Путешествие безумки по династии Сун

Глава 25

For a moment, the car was so quiet that only the sound of wind and rain outside the window could be heard.

"Hey, why are you all suddenly stunned? Qing'er, those two black grapes in your eyes are about to fall out, don't open them so wide. It's kind of scary." The person who still didn't realize how indecent their behavior was was still fanning the flames.

Upon hearing this, the air in the car seemed to freeze. Leng Jie was even more confused. Had she said something wrong? It was just a joke, was it really that big of a deal? Besides, they were all free now, so a little joke to lighten the mood wasn't a bad thing.

After a long while, Ye Ling'er was the first to recover from the stalemate and said to Leng Jie, who was also looking at them with suspicion, "Since Young Master Wuming loves Miss Qing'er so much, why don't you hurry up and marry her into the family!"

"Uh! What did you say? I'm marrying Qing'er?" Leng Jie finally understood where the problem lay. But they were really overthinking things! How old was Qing'er?! Even if she were a man, she couldn't marry a little girl, could she? She couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Haha..." Then, she accidentally coughed and swallowed a mouthful of food, nearly choking to death. Qingfeng, who was standing nearby, quickly helped her catch her breath and stopped her.

"Stop laughing. Qing'er is a young lady now, don't always tease her like a child."

"Cough, cough! I, I want to stop too! But I can't, I can't help it, haha..." Leng Jie laughed in a trembling voice.

Ye Ling'er asked in confusion, "Didn't you refuse the marriage and run away from the palace for Qing'er's sake? Why won't you marry her? Do you also care about social status? Do you think Qing'er is not good enough for you? But, you made such a public humiliation of her. If you don't marry her, how will she face people in the future!"

Good heavens! What is all this about? When did she ever make a lewd move on Qing'er? Wait, just now, she seemed to have pecked her delicate little face in a moment of joy. How could she have forgotten the saying in this era, "Men and women should not touch each other"? But Qing'er is at most a little girl, isn't she? Leng Jie immediately fell silent and looked at Qing'er. She found that Qing'er's eyes were red and she was secretly shedding tears. She quickly comforted her:

"Qing'er, don't cry! I really didn't mean to bully you! I promise I won't tease you anymore."

Qing'er cried even harder, tears streaming down her face like pearls from a broken string. Her arms trembled as she tried to suppress her sobs.

Ye Ling'er moved closer and pulled Qing'er into her arms, tenderly caring for her. Then, she looked up angrily and snorted at Leng Jie:

"Young Master Wuming, how can you treat matters of the heart so lightly? I just thought you were a man of principle and courage! Turns out you're such a despicable scoundrel. Humph!"

Good heavens! It's gotten even more serious. How did she go from a hooligan to the most despicable con artist in relationships? She looked at Qingfeng for help, but Qingfeng looked away, pretending not to see her.

Seeing that Wuming remained silent, Ye Ling'er assumed he had nothing to say. She then said:

"If you don't intend to marry Qing'er, then let her come back to the General's Mansion with me! I will treat her like my own sister."

A glint of light flashed in Qingfeng's eyes. He felt this was the best solution. So, he spoke up before Wuming could, saying, "Miss Ling'er is right. It's indeed inconvenient for Qing'er, a young lady, to be with two grown men all day. Why don't we stay at the General's Mansion for the time being? We'll leave enough money for her living expenses."

Qingfeng was worried that if Qing'er followed them, she would eventually discover Wuming's true identity. After all, she had spent a few days with the foolish empress. She just hadn't considered that possibility because she didn't know Wuming was a woman. Moreover, the empress's feigned foolishness could be exposed at any time in the palace. If the emperor investigated, he would inevitably think of Wuming, who had appeared at that moment, and Qing'er, who happened to be working in the Eastern Palace.

He couldn't guarantee that Qing'er could withstand the interrogation at Longmen. Therefore, it was best to never let her know that Wuming was a woman. This was also a way of protecting her safety.

