It was dreary and oppressive, and in the evening, a bolt of lightning finally tore through the sky, and then a rain fell.

Wen Zhesang put on a coat and got up to close the window, and a few drops of bean-sized raindrops rode in the wind and landed on the envelope pressed by the inkstone, blurring off the water stains. Only then did she remember that she had been busy all day, and she hadn't had time to read this urgent letter from Shangjing.

She picked out the wick to make the candle shine brighter. There were a few words on the letterhead, and she chewed on it, only to realize the word "quick return". But when she saw the payment, it was not her father, but the monarch who was far away in the palace.

The words in the letter were vague, probably because he was afraid of being intercepted by thieves on the road and fearing that the news would be leaked.

Lightning and thunder thundered in the dark sky, heavy rain poured down, and the wind also tugged at the branches in the yard, shouting and raging.

She burned the letter, not knowing where to go next. She knew that if it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, the emperor would not have sent a secret letter from afar, but now that she thought about it, she only vaguely felt that it was related to that group of mountain bandits.

Who the hell are those?

was having a headache, Wen Zhesang suddenly heard the sound of "tuk tuk" in the wind and rain, and the sound was very close to her. She listened closely, and saw that the sound was coming from the window—it was raining heavily. She got up and opened the window, and the howling wind swept in a cloud of emerald in the raindrops.

The little kingfisher was blown over by the wind, and plunged into it, but fortunately Wen Zhisang raised his hand to stop him, and then stabilized his body.

Wen Zhesang laughed in his heart, feeling that this kingfisher was a little familiar, but the kingfishers in the world all looked the same, but they were not as easy to distinguish as humans. She closed the window and said to herself: "On such a stormy night, you bird is not hiding from the rain in the nest, how can you find me?" ”

The birds on the left and right can't speak, so she should only relieve herself of boredom.

But the bird was restless, shook its body and threw the raindrops off, and then rampaged through the house under Wen Zhesang's nose. One moment knocked down a tea cup, another time hit the curtain, and it couldn't get out after a lot of effort, so anxious that it "chirped" and called.

Finally, the little kingfisher broke through the restraints, rushed to the door in a daze, and then wandered away at the door.

"You want me to open the door?" As soon as Wen Zhesang reached the door, the little kingfisher stopped calling, but flapped its wings and hovered around her hand, pecking lightly from time to time.

"Got it." Wen Zhisang raised her hand, and a cold wind squeezed in through the crack in the door, and the blade cut into her hand. She was suddenly blessed with a blessed heart......

A thunderclap exploded in the sky, followed by lightning flashing across the courtyard.

"You're here." The sound of the rain drowned out the sound of the door opening, and as soon as Wen Zhesang opened the door, the little kingfisher rushed out, and the two little paws grabbed Xie Yikou's shoulders tightly and stood steadily.

The place under the eaves at the door was wet with rain, Wen Zhesang didn't know how long Xie Yikou had been standing outside the door, and he was still wearing the clothes he had left that day, but the clothes were already soaked. He also had water stains on his face, and a few strands of hair stuck to his face, reminding him of a kitten he had found in the palace many years ago, abandoned in a torrential rain.

The water droplets slid down the corners of Xie Yikou's eyes, and Wen Zhesang saw him smiling, still so uninhibited: "It's stormy outside, I wonder if you can let your subordinates hide?" ”

Wen Zhesang felt that his words were a pun.

She glanced at the little kingfisher, which was as steady as Tarzan, and stepped out of the way, "It just so happens that I have something to ask you, Chief Xie." ”

Xie Yikou's footsteps into the house did not stop at all, it is estimated that he has already seen Baili Song or Jiang Weixi, and knows that his identity has been exposed.

Xie Yikou took off her coat and was still at the door, saying that she was afraid that the water stains brought into the house would stain her place. The tea was still hot, and Wen Zhesang found the clothes he wore when he was a man, and asked Xie Yikou to change them.

Suddenly, the two listened to the sound of the wind and rain and sat opposite each other.

"What's going on these days?" Wen Zhesang asked. She asked a general question, and as long as Xie Yikou's answer was reasonable, she would believe it—it was simply unprincipled.

"A lot." Xie Yikou rubbed the teacup, his gaze gradually deepened, "I'm afraid that if there are too many things to talk about, adults will be impatient to listen." I'd better tell the adults first, Baili Song and Jiang Weixi, or more than ten people in the Shantang, have left Qingfeng County tonight. I went to Jiang Weixi earlier, and I heard him talk about the things in the county in the past few days, and I am very grateful that my brother has been saved. But today, I also see a clue that leaving them in Qingfeng County will always make the people vigilant and suspicious, so it is better to leave at all. ”

Wen Zhesang nodded slightly, but his brows furrowed: "There is still a group of mountain bandits outside, and I am afraid it is not safe to leave at this time." ”

Xie Yikou lowered his eyes, and suddenly chuckled: "This is exactly what my subordinates want to say to adults...... I've ...... Descended He Qiuping. I don't hide it from my lords, those people arrested me just to persuade me to join them, not only that, but they are willing to push me to be the leader, there are hundreds of them, even if they occupy an entire mountain, it is more than enough. From now on, I can reign as the king of the mountain and do whatever I want, and I will no longer be constrained. As for Jiang Weixi's people, they can go wherever they want, I am more than them, and there are many less of them. ”

