Canción nocturna

Capítulo 44

Lou Xiyue glanced at me. "It's my little secret, I'm not telling you."

I crossed my arms, gave him a cold look, and stood up. "I want to go back to China. I want to go home. I'm going back to Medicine King Valley right now."

Lou Xiyue blocked my way with her fan. "I'll have Ji Jiu inquire whether wolfsbane is a poison used by the royal family of the Eastern Lands."

I asked, "Why? Did this emperor take a fancy to your third uncle? He tried to coerce or entice him, but couldn't have him, so he ruined him?"

He pondered for a moment and said, "Back in Nanyang, an assassin once broke into the Jade Luo Gate at night. Judging from his skills, I thought he was a secret agent from the East."

What are the Dark People of the East?

"They are a group of assassins kept by the Eastern Tu court."

I said, "On the day of the night raid, were you already asleep? Then they came to assassinate you, and Ji Jiu went in to help you. So you got up wearing only your undergarments and fought those assassins. When I went to find you, you had barely managed to drive them away."

Lou Xiyue asked, "How do you know so much?"

I scoffed, "If you and Ji Jiu have something going on, then you have something going on, why make up a secret agent to cover it up?"

Lou Xiyue glanced at me, seemingly with a smile, "You care about me and Ji Jiu?"

I said, "I don't really care."

"So you care a tiny bit?" He leaned closer, looking at me with a smile.

I said solemnly, "I'm afraid you'll tarnish the reputation of Medicine King Valley. If you cross the line, I'll consider expelling you from the sect."

Lou Xiyue was silent for a moment, then suddenly called me softly, "Xiao Xiang".

I turned to look at him. "Huh?"

He smiled gently, looking at me tenderly. After a long while, Lou Xiyue whispered, "Let me take a good look at you..."

We waited until around dusk when Ji Jiu returned.

She said, "Seventh Young Master, wolfsbane is indeed a poison used by the royal family of the Eastern Lands."

I was particularly curious, "Ji Jiu, how did you find out? Did you just ask any random passerby for the origin of wolfsbane?"

Ji Jiu said, "I went to the palace and killed someone."

I remained silent.

Ji Jiu continued, "Today is the Emperor's sacrificial ceremony to Heaven. He will be in seclusion at the altar for nine days, so there are not many people in the palace."

She looked at Lou Xiyue, "I tried the waist token left by the assassin last time, and it is indeed the waist token of the Eastern Dark People. The Emperor seems to be ill, and everyone in the palace is refining elixirs to prolong his life."

Lou Xiyue asked, "Did the people behind the Emperor know who was performing the sacrificial ceremony today?"

Ji Jiu said, "The woman in black is called Zi Mo, a diviner from the Eastern Lands. The one behind her is the princess of the Eastern Lands."

Lou Xiyue asked calmly, "Is the Eastern Princess the Emperor's daughter?"

Ji Jiu replied, "No, it seems to be the daughter of a deceased princess. The Emperor has not established an empress."

I asked, "What if the Emperor were to accidentally pass away? Wouldn't the princess become the Empress? Like Wu Zetian?"

Lou Xiyue frowned in thought and instructed Ji Jiu, "Go and find out how the princess died. Xiao Xiang and I will go to Lishan to pick snow plums first, and we will meet here again in seven days."

Mount Li is located on the outskirts of Yanmen County. It is a snow-capped mountain with its summit covered in ice and snow all year round.

I carried my bundle and walked towards Yanmen County with Lou Xiyue.

I wrapped the veil I bought from a street vendor in Wenlai around my face and asked Lou Xiyue, "Are your eyes sparkling? Are you mesmerized? Are you unsteady on your feet?"

Lou Xiyue sighed, "..."

I bought a play script in Wenlai to pass the time on the journey.

Right now, Lou Xiyue and I are resting by the roadside, and he is playing the flute in the gentle summer breeze.

I used the bundle as a pillow to read the play script.

The flute music suddenly stopped, and Lou Xiyue asked me, "Do you recognize the characters from the East?"

I asked with great interest, "I don't recognize it."

He said, "Then what are you looking at?"

I said, "Look at the picture and I can make sense of it."

I patted myself down and pulled out a stone, which I tossed to Lou Xiyue. I smiled at him and said, "Here's a tip for you. Play another song."

Summer insects chirped, and the shadows of the trees were sparse.

He held the flute firmly in his hand, his long eyes locking onto me, the flute's clear and melodious sound wandering through the mountains.

Lou Xiyue asked, "Xiao Xiang, are you crying?"

He leaned closer and ran his fingertip across the corner of my eye.

I lowered my head and said, "No."

He was silent for a while, then said with a half-smile, "You cried while reading the play script?"

I raised the book higher to cover my face. "I said no."

Lou Xiyue sat down beside me and said gently, "Tell me, what kind of story is this?"