In the hours that followed, Lu Li and Qingluan went about Qinghe County, inquiring further into the past affairs of the Lu family.
Daylight hours are always fleeting; in the blink of an eye, twilight gathered on all sides. The two found a secluded inn within the city to lodge for the night.
Weary from the journey by cart and horse, having neither eaten nor drunk, they rested. Qingluan went to find the innkeeper to arrange for a meal, leaving Lu Li sitting alone in the room.
On the table sat the cloud-slice cake Qingluan had bought earlier from the old woman selling pastries. Wrapped hastily, it was illuminated by the burning lamp, blurring into a dim, indistinct mass.
Lu Li's gaze turned slightly cold.
She had spent seven years on Hanmei Ridge. Her travel bag was surprisingly sparse; the most precious item was nothing more than that medicine chest. She had returned home with her heart full of hope, only to be met with the tragedy of her family's extermination.
Her father had always been strict in teaching his children; in their youth, if one made a mistake, all three were punished together. When Lu Ping was young, he got into a fight with others and spoke insolently; his father punished him with twenty lashes of the rattan cane and made him personally go to the other party to apologize. The entire Qinghe County knew that the Lu family had strict family discipline; how could they possibly commit such lowly acts as stealing money and humiliating others?
Lu Wan had died, and her father encountering a water disaster on the road seemed even more suspicious. From Qinghe County to the Imperial Capital, it was but a stretch of waterway, and there had never been any news of shipwrecks in the past. Why did something happen the moment her father entered the capital? And her mother... Lu Li's gaze grew dark.
A family of four, meeting with frequent mishaps within a single year—how could there be such a coincidence in this world?
Lu Li slowly clenched her hand.
Now, her mother's body had not been preserved, and the people in Qinghe County spoke vaguely. For Lu Ping's case, there must be records in the Imperial Capital's yamen, and then there was Lu Wan...
All the answers could perhaps only be found in the Imperial Capital.
Footsteps sounded outside the door. Qingluan entered carrying a porcelain bowl, murmuring in a low voice, "We haven't eaten since noon. Miss, I had them make some hot porridge... please have a sip to fill your stomach."
She placed the porcelain bowl on the table, then turned to Lu Li and said, "A few refreshing side dishes will arrive shortly."
Lu Li's gaze fell upon the porcelain bowl; for a long while, she did not move.
Qingluan observed her expression, thought for a moment, and couldn't help but advise, "Miss, please restrain your grief..."
She knew Lu Li had been away from home for many years, and returning now to find things had changed and people were gone, it was inevitable that she would be heartbroken. However, facing such a situation, Qingluan racked her brains but could think of no words of comfort, offering only this stiff consolation.
Lu Li asked, "Qingluan, how long have you been with me?"
Qingluan was startled and replied subconsciously, "...About half a year."
"Half a year..." Lu Li looked at the lamp on the table.
Qingluan felt somewhat uneasy. After a while, she heard Lu Li's voice, "In that case, let us part ways here."
"Miss!" Qingluan looked at her in disbelief.
Qingluan was originally a courtesan, sold into the pleasure quarters as a child by her gambling addict father. She was born clever and beautiful, yet her fate was fraught with misfortune; at the age of sixteen, she contracted a foul disease.
The madam refused to spend silver to have her treated, and detesting her foul odor which made her unfit to continue receiving guests, one night, she ordered the servants to wrap Qingluan in a mat and throw her onto the Graveyard Slope of Hanmei Ridge.
By then, Qingluan was already breathing her last, merely waiting for death to claim her; she hadn't expected to encounter Lu Li on the Graveyard Slope.
Lu Li carried her back up the mountain and treated her illness. Later, Qingluan recovered.
To this day, Qingluan did not know why Lu Li had appeared at the Graveyard Slope in the dead of night, nor did she ever ask. This girl with the cold expression seemed to harbor many secrets. However, since then, Qingluan had followed Lu Li. Lu Li had told her she could leave on her own, but Qingluan was different from Lu Li; she had no home and no kin, nor did she wish to fall back into the wind and dust of the pleasure quarters. After thinking it over, she felt it was more peaceful to stay with Lu Li.
But she hadn't expected that today, Lu Li would try to drive her away again.
"Miss." Qingluan knelt down. "Have I done something amiss?" She was somewhat panicked. "Why do you suddenly want to drive me away?"
Lu Li did not answer her but walked to the window.
It was late, the curtain of night hung low. Qinghe County at night had lost the clamor of the day, appearing as desolate as in times past.
"You heard it today yourself. My Lu family, the entire household, has perished within a year." Lu Li gazed at the long street outside the window. The lanterns under the eaves swayed eerily, illuminating the young girl's face with exceptional brightness.
"I do not believe there are such coincidences in this world."
"It all began with the news of my sister's death. Now, there is no one familiar to the Lu family left in all of Qinghe County. To uncover the truth, I must go to the capital and confront the Shen family."
She said, "There is something fishy about this matter. I am going to the capital."
"The capital?" Qingluan forgot her earlier loss of composure and said, "This servant can follow Miss to the capital. Why must you drive me away?"
Lu Li did not speak. She closed the window, turned back, and sat down at the table.
The cloud-slice cake sat on the table. After a day of rushing about, the pastry kept in her bosom had crumbled. The crumbs were blown by the wind, scattering over the table like a layer of white frost.
Her voice was cold and clear, as if separated by a heavy fog, radiating a slight chill. "Did the old woman selling cakes not say so? My second brother went to the capital and became a villain who stole money and humiliated women. My father filed a complaint, and as luck would have it, fell into the water and the ship sank. Even though my mother did nothing, our home caught fire and was burned to the ground."
She looked at Qingluan, her dark eyes bright and arresting under the lamplight. "If I go to the capital, how do you know you won't be the next one?"
Qingluan was puzzled at first, but once she understood the meaning behind Lu Li's words, a chill immediately ran down her spine.
The deaths of the Lu family were suspicious; it was less like they had offended some evil entity and more like they had offended someone powerful. But for the other party to effortlessly wipe out an entire household—could an ordinary family achieve such a thing?
Lu Li looked at her, her tone plain. "This journey to the Imperial Capital is fraught with danger. Since