The next morning, when Jinxia woke up, the effect of the medicine was gone. The two of them prepared to get off the ship and return to the city. The maid informed them that their Master was still resting, therefore he couldn’t greet them but he had prepared a small boat to take them back.
The small boat was swaying slowly as it was leaving the larger ship. Jinxia, who was sitting on the boat, quietly let out a sigh of relief. Lu Yi naturally leaned his body against her, his head resting on her shoulder. Jinxia was silent for a moment, remembering that Lu Yi was still feverish, she couldn’t help but touch his forehead: it felt warm; indeed he was still sick.
Having had a fever all night… Jinxia thought his body had to be in pain.
She didn’t dare to move. Instead, she stretched out her hand and lowered the curtain, so that the wind from outside wouldn’t reach them.
The small boat followed the path back to the city, stopping at the pier closest to the post station. As soon as they got off the boat, Jinxia rushed to the clinic to get the prescription first, then returned to the post station to cook the medicine.
***
At that time, a dove was pacing back and forth outside of Lu Yi’s window. It made noises, it seemed it had been there for a while.
Lu Yi brought the dove inside. As usual, he took off the bamboo tube first, then put the dove in the cage and gave it water to drink. Only then he unrolled the paper inside the bamboo tube.
Recognizing the writing on the paper, his forehead frowned right away; it was his father’s writing.
Lu Bing wrote a letter personally to him, not giving any specific orders, still it was clear that the message was urgent.
He lowered his head and read it carefully. The inspector and the governor of Zhejiang, Hu Zongxian, had repeatedly given written statements not to kill Wang Zhi (a pirates’ leader), but then he was accused of taking bribes, protecting and following the pirates’ orders. His Majesty was displeased with the situation and ordered this matter to be investigated thoroughly. If this problem would not be handled properly, then Hu Zongxian would have been removed from the office and sent to prison. If that were to happen, the two provinces would have definitely rioted. Lu Bing was asking him to resolve the missing funds case as fast as possible and head to Zhejiang to take over that case.
Even though his father did not speak clearly, as his son, how could he not understand the hidden meaning behind his words?
Fortunately, this Yangzhou case was almost over. Lu Yi took a deep breath, then looked back at the name Hu Zongxian.
Hu Zongxian, honorary name Ru Zhen, or also known as Mei Ling, came from the southern province of the Ming Dynasty, Huizhou prefecture, Ji Xixian district. When he had passed the Jinshi exam, had first served as the judge of Yidou Province, judge of Yoyou Province, then as the official coordinator of the palace. He had formed the front line military defense of the strategic city of Datong, improved military discipline, and strengthened the military defense. After that, he’d been appointed chief coordinator of Zhejiang. Before leaving, he’d taken an oath, “This time, as I am accepting this position and leaving the city, if I do not arrest Wang Zhi, Xu hai and stabilize Dongnan, I swear to never return to the Capital.” His position had been promoted under Zhao Wenhua’s immense support.
When Jinxia walked into the room with the bowl of medicine, Lu Yi was holding the roll of paper over the candle, burning it.
“Daren, take your medicine first.” She put the medicine bowl on the table.
Lu Yi took the medicine bowl, blew on it, then drank the medicine. She watched as his forehead continued to crease, not knowing if it was because of the bad news on the paper or because the medicine was too bitter.
“Oh, yes…” Lu Yi put down the bowl. He was still thinking about something, hence he turned his head to face her, “A’Rui doesn’t know that he’s been caught, it’s a fortune for us, you shouldn’t leak this out in front of him, just behave like normal.”
Jinxia immediately understood the point, “It’s a pity that he cherishes words like gold. It is not easy to get something out of his mouth.”
“Hitting a snake, it must be its vital point. If we can find its weakness, it’s easier to fight.” Lu Yi said slowly.
“His weakness…” Jinxia remembered that when she’d met the pirates at that time, A’Rui had thrown himself without thinking twice to protect Shangguan Xi, letting the flying weapon hit him, “He seems to be very protective of Sister Shangguan, it doesn’t look like an act.”
“An act or not, we will find out later.”
Jinxia remembered something, taking out a small porcelain bottle from her pocket, “This is Mrs. Shen’s medicine, she said it can suppress the Japanese poison. Next time when you meet Sister Shangguan, please give this to her.”
“Why don’t you give it to her yourself?” Lu Yi asked.
Jinxia said gloomily, “Because of Ms. Zhai’s problem, she thinks I lied to her. I think she doesn’t trust me anymore, but, with your status, you definitely won’t lie to her.”
