one
At night, the doctor changed the medicine on Xia Yue's arm. She felt a little more relaxed and asked He Xiang to fetch water for her to take a bath.
Her left hand was not very convenient, so He Xiang rubbed her back. Unexpectedly, when her hair was lifted up to reveal her back, He Xiang exclaimed, "Miss, there is something growing on your back."
Xia Yue touched it suspiciously, but didn't know what was going on. She moved the mirror and found some yellow raised sores on the back of her neck. They didn't hurt or itch. Because it was cold and she was wearing more clothes, she didn't notice it before.
She got up from the bucket, wiped the water off her body, wrapped herself in some clothes, asked He Xiang to light a few more lamps, sat on a stool, and looked at herself in the mirror for a while.
She was startled, put down the mirror and said to He Xiang, "Send someone back to Mingshan Hall to invite Mr. Mu."
"Now?" He Xiang asked.
"Well, now." Xia Yue replied.
He Xiang hesitated for a moment and said, "Miss, are you still taking a bath?"
Xia Yue glanced at the bathtub and said, "No need to wash. I'll put on my clothes slowly. You don't have to worry about me."
He Xiang nodded, walked around the screen and prepared to push the door out.
Just as the door opened, He Xiang heard Xia Yue calling her back: "Forget it, it's too late. I think everyone will go to bed soon. Let's go tomorrow."
He Xiang turned back and said, "It's okay, Miss. If you are afraid of troubling the Tian family, I can drive there myself."
"No need. It will be the same if we go tomorrow morning." Xia Yue said.
He Xiang thought for a moment and said, "The water is cold. I'll go get some hot water and continue washing the young lady's body."
Xia Yue said slowly, "Go out first and close the door. If I don't call you, don't come in. I will lock the door. Don't let others in. Leave the breakfast at the door and I will take it myself. Tomorrow when I go to invite Mr. Mu, tell him that I have yellow sores and a fever. I will talk to him when he comes."
He Xiang suddenly panicked: "Miss, what's wrong with you? It's not a serious illness. Why are you chasing me away? I will go and ask Mr. Mu right away. I will go alone and I'm not afraid. If you don't take a shower, I will dress you. Don't be angry. I..." As she said that, He Xiang went to get the clean clothes on the screen and put them on Xia Yue.
Xia Yue scolded, "Put your things down! I told you to get out right now! Did you hear me?"
The two grew up together and were as close as sisters. Although they would quarrel from time to time, she had never spoken to He Xiang in that tone.
He Xiang felt extremely aggrieved and left silently with tears in her eyes.
Xia Yue was still a little worried, so she followed him out and bolted the door.
Then, she sat back down alone, took off her clothes, and checked every part of her body with the help of a mirror.
She found that in addition to the back of her neck, there were also several sores on her arms. The sores were yellow, about the size of green beans, and would quickly turn red if she scratched them with her fingers.
Although there was a stove in the room, she still felt cold. She shivered as she put on her clothes layer by layer.
She had one hand that was disabled, so doing these things was slow and difficult. She rested on the stool for a while, then stood up and closed all the windows.
After finishing all this, she lay down on the couch with her clothes on. Although she was tired all over, she couldn't fall asleep.
She suddenly thought of Zijin.
two
In the evening in Jinluo, the lights were just coming on and Cuiwei Tower was bustling with people. It was the time when there were the most customers. A man with a very ordinary appearance came out and walked into a secluded alley.
A man in black flashed out from the corner and asked in a low voice: "How is it?"
The man replied, "He is in the third private room on the left on the second floor. There should be three men and five singing girls in the room, including him. There are four guards at the door, and their skills are average."
The man in black said, "You stay here and guard." After that, he jumped onto the roof silently and ran towards the edge of the city at a rapid speed.
When he reached the edge of the woods outside the city, he stood still, looked back, and blew a short whistle into the woods. Then a few people appeared from the darkness in the woods.
One of them was wearing a bamboo hat, revealing a face as white as porcelain. It was Zi Jin.
The man in black is Chu Zhong.
Chu Zhong repeated what he had just found out, and then said, "It's not difficult to kill him, but Your Highness also knows that Cuiwei Tower is located in a busy city, and any slight movement will attract soldiers."
Zi Jin pondered and said, "It's okay. Let's go into the city first and see what happens."
