The Prime Minister’s Daughter and the Marquis’s Fool – Chapter 127

Tomorrow I Will Go Discuss It With Fourth Brother

Everyone in the room was now watching them nervously. Lin Xizhao glanced around and saw the tense expressions on the faces of the elders and Third Sister-in-law. She turned to Zhao Jiayu, a smile soon blooming in her eyes. “If Fourth Brother knew you were thinking of him like this, he’d be too happy to sleep.”

“Xizhao,” Zhao Jiayu chided, shooting her a look at the teasing remark.

            

Hearing this, the expressions on everyone’s faces slowly began to relax.

“Now that you’re back today, are you going out again?” Zhao Jiayu asked.

Lin Xizhao responded, “Why do you ask?”

            

“Oh, a few days ago, Xirui-didi came by a few times. I told him you two had gone out to relax and I didn’t know when you’d be back,” Zhao Jiayu replied.

Lin Xizhao nodded. “Then I’ll make a trip back to my residence later.”

After the two finished speaking, Jin Yunfei said, “You must be tired from your journey. Go and rest for a while. I’ll have someone make you something to eat.”

            

It wasn’t yet time for a meal, but the two had just returned from outside the city and had likely not eaten.

Lin Xizhao smiled faintly and nodded. She and Qu Sheng then led Zhao Jiayu out.

Although Zhao Jiayu was pregnant, it didn’t stop her from walking quickly.

            

“Slow down,” Lin Xizhao urged with concern.

Zhao Jiayu glanced at her and smiled. “It’s fine. The doctor told me to walk more now.”

Lin Xizhao had heard Cheng Xi say before that in the last two months before childbirth, one must not be lazy and must not overeat. Zhao Jiayu’s diet had indeed changed quite a bit; she ate lightly now, not gobbling down her food as she had before.

            

The three of them reached the courtyard, and Third Sister-in-law, Qian Shuangying, arrived soon after. Seeing the three of them sitting and chatting, she smiled and said, “Eldest Aunt is having delicious food made for you. And I, being a glutton, have come uninvited.”

At her words, the others rose with a smile. Zhao Jiayu covered her mouth, hiding the pastry crumbs that had fallen to her lips, and laughed. “Third Sister-in-law and I were thinking the exact same thing.”

The four of them sat in the room for a while before the kitchen staff began bringing over the dishes one by one.

            

Lin Xizhao helped serve Zhao Jiayu a bowl of thick soup. Zhao Jiayu took it and drank a few sips, smiling. “Ah Yu loves this Golden Jade Soup the most. What a shame he’s missing out.”

Lin Xizhao smiled and added some more for her. “When Fourth Brother returns, we’ll make up for everything he’s missed.”

“He’d eat until he becomes a big fatty,” Zhao Jiayu protested. “That won’t do. My Ah Yu looks like a pale-faced scholar. If he ate until he became a big fatty, eww…” Zhao Jiayu imagined it, then deliberately shivered and shrugged her shoulders.

            

Seeing her antics, the others couldn’t help but laugh with a hint of resignation.

After the meal, Qu Sheng accompanied Lin Xizhao to the Lin Residence. As soon as the carriage turned onto the main street, Feng Qi hurriedly rode his horse up to the carriage curtain.

Qu Sheng lifted the curtain and asked, “Do you know what happened to my Fourth Brother?”

            

Just before, while they were in the courtyard, Qu Sheng had dispatched Feng Qi to ask Jin Yunfei for details when Third Sister-in-law Qian Shuangying had passed by.

Feng Qi, riding alongside the carriage, lowered his voice. “The Fourth Young Master has been poisoned. He is currently recuperating in a residence. They kept it from the Fourth Young Madam for fear of worrying her.”

Qu Sheng’s eyes lowered for a moment, and she turned to look at Lin Xizhao.

            

Lin Xizhao met her gaze, then asked Feng Qi, “Do you know where he is now?”

“I do.” Jin Yunfei knew that Feng Qi was asking on Qu Sheng’s behalf, so she had told him everything.

