Denghuaxiao

Chapter 228 Assassination

 Debt?

 Everyone in the temple was immediately attracted by Cuicui's words. Someone asked: "What kind of debt?"

Cuicui said: "See for yourselves, it's carved on the wall, it's clear -"

 Lu Zhen suddenly raised his eyes.

 The medical officers beside him became curious, took oil lamps, walked over to Cuicui and squatted down.

It’s been cloudy every day in southern Jiangsu, and it’s snowing again today. There’s not even a hint of sun. The main door of the temple is half closed, and the temple is as dark as night. The nearest medical officer put the oil lamp close to the wall, and under the altar table and in front of the statue, he wrote a line of large characters deeply:

I have just borrowed two taels of silver from the name of the seventeenth girl. The interest will be delivered at any time. I am afraid that I will not be able to prove it. I will make this loan and deposit it in the name of Yongchang. In the 35th year of the Great Cold, I made the loan to the assassin young master.

 The handwriting engraved on the wall is sharp and beautiful.

 It was the "Assassin Master" and "Seventeenth Girl" who were looking at it, quite jokingly.

“The Great Cold in the 35th year of Yongchang...” Cai Fang was stunned, “Six years ago?”

 This is a debt note from six years ago.

 During the great cold six years ago, who had been here? Who carved debt notes on the mottled walls, and carefully blocked them completely with an offering table.

Lu Zong was sitting in the crowd, looking at the people around him in amazement, and couldn't help but feel in a trance.

six years ago…

 She still remembers that great cold day.

She asked the man in black for money but failed, and instead got a worthless silver ring. In the end, she was so upset that she forced the man to write a debt note on the wall.

At that time, she had not grown up and was not as tall as she is now. When she bent down and crawled under the altar table to ask the other party to carve words on the wall, the other party just looked at her with a mixture of laughter and laughter.

 “So hidden?”

"Of course." The young Lu Zhuo looked at him solemnly: "If it is written in a conspicuous place and someone sees it daubed, the debt will be immediately voided. Naturally, you have to find a place where it is not easy for others to find it."

The man in black reminded: "But this is a temple wall in southern Sunan. Next time you ask me to collect a debt, are you going to scrape off the wall and bring it to Shengjing?"

"Who said it must be scraped off?" Lu Huo retorted: "Maybe, you and I will go back to this place in the future. By then, both human and material evidence will be there. I hope you won't go back on your word."

He sneered and cursed: "The heart of a villain." But he followed the instructions and bent down under the altar table, found a sharp stone on the ground and carved it on the wall.

His calligraphy is very beautiful, and each stroke is full of character. Lu Zhuo watched his carvings and thought to himself that if his father were here, he would definitely ask him for a calligraphy to force her to practice calligraphy.

 When he reached the borrower, the man in black stopped and asked, "What's your name?"

 “Seventeen.”

 “Seventeen?”

 “What’s the problem?” she answered calmly, “I am the seventeenth child in my family.”

He glanced at her and said lazily: "Okay, seventeen is seventeen."

The commotion beside her brought her back to her senses. Lu Yan raised his eyes, looked past the crowd, and met Pei Yunying's gaze.

 He sat next to Chang Jin, surrounded by people who were talking about it. The young man looked indifferent, and his dark eyes looked at him with a dark look.

She had long forgotten about that debt. The picture of Sunan back then was just a glimpse in this busy life. Six years have passed, and the statues in the temple have become more and more dilapidated. The temple doors have been repaired and demolished, and many people come and go to rest here. But the debt note engraved in the corner of the wall suddenly came to light unexpectedly after being carefully hidden for many years.

 It is still there.

 Clear, new, as clear as yesterday.

"Ah! Having said that, I remembered something!" Li Wenhu, who was sitting by the gate, suddenly shouted, "There has been a ghost in our temple!"

 When he said this, everyone looked at him. Cai Fang was confused: "What is haunting?"

Li Wenhu scratched his head and said: "The execution ground is under my control. It's natural that you don't know. About ten years ago, or even earlier, I don't remember, the Sunan execution ground was often haunted."

Cuicui climbed into her father's arms and stared at him with wide eyes. Chang Jin was confused: "What kind of haunting method?"

“Ahem,” Li Wenhu glanced around, then lowered his voice and whispered: “There are ghosts eating corpses in the Sunan execution ground.”

There was a gust of wind outside. As soon as these words came out, everyone couldn't help but tremble.

"I was responsible for taking care of the execution ground at that time. Those executed prisoners who still had people at home would spend a few dollars to take away the bodies and bury them by themselves. Some of them had no relatives or any relatives, or they had committed serious crimes and their families didn't want to take care of them, so the bodies were abandoned. In the graveyard behind the execution site."

“Later, I discovered several times that there was something wrong with the discarded corpses. Either they lacked hearts and lungs, or they lacked livers and intestines.”

Li Wenhu said quietly: "At first, I thought it was like being eaten by wild dogs down the mountain, but then I felt something was wrong. How can wild dogs be so picky about food? They only took out a little heart and liver at a time, and the wound didn't look like a dog bite!" "

 A medical officer cautiously asked: "Could it be man-made?"