“Lying to people or not has absolutely nothing to do with status.”
Lu Yi laughed, starting to undress all of a sudden. Jinxia looked at him dumbfounded.
“Why are you stunned, come and help me take out the clothes in the luggage…” As he took off his clothes, he sniffed his robe, “It’s full of alcohol, no wonder my head feels heavy and dizzy.”
“Your head is heavy and dizzy because you have a fever.”
Jinxia went to the luggage and took out an outfit. When she turned around, she saw that Lu Yi had already taken off his undershirt; her cheeks turned bright red in a second.
The uniform flew over his head, and she hurriedly turned around, with her back facing him. Lu Yi lowered the robe, laughed and shook his head, while wearing his uniform and complaining, “Didn’t you see everything when I was unconscious?”
Jinxia muttered, “At that time, the situation was critical. You can’t compare it with this, you shouldn’t make this a habit…” Before she could finish her words, she heard Lu Yi shouting in pain, and turned around at once.
Whilst he was putting his arm through the sleeve, the movement had hit the wound on his shoulder. He frowned and looked at Jinxia helplessly.
Jinxia went over to him in a hurry and helped pull his sleeves.
“Can’t make what a habit?” He stood upright motionless, watching Jinxia’s hands wrapped around his waist to tie the silk belt. The tip of his lip slightly raised.
Jinxia stood behind him, carefully tying the knot, “This, this… you cannot change clothes in front of me.”
Lu Yi turned around to look at her for a moment. Without caring, he said: “Get used to it, sooner or later you will have to anyway.”
Jinxia didn’t understand what he meant by ‘sooner or later’, hence she just stared at him, while Lu Yi was straightening up his sleeves. He then walked out, but Jinxia urged him, “Daren, you still have a fever, why don’t you rest for a while?”
“No.”
“We can go together.” She started to follow him.
Lu Yi stopped his movements. “No, you have something more important to do… Wash these clothes, make sure to clear the smell.”
“…….” Jinxia looked at him in disbelief, “I am a constable of LiuShanmen.”
“Therefore I entrust this important task to you.” He reminded her, “Remember to reduce the strength of the hands, don’t let the clothes be damaged.” Unable to resist from rubbing her face, he turned then around and walked out quickly.
He didn’t want Jinxia to follow him and purposely make her stay in the post station because the person he wanted to meet was A’Rui.
Judging from A’Rui character, if his movements were known by others, he would definitely kill that person. Jinxia’s kung fu was like a cat scratch, certainly not good enough to be his opponent, and Lu Yi didn’t want her to take such risks.
***
The weather was great today. Wu’An Gang’s docks were crowded with people passing by, moving goods and filing ship supplies… Lu Yi scanned through the area, guessing already where Shangguan Xi was.
The person he wanted to meet was A’Rui.
But the person he was looking for was Shangguan Xi.
Seeing Lu Yi there, there was a flash of surprise in Shangguan Xi’s eyes. Through her experience of dealing with Lu Yi, their meetings had always been private or agreed on in advance, they were never characterized by a sudden arrival like that.
“Lu Daren, coming here, do you have an order?” Under her sincere eyes, there was a slight wariness.
Lu Yi smiled a little. He scanned the area again and saw that A’Rui was close, then he said, “Nothing important, it’s just after a few days being in Jiangnan, this case has not progressed much, and I feel quite unpleasant. I suddenly remembered that Shangguan Bangzhu is a Yangzhou person, I don’t know if you have any spare time today to take me sightseeing around Yangzhou.”
Unexpectedly his arrival there was to invite her to visit the mountain and play in the water. Shangguan Xi didn’t understand what his actual intention was, but she didn’t want to refuse either. After thinking about it for a moment, she nodded with a smile, “I’ve been involved with errands lately and I happen to want to go for a walk, let’s go. It’s just that I am quite bad with direction and might not be a good guide. Daren, please forgive me.”
“I have Shangguan Bangzhu accompanying me, a beautiful woman in a beautiful scenery, how could I be displeased?” Lu Yi laughed.
A’Rui’s face was calm like water and he was standing silently on the side. Seeing Shangguan Xi go to prepare the horses, he followed her from behind.
“Why? This brother here thinks Shangguan Bangzhu isn’t safe walking with me?” Lu Yi deliberately asked Shangguan Xi.
Shangguan Xi turned to see A’Rui, hesitated for a moment, then gave an order, “You don’t have to follow me, wait for me here.”
