The Night Watcher of Great Jing - Chapter 53

As Song Hongjun breathed out in relief, a strange odor spread through the room—neither exactly fishy nor exactly foul.

His black patches remained, as did the black mucus, but the pain that had felt as though a finger were being severed eased considerably.

The unnatural clarity that had kept his mind awake for days disappeared. His eyelids began to droop.

He managed only to look at Zhao Li and whisper his thanks before falling deeply asleep.

Song Xiu sat beside the bed, his scalp still prickling from the laugh outside the window.

Then he looked at the straw doll in his hands.

The smile Zhao Li had painted with rooster blood seemed to have changed.

Its mouth now curved downward as though it were angry.

Song Xiu yelped and nearly threw the doll away.

Fortunately, he remembered in time that it was saving his son’s life.

With trembling hands, he placed the furious-looking doll beside Song Hongjun’s pillow.

The smell in the room was truly unbearable, so Zhao Li led the others outside.

The moment they emerged, Song Xiu bowed deeply to Zhao Li.

“Thank you, Hundred-Household Commander Zhao, for saving my son’s life.”

Zhao Li stepped aside.

“There is no need for such courtesy, Marquis.”

Seeing that Song Xiu wished to say more but hesitated, Zhao Li took her leave first.

She returned to the Pacification Office with Zheng Lian and Li Qing.

It was already late at night.

Zhao Li had never expected a trip outside for breakfast to produce so many events.

Exhausted and starving when they reached the Pacification Office, the three discussed detouring to the main kitchen to cook themselves a bowl of noodles.

As they passed the front hall, they saw the duty room blazing with light.

Shen Yan had ordered the main kitchen to work late and prepare a midnight meal.

“Perfect!” Zheng Lian happily rubbed his stomach.

He was a young man in the prime of life and had missed the evening meal. He was ravenous.

After half a bowl of raw rooster blood, even his burps smelled foul.

Zhao Li was hungry too.

Cuixiang’s family had served lunch at noon, but after seeing their dilapidated courtyard, Zhao Li had eaten only two flatbreads to fill her stomach. She had not dared eat freely.

Afterward, she had survived on candy.

Thus, the three happily slipped toward the duty room.

Before they even reached the door, they heard noodles being slurped from every direction.

They involuntarily quickened their steps.

But the moment Zhao Li reached the entrance, one of Shen Yan’s guards stopped her.

“Hundred-Household Commander Zhao, Lord Shen said you should return to Pear Garden Courtyard first.”

Zhao Li assumed Shen Yan had something to tell her.

She had no choice but to follow the guard back to the courtyard.

The night was black as ink. Warm yellow light shone through the windows of Pear Garden Courtyard’s main room.

The moment Zhao Li entered, she heard a series of deep, rough meows.

She looked up and delight naturally spread across her face.

Several compartmented food boxes stood on the square Eight Immortals table in the center of the room. A small clay stove, not yet lit, occupied the middle, with an earthenware pot resting on top.

One glance revealed preparations for hotpot.

Shen Yan sat beside the table.

He had remained in the palace that afternoon for discussions. Now he appeared freshly washed and dressed, with the affectionate fat orange cat stretched across his lap.

When Zhao Li entered, a trace of awkwardness flickered through his eyes.

He set the orange cat on the floor.

“Come have a midnight meal.”

As he spoke, he wiped his hands and rose. He opened the food boxes and removed plates piled high with hand-sliced mutton, along with tofu and cabbage.

Zhao Li stepped forward to help, then noticed the rooster blood still staining her hands.

She was about to return to her room and wash when Shen Yan asked, “Why is there blood? Were you injured again?”

He frowned and approached to inspect her.

What did he mean, *injured again*?

As the clean, cool fragrance clinging to him drew near, Zhao Li instinctively retreated one step.

“It’s nothing. Only rooster blood.”

Shen Yan stopped, then took one step back as well.

Only then did Zhao Li realize her reaction might have been rude.

“Lord Shen, I’m covered in mud and filth. I’ll wash first.”

“All right.” Shen Yan seemed not to mind the brief incident. He nodded. “There is no rush. Take your time. I’ll wait.”

After Zhao Li left, Shen Yan sighed.

“I cannot rush,” he murmured.

When Zhao Li returned to her room, Matron Wan and the maids had already prepared hot water and clean clothes for washing and bathing.

Someone was waiting to share hotpot, so Zhao Li bathed at remarkable speed.

She changed into clean everyday clothes and hurriedly dried her hair until half-dry over the warming cage.

When she returned to the main room in a pale-green dress, fragrance filled the space.

Clear mushroom-and-chicken broth bubbled in the earthenware pot, releasing a rich aroma.

Shen Yan’s eyes brightened at the sight of her.

Her skin had grown fairer recently, and her cheeks had filled out slightly.

In the dim candlelight, she looked fair and adorable.

Seeing that she could not tear her gaze from the pot, Shen Yan beckoned.

“Come.”

Chicken slices and tofu added earlier rolled in the boiling broth.

Zhao Li sat briskly at the table and picked up her chopsticks.

“Then I won’t stand on ceremony. Thank you, Lord Shen.”

It was not the first time she had eaten with Shen Yan.

They sometimes shared breakfast, and when he worked late, he occasionally invited her to eat a midnight meal.

Perhaps it was her imagination, but Zhao Li always felt that Shen Yan particularly enjoyed feeding her.

Watching her eat with relish, Shen Yan’s lips curved gently.

Using serving chopsticks, he added another portion of mutton to the pot.

“Unnatural incidents are occurring throughout the realm with increasing frequency. The Jingning Guard intends to establish a separate bureau devoted to handling supernatural cases.”

Zhao Li’s chopsticks paused.

She nodded. “That is certainly necessary.”

The earlier such a special-affairs department was created, the better it could control the most chaotic period following the spiritual resurgence.

“Make some preparations,” Shen Yan said, his expression unchanged as he placed a portion of mutton in Zhao Li’s bowl.

Zhao Li was not surprised that the matter would fall upon her.

She nodded while calculating how much her monthly salary might rise and whether, with a little more saving, she could afford a ten-pull from the system.

After the midnight meal, Zhao Li enjoyed a peaceful night’s sleep.

The next morning, she returned to the pickling workshop outside the city with Zheng Lian and the others.

After one night, the Jingning Guard was no longer the only force present. Even the Capital Garrison had been mobilized.

The entire village had been surrounded.

The White Lotus Sect had occupied the area for a long time and possessed many believers. The villagers could not possibly have known nothing.

Searches uncovered numerous tablets dedicated to the Unborn Venerable Mother, along with sacrificial implements made from human bones.

Following Zhao Li’s instructions, everything was gathered and destroyed in fires built with peach branches.

The believers would be taken away for investigation and dealt with according to the degree of harm they had caused.

When Zhao Li reached the pickling workshop, her eyelid twitched.

Apart from Shen Yan, several familiar old men stood around the worship hall.

Daoist Xuanxu was understandable. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau had some connection to the matter.

But why had the other two old men come?

Did they enjoy watching excitement that much?

Zhao Li also spotted Eunuch Zhang, whom she had met briefly in the palace.

The moment Huang Li saw her, he called out warmly.

“A-Li, you’re here!”

After returning home that day, he had suffered frequent nightmares.

He had visited every nearby Buddhist and Daoist temple with little effect.

Only seeing Zhao Li made him feel safe.