(17)
The waiter in the pavilion saw that there were distinguished guests coming even in the pouring rain, so he quickly took two dry towels and went over to greet the two of them. One of the young men in Tsing Yi and a tiara declined the good offer and walked towards Mei Niang while taking care of his clothes. The other man, who was more casually dressed and not very kind-looking, still had an injury on his arm and was wrapped around it. The white cloth was red with blood. He snatched the towel from the waiter's hand and sat on the edge to wipe his wet body.
Mei Niang looked at the young master in Tsing Yi who was walking towards him, her face filled with fear. She greeted Qian Xi who was standing beside her calmly, then turned around to retreat back into the room. But the pacing young master stopped him and said, "Girl, please stay!" After hearing this, Mei Niang had no intention of paying attention, but Qian Xi took her hand and motioned her to go back and sit down.
"No matter how much my family is neglected by the imperial court, it is still a reputable family in Jiangzhou. If you want to join the family of Qian, you must not be so rude and lose your status." Qian Xi then scolded gently. After hearing this, Mei Niang's strong intention to leave had mostly subsided, and she sat back down slightly reluctantly, lowering her eyebrows towards the table to cover up the tears that were about to come out.
Ajuan suddenly felt that the voice was familiar. He glanced towards the door and said in surprise: "Isn't this the person we met in Wandeng Town?" Several people followed the sound and found that it was indeed Su Qing.
Su Qing stepped forward to Qian Xi, bowed and saluted, and said, "My friend Su Qing, at the invitation of Mr. Qian, I came here to see you in the rain." Qian Xi stood up in return and asked someone to add a new seat for Su Qing to sit on. On his left hand, his right hand has been holding Mei Niang's cold palm tightly.
Then, Su Qing extended her hands to greet Bai Feng and his party, and after a moment of questioning, she said that she had a close relationship with those people. Qian Xi took a sip of hot tea and glanced sideways at Mei Niang. From her strange behavior, he had already roughly gotten a clue of Su Qing's character. So he interrupted Su Qing's polite words and said, "Mr. Su came here despite the pouring rain. Isn't it just to rekindle old friendship with an 'old friend'?"
"Haha, what Mr. Chengqian said, I won't beat around the bush." Su Qing said with a smile on her face, as if she was afraid of offending someone, "The beauty in the palm of your hand is quite praised in the city. Although still It is not clear that the matchmaker is getting married, but the name of 'Mrs. Liulice' has already spread throughout the streets and alleys, but..." At this point, Su Qing suddenly saw Mei Niang's eyes full of tears due to grief and anger, as if to warn him. : "If you continue talking, don't blame me for being rude!" Su Qing choked and looked at Qian Xi helplessly.
Seeing this strange situation, Qian Xi looked at each other for a moment with Mei Niang, and conveyed his inner appeal to the other person's heart through his eyebrows, and then said: "Master Su, please continue."
"It's just... she's not as simple as Mr. Qian sees her!" Su Qing's smile faded and she continued: "She was originally a beggar who lived on the streets, but she was lucky enough to be chosen by a noble man and take her back to work as a maid. She also became the nobleman's favorite maid, so she was given a name and taught martial arts!"
Everyone present turned their eyes to Mei Niang, and saw that this girl was already sobbing, all because the things she had tried so hard to hide were revealed. When Qian Xi saw that Mei Niang, who had always been strong and wise and not inferior to men, was in such a mess, he felt extremely sympathetic in his heart, but now that the source of the matter was known, there was no need to continue to cover it up!
Zhao Kuo smiled slightly proudly, as if to show that his previous guess was correct, and asked Su Qing, "How could Mr. Su know these things?"
"I happen to be working for that noble person, so I can't help but get acquainted with her." Su Qing replied: "When I came to Jiangzhou this time, I was also ordered by that noble person. However, I no longer want to do those dirty things. Come on. The Shi family’s brand has inexhaustible money. I came here this time all because of my brother Hu Yan, to introduce him to Miss Mei!"
"Miss Mei?" Qian Xi asked doubtfully.
"Ah! I almost forgot to explain it to you guys!" Su Qing said: "That noble person is the 'Great Eunuch' Mei Lin of the dynasty, and that little maid was given the name 'Ling Shuang'."
"You're talking nonsense! That's not my name!" Mei Niang, who had been sobbing just now, suddenly said angrily: "Su Qing, you bastard! You caused me to be kicked out back then, and now you want to separate me and the young master!" As soon as he finished speaking, Mei Niang casually took the tea cup from the table and threw it like a flying needle. Su Qing saw the right opportunity, with quick eyes and quick hands, and caught the tea and water steadily without letting even a drop of the tea in the cup leak out, and then put it back on the table freely.
