Chapter 344 Discriminating the Rewards and Punishments
In the North Tower of the literature garden in the capital.
Different from the noisy and crowded state it used to be in, today, the North Tower was particularly quiet and solemn.
Both the shopkeepers and the waiters were in shock, because the mysterious big boss would finally show up in North Tower.
From early morning, everyone including Master Bamboo, who used to meditate in her room, waited obediently in the yard.
The atmosphere was cold. No one knew what the big boss’s arrival meant.
But, from the expression on Master Bamboo’s face, they understood one thing.
They must have done something wrong. And the reason why the big boss came was due to this. They would suffer for this.
Master Bamboo stood in the yard, with mixed feelings. This morning, Master had asked someone to send her a message.
Besides, she did not know where Ah Mei had gone to. If she had annoyed the Master again, even she could not protect her.
After sometime, Master Bamboo had not seen Master yet.
As time went by, Master Bamboo’s heart sank.
At first, she hoped they would be lucky, and the Master was coming to ask his routine questions only . But now, it seemed much more serious.
“You can go back. Today the North Tower is not receiving any guests. You can all go back and have a day’s rest. No one is allowed to come in without my permission.”
Master Bamboo was still Master Bamboo. Though she knew what she was about to face, she was not terrified at all.
Though the servants did not understand, they were obedient. All of a sudden, Master Bamboo was the only one left in the North Tower.
Lifting the hem of her dress, Master Bamboo knelt on the floor of the yard.
The face under the veil looked somewhat frightened.
Thinking thoroughly over what she had done recently, without missing out on any details, she still could not understand why the Master was so angry.
Master was a person who was always punctual.
But he had not shown up until now, which only showed his extreme fury. In the North Tower, she was the one in charge. So, the Master would only punish her.
“Do you still remember the rules of Four Saint Guards?”
The moment Master Bamboo knelt, she heard a cold voice seemingly coming from nowhere.
She shivered slightly and knelt on the ground immediately. Then she said obediently,
“I know I’m wrong. Please punish me the way I deserve.”
Before she even finished, speaking she was thrown out immediately.
Bang, her soft body smashed the staircase into pieces.
“Since you know, why did you still make that mistake?”
A cold voice came from above her head.
Master Bamboo lifted her head and a burst of warm blood gushed from her mouth.
But her eyes were still filled with respect for the man in black, in front of her.
“Master… Bamboo… Bamboo… has never done anything harmful to you. Please let me know what I have done!”
Looking at Master Bamboo who was half dead, Long Tianyu did not have any sympathy for her at all. His eyes were filled with suppressed fury. If he had not cultivated her with that much patience, she would have died a long time ago.
However, Lin Mengya had almost died because of this woman.
Thinking of it, his fury grew quickly. Everyone connected with that woman would not escape this punishment.
“Where is Master Plum? Don’t tell me that you don’t know where your older sister is. If that is the case, I think you should not be the chief anymore.”
Master Bamboo was shocked, but felt relieved soon.
There was darkness in her eyes. She knew she could hide it from anyone, except her Master.
She got up from the ground with some difficulty. And she still obediently kowtowed to Long Tianyu. Then she said,
“It is my fault that I hid this fact. But, since a few days ago, my sister has not shown up in this tower. And I truly don’t know where she is.”
Long Tianyu was not ruthless. In fact, he knew how Bamboo was.
If she had not been so loyal to him, she would be dead just like her older sister, now.
“Your sister died on the fifteenth day of the New Year. She died in a lane in the Capital City, but—”
His tone suddenly changed. In Long Tianyu’s eyes was a darkness, which made Master Bamboo horrified.
“She wanted to assassinate Princess Yu before she died. You have to give me a proper explanation about this.”
Cold sweat instantly flowed down Master Bamboo’s back.
The veil somehow dropped. On her delicate face, which was completely different from Master Plum, was horror or shock. Or it was probably because Long Tianyu had just kicked her.
She trembled so hard that she thought she might pass out in the next second.
“Sis, she… no, it’s impossible! Master, though my sister isn’t one of Four Saint Guards, she is also loyal to you. The last time she went into the palace, she won an honor. She… how could she have the guts to assassinate your concubine?”