Leng Jie was taken aback for a moment, then regained her composure. She also considered Qing'er a younger sister! However, her status was indeed not suitable for having Qing'er by her side. So she nodded in agreement, "That's fine! Let Qing'er stay at the General's Mansion for a while, and I'll come to pick her up after I've settled down. But you can't treat her like a maid. During this time, I will invite a master of both literature and martial arts to teach Qing'er literature and martial arts."

The carriage suddenly stopped, and then the coachman's voice came: "Young master, we have arrived at the general's mansion."

Ye Ling'er said to Leng Jie, "Then it's settled. Qing'er will come in with me. As for inviting a master, you don't need to worry about it, Young Master. The General's Mansion will take care of it. The people inside are observing mourning for Prince Ming, so I won't invite you in. When you come to the capital again next time, I will definitely invite you to stay for a few days."

Suddenly, Qing'er pushed Ye Ling'er away, grabbed Leng Jie's clothes tightly, and pleaded in a sob, "Qing'er will be very obedient, Qing'er will never cry again. I never want you to marry Ling'er again, please don't leave me, Qing'er won't leave you, you said you wouldn't sell me."

The three exchanged bewildered glances. Were they going to sell her? Leng Jie pulled Qing'er into her arms, gently soothing her back like Ye Ling'er had done, and then softly coaxed her, using the methods she'd seen on TV to comfort children:

"Qing'er, be good. Young Master doesn't want to sell you. You're still young and should learn more so you can support yourself when you grow up. But right now, Young Master is wandering around aimlessly, and you can't concentrate on your studies if you're with me. So, you should go to the General's Mansion with Miss Ling'er and study hard. Once you've learned everything, Young Master will come to get you. Okay?"

"Is this how you comfort someone?" Qingfeng and Ye Ling'er stared blankly at the two who were hugging each other, reluctant to part. They couldn't understand why Wuming would comfort a little girl like this. It sounded like he was saying goodbye to his own son.

But these words resonated with Qing'er, and she always remembered that once she mastered everything, the young master would come to fetch her. Therefore, she studied relentlessly during her time at the General's Mansion. This ultimately led to her becoming another talented woman a few years later. Of course, that's a story for later.

Leng Jie certainly understood where their strange looks came from. But, it couldn't be blamed on her! She'd been abandoned in a daycare by her parents, both secret agents, from a young age. At seven, she entered a training camp. At ten, she formally entered a junior military academy, and at eighteen, she joined the special agent department. Her childhood and adolescence were spent in learning and training. She was taught from a young age to be self-reliant and persevering. Having never experienced comfort from others, she naturally wouldn't know how to comfort others.

The carriage door opened, and Leng Jie quickly took out a wad of silver notes from her bosom and placed them in Qing'er's hand. She instructed her:

"Keep this money safe. If you can't stay in the General's Mansion any longer, use it as travel expenses to find my master in Wuyou Valley of Tianmu Mountain. If I'm not there, just wait for me there."

Qingfeng and Ye Ling'er were stunned again! Qingfeng shook his head and smiled bitterly, while Ye Ling'er immediately flew into a rage and said coldly:

"Since you don't trust the General's Mansion, please take Miss Qing'er with you! That way, she won't have to come looking for you alone. If she encounters any danger on the way, we won't be able to help her."

"Uh!" Had she said something wrong again? She only wanted to give Qing'er some confidence. But she probably shouldn't have said it in front of Ye Ling'er, so she quickly apologized:

"I'm sorry! Miss Ling'er, please don't be angry. I'm not telling Qing'er to run away from home. I'm just letting her know that although she's staying at the General's Mansion, she's not homeless. Even if she leaves the General's Mansion, she has a home to return to. I think she needs to have enough self-confidence to settle down here and focus on learning what she needs to know."

When her mother dropped her off at daycare when she was three, she gave her a few dozen yuan and said, "Baby, this is money. Keep it safe. Don't give it to anyone. If the nurses here hit or scold you, use this money to take a taxi to Mommy's workplace. Understand?" Although she never actually used that money (she couldn't have used it even if she wanted to; daycare wasn't something she could just walk into. Besides, she didn't even know how to use money back then), her initial worry and fear about being separated from her mother suddenly disappeared.