Su Qing apologized repeatedly and said: "Okay! Okay! At worst, they will call you Mei Niang from now on..."
After a while, Mei Niang shook her head in shame and anger, avoiding the person she hated so much before and now, and turned to look at Qian Xi's sad eyes. Knowing that the matter was exposed, she nodded and said frankly: "Actually, the incident of Miss Murong being kidnapped was all planned by the slave family..."
Zhao Kuo sarcastically said: "Okay! The fox's tail is showing itself!"
"If the slave family does not respect the order of the master, then it will not be these two people, but the masters from all walks of life under the master!" Mei Niang looked at Qian Xi and said: "The life of the slave family has been entrusted to the master a long time ago. In the hands. For the safety of the young master, the slave family is willing to do anything..."
After hearing these words, Bai Feng was quite puzzled by the doubts in them and asked: "Since Yan'er has been kidnapped by you, why do you still come here to tell these things?"
"Last night Huyan and I could have left the city overnight, but unexpectedly, a swordsman wearing a bamboo hat came out on the way, holding a strange weapon that looked like a sword and a whip. He severely injured us, so he gave the girl away. Others!" Su Qing replied.
"So, Miss Murong was really captured by Fu Wentao?" Mei Niang's expression became more depressed: "Then, doesn't it mean that the Lord's mission has not been completed yet..."
"Huyan and I can't meet the deadline, so we have to find another master. Mei Niang, please take care of yourself! We are old acquaintances. I advise you and your godfather to find a place to hide in the world, so as not to let anyone let you go." People come to your door easily..." After saying this, Qian Xi stood up and left. He limped over to Huyan and sat down, eating several bowls of hot tea.
Bai Feng thought for a moment on his seat, then packed up his luggage and walked out the door. A baggage, a bunch of copper bells, a gourd, a flute, a sword, and a young man stood lonely under the eaves of the door, looking lonely at the falling rain. Zhao Xiaomei followed out. She didn't know what to say for a moment. She could only lean against the door with Bai Feng, listening to the sound of rain and thinking about something. Qian Xi led Mei Niang behind, and then he bowed his head and expressed his apology to Bai Feng.
"Young master, it's no need." The young man replied with a smile: "Only the young master and the beautiful lady. It's still unknown how many good people the 'big eunuch' has under his command. Have you ever thought about where to hide?"
The man and woman were shocked by the young man's magnanimity. Mei Niang knelt down in tears and wanted to kowtow to apologize, but Bai Feng stopped her. Mei Niang was puzzled and asked: "Why? Does Mr. Bai not hate me at all?"
"Whether you hate it or not, you can't make the rain stop." The young man looked up at the still pouring raindrops, picked up the string of bells, and shook them slowly while thinking in his mind: "Can you hear it? Yan'er...".
After a while, the noise of a man and a woman came from inside the house. The rich male voice scolded: "That woman caused Miss Murong to be kidnapped. Isn't it wrong?
Another thin and soft female voice said: "You idiot, you don't understand at all. What I mean is that Mei Niang's feelings for her godfather are not wrong!"
The male voice deliberately sneered loudly: "I only know that you women never keep any faithful promises, and you change your mind when something happens! Ouch..."
Several people outside the door looked in and found Ajuan yelling and beating Zhao Kuo's strong and huge body with his fists. The latter naturally suffered in silence. Seeing this, Mei Niang nodded, lowered her eyebrows, and walked away feeling a little disappointed. She paid a thousand blessings to Zhao Kuo and the others, and said: "The slave family knows that what they have done is indeed despicable, and they have long been prepared to be criticized by thousands of people. I even thought that Mr. Bai would draw a sword against the slave family..." After speaking for a while, Mei Niang glanced outside the door and continued: "I don't know why Mr. Zhao is so prejudiced, but the slave family has already decided in his heart to follow Qian wholeheartedly. Young Master, I am just suffering from the entanglement of the past... After this incident, even if I have to live in seclusion and wander around for the rest of my life, I will never bow to others to survive! I hope Young Master Zhao can take back what I just said..."
The man and woman who were flirting looked at Mei Niang in confusion, not knowing what to say. Zhao Kuo held his forehead and replied: "Um... I was just outspoken for a moment, and I offended you, girl. I'm sorry."
"Uh-huh! This big guy just can't talk enough and has read so many books in no time!" After Ajuan said this, Zhao Kuo looked at the Miao girl angrily, but his heart softened and he put on a sad face again.
The little girl standing at the door of the pavilion also ran and skipped to Mei Niang's side, said a few words of comfort and insulted Zhao Kuo a few more. After talking and laughing for a while, the rain gradually slowed down, so Gan Xi immediately called for people to prepare horses so that his friends could leave.
