Chapter 60: White Bone Hairpin 15 White Horse
Several people seemed to have not expected that Xun Shu would ask where Wei Wulang's other wives were. They looked at each other, not knowing how to answer for a moment.
The three of them fixed their gazes on Ah Zhen. She smiled faintly, her expression unchanged. "A few of my sisters are out with the caravan, and a few others have gotten upset from consuming too much ice these days and are resting in their rooms. Now we are the only four sisters who can entertain guests. It's truly our fault that we neglected the young lady."
Ah Zhen took the blame, seemingly as a humble gesture, but it also unconsciously stopped Xun Shu from questioning her further. Xun Shu glanced at her and then, true to her wish, stopped asking about the concubines.
Ah Zhen and the others were no longer as casual as before; even their smiles were a little reserved. They spoke cautiously to Xun Shu, who pretended not to notice and brought up the Wei family's business in Ningyuan Village.
"I heard that the Wei family's gunpowder business originated in Ningyuan Village. Are there any fireworks workshops still left in the village?"
"Of course there is." Ah Zhen thought Xun Shu was just asking for her brother and didn't hide anything. "But compared to the big workshops in Jiangnan Road, it's just a small one. Miss, do you want to go and take a look?"
"Has any gunpowder been stolen recently?"
This question was abrupt and impulsive, and Xun Shu was actually a little nervous when he asked it, but fortunately the result was good.
Xun Shu looked at the suddenly alert expressions of the people in front of him, and he understood in his heart that these concubines who were rumored to have lived in secluded houses for a long time and rarely went out really knew something.
Xun Shu's question was like a sharp knife, cutting through the calmness on everyone's faces without any concealment or buffering. Ah Zhen suppressed her smile and stared at Xun Shu intently: "What do you mean, young lady?"
Xun Shu pursed his lips, revealing the small dimples on his cheeks. "I'm just asking casually. A few days ago, the sky gap in the north was blown up. Although it was an accident, I heard a loud noise that night, which was clearly the sound of gunpowder exploding. I wondered if someone stole gunpowder from the Wei family's fireworks workshop and used it to blow up the sky gap. I don't know why they did that..."
The concubines clutched their handkerchiefs tightly and remained silent. It was Ah Zhen who spoke up again, her smile growing a little distant. "We're just a few women in the inner chambers. How could we possibly know anything about the Wei family's business? We've been to that workshop, but we have no idea how much gunpowder or fireworks are there. If you're curious, why not ask Wu Lang? He might be able to answer your questions."
Xun Shu smiled and shook his head: "It's just a casual question." The rain was getting heavier, and no one spoke in the pavilion for a while. For a moment, it seemed that there was only the sound of raindrops, frogs croaking and cicadas chirping in the world, which was soothing.
Xun Shu tilted his head and looked outside the water pavilion. His sight passed through the rain curtain like a pearl chain, across the layers of ripples on the surface of the pond, passed over the flowers that drooped their heads due to the rain, and stopped in front of the moon gate.
Li Xuanhe had appeared there at some point, Ge Qi holding an umbrella for him as he walked towards the pavilion. His features were damp with rain, his face as handsome as the rolling green hills. He was talking to someone beside him with his head tilted to one side. He seemed to sense Xun Shu's gaze, looked up, and smiled brightly.
Xun Shu stood up and waved to him. They had just been together, but now he felt the joy of meeting again after a long separation.
Ah Zhen walked up to her at some point, looked in the direction she was waving, and asked casually, "Your lover?"
Xun Shu paused and shook his head: "No, it's my third brother."
Ah Zhen obviously didn't believe it, but she didn't ask any more questions. She just sighed and said, "I have a brother too. He loves me very much, but I've never seen this expression on his face."
"What's that expression?"
Ah Zhen was silent for a moment before she softly replied, "It's like looking at the moon."
Unlike the sun, which is so dazzling that it is impossible to look directly at it, the light it emits is soft and soothing. The moon doesn't need to do anything, just appear as usual, and it can easily make people admire it and want to hold it in their arms.
Xun Shu seemed to understand, but was too lazy to ask.
Her eyes were all on the person opposite her.
She watched him take the umbrella from Ge Qi's hand, open it and walk through the rain. She watched the corners of his clothes get wet by the rain, like a blurred landscape painting. She watched him smile brightly, like the wind under the scorching sun, which could drive away the dampness and haze around him with just one glance.
She thought she understood a little bit what Azhen meant.
Li Xuanhe walked into the pavilion, folded his umbrella, and placed it on a nearby pillar. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a noise behind him. A black figure shot towards the pavilion like an arrow, its speed comparable to that of the Yuchang people. Li Xuanhe looked for a moment before realizing it was a black dog.
The fast running made its fur stick tightly to its body. The raindrops fell on its fur but were shaken off in an instant, splashing all over the heads and faces of the people in the pavilion.
Seeing the black dog charging towards Xun Shu, Li Xuanhe's face darkened. He was about to attack, but was stopped by Wei Wulang, who was a few steps behind him. He trotted to catch up with him, a little breathless and speechless for a while. Li Xuanhe was about to shake him off when he heard him say, "It's okay..."
How could such a large black dog pounce on a person without causing any harm? Li Xuanhe shook off his hand, turned around and rushed forward. The moment he raised his eyes, he saw the scene in the waterside pavilion.
The black dog didn't pounce on Xun Shu, but ran to Ah Zhen and rubbed against her affectionately, wetting her skirt. Ah Zhen was also surprised to see the black dog, rubbing its head, and couldn't suppress the smile on the corner of her lips, as if she had met a friend she had known for a long time.
"Baiju, why are you here!"
...There is a big black dog named Baiju, and his owner is also very thoughtful.
