Rong Tang returned to the study with Su Huaijing, and his conversation with Mu Jingxu was still constantly replaying in his mind.
It was very strange. He and Mu Jingxu had known each other for such a long time, but he had never heard him speak to anyone like this. It was so confusing and hard to understand.
Even... Rong Tang vaguely felt that the punishments he had just mentioned to Su Huaijing inexplicably contained some admonitions, a bit like the gentle yet strict education of an elder to a younger person.
But why did Mu Jingxu admonish Su Huaijing
Rong Tang's brows were furrowed more and more, and he didn't relax even after he sat down, until Su Huaijing smiled softly: "What are you thinking about?", he suddenly came back to his senses, looked at Su Huaijing with a complicated expression, and shook his head: "Nothing."
He picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, suppressing the doubts that kept rising up, and asked Su Huaijing: "Aren't you going out with the Second Prince today?"
Su Huaijing raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "Today is Chinese Valentine's Day, of course I should accompany Tangtang."
Rong Tang hesitated for a moment, lowered his head, and said "oh" silently.
In the long summer, the sun is shaded by green trees. A small bamboo forest is planted outside the study wall, and thrushes sing in the forest, singing in the breeze. There is no incense in the study, only grapes and other fashionable fruits on the table, which have a very sweet smell.
Rong Tang calmed down, looked around the desk, casually picked up the book "Record of the Investigation of Floods in Jiangnan in the Second Year of Qingzheng" that Su Huaijing had pressed under his arm that day, and began to read it.
It was a thin book, kept very cleanly, without a single tear, except that it looked a bit old from being read over the years.
The book records in detail the flood that occurred in the Jiangnan area in the second year of the Qingzheng period, including the cause of the flood, when and where the heavy rain began, how long it lasted, how much the water level along the river rose, how many prefectures were affected, how many farmlands and villages were damaged, and the total loss of silver. It also records in detail when the sluice gates were opened and from where the flood was discharged, as well as the post-disaster epidemic and reconstruction situation, and even related analysis and flood prevention measures.
Although the various situations are not exactly the same as this year's flood, some of the experiences and methods can still be applied today if they are improved.
As Rong Tang read on, he became fascinated unconsciously, and felt deeply that the author's talent and knowledge were truly admirable.
Until he turned to the end and caught a glimpse of a page of small print.
[In the summer of the second year of the Qingzheng reign, I passed through the south of the Yangtze River and passed through the town of Lü in Huizhou. On the way, I encountered the floating bones of starving people. So I consulted the elders in the village and learned about the dangers of floods. It took me three months to write this book, hoping that it would serve as a warning to future generations. Natural disasters cannot be stopped, but man-made disasters may be changed.]
Rong Tang stared at these lines of words for a long time, and Su Huaijing asked casually: "What's wrong?"
Rong Tang hesitated for a moment, closed the book, and asked Su Huaijing: "Where did you get this book?"
Su Huaijing: "The Second Prince brought it from the capital, and it was originally kept in the cabinet library."
Rong Tang: "Is this the original version or a copy by later generations?"
Su Huaijing was a little puzzled. He picked up the book and flipped through it, saying, "Original version. What's wrong?"
Rong Tang fell silent. Su Huaijing looked at him in surprise, then lowered his head and flipped the book again. At first he didn't find anything special, but the more he read, the more his expression became gloomy. When he saw those words on the last page, he was stunned for a moment, and his brows slowly frowned.
Rong Tang asked, "Where was Lord Mu in the second year of Qingzheng?"
At the flower-picking party, they asked Lu Jiaxi, who said that Mu Jingxu entered Linyuan Academy in the fifth year of Qingzheng and had been living in the countryside before that.
Lu Jiaxi didn’t know which specific village it was, and Rong Tang didn’t ask either.
But it can’t be Jiangnan, which is tens of thousands miles away from Linyuan Academy.
But the handwriting in this investigation record is clearly exactly the same as that in Mu Jingxu's file.
Rong Tang was about to express his suspicion, but Su Huaijing smiled, closed the book, looked up, and said casually: "The handwriting is just similar, it's not surprising. Tangtang won't take this book to ask Lord Mu if he wrote it, right?"
Rong Tang was stunned and looked at Su Huaijing in disbelief.
