24 Huaizhou
◎It's not Zhouzhou after all?◎
When Lu Ping and his dozen or so men returned to Wuling Village, they heard the news that "the Ying family's house was on fire."
The fire burned for half the night. By the time the villagers hurriedly extinguished it and anxiously searched the crumbling remains of the thatched hut, everything had turned to ashes.
The books turned to ashes, the herbs turned to ashes, the trunk turned to ashes. Only the corpse lay peacefully on the ground.
Perhaps it was not peaceful. The body was burned beyond recognition, the limbs severely carbonized and twisted into grotesque positions. The villagers who came to collect the bones wept bitterly, saying, "What a respectable person Dr. Ying used to be! To die in such humiliation!"
Yes, it was humiliating. Because the villagers of Wuling Village unanimously believed that this was not a simple water evacuation, but definitely murder!
"All the chests and jars in the house have been ransacked; the thieves must have failed to steal the valuables and then decided to kill us!"
Zhou Shitou pointed to several pottery jars that had been salvaged from the ground and said.
Lu Ping's subordinate picked up the pottery jar, sniffed it, and nodded at him.
It has a coppery smell, indicating that it has indeed contained valuables.
Lu Ping remained silent. He walked through the commotion, his gaze fixed on the still-burnt beams on the ground, and suddenly spoke: "If it's murder, who is the suspect?"
Before the village chief or Uncle Zhao could speak, several villagers chimed in, "Who else could it be but Old Man Ding!"
If it were Old Man Ding, then everything would make sense.
He harbored an old grudge against Ying Jianhua and coveted the reward for providing clues, so he indiscriminately reported Ying Jianhua's name to the authorities. However, he regretted it the next day, the evidence being that Ying Jianhua dared not show his face. Seeing that the authorities had not yet convicted Ying Jianhua, and fearing that he would be imprisoned if the matter came to light, he simply killed and robbed him, then burned everything to the ground.
With evidence and proof, it seems the case can be closed now, and another reward notice of several tens of coins can be issued.
But Lu Ping always felt uneasy.
It was as if, in the pitch-black night and amidst the towering flames, something was vaguely hidden beneath the ashes.
He looked up, intending to ask the clever little girl a question, but after catching a glimpse of a constable with shifty eyes and a wandering expression, he suddenly gave up on the idea.
...This person was not one of his subordinates, but rather someone sent by the Prince Chengduan's residence, ostensibly to "lend him a hand."
But how can a servant who can neither solve cases nor fight be of any help to him?
Unless, he has other missions to perform.
Honghua looked nervously at the constable she had seen many times recently. Just when she thought she was about to be asked some tricky questions, he suddenly left.
A complex expression appeared on his face, which was slightly darker than others but still handsome.
Pain, sorrow, and many other expressions she didn't understand.
However, after taking a few steps, the constable suddenly turned back and said to her abruptly, "Now that you have acknowledged him as your master, you cannot neglect the ancestral rites in the future."
She nodded, somewhat bewildered, and then heard him say, "...If it's convenient, could you tell me the location of the grave?"
Ying Jianhua had no idea that someone was concerned about where he would be buried after he died. Now he had only one thought: it would be better to die.
Having no experience in setting a fire for the first time, he remained standing there even after half the house was ablaze. His clothes were burned to shreds, and his face was blackened beyond recognition.
Therefore, the first thing Du Zhijin said to him after seeing him was neither small talk nor anything else, but "Are you so excited to see me again?"
Dr. Ying wiped away her tears of excitement—no, tears brought on by the fumes—and glared at her fiercely. Du Zhijin's heart, which had been in her throat, relaxed; the fact that she still had the energy to glare at her meant the situation wasn't too bad.
But why, why do I keep staring at her?
"Cough, cough! Put me down!" A broken sentence was uttered amidst the violent coughing, but even though it was broken, Du Zhijin could still hear the shame and indignation in his tone.
She had no choice but to reluctantly put the person down from her shoulder, and then added a reminder: "Dr. Ying, you've lost weight, your waist is so thin."
Ying Jianhua paused in her act of tidying her clothes, and looked at her as if she were a hooligan.
......cough.
She turned her face away guiltily and whispered in her defense, "I meant well! Weren't you afraid of flying swords before?"
Otherwise, why would she have carried him all the way with such difficulty? Although Dr. Ying is very light, she still has weight to her!
After hearing her explanation, Dr. Ying's brows finally relaxed a little, no longer furrowed: "...Thank you."
Du Zhijin said there was no need to thank him: "You saved my life, it's nothing. But Dr. Ying, I've only been gone for a little over ten days, how did you manage to attract such a ruthless enemy?"
Ying Jianhua pursed her lips, seemingly unwilling to discuss these matters further. Du Zhijin, understanding the situation, didn't bring it up again, but instead plucked a handful of weeds nearby, marveling at how terribly overgrown they were.
"...This matter is not something that should be discussed with outsiders."
After a long silence, he suddenly spoke. This was the prelude to a story, wasn't it? Du Zhijin blinked, turning back around after his earlier awkward turn.
“My mother was a physician who traveled here and met my father. My father’s ancestors were court painters, so although his descendants gradually declined, they still had one or two imperial gifts. Ten years ago, the prince married and, I don’t know where he heard that my family had treasures, and wanted to take them. But those were my father’s family heirlooms, how could we give them away so easily? The prince was powerful, and my mother wanted to move the whole family away to avoid trouble, but before they could set off, the prince of Chengduan…” He closed his eyes at this point, and there were faint tears in the corners of his eyes.
His face was covered in soot, making him look somewhat disheveled, but it did not diminish his demeanor in the slightest; on the contrary, it accentuated his stubborn and aloof air.