Although in his heart, A’Rui wasn’t happy, he didn’t protest, raised his hands in respect and left.
Because a few days ago, there were a number of troops that surrounded and subdued about forty pirates who had entered the mainland by wiping them out, currently outside of Yangzhou, less people were worried about that matter, and they had started to walk more on the street.
At the bottom of Xiping Mountain on the outskirts of the city, Lu Yi and Shangguan Xi walked around aimlessly. All of a sudden they heard the sound of a bell coming from the top of the mountain; the bell reminded them of the monks that were killed by the pirates.
“How are your brothers in the gang?” He asked.
Shangguan Xi shook her head, “Not good.”
Lu Yi took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, “You should try this medicine, it is very good in suppressing the poison.”
Shangguan Xi accepted and said, “Daren asked me out for this?”
Lu Yi laughed and asked, “Why? I must have a motive to ask you to go for a walk?”
“Daren, what are you talking about….”
“I’m just joking, no need to think too much about it.” Lu Yi laughed again, “Oh yes, that brother today seemed very loyal to you. Has he been following you since he was young?”
“You mean A’Rui?” Shangguan Xi shook her head, “I met him three years ago at the Dong family and happened to help him out, so now he lives here. Maybe because I was kind to him, so he’s treating this as repaying the favour… Although he is young, he is very diligent in his work.” She shrugged, A’Rui didn’t talk much; to be honest, sometimes she didn’t know what he was thinking either, but he was very reliable, naturally making her want to depend on him.
Lu Yi nodded his head and sighed, “That’s good. Honest and upright, it seems that his age is not that different from Young Master Bangzhum but their temperament is very different.”
Thinking of Xie Xiao, Shangguan Xi’s heart immediately ached. She laughed bitterly and said, “Xie Xiao… This time, Daren is willing to tolerate. I, Shangguan Xi, am very grateful. A person with a temper like him, I don’t know what other troubles he could have gotten into.”
“It’s a small matter.”
Lu Yi put his hand over his eyes as if he were shading himself from the sun. Looking farther in the forest direction, there was the shadow of a person. He smiled a little: it turned out he had been following. It seemed in his heart, he was seriously worried about Shangguan Xi.
The next morning, when Jinxia woke up, the effect of the medicine was gone. The two of them prepared to get off the ship and return to the city. The maid informed them that their Master was still resting, therefore he couldn’t greet them but he had prepared a small boat to take them back.
The small boat was swaying slowly as it was leaving the larger ship. Jinxia, who was sitting on the boat, quietly let out a sigh of relief. Lu Yi naturally leaned his body against her, his head resting on her shoulder. Jinxia was silent for a moment, remembering that Lu Yi was still feverish, she couldn’t help but touch his forehead: it felt warm; indeed he was still sick.
Having had a fever all night… Jinxia thought his body had to be in pain.
She didn’t dare to move. Instead, she stretched out her hand and lowered the curtain, so that the wind from outside wouldn’t reach them.
The small boat followed the path back to the city, stopping at the pier closest to the post station. As soon as they got off the boat, Jinxia rushed to the clinic to get the prescription first, then returned to the post station to cook the medicine.
***
At that time, a dove was pacing back and forth outside of Lu Yi’s window. It made noises, it seemed it had been there for a while.
Lu Yi brought the dove inside. As usual, he took off the bamboo tube first, then put the dove in the cage and gave it water to drink. Only then he unrolled the paper inside the bamboo tube.
Recognizing the writing on the paper, his forehead frowned right away; it was his father’s writing.
Lu Bing wrote a letter personally to him, not giving any specific orders, still it was clear that the message was urgent.
He lowered his head and read it carefully. The inspector and the governor of Zhejiang, Hu Zongxian, had repeatedly given written statements not to kill Wang Zhi (a pirates’ leader), but then he was accused of taking bribes, protecting and following the pirates’ orders. His Majesty was displeased with the situation and ordered this matter to be investigated thoroughly. If this problem would not be handled properly, then Hu Zongxian would have been removed from the office and sent to prison. If that were to happen, the two provinces would have definitely rioted. Lu Bing was asking him to resolve the missing funds case as fast as possible and head to Zhejiang to take over that case.
Even though his father did not speak clearly, as his son, how could he not understand the hidden meaning behind his words?
Fortunately, this Yangzhou case was almost over. Lu Yi took a deep breath, then looked back at the name Hu Zongxian.
