Chapter 36 Night Rain

After Ming Huazhang finished speaking, Xie Jichuan kept smiling, but Ming Huachang inexplicably felt that the air became strange, as if there were cold arrows flying by.

Ming Huashang said quickly, "We were delayed today. Thank you for waiting for us. I feel very sorry. There is nothing I can do but prepare some snacks. Thank you for not blaming me for holding you back."

"How could that be?" Xie Jichuan said, "Second Mother helped a lot today, how could she be a hindrance? Jingzhan, don't you think so?"

This was the thing Ming Huazhang didn't want to see the most, but Xie Jichuan insisted on bringing it up, which was like bringing up something that was not meant to be brought up. Ming Huazhang knew that with Xie Jichuan's petty personality, his fight back would only go on and on, so he simply ignored him and said to Ming Huachang, "Let's go."

Ming Huashang nodded her head like a chicken pecking at rice and followed Ming Huazhang obediently.

Ming Huazhang provoked Xie Jichuan, who was unhappy. Ming Huazhang did not respond, which made Xie Jichuan even more unhappy. However, the worst thing was that the thing he had finally forgotten came back to his mind again.

He is not clean anymore.

Xie Jichuan began to adjust his sleeves frequently again. Even though the blood stains had been covered up, he still felt uncomfortable every time he thought about Hun Shen.

Ming Huazhang caught a glimpse of it and said rather ruthlessly: "Don't throw this dress away. Remember to test it when you get back to see if the blood on it is human blood."

Even though Ming Huachang couldn't understand Xie Jichuan's obsessive-compulsive cleanliness that made him go crazy when his sleeves were dirty, she felt that Ming Huazhang was going too far. It was simply murderous and inhumane.

Ming Huashang coughed softly, trying to divert the attention of the other two and stop them from killing each other: "Second brother, when Sister Ren and I were resting in the guest room, we asked the little maid of the Wei Mansion about many things."

Then, Ming Huashang roughly told Ming Huazhang what she had learned, and then looked at Ming Huazhang expectantly: "Second brother, what are we going to do next?"

They had a general understanding of what happened, but the identity of the murderer was still unclear. Who should they focus on investigating next? Ming Huazhang did not express his opinion, but asked, "What do you think?"

Ren Yao repeated her and Ming Huashang's speculations: "We think that Wei Moyuan killed for money, Wei Zhuyan killed for love, and Hua Nu coveted Wei Baixuan and harmed her. All of these are possible. And Wei Yanqing, the maid said that most of the puppets in the Wei family are now made by Wei Baixuan, but the wealth of the Wei family is controlled by Wei Yanqing. We cannot rule out the possibility that Wei Yanqing killed people to maintain the power or interests of the head of the family."

Jiang Ling sighed, "You've been trying to guess who the culprit is, but in the end, you haven't ruled anyone out. The murderer must be one of the people in the Wei family. Do you need to tell me?"

"Shut up!" Ren Yao said angrily, "You didn't help us at all, you just made things more troublesome for us, and you still have the nerve to criticize me?"

Jiang Ling also had the temper of a young man, and he was unhappy when he heard this: "Who do you think is causing trouble? If I hadn't helped you, you would have been exposed as soon as you walked in!"

Before they could come to a conclusion on the case, the two of them started arguing. Ming Huashang said helplessly, "Okay, okay, Jiang Ling and Sister Ren both helped a lot today, and neither of them can be missing."

Ren Yao sneered, Jiang Ling turned away with a dark face, neither of them bought the deal.

Ren Yao and Jiang Ling both felt that Ming Huashang was playing the game of peacemaking, and they did not think that he had any redeeming qualities. Ming Huashang sighed and could only ask for help from the other two: "Second brother, Brother Xie, in your opinion, who of these four people is the most suspicious?"

At this moment, the evening glow illuminates the smoke-filled trees, the willow pond is covered with green leaves, the vendors who have set up their stalls are packing up their goods and preparing to go home, peddlers are carrying shoulder poles through the streets, children after school are chasing and playing in the streets, and the air seems to be filled with the smell of cooking smoke. It is the busiest and most lively time of the day in Luoyang.

