Chapter 57 Chapter 57 That fragrance is not enough to arouse people's desires...
As the days get colder, people feel depressed for no apparent reason.
The person lying on the couch was breathing out more than breathing in. Hua Wu had a pale face, sunken eye sockets, and a skeleton was left under her plump chest.
She stared at the ceiling with her eyes wide open, listened to the hustle and bustle of traffic outside, and knew that she didn't have much time left.
Lu Suizhu was wearing an autumn-scented pleated skirt and was distractedly pulling at the silk threads of a mandarin orange.
This door has been seldom visited since Hua Wu came back. When I heard someone knocking on the door, I thought it was Wu Niang coming to deliver food.
When he pushed the door open, he saw Fang Jin. He waved timidly and looked closely, only to see a man in a black cloak following behind him.
You don't know until you ask. Once you ask, you will be shocked. The person who came was holding a medicine box. He was actually the imperial physician in the palace, who was responsible for treating the empress dowager and the queen.
Hua Wu suddenly perked up, rubbed the roots of her messy hair, and struggled to get up from the bed to let the imperial physician take her pulse.
In less than half an hour, Doctor Sun finished taking the pulse and put the medicine pillow back into the medicine box with a calm expression: "I will get some medicine from the Imperial Hospital and send it over later."
Lu Suizhu and Fang Jin hurriedly thanked him and sent him out together, but they saw Pei Zhiji standing alone and cold outside the door.
Yes, except for him, who else would have the face to ask the imperial physician to diagnose the prostitute who had syphilitic rashes.
There was a dark color in his eyes, as if he had been working on paperwork for several nights without sleep. At first glance, his body seemed to be made of paper, and would wrinkle at the slightest touch.
Several people were talking outside, carefully avoiding that room. Qin Wuniang saw this and came over to listen.
Imperial Physician Sun shook his head and sighed, and asked them to prepare for the funeral.
Xiao Feng sent the imperial physician away and gave him a few instructions on the way, to which the imperial physician nodded in agreement.
Looking through the shadow of the yellow lacquered carved window, Hua Wu was sitting in front of the mirror fixing her makeup.
Lu Suizhu didn't dare to go back immediately, for fear that she would reveal some clues under her interrogation.
"Thank you, Lord Pei." She was grateful for his kindness, and all she could do was to say thank you.
Pei Zhiji lay in bed in a daze for a while, and he seemed to be back in Fanxi on that rainy night with endless rain, with the whistling wind and rumbling thunder in his ears.
He was not afraid then, because he knew someone was waiting for him, waiting for him to wake up.
But when he finally woke up, she was not by his side. He was once again forced into a nightmare by the pain. All he could hear were his mother's tears, his father's heartlessness, and the whispers and giggles of the guests who came and went.
So as soon as he was able to get up, he came over, just wanting to see her.
Calculating the time, they haven't seen each other for a long time.
Lu Suizhu swallowed the pain in her sore and swollen throat, put on a smile towards Pei Zhiji, and waited for him to speak.
"Wang Wenyuan has retired and returned to his hometown." After all, it involved official business, so Pei Zhiji couldn't say how happy he was.
They both knew why he returned home, but they tacitly agreed not to say it out loud.
"Suizhu, I should thank you, that day..."
Seeing that he was about to bring up the past, Lu Suizhu quickly covered his mouth and glanced towards the other side of the house, afraid of disturbing Hua Wu again.
"You've already asked Suo Ye to apologize to me, so there's no need to say anything more. I wasn't mad at you in the first place." She figured it out later and realized that she wasn't really angry.
The tears on his face had almost dried, and Lu Suizhu led him in.
Hua Wu was in better spirits and was still applying powder to hide her sick face. She watched Lu Suizhu bring the man in, her eyes widened in horror, and she looked a little more alert. She asked Lu Suizhu if he was crazy and why he brought him here.
Even though the famous Lord Pei did not like the beauty of nature, she still knew him.
"If Master Pei came at any other time, I would definitely set off two strings of firecrackers to celebrate, but I'm afraid it's not appropriate to seek pleasure now."
His tone was a little sour, but it was what he really meant.
Lu Suizhu really wanted to shut up about her nonsense so as to avoid embarrassing herself.
Pei Zhiji looked okay, perhaps because he didn't feel offended or because he didn't care since she was dying. He just pretended not to hear and continued speaking in a calm voice.
