nucmednet Chapter 308 The Teahouse Incident
Chapter 308 The Teahouse Incident
As soon as Shi Wanxia stepped onto the second floor of Hemingxuan in her embroidered shoes, the morning light filtering through the carved wooden window dyed her cloud-patterned skirt amber.
This top teahouse in the capital truly lives up to its reputation. The air between the nanmu pillars is filled with the refreshing scent of pre-rain Longjing tea, mixed with the crisp aroma of freshly baked pastries, which helps to alleviate the summer heat by a bit.
"Girl, watch your step."
Shuyun whispered a reminder, subtly supporting her arm.
Today, Shuyun specially changed into a pale yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and the tassels of the silver butterfly hairpin in her hair trembled slightly with her steps, truly resembling a fluttering butterfly.
The sandalwood table by the window was already prepared, and a few slices of Biluochun tea floated in the celadon ice-patterned cup.
As Cui Zhihao lifted his robe and sat down, the gilded and silver-inlaid sword at his waist struck the back of the rosewood chair, producing a clear and melodious sound.
Several men who looked like scholars sitting next to him glanced at the sound, but quickly looked away when they saw the Cui character embroidered on his black arrow sleeve.
Three servings of peach blossom pastries, and a dish of apricots.
Shi Wanxia lightly tapped the table with her fingertips, three long taps followed by two short ones.
The waiter, who was pouring tea, paused almost imperceptibly, and the angle of the teapot spout suddenly shifted by half an inch, causing the emerald green tea soup to swirl in the cup with strange eddies.
The sound of a sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument) being tested came from behind the screen in the southeast corner of the second floor. The storyteller had not yet appeared, and the waiters, carrying gilded trays, moved about like swimming fish.
Shi Wanxia lowered her eyes to watch the tea leaves bobbing in her teacup, the sounds of idle chatter passing by—the newly arrived Shu brocade from the silk shop, the Persian gems brought by the merchants from the West Market, and...
"I heard that another empty boat drifted ashore on the Yongding River last night?"
Suddenly, hushed voices drifted from the private room next door.
"This time, more than thirty people, including the canal workers and the goods, vanished into thin air."
Cui Zhihao's hand holding the cup hovered in mid-air. Shi Wanxia caught a glimpse of a crescent-shaped scratch in the shadows of the vermilion pillar opposite them. It was a mark she had ordered someone to leave three days ago.
The waiter at the teahouse was replacing the teacups on that table with Jun ware sky-blue cups, and the plum blossom mark made of cinnabar could be faintly seen on the bottom of the cups.
Suddenly, the tinkling of jade pendants echoed from the stairwell. A young man dressed in a moon-white brocade robe entered, fan in hand. The jade pendant at his waist clashed with the gold-threaded sachet, shimmering like scattered gold in the morning light.
Shi Wanxia's fingernails suddenly dug into her palm—Zhou Jingming, the only son of the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, who should be living a life of debauchery on a pleasure boat on the Qinhuai River, why is he here?
"Isn't this Lord Shi and Young Master Cui?"
Zhou Jingming snapped his folding fan shut, the jade pendant drawing a green arc in the air.
"I heard that Lord Shi has been checking the canal transport accounts recently?" He leaned against the screen with a smile in his eyes.
"If you ask me, the water in this river is like Longjing tea—it looks clear, but there are a lot of broken leaves at the bottom."
The gavel suddenly slammed shut, drowning out the hum of Choi Ji-ho's sword sheath.
The storyteller's hoarse voice drifted through the aroma of tea: "Today I'm going to talk about the Red Silk Case that shocked the court and the public twenty years ago."
"It is said that on the night before the famous courtesan of Qinhuai disappeared, she wrote three bloody characters in rouge on the deck of a painted boat..."
Shi Wanxia picked up a piece of peach blossom pastry, and the flaky crust fell into the dish with the lotus pattern.
The beaded curtain of the private room on the west side of the second floor moved slightly, and she saw half of a dark blue official robe flash by. The waves embroidered with silver thread on the cuffs seemed like real, surging undercurrents in the flickering light and shadow.
Zhou Jingming, however, seemed completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere and casually pulled over a chair.
He sat down next to Cui Zhihao, picked up an apricot, put it in his mouth and chewed it, saying indistinctly as he ate, "What a coincidence to run into you, I can't miss out on this cup of tea."
Cui Zhihao's face was gloomy, and his hand unconsciously rested on the hilt of his sword. He said coldly, "Young Master Zhou, we have important matters to discuss, so it is probably inconvenient for us to entertain you."