"How long have you been in the imperial court?" Unexpectedly, Wen Zhisang didn't get angry, she just closed her eyes tiredly, "I don't believe what you said." ”

The tea is cold. Xie Yikou took a sip of bitterness, and he picked up the kingfisher on his shoulder in a boring way, "Believe it or not, it's an adult's business, subordinates...... No, I just informed the adults, if I were an adult, I would not continue to stay in Qingfeng County, but return to Beijing as soon as possible...... An An is divided into a famous lady. ”

He smiled and said: "With the appearance of an adult, you will always marry a good family, marry each other and teach children, and have a smooth life." Why bother to make a thankless prefectural order? But I've heard that they slander adults for some unfounded gossip, how can such a stupid person be worth the adult's effort? ”

Wen Zhesang opened his eyes to look at him, and Xie Yikou also looked at her without fear, one was indignant and the other was arrogant.

She wrinkled her eyebrows, her expression became a little incredulous, she wanted to see something from his face, "They killed Master Miao, killed the woodcutter, and ...... Your brethren on the Kasumi Mountains. ”

"It is not a pity for a useless person to die." He poured a sip of cold tea and suppressed the fire in his heart, "As for the other two people that the adults said, they were just unlucky and caught up, and the adults can regard their deaths as He Qiuping's disappointment to the adults." Now that we are about to separate, I will tell you another piece of news as a parting gift with your adult. Shang Nanyun bought a few people to spread the rumors of adults, although there were also people from the yamen involved, but Xia Zhi in prison was just an outcast. Adults don't have the ability to see people very well. ”

Wen Zhesang looked at him silently, for a long time, and also took a sip of cold tea, "I know, you treat me as stupid, but I don't know that I know everything." She wants to get rid of the summer solstice, she wants to get rid of the control of Mrs. Shui, I can't pull the Imperial Doctor's Mansion into the water at this time, I can only fulfill her wish. Today, I received a secret letter from Shangjing, telling me to return to Beijing as soon as possible. But you are right, now I know nothing about your purpose or intentions, and even those who are far away in Shangjing have noticed something, and I seem to be blindfolded and cannot see anything. What did I do? I can't do anything! ”

Maybe the residual tea taste in his mouth is too astringent, or maybe the wind and rain tonight are too cold, Wen Zhesang dropped the tea cup, but the sound of breaking was almost inaudible in the sound of the rainstorm.

"Get out." She said.

No matter how heavy the rainstorm is, there will be a time when it will stop. Xie Yikou thought so, and got up to leave. He was still flamboyant and presumptuous, knowing that there was a downpour of rain and lightning and thunder outside the door, but he was fearless.

"Many people laugh at me, obviously I am a daughter but I have a whimsical desire to be an official, and people in Beijing also say that if it were not for the emperor's preference, I would never have been able to enter the ranks. When I first arrived, I thought that as long as I persisted, as long as I did a good job, they would change their mindset, but then I found out that it didn't work. You're right, I'm a woman, I don't have anything long, it's better to go back to Beijing, go back, get married and have children in a proper manner, and then continue to be trapped in the Gaomen compound. I looked up, no matter how much I envied the vast sky, and I could only see a narrow sky, such a small place, that even half a cloud could not be accommodated. ”

The candle shed tears, but the wick burned even brighter.

Xie Yikou walked forward, and nothing could stop him.

In the second half of the night, the sound of rain became quieter.

The fire in Wen Zhesang's room was never extinguished, and when the candle was lit, a faint figure would be reflected in the window. The little kingfisher nested outside the window, and hated the rain, so he shrunk himself into a small ball and hid pitifully in the corner.

At the end of the day, the rain stopped. When Wen Zhisang woke up, the candle had been extinguished, and there was only darkness in his eyes.

At that time, she saw a light outside the window.

Xie Yikou took Jiang Weixi, Baili Song and more than a dozen people from Shantang to leave, Wen Zhesang only mentioned one or two sentences unintentionally, and no one saw the clues.

Since the arrest of Xia Zhi and the punishment of He Dacheng and a few others, there have been a lot less rumors in the county, and when Dongxue happily talked to her, she only raised her eyelids, and then continued to deal with official business.

However, a few days later, the people talked about the bandits outside. Wen Zhesang promised that there would be imperial soldiers and horses coming in half a month, but seeing that there were only less than five days left before half a month, he didn't hear any wind and horses from the imperial court. Not only that, but the mountain bandits haven't made any moves recently, as if they have disappeared.

"Xia Solstice committed suicide in prison." In just a few days, the county no longer smells the fragrance of osmanthus flowers. Wen Zhesang told Shui Yanwei the news.

Shui Yanwei looked surprised: "The summer solstice is actually ...... I knew she had a strong temperament, but I didn't expect her to think about it. Sister Wen, she has a bad relationship with me, can you let me bury her? ”

Wen Zhesang nodded, "Naturally." She glanced at it casually, saw the rouge on the dressing table, and said casually, "You have been a lot more cautious these days, and when you see her corpse, you can rest assured." ”

"What Sister Wen is talking about, why can't I understand?" Shui Yanwei's face was puzzled, but the corners of her mouth were raised, she saw that she couldn't fool Wen Zhesang, so she laughed, "It's my mistake, I shouldn't be joking with Sister Wen." ”