Apologize
The mirror reflected a beautiful oval face covered with large red marks, resembling a tragically beautiful female ghost.
Mu Qing glanced at it and quickly closed the mirror.
Shiyu took a damp cloth and gently wiped her face, saying, "Miss is recovering much faster these past few days."
It was indeed more terrifying earlier, Mu Qing stopped recalling, "Does seeing my face during the day give me nightmares at night?"
Shiyu was shocked to hear this: "How could this be? Miss is suffering, I'm heartbroken, I just hope she gets better soon."
Mu Qing tilted her head back, letting her wipe it, when she suddenly thought, "Where's Zixiao?"
Originally, Zixiao would handle things like cleansing and applying makeup. But for the past two weeks, Zixiao hasn't been seen at all.
Mu Qing vaguely remembered hearing Zi Xiao's crying while she was unconscious. When she woke up, she asked Zi Xiao about it, and she heard her say that all the maids in the room had cried.
"Zixiao has gone to tend to the flowers and plants," Shiyu said softly.
The young lady was perfectly fine in the mountains, always full of energy and never sick. Suddenly, she developed a rash on her face and fell into a coma. Naturally, those around her would be suspected, and Zixiao was the first to be suspected. Although they investigated and found nothing, she was still demoted to a second-class maid and was no longer allowed to stay by the young lady's side.
Mu Qing was unaware of the details, but figured that tending to the flowers and plants was much better than facing her own face, so she didn't ask any further questions.
After applying the medicine and taking the medicine, she asked Ning Gu and Shi Yu to take the others out.
It has been like this ever since I woke up.
The rash on her face needed to breathe and couldn't be covered up all day, but she didn't want others to see her face. If there was nothing else to do, she would send everyone away and stay alone in her room.
A person can read books or do other things. She climbed onto the beam and took down the brocade box that Lu Fei had brought a few days ago. There wasn't much medicine left inside, but tucked away in the crevice of the box was a simple map drawn with ink lines.
It shows the location of the Lu Mansion and the Imperial Censorate in Weizhou City, as well as the location of a room in the Imperial Censorate.
It was almost an explicit indication that someone was waiting for her there.
In the past few days, when Mu Qing was alone, she often recalled the past. In all the scenes that came to mind, she would order Zhong Linlan around, make him sleep on the floor, eat her leftovers, and even feel happy when she saw him frown.
She grew up in a mountain village where people were ranked by the size of their fists. Relying on her powerful father, she acted like a bully in the village, but she also knew that no one in the village was simple. When it came to killing, they didn't blink an eye; when it came to beheading, they all said that leaving a scar the size of a bowl was enough. No one was someone to be trifled with.
As a child, she was ignorant and willful, but as the village grew larger and more uncouth people appeared, her father's authority became less effective, and she was left with only the title of young lady. When her father was not around, she had to keep a low profile due to the strange looks she received.
She met a poor and weak scholar, and knowing that he was well-behaved and honest, she vented her long-suppressed bad temper and bullied him without any scruples, until she began to pity him.
But he had been bullied, so how could he easily forget it? He must have harbored resentment and wanted revenge.
He talked about his sweetheart, but it was all just to deceive her and lower her guard. She wasn't very smart; she actually believed him, and as a result, he tricked her into becoming seriously ill.
He didn't expose her, perhaps not only out of consideration for the Lu family, but also because he hadn't taken enough revenge, just like some cats who, after catching a mouse, play with it until they're satisfied before eating it.
With this in mind, he certainly wouldn't wait indefinitely; she had to talk to him.
It was her fault in the past, and she can apologize however she wants, as long as he lets her off the hook.
After nightfall, Mu Qing lit a small amount of sleeping incense to put Shi Yu to sleep. Just like when she went out at night last time, she put her hair up, picked out a dark purple dress to wear as night clothes, and took a dark blue handkerchief to use as a face mask.
The moon was bright and the stars were few. The streets and alleys of the city were deserted. She followed the route she had planned for many days and stealthily made her way to the Imperial Censor's Mansion. She climbed over the wall and entered, carefully avoiding the guards. She climbed onto the roof and saw that in the dark mansion, there was a courtyard with lanterns lit up. It was the house marked on the map.
There were guards in the courtyard, so there was no way to go through the gate. Mu Qing walked around the courtyard for a while and found that there was a window in the room with the light on, which was only a few feet away from the courtyard wall and was unguarded.
She climbed over and pried at the window for a while, but before she could pry it open, the window was pushed open from the inside.
The person inside was wearing a dark blue robe, bathed in light, his face outlined in the gloom. His eyes were bright as he looked at her hand holding a silver hairpin to pick the lock, his gaze slightly cool.
"Lord Zhong."
Mu Qing reluctantly put away the hairpin, pulled down her face mask, and gave a fawning smile.
