Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Clues
Nan Heng rushed over as soon as he heard the news in the morning and had been guarding outside the ancestral hall. When he saw Lu Chen coming out with a gloomy and ugly expression, Nan Heng didn't dare to breathe and just followed behind him not far away.
Lu Chen walked in silence, his steps growing increasingly slow until he reached the Moon Cave entrance. Suddenly, he froze. After a moment, he called out softly, "Nan Heng."
Nan Heng leaned forward upon hearing the voice and looked over tentatively, "My dear?"
Lu Chen closed his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "Come and help me."
Nan Heng was stunned for a moment, then quickly reached out to support him. As soon as his arm rested on him, Lu Chen could no longer support himself, his entire body slumping down onto his shoulders. His breathing trembled slightly, "...Go find some mugwort."
Nan Heng was startled and subconsciously looked down at his left knee. "Is your knee injury acting up again, sir?"
Lu Chen nodded tiredly, the cold sweat on his forehead rolled down his temples, wetting a small area of the collar of his shirt.
Nan Heng's heart suddenly tightened. He immediately bent down and picked up the person on his back. He quickly crossed the courtyard and hurriedly placed him on the couch in the main room. Then he turned around and ran to the cabinet to look for the hot compress prescription left by Zhe Rou.
Lu Chen, drowsy from the pain, was startled by the sound of him rummaging through the medicine box. He frowned slightly and watched him move. "...How many are left?"
Nan Heng was stunned. When he realized that he was asking about the remaining amount of herbs, he quickly took the small medicine box back to show him, "Don't worry, my dear, according to the dosage, there will be enough for at least three or five times."
Three or five times.
His gaze was fixed for a moment, Lu Chen's Adam's apple slid with difficulty, he closed his eyes and turned his head.
This is what is meant by not using.
The hand holding the medicine box froze in mid-air. Nan Heng gritted his teeth and could only silently close the lid of the box and turn around to look for mugwort in the warehouse in the outer courtyard.
Outside the house, heavy snow started falling without my knowledge.
More than half a year has passed, and the pomegranate tree in the yard has grown lush branches. Flakes of snow fall on the branches at night, making a rustling sound.
Lu Chen lay on the couch with his eyes closed, curled up slightly. He was in so much pain that he was drowsy and his mind was in a mess. Listening to the rustling sounds outside the window, he vaguely remembered the pomegranate tree they had planted together in Taozhou. He wondered if it could survive this winter.
Nan Heng brought back some mugwort, rolled it into thin strips and lit it. The astringent smell of burning grass gradually filled the air.
Although fumigating moxa alone can dispel cold and relieve pain, its effect is far inferior to the medicine bag prepared by his wife. But her husband refuses to use it, and Nan Heng dares not disobey.
By the time he treated the whip wounds on his back and changed into clean underwear, it was almost dawn after all the trouble. Lu Chen finally relaxed and managed to sleep for more than an hour before going out for duty again.
Nan Heng saw him trying to hold on like this, and after enduring it again and again, he couldn't help but blurt out, "My dear, you still have old injuries on your body, you can't stand this kind of torture. Today... today, please take a day off."
Lu Chen's expression remained unchanged as he looked across the courtyard at the pomegranate tree covered in winter snow.
After a moment, he withdrew his gaze calmly and said in a hoarse voice, "No need."
can not wait.
He can't wait.
In the deep winter of December, a rare light snow fell in the south of the Yangtze River. The branches were covered with snowflakes like broken pearls, and a layer of white frost accumulated on the ripe red persimmons.
Zhe Rou got up early in the morning, put on a lilac-colored double-breasted jacket, tucked her hands into her rabbit-wool sleeves, and stood at the foot of the stone steps, watching Shui Qing and Xie Yunzhou pick persimmons from the trees and put them into bamboo baskets.
The two bamboo baskets were prepared by Zhe Rou in advance. The larger one was intended to be given to Madam Wu and her family of three, while the smaller one was to be given to Wu Jiaqilang alone.
