Looking to the Thirteen Rivers

A few figures passed by in the outer corridor, and laughter came from afar, drowning out Man Jiangxue's voice.

Yin Qiu frowned, didn't quite hear what she said just now, and asked while taking a deep breath, "...Who is drunk?"

"Who else," Man Jiangxue said, "you."

"I told you, I'm not drunk..." Yin Qiu tried to keep her spirits up and opened her eyes wide. She wanted to see Man Jiangxue clearly, but her vision seemed to be covered by a layer of fog, so she couldn't see clearly.

Man Jiangxue had no choice but to stabilize her figure and said, "If you don't let go, my waist won't be able to bear it."

"I want to eat candy..." Yin Qiu's legs and feet were weak, but he hooked Man Jiangxue's hand with strength, "I will go to Mingguang Palace to practice swords in a while, and my uncle won't give me candy, I don't think about it."

Man Jiangxue looked at her for a while, then followed Yin Qiu's words and said, "Then let go, and I'll give you candy."

Yin Qiu stared at her in bewilderment, and could only see a blurry shadow. Her arms sank slightly, and she stopped halfway, saying: "The uncle is keeping it secret for me, don't tell the master. She has not allowed me to eat candy recently, she is very strict."

Man Jiangxue said, "Okay."

Only then did Yin Qiu feel relieved, and slipped off his arms as if losing his strength, letting go of Man Jiangxue.

Man Jiangxue straightened her waist, stood in front of the couch and let out a long breath. She walked to the table and opened the oil paper bag, picked out a small sugar pill, and when she turned around, the person on the couch had their eyes closed , long breath.

Fell asleep.

Man Jiangxue twisted the candy with her fingertips, took off Yin Qiu's shoes and coat with one hand, stuffed her into the quilt, and lowered the curtain.

The wind and snow were still circling, and there was a thin layer of snow under the window, and when Man Jiangxue closed the window, his fingertips felt a little sticky.

sugared.

She spread her palms open, lowered her eyebrows, her eyes fell on the sugar pill, and what appeared in front of her eyes was Yin Qiu just drunk.

Peach pink smiling face, the corners of the eyes dyed red.

"Master Uncle picked me up, and I belong to Master Uncle."

Man Jiangxue was still looking at the sugar pill.

her people.

her?

The sugar coating turned into a puddle of water at the temperature of the fingertips, and Man Jiangxue raised his hand to taste the taste.

Very sweet.

·

Meng Jing boiled the medicine, took the medicine soup from the kitchen and walked through the courtyard. When she reached the second floor, she saw Lu Huaiwei pushing the door and coming out, coughing pale.

"What's wrong with Senior Sister?" Meng Jing hurried up to meet her, with a concerned expression on her face.

"The bones are all sore," Lu Huaiwei took the decoction, squeezed her nose and drank it all in one go, and said, "Is anyone here?"

"Who?" Meng Jing asked.

Lu Huaiwei glanced downstairs, gathered the thick robe on her shoulders, said hoarsely without elaborating, "Go and invite Master Uncle to the conference hall, there is something important to do."

Meng Jing answered "Okay" and raised her hand to take the medicine bowl back. She moved to leave, but she heard Lu Huaiwei ask, "What are you hiding in your sleeve? Look at the bright red one."

Meng Jing paused, then lowered her hands as if nothing had happened, and said, "It's nothing, just a Zhu Feng booklet."

"Booklet?" Lu Huaiwei looked at Meng Jing for a moment, then smiled, "I'm not honest in front of me. I'm cold, not old-eyed. Put the candied haws in your sleeve pocket and stick them to your hands, so you won't be afraid of melting?"

Meng Jing hesitated for a while, and said slowly: "Probably not..."

"It means that it will be sent out soon," Lu Huaiwei looked at her, "it must not have been given to me, otherwise it should have been taken out a long time ago, so there is no need to hide it."

Meng Jing didn't say anything.

"Is it for Xiaoqiu?" Lu Huaiwei asked again.

Meng Jing glanced at her, and said in a muffled voice: "Hmm..." After a pause, he continued, "Someone asked me to pass it on, saying it was my uncle..."

