Chapter 111 Where is Lu Tingwan on the Mountain?
Not long after Lu Tingwan left, Cheng Xianzhi met Han Zhou. The bow was still in the courtyard. Seeing that his complexion had improved, Han Zhou's tone relaxed a little. "This bow is very powerful. I remember that you are not good at pulling such a heavy bow."
Cheng Xianzhi half-leaned against him and glanced at him. "This is Lu Tingwan's farewell gift to Xie Zhao."
"Wow, that's quite generous," Han Zhou joked. "But whether Xie Zhao can stand out in this fight remains to be seen."
"He must be able to." Now that Jiang Haiyi is guarding Shanhaiguan, the military power in the northwest must not fall into the hands of the Jiang family, otherwise all the plans that have been planned with the emperor will fail.
"Have you made any other discoveries in the past few days?"
Han Zhou stopped being lazy and said seriously, "As Your Excellency expected, those boot prints, after Han Zhou copied them and asked someone to compare them, they are not from Kyoto, but from the northwest."
"There are also broken and left-over branch wounds to cut. These hidden weapons and weapons are mostly used in the northwest."
"Your Excellency does not have such a deep hatred with the Northwest."
Cheng Xianzhi: "What if it's about Liu Qiyuan?"
Han Zhou: "Liu Qiyuan deceived his superiors and subordinates, what a fate! He's the culprit, and those veterans in the northwest are dying to have him torn to pieces. Why would they make an enemy of you, my Lord, for him?"
"Those people naturally have no reason, but if someone with ulterior motives is trying to sabotage them, or is framing someone else, it might be a bad idea to divert their attention." Cheng Xianzhi's eyes were filled with deep emotion.
"My Lord is very thoughtful."
"There's one more thing. A spy reported that the soldiers at the Zhongshu Ling's residence have been secretly mobilized recently. I wonder what their plans are."
Cheng Xianzhi raised his eyes, his gaze fierce, "Sir, are you unable to sit still?"
"Your Excellency has had several disagreements with the Minister of the Central Secretariat in Hanzhang Palace. Gongsun Yin is a veteran of two dynasties and a man of deep thoughts. You were personally nurtured by him. Seeing the fledgling you have raised spread its wings, it is natural to be on guard."
"Outsiders may see that the teacher-student relationship between him and me is deep and unbreakable, but I know how much of it is true and false. Now that Gongsun Xue is at home, it's difficult to separate the interests of our two families," Cheng Xianzhi said, "wait a little longer."
"My Lord, you want to sever ties with Gongsun Yin after so many years. Gongsun Yin will not give up. The Jiang Party is also watching covetously. It's not easy to be attacked from all sides."
"Isn't there a Xie Zhao?" Cheng Xianzhi said calmly.
Han Zhou: "Xie Zhao doesn't seem like someone who would play with power."
Cheng Xianzhi: "It doesn't matter. All I want is his innocent heart."
"Lu Tingwan is not returning to Jinhua Palace?" Han Zhou said suddenly.
"I have a suspicion about this assassination attempt." Cheng Xianzhi sighed slightly, "She would be safer staying in the mansion."
"Then I'll keep an eye on the Zhongshu Ling Mansion to see if there are any moves."
Cheng Xianzhi warned, "Don't watch too closely. Extremes can backfire and it's easy to alert the enemy."
"Sir, you still need to take care of your injury." Han Zhou said something with a hint of meaning, and then he retreated.
Gongsun Xue would come to the study to greet him every day, but Cheng Xianzhi didn't say much. Occasionally, when he ran into Lu Tingwan there, he always seemed to see the look he cast at her, which was extremely gentle. However, Lu Tingwan, who was reading a book or studying on the side, was unaware of it.
There was an indescribable bitterness. If she had not taken that step, perhaps she would still have the right to be jealous and throw a tantrum. She caressed the fetus in her belly, feeling a mixture of love and hate.
Afterwards, Gongsun Xue returned to her mother's home and stayed there for two days. Gongsun Yin now only thought that the child in her belly was Cheng Xianzhi's. Gongsun Xue swallowed all of Cheng Xianzhi's words and did not dare to mention it. If she gave birth to the child and he really wanted to divorce and send her back, then her father would know sooner or later.
"Xianzhi was injured, why didn't Xue'er stay at home to take care of him? She ran back." Gongsun Yin took off his official hat and had just returned from court.
"My husband sympathized with Xue'er's health problems and asked Lu Tingwan to take care of her. Xue'er was bored staying at home, so she wanted to come back and see her father."
