Chapter 31: Chapter 30 Encounter with Him_1
It started to rain in the night.
The rain whispered, pattering against the newly planted banana leaves in the small courtyard, creating a mournful sound.
Lu Tong had a dream.
In the dream, she returned to the Lu Family residence in Changwu County, just as the twelfth lunar month approached, bringing with it the chill of winter and snow. Lu Rou walked out of the residence.
Her elder sister still looked like a young girl but had styled her hair like a married woman, wearing a plain, mei-colored, velvet embroidered jacket that was just as pretty and gentle as ever.
When Lu Rou saw her, she reached out to pull Lu Tong’s hand, chastising softly, "Where have you been sneaking off to again? Mother has been calling for you at home for half the day with no reply; be careful or father will scold you again. We are about to put up the red characters; Lu Qian is writing them now, you need to come and change your clothes quickly."
She was groggy, obediently let Lu Rou lead her toward the house, and heard Lu Rou say softly in front of her, "You’ve been gone for quite a while, and all these years, your sister has kept that hairpin for you. It’s fortunate you’ve come back..."
A hairpin?
What hairpin?
Why did Lu Rou say she had been gone for many years, and where had she been?
As if shocked by thunder, Lu Tong suddenly opened her eyes.
The room was bathed in dim, yellow light, and in the dark sky outside, only the sound of the rain could be heard, drop by drop.
She slowly sat up in bed and found it hard to fall back asleep, silently watching the lamplight until dawn.
By the time the day brightened, Yin Zheng also got up from her bed. The two of them opened the doors of the medical hall, and not long after, Du Changqing and Ah Cheng arrived as well.
Spring was drawing to a close, punctuated by several rains, so fewer people came to buy medicinal teas. It was now early morning, and the shop felt somewhat deserted.
Du Changqing brewed a pot of hot tea and sent Ah Cheng to buy a couple of hotcakes for breakfast.
Lu Tong approached him and said, "Shopkeeper Du, I’d like to borrow some silver from you."
Du Changqing almost choked on his cake, finally swallowing it before turning to look at Lu Tong, "What did you say?"
"I’d like to borrow some silver from Shopkeeper Du," said Lu Tong. "I’ll sign a debt agreement and pay you back in a few days."
Du Changqing looked her up and down then gave a snort, bypassing her and heading inside. Soon after, he fished out a key from beneath the medicine cabinet and produced a box from somewhere to hand to Lu Tong.
Yin Zheng eyed the box with curiosity and tentatively asked, "What is this...?"
Du Changqing replied irritably, "I calculated the other day, and in these two months, subtracting the cost of materials, Chun Shui Sheng has netted a profit of two hundred taels of silver. Doctor Lu, although your monthly wage is two silver taels, I’m not one to take advantage of you. Moreover, you taught that old bastard Bai Shouyi a lesson for me, something I greatly appreciate. These one hundred taels are your share." He struggled to avert his gaze from the box, looking pained, "And there’s no need for any debt agreement. Just concoct a few more batches of such medicinal tea in the future as repayment."
Lu Tong was surprised; this man was usually so careful with money, yet he was quite forthcoming at this moment. No wonder he managed to squander a great estate.
She looked at Du Changqing and said, "Thank you."
Du Changqing waved his hand, continuing to focus on eating his cakes.
Yin Zheng breathed a small sigh of relief.
Perhaps because he unexpectedly lost a hundred taels of silver and, though he put on a nonchalant front, he was inwardly uncomfortable, Du Changqing seemed rather downcast that day. The evening sky had not yet darkened, but he left first with Ah Cheng.
After closing the main door, Yin Zheng returned to the small courtyard inside the medical hall, where Lu Tong had already changed her clothes.
The clothes were a half-worn, light gray plain woven cotton-padded jacket of men’s design, which Yin Zheng had acquired from a woman selling used clothes at the temple market. Lu Tong had pinned up her long hair in a man’s topknot, using just a crude bamboo hairpin. Naturally delicate and comely, her male disguise only accentuated her fair, handsome features even more, making it easy to spot her true identity as a woman at a glance.
Shaking her head with a smile, Yin Zheng said, "You’ll still need to dab some powder on to disguise yourself."
After applying some hasty makeup, the sky had nearly turned completely dark. Yin Zheng saw that someone had hung up a bundle of mugwort on the outside door unknowingly and said to Lu Tong, "Miss, it’s time to go."
Lu Tong nodded, picked up the bamboo umbrella propped against the wall, and stepped out with Yin Zheng.
...
The spring rain was crisp and cool, always seeming to weep for parting souls.
The south part of the city, however, was bustling.
Below Luoyue Bridge, the sounds of music and drums from painted boats filled the air, never ceasing. Hundreds of ox horn lanterns were tied to the bridge railings, sparkling like an array of silver pearls that brightly illuminated the river surface.
Turning the corner of the lane, there was Qinghe Street; nestled within the quarter, the street was lined with tea houses, wine taverns, gambling dens, and brothels. Dignitaries and scions of nobility often drank here until dawn or gathered to watch performances and enjoy the flowers. On clear nights, fireworks covered the sky, the lights everywhere as bright as day, creating an image of thriving peace and prosperity.
Tonight was no exception.
A carriage stopped in front of Yuxian Tower.
A young man dressed in golden brocade stepped down from the carriage, his features as beautiful and refined as carved jade. With an upright posture, he did not hold an umbrella, and walked straight into the tavern amidst the light wind and fine rain.