Ming Huazhang stood in the early spring twilight, wearing a dark green round-necked robe. The belt made his figure look extremely slender. The dim light made his complexion appear as pure as snow and his eyes as cold as a river.

Ming Huazhang didn't look at her, but looked at all the people, and said calmly: "This is an assessment of you, I have nothing to say. Who do you suspect? Go find evidence yourself."

Ming Huashang was stunned. She didn't expect Ming Huazhang to be so strict. "Ah? I actually have a candidate in mind. Can you tell me if I guessed it right?"

"No." Ming Huazhang said, "If you have made up your mind, tell the other party's name, and the assessment will end. Do you want to tell me now?"

"No, no." Ming Huashang waved her hands quickly, "I'm just guessing, I haven't thought it through yet."

Ren Yao originally thought that the real murderer was close at hand, but seeing Ming Huazhang being so ruthless, she began to doubt again. There was only one chance, and Ren Yao did not dare to waste it. She sighed: "It seems that I have to come to the Wei family tomorrow."

Ming Huazhang raised his eyebrows and said, "I remind you once again not to reveal your identity. You can come to the Wei family again, but you must not arouse their suspicion. Once they are startled, the whole mission will fail. Do you understand?"

"What?" Ren Yao was surprised. "So we can't just ask directly?"

Jiang Ling couldn't help but ask, "If we are not allowed to show our official status and we can't send police officers to search our house, how can we investigate?"

"So, why do you think Xuanxiaowei is named after Xuan?" Ming Huazhang said, "I brought you to the Wei family today. I believe you have already gathered the necessary information. I will not take you on any actions in the future. You are free to do whatever you want. There is only one thing. Once the Wei family finds out that the court is investigating them, you will fail the assessment immediately."

Jiang Ling widened his eyes in astonishment. Not providing manpower or power, but still requiring confidentiality, isn't this making things difficult for people?

However, Ming Huazhang didn't smile at all, and told them clearly that this was not a joke. Ming Huachang thought that Ming Huazhang took them to visit the Wei family today to teach them step by step, but he didn't expect that the novice guidance would end here?

Ming Huashang asked: "Is there a time limit?"

"No." Ming Huazhang said, "But time will affect the rating. Only the first person to complete the task will get the Earth level."

Ming Huashang suddenly became nervous: "Only one person can be rated as Earth level? But General Han clearly said that as long as the assessment is passed, one can enter the Earth level of Xuanxiaowei."

"That's right." Ming Huazhang's voice was still calm, "But there is no elimination in the assessment?"

Ming Huashang was speechless. The atmosphere in the team, which had been harmonious just a moment ago, suddenly became tense.

Originally, Ming Huashang thought that as long as she passed the assessment, she could join, so she was very relaxed and did not hesitate to share clues with Ren Yao and Jiang Ling. But now she knows that only one of the three can stay.

Jiang Ling was sent here by Marquis Jiang An. With a father with such a powerful background, there was almost no need to guess who would get the only spot.

Jiang Ling still looked indifferent, but Ming Huashang and Ren Yao fell silent for a moment.

Xie Jichuan looked at Ming Huazhang silently, without saying anything, and continued to toss around the bloody beach with his head down. Soon they arrived at the main street, and none of the group of people lingered, saying goodbye in silence, each going their own way.

Ren Yao and Jiang Ling had already changed their route. Xie Jichuan walked a little longer but just left. Among the five people, only Ming Huashang and Ming Huazhang were left walking side by side.

The two returned home in silence. This time, Ming Huashang didn't need to hide and followed Ming Huazhang into the house. Ming Huazhang saw her off to the gate and said, "Don't sneak out in the future. If something happens to you today, where will your family find you?"

Ming Huashang murmured in response. People in the courtyard heard the noise. Zhaocai opened the door to check and was overjoyed to see Ming Huashang: "Madam, why are you here? Where did you go today? We have been looking for you all afternoon, and if we can't find you, we will report to the Duke and the old lady."

Ming Huashang was shocked when she heard this: "You didn't alarm Father and Grandmother, did you?"

"No." Zhaocai said anxiously, "Madam, where have you been?"

"My second brother and I..." Ming Huashang turned around and found that Ming Huazhang had left. She sighed and said, "Forget it, let's talk inside."