"Listen to me." Li Wenhu was unhappy. He took a sip of hot soup to moisten his throat and continued: "Then one day, I met a little girl at the execution ground. The girl was very young, about ten years old. She was one or two years old, with a panicked look on her face. I asked her what happened, and she told me—"

"The execution ground was haunted. She saw with her own eyes that hungry ghosts were eating the corpses of condemned prisoners!"

Hearing this, the patients screamed with fear on their faces.

 The medical officers looked normal.

 “What then?” Chang Jin asked.

“Then I’ll leave.” Li Wenhu spread his hands and said, “I’m not a Taoist priest, so it’s not my responsibility to exorcise ghosts.”

Ji Xun frowned and said, "Why don't you suspect that little girl? It's strange for a little girl to suddenly appear in the execution ground. Maybe the other party lied, or maybe she was the one who caused the strangeness of the corpse."

Li Wenhu was stunned.

 The medical officers around him looked at him seriously.

He stuttered: "I, I didn't think too much. She was so young and looked so thin. She said she was lost. I gave her a piece of candy... and I... I'm also afraid of ghosts!"

When he heard that there was a ghost, he was so panicked that he didn't even dare to take another look. How could he calmly analyze the situation and notice the suspicious points on the other party?

However, in front of everyone, this ghost story has just begun, so it is best to tell it to the end. He reluctantly said: "Later, I heard that the offerings in this temple were often stolen, and someone once saw a female ghost dressed in white at night. No one dares to come here."

 The surroundings are quiet.

 The medical officers were a little disappointed.

This story was told in a vivid and exciting way at the beginning, but after analysis by the medical officers, the horror disappeared, and instead it showed Li Wenhu's original dereliction of duty.

 Lu Zhen was speechless.

Pei Yunying's eyes moved slightly. After a while, he lowered his head and smiled lightly.

 No matter how scary the story is, it makes you feel more courageous when chatting in a crowded crowd. Some people laughed: "Don't be afraid even if there are hungry ghosts. There are so many of us gathered in one place, and if things go wrong, there will still be Mr. Pei."

“It is said that fierce ghosts are afraid of swords. No matter how ferocious the female ghost is, she will be frightened when she sees Mr. Pei’s silver sword. With the master’s sword as a guard, she will not be afraid of any mountain spirits or wild monsters!”

 The patients all complimented him one after another.

Pei Yunying smiled lightly and said nothing.

A more enthusiastic woman saw that he behaved kindly and smiled, not as arrogant as the aristocratic children. She boldly asked with a smile: "Master Pei is young and I don't know if he will get married. If he doesn't get married yet, when the epidemic is over, Let Cai County Cheng make a good match with you."

　　This woman was originally a well-known matchmaker in southern Jiangsu. Cai Fang coughed slightly, but the woman did not hear her. Pei Yun curled his lips and said, "I have a sweetheart."

 Lu Zhen’s fingertips trembled.

The woman was surprised: "Who is it? Are you a matchmaker? Have you made a marriage contract?"

He played with the medicine bag in his hand and said in a neither serious nor serious tone: "It's a pity that you don't like me."

　　　…”

 The people around him were silent for a moment.

Li Wenhu looked at Cai Fang and said to him silently: "Awesome."

The woman looked at him, a little puzzled: "Don't like your Excellency? That girl has such high vision... But there is no need to worry, Your Excellency, there is no grass anywhere in the world. What kind of woman do you like? This old woman has been a matchmaker for many years. I will definitely help you find a good marriage.”

Someone else laughed and said, "Master Pei is a child of a well-known family and has a bright future. Even if he is looking for a wife, he should be a well-matched and well-matched lady. Red lady, why are you so worried?"

The woman retorted: "Who said I can't win over a noble girl? I am the second best matchmaker in Sunan City and no one dares to claim the first place, Mr. Pei." She asked Pei Yunying: "What kind of woman do you like? Quiet and lively, gentle and dignified, talented and knowledgeable, or smart and bold, there is always one you like."

 Everyone looked at him with cheers.

The young man smiled slightly, as if thinking. After a moment, he raised his head and glanced at the crowded crowd, as if he was joking.

 “It doesn’t matter whether you have a family or not.”

 “I am a superficial person and I like good-looking people.”

 The booing around them became louder, accompanied by good-natured banter. Lu Chen put the empty bowl on the ground, stood up and went out.

Ji Xun saw this, thought about it, and walked out.

It is still snowing outside, and the snow is heavier than in the early morning. Looking from the direction of the execution ground, Luomei Peak is all silvery white.

 Big snowflakes fell on her, and they melted quickly, leaving only a piece of ice.

 The sound of footsteps came from behind.

Ji Xun walked to her side, followed her gaze in the direction of Luomei Peak, and asked, "Why don't you stay inside?"

“There are too many people and I feel stuffy. Come out and get some fresh air.”