Inside Yuxian Tower, the atmosphere was lively. Embroidered banners fluttered in the fragrant breeze, with the scent of rouge mingling with that of wine, warming even the loneliest corners of this drizzly night. On the ground floor, troupes were performing "Dian Jiang Chun."
It was indeed a land of soft charms and grandeur.
The handsome young man entered the building. A beautifully dressed woman saw his splendid attire and outstanding demeanor and thus sashayed towards him, eager to cling to the young man’s hand. However, she was pulled back by her close friend who softly warned, "Don’t go."
Startled, the woman hesitated, and in that instant, the person before her had already passed by without sparing her an extra glance.
She bit her lip, unwilling to let it go, when suddenly she saw the young man head straight for the elegant seats upstairs, causing her face to change.
Upstairs... was a place reserved for distinguished guests.
She quickly linked arms with her friend and hurriedly turned to leave.
In the elegant seats upstairs, warm jade plum blossom incense burners were burning Shen Yue fragrance.
The rich scent added several touches of elegance to the moonlight and cloud-gauze curtains.
The room was arranged in a quaint manner, with a small table in front displaying a set of green jade bamboo bonsai. Freshly brewed Yunwu Tea sat in a chrysanthemum-petal jade tea bowl and newly picked lychees were served in a treasure blue cloisonné enamel fruit plate, their vividness just perfect.
The young man, with a leisurely posture, sat by the window, casually drawing aside the bamboo curtain in front of it.
From this spot, the entirety of Qinghe Street’s night scenery was visible. The drizzling rain turned into a scattering of dim yellow silk under the lanterns, and a sliver of that light slipped in, rendering the young man’s features even more exquisitely striking.
He casually turned his head to look outside, and as he did, his gaze suddenly froze.
In the deep night and light rain, the palace lanterns under the eaves flickered dimly. Across the lively archway, two people were folding their umbrellas. One of them had her hair done up, her facial features blurred by the lamplight, leaving only her profound eyes shining with a faint, cold gleam like the chill of a long night.
Pei Yunmeng’s brows twitched.
Lu Tong?
The person’s features bore a striking resemblance to that Doctor Lu he encountered underneath Baoxiang Tower the last time.
He watched the figure under the lantern, feeling an odd sensation in his heart.
Pei Yunmeng had a deep impression of Lu Tong.
Being in his line of work, he often faced dangerous moments with swords and knives, and he had seen no small number of women. Yet that Lu Tong was extraordinarily different from other women.
She was very beautiful, with eyes like autumn waters and hair like clouds, delicate as a willow in the breeze, seemingly frail and vulnerable, like a delicate flower that could be broken by a gust of wind. Yet her actions were more ruthless than anyone else’s.
Pei Yunmeng had seen Lu Dashan’s face, with a deep cut across the cheekbone deep enough to reveal bone. If he wasn’t mistaken, that time Lu Tong had aimed for Lu Dashan’s eyes.
She had intended to blind Lu Dashan’s eyes.
Pei Yunmeng lowered his eyelids.
An ordinary woman, when held hostage, wouldn’t think to stab her assailant’s eyes with a velvet flower.
An ordinary woman’s hairpin wouldn’t be sharp as a knife’s edge.
Those three silver needles were not hair ornaments, but concealed weapons.
The air in the Rouge Shop was filled with a sweet scent, a large screen showcasing blooming lotuses as vibrant as ever. The woman’s gaze was so calm that it was almost indifferent, just like when she was taken hostage by Lu Dashan— from start to finish, not a trace of panic was seen—
Someone by his side called out to him, "Miss Hong Man pays her respects to the Princely Heir."
Pei Yunmeng pulled his thoughts back, looking towards the newcomer.
It was a young woman with her hair styled in twin coiled buns, draped in a safflower gold and begonia flower phoenix-tail long dress that made her fair skin appear snow-white. She had a face full of charm, just standing there exuding a captivating grace.
Miss Hong Man of Yuxian Tower, with looks to enchant and fascinate, was beyond comparison. Countless noblemen have splurged fortunes just for her smile. Now, with the beauty standing inside the room and facing the young man drinking tea, her demeanor was unusually respectful, seemingly tinged with a hint of subtle fear.
Hong Man took out a letter from her sleeve, stepped forward, and presented it to Pei Yunmeng, softly saying, "His Highness has already sent people to Dingzhou to search. With the Right Chancellor stepping in on the military horse supervision case, action is inconvenient. His Highness requests that the Princely Heir watch the changes with calm."
Pei Yunmeng hummed in acknowledgment, reaching out to receive the letter.
Hong Man stepped aside, respectfully bowing her head to wait.
Pei Yunmeng quickly read through the letter, then burned it to ashes in front of the lamp. He then picked up the cup on the table, downed the tea in one gulp, and set the empty cup back on the table.
He said, "I won’t be coming these next few days. If there’s anything, seek Duan Xiaoyan at the Palace Marshal’s Mansion."
Hong Man hurriedly acknowledged.
He stood up, about to leave, but suddenly seemed to remember something. Drawing aside the bamboo curtain again, he looked out towards the street opposite.
The rain had grown heavier, and no one was left in front of the archway, only the solitary lamp under the eaves swinging uncertainly, casting a dim yellow reflection on the wet ground.
Pei Yunmeng inquired, "What is that place opposite?"
Following his gaze, Hong Man answered softly, "That’s the gambling den of Kuaihuo Tower." Seeing Pei Yunmeng’s unusual expression as he looked out the window, she cautiously asked, "Did the Princely Heir see someone here?"
The young man relaxed his grip, and the bamboo curtain fell, obscuring the storm outside.
He smiled lightly, speaking without much concern, "It’s nothing, just mistook someone."