After entering the house, Jixiang Ruyi and the others were relieved to see that Ming Huashang had returned safely, and they hurriedly asked about Ming Huashang's whereabouts.

Ming Huashang didn't dare to tell the truth. She took out the rouge she bought that morning and made up a story: "I felt a little bored after sleeping and was too lazy to call for help, so I just went out for a walk. I happened to see my second brother going out. So I asked him to take me with him."

Ming Huashang did come back with Ming Huazhang. She was not afraid that Ming Huazhang would expose her, so she pushed all the responsibilities onto Ming Huazhang without any responsibility. When the maids heard that she went out with Ming Huazhang, they were slightly relieved, but they still complained: "Madam, even if you go out with Erlang, you have to bring someone with you. You should at least send a message back. How can you just leave? You can't be so reckless in the future."

Ming Huashang had no words to describe her grievances. She had thought she just needed to go out to meet someone and would be back soon. Who could have expected that she would have to spend a whole day?

Her trick could cover up for an hour or two, but if she stayed indoors all day, she would be exposed. Fortunately, Zhao Cai Jin Bao and the others did not dare to commit such a serious crime and kept looking for her secretly, otherwise, today's incident would be troublesome.

Ming Huashang also knew that the maids were frightened, so she did not refute them and let them complain. When she felt that the maids had almost vented their anger, she asked, "Jinbao, can you make cheese?"

Jinbao was stunned for a moment, feeling angry and helpless: "My wife, it's already so late, and you're still thinking about eating!"

"That means you know how to cook." Ming Huashang said, "Go ask the kitchen for a basket of fresh cherries and make a big plate of cherry cheese. Remember not to add sugar."

Jinbao agreed and said, "My lady, it's already this late. You may not be able to finish a large plate. It's better to make a small portion and eat the rest tomorrow."

Ming Huashang said, "Only the older ones are sincere. Go quickly, it will be dark soon."

Jinbao didn't understand why, so he could only follow Ming Huashang's instructions. Ming Huashang was the most precious daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, and no one in the mansion dared to neglect her request. After a while, the kitchen sent all the cherries over.

這個時節櫻桃是稀罕物，分到各房手裏不剩多少了。但明華裳随随便便就霸占了全府的份額，沒人敢有意見，甚至廚房還讨好地附贈一碟水晶紅豆糕。

明華裳身邊的四個丫鬟分別掌管衣食住行，因為明華裳喜歡吃，進寶便學了一手好廚藝。櫻桃乳酪不算難做，很快，一盤白裏透紅、晶瑩剔透的甜點就準備好了。

明華裳讓招財在盤子四周擺上花瓣，裝點得十分精致，這才提着食盒，親自往前院走去。

招財給明華裳提着燈，喋喋不休道：“娘子，您到底有什麽事找二郎君，等明日再說也不遲，何苦現在出門？”

若是吃喝玩樂、琴棋書畫一類的事，等一天也無妨，但人命案可不能等。更不巧的是，她們走到半路，暮霭中卷起一陣風，風中帶着濕潤清冷之意。

招財急道：“娘子，可能要下雨了，我們快點回去。”

明華裳卻忽然抱緊食盒，往暮色深處跑去：“那更要快點走了，櫻桃乳酪着了水就沒法吃了。”

明華章換了衣服，遣退侍從，獨自待在書房中。他拿着筆，手腕懸直，平穩地在紙上勾勒。

他下筆并不快，但速度穩定，越見胸有成竹的氣度。明華章腦中清晰印出隗家工坊的模樣，他以地上的磚塊為尺，一一将工坊還原。

很快，一間屋子就出現在他筆下。外面起風了，一陣沁涼的風穿入軒窗，整間屋子都彌漫着濕潤的土香，雨點随着風落下來，在窗戶上打出噼啪細響。

初春的風已褪去冷意，明華章懶得關窗，他換了筆，繼續完善圖上的細節。不想，屋外忽然傳來黍離驚訝的聲音：“二娘子，您怎麽來了？”

