urgent knocking and opened the door to find Ming Ying standing outside in a disheveled state. "Aying, what's wrong?"
Mingying's voice trembled as she grabbed his arm with her cold hand: "Ziming, we can't stay in Suzhou any longer, let's go quickly."
—
For several days, Pei Xiaoyun was busy trying to catch that audacious assassin.
It was discovered that this person was a member of the Kongchan Cult. After failing to assassinate the person, he killed several civilians in the street to vent his anger.
The officials in Suzhou were thoroughly berated by him, and they trembled like leaves, shrinking their necks like quails.
“This isn’t the first time the Kongchan Sect has killed civilians in Suzhou.” Pei Xiaoyun glanced sideways, his dark eyes fixed on them.
The arrow that was used to assassinate him was poisoned. Although it only cut his palm, it was still fatal. If it weren't for He Lianqing's medicine, he would probably be in grave danger.
He beckoned the maid who was bandaging him to leave, his eyes flashing with malice, and issued an order: "If you can't find this person's whereabouts within three days, you can forget about wearing your official hats."
"We will certainly do our utmost."
After everyone left, Pei Xiaoyun lay in the armchair, pretending to doze off, vaguely remembering someone—the woman who danced in Baili.
That fleeting glimpse of half a face always tugged at his heartstrings, like plucking a string in his heart, deafening and dizzying.
Perhaps the arrow poison clashed with the poison in his body, causing him to suffer frequent poisoning attacks, and he clutched his chest and vomited a mouthful of black blood.
Kong Qing called He Lianqing in.
He Lianqing already knew his physical condition well. She gave him a pill, looked at him and said, "You're thinking about women again?"
"What are you saying?" Pei Xiaoyun asked, taking a deep breath.
"Don't think I don't know, you'll be poisoned if you think about women, it's better if you don't."
He Lianqing closed the medicine box and gave Kong Qing a few more pills.
He heard from Kong Qing that their uncle had once run away with a concubine, and after she left, he had been searching for her, but to no avail, and his health was deteriorating.
“Your medicine contains a snow lotus herb. Only a few snow lotus plants grow each year, and you can’t buy it even if you have money. Once you’ve used up the snow lotus herb, I won’t be able to save you.”
He Lianqing shook his head helplessly: "What kind of woman can't you have? Just beckon her and she'll come. Why do you have to choose one?"
"Get out!" Pei Xiaoyun shouted.
"Fine, fine, I'm leaving." He Lianqing fled in panic.
In the still of the night, Pei Xiaoyun tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
He Lianqing's words echoed repeatedly in his ears.
He wants women.
He sneered, thinking about how to kill her once he found her.
Thinking of Mingying, Baili Qing's half-face always lingered in his mind, impossible to shake off, and the clear sound of the pipa seemed to echo in the room, sometimes fast, sometimes slow.
Pipa, dance music, a hundred miles of lightness.
He closed his eyes, and all he saw was Mingying's face; she was crying, laughing, and talking to him in his arms.
Finally, he put on his coat, got up, and called for help.
"Go and bring me the seven women who danced in Baili that day."
He wanted to see that face with his own eyes and confirm one thing.
It wasn't until dawn that the six women were brought to the mansion. They heard that a high-ranking official from the capital wanted to see them. Some of them dressed up specially and were overjoyed, while others were confused and trembling.
The six removed their veils and showed their true faces.
Pei Xiaoyun sat at the head of the table, glanced at them indifferently, and found none of them to be him; none of them resembled him.
“Where is the other person?” he asked.
A woman replied, "Does the gentleman mean Shen Ying? She's not home. We can't find her to learn the pipa."
Upon hearing the word "Ying" for the first time, Pei Xiaoyun kept repeating it to himself. Could it really be such a coincidence? One of the seven people was missing. He wanted to find her, but she had vanished without a trace.
He recalled the woman's graceful and familiar figure; he could imagine what she looked like even if she were completely naked.
The fire in his heart burned brighter and brighter, and something gradually surfaced, its outline becoming clear.
He sent someone to her address to investigate, but only brought back her family member, Shen Yao.
"Where did she go?" Pei Xiaoyun asked with a smile, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. Her pupils were as black as lacquer, like a hunter lurking in the dark.
He was almost certain that he had finally caught the fox by the tail, causing her to lose her composure and walk right into his trap.
Shen Yao held her breath, trembling.
When Ah Ying and Lin Leshi went to Hangzhou, she told her about it so that Ah Ying wouldn't worry.
She silently observed the man before her. Although he was dressed in luxurious and elegant clothes and had an extraordinary bearing, she always felt a chill creeping over her whenever she looked into his eyes.
How could she easily reveal Ah Ying's whereabouts to someone like that?
"I don't know, she didn't tell me."
"You don't know?" Pei Xiaoyun stared at her, his voice chilling.
Shen Yao didn't dare to look at him: "I really don't know. We broke up, and she's moved out of my house."
At this moment, one of the six women stepped forward.
"Sir, I know where she went!"
The one speaking was Hua Rao.
Because Mingying constantly opposed Baili Qing, making her lose face several times, she secretly sent people to keep an eye on her movements and find out what new dance music she was going to choreograph, so that she could seize the initiative before Baili Qing.
Looking at the man in front of her, he didn't seem like a good person. He must be that fickle woman who had seduced too many men, and this man had come to seek revenge.
"Hua Rao, shut up!" Shen Yao glared at her angrily.
Hua Rao ignored Shen Yao and said confidently, "She went to Hangzhou with her lover seven days ago."
Pei Xiaoyun's eyes turned bloodshot, and a surge of energy coursed through his chest.
Seven days ago, wasn't that the night we danced together? She recognized him and left in a hurry.
He silently uttered a few "good"s in his heart, then crushed the teacup with a snap, uttering each word through gritted teeth as if he wanted to chew them up: "Who is her lover?"
"Who else could it be?"
Hua Rao described it vividly: "Lin Xian, the musician, they've been hooking up for a long time. That filthy woman, the musician Lin is completely infatuated with her, he actually wants to marry her!"
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Author's Note: Due to the upcoming release schedule tomorrow, a longer chapter will affect my ranking. I'll be updating less today and will make up for it with a longer chapter tomorrow, but the update time will be 11 PM. Please be aware [kiss emoji]. Normal update times will resume afterward. [laughing emoji]
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