Chapter 55: The first answer that has nothing to do with this matter.
Jiangyang Prefecture, Pingjiang Street.
Seeing that they were just a few blocks away from reaching Guan'an Lane, where the Song residence was located, Mu Jingli showed no intention of stopping. It was obvious that he intended to send Master Song and Madam Wenyu home.
The sky was low, the night was getting darker and the dew was heavier. Shops leaning against each other were lined up on both sides of the street. The pink walls and green tiles were immersed in the watery night, flickering with soft light. The city was silent. Occasionally, a night breeze blew by, carrying the lanterns with gradually drying wax under the eaves, and casting swaying shadows on the road.
At this time, the stars have dissipated, the light and shadows are sparse, and even the night watchman has probably fallen into a deep sleep.
Song Linsheng and his companions walked along the street. Although they had slowed down their pace, the sound of their horses' hooves on the pavement was still clearly audible. As the saying goes, movement contrasts with stillness; in this way, the city seemed even quieter.
The silence, as smooth as the surface of water, was broken by Song Linsheng's voice, which was like a piece of metal or stone falling into the water, causing thousands of waves.
"Thanks to Mu Jingli's help today, otherwise Madam Wenyu and I might not have escaped by now."
"Master Song, what are you talking about..."
Song Linsheng was a man who believed in using courtesy before force. After thanking Lord Mu, he directly raised the most pressing issue at hand.
But there was a method to his speech, manners, and conduct. He had grown up in Shangdu, and although he had been exiled shortly after entering officialdom, he had seen a lot from his father and brothers since he was a child, so even just by looking at it, he had already mastered 30% of it.
"Mu Jinli left the city in the middle of the night. He must have some important business to attend to, right?"
Without waiting for Mu Tong to respond, Song Linsheng's words of praise flowed out like an inexhaustible river.
"Such diligence in official duties truly makes him a role model for all officials in the Jiangyang government office."
He was not in a hurry to find out how Mu Tong happened to appear and how he happened to rescue him and Madam Wen Yu.
If Mu Tongruo really had important business to attend to, it would be rather conspicuous for him to ride on horseback with a torch in the middle of the night; but if he had no important business to do, it would appear even more sneaky.
The reason behind this is really intriguing.
"ha?"
Mu Tong seemed to have heard something funny. He flicked his sleeves lightly and couldn't help laughing. Apart from the slightly raised corners of his mouth, his trembling shoulders also betrayed him.
"Sir Song, are you joking with me?"
Wen Yu's gaze flickered back and forth across Mu Tong's face. She understood the underlying meaning of Song Linsheng's words. Although it was Lord Mu who had saved them, the Jiangyang government office was closed today, and Lord Mu should have returned home early to rest. His appearance tonight at both the right time and the right place was too timely and too coincidental.
If it had been a moment earlier, perhaps they could have been saved from suffering; if it had been a moment later, they might have been drowned by the overflowing river water.
It was just the right time, neither too early nor too late. It saved the two of them, but also made them suffer.
Wen Yu closed her eyelashes lightly, thinking secretly in her heart. It seems that there are indeed some suspicious points about Lord Mu.
He is like a tree, standing among the misty mountains and forests. The tree blends into the forest like water flowing into a river. It is true that good dreams are easily broken and the traces are hard to find.
She recalled the time when she first met Lord Mu in the back alley of the famous shop. He told her: To help the weak and suppress the strong does not depend solely on the size of one's official position.
The person who could say such a thing would be...
Won't.
Wen Yu warned herself not to make unfounded assumptions. She wanted to find out the truth, but she absolutely did not want to harbor any unfounded suspicions about Master Mu.
In her heart, she had a natural trust in Lord Mu.
This is exactly what Wen Yu couldn't understand. Does it mean that since she accepted the Mingkun hairpin from someone else, she always has to cover up and defend him?
Wen Yu glanced around and inexplicably felt a little guilty.
"What do you mean, Master Mu?"
She calmed herself down and continued speaking along the lines of what Lord Mu had said.
Little did she know that all her movements fell into Song Linsheng's sight. Although he was behind Wen Yu, he could only see the back of her head. Just by watching her sometimes raised and sometimes lowered head, Song Linsheng sensed a hint of something unusual.
But before he could investigate further, Mu Tong's voice rang in his ears.
"It seems that what Lord Jia said is indeed correct!"
"Master Jia?"
"Jia Tongzhi?"
Before Mu Tong finished speaking, Wen Yu and Song Linsheng's voices echoed each other and both rang out.
Wen Yu turned her head and looked at Song Linsheng. She could clearly see the doubt in Song Linsheng's eyes. Without saying anything more, Wen Yu turned back to ask Lord Mu.
"You mean Master Jia? What did Master Jia say to you?"
Wen Yu's heart was in suspense. How could this matter be related to Lord Jia? She was eager to know the answer quickly.
For example, Lord Mu’s answer actually has nothing to do with the matter.
Mu Tong chuckled, looking calm and composed.
It was as if this moment was not a moonlit night, but a morning with a spring breeze; it was not the pursuit and exploration of Wen Yu and Song Linsheng, but the reunion of old friends who had known each other for many years, and a casual chat.
"The whole city is closed today, and I was tending to the flowers and plants in my mansion, just for fun."
