The weather changes at any time. It was sunny when we came out, but in a blink of an eye it started to rain. Gu Mingmou originally took the maid out to relax, but was stopped by the rain. Fortunately, there was a pavilion built by pilgrims to protect them from the rain.
Looking at the sky, the rain might not stop for a while. Xiuyue wanted to go back to get an umbrella, but she was worried that Gu Mingmou would be left alone, and she was caught in a dilemma.
"Go back quickly, it's just a cup of tea, nothing will happen." Seeing Xiuyue's plan, Gu Mingmou said, in this weather, I'm afraid no one will come to the back mountain, so she is not too worried.
Seeing that the sky was getting darker and darker, Xiuyue had no choice but to listen to Gu Mingmou's words and rush back alone.
Xiuyue's hurried figure disappeared into the rain. Gu Mingmou sat on the stone bench in the pavilion, supporting his chin with one hand and looking at the peach blossom forest not far away.
The peach blossoms in full bloom were hit hard by falling raindrops into the muddy water, and soon the ground was covered with pink and white petals.
Viewing flowers in the rain is also a unique sight.
Gu Mingmou couldn't help but take a few more glances, and it was these glances that showed her a big trouble. Because of the heavy rain, the rainwater gathered into several strands in low-lying areas, but the strand flowing out from the peach blossom forest had an unknown dark red color.
She couldn't help but shiver, and didn't dare to look away for fear that someone would come out of the peach blossom forest.
The more you expect, the more things will backfire. Although there were several lush peach trees blocking the way, she could still clearly see a pair of black official boots stepping on the muddy ground covered with petals.
A green oil-paper umbrella loomed behind the tree, and the person holding the umbrella stood there quietly, like a ghost.
Both of them were aware of the other's presence, but neither of them moved. Gu Mingmou didn't dare, but she couldn't understand the man's actions.
I don’t know how long it took before Xiuyue’s voice sounded like the sound of nature.
"Miss." There were chaotic footsteps, accompanied by Xiuyue's cry. Gu Mingmu turned his head following the sound, and was not surprised to see Xiuyue and her mother's two maids coming together.
When she turned her head and looked at the peach blossom forest again, the person standing behind the tree had disappeared. Only the petals he had just crushed in the mud water showed that person's existence.
Mark of.
"Let's go." She stood up and hurriedly left with the maid. She didn't dare to look behind her. She knew that there might be a murder in the gorgeous peach blossom forest, but she didn't dare to have the slightest curiosity.
At this time, there was a corpse in monk's robes lying deep in the peach blossom forest. There were two people standing next to the corpse. One was holding an umbrella. Although the other was soaked by the rain, it still gave people an unearthly feeling of freedom and ease. , it was none other than Ning Ze, the current imperial advisor.
"Is there anyone out there?" Ning Ze wiped the water from his face and raised his head to ask.
"Already gone." Shen Guiye replied casually, looking down at the monk lying on the ground.
Ning Ze nodded. Prince Heng had always been measured. Since he didn't want to say anything, it probably wouldn't have any impact, so he didn't pursue the question any further.
"What do you plan to do with this person, Your Highness?"
"I don't know which brother of mine had the idea to find someone who is proficient in the art of disguise and place people in Changnian Temple. His skills are pretty good, but it's a bit of a waste." If I hadn't noticed someone eavesdropping outside the Zen room. He talked to the Imperial Master, but he hadn't thought that anyone could put the nails here.
"No matter who it is, I'm afraid they are here for Your Highness." Changnian Temple is not well-known in the capital. Most of the people who come here come to pay homage to their deceased family members. Among the princes in the palace, only Prince Heng comes here every year.
"If the Imperial Preceptor was not here, I'm afraid he wouldn't have exposed his trap so easily." When the Imperial Preceptor met with the prince in private, who wouldn't want to know what they said? Even for the princes in the capital, the slightest proximity between the Imperial Master and them can arouse a lot of suspicion.
Ning Ze smiled. The emperor asked him several times about the crown prince, but he never answered directly. He, as a national advisor, has always maintained a neutral attitude towards the outside world. It is no wonder that after knowing that he met Prince Heng, the spies below even He did it privately without reporting it to his master.
After returning, Gu Mingmou had been a little absent-minded. Xue thought she had caught a cold and sent her to rest early after dinner, but she couldn't fall asleep until midnight. As soon as I closed my eyes, the scene I saw during the day appeared before my eyes, including the cyan oil-paper fan blocked by the peach tree, the black boots, and the ground paved with pink and white petals.
The colorful colors seemed to be imprinted on my heart all of a sudden, accompanied by a shuddering fear of the unknown.
Squeak—
The closed window was suddenly blown half open by the wind. Gu Mingmu turned around and looked over subconsciously. Apart from the shadow caused by the wind blowing the window sash, there was only a dark shadow of an umbrella holding an umbrella on the window paper reflected on the half-closed window. .
Her body seemed to be frozen, and she could only stop her teeth from chattering by clenching her teeth tightly.
"Your Excellency is here late at night. What's the point of your visit?" After a while, she suddenly said. The thought of calling someone only flashed through her mind before she gave up. The man's purpose was unknown, and his actions didn't seem like he wanted to take her life. Naturally, she had no intention of angering him.
"Gu Mingmou?" The person who spoke was a man, his voice was low and unfamiliar.
"… Who are you?"
"You are a smart man."
Gu Mingmu was stunned, what do you mean? Ridiculing her
Before she could figure it out, she saw something flying in from the window and falling on her in an arc.
As soon as she caught the thing, when she looked up again, the shadow on the window had disappeared. From the light outside, she could vaguely see that what the man threw in was a smooth stone. She held the stone tightly and her doubts became deeper and deeper.
Early the next morning, Gu Mingmou woke up from a chaotic nightmare. She lay on her side for a while, put her palm under the pillow, and unsurprisingly touched the smooth and round stone. The stone was translucent, with dots of pink inside, and connected together in the shape of a tree, just like the peach blossoms she saw in the rain yesterday.
If she didn't know what this stone represented, she would definitely be very happy to get such a "gift", but it's a pity...
But using a peach blossom stone to warn her is really an elegant person. Putting the peach blossom stone into her purse, she got up and dressed. Although she is very curious about the identity of that person, she will not risk her life to find out, hoping that the intersection between them will only end with this stone.
Just after midnight, the carriage of the Gu family left Changnian Temple in a mighty manner. Gu Mingmou sat on the carriage, looking at his mother who closed her eyes to rest, feeling calm in her heart.
The return of Xue and Gu Mingmou did not attract many people's attention. After being separated from their mother, Gu Mingmou took Xiuyue back to her residence. Although I have only been away for a short seven days, it is inevitable that I will feel strange when I come back.
(End of chapter)