Rêve de fleurs urbaines

Chapitre 11

Huai Su and Elder Lu arrived last. Huai Su's expression changed drastically, while Elder Lu rushed forward to check Luo Yi's breath, then stood up and said in a trembling voice, "City Lord, you, you, you...she's dead, this is terrible..."

Dai Kejian stood there blankly, without saying a word.

The news of Luo Yi, the eldest daughter of Anluo City, dying suddenly in a secret chamber in Hantian City spread throughout the twelve cities of Yinwei within three days. Everyone was discussing this matter over tea and after meals, and the conversations were nothing more than the following—

"Have you heard? Luo Yi was killed by Dai Kejian!"

"Although he didn't kill her himself, the coroner, Dr. Wu, said that Luo Yi died from an overdose of 'Hehuan San' (a type of drug), which caused her blood vessels to rupture. Tsk tsk tsk, Dai Kejian has gone too far this time! I told him long ago that he was licentious and shameless and wouldn't last long as city lord. I didn't expect that he would cause such a big disaster in just one month!"

"Yes, yes, I heard that Lord Anluo is furious and is about to send troops to avenge his daughter, but fortunately he was persuaded by his ministers. They have reported the matter to the Heavenly Court and asked His Majesty to issue an order to deal with it. I think Dai Kejian is doomed this time."

"But this kid is lucky enough to have spent a night with a beauty like Luo Yi. He'd be lucky to die... It's a pity that it was Luo Yi who died. It's really unfair!"

The conversation then became increasingly explicit, gradually veerging towards pornography. The bookstore even commissioned someone to fabricate this story into a book, which was printed overnight. This erotic novel, titled "The Secret History of Roy," reportedly achieved a remarkable sales record of 300,000 copies, becoming a bestseller in twelve cities that year.

Inside the council hall of Hantian City, a somber atmosphere prevailed. The officials gathered, discussing how to handle the matter, but after several days of deliberation, they had reached no conclusion. The four servants, Eat, Drink, and Play, exchanged glances, and Xiaochi hurriedly left, passing through the covered walkway and heading straight to the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

While everyone else was extremely worried, Dai Kejian, the person in question, was sitting on the railing of the pavilion, casually fishing with a fishing rod, looking quite relaxed.

"Young Master!"

Dai Kejian yawned lazily, "Have those old guys come up with a plan yet?"

"No." Xiaochi pouted. "Old Feng means that you should personally go to Anluo City to apologize. Perhaps there will still be a chance."

"Don't joke around. If I went to Anluo City, I'd probably be riddled with arrows before I even reached the city gate."

"Young master does have some self-awareness... If only he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have done it in the first place," Xiaochi muttered, picking up a piece of fish food and throwing it into the water, where ripples immediately spread out.

Dai Kejian paused for a moment, then said, "Ten years ago, when I first met my master, he taught me three key tips for fishing: cast the bait heavily, concentrate, and apply even force. These words have benefited me for life. To fish, you can't do it without good bait." As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly lifted the rod, and a carp struggled desperately on the hook.

The snack vendor hurriedly reached out to catch it, but the carp hopped and hopped, and before he knew it, it jumped into the arms of someone who was walking over. That person was none other than Bi Feixian.

She hurriedly threw the fish back into the lake, her face darkening. "What time is it? You're still in the mood to play?"

Dai Kejian waved, signaling Xiaochi to leave first. Then, he casually put down his fishing rod, turned around, and smiled, "Teacher seems worried? With a teacher worried about me, what else could I possibly worry about?"

Bi Feixian glared at him and said coldly, "Do you really not care about your future at all? Even if you are stripped of your position as city lord, or even die, it doesn't matter to you?"

"If I really ended up like that, I wonder how many people would be happy!" Dai Kejian smiled, glanced at her, and said, "I'm afraid the teacher would be very happy too, right? You won't have to teach this unruly student anymore, and you can easily go and get married."

Bi Feixian was so angry she was speechless, and bit her lip, saying, "You are truly hopeless!"

She turned to leave, but Dai Kejian jumped off the railing, quickly stepped forward, grabbed her arm, and turned her back.

"What are you doing?" Bi Feixian staggered backward, but her back hit a pillar of the pavilion, leaving her with nowhere to go.

Dai Kejian stared at her intently, his dark eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions—anger, resentment, and heartache. This version of him was completely unfamiliar, radiating an aura of dominance and power.

Looking at the young man so close to her, Bi Feixian suddenly felt as if she had never really understood him.

"What are you doing?" She hated being so close, so close that the air felt oppressive, almost suffocating. Bi Feixian tried to pry his hand away, but he held on even tighter. Unlike the last time in the study, where he hadn't used much force and she had been too weak to run away, this time, she struggled, but was held down by a much stronger force, unable to move at all!

A look of panic appeared in Bi Feixian's eyes.