Ji Xun nodded, and Lu Yan asked, "Why are you coming out too?"

 “I have something to tell you.”

 Lu Zong looked at him.

"Yesterday, Magistrate Cai County said that since the anti-plague medicine was put into the wells, the number of new people infected with the plague in southern Jiangsu has decreased." Ji Xun said: "The incense and medicine sachets also have the effect of anti-plague, but at least the plague has not continued to spread. ”

 Lu Huo: “It’s a good thing.”

"It's true for the other people in southern Jiangsu, but it's not true for them." Ji Xun looked at the place where he could see. Through the half-opened door, there was faint laughter and the aroma of hot soup, showing a strange atmosphere in the ice and snow. A boiling warmth.

 “None of the sick people recovered from the disease.”

 Lu Yan was silent.

Ji Xun sighed: "Although the speed of death has slowed down, you will still die in the end. Doctor Chang Zheng asked me before, why not use a new medicine."

Lu Zhen frowned: "New medicine?"

To treat the epidemic in southern Jiangsu, the medical prescriptions used by medical officials were all based on the nine-legged treatment methods in the Liang Dynasty's "Treatise on Current Epidemics". The patients who have been infected by the epidemic are weak. If they blindly switch to new drugs without certainty, it will stimulate the patient's condition and the consequences are unknown.

"That's exactly what the doctor wants to say, and I haven't had time to tell you yet. But this is a way now, otherwise all the patients in the hospital will die if they can't find the right medicine."

“Cui Cui’s father heard me talking about this matter with Yi Zheng yesterday, and he is willing to take the initiative to be the first person to try the new medicine.”

 Lu Zhuo looked at him sharply: "You want him to try the medicine?"

Her eyes suddenly turned sharp. Ji Xun was startled for a moment, wondering why she was so excited. He only said: "This is also an opportunity for him. It was Cuicui's father who took the initiative. Besides, we don't use medicine blindly..."

　　Lu Huo interrupted him: "The test medicines are different."

“I don’t agree with using untried medicine on people without mentioning whether the consequences are really effective. It may cause deeper pain, not to mention that he is a patient.”

 She objected firmly.

Ji Xun paused.

When he was in the medical hospital, he always thought that Lu Huo was aggressive and domineering in using medicine and his prescriptions were extremely bold. He thought Lu Yan would agree to the experiment without hesitation, but he didn't expect her to object so fiercely.

"If he can successfully try out a new drug, Cuicui may have a chance of survival in the future. If not, everyone in the hospital will eventually die. Medical Officer Lu, we have been in southern Jiangsu for so long, and we have not cured a single patient yet. You It’s a doctor. He clearly knows that this move is not entirely harmless, so why don’t you wake up to this?”

Lu Zhen looked at him, was silent for a while, and said, "Because it's painful to be a medicine man."

Ji Xun was stunned.

“Physical pain aside, fear of the unknown will destroy everything.”

She said: "I know what you say is reasonable, but I cannot agree with you."

 After saying that, I didn’t say any more to him, turned around and left.

As soon as I turned around, I saw a man standing at the door of Fusuo.

Pei Yunying stood in front of the house. He was wearing a black-scaled guard uniform without a cloak, and large snowflakes were falling on him. The deeper wind and snow blurred his vision, making it difficult to see his expression clearly. He had been standing here for an unknown period of time.

In the silver-white flying catkins that filled the sky, on one side was Ji Xun who was about to speak but on the other side was Pei Yunying who was watching her quietly. Lu Xu was silent for a moment, then turned around and walked towards the medicine basket in front of the hospital.

 Having only taken two steps, someone came running from a distance.

It was a man wearing a government uniform, holding a small basket in his hand, and said to Lu Huan: "Medical Officer Lu, this is the medicine bag that should be changed today. Take a look."

The medicine bags for the patients in the hospital had to be replaced every now and then. Lu Zhu picked up the medicine bags and checked whether there was any damage inside. The yamen servant stood aside and waited.

As she turned over the medicine bags, she asked casually: "These medicine bags have been used for ten days. After using them today, they should be destroyed and replaced with new bags."

 Yamen: “Yes.”

 She glanced at the Yamen servant.

There are only a dozen or so people under Cai Fang's command in the Sunan County Government Office. Lu Zhuo has seen most of them when he goes to avoid plague incense every day. This person looks ordinary now and would not be noticed in a crowd. , but for some reason, the alarm bells sounded in Lu Zhen's heart, and his intuition stopped.

 She asked: "I don't think I've seen you before?"

The yamen officer was stunned for a moment and replied: "I used to work with Lieutenant Li to keep people in peace in the city, so the medical officer has never seen me."

Lu Zhen stared at him closely: "What's your name?"

 “Back to the medical officer, my name is...”

The man licked his lips, and the next moment, a cold light flashed through, and the tip of a dagger suddenly appeared from the yamen servant's sleeve, and it came straight towards Lu Zhuo's chest without mercy!

　　To express your hidden love with all your heart in a crowd of friends (no)

　　(End of this chapter)