L'amour se trouve ici pour trois cents taels

Chapitre 3

Zhu Rui paused, puzzled as to why Ye Changsheng would ask about Zhu Luan. After a moment, he replied casually, "The matter happened so suddenly that I haven't had time to inform my second brother yet. I've already sent someone to inform him."

Chang Sheng repeatedly praised Zhu Rui for her decisiveness, methodical approach, composure in the face of danger, and for accepting the inevitable, saying that the dead cannot be brought back to life. She then grabbed the hand that had been poking her back and stepped out the door.

The crows were scattered and the mist was fine.

As dusk fell, the afterglow of the setting sun enveloped the earth, softly as if it were plated with gold.

A pale yellow butterfly flitted across the profusion of flowers.

Young Master Jia waved his hand, fanning away the lost butterflies. He pulled a fan from his waist and tapped his stiff back listlessly. Every now and then, he would glance resentfully at Ye Changsheng, who was enthusiastically watering the flowers beside him.

Ever since they left Zhu Yun's room a few hours ago, Ye Changsheng had dragged him to the Zhu family's garden, muttering to herself about how the case was complex and multifaceted, yet ultimately she couldn't say anything—she really needed to think things through carefully. As it turned out, the sun was almost setting, and while she hadn't noticed anything else, she seemed quite familiar with the old gardener standing nearby.

"Ye Changsheng!" Jia Ling slapped Ye Changsheng's head several times. "What is this? What is this...?"

Ye Changsheng chuckled and rubbed his head with the back of his hand. "Huh?"

Young Master Jia glanced at her sideways and sighed heavily: "I want to know, is that thing on your neck your head? Or is it waterlogged? Squeezed by a door? Kicked by a donkey?"

Suddenly, the old gardener beside him chuckled. His bright, simple smile left Jia Dashao speechless for a moment, only able to sigh that birds of a feather flock together—the ancients were indeed right. He silently tugged at Ye Changsheng's sleeve, pulling her aside, and lowered his voice, saying, "You've just killed someone with your medical skills, and you're a wealthy merchant, not exactly a nobody. Are you going to run away or die? Say something! A whole day has passed, and you're watering the flowers? Watering the flowers! Chatting with a silly old man. Do you really think the Zhu family will just let this go? If you can find out who did it, you can just frame someone!"

Chang Sheng politely flicked his sleeves, smiled slightly, and said "Ah..." but still didn't say anything. Jia Ling finally realized that she was talking to a brick wall. She sighed, turned around and was about to leave.

Ye Changsheng grabbed his sleeve and said slowly, "After all, I didn't kill Master Zhu... As for the murderer... probably, probably..."

Jia Ling looked into Changsheng's eyes and realized that he had no idea what she was "about" about—in fact, he suddenly realized that he didn't understand her at all.

"Ah..." Ye Changsheng smiled slightly, "I should go back and water the flowers, Ah Huang is hungry too..."

Jia Ling frowned: "You've been watering the flowers all day—and... what is Ah Huang?"

“That flower was Little Yellow, a gift from Master Zhu. Little Yellow is a toad.” Ye Changsheng touched his nose.

Young Master Jia's eyes widened in disbelief: "You can take that broken potted plant, but what are you doing raising a toad?!"

Ye Changsheng thought for a moment and said, "Ah Huang jumped onto my windowsill by himself..."

East Wing, South Water Courtyard.

The lingering chill had not yet dissipated when a light rain fell, leaving new wrinkles on the wind-swept marsh.

Ye Changsheng sat at his desk, one hand supporting his forehead, the other holding Ah Huang's hand. The window was open, and gusts of wind mixed with the drizzle occasionally blew in. Although its feet were tied with rope, Ah Huang still hopped and skipped around with great enthusiasm. The candlelight flickered, and the shadows swayed, the outlines of the room seemingly swallowed by the night.

Ye Changsheng lowered his eyes, his gaze deeper than the night.

She didn't know how much time had passed... She herself didn't realize that her right hand had long been clenched into a fist, with the pale knuckles between her fingers standing out.