“Take us there.” A trip back to the Lin Residence could wait. But for Qu Yu’s poisoning to be hidden from Zhao Jiayu, his condition must be extremely grave.

            

The carriage changed direction. With Feng Qi leading the way, they galloped to a small, nearby residential courtyard.

The residence was a property of the Qu family but had been abandoned for many years. It had been hastily tidied up for Qu Yu to stay in.

Feng Qi knocked on the door. The person who came out saw that it was the Eldest Young Miss and the other Young Miss and quickly led them to Qu Yu’s room.

            

At that moment, Qu Yu was still receiving treatment from a doctor. The spittoon a maid carried out of the room was filled with blood.

The maid passed them and curtsied. As she did, Qu Sheng glanced down at the spittoon.

The two entered the room. The doctor was performing acupuncture on Qu Yu, trying to suppress the poison.

            

“Fourth Brother,” Qu Sheng called out urgently.

Lin Xizhao and Qu Sheng hurried forward. The doctor looked back at them, having seemingly just removed the needles.

Hearing Qu Sheng’s voice, Qu Yu lifted his eyelids to look at her. He forced a smile onto his lips, his voice weak. “You’re back.”

            

Seeing Qu Yu’s purplish lips, tears welled up in Qu Sheng’s eyes, but she didn’t reply.

Lin Xizhao looked at Qu Yu’s frail body and quickly asked the doctor beside them, “How is Fourth Brother’s condition now?”

The doctor looked up, shook his head, sighed, and left.

            

Qu Yu smiled, his breath faint. “It’s nothing. Is Jiayu alright?”

Every time someone came to see him, he would first ask about Zhao Jiayu. He was truly worried about her.

Lin Xizhao stepped forward and said softly, “Jiayu is fine, she just misses Fourth Brother.”

            

Hearing this, Qu Yu’s expression was a mixture of helplessness and sorrow. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see Zhao Jiayu, but if she saw him in his current state, it would surely affect her emotions.

The last incident, Xiao Bingying’s faked death, had been such a huge blow to her. He really didn’t dare to take the risk.

After the doctor left, Qu Sheng and Lin Xizhao moved closer. Seeing their pained expressions, Qu Yu smiled again. “Don’t be sad. I’ll be fine. Eldest Uncle has already sent people to the Haichao Kingdom to find Liu Wuxiang. I believe he will definitely be able to cure me.”

            

Feng Qi had already told them this on the way.

Qu Sheng blinked, raising a hand to wipe away her tears. “Do you know who did this?”

Qu Yu’s eyelids fluttered slightly. “I don’t know,” he replied.

            

To this day, they still didn’t know who wanted to harm him, how the poison was administered, or even what its ingredients were.

The first person Qu Sheng thought of was Yan Fengwu, but Yan Fengwu was already dead. How could he have poisoned Qu Yu?

“Have all of Fourth Brother’s personal belongings been replaced?”

            

Qu Yu nodded. “They were all replaced after the incident.”

“Is anyone else in the army showing the same symptoms as Fourth Brother?”

Qu Yu shook his head; he was the only one. Moreover, on the day the poison took effect, he had been mustering troops on the training ground. After he collapsed, the doctor diagnosed it as poisoning. Because he was too weak, he hadn’t let anyone inform Zhao Jiayu.

            

He stayed in the army camp for some time, but the military medics were helpless. Later, he was brought here, and an Imperial Physician​¹ was summoned, but even the Imperial Physician couldn’t identify the poison.

The poison in his body had already seeped into his bone marrow. Not only was it incurable by medicine or acupuncture, but they didn’t even know what the poison was, so they had no idea what medicine to prescribe.

Qu Sheng pondered the possibilities. One person was still missing: the Assistant Commander who had murdered Qu Ce.

            

Lin Xizhao fed Qu Yu some congee. The two of them stayed until Qu Yu fell asleep before leaving.

On the way back to the Lin Residence, both of them felt heavy-hearted. For now, they were pinning all their hopes on Liu Wuxiang, hoping he could cure the poison in Qu Yu’s body.

