Chapter 45 Chapter Twenty

The next morning, Qiaotai was just sleeping, and there were bursts of singing and praying in the worship hall of Huaisheng Mosque, with ups and downs. While I was dreaming, I heard someone knocking on the door again. "I've been tired all night, I want to sleep for a while, what a fuss!" Qiao Tai muttered, turned over and went back to sleep. "It's me, open the door." Qiaotai heard Zhu Munu's voice in a daze, and was overjoyed.Yi Gulu turned over and got up, and opened the door latch. Zhu Munu's temples were disheveled, slightly smeared, and he was wearing a big blue cloak full of stars, with aggressive eyes.Qiaotai stared blankly at her in a daze.

"You have never forgotten me, Qiao Tai. I was in a hurry on the flower boat that day, but I couldn't express my heart and embrace me comfortably. Today is a good opportunity." Qiao Tai said and came over to hug her. "Hush! There is something urgent. I don't need you to take me to the capital. Today I am not here to find you, but to find your master." "Why are you looking for my master? Could it be that the joss stick was burned on Master Di's head, asking him to accept you as a concubine and take you to the capital?" "No. To tell you the truth, I ask you to accompany me to the governor's mansion to receive the reward of five hundred taels of gold."

"What? Are you going to the Governor's Mansion Yamen to collect the reward? You and Lord Liu...no, no, what have you to do with that prisoner?" "Liu Xianggong was poisoned to death by my slave's family. At that time, I was heartbroken for a long time, and I almost didn't want to live. Regardless of whether he committed crimes or not, he did come to Guangzhou for the second time because of me. Now he has been dismembered by the occupants. I Regardless of the many suspicions, I want to claim the five hundred taels of gold as a reward." "You... how did you poison him to death?" Qiaotai was terrified.

"Hey, let's make a long story short. You have to say it again in front of Master Di. You have heard the hidden story, so you can say a few words for me in front of your master." "What secrets do you two have?" Qiao Tai wondered. "It's better than a husband and wife." Zhu Munu's eyes shone brightly. "This statement must be followed by scriptures, and there is a limit. How can Mr. Liu engage in romantic debts with you, a man on the water?" Qiao Tai didn't believe it, and was afraid that Zhu Munu would use his sharp tongue to try to get lucky.

"Liu Xianggong and I met in Huata, fell in love at first sight, fell in love twice, and it was inseparable. He told me that he was an imperial envoy of the imperial court, but he didn't say that he was an imperial convict. He had never married a wife and had a lot of money. He only hated the unfavorable woman in Chang'an When they saw me, they lost their minds, and the two of them also swore to each other that they would never be separated again." "Before he returned to the capital, he made an oath with me. When he was ordered by the king in the capital, he would sneak to Guangzhou and redeem me, and take him to Chang'an to be married forever. ——The dream of the slave family was on him. gone."

"However, at this time, my family should never have done a wrong thing that deceived my heart, and it is so painful that I can't die. —— We Shuishang people have a rule, drink a kind of medicinal wine before going out, and return on time, there will be a solution The drug is broken, the contract is broken, the alliance is broken, the heart of divorce and fleeing, the drug's effect is broken, and there is no cure. ——The slave family loves him eagerly, and is afraid that he will go back on his word. How can he let go of this stomach? I asked him when he would come back. Mr. Liu made a vow that he would come to Guangzhou to pick me up within a month. The slave family then mixed a medicinal wine that had a 30-day onset, and drank it with him. If he did not return within 30 days, the medicine had its effects, and he would surely die. It’s also because of the ruthlessness of the slave family, who actually deceived Liu Xianggong, only lied that he had broken his promise, that he had betrayed the first alliance, and the sky has eyes, and it will have its own retribution.”

"As soon as Mr. Liu Xianggong left, there was no news. The antidote was hidden in the slave's house, and he waited with all his heart. He also quarreled with the benefactor twice. He didn't want to eat and drink, and he didn't care about grooming. Come.—Thirty days have passed, and I am in despair. I cry every day, not only for my own affectionate misfortune, but also for Liu Xianggong’s unfeeling misfortune. I cried for three days and three nights.” "Unexpectedly, Mr. Liu came to me three days later! When he touched my benefactor's other house beside Huata Temple, he was already panting and suffocating, sweating profusely, and his face was pale. I hurriedly took the antidote with him, and he was already It doesn't help, and gradually a trace of two qi, the lifeblood is intertwined."

