Taohuaxi

Chapter 36 Visiting Miss Xun
The evening breeze was silent.Cicadas chirped not far away.

Seeing that I was silent for a moment, he seemed to have thought of something, and hurriedly explained: "Sister, the poisonous snake in Altai that bit Cheng Huai was not planned by me. The poisoning of Zhang Taiyue was ordered by Liu Shou. I took advantage of Mu Lin's idea. Wanting to replace Liu Shou, he controlled Altai's family and kept a back-up. The trouble between Cheng Huaishi and Xun Yitang was unplanned. I didn't want to touch Cheng Huaishi. I will not hurt my sister."

He was afraid that I would misunderstand.

I shook my head: "I didn't doubt you."

He laughed happily.

"Sister, if you feel unhappy, I will kill Xun Yitang. I will not allow others to take what my sister wants."

I quickly grabbed him and said, "No."

What's the use of killing her?

It made Cheng Huaishi feel even more guilty.There are constant cuts in my life.

My unhappiness has nothing to do with Miss Xun.It just depends on Cheng Huaishi's heart.

The most important thing is that Cheng Huaishi has me in his heart.Everything else is in vain.

Furthermore, after Miss Xun is a loyal and good person, I don’t want Feng Gao’s hands to be stained with more innocent blood.Dongchang already had a bad reputation. If he killed Miss Xun, the scholars would be more critical of her.

"If you are unwilling to obey, my sister will never see you again." I said solemnly.

He looked at me seriously for a while and then nodded: "Sister, don't get angry. I'll just listen to you."

He put his face close to mine: "Sister, please smile. I haven't seen you smile for a long time."

I pursed my lips.

He said reassuringly: "Sister, please go back. I'll stand here and watch you go."

I walked far away from the alley, turned around, and saw him standing there.The scattered lanterns in the alley cast a faint light, stretching his shadow on the ground very long.

Back at the mansion, Cheng Huaishi was already awake.

He was sitting by the window drinking tea, concentrating on something. When he saw me coming in, he poured a cup and handed it to me.

"My wife also drank a cup of the Guyu eyebrow tea sent by my eldest brother. This year, the rain in several counties in Huizhou is thinner than in previous years. This eyebrow tea actually has a special fragrance."

I sat down on the chair opposite him and said, "I don't dare to drink tea at night. I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep at night. These days, I sleep very lightly."

He thought I was referring to something, and a look of shame appeared on his face: "I have sorted out all the taxes for the past five years in the Ministry of Revenue, and I will probably not be so busy in the future. I will try my best to come home early every day to accompany my wife."

He Ming came in from outside and reported, "Second Master, Miss Xun's maid Ronger is here and says she has good news for you."

Cheng Huaishi looked at me and asked Heming, "What's the good news?"

Heming replied: "Rong'er said that Master Qin Mingxu found a wandering doctor who developed a kind of Qixing Powder to treat snake venom. Miss Xun took the Qixing Powder and vomited it out. A lot of black water woke up an hour ago. Ronger would like to invite you to take a look."

Cheng Huaishi breathed a long sigh of relief after hearing this.It was as if the extremely heavy burden on my shoulders had finally been let go.The inner torture is much less.He regained his usual calmness and warmth.

"If things get better, that's a great thing. Give Rong'er the old ginseng and other things you treasure at home, and ask Miss Xun to have a good life. It's getting late, so I won't go."

He Ming responded and walked out the door.

Cheng Huaishi pondered for a while, stood up and said, "Wait a minute, it's better to go and visit."

He stretched out his hand to me: "Madam, you come with me."

I hesitated for a moment, looked at him, thought about it again, stood up, and said, "That's fine."

He held my hand and got into the carriage all the way to Zhang's Mansion.

I don't know if he did this because of the oath he swore in the main courtyard today, or because of the sentence on the paper "I won't miss you."

In short, this is the first time that he and I have faced Miss Xun together - this woman who was his childhood sweetheart.

Arriving at the west wing of Zhang's backyard, Ronger said outside the door: "Miss, the second master of the Cheng family is here."

The woman on the bed struggled to get up and said, "Rong'er, I've been sleeping for the past few days and haven't washed myself. Please... get me a basin of water quickly."

Turning around, she saw me behind Cheng Huaishi, and the fire in her eyes suddenly went out.Rong'er fetched water and handed her a warm handkerchief, but she didn't bother to take it.

Cheng Huaishi lowered his head and said, "I heard... I heard that you are feeling better. I brought my wife with me to visit you. I hope you will be safe soon."

I leaned over and said to Xun Yitang: "We are both very grateful that you were injured because of the second master. Thank you, Miss Xun, for saving your life."

