Oriental Odyssey 49 - Rain is Coming

Young Mu Le followed his master home. He thought that since she had saved him before, she already understood the truth. However, he raised his eyes to find her staring at him in anger. Mu Le expected a scolding, but to his surprise, Yuan'an took out the medicine box to dress his wounds. The two sat on the grass in the stables, and Yuan'an rolled up Mu Le's sleeves. There were wounds and scratches from before, Yuan'an used a small cotton stick to apply medicinal powder gently. Then she inspected the wounds more closely, she squinted her eyes and blew gently, her pouting mouth resembled that of a pig's.

Mu Le, watching her, felt that the troubles of being beaten, deceived, and wrongly thrown into prison were all worth it. It was like a winding road, and the ultimate goal of this road was to be close to her, to see her squinting eyes and pouting mouth, and to smell her sweet childlike scent.

The person with the pouting mouth suddenly shook her head and said, "Hey?"

Mulue asked, "What's wrong?"

Yuan'an said, "I feel there's something strange about you."

"What's wrong?"

"You've grown a lot in the past few days. Also, the wounds on your arms and hands, even if the ointment from the old man in the basement storage is effective, shouldn't there still be traces of redness or scars. What's going on?"

Mu Le's thoughts were not on himself. He said, "I don't know."

Yuan'an looked at him carefully. "You're not a demon, are you?"

Mulue scoffed.

Yuan'an laughed and said, "Well, even if you are a demon, it's alright. You are my demon, my servant." She took out the waist tag and said, "Here, keep this. Regardless of everything, the cause of this matter lies with me. I apologize to you. If it wasn't for me driving you out without distinguishing right from wrong that day, there wouldn't be so many complications. Rest assured, with me in this house, no one will dare to bully you again. No one will dare to drive you away again!"

Mu Le nodded, took back the waist tag from her hands, looked at her, and shyly smiled.

Yuan'an also smiled at him but still felt uneasy. "Oh, by the way, that old man in the basement, he's a lunatic. Don't go to see him again. Just leave the food at the door in the future. Don't go inside. Stay far away from him, understand?"

"Alright."

He looked so honest and simple, with an innocent appearance, completely trustworthy. Lowering his head, with a round chin and fluffy eyelashes, he looked extremely cute. How could someone like him not be easily bullied?

Yuan An rolled her eyes and said, "Ah, no, that old man almost caused you a big loss. I can't let him off so easily. I have to teach him a lesson!" She leaned close to him and whispered instructions.

It was time to deliver the food again. Mu Le placed the meal box at Tian Shu's door.

The door suddenly opened from the inside.

My Le was curious and didn't leave.

The door opened a bit more from the inside.

Mu Le cautiously entered.

Suddenly, he fell, rolling into the basement.

Mu Le, dizzy from the fall, opened his eyes, and Tian Shu was right in front of him, grinning, "You're back? I missed you! I've improved the formula of my medicine, been waiting for you to try it."

Me Le leaned back, waving his hands, "No, no." 

Tian Shu slowly approached, "Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid." He took out a small tube from his pocket with two pills in it, and said, "Come, open your mouth, and I'll blow it in for you!"

Unexpectedly obediently, Mu Le opened his mouth and held one end of the tube.

At that moment, Yuan'an suddenly rushed down from above and shouted, pointing at the two, "Mu Le! What did I tell you?!"

Just as Tian Shu was distracted, Mu Le blew back, and the medicine pellets in the tube went into Tian Shu's mouth. Unprepared, he swallowed them in one gulp.

Smartly outsmarted, Tian Shu was shocked, holding his throat with both hands, "Ah! It's over! Poisoned!"

Yuan'an clapped and laughed, "Well, now you've got it! Let this be a lesson to you!"

Tian Shu, lying on the ground, yelled, "Quick, get me some ice water for a bath! Otherwise, I'm done for!"

This day, to counteract the strong force of the medicine pellet, Tian Shu soaked in ice water for three hours, muttering, "Calamity, calamity, it's your fate."

Yuan'an, Mulue, and the monkey used for testing were jumping for joy.

One medicine pellet rolled on the ground, and Mu Le picked it up and put it in his pocket.

At the Luoyang County Office, Zhao Lanzhi, who had solved the case of the hooligan Nigu, discussed the case with the old investigator Yang. The conclusion of the old Yang surprised Zhao Lanzhi: "You mean this person is not the murderer?"

The investigator said, "The fatal wound is in the victim's abdomen, not in the throat as the suspect claimed. Look here, there is no blood, indicating that the person was already dead when he stabbed. The blood had coagulated. Moreover, the wound on the eunuch's abdomen is irregular, not neat. It wasn't a precise, one-strike fatal blow, it was stabbed without preparation. So, more than one person has been to the crime scene. And the real killer is not the one you brought in."

Zhao Lanzhi contemplated, recalling the crime scene on the rainy night.

In a dark room, someone familiar exchanged a considerable amount of silver with the eunuch Cao Yi for the stolen painting.

Seeing the money, that person took advantage of the opportunity, stabbed him to death, and neatly sat him at the table.

The job might not have been finished yet. The hooligan Nigu and Me Le entered the room through the window. The murderer, hearing the noise, avoided the two then jumped out of the window.

Zhao Lanzhi calculated, "So before Nigu and Mu Le entered the room, the eunuch Cao Yi had already been killed. The painting stolen from the palace was taken away, but why didn't the killer take the silver coins?"

It wasn't for the money, but to silence him. The person who instigated Cao Yi to steal the painting must be someone he knew! Unfortunately, this clue had been cut off! Where should he go to find that painting?

Outside the city, tombstones flickered with ghostly lights.

Princess Xinghui ignited candles in front of Jiang Ren's grave, pulling out weeds, and moving bricks and stones until her fingertips bled.

She spoke softly, "Jiang Ren, Jiang Ren, are you there? Are you cold? Are you hungry? Still drinking wine? I often miss you. I miss the time when you were by my side. Rest assured, you are my servant, I won't let you die in vain! I will definitely get rid of Ye Yuan'an and Zhao Lanzhi. I must avenge you!"