Master Bamboo widened her eyes. Now, she just could not accept the fact.
Her blood sister, though born in the brothel, was a clean and good girl.
When she was in the North Tower, she seldom went out and was a self-respecting woman. How come… did she assassinate the concubine?
Suddenly, a detail came into her mind.
She remembered her Master once said that her sister had brought her along, when she sent medicine to the prince.
Maybe——
Gosh! It must have been a fond dream!
“Now that your sister is dead, I can forget about everything else. But you have to keep in mind that if there is another traitor in the North Tower, you, as the chief, will be solely punished. Besides, inform everyone who belongs to Four Saint Guards that if they run into the concubine, they have to protect her, in secret. Your sister’s death was not only because she tried to assassinate the concubine. The last time you were in the royal palace, the news was leaked out. Your sister’s body has been placed in a mortuary located outside the capital. It is up to you how you want to deal with it.”
Long Tianyu’s cold eyes shifted, but his tone was still extremely cold. But he still accorded some respect to Master Bamboo.
“Yes! Bamboo appreciates it that you haven’t taken my life.”
Master Bamboo stopped then. Ever since she was young, she had been adopted by the former Captain Bamboo.
If she hadn’t accidentally found that Mei was her blood sister a few years ago, she wouldn’t have risked taking her along.
But now, her sister almost made her die because of her own greed.
Her heart turned completely cold.
“Here—”
In the middle yard, Long Tianyu’s figure had already disappeared.
Those who were on guard outside, went in secretly.
Master Bamboo had already turned around, and no one could see the horrifying bruises on her delicate, pale face.
“Prince, I heard from the soldiers outside the capital that a mortuary had been set on fire today. All the corpses stored there were severely burnt.”
In Long Tianyu’s study, Lin Kui reported to Long Tianyu, with his hands clasped.
“Well, I know it now.”
With a military book in hand, Long Tianyu acted as if he had never heard about it before this.
He knew it had been done by Bamboo without any second thoughts.
That woman’s body must be one of those burnt.
But it was also a good way to deal with it. To be frank, Plum had also been used. The one who planned all these must be safe and intact.
“How is the concubine? Is she asleep now?”
Long Tianyu never cared for those who was irrelevant to him.
Then he started to ask about Lin Mengya’s condition.
“Well— I don’t know much about her either. But it is noisy and lively in Liuxin Courtyard, anyway.”
Speaking of this, Lin Kui’s expression turned a bit strange.
He had never felt it before, but during the month the concubine was away, even he, the servant, felt uncomfortable, not to mention the prince.
It felt like she was a clingy child. When she was with you, you felt annoyed. When she was gone, you felt a hole in your heart.
Though the concubine came from a big family, she was smart and naughty. Wherever she was, no one would feel bored in her company.
“What’s happening now? Let go and have a look.”
The military book was easily set aside on the table in front of him.
Looking at how interested Long Tianyu was, Lin Kui did not want to stop him.
In the darkness, they went over rapidly. Smoothly, they arrived at the wall of Liuxin Courtyard.
There was a peaceful and happy atmosphere inside.
But even Long Tianyu could not understand what his concubine was doing.
“You, move it there. Right, to the northwest corner of the courtyard. Be careful. Don’t scratch it.”
Baizhi was very happy and acted as the director, in the yard.
She directed the servants and guards in the yard hastily and happily.
Her face was flushed, but she still looked very cheerful. She seemed to have found her calling.
“Master, you have just come back. Why don’t you have a good rest today. After all, these things can be done later, right?”
Baiji was with Lin Mengya and asked in confusion.
This afternoon, her Master who had just woken up, wanted to have a new look for the yard, and started rearranging everything.
Everything in Liuxin Courtyard had been decorated by Qinghu and Childe Yu. Even the Imperial Palace was not as exquisite as the small yard.
She could not understand why the concubine wanted to do it.
“Silly girl, if we do not do any redecoration, how will we welcome in the New Year? The New Year should start with new sights, right?”
Lin Mengya drank the tea and gave Baiji an ambiguous answer.
But the glow in those beautiful eyes made it much more mysterious.
