TPATTHU Chapter 43
by VolareThe medicinal soup was quickly finished.
Xiao Zhinian took out a clean handkerchief from his sleeve. A corner of the handkerchief was embroidered with a delicate bamboo design.
It was Shen Zhejiang’s original one.
Gently wiping the corner of Shen Zhejiang’s mouth that was stained with the remaining medicine, Xiao Zhinian felt a pang in his heart. He said, “The medicine is so bitter, you should have said something, Teacher.”
“It’s nothing, I…”
Shen Zhejiang paused, the words “I’m used to it” hanging in the air, then swallowed back down.
He then changed it to, “Hmm, a little bitter.”
Xiao Zhinian had already guessed what Shen Zhejiang wanted to say, but seeing him change his mind at the last minute, he was surprised. Suddenly realizing something, a bright and warm smile gradually bloomed in his eyes.
Xiao Zhinian put the empty bowl on a small table nearby. There was also an oil paper bag placed there, which he picked up, held in the palm of his hand, and slowly opened. Inside were five plump and round candied fruits neatly stacked.
Originally, he had planned to use them when Shen Zhejiang complained about the bitterness, but he didn’t expect Shen Zhejiang to drink the entire bowl of medicine without changing his expression.
But thankfully, it could still be used now, it wasn’t a waste.
Xiao Zhinian picked out the top one and put it into Shen Zhejiang’s mouth, his smiling eyes like crescent moons, and asked, “Teacher, is it good?”
Although the bitterness was strong, it was easily covered by the sweet taste that melted away.
Medicinal soup with candied fruit was something Shen Zhejiang had never experienced before.
Although Shen Zhejiang was the only son of the Shen family, he did not grow up spoiled. In his memory, his father always had a stern face, and his teachings were always particularly strict, allowing no room for error.
He remembered one time, when he was about four or five years old, he thought the medicinal soup was too bitter. His mother felt sorry for him, so she secretly bought two candied fruits to coax him to drink the medicine, but his father somehow found out about it. He immediately snatched the candied fruits from his hand and threw them into the brazier, even hitting his palms ten times with a ruler.
Because of this, his mother had a big fight with his father. Their love and affection as a couple was a well-known tale in The Capital City at that time, but on that day, the sound of their argument drowned out everything else in the mansion.
It was from that moment on that Shen Zhejiang no longer needed these things used to coax children.
“Very sweet.”
Shen Zhejiang nodded and smiled faintly.
Xiao Zhinian’s eyes flashed with mischief. He suddenly moved closer to Shen Zhejiang, only half an inch away: “Really? Let me taste it too.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he leaned down and kissed Shen Zhejiang, even boldly rolling the candied fruit that had not yet melted in Shen Zhejiang’s mouth. The sweet aroma spread, lingering between their breaths.
Their breathing became a little rapid.
Shen Zhejiang gripped the corner of the blanket, trying to divert his attention, but Xiao Zhinian pinched his chin, leading him into indulgence.
The handful of candied fruit slipped from Xiao Zhinian’s hand at some point, trembling, like an unknown heartbeat, rolling to the edge of the gauze curtain.
After Xiao Zhinian had tasted enough, Shen Zhejiang breathed slightly and scolded in a low voice, “There are so many left, do you have to steal them from me too?”
Xiao Zhinian licked his lips, savoring the lingering sweetness, and smiled freely: “Because Teacher is the sweetest.”
“…” Shen Zhejiang couldn’t do anything about him for a moment, only said, “I’m sleepy, I want to sleep.”
“Okay.”
Xiao Zhinian helped Shen Zhejiang lie down, pulled the blanket over him and carefully covered him, carefully tucking in the corners, and then quickly and gently lowered the curtain.
Shen Zhejiang turned his head and, through the hazy gauze curtain, saw Xiao Zhinian’s busy figure tidying up.
He brought a thick blanket and spread it on the floor, then spread another layer on top of it before finally lying down inside, finally settling down.
“…Are you going to sleep on the floor?”
“Yeah.”
Xiao Zhinian rested his head on one hand. In the flickering candlelight, he saw Shen Zhejiang was looking at him, so he turned over and faced Shen Zhejiang’s side.
For some reason, Shen Zhejiang felt his heart beat faster, like the sound of drums.