明華裳？明華章驚訝，他擱下筆，沉着臉快步往門口走去。

明華章猛地拉開門，果真在屋檐下看到一個穿着雪青色襦裙的少女。

她頭發被雨水打濕，一绺绺貼在臉上，尤其顯現出少女細膩白皙的肌膚。她懷裏抱着一個盒子，丫鬟正拿帕子擦她身上的水，她聽到聲音，擡頭，那雙眼睛盈盈笑起來，倒映着屋裏的燭火，竟比外面的雨還要濕潤。

“二兄。”

明華章沒想到還真是她，大晚上冒雨在外面跑，她可越來越能耐了。明華章問：“你怎麽來了？”

明華裳獻寶一般提起手裏的食盒：“來給你送吃的！今日買的櫻桃乳酪你看起來不喜歡，我給你做了份新的！”

明華章掃過明華裳手裏的東西，她頭發都被打濕了，手裏的盒子卻一丁點雨水都沒沾，他還以為她護着什麽，原來，竟然是食盒。

明華章不說不笑看着她，他背着光，眼眸顯得尤其幽深。明華裳都有些忐忑了，她都冒雨來了，莫非明華章不願意讓她進門？那明華裳可能得和明華章借一把傘了。

明華裳手舉得都有些酸了，她試探地問：“二兄，你不喜歡吃櫻桃乳酪嗎？”

明華章默默看着她，她到底知不知道晚上冒雨來給一個男郎送吃的意味着什麽？明華章看到她濕漉漉的眼睛，被雨水打濕後尤顯蒼白的臉，最終還是讓開了：“進來吧。”

明華裳終于松一口氣，她将食盒交給仆從，自己提着襦裙進門。幸好她跑得快，衣服沒怎麽濕，明華裳正想着忍一忍就幹了，忽然明華章從裏間走出來，遞給她一套疊得整整齊齊的月白色衣袍：“這是我以前的衣服，未曾穿過，你先換上試試。”

明華裳瞥了眼一本正經的明華章，再看向他手裏的衣服，饒是她這麽厚的臉皮都有些尴尬了：“不用，我衣服沒濕，一會就幹了。”

“去換上吧。”明華章說，“春寒料峭，最容易得風寒。”

明華裳看着明華章雲淡風輕的臉，說不出話來。他把她當妹妹，擔心妹妹得病，所以讓妹妹在自己屋裏換衣服，合情合理。何況他們還是龍鳳胎，沒人會覺得不對。

但問題是，她其實知道，她不是他妹妹。

明華裳有苦難言，但拒絕明華章的好意反而引人注目，等她身份暴露那一天，明華章想起這些事，說不定會覺得她和蘇家串通好，故意隐瞞鎮國公府。

明華裳只能裝出雙胞胎妹妹的親昵驕縱，說：“好。二兄你先把櫻桃乳酪擺好，等我出來再吃。”

明華裳輕松自然地接過衣服，抱在懷裏往裏屋走去。明華章的住處很寬敞，比明華裳的屋子還要大，将裏屋門關上，再合上屏風，外面根本一點聲音都聽不到。

但明華章站在中堂，卻覺得有些站立難安了。明華章将所有侍從都打發出去，關好門窗，走到離裏屋最遠的書房坐着。他刻意摒棄聽覺，不去注意裏面的動靜，然而越避諱，感覺反而越奇怪。

裏屋正在換衣服的明華裳也很尴尬。這是明華章的寝屋，收拾得非常幹淨整齊，和明華裳的閨房比，他房裏的擺設少得堪稱簡樸。明華裳站在空曠中，有一種強烈的被注視的感覺。

她把屏風牢牢拉住，飛快換衣服。大唐女子有穿男裝的風尚，尤其貴族女子，都以女扮男裝為時髦。明華裳對男子的衣着并不陌生，但一想到這是明華章的衣服，雖然他并沒有穿過，明華裳還是覺得全身都怪怪的。

哪怕是幾年前明華章的衣服，穿在她身上也太大了，肩膀松松垮垮，衣擺也長出一截。明華裳只能努力把腰帶系緊，盡量讓自己精神一點，然後将自己的襦裙團成一團，蹑手蹑腳地出門。

