drowning one's sorrows in alcohol
Inside the room, on the table, the candlelight flickered. Beside the table, a person stared blankly at a stack of papers. The person was dressed in white, with melancholy in his eyes. The youthful vigor had diminished considerably, as if he had suddenly grown up, carrying a heavy sorrow.
Seeing this, Li Yin hesitated for a moment, then lightly flipped and jumped off the roof, slightly bent his knees, and landed slowly without making a sound, so that no one inside the house noticed.
Li Yin slowly walked through the door, then stopped at the entrance. She raised her hand, already clenched into a fist, ready to knock lightly, but the door opened before she could.
With a creak, the door opened, and Li Yin's eyes were met with a white expanse. Li Yin looked up and met a pair of bloodshot eyes. Just by looking at them, Li Yin knew how long this person had been crying.
Her heart softened, and she said gently, "I'm sorry about Mr. Lin."
Qi Shixu looked at her without blaming her. Instead, he stepped aside slightly to make way for her and said, "Miss Li, please come in."
Li Yin stepped inside and looked around. The room was simply furnished with a desk, a screen, a chair, and a flower in a vase.
The most conspicuous thing was the thick stack of papers on the desk. However, the papers were densely packed with small characters, making them extremely difficult to look at.
Li Yin glanced at it only once before looking away. She then looked at Qi Shixu, her lips parted slightly, and after a moment's hesitation, she finally said, "Mr. Lin's death..."
Before she could finish speaking, Qi Shixu didn't respond either, so Li Yin had to finish the sentence. She said, "I think it's related to my situation and the mastermind behind it all. So, could I take a look at the scene? I want to try and find some clues."
Qi Shixu chuckled upon hearing this and said, "Miss Li, you're too late. Wen Youqing has already sent someone over, and Mr. Lin's remains have probably already been laid to rest."
Li Yin was stunned upon hearing this. Wen Youqing's information network was so advanced, and she was completely unaware of it... But what surprised Li Yin the most was that Wen Youqing's actions were also incredibly swift.
She lowered her eyes, unsure of what to say. She took a deep breath and thought about Lin Zhaoshan's death, and it seemed that all she could say was "I'm sorry."
She spoke softly, saying "I'm sorry" to Qi Shixu. Qi Shixu was taken aback at first, then he said, "It's not your fault, young lady. I was too young and overestimated myself."
Li Yin was speechless upon hearing this. She didn't know how to comfort him. She lowered her eyes again. Lin Zhaoshan's death was sudden, and it might be like Li Yin's death, with nothing to be found. Moreover... the next person to die might very well be Qi Shixu.
Thinking of this, she raised her eyes and head, looking at Qi Shixu earnestly, and said, "I will protect you."
Qi Shixu listened and smiled. He said, "Miss Li, you are far away from me. If something happens to me, you will be powerless to help even if you want to. Besides, you are a girl and you are not at an advantage in terms of martial arts."
Li Yin did not explain the matter of martial arts, but said: "I can make poison, and I am very good at it. There are only two people in the world who can match me. One is a recluse who travels through the mountains and rivers, and the other does not use poison easily."
Upon hearing this, Qi Shixu was first taken aback, and his face showed a hint of disbelief. The look in Li Yin's eyes was not one of disbelief, but rather a different kind of expression: sympathy.
He suddenly understood why Wen Youqing had married Li Yin: Li Yin knew how to make poison, a skill that would be useful in the court. After figuring this out, he cursed himself inwardly, "Aristocratic scions, valuing power and profit, trapped like caged beasts, only caring about their own interests."
Li Yin was bewildered by his expression. What was wrong with her now that Qi Shixu was looking at her like that? Just as she was wondering, Qi Shixu said, "Miss Li, Wen Youqing is not a good person. If you want to divorce him, I can help you. The Qi family is not as powerful as the Wen family, but it is still a well-known family in the capital."
After he finished speaking, he stared at Li Yin with red eyes. Li Yin was very puzzled, but he was very concerned. He continued with a slightly angry tone, "Wen Youqing only values your abilities. If he meets someone more powerful in the future, he will neglect you."
Li Yin listened to his analysis and laughed. He wasn't laughing at Wen Youqing's purpose as he had analyzed, but rather at Qi Shixu's audacity in speaking these words to her without fear of the Wen family.
If we were to truly clarify her relationship with Wen Youqing, it would be that she used the Wen family and leveraged their power and influence.
She said, "Thank you, but the Wen family is not as embarrassing as Young Master Qi thinks, and I am not as good as Young Master Qi thinks."
Qi Shixu remained silent upon hearing this. He looked at Li Yin, his lips slightly parted, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke, but changed the subject.
He reached out and picked up the papers on the table. After looking at them for a while, he handed them to Li Yin and said, "This is a manuscript that my master has compiled. It is about a case from eighteen years ago that involves a person named Li Qinglu. I think the young lady's case may be related to the person involved in the case from eighteen years ago."
Upon hearing this, Li Yin raised an eyebrow slightly. Eighteen years ago, she didn't even know where she was, but the name Li Qinglu seemed to have a magical power over her, making her feel familiar, and... a little disgusted.