"He said that when he came back to Guangzhou, he deliberately avoided public attention, and only brought a personal entourage with Mr. Su. He dressed poorly and didn't live in the official post. Unexpectedly, the road was blocked by mountains and rivers, and it was delayed for a few days. After arriving in Guangzhou, he was busy again. Then I went to visit a few acquainted friends of Dashi first. When I rushed to my side, I was three days late - thirty-three days before and after." "In less than half an hour, he died in my arms. His face was so calm and affectionate. He didn't know the onset of poisoned alcohol, but he thought it was a chronic disease caused by the rubbish on the road. He didn't realize it until he died, leaving me alone One rushed to Quantai. ——These words are really burning, and I beg Captain Qiao to learn from his tenderness."

When Qiao Tai heard this, his ears became hot and his eyes jumped gradually, and he felt restless, but he felt that this matter was true. ——"Iron is afraid of falling into the furnace, and people are afraid of falling into the trap." He only scolds Zhu Munu for being confused and a woman's scheming, which hurts others. "I have no choice but to die in the other hall. How can I hide the body? I am also a high-ranking official in the court. Once it is leaked, my life will be lost. I have to confess my mistake to the benefactor with a calm face and beg him to try to save me. ——Who knows After hearing this, the lord didn't blame him, just smiled lightly, and promised to let him deal with the aftermath. I also said that Mr. Liu accompanied Mr. Liu to Guangzhou, and there was a minister Su who accompanied him personally. The benefactor asked Mr. Su if he knew about my collusion with the imperial envoy. I don't know. The benefactor told me to rest assured that even if Master Su knew, he would not let him make big waves."

Qiaotai realized something and was about to ask a question.Zhu Munu kissed again: "Captain Qiao, I beg you to secretly take me to the capital because I want to escape from the prison of the benefactor and fly freely. I will never escape his grasp in Guangzhou.—— It turns out that Mr. Liu was a prisoner of the imperial court, no wonder he came back to Guangzhou for the second time, hiding all the way, avoiding the public eye, and dressed poorly. When I receive the reward, let's go back to the capital to be husband and wife." Qiaotai couldn't help shivering after hearing this.Like falling into an ice bucket, the whole body is numb and shivering.Facing the deer that fell into the trap, he didn't know what to do for a while.Zhu Munu treated him so affectionately, yet so innocently.He seemed to see the shadow of the capital's training ground, and saw the deer with shackles, dismembered by the executioners, and covered in blood. ——He should save her, Master Liu has fallen in love, and the guilt is his own.Although the water women's rules have always been cruel, they are also a good recipe for tyranny.Now that the overall situation of the capital has been decided, Mr. Liu is already useless, so why bother to pay this romantic debt for him.

While Qiao Tai was thinking wildly, Zhu Munu had already hugged him tightly, reveling in joy and joy.Suddenly she let out a scream, shook twice, her arms around Qiao Tai loosened, and she stared blankly at Qiao Tai with her big beautiful eyes.His lips twitched, blood gushed out of his mouth, and gradually became limp. Qiao Tai was startled, and reached out to touch it.A short dart has been shot into Zhu Munu's back, only three colorful feathers stained with blood are exposed.When he realized what was going on, he couldn't help crying.My heart is in a state of confusion, and my dreams are difficult to reason. There was silence outside the window, the morning sun was shining on the top of the light tower of Huaisheng Mosque, and the sound of prayers in the worship hall had long since disappeared. Qiao Tai pulled out the short dart and placed Zhu Munu's body on the bed.He gently locked the door and went downstairs. Back at the yamen of the Governor's Mansion, Qiao Tai sadly told Duke Di the story of Zhu Munu, and Duke Di couldn't help sighing for a long time. "It's a pity that it's a step too late. I haven't had time to ask who her benefactor is." Qiao Tai was extremely frustrated.