The moonlight in the sky is misty and cold. East Street is especially quiet after the fourth watch. The noisy and lively market during the day is empty. The ground has been swept clean. Everything is immersed in sleep, even the wind blowing through the eaves.
The sounds were all clearly audible. Occasionally, a kitten would come out for a stroll, also slowly and quietly, as if it were wandering in a fugue.
After Xia Houshu took the antidote, her mind gradually cleared up and her energy and spirit gradually returned to its original state. The joy of the rest of her life slowly took root in her heart, grew into a towering tree, and bloomed with gorgeous flowers.
Xia Houyi was only five years older than her, but he was smart, smart, and thoughtful. He seemed to know everything and could do everything well, which always made her feel that Nobui was reliable.
This sense of security was something she had never experienced during the eight lonely years in Boyunguan, so she fell into despair little by little, becoming greedy but unwilling to make progress.
Xia Houyi walked in front holding a phoenix pattern mask in his hand, walking slowly. The gems on the mask occasionally flashed a glimmer of light under the moonlight. The night wind blew gently, lifting the hair on his forehead, making him clear and strong.
The outline is softened.
Xia Houshu's rare silence made him a little uncomfortable. Later, he pretended to turn his head and glance at his sister accidentally, and his brows immediately wrinkled. He couldn't figure out why she had such a smile on her eyes despite her blushing face.
Deep, so he continued to keep a cold face and did not give her any good words.
"Second brother..."
Xia Houshu wanted to take the opportunity to show her kindness and ease the awkward atmosphere, but she was glared at as soon as she screamed, and she immediately became too sensible to say anything. She looked at her brother's back eagerly and followed suit.
According to Nanqi's curfew regulations, the evening drum is sounded at three o'clock at the first watch to prohibit travel; the morning bell is sounded at three o'clock at the fifth watch before travel is prohibited. Those who walk on the street at the second, third and fourth watch will be whipped thirty times;
Anyone who violates the night ban after the first watch or shortly before the fifth watch will be beaten twenty times. In case of special circumstances such as illness, childbirth, death, etc., it is also necessary to truthfully report to the patrol guards before they can pass. However, no matter how severe it is,
The curfew system had no effect on Xia Houyi, who had already figured out the patrol routes and inspection times of the city guards. Even though they walked from the west of the city to the east, they did not encounter a patrol guard.
When they arrived at the gate of the Duke of Yue's Mansion, the brother and sister made a tacit agreement not to go through the door, but climbed in from the side corner. As soon as their feet touched the ground, they met the guards patrolling the mansion.
The guards of the Duke of Yue's Mansion all had experience in the military camp. They were extremely alert and had very good skills. Thirty people were assigned to patrol in two shifts every night, and ordinary thieves would not dare to approach them.
When the guards saw a man and a woman climbing over the wall, they immediately became alert.
Xia Houyi tidied his clothes a little, coughed slightly, and said without shame: "I can't sleep late at night, so I went out for a walk and disturbed you. I'm really sorry."
The captain of the guard saw clearly that they were brother and sister Xia Houyi. Even if he suspected that they had some ulterior secrets, he did not dare to say anything. He nodded and led his men to patrol elsewhere.
Xia Houshu suppressed his laughter and followed his brother around Xixing Pond and through the front garden. However, he saw that Xia Houyi was not in a hurry to return to his residence, but went straight to Muchun Courtyard.
The gate of Muchun Courtyard was locked, and the courtyard was quiet. The guests who had been arguing during the day were already sound asleep. Xia Houyi didn't care, found a slightly lower corner, jumped up to the wall, and then lightly
He jumped in with a slight leap. Xiahou Shu didn't know why, so he climbed over the wall and entered Muchun Courtyard.
There was a familiar smell of Chinese medicine floating in the falling courtyard. Xia Houshu frowned slightly, and then he realized that they had entered the courtyard where Pei Lang lived. Through the faint moonlight, he could see that the dustpan used to dry medicinal materials had been collected by Pei Lang.
After that, they were neatly stacked on the wooden frame against the wall. Seeing Xia Houyi's familiarity with the car, Xia Houshu already knew a little bit about it.
Xia Houyi went directly to knock on Pei Lang's door without further explanation to Xia Houshu.
"Who is it?" Pei Lang's voice soon came from the room, with a hint of sleepiness.
Xia Houyi did not answer, but continued to knock on the door.
"Dong-dong-dong-"
No more, no less, exactly three times, one long and two short, like some kind of secret code.
After a while, there was a rustling sound in the room, and candlelight shined through the window paper.
The door creaked open from the inside. Pei Lang held the door with one hand and held the candlestick with the other. He looked at the door sleepily. When he saw the person coming clearly, he was not surprised and said: "Second Young Master, Third Miss,
It's so late, do you have anything to do with Pei?"
"Let's go in and talk." Xia Houyi said and walked to his room with ease, as if it was as natural as returning to his own room.
Upon seeing this, Pei Lang quickly took a step back to make way for him, and then cast a puzzled look at Xia Houshu.
Xia Houshu spread his hands and said that he did not know the purpose of his brother's coming here. After all, she had not inhaled much Qingsu Dew and had taken the antidote. There was really no need to trouble Pei Lang at night.
Pei Lang frowned, closed the door behind him, then followed and placed the candlestick on the table, waiting for the next words.
