Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 18

Under the moonlight, a pair of small boots hurriedly passed by on the veranda. Jiao Nu was as swift as a falcon, running across two courtyards, only to see a black shadow rushing behind the flower tree in the southeast corner of the second courtyard.

She chased after him without hesitation, jumped down the stone steps, and kicked open a door.

A bad smell came over my face.

"Well!"

Jiao Nu quickly covered his mouth and nose, and stepped back several steps, only to see that it was a stinky hut.

She really disliked the dilapidated place of Du's house even more, and thought that the dead man from the East Palace that A Lang wanted to take was in front of her, so she held her breath and searched for the latrines one by one.

There is no one in the room, only a mess.

Seeing this, Jiaonu could not help retching, took out a torch and lit it, frowning and looking around.

A bucket of gold juice was overturned and spilled, but there were a few footprints on the ground, stepping on the east courtyard wall, and there were still a few broken tiles on the ground.

The opponent has already jumped out.

Jiaonu put away the fire bag, stepped back more than ten steps, charged forward, stepped on flower beds, water tanks, and wooden fences, climbed up the top of the wall, grabbed the wall and jumped down lightly and deftly.Looking around, there is no one on the long street.

She clasped the ring with her finger, put it in her mouth, whistled, and soon heard the sound of footsteps coming from the alley to the east, and four Jinwu guards rushed to her, saluting, "Ma'am."

"The dead man from the East Palace just escaped from the Du residence, did you see it later?"

"No."

"No?" Jiao Nu was surprised.

"The villain is sure, I haven't seen anyone."

Jiaonu couldn't help being annoyed, secretly thinking that the other party's skills are really good, but he escaped without seeing him in an instant.

But Chang'an curfew, how did the other party escape?

As he was thinking about it, something suddenly came to his mind.

"Not good! Tune the tiger away from the mountain."

Quickly ordered the four Jinwu guards to build a human tower and stand under the courtyard wall, Jiaonu backed up again, jumped forward, stepped on them, climbed up the courtyard wall again, jumped into the courtyard, and ran straight to Xue Bai's place.

The Du family was in chaos.

A servant ran past in a hurry, Jiaonu couldn't help but raise his hand and slap him on the face.

What she beats is that these servants are not doing their best and the latrines are not clean.

Rushing back to the fourth courtyard, the stupid son of the Du family was looking around at the steps, at a loss.

Jiaonu stepped forward, raised his hand and slapped him again, and shouted, "Where's the person?!"

"Lost...lost..."

Du Wulang blushed half of his face, but he was very anxious, he didn't care about the pain at all, and said incoherently: "A murderer broke into my house and chased Xue Bai away."

He was really panicked, and his face was full of worry.

Jiaonu secretly thought it was not good.

She originally thought that the errand that A Lang sent her this time was unnecessary, and it was still unknown whether Donggong would send someone to silence her, and even if she would, it would be impossible to do it that night.

Unexpectedly, he was able to figure it out.

If Xue Bai died, Alang would be furious.

Without caring about anything else, Jiao Nu hurriedly ran to the backyard.

Fortunately, after bypassing the veranda, shouts were heard in front, and many servants rushed to the back garden with lanterns.

"it's here!"

Jiaonu stepped forward to push the others away, only to see a servant helping Xue Bai from the snow.

"what happened?"

"Tune the tiger away from the mountain." Although Xue Bai was embarrassed, he was not injured, and said: "There are two murderers, one led you away, and the other chased and killed me. I fled here, and the steward arrived with the guard and rescued me."

"What about people?!"

"Jumped over the rockery, escaped, we only got this..."

Jiao Nu didn't pick it up, seeing that it was a boot, she subconsciously covered her nose.

"It's made of deerskin, and there's a brand in it." Xue Bai said, "Look."

Jiaonu looked at it by the light of the fire, and said in surprise: "The leather from the clothes room of the Secretary of the Shang Palace? These are the boots issued by the palace."

