Chapter 116 Someone Jumped into the River
Xu Rui's heart pounded because of those words.
And because of those words, I feel heartbroken.
He was heartbroken.
I don't know if I'm heartbroken for my past ambitions or for the helplessness Lu Qingqing felt when she uttered those words.
He picked up a sword hanging on the wall and went into the courtyard.
The wind howled, and the sound of swords rang out.
Fu Leng heard the noise and got out of bed.
He was so eager to see what was happening outside that he was surprised to find himself able to move again when he reached the door.
And today, there's still one day left until the 30th day!
Unfortunately, after lying in bed for a month, my body was like a broken tree. My once strong legs were as thin as noodles and soon couldn't support me anymore.
He clung to the door to keep himself from kneeling down.
Outside, the swordsman's movements were graceful, though not as sharp as before, his steps were light, like a lake that had been still for a while, now rippling again.
He felt as if the young master had truly come alive at this moment.
With a flourish, the sword was sheathed.
Her eyebrows and eyes were exquisitely beautiful, radiant with brilliance.
Fu Leng almost burst into tears of emotion.
"Young master, the herbal medicine shop assistant is here again," someone reported from outside the courtyard.
Xu Rui put on the veil.
"Let him in."
The man came again, bringing back a book.
“Young master, Mr. Qushan said that the words on the wound medicine bottle and the words in this book were written by the same person. He thinks the author of the book is very talented and wants to take him as a disciple or a close friend.”
Writing?
Xu Rui was slightly surprised.
He brought the book into the room.
He knew that the words on the wound medicine were written with a quill pen dipped in ink.
This book seems to have been printed with charcoal sticks; if you run your finger over the words, they will become smudged.
And it uses two different handwriting styles.
Xu Rui carefully compared the two handwritings.
Sure enough, a clue was discovered.
For any character with a hook, there will always be a small dimple or ink dot in the lower right corner.
He paused for a moment, seemingly out of habit.
It seems Qu Shan really wants to find this person; he can even notice such a small detail.
Was the book really written by Qingqing?
Xu Rui couldn't help but look.
It's quite interesting. Qu Shan circled some of the characters that were written incorrectly and wrote the correct ones next to them.
The story is also very interesting.
Using absurd stories to reflect on the ignorance of the world.
That's brilliant.
No wonder Qu Shan was so determined to find the person.
This is yet another side of Lu Qingqing that is unknown to others.
How could someone with such talent not reach the pinnacle and shine brightly?
It cannot be buried, absolutely not!
"Young master, the waiter said that Mr. Qushan is still waiting for a reply."
Tell him, tomorrow.
He'll have another reason to go to Liuyun Village tomorrow.
"Young master, Magistrate Xu has arrived."
Xu Hengzhi always seemed to be in a huff whenever he came, like a red-faced Guan Yu.
"Old Xu, why are you so angry?"
Xu Hengzhi was stunned.
Young master seems a little different today.
"Young master, you don't understand... I'm afraid you'll be the one who gets angry!"
Xu Hengzhi took out a letter.
"They're talking complete nonsense! They're distorting the truth!"
Xu Rui read it quickly, his gaze calm.
"I knew it would turn out this way, didn't I?"
Only by demoting him to the dust can a newcomer rise to power.
The one pushed up was indeed the Ninth Prince.
"Ambitious, deceitful, and adulterous... Heh, he really does it all. Let him do what he wants."
"Young master, that would ruin your reputation!"
"Reputation belongs only to the victors. It doesn't matter if it's just Ming'an County. Just post the notices as instructed from above and don't cause any trouble."
Xu Hengzhi was seething with anger.
A bunch of despicable scoundrels!
The next day, Ming'an County posted a notice.
The former crown prince's crimes were listed one by one and made known to the world.
The people cursed and scorned him.
Xu Rui did not go to Liuyun Village.
Instead, they went to the teahouse across from the notice board.
I listened quietly there for a whole day.
He finally went to Liuyun Village on the third day.
Before leaving, Fu Leng, using his still-walking ability, found him some silk robes and sashes.
Xu Rui gently pushed it aside and slung a simple cloth bag over his shoulder.
"It's not that I like the golden crown and jade belt, but that my status requires it."
I don't need it anymore.
Fu Leng felt as if he had fallen out of favor.
...
As Xu Rui entered the village, he heard the old ox mooing and was still thinking:
No wonder Lu Qingqing didn't want to move to the city. The village is peaceful, and everyone is busy just to have enough to eat. They don't have time to gossip about irrelevant people.
It's much quieter than the city.
"Have you heard? The former crown prince was a scoundrel who stole credit from others and dug up the corpses of more than two hundred palace maids in his palace!"
Two villagers walked by carrying logs.
Xu Rui: "..."
He retracted his previous thought.
The notice should have said there were more than 20 corpses, so how did it become more than 200?
"I heard that the prince eats human hearts to maintain his good looks!"
Xu Rui: "..."
"You heard wrong. It says that the Crown Prince is actually a homosexual, disregards human ethics, and is in love with his ninth brother. Those he killed were all the ninth prince's concubines."
Xu Rui: "..."
Suddenly I wasn't depressed anymore.
What seems false can also be true, and what seems true can also be false.
People at the bottom of society don't care about the truth or falsehood, because it's too far removed from their lives.
As long as there's something interesting to talk about, that's fine, especially things about royalty.
As they approached the Lu family residence, Xu Rui's heart began to pound.
He has something important to say to Qingqing today.
"Someone has fallen into the river—" a piercing shout rang out.
The tranquility of the village was broken.
Many people ran towards the river.
Because of the recent rainfall, the water level has risen, and no one dares to wash clothes by the river anymore.
The river is quite large, and there is a small rocky hill in the middle. When the riverbed drops, the rocky hill is exposed more, but now only the tip of the hill remains.
It's not just one person who drowned in this river.
Two years ago, a young married woman jumped into the river.
Two years ago, two children drowned while swimming together.
The villagers all say that the river is "craving" it.
There's a water ghost inside.
They eat people every two years.
It's been exactly two years now.
When Xu Rui arrived, there were already quite a few people on the riverbank.
Several young men jumped in and dove to search for someone.
They searched further along the shore.
"I could see the floral dress fluttering just a moment ago, but it's gone now. I wonder where it sank!"
"It's hopeless, hopeless, it's definitely been swallowed by the river again."
Xu Rui saw that the Lu family had also come over, on the other side of the hill.
Lu Qingqing was also there.
"Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law!" Old Man Lu shouted.
"Huh? Was it Chen Cuihua who fell into the river?"
"I don't know. Aunt Liu said she saw Chen Cuihua walking this way alone with her head down. She called her but she didn't respond. It was as if her soul had been taken away."
The woman who was talking about it shuddered, frightened by what she had said.
----------------------------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com