The sedan chair with a blue canopy slowly came to a stop in front of the Shuntianfu Academy Hutong. Elegant words and sentimental feelings are first published here.
Two guards dressed men quietly followed behind the sedan chair.
The sedan carriers were oblivious.
After passing by Shuntianfu Academy, a well-dressed servant rushed out from under the eaves and walked alongside the sedan chair.
As they reached the main street, a servant carrying a lantern appeared in front of the sedan chair.
At this time, the sedan chair finally had the appearance of a second-grade official with a light car and simple retinue.
On the big red lantern, a large "Dong" character is written.
Outstanding in the darkness.
The night patrol officer saw him, not only did he not come forward to question him, but also deliberately avoided him and stepped aside.
The sedan chair entered Cuifeng Hutong, one of the most famous pleasure grounds in Kyoto.
Several yamen runners exchanged sly glances, revealing a lustful admiration that only men could understand. One of them even sighed and said, "It seems the old master is no exception either!"
Others hehe smiled, the more tangled the better.
The people in the sedan chair did not know.
If someone had been following them all along, they would have found that after the sedan chair had shaken and swayed in a circle in Cuifang Alley, the outer curtain had turned blue, and the embroidered belt with gold and silver dragon patterns on the sedan chair was gone.
The sedan chair went out of Cuifang Hutong, circled half the city, and stopped in front of a shop with a sign reading "Dunji Pen and Ink" on Gulou Avenue not far from Andingmen Street.
The servant carrying a lantern hurried forward and lifted the curtain of the sedan chair.
An old scholar in a green cotton gown got out of the sedan chair, gently knocking on the door of the pen and ink shop while shouting: "Master Fan!"
※※※※※
Song Mo saw himself standing in a vast expanse of dense fog.
A thick fog rolled in layer by layer, making it impossible for him to see the direction he came from, unable to find his way forward, and unaware of where he was.
He walked dazedly in the fog.
Damp and chilly, with a piercing coldness that gets into your bones.
How did I end up here?
He suddenly stopped in his tracks.
All around was quiet and still, without a sound.
He continued walking forward, as if through layer upon layer of thin gauze, one layer after another. As if there was no end in sight.
Why?
He asked.
No one answered.
His footsteps were getting faster and faster.
The fog is getting thicker and thicker.
Why?
He shouted loudly towards the front.
The thick fog seemed to be afraid of his anger, and it dispersed in all directions under his rebuke.
He saw someone carrying a lantern walking in front of him.
Lanterns emit a soft and bright light in the thick fog. Elegant words express deep emotions.
It turned out he wasn't alone!
He felt a thrill of excitement and his heart immediately became calm, peaceful and composed.
But those thick fog gathered together again quickly, and were even thicker than before, blocking his line of sight, making him unable to see a glimmer of light.
Humiliation and anger turned into unwillingness, like a torrential flood that engulfed him.
He shouted loudly around "Why".
Time and time again. Again and again.
The thick fog disperses and gathers, gathers and disperses again.
A faint light flickered on and off in front of him.
That ray of light became an obsession in his heart.
With a loud rumble, the mist suddenly dispersed, and a faint golden light appeared before my eyes.
Warm and peaceful, it occupied his entire field of vision.
He strained his eyes wide open.
The view slowly became clear.
A green bronze lamp surrounded by sparrows, with a tangerine-colored flame burning on it.
Someone beside him let out a long sigh of relief: "Young Master, you've finally woken up!"
He followed the sound and saw Chen's slender and elegant face.
"Where...where is this?" He looked around in surprise, finding himself lying on the bed. Trying to move his body, but his limbs were stiff and numb. No strength, so he quickly scanned the surroundings.
A cramped space, with white Korean paper pasted on the window frames, simple black lacquer furniture, no second person, like a servant's quarters.
Chen Qu Shui brought a bowl of warm water with honey and fed him, while saying: "This is the fourth young lady's pen and ink shop. You have been unconscious for a long time, so we had to bring you here first."
