It was midnight, and the people in Anling City were still awake during the Lantern Festival. Tens of thousands of houses were lit to celebrate the festival. Even the dark alleys in the city were brighter than usual.
Jing Chen entered the city at night and avoided the crowd. He walked into an alley near the street. The lanterns under the eaves elongated his shadow until he stopped in front of a door. He raised his hand and touched the lock of the door. When he heard the sound of the door opening behind him, he took two steps back and jumped onto the wall. He jumped into the courtyard and disappeared before his neighbors went out.
It was dark in the small courtyard. He turned around and walked into the big house. He pushed the door open and lit the candle on the table with the faint moonlight behind him.
The central room was instantly lit up. Although the candlelight was dim, it was enough to illuminate the situation in the room. On the four-corner wooden table that they often used to eat, there were several bowls and plates. They were all upside down. When he opened them, he saw porridge and vegetables, all vegetarian dishes. Chopsticks and spoons were wrapped in a handkerchief and placed aside. There was a pot of tea and a piece of paper under a plate. He opened it and saw a row of charcoal black handwriting, "Jing Chen, I don't know when you will come back. I have prepared food on the table in advance. Try it and see if it is not spoiled. There is firewood and water in the kitchen. You can wash it with hot water. There are clean clothes on the bed in your room and the bedding has been changed. Have a good rest and wait for me to come back."
At the end of the letter was the fourteenth of the twelfth lunar month. There was no signature, but a small fish was drawn on it. Jing Chen read the letter a few times, closed his eyes, and recited a few words to calm his heart. Only then did he carefully fold the letter and keep it in his arms. He sat down at the table to eat. He did not eat much, but he almost finished all the dishes. Then, according to the instructions in the letter, he boiled water to wash and returned to his room to change his clothes. Then, he lay on the bed, covered with a slightly damp quilt. For a whole twenty-four nights, this was the first night he was able to sleep peacefully.
Yu Shu woke up from her dream. She opened her eyes and saw the moon-white bed curtain. She groaned and sat up slowly. She rubbed her forehead and recalled last night. She vaguely remembered that after she vomited, Xue Rui asked Xiuqing to take care of her. They helped her upstairs to change her dirty clothes and drank some hangover tea. Then she fell asleep. During this period, she seemed to wake up a few times to relieve herself. She didn't know if it was Xiao Qing or Xiao Die who served her.
"Ouch —" Yu Shu held her dizzy head and wanted to get out of bed. As soon as she moved, the curtain was lifted and Xiao Die walked in with a tray. Seeing that she was barefoot on the bed, she hurriedly put down the tray and went forward to help her up. She said, "Don't move, Miss. Go back to bed and lie down. You are sick."
Yu Shu was pushed back and covered with the quilt. She opened her mouth in confusion and her throat hurt. "I am sick?"
"Yes, Miss. You had a fever last night when you were drunk. Elder Sister Xiu diagnosed that you had a cold, so she asked this servant to boil the medicine. Drink it while it is hot." Xiao Die put a pillow behind her back and brought the bowl of medicine to her.
Yu Shu raised her hand and touched her forehead. It was a little hot. She frowned and drank the bowl of bitter soup. She leaned against the headboard weakly and watched Xiao Qing bring in hot water to wipe her hands and face.
She thought of Jing Chen's previous warning and felt depressed. She tried to defend herself but still couldn't escape this illness. Fine, Jing Chen said that she had to be slightly sick in order to survive this disaster.
"Xiao Die, there is a small white medicine bottle in the clothes I wore yesterday. Bring it to me."
Yu Shu ordered a maid to bring the medicine bottle. She poured out a Millennium Pill and drank it with warm water. Then she asked them, "Where is your Young Master? Did he go back last night?"
Xiao Qing said, "Young Master left in the morning. He left a message for Miss to rest in Wangji Building for two days. He will send someone to the mansion to explain."
As for where the residence was, it could only be the Ji residence. Yu Shu had a clear idea in her heart. Xue Rui had always been thorough in his work. Even if she didn't say anything, he would have arranged everything properly. Thus, she laid back down in relief. Leaning against the pillow, she fell asleep again. In her hazy state, she wondered if Jing Chen had returned home and eaten yet.
Xiao Qing and Xiao Die saw that she fell asleep, so they left one of them in the room to take care of her. The other left quietly and went to the room downstairs to report, "Young Master, Miss has woken up. She drank the medicine and fell asleep again. When she asked about you, this servant said that you had left. "
Xue Rui leaned on the short couch and put down the scroll in his hand. He pressed his fingers between his eyebrows and got up from the couch. He whispered, "Ask Old Chui to prepare the carriage."
"Yes."
The carriage drove to the corner of the street and suddenly stopped. Xue Rui, who was resting with his eyes closed, was woken up. He frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"
Old Chui said, "Young Master, there are a lot of people at the intersection in front. They seem to be reading the announcement. There are too many people and we can't pass."
"Take a detour.
Lao Chui responded, turned the car around, and drove to the side of the street. Who knew that he would be blocked again after driving for two streets. Similarly, a group of people gathered at the intersection to look at the announcement. Fortunately, there weren't many people this time. He was afraid that he would make Xue Rui unhappy if he stopped again, so he slowed down the car and tried to squeeze through the roadside. The buzzing sounds of discussion from the roadside inevitably drifted into the car, intermittently, "Hey, hey, brother, did you see what's written on the announcement? I heard that Princess Yi Zitong who was born twenty years ago still has a son. Is it true?"
