Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Meng Huaiqing dragged me out through the side door of the small courtyard. After several twists and turns, we arrived at the Scripture Pavilion.

He led me into the room at the very edge of the pavilion. The room was filled with rows of books-Buddhist scriptures and precious collections from various dynasties.

Meng Huaiqing let go of me and headed straight for a corner. He bent down, pushed aside a large crate of books with great effort, and pulled up a hidden wooden floorboard.

A dark, narrow hole suddenly appeared.

I was stunned once again. How could he be so familiar with Ci’en Temple?

“Come here!” Meng Huaiqing turned his head and beckoned to me.

I snapped back to my senses and rushed over. Looking inside, I saw a dilapidated, rotting wooden ladder. A bone-chilling draft rushed up from the depths, hitting me right in the face.

“Don’t just stand there, get down!” Meng Huaiqing urged.

I hesitated.

Meng Huaiqing grew anxious and hissed in a low voice, “Those two old hags I knocked out have likely woken up by now. The people from the Marquis Manor are searching everywhere for you!”

I shuddered violently and climbed down the ladder.

It was a very small, low-ceilinged cellar. Some food and bundles were piled on the ground.

At that moment, Meng Huaiqing entered as well. Standing on the wooden ladder with his legs bent, he struggled to move the wooden crate back into place to seal the opening.

The cellar was plunged into darkness instantly. I pressed my body against the dirt wall, my back drenched in cold sweat.

*Ssh-*

Meng Huaiqing blew on a fire starter to light it.

The faint light illuminated Meng Huaiqing’s face.

Because the ceiling was so low, he had to bend down to look at me, his eyes filled with an expression I couldn’t decipher.

He quickly lowered his head, squatted on the ground, and opened a bundle with one hand, handing me a grey squirrel-fur cloak.

“Put this on. It’s colder here than it is outside.”

After saying that, he sat cross-legged on the ground.

Clutching the cloak, I moved warily toward the wooden ladder. “Why did you save me, Mr. Meng?”

Meng Huaiqing rubbed his arms vigorously and asked in a deep voice, “And what about you, Madam? Why did you kill Hongyu and drench the meditation room in lamp oil? Were you planning to start a fire and escape in the chaos?”

I said coldly, “You’ve misunderstood, Mr. Meng. Hongyu offended me, and I only meant to teach her a lesson in my anger. I didn’t expect to be so heavy-handed. It is inappropriate for a man and a woman to be alone together in a room like this. I am leaving now.”

Meng Huaiqing chuckled and watched me quietly, as if waiting to see what I would do.

I turned around, but just as my hand touched the wooden ladder, he spoke.

“If it was just teaching a servant a lesson, why go as far as murder and arson? Besides, when I was dragging you away, why didn’t you cry out for help?”

My brow furrowed, but I said nothing.

Meng Huaiqing continued, “In the Marquis Manor, you are kind to the servants. Every day, you happily stew soup and make pastries for the Marquis, your face full of joy and leisure. But your body cannot hide the truth from me. Because I am a doctor-and one proficient in both medicine and poisons.”

“When I checked your pulse, I found several patterns that shouldn’t be present in your body, such as a thready pulse and an intermittent pulse.”

“Long-term overthinking, fear, and anxiety easily deplete one’s heart-blood. And shocks like extreme grief or joy cause an irregular pulse.”

“Tell me, how could a noble lady who is supposedly deeply in love with her husband have a pulse that indicates terror and anxiety?”

I gripped the wooden ladder tightly, the splinters digging deep into my palm.

Meng Huaiqing continued to himself, “From the moment Hongyu ‘accidentally’ injured your face, to your unusual pulse, to you convincing the Marquis to come to Ci’en Temple to offer incense… you must be hiding something, and you are definitely plotting something.”

Perhaps it was because it was too cold in here, but my hands began to tremble.

I turned to look at him and asked, “Mr. Meng, then why did you save me?”

Meng Huaiqing stared at me with burning eyes, as if he wanted to say something, but he eventually lowered his head and let out a heavy sigh. “Why? Because I am a doctor, and it is my duty to heal the sick and save lives!”