Dong Zhao!
It turned out that Dou Zhao saved himself!
Song Mo couldn't conceal his astonishment: "How did Fourth Miss know something happened to me?"
"Mr. Yan and Xue Qing were being chased...". Chen Qu Shui told Song Mo about the matter of Yan Chaoqing entrusting Lu Ming to ask for help from Dou Zhao.
Song Mo pursed his lips, a flash of cold light flickered in his eyes, and his hands gradually clenched into fists.
Chen Qu's eyes were cast down at the small bowl in front of him, and he let out a sigh from the bottom of his heart.
He was about to make a run for it when he encountered Duan Gongyi, who had brought Chen Xiaofeng and several others over the wall. He had already learned from Duan Gongyi what had happened and couldn't help but say: "At that time, Miss felt very strange. If this matter was aimed at the Jiang family, using a dead soldier to repeatedly pursue two people who were neither members of the Jiang family nor relatives of the Jiang family didn't make sense. Then Fourth Miss asked Lu Ming, only to discover that several important people around you were not in Kyoto, and she vaguely felt that this matter was aimed at you. She even had Duan Gongyi bring over several of his best guards overnight. Who would have thought...” Chen Quanshui thought back to the shock he felt when he saw Song Mo being beaten all over the body, and secretly felt grateful, "Fortunately Fourth Miss didn't hesitate, otherwise..."
Otherwise, even if you save your own life, you will be driven out of the house!
Song Mo's mind flashed with Duan Zhao's elegant and refined face, which carried a hint of heroic spirit.
Father wants to kill himself.
Dou Zhao, who was almost killed by him, saved himself instead.
Is there anything more absurd than this in the world?
The corners of his mouth involuntarily curled up into a sarcastic smile.
Chen Quanshui was shocked and thought of the words that Du Zhao had entrusted to Duan Gongyi to bring to him.
Must arouse Song Mo's fighting spirit, can't let him choose to drift with the tide under disappointment and despair!
He flashed a glance and said: "Unfortunately, we don't have enough manpower. Otherwise, Yu Huwei and Chen Tao... I'm afraid it's already too late..." He sighed regretfully.
Song Mo did not make a sound, and with great effort, he tried to prop up his body.
Chen Qu rushed forward to help him, but he made a useless gesture and said: "Please thank Mr. Chen on my behalf for the protection of Duan and Chen. As for Fourth Miss..." His tone was slightly paused, and his eyes flowed with warm intent, softening his face. "Great kindness doesn't need to be thanked, so I won't say anything more!"
Chen Qu's heart was filled with joy.
It seems that Song Mo is stronger than he imagined himself to be.
He hastily said: "I'm ashamed and dare not accept it, I just followed Miss's instructions."
Song Mo didn't entangle himself with these things anymore, but instead asked Chen Qu Shui: "How long have I been unconscious?"
Eyes are calm and quiet. The tone is rational, showing a calm and composed demeanor.
"Six periods of time!" Chen Quanshui replied.
That is to say, it's now 10:00 on the second day.
The father made an appointment with the uncle and two uncles to open the ancestral hall, but now he is nowhere to be found. If he were just the eldest son of the Duke of England, as the head of the clan, the father proposed that the elders would not object, whether he was present or not, he could immediately remove him from the Song family tree. But he is not only the heir of the Duke of England's mansion but also has a hereditary position of fourth-rank official. To expel him from the house means to abolish the heir, which means that they need to submit a memorial to the Emperor and get his permission before reporting to the Ministry of Rites. Without a good reason, the Emperor would not agree. This is also why the father suggested opening the ancestral hall again the next day.
To be on the safe side, Father must have some things to prepare in advance.
Now he has been rescued by someone and is no longer present, let alone being driven out of the house. I'm afraid all previous plans will come to nothing?
Now, Father must be very headache?
Song Mo felt a sharp pain in his heart.
He couldn't help but close his eyes.
The house fell into silence. The atmosphere also became increasingly oppressive with the silence.
