mtl008 Chapter 77: This cup, no words needed
Chapter 77: This cup, no words needed
Listening to Zhao Tinglan talking about her past, Lin Lezhi was fascinated and walked to the table and sat down again.
From the beginning to the end, the three of them did not move their chopsticks or the wine in front of them, they just listened quietly.
Zhao Tinglan did not deliberately vent her suffering, but simply narrated what she had encountered, seen and heard. However, even from these plain words, one could feel the loneliness buried deep in her heart.
Met too much, lost too much...
After staring at the orchid picture for a long time, Zhao Tinglan withdrew her gaze from the orchid picture, then looked at the three people sitting at the table, smiled gently and said: "This is the whole story of how Xing Haocang and I met. Thank you three gentlemen for listening to my story."
"It's just..." Zhao Tinglan walked slowly to the table and sat down, with guilt in her eyes, she said: "Although I have never killed anyone, I have never thought that because of my own stubbornness, I have harmed the lives of others. To this day, I don't know whether what I did was right or wrong."
"Whatever your heart desires, there is no right or wrong."
Zhao Tinglan smiled and said, "Could it be that Master Jiang has other opinions?"
"It's not my opinion. The fact that this injustice was redressed thirteen years later is the result of the joint efforts of everyone involved. It's also the best I could do."
"He Yuqing is, Sun Wan'er is, Shi Peng is, Rong Dong is, and so are you, Mother Zhao."
"A hairpin is inconspicuous, but Mother Zhao spotted it in the crowd at a glance. She used it to discern my identity, concealed it for me, and helped me investigate the case."
"Mother Zhao said that she was happy when she saw the hairpin. I guess what she was happy about was not the hairpin, but the person behind it."
There was a slight movement in Zhao Tinglan's eyes.
That summer, the breeze was blowing gently. Two girls were among the flowers, playfully chasing butterflies. At the moment they turned around to run away, a butterfly actually landed on Su Li's plum blossom hairpin.
It makes people happy when they see it.
After a moment of silence, Zhao Tinglan picked up the wine glass and shook the unfinished wine in it slightly. Then she smiled and said softly, "Mr. Jiang, what you said seems to be distancing yourself from me. Can it be that... Tinglan saw that you were handsome, so she paid more attention to you and looked at you a few more times?"
Lin Lezhi didn't know how to respond for a moment, so he could only smile awkwardly and said, "It would be a shame not to drink such good wine." Then he drank the wine in his glass.
"puff-!"
Lin Lezhi looked towards the source of the noise. Xiao Yihuo and Qingchuan were both covering their faces and laughing in tacit understanding, with no intention of hiding anything.
Lin Lezhi is always frivolous and out of tune, and it's quite amusing to see him being caught by words.
Noticing Lin Lezhi looking at him, Qingchuan quickly cleared his throat, while Xiao Yihuo coughed a few times, then picked up the folding fan from the table and shook it gently, just covering the lower half of his face.
Don’t think you can’t see it just because it’s blocked!
Lin Lezhi complained in his heart.
In order to ease the embarrassment, Lin Lezhi quickly stood up, added another glass to everyone's glass, and said with a smile: "Don't just sit there, drink some wine."
Zhao Tinglan smiled, then stood up, raised his glass and said gratefully: "The three gentlemen risked their lives to help clear this case. Tinglan is grateful. This glass of wine is in honor of the three of you."
After saying that, Zhao Tinglan drank the wine in the glass, and Lin Lezhi and the other two also drank the wine in their glasses.
After finishing the drink, Zhao Tinglan sat down, with a hint of confusion in her eyes. She was afraid of disturbing Jiang Lian'an, but she couldn't let it go without asking. Finally, Zhao Tinglan looked at Jiang Lian'an and asked in a panic, "I wonder... Mr. Jiang, can you answer another question for Tinglan?"
Seeing Zhao Tinglan's expression, Lin Lezhi already understood what was going on, but he still said, "Mother Zhao, you can ask if you want."
"I want to ask... then... is Li Weisheng the son of Xing Haocang, Xing Tianqi?"
"That's right." Lin Lezhi said bluntly without any intention of hiding anything.
After getting this answer, Zhao Tinglan's whole expression finally relaxed, but there was still loneliness in her eyes. Then Zhao Tinglan lowered her eyes and asked, "Can I know where his body is buried?"
"He was buried with He Yuqing under the red bean tree beside the Jade Dragon Waterfall."
Zhao Tinglan lowered her eyes to hide the emotions flowing in her eyes, and said with a smile: "This is the best."
He Yuqing's poem, 'I hope you will look at me and think of me, my longing for you will last me the rest of my life.'
Yuqing waited for thirteen years and finally got a look from Li Weisheng.
Heaven and earth are my witnesses, and my life is my oath.
