Da Li Temple - Chapter 62.1

Chapter 62.1
Earrings

Su Moyi does not drink wine; he only plays with the cups in his hand, carelessly raising his head to look toward the entrance of the Song Mansion.

The firecrackers in the courtyard suddenly released red all over the ground. The groom rode a high horse and took a rest in front of the main gate. People surrounded the bridal sedan, and the maid of honor picked the carriage curtain and brought out a woman with a dangling headpiece. As soon as she stepped off the carriage, she covered her face with a fan, and the maid of honor led her to the front hall. Because the fan covered her face tightly, she couldn’t see much.

When she passed Su Moyi’s side, only three steps away, he could only see the bride’s slender white neck. The hand holding the wine cup lurched, and an indescribable feeling suddenly arose in his heart.
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The lanterns and candles of the Song Mansion were covered in a layer of mist, reflecting sourness in Su Moyi’s eyes. He shook his head and laughed at himself for being bewitched. He still has time to think about Lin Wanqing in a wedding dress at such a juncture. He sighed and heard a highly light hum when he turned his head. The cup in his hand shook, and he nearly jumped up from his seat.
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That sound, he was all too familiar with it. Because ordinary women would cry out in pain, their voices were sharp and thin; however, Lin Wanqing was an exception; because of her many years of disguising herself as a man, she had already developed the habit of enduring pain, so her voice would be low.
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His heart then moved. A piece of firelight swaying amidst the matron’s singing, Su Moyi began to search unnoticeably. Lin Wanqing wouldn’t be so eager to solve the case that she blended in herself, would she?
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But tonight, although he arranged everything, there was no guarantee that Song Zhengxing wouldn’t muddle through. She had always been reckless and could come to such a dangerous place.
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“Bride, beware.” A reminder from the maid of honor came to his ears.
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Only then did Su Moyi realize that the bride made the sound as she stepped over the fire pot, accidentally touching the burning hot copper pot. He breathed a sigh of relief; the minor doubt in his heart was a little better. He turned his head and rubbed his brow, only thinking that he was hallucinating because he had been working hard for days and his spirit was not good. He was terrified that she would come here to participate.

Between thoughts, the maid of honor had guided the bride to the upper seat in the main hall. The band in the hall played a joyful tune, like the water flowing and blossoming in the mountains on a sunny day.
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The matron stood aside and began to sing along with the music, “Bow, worship–“
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The bride and groom stood side by side and bowed to heaven and earth.
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Looking at such a scene, Su Moyi felt unhappy in his heart for some reason. He frowned tightly, his gaze resting on that bride’s side momentarily. However, the red between the candles and the joyful music attracted his attention. He fixed his eyes towards the uncovered side of the bride’s ear. He felt her earring looked familiar – a carnelian earring embedded with gold filigree, exquisite craftwork, and superior materials. He vaguely remembers that when he visited the Empress Dowager at Chang’an Palace last month, someone brought the jewelry imported from the Western Regions to the Empress Dowager for her selection. Such earrings were among them, with the same material, and the styles ranged from peony patterns to hibiscus. He chose a pair of peony patterns to give to Lin Wanqing at that time.

Now, because of the distance, he couldn’t clearly see the bride’s style. However, on second thought, Minister Gu is a Minister of the Household. It wouldn’t be strange if Empress Dowager rewarded some jewelry to the second miss. Although this bride is fake, the dowry is actual.
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“Tsk!” Su Moyi realized that his thoughts had drifted to Lin Wanqing again and couldn’t wait to slap himself in the face. Previously, even if he liked her more, he could still distinguish the importance of things and would not have drifted into such a state of mind when doing his business. He held the corner of his forehead in annoyance and silently memorized the ‘Record of Washed Grievances.’
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“The ceremony is complete–“
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With the announcement of the matron, the newlyweds in the hall got up from worshiping each other.
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The band once again played joyful music. The groom smiled at the guests, paid his respects, leaned down and picked up the bride in his arms, and walked towards the new room in the crowd of clamor.
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Su Moyi’s heart tightened. He twisted his head and silently tugged his fists.
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After carrying Lin Wanqing into the new room, friends dragged Song Sanlang to the front hall to drink and deal with the guests. After all the maidservants withdrew, she put down the fan she had been holding up and rubbed her aching arms.
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Lin Wanqing deliberately memorized the way when she came. Because she had infiltrated the Song Mansion last time, coupled with Ye Qing’s investigation and explanation beforehand, she now roughly knew the study’s direction. So she quickly took off a heavy wedding dress and beaded headpiece, moved her neck and waist, which were about to break, touched out the evidence Ye Qing had stuffed to her and went to the study along the backyard’s wall.
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The journey was smooth, with only a few servant boys in sight. One couldn’t blame the loose security in Song Mansion. Today, Emperor Yonghui came in person, and Song Zhengxing transferred everyone in the house to the wedding banquet site to protect him.
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A darkened room appeared in front of her. Under the bright moonlight, the words ‘Qingzhu Lounge’ appeared on the plaque. This place was Song Zhengxing’s study. Lin Wanqing walked around the outside and leaped in through a half-open window. The study room was small, but there were a lot of bookshelves.
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Lin Wanqing strolled inside for a while, pondering where to put the thing in her hand that would be inconspicuous but ensure that Ye Qing and the others could find it quickly.
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“Bang!” There was a startling sound as the door to the study room was suddenly kicked open.
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Lin Wanqing’s heart flinched; she had not yet put the thing in her hand before she ran towards the end of the bookshelves.