Dai Kejian continued to gaze at her with that same inscrutable expression, raising a hand to slowly stroke her neck, then down to her ear, and finally her hair, the rhythm slow yet devoid of any eroticism… Suddenly, he forcefully tugged at her hair—

Bi Feixian cried out in pain, "Ah! You've gone mad! Dai Kejian..."

"Why?" Dai Kejian asked.

"Why what?"

Dai Kejian smiled slightly, but at this moment, his smile looked absolutely terrifying to her.

“My mother taught me from a young age that I should always give way to girls, try to please them and make them happy, even if I suffer a little loss myself, it’s not a big deal… I have always done that.”

Bi Feixian bit her lower lip and said, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Tell me, are you happy now?

Bi Feixian was taken aback.

Dai Kejian's eyes softened in that instant, gleaming with a gentle light. "I've always believed that nothing in this world is truly insurmountable, and nothing is truly irreplaceable. If these things can win the hearts of girls, especially the girl I like, then why not give them to you?"

Bi Feixian was taken aback, her astonishment mixed with a hint of fear—what on earth was he saying?

Dai Kejian loosened her hair, his fingertips tracing her face, as if intentionally hurting her, yet also as if reluctant to part. Despite his inappropriate advances, Bi Feixian calmed down, her eyes flashing with anger, her face deathly pale and bloodless.

“Sometimes I find myself really disgusted with you, disgusted by the cold expression on your face, as if you don’t care about anything, as if no one is related to you, as if you are isolated from the world, just like now—” Dai Kejian’s pupils contracted, and he said in a low, hoarse voice, “Whenever I see it, I really want to destroy it!” He suddenly grabbed her chin and kissed her.

A kiss devoid of any tenderness, utterly domineering and mad, deliberately suffocating her.

Bi Feixian began to struggle desperately, but her martial arts, internal strength, beatings, and biting were all in vain at this moment. He was determined to hurt her, and she felt like she was suffocating.

He's gone mad! Dai Kejian has gone mad...

She had lost track of how much time had passed; her consciousness began to drift, her head was spinning, and before she succumbed to the endless darkness, her only thought was—Dai Kejian had gone mad…

At the far end of the covered walkway, the officials, led by Elder Lu and Elder Feng, had finally come up with a plan to quell the Luo Yi affair. Just as they were about to report to the city lord, they were shocked to witness the following scene unfolding in the lakeside pavilion—

Dai Kejian pinned Bi Feixian against a pillar and forcibly molested her!

Everyone stared wide-eyed, completely at a loss for words. Finally, Huai Su rushed forward, abruptly pulling Dai Kejian away and shouting, "Do you know what you're doing? Let go of Miss Bi!"

Dai Kejian was pulled away by him; his lips were swollen and red, with traces of blood. In that instant when he was pulled away, Huai Su thought he seemed to be crying, whether it was a hallucination or not, but when she looked again, she saw that he still had that roguish and nonchalant look.

Just as Huai Su was preoccupied with observing Dai Kejian's reaction, a loud thud came from beside him. Huai Su turned around and found that Bi Feixian, who had been freed, had fallen to the ground. He was startled and quickly reached out to check her breathing.

Ke Jian wiped his face and said, "Don't worry, she won't die. She just fainted."

Huai Su turned her head and looked at him coldly, saying, "How could you do something like this? To humiliate your teacher in broad daylight? You are so disappointing!" After saying that, she picked up the unconscious Bi Feixian and left on her own, leaving a group of ministers looking at each other, their expressions extremely awkward.

Dai Kejian stood silently for a while, then turned around, grinned, and spread his hands at the group of officials, saying, "Have you had enough of the show? So, is there a result?"

Old Master Lu said with great distress, "Lord of the City, you really, really, really... Alas!"

With his sigh, the Dai Kejian incident stirred up another storm. In an instant, calls to dismiss the city lord resounded throughout the twelve cities of Yinwei, growing louder and louder, awaiting only the final decree from the Heavenly Emperor.

"My name is Bi Feixian." In the brocade garden full of pear blossoms, a little girl wearing a white flower in her hair knelt down and remained kneeling for a long time.

Before them stood two people, one in flowing green robes, the other in alluring red.

The man in the green robe sized her up and pondered, "Are you Bi Ying's daughter?"

"Yes." She raised her eyes, her eyes glistening. "My mother passed away at the end of last month."

The man in the green robe and the woman in red exchanged a glance. The woman in red said, "Did your mother send you here?"

The little girl lowered her eyelids and stammered, "My mother said you would take care of me."

The man in the green robe looked towards the entrance and said, "You're only six years old. How did you find this place all by yourself?"

“Before my mother died, she gave some money to someone and asked him to bring me here. That person dropped me off at the door and then left. I pushed the door open and came in by myself.”

The woman in red couldn't help but sigh. Such a thin child, with such serene eyes—she must have suffered so much on this bumpy journey. So she pulled her into her arms and asked softly, "How did your mother die? Was she sick?"

The little girl pursed her lips and after a long while said, "Well... she was sick for a long time, and in the end she couldn't bear the pain anymore, so she hanged herself."

