Crash
In the past few days, Suxi often paid close attention and observed. She found that when Shen Pingchang was not at home during the day, the study was always guarded by guards and she could not enter. At night, when Shen Pingchang returned home, the study was connected to the bedroom, so she did not dare to take action.
Today, everyone in the Shen Mansion was enjoying the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, and the guards were neglected. After the banquet is over, they have to go back to work, and the Shen family members have returned to their rooms. It will not be easy to find such a good opportunity like now.
Suxi clenched his fists, thought it over again and again, and finally made up his mind. He covered his stomach and curled up in pain.
"Xiaoxi, are you feeling unwell?"
"I have a little diarrhea, I need to go to the toilet! You don't have to wait for me, I probably won't be back so soon..."
Suxi hurriedly threw down the lunch box and ran towards the toilet, then took advantage of the bushes to turn back and run towards the study.
"What's going on today? Why are everyone having stomach problems? Are they trying to avoid work?"
At the bottom of the corridor, a little maid murmured softly.
"No way! Xiaoxi is not that kind of person!"
Xihe retorted angrily, feeling worried, and ate the remaining rice grains in a displeased manner.
Elsewhere, Su Xi, the subject of much discussion, had crouched against the wall of the study. She peered over and saw no guards at the door. Secretly delighted, she carefully slipped into the study, closed the door, and scanned every corner in the faint moonlight.
The study is not big and is separated from the bedroom by a screen. Inside, there are three rows of sandalwood bookshelves emitting a faint fragrance. The books on them are neatly arranged in order. On a desk near the corner of the wall, there is a pen holder on one side and a stack of papers on the other side. The wax from a candle that had long been extinguished has dripped, forming a bumpy mark on the table.
Where should I start looking?
Su Xi listened to the laughter and chatter at the banquet outside, and the rustling of footsteps, which seemed indistinguishable from the distance, and felt a little timid. She forced herself to remain calm and walked over to the bookshelf. She examined it carefully and found that it was filled with classics, history books, and essays, all covered in dust. The Su family case had just occurred, so the bookshelves should be new.
After carefully examining the three bookshelves and the gaps where volumes might be hidden, Su Xi finally turned his gaze to the desk.
In order to avoid being spotted outside the window, she carefully squatted down and moved to the table. She gently removed the paperweight pressing on the papers and began to search through them one by one.
"Qingzhou Prefecture March Rules... Famous Calligraphy Books from Past Dynasties in Regular Script... Account Books..."
Suxi searched through the piles one by one. By the end, his patience was almost exhausted and his mind became more and more nervous as time went by. He subconsciously shifted his gaze away from his hands and searched for any secret drawers on the table while looking around, planning his escape route.
It’s a pity that this table is just a simple wooden table.
Suxi felt a little lost. His hand, which was unconsciously turning the pages of the book, suddenly stopped. He felt a different touch, as if he had touched something.
Sure enough, when she came to her senses, she saw a silver note worth one or two taels tucked into the bottom copy of the book "Travels of a Knight". In the dim moonlight shining diagonally, she could not see the diagonal lines stamped by the government on the silver note at all. It was smooth and flat, without any wrinkles.
This is a □□.
With a slight thought, Su Xi picked up the banknotes and put them in his pocket and left in a hurry. But before he stepped out of the door, the faint footsteps outside the door were getting closer and closer, and it sounded like there was more than one person.
Could it be that the guard is back?
Su Xi was shocked and quickly hid in the corner of the bookshelf to listen to the noise. After a while, his footsteps stopped, but he could faintly hear deliberately lowered voices outside.
"Hey...young men, what exactly does Madam mean by this? Why doesn't she come to see me in person? We agreed to get the reward after the job is done, so you should at least show some respect first."
The voice was strikingly familiar. Su Xi leaned closer to the corner, reached out, and quietly poked a small hole in the paper window hidden behind the bookshelf. Looking out, he saw three people standing in the dark, quiet garden behind the study. Two of them were the guards who usually guarded the study, and the other was the janitor of the Su family's small shop. His surname was Liu. He had come to the Su family when they first took root in Qingzhou, explaining that he had worked for the Lin family for many years and had suddenly lost his livelihood, finding it extremely difficult. His father, feeling sorry for him being implicated, had given him a small janitor's job. It was also because of his kind and honest appearance, with earlobes like the shape of Maitreya Buddha, that Su Xi had a vague impression of his face.
Could it be him? The Su family was so easily calculated by Shen Pingchang, could it be that he was involved?
"What do you mean? You still want money? Did you do what Madam asked you to do, bringing a girl to pass as Su Bingwen's daughter? You haven't done anything yet and you're asking for money, not to mention coming on such a big day as today. Do you really think the Shen family is the Jimintang?"
"But, young man, this matter hasn't been settled yet. We should first settle the money for the Su family! When I paid the autumn tax, I secretly sneaked into the Su family's accounting office and replaced so many fake banknotes. The lady originally promised me five hundred taels of silver! Adding this to the service, it must be at least eight hundred taels."
Looking at the simple and honest man in plain clothes, he paused, a gleam in his eyes,
"But I don't absolutely need five hundred taels today. My gambling debts are pressing, and even if I sold the girl at home, I still can't come up with the money. I know your wife is still at the banquet and can't leave. You can just give me two hundred taels first, and then ask your wife for instructions later."
Hearing this, the two guards looked at each other and one of them said, "Okay, come with us. We'll take you to the accounting office to withdraw the money."
"Oh, okay, okay, thank the Madam for me for still remembering the old relationship with me, an old member of the Lin family!"
