Chapter 55 With Li and Brother-in-law Lu, I am not the elder sister.
"Sir, the Junior Chamberlain is not in the room. The servants who are sweeping said he went to the west wing." The yamen runner who had just come out of Li Yu's room reported with his hands clasped.
The group immediately fell silent, not daring to look at Qin Daoji any longer. After all, everyone knew who lived in the West Garden.
When young men and women meet in private, it always seems to invite unwarranted speculation. I remember last time we discussed something here, and the two of us even sat on the same bench.
Qin Daoji's face was dark and he did not reply, seemingly waiting for the servant sent to inform Qin Song to return.
The hall fell silent, and the Vice Minister of Works, presuming to be clever, spoke up again: "The Junior Chamberlain is so diligent in his duties that he can't even finish his official business. How could he have time to go to the Western Garden? Quickly, go look elsewhere."
The Vice Minister of Revenue felt a chill run down his spine and awkwardly corrected him with a laugh. "Ahem, Lord Chen, you are mistaken. What does it prove that the Junior Chamberlain went to the Western Garden? Why exclude it from official business?"
Another person at the table chimed in, "That's right, that's right. Besides, Miss Qin and General Tao are already engaged. It's best not to make unfounded speculations."
"I'm sorry I'm late."
At that moment, a young man's voice came from outside the hall.
Everyone looked over and saw one of the main characters they had been fantasizing about.
The young man in the wide-sleeved robe had some water stains on his chest and cuffs, as if he had just washed his clothes, which was slightly different from his usual noble and elegant appearance.
He didn't care at all about the way people were looking at him, and strode into the house, saying, "Something came up, sorry to have kept you all waiting."
He calmly took his seat, and before anyone could say anything, a beautiful young woman strolled in.
From the same direction.
It's really hard not to have doubts.
She bowed calmly and sat down gracefully.
No one dared to speak, only stealing glances at Qin Daoji, for this was indeed giving others ammunition to criticize him.
Of course, Qin Daoji did not pamper his daughter like a lady from a wealthy family. What kind of young lady would live in the government office and show her face in public all day?
However, everyone only dared to have doubts in their hearts and dared not say it out loud.
Not only did Li Yu not try to hide the water stains on her body, she even deliberately rubbed the wrinkles on her cuffs several times, which could be described as a silent boast.
A few water stains and a few wrinkles, what's there to brag about?
The crowd: puzzled, but respectful.
Qin Song had a shoulder injury and was served meals by maids throughout the meal, without giving Li Yu a second glance.
Li Yu's gaze, however, seemed fixed on Qin Song.
Everyone witnessed everything, their minds racing with conflicting thoughts:
The young master is in love with Miss Qin, but Miss Qin is engaged to General Tao. The world of young people is truly dazzling.
On the other hand, although there have been more than a few reports of Miss Qin and General Tao spending the night together alone, it seems that Lord Qin is not satisfied with Qin Tao's marriage.
The young master's covetousness is so blatant that no one can miss it, yet Qin Daoji turns a blind eye. Does he perhaps prefer the young master?
But then again, if Lord Qin didn't approve of General Tao, why did he ask him to teach his beloved daughter riding and archery?
It's complicated, far too complicated.
Everyone silently observed the commotion at the table, not daring to utter a word, but the simple New Year's Eve dinner seemed to taste even better.
After a simple meal, Qin Song and Qin Daoji discussed news about Xue Ci and the Northern Barbarian Heyitu in private before secretly loading their carts and setting off.
To avoid attracting attention, Qin Song and his entourage only brought his maid Chunhe, his attendant Azhao, and a coachman, while a group of secret guards disguised themselves and accompanied them.
After getting ready, Qin Song and Chunhe rode in one carriage, Li Yu and the Master rode together, and A Zhao and the coachman drove their respective carriages, traveling without stopping.
After a bumpy night's journey, we soon left Yunzhou and entered Rongyang.
To avoid city checks, they deliberately took the less-used civilian roads.
As dusk settled, the sounds of people gradually increased.
The custom of not sleeping in on the first day of the Lunar New Year is prevalent throughout the country, and it's quite normal to hear voices as soon as it's light.
But as the carriage moved forward, the smell of burning incense, candles, and paper money grew stronger, accompanied by the sounds of bells being struck and chanting.
The familiar taste reminded Qin Song of the days when Lu Youchuan sent him to a Taoist temple for solitary cultivation...
Just then, the carriage suddenly stopped, and Qin Song lurched forward. Chunhe quickly caught her, and the two of them sat up straight.