She coughed twice, with a pale and fragile face, and said, "You don't have to thank me. I do it willingly."

"We were relieved to see that Miss Xun was fine. We heard that Master Zhang had arranged a good marriage for Miss Xun, and she was the son of the Yin Hanlin family. Miss Xun and the second master had known each other since childhood, and they were as close as brothers and sisters. In the future, when Miss Xun comes out of the cabinet, as my sister-in-law, I should prepare a generous gift." I nodded.

"Whether we are married or not is a far-fetched matter. I don't care about the affairs between men and women. Mrs. Cheng doesn't have to worry about me." When she looked at Cheng Huai, there was a sense of embarrassment, grievance, and pity in her eyes.

I said to Cheng Huaishi: "Second Master, I saw the peonies in Zhang Mansion's garden blooming beautifully last time, and I want to pick some to make cakes. I'll wait for you in the carriage later."

After that, I came out.

I wanted to give him a chance to talk to her alone.As for what to say, it's all up to him.This is also his last choice.I think he understands.

I was prepared for the worst.If he really can't let go, I will leave the Cheng family.

Even if you have nowhere to go, you can't live your life by selling wine or painting on the street.
I walked briskly into the garden.At this time, the peony flowering period has long passed, but the peonies in Zhang Mansion are full of vitality and in various shapes.It exudes indescribable nobility and prosperity.No one can see the slightest hint of decline.

Faintly, I heard someone talking.It seemed to be Master Zhang’s voice.I vaguely heard the word "Feng Gao".

Instinctively, I ducked down, hid among the flowers, and listened with bated breath.

A voice said: "Sir, I checked everyone who was born in the winter month of the 39th year of Jiajing's reign in Yangzhou one by one. No one has a palm-shaped birthmark on his heart."

"Is there anything I missed?"

"Small sure, nothing is missed."

Master Zhang said: "Then maybe it's really...not in Yangzhou."

The man said: "Sir, I found an old servant of the Qin Mansion. She said that on the day Mrs. Qin gave birth, the manor invited an acrobatic team to perform dragon and lion dances."

"Can we still find the acrobatic team?"

"The acrobatic troupe is a low-level business. They travel all over the country and have no place to stay. They really can't find it."

"Has Feng Gao's life experience been found out?"

"According to all the existing clues, we can only find that Changgong Feng's native place is Dongchang Prefecture, Shandong Province. He was sold to Changgong Cao by a family named Feng. The young man went to Dongchang Prefecture. Found the Feng family. However, there is no one in the Feng family. It is said that it was Factory Feng who massacred the entire Feng family. Factory Gong seemed to hate that family deeply and behaved in strange and ruthless ways. I visited all the neighbors of the Feng family in the past. . Some people say that Mr. Feng is not a child of the Feng family. As for where he comes from, no one can tell clearly. "

Master Zhang was silent for a long time and then ordered: "Don't talk about this matter to anyone."

"I understand, little one. Never dare."

"Tell Zou Cheng from Qionglin Academy to stop assassinating Feng Gao."

"Yes."

When I heard this, I felt a surge in my heart.It wasn't until the sound stopped and the footsteps faded away that it took a long time before he emerged from the flowers.

I saw Qin Mingxu drinking in the pavilion from a distance.

I walked over and he saw me and said with a smile: "Sang Yu, you're here."

The storm is surging, and everyone has many things on their mind.At this moment, he was the only one smiling so heartlessly.

"This is the peony wine I made. Do you want to try it? It will clear your mouth. It's not intoxicating."

I said: "Wine does not intoxicate people, it only makes people intoxicated themselves."

He said: "Sang Yu, I always remember what you said on the boat, why have you forgotten it? Eat when you are hungry, sleep when you are sleepy, and leave no room for desire. Whatever you want, just fight for it, even if you can't get it. , and feel clean and satisfied.”

"Thank you for finding Dr. You Fang for Miss Xun."

"It takes a little effort." He raised his head and drank the wine in the glass.

What Mr. Zhang just said seems to be related to his life experience.But seeing his condition today, he must have no idea at all.

I said goodbye to Qin Mingxu, got on the carriage, and after waiting for a while, Cheng Huaishi came over.

When he got into the car, his expression was calm.

I didn't ask him anything.

After a while, he held my hand tightly: "Madam, thank you."

He expressed his attitude in this way.

He has made his choice.

I feel a little comforted by the rest of my life.

Turning around, he said: "By the way, Mr. Zhang just told me something. He wants to recommend you to be a palace painter and serve in the Hall of Renzhi. You don't have to live in the palace. In addition to the imperial edict, you only need to Go on duty every ten days. Are you willing?"

(End of this chapter)