Princess Xinghui gritted her teeth, blood flowing from her hands.

Someone flew down behind her, watching her with a smile.

It was Luo Tian, the master of the Luo family assigned by the national teacher.

Princess Xinghui didn't turn around, as if she didn't know there was someone behind her.

Luo Tian finally urged, "Princess Xinghui, the national teacher is summoning you."

After completing the mission with difficulty, Princess Xinghui, who had come with Luo Yang, presented the scroll in her hand to national teacher Tian Qiao. Tian Qiao opened it and looked at it. It was a painting of a man and a woman reading under a banana tree.

The national teacher frowned, observing for a long time without discerning any mystery. Suddenly, he became nervous and agitated, like a neurotic: "What's going on? I can't see it. The Buddhist beads in that person's hand will be exchanged for this painting?"

Princess Xinghui answered, bowing her head: "Reporting to the national teacher, it is this painting. It is the most cherished painting of the Empress, she always takes it out to look at it. A few days ago, the person who came to sell Buddhist beads in Luo Tian Cave wanted to exchange this painting."

The national teacher praised, "Hehe, it's rare, only you, Minghui, can have such clever tricks. You managed to steal it from under her nose."

Minghui smiled insidiously, "It was nothing impossible. I just bribed an eunuch and had him steal it for me."

It was exactly like the imagined murder scene Zhao Lanzhi had.

If the veil shrouding the hidden truth was lifted, it was Princess Xinghui who made a deal with the eunuch Cao Yi and killed him afterward to silence him.

All for the Empress' painting 'Under the Banana Tree'!

The national teacher said, "Is it cleaned up now?"

Princess Xinghui replied, "Rest assured, national teacher, I left no loose ends."

The national teacher nodded, took the painting, and looked at it repeatedly, puzzled and suddenly becoming somewhat manic: "What's going on? I still can't figure it out. Why would this person want this painting?!"

Princess Xinghui reassured, "National teacher, rest assured, our goal is the three heavenly Buddhist beads in his hands. Whatever he wants, as long as we give him this painting, we can get the beads."

The national teacher returned the painting to Princess Xinghui, seeing the bloody wounds on her fingers: "You did a good job, but I still want to remind you, collecting the Three Treasures Buddhist beads is a matter of public interest, a matter of utmost importance. Don't let your private affairs, trivial matters, distract you and confuse your mind."

"I understand." She lowered her head, she said she understood, but she hid her fierce expression, invisible to anyone.

Princess Xinghui bid farewell to the national teacher, left the main hall, and instructed Huo Yang, who was waiting outside to run an errand: "Help me with something."

Miraisaesang's notes: The National teacher did address her as Minghui, guessing Princess Xinghui is her honorary title, while Minghui is her real name...Also to clarify, she's not a legit or actual princess, meaning not a daughter or sister of the current ruling royal, rather it's a honorary title bestowed to her by the royals...In Chinese, her princess is Junzhu and a ruling royal's princess is Gongzhu; they are different, but there isn't really a good distinction in English. 

Previous Chapter

Oriental Odyssey 48 - Truth Comes Out

It went like this, on the day Mu Le was besieged on the street and rescued by Yuan'an, his master asked him to go home, but he vehemently refused, leaving Yuan'an alone with a frown, and returned to the broken temple in a daze.

Nigu, who had taken him in, greeted him with concern: "Where did you go? I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Mu Le didn't speak and just laid down on the grass.

Nigu grabbed him, "Don't be lazy, there is a big deal tonight. Come with me!"

Involuntarily, he dragged Mu Le and walked outside.

In the small restaurant, Xiao Er brought some wine and vegetables to Mu Le and Nigu.

Taking cover, the two of them observed the plump, fair, beardless man that Nigu had been eyeing in the gambling hall.

Nigu said, "There, it's him! Let's go to the inn with him in the evening. You give me a hand, and I will smoothly take his bulging package!"

Mu Le was depressed, "I- I don't want to do this kind of thing anymore."

Nigu stared at him, "Are you backing down? Brother, it's not righteous for you to do this! Who has been providing you with food and clothing these days? Who has taken you out to play with girls? Although you didn't stay, you also looked, right? Won't you help me with this?"

Mu Le was very unhappy in his heart, but he also unfavorably said, "This is stealing, it's robbing. I don't want to do it."

Nigu rolled his eyes and thought about it, "What is stealing, robbing? It's my fault for not explaining the original story to you, this person is my enemy!"

Mu Le raised his head and was about to believe it.

Nigu added, "My parents, it was him, he killed them! When I saw him, I couldn't wait to split his tendons and skin him! What is there if I take his money? Am I not already compassionate enough?"

The boy, how could he know that he was lying. He only felt that since he had received this person's favor, he believed that he did have a deep hatred here, so he said, "Okay, I'll help you."

It rained heavily that night, it was like a hole had opened in the sky.

Mu Le and Nigu sneaked into the inn room where the plump, fair man was staying from the window.

The room was dark, and the two of them were feeling around the room. Suddenly, a flash of lightning struck. The room became as bright as day in an instant. Mu Le and Nigu saw the man sitting facing them at the table wide-eyed, blatantly staring at them! They were stunned, Nigu was almost about to pee, and he didn't care about anything, he stabbed the man without saying a word. The plump, white man was stabbed in the neck without resisting, and he fell to the ground without even uttering a word.

When he saw him start to kill, Mu Le was shocked for an instant, then he grabbed Nigu's wrist: "You, what are you doing? Didn't you say - didn't you say you are not here to kill?"

Nigu was furious: "He saw us, if he don't kill him, we will be done for! Hurry up, hurry up, find his money bag! Fast!"

Mu Le was shocked and had no time to react. Nigu found the purse behind the dead man and opened it to see that it was full of silver.

The murder fell to the back of his mind, and Nigu was elated: "He didn't play for nothing. Didn't play for nothing!"

There was movement outside the door.