"Didn't Cheng Xianzhi ask you to come back to find out something?"
"Why do you say that, father?" Gongsun Xue was a little stunned.
Unable to detect the hidden meaning in her expression, Gongsun Yin finally relaxed his guard. "You are now pregnant with the Cheng family's heir, so your husband must hold on to you."
"Lu Tingwan is insufficient evidence. Cheng Xianzhi is a man, and Lu Tingwan is his concubine. She is also a favorite of the Queen Mother. He can use her however he wants. But there is one thing: she will never be allowed to surpass your position as mistress, Xue'er."
A hint of emptiness flashed across Gongsun Xue's eyes.
"how?"
"Father, my husband's heart is no longer with Xue'er." She finally spoke.
Gongsun Yin said solemnly, "Lu Tingwan?"
She nodded slightly in agreement.
"Father has been an official for many years. How did he remain so strong? Xue'er, do you know why?"
"Since my father has been favored by the emperor and respected by all officials."
Gongsun Yin sneered, "There are many people favored by the emperor, but those who are favored by the Jiang Party have all been killed. If one wants to protect his own interests, he must find the source of the destruction of his interests and eradicate it from the root."
"What does father mean?"
"If anyone gets in the way, kill him."
"Father!"
"There are many ways to kill people without having to do it yourself. Do you understand, Xue'er?"
She didn't like Lu Tingwan, but she didn't want to take her life. Suddenly, she felt movement in her lower abdomen and was kicked in the belly. She could not think about herself, but for the sake of the child, she had to fight for it.
If Lu Tingwan died, would Cheng Xianzhi keep her? Gongsun Xue struggled internally and returned to the Cheng residence just before sunset.
Cheng Xianzhi's injuries healed quickly, and he could now live and move normally. However, his tendons and veins were injured, and he needed to recuperate slowly before he could wield a sword again. Seeing that he had recovered from his injuries, Lu Tingwan thought it was time for him to return to the palace.
Everything that had been left in the study these days had to be moved back to Yansheng Hall. The desk originally used by Cheng Xianzhi was now filled with her notebooks.
Cheng Xianzhi initially nags her, but she dismisses him with a few words. She simply thinks that since he works day and night to take care of the patient, he deserves a desk that he can use at will. Cheng Xianzhi is too lazy to argue with her and just lets her do what she wants.
He picked up a wooden tool, turned it in his hand, looked at it, and circled it above her head. "What is this?"
"Don't touch it!" Lu Tingwan wanted to take it, but Cheng Xianzhi refused and raised it a little higher.
"Give it back to me!"
"Return it if you can." He said with a hint of joking, hiding a bad intention.
Lu Tingwan was furious, but he was a little taller than her. Even though she stood on tiptoe, he couldn't reach her even if he tried to raise his hand.
She seemed to see the teasing in his eyes, so she stepped onto a low stool and supported his shoulders. Under her force, the original injury was still noticeable.
Cheng Xianzhi pressed down instinctively, and Lu Tingwan suddenly slipped and lost her support, leaning back due to inertia. Cheng Xianzhi was quick-witted and put his arm around her lower back to catch her. Lu Tingwan's back was pressed against the desk, and Cheng Xianzhi's hand holding the phone was resting on the side of the desk. Their noses were almost touching, and the air they breathed passed through, and the room was suddenly silent.
A figure was standing on the eaves outside the door, and happened to see this scene. He was filled with suppressed anger. Gongsun Xue's eyes turned red, and she bit off her hatred. She didn't go in again, but turned and left the study. The fist clenched in her sleeve showed her determination.
"You, get out of here." Lu Tingwan came to her senses and pushed him away.
Cheng Xianzhi stood up straight, looking away reluctantly, and pulled back his hand that was on her lower back, leaving her warmth behind.
"You don't know how to appreciate a good person." He straightened his clothes. This action was somewhat intriguing, as if the two of them had just done something shameful here.
"If you hadn't snatched my things, how could I have fallen down?"
"I'm just asking you what this is, why are you so nervous?" Cheng Xianzhi held his right wrist, which had just been twisted by the force.
"What's it to you?"
"I'll go back to Jinhua Palace tomorrow." Lu Tingwan picked up his things and fled.
Cheng Xianzhi raised the corner of his lips, as if still savoring the breath just now, and then smiled towards the house that had long disappeared. His smile was beautiful, but Lu Tingwan couldn't see it.
