Chapter 56: Breakup "What...what scar"...
"What...what scar?"
Lin Xiangli's eyes widened slightly, confused as to why Ling An suddenly asked about scars. But she had a bad feeling; she had a vague feeling that this topic Ling An had brought up might not be a good thing for her.
Ling An put down his hand that was originally on Lin Xiangli's waist, moved a step to the side, and kept some distance from her. He didn't say anything, just looked at her quietly.
Under his cold gaze, Lin Xiangli's mind was instantly struck by lightning, and a terrible thought flashed through her mind: Could that scar be...
She panicked and hurriedly grabbed his arm, her voice trembling, "Ling An, listen to me... I... I..."
She racked her brains, trying to find an excuse to get away with it, but her mind went blank in the panic. She hesitated for a long time but couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation.
Ling An looked at her panicked expression, but his eyes no longer held the pity they once had. He interrupted her bewildered words, "You're not her, are you?"
He didn't specify who she was, but Lin Xiangli understood what he meant.
Moreover, when he said this, it didn't sound like he was asking her, but more like he had already determined the answer in his heart, and was just announcing it to her.
"Ling An..." Lin Xiangli wanted to argue a little more, even though she knew it was a pointless struggle that wouldn't change anything. But when she saw the coldness slowly gathering in Ling An's eyes, she became frightened. She didn't dare to look him in the eye anymore, so she turned her head away and said in a barely audible voice, "I'm sorry."
Beads of sweat rolled down Lin Xiangli's forehead, soaking her clothes. She was so close to Ling An that she could hear his breathing and heartbeat.
She was in a state of confusion, but she felt Ling An's previously fluctuating breathing slowly calm down, like the calm before the storm, which made her even more uneasy.
Ling An raised his hand, gently but with irresistible force, and pried her hand loose from the grip on his arm. As he moved, the sounds of her breathing and heartbeat, which had been so close to him, gradually faded away.
Lin Xiangli heard his voice coming from above her head, "Miss Lin, take care."
"No! Ling An... don't go! Please don't go!..." Lin Xiangli cried and shouted, trying desperately to catch up with Ling An's receding figure, as if as long as she caught up with him, she could save everything.
But after running a few steps, the excruciating pain in her feet knocked her to the ground. She could only kneel on the ground and desperately crawl forward, crying and begging him to look back at her.
Ling An never turned back until the last trace of red clothing disappeared completely from her sight like a burnt-out flame.
*
In the flowerbed, Xiaoying held a bucket filled with water in one hand and a wooden ladle in the other. She expertly scooped water from the bucket and watered the camellia bushes. As she watered, her eyes drifted to a corner of the garden, where a camellia was almost completely obscured by its lush branches and leaves, only half of its silhouette visible.
"Miss Tang, let me do it. You've been out looking for Miss Chen all day, and now you have to take care of these camellia trees when you come back. Take a break first."
Tang Suzi raised his head slightly and responded, "It's okay, Xiaoying, I'm not tired."
With that, she returned her full attention to the tea tree before her. She held the scissors, her eyes focused and serious, meticulously trimming away the branches and leaves. As the unnecessary leaves fell, her mind, previously roiled by so many preoccupations, gradually settled as she focused on pruning.
After those two letters were handed to Guo Yan, there had been no further news. Wei Yu's whereabouts remained unknown. A Yu's situation was becoming increasingly dangerous, and it was time for her to return to Tanshan Temple.
Not only because she had promised Lin Xiangli before, but also now there were only a few days left until the six-month deadline. Whether Ling An went with her or not, she had to go back.
"I don't know when the Pavilion Master will be back... These rumors are getting more and more outrageous. The Pavilion Master is such a good person, but these people are saying such terrible things about him!" Xiaoying continued to water the plants while grumbling, "The Pavilion Master has been captured for a full seven days. I'm afraid his old injuries haven't fully healed yet, and now he's being locked up in a cold, damp, dark place like the prison. How can his body withstand it..."
Tang Suzi's hand movement paused slightly, and the scissors stopped on a branch and did not fall down for a long time.
Yes, A Yu had suffered such a serious sword wound before, and now in such a harsh environment in the prison, how could his body withstand it... But what else can she do for him?
At this moment, a noisy sound came from not far away. Tang Suzi raised his head and saw several servants from the mansion running past in a hurry.
Xiaoying had already walked out of the vegetable garden when she heard the noise. Quick-witted and quick-handed, she grabbed a servant who ran over and asked anxiously, "What's going on? Why are you so panicked?"
"The Imperial Guards are here to search!"
"What?!"
At this time, Tang Suzi also walked out of the flower garden. Hearing this, her heart tightened and she immediately said, "Let's go and take a look."
