Chapter 47: The King of Dark Night

  The last week of June, the first Monday of the last week, fellow book lovers, seeking recommendation votes!

  "Who says I'm a girl? Cough! Cough...!" Peng Ziqi was furious, but had only just started speaking when he began to cough.

  "That's strange, you're not a maiden, could it be that you're a married woman? I see your eyebrows are locked, waist is straight, neck is thin and back is upright, clearly you're a chaste young lady, unless... oh..."

  He suddenly noticed Xia Xun standing beside Peng Ziqi, a slightly ambiguous smile slowly appearing on his face, his finger lightly pointing at Xia Xun, with an air of being in the know: "I understand, little brother, you're very clever, taking advantage of your wife's illness to cover it up, haha, don't worry, since we're here, there's no need to be reserved, a doctor doesn't shy away from illness, after all, I've seen many patients like you, with a strong and robust physique, more masculine than anyone in a group of men, but once on the bed, that masculinity disappears..."

  Xia Liu said with a mixture of laughter and tears: "This doctor, I'm here for her medical treatment, I don't..."

  That man shook his head repeatedly and said seriously, "No, no, I've been practicing medicine for many years. From what I know, the hardest to cure is your kind of unspoken secret. Come on, stretch out your hand, let me take your pulse first. Your wife's illness isn't urgent. If I can cure you, once she sees that you're better, who knows, maybe her illness will disappear too."

  Xia Jiangyi's anger reached its peak, and he grasped his wrist tightly, saying in a stern voice: "What's wrong with you, why are you being so wordy? Listen to me, can you finish what I'm saying or not?! It's not me who's examining the patient, it's her!"

  That man was in so much pain that he exclaimed, "Alright, alright! If you don't want to take a look, I'll be the one to examine her. It should be me taking her pulse, not you pinching my wrist!"

  Xia Xun hummed and shook off the man's hand, who glared at Xia Xun with dissatisfaction. He then turned to see Peng Ziqi and immediately put on a flattering expression, walking over to caress Peng's wrist and smiling obsequiously: "Young lady, don't worry, later I'll have a good talk with you about your husband's condition, what reactions he has in the bedroom... isn't it? These details are crucial for an accurate diagnosis."

  Peng Ziqi listened to his nonsense, her face flushed with anger, and she suddenly grasped his wrist, saying: "What are you talking about? Who said... cough, cough... I'm a woman?"

  "That person strangely said: 'You're not a woman, are you still not a man? This is impossible! I've seen women from eight months to eighty years old, and I don't know how many I've seen. Just by looking at you wearing men's clothes, I don't even need to look, one sniff of the nose and I can tell whether it's male or female. If you're not a woman, I'll write my name 'Ximen Qing' in reverse!"

  "Are you indeed Ximen Qing?"

  Peng Ziqi was exposed on the spot, and in a fit of rage, he jumped up, but suddenly felt dizzy and his knees went weak, and he couldn't help but sit back down. Ximen Qing shook his head and sighed: "Look, look, I told you so. The desires for food, sex, and other worldly pleasures are inherent to human nature. If these desires are suppressed, the balance of yin and yang will be disrupted, and when yin and yang are out of balance, the liver fire will burn fiercely... no wonder he has such a bad temper!"

  Peng Ziqi was so angry that his head spun, and he raised his hand to slap him, but was stopped by Xia Liu. Xia Liu looked at Ximen Qing and said in a deep voice: "May I ask, I heard that you are from Jinling?"

  Ximen Qing shook his head and said: "How is it possible? I myself since birth..."

  As he said this, he suddenly remembered something and his voice stopped abruptly. He looked up and down at Xia Yu and slowly revealed a look of surprise, hesitating: "My ancestors... my ancestors lived in Jinling Qixia Mountain."

  "Ah, is it the Qi Xia Mountain, which is the first stop when heading north from Jinling and the last stop when heading south to Jinling?"

  Ximen Qing's face twitched violently a few times, and his eyes slowly narrowed: "Not bad, brother, you've also heard of Qixia Mountain? Then do you know why it's called Qixia Mountain?"

  Xia Yuandao said, "This mountain was originally called She Mountain. Later, a famous scholar from Shandong named Ming Sengshao lived in seclusion here and called himself Qixia Hermit. He also built the Qixia Temple and the Qixia Shrine, so the mountain came to be known as Qixia Mountain. As they say, 'a small hermitage is hidden in the wilderness, a great hermitage is hidden in the city.' Although Qixia Mountain is bustling and prosperous, it's actually a good place for seclusion."

  Peng Ziqi listened to the two men's conversation, and no matter how he listened, it seemed like a knife cut, and he couldn't help but become vigilant. Ximen Qing stood up in a daze, bowed his hands to Xia Bian and said: "Brother, please speak inside."

  Xia Liu held him down with one hand: "Wait a minute, let's take a look at your illness first."