"I used to think that Lu Tingwan's heart wasn't with Xianzhi, and she was wholeheartedly working in Jinhua Palace. But these two have been together day and night these days, and the Lord has always been interested in her. Father is right!" Gongsun Xue gripped the corner of the table tightly, her long nails digging into her palms, and Luzhu looked scared.
"Madam, please don't be angry. The master still has some feelings for you."
"Hmph," Gongsun Xue sneered, "Affection?"
"He must be eager to send me away as soon as possible so that he can make Lu Tingwan his legitimate wife."
The early winter chill blew in from outside the window, and a charcoal fire started burning inside the house.
"The wind is blowing. The Imperial Astronomical Observatory says the first snow will fall tomorrow. This snow will be so strong that some things will be buried in the snow, sealed for eternity."
Dewdrop didn't understand.
After Cheng Xianzhi recovered from his injury, he recuperated in the study for more than a month, but he was also bored. The Forbidden Army camp was preparing for training for a fighting competition, and Han Zhou came to report some matters. Cheng Xianzhi was worried, so he left the city just after breakfast.
Lu Tingwan was just about to pack her things for the palace when Luzhu came into Yansheng Hall with Gongsun Xue. The grape branches in the courtyard were completely dry and a cold wind was blowing. Feng Xin had just returned from the inner room with some charcoal. Lu Tingwan was wrapped in a moon-white cloak and curled up on the couch reading a book.
"Second Madam's injury has just healed, and the master is injured again. You haven't rested well yet. Now that the master is better, you are anxious to return to the palace. Once you enter the palace, the affairs of Jinhua Palace will overwhelm you and Feng Xin will have fewer opportunities to see you in the future."
"Can't bear to let go?" Lu Tingwan listened to her mumbling with a smile on his face.
"Of course I can't bear to leave." Feng Xin was visibly happy during the past few months she had been staying in the mansion.
Lu Tingwan noticed her expression and hid a hint of unfathomable determination in his heart.
Dewdrop knocked lightly on the door and called inside. Fengxin heard the noise and went to open the door. The north wind blew violently into the room. Lu Tingwan pulled her cloak tighter, shrank back and stood up.
"Second Madam, the First Madam is here." Feng Xin shouted inside.
Lu Tingwan paused for a moment, then went forward with a kind expression, "Madam, please come in. It's so cold, what brings you here?"
She glanced at Gongsun Xue's belly and touched the bulge with her jade fingers. "Are you going to enter the palace?"
Seeing her hesitation and hiding something, Lu Tingwan tentatively said, "I should have returned after recovering from my injuries. If Cheng Xianzhi hadn't been injured, I would have returned long ago."
"Although you say you don't get along with him, I can see that there is a connection between you two that others don't have."
Lu Tingwan narrowed her eyes slightly. Gongsun Xue's heartfelt words to her made her feel something was wrong.
"Madam, you're joking. Without the Lu family's ties, he and I will eventually go our separate ways."
Gongsun Xue: "But it was he who begged His Majesty for your life, and that saved your life."
Lu Tingwan: "What did the Madam want to say today? I bet it's not just about reminiscing about the past. It's so cold."
"The Imperial Medical Bureau's doctor came for a follow-up consultation yesterday. Although the lord's injuries have healed, the hidden weapon damaged his tendons and veins. Although he looks like a normal person now, he is unable to fight. I know Xianzhi best. He is strong and patient, and he is unwilling to show his weakness in front of others. Therefore, he pretended nothing happened and returned to the military camp."
"Then just follow the doctor's advice and take good care of yourself." Lu Tingwan didn't understand why he was telling her this.
Gongsun Xue acted like a good wife. "The imperial physician said that if we could find some ambergris and boil it down to a medicine, and take it for a month or so, we'd be cured. The fighting competition is coming up soon, and you're in charge of it, so he'll definitely have to practice. If anyone discovered he had a hidden illness, it would be embarrassing for you, the Minister, and it would also undermine the authority of the Imperial Guards."
"Then just find some medicine and boil it. Cangzhu can handle this kind of thing. Is that what Madam wanted to tell me?"
"I've sent people to ask at every pharmacy in and around the city, and they've sold out of ambergris. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made this trip." Gongsun Xue took a sip of tea and continued, "Tiger Back Mountain in the eastern suburbs of the city is rich in ambergris. If I weren't so unwell, I wouldn't have bothered you, sister."
Lu Tingwan finally understood what was going on. She first told her how grateful Cheng Xianzhi was for saving her life, and asked her to be compassionate so that she could go out of the city to find medicine.
"Wouldn't it be better if the government sent someone over?"