The two looked at each other for a moment, Rong Tang looked away and sighed softly: "What a pity."
Su Huaijing: “Hmm?”
Rong Tang: "I also want Master Mu to teach me calligraphy."
Su Huaijing was slightly startled, then smiled and said, "I can also teach Tangtang."
Rong Tang glanced at him indifferently, and Su Huaijing started to grind ink, as if he really intended to teach him calligraphy. The book was casually put aside with the cover facing down.
Rong Tang took a look, then looked away. The system beeped twice in his mind and said, "There is something strange."
"Don't worry about it." Rong Tang replied.
He didn't understand what Mu Jingxu meant by what he said to Su Huaijing, nor did he understand why Su Huaijing was now trying to cover up his mistake, but he was at least sure that Su Huaijing would not harm him.
Unless it was something that Rong Tang must not know, he would not be so vigilant.
Rong Tang pretended that he had never seen the book and never doubted the handwriting. When Su Huaijing wanted to teach him calligraphy, he pretended to practice on a page, then put down his pen saying that he was tired, and read half of the storybook peacefully before going to eat.
After dinner, I took a nap and enjoyed the cool air when I woke up. In the evening, I went to Suzhou city with Su Huaijing to see the lanterns floating on the Lotus Lake.
Then he returned to the palace. When he passed by the courtyard of Ke Hongxue and Mu Jingxu, he looked at the light coming from the courtyard and suddenly remembered something. He asked Su Huaijing casually, "Do you still have the plaster prescribed by the doctor in the palace?"
Su Huaijing: "Yes, what does Tangtang want to do?"
Rong Tang: "This morning I saw a few scars on Lord Mu's wrists, it looked like he was scratched. If you have more, ask Shuangshou to send two bottles over."
Su Huaijing's eyes darkened slightly, and he nodded: "Okay."
A candle was burning in the swan lantern under the eaves, emitting a faint warm yellow light. Su Huaijing sent Rong Tang to the door of the room and suddenly called him, "Tangtang."
Rong Tang turned around in confusion, and suddenly it became dark in front of him, and he felt a cool and soft touch on his lips.
The kiss ended as soon as it touched. Just as Rong Tang reacted, Su Huaijing had already taken two steps back, smiling like a cat: "Good night."
Rong Tang stood there with his eyes wide open, not knowing what to say for a moment. Su Huaijing pretended to be surprised and asked, "Is your body still in pain tonight? Do you want to invite me to sleep with you? Then wait a minute, I'm going to take a shower."
Rong Tang was furious. He glared at him fiercely, then turned around and walked into the room. He slammed the door, then opened it again two seconds later. He stuck his head out, stared at Su Huaijing, and said unhappily, "Good night!"
Su Huaijing was stunned for a moment, smiled and shook his head. He was so adorable that he didn't know what to do. He stood in front of the house, looked up at the palace lantern with swans embracing each other for a while, then slowly walked towards his room.
He first took out two bottles of scar treatment medicine, hesitated for a moment before leaving, and took something else from the house to take with him.
Su Huaijing handed the medicine to Shuangshou and instructed: "Send it to Mu Shaoqing and tell him that the Prince of Ningxuan sent it to him. Apply the ointment externally three times a day and take the pills internally twice a day."
Shuangshou took the medicine and ran out in a hurry.
When there was no one around, the smile on Su Huaijing's face finally faded a little, and he walked towards the study.
The lights were dim, Su Huaijing sat behind his desk, slowly flipping through the book of flood investigation records in the second year of Qingzheng. After a while, someone climbed in through the window and handed him a thin piece of letter paper: "Master."
"Yeah." Su Huaijing responded softly and began to compare the handwriting.
Xingfeng didn't understand what he was trying to do, so he waited for a moment and asked, "Master, what's wrong?"
Su Huaijing did not answer him. He lowered his eyes and looked for a long time again. He put down the papers and books, leaned back, and slowly rubbed something in his hand.
He asked softly, "When I taught Bi Xin medicine, I asked if you wanted to learn it, but you refused. Why?"
Xingfeng's whole body trembled, his throat tightened, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, and he replied in a hoarse voice: "My subordinates... are dull and cannot learn exquisite medical skills."