Chunhe turned slightly and pushed open the window. Looking out, she saw a temple. The flames of burning paper money and incense were almost illuminating the entire mountain. A long line of people offering incense and prayers stretched from the temple to the intersection, blocking the way ahead.
"What kind of temple is this? There are so many people here." Chunhe glanced around and began to mutter to herself.
Qin Song also peeked through the gap and saw that it was indeed very lively, but the temple did not look grand, and looked like a local mountain god temple.
"Let's go down and take a look." Qin Song, accompanied by his maid, bowed and got out of the carriage.
Li Yu helped Master Shen out of the carriage, took off his cloak and went to greet her, saying, "Put this on, it's cold."
He skillfully draped the cloak over Qin Song's shoulders and reached out to help her tie it.
Chunhe stared wide-eyed, her nerves on edge.
Qin Song took the ribbon from his hand and reminded him, "Thank you, young master. Let Chunhe do it."
It seemed that Li Yu only then realized that he had overstepped his bounds and wisely retreated.
Master Shen paid no attention to their movements, but instead focused intently on the temple in front of him.
"Mountain Goddess! This is actually a Mountain Goddess Temple!"
The usually calm and composed Master Shen suddenly became agitated. He looked up at the simple stone statue standing in front of the mountain, his cloudy eyes filled with complex emotions, and he was almost in tears.
"Who is the Mountain Goddess?" Qin Song and the others were completely baffled.
Master Shen was so excited that his beard trembled. He turned around and said, "Quickly, go and offer incense to the Mountain Goddess."
He urged Qin Song and the others on with boundless devotion.
Qin Song was puzzled, but remained patient: "Master, we have important matters to attend to. The crowds ahead are overwhelming, and by the time we finish offering incense, it will probably be noon. Why don't we wait until we return?"
Li Yu also said, "Besides, it's inconvenient to reveal our identities on this trip. Before we reach Qingze, it's best not to go to places with many people and distractions."
Master Shen calmed down a bit, but still felt a little regretful. He looked back at the not-so-grand temple, blinked, and said, "Well, let's get going and come back to pay our respects."
Seeing that Master Shen had agreed, Li Yu quickly signaled several disguised guards in the distance to clear the way. While waiting, Master Shen briefly explained the achievements of this Mountain Goddess to them.
She is said to have appeared out of nowhere as a beautiful young woman. She behaved strangely and spoke incomprehensible language. At first, she was almost locked up as a madwoman. However, she was clever, resourceful, bold, and straightforward. She even improved the spring plowing method and cultivated edible potatoes, saving tens of thousands of people from famine caused by drought. She was revered as a goddess.
Later, the imperial court heard of her legend and brought her to the palace, intending to make her empress. However, she refused the imperial appointment and suddenly disappeared. When she reappeared, she ascended to heaven in the Jiangnan region in full view of everyone.
She is a fairy, and everyone believes it.
Because she came from the mountains, people called her the Mountain Goddess.
"It's been too long, far too long. So long that I've forgotten what the Mountain Goddess looked like, and I've forgotten which year it was." Master Shen stared ahead, lost in a long reverie.
Upon hearing this, Qin Song couldn't help but glance at the stone statue of the Mountain Goddess. If this wasn't a mythological story, then there was only one possibility!
This mountain goddess, like her, is a time traveler, specifically a time traveler in human form, and may eventually travel back in time.
·
After leaving the Mountain Goddess Temple, Qin Song remained lost in thought.
She doesn't care who the protagonist is in this world, nor does she care about what the system calls being a qualified female lead.
But I'm still curious: what is the main storyline of this world? Will it affect the survival of innocent people?
She couldn't come to a conclusion along the way. About two days later, the carriage finally arrived in Qingze on the third day of the Lunar New Year.
In Yunzhou, even on New Year's Eve, people briefly cast aside their troubles and made the best of a bad situation by smiling. But Qingze was different. It was close to the Central Plains and free from natural disasters and man-made calamities. The bustling scene in the city was completely different from that in Yunzhou.
The place is brimming with the festive atmosphere of the New Year. The buildings along the street are decorated with lanterns and colorful lights, creating a scene of prosperity and strength.
The streets were bustling with people, some stopping to look at the traditional New Year's items in front of the shops, others walking through amidst shouts and laughter, creating a lively and cheerful atmosphere.
The more prosperous the place looked, the more worried Qin Song became about the safety of Yun and Dan prefectures. He barely lingered and, following the directions of the people in the city, quickly entered the Qin clan's branch that had settled in Qingze.
According to the family genealogy, Qin Song should address the head of the family here as Uncle, a renowned physician who is now over eighty years old and has spent most of his life treating patients.