It was the inn servant who knocked on the door outside: "Sur, the wine and vegetables you ordered, sir?"

Nigu was about to jump out of the window and escape, but was dragged back by Mu Le, "Let's go! Idiot! Are you stupid?!"

Mu Le was still stunned.

Nigu thought to himself: "Hmph, this idiot. This is my fate with you, just do something for me again!"He quickly stuffed the knife in his hand into Mu Le's hand, then jumped out of the window and fled.

At the same time, Xiao Er pushed the door in, and there was another flash of lightning. Xiao Er saw the corpse on the ground and Mu Le holding a knife. He was so frightened that he shouted loudly, and the wine and vegetable tray also fell and spilled all over the place: "Murder! Someone killed someone!"

A group of people rushed in when they heard the sound, and Xiao Er fell to the ground, pointing at Mu Le: "This is the person! Don't let the murderer run away!"

Mu Le told his little master what happened on the night of the heavy rain in this way. Yuan'an was quite shocked when she heard it, frowning and holding her chin. She was shocked for a second, then she relaxed again, changed her face, clapped her hands and said, "Forget it, you come home with me first. I'll hide you first, save the officers trouble."

She didn't care about who died and who ran away right now. Getting Mu Le back was more important than anything, better than anything.

The two of them were about to run, but then someone flew down from the roof and stood in front of Yuan'an and Mu Le. This person was tall, dressed in black, and his thin white face was not smiling. Wasn't this Zhao Lanzhi?

"You fake cook, robbing criminals under my nose again, where else do you want to go?" 

Yuan'an was taken aback and smiled: "It turned out to be Constable Zhao. That's right, it's me again. I stole a criminal again. By the way, you people are really not clever in doing things for the court. Why did you let me succeed again?"

Zhao Lanzhi also smiled: "Don't look down on people. Miss, if you really did succeed, will I be here?"

Yuan'an remembered that he had received the news that Mu Le was in prison because the people from Luoyang County office sent his waist tag to the mansion, she seemed to understand something: "Ohh, Constable Zhao, did you send Mu Le's waist card to me? Did you deliberately inform me to let me rescue Mu Le? When we met just now, you knew it was me at a glance, did you let me go on purpose?"

Zhao Lanzhi: "You figured it out."

Yuan'an curled her lips: "These methods are so boring, what do you want to do?"

Zhao Lanzhi took a step forward: "Two purposes. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid this kid wouldn't talk to people as clearly and honestly as he did just now. I couldn't grasp the case either. Besides, do you know who the person who died was?"

Yuan'an said: "Who was it?"

Zhao Lanzhi: "Eunuch Cao, an eunuch of the imperial library."

Yuan'an was quite shocked: "Eunuch? Why did an eunuch come out of the palace?"

Zhao Lanzhi pondered a little, then decided he could tell the girl in front of him what he couldn't say to others: "This matter is a big internal secret, and it can't be investigated in the open, and too many people can't know about it. I deliberately asked you to bring him out, just to avoid people's eyes and ears."

Yuan'an nodded: "That's it. So, you believe as much as I do that Mu Le is not the murderer anymore?"

Zhao Lanzhi glanced at Mu Le and smiled coldly: "Stupid kid. If you have the mind to kill, how can you not know to run away?!"

Mu Le stood up after hearing this, and confronted Zhao Lanzhi tit-for-tat: "Who is a stupid kid?!"

Yuan'an pressed Mu Le back: "What should we do now?"

Zhao Lanzhi: "We must find the Nigue he mentioned right away! He is the murderer, I want what he took from Eunuch Cao!"

Yuan'an was suddenly excited: "I just happened to be so free that my arms are uncomfortable from idleness! Since you want to avoid people's eyes and ears, you can't bring helpers from the office. I'll help you!"

Seeing that she was like this, Mu Le also said: "I'll go too."

Zhao Lanzhi looked at these two people, and somewhat helplessly said: "You treat handling cases as a game, right?"

Not long after, in the small hall of a brothel, Yuan'an, dressed in men's clothing, dangled two big golden balls in front of the old Madam, playing with them in her hand.

The old Madam was greedy and leaned forward: "You, if you have any requirements or hobbies, just tell me directly. The girls will definitely satisfy Young master."

Yuan'an said: "I am a dedicated person. I have been here for a few months to do business. My friend brought me to you to meet a beautiful woman named Chunhua. Madam can just to bring Miss Chunhua out to meet me."

The old Madam said: "Looking for Chunhua, Young master is really good at seeing people. Chunhua is our best here. But you are a step late, she has just been redeemed by her former patron."

Yuan'an pondered for a while, then looked at the old Madam and smiled: "Madam, I know your business. There are so many girls that you have to take care of, right? You don't need to bring someone else for me, so please tell me directly how can I find Chunhua? I will give you these golden balls in my hand to play with."

The old Madam turned her eyes: "Chunhua has a chronic headache and can't run far after redeeming herself. She has to go to a clinic in the east of the city to get medicine on the 15th day of each month. If it won't work, can just go there and wait for Chunhua."

After the old Madam finished speaking, she took the golden balls in Yuan'an's hand, took a bite, and it broke. It turned out to be eggs painted gold!

Yuan'an laughed as she quickly rushed off. 

Chunhua was actually the lover of the ruffian Nigu. This kid never does good things, but he is romantic.

After taking the silver from the dead man, the first thing he did was to go to the brothel and redeem Chunhua. Chunhua has had a headache since childhood, and she had another attack during the day. She was lying on the bed and was dying. Nigu came in from outside: "The medicine is here, the medicine is here, I bought it for you!"

Nigu served Chunhua water and medicine. After she took the medicine, she seemed to be better, she leaned on his shoulder and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Nigu said, "Chunhua, there is no need to be so polite. If you follow me, you can rest assured. As I told you, now that I have money, you can stay with me and live a good life, I won't let you suffer."

Chunhua threw herself into Nigu's arms: "Darling, Nigu!"

Suddenly, a voice came from outside: "Is the money you have earned from good deeds?!"