Xia Houyi stood in front of the table, pushed a teapot and four teacups away from the table, then took out a large handful of plants from his sleeve and placed them on top.
Xia Houshu was shocked. She followed Xia Houyi and didn't know when he picked so many flowers and hid them in his sleeves. No wonder she always felt that Xia Houyi had a strange fragrance and thought he had changed his usual perfume.
Pei Lang also stared at the pile of flowers and plants, his eyes filled with shock. After a while, he asked: "Where did the second young master find these flowers and plants?"
Xia Houyi did not answer directly, but pointed to the flowers and plants and asked, "Does Mr. Pei know these flowers and plants?"
Hearing this, Pei Lang came closer, picked up the bouquets one by one, put them under the candlelight to identify them, and then brought them to his nose to smell them.
Xia Houshu was also very curious. He grabbed a long-stemmed red flower and took a look. He saw that the flower had four petals, nearly round or nearly fan-shaped, with shallow wavy edges or various splits. The flower was large and gorgeous, and the fragrance was rich.
.She had never seen such gorgeous and gorgeous flowers before, but the fragrance seemed familiar, as if she had smelled it somewhere.
After Pei Lang looked at all the flowers and plants, he looked at Xia Houyi again, with a bit of surprise and excitement in his eyes, and asked: "Where did the second young master find these flowers and plants?"
Xia Houyi did not say it clearly, but said: "I passed by a house in the evening and saw many flowers and plants planted in his yard. The fragrance was unusual. I saw that they looked good and picked some back. If you know him, we will find some again later.
in the garden."
"Absolutely not!" Pei Lang waved his hands after hearing this, "Although these flowers and plants are extremely gorgeous, they are not beautiful flowers for garden viewing, but poisonous flowers with different effects." Then he pointed at the flowers and plants and introduced them one by one, "Look, this is
Oleander, its branches, leaves, and bark contain toxins, which can cause poisoning in mild cases and fatal cases in severe cases. This is Datura, which can be used for anesthesia and analgesia, but its seeds, fruits, leaves, and flowers are all toxic.
This is Aconitum. The toxins are mainly in the roots. The mother root is called Aconitum. It is an important medicine for dispersing cold and relieving pain. It can dispel the cold in the meridians and dispel the cold in the internal organs. The root is called Aconite, which has the function of returning Yang and dispelling cold.
It has the effect of dispelling rheumatism. If taken raw, improperly mixed or overdosed, it can cause numbness of the mouth, tongue and whole body, nausea and vomiting, chest tightness and spasm, irregular heartbeat, confusion, and even respiratory failure and death.
It can relieve swelling and relieve pain. It has the effect of removing poison and killing insects. The whole plant is poisonous. If eaten by mistake, it can cause respiratory paralysis. In mild cases, it will be difficult to breathe. In severe cases, people will die from respiratory arrest..."
Xia Houshu listened quietly, and also heard the names and medicinal properties of flowers that she had either seen or never heard of, such as poinsettia, lantana, green jade, poppy poppies, narcissus, etc., and she was quite moved. She didn't expect that a small flower could be so beautiful.
So capable. Then she handed the gorgeous large flower in her hand to Pei Lang and asked, "What kind of flower is this?"
Pei Lang looked up and said calmly: "This is called poppy flower. It has the effects of astringing the lungs, astringing the intestines, relieving coughs, analgesics and hypnosis. However, it also has a hallucinogenic effect and can damage the lungs and meridians of the human body." Without waiting.
Others asked questions, and he continued, "The growth habits and cultivation methods of these flowers are different, and some of them are not even native to Nanqi. Now they are actually planted in the same yard. It is very unusual for this family to come here."
." He looked at Xia Houyi and asked, "Second Young Master, can you tell me the exact origin of these flowers?"
When Xia Houshu heard this, he also followed Pei Lang's gaze and looked at Xia Houyi, wondering if he could figure out the right time to save him tonight. He must have followed him all the way. Since he was going to the Prime Minister's Mansion, then...
"I understand." Xia Houshu said suddenly.
The sudden voice attracted the attention of the two people next to her, and she continued: "It's the Prime Minister's Mansion. When I saw these flowers just now, I thought they looked familiar. After thinking about it carefully, I realized that there were flowers in the courtyard where Yi Wu used to live.
Plant these flowers and plants.”
Xia Houyi stared at his sister without making any reaction.
Pei Lang, who had always been calm, was stunned, as if he had discovered some shocking secret. Then his eyes turned back and forth between Xia Houyi and his sister several times. Thinking of the words and deeds of the brothers and sisters in daily life, he seemed to feel that it was him.
Too much fuss, so he put away his surprise and said thoughtfully: "Yes, yes, only people like that can obtain such things."
Although Xia Houshu was still confused about her brother's purpose of picking so many flowers for Pei Lang to identify, she really had no intention of caring about these poisonous flowers and weeds at this time. There were too many things that happened this night, and they were too thrilling. If
If Xia Houyi had not followed her and rescued her in time, perhaps Prime Minister Wang would have taken her body to the Yue Duke's Mansion tomorrow to seek justice.
"Mr. Pei." Xia Houyi suddenly said, "Please don't tell anyone about what happened tonight. Especially what Shu'er said just now."
Pei Lang waved his hand and said cheerfully: "Second Young Master, don't worry, we medical practitioners are always only interested in these medicinal materials and difficult and complicated diseases." This chapter has been completed!