Seeing Shuiqing pick out two large, round, bright red tomatoes and quietly stuff them into Qilang's basket, pushing them deeper, Zherou couldn't help but laugh. She called Shuiqing with a smile and whispered deliberately, "You have to give them to Qilang first, so that Madam Wu won't see that the biggest and reddest tomatoes are in Qilang's basket."
Shui Qing didn't expect that his little thought would be seen by his wife. His ears suddenly felt hot and he rarely showed a bit of embarrassment, "My wife!"
Zhe Rou pursed her lips and smiled, her eyebrows curved.
Shuiqing's face became increasingly hot, almost redder than the persimmons in the bamboo basket. She was so embarrassed that she was about to smoke. She picked up the two bamboo baskets and ran out of the yard.
Looking at the little girl's back as she hurriedly ran away, Zhe Rou couldn't help but curl up the corners of her lips.
It’s great that you are still young.
Xie Yunzhou leaned against the persimmon tree and smiled as well, looking at Zhe Rou: "Jiu Niang, there are still a lot of them, come and help me catch some."
Ever since that day when the conversation was brought up, both of them tacitly kept silent about it and never mentioned it again. Days passed, and their friendship became as warm as water. There seemed to be some changes, but it also seemed as if nothing had changed. They just became more familiar and closer.
Zhe Rou walked under the persimmon tree. The breeze blew across the circle of snow-white rabbit fur on her jacket. The soft fur swayed gently around her neck. The sun shone obliquely on her face. Her face was slightly flushed, and her smile was bright and soft. She seemed much more relaxed than before, and her eyes were full of expression.
Looking down, Xie Yunzhou's Adam's apple rolled slightly, and he suddenly felt playful. He couldn't help but reach out and shake the branch very lightly.
A small piece of snow on the branch fluttered down with his movements, landing squarely on Zhe Rou's face. It melted in an instant under the temperature, becoming icy cold.
Zhe Rou exclaimed softly, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and she looked up with wide eyes, "Xie Mingqi!"
"Yeah, I'm here."
The instigator was leaning against the tree trunk, one of his long legs idly resting on his side, smiling at her lazily, with the fragmented sunlight reflected in his eyes.
Now hiding in Yanziwu, he only wore ordinary cloth clothes, and even skipped the hair crown. He casually tied his black hair into a ponytail with a cloth belt. His pair of lacquer-like eyes looked at her with a smile. He did not look like a young man in his twenties, but rather showed a bit of clean and unrestrained youthfulness.
Zhe Rou: “…” Childish.
Seeing Xie Yunzhou pretending to shake off the snow, she turned around in feigned anger and said, "I don't care anymore. Wait until Shuiqing comes back and teach her to pick the snow with you."
Unexpectedly, she seemed to be annoyed. Xie Yunzhou's heart suddenly tightened. Without time to think carefully, he jumped off the tree trunk and chased after her. He took a look at her expression and immediately admitted his mistake: "Jiu Niang, I was wrong."
Zhe Rou glanced at him and pretended not to see it.
Seeing that she was about to go back to the house, Xie Yunzhou hesitated for a moment, then simply returned to the persimmon tree, raised his chin, and said to Zhe Rou from a distance, "Jiu Niang——"
Zhe Rou was slightly stunned, turned around, and looked at him puzzledly, "Huh?"
Seeing her turn around, Xie Yunzhou suddenly raised his eyebrows and smiled. The next moment, under her gaze, he raised his fist and smashed it against the tree trunk.
The morning light was bright and clear, and he was laughing with great pride. Before Zhe Rou could react, there was a rustling sound, and the snow on the branches and leaves fell in large pieces, instantly soaking Xie Yunzhou's head and face. A lot of it also fell into his collar and turned into snow water, which made his back stiffen and he took a breath of cold air.
Zhe Rou was stunned for a moment, then came to her senses. She felt angry and amused at the same time. She didn't know what to say to him. "Xie Mingqi, how old are you this year?"
