Chapter 20 I am unwilling to assassinate her!
That day was a warm and sunny day. He was wearing an official robe and entered the residence of the Minister of the Central Secretariat with high spirits. Gongsun Xue was wearing an emerald hairpin and admiring the flowers in the garden. She happened to see the young man who came to propose marriage. When they passed by, she was so happy that the hairpin accidentally got caught on a branch, and her hair bun was messed up.
Cheng Xianzhi paused and looked back, carefully taking off the jade hairpin from the woman who could outshine all the flowers in beauty, and then handed it to her. His thoughts drifted further and further away in his sleepiness, and disappeared silently with the moonlight hanging quietly high in the sky.
The next day, after Gongsun Xue woke up, Cheng Xianzhi did not return to Yingyue Pavilion. After she washed up, her personal maid Luzhu put on her makeup. Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, she said with concern, "Madam didn't sleep well yesterday. It must be because of the master's matter."
"Lulu, do you think there really is such a man in the world?" Gongsun Xue stared blankly at herself in the bronze mirror, allowing herself to comfort herself a thousand times.
"Your Excellency is very busy with official duties, and the court wants to thoroughly investigate this case. The master also said that if this matter can be accomplished, the position of the Minister of the Secretariat will belong to our master. Lu Pushe and the master are at loggerheads in the court, and the master is already very busy. Since he promised you, my lady, he will not go back on his word." Luzhu comforted.
"I'm overthinking it. Let's use this hairpin." The weather was nice today. When Luzhu mentioned Lu Mingqian, she thought of someone. "The people in Yansheng Hall never leave the courtyard. They are quiet every day and never get angry. Luzhu, do you think she can really be so patient?"
"The Lord has issued an order. That person is sensible. Perhaps he knows that he has no weight in the Lord's heart. If he continues crying and making a fuss, he will be expelled from the mansion."
Gongsun Xue was absent-minded and suddenly asked, "Luzhu, have you used any medicine that can make people lose control of themselves?"
"Madam," Luzhu dropped the comb from her hand and quickly picked it up, "You are the legitimate daughter of the Minister of the Central Secretariat. How can you treat yourself like this?"
If it was for Cheng Xianzhi, she wouldn't have to be so anxious, but she was looking forward to it every day, and it was hard to stay alone in the empty room. Their hearts were obviously close, but they felt far away. She couldn't grasp it, so she was worried about gains and losses.
"You must not have such thoughts. Given the master's temper, if you do so, the two of them will become alienated and the person from Yansheng Hall will be able to take advantage of the situation." Luzhu was calm and composed, and she was not unaware of Gongsun Xue's worries.
But Cheng Xianzhi would definitely not tolerate such calculating tactics.
He went to the Criminal Justice Department last night. People from Jingzhao Prefecture saw someone lurking outside an empty house in the west of the city at night, holding a fire starter and kerosene in his hands.
This group of people intended to set fire, but fortunately the patrol arrested them. Cao Guanqing, the censor of the Ministry of Justice, only interrogated them for a few questions and before using the torture instruments, he felt that something was wrong, so he immediately sent them to the Ministry of Justice and then sent a message to Cheng's house, asking Cheng Xianzhi to come for interrogation.
Cheng Xianzhi was investigating property taxes when these people set fire at night. Their intentions were unclear. Cao Guanqing was unsure and didn't want to get himself into trouble, so he tried to get himself out of the trouble and did Cheng Xianzhi a favor.
He is a cunning old fox.
Lu Tingwan didn't sleep well last night. Cheng Xianzhi's words were on her mind. Should she go and test Luo Yunchu's feelings? After thinking about it all night, she decided to test him another day.
After finishing up in the morning, he reminded Feng Xin, "Feng Xin, don't go out today. No one has been seen in Yansheng Hall for a few days. It's too quiet and will easily arouse suspicion."
"Okay." Feng Xin took out the puppet he had put away.
Lu Tingwan looked at the doll and her eyes rolled. Feng Xin saw that she was distracted and asked, "Madam, what are you looking at?"
"This doll hanging on the windowsill can conceal people's sight and hearing, but it cannot make any sound." Lu Tingwan stared at the wooden barrel on the beam and thought.
She learned from the water flowing back from the wall of farmer Uncle Zhang's house, and hung two large wooden barrels on the beams of her house, filled them with water, poked small holes in the bottom of the barrels, and used half-split bamboo to let the water in.