"It really is the East Palace." Xue Bai asked, "Can it be evidence?"

"can."

Jiaonu nodded.

She looked at the garden again, and saw that the snow was full of messes, a string of footprints went up the rockery, and it was pitch black outside the courtyard wall, and the murderer had disappeared without a trace.

~~
"Where's the man you're chasing?"

"Ran."

"It's a pity, it must be the person the right minister wants. If you get it, you can make a job."

Jiaonu followed Xue Bai, watched him staggering, and said: "The prince really sent someone to kill you, is it worth it?"

Xue Bai said: "It's okay for you to doubt my value, but do you doubt the right minister's judgment?"

"It's too hasty to do it tonight." Jiao Nu said, "And it's still in such a hasty way."

"That's why you're sleeping soundly in my bed?"

"You and I……"

Jiaonu was furious, and raised his hand to slap Xue Bai.

But with calm eyes, he asked, "How do you plan to report to the right minister?"

Jiaonu couldn't help feeling guilty, put down his hands, and said: "I will repay Ah Lang according to the truth."

"Okay, lead me to see the escape route of the murderer."

Jiaonu led him over, only to see this time that the front courtyard and the second courtyard were separated by a row of verandas, which were the residences of the servants.

In the moonlight, a small wind chime hung on the bucket arch was shaking slightly.

Xue Bai looked around the toilet, compared the footprints on the courtyard wall with the boots in his hand, and said, "It's not the same size, there are two of them."

"nonsense."

"You think it stinks? So you lost someone?"

This sentence is no longer nonsense.

Jiao Nu didn't answer, but he thought in his heart that he would slander himself in front of A Lang.

Damn it.

Unexpectedly, Xue Bai handed over the stinky boots in his hand and said: "Take it, you will report to the right tomorrow, and only say that the other party is superb in martial arts."

Jiao Nu pinched its upper edge in distaste, and said with a sneer, "It's useless to buy people's hearts."

"I still have to rely on your protection." Xue Bai said, "Don't fall for the trick next time."

"Ah."

Xue Bai smiled and went to rest in the wing room.

Walking to the door of Wulang's room, Jiao Nu pointed with his chin and said arrogantly: "You sleep here, I have to watch over you at night."

"Ah."

Xue Bai yawned, entered the room, and lay down on the big bed.

There is a faint smell of fragrance, which is quite helpful to sleep.

Jiaonu took a look at him, and sat on the small couch in the ear room that hadn't been covered with bedding, she really looked like his maidservant.

~~
In the middle of the night, the hustle and bustle in Du's house took a while to subside.

"Accidents happen all day long, as if there are ghosts at work... Why do I think that after Taoist Fang set up an altar at home, more and more disasters will happen?"

Du Wulang was sitting in the main room, listening to Lu Fengniang's chatter, he ate a few preserved fruits before he settled down, and said: "The year is not good, it will be better after the new year."

Lu Fengniang patted her knee again, and sighed: "Hey, where did you say your second sister and Li went after that? There is no news, it's strange to make people uneasy."

"Mother, don't worry, the prince can't harm her after a husband and wife relationship?"

Suddenly, Du Wulang sniffed it hard, and wondered: "Mother, why is there a bad smell in your room?"

"nonsense."

"The child's nose is good, there is no mistake."

Du Wulang sniffed, got up, went around the screen, squatted down at the door of the house, took a candle and shone on the carpet in front of the threshold, only to see messy footprints.

When I went up to smell it, a foul smell came to my nostrils.

"Cough cough cough... Mother, someone stepped on the golden juice and stepped into the main room!"

"what?!"

There was a sound behind the screen, Lu Fengniang rushed out to have a look, she was so angry that she was crying.

"Oh, in the past, they were taught to take off their shoes and walk in the corridor, but there was a thief tonight, so I couldn't take care of it for a while, what should I do?"

"Let me just say I have a good nose."