"Okay," Lu Huaiwei cut off Meng Jing's words with a smile, and interrupted her, "There is no need to explain too much, but it seems redundant."

Meng Jing froze for a moment, and said uncomfortably: "What's the extra?"

Lu Huaiwei smiled meaningfully: "I still can't see your small thoughts?" She looked at Meng Jing for a while, and then continued, "You are not too young, and you have stayed at Wenxin Peak all these years without hearing anything outside the window. , I only read the books of sages and sages with all my heart, and my temperament has become more and more stable, like a dull gourd. I used to worry that you would become a nerd, but now it seems that my worry is unnecessary."

Meng Jing looked puzzled, looked at her and said, "Senior Sister...what do you mean?"

"Xiaoqiu is a good girl. She has outstanding appearance, excellent martial arts, knowledgeable, good character, and she can go to the hall and the kitchen," Lu Huaiwei said. "If you are interested in her, you have to do it as soon as possible. There are quite a few people she has a crush on, you need to pay more attention, maybe someday you will be preempted by others."

Meng Jing didn't expect her words, and couldn't help changing her expression, half stunned and half embarrassed, and said: "I didn't mean that, Senior Sister, don't talk nonsense."

"There is no other person in this palace who dares to say that he understands you, except me," Lu Huaiwei said, "I treat you as my own younger brother, so you don't have to carry it in front of me. If you have someone you like, go boldly." Pursuing, this is not something shady, don't worry, Elder Xu and I will take care of your marriage in the future."

Meng Jing was bewildered when she heard this, and after a while she buried her head and said, "I accept the kindness of Senior Sister, but I am afraid that I will never get married in this life."

When Lu Huaiwei heard this, she couldn't help being surprised and said, "Not married? Why?"

"I'm poor and white, with no father or mother, neither a prominent family background nor a bright future," Meng Jing said, "Even if there is a girl who loves me and looks up to me, I don't want to waste her life."

"It's useless for you to be full of poems and books, but to belittle yourself because of this," Lu Huaiwei said, "It's rare to have a prominent family background, and most of the people in this world are ordinary people. As for the bright future, if Elder Xu abdicates in the future, Wen Xinfeng will have to be handed over to you. Elder Yifeng of Yunhua Palace, isn’t this called Bright Future?”

Meng Jing frowned, and sighed: "The future may be promising, but the background is hard to change. I will always... still be a poor boy from a farmer in the mountains."

"How can you despise yourself so much?" Lu Huaiwei said earnestly, "If you want to love someone, you must first love yourself. If you don't even look down on yourself, how can you make others look at you differently?"

others...

Meng Jing's eyelashes trembled slightly.

"As I said, Xiaoqiu is a good girl, she won't care about these things," Lu Huaiwei said softly, "You are really overthinking."

Meng Jing smiled wryly: "If it's someone else, I believe what Senior Sister said, but if it's Yin Qiu, then it's a different story."

Lu Huaiwei said: "How to say?"

"I'm not good enough for her," Meng Jing clenched her sleeves, talking about her thoughts with Lu Huaiwei for the first time, "I acted too much when I was young, and I made things difficult for her many times, but she ignored the past and repaid her hatred with kindness. I couldn't let it go at that time. Hatred, I made a mistake, although I understand now, it is already too late."

Lu Huaiwei sighed softly, and stretched out her hand to pat him: "You are young, and knowing your mistakes can make you better. Xiaoqiu has never blamed you. Who has never made mistakes? You are also a good boy now, how can you be worthy of it?" unworthy statement."

"I am a useless person," Meng Jing said, "It's not that I underestimate myself, it's a fact."

Lu Huaiwei sighed again: "You..."

·

Two officers with knives came to the gate of the courtyard, dragged a dirty young man, rushed all the way into the eaves, and threw him into the house like a sack.

The conference hall was elegantly decorated, the windows were bright and clean, and there was no dust. Man Jiangxue washed her hands at the side and sat down on the upper seat. Lu Huaiwei covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and served her tea.

"After this Liu Ba was imprisoned, he was going to be decadent for a few days." An official below cupped his hands at Man Jiangxue. The real culprit behind the scenes, he knows who it is."