At King Wenze’s Lin Residence, the steward hurried out to greet them upon hearing that Lin Xizhao had returned. Lin Xirui also got word, excused himself from his teacher, and went to Lin Xizhao’s courtyard.

            

The steward said nothing, but Lin Xirui arrived and began chattering nonstop.

“A-jie, not long after you left, Father fell ill.” After saying this, Lin Xirui took a sip of tea from the side. Seeing Lin Xizhao’s worried expression, he smiled again. “But he’s all better now.”

“Was that why you were looking for me at the Qu Marquis Residence?” Lin Xizhao asked gently.

            

Lin Xirui put down his teacup. “No.”

“Then why?”

Lin Xirui glanced at Qu Sheng, then back at Lin Xizhao, his expression a little worried. “Father has engaged a matchmaker to arrange a marriage for A-jie. They’ve already been to the residence several times.”

            

“What do you mean, several times?” Qu Sheng asked urgently.

Hearing Qu Sheng’s anxious voice, Lin Xirui looked up at her. “The matchmaker,” he said.

“Do you know why Father would suddenly do this?” Lin Xizhao asked, puzzled.

            

Lin Xirui’s brow twitched. “It seems Her Majesty the Empress found the candidates for A-jie. They are all last year’s Presented Scholars,​² all relatively young and unmarried.”

As Lin Xirui spoke, he stole a glance at Qu Sheng. Her face had turned so cold that her eyes seemed to gleam with frost.

After saying this, Lin Xirui didn’t dare to continue, and Lin Xizhao didn’t ask any more questions. Even if they were the Number One or Number Two Scholars, she had no interest. Asking more would only add to her troubles.

            

Lin Jianhai was doing this, so it must have been instigated by the Empress. Let him do as he pleased. As long as she refused to agree, could they really force her to marry someone else?

Besides, Lin Jianhai had already accepted the betrothal gifts from the Qu family. The Qu family was just preoccupied with Qu Yu’s situation at the moment and hadn’t been able to spare the attention. Now that Qu Sheng was back, they had plenty of time to deal with this.

Lin Xizhao stayed at the residence until the sky turned dark, then left without ever seeing Lin Jianhai.

            

After returning, Qu Sheng didn’t stay idle either. She told Lin Xizhao to wait in the courtyard, and if she got bored, she could go chat with Third Sister-in-law and Zhao Jiayu. She herself left the residence and went to the now-sealed and confiscated former residence of Yan Fengwu.

Last time, Yan Fengwu had obtained poison from some unknown source. She was worried that the poison Qu Yu had been given was the same as the one that had killed Qu Ce.

When the government confiscated a residence, unless an item was particularly valuable, it wouldn’t be taken away. It would eventually be sold along with the property to the new owner.

            

Qu Sheng entered the residence and looked at the government sealing strips pasted on each door. After surveying the area for a few moments, she made her way to the inner residence.

Qu Sheng estimated which room Yan Fengwu had lived in, tore the paper seal off the door, and pushed her way inside.

The room, long neglected, was covered in a layer of dust. Qu Sheng’s steps left clear footprints behind her.

            

The corners of the room and even some of the curio shelves were draped with cobwebs, and there were shattered pieces of porcelain on the floor.

Most of this porcelain was worthless. Qu Sheng stepped over it and entered the inner chamber, where there was another, smaller curio shelf.

The wood of these shelves was also cheap, so no one had bothered with them. Qu Sheng drew her sword, cleared away the cobwebs, and tapped on the wooden panels.

            

The panels echoed hollowly. Qu Sheng thought for a moment, then inserted her sword into a crack. With a twist, she pried a hole in the shelf’s frame.

Qu Sheng leaned forward and looked inside.

There was a key.

            

Qu Sheng took out the key and then looked around. The walls were all covered in cobwebs, and any painting scrolls had been either taken or destroyed.

For a key to be hidden in such a concealed place, it must be for something important.

Qu Sheng walked around the room with the key in hand. A moment later, she turned and looked at a wall where nothing was hanging.