Before the voice fell, Zhao Lanzhi, Yuan'an, and Mu Le broke in.

Nigu was shocked and pointed at them: "Who are you? Who are you? I see Mu Le, ah, how come it's you?"

Zhao Lanzhi, with a calm face, pressed the blade to his neck: "You plotted to gain wealth and harm lives, framed others, but you can't hide on the fifteenth. Do you still want to talk nonsense? What did you take from the dead? Hand it over quickly!"

Nigu denied: "Officer, I don't understand a word of what you're saying. Did you make a mistake? What dead person are you talking about? I don't know, I don't know anything!

Mu Le, angered, rushed up and grabbed Nigu's collar fiercely: "You, you used me! You killed someone!"

Nigu was almost strangled to death by Mu Le, but Yuan'an came up and dragged Mu Le away.

Nigu fell to the ground, and Zhao Lanzhi pressed him on the bench, sitting on him himself: "I'm just asking you questions, but since you won't talk..."

Nigu still refused to beg for mercy: "I don't know anything, really!"

The prostitute Chunhua on the bed cried when she saw this, tumbled out of bed, and took out a large bag of silver from the partition hidden under the floor tiles, and shouted at Nigu while crying: "You value wealth over your life! How can you enjoy it if you really die!" She knelt at Zhao Lanzhi's feet, "My Lord, officer, spare him, this is the silver he stole, we used a few ingots, and the rest are here. All for you!

Zhao Lanzhi glanced at the silver, not interested: "And the painting?! What about the painting he brought with him?!"

Nigu said: "Painting? What painting? I don't know! The silver is all here, what else do you want?"

Zhao Lanzhi sneered, raised the sword, and was about to stab Nigu in the eye.

Nigu: "No! Really don't!"

Zhao Lanzhi didn't retract the sword, the tip of the knife was about to stab into Nigu's eye. Yuan'an and Mu Le became nervous.

Nigu yelled: "Ah! I remember! I have seen it, I have seen it!"

Zhao Lanzhi retracted the sword and stood up. Nigu rolled over and started vomiting. Panic had turned his stomach upside down.

Zhao Lanzhi was experienced, under the stimulation of death, not only did he recall what happened a few days ago, but he could recall what he saw and heard when he was still breastfeeding as a child.

Nigu panted heavily: "My Lord, I remember. When I was scoping out this person in the casino, I saw that he was also carrying something long and round, like a scroll wrapped in it. But I was not interested in that, I just wanted his money!"

Zhao Lanzhi: "The day you killed him, didn't you see that painting?"

Nigu shook his head: "No! No! Never seen it! Your methods are really good! Good methods! My life is yours! I dare not lie! I dare not!"

Zhao Lanzhi felt that it was almost enough. This person probably only knew this much. He took the silver in one hand and pulled up Nigu with the other: "Let's go, go to the county office to talk."

He walked up to Yuan'an and Mu Le: "Thank you for your help. I have caught the criminal, there will be no more problems for Mu Le. You can take your horse slave home."

The excitement just now made Yuan'an very excited. He got closer and said to himself: "Constable Zhao Zaotou, what kind of painting are you looking for?"

"It has nothing to do with you."

Yuan'an leisurely: "I think there's still a long way to go, we are partners."

Zhao Lanzhi looked down at Yuan'an. She was really beautiful and adorable. When asking for a favor, she wrinkled her brow, pouted her lips, huddled her shoulders, and clasped her hands together—a cute and slightly mischievous appearance. Zhao Lanzhi stared at her for a while, contemplated for a moment but he couldn't bring himself to refuse her. However, he remained silent and left with Nigu.

Yuan'an understood the unspoken rule of asking someone to do things in the background, she gritted and looked back at Mu Le, and suddenly became angry again: "Let's go home! See if you dare to run around again in the future!"

Previous Chapter              Next Chapter

Oriental Odyssey 47 - Deceived!

After searching everywhere with worn-out shoes, success comes effortlessly.

Zhao Lanzhi heard that the person who killed the eunuch Cao Yi had been caught and rushed to the cell to see several officers interrogating the suspect. Zhao Lanzhi took a closer look: a child's face, tanned boy, with a face full of grievance and ignorance, wasn't this Yuan'an's little slave boy, Mu Le who once saved his life?

The officers were interrogating him. When they saw Zhao Lanzhi coming in, they quickly saluted. Mu Le looked up at Zhao Lanzhi but seemed not to recognize him and lowered his head again.

Zhao Lanzhi also kept his expression and asked: "Is this the murder suspect who was just arrested?"

An officer replied: "That's right. He was the one who killed the nameless eunuch in the inn. The waiter was going to deliver wine and food, right when he had just killed the man. Before he could escape, several people went up and caught him. Look, this is the murder weapon."

Zhao Lanzhi: "Where are the stolen goods?"

The officer replied: "We haven’t found it yet."

Zhao Lanzhi said: "Nine times out of ten, there is an accomplice. He stayed to hold the bag while his accomplices took away the property and ran."

Why did Official Zhao, who never said a word before the case was solved, lay out the facts of the case so quickly? The officials hesitated a little but did not dare to say anything more, so they said: "Official Zhao probably has it right."

Zhao Lanzhi raised his head and signaled: "Continue to ask him questions."

The officers turned to Mu Le: "Boy! Hurry up and admit the truth. Do you have any accomplices? What are their names?"

Mu Le thought about it: "Nigu."

The officer was stunned for a moment, then his face turned red with anger, and he went up to beat me: "How dare you scold me?! Who are you talking about?! Your mother! Brothers, give him a beating. He won't tell the truth if we don't beat him!"

**(LOL Nigu means stick-in-the-mud)**

Zhao Lanzhi smiled secretly.

The officers rushed up to beat Mu Le, but Mu Le dodged a few times.

He suddenly became fierce. His posture was clumsy, and he had no tricks, but his energy was so powerful that he pushed everyone down in one fell swoop. When Mu Le got free, he ran out. The officers suddenly threw out iron chains and trapped him. Mu Le was tied up with several chains and could not escape.

