Моя жена перелезает через стену - Глава 44
Those who traveled thousands of miles to find Li Yuxuan are probably still up to no good somewhere.
Not long after, Li Xinyun, arm in arm with Xuzhu, walked out of the government office with a smile. Li Yuxuan told Yinzi to wait upstairs, then went downstairs and walked in front of them, covering his face with a folding fan: "Robbery, but only of women, not money."
Li Xinyun kicked her in the groin: "You want to rape me? I'll teach you to be raped. You bastard, you tried to disappear in front of me, I knew you couldn't run away, and even if you did, you wouldn't die."
Li Yuxuan chuckled: "Princess, you think too highly of me." He put down his folding fan.
Li Xinyun dragged her into the teahouse: "I have good news for you. It was just sent by Xu Zhu's men."
"What good news?" Li Yuxuan led her to a seat. "You should know the bad news in the capital, right?"
"Last night, Hai Tang and Wang Gui were both killed by people of unknown origin."
Li Yuxuan didn't show much shock, as this was within her expectations: "They acted too quickly and too obviously, didn't they? Didn't their backers send anyone to protect them?"
Li Xinyun knew who she meant by "them" and replied, "It's not them. According to the information, they are Khitans, probably spies sent by Yelü Hongji in the Central Plains. Killing them is equivalent to protecting you. Your cousin has been quite good to you. I didn't even expect him to have secretly sent guards to protect you."
Li Yuxuan fiddled with his fingers: "This is even worse. It's like trying to hide something obvious. Prince Xin can't clear his name now."
Xu Zhu sipped his tea: "Miss Li, don't worry. I've already sent people from the Earthly Branches to infiltrate Bianliang. We'll know if anything happens. By the way, where have you been these past few days? We've been looking for you everywhere."
Li Yuxuan blinked: "I didn't go anywhere, I'm just in Bianliang. I'm staying in a brothel in Bianliang."
Li Xinyun nearly choked on her tea: "I told you, you scoundrel, you wouldn't go far, but they didn't believe me. By the way, are you staying here tonight or with us over there?"
"I'll stay here. Don't tell Brother Xu I'm here."
"You've really gotten hooked." Li Xinyun rolled her eyes at her. "Any man who's interested in you is blind. Come on, show us around first. Brother Xu is busy with a lot of cases and won't be coming out."
"Then let's go." Hearing that Haitang and Wang Gui had been killed by Yelü Hongji's men, she was still worried that people would say they killed them to cover it up. However, seeing that Xu Qingzhi was still acting as his imperial envoy, she knew that even if something happened, it wouldn't be under their control.
Besides, who are Prince Xin and Zhan Zhao? It wouldn't be easy to defeat them, especially with Xu Zhu as a powerful backer.
When your mood brightens, the surrounding scenery seems infinitely beautiful.
The next day, Li Xinyun told Xu Qingzhi that she and Xu Zhu would go ahead, and then she and the other three left Daming and headed south. Soon they arrived in the Suzhou area.
Outside Suzhou city, at Hanshan Temple, the midnight bell tolls to the passenger boat.
Their first destination was Hanshan Temple.
Hanshan Temple became famous during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang because of the eminent monk Shide.
After resting for two days at Hanshan Temple, Li Yuxuan led them to Taihu Lake.
In spring, Taihu Lake is a picturesque scene of red blossoms and green willows swaying in the breeze. Li Yuxuan noticed that Xiaolei had been very silent the whole way. Moreover, she had a bad feeling, as if something had been watching her for the past two days, giving her an inexplicable chill.
Arriving in her long-awaited hometown, the excitement and joy she felt helped her suppress the inexplicable fear.
News came from the capital that Judge Bao had died and Zhan Zhao had left Bianliang for Jiangnan. Although the matter of Prince Xin had been suppressed by Emperor Renzong due to the deaths of Haitang and Wang Gui, the Crown Prince's faction argued that the Khitans were being too arrogant and demanded that troops be sent to punish them.
Li Yuxuan's brow furrowed. Could this be the source of her unease? She remembered that the war in "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" was caused by the Song Dynasty's provocation, which led to Xiao Feng's suicide at Yanmen Pass. No, no, with her here, this absolutely cannot be allowed to happen.
At that moment, the group of girls were boating on Taihu Lake, laughing and joking as they steered the boat into the reed marshes.
End and Beginning
Before they knew it, the boat had entered the reed marshes. As far as the eye could see, an endless expanse of emerald green stretched to the misty depths of the lake. Li Yuxuan marveled at the vastness of Taihu Lake; a thousand years from now, it would be nothing more than a small pond. Li Xinyun, who had grown up in the northern deserts, had never seen such a beautiful waterside scene and longed to jump in and catch some fish.
