Chapter 52 - The Murder
Chapter 52 The Murder
“No way,” Qin Yunuan frowned heavily, “It is too late to find a doctor. Nurse Liao, shall we let brother Dashi drive a carriage to take Baochuan to the hospital?”
Went out of the mansion secretly? During a big feast in the mansion?
Even nurse Liao felt embarrassed, “Third Miss, it is too dangerous. What if master and madam find us?”
Going out of the mansion secretly was really against the serious rule made by Qin Zhi.
“We have no other way,” Qin Yunuan held Baochuan depressingly to try to relieve his pain, “The nearest hospital was in the west of the city. If we dispatched someone to invite a doctor, I am afraid that Baochuan would be dead because it costs too much time. My poor Baochuan, there must be someone who do not want you to be present in the feast. Who is that person? Who is the cruel guy?” Qin Yunuan expressed her rare panic and desperate emotion. She said as she used her split vision to observe the expression change of Tinghe. She found that there was an unconcealed surprise on the face of Tinghe. Qin Yunuan squinted a little and turned to be panic again, “Nurse Liao, I make up my mind. You go to find brother Dashi and I will undertake everything in the feast.”
Since Qin Yunuan ordered, nurse Liao had to obey. She went out of the room, and only Tinghe left stood beside the bed embarrassingly in the room. Qin Yunuan said coldly, “Fine, do not stand here. Do what you should do and do not let others find what we are doing.”
Tinghe took a deep breath and felt relieved. She left the courtyard and chose a footpath. Trough winding path, she went across the pond and courtyard, and hid behind a rockery when nobody noticed her.
The rockery was like a natural scherm and nobody would find there was a two-person space in the rockery even he looked carefully.
Behind the rockery, somebody had already been there. He turned his back to Tinghe. The tall body cast a slanted shadow by sunshine on the peculiar rockery, like a black ghost shadow, which was very frightened.
“Grand Young Master.” Tinghe said carefully to the man in front of her who she loved and feared.
Qin Linfeng turned back slowly. He wore a golden-rimmed brocade robe, which was waved in the wind. He said very gloomily, “All done?”
Tinghe lowered her head and said in a reproaching voice, “Grand Young Master, you have told me that those were ordinary croton powders, but why the second young master split blood when he took them?”
Qin Linfeng smiled outright, “If I hadn’t told you that, you would have observed my order to add the powders into the breakfast of that little jerk?”
Having seen her upset face, a tender love emerged on the face of Qin Linfeng. He reached his big hands, touching her from her shoulder to her white and tender neck, “Don’t worry. I have told you that if you finished the issue, I would meet your request. You look not happy today. So what’s your request that you have told me the last time?”
Tinghe was indulged in Qin Lingfeng’s caress. He constantly touched her shoulder, cheek and neck. She believed that was the tender love from the Grand Young Master, and she thought he loved her. Otherwise, after they had sex that night, he did not let her drink the contraceptive medicine and even granted her request. Tinghe was thinking and an expecting emotion emerged on her bluffing face, “Grand Young Master, you have told me that if I observed your order, you would marry me as your concubine. But now I am the maidservant of the Grand Miss. Shall we tell her this issue?”
Tinghe was the spy that Qin Yunzhuan arranged in the Fuxi Courtyard. Qin Linfeng knew that at that night, so he was relieved and thought she had the value in use. But now, she was useless.
“Of course,” Qin Linfeng gave her a smile as the spring wind. He touched the tender and long neck of Tinghe again. Suddenly, he squeezed her neck at full tilt which made Tinghe out of breath. She was choked by Qin Lingfeng’s big hands and generally suffocated, but she opened her eyes wide, which seemed to be querying. She heard the answer of Qin Linfeng, cold and merciless, “Yes, I will grant your request. When you are dead, I will set a memorial tablet for you. So, you are in my concubine. OK? Satisfied?”
Out of the rockery, winter jasmine vine was blown by the wind with a rustling sound. And even some maidservants and nannies walked near the rockery. But inside the rockery, there was no noise but only death and fear after Tinghe’s face turned pale. Until the breaking sound came from the fingers of Qin Linfeng and the beating heart of Qin Linfeng calmed down.
Qin Linfeng was looking at the corpse of Tinghe. He believed that she deserved it. She even dreamed to be his concubine. If he hadn’t gotten drunk and mistaken her for….
“Bang-bang,” Two sounds came. That was the fireworks, which interrupted the mind of Qin Linfeng. The feast was about to begin. Qin Linfeng took a deep breath, and quickly left, raising the hem of his clothes as if nothing had happened.