She turned around, took down the soft cloth duster behind the door, walked over and handed it to Xie Yunzhou, and whispered, "Sweep it quickly, or you'll catch a cold later."
Xie Yunzhou took it with a smile, and his slightly cool fingertips brushed against her warm fingertips, then left immediately.
Zhe Rou's eyelashes trembled slightly.
Xie Yunzhou took the duster in his hand, but he was not in a hurry to clean the snow off his body. Instead, he bent down slightly and lowered his head to look into her eyes, "Jiu Niang, are you not angry anymore?"
His forehead was covered with fallen snow, his two dark sword-like eyebrows were also stained with white frost, and water droplets hung on his long raven eyelashes. His pair of handsome eyes were black and bright, clean and pure to the extreme.
Zhe Rou's heart suddenly tightened, and he looked away.
Xie Yunzhou's eyes moved slightly, and he was about to say something, but Shui Qing ran back from outside the yard at this time, holding something tightly in his hand, and called out urgently: "Young Master, Young Master!"
Xie Yunzhou was startled and frowned, "What's going on?"
Shui Qing hurried over and handed over the thin bamboo tube in her hand. "I just came back and passed by the pigeon cage in the backyard, and I happened to see the news that you were going to the capital!"
Xie Yunzhou's expression paused slightly.
Counting the days, the matter of going to the capital should have been settled. According to Lu Bingyan's character and means, since he has given Li Zhen such a big handle and let Lu Bingyan hold it in his hand, Xu Chong and Li Zhen will most likely be suppressed and unable to turn over.
Just wait a little longer.
When the emperor appointed the grandson as the crown prince and the foundation of the country was established, his identity would no longer be important. Everything would be the same as when the previous crown prince was still alive. The emperor would not have to worry about anything else, and he would naturally live the leisurely life he wanted.
Thinking of this, Xie Yunzhou raised his eyes and glanced at Zhe Rou, a smile unconsciously forming on his lips. He nonchalantly took the bamboo tube, took out the letter, unfolded it, and glanced at the contents of the letter.
Before he could finish reading these few words, his expression suddenly changed, and then he grasped the paper in his hand, his knuckles crackling with force.
Seeing that he looked unhappy, Zhe Rou couldn't help but ask with concern, "What's wrong? What happened?"
Speaking of which, seeing Xie Yunzhou staying here for several months and not in the slightest hurry to return to Beijing, she was not without doubts in her heart, and she also felt that there was something else going on. However, since Xie Yunzhou didn't want to say it, she didn't ask too much. Now seeing his expression, she felt vaguely uneasy in her heart. She was worried about him, and also afraid that it might have something to do with Lu Chen.
After a long while, Xie Yunzhou gritted his teeth and slowly raised his head, still with a hint of disbelief, "Something happened to my mother."
Zhe Rou was shocked when she heard this, "...Princess?"
After a moment of silence, Xie Yunzhou's throat rolled violently, and he squeezed out each word with difficulty from between his teeth, "During the Laba Festival porridge distribution, some refugees caused a riot and crashed into the Zhai cart. My mother accidentally hit her head and fell into a coma. It's unknown whether she is alive or dead."
Go to the capital, the Imperial Guards Office.
Nan Heng hurried across the corridor and rushed into the duty room: "My dear, there is news! Good news!"
Lu Chen raised his eyes when he heard the voice, and his eyes suddenly tightened.
Nan Heng approached quickly, lowering his voice, yet unable to conceal his faint excitement. "My lord, Zhou Xiao has indeed revealed his true colors! Shortly after the incident in the capital, he secretly released a carrier pigeon. I sent someone to follow it with a pre-prepared peregrine falcon, and we saw the pigeon fly to Yongqiu Posthouse. The officer guarding the posthouse was none other than the young prince's former trusted subordinate in the Jingyuan army. He replaced the pigeon at Yongqiu Posthouse and released a new one. Now our men have followed it and are searching along the way."
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