Xiaolei, who was sitting at the bow of the boat, suddenly screamed, startling the water birds in all directions and making everyone in the boat crane their necks. A wet human head appeared at the bow, with its hands clinging to the gunwale.
Although the head was in a sorry state, Xu Zhu and Li Yuxuan recognized him at a glance. This person was none other than Murong Fu, the Southern Murong, whom they had met briefly at Li Xinyun's martial arts contest for marriage.
I don't know how he ended up in such a sorry state.
Xiaolei recognized the person and immediately cried out in alarm, "Young Master!" and pulled Murong Fu out of the water.
Once aboard the ship, Murong Fu grinned foolishly at everyone and asked Xiao Lei, "Who are you? Why are you calling me 'Young Master'? I am the Emperor! Haven't you all seen the Emperor before?"
Xiaolei stood there, stunned, her face filled with panic and sorrow. Noticing her strange expression, Li Yuxuan casually asked, "Xiaolei, are you very familiar with him?"
Xiaolei nodded, then shook her head again: "Not familiar, I only met her when the princess was choosing a husband." Her attempt to cover up her misunderstanding made Li Yuxuan sense a hint of conspiracy. She smiled faintly and didn't press the matter further.
Xu Zhu stepped forward to examine him and found no injuries on his body. Everyone was very puzzled by Murong Fu's affected manner and foolish expression.
A small boat glided swiftly from the depths of the reeds. On board was a woman dressed in a pale yellow dress. She looked slightly surprised to see Li Yuxuan and Xu Zhu. Xu Zhu recognized her from when he saw her with Murong Fu: "Abi? What are you doing here?"
Abi's eyes reddened: "Abi greets everyone. This matter is a long story." She went over to support Murong Fu, speaking softly as if coaxing a child: "Let's go, let's go home—"
"Abi, what's wrong with Young Master Murong?" Xiaolei asked softly, "What happened?"
Abi didn't answer her question, but turned to Xuzhu and said, "Young Master Duan's family suffered an accident at Mandala Manor. Don't you know, Young Master Xuzhu?"
Xu Zhu rubbed his head in surprise, his face turning red: "I haven't seen my third brother recently, what happened to him?"
Abi looked at the emerald green lake: "Young Master Duan's parents are both dead." Then she helped Murong Fu up: "Let's go home."
Abi's words were like a bolt from the blue for Xuzhu. He stared blankly as Abi's small boat sailed away, and it took him a while to react before asking Li Xinyun, "Is what she said true?"
Li Xinyun shook her head blankly: "I don't know."
Li Yuxuan, having once been a fan of Jin Yong's novels, remembered some of the plot of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils and knew of this particular scene. Seeing the confused looks on Xu Zhu and Li Xinyun's faces, he answered from the side, "It's true."
"How do you know that?" Xu Zhu was unwilling to believe it.
“Of course, the words spoken by someone from the prestigious Southern Murong family would not be false, and besides, such a lie would not benefit her in the slightest.”
"Yes!" Xu Zhu suddenly threw down the oar: "I'm going to take a look, you guys keep playing." After saying that, he took off and flew towards the shore.
Li Xinyun asked anxiously, "Where are you going?"
"Mandala Manor".
"My lord!" Xiao Lei also flew after Xu Zhu, "Do you know how to get to Mandala Manor? Let me go with you!"
Li Xinyun stamped her foot and shouted, "Xiaolei! You brat—" She grabbed Li Yuxuan's hand and said, "There's no other way, let's go together!"
Having spent these past few days with Xu Zhu, Li Yuxuan had already learned how to control and manipulate Qi. He immediately gathered his breath and, together with Li Xinyun, lit up the reeds and flew away at high speed.
Led by Xiaolei, the four of them stopped on a small island deep in Taihu Lake.
The camellias were in full bloom, turning the entire mountain a vibrant red. Yet, all was quiet, without a sound. On the small hill behind, several new graves were marked with the names of Duan Yanqing, Yun Zhonghe, Bao Butong, and others, carved in stone from the village.
The five of them went around to the front of the villa. The front yard had been cleaned, but the messy branches and broken flowering trees were clearly the remains of a major battle.
Upon entering the hall, they found it spotless. A middle-aged servant came out expressionlessly as they entered. Seeing someone there, Xu Zhu quickly asked, "What happened here? Is your young lady in?"
He knew that Wang Yuyan was from Mandala Manor.
Seeing that they meant no harm and knew her young lady, the servant's indifference disappeared, replaced by a sorrowful expression: "The master of the manor passed away ten days ago. After handling the master's affairs, the young lady returned to Dali with Young Master Duan."