"Wang Wenyuan and his family moved away, and he probably won't live long."
These two short sentences were like a cart of stones poured into the sea. The sea was not affected, but the small fish that were looking for food on the surface were scared.
Hua Wu felt relieved, as if the rocks on both sides of the gap had been broken apart. She didn't know how to be happy. "That old bastard deserved to die. He will go to hell after death. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have been sold to the Censorate and become like this."
She gritted her teeth and wished she could scold Wang Wenyuan's ancestors for eighty generations, and she was cursing them with all her might.
But she was frightened by the scene before her and fell silent. She instantly shrank back, looking like a shy girl.
Pei Zhiji bowed respectfully and said, "As the Minister of Rites, I am in charge of the imperial examinations under the order of Your Majesty. I would like to express my gratitude to Miss Hua Wu on behalf of all the poor students in the world. You are so kind."
She had never seen such a scene before, and was so frightened that she couldn't speak for a long time. When she looked at Lu Suizhu, she could see some panic and helplessness in her eyes. How could she be worthy of the respect from the current Shangshu?
He immediately swallowed a mouthful of what he didn't know was saliva or blood foam from biting his tongue.
"Lu Suizhu, did you see that? The Minister thanked me!"
Amused by her silly look, Lu Suizhu took two steps forward and stood side by side with Pei Zhiji. She also took a handkerchief to wipe her tears. She said that she didn't cry, but her eyes were a little dry.
Pei Shangshu was willing to give her such a big honor. Hua Wu was so happy in her heart that her arrogant expression came back: "Well, I have one last wish. Can you help me?"
The man and woman exchanged glances before Lu Suizhu hissed, her tone rather discontented. "Last time, you told me it was your last wish, so I mercifully helped you. Hua Wu, if you push too far, I won't comply."
Seeing that the two of them were whispering to each other, Pei Zhiji tactfully stood a little further away.
Hua Wu muttered, "You stayed in the room for so long that day, I saw everything."
She was not afraid even if the eye knife flew towards her. What was there to worry about for a dying person? She pointed at Pei Zhiji, but her eyes were looking at Lu Suizhu, and she expressed her wish arrogantly.
"I want your family to write on my tombstone."
It was difficult for Pei Zhiji to pretend not to hear the loud conspiracy, so he cleared his throat and blended in naturally.
"That's not difficult, but I can't really be ranked first in terms of calligraphy. However, the person who took the imperial examination in the same year as me and ranked first was famous for his original horizontal flow calligraphy."
"No need. I don't care about other people's handwriting no matter how good it is. I just want it to be written by someone with a high position." Hua Wu hid the second half of the sentence. She knew that Lu Suizhu would understand even if she didn't say it out loud.
She had never been respected like this in her life.
It feels so good.
The leaves are falling in the empty corridor, the fragrant lotus is shedding its pink color, and the lush green leaves have turned into a sparse patch of yellow on the ground.
Hua Wu died in a season full of falling flowers.
When she died, all she wanted was for the chancellor of the current dynasty to personally carry her tombstone.
Shen Guyan made the coffin and sent it over overnight.
In a beautiful bamboo forest, several strong and sturdy men buried a person in a hurry.
Lu Suizhu gave Shen Guyan a heavy bag of money.
He refused: "Why would I make money from you?"
"Even if you don't need it, you should at least get some wine for the brothers. Others who know about this think it's unlucky and are unwilling to do it even if they are paid. It's all thanks to you for your help." Lu Suizhu's voice seemed to float, and she held her breath neither rising nor falling.
A group of people happily came down the mountain with the reward money, pinching the silver and saying, "We are sick with dirty things, but it's not a loss to take this money. Brothers, you must wash yourselves well when you go home, otherwise your wives will not let you go to bed if they find out, hahahaha."
Sitting on the stone pillar in front of the cemetery, Lu Suizhu felt a little tired. She had known about this for a long time, and now she felt relieved.
It was almost time to leave the court, and Pei Zhiji would not go back on his word since he had promised it.
When he came, he saw that he was holding a blank stele. He looked around and saw the desolate surroundings. He simply sat down next to Lu Suizhu and carefully laid out all the writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone.
"I thought about what you said about her being of average character. If she thinks we're deceiving her, there's no way around it. So I figured I should write this in person at her grave, and then add my signature on the lower right."