"Cang Shu has to take care of the adults and I can't leave. I don't trust the people in the mansion. If more people know about the herbs, it will inevitably arouse suspicion. I don't want the adults to know about this and doubt themselves."
If this is true, then Gongsun Xue's feelings are touching, and Lu Tingwan should also admire her a little.
But Lu Tingwan was not stupid. She sneered inwardly. She had considered all the feelings, but she had to go alone to collect herbs.
However, what Gongsun Xue said was not unreasonable. She did owe Cheng Xianzhi. If she could repay him with this, she wouldn't be involved in too many things when she left in the future. After thinking it over, Lu Tingwan agreed.
"What the eldest lady said is very true. I owe it to you, and I should repay it."
After Lu Tingwan sent Gongsun Xue away, he did not just listen to her one-sided words. He went to various pharmacies in the city to inquire and found that they were indeed out of ambergris.
For this purpose, she went to the Imperial Hospital, which told her that ambergris was abundant in Tiger Back Mountain outside the city. It was not common in this season, but it was not completely impossible to find.
Lu Tingwan left the city early the next morning.
Cheng Xianzhi got up before dawn and waited at the road that Lu Tingwan had to pass, but he waited and waited, and the time to enter the palace passed, but there was no sign of her. He had agreed with her that he would take her to the palace.
Cheng Xianzhi lost his patience and strode towards Yansheng Hall. Feng Xin stood at the steps and saw Cheng Xianzhi in a hurry, with a puzzled look in his eyes.
"What is this, sir?"
"Where is Lu Tingwan?"
"The second lady is out."
"Left on your own?"
Feng Xin nodded blankly. He didn't ask any further questions. He just thought that Lu Tingwan left without saying goodbye and returned to the palace first.
When he saw Cheng Xian again, Han Zhou saw him in the training ground with a cold face all day long and he looked unhappy. He thought it was because of his injury, but the arrow he shot hit the target, as if it contained great anger.
"Sir, did this target offend you?" Han Zhou felt sorry for the target.
"He left so cleanly, every time." Cheng Xianzhi gritted his teeth, muttered to himself, and shot another arrow.
"Xie Zhao didn't come to the military camp today?"
"He is on duty today." Han Zhou replied.
"I see." He seemed to understand why Lu Tingwan had entered the palace so early in the morning without waiting for him. Was she in a hurry to see someone else? The bowstring in his hand broke, scratching the back of his hand. He pulled back the nearly demented Cheng Xianzhi, feeling very irritable.
The soldiers spent the whole day struggling with those machines. For some reason, the training in the military camp was several times more intense than usual. Han Zhou saw it all and knew it clearly.
When he returned to the city at night, it started snowing in Kyoto. The first snow of this year came with great force. Cheng Xianzhi returned to his house and looked towards the Yansheng Hall. The lights were dimly lit, but his heart was completely dark!
We have been together in this study for more than a month. Although most of the time I just watched her tinkering with her own things, maybe just seeing her quietly from afar is enough to satisfy me.
That bright smile rushed into his mind with the north wind, and he wanted more. Her every frown and smile, every move was pulling at his heart. The greed pierced through him. It was not enough to just see her. He wanted to hold her in his arms, talk to her, integrate her into his body, and be by his side every day. The bluestone tiles were covered with a thin layer of snow, and the wind and snow came suddenly after midnight.
In a cave on Tiger Back Mountain, Lu Tingwan picked a bag of ambergris in her hand, but it was dark and the wind and snow were strong, so she couldn't go down the mountain and could only hide in the cave to avoid the snow.
She didn't understand Kyoto's winter, and she didn't know how to deal with snow.
But the warm clothes on her body could no longer withstand the strong north wind. The warmth in her body gradually faded, and the cold began to spread from her limbs. The snowflakes swept into the cave piled up on her skirt.
If the snow stops after tonight, she might be able to hold on until dawn and go down the mountain.
It was T day, and the whole Kyoto was covered with thick snow. The first snow stopped for a while in the early morning. Lu Tingwan curled up in the cave. The wind died down, and the thick snow outside the cave covered half of the cave entrance. She was shivering, a layer of ice stuck to her eyelashes, her hands were red from the cold, and her lips were cracked.
She had been staying in the mountains with no way to survive, and she had no idea when the snow would fall again. She propped herself up and dug out of the cave that was half buried in snow. She had not eaten for a day and a night, and her body was already weak.
Her body, frozen all night, moved stiffly. Every step she took in the thick snow was extremely heavy, and her boots sank into the snow. She walked very slowly, and before long, the wind started to pick up again.