明華裳簡直覺得她像來偷衣服的小賊。

她腦海中浮現出這副畫面，忍不住噗嗤一聲笑出來。明華章正坐在桌前，聽到笑聲擡頭，便看到了濕發葳蕤、衣襟松散，但顯得極其纖腰雪膚的少女。

還有心思笑，她可真是沒心沒肺。

明華裳接觸到明華章的視線，趕緊閉嘴，端端正正走到明華章面前坐下：“謝謝二兄。”

明華章掃過明華裳身上的衣服，他特意挑了一件沒什麽特征的外衣，沒想到穿到明華裳身上，卻處處彰顯他的存在感。

明華章有些尴尬地避開視線，垂下眼睛，清清淡淡說：“天黑着，還下着雨，你怎麽來了？”

明華裳短暫地尴尬之後，很快恢複到無我之境，甚至像個社交悍匪一樣反客為主，一連串說道：“因為記挂二兄啊。這是我特意讓進寶做的櫻桃乳酪，一做好我就給你送來了。我還沒嘗過，你試了嗎，怎麽樣，好吃嗎？”

她的話太密，明華章都不知道該回哪一句。他微嘆：“不必。其實我不愛吃甜食。”

“不甜的。”明華裳道，“知道你不愛吃甜，我沒讓進寶加糖。你嘗一個嘛！”

明華裳說着甚至要幫明華章盛，明華章忙攔住她的手：“好，我自己來試。”

明華章夾起一個櫻桃，輕輕放入嘴裏。明華裳熱切地盯着他，見他入口後，激動地湊上來：“怎麽樣？”

明華章點頭，然後才意識到味道。他心裏很無奈，對着這樣的視線，誰能忍心說不呢？

明華裳這下高興了，她拿起筷子，善解人意地幫明華章一起解決：“二兄喜歡就好。今日我為了打探消息，随便在隗宅旁邊找了個攤子，沒料到他們家的乳酪還挺好吃，我當時就覺得二兄一定喜歡。謝阿兄是二兄的朋友，總不能厚此薄彼，我便給謝阿兄也帶了一份。不過攤子上打包好的，如何比得上自家現做？總算讓二兄嘗到了。”

明華章心裏的介懷不知不覺消散，明華裳同時給他和謝濟川帶東西，并非禮儀性的一視同仁，而是因為謝濟川是他的朋友。

明華章容色靜得像雪，道：“我明白。這是你的自由，你不必解釋的。”

“這不一樣。”明華裳說，“你是我的雙胎兄長，這世上除父親外，我最親近的人。天底下有那麽多男子，但唯有一個二兄，我當然要對二兄格外好。”

明華章指節緊了緊，無法面對這樣坦誠的、不加掩飾的表達。明華裳見明華章不動，熱情地幫他夾櫻桃：“二兄，你快吃啊。”

他垂下眼眸，睫毛在皮膚上投下細細的陰影：“好。”

明華章人長得清冷，吃飯也很斯文，他吃一顆的工夫，明華裳已經幹掉五個了。明華章掃了眼嚴重失衡的盤子，放下筷子，将剩下的櫻桃留給明華裳：“你有心了，但下次派人來即可，不用親自跑一趟。”

“那不行。”明華裳咬了一口櫻桃，認真說，“丫鬟送是丫鬟的心意，我來才是我的心意。”

這時候明華裳才發現明華章已放下筷子，她說是來給明華章送吃的，其實大部分都進了她的肚子。明華裳眨眨眼，有些心虛地說：“二兄，你怎麽不吃了？”

明華章忍俊不禁，說：“放心吃吧，我晚上不吃東西，這些已經夠了。”

Ming Huashang thought guiltily about how many meals she had eaten today, while she ate up the remaining cherry cheese. After finishing the last one, Ming Huashang wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief and said, "Second brother, I actually have something to ask you."

The young man sat in the halo of light, his shoulders straight, his neck long, his face white as ice jade, which further highlighted his superior bone structure and beautiful skin. The light reflected on him, like moonlight falling on white snow, giving rise to a hint of beauty in his handsomeness.

He chuckled softly, not sounding surprised at all: "Want to ask about the Wei family workshop?"

His sister seemed to be heartless and kind, but in fact, she was very clear-headed. She would not easily offend someone, and similarly, if she suddenly treated someone well, it would not be without reason.

Especially to him. Whenever she acted coquettishly and showed kindness to him, she would always ask for something behind it.