Rain pattered on the banana leaves outside the window, a soft, rustling sound...

Suddenly, with a "plop," Ah Huang jumped from the table onto the windowsill, and Ye Changsheng's bewildered eyes regained focus. She slowly stood up, yawned, tore off a tablecloth, covered her beloved Ah Huang and Ah Huang, blew out the lamp, and went straight to sleep.

Changsheng took off his shoes, pulled the blanket over himself, and just as he was about to wrap himself up tightly, there was another untimely knock on the door.

"Miss Ye, Miss Ye, are you asleep? Our lady invites you in."

Changsheng peeked out from under the covers. Although she was puzzled by the Zhu family's knocking at the door day and night, and by the fact that a certain lady would wake her up in the middle of the night, she convinced herself that this was their place after all, and that she could just get dressed again no matter how much trouble it was.

"Ah, just a moment." Ye Changsheng quickly dressed, slowly opened the door, peeked out and smiled at the figure, "Please lead the way."

Ye Changsheng sat in the East Warm Pavilion, sipping tea and wondering which lady had invited her on this dark and windy night—in fact, she drank three cups of tea but no one came.

After a while, accompanied by a dizzying fragrance, a languid voice drifted into Changsheng's ears.

"I'm sorry to have kept Miss Ye waiting."

Ye Changsheng looked over, and although she had thought about it, she was still somewhat surprised when she saw the Seventeenth Madam. At such a special time, given this meeting, she had no right to do so.

"It certainly didn't disappoint Madam's fine tea." Ye Changsheng put down his teacup and smiled politely.

"Hehe, Miss Ye, you can call me Honglei." Honglei walked gracefully to Changsheng and took her hand: "Miss, are you upset that Honglei is being disrespectful?"

Ye Changsheng withdrew his hand without leaving a trace and bowed deeply to the ground: "Not at all, it's just that if Hong Lei doesn't appear again, I'm afraid even the maid who boils water will complain."

"Oh?" Honglei narrowed her eyes, turned around and sat down on the couch. "Miss Ye, I apologize for disturbing you so late at night. However, I am just a weak woman and have no connections with the Zhu family. I felt an immediate connection with you when I met you the other day, so please forgive me."

Ye Changsheng gazed into the red, tearful eyes for a long time before smiling slightly: "It is my honor... I have not yet had the chance to offer my condolences to Madam regarding today's events. With Master Zhu gone, Madam must be deeply grieved. Although I cannot share Madam's burdens, I can still keep her company and have a word with her."

Red Tears traced her scarlet fingernails across her temple as she calmly said, "Although I am honored by your kindness in becoming the top courtesan of the Misty Rain Pavilion, I am still, after all, a woman of the night. I am grateful that the master did not pursue my past and took me as his concubine."

"Madam and Master Zhu must be very loving," Changsheng nodded, then suddenly looked up and asked, "Everyone says Madam loves flowers?"

"Honglei dislikes socializing. She tends to flowers and plants simply to keep her days from being so boring."

"I wonder what your favorite flower is, Madam?" Ye Changsheng asked with a smile, seemingly suddenly intrigued.

Hong Lei tilted her head slightly, gently stroking a bonsai on the table, her eyes dreamy: "Every flower is different. They all have their own color, their own posture, their own life, their own...secrets... Hong Lei's favorite is the Vermilion Judgment. There's no particular reason, perhaps it's just that it's what her lover loves."

Ye Changsheng nodded repeatedly, her expression as if she knew everything: "I heard that the flowers on Master Zhu's desk were planted by Madam herself. I didn't know that. I just saw that the little yellow flowers were so cute, so I asked Young Master Zhu for them. I hope Madam won't blame me for being presumptuous."

Her beautiful eyes, red with tears, glanced around and said, "Of course, keeping those flowers would only add to the sadness."

“Ah…that’s right…in that case, it’s getting late, so I won’t disturb Madam’s rest any longer…” Ye Changsheng slowly stood up. As he turned around, he suddenly remembered something, “Madam, is there anything else you’d like to say about the last time I saw Master Zhu that day?”