The officers who had just suffered a loss angrily said: "Oh, didn’t expect this little bastard to be quite energetic. It is indeed the material of a murderer!"

Zhao Lanzhi, who had been silent, picked up an object that Mu Le had dropped to the ground, and then shouted to everyone: "Stop it! Come and take a look at this."

When Mu Le saw it, it was the waist badge with his name engraved on it, which was a gift from Yuan'an. He immediately became anxious, he grabbed the chain and rushed forward: "That's mine!"

The officers stepped forward and held him down fiercely.

Zhao Lanzhi pretended to hold the badge in his hand: "Mu Le, Ye Mansion, oh, this must be a servant of Minister Ye's household. Hm, brothers, I don’t think this kid can handled randomly. What if he has backing? Then, in this case, you take this badge and go to Ye Mansion to ask. The person who died has no name or surname, we shouldn't offend someone powerful over this, right?"

The officer immediately agreed: "Your Excellency is right."

Zhao Lanzhi looked at Mu Le: "Give him some food and drink."

Mu Le looked at Zhao Lanzhi without making a sound.

It is said that Mu Le's waist badge was quickly sent to Ye Mansion by Zhao Lanzhi's messengers, and was delivered to Yuan'an. Yuan'an holding Mu Le's waist badge and was shocked: "It was sent by people from Luoyang County office?"

Uncle Xia replied: "Replying to little owner, that’s right."

Yuan'an was anxious: "Tell me, what did they say?"

Uncle Xia rubbed his hands: "That Mu Le killed someone, he is currently in prison."

Yuan'an paced back and forth for a few steps: "Go reply to them, just say that this badge was lost by one of our servants a few days ago, and thank them for sending it back, but that the person inside has nothing to do with us!"

Uncle Xia went down to reply. Yuan'an held the waist tag and clenched her fist, but made up her mind in her heart, and angrily said: "This fool refused to come back with me, he has really caused trouble!"

That night, at the door of a wine shop in Luoyang City, a disheveled, ragged, and unscrupulous thief dragged a tall horse out. The horse was unwilling and neighed. Two officers from the Luoyang county office came out of the wine shop and shouted: "Hey! So bold! Are you blind? How dare you steal an officer's horse?!"

The thief wanted to run away but was stopped by another officer: "Let’s go! Catch him!"

The officers grabbed the thief and threw him into the county prison.

In Luoyang County prison, Mu Le was locked up and was bored. He was watching cockroaches fighting when he saw two officers pushing and shoving a disheveled short man along. The officers threw the man in the cell, and then they sat together to drink and eat pig ears. The boy was in a ball so Mu Le couldn't see his face, suddenly the boy walked up to him and lowered his voice: "Hey, you stinky kid! Do you still recognize me, your master?"

Mu Le was startled and turned to look.

The man took off the messy wig on his head, raised his eyebrows, and looked at Mu Le with gritted teeth. That white face, dark eyes, and red lips, wasn't this Yuan'an, but how?

When he saw her, Mu Le suddenly became nervous and stammered: "Why are you here? How come it's you?"

Yuan'an covered his mouth: "Nonsense. If not to save you, why else would I be here? Don't make a sound!"

Mu Le didn't dare to make any more noise. Yuan'an looked around carefully and found that the window above had been sealed. Yuan'an said in a low voice: "These government officials in Luoyang County could still be considered to be earning their living. They were robbed by me last time, and as expected, the cell was completely blocked. Hmph, do you think everyone would keep using the trick? Fortunately, I have something new!"

Outside the cell, the two officers were eating, drinking, and toasting. Yuan'an took out a small blowpipe and blew two puffs at them.

Two small pills dropped into the wine and instantly dissolved, becoming invisible. The government officials drank it and fainted immediately.

Yuan'an chuckled, took out a small pair of tweezers from her sleeves, and opened them into two long tweezers and grabbed the keys from the officer's waist. She opened the cell door, Mu Le's hand and foot shackles, and the two escaped from the prison!

Yuan'an chuckled and took out a small pair of tweezers from her pocket. She folded and unfolded her two feet with the tweezers, turning them into long-legged tweezers. She grabbed the keys from the yamen officer's waist, opened the cell door and Mu Le's handcuffs and foot shackles. The two escaped from the cage!

Wearing the officers' coats, Yuan'an hastily walked out with Mu Le, but they ran into Zhao Lanzhi, Xiaohu, and others who were heading inside.

Seeing Zhao Lanzhi, Yuan'an thought, 'This is bad! Meeting enemies on a narrow road' She turned to Mu Le and whispered, "Lower your head!"

The two lowered their heads and walked past Zhao Lanzhi and the others.

Xiaohu stopped them from behind, saying, "Hey! You do not even greet your senior officers when you see them."

Yuan'an turned around, muffled her voice and whispered, "My lord, please forgive us. We two just joined the station as operational servants, so we lowly ones did not recognize those above us. Greetings, greetings."

Zhao Lanzhi asked, "Just arrived?"

Yuan'an replied, "Yes!"

Zhao Lanzhi continued, "What position are you in?"

Yuan'an said, "Cook."

Zhao Lanzhi remarked, "By the way, the food you served tonight was too salty."

Yuan'an replied, "I understand, sir. I'll use less salt tomorrow."

Zhao Lanzhi said, "Go."

Zhao Lanzhi didn't recognize them. Yuan'an breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took Mu Le away.

Little did Yuan'an know that Zhao Lanzhi was looking at their backs with a smile on his face.

An officer rushed over in a panic, saying, "Sir, it's not good. The prisoner, we lost the prisoner again!"

Zhao Lanzhi asked in a pretentious manner, "Who was lost? The kid who killed the eunuch?"

The officer replied, "Exactly! How did the senior officer know without going there? Our two officers were drugged, and the prisoner was kidnapped."

Zhao Lanzhi ordered, "Don't panic! Go and save the people! I'll go catch the criminal!"

