Ban Lu Qin Jun - Chapter 8

The Xiao Family had duped them, attempted to swindle with marriage, how could Yi Yun Zhai still be willing to stay in Xiao’s house, right away he moved out of Xiao’s house. No matter how Xiao Hong’r and Xiao Hua’r cried and shouted loudly, he directly left to the prefecture capital, stayed in the inn.

On the night he found out the truth, Yi Yun Zhai couldn’t sleep peacefully for the whole night. Xi Ning was somewhat literate, he had seen the letter from Master Yi, of course he also knew what was written in the letter.

Yi Yun Zhai’s tears were dripping on the letter, made him have a heartache upon seeing it. As it turned out, Miss Lan Xun had died, it was Master who didn’t have the heart to tell the Young Master who was still wholeheartedly expecting.

Master Yi now had no choice but to tell the truth. Yi Yun Zhai’s entire heart was broken. However, it was also fortunate, because of this he didn’t fall into Xiao Family’s evil scheme. To marry the basically not Xiao Lan Xun but instead the one who boldly a.s.sumed her name and taken her place, Xiao Hong’r.

“Young Master, sleep for a little while, otherwise, if you don’t sleep for the whole night, you will ruin your health.“ Xi Ning couldn’t help but plead. If Young Master could sleep, at least he wouldn’t have a troubled face. His pale face had caused this servant of him to have a heartache, to feel unhappy.

“Tomorrow we will depart to the Capital. Going home at once! I don’t want to stay any longer in this place.” Yi Yun Zhai said weakly and without strength.

Xi Ning understood his state of mind to not wanting to continue to stay in this heartbreaking place, thus nodded his head while saying : “Alright. Young Master, we will immediately head back to Capital.”

Yi Yun Zhai recalled, just then when he asked Xiao Daye where Xiao Lun Xun was buried, Xiao Daye was faltered as well as unable to explain clearly. Only said, that day the rain was so heavy, he just conveniently buried her randomly somewhere in a ridge of a hill, not at all knowing where was that place, now he couldn’t remember it anymore. Made Yi Yun Zhai be even more unbearably distressed.

“Lan Xun……Lan Xun……” He murmured, calling out the name. How much he wished that her spirit could come to see him.

Why was she unwilling come to look for him? Why did after that night, she just turn around and go away? Why was it when they were together, they were obviously such in love with each other, she would knit her brows in worry all day long, as if there were countless knots that difficult to be untied in her heart?

Could it be that she didn’t know how to rely on his financial resources, except for being unable to pick the moon and stars for her, he could ward off all of the fierce wind and the ferocious rain from outside for her, did she?

In his embrace, she would be safe forever, why did she want to leave him?

Questions one after another, even until today he still couldn’t figure the answer.

“Young Master, since now we are going to leave tomorrow, then these paintings that we bought from Zuo Zhen Yu, what if we just throw them away?” Xi Ning suggested.

His heart was distracted, the thoughts were in turmoil, he nodded his head, “Just throw them away!”

Xi Ning really wanted to take all these paintings which were brought out from the Xiao’s house back with them, only that these things were inconvenient to be taken to the Capital. He saw that among them there were some paintings that were outstandingly beautiful, he really wanted to hang them to be admired.

“This plum blossom painting is really beautiful! Young Master, can I keep this?”

Upon raising up the subject of plum blossom, it called to mind Yi Yun Zhai’s past events.

He also had brought Xiao Lan Xun to appreciate the beauty of plum blossom. At that time, Xiao Lan Xun was still smilingly leaning close to his bosom. The past events were really hard to be forgotten!

“Bring it to me, I want to have a look.”

Xi Ning supposed his mood had changed, at least he no longer was grieving on Miss Lan Xun’s matter. He also happily and promptly handed over that painting which he thought was extremely beautiful to his hand.

The painting was a picture of a single branch of plum blossom in the cold world of ice and snow, on its own refused to yield to the ice and snow.

Yi Yun Zhai all of a sudden trembling all over, “This looks like……looks like……” It was like Xiao Lan Xun’s technique of drawing! He stood up in an abrupt, “Where are the others? bring them all to me!”

Xi Ning didn’t understand what he meant by “looks like”. But seeing the color of his face had a great change, he at lightning speed presented several pieces of paintings and calligraphies that he was holding in his hands.