Chu Qin next to him said, "The situation is delicate now. I am afraid that the imperial court has set up an ambush in the city and is waiting for us to take the bait. If Your Highness makes the slightest mistake, we will be blamed even if we die."
Chu Zhong also said: "Your Highness, just wait here for a while. I will definitely bring Wang Gan's head to you tonight."
Others nearby followed suit.
Zi Jin pursed her lips and said nothing.
His face was hidden in the shadow of his bamboo hat, with only his jade-like jaw visible under the moonlight. After a moment, his lips moved slightly: "I have made up my mind." Then, no matter what others said, he kept silent.
The two brothers of the Chu family knew that although he seemed kind and gentle, once he made up his mind, no one could stop him, so they stopped trying to persuade him.
Several people disguised themselves and entered the city separately.
To get from the city gate to Cuiwei Tower, you have to pass by Min Mansion.
Zi Jin and Chu Qin were traveling together. In order to avoid being seen, they chose the road farthest from the Min Mansion.
When he saw the high walls of the Min Mansion from afar, he couldn't help but pause even though he knew there was no one inside.
They could have had a careful plan to lure Wang Gan out of the city and then get rid of him. But time was running out, and every moment of delay would increase the danger. They didn't know if Wei Shangrui's men had already found Jin Luo and were trying to catch him in the trap.
The group cautiously approached Cuiwei Tower.
As the moon rose to the zenith, the diners who came and went gradually dispersed, but the number of people in Wang Gan's private room increased instead of decreased, and the room was noisy.
From the alley where they were standing, they could see the entire Cuiwei Tower at a glance. The location was very good and very hidden, and few people came and went at night.
Unexpectedly, a carriage from an ordinary family suddenly turned a corner and headed towards them. There were three people traveling with them - Zi Jin, Chu Qin and a guard.
The guard was a stranger to Jinluo and was there in case of emergency.
At this moment, an inconspicuous whistle was heard faintly, which was the signal that Wang Gan was about to leave Cuiwei Tower.
Zi Jin and his companions quickly lowered their heads, came out of the alley and prepared to encircle them from another direction.
At this time, the carriage turned a corner on the road and came towards them. Because they were in a hurry, they did not avoid it. When the carriage approached, Zi Jin pretended to bend down to pick up something, hiding his face and avoiding the sight of the coachman. The guard stepped in the middle.
At this moment, the driver saw Zijin's back from the darkness between the doors and called out tentatively, "Young Master?"
The guard and Chu Qin, who was hiding somewhere else, froze at the same time. Chu Qin recognized the voice, it was the son of Min Jiachang's mother.
Zi Jin lowered his head, so naturally he couldn't hear the noise, but he caught a glimpse of the carriage slowing down as it passed by him, and he suddenly felt something was wrong.
When Chang's mother in the carriage heard the name she had been thinking about day and night, she suddenly became excited, lifted the curtain, leaned over and asked her son, "Er Shun, who are you calling?"
Chu Qin wanted to stop it, but it was too late.
Zi Jin buried his head, thinking that something must have gone wrong with the people in the carriage, but he had no choice but to stand up straight when he didn't see Chu Qin's warning. At the same time, Mother Chang had jumped off the carriage and stumbled to Zi Jin's front.
Zi Jin looked up and was startled when he saw who was coming.
"Young Master." Mother Chang held Zi Jin's hands tightly.
"Mom Chang." Zi Jin called her.
The old woman's eyes were filled with tears. "Where have you been all this time? The young lady said that you found your relatives and wanted to go to them to do business, but you didn't tell me where you were going."
Chu Qin glanced at Zi Jin.
Zi Jin was in a dilemma.
Mother Chang said again, "Don't be in a hurry to send me away. Come back with me. I'll make something you like to eat. Take a rest first."
Zi Jin looked at the hands that Chang's mother was holding on to him, and sighed lightly, "Chang's mother, you go back first. I'll come to see you after I finish my work here."
Mother Chang replied: "Don't try to coax me."
Zijin smiled and shook his head.
He was careless, thinking that no one would recognize him if he disguised himself at night, but he actually ran into the Chang family mother and son on the road. She had raised him for many years, so he must be different from others and could recognize him at a glance.
