(9)
The seven people at the table chatted for a long time. On the surface, they seemed to be laughing and smiling normally, and there was nothing strange about them. After a while, as the "Lord of the Liuli Pavilion", Qian Xi, according to etiquette, said hello to everyone, to comfort those who came, or to announce some new rules and news. So Qian Xi and Mei Niang said goodbye to the others and walked to the high platform downstairs, causing all the guests to cheer.
Zhao Kuo looked at Mei Niang's leaving figure and asked his friends around him: "Everyone, don't you think there is something fishy about Mei Niang? As far as I know, some officials will mark the bodies of their favorite servants. Special pattern..."
"Mr. Zhao, you mean that the flower mark under Mei Niang's eyes is not a birthmark, but... a brand?" Ajuan asked calmly.
"Mei Niang's feelings for Godfather are not like the relationship between servants." Bai Feng scratched her lips with her fingernails and thought, "Maybe it was left from the past?" After saying this, the guests around him suddenly sounded like thunder. The applause was mixed with many cheers for Qian Xi.
"Okay! Since the eldest son has requested it, we will take care of it for him!"
"Hey, can we find that Su Qing and tell him that Mr. Qian wants to see him? Then we can get some silver?"
"Young Master Qian always sticks to his word. Anyway, it's just a word. It's not like he's missing an arm or a leg."
In order to find Su Qing hiding in Jiangzhou City as soon as possible, Gan Xi issued a heavy reward in front of everyone in Liuli Pavilion. Everyone was clapping their hands and applauding, but only a few people understood that behind this move was the "Master of the Liuli Pavilion" who had been grappling with for many years.
After Mei Niang and Qian Xi finished talking, they said goodbye to everyone and returned to the room to stop and talk. Ding Chunqiu and Huang Banxian, who had been driven aside earlier, took this opportunity to push the high stool back to the stairs, hit the gong several times, and started telling their stories again. The five people upstairs were eating, drinking and listening, as if only a moment had passed and the curfew was approaching. The people in the venue dispersed immediately, some people went out to go home; some people went to the guest rooms on the fourth floor to rest; and some people walked around secretly in the pavilion, for fear of being seen.
Seeing that there was no one around, the man in the bamboo hat followed Murong Yan all the way, tiptoed to the guest room, and found the door of her room. Just as he was about to knock on the door, he unexpectedly bumped into Mei Niang, who had just finished serving Qian Xi to bathe and change clothes.
Mei Niang was holding a wooden basin with some changes of clothes in it, looking like an ordinary maid. If you have never been to Liuli Pavilion, it would not be surprising to mistake her for a maid at this moment.
In order to avoid more accidents, the man in the bamboo hat kept silent and left. When she reached the entrance of the corridor, Mei Niang stopped her: "Master, you were walking in front of the door just now. What's the important thing?" Mei Niang held the basin in her hand, swaying her skirt, and walked a few steps ahead of him. He rushed to the entrance of the corridor and blocked the way downstairs.
The man in the bamboo hat stretched out his left hand to lower the brim of his hat and said coldly: "This has nothing to do with you."
"Hey! Everything in Liuli Pavilion has to do with the slave family." Mei Niang placed the basin on the ground, crossed her hands on her chest, and observed the man in front of her for a moment. Suddenly she threw herself into the other person's arms, raised her eyebrows and said seductively: "Don't you miss a woman, Master? It just so happens that Mei Niang has never tried such a strong man like Master!" After that, Mei Niang took her hand up and down. Touch the other person's chest with those delicate fingertips, trying to charm the other person.
Fu Wentao froze immediately, but this was not because of the charm, but because of the thoughts he had about Murong Yan in his heart, which was not allowed in the world. At this moment, there were two hot emotions conflicting in his heart: one was the loyalty and obedience to the master as a servant; the other was the love for Murong Yan.
"If the master finds out... I will definitely be punished for the crime of treason." The man in the bamboo hat said in his heart, and found that Mei Niang was already about a room away from his body, and she was holding her own sword and whip in her hand.
"Uh, what a strange weapon!" Mei Niang pulled out the sword, looked at it carefully, and said, "Sure enough, the swordsman is you, Master!" After saying that, Mei Niang sheathed the sword and threw it down. corridor.
Fu Wentao was shocked. He went over and grabbed the hand that Mei Niang was holding the sword in, and said, "What do you want to do, woman?"
Mei Niang showed a bitter look on her face, took off her purple clothes, exposed her fragrant shoulders, and shouted: "Come quickly! There are flower pickers! Help!"