The feast today was prepared for the birthday party of the humble Grand Commandant Qin. It was rare to hold a big feast in the mansion, so many nobles in the Royal City flooded in the mansion. They would not give up such a good chance to play up to the Grand Commandant in the present dynasty.
The little servant shouting in front of the door got his throat hoarse. Each guest was exalted. Even the powerful Left Chancellor Shangguan Yuan and emperor-favored Prince Ray came here. All noble guests created much of a stir and showed the worshipful position of Qin Family.
All were stunned when they heard that Grand General Leng Changxi came. Leng Changxi seldom showed up in feasts that many of his colleagues joined together. That was why people believed that he was a cold and unkind man. But today, he showed up. Everybody was surprised and felt that Qin Zhi was such a powerful man that even Leng Changxi came to greet him.
Qin Zhi was stunned a little too. He did send an invitation to Prince Ning’s Mansion, but he never thought that Leng Changxi would show up. He was happy to have this honor. He smiled to greet his colleagues and was about to welcome Leng Changxi at the door in person. But when he was at the door, the gatekeeper told him that general Leng had already come in the mansion and he was not allowed to let the guider servant follow him.
He was really a freak. Qin Zhi cursed him in his heart. He planned to promote his position and reputation by Leng Changxi, but he was so surprised that Leng Changxi was still so weird.
“Master, shall we dispatch a person to follow him?” The gatekeeper was afraid that the respected guest was cold-shouldered.
“Fine,” Qin Zhi waved his hands helplessly. He snickered, “He was changeable about his temperament. Besides, he was well-favored by the emperor. Do you dare to follow him?”
The servant was astonished. Yes, it was frightening to follow behind a cold and changeable general. If he were allowed that you follow him, he might think that you were guiding his way. If he were not allowed, he might kill you.
People were noisy outside. It was already in the evening before Qin Yunuan went out of the Fuxi Courtyard. She temporarily wore a piece of light yellow cappa and washed out blood on her hands. She was walking hurriedly on the road paved by cobblestones. The Fuxi Courtyard behind looked very deep and serene under the trees.
“All done?” Qin Yunuan was asking sideways Maner in a low voice while walking.
“Third Miss, don’t worry. All go as you predict. Tong was observing in the courtyard and nurse Liao was observing at the back door. There won’t be any mistake.” Maner tidied carefully the clothes of Qin Yunuan which were a little bit in a mess.
Qin Yunuan walked in a hurry but when she found a lonely figure at the winding corridor, she stopped and felt familiar.
Under the moon, Leng Changxi was so tall and his body was cast into a slant on the ground by the moon. He still wore a modena-rimmed brocade robe with a jade belt in his waist. The long hair was tied up half. Such dark hair made him kind of gentle and soft even he was a general always busy in the battle. He still wore the invariable bat-shaped black mask. It expressed a mysterious and magic temperament under the moon like a melody sung by a charming woman in the foggy woods, which was deadly but attracting you to come closer.
She was in a courtyard where the inner courtyard and outer courtyard jointed. It was the nearest road from The Fuxi Courtyard to the outer courtyard. There were few people staying here in daily time. Qin Yunuan was astonished by the appearance of Leng Changxi.
Leng Changxi was standing rightly at the winding corridor where Qin Yunuan had to pass. She could not avoid him.
“Nice to meet you, general Leng,” Qin Yunuan stepped forwards. She lowered her head and curved her knees to greet him. When she was about to leave, she heard Leng who was always silent said, “Are you in a hurry to go?”
In a hurry to go? Qin Yunuan stopped. She did not want to meet those people in the front hall in a hurry who she did not want to see. Dou Qing’e, Qin Linfeng and even Qin Zhi she once had the hope for, all taught much to her about the social and realistic cruelness. She might be a callow avenger but now she was already a vicious daughter of the concubine. She would haven’t chosen this kind of life if she had had another choice.
Before Qin Yunuan answered, Leng Changxi said straightly, “Since you are not in a hurry, could you be here for a moment.”
Qin Yunuan was stunned slightly but till normally stood beside Leng Changxi, “It is noisy outside. General Leng, why do you stay here alone for scene-enjoyment?”
After a long-time silence and tranquility with indistinct insects’ chirping in the grass, Leng Changxi suddenly turned back. Through his mask, his clear but profound eyes turned much more gentle and softer. He smiled, “I just want to see the person I am longing for.”