Hu Zongxian, honorary name Ru Zhen, or also known as Mei Ling, came from the southern province of the Ming Dynasty, Huizhou prefecture, Ji Xixian district. When he had passed the Jinshi exam, had first served as the judge of Yidou Province, judge of Yoyou Province, then as the official coordinator of the palace. He had formed the front line military defense of the strategic city of Datong, improved military discipline, and strengthened the military defense. After that, he’d been appointed chief coordinator of Zhejiang. Before leaving, he’d taken an oath, “This time, as I am accepting this position and leaving the city, if I do not arrest Wang Zhi, Xu hai and stabilize Dongnan, I swear to never return to the Capital.” His position had been promoted under Zhao Wenhua’s immense support.
When Jinxia walked into the room with the bowl of medicine, Lu Yi was holding the roll of paper over the candle, burning it.
“Daren, take your medicine first.” She put the medicine bowl on the table.
Lu Yi took the medicine bowl, blew on it, then drank the medicine. She watched as his forehead continued to crease, not knowing if it was because of the bad news on the paper or because the medicine was too bitter.
“Oh, yes…” Lu Yi put down the bowl. He was still thinking about something, hence he turned his head to face her, “A’Rui doesn’t know that he’s been caught, it’s a fortune for us, you shouldn’t leak this out in front of him, just behave like normal.”
Jinxia immediately understood the point, “It’s a pity that he cherishes words like gold. It is not easy to get something out of his mouth.”
“Hitting a snake, it must be its vital point. If we can find its weakness, it’s easier to fight.” Lu Yi said slowly.
“His weakness…” Jinxia remembered that when she’d met the pirates at that time, A’Rui had thrown himself without thinking twice to protect Shangguan Xi, letting the flying weapon hit him, “He seems to be very protective of Sister Shangguan, it doesn’t look like an act.”
“An act or not, we will find out later.”
Jinxia remembered something, taking out a small porcelain bottle from her pocket, “This is Mrs. Shen’s medicine, she said it can suppress the Japanese poison. Next time when you meet Sister Shangguan, please give this to her.”
“Why don’t you give it to her yourself?” Lu Yi asked.
Jinxia said gloomily, “Because of Ms. Zhai’s problem, she thinks I lied to her. I think she doesn’t trust me anymore, but, with your status, you definitely won’t lie to her.”
“Lying to people or not has absolutely nothing to do with status.”
Lu Yi laughed, starting to undress all of a sudden. Jinxia looked at him dumbfounded.
“Why are you stunned, come and help me take out the clothes in the luggage…” As he took off his clothes, he sniffed his robe, “It’s full of alcohol, no wonder my head feels heavy and dizzy.”
“Your head is heavy and dizzy because you have a fever.”
Jinxia went to the luggage and took out an outfit. When she turned around, she saw that Lu Yi had already taken off his undershirt; her cheeks turned bright red in a second.
The uniform flew over his head, and she hurriedly turned around, with her back facing him. Lu Yi lowered the robe, laughed and shook his head, while wearing his uniform and complaining, “Didn’t you see everything when I was unconscious?”
Jinxia muttered, “At that time, the situation was critical. You can’t compare it with this, you shouldn’t make this a habit…” Before she could finish her words, she heard Lu Yi shouting in pain, and turned around at once.
Whilst he was putting his arm through the sleeve, the movement had hit the wound on his shoulder. He frowned and looked at Jinxia helplessly.
Jinxia went over to him in a hurry and helped pull his sleeves.
“Can’t make what a habit?” He stood upright motionless, watching Jinxia’s hands wrapped around his waist to tie the silk belt. The tip of his lip slightly raised.
Jinxia stood behind him, carefully tying the knot, “This, this… you cannot change clothes in front of me.”
Lu Yi turned around to look at her for a moment. Without caring, he said: “Get used to it, sooner or later you will have to anyway.”
Jinxia didn’t understand what he meant by ‘sooner or later’, hence she just stared at him, while Lu Yi was straightening up his sleeves. He then walked out, but Jinxia urged him, “Daren, you still have a fever, why don’t you rest for a while?”
“No.”
“We can go together.” She started to follow him.
Lu Yi stopped his movements. “No, you have something more important to do… Wash these clothes, make sure to clear the smell.”
“…….” Jinxia looked at him in disbelief, “I am a constable of LiuShanmen.”
“Therefore I entrust this important task to you.” He reminded her, “Remember to reduce the strength of the hands, don’t let the clothes be damaged.” Unable to resist from rubbing her face, he turned then around and walked out quickly.