Hong Lei raised her head and stared intently at Chang Sheng: "No."

Chang Sheng smiled and said, "Then I'll take my leave."

The instant she stepped across the threshold, she seemed to hear Hong Lei's soft yet calm voice.

"Ye Changsheng, I must have seen you before."

A slight smile appeared on Changsheng's lips as he turned and left.

She was so sleepy and tired that she went back to her room, leaned against the pillows, and couldn't open her eyes anymore...

Ye Changsheng was awakened by a strange "smacking" sound. She reluctantly opened her eyes and saw a pair of round, bright black eyes and an enlarged image of Jia Ling's face—at this moment, Young Master Jia was holding a small box and eating candied fruit one after another.

“I thought you were going to sleep forever…” Jia Ling sat on the edge of the bed and said, “Look at the time, how long have I been knocking on the door? I really thought you had been abandoned by the Zhu family.”

Ye Changsheng patted his forehead, "So..."

"So I kicked the door open and came in."

Upon hearing this, Ye Changsheng suddenly turned his head, looked at the two doors swaying in the wind, and murmured, "Luckily, they're not mine."

She glanced at Jia Ling, and seeing that he showed no intention of avoiding her or showing any restraint, she threw off the covers and got up to get dressed. In her eyes, Jia Ling was just a boisterous child.

Jia Ling pointed to the box in her hand and said with a smile, "I brought you a box of newly made Cangzhou honey dates."

"Hmm..." came Ye Changsheng's absent-minded voice from the cubicle.

Feeling bored, Jia Ling wandered around the room: "Huh? What's this..." He lifted the red tablecloth with a prominent bulge in the middle:

"ah!"

"What's wrong?" Changsheng, having finished dressing, came out after hearing Jia Ling's shrill scream.

"Ye Changsheng, you're a real pervert! Keeping a toad is perverted enough, but now it seems that this toad is a dead toad!"

"Ah..." Changsheng turned his head slightly, sighed as if he had just realized something, slowly walked over, and looked intently at Ah Huang, who was lying on its back. He picked up a silver chopstick next to him and started fiddling with it.

Jia Ling's face grew darker and darker as she looked at them; she just wanted to pack up the man and the toad and throw them out the window...

"Really...?"

With a calm expression, Changsheng picked up her silver chopsticks and pierced the white belly, making Ah Huang look exactly like a pancake being hawked by a vendor. She gently wrapped Ah Huang and Ah Huang in a tablecloth, muttering something to herself as she walked towards the door.

What remained was a petrified Jia Ling...

Seeking traces of the past, one finds a family living beneath the flowers.

Willow trees and flower fields, scattered and drifting like catkins, going wherever they please...

Warm sunlight filtered through thin clouds, casting a soft golden glow over the enchanting purple flower field. Quiet and serene. A few colorful butterflies fluttered by, disappearing into the distant mist…

The rain finally stopped… Ye Changsheng looked up at the sky, then turned around happily to look at Jia Ling, who was still awkwardly carrying the bright red tablecloth bundle, though she was still grumbling. He saw a slight, apologetic smile on her lips. She looked around; thankfully, there weren't many pedestrians on the road, so it didn't detract from the image of the elegant young master Jia.

Logically, they should have been strangers. Perhaps at the beginning, they were just burdens to each other. But five years had passed, the peach blossoms had bloomed five times, the willows had swayed, the rain and snow had fallen, and even the swallows under the eaves had come for the fifth time. Ye Changsheng began to wonder if he had ever relied on this proud yet naive, intelligent, handsome, and even utterly unskilled playboy...

Young Master Jia, of course, had no idea what Ye Changsheng was thinking. He swore that if it weren't for the fact that Ye Changsheng was completely incapable of lifting heavy objects or carrying bundles, and that she could easily cough up blood and soak the quilt, he would never have carried this tacky and utterly shabby bundle. He frowned and glared fiercely at Ye Changsheng, who had turned around in front of him.