Qingchuan took out the Xing family's jade seal from his bosom. He had kept it with him since returning from Yarenzhuang. He handed it to Zhao Tinglan and said, "Mother Zhao, Xing Haocang is your friend. I think it is most appropriate for you to keep this jade seal."
Looking at the jade seal in front of her, a hint of nostalgia rose in her eyes, but Zhao Tinglan did not reach out to take it. Instead, she smiled and shook her head and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Master Qingchuan. However, leaving this jade seal in my mind will only increase my longing. Besides... I already have the best gift he gave me."
Zhao Tinglan tilted her head slightly, and the orchid painting on the wall sparkled brightly.
"Sorry, I made a mistake."
"Master Qingchuan was also thinking about Tinglan. Tinglan was so happy that he didn't say anything wrong."
Zhao Tinglan looked at the jade seal in Qingchuan's hand and smiled, "Young Master is a pure and indifferent person, and has a heart to help the world. Tinglan admires him and is even more worthy of Runyu's company. This jade seal is a gift from you to Tinglan... Please accept it for Tinglan."
Qingchuan nodded slightly and said, "In that case, Qingchuan thanks Mama Zhao for her kindness."
Zhao Tinglan tightened her hands under her body, then stood up and filled everyone's glass with wine. She raised her glass and walked to Xiao Yihuo and knelt down, raising her trembling hands above her head and nodding slightly.
Xiao Yihuo was startled and quickly put down the folding fan in his hand, stood up and said, "What are you doing, Madam Zhao? Please stand up."
"Your Majesty is a prince, and you suffer from an old illness, but you are willing to risk your life to restore the refugees in Linnan Prefecture to civilian status. This makes Tinglan admire you even more. Tinglan knows that she cannot repay your kindness, so I hope your Majesty will not despise this glass of wine."
Xiao Yihuo walked forward and helped Zhao Tinglan up, saying gently: "There is no need to do this. This matter was caused by the war. It is my duty to restore the status of the people."
"Mother Zhao's temperament is as elegant as an orchid and never changes. Her heart is as elegant as an orchid and never changes. This is something that no one in the world can achieve. I admire you. I should toast to you with this cup right now."
Xiao Yihuo's words made Zhao Tinglan stand there in a daze.
"My spirit is like orchid and never changes, my heart is like orchid and never moves" is the poem written on the orchid painting.
"Your Majesty is absolutely right!"
Lin Lezhi picked up the wine glass and helped Xiao Yihuo out by saying, "Mother Zhao prepared such a good banquet for us, we can't waste it. Mother Zhao toasted us just now, so let the three of us toast to Mother Zhao."
After saying that, the three of them stood up and toasted Mother Zhao in return.
With tears in her eyes, Mother Zhao drank the wine in the glass with a grateful smile.
Lin Lezhi refilled the glass, raised it to the air and said, "This is a toast to all those who have devoted their hearts to this."
The four of them understood and poured the full glasses of wine onto the ground at the same time.
This cup requires no words, it is the most solemn.
When preparing to leave, Lin Lezhi suddenly thought of something, turned around and looked at Zhao Tinglan and said, "Mother Zhao, I also have a favor to ask, I wonder if Mother Zhao can agree to it."
Xiao Yihuo and Qingchuan were puzzled, but they still stopped.
Zhao Tinglan smiled and said, "Mr. Jiang, please feel free to speak up. As long as Tinglan can help, I will do my best."
Lin Lezhi scratched his head and smiled, saying, "It's nothing special, I just think the blue ink prepared by Mother Zhao smells very good, I wonder if you can lend me the formula to take a look."
Zhao Tinglan raised her hands to cover her face and smiled, then responded: "It's rare that Mr. Jiang likes it. Mr. Jiang, please wait a moment."
Zhao Tinglan entered the room, took out the recipe sheet and handed it to Jiang Lian'an.
"I have memorized this recipe even without looking at it. Just take it, Mr. Jiang. You don't have to return it to me."
"Thank you very much, Mother Zhao. I will treasure it well."
Back in the room of the inn, Lin Lezhi stared at the recipe in his hand for a long time. It was just some common ingredients for making graphite. The only difference was that essential oil extracted from orchids was added to the ink.
Could it be that I am overthinking it?
Lin Lezhi took out the thin bamboo that he had taken from Shi Peng's body from his sleeve.
That day, when Shi Peng committed suicide in Yaren Village, he whispered two words in his ear, "Bamboo..."
At that time, Lin Lezhi was afraid of being discovered too early, so he did not take it away, nor did he even look at him. It was not until the coffin was about to be closed that he took it from Shi Peng's waist with the help of a blind spot.
Without the sharp blade in the bamboo, it is now just a hollow bamboo.
What exactly did Shi Peng want to tell himself?
Lin Lezhi looked carefully at the oil lamp on the table and found that there were traces of cuts on the joints of the bamboo. Lin Lezhi's eyes darkened slightly. He looked at the door and after confirming that there was no sound outside, he gently separated the joints of the bamboo.