Mu Tong briefly reviewed what happened today in his mind and planned to tell Wen Yu and Song Linsheng about it.
"I just remembered that I never saw Master Jia return home at this time of year in previous years. I thought it would be the same this year, so I thought of going to the government office to see Master Jia, so that he wouldn't be alone guarding the empty office building. It would be so lonely."
Mr. Jia, won’t you go home on your day off?
It was as if a flash of white light passed through Wen Yu's mind, and when she wanted to catch it, it disappeared in an instant like an empty flower or a flame.
She didn't pursue the matter, but continued to ask Master Mu, "What happened next? Did you go to the government office to see Master Jia?"
Song Linsheng's brows furrowed slightly, and he couldn't put his finger on what was wrong. He'd been with Madam Wen Yu all day, and today he'd only been out for half a day. When had Madam Wen Yu and Mu Jing become so familiar with each other...
However, Mu Tong and Wen Yu were completely unaware of his complicated thoughts and continued to talk to each other.
"Yes and no."
Mu Tong's eyes swept across Wen Yu's face, and suddenly his mind turned back. He thought of Madam Wen's previous questions, and combined them with Lord Song's words. It was like a thread of inspiration, and then a flash of inspiration came to him.
He held the reins with one hand and kept the audience in suspense.
"Yes? No?" Wen Yu raised his eyes and scanned the familiar streets. Why did Lord Mu suddenly hesitate? If he continued like this, he would reach the Song residence in just a few steps.
What if Lord Mu wants to go back home then?
"That's right!" Mu Tong responded in a cheerful tone. He raised one hand to push the hair that had fallen in front of him behind his head. As the horse's footsteps shook, his hair flying in the wind drew a winding arc in the night breeze.
Wen Yu looked at his nonchalant manner and calm demeanor, and suddenly her undecided heart settled down.
She knew that even though Lord Mu hadn't finished speaking, his meaning was clear: this matter certainly had nothing to do with him. But how did she know that? Wen Yu thought about it and choked herself.
Anyway, she just knows!
"Master Mu——"
"Master Mu, please stop keeping us in suspense."
Song Linsheng's voice rang out, interrupting Wen Yu just as he was about to start talking.
It was clearly a joke, yet he spoke it calmly, without a ripple. Song Linsheng's voice was like a snowy mountain among pines, wrapped in a thin layer of frost, reaching from the freezing winter months to the current spring month.
The chill made Wen Yu shiver inexplicably.
She felt that Song Linsheng was a little strange, but she didn't dare to look back. Wen Yu just stiffened her neck and looked at Lord Mu who had heard the sound and looked over, and laughed dryly.
"Master Song is right."
Mu Tong knew when to stop and stopped being so presumptuous. He put on a serious face and tried hard not to laugh out loud.
"I did pack up and leave the house, and I did go out to the Jiangyang government office—"
Mu Tong paused, glanced at Song Linsheng's face, and thought to himself that it was rare to see the aura around Lord Song drop to freezing point, like a magnolia blooming in the chill of spring - flawless white jade, spotless.
Would Magnolia also have such a depressed look?
"I had barely walked a hundred steps out of the house, and as soon as I turned the corner, I ran into—"
Wen Yu had been listening intently, and upon hearing this, he couldn't help but blurt out, "Master Jia?"
Mu Tong met her eyes, but did not say anything. Instead, he nodded affirmatively.
It was past noon when he left the house. The sun was setting, dusk was gathering, and the streets were filled with the aromas of the neighbors' kitchens. He had deliberately skipped dinner, thinking of meeting Master Jia at the government office, so he remembered it very clearly...
"Dinner?"
Lord Jia turned the corner and bumped into Mu Tong, who was about to look for him. After listening to Mu Tong's brief explanation of his intentions, Lord Jia asked a question in confusion.
"When will the meal be over?"
But he changed the subject and continued, "If you have the time, why not go out of the city and patrol for two hours?"
Mu Tong didn't understand what was going on and just thought it was an excuse from Lord Jia to avoid bothering him.
This was all within his expectations. He had been on duty at Jiangyang Prefecture for over a year, and he had never seen Lord Jia get close to anyone or show any affection. Firstly, there weren't many officials in the prefecture, and he couldn't hang out with the runners all day. Secondly, Lord Jia seemed to be a solitary person. Aside from the servant named Yangsheng who would talk to him, Mu Tong had never met anyone else.
Thinking of this, he spoke up again and said, "Master Jia, why bother being so polite? If you don't want me to go to your house, why not come with me to my house?"
Mu Tong turned around and pointed. The lights in the Mu Mansion, which was a hundred steps away, were gradually lighting up. It was a harmonious and happy scene. The servants of the family were celebrating the festival together.
"The Third Day of the Third Month just passed, and the whole city is on holiday. Why would we need patrols? We haven't had to deal with this kind of thing before..."
But before Mu Tong could finish his words, he asked Lord Jia to take over.
"Jiangyang Prefecture used to be very peaceful, so patrols were unnecessary. However, if peace lasts too long, chaos will inevitably arise. If there are thieves causing trouble right now, or if civilians fall into misfortune and suffer, without patrols, our response will be delayed, and a catastrophe will undoubtedly occur!"
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