Meanwhile, Yuan'an and Mu Le slipped away under Zhao Lanzhi's nose, running for their lives through the alleys. After running for a long time, they looked back and saw no pursuers.

The two stopped. Yuan'an bent down, gasping for air, and looked up at Mu Le. She deliberately kept her distance from him. He slightly turned away, glancing at Yuan'an. Under the moon, Yuan'an's pair of slanted round eyes were slanted and her cheeks were puffed up. Yuan'an was exhausted, meanwhile, his breath was calm and even, still looking unconvinced. Yuan'an suddenly became very angry.

She rushed forward, grabbed Mu Le's collar, intending to hit him in the face.

Mu Le didn't dodge, looking straight into her eyes and pursing his lips tightly.

Yuan'an couldn't bring herself to do anything, instead, she pointed a finger at Mu Le's face and gritted her teeth for a long time, before saying, "Alright! Why didn't they kill you?!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Le's mouth flattened, his jaw twitched, and he was about to cry.

Yuan'an became fierce, "Hold it back!"

Mu Le held it back, his eyes red.

Yuan'an shook him, demanding, "What's going on?! Why were you arrested and thrown into prison? Why are you causing trouble and getting involved in a life-threatening case? How did you end up like this? What about all the things you said to me that day? Weren't you happy? Weren't you comfortable? Weren't you unwilling to go back to the mansion with me? Oh, so you just wanted to go to prison?"

Mu Le said, "No, didn't"

Yuan'an became even angrier, "What's going on? Explain it clearly!"

Mu Le had held it in for a long time and finally cried, "I was lied to, I was deceived!"

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Hilarious Pampered Consort 161 - Embarrassing People is a Bad Habit

Qu Tan'er's heart skipped a beat, and then it pounded heavily. She felt a bit disoriented. In the next moment, she swiftly turned around, staring in confusion at Mo Liancheng's departing figure. What did he mean by calling her his Princess? Was he angry because she agreed to be Yun Youlian's target?

It seemed so... she was confused for the first time.

"Master, what's wrong with you?" Jing Xin walked over, taking down the bow and arrow she still held up.

"Nothing." Qu Tan'er chuckled lightly, unwilling to dwell on it. When she looked up again, she saw Yun Youlian collapsing, and her maid rushing to support her.

It appeared that Yun Youlian was quite affected by the scare just now.

However, because of Mo Liancheng's parting words, Qu Tan'er's mood changed, and she couldn't calm her restless heart.

About half an hour later.

She left the archery range and returned to the Snow Courtyard, Qu Tan'er unexpectedly brought the bow and arrows back, holding and playing with them.

Maybe she should practice? Shoot at whoever displeased her? But the thought of Mo Liancheng holding her hand, shooting arrows together made her blush again, which made her heart that had just calmed down race again.

What the hell is going on?

Was she cursed or something...

After a while, Jing Xin entered the room with snacks and freshly brewed tea, calmly saying, "Master, a physician has been invited into the mansion."

"Who's ill?" Qu Tan'er asked nonchalantly, still focusing on the bow and arrow.

"Lady Yun is unwell." Jing Xin replied, placing the tea on the table.

Qu Tan'er casually nodded, not paying much attention to Jing Xin's words. Instead, she seemed more interested in the items in her hands. Even practicing the posture Mo Liancheng taught her felt quite enjoyable.

Suddenly, she seemed to have registered what Jing Xin said.

Yun Youlian is sick? They called a physician just because of scare?

It wasn't apparent earlier, it was highly likely that she was faking it.

"Does Master want to go and see?" Jing Xin asked.

"See her?" Qu Tan'er looked up casually, glancing at Jing Xin, then looked at the fruits on the table. A sinister smile spread across her face as she happily said, "Sure, in the end, it's my fault. I should go and console her. Hehe, bring a plate of apples. It's necessary."

"Master wants to bring apples?" Jing Xin's expression changed, seemingly surprised.

"Yes, what's wrong with that?"

"Master, Lady Yun sent for the physician immediately after fainting at the archery range."

"Right, so bring the plate of apples. We'll take it over to see her." Qu Tan'er laughed cunningly, putting down the bow and arrow and picking up an apple from the table. She took a hearty bite. If Yun Youlian' wanted to play, then she would accompany her for a while. After all, these days were a bit too boring.

"Master, are you sure?" Jing Xin sounded doubtful.

"Of course, let's go."

Qu Tan'er laughed heartily and left without hesitation, not wasting a moment.

In the Compassion Courtyard, Yun Youlian lay on the bed, her face pale, seemingly genuinely unwell.

The old physician was currently checking her pulse and observing her complexion.

"How is she, Doctor?" Qu Tan'er entered the room, and this was the scene she encountered.

"To respond to Princess, Lady Yun only suffered a slight shock. Resting for a while will be fine. I have prescribed a soothing and calming medicinal soup for her. After drinking it and resting, she should recover." The doctor truthfully replied.

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Oriental Odyssey 46 - Missing Banana

In other words, Mu Le bid farewell to Yuanan. He felt discomfort in his chest, his breath wasn't smooth, and it felt like there was a lump in his chest. He fell down again, feeling uneasy all over. The young boy didn't understand that he was heartbroken over a girl, he just thought he was sick. He felt so sick that he furrowed his eyebrows, lowered his head, and lost his soul as he entered the broken temple where he lived with Nigu.

Nigu had been waiting for him for a long time. He rushed to greet Mu Le, asking, "Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Mu Le didn't speak and he laid down in the grass.

Nigu said, "Don't be lazy; there's a big deal tonight. Come with me!"

Mu Le, grabbed by Nigu, didn't know how to refuse and was in a daze. 

He was facing a murderous disaster!

Two days later, a few days before Empress Wu's birthday, a massive rainstorm hit Luoyang City.

A lightning bolt struck, causing the imperial library's beam to collapse into a corner.

It was raining heavily.

The on-duty eunuchs didn't dare to neglect their duties and trotted through the imperial library.