The dog's owner followed slowly, entering the back of the pavilion and removing her straw raincoat and bamboo hat, revealing a black outfit, the same color as the dog. She smoothed her rain-soaked hair and, upon seeing the people in the pavilion, froze for a moment. Then, she stood motionless, leaning against a pillar, not intending to speak.
Xun Shu did not hide his curiosity.
This is also a young woman with a pretty face and a not-so-slender figure, but she has a kind of powerful beauty.
She should also be Wei Wulang's concubine.
Sure enough, Wei Wulang stepped forward, took out his handkerchief, and wiped the remaining rain from her forehead. The woman seemed a little disgusted and rolled her eyes, but did not push him away.
As if noticing everyone's gaze, Wei Wulang explained, "This is my Thirteenth Wife. She has loved dogs since she was a child. I built a farm for her in Jiangnan Road, specifically for her to raise a variety of dogs. The dogs of many noble families in Jiangnan Road and Shannan Road, as well as the hunting dogs, were hired from Yunniang."
"Not only dogs, Sister Bai is also very good at training birds. The birds she trains can understand their owner's instructions." Ah Zhen squatted down and put her arms around Baiju's neck, her tone filled with envy. "Since Sister Bai came back, Wulang no longer looks at other people. It's really enviable."
Miss Bai looked at Ah Zhen and finally smiled: "After such a long time, Ah Zhen still likes to drink vinegar like this."
Ah Zhen snorted coldly, turned around and introduced Xun Shu, "Sister Bai has been living in the manor for the past two years and rarely returns to Ningyuan Village. What a coincidence! You just said you wanted to meet someone else, and now someone's here."
This was a rather strange question, so Xun Shu asked directly, "You mean, you're the only ones left in the house?"
Ah Zhen's smile froze once again. Wei Wulang glanced at her, cleared his throat, and jumped in to help. He looked at Li Xuanhe meaningfully, "Brother He truly loves his sister so much he'd forgotten this is the inner courtyard of the Wei residence. How could there be a vicious beast that could harm us? Baiju is the dog Yunniang has tamed since she was little. He's the most docile and wouldn't hurt anyone."
Baiju seemed to understand Wei Wulang's words. He broke free from Azhen's arms, turned around and looked at Li Xuanhe, straightening his chest, with a bright look in his eyes, extremely arrogant.
Li Xuanhe climbed down the ladder Wei Wulang handed him and said with a smile, "My sister was bitten by a dog when she was little. Since then, she cries whenever she sees a dog. I was afraid her cries would be too loud and scare you."
Xun Shu: ??? She was bitten by a dog? And she's afraid of dogs? How come she doesn't know?
Wei Wulang turned his head to glance at Xun Shu, with a half-smile on his face: "Is your sister afraid of dogs?"
Xun Shu's eyes were dull, and he didn't know whether to act like he was afraid of dogs or just play dumb.
Li Xuanhe's face showed a sad expression: "I was afraid when I was a child, but after so many years, I don't even know my own sister anymore..."
Xun Shu really wanted to applaud his outstanding performance.
Everyone was unsure how to react, and Li Xuanhe didn't give them time to react. He stepped forward, grasped Xun Shu's wrist, and led her outside. As they passed Wei Wulang, he smiled and said, "My sister fell ill a few days ago and can't stand the rain, so I'm taking her home to rest. As for the business matters, I'll send a message home today by carrier pigeon, and you should receive a reply within a day. I wonder if Brother Wei is free tomorrow morning? I'll come visit again."
The day after tomorrow is the day when the Saint Lady prays for blessings. Li Xuanhe mentioned this date at this moment, with a bit of temptation in his mind.
Wei Wulang paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Brother He knows I can't make decisions about the family business. I'll need some time to send a message to my father and my elder and second brothers, and let them make the decision. How about this, wait for their reply, and then I'll go to the inn where you're staying to find you. How about that?"
Li Xuanhe remained expressionless as he nodded, "That's fine. However, the northern sky crack will soon be cleared. My brother and I have been stuck here for many days, so we need to set off north as soon as possible. Brother Wei, please hurry."
-
Xun Shu and the others didn't stay long at the Wei residence—they couldn't stay long without the owner. On the way back, in the same carriage they had come in, Xun Shu told Li Xuanhe what had just happened in the waterside pavilion and shared her suspicions.
"I always feel that most of the girls who married Wei Wulang are no longer in the Wei family residence."
Li Xuanhe didn't seem surprised. "Do you think they are all dead, or did they find a chance to leave?"
"I don't know," Xun Shu answered honestly, but also offered her guess. "I've seen the girls I met today, and they don't seem to be short-lived. If everyone else died, they wouldn't be the only ones left, right?" She paused, then continued, "Wait until the rain stops, and send someone with good eyesight to the top of the mountain. I saw today that if you climb to the top of the mountain, you can overlook the entire Wei residence. From there, you might be able to see some clues that we didn't find today."
"That's easy. Ge Qi has excellent eyesight and is known as the Dali Temple's Clairvoyance. If there's moonlight tonight, I'll send him on a trip."
moon……
Xun Shu couldn't help but think of Ah Zhen's words.
He looks at you as if he were looking at the moon.
is that so?
Li Xuanhe noticed Xun Shu's distraction and asked gently, "But did you find anything?"
Naturally, Li Xuanhe couldn't be told this. Xun Shu shook his head and said slowly, "No. I was just thinking about the altar I saw today. Altars emphasize direct communication with the gods, and usually don't have a roof as a barrier. This is the first time I've seen an altar with a roof, and it always feels a bit strange."
Li Xuanhe understood. "It's indeed a bit strange, as if they're intentionally hiding something. Since they can cause rocks to fall and block the road, why can't we push a rock down and smash through the roof to see what Wei Wulang is trying to hide?"
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