“Young Master, this Zuo Zhen Yu, although is ill to the point of death, the person is also a little bit strange, but the paintings he painted, the calligraphy he wrote are truly not bad. Unfortunately, his face has become like that, people didn’t dare to buy his things. If he had a little normal face, and didn’t have that weird disease, I think there will be many people who will admire him!” Xi Ning was expressing his thoughts.

The more Yi Yun Zhai looked at these paintings and calligraphies, his face color became even paler. After that he also spread open all of the reduplicated words and paintings that had been put in order by Xi Ning.

While he was looking on it, at the same time he also swept away the things he had finished looking at, to the point of making the whole room filled with paper, he was wearing that stirred by madness expression, made Xi Ning think that he was caused by the sense of losing Xiao Lan Xun hence in a sudden became insane.

“Young Master, what’s wrong? Don’t frighten me! I can’t stand it…..”

Yi Yun Zhai firmly grasped the panic-stricken Xi Ning, raised up his voice to ask loudly : “Where is my father’s letter? Where do you keep it? Make haste to take it out.”

Xi Ning was scared by Yi Yun Zhai, hurriedly from the bundle took out the letter from Master Yi. His mad appearance caused Xi Ning to be afraid to the point his whole head was filled with cold sweat, even the clothing on his back were already wet.

“Even if Xiao Lan Xun at this moment is still alive, that poison was strong, perhaps her face has changed beyond recognition since long ago. No longer the Xiao Lan Xun you know. What’s more, the famous doctor who saved you that day, in secret had told me that this kind of sinister poison, if it was in a body of a male, could still drag on for several years, but if it was in a body of a female, it’s very likely since long ago she was beyond help.”

Yi Yun Zhai unceasingly repeated to read aloud this phrase. Xi Ning saw him on the verge of collapse, in a haste came to support him.

“Young Master, sober up a bit! The dead wouldn’t be able to come back to life. Though Miss Lan Xun had died, but you must face the reality and keep on living!”

Yi Yun Zhai shoved him away, swaying to sit on the bed. Talking to himself without stopping.

“The poison was strong, changed beyond recognition…… no longer the Lan Xun I met before…… If it was on the male’s body, still could drag on for several years……”

“Young Master, you recite this actually for what?” Why did Young Master keep on repeating the words in Master’s letter? Xi Ning really couldn’t comprehend.

“Why did Lan Xun at that time leave without saying goodbye? Why did she, when I said wanted to propose a marriage, become more depressed? Because she had cast one falsehood, she must cast the second falsehood. Casting the first, second falsehood, must cast the third, fourth, sixth falsehood to round up the falsehood……” Yi Yun Zhai lowered his head, said in mutter.

Xi Ning heard him until he was confused, “Young Master, what on earth are you saying?”

Yi Yun Zhai had one of his hands to cover his face, patting the table without stopping, being on the verge of madness.

“How dare you deceive me like this? I love you to such extent, how could you?”

Yi Yun Zhai stood up, furious to the point of vomiting blood. As it turned out, the Xiao Lan Xun he fell in love with for these several years was actually not a woman, but rather, he was a man through and through!

“No wonder once I saw you I just felt that you are Lan Xun! No wonder every time I saw you I would lose my soul! The way you play qin, the way of speaking, the tearful eyes while looking at me, everything is so alike! Zuo Zhen Yu, how dare you deceive me like this? How dare you make fun of my infatuation?”

“Young Master, what are you actually talking about?”

“Do not follow me! I will go to settle an account. To settle all these past three years uncollectable debts!” Yi Yun Zhai whole face was with a killing intention, ruthlessly glared at him, caused Xi Ning to be afraid, didn’t dare to follow behind.

Yi Yun Zhai opened the door and rushed out. When Xi Ning nervously gave a chase, he already couldn’t see his trace. The Xi Ning who had no clue at all where he went off to, could only stamp his feet on the inn’s door.

☆☆☆

Yi Yun Zhai arrived at the broken house, he powerfully knocked the door.

Zuo Zhen Yu in the night let out several coughing sound, then from inside he asked : “Who? Is that the end of street Aunt Lin? We had come to an agreement that tomorrow morning I will help you to subst.i.tute the writing, why do you still come to my place this late of the night?”

Zuo Zhen Yu opened the door to a crack, seeing the person who came was Yi Yun Zhai, he wanted to close the door, Yi Yun Zhai just forcefully pushed open the door, harmed him to nearly tumble.