Lu Huaiwei understood as soon as she heard this, and said: "My lord brought him to our Yunhua Station, but the real murderer is here?"

The official said: "That's right. Anyway, that's what this kid said. If he can really find out the real culprit, our lord prefect has said that he will be rewarded for his crimes, or he can be spared and exiled. It's a matter of life and death. I think that he should not dare to make random identifications."

That is to say, the real culprit was in the Yunhua Station, and the Ziwei sect's meticulous work really penetrated every corner.

Lu Huaiwei looked sideways at Man Jiangxue.

Man Jiangxue held the teacup and said without raising her head, "Call everyone into the yard."

Even though it is already known that the Ziwei Cult was responsible for the poisoning of the refugees from the beginning to the end, but it is still unclear who connected with Mr. Naya. Right now, this young man is going to confess that person to save his life. Everyone heard the news Come, naturally very cooperative.

The shadows of the flowers in the courtyard were deep, and there was a dense crowd of people standing among the flowers. The disciples all put aside their work and rushed here after receiving the summons.

"On the night of the poisoning, I met that person once." Liu Ba knelt on the ground in shackles, shivering, "Mr. Ya told me that he would not be there to watch the poisoning in person, but for the sake of To prevent me from running away, he said that there is an internal response at the post station, and he will meet with me after the matter is completed. At that time, I drove away with a few brothers, and the man stood at the back door and gestured to me. I vaguely remember his appearance."

"Vaguely remember?" Lu Huaiwei looked at him, "In the middle of the night, you only had a face-to-face meeting, and you only vaguely remember, if you admit the wrong person, can you take responsibility?"

Liu Ba looked haggard, and said with tears in his eyes: "In the past few days, I have thought about it several times in prison, even if I only vaguely remember it, but as long as that person stands in front of my eyes, I will definitely recognize him. If you want to ask about beheading, how can you take your own life lightly? I assure you, I, Liu Ba, have never said anything false."

Lu Huaiwei paid attention to his expression, and realized that the young man didn't seem to be lying, so she turned sideways and asked a disciple beside her, "Is everyone here?"

The disciple nodded: "I have just counted according to the roster. All the disciples stationed in Yao Dingcheng are here, including those who followed Senior Sister Yin and Senior Brother Meng. They were all called together, not a few of them."

Lu Huaiwei motioned for her to stand in the line, and the two officials immediately helped Liu Ba off the ground and began to identify them one by one.

Snowflakes fell rustlingly, drifted into the tea with the cold wind, and quickly melted into it. Man Jiangxue sat on the porch, quietly observing the people in the yard.

That Liu Ba watched carefully, every disciple had to look carefully from head to toe, close-up was not enough, he had to watch from a distance, and after a long while, he only saw a dozen or so people.

The disciples who passed the identification all stood on the other side and did not leave easily. Only Meng Jing and Bai Ling set off into the corridor and stood behind Man Jiangxue.

"Give me a chair to sit on?" Bai Ling looked at Meng Jing, "You don't look very well."

Meng Jing leaned against the wall while leaning against the pillar, and waved her hand: "It doesn't matter."

Bai Ling asked concerned: "Is it a heart attack again?"

"Well," Meng Jing frowned, and stretched out her hand to press her chest, "It doesn't hurt, but it's a little short of breath."

"You are sick and need to recuperate," Bai Ling said, "Of course, you are a doctor yourself and know better than me, but you haven't been tired for the past two days, why are you still sick? Are you hurting yourself again?"

Meng Jing didn't speak, it was a tacit consent.

"Don't worry too much all day long, think about this and that," Bai Ling said, "You are young, but you are old-fashioned. My master is almost seventy, and his temper is more lively than yours."

Meng Jing was silent for a while, then raised her head and asked, "Where's Yin Qiu?"

"Falling asleep," Bai Ling said, "Didn't you ask me to call her earlier? There was no one in the room, and I searched for her for a long time, only to find out later that she was resting in the uncle's room."

"Sleeping at this time... Is she sick?"

"I'm not sick, maybe I didn't sleep well, anyway, my uncle won't let me disturb her."

Meng Jing turned her head and said "Oh".