  Ximen Qing stared blankly and said: "You really came to see a doctor?"

  Xia Liu smiled bitterly and said: "Originally I just came looking for you, but now...please, sir, first give me...my..."

  He looked at Peng Ziqi, and Peng Ziqi blinked her beautiful eyes. Xia Xun immediately said: "Let my good friend take a look at the illness."

  "Okay, okay."

  Ximen Qing hastily sat down, properly and solemnly stretching out his hand, with three fingers placed on Peng Zhiyuan's wrist. This time he didn't speak nonsense, seriously observing the pulse. After carefully taking the pulse, he quickly picked up his pen and wrote a prescription in a hurry. He called out to the young apprentice who was pounding medicine in the corner: "Little Linzi, take this prescription, follow it to prepare the medicine, brew three bowls into one bowl, and send it to the Western Wing."

  He stood up and said, "Please follow me, your good friend can rest in the west wing of my house."

  Xia Fu supported Peng Qihui into the west wing, Ximen Qing chose a bright and clean room, inside the bed was fully equipped, Xia Fu helped Peng Qihui in, took off her shoes and lay on the kang, covered her with a thin quilt, whispered a few words, then turned around and walked out.

  Peng Ziqi had always been listless, until Xia Xun lifted the curtain and walked out of the room, his chest heaving violently for a few moments before taking a deep breath.

  "He... He actually took off his shoes for me."

  Peng Ziqi felt a strange and indescribable taste rising in her heart, although she was still wearing socks and hadn't been directly touched by him. A woman's feet were not something to be casually touched by men. Since she could remember, no man had ever touched her feet, and when Xia Jiu's fingers came into contact with her toes, Peng Ziqi's heart almost jumped out of her chest. She suppressed it, forcing herself to remain calm, so that Xia Jiu wouldn't notice her heavy breathing.

  She could have avoided letting Xia Xun take off her shoes if she had admitted that she was a woman. In fact, she knew very well in her heart that Xia Xun already knew she was a woman, but for some reason, she acted like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, stubbornly deceiving herself with lies.

  The sunlight outside made the room bright and shiny, but the spot where his hand had touched her foot still felt a little numb, a warmth spreading from the soles of her feet to her heart, making her whole body feel warm and weak...

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  Ximen Qing waited anxiously in the courtyard. As soon as Xia Bian came out, he gestured with his hand and said, "Please, let's talk in the study."

  As soon as she turned around, a woman in her early twenties with a chicken feather duster in her hand came out of the moon gate with a fierce expression. The woman wore a green silk jacket with embroidered golden peonies on the back, and a skirt with printed flowers at her waist. Her raven-black hair was styled in a low bun, and her face was white and delicate, with slender eyebrows that were slightly raised, revealing a hint of cleverness and fierceness.

  "Ximen Qing, who are you trying to sweet-talk again? Why didn't you charge a consultation fee or medication fee, and instead brought the person back to our home? Are you running a charity?" The woman said with one hand on her hip and the other holding a feather duster, speaking in a fierce tone.

  Ximen Qing's neck shrunk, and he said timidly: "Madam, don't misunderstand, this...this is my old friend of many years, we haven't seen each other for a long time, so I invited him to come into the house for a chat."

  That woman stretched out her hand and grabbed Ximen Qing's ear, gritting her teeth and saying: "You dare to deceive me! Which of those friends of yours don't I know? Where did this wine-and-meat friend pop up from? I only ask you, what's the story with that woman who moved into the side room?"

  "Hey, hey, hey, let go of your wife's hand, it's not good to be so intimate in front of outsiders. Little Dong, give some face to your husband." Ximen Qing bowed and asked: "Is that woman... is she this gentleman's wife?"

  Ximen Qing pitifully gave a glance to Xia Chuo, who reluctantly nodded and bowed his head, saying: "I am Yang Xu, from Qingzhou. I have met the wife of Ximen before. The woman in the room is indeed my wife. I came here originally to discuss a big business deal with Brother Ximen, but unfortunately she fell ill on the way, so I asked Brother Ximen to diagnose and treat her, and temporarily let her rest here."

  Mrs. Xi's eyes lit up and she hastily asked: "A big business? Is it very profitable?"

  "That's natural, very profitable."

  Mrs. Xi smiled and immediately let go of her husband's ear, adjusted his collar, and said gently: "Sir, why are you still standing there? Please invite Brother Yang to the study room... to discuss business. I'll have someone send two cups of good tea over right away, and also have the kitchen prepare a delicious meal for Brother Yang to refresh himself after his journey. Oh, and we should also slaughter an old hen to make a nourishing chicken soup for your younger sister."

  Madam Wu smiled gently and virtuously at Xia Lian, then walked away with a swaying gait. Ximen Qing rubbed his ear and walked up to Xia Lian, saying with a smile: "Xiao Dong and I have been together since childhood, so... forgive me, forgive me."