She knew her face was not presentable, especially at night, but for those who resented her, it was the result of revenge, and they should know that their revenge had been successful.
Zhong Linlan froze for a moment, then stepped aside, saying, "Come in and we'll talk."
His expression and voice were both calm, revealing no emotion.
Puzzled, Mu Qing jumped in through the window and closed it behind her.
The window faces a plain screen, behind which the shadows of the multi-branched lamps and a few orange flames shine through.
Zhong Linlan was about to walk around the screen and into the inner room.
Mu Qingxin felt it was inappropriate to follow, so after taking a few steps, she stopped in a dimly lit corner to talk.
"It was my fault for breaking our promise last time."
After much deliberation, she decided it would be best to start by apologizing for the small things. The portrait matter was settled, and Lu Fei's relationship with her had improved, so this matter should be fine, and she might even be able to save face for Lu Fei.
But Zhong Linlan stopped and turned around, scrutinizing her with a rather surprised expression.
Mu Qing was puzzled when she noticed that under his open robe was a white undergarment, as if he had woken up in the middle of the night. She thought that she had woken him up in the middle of the night and appeared in front of him looking like a female ghost, which was bound to annoy him, so she pulled her face mask back up.
"I have offended you in the past and have wronged you in many ways. It is all my fault."
She lowered her head and softened her voice; this was the most humble posture she could muster.
But the other party persisted: "Anything else?"
Mu Qing was speechless for a moment. Should she go into detail about all the bad things she had done to him? Going into detail would certainly make her seem bad, but it would also make him seem pathetic. Why bother?
She kept her head down, unable to see his face, but when she caught a glimpse of his clenched fist at his side, her heart skipped a beat. What was he going to do?
Zhong Linlan looked at her, her eyes filled with darkness.
He sent the map through Lu Fei, intending to wait for her to come and scold him.
He committed immoral acts, ruined her marriage, and damaged her appearance. Shouldn't such despicable behavior be condemned?
She could call him malicious, despicable, vile, and persistent—no amount of cursing would be too much.
But she actually came to apologize.
Anger leads to cursing because there is hope for improvement.
Is the reason for a direct apology because it's better to offend a gentleman than a petty person?
"Oh."
The night breeze blew through the window, rustling the leaves and branches, and the sound drifted in through the cracks in the window, accompanied by soft laughter.
Mu Qing shuddered in shock, then heard Zhong Linlan say calmly, "So many things have happened in the past, it's unfair to dismiss them with just a few words."
Seeing that the clenched fist had relaxed a little, she calmed down, raised her head, and sure enough, there was no anger on her face. She then boldly said, "Yes, if you need compensation, please just say the word, and I will do my best to fulfill it."
He spoke with great conviction and sincerity, which should at least ease his resentment. If that wasn't enough, he could give her a good scolding; Mu Qing thought that would be acceptable too.
"Qingqing really understands me." A smile appeared on Zhong Linlan's face.
Mu Qing glanced away, avoiding his ambiguous gaze, but still felt that given his pride and arrogance, he wouldn't make any excessive demands.
"Sir, please speak frankly."
Zhong Linlan said calmly, "The Jiang family massacre case from five years ago is still unsolved. Since you are involved, can you help close the case?"
Completely surprised that he would bring this up, Mu Qing remained silent for a moment, then said, "I didn't do it."
"Well, just say what you know."
"I know nothing."
"Then how did you get the arrow wound on your back?"
"..."
The night she broke into his house, she was wounded by an arrow, had broken the fletching herself, and fled, for her only skill was escaping.
At that moment, a thought flashed through her mind, and she wanted to turn around and jump out of the window to escape, but as soon as she touched the window, she was grabbed around the waist.
His strong arms gripped her like iron, his masculine presence enveloping her as he pressed her against the wall by the window.
He was no longer that frail boy, nor was he well-behaved.
"If I remember correctly, the arrow wound is here."
Through her clothes, his burning palms caressed her back.
Trapped in his arms, Mu Qing tried to push him away, but couldn't break free. She cursed through gritted teeth, "Bastard!"
Zhong Linlan barely controlled his strength, looked down at her, and the fragrance of her black hair filled his nostrils. It was not the soapberry scent he used to smell, but a fresh and unfamiliar fragrance.
A wave of disappointment washed over him, like dark clouds bringing gloom. His deep voice carried a hint of mockery: "You've already let me see and touch you, haven't you?"
Mu Qing was stunned for a moment, "...That was for treating injuries, you shameless!"
But this shameless man turned around and accused her, saying, "Others may call me shameless, but Qingqing, you have no right to do so."
Thinking back on the past, Mu Qing was speechless.