The gentle rays of sunlight fell upon her, casting a warm glow. The moment she saw herself, she smiled slightly.

Jia Ling ignored her, rolled her eyes, gripped the bundle tightly, walked past Chang Sheng in a few steps, grabbed her sleeve and pulled her away: "Hurry up, hurry up, I don't want anyone to see me carrying this."

Zhu Family Hall

Zhu Rui raised his teacup, gently blew away the tea leaves scattered on it, took a sip, and then put it down. He then looked at Jia Ling, who was carrying a huge bright red bundle, and Ye Changsheng, who was half-hidden behind him, and frowned slightly: "Miss Ye, Zhou Fu told me that Miss Ye has something to discuss with me—it would be best if you already had a clue."

“Indeed, indeed…” Ye Changsheng smiled slightly, “We must ask Young Master Zhu to invite everyone from the manor out.”

"This...shouldn't Miss Ye tell me about this first..." Zhu Rui seemed somewhat hesitant.

"Rui'er, invite everyone from each household here. Tell them I've invited you all to discuss the master's funeral arrangements—and bring Luan'er here too." A voice came from the back hall, interrupting Zhu Rui's words. It was a low, involuntary sound reminiscent of the casual strumming of the seven-stringed zither on the dimly lit pleasure boats of the Qinhuai River.

This person was Zhu Rui's birth mother, the first wife of the Zhu family—Zhu Liushi.

Ye Changsheng smiled, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, Madam Zhu." Jia Ling, who had already dropped her bundle, simply grunted in response.

Zhu Rui glanced at his mother, then looked at Changsheng, and finally said nothing more: "I understand."

Madam Liu walked in slowly. She was dressed in a dark blue dress and stood leaning against the table. Her phoenix eyes swept over the crowd: "Miss Ye is so young yet her medical reputation is already widespread. She is truly remarkable. Because of this, you should cherish yourself and not ruin your future. The master was in a coma for many days and died. This is everyone's destiny and fate."

Jia Ling's delicate eyebrows almost knitted together. Just as she was about to speak, Ye Changsheng grabbed her arm. He looked at her, smiled, shook his head, and walked a few steps to stand in front of her.

Liu smiled, her eyes sparkling, and gently lifted Changsheng's thin shoulders with both hands. She lowered her voice and said solemnly, "But if Miss Ye says something unfounded and ruins someone else's future... I believe you are a reasonable person. This is a matter within the Zhu family, with many branches and complex roots. It would be best if you didn't interfere."

Changsheng simply smiled and nodded seriously, expressing his strong agreement with Liu's words to show that he was indeed a reasonable person.

Madam Liu turned around and said calmly, "Now that the master is gone, someone has to protect the Zhu family. Miss Ye, Young Master Jia, please stand aside and be witnesses."

After the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, the people of the Zhu family gradually arrived at the main hall. This included Honglei and Yulan, whom Changsheng had met briefly, as well as the other fifteen concubines and their respective stewards, whom he was completely unfamiliar with. They whispered amongst themselves, casting complex, disdainful, and even resentful glances at the seated Liu family mother and son. These people, harboring various motives and ambitions, finally gathered together under the warm, bright sunlight.

Madam Liu slowly stood up, looked around, and the crowd gradually quieted down. She calmly and evenly said, "Although I ordered everyone to remain silent, the fact is, whether you know it or not, the master has passed away..."

The hall suddenly fell silent. After a moment of stunned silence, everyone began to stir. Those in the know secretly speculated about Liu's next move, while the uninformed thought they had just hallucinated. In their shock, they all stood up and rushed forward to demand an explanation, some even wailing and wailing, hugging each other tightly. It was utter chaos and turmoil.

Although Jia Ling didn't want to admit her dark side, the scene was indeed quite amusing.

Ye Changsheng patted the young woman on his right, who was weeping bitterly, and said earnestly, "Please accept my condolences, Madam." Then, drawn by the even more heart-wrenching cries from the left, he once again earnestly comforted her, "Please accept my condolences."