Zhou Jingming seemed not to hear, turning to look at Shi Wanxia, a strange light flashing in his eyes.
"Lord Shi, it's been a long time. You've become even more handsome. I only caught a glimpse of you briefly at the Spring Banquet last time, but I've been thinking about you ever since."
Shi Wanxia suppressed her disgust and forced a faint smile to appear on her lips.
"Young Master Zhou flatters me; it's just ordinary makeup."
In truth, he was secretly thinking that Zhou Jingming had always been an uneducated playboy, so his initiative to come up to him today was no accident. Could it be related to the canal transport?
At this moment, the storyteller was telling the crucial part of his tale: "Those three blood-written characters remained undeciphered by anyone until three days later, when the government received an anonymous letter. The letter's contents implicated a high-ranking official in the imperial court..."
Everyone held their breath, immersed in the story, except for Shi Wanxia and a few others, each with their own thoughts.
Cui Zhihao lowered his voice and said to Shi Wanxia, "Miss Shi, we can't let him ruin our plans. We must find out his purpose as soon as possible."
Shi Wanxia nodded slightly, and as her gaze shifted, she caught sight of the gold silk sachet at Zhou Jingming's waist, and the familiar Canaan fragrance wafted over faintly.
A thought struck her: the tribute spices loaded on the missing cargo ship were said to be Canaan incense. Could Zhou Jingming be directly involved in this matter?
To test the waters, Shi Wanxia casually remarked, "Young Master Zhou's sachet is quite unique. The fragrance smells remarkably like the Canaan incense that was brought as tribute from the Western Regions. I've heard that this incense is incredibly precious, and ordinary people rarely get to smell it."
Zhou Jingming's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his nonchalant demeanor and laughed, "Miss Shi has good insight. This is indeed a tribute from the Western Regions. My father has close ties with the Western Regions, and after obtaining some, he gave it to me to play with."
But the fleeting panic in his eyes did not escape Shi Wanxia's notice.
At this moment, the rhythm of the sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument) behind the screen in the southeast corner of the second floor suddenly changed, and the originally soothing melody became urgent.
Shi Wanxia felt a chill run down her spine; she knew this was an urgent message being relayed by a hidden agent.
Before she could think it through, a commotion suddenly broke out downstairs, as if people were arguing.
A man dressed in a tight-fitting outfit rushed upstairs and whispered a few words in Zhou Jingming's ear.
Zhou Jingming's expression changed drastically. He stood up and said, "I'm sorry, something has suddenly come up at home. I'll catch up with you all another day." With that, he hurriedly left.
Watching Zhou Jingming's departing figure, Cui Zhihao frowned and said, "This kid definitely has a problem. We can't let him off so easily."
Shi Wanxia pondered for a moment and said, "Don't rush. Once he leaves, he'll definitely reveal more clues. Let's figure out the message the music is conveying first." With that, she got up and walked towards the sanxian player behind the screen.
The musician's eyes flashed with wariness as she approached.
Shi Wanxia said softly, "Don't be nervous, I'm one of you. What was the reason for the sudden zither music just now?"
The musician hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Sir, we just received news that a batch of mysterious goods will be handed over tonight at the suburban dock, and it is suspected to be related to the missing cargo ship."
Shi Wanxia was shocked. It seemed that the conspiracy behind this was far more complicated than she had imagined.
She returned to her seat and told Choi Ji-ho about it.
A hint of excitement flashed in Cui Zhihao's eyes: "Great, we finally have a substantial clue. Tonight we'll go to the suburban dock and get to the bottom of this."
Shi Wanxia nodded, but felt a vague unease, as if everything was going too smoothly and someone was deliberately leading them into a trap.
But now the die is cast, and there's no turning back. She gently stroked the strands of hair at her temples, secretly pondering a solution.
But then she couldn't help recall Zhou Jingming's panicked expression as he left. What was he afraid of? And why was he in such a hurry to leave?
As the sun set, the guests at Hemingxuan gradually dispersed, but the story of Shi Wanxia and her companions had only just begun.
They are about to step into a situation full of unknowns and dangers.
Looking at Shi Wanxia's focused profile, Cui Zhihao felt a strange emotion welling up inside him. He secretly vowed that no matter what awaited them at the suburban dock tonight, he would protect her.
As summer fell, though she was preoccupied with the case, she inadvertently caught the tender look in Cui Zhihao's eyes, and a slight blush rose to her cheeks.