When they met the old gentleman, he was engrossed in studying a bowl of dark red blood. Upon seeing Qin Song and the others enter, he received them warmly and, in accordance with Qin Daoji's letter, quickly arranged for someone to contact the Qin clan to assist Yunzhou.
The letter had been delivered to the Qin family of Qingze, and Qin Song and his companions, who had been exhausted from their journey, could finally rest for the night.
"What is Uncle doing?" Qin Song felt slightly uncomfortable with the bowl of foul-smelling blood in the room.
The old man said with concern, “Speaking of which, this matter is related to Yunzhou. An epidemic from Yunzhou has also appeared in Qingze City. I feel that it is not like an epidemic, but more like poisoning. However, I am not sure, so I took some blood from an epidemic patient and plan to study it.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Song and the others all tensed up. They weren't doubting, they were certain that this was poisoning, but they hadn't found a cure yet.
Yunzhou had only heard of cases in neighboring cities, never expecting that even Qingze would have patients.
If this conspiracy is only aimed at destroying Yun and Dan prefectures, why are both cities in the south suffering from a serious illness? How many more people will be implicated?
"Uncle, do you have any clues?" Qin Song asked hurriedly.
The old patriarch Qin's worry deepened: "We can't detect enough poison in the blood, so we can't proceed."
Li Yu immediately asked, "If the poison is found, will the old gentleman be able to find out its source?"
The old patriarch Qin looked at him expectantly: "Can you find the poison?"
Li Yu took out a packet of white powder from his waist. "I found this in Yunzhou. I also planned to investigate the situation of the disease in the nearby cities on this trip, so when I gave this to Elder Qin, I kept a little for comparison."
He found the poison powder at the end of the secret passage in the inn. He had discovered someone was poisoning the place and threatened them. The person panicked and ran away, spilling the powder all over the ground, which is how he managed to pick up some of it.
The old patriarch Qin stood up, came to him personally, and took the medicine with trembling hands. "That's great. If it really was caused by this, it shouldn't be difficult to find an antidote."
Qin Song also stood up happily. If the serious illness could be cured, Yunzhou's urgent crisis could be largely relieved. "Then I'll leave it to Uncle."
Mr. Qin was a fervent doctor. After receiving the packet of medicine powder and exchanging a few pleasantries, he arranged for someone to take them to their lodgings.
After taking care of the exhausted and weak Master Shen and letting him rest, Qin Song and Li Yu slipped out of the room at the same time, preparing to go to the city to check on the patients.
The night market was brightly lit, bustling with people.
The two were squeezed in the crowd, seemingly unaware of the public's panic about the disease, and there were no "infected" people with obvious symptoms.
But after walking a few steps, Qin Song smelled a pungent odor again: "Northern barbarians?"
"What?" Li Yu was puzzled for a moment, then immediately scanned the crowd and quickly spotted the target. "There it is."
In the crowded streets and alleys, a tall and burly figure stood out. His thick black hair was tied up high, and a falcon tattoo, a favorite of the northern barbarians, was faintly visible on the back of his neck.
The Qingze people didn't know much about the Northern Barbarians, but Qin Song and Li Yu had already met many Northern Barbarians and could tell at a glance that the person was definitely not a Dayu person.
The two exchanged a glance, and Li Yu naturally took Qin Song's hand and quietly followed them.
After several twists and turns, the man walked straight into the largest restaurant in Qingze City.
Qin Song and Li Yu followed them inside, but were stopped by the waiter at the door: "Gentlemen, you look unfamiliar. Are you here for a meal or to stay the night?"
Recently, an epidemic has broken out in the city, and all the inns are afraid of infection, so they are not easily allowing outsiders to enter.
"Check in." Li Yu and Qin Song spoke at the same time, but their voices sounded like three different people.
A young, deep voice rang out at the same time, and a young man in black robes appeared beside Qin Song.
"Together?" The waiter looked up and sized up the three of them.
"We're together." The two of them grabbed Qin Song's wrists on either side and said in unison.
Both are related to Qin Song's "we," and they are trying their best to exclude the other.
"What exactly is your relationship?" The waiter's curiosity reached its peak as he watched the three of them tugging at each other.
"Husband and wife," the two young men said in unison again.
Xiao Er's eyebrows twitched, and he looked helplessly at Qin Song.
Qin Song was also helpless; who knew he would run into Lu Youchuan here?
Qin Song forced a smile and looked at Lu Youchuan in front of the waiter, "Brother-in-law, you've mistaken me for someone else. I'm not my sister."
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Author's Note: This was written a bit hastily; I'll revise it when I have time, but the plot will remain the same. [Pat on head]
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