The person in charge, a middle-aged eunuch named Li Cheng, whispered to the little eunuch next to him, "What did I tell you? Check it carefully early and ensure everything is in order. Is the window broken? Let me tell you, if we lose something, we can't afford to lose our heads!"

They were busy until dawn, sorting out books and pictures against the list.

A little eunuch reported, "Reporting to Gonggong, most of the books and pictures are well preserved. However, six paintings and calligraphy from the Jin Dynasty have water damage and need repair."

Li Cheng asked, "Which six are they?"

The little eunuch presented him with a list.

Li Cheng calmed down a little, saying, "Fortunately, it's not the paintings that the masters love. There's time for repair."

The little eunuch hesitated and then said, "Gonggong, it seems there's a painting missing."

Li Cheng inquired, "Which one?"

"That one..."

Li Cheng understood instantly, shocked, and quickly went through the scrolls he had sorted out, becoming more and more impatient.

The painting had indeed disappeared!

The painting, which was kept in a copper cabinet to protect it from water and dust, was gone!

Li Cheng exclaimed, "How is it possible? How could it be?"

The eunuchs were extremely frightened, looking at each other, racking their brains for ideas.

Li Cheng calmed down a little, lowered his face, and ordered everyone, "Listen, no one is allowed to spread this matter!"

The little eunuch was about to cry, saying, "Gonggong, the painting is gone, but we can't hide it."

Li Cheng's fingers trembled, and he pointed outside, "Go, go and invite Zhao Lanzhi!"

Zhao Lanzhi, the head constable of Luoyang County government, received the news and rushed to the palace quickly, following an eunuch straight to the imperial library.

When Li Cheng saw him, he seemed to settle down, closed the doors and windows, turned around, and walked in front of Zhao Lanzhi. He wanted to say something and suddenly knelt down.

Zhao Lanzhi put down the teacup and hurriedly stopped him, "What is Gonggong doing? If you have anything to say, please say it, if you kneel like this isn't this killing me?"

Li Cheng was helped up by Zhao Lanzhi, "Lanzhi, in three days is the Empress' birthday. If you don't save me this time, I'm afraid my life will really be hard to protect!"

Zhao Lanzhi pondered a little, knowing that the matter was not small, "What is going on, Gonggong, please explain slowly."

Li Cheng said, "Yesterday, the Imperial library was hit by heavy rain. We sorted out the scrolls and books overnight, but found that one of the most important paintings registeredwas missing."

"Which one?"

"Lan Zhi, you must have seen that work when you visited the Empress, it's called 'The Picture Below the Banana Tree.' It's her favorite, one she often browses."

Zhao Lanzhi thought for a while, and there was indeed some impression in his head: "A man and a woman reading a book under a banana tree?"

Li Cheng nodded, "Exactly."

"Then I have a slight impression."

Li Cheng turned around and said with difficulty, "That is the favorite painting. The scroll was a bit worn out, so we had it here to repair it to hang it on the day of the Empress' birthday. But...but, after the heavy rain, it actually disappeared!"

Zhao Lanzhi was not surprised. He knew how many people's disasters it would mean to lose the beloved painting of the Empress.

Li Cheng turned to look at him, "I dare not speak out, but there is no way, so I have to turn to you, Lanzhi! If you refuse to help, not only me, but the lives of dozens of eunuchs in the imperial library will be gone!"

Zhao Lanzhi pondered for a long time, "Don't panic, Gonggong, there are no more than two possibilities for the loss of property, external thieves or internal thieves. The Imperial library is heavily guarded, no one can enter or exit without permission. So has Gonggong investigated all the eunuchs, servants, and any others who entered?"

Li Cheng said, "After the incident, I immediately asked and searched, and no suspicious people were found. Besides, if there is really an internal thief, then they will not be able to hide the connection. What Gonggong said is extremely true; those who stay in the palace will never dare to steal this painting. However, recently, have any eunuchs from the imperial library recently taken leave of the palace?"

Li Cheng: "None"

A timid eunuch cautiously reminded, "Gonggong, what about Cao Yi?"

Li Cheng, recalling, quickly informed Zhao Lanzhi, "Indeed, one person took leave five days ago. He was responsible for repairing furniture here and has been with me since childhood. He said his parents came to Luoyang from their hometown, cried, and requested to go out and meet them. I granted him leave." He turned to the little eunuch, "Hey, when did he say he would be back?"

The little eunuch counted, "Gonggong, he was supposed to return yesterday."

Li Cheng was dumbfounded.

Zhao Lanzhi, had an idea, said, "The loss of this scroll may be related to this person. Li Gonggong, let me help you find the eunuch who took leave and hasn't returned. Do you have a portrait of him?"

Li Cheng quickly found one, "He is plump, without a beard."

With this significant matter at hand, Zhao Lanzhi put aside his current tasks, refraining from involving subordinates, and personally searched for the whereabouts of the eunuch Cao Yi. Unfortunately, there was no news the entire day.

As night fell, Zhao Lanzhi returned to the county government. The gravedigger, Lao Yang, was walking in drunkenly with a jug in his hand, nearly colliding with Zhao Lanzhi.

Lao Yang apologized, "Oops, Constable Zhao, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"Drunk again?" Zhao Lanzhi asked.

Lao Yang chuckled, "It's good to be drunk. After getting drunk, looking at dead bodies isn't as unpleasant."

Smiling, Zhao Lanzhi helped him up and was about to leave, when he suddenly thought, if news of the living Cao Yi couldn't be found, could he be dead? So, he asked, "Lao Yang, have you received any peculiar salted fish recently?"

Shaking his head, Lao Yang replied, "Nothing too peculiar. But yesterday morning, I did receive a pickled salted fish."

Unsure, Zhao Lanzhi asked, "I don't understand."

Wide-eyed, Lao Yang explained, "It's a corpse, a castrated corpse!"

"Take me to see!" requested Zhao Lanzhi.