Until Chen Qu's face turned blue and he was almost out of breath, Song Mo slowly opened his eyes and asked, "How is my injury?"
He can't feel pain.
Chen Qu Shui hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice: "Your injury is too frightening, and we don't dare to invite a doctor. Duan Gongyi has used the wound-healing medicine from his school on you, but... it's still best to ask an imperial physician to take a look as soon as possible..."
That medicine should have Mahuang Bozi San!
Song Mo said faintly: "Now is not the time to see the imperial physician. Let Duan Huwei give me a few more pills."
"This..."
"I know," Song Mo said, "My injury is so severe that I can't feel the pain. This medicine must be overbearing and may have side effects. But it's better than losing my life, right?" He looked at Chen Qu Shui with a calm expression.
Chen Qu Shui saw a glimmer of admiration in Song Mo's eyes for the first time.
Six days and five nights of sleepless galloping, the pain of broken bones and flesh, the sorrow of losing his mother, the ruthlessness of his father, none of these could wear down his determination. As soon as he came to, he began to understand his situation.
A will of iron is indeed rare!
In a few more years, what's to worry about raising a family?
Thinking of this, he found the behavior of the British Duke even more bizarre.
Why did such an excellent eldest son want to give up?
The thought had barely flashed through her mind when Chen Qu Shui suppressed it - the British Consulate was a prominent and aristocratic family for centuries, and its waters were too deep for people like them to touch.
He nodded slightly.
A hint of comfort flashed across Song Mo's eyes.
He asked Chen Qu Shui in a low voice: "Can you help me send a few letters?"
Chen Qu Shui finally suppressed the wild joy in his heart and said in a gentle voice, "Fourth Miss said that the young master's orders are like her own."
Actually, Du Zhao's original words were: "If you can rescue Song Mo in time, let him contact the person he trusts as soon as possible. If he asks you to run errands and deliver a message or something, it's okay to help. But if it's anything else, just say that there aren't enough people and you're unable to do it. Whatever you do, don't get mixed up in it! We've already done our duty by saving his life, no need to risk our own lives too."
But he thought, since he had already decided to help Song Mo, he might as well do it more beautifully.
Song Mo's mouth corners slightly raised.
Fourth Miss...
※※※※※
Chen Qu Shui came out of the ear room, and Duan Gong Yi and Chen Xiao Feng immediately went forward to greet him, asking in a low voice: "How is it?"
Chen Qu shook the letter in his hand.
Duan Gongyi smiled with a smirk on his face.
Chen Xiaofeng also breathed a sigh of relief.
When the ruler orders his subject to die, the subject cannot but die. When the father wants his son to perish, the son cannot but perish.
They went through so much trouble to save Song Mo, if Song Mo still doesn't find a way out for himself, that would be too meaningless.
Duan Gongyi yawned and said tiredly, "Which letters am I responsible for delivering? After I finish, I can also go to sleep."
He rushed back to Zhending from Kyoto in a flurry of dust, had just taken a bath, and then continued day and night to rush to Kyoto, already exhausted.
Chen Qu Shui hastily said: "You all go rest! It's just going to deliver a few letters, not like we're going to fight, I and Cui Thirteen can handle it." Then he told them about Song Mo wanting medicine.
Duan Gongyi fell silent for a moment, then said: "The young master's words also make sense. A real man would rather die standing than live on his knees." He left the ear room.
Chen Xiaofeng and Chen Qushui both let out a sigh of relief at the same time.
Chen Qu went to see Cui Thirteen to arrange for sending a message.
Chen Xiaofeng thought for a moment, then followed him: "Mr. Chen, I'll go with you! I'm not like Uncle Duan, who has been traveling back and forth between Zhengding and Kyoto twice in just a few days..."
※
Sisters and brothers, due to the Qingming Festival, I have to go back for a trip. Today, I only managed to write this chapter intermittently. The update on April 2nd can only be supplemented in these few days.
Sorry for standing you up!
※