She reached out and took it, and looked at it carefully. Eighteen years ago, it was also about a case where one person's entire family was wiped out. Coincidentally, that person's surname was also Li, and it was Li Qinglu.
The paper was yellowed and worn smooth by time, so Li Yin couldn't help but hold it closer.
After watching for a while, she understood everything.
Li Qinglu was originally the daughter of a prominent family with a high social standing and beautiful appearance. However, even under the emperor's nose, her entire family was inexplicably wiped out, leaving only her alive out of hundreds of people.
She was falsely accused of murdering her entire family and faced the risk of imprisonment. In desperation, a friend spoke up for her, and the two got married soon after. However, Li Qinglu still wanted to find out who had killed her family.
The two investigated for three years without any progress. However, unlike the case, Li Qinglu was about to give birth in her eighth month after marriage. Rumors spread like wildfire, and Li Qinglu became a disgrace to the noble family, impure, and a disgrace to the family. Some even deliberately said that the Li family members died because they were angered to death by her disgrace.
Such absurd remarks, yet some people actually believe them. When Li Yin saw this, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, finding it utterly ridiculous.
On the day of the full moon, a daughter was born. Since the moon was not hidden by clouds, she was named Li Yunyue.
Upon seeing this, Li Yin's heart seemed to slow down. She lowered her eyes, concealing the inexplicable emotions in her heart, and continued reading, turning the pages one by one.
Not long after, Li Qinglu's husband was impeached again and dismissed from his post. Meanwhile, she was suddenly summoned to the capital and went out at night. After three months of this, Li Qinglu's husband, Li Dai, died at home.
Li Qinglu became a nun and settled in the royal nunnery, after which her whereabouts became unknown.
Li Yin turned the last page and placed the stack of papers on the table. The records were very detailed, but Li Yin only glanced at them.
The only similarity between Li Qinglu and Wen Youqing is the confiscation of their property. However, Wen Youqing survived because of Wen Youqing, while Li Qinglu survived because of her beauty.
After all, when people describe that person's appearance on paper, they are like immortals in paintings, like the moon on earth, and they are often talked about.
Most unmarried young ladies from noble families who are the subject of conversation are either exceptionally beautiful or possess remarkable talents. However, records show that Li Qinglu once danced before the Imperial Concubine and gained her favor. Therefore, Li Yin boldly guessed that this person was talented, and that her talents were not limited to dancing but included others. This person was undoubtedly a talented woman.
Qi Shixu stared at Li Yin quietly, remaining silent as Li Yin looked at the papers. Only after Li Yin finished reading did he speak, saying, "Master compiled these because he suspects that the current royal family and Li Qinglu have some unspeakable secrets."
Li Yin lowered his eyes, a bitter feeling, indescribable and inexplicable, slowly spreading in his heart like a rising tide.
This feeling came out of nowhere, carrying a sense of sorrow and suffocation. She disliked it and said, "This case is from eighteen years ago. Li investigated it for three years without any results, and so did we. I don't care about anything except my own affairs, and I won't investigate that case."
Upon hearing this, Qi Shixu lowered his eyes. What he had just said was true, but he had his own selfish motives. He wanted to help his master continue to investigate the case quietly.
Li Yin looked up at Qi Shixu and said, "If you have any troubles in your heart and want to drown them in wine, I can accompany you."
These words struck Qi Shixu's heart like a small hammer, causing ripples to spread. He blushed and nodded.
The wind, carrying a chill, blew gently by, but it couldn't dispel the heat in Qi Shixu's heart. He had something he wanted to say to Li Yin, but he didn't dare.
He blew the cool breeze three times, then walked to the table, squatted down gently, and tapped it lightly. After a few "tap-tap" sounds, the wooden board warped, and he reached down and took out a jar of wine.
He closed the wooden board, placed the wine jar on the table, stood up, unsealed the seal, and poured the wine into a teacup.
The aroma of the wine is like that of lotus flowers, and it smells like summer. This is Hehua wine, and its flavor is exactly the same as that of the best Hehua wine in Jincheng. You can tell from the aroma that the person who stored it had a special idea and was a connoisseur.
Seeing that Li Yin was interested, Qi Shixu explained, "These were placed here by my master; he likes these the most."
As he spoke, he handed a glass of wine to Li Yin. Li Yin reached out and took it, taking a small sip. The familiar aroma of the wine filled her mouth, both sweet and strong.
Qi Shixu raised his cup, gazed at the lonely moon outside the window, and drank it down in one gulp, one cup after another. Li Yin watched him but did not try to stop him.
Just as Qi Shixu finished his tenth cup, Li Yin stopped him, saying, "Too much wine is bad for your health. Ten cups are enough."
Qi Shixu's cheeks were flushed, and a faint scent of wine wafted from him. He looked at Li Yin, his vision blurry, and he couldn't see clearly, so he moved closer to Li Yin.
He stared at Li Yin for a long time, then suddenly smiled and said, "Fairy..." As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed Li Yin's sleeve, and the two of them got even closer.
His eyes were lowered, and strands of his hair brushed against Li Yin's shoulder. He murmured, "I like it so much..."
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