Suxi was shocked when she heard this. Through her trembling eyelids, she saw one of the guards quietly retreat behind Lao Liu while he was not noticing. Before the man could react, the long knife was drawn out of its sheath and inserted into his abdomen. The guard hurriedly covered the man's lips with one hand to block his shrill screams, and at the same time, he pulled out the white blade with the other hand. In an instant, blood splattered three feet. Suxi was immediately scared and turned pale. While the two men were cleaning up the body, she quickly rushed out of the door and did not dare to stay for a moment.
-
At the end of the You hour, the banquet finally ended, and the guests said goodbye and went home. Old Madam Shen was supported by her maids for a walk in the garden. Lin and Shen Pingchang returned to the main courtyard. Shen Wenzhao disappeared after seeing off the guests. The maids and servants also cleared away the plates and bowls. Only Shen Yunqiu was still sitting in the front hall, motionless, staring blankly at the exceptionally bright moon in the sky.
Today is Mid-Autumn Festival, and the moon is at its largest of the year. But after so many years, I've lost interest in it and become weary of it. Perhaps it's because it lacks the image of family reunion. A bare, bright moon is ultimately cold and devoid of any human touch.
Honestly, Chen Yunqiu couldn't remember the last time he'd been pampered like this. Or perhaps it had never happened before, so he couldn't recall. He only remembered that at the annual Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner, his brother's bowl was always piled high with food, from his father, grandmother, and mother, piled like a small mountain. No one cared if his small stature could reach the dishes at the other end of the table, if he was used to eating, or if he was full. It was as if even a bite of food was a great blessing for him.
After a long time, the eyes that were almost out of focus gathered again, and Shen Yunqiu was shocked to find that there was no sound around. No one remembered him, an insignificant young master. The Shen family had saved face with a banquet and had no use for him anymore. They didn't even think of asking someone to push him back.
That's all.
Shen Yunqiu no longer wanted to hope for anything. He rolled up his sleeves and pushed the wooden wheel, turning it from side to side, inch by inch along the corridor, laboriously inching his way towards the West Garden. The journey wasn't long, but it wasn't short either. What would take an ordinary person less than a minute to cover took him at least half an hour. By the time he reached the West Garden gate, Shen Yunqiu's arms were so sore and swollen that he couldn't lift them. Just as he was about to rest for a moment before pushing again, he caught a glimpse of a figure standing before the gate in the dim light.
There were no lanterns hanging near the West Garden, and the servants would not come here specifically to light candles. Shen Yunqiu could not see who it was, so he moved closer and vaguely made out the figure shrouded in darkness under the eaves.
"Shen Wenzhao?"
Hearing the sound, Shen Wenzhao turned around, pulled up his trousers and slowly approached, with a strong smell of alcohol on his body. Only then did Shen Yunqiu see the particularly glaring, smelly yellow stain at the base of the wall.
"What do you mean?"
"What do you mean?" Shen Wenzhao said jokingly, his drunken face showing an unconcealable contempt and disdain. "Brother, you're being quite assertive today, relying on the guests to constantly provoke you. It feels good, doesn't it? It feels really good, doesn't it?"
Seeing Shen Wenzhao leaning over and gently patting his face with the help of the wheelchair armrest, Shen Yunqiu had already guessed what he was going to do.
As expected, the next moment, a foot wearing sheepskin boots kicked Shen Yunqiu hard in the chest. Shen Yunqiu was unable to fight back and was kicked by the powerful kick. He fell out of the wheelchair and rolled several times along the gravel road. He suddenly felt a dull pain in his heart and coughed up blood.
Propping himself up with his elbows with difficulty, Shen Yunqiu suppressed the pain surging in his chest and wiped the blood from the corner of his lips. Seeing that the back of the wheelchair, which was not very sturdy to begin with, had been broken by a kick, Shen Wenzhao picked up the broken ebony handle on the back of the chair and approached again, his eyes filled with bloodthirsty murderous intent, like a demon crawling out of hell.
"Chen Yunqiu, aren't you incredibly tough? Aren't you eloquent, every word a pearl of wisdom, and even dares to threaten me? I'm telling you, after the banquet, I'll beat you to death, and my parents will just keep it a secret for me and prepare a fine coffin for you!"
With a bang, the wooden stick landed on his back. Shen Yunqiu felt that the pain in his chest, which had been unbearable just now, suddenly disappeared. However, his back began to ache again, as if his ribs were about to crack.
Unable to defend himself, he could only curl up as best he could, holding onto his two numb legs. The wooden sticks continued to rain down, and the sharp broken ends scratched his face. Blood flowed down his cheeks into his mouth, with a fishy-sweet taste.
"Chen Yunqiu, this is the price! In your next life, remember to think carefully before you speak, and don't be so stubborn again! Brother will send you to reincarnation right now!"
With his eyes blurred by cold sweat, he caught a glimpse of the wooden stick as thick as a bowl coming towards him, but Shen Yunqiu was surprisingly calm. He closed his eyes tightly. The sharp sound of the wooden stick breaking through the wind seemed to be mixed with faint footsteps, coming from far away and getting closer. There was only a thud, but what followed was not the dizzying pain, but numbness, because he didn't know whether it was the excitement of impending liberation or the excessive fear that filled his brain.
Shen Yunqiu slowly opened his eyes, and with another thud, the ferocious, sinister Shen Wenzhao before him slumped to the ground, revealing the thin, frail figure of the young woman completely hidden behind him. The girl held a grayish-grey stone, seemingly found on the side of the road. The stone was stained with traces of blood, a dazzling crimson that reflected an eerie light in the moonlight.
With her back to the moonlight pouring down from the path behind her, he saw the girl's whole body trembling uncontrollably, her pupils quivering, and she stood there like a petrified being. After forcing herself to remain calm for a long while, she threw the stone into the old and smelly ditch not far away, slowly approached and squatted beside him.
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