He didn’t want Jinxia to follow him and purposely make her stay in the post station because the person he wanted to meet was A’Rui.
Judging from A’Rui character, if his movements were known by others, he would definitely kill that person. Jinxia’s kung fu was like a cat scratch, certainly not good enough to be his opponent, and Lu Yi didn’t want her to take such risks.
***
The weather was great today. Wu’An Gang’s docks were crowded with people passing by, moving goods and filing ship supplies… Lu Yi scanned through the area, guessing already where Shangguan Xi was.
The person he wanted to meet was A’Rui.
But the person he was looking for was Shangguan Xi.
Seeing Lu Yi there, there was a flash of surprise in Shangguan Xi’s eyes. Through her experience of dealing with Lu Yi, their meetings had always been private or agreed on in advance, they were never characterized by a sudden arrival like that.
“Lu Daren, coming here, do you have an order?” Under her sincere eyes, there was a slight wariness.
Lu Yi smiled a little. He scanned the area again and saw that A’Rui was close, then he said, “Nothing important, it’s just after a few days being in Jiangnan, this case has not progressed much, and I feel quite unpleasant. I suddenly remembered that Shangguan Bangzhu is a Yangzhou person, I don’t know if you have any spare time today to take me sightseeing around Yangzhou.”
Unexpectedly his arrival there was to invite her to visit the mountain and play in the water. Shangguan Xi didn’t understand what his actual intention was, but she didn’t want to refuse either. After thinking about it for a moment, she nodded with a smile, “I’ve been involved with errands lately and I happen to want to go for a walk, let’s go. It’s just that I am quite bad with direction and might not be a good guide. Daren, please forgive me.”
“I have Shangguan Bangzhu accompanying me, a beautiful woman in a beautiful scenery, how could I be displeased?” Lu Yi laughed.
A’Rui’s face was calm like water and he was standing silently on the side. Seeing Shangguan Xi go to prepare the horses, he followed her from behind.
“Why? This brother here thinks Shangguan Bangzhu isn’t safe walking with me?” Lu Yi deliberately asked Shangguan Xi.
Shangguan Xi turned to see A’Rui, hesitated for a moment, then gave an order, “You don’t have to follow me, wait for me here.”
Although in his heart, A’Rui wasn’t happy, he didn’t protest, raised his hands in respect and left.
Because a few days ago, there were a number of troops that surrounded and subdued about forty pirates who had entered the mainland by wiping them out, currently outside of Yangzhou, less people were worried about that matter, and they had started to walk more on the street.
At the bottom of Xiping Mountain on the outskirts of the city, Lu Yi and Shangguan Xi walked around aimlessly. All of a sudden they heard the sound of a bell coming from the top of the mountain; the bell reminded them of the monks that were killed by the pirates.
“How are your brothers in the gang?” He asked.
Shangguan Xi shook her head, “Not good.”
Lu Yi took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, “You should try this medicine, it is very good in suppressing the poison.”
Shangguan Xi accepted and said, “Daren asked me out for this?”
Lu Yi laughed and asked, “Why? I must have a motive to ask you to go for a walk?”
“Daren, what are you talking about….”
“I’m just joking, no need to think too much about it.” Lu Yi laughed again, “Oh yes, that brother today seemed very loyal to you. Has he been following you since he was young?”
“You mean A’Rui?” Shangguan Xi shook her head, “I met him three years ago at the Dong family and happened to help him out, so now he lives here. Maybe because I was kind to him, so he’s treating this as repaying the favour… Although he is young, he is very diligent in his work.” She shrugged, A’Rui didn’t talk much; to be honest, sometimes she didn’t know what he was thinking either, but he was very reliable, naturally making her want to depend on him.
Lu Yi nodded his head and sighed, “That’s good. Honest and upright, it seems that his age is not that different from Young Master Bangzhum but their temperament is very different.”
Thinking of Xie Xiao, Shangguan Xi’s heart immediately ached. She laughed bitterly and said, “Xie Xiao… This time, Daren is willing to tolerate. I, Shangguan Xi, am very grateful. A person with a temper like him, I don’t know what other troubles he could have gotten into.”
“It’s a small matter.”
Lu Yi put his hand over his eyes as if he were shading himself from the sun. Looking farther in the forest direction, there was the shadow of a person. He smiled a little: it turned out he had been following. It seemed in his heart, he was seriously worried about Shangguan Xi.
