Chapter 86

 

Lu Shi Qing just said “Let’s talk about it in a few days” and left, saying that he was going out of the house and would be back at noon.

Yuan Ci Xian was pouting at him, she climbed out of bed, then smelled the aroma of rice dumpling leaves with her empty stomach, and remembered that today was the Dragon Boat Festival. She hurriedly ordered the servants to send some rice dumplings to Yuan Mansion for her brother, and then went to the main courtyard to greet Xuan shi. Lu Shuang Yu was also there, and she excitedly asked her if she wanted to go to the Qujiang River to watch the dragon boat race together.

When she was young, she liked to go to this kind of crowded scene, but now she felt tired of it, plus she didn’t have a good rest last night, and too weary to be running around, so she politely refused her.

Xuan shi also said to her daughter: “Today there is a Dragon Boat Festival banquet in the palace. Your brother even shirked His Majesty’s invitation, he’s going to accompany your sister-in-law to celebrate the festival. You are good, you don’t have any eyesight.”

Lu Shuang Yu had no choice but to pout, and silently looking for a friend in the capital to go to Qujiang to play.

Yuan Ci Xian was talking with Xuan shi in the courtyard, but when she didn’t see Lu Shi Qing return until noon, she couldn’t help feeling a little worried, fearing that something went wrong with Cai He.

Seeing Yuan Ci Xian talking to her but her eyes glanced out from time to time, Xuan shi understood very well, so she asked a servant to watch at the gate of the mansion to see when Lu Shi Qing would return.

Yuan Ci Xian smiled embarrassedly, but she had no choice but to let her misunderstand that she had some lovesickness. After all, Lu Shi Qing didn’t tell his mother anything about what he did in the court, so she naturally had to take care of it for him.

When it was time for lunch, the servant reported that Lu Shi Qing had returned, but he didn’t enter the mansion, and only asked Yuan Ci Xian to go out.

She went outside in confusion, lifted the curtain and entered the carriage parked in front of the gate, and when she entered, she heard Lu Shi Qing explain: “I won’t come back for lunch, you accompany mother.”

She was surprised: “If you won’t come back for lunch, why are you still making this trip?”

Lu Shi Qing deliberately making this trip because he told her before leaving in the morning that he would be back at noon, and he didn’t want to break his promise to her. But he didn’t want to admit it, only said: “Just passing by. You go back, I still have to go to work.”

Yuan Ci Xian saw his calm and composed look, thought that the matter was handled quite smoothly, so she didn’t inquire further, only asked before going down: “Then what do you have for lunch, I’ll bring you some rice dumpling?”

He shook his head to signal that she didn’t have to: “I’ll go to the West Market to eat.”

When Yuan Ci Xian heard this, the person who had already got up sat back down again: “Don’t you not eat outside?”

When he went to the West Market with her last year, he just sat and watched her ate two big bowls of wontons, and threw the flat cake she gave him directly on the side of the road.

Lu Shi Qing found that she was very sticky when she really cared about people. Inside he was very happy, but on the surface, he only said lightly: “I’m just dealing with a few officials.”

Unexpectedly, when she heard the words, she raised her eyebrow: “Are you going to Hu Ji wine shophu ji means Hu (non-Han people) women, they sell wine by entertaining the guests?”

Lu Shi Qing choked.

Seeing him choking, Yuan Ci Xian knew that she had guessed right. You have to drink a little wine when you talk to officials. As for going to the West Market, you can’t avoid going to the wine shop where the beautiful Hu Ji were twirling and jumping.

She immediately became displeased and said, “Why choose such a place to talk business? Don’t you mind the rouge powder falling into your wine cup? And the overpowering scent of spices that will take an hour to wash off when you return? Not to mention those dancing girls who sit in your lap at the slightest provocation…”

Lu Shi Qing trembled and made a “stop” gesture. He couldn’t even bear to hear such defiling scenes. He originally wanted to bring his drinking utensils over there for a few drinks, but after she spoke, he felt goosebumps all over and said, “I didn’t choose the place, I will stay away from them.”

Yuan Ci Xian looked at him disdainfully, said “fine,” and was about to leave. After hesitating for a moment, she suddenly turned back and pulled his arm, “Why don’t I go with you?”