His such harbored malicious intentions as well as towering with anger roaring voice, caused Zuo Zhen Yu’s heart to raise up an inauspicious premonition. With a guilty conscience, he was shaking like a leaf.

“Young Master Yi has what business? Why in the middle of the night…… don’t you stay in the Xiao’s house?” Zuo Zhen Yu nervously looked at Yi Yun Zhai.

“When you give your hair pin to Xiao family, what kind of condition you discussed with the Xiao family?”

Zuo Zhen Yu blanked. He didn’t understand why Yi Yun Zhai needed to continuously shake his body, nearly broke his thin skeleton by the shake.

Why did he treat him like this? Let him persistently love him, as the result only to let him realize that he was not at all a pretty and gentle woman, but a man? Yi Yun Zhai had his bosom filled with rage. Furious to the point he nearly thought about killing the person in front of him.

“Zuo Zhen Yu, why you didn’t say that you are Xiao Lan Xun? You are exactly the Xiao Lan Xun that I, Yi Yun Zhai, had been waiting for painfully in three years, had been searching for like a mad person?”

Zuo Zhen Yu’s pair of lips were trembling.

He wanted to exert his strength to push away Yi Yun Zhai, but Yi Yun Zhai when he was in a rage, the physical strength was several folds indeed greater than his, besides, with his sick and weak body, he basically didn’t have the chance to withstand Yi Yun Zhai’s filled with rage madness.

“I…… I am a man. How can I possibly be Xiao Lan Xun? Your joke is too much! Young Master Yi, I am this ugly, absolutely impossible to be the celestial like the Xiao Lan Xun in your mind.” Zuo Zhen Yu frantically shook his head in denial.

“Up until now you still lie to me! For you I didn’t marry for three years, because of you I couldn’t sleep soundly, for you I scattered my family’s property, only to find you! How could you deceive me? Why did you lie to me three years ago saying that you were a girl. You had made me wretched and lead me become this miserable, so miserable!” The tears on Zuo Zhen Yu’s face fluttered about. Yi Yun Zhai pressed close to his face to roar. This kind of falsehood, he actually wanted to lie to him until when?

Zuo Zhen Yu hearing him talk like this, he knew he could no longer hide the truth, he couldn’t help but cover his face then cry.

How could he tell him, he fell in love at first sight with Yi Yun Zhai. He actually didn’t know why he said that he was a woman. At that time, he was thoroughly out of his mind because of love!

Maybe because he knew that if he was a man, Yi Yun Zhai absolutely wouldn’t fall in love with him, that’s why he casted a little falsehood, but event after another, he had no choice but to all along tell lies.

Ultimately, falsehood would have no way to become true, even if he loved Yi Yun Zhai, he was still a man, still had to helplessly watch as Yi Yun Zhai marry another woman to be his wife.

“I am sorry! Yun Zhai, don’t hate me! Don’t hate me!” Zuo Zhen Yu weakly sobbed and wept.

He lifted up his tearful eyes, wanted to stretch his hand to touch Yi Yun Zhai’s face, Yi Yun Zhai angrily beat down his hand, this stream of hatred had caused him to be pained incessantly.

He hated him so much! Hated so much!

“You don’t have the right to touch me! I, for this lifetime will hate you!”

Zuo Zhen Yu upon hearing this, cried as if his intestines had been cut short.

Since the beginning he had known, after Yi Yun Zhai found out the truth, his reaction towards him would be like this. He would hate him to the marrows of his bones, in the former days how much he loved him, the him now would hate him as much.

“Don’t hate me, alright? Yun Zhai, I…… I really devote all of my heart to sincerely love you……” Zuo Zhen Yu wept to the extent the bones in his body nearly broke from the shake. “I didn’t have a way to tell you. I also know that you won’t take notice of a man’s love, it was me who shamelessly fell in love with you, I had no way……had no way to not love you!”

“You still dare to speak forcefully and with justice? Zuo Zhen Yu, you such lowly man, if only I had never got acquainted with you for this lifetime!”

Yi Yun Zhai ruthlessly gave him a slap, afterwards viciously gazed at him, “I owe you my life, caused you to disfigure your face, fall ill. I will pay you back, as what you owed me, I will not easily forgive you!”