The moment they separated, something fell out from inside and made a slight sound when it landed on the table.
Lin Lezhi looked closely and saw that it was an extremely thin needle with some black blood stains on it.
Lin Lezhi found it difficult to understand Shi Peng's intention for the time being, but since Shi Peng left this item behind, he must have his own reasons, so he should keep it in a safe place first.
but……
There is one thing that must be confirmed right now.
It was late at night, everyone in the inn had fallen asleep and no one was passing by on the road. Finding the right moment, Lin Lezhi sneaked out of the backyard of the inn.
I walked carefully all the way to the abandoned house.
Fortunately, the government has not yet unsealed the abandoned house, so there is no one in it.
After making sure that there was no one around, Lin Lezhi carefully removed the seal on the wooden door, gently pushed open the door of the abandoned house, walked into the house, and then gently closed the door.
Facing the moonlight, Lin Lezhi paced in the abandoned house.
After walking for a while, Lin Lezhi stopped in the courtyard, then closed his eyes and recalled the layout of the houses in Yarenzhuang in his mind.
The banyan tree appeared in front of Lin Lezhi.
Yarenzhuang faces south and the banyan tree is located on the west side.
The abandoned house faces north and south.
Lin Lezhi opened his eyes and searched the yard, and finally his eyes fell on the middle of the house on the left.
Compared with other houses, that house is very inconspicuous.
Although it is inconspicuous, it is in the same position as the banyan tree. Since the shape of this place is the same as that of Yaren Village, it means that there must be a building in the same position as the banyan tree.
Lin Lezhi walked slowly to the inconspicuous house and stopped.
Before coming here, Lin Lezhi had been thinking that, from what the third in command Liang Gaocheng said, it was they themselves who discovered that He Yuqing was poisoned by Fu Sheng Zui, and then went to Yulong Village to destroy the body, which meant that it was not Xing Tianqi who hired the killer to kill her.
But if that was the case, why didn't Xing Tianqi explain and just bear the charge of hiring a killer for no reason?
And according to the conversation between Shi Peng and the second in command, the second in command said that he saw Xing Tianqi commit suicide by the river with his own eyes.
If what the Second In Command said was correct, thirteen years ago, Li Weisheng and Xing Tianqi were discovered by the Second In Command, who then hunted them down. The person who actually committed suicide in front of the Second In Command was Li Weisheng, not Xing Tianqi.
Xing Tianqi did not explain this either.
unless……
He has secrets he wants to hide.
And it was this secret that made him want to kill.
Just as Xing Haocang was in the position of the owner of Xing Manor, he had his own reasons.
What Xing Haocang couldn't escape, Xing Tianqi couldn't escape either.
The man in black who was seen leaving the abandoned house by Zhao Tinglan and Rong Dong was most likely Xing Tianqi. The night when Shi Peng entered the abandoned house through the hole, he saw that everyone in the yard looked drunk, which was most likely the work of Xing Tianqi.
He had not left Changluan County at that time, but was hiding in this abandoned house.
Zhao Tinglan said that she smelled a familiar fragrance in the abandoned house, which was the same smell as in her previous mother's room in Chunhua Building. Her previous mother often talked nonsense and walked like she was drunk.
No matter how you look at it, this symptom is caused by drunkenness.
But Fu Sheng Zui should have a strong musky smell, but Zhao Tinglan said it was just a light fragrance.
Lin Lezhi walked forward and pushed open the door. As soon as he opened it, he smelled a faint fragrance, but if he didn't smell it carefully, it would be easy to ignore this faint smell.
Lin Lezhi walked into the room, which was pitch black. He took out the fire starter from his arms and took a quick look at it.
Because the room was small, one could see everything in a glance. The furnishings in the room were not much different. Lin Lezhi touched a corner of the table, raised his hand and looked, and there was not much dust on his fingers.
Although no one had entered the house for more than ten years, there was not much dust.
The refugees in the abandoned house all live in the houses in the front. The houses at the back are basically uninhabited. There is no need to clean such small and inconspicuous houses.
Li Weisheng is Xing Tianqi, so everything can be explained.
Xing Tianqi could have taken advantage of the time to return to his hometown to pay tribute to He Yuqing and come back here.
There is only one reason why it is so clean, to hide the traces left behind.
Lin Lezhi took out a tinderbox and looked around the room. There was nothing in plain sight that could emit a fragrance, but there were many paintings hanging on the wall.
Lin Lezhi leaned closer to one of the paintings and took a look. It was a picture of orchids.
Whether in terms of brushwork or shape and rhythm, it should be the hand of Xing Haocang.
Just as Lin Lezhi was about to look at other paintings, he suddenly heard a faint breathing sound behind him, and the fire starter in his hand swayed slightly.
Lin Lezhi held his breath and then he remembered that he had forgotten to close the door.