  "What's so funny? A virtuous couple with a deep affection for each other, it's enviable! Don't laugh, don't laugh... Hehe, haha..."

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  Ximen Qing's study was filled with a bookshelf full of thread-bound medical books, many of which had dog-eared pages, showing that Ximen Qing had indeed put in some hard work on medicine.

  "I didn't expect Brother Ximen to be one of my Imperial Guards." Xia Chuo looked at the county doctor from Yanggu with great interest, smiling as he spoke.

  Ximen Qing shook his head and said solemnly, "I am different from you, you are a real Jin Yiwei, but I... maybe so. In fact, I don't even know what kind of person I am."

  "What do you mean by this?" Xia Yu said strangely.

  Xi Qingmen said strangely: "You don't know? Ah, it's okay, this was a long time ago, Brother Yang just came here on orders, you may not know these things."

  Ximen Qing slowly sat down on the chair and said, "My father was truly a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. At that time... I think the Embroidered Uniform Guard was still called the Imperial Front Guard Office. My father was sent to the local area to gather intelligence, and from then on he always presented himself as a Langzhong, never changing it again. According to the Ming dynasty's laws, military personnel, civilians, artisans, and laborers are all hereditary professions that cannot be changed. In that case, I should also be a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but... I have never worked at the Embroidered Uniform Guard yamen or seen its superior officers. Even my official robe, waist knife, and waist plaque were all inherited from my father."

  I have never received any orders from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and even the secret signal just now was given to me by my father. My father said that he is a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and in our family, generation after generation, the eldest son and grandson must inherit this identity. My father also said that in those years, there were many colleagues and brothers who were as loyal to the imperial court as he was, and they all hid their names and identities, secretly staying in local areas.

  "My father said, maybe one day, there will be someone who uses the same cryptic language as you to contact me. At that time, I will cooperate fully and welcome the task. I thought this would never happen in my lifetime, and perhaps I would have to pass on this mission to my son when I'm old... but unexpectedly, it really happened..."

  At this moment, Xia Yu suddenly thought of many things. He remembered the records he had seen in some historical materials, which stated that at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, a large number of Jin Yiwei were ordered to go to different places or secretly infiltrate the residences of civil and military officials as special agents. They did not live like the special agents depicted in many spy novels, with fine clothes and food, beautiful cars, and beautiful women. They had nothing. They disguised themselves as ordinary civilians or even slaves, and once they put on this disguise, it was for a lifetime. As long as they didn't receive an order to return, they would never wear the flying fish robe again until death, and no one would ever know their true identity.

  It turns out that this is actually true, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was originally one of the twenty-four guards of the Ming Dynasty's Imperial Army, and it was the most loyal and battle-hardened branch. It was precisely because of this that they became the Imperial Guards, the emperor's personal bodyguards, and eventually the Embroidered Uniform Guard. These loyal warriors, after so many years, have completely blended in with the local population, becoming figures among the common people. At the same time, due to the great power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in its early days, as long as they were not too foolish, they could use the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to become prominent figures in their local areas, possessing considerable influence.

  According to the Ming Dynasty's "Military and Civilian Craftsmen are not allowed to change their profession for generations" rule, as long as there are still people in the Embroidered Uniform Guard who have evidence of these people being sent out by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, then whether it is them or their descendants, the only truly legitimate identity they can have is that of a secret agent of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. This means that even if they lose their loyalty, they still have to obey the orders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, because once their true identity is exposed, the imperial court has the right to take away everything they currently possess: in a sense, everything they currently possess can be considered as being given to them by the imperial court for the purpose of carrying out their tasks.

  Now dispatched to all parts of the world, how many Jin Yiwei secret agents like Ximen Qing are there? Some of them were originally Jin Yiwei dispatched years ago, some have passed away and handed over this mission to their sons, branching out and growing stronger. If this force can be integrated, it will be a huge energy! The person who holds the list of secret spies, if he has the opportunity to use this force, is simply an emperor in the dark night!

  Xia Bian was shocked by his own discovery, and Ximen Qing was also shocked by the requirements he put forward: "Fur, animal tendons, raw and cooked iron? These are all transaction items restricted by the imperial court."

  Xia Yu Dao said: "I know, I just follow orders and don't ask why. You shouldn't ask either. You should have a way, right?"

  Ximen Qing hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said: "That's right. In the early years... my father took advantage of the power of the Brocade Guard to do some business in secret, and made quite a bit of money. Gradually, our family had its own connections and got to know many people in this line. However, in recent years, the Brocade Guard has been unable to help much, and even when my father was still alive, he rarely did business in this area. So I need to find some people to confirm the source of goods, the quantity of goods, as well as the time and place of the transaction."

  "Alright, but be quick about it, the sooner the better, I'm in a hurry!"

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