☆☆☆

Yi Yun Zhai forcefully dragged Zuo Zhen Yu back to the inn. Xi Ning was waiting inside the room anxiously. Upon seeing him dragging Zuo Zhen Yu back, the tears on Zuo Zhen Yu’s face hadn’t dried up, his eyes were filled with tears, Yi Yun Zhai was with a vengeful face, causing the completely didn’t know what had happened Xi Ning to be at a lost of what to do.

“Not staying in the inn anymore! Right away set out to return to Capital! Send the servant to go first, to get the doctor who treated me that day to wait in the house. I will take a sick person home to get a medical treatment.”

“Young Master, that famous doctor asks for an extremely high price for the medical service! Why do you want……want……” Xi Ning didn’t dare to straighten his speech, but he stated clearly that he thought the Yi Family certainly didn’t need for the sake of Zuo Zhen Yu called that famous doctor to come.

“You need not to ask more. Right away set out. Just do according to my words.”

On the way back to the Capital, Xi Ning could feel that the atmosphere was strange. But he didn’t know what and why, Young Master not at all talked to Zuo Zhen Yu, simply more frightening than his face when he previously got confused by a ghost.

Zuo Zhen Yu all day long bathed his face in tears, remained silent without any words, every day delivered the meal for him, he would just swallow down the tears along with the meal.

The sick, thin and weak body of Zuo Zhen Yu basically wouldn’t be able to hurry on with the journey. But Yi Yun Zhai all the same ignored it. Although hearing him in the middle of the night sent out an intense coughing sound, he was not like before, anxiously wanted to buy the cough reliever medicine for him.

“Young Master, I think we don’t need to be in such a rush, that Zuo Zhen Yu’s body seemingly couldn’t stand ……”

“He will be able to stand it! He knew he owed me, he won’t so easily die then clear the debt!”

Yi Yun Zhai with his grim eyes looked straight at Xi Ning. That look on him made Xi Ning to be cold to the bone. He didn’t know what kind of offence had Zuo Zhen Yu committed towards him, nevertheless, he had never showed such a frightening look. Xi Ning was frightened to the point he didn’t dare to plead on Zuo Zhen Yu’s behalf any longer.

☆☆☆

Returning to Yi family, Yi Yun Zhai only said to everybody that he had brought home a friend. But he didn’t at all arrange him to stay in the guest room, instead, in another house in the backyard. Taking the just rushed on the journey and was on the verge of fainting Zuo Zhen Yu to that place, he also got the famous doctor who treated him at that time to examine the illness for him, moreover, he ordered the doctor, not to leak out the news. Even Master Yi also couldn’t understand what he was doing. There was only Xi Ning who was getting more and more understanding to why Yi Yun Zhai had drastically changed his nature.

Because Zuo Zhen Yu after receiving the medical treatment, his face was recovering day by day, every time when Xi Ning delivered the meal, he had to gasp in surprise first, before he dared to look at his face.

Because Zuo Zhen Yu’s face had become more and more alike with Xiao Lan Xun, to the extent even more alike than Xiao Hong’r. That grace, sharpness, certainly was Xiao Lan Xun’s brand.

Though saying Zuo Zhen Yu was a guest, yet Yi Yun Zhai locked him in the backyard, forbade him to go out, even Yi Yun Zhai himself had never come to see him. There was only Xi Ning to wait on him.

Waiting until the famous doctor left the Yi Family after giving his medical treatment, Yi Yun Zhai finally came to the backyard for the first time. When he saw Zuo Zhen Yu, Zuo Zhen Yu’s tearful eyes were drowsily gazing at him.

They faced each other without any words. Yi Yun Zhai seemed unable to stand his face in an instant he charged out, returned to his room, afterwards, he broke things in a frenzy.

“Young Master, I beg you! We don’t need to think about Miss Lan Xun…… just let it end like this…… end like this…… just regard it as a dream!”

Xi Ning immediately understood the ins and outs of the matter. No wonder Young Master at that time in Xiao’s house, as soon as he saw this Cousin Young Master with weird illness, he would be fascinated like losing his soul. Also no wonder that time Miss Lan Xun had left without saying goodbye, didn’t dare to come to meet Young Master. Because he was a man. Absolutely impossible to marry Young Master! Xi Ning understood everything, he could only sigh in lament, they were played by fate.

“Want me to regard it as a dream? Then what about my affection, what do you regard it as? As what?” Yi Yun Zhai angrily shouted.

