Chapter 167
167 Junior Brother wants to ask you for a favor (1)
The next morning, Xu Qi ‘an woke up in high spirits. The person beside him was no longer there, and the fragrance of a woman remained in the quilt.
He supported his body with his weak limbs, as if he had just finished a one-kilometer run test and his muscles were sore the next morning.
I overslept again … However, I’m excusable for being late, I’m here to investigate a case.”
Xu Qi ‘an sat cross-legged and started breathing, relieving the fatigue of his cells and allowing his body to recover to its peak at the fastest speed.
After only two circulations, his sore muscles regained their vitality.
“Squeak ~”
The door of the boudoir was pushed open, and she came in with her personal maidservant, dragging the fragrance of her dress. Her black hair was tied up high, decorated with expensive jewelry, and her beautiful white face was a little Haggard.
Her eyes were still red and swollen from crying.
“Young master Xu, you’re awake.” She smiled faintly, with a distant and formulaic smile. I asked the kitchen to make you duck porridge.
“Just put it there.” Xu Qi ‘an took the toiletries from the servant girl, quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth. He returned to the table, held the bowl, and thought while eating.
The demoness last night was a remnant of the thousand demon Kingdom, which meant that this matter had nothing to do with the northern demon race … The North vanquishing Prince’s suspicion was very, very light … Were the thousand Fey Kingdom’s survivors after the sealed artifact or something else?
Xu Qi ‘an thought this way because if the target was a sealed artifact, the remnants of the fey Kingdom would have fled with the money and not continue to stay in the city to cause trouble.
…. There was another possibility. The demons ‘goal was not just the sealed artifact but a greater scheme. The sealed artifact was only a means to complete their goal.
The context of the Sang Bo case was almost clear. The main force behind the scenes:One, the Imperial court’s traitor, two, the thousand Fey Kingdom’s remnant.
[ target: unknown ]
[ sealed artifact: the broken hand of an unknown powerhouse. ]
Factors, people, and forces involved:The thousand Fey Kingdom, count Ping Yuan, the Minister of War, the Directorate of Celestials, the imperial family, Princess Ping Yang, monk Heng Hui, the centurion of the Golden guards, Zhou chixiong …
[ breakthroughs: the one-armed expert, monk Heng Hui, and Princess Ping Yang. ]
If he could figure out the identity of the strong man with the broken arm, he could reverse-deduce the true purpose of the thousand demon Kingdom’s survivors … Then, if he caught either Heng Hui or Princess Ping Yang, he could also reverse-engineer the case … Xu Qi ‘an finished the porridge and sighed in satisfaction.
It was only then that he had the time to tease Fu Xiang, “”Are you angry?”
Fu Xiang smiled gently. young master Xu, please don’t make fun of me. I’m just a promiscuous woman. I don’t have the right to be angry with you.
Alright, Mr. Xu had become young master Xu … Xu Qi ‘an nodded and stretched his back.”Prepare hot water, I want to take a bath.”
Fu Xiang smiled and nodded. She arranged for a maidservant to help him bathe, while she took her personal maidservant out to relax.
Xu Qi ‘an took a comfortable hot bath, dressed up, tied the gong, and hung the saber. He thought for a while and asked, “”Prepare my brush and ink.”
The young maidservant softly replied,”yes.”
…….
“Wifey, aren’t you being too cold to young master Xu?” The maidservant said softly as they walked through the alley of the Imperial Academy.
Fu Xiang looked ahead and shook her head, her voice a little sad, ” you don’t understand. I once begged him to redeem me, but he refused.
The maidservant was silent for a moment and explained on Xu Qi ‘an’s behalf, “”Maybe there’s no silver. Wifey’s contract is at least three or four thousand taels of silver, but I’m afraid it’s doubled now.”
Fu Xiang retracted her gaze and looked at the ground, “”I’ve saved quite a bit of silver over the years, it’s actually fine …”
“In his heart, I’m actually no different from you guys.” She laughed bitterly with a sad expression. I didn’t want to believe it before, but last night’s incident made me see myself clearly.”
It was nothing more than an unrequited delusion.
As she walked, she unknowingly arrived outside the Azure lake Court, and a clamor attracted her attention.
Two copper gongs dressed in the night watchman’s uniform locked Ming Yan’s wife and walked out. The old brothel Madame followed behind with a terrified expression and explained, ”
“Officers, this must be a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding.”
mother. Ming Yan was terrified. I’m innocent! I’m innocent.
She recognized the two gongs. They were the two who often accompanied young master Xu to the yingmei Pavilion for tea. One of them seemed to have the surname song, while the other … She couldn’t remember him because he was too quiet.
What was happening? Ming Yan was still fine last night. By the way, why did young master Xu suddenly return to her yingmei Pavilion last night … Did Ming Yan offend Mr. Xu last night? He was done today?
She immediately rejected the idea. Although she was disheartened by this man, she believed that Xu Qi ‘an was not that kind of person.
Fu Xiang furrowed her brows and greeted the night watchman,”My Lords, what crime has Ming Yan’s wife committed?”
Song tingfeng stopped in his tracks and smiled, “”Lady Ming Yan secretly colluded with the demon race and provided shelter. Last night, Lord Xu had secretly investigated and found the demoness who had disguised herself as her personal maidservant.
The demoness has already been apprehended. We’re going to bring her in for questioning now.”
The old woman thumped her chest and stomped her feet. you’ve been wronged. Ming Yan is a weak woman. How could she collude with the demon race? ” Do you know how much effort and money I spent to train her? I’m going to the Ministry of Rites to make a complaint and seek justice from the officials there.”
“I’m suspecting that you’re an accomplice of the demons,” Zhu guangxiao said in a deep voice.