He was so focused on writing that his veins showed through when he put pen to paper. Lu Suizhu felt both angry and amused. He was obviously busy and forgot, but he could find such a high-sounding excuse on his own, which sounded so reasonable.
After a day of suppressing her unspeakable emotions, she finally relaxed, tears the size of soybeans rolling down her cheeks. "Do you know why she insisted on you writing this epitaph?"
The hand holding the pen paused, and he didn't understand what was going on.
The reason was not important and he was not curious, but when Lu Suizhu mentioned it, he couldn't help but ask why.
"Because she has never been respected like this before."
Lu Suizhu looked at the small mound behind her with a complicated expression, then turned to Pei Zhiji and said, "Thank you. You made her last days very happy."
In fact, Pei Zhiji didn't quite understand the twists and turns between women. Since she was willing to talk, he just listened.
"Actually, my relationship with her is pretty bad. She's selfish, mean, and likes to show off. She always likes to make fun of me and scolds me whenever we meet. Sometimes she's so jealous of my life that she wants to drag me down with her. Do you think she's being too much?"
Is it or isn't it? Pei Zhiji said briefly.
"Not really. Lady Pei is too biased in her judgment of people. Before she died, she said that I played the piano beautifully. In fact, she had always envied me. I didn't even know she thought that way."
The six words "Tomb of Song Wu in Jiangzhou" were written quickly.
Lu Suizhu cried so hard that her body tilted to one side, and she leaned on Pei Zhiji's shoulder like a butterfly taking a rest.
He changed his words and said it was not true, but she still refuted him. In the end, Pei Zhiji could only sigh and watch her cry quietly. He had never had such an experience and didn't know what their relationship was like, but Lu Suizhu was definitely sad.
"I've met Hua Wu's younger brother. He's not a scholar, but he has a lot of brute force. I'm planning to assign him to the Royal Guards. What do you think?"
"Who knows? If she hadn't jumped out of her coffin, she would have been satisfied. She even asked me to keep it a secret from her brother. She just makes things difficult for me every day. It's okay for a short time, but no one can keep it a secret for a long time."
As Lu Suizhu was talking, her eyes turned red again. Pei Zhiji picked up a leaf from the ground, put it to his lips and actually blew it into a tune. Seeing her blinking, he knew that she was attracted and turned her attention.
"When I was in the academy in the mountains, whenever I got bored studying, I would pick up a leaf and blow it. After a while, it would become a tune."
"Is your master very strict with you?" Lu Suizhu raised her head, her peach-colored eyes filled with half a bucket of water.
As her eyes were fixed on him, the man in front of her swayed unsteadily.
"...Luckily, he was a bit crazy when I was twelve years old. He played the flute all day long and said he could talk to the gods. When I went back to see him after entering the officialdom, he always drove me away, saying that my vulgarity would prevent him from talking to the gods."
Lu Suizhu's tear-stained face suddenly broke into a smile, which looked a little funny.
"Suizhu, have you ever thought about what kind of man you want to marry?" The words he had always wanted to ask came out without any warning, leaving only a bitter taste at the corner of his mouth.
"Hmm..." Lu Suizhu looked up at the sky. The clouds had a little rosy tip and were gathering together.
She had an answer in her mind, but she was struggling to find the words. She couldn't help but mumble, "I never thought about getting married before. I spent all day wandering around brothels, barely able to eat or wear warm clothes, so I didn't have time to think about those things. Later, when I was about to fall in love, and my status as a brothel musician was looked down upon, I stopped thinking about it and only focused on making money to find my parents."
"But if you ask me now - I only want to be with the person I love in this life."
The bamboo tips were soaked with moisture and bent.
Her eyes were bright and gentle, but they burned his. Pei Zhiji remained silent and did not ask any more questions.
"I was so sick during Fanxi. When I opened my eyes, I saw you crying, even more sadly than you are crying today. What were you thinking then?"
I don't know why she has so many questions today, as she is usually so indifferent. Lu Suizhu rested her head on her knees, her black hair hanging down naturally, her hair hooked up a piece of chrysanthemum leaves, and she spoke truthfully.
"I didn't think about anything. My mind was so confused at that time, how could I think about anything?"
After they parted that day, she secretly asked Wu Niang, and Wu Niang said that the dose of aphrodisiac incense was not enough to make a man lose his mind.
Unless he had already made up his mind.
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