From here onwards, Yi Yun Zhai was living in the days of sensual pleasures. Even to the extent stayed in the brothel for several days, as long as he went to the backyard to see Zuo Zhen Yu, on the night he would be like a madman going to the brothel to give vent to his l.u.s.t.

Zuo Zhen Yu’s illness although had been cured, his face also returned to the normal state, but he was still wearing a worried face. As long as Yi Yun Zhai came, he would be broken-hearted and weep with grief.

Ultimately, Yi Yun Zhai really lived in an excessively absurd life. Until causing Master Yi to be angered and fall ill, until then Yi Yun Zhai finally restrained himself a bit.

However, he didn’t go to the brothel, instead, in the house he kept many beautiful maid servants and concubines. Let them to play in front of the backyard, sometimes he played with them. Hugged one in his left hand, embraced another in his right hand, played loudly, whole face like it was afraid that Zuo Zhen Yu would be unable to hear him.

Zuo Zhen Yu every time hearing the laughter, he would be saddened and cry, then say to Xi Ning : “Xi Ning, it is because of me! It is me that had harmed your Young Master!”

Xi Ning of course knew that it was Zuo Zhen Yu who had caused his Young Master to have a drastic change of character. But looking at his deep feeling eyes which were showing such regret and agony, all of a sudden for a moment Xi Ning couldn’t say out whatever curse in his mind.

Because he could deeply understand that Zuo Zhen Yu also the same, deeply loved his Young Master. Only that Zuo Zhen Yu didn’t have a way to say it out, and his Young Master also couldn’t accept Zuo Zhen Yu’s love.

“Only with my death, so that he can…… so that he can return to his former self.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Miss Lan……” He forcibly changed his words : “Young Master Zuo.”

Zuo Zhen Yu sentimentally gazed at the window, silently, the tears flew down.

“It is me who has harmed him! If he never met me, he definitely would be living happily. It is me who fell in love with him, and so caused him such agony, everything is my fault, it was me who had lied to him, it was me who had deceived his feeling, so he was unable to let me off! If he knew that I have died, he will have nothing to regret, if like this, will he be back to his normal self?”

Xi Ning didn’t know how he should answer him. Only knew that Zuo Zhen Yu upon completing his words, in an abrupt he exerted his strength to knock his head on the pillar, the whole of his forehead was b.l.o.o.d.y.

He tried to feel his breathing, to his surprise there wasn’t any breath, caused Xi Ning to be frightened and pushed open the door in an instant, ran to the yard to ask for help.

☆☆☆

“Young Master…… Young Master……” Xi Ning was scared, gritting his teeth while trembling he shouted loudly.

Yi Yun Zhai coldly shot him a glance, “If it is about Zuo Zhen Yu, no need to report.”

“But……but……”

“Go away! I don’t want to hear anything about him.”

Xi Ning couldn’t restrain his cry : “Young Master, he b.u.mped his head on the pillar to commit suicide! Young Master Zuo seemed to no longer want to live. He said it was his fault, to cause Young Master to be in such agony, he wished that you could return to your normal state, no need to be concerned about the kind like him.”

Yi Yun Zhai let loose a torrent of abuse : “Nonsense! He definitely may not die. He has shamelessly deceived me, how could he die?”

He pushed away Xi Ning, his hands were trembling without stopping while he rushed to the backyard. Then saw Zuo Zhen Yu collapsed on the floor, his forehead unceasingly oozing out blood.

Yi Yun Zhai roared : “Quick get a doctor! Be quick! Quick……”

He carried him to the bed, used a cloth to wipe clean the traces of blood on his forehead and face. The flowing out blood was too much, it was as if to make clear to all, how strong was his death wish. The entire cloth had become red.

“Lan Xun……Lan Xun……”

Touching Zuo Zhen Yu’s icy cold hand, Yi Yun Zhai all of a sudden let out a loud cry.

He couldn’t admit he was deeply in love with him so he just hounded the one he loved to death, also before his death, he still longed and yearned for him, still wished for him to return to his normal state…… Didn’t he know, he was no longer able to return to his normal state?

He just needed to catch sight of him, that stream of deeply ingrained affection would surge up at once. How could he return to his normal state? How could he? Yi Yun Zhai bitterly thought.

“Young Master, the doctor has come! Quick, let him have a check……” Xi Ning brought a doctor.

With the doctor taking an immediate action to bring the patient out of danger, the only had last gasp Zuo Zhen Yu finally could be brought back to life.