In the mortuary, Lao Yang led Zhao Lanzhi to the so-called pickled salted fish. Comparing the face with the portrait, it was indeed Cao Yi. Zhao Lanzhi thought, Li Gonggong, I've found Cao Yi for you, but he's dead! Turning to Lao Yang, he asked, "What have you found?"

"He was killed, knife wounds in two places. One in the abdomen with no blood, the other in the throat with little blood," reported Lao Yang.

Monitoring the situation, Zhao Lanzhi pondered, "Who is the murderer? Did they take anything valuable from him?"

Lao Yang revealed, "The murderer was caught on the spot. They're currently locked up in the cell."

Zhao Lanzhi was momentarily stunned.

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Oriental Odyssey 45 - Rascal Nigu

Yuan'an returned home laden with worries and went straight to the cellar, where Tianshu was busy feeding pills to a red monkey. The monkey, aware of his ploy, opened its mouth and spat back at him, leaving him covered in saliva.

Tianshu wiped his hands, shook his head, and sighed, "Testing medicine on animals just doesn't work. Hey, kid, where's your little minion Le? Haven't seen him for days."

Yuan'an replied, "I drove him away."

Tianshu scolded, "You fool! If you don't want him, give him to me. I'll use him to test medicine. I tried it once, and it worked well."

Yuan'an sensed something amiss and grabbed Tianshu's collar, asking, "Did you give him the medicine you brewed?"

Tianshu retorted, "So what?"

Yuan'an pressed, "How did it affect him?"

Tianshu explained, "It's a kidney qi medicine. The dead can come back to life after taking it."

Yuan'an questioned, "And the living?"

Tianshu replied, "The living turn into gangsters."

Yuan'an, recalling the day she drove Mu Le away, suddenly understood. She grabbed Tianshu's collar and slammed her head to his chin, but he grinned in pain. Yuan'an rushed out of the basement.

On her way out, she encountered the stubborn Gou'er stealing underwear. Yuan'an confronted him, "Come, we need to talk."

Gou'er was frightened, nearly peeing himself. He spoke, "Little owner, Elder Young mistress, it wasn't me. The young master arranged it all!"

Yuan'an wreaked havoc in Ye Mansion, and even Lord Ye, just returning, was dragged into the chaos. Yuan Ning, dodging Yuan'an's attacks, was eventually cornered. Despite being stopped by others, Yuan'an was powerful, flying up to kick Yuan Ning. Antique flower pots shattered, and Yuan Ning wailed.

Uncle Xia, restrained Yuan'an, advising, "Little owner, control yourself. Don't beat the young master so hard. If things break, how will you explain to the master when he returns?"

Yuan'an, furious, cursed while punching and kicking, "Shameless! Plotting with the little guy to frame my person! Forcing me to drive people away! I'll kill you!"

Yuan Ning cried, accusing the Gou'er, "Gou'er, you smiled when you took the money and then sold me out, didn't you?"

Gou'er pleaded, "Young master, don't scold me! I accidentally let the little owner catch me."

Ignoring their squabble, Yuan'an continued to violently beat Yuan Ning. The family intervened, but Yuan Ning only escaped momentarily. Yuan'an, about to resume, suddenly stopped. Lord Ye had arrived, and Yuan'an stared at Yuan Ning.

Madam Ye helped Yuan Ning up and scolded him, "Useless thing! You're bullied by your sister every day!"

Yuan'an, facing his father, sneered, "What's the fake lamentation, mother? Yuan Ning useless? He's scheming!"

Yuan Ning, tearful and sniffling, denied, "I didn't!"

Furious, Yuan'an clenched her fists, vowing, "I'll make you talk!"

Lord Ye intervened, scolding Yuan'an and questioning if she would beat even her stepmother one day. He ordered Yuan'an to leave, and Yuan'an, seething, ran off.

Madam Ye and Yuan Ning, relieved after Yuan'an's departure, exchanged glances.

Lord Ye, pacing, pointed to Yuan'an's departing figure, "This child will bring me a big disaster sooner or later!"

Quick on her feet, Yuan'an left on horseback, deciding to rectify the injustice against Mu Le.

Around the same time, in Nancheng gambling hall, Mu Le was being watched closely by the rascal Nigu. A person with no beard, fair skin, and a brocade robe had won a significant amount of money. Mu Le, in a corner, fed a brown kitten, unaware of the unfolding drama.

Suddenly, people from a fruit shop attacked Mu Le, accusing him of stealing. In the ensuing chaos, Mu Le tried to escape but slipped. Yuan'an, waiting nearby, used her iron skeleton hand to aid Mu Le in the nick of time.

Yuan'an confronted Mu Le, who looked at her with mixed emotions. She attempted to talk, but he turned away, evidently unhappy.

Ignoring his silent response, Yuan'an tried to understand, "Why were those people chasing and beating you?"

Mu Le remained silent.

"Don't you recognize me anymore?"

He finally spoke, "Yuan'an."

"Then why won't you answer my question? Why were they chasing and beating you?"

"It's none of your business."

"Ah, after not seeing each other for a few days, you dare to talk back?"

Mu Le wasn't used to questions, and about to leave but was grabbed by Yuan'an. She spoke in a hushed voice, "Hey, don't go. I've almost searched the entire Luoyang City looking for you. I want to talk to you."

Mu Le stopped but didn't look at her.

Yuan'an struggled, "Come back home with me. I've investigated everything. It was someone else who harmed you, set you up in the maid's bathroom, and hid those things in your sleeping place. The old guy in the basement used you to test medicine, and you were confused that day. Anyway, it's not your fault. They were all making fun of you. Come back home with me."

Mu Le turned his back, shaking his head.

"Don't worry, I've punished them. They won't dare to make fun of you again."

Mu Le finally turned back at Yuan'an, his shoulders were thin with a face resembling two round apples. In his dark brown eyes, scenes from that day appeared—scenes that haunted his nightmares, where Yuan'an struck his cheek with thorns.

He didn't believe her.

Shaking his head, Mu Le fled.

Yuan'an didn't pursue, standing still as thunderclouds gathered in the sky.

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