The water dripping from the wooden barrel slowly flows along the bamboo to the windowsill, which is a pre-arranged device. The doll placed on the windowsill will move from time to time due to the weight of the dripping water, creating a lifelike effect.
After noon, the water in the bucket stopped dripping, and the doll in front of the window moved completely to the corner of the window. The figure could not be seen from the outside, and people just thought that the second lady was taking a nap.
After the You hour, light and shadows slant into the window, and you can use the light to see the shadows flowing on the window.
She and Feng Xin would not go out for more than three consecutive days at the same time, and someone would have to stay in Yansheng Hall every few days.
"Madam, do you have another idea?"
Lu Tingwan dragged his chin and said, "When I have time, I'll go to the flower farmers and ask if they have any equipment that can make sounds."
It was only when Lu Tingwan arrived at Zhichunli that she saw the mess left behind from last night. There were signs of damage outside the shop, and red paint was splashed everywhere.
Customers who came to the store and passers-by were talking about it. Zhichunli has been in turmoil in recent days, with people always coming to cause trouble. Lu Tingwan was originally worried that it would affect Zhichunli's business and reputation.
She immediately sent someone to report the matter to the authorities. As the outside of the shop was stained and painted, she simply found a famous painter in the city to repaint it, and it looked brand new again.
The color outside the shop is different from that of the shop in Fenglin Lane, which makes it unique and eye-catching. People passing by can't help but look at it more and want to go into the store to take a look.
She thought for a moment and told Aunt Miao about her difficulties. She also gave her some money and asked her and several sisters to go to a restaurant for a meal.
Miao Da drank the wine and felt happy. He confided to his sisters that it was not easy for Manager Jiang in Zhichunli. He was always kind to everyone in Fenglin Lane and always thought of them when he had good things.
Now he is being ostracized by his peers and has come to Fenglin Lane to cause trouble several times. After the news spread from the restaurant, people in Fenglin Lane sympathized with Shopkeeper Jiang and wanted to come and patronize his business.
Lu Tingwan achieved his goal, and no one dared to cause trouble for a few days.
Because of the shop incident, she hadn't been to the farm for a while. She wanted to pick some flower varieties. As the main product of this month, the Zhichunli set was famous in Kyoto, mainly for the rejuvenating cream inside.
The rejuvenating cream is useful, but its effects are too limited. The price was high at the beginning, and it is difficult to lower it later, otherwise the original buyers will feel dissatisfied.
Half a month ago, she developed a new Yu Lu cream, which is as effective as the rejuvenating cream. The ingredients required are low-cost and ordinary people can afford it.
She just didn't know whether the matchmakers could produce the same effect, so she went to the farm to select the raw materials, and then asked the matchmaker to mix them according to the recipe. She didn't leave the farm until nightfall. The finished product was still different from what she had imagined, but she was not in a hurry. It takes time to develop new products, and one cannot rush for success. The goal was to finally get the effect.
On the way back, the summer night was foggy and dewy. Dewdrops on both sides of the path outside the farm wet the hems of my clothes. The full moon was tilted over the hilltop. To get back to the city from the path, I had to pass through a forest. The short grass on the side of the road gradually turned into a forest of trees.
The shadows of the trees swayed across the dark night, and in the moonlight, I could just barely see the road.
The forest was eerily quiet, with the occasional chirping of partridges, followed by the mournful cries of jackdaws.
Although Lu Tingwan did not believe in ghosts and gods, she could not help but shudder. She secretly made up her mind that after this month's accounts came out, she would go to the horse market in the north of the city to pick out a good horse so that she would not have to rent a carriage back and forth every day.
She had originally planned to stay in the farmhouse tonight and sent the carriage away early in the morning. Unexpectedly, the Jade Dew Cream was ineffective, so she needed to return to Zhichunli to study it further.
She returned at night. Although her pace was slow, if she walked faster she could still get into the city before the gates were locked. Besides, she also had the token Lu Mingqian had given her, which might come in handy when necessary.
When they were about to leave the forest, several men dressed as bandits emerged from the darkness. They surrounded the petite person in a circle and could not see her clearly because her face was covered.
Lu Tingwan had never seen such a scene before, and her immediate reaction was that they were bandits. This was not the time to save face, and being flexible was her way of survival. She said flatteringly, "Brothers, is this a robbery or a life-threatening situation? I'm just passing through, and I have no intention of occupying your territory."
Seeing that they were indifferent, she continued, "I have no intention of touching these trees either."
She took out all the silver from her sleeve pocket and handed it over: "This is the only silver I have. I originally wanted to go to the city to ask a doctor to treat my mother's illness. Since we have the good fortune to meet, I would like to give it to you brothers as a gift. Just think of it as wine money."