He suddenly remembered the time in the palace when Xiao Zhinian had asked him to stay and sleep with him, except that the positions of the two had been switched. As time passed, some things would not shift or change.
Shen Zhejiang’s fingertips drew circles on the bedsheets, one after another. After a while, he heard himself asking casually, “Why don’t you come up and sleep?”
His voice was very soft.
“Huh?” Xiao Zhinian was both surprised and delighted, perhaps not expecting Shen Zhejiang to ask him this. He suddenly rolled out of the nest he had just made, “What did you say, Teacher?”
There was no way Shen Zhejiang would repeat himself. His face was already a little warm, he closed his eyes and said, “…Never mind if you didn’t hear it, it’s nothing, go to sleep.”
Recalling those words, the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like he was warmly inviting Xiao Zhinian to share the bed, making him seem too eager.
He immediately felt seven parts regret.
After a while, rustling sounds came to his ears, followed by Xiao Zhinian’s joyful voice, but it was affirmative: “I heard it, you were asking me if I wanted to sleep on the bed, I don’t want to.”
The rejection was so decisive that Shen Zhejiang felt uncomfortable, and his tone was a little cold: “As you wish.”
Hearing the alienation in his words, and knowing that he must have misunderstood, Xiao Zhinian quickly said: “It’s not that I don’t want to, Teacher is injured, I’m afraid I won’t sleep properly and hurt you. Besides, if I sleep on the floor, I’m closer to Teacher, which is convenient for taking care of you.”
“…”
So that’s the reason.
After understanding the reason, Shen Zhejiang felt annoyed, that he would actually act willful towards Xiao Zhinian over such a small matter. Would Xiao Zhinian think he was too capricious?
But at this moment, Xiao Zhinian’s clear voice rang out again, seeming to be much closer to him: “Teacher also knows that I’m not very smart, and sometimes I can’t understand the meaning of Teacher’s words, so Teacher, just say whatever you want to say directly.”
Shen Zhejiang hummed in response, his sleepiness still shallow. Thinking of the matter they were investigating, he asked, “Have you found anything about Luo Xiaobei’s matter?”
Xiao Zhinian said: “I found many medicine bottles in his house, hidden in the dark compartment of the cabinet. Based on this, Luo Xiaobei is not always foolish, perhaps he was stimulated as the courier said. I asked Han Weiwei, those medicines won’t kill the post horses, but only make them temporarily unconscious.”
“In that case, Luo Xiaobei didn’t dispose of the dead horses, but just transported them elsewhere.”
“My thoughts are similar to Teacher’s, but I don’t know where he transported the post horses to. In addition, I also found a gold ingot under Luo Xiaobei’s bed. He should have been blinded by money and bought off.”
Shen Zhejiang agreed: “This matter must be related to the merchants in Luo City who trade in post horses.”
“I only know Zhao Jianji, so I’ll start investigating from him. As for the assassin who injured you,” Xiao Zhinian gritted his teeth and said, “I will never let him go.”
–
Two days later, the moon set and the stars shifted.
On the roof of a courtyard in Zhao’s mansion, a dark shadow appeared, crouching down to observe everything below. From a distance, it blended completely with the night, revealing only a pair of sharp eyes.
It was Xiao Zhinian.
He looked around and immediately jumped off the roof. But at this moment, the patrolling guards approached slowly with wind lanterns. Xiao Zhinian decisively flashed behind a tall tree, hiding his entire body in the darkness.
After they walked away, he jumped into the courtyard.
The surroundings were pitch black. Xiao Zhinian walked softly, groping his way. He had spent two days drawing the Zhao mansion’s layout, looking at it countless times. He already knew which places were covered by vegetation, and which were houses and courtyards.
This was Zhao Jianji’s frequently visited study. If he guessed correctly, the clues he was looking for were here.
But where exactly was it?
Gradually adapting to the darkness, Xiao Zhinian expressionlessly scanned every corner of the room. The desk was inevitably filled with the Four Treasures of the Study. He searched it, but found nothing.
He turned over the rows of antique shelves behind the desk, layer by layer, but still found nothing.
Xiao Zhinian leaned against the pillar by the window, narrowed his eyes, and reconsidered in his mind. According to Zhao Jianji’s character, he would never put something as important as the account book in an obvious place.
“Creak—”
Suddenly, the door opened, making a strange noise.
Xiao Zhinian was shocked.