"By the way, you were upstairs before, why did you ask me to call her?" Bai Ling shook the slush on the soles of his shoes, and asked casually, "Isn't this superfluous, why do you always want to order me around?"

Meng Jing paused, and said in a flat tone: "There is a difference between men and women, so it's inconvenient for me to knock on her door."

Bai Ling seemed to have heard some joke: "It's strange, you have always had a good relationship, and you often walked around together when you were in the palace, why did you avoid suspicion when you left the palace?" After she finished speaking, her eyes lit up a little. Joke, "I can knock on the door, but Xiaoqiu can't knock on the door. Do you not see me as a girl, or do you treat Xiaoqiu as a girl too much?"

Meng Jing's hand clutching her chest subconsciously curled up for a moment. She cast her eyes on the courtyard and said as naturally as possible: "It doesn't matter if you are in a good relationship, you are right to knock on her door."

"Two different things." Bai Ling raised the corners of his lips and smiled with some meaning, "Am I a girl?"

Meng Jing suddenly felt a little restless.

Was she that obvious?

It was as if everyone in the world knew what she was thinking.

Snow falling on the pavilion, a few fallen leaves were wrapped in the wind, bleak and deserted, Meng Jing moved her lips, and was about to speak back, when suddenly there was a sudden sound in her ears, she followed the sound and saw that it was Man Jiang Xue put the tea cup in her hand to the small table.

There was a crisp "click".

·

"None of them?" Lu Huaiwei stood in the courtyard all the time. She couldn't stand the wind and snow, so she held up an umbrella.

On such a cold day, the disciples were all jumping from the cold, but Liu Ba was sweating profusely. He looked at the disciples who had read them carefully many times in surprise, and said hurriedly: "I'm not lying... ...I'm not lying! Someone really connected with me that night!"

After suffering from the cold wind for so long, the two officials lost their patience long ago, and when they saw this, they shouted angrily: "When death is imminent, they are still lying! You said that the real culprit was a person from Yunhua Station, but now you can't identify him." Who is it, are you making fun of the two of us? Tell me! Have you ever seen the murderer!"

"Why haven't I seen it? I wasn't drunk at all, I was sober!" Liu Ba's face was pale, his hands and feet were trembling, "How could it not be...how could it be?"

"Maybe it's not our Yunhua disciple at all," Lu Huaiwei thought, "Maybe he just came to the post station to stare at you. How can you be sure that he must be one of us."

Liu Ba was taken aback, his face was uncertain, and he stammered: "But, but he is clearly wearing your Yunhua disciple uniform..."

"Then it's better to explain!" An official sent a loud voice, "The real culprit is a member of the Ziwei sect. They deliberately disguised themselves as disciples of Yunhua to let you see. Splashing dirty water? Oh, it’s okay, you killed so many people, you don’t even want to live, walk around, go back!”

I thought I could find a way out of life based on this matter, but who knows that the bamboo basket fetched water in vain, and still couldn't escape his head. Liu Ba cried on the spot, regretting his mistake.

If I knew this earlier, how could I have been fascinated by ghosts?You have to lose your life for 200 taels of silver!

Liu Ba was crying so hard that he was dragged to the door with arms crossed roughly by two officials. His face was full of tears and his whole body was limp. However, when he was about to leave the courtyard, he suddenly struggled, stretched his fingers and pointed somewhere: "Slow down!" , slow down!"

The two officials paused and looked impatient: "What's the matter!"

"That person..." Liu Ba was very excited, with saliva splashing from his mouth, "Quick! It's him!"

Everyone's expressions changed, and they quickly turned their heads to look in the direction he pointed, and saw that there was actually an extra person in the dark corner at the end of the corridor.

The corner of the eaves covered the skylight, and the place was in a daze, and the man's face could not be seen clearly, only he was wearing a dirty and wrinkled Yunhua student uniform, with his hands hanging down by his side, carrying two wooden barrels.

Before Lu Huaiwei could speak, Bai Ling was the first to react, and quickly flew to the other side, dragging the man out.

In an instant, the wooden barrel overturned and hot water splashed all over the floor.

A female disciple with dirty body, disheveled hair and scars on her face immediately came into everyone's sight.