The madam lost her voice and took a few steps back with a strong desire to live.
Song tingfeng squinted his eyes, nodded at Fu Xiang, and left with his men.
Fu Xiang looked at their departing figures in a daze and began to make connections … Ming Yan colluded with the demons? Did Mr. Xu investigate in secret yesterday?
Last night, he chose to stay at the Azure lake Court not because he liked the new and hated the old, but because he had official business to attend to, but I kept pestering him and throwing a tantrum.
I saw him dragging his tired body back last night. At that time, I thought that he and Ming Yan … ‘I’ve blamed him wrongly. I even gave him a look this morning to vent the anger in my heart …’ But why didn’t he explain? Yes, he couldn’t explain because this was the official business of the Yamen and the case had to be kept confidential.
Even so, even though he knew that he was being misunderstood and wronged, did he show a trace of annoyance and silently bear with it …
Fu Xiang suddenly lifted her skirt and ran towards the little Pavilion.
“Wifey, where are you going? slow down …” The servant girl was shocked.
She ran all the way back to yingmei Pavilion and pushed open the door to her bedroom. Fu Xiang shouted, “”Mr. Xu …”
The room was empty. The person had already left. At this moment, she suddenly felt that she had lost something precious, and her heart was empty.
“Wifey, wifey …” The maidservant caught up and saw her own wife leaning against the door in a daze.
“I’m a little tired, help me up.” Fu Xiang said softly.
The maidservant helped her to the bed and glanced at her, sighing in her heart. Not daring to disturb him, he turned around to clean up the house.
She saw the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the table beside the screen. She let out a soft “Yi” and walked to the table.
“Wife, here is a poem … It might have been left behind by young master Xu.”
Fu Xiang immediately came to life and ran to the table barefooted. As if snatching a treasure, she snatched it from the servant girl’s hands and looked at it.
“The beauty rolls up the bead curtain
Deep sitting brows
But the tears were still wet.
I don’t know who I hate.”
“Mr. Xu, Mr. Xu …” She laughed at first, and as she laughed, her tears fell and she collapsed on the ground. She held the paper in her heart, crying and laughing at the same time, like a weeping beauty.
“I’m going to find him,” Fu Xiang wiped her tears, got up, and jogged to the door.
The servant girl was shocked and hugged her wife’s soft waist.”Don’t, don’t, don’t, you’re a courtesan, the courtesan with the most reputation in the Academy. If this matter spread out, how would wifey face others? The reputation that she had worked so hard to build up was gone.
“I’ve also never heard of any courtesan who has such a lack of style like you.”
“Let me go!” Fu Xiang was furious.
“I won’t!”
……
Xu Qi ‘an bought six big meat buns on the street. He sat on the back of the horse and ate them as he leisurely walked to the Yamen.
“The courtesans of the education workshop are all pretty …” They each had their own merits and were beautiful beyond words. Well, after the Sang Bo case was over, he would exchange feelings with them one by one and publish a ” evaluation guide of the Lady of the Flowers ” in the future.
“The only problem is that I’m short of money. I only pick up three maces of silver every day, and the value of a courtesan is at least thirty taels a night.
thank you for your nine years of compulsory education. I didn’t read poems in vain … ‘Heh, I’m really a disgrace to transmigrators. Other people plagiarize their works for the sake of their official careers, but I’m doing it for free …’
“Speaking of which, I’m almost twenty years old. Fortunately, Auntie isn’t my mother and won’t urge me to get married. Caiwei was the supervisor’s disciple, her backing was too strong, marrying her was like marrying half a Princess, it wouldn’t be good to go out and fool around …
“Don’t be in a hurry to get married. In a few years, there will be twenty-four courtesans in the Imperial Academy. Haha, I’m just thinking about eating a fart. The supervisor’s disciples might not even think highly of me. ”
Xu bailing laughed at herself in her heart, and her thoughts flew back to the case.
He was the one who had ordered for Ming Yan to be captured in song tingfeng. Even though she had been confirmed to be innocent last night, he still had things to ask, such as when the maidservant had entered the Imperial Academy and who she had been close to.
…..
In a small secluded courtyard, the willow tree’s branches drooped down. It was bare and slightly desolate.
There were sounds of banging coming from the room, as well as the man’s low groans of pain … In an instant, all movement disappeared.
“Squeak~”
The door opened, and Heng Hui, who was wearing a black robe, walked out silently. He went straight to the well in the courtyard.
He stared at the well for a few seconds and waved his hand. The well lit up with a faint golden swastika and then broke.
After removing the seal, Heng Hui jumped in.
At the bottom of the dim well, the mud gave off a faint smell of water. The middle-aged monk leaned against the wall of the well and meditated.
He looked dispirited and his lips were dry and cracked. He seemed to have been seriously injured.
The middle-aged monk was tall and burly. He had a light green lower jaw and a bitter expression.
If Xu Qi ‘an was here, he would be able to recognize this burly monk. He was Hengyuan, the person he had been searching for.
“Senior brother …” Heng Hui’s voice was hoarse.
Hengyuan ignored him and sat cross-legged in silence.
“I’m seriously injured. My broken hand is suffering from backlash.” Heng Hui said.
Hengyuan opened his eyes and asked with concern, “”Henghui, turn back and you’ll be saved,”
Heng Hui shook his head. senior brother, I entered Azure Dragon Temple at the age of six and followed you around. You taught me how to meditate, how to chant Sutras, how to take care of my daily needs, and treated me like a brother and a father. Now, I want to ask you for a favor.
Hengyuan sighed and nodded.
Heng Hui raised his head. Under the cloak, his dark eyes were without white. He smiled hideously.”I’m going to eat senior brother.”