"Heh." Su Huaijing laughed softly, her phoenix eyes slightly raised, she glanced at him lightly, and said, "You're lying."
Xing Feng immediately knelt down and said, "I would never dare to deceive my master!"
Su Huaijing: "Get up, I don't blame you."
Xingfeng raised his head hesitantly, but saw Su Huaijing's eyes casually falling on the table, without a fixed point, as if he didn't care at all.
He hesitated for a moment and stood up.
Su Huaijing said calmly: "Because you saw me change my bones with your own eyes, right?"
Xingfeng bit his lips tightly and dared not respond.
And Su Huaijing didn't want his answer. He just said whatever came to his mind, very casually and disrespectfully.
"My mother once said that every person has his own pulse. A good doctor can still recognize a person by the pulse after taking his pulse ten years ago." Su Huaijing said, "The same is true for bone structure."
"Disguise is the lowest form of means. If you want to completely hide your identity and make sure that no one in the world, not even your closest relatives, can recognize you, the best way is to change your bones."
It was late at night, there was wind outside the yard, frogs were croaking, and inside the house there was the sound of fingertips stroking cloth, the melodies seemed to echo each other.
Su Huaijing spoke for a while and then stopped for a while, and Xingfeng listened quietly. His hands were almost pinched to bleed, and his eye sockets were swollen and painful.
"Flesh and blood are attached to bones, and tendons and veins pass through bones. Any changes to the appearance are not safe. The only way is to break most of the bones in the body one by one, apply external force and drugs to make them heal in a predetermined direction, change the bone structure little by little, and then adjust the facial features, so as to achieve the goal of making the flesh and blood, tendons, voice, and appearance all become another person."
"Then he changed his way of speaking, handwriting, and walking manners, so that even his biological parents would not recognize him even if they were standing in front of him."
Su Huaijing chuckled as he spoke. Xingfeng stared at the floor and his vision suddenly became blurry. In a trance, he seemed to be back to the time when he first arrived in Shu and saw the young master rolling on the ground in pain.
"It is impossible to replace bones in one go, and it is impossible to break all the bones at once. It takes three years at the shortest and five years at the longest. If you are not careful, you will die immediately. If you don't get treatment in time, you will be left with a lifelong disease. You can't be exposed to the wind, can't be cold, can't ride a horse, can't be exposed to the rain, can't be tired..."
"Mother said that if we want to change bones, we can't do it in infancy or after adulthood. The best time is between eight and eighteen years old, and no later than twenty-three." Su Huaijing murmured softly, as if he couldn't remember clearly. He raised his head and asked Xingfeng: "How old was my third brother when he went south?"
Xingfeng said in a hoarse voice: "Eighteen."
"Eighteen..." Su Huaijing whispered, "By the fifth year of Qingzheng, he will be exactly twenty-three years old."
"What a coincidence." He sighed softly, closed his eyes and leaned back, and changed the subject: "Do you know what question I asked Shen Feiyi when I went to see him in Jingji?"
Xingfeng: "I don't know."
Su Huaijing: "I asked him why he let my third brother die while he was still alive. Guess what he said to me?"
"He said, 'Your Highness the Third Prince had long guessed that someone in the army heading south had bad intentions and was afraid that the entire army would be wiped out, so he secretly sent a small team led by me to take a small path south. If we heard bad news on the way, we would quickly return to the capital to protect Your Majesty.'"
Su Huaijing's voice was very soft, as low and pleasant as usual. He lacked the coquettishness that he unconsciously brought when talking to Rong Tang, and instead revealed an extremely cold indifference.
But beneath this indifference, there was a tremor that even he himself was not aware of.
He opened his eyes, glanced at the letter on the table, then slowly moved his gaze down to look at the amulet that he was stroking repeatedly in his hand.
After Rong Tang got it back for him, he kept it in the brocade box until today, when he took it out for some unknown reason.
Su Huaijing asked softly, but his body was tense: "Do you think my third brother is not dead?"
Xingfeng was shocked and lost his voice for a long time. Just when he wanted to speak, Su Huaijing shook his head again, his voice was deep and a little disappointed: "But I don't want it to be him."
"It hurts a lot," he said.
It really hurts to break all the bones in my body and then reshape them one by one.
He doesn't want his brother to be like him...
(End of this chapter)