Qing'er suddenly stopped sobbing and said very sensibly, "Sister Ye, don't worry, Qing'er won't run away. Qing'er will study hard at the General's Mansion and wait for the young master to come and take me back to Wuyou Valley." After saying that, she turned to Leng Jie and said:

"Qing'er knows that you said that because you were worried that I would feel inferior as a dependent, right? I was indeed very scared just now. But I'm not scared anymore. Because I know that I also have a family and relatives. My home is in Wuyou Valley, and my relatives are you, the Master, and the Master's master, right?"

"Yes, Qing'er is truly a promising child! Listen to Miss Ye. Be a good girl and wait for me to come pick you up." Leng Jie patted Qing'er's shoulder and gave her her final instructions.

Qingfeng and Lengjie watched Qing'er, who kept turning back to look at them, leave as Ye Ling'er followed her into the General's Mansion. The carriage then began to speed through the rain again.

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Inside Qingfeng Residence, green gauze and white sails are everywhere, along with white candlesticks and black-clad palace servants; it's a world of stark black and white.

Xuanyuan rushed over after finishing court, but still couldn't see them one last time.

They left without a word, were they afraid he'd change his mind? Was he really that untrustworthy? He was so frustrated he felt an urge to kill someone in revenge; his furrowed brows were enough to trap a fly. His face was as black as the black veil hanging on the wall.

His heart calmed down a little when the steward of Qingfeng Residence tremblingly handed him two thick letters.

He eagerly opened the letter. It was written by Wuming. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, followed by a fleeting look of delight. What surprised him most was how quickly Wuming's handwriting had improved. While not exactly flowing and elegant, it possessed a graceful and flowing quality. It involuntarily reminded him of the scene when he first saw Wuming's reform proposal in the imperial edict. A warm smile unconsciously spread across his face.

Eunuch Fu, who had been anxiously attending to the Emperor since yesterday afternoon, secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. He now regretted cursing the two fellow disciples in his heart for being heartless and ungrateful. Only they could elicit a different expression from the Emperor, whether it was the anger just now or the smile now. The Emperor would never show such a thing elsewhere. Seeing the deepening smile on his master's face, Eunuch Fu couldn't help but ask:

"Your Majesty, was it a letter left by Young Master Qingfeng? Have they really returned to Wuyou Valley?"

"No, this letter was written by Wuming, and that one was written by Qingfeng." The Emperor, unusually, answered his question today, and Eunuch Fu felt a surge of excitement. Ever since leaving Chuxiu Palace yesterday, no matter what the Emperor said, he had only listened without replying. At most, he would glance at him a couple of times. But what did Wuming write that made the Emperor so happy? Could it be that, like last time, he wrote a whole bunch of illegible typos? So, he cautiously asked:

"Did the nameless young master misspell another character? I saw him practicing calligraphy every day recently, how come he hasn't improved?"

Xuanyuan remained silent, handing the first page he had just finished reading to Eunuch Fu, letting him read it himself.

Eunuch Fu accepted the letter, flattered, but upon looking down, he was dumbfounded. Good heavens, this was written by the nameless young master? He couldn't believe it even if he were beaten to death. How long had it been?! The difference between this and the one he'd crumpled up and thrown away last time was like night and day! It was like comparing heaven and earth, a world of difference!

"Surprised, aren't you?" Xuanyuan suddenly asked.

"Hmm, unbelievable! In my opinion, it would take at least ten years of practice to write with this kind of charm, right? But the nameless young master has only practiced for less than half a month, and he can write like this. Isn't that too amazing?" Eunuch Fu said exaggeratedly.

"Didn't you notice anything else?" Xuanyuan asked again.

Grandpa Fu looked at the letter again and suddenly realized, "That's right, why is the handwriting so delicate?"

"Do you still find it strange now? Think about how he speaks fluently of scriptures and is full of ingenious schemes; how could he be illiterate? I think he isn't illiterate, nor is he incapable of writing. It's just that the pen he uses is different from ours. But Qingfeng doesn't know about this either. How is that possible?" Xuanyuan analyzed in a low voice. The last sentence was almost a murmur.