One of the one-eyed men walked over and took her purse without a word. He weighed the money a few times, then put the silver in his arms with satisfaction, but he showed no intention of letting her go. "You think you can send us off with just this little money? Do you think we're beggars?"
Lu Tingwan thought to himself, "I'm doomed!" "Will I lose my life today?" "Why are there bandits looting rampantly outside of Kyoto?"
"I often walk this road. Why haven't I seen you brothers here before? Are you new here?" She tried to figure out his intention. If they were just robbing someone and taking the money, they would just run away without risking their lives. If they got into trouble with the government, it would be difficult to escape, unless there was one possibility.
That was directed at her as a person.
Suddenly she called out into the darkness, "Master Han? You're finally here."
Those people turned around quickly. In the dark night, there was nothing but deep darkness. After they reacted and were tricked, they had already run far away. However, the deep forest blocked the moonlight and they could not see clearly.
Lu Tingwan wasn't running fast, and soon she was about to be caught up. She didn't dare run to the city, fearing a second round of encirclement, so she rushed into the woods. She was able to hide in the bushes, while the men in black dispersed into the jungle to search for her.
Lu Tingwan found a bush where he could hide and hid himself inside as much as possible. The moonlight was dim and the man in black had poor vision, so he slowed down his pace. The sound of crows continued in the woods.
One of them said in a creepy voice, "Brother, is there a ghost here? This Jiang kid is quite good at running."
"Don't scare yourselves," the leader said, "If we don't teach Jiang Yanli a lesson tonight, we'll have a hard time when we return. Think carefully about this."
Lu Tingwan looked through the gap and saw the figures of several people becoming increasingly blurred. She breathed a sigh of relief, but her footing was not steady and she accidentally stepped on a dead branch. The sound startled the people who were about to leave, and she suddenly covered her mouth and tried not to make any sound.
Just when he was still holding on to hope, a pair of black pupils stared at him blankly through the slits. Lu Tingwan froze in place, and the man grinned ferociously.
Lu Tingwan's legs went weak, he was stunned for a moment, and then he ran away without thinking.
The man shouted to his companions behind him: "Brothers, the people are here."
Lu Tingwan heard the sound of someone chasing her from behind. She didn't dare look back, running around the woods to an unknown intersection. The person behind her couldn't catch up for a while. She couldn't run anymore. Her throat was dry and hot from the intense escape. She couldn't help coughing a few times, and she supported her hands on her knees and gasped for breath.
After catching her breath, she ran in another direction. Her legs were still soft and weak. There was no forest around her and no houses. She had lost her direction. If the people behind her caught up with her again, and they recognized her and came specifically for her, she would not give up.
Lu Tingwan couldn't stop, and his strength gradually faded away. At some point, he heard the sound of horse hooves behind him.
The man on the verge of collapse cursed desperately into the darkness: "It can't be that serious, right? I'm just a flower seller."
This is not enough. If it weren't for that man surnamed Han, she wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess. But now, she is being hunted down and her body will be left exposed in the wilderness with no one to clean it up.
"If I die here, won't I be eaten by wild beasts?" Thinking of this, she ran while crying, wiping her tears and cursing those unscrupulous businessmen and people from the Chamber of Commerce. She could still hear Han Jinzhang's name vaguely.
call out--
With a sharp sound, several arrows pierced the center of the road, and several were nailed to the trees.
Lu Tingwan didn't dare to move forward. He took a few steps back, stumbled, and fell to the ground, swallowing a mouthful of dust.
"For real." She spat out the mud in her mouth. She had never been so embarrassed before, even when she was chased by the city guards in Jiangling.
She is unwilling to accept it!
The sound of horse hooves was getting closer. Lu Tingwan stood up. She didn't know where her hair crown had gone. Her hair, which had been tied up, fell down. The moonlight splashed on her hair, making her originally black hair bright. The night wind passed through the forest, lifting up her long black hair. In the moonlight, the person seemed to be bathing in the moonlight.
Just as she was about to die, the man in black who was chasing her was pierced through the chest by a sharp arrow and fell to the ground instantly.
Lu Tingwan's eyes widened. Wasn't he here to kill her? Why did he even shoot his own people?
The horse was getting closer and closer, and the man was wearing black armor and had his horse's tail tied up high. When they passed by each other, their eyes met.
Lu Tingwan silently chanted the man's name, Han Jinzhang?
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