By this interruption, Wang Gan had already left Cuiwei Tower. He was probably drunk and unconscious, so he was carried out, put on a sedan chair, and went straight home.
Cuiwei Tower is still some distance away from Wang's house, and it is a good time to take action on the way.
Chu Zhong and his group have already followed.
But Zi Jin and Chu Qin were unable to get away.
Mother Chang took Zijin's hand and said, "What can I do for you in the middle of the night? Have you been home? There is no one at home now. The eldest lady is not here, and the house has been deserted for a long time. I went back yesterday to take a look. The flowers that the young lady planted before were not taken care of, but they are still blooming well..." Her son is the doorman of the Min family. Later, the Min family lacked a mother to manage the affairs, so Min Yi invited her. The old lady was old and didn't care about others. She just stood in the alley and chattered non-stop.
When Zi Jin heard her mention the person dear to his heart, he couldn't help but ask, "Did the young lady send a letter back later?"
Mother Chang was surprised: "You guys haven't contacted each other?"
Zi Jin shook his head. The situation in the imperial capital was tense, and he did not trust Prince Huai. He did not dare to leak any information about Xia Yue, and naturally he did not dare to rashly send people to look for her.
Chu Zhong, who was on the other side, didn't know why Zi Jin didn't bring his elder brother to meet him. He was a little anxious, but he couldn't let go of the opportunity to kill Wang Gan. Jinluo was very close to the Imperial Capital, and the longer they stayed, the more danger they would face, so he decided not to wait for Zi Jin and took action first.
So he led his men to carefully follow Wang Gan's sedan chair, waiting for an opportunity to act.
Wang Gan's sedan chair suddenly stopped halfway, and then Wang Gan staggered and lifted the curtain, threw himself under a tree and began to vomit, and then wanted to urinate. Wang Gan looked around, asked someone to help him into a narrow alley, and walked to the river at the end of the alley before untying his belt and urinating.
This was a good opportunity and did not require too many people. Chu Zhong winked at the people accompanying him, climbed onto the roof himself and followed.
Wang Gan was very drunk, half of his body was on his followers, and he urinated directly into the river, the sound of water could be heard from far away.
Chu Zhong drew out his dagger, leaped from the top of the wall to the back of the two men, and stabbed Wang Gan from the back, cutting straight into his heart. The blade was so sharp that there was almost no blood, and Wang Gan only groaned.
The attendant nearby only then noticed the unusual movement, turned around and saw Chu Zhong with his face covered, and was so scared that he hurriedly shouted for help.
Chu Zhong did not want to hurt the innocent life of the attendant, and just wanted to end the battle quickly, so he drew out his short knife and hit Wang Gan again. But the attendant not only did not save his master, but also threw Wang Gan away in fear of death. Wang Gan was originally urinating on the shore, and was afraid of getting his feet wet, so he stood close to the river. Now he was pushed by the attendant and slid down suddenly, and actually fell into the river with a "plop".
The people in the sedan heard the screams from the riverside and felt something was wrong. They gathered around with torches in hand, shouting.
Chu Zhong was not in a panic. He jumped onto the wall by the river and followed the current to look for Wang Gan, fearing that he might have been left alive.
Wang Gan's sedan didn't go far. Chu Qin had very sensitive ears. Hearing the movement by the river, he hurriedly wanted to signal Zi Jin. But as soon as he turned around, he heard a very subtle sound of leaves rustling on the big locust tree behind him, which was different from the sound of leaves rustling in the wind. His eyebrows were stern, and his figure flew away. The sword in his hand had already stabbed forward like a gust of wind.
The tall man in the dark shadow on the tree hurriedly drew his sword to block, and was hit hard by Chu Qin's sword.
The two men collided with their swords, and the tree trunk shook. The tall man's palm suddenly felt numb, and he almost couldn't hold the sword, and was forced to fall under the tree.
Zi Jin hurriedly said to the guard on the side: "You escort them away first." The man did not dare to argue. He stuffed the Chang mother and son into the car and disappeared in a hurry.
The tall man did not chase the car, but glanced at Zi Jin from a distance with an inquiring look.
Chu Qin was furious, and he thrust several times in succession. The opponent dodged left and right, and could no longer focus on looking at Zi Jin. The tall man realized that he was in a bad situation, and was about to fly back, but Chu Qin seized the opportunity and struck him directly on the right shoulder. Seeing that he could not dodge in time, the tall man suddenly shouted with his sword in hand: "Your Highness, Prince Yanping—"
A tall companion appeared out of the darkness and attacked Zi Jin.
