Chapter 146: Chapter 78 Freedom Lark_3
Du Changqing’s mouth twitched, and he responded casually, "Yes, yes, yes, but I heard from Sister Song that you were taken away by a government officer. When were you released?"
All the scholars and commoners involved in the brawl that day had been taken away by the government officers, and because of this incident, they had enraged the public. It was after this that Scholar Wu’s essay, "Mountain Sprouts and Ravine Pines," began to spread throughout Shengjing.
Official Hu shook his head and said, "The master at the Trial Court who arrests people has his own problems to worry about. I reckon he’s in trouble himself now, so how could he bother with us? We were all released yesterday afternoon."
Lu Tong was writing a prescription with his head down. Upon hearing this, his eyes flickered slightly, "Is that so?"
"Absolutely true!"
After the incident at the Tribute Court, many officials from the Ministry of Rites were investigated, and the Trial Court was implicated as well. Examiner Official Fan Zhenglian was arrested, and although the Fan Family initially tried to conceal the matter, hoping to suppress it, the situation became increasingly severe. The case involved the state examinations, and in the face of the Emperor’s thunderous wrath, no one dared to speak out for those implicated. It was uncertain whether Fan Zhenglian would be able to keep his head.
With the Trial Court itself mired in corruption, they had no interest in detaining scholars and feared that these scholars, in their anger, might block the Imperial Censor’s carriage. Thus, they were naturally released early.
Lu Tong asked, "What about Wu Youcai’s body?"
Du Changqing glanced at Lu Tong, who was writing the prescription, not noticing his expression.
Official Hu said, "I asked about it; it’s still at the Trial Court. We can take it away tomorrow. After discussing with some young friends, we’ve decided to take charge of his funeral since Youcai has no other relatives in the Capital City. We’ll bury him next to his mother."
After saying this, he sighed somewhat melancholically, "If Youcai were still alive... Ah!"
But the dead were gone, and now with the officials involved in the examination disruptions caught, Wu Youcai could only learn of this in the afterlife.
Having chatted idly for a good while, Official Hu left with Du Changqing, full of care and a basket of ointments, feeling satisfied. After he left, Du Changqing approached Lu Tong without Ah Cheng noticing and asked in a low voice, "The matter with Scholar Wu is settled, right?"
Regarding the case of Wu Youcai’s poisoning at the Tribute Court, the implicated officials had been thrown in prison, confirming the truth of Youcai’s desperation leading to his suicide by poison.
Thus, where the poison came from or who sold it was no longer important.
Lu Tong nodded.
Du Changqing finally breathed a sigh of relief, "That’s good." Then he turned back and cautioned her, "Let’s leave it at this for now. Next time, don’t be too kindhearted and help with everything. The waters of Shengjing are deep, and one must be careful not to cause serious trouble!"
While they were speaking, Xia Rongrong and Xiang Cao entered from outside. Du Changqing was taken aback, "I thought you were in the yard. Where did you go so early in the morning?"
Xiang Cao smiled and said, "Miss wanted to take a walk, so we just strolled around nearby."
Du Changqing wanted to say more, but Xia Rongrong had already turned to the side, raising her hand to her forehead, "Cousin, I’m a bit tired and would like to rest inside."
Du Changqing paused and then said, "Oh... all right."
As the two women lifted the felt curtain and entered the inner room, Du Changqing furrowed his brows and looked at Lu Tong suspiciously, "Hey, she doesn’t even bother to look at you when she speaks. How long will you two be at odds? What’s it all about?"
In recent days, Xia Rongrong had been avoiding Lu Tong like the plague, and today she hadn’t even greeted her, which was truly strange.
Lu Tong looked down, recalling the glimpse of the white jade bracelet hidden beneath Xia Rongrong’s sleeve earlier. The bracelet was glossy and exquisite, obviously very valuable.
She pursed her lips and said, "I don’t know."
At the same time, inside the room, Xia Rongrong quickly shut the door, walked to the couch in a few steps, and her complexion turned deathly pale.
"Miss, you were too tense just now; you must be careful not to let Doctor Lu notice," the maid cautioned.
Xia Rongrong couldn’t help but tremble all over, "No, I’m scared just looking at her face now. Don’t you know what happened last night?" She grasped the maid’s arm tightly, "She... she’s a murderer!"
Last night’s heavy rain woke Xia Rongrong from her dreams in the middle of the night, and she thought she heard a noise in the courtyard. Fearing theft, since despite the government patrols the medical clinic lacked guards and housed young women, it was still risky.
Xiang Cao, startled awake, was still groggy while Xia Rongrong already got up and tiptoed out of the room, only to unexpectedly discover that Lu Tong’s room was still lit.
It was deep into the night, and there was a faint sound of talking in their room, discussing something unknown.
As if possessed, Xia Rongrong did not make a sound, but held her breath and stealthily approached the window, sneaking a peek inside through the crack.
The flickering lamplight revealed a woman standing in front of the small table, with rain-drenched hair. She was undressing, and her white cloak was mottled with large patches of blood like mist.
Xia Rongrong’s breath hitched.
For some reason, at that moment, she instinctively felt that Lu Tong must have killed someone.
Perhaps, it was not the first time.
Remembering the scene from last night, Xia Rongrong felt a chill run down her spine and said with a trembling voice, "Xiang Cao, I-I’m scared."
"Don’t be afraid, miss," the maid was much calmer, holding her hand, "Don’t forget what Shopkeeper Bai said when we saw him today."
Xia Rongrong hesitated, then looked at Xiang Cao, who nodded at her.
She swallowed and whispered, "...keep an eye on Lu Tong, wait for his message."