"Are Young Master Duan's parents really here...? Are they... dead?" Xu Zhu hesitated for a while before finally asking the most important question.
The servant nodded.
Seeing that Xu Zhu was about to ask more questions, Li Yuxuan quickly spoke up before him, saying, "Since we're here, let's go to offer incense at Madam Wang's altar. If you're worried about Young Master Duan, Brother Xu Zhu, we can set off for Dali at any time."
The servants led them into the mourning hall, where everyone offered incense, bowed, and then withdrew. A portrait of Madam Wang hung in front of the coffin; though she was dead, the portrait still revealed her unparalleled beauty and graceful bearing. Li Xinyun and Xiaolei walked at the very back, their faces full of confusion.
Upon leaving Mandala Manor, Li Xinyun immediately said incredulously, "How strange! Why does this Lady Wang look so much like our Western Xia's Consort Li? It doesn't make sense, considering how far apart they are."
Xu Zhu, having heard Duan Yu recount the story of Li Qiushui and Madam Wang, immediately bowed and said, "Amitabha, the fates of people in this world are truly incredible."
Li Xinyun looked at Li Yuxuan, who also made a Buddhist expression: "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. You are overthinking it, benefactor." Since Xuzhu didn't say anything, she wouldn't either.
The five returned to Suzhou. Xu Zhu was preoccupied with Duan Yu's situation and wished he could rush to Dali as soon as possible. He had lost his parents at a young age, and after learning who they were, they died soon after. He still vividly remembered the grief he felt at that time, so he felt a deep connection to Duan Yu's plight.
Li Yuxuan was like a rootless duckweed at this moment, and could go wherever they wanted.
So the five of them set off again for Dali.
Xu Zhu sent his men to inform Zhan Zhao, who was on his way, to go to Dali to meet up with him. He also informed Xu Qingzhi that they had left Jiangnan for Dali.
Five days later, they encountered Zhan Zhao on the banks of the Nu River, who had arrived a day earlier. Zhan Zhao was dressed in a royal blue scholar's robe, a scholar's attire that added to his refined air. Li Yuxuan noticed that he looked travel-worn and seemed to have lost a lot of weight.
Of course, after checking into the inn and finishing their meal, Li Yuxuan slipped into Zhan Zhao's room: "Are you really not working for the imperial court anymore?"
"real."
"Has the court not blamed you for Li Yuxuan's incident?" I've been wondering. Logically, the Crown Prince's faction shouldn't let them off so easily. At the very least, some of the weeds and thorns should be pulled out.
“Because Prince Xin took it all on by himself.” Zhan Zhao stared at her intently. “He will soon be marrying the Empress Dowager’s niece.”
Li Yuxuan's heart skipped a beat, and she gave a dry laugh. She had guessed it again; she had suspected it long ago: "He used this condition to ensure your safety?"
"Yes."
"He is a good person."
...He was such a good person, sacrificing his own happiness for his friend's. Li Yuxuan felt her heart shattering, drop by drop; the blood that had been drawn from her heart was gone forever. Her whole body was filled with blood, but her heart felt empty. She gripped her right hand with her left, as if grasping a lifeline, and took a deep breath: "What else did he say?"
"I want to apologize to you, and say that if there is a next life, I will definitely fulfill my promise to you. I will definitely find you first in the vast sea of people, and accompany you to see the old scenery in Jiangnan. I will only be with you for a lifetime."
"What would happen if he didn't do that?" Li Yuxuan asked in a hoarse voice.
“I don’t know. This was a deal between him and the Empress Dowager. He didn’t tell me that as long as I find you and promise him that I will protect you, just like he protected you.”
"You agreed?"
"I agreed." The question and answer went smoothly.
Li Yuxuan gritted his teeth and looked at the man in front of him: "You can all go to hell."
"Miss Li!"
Li Yuxuan mustered his willpower: "Brother Zhan, I need to see him."
Are you sure?
"I'm sure!"
Zhan Zhao then walked to her side and put his hand on her shoulder, his voice also a little hoarse: "Yes, I'll go back with you. You and he both need an answer."
Li Yuxuan looked at his toes through his blurry eyes and nodded.
That evening, she explained her reasons to Li Xinyun and left the silver with them. She also had Xiaolei change her appearance, making her look like a pale and sickly scholar. The next morning, she and Zhan Zhao headed straight for Bianliang.
Upon arriving in Luoyang, Li Yuxuan immediately heard the news that Prince Xin would be getting married in two days. He went into a shop and ordered wine and dishes.
Zhan Zhao asked Li Yuxuan, who had already finished his third roast chicken, "Have you made up your mind? Are you still going or not?"
Are we still going or not?
He's getting married... what's the point of going there? Should I take him away or wish him happiness?