Chapter 295: Chapter 120 Thousands of Doors and Windows Glowing in the Sun_3
Qingfeng cautiously asked, "Sir, do you suspect that Doctor Lu is actually Lu Min?"
He didn’t speak. After a while, he folded the secret letter carefully and carelessly tossed it into the charcoal brazier at his feet.
In the faintly glowing embers of the brazier, the letter flashed momentarily before turning into countless tiny ashes and disappearing without a trace.
Sitting up straight, he reached out to part the window crack, and the cold wind from outside swept in, casting a layer of chill over his handsome face and eyes.
After a long moment, Pei Yunmeng answered, "Indeed, I suspect she is Lu Min."
"But merely because of the surname Lu..." Qingfeng hesitated, "after so many years, there has been no news about Miss Lu San. Perhaps the other party is just acting under the name of Miss Lu San, or maybe there is someone else behind the scenes."
"By Miss Lu San alone, it would be difficult to achieve such an extent."
Qingfeng couldn’t imagine how a seventeen-year-old girl, after wandering for many years, could rush to Shengjing alone upon discovering a bloodbath at home and kill all those involved one by one.
If she did not have assistance, it would be impossible for one person to do all this. But if there was someone helping her from behind, who would do such a thing, and for what purpose were they using her?
Merely relying on a heart set on revenge, a commoner standing against the powerful, even making a move on the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion...
If it were really so, Qingfeng would rather believe that Lu Tong and Lu Min were two different people, otherwise, it would be rather frightening.
"Maybe," Pei Yunmeng said indifferently, "maybe someone is helping her."
He stood up and picked up the knife on the table, "I’m going out for a bit."
"Sir..." Qingfeng quickly turned around.
"You’ve worked hard these past days," Pei Yunmeng patted his shoulder, "today is New Year’s Eve, go home and rest."
Qingfeng watched his retreating figure, hesitated for a moment, and swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Shengjing’s winter always brought snow.
The streets outside were jade white, with the occasional sound of firecrackers faintly echoing through the streets and alleys. Walking by, one could see the remains of firecrackers, their colorful streamers and embers resting in the snow piles, casting a vibrant red glow.
The taverns on the market streets had closed their doors, with only a few still open for business. Under the eaves, a row of Red Lanterns hung like a string of fire dragons, while every household’s front door was adorned with the image of the God of Wealth, the air filled with a festive and joyful atmosphere.
There were few pedestrians on the street, aside from children wearing new clothes and setting off firecrackers, and patrons returning from deep alleys with wine in tow, rarely did others pass by. The usually bustling Shengjing City seemed much quieter overnight, but that was actually another kind of warmth.
A mother and daughter approached, the mother dressed in an emerald green long coat, carrying a silver wine jug in her arms, with her daughter, about seventeen or eighteen, by her side. The girl was dazzling in a bright silver-red mink coat, adorned with pearls and jewels, exceptionally radiant and beautiful as she walked, chatting and laughing with her mother.
As the girl spoke, she looked up and saw a young man approaching. Struck by his graceful demeanor and extraordinary good looks, she blushed, hurrying past with her head down, clinging to her mother.
Pei Yunmeng’s eyes half-closed.
On New Year’s Eve, the start of the new year, even the poorest of families would make a few bright new clothes for their children, hoping for good fortune.
The girl who just passed by, with her silver-red mink coat reflecting off the white snow on the streets, made her look as if her face was blossoming like peach flowers, strikingly attractive. Yet, for some reason, another face gradually appeared before his eyes.
A slightly pale, beautiful yet cold face.
Lu Tong always wore old clothes.
Even her new clothes were mostly of dark colors like deep blue or autumn hues, and she often wore white, which was snow-white silk, plain clothing with cold embroidery. She did not care for wearing hairpins or jewelry either, and the flower hairpins she had pawned from Qinghe Street’s shop, she had never worn them once.
She had many velvet flowers made from silk handkerchiefs in various colors, including parrot green, osmanthus yellow, and also white.
When she was dressed in a jade white silk robe with white flowers pinned by her temples, it would always bring out an indescribable chill in her beautiful eyes. He had heard Chi Jian mention that Lu Tong’s dress was too simple and austere, but Duan Xiaoyan said, "To be beautiful in mourning clothes, what do you know?"
To be beautiful in mourning clothes...
So, she truly was wearing mourning clothes.
No wonder she was in mourning clothes.
Pei Yunmeng’s steps halted.
Fine snow, like gravel, sprinkled down from the sky, some of it landing on the young man’s shoulders.
In the secret letter brought back by Qingfeng, it was mentioned that Lady Lu had a particularly perilous childbirth with Lu Min, who was weak and often ill after birth. Because of this, the Lu Family doted on this daughter exceptionally and had never given up looking for her all these years.
Miss Lu San, Lu Min, disappeared during an epidemic in Changwu County eight years ago, at the age of nine. If Lu Tong was truly Lu Min, in these eight years she would have grown up to be calm, decisive, and firm, with medical skills rivaling those of even the Medical Officers of the Imperial Academy, uncovering the truth and rushing to Shengjing alone to seek vengeance. That conviction and journey could not be the result of an ordinary eight years.