Lu Shi Qing’s mouth twitched and he said, “Have you ever seen someone bring their legal wife to such a place?”

“…”

So angry.

Yuan Ci Xian glared at him hatefully, gritted her teeth and walked away without looking back. After having lunch with Xuan shi, she felt very itchy in her heart. Finally she couldn’t hold it back and asked Shi Cui to dress her up in man’s clothes, and then brought Jian Zhi to go to Chang’an West Market.

There were more than one Hu Ji wine shop in West Market, but there were not many officials who Lu Shi Qing couldn’t refuse, and when counting there were only those high-ranking officials, so they must go to the most luxurious places.

Yuan Ci Xian asked Jian Zhi to pick out two places and found out.

As the name suggests, this Hu Ji wine shop was a tavern opened by Hu people from outside the region, with all kinds of fish and dragons mixed in, with the sound of zithers and flutes filling the air, and the serving dancers were all graceful and charming.

Yuan Ci Xian dressed in men’s clothing and was warmly welcomed by the wine expert as soon as she entered. He asked her where she would like to sit. She glanced at the second-floor private room where Lu Shi Qing was, and pointed to the room next to him.

Jian Zhi followed her to the second floor and when she entered the room and closed the door, she saw Yuan Ci Xian opened the window facing away from the street close to the next room, and then pressed her ears to the wall, as if wanting to listen for any movement on Lu Shi Qing’s side.

Unfortunately, the wall was too thick and the music from the next room was too loud. Yuan Ci Xian could barely make out the sound of low whispers and laughter.

Instead, she leaned on the window edge and looked over there, sighing when she found nothing. Couldn’t listen, couldn’t see, what is she doing here.

She was about to turn her head to find other ways to spy, when suddenly she heard the rolling sound of carriage from under the window, the driver seemed to be whipping his whip in panic, and hurriedly said to the inside of the carriage: “You must hold on!”

Yuan Ci Xian was a little taken aback when she heard the somewhat familiar voice, and looked down.

This was a small alley not facing the street, and usually only common people would pass by this way, but the carriage that was galloping in this direction right now had exquisite carvings on its walls, and the shape of the carriage was spacious, obviously it belonged to a wealthy family.

She subconsciously felt strange, and began to recall this voice that she had heard somewhere, then suddenly raised her head and sharply turned it.

It’s in the dream.

In a dream earlier, she heard Zheng Zhuo’s subordinates trying to look for her body in the river.

This coachman was from the Prince Mansion. In other words, the person in the carriage was probably Zheng Zhuo.

What did she just hear? Hold on?

Her eyes flickered for a moment, seeing that the carriage was about to drive past her window, she turned around and quickly picked up an empty jade cup and threw it down.

The coachman also reacted quickly, seeing something fell out of the sky, he reined in with one hand, raised the other hand, and subconsciously grabbed the jade cup.

In this way, the coachman who was rushing the carriage followed the direction of this “hidden weapon” came from and saw Yuan Ci Xian.

He squinted his eyes first, and when he saw Yuan Ci Xian’s face clearly, he was startled as if he had found a savior.

Seeing the change in his expression, Yuan Ci Xian guessed that something happened to Zheng Zhuo, so she raised her chin at Jian Zhi and hurried downstairs to the alley.

This young man was Zheng Zhuo’s confidant, Chen Zhan. He was waiting for her below, and when she saw that he was about to speak, she stopped him with a look.

She glanced at Jian Zhi, motioned her to guard the entrance of the alley, then looked at Chen Zhan, pointed at the closed window of Lu Shi Qing’s room, implying that there were people above and it was not appropriate to talk, and then silently opened the curtain and entered.

Chen Zhan understood what she meant, and after she sat down firmly, he quickly raised his whip and continued to rush towards the deep alley.

Yuan Ci Xian was really taken aback by the scene in the carriage.

The inside was dirty and messy, the medicine box was overturned, and the gauze was scattered all over the floor. Zheng Zhuo was lying sideways on the low couch with one leg bent, almost half of his body was soaked in blood, and fresh blood was still trickling out from his waist that was tightly clutched by his hands.

Her expression tightened, hurriedly stepped forward, half squatted down in front of the low couch, and frowned, “Your Highness, what happened to you?”