Eunuch Fu continued reading the letter, his eyes widening with each reading. He no longer found the nameless young master annoying; even his pranks were amusing. He could even describe him as great and endearing. He had actually left the Emperor so many classic strategies! And each strategy had a story remarkably similar to Jinghe's current situation.

"This is what he called the Thirty-Six Stratagems. They used the last one, 'Running Away is the Best Policy.' They left gracefully. But can I abandon all of this and leave?" Xuanyuan murmured weakly after finishing the last page.

"Your Majesty, this nameless young master is truly a remarkable person! It's such a pity that such a person cannot be of use to Your Majesty." In his excitement, Eunuch Fu forgot to consider his master's expression before speaking. Although he realized his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth, it was too late to take them back. The Emperor's expression had already returned to what it was before he saw the letter. However, he still tried to salvage the situation:

“Your Majesty, didn’t the Nameless Young Master and the Gentleman of Qingfeng say that they would still do their best to help you if you were in trouble? This shows that they still consider you a friend. The Nameless Young Master once said that a friend is someone who will think of you no matter where you are. This means that no matter where they are, they will always have Your Majesty in their hearts.”

Suddenly, a strange light flashed in Xuanyuan's dark, deep eyes. He quickly unfolded the second letter, read it, and his face lit up again. He took the letter back from Eunuch Fu, carefully folded it, and gently tucked it into his robes. He said to Eunuch Fu:

"Go to the Imperial Study"

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Inside the Cining Palace, the Shui family members gathered together, discussing the events of the past few days with great enthusiasm.

Shui Rong'er angrily accused, "That nameless little lecher said with his own mouth that the Emperor only has his senior brother in his heart. How could he be wrong?"

"Forget it, that kid is dead now, and that vixen has left the palace. Stop thinking about those things," the cunning old man advised.

"But don't you find it strange? Why would there be an assassin at the banquet last night, after such a major incident yesterday afternoon? And why would that assassin kill the person who committed the crime that afternoon? And why would he stand in front of the Emperor? Given the Emperor's martial arts skills, he doesn't need anyone's protection, does he? Besides, didn't many people witness that nameless man's extraordinary agility? How could he not dodge that sword strike?" Shui Renyi, the second son of the Shui family, analyzed logically.

"Second Brother, what do you mean? Are you saying that the assassin was sent by the Emperor?" Shui Rong'er asked in surprise.

Shui Renyi did not answer Shui Rong'er's question directly, but looked at the eldest brother, Shui Feifan, who had been silent all along, and asked:

"What do you think, brother?"

The others all looked at Shui Feifan, wanting to see his answer.

Shui Feifan pretended to ponder for a moment before answering seriously, "I think Renyi's analysis is very reasonable. The Emperor had no choice but to agree to spare their lives this afternoon. However, the Emperor's imperial authority can be trampled on at will. Think about it, the Emperor just conferred the title of Prince this morning. If he were to revoke it by evening, wouldn't that be changing his mind constantly? What would become of the Emperor's dignity? If this matter is not investigated, so many people witnessed it, and the Emperor would have an even harder time explaining himself! So he deliberately staged this scene to kill him."

The second uncle of the Shui family, the Minister of Revenue, nodded in agreement: "That's right. This way, we can cover up the scandal, vent our anger, and it won't affect his imperial prestige. It seems that this young emperor is becoming more and more ruthless and vicious. He doesn't even spare the people around him. I'm afraid our lives are going to be difficult."

Chapter Sixty-Two: Parting Ways

Yunxi Town is located 200 li (approximately 100 kilometers) outside Jinghe City. It is a major transportation hub connecting the capital to various parts of the country. The town is lined with shops offering a wide variety of goods. Inns and restaurants are everywhere. Merchants and travelers gather here year-round.

As the sun set and the city lights began to twinkle, a luxurious carriage sped from the direction of the capital. It stopped in front of the "Laifu Inn."