Her eyelashes drooped low, her lips trembled slightly, and she looked quiet and pitiful, like a lonely branch swaying in the rain.
It is deeply moving.
Du Zhijin opened her mouth, wanting to say something comforting, but then stopped. She wasn't good at comforting others, or rather, she wasn't good at dealing with people! Faced with such a painful past, what should she say?
However, Ying Jianhua spoke up again quickly, not giving her a chance to speak: "...My mother left a will, asking me to live well. I was also taken care of by the villagers. So, although I was determined to die, I dared not go with my parents. For several years, I have worked hard to live and repay their kindness."
“As a son, how could I not feel resentment? Even if I do feel resentment, I only pray that Heaven will open its eyes and reveal the truth. How could I dare to try to stop a chariot with my bare hands or to shake a tree with my mayfly? To tell you the truth, when I heard that the Prince and the Crown Prince had died suddenly a few days ago, I was indeed overjoyed and even thanked Heaven in my heart for the ten years I had prayed for. I originally thought that there was no cause and effect in this world.”
Du Zhijin paused for a moment, then said, "In the end, good and evil are predetermined, and cause and effect will prevail."
“Yes.” He smiled, the light in his eyes flashing for a moment before fading away. “...But the royal family and the common people are different. Their lives are their own, and their deaths are like the collapse of Mount Tai. If one person dies, many will be buried with them. The Prince’s mansion posted a reward notice. Money can tempt people, and someone took me to the authorities because of that old matter. After the false accusation failed, they had murderous thoughts. And that’s how the fire you saw tonight came about.”
After saying that, he swayed precariously, like a puppet whose strings had been pulled out. She reached out to support him, this time restraining herself and only touching him lightly, as if she had touched a sensitive spot. Ying Jianhua's swaying body immediately regained its balance.
Why are you glaring at her again!
"Who reported you? Old Man Ding?" Du Zhijin could only think of this one person after racking her brains. After all, although Doctor Ying didn't have a good reputation among the children, the villagers of Wuling Village respected him and few people had any enemies with him. As far as she knew, Old Man Ding was a greedy and unscrupulous scoundrel who only cared about profit, so it wasn't surprising that he would do such a thing.
The only thing that surprised her was that the old man ran quite fast, and she was unable to catch him on the spot.
Ying Jianhua's eyes dimmed: "It doesn't matter who it is anymore... They'd rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free. Tonight, my place isn't the only one on fire in the city."
Upon hearing this, Du Zhijin looked down. They had landed on the summit of the back mountain, from which they could see a corner of the city.
In the distance, there were faint lights, accompanied by faint but sharp cries. She unconsciously tightened her grip on the sword in her hand: "This is too much."
“Royal relatives, noble families, officials, and wealthy merchants are the real people. How can we, whose lives are like drifting duckweed, be considered people?” His voice was as light as the evening breeze. “Perhaps we are not even as good as weeds. After all, weeds have a crack in a brick wall or a tree to lean on, but where can I go?”
The evening breeze was gentle and light, swirling past one's ears and leaving a faint floral fragrance that seemed to have come from nowhere. Suddenly, Du Zhijin remembered the osmanthus flowers he had bought at the market that day, wondering if they were still there.
“I told you, I can take you anywhere you want.”
Under the gentle moonlight, she repeated what she had said that day.
He shook his head: "We're even now." "How are we even? You saved my life, and I only showed you this city on my sword. It's hardly a repayment."
Her expression was so earnest, even more sincere than before, that one could immediately believe she was speaking from the heart.
"Will you really take me away?" he asked again, as cautiously as a morning dewdrop, as if a ray of sunlight would destroy him.
Du Zhijin handed Xingyue to him, and this time he took the initiative to touch her hand.
She didn't speak, but Ying Jianhua already knew her answer.
Let's go, let's go now, the farther the better.
Despite Ying Jianhua's strong insistence, Du Zhijin stayed in Jinxi City for another day. If she were traveling alone, her two swords would have been enough, but now that Ying Jianhua was with her, she had to bring many more things.
But neither taking him into the city nor leaving him alone was appropriate. Du Zhijin thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a solution. However, Ying Jianhua came up with an idea: "There's no need to go into the city. There's a village near Wuling Village that holds a small market every ten days. We just happen to be there today."
In addition, he also disguised the two of them. It must be said, Doctor Ying was very skillful; with just a few strokes, their appearances changed considerably. Although the noses and eyes were still the same, at first glance, their features and overall demeanor were completely different!
The two bought several sets of coarse clothes from the farmer. These were the kind of clothes with poorly sewn patches, so that they wouldn't look out of place even if thrown into a melon field to catch badger.
"I used to think that you looked good in anything, Dr. Ying," Du Zhijin remarked.
Ying Jianhua paused, unsure of what expression to make: "...I told you not to call me Doctor Ying."
"Oh right, so what should I call you?" She withdrew her hand from pulling at the melon vine, her deliberately thick eyebrows raised high at this moment, making her look a little comical.
But Ying Jianhua felt that something was about to happen, at this moment when both of them were in a very comical and even embarrassing situation.
The strange voice that hadn't been heard in a long time flashed through his mind: "Amo. You can call me, Amo."
She paused for a moment, then suddenly realized: "Your nickname? Should I tell you my nickname too?"
"...Whatever." He looked away somewhat awkwardly, thinking to himself that he already knew from the first time they met.
Her name is...
“Huai boat. In bronze inscriptions, the character ‘淮’ is composed of ‘淮’ above ‘舟’ and ‘津’.
He was taken aback.
It wasn't Zhouzhou?
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