The man in the bamboo hat was very angry, but seeing that everyone had been alarmed, he had no choice but to escape first. So he threw Mei Niang aside and hurried downstairs. Unexpectedly, he bumped into a thin and rosy man on the way, and the other man was holding his own sword and whip. Unarmed, he hesitated for a moment and was caught by the guards chasing after him.
The guards escorted Rune Tao back to the fourth floor and placed him in front of Mei Niang. The leading man had two mustaches that extended to the left and right, and his big eyes hung on his face. He stepped forward and asked Mei Niang, "Mei Niang, is this the flower picker?"
Mei Niang rubbed her bruised arm and nodded repeatedly. At this time, Qian Xi and Bai Feng had already arrived, and they were very surprised to see the bamboo-hatted swordsman having his hands tied behind his back and the wooden sticks intersecting to press his neck. The leader explained: "Just now I heard Mei Niang shouting that we met a flower picker. We came to find out. Unexpectedly, this guy ran very fast. If Mr. Mei hadn't blocked him in front, we wouldn't have been able to catch him. !”
"Me?" The man holding a sword and whip in both hands said, "I came to deliver books to the young master. Unexpectedly, when I was halfway there, a sword fell from the sky and hit me dizzy." Mei Lan He touched the place where he was hit and said, "It's better now. My head is really swollen."
Qian Xi went over to take off Mei Lan's burden and said, "I'm really wronging you, Mei Lan."
"Sir, this guy is hurting me!" Mei Niang said coquettishly as she approached Qian Xi.
"Despicable and shameless!" Fu Wentao said angrily: "Miss Murong, this woman must not be easily trusted! There is also the eldest son of the Qian family, he just wants to take advantage of the young lady!"
"Wen Tao..." Murong Yan choked and said, "No matter what, I will never go back to that place again." After that, Murong Yan wiped away tears and went back to the room. Zhao Xiaomei saw this strange situation and hurriedly followed her.
"Then, how should we deal with this person?" Ajuan said.
Zhao Kuo crossed his arms in front of his chest and sneered: "Ha! I can't say more, so I'm going back to my room to rest first." Ajuan was puzzled and followed him and continued to ask.
Qian Xi immediately ordered his servants to escort Fu Wentao to a guest room, specifically ordering that he must be under strict supervision. Bai Feng stepped forward and asked, "Don't you two explain what Fu Wentao said?"
"Brother Bai, how I, Qian Xi, treat you is a lesson for heaven and earth. I have no intention of harming anyone. But my illness can only be cured by Miss Murong..." Qian Xi replied.
"So, can I trust you?"
Mei Niang suddenly went over and knelt in front of Bai Feng, crying: "Mr. Bai, whether you believe it or not, please let Miss Murong cure the young master before you take him away..."
Bai Feng didn't respond silently, turned around and walked towards Murong Yan's room. Murong Yan in the room couldn't stop crying, which made her little sister's eyes wet. Bai Feng asked her what happened, and she could only barely utter a few words: "Why did my mother have to be killed like this?"
"Sister Murong, tell us, it will make you feel better. We are all your friends!" Zhao Xiaomei quickly comforted her.
"Yan'er..." Bai Feng couldn't help but caress her face when she saw the one she admired crying so miserably. The other party also responded, leaning on his shoulder, and his mood gradually stabilized. Zhao Xiaomei on the side felt a little happy when she saw this. At the same time, she also knew that the two of them should be left alone now.
The little sister was about to stand up and leave, but Murong Yan held her back: "Little sister, it's okay, you can come and listen too!" Murong Yan slowed down and continued: "My mother's status in the Fu family is very low. , but she was kind-hearted and often prayed for the poor people and told fortunes. Gradually, she gained a good reputation among the common people - everyone even called her the 'Holy Lady'."
Murong Yan rolled up her sleeves and drank a bowl of water, then continued: "But when the incident reached the ears of Taiping Dao, it became a sign of the troubled world of evil cults. But the real evil cult has blatantly become the state religion! My father is already 20 years old. When I was over half a century old, I thought about how to live longer all day long. So I became obsessed with the Tao of Taiping. From then on, I indulged in alchemy and practice every day."
"One day, I didn't know who knew from someone that the blood of my mother was the blood of the Xianbei 'witch', and I wanted my mother to use her flesh and blood as a guide to refine the 'Elixir of Immortality'. If my mother refused to obey, she would Let Taipingdao frame him as the leader of a cult, waterboard him, and drown him alive! That day... I was at the execution place and watched with my own eyes; I tried my best to save my mother, but Wen Tao stopped me. Outside. Then, I listened to my mother’s instructions and left there immediately..."