"Isn't it written in black and white? Don't you know how to squeeze in to see it yourself? Go away, don't block the way. I want to look for him on the street. Maybe if I meet this noble, I can go to the Yamen to get a reward.
"Eh? Where are you going to look for him? Do you know anyone? "
"Hey, you are so annoying. Didn't I tell you to see it yourself? There is a portrait on the announcement. Are you blind?"
Xue Rui suddenly opened his eyes and ordered outside the carriage, "Old Chui, stop."
"Young Master, what's wrong?"
"What's going on outside? It's so noisy. "
Old Chui raised his head and looked around for a while. Then he turned his head and opened a corner of the curtain and said to the carriage, "I heard people talking on the roadside. It seems like the Yamen is looking for someone. It's too far, so I can't see it clearly."
Xue Rui opened the window and looked at the roadside. He saw a group of people at the foot of the wall in the distance. They were looking at the announcement on the wall, and it was very noisy.
After thinking for a while, he bent down and got out of the carriage. He asked Old Chui to wait for him on the roadside. He walked into the crowd and quickly came to the front row. He looked up and saw the announcement on the wall. The first thing he saw was the portrait of a half-body man. The man's facial features were very similar to each other. His eyebrows were like swords, his eyes were like stars, and his face was handsome.
He moved his eyes to the announcement on the side and saw the words: Celestial Commissioner's Edict: In the past, there was Yun Hua who changed his son to cleanse the world. He was betrothed to Princess Luyue. They were a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, he died young. One of them went to the Dao Sect. In order to fulfill his parents' wish, he represented the Da An Royal Family and worshipped the Three Pure Ones. After more than ten years of cultivation, the Celestial Commissioner knew that he was in the capital. But he was innocent and didn't know that he was an important person, so he couldn't return to the Dao Sect. He ordered the people in the city to look for him. The Daoist was six feet tall, handsome, liked to wear white clothes, and had a pair of swords. If anyone saw him, they would be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold. If anyone knew his whereabouts, they would be rewarded handsomely. After the 15th of January in the 14th year of Zhao Qing.
Xue Rui narrowed his eyes and shifted his gaze back to the portrait on the side. After staring at it for a moment, his eyes flashed and he was surprised: It was actually him!
Ji Huaishan hurriedly got off the carriage. He held a long scroll in his hand and walked into the mansion. He ordered the steward who came forward to greet him, "Go, quickly summon Fourth Miss to this old man's study room!"
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Ji Xingxuan went out last night during the lantern festival and returned home disappointed. She also wrote a thousand taels of debt for nothing, so she slept the whole night. During the day, she was lazy and curled up on a small mahogany chair in her bedroom, trying to understand the general principles of the six lines. When she heard a maidservant report that Yu Shu hadn't returned last night, she frowned and said, "Send someone to keep an eye on her. When she returns, quickly report back to me."
Not long after, another steward came to personally pass on a message, asking her to go to the study room to see Ji Huaishan. It seemed to be urgent, so Ji Xingxuan changed her clothes and hurried to the study room with only one maidservant, Yun He.
"Grandfather, you were looking for me?"
Ji Huaishan was carefully reading the star charts drawn by the Astrology Bureau. When he heard the voice, he raised his head and saw Ji Xingxuan in her bag. He hurriedly beckoned her forward and asked, "You've been learning the six lines from that girl recently. How is it? Can you divine anything?"
Ji Xingxuan looked ashamed and said, "I've only just started and haven't mastered it yet. I can't divine anything yet."
When she finished speaking, she saw Ji Huaishan frowning and looking disappointed. She asked curiously, "Grandfather, why are you in such a hurry to find me? Could it be that you want to use the six lines to divine something?"
Ji Huaishan's expression changed and he said, "I just heard a few days ago that Yun Hua Yi Zi and Princess Luyue left behind a son. He was sent to a Taoist sect to cultivate. After ten years, he returned to the court and now he is wandering among the people. No one knows where he is. The court decreed that anyone who is fated to find the whereabouts of Daozi will be rewarded. However, it is not easy to find him, so I thought of using the six lines to see if I could gain something. Who knew that you haven't mastered the knack of it yet.
Sigh. "Ji Xingxuan saw that her grandfather was worried and was puzzled. She said," In grandson's opinion, even if you find someone, you will only get some reward. Why do you feel pity? "
Ji Huaishan shook his head. "You don't know. The late Princess Luyue is the twin sister of the current Emperor. When the princess passed away, the Emperor didn't eat or drink for three months. After he ascended the throne, he added the six words title to her. This is unprecedented in the court. Now that Princess Luyue has a son, the Emperor is anxious to find him. If anyone can find him, it will not only be a reward. The Emperor will be pleased and he will be promoted to a higher position.
When he finished speaking, he sighed as if he was regretting that he didn't have this opportunity. He picked up the long scroll on the table and handed it to Ji Xingxuan. He said, "This is the announcement that was issued by the Celestial Commissioner this morning. You should take a look."
Ji Xingxuan took it and opened it to read. Unsurprisingly, her attention was attracted by the man in the painting. At first glance, she felt that he looked familiar. She was suspicious and read the announcement again. Then she stared at the handsome man in the painting and thought about it.
She was good at reading people's physiognomy, and she had learned the art of physiognomy. As long as she had seen someone before, she would have a photographic memory. Although the person in the painting was only seventy percent similar, she was almost certain that she had seen this person before.
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