She walked down the mountain in the heavy snow, her figure swaying and disappearing into the snow curtain.
Cheng Xianzhi saw in Hanzhang Palace that it was not Lu Tingwan who accompanied the empress dowager to court. After the court was dismissed, he inquired and found out that Lu Tingwan did not enter the palace yesterday.
There was something important going on at the training ground. Han Zhou had just arrived at the palace gate to pick someone up, but before he could open his mouth to report something, he was stopped by Cheng Xianzhi.
"Lu Tingwan did not enter the palace. He was missing since early yesterday morning. Han Zhou, check if he has left the city."
"Ah?" Han Zhou looked confused.
"go."
"Yes!" Seeing his serious expression, Han Zhou did not dare to delay.
Cheng Xianzhi hurried back to the Cheng Mansion and went straight to Yansheng Hall. Lu Tingwan only told Feng Xin that she would leave the city and return in one day at the shortest and two days at the most. However, she didn't know that the wind and snow suddenly changed last night, and she was also anxious.
"Where did Lu Tingwan go?" Cheng Xianzhi vividly recalled her leaving Kyoto last year, and a terrible thought flashed through his mind.
Feng Xin was so intimidated and suppressed that she dared not raise her head. She knelt in the snow and trembled as she replied, "Your servant, your servant does not know. I only know that the Second Madam said she would stay in the city for two days and then return."
"What are you doing out of town?"
She really didn't know the rest. Her mind was racing. She remembered that Gongsun Xue had come that day, so she mentioned it to Cheng Xianzhi.
Gongsun Xue was standing under the eaves, enjoying the snow with a hot water bottle in her hand. Snowflakes fell on her cloak, and she looked relaxed and content. "Dew, do you think someone could freeze to death in this kind of snow?"
"Many people freeze to death on snowy nights every year," Dew replied.
"Yes, it's better to freeze to death. When I die, everything will be gone. What is mine will always be mine. No one else can hope to..." Gongsun Xue's eyes were vicious.
Cheng Xianzhi entered Yingyue Pavilion with great vigor. He had not been to Yingyue Pavilion since Lu Tingwan overheard their conversation last time.
The figure of a young man emerged from the snow, and Gongsun Xue was in a trance, as if she saw again the young men who had entered and left the Zhongshu Ling Mansion in those years.
She put away her fierce expression, returning to her usual dignified and gentle demeanor, and called out into the snow, "Xianzhi!"
Cheng Xianzhi's cold question shattered all her fantasies, "What is Lu Tingwan doing out of town?"
"What?"
Cheng Xianzhi closed his eyes, clearly impatient, and growled, "Answer me!"
Noticing that something was wrong with him, Gongsun Xue cleared her throat and said, "Second Madam never explains her actions to anyone, so how would Xue'er know..."
The sword was unsheathed and pointed at Gongsun Xue's neck. Snow shattered and fell on the white blade, frightening the female servants of Yingyue Pavilion, and they all knelt down and admitted their guilt.
"I don't want to say it a third time!"
Gongsun Xue's legs went weak. She had never seen him so bloodthirsty before. Her voice trembled as she said, "Go find the medicine."
Cheng Xianzhi glanced over, a cold gleam in his eyes. Gongsun Xue hurriedly explained, "The imperial physician said that your tendons and veins haven't healed yet, and you need a decoction of ambergris to speed up your recovery. Xue'er was worried about your health, so she told Lu Tingwan about it, and then she left the city and went up the mountain to collect herbs..."
Cheng Xianzhi was too lazy to talk nonsense and turned to leave Yingyue Pavilion. His last glance was colder than the wind and snow.
"Cang Zhu, call the people in the mansion to go to Hubei Mountain to look for someone!" The movement of his sleeves swept through a gust of wind, and Cheng Xianzhi's breath was heavy.
Cang Zhu didn't know when this happened. The last time he lost his composure like this, he rushed back to Kyoto from Tanzhou to save someone from the execution ground.
The snow outside the city was thicker than inside. The road was cleared and snow piled up on both sides. Tiger Back Mountain was covered in white, with icicles hanging from the branches. When people stepped on them, the thick snow piled on the trees would fall down heavily.
There are many ways to enter the mountain, and he couldn't guess which way Lu Tingwan came up the mountain. The wind and snow were so strong last night, if she went up the mountain, she must have been trapped in the mountains.
The people brought up the mountain searched separately. Gongsun Xue said that she came to pick herbs for herself, so they could only search along the terrain where ambergris grew, as this would give them greater hope.
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