The sharp-eyed waiter immediately recognized the distinguished guests from the carriage's condition. He greeted them with a fawning smile and obsequious manner. Just as he was about to utter his obligatory greeting, "Welcome! Are you here for a stay or a meal, sir?" the driver deftly opened the door, and two exceptionally handsome and refined gentlemen leaped out. Their figures and bearing were as elegant and ethereal as those of untouched immortals. The boy was stunned, swallowing back the words that were already on his lips.

The two young men ignored the waiter standing by the carriage, marveling at their appearance. They swept past him, drifting in like wisps of smoke. The once bustling hall, filled with guests, fell silent instantly. All eyes, like spotlights, turned to the two who had entered. Everyone inwardly exclaimed, "What handsome young men!"

The woman was so captivated that she forgot what day it was and where she was; the man, on the other hand, felt ashamed of his appearance and his heart ached.

The experienced innkeeper was the only one who remained completely sober. Even so, he too was captivated by the two young men's bearing. Having run an inn for decades, what kind of handsome men and beautiful women hadn't he seen? Martial arts heroes, officials, scholars, thugs, and merchants—all were ordinary people. How could they compare to these two gentlemen before him, their faces like jade, untouched by the slightest trace of worldly dust? Thus, a sincere exclamation escaped his lips:

"It is truly an honor for our humble establishment to have you two gentlemen enter! Are you here to stay or for a meal?"

A young man, dressed in a black satin scholar's robe and slightly older, immediately replied:

"Oh? So, what kind of discount are you planning to give me?"

"Uh..." The shopkeeper was stunned. This elegant, almost otherworldly young man had uttered such vulgar words the very first thing he said. How could he mention money? The shopkeeper was momentarily speechless and didn't know how to react.

At this moment, another young man in white elegantly placed a ten-tael silver ingot in front of the speechless shopkeeper and answered the shopkeeper's question again with gentle manners:

"Shopkeeper, bring two superior rooms, two buckets of hot water, and two servings of the finest wine and dishes to the rooms."

"Yes, yes, okay, okay, I'll bring it to you two right away," the shopkeeper stammered. Seeing the two young masters still standing at the counter, staring straight at him, he blushed and asked, "Is there anything else you two gentlemen need?"

The two young men exchanged a glance, and the man in black then asked in a teasing tone:

"Shopkeeper, where is the area above we ordered? It can't be here, can it?"

The shopkeeper slapped his forehead hard and explained awkwardly:

"Oh dear! How foolish I am..."

Then, under the watchful eyes of many, the innkeeper personally led the two young masters to a superior room on the second floor. The remaining guests, still reeling from the shock, began to murmur amongst themselves, actively speculating about the two men's identities and backgrounds.

Without a doubt, these two young masters, who could leave even men speechless, were none other than Qingfeng and Lengjie. Perhaps it was because there was an even more handsome emperor in the palace, or perhaps Qingfeng's reputation in the palace made him unapproachable. In any case, no palace servant would ever look at him like that.

While the facilities in ancient inns couldn't compare to modern five-star hotels, the rooms were very clean. The bedding was also exceptionally fresh. The service was good; the waiter brought hot water as soon as Leng Jie finished unpacking her luggage.

Although she had only been here for a month, Leng Jie, with her remarkable adaptability, had already gotten used to bathing in a wooden tub. She first tied her hair up, then took off her clothes and entered the tub. The movements were swift and practiced.

Even after she removed the white cloth that had wrapped around her upper body like a mummy, her delicate brows furrowed involuntarily. Her sixteen-year-old body, after a month of comprehensive improvements, had begun to develop normally. To continue binding those lovely, peach-like soft breasts tightly with cloth would be nothing short of torture.

She slipped into the water, closed her eyes, and focused, seemingly considering how to protect her hard-won body and freedom. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, her gaze resolute and intense, as if she had made some momentous decision. She then began washing herself. It seems the agent's agile hands are suited to everything. Even her bathing wasn't like other women's gentle scrubbing; instead, she finished in a flash.