Zheng Zhuo’s face was bloodless, and his consciousness seemed to be not very clear. Hearing this, he struggles to open his eyelids, it’s unknown whether he recognized her, then he closed his eyes tiredly, and the hand that was pressing on his waist fell down weakly, seemed to lost his will.

Seeing this, Yuan Ci Xian looked around a few times, calmed herself down, picked up the gauze scattered on the floor, gritted her teeth, pressed the wound for him with one hand, and picked up the scissors with the other to cut his robe, while thinking quickly.

Judging from the location of the injury, it wasn’t critical, but with so much blood loss, it was enough to kill a person. It was impossible for Chen Zhan not to know this, but he didn’t deal with Zheng Zhuo in time, and he didn’t send him back to the house immediately. Instead, he rushed here, which must be to avoid the opponent behind him.

During the Dragon Boat Festival, at the feet of Son of Heaven, in broad daylight, it was difficult for the people who want to kill Zheng Zhuo to do so clearly, and the pursuit was to delay the time. Because that would be enough to cause him to bleed to death.

Yuan Ci Xian quickly cut open his robe, fixed her eyes on the inch-deep slanted stab wound on his abdomen, and quickly picked up gauze to stop the bleeding and wrapped the wound.

Outside, Chen Zhan stopped the carriage just at this moment.

He lifted the curtain and looked in, and asked anxiously: “County Princess, we’ve reached a dead end.”

Yuan Ci Xian kept moving her hands and said without looking back: “Stop here first. Tell me what’s going on?”

Seeing this, Chen Zhan took the whip and went forward to take over the work in her hand: “Has troubled County Princess. Here, let me.” While explaining, “Today’s Dragon Boat Festival, His Highness and Second Highness went to Qujiang River to watch the dragon boat race. There were so many people on the side, this servant was squeezed on the outside, and didn’t know what was going on in the chaos. Suddenly this servant heard screams from all sides, and then saw that the two highnesses were stabbed.”

Yuan Ci Xian had already retreated to wiped the blood stains on her hands, then laughed in disbelief when she heard this: “Both the two highnesses practices martial arts, how can they be injured by this kind of hidden knife?”

“This servant doesn’t understand either.”

“Who’s chasing you?”

Chen Zhan explained, “Both of His Highnesses were dressed simply today and had only one attendant each. At the time, the attendant of Second Prince hurriedly helped him onto the carriage and did not have time to look after His Highness. This servant also did not pay attention to Second Prince and only carried His Highness all the way out. But when this servant was about to treat his wounds, there was an ambush, so he did not dare to stay long and drove the carriage away. Unexpectedly, they were chased all the way.”

“Then why didn’t you send His Highness back to the mansion, instead come to West Market?” Yuan Ci Xian continued to ask.

“It was His Highness. Before getting into the carriage, His Highness whispered four words into my ear: Hu Ji Wine Shop.”

Yuan Ci Xian frowned, and seeing that he had finished bandaging Zheng Zhuo’s wound, she ordered: “You drive the carriage back to the wine shop, and then get me a Hu Ji‘s clothes.”

Chen Zhan didn’t dare to ask more questions, only hurried to do so.

Yuan Ci Xian sat in the carriage and waited for a while, thinking.

Zheng Zhuo probably knew that Lu Shi Qing was drinking at the Hu Ji wine shop at this time, but he must not be coming for him, but for those senior officials. For some reason, he hoped that these people who held up half the sky with a word in the court could see him being assassinated and injured with their own eyes.

But Chen Zhan didn’t understand the instructions in his hurry, and Yuan Ci Xian didn’t know about it just now, so she ordered the carriage to be driven away from the wine shop. At this moment, she did not dare to act rashly, and it was best to inform Lu Shi Qing to make a decision.

It was just that it was not suitable for her to appear in the wine shop openly, so as to avoid other people’s suspicion of her treatment of Zheng Zhuo, it was best to dress up as a Hu Ji and cover her face.

In Yuan Ci Xian’s mind, there was already appeared a scene of herself spinning and jumping into Lu Shi Qing’s arms, and then delivering the message perfectly.

Although she said a lot of bad things about those Hu Ji at noon, he wouldn’t go as far as not recognizing her, and throw her to the ground in order to keep him body pure, right?

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