Chu Qin was moved when he saw this. He no longer wanted to fight and quickly flew towards Zi Jin.
Although Zi Jin had poor hearing, his reaction was very good. He dodged the attack deftly by moving his body backwards, unsheathed his sword, and used it as a shield in front of him.
In an instant, Chu Qin had returned to Zi Jin's side.
The opponent no longer has a chance to turn the situation around.
Chu Qin shouted in a deep voice: "Tell me your name."
The tall man suddenly put away his weapon, took a few steps forward, walked to the moonlight, bowed and said: "I am the guard in front of the emperor. I have been waiting for His Royal Highness Prince Yanping for a long time."
Zi Jin frowned slightly: "Are you Uncle Jiu's man?"
He Chuyi nodded: "That's right."
This tall man was He Chuyi, who was accepted as Shang Rui's confidant along with Yao Chuang. He had been guarding Jinluo according to Shang Rui's order, and sent people to keep an eye on the Min family's old house and the people who had close contacts with the Min family in the past. He didn't expect that he would really wait for something tonight.
Zijin asked, "What do you want?"
"The emperor has sent me a letter to deliver to His Highness." He kept calling him His Highness, not looking as aggressive as he did just now. In fact, he had the intention to kill, but the emperor did not tell him to kill or not, only told him to act according to circumstances. He had heard that there was a pair of brothers around King Ping of Yan, who were very good at swordsmanship, so he wanted to try it himself. After a few moves, he felt that they were indeed as good as they were said to be.
He Chuyi untied his sword, threw it on the ground, and took out a letter from his chest: "The emperor ordered me to wait here. If I am lucky enough to meet your highness, I will hand this letter to your highness in person."
Zi Jin did not take the letter, sheathed the sword in his hand and asked, "How can you recognize me?"
He Chuyi glanced at him again and replied, "If Your Highness sees the Emperor in the future, you will know the reason."
Under the moonlight, Zi Jin was as beautiful as a jade tree, with red lips and white teeth, and he was clearly a member of the Wei family. He Chuyi wanted to take a closer look at him, but because of the majesty of the royal family, he felt a little scared.
He Chuyi walked up to Zijin and held the letter for a long time. Zijin looked at him coldly but did not take it.
He Chuyi added: "By the way, the emperor has told me to bring another message to Your Highness in addition to this letter."
Zijin didn't want to talk to him, fearing that he was delaying the battle and buying time to get help.
He Chuyi then said, "There is a girl named Min who is now the honored guest of the emperor."
"Say it again?" Zi Jin's eyes turned cold, his hands were faster than his words, and the sword was instantly against He Chuyi's neck.
He Chuyi repeated: "The emperor met a girl named Min in the capital, and they got along well. Later, Miss Min fell off her horse and was injured, so the emperor kept her by his side and ordered people to take good care of her." These words were said by him without authorization. He was different from Yao Chuang, and his personality was very cunning. Even though he had never seen Xia Yue, he knew about it from Yao Chuang.
After hearing his words, Zi Jin felt as if his heart was tied to a huge rock and was sinking straight into the glacier.
After a moment, he collected his thoughts and glanced at He Chuyi. In the depths of his usually warm eyes, there was now a rare chill.
Zi Jin looked away, and after a moment, he put away the sword in his hand, raised the corner of his mouth and smiled slightly, saying: "When I was killed, the father of this Miss Min took good care of me. Now that I have Uncle Jiu to take care of me, it couldn't be better." His tone was calm, and although there was no smile in his eyes, He Chuyi could not see any flaw.
After saying this, Chu Qin took the letter from He Chuyi on behalf of Zijin.
He accepted the suggestion, touched the half-inch bloodstain on his neck caused by the sword, bowed, and left with his companions.
Zi Jin did not open the letter and said to Chu Qin: "Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to return to the Southern Region first."
Chu Zhongben was confirming Wang Gan's life or death at the riverside, but unexpectedly he saw the flare sent by his elder brother in the air. He did not dare to delay and had to meet him outside the city.
When they arrived outside the city, they did not dare to stay for long, and they rode away at a rapid speed.