After only a few steps, they encountered a group of people coming from the opposite direction on the path. Leading the group was a strange man in armor, followed by about a dozen soldiers. Beside the strange man stood the butler, Uncle De, and a familiar figure—Zhou Jin.
Tang Suzi blocked their way and both sides stopped.
The stranger looked at Uncle De who was standing beside him. Uncle De understood and quickly introduced the stranger and Zhou Jin: "Master Jiang, Master Zhou, this is Miss Tang who stayed at our house a few months ago."
After saying that, Uncle De walked towards Tang Suzi again and whispered, "Miss Tang, this is Lord Jiang Han of the Imperial Guard and Lord Zhou Jin, the prefect. They are here with a search warrant. Please make way."
Zhou Jin, who was standing beside her, also walked up to her at this time and said in a gentle voice,
"Miss Tang, we are just conducting a routine search, don't be nervous."
Tang Suzi was silent for a moment, and finally gave way.
She looked back and watched as the team stopped in an open area not far away. At Jiang Han's command, the team dispersed like arrows from a bow, rushing towards the various houses. Jiang Han seemed to say a few words to Zhou Jin, then walked away.
Tang Suzi thought for a moment, then walked towards Zhou Jin who was standing beside the camellia garden.
"Master Zhou, why are you here?"
Zhou Jin was originally staring at the camellia tree in the flower garden in a daze. When he heard the voice of someone else, he turned around and saw Tang Suzi, and a feeling of sadness surged in his heart again.
He replied, "It's just that this camellia brought back some memories."
Tang Suzi knew what he was thinking, so she looked away and asked, "I mean, why are you with the Royal Guards?"
"Oh, that's right. The emperor ordered me to assist in Fang Buyu's case." Zhou Jin explained.
A Jin is assisting with this case! Then...
"Have you seen Fang Buyu? Is he okay?"
Tang Suzi's nervous look was a bit irritating to Zhou Jin.
He just felt sorry for his elder sister. His elder sister died while trying to save Fang Buyu, but the heavens were so ridiculous that they arranged for someone who looked exactly like his elder sister to take her place.
Fang Buyu allowed her to stay in his mansion for so long, and now it seems that they are in love. Poor sister, fewer people will remember her in the future...
Thinking of this, Zhou Jin's face turned cold, and he replied briefly, "No."
"No means, his condition is not good?" Tang Suzi asked anxiously.
Zhou Jin became even more upset. He raised his voice and said, "I mean, I didn't see Fang Buyu!"
As soon as he said it, he regretted it. Sure enough, when he turned around, he saw a look of hurt on the face that looked like his elder sister. Zhou Jin didn't expect that he would yell in such a tone. No matter what, Tang Suzi was innocent after all... He took a deep breath and calmed down, "I'm sorry, Miss Tang. I just lost control of my emotions. What I meant was that Fang Buyu was imprisoned in the capital's prison, and Jiang Han was in charge of the interrogation there, so I haven't seen him."
"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Mr. Zhou. I won't bother you anymore."
Just as Tang Suzi was about to turn around and leave, Zhou Jin grabbed her elbow and said, "Miss Tang, I'm sorry."
"Um"
"I'm sorry for my rude tone when I spoke to you just now. Also, I'm sorry for mistaking you for my sister."
Tang Suzi was slightly startled and turned to look at him. Zhou Jin also let go of Tang Suzi's hand at this time, put his hand on the fence, and looked back at the camellia tree in the garden. "Actually, I know that my elder sister died a long time ago, but I have been unwilling to accept this reality for so many years, and I don't want to see someone new appear by Fang Buyu's side and replace my elder sister."
Tang Suzi didn't expect that he would have such a paranoid idea. It seemed that her death had caused indelible harm to her brother after all.
She pondered for a moment and said, "Everyone has the right to pursue their own happiness again. If one day Fang Buyu encounters his happiness, I will..."
Realizing his slip of the tongue, Tang Suzi changed his words and said, "If your elder sister is still alive, she would definitely bless him. Including you, Lord Zhou, move on. Your elder sister certainly doesn't want you to dwell on the sorrow of the past. Living a good life is the greatest comfort to her."
When Tang Suzi said these words, she was looking at the camellia trees in the garden. She didn't notice that Zhou Jin had already turned his head and was looking at her quietly with complicated emotions in his eyes.
Until a voice came.
"grown ups!"
The two men turned around at the same time and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a soldier quickly running up to them, kneeling on one knee, panting.
Zhou Jin frowned and asked sternly, "What's the matter with all the panic?"
"Your Excellency, Chen Weiyu's body was found in Four Seasons Valley!"
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