She broke into his house and, after eating, fainted due to the injury on her back. When she woke up, she found that it was just getting light, and she was both cold and hot, curled up on the cold ground, covered with a thick quilt.
Zhong Linlan, still a boy, was sitting on a chair not far away. Hearing her call, he replied, "There's a sorceress next door. You can go to her for treatment after dawn."
Mu Qing was furious. She got up from the ground, picked up the quilt, and staggered to his bedside. Ignoring everything else, she lay down directly and responded with a provocative tone.
"No! I'm going to die here."
The boy was so frightened that he stood up. "Girl, you've gone too far."
She retorted defiantly, "You know I'm injured, yet you leave me lying on the ground. Aren't you going too far?"
The boy looked away. "Men and women should not touch each other."
"Then just wait until I die here, and then you can figure out how to get me out of here. Let's see what you do then."
"..."
"Hey, you're not really going to let me die here just because men and women shouldn't touch each other, are you?"
"..."
"You call yourself a scholar? Didn't Confucius teach you that saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda?"
"No."
The standoff continued until dawn, when the boy urged her to leave again.
But she said, "I have been framed by wicked people and cannot let anyone discover my whereabouts. The more people who see me, the more danger I will be in. And you have already seen me, so why don't you be a good person to the end?"
As if playing a trick, she kicked off the blanket, flipped open her shirt from behind, revealing her snow-white back, where half of a black arrow was stuck, surrounded by dark red bloodstains.
...
Mu Qing had long forgotten about the matter, but the thought of it made her cheeks burn.
At the time, in order to force him to comply and to treat her injuries, she didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
But in the past two years, having received a good education in the Lu family and seen some of the world, she knew that such behavior was rude, reckless, and shameless.
Looking back, I don't want to admit that was her.
Mu Qing lowered her head and said in a trembling voice, "I thought you were a proper scholar... It wouldn't hurt to bully you a little."
Who would have thought things would turn out this way?
Zhong Linlan pulled her close and whispered in her ear, "The book says, 'Do not look at what is improper.' I thought at the time that if I saw something I shouldn't have seen, I should take responsibility, even if I didn't see it on purpose."
He was initially unwilling to be implicated in the woman's innocence, but soon he developed infatuated thoughts.
A beautiful young girl wore his clothes, covered herself with his blanket, and slept in his bed every night. Every day, she would lift her shirt to reveal her fair skin and slender waist, allowing him to get close to her without any defenses.
He sat by the bed, tending to her wounds. As he reached out, he noticed the difference in their skin tones and realized he was touching the girl's bare back.
When applying the medicine, I could hear her moaning softly like a kitten, and if I was not careful, I could hear her scolding me in a spoiled manner.
As the wound gradually healed and new flesh grew, it often itched, so he patted and massaged it for her.
He figured he'd marry her sooner or later, so there was nothing wrong with getting closer to her, he told himself, trying to fool himself.
"You don't need to take responsibility. Just forget about it." Mu Qing turned her face, almost pressed it against the wall, and glared at him sideways. "You'd better forget everything."
Zhong Linlan's lips curled slightly as he moved closer to her. "You just said you'd do everything you could to make it up to me, and now you want me to forget everything? Which of your words can you believe?"
Thinking back to his original purpose for coming here, Mu Qing's thoughts were in turmoil.
In this dimly lit corner, their clothes clung to each other, their breaths mingled, and their body temperatures mingled, creating an ambiguous atmosphere that made one afraid to think too much, knowing only that they must not provoke anyone.
She tried to calm herself down and said with her eyes downcast, "Between men and women, mutual affection is best. I was foolish before and forced you. Although I am sorry, you are a man and I am a woman. In fact, I suffered more."
"You've really learned to reason now." Zhong Linlan chuckled softly, his warm breath seeping through the face mask onto her face. "But why should you say that you're at a disadvantage because you're a woman? I only did what you asked me to do."
Mu Qing was overwhelmed with shame, but forced herself to remain calm and pleaded with him, "Thank you for being a gentleman back then. Please continue to be a gentleman now. You have a bright future ahead of you, and you will surely find a good match in the future."
Seeing that she lowered her eyelashes, stopped struggling, and stopped looking at him, Zhong Linlan's smile gradually faded.
She barged into his house back then, like a little demon who had just gained human form, wild and unruly. As time went by, she picked up some of his habits and promised to stay with him forever, but she slipped away without a word. Now that she has learned about human relationships and the ways of the world, she has come to sever ties with him.
"Are you sure?" Zhong Linlan said unhurriedly, "A gentleman should point out the faults of others and expose those who impersonate others."
Hearing the coldness in his words, Mu Qing grabbed his sleeve, almost pleading, "I didn't mean to impersonate him. You know I can't reveal my identity."
What if I help you overturn your conviction and get acquitted?
"..."
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