The man in the green robe was greatly shocked and exclaimed, "What? She committed suicide? What about your father? Who is your father?"

The little girl looked up, her clear, mirror-like eyes revealing purity and innocence. The man in the green robe sighed softly, turned to the woman in red, and said, "Ayu..."

The woman in red smiled and said, "I know what you want to say. Bi Ying and you were very close in the past. She entrusted her orphan to us on her deathbed, and we have an inescapable responsibility. Moreover, I find this girl particularly pleasing to the eye, and I think we are destined to be together. Why don't we take her as our disciple?"

"Thank you." The man in the green robe shook the woman in red's hand, then turned around and said, "Fei Qian, is that right? From today onwards, we are your master and mistress."

She bowed three times, and her heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, finally settled down. She looked up timidly and called out, "Master, Mistress."

They didn't ask who her father was. They were always such understanding, generous and kind people. Seeing that she took her mother's surname instead of her father's, they considerately stopped bringing up the past and carefully nurtured and gently cared for her. They were the best teacher and mistress in the world.

However, one question had been lingering in her mind for a long time—did they actually know who her father was? Did they really not know? Or were they pretending not to know?

Bi Feixian woke up from her sleep. It was already dark outside. There was only one candle lit in the room. There was a person sitting at the table. For a moment, she thought it was Dai Kejian, but when she looked closer, it was Huai Su.

Bi Feixian sat up, and Huai Su immediately turned her head upon hearing the sound, exclaiming happily, "You're awake?"

As soon as she regained consciousness, a flood of memories came rushing back. She recalled the events before she fell into a coma, and her expression immediately turned grim.

Huai Su walked to the bedside and said, "May I ask what exactly happened?"

Bi Feixian held her forehead, looking displeased. "This matter is none of your business, I don't want to talk about it."

Huai Su gave an apologetic look and handed her a letter, saying, "The reason I've taken the liberty of waiting for you here to wake up is because I must personally deliver this to you. I apologize for disturbing you." With that, he bowed and left.

Bi Feixian unwrapped the sealing wax from the letter, read its contents, got out of bed, walked to the table, and lit the letter by candlelight. The flickering flame reflected in her eyes, and a strange sadness welled up within her.

With a loosening of her finger, the paper fell to the ground, flames curling around its edges, and just before it was completely consumed, five words could still be faintly seen on it—

"...It's done, son, you may return..."

Chapter Eight

Bi Feixian led the horse slowly along.

The streets were lined with shops, but somewhat deserted. It felt like I was back on the day I first entered the city, leading my horse along the way, looking around as I went. Time really flies; more than a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

She walked past "Tea and After-dinner Restaurant", past "Gu's Cloth Shop", past "Tiannan Dibei Restaurant", past "Baoxiangzhai"... Along the way, she saw a hint of unease on everyone's face, and they spoke cautiously to each other, no longer as casual and relaxed as before.

It is said that the emperor's edict has been issued and personally delivered by the Grand Secretary Feng Ye. It is currently en route and will arrive soon. Dai Kejian—is finished.

The mere thought of that name caused Bi Feixian's eyes to narrow slightly. She forcefully erased the unbearable memory of that day and continued pondering the previous question. Dai Kejian was finished, but didn't the people dislike him? Weren't they all waiting to see him fail? Why did they show such uneasy expressions when he truly fell from power? Had they also sensed the underlying tension? Or was it simply a primal human reaction to turbulent times?

Bi Feixian shook her head and laughed self-deprecatingly: "I'm really overthinking things." What will happen to Hantian City next is none of her concern. She has done all she can, and from now on, everything here will have nothing to do with her anymore.

As I walked out of the city gate, I suddenly looked back and saw the splendid streets and the worldly splendor reflected in the sky along with the sunrise. Just like when I looked at that burning letter last time, I felt a sense of sadness for no reason.

Bi Feixian took a deep breath and mounted her horse. After traveling only half a mile, she saw a group of people waiting in a pavilion ahead. The person in the lead turned around and smiled at her; it was Huai Su.

“Miss Bi…” Huai Su said loudly, “Your journey is long and arduous, and I have nothing to give you as a parting gift. I have prepared a cup of wine and water as a small farewell.”

Consort Bi dismounted, and a maidservant poured two cups of wine and brought them over. She glanced at Huai Su, reached out and took the cups, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Chief Steward."

"Please." Huai Su raised her cup and drank it all in one gulp.

After finishing her wine, Bi Feixian glanced at the crowd behind him and, as expected, did not see Dai Kejian and his servants.

Huai Su said, "Please convey my regards to your father."

"He'll be very touched to know how much you care about him." Bi Feixian put down her wine cup, not wanting to say more. Just as she was about to mount her horse, her expression suddenly changed drastically. "What did you put in the wine?"

Huai Su raised her eyebrows and smiled.

Bi Feixian clutched her chest and said sternly, "How dare you poison me?"