Du Wulang didn't care about these trivial matters, shook his head, and returned to his room.

After entering the room, he suddenly sniffed again, followed the faint stench and walked to the window sill, took a candle to look at it, and saw that the window coffin was also stained with gold juice.

"what."

He was terrified and puzzled, he couldn't figure out where there was a puddle of dirt that many people stepped on, even the murderer was no exception.

Looking around, I found two pieces of my own handwriting practice, carefully wiped off the golden juice, threw the paper ball into the snow outside the window, and muttered: "You can be regarded as very useful."

After doing this, he bolted the window hard before he could fall asleep again.

~~
When he got up the next day, Du Wulang ran to the kitchen early in the morning, poked his head and said, "Hu Shisanniang, let's steam some meat for breakfast, there are two young men who are growing up at home."

"Good! Last night when I heard that there were thieves in the house, the old slave ran to the kitchen to look. Fortunately, the leg of cured lamb is still there, so I will cut it for Wu Lang to taste today."

Du Wulang chuckled and said, "Did you know? I had a face-to-face meeting with that murderer last night."

"Really?" Hu Shisanniang was taken aback, and said with concern, "Wulang isn't hurt, is he?"

"It's okay, it's okay, he hit me at that time, bang, that was really shocking, fortunately I saw the opportunity quickly and avoided it."

"Hey, it's so dangerous."

There was a pocket on Hu Shisanniang's apron, and she reached out and took out a handful of pine nuts, and put them on the stove.

Du Wulang was also polite, and sat down on the fire-burning Hu stool, chatting while chatting.

He is really scared when things happen, but his emotions go away quickly, and he can chat enthusiastically with the cook.

Today, Du Youlin was still awake, and no one urged him to study, so he warmed himself by the fire and chatted in the kitchen, and passed half an hour unconsciously.

When it was time for breakfast, he helped Hu Shisanniang carry a lunch box to the East Chamber.

Passing by the garden of Wujinyuan, I met Xue Bai standing on the veranda, talking to someone through the window on the courtyard wall.

Du Wulang looked forward, only to see a figure in sackcloth behind the window, but he had drifted away.

"Hey, big sister? Xue Bai, what are you talking about with my big sister?"

"I just met, let's chat for a while."

Du Wulang was slightly suspicious, always feeling that there seemed to be some secret between them.

After thinking about it, he felt that his thoughts were really inappropriate, so he shook his head and skipped the topic.

"I discovered a strange thing last night."

"Ok?"

Du Wulang said mysteriously: "There are footprints stained with golden juice on the window sills of the main house and my house."

Xue Bai frowned, and said, "Stop talking about it, we're going to eat."

"Oh."

"I never bothered to ask, you are ranked fifth, but you have four older brothers?"

"Two." Du Wulang whispered: "The third brother died of illness when he was young, the fourth brother and the second sister are twins, and they were not kept when they were born, and the eldest lady also went there at that time... so you know? People have always said that the second sister is inauspicious, and it is not easy for her to become the prince Liang Di."

"What about the two brothers now?"

"The eldest brother was born as a Jinshi, and now he is an official in Binzhou, and the second brother is an official in Yanzhou because he cited the Ming Scriptures."

Xue Bai didn't say anything, but patted Du Wulang on the back.

Although he was speechless, Du Lang was quite encouraged, and said: "Don't look at me like this, in fact, I know that so many things have happened, I am a man of the Du family, and I have to take on more burdens."

"Ah."

Du Wulang scratched his head, and said again: "After thinking about it, I think it's really strange that the crown prince sent an assassin to kill you. So, last night, some thieves thought Du's house was empty and wanted to come in to steal it, right?"

Xue Bai said: "Go and ask later and you will know."

"Ask who?"

"Prince."

"what?"

Xue Bai took it for granted, and said, "Whether he sent someone to kill me and hid your second sister, just ask and you will know."

(End of this chapter)