            

Qu Sheng walked over, raised her hand, and knocked on the wall. After a brief pause, she pressed down on it.

A section of the stone wall receded, and Qu Sheng heard a noise from beside the bed.

Qu Sheng approached with her sword drawn and saw that the space beneath the bed was now open.

            

She examined the wooden bed, pulled it out a few inches, and then hopped onto it. Qu Sheng looked down. It was pitch black inside, but she could see perfectly clearly.

There were stairs leading down. She lowered her gaze, thought for a moment, and descended with her sword in hand.

Yan Fengwu’s residence was situated on high ground, so even though this was underground, it wasn’t damp. Qu Sheng walked and looked around, and soon, a stone chamber appeared before her.

            

It was simply furnished, and the tea set was covered in dust.

This place of Yan Fengwu’s was very well hidden. He must have gotten his wealth from here.

Qu Sheng looked around, guessing there must be a way to the outside. She ran her hand along the wall, her gaze falling on an unlit candlestick holder to the side.

            

Qu Sheng walked over quickly, placed her hand on the candlestick holder, and twisted it hard. A moment later, a door opened nearby.

Qu Sheng looked at the open doorway, craned her neck to peek inside, and then entered. The passage was narrow and led to another courtyard. This one also seemed to be abandoned.

Qu Sheng noted that this courtyard was very similar to Yan Fengwu’s. It must be as the saying goes, ‘a cunning rabbit has three burrows’;​³ this was another of his residences.

            

However, this place was so dilapidated that it was completely uninhabitable. Qu Sheng gave it a quick look and then retreated.

This secret chamber was likely used for receiving guests. Although there were paintings on the walls, they had been neglected for so long that they were faded beyond recognition.

Qu Sheng glanced down at the key in her hand, thought for a moment, and exited the secret chamber.

            

Back in the bedroom, Qu Sheng quickly found what the key was for. It was a box attached to the underside of the writing desk.

Qu Sheng opened the box. Inside were several medicine vials. Qu Sheng opened a few to look, not daring to smell them rashly, and took them back to the courtyard where Qu Yu was staying.

Qu Sheng had someone wake the doctor who was living there and gave him the vials.

            

The doctor took the medicine vials, first shaking them, then opening one and sniffing it lightly. He frowned.

“This smell is truly strange. This little person cannot identify what it is at the moment.”

Qu Sheng had thought that finding this medicine would help cure Qu Yu, but who knew this doctor would be completely useless.

            

Hearing this, Qu Sheng’s expression turned cold. She decided to have Qu Jinian request an Imperial Physician from the palace tomorrow.

Qu Sheng returned to the Qu Marquis Residence. Lin Xizhao was still awake. Hearing the door open, Lin Xizhao, dressed in a light green, thin gauze middle garment,​⁴ quickly turned her head toward the door.

Seeing that it was Qu Sheng who had returned, Lin Xizhao stood up quickly. “Did you find anything?”

            

Qu Sheng looked at Lin Xizhao, her gaze softening slightly. She took out the several porcelain vials in her hand. “I found these in his residence. I don’t know what kind of medicine it is.”

Lin Xizhao took the vials and looked down at them. “We’ll ask an Imperial Physician to take a look tomorrow.” Lin Xizhao carefully found a place to put the vials, then turned back to Qu Sheng. “Are you hungry? I had the kitchen save some food for you. If you’re hungry, I’ll have someone bring it over now.”

Qu Sheng had left at the beginning of zishi, and now it was already choushi​⁵ when she returned.

            

Qu Sheng nodded. Lin Xizhao went out the door and instructed someone to bring the warm food from the kitchen.

Watching Qu Sheng eat, Lin Xizhao stood there for a moment before pouring her a cup of tea and sitting down as well.

“Jiayu told me today that she wants us to take her to the military camp to see Fourth Brother.”

            

Hearing this, Qu Sheng’s chewing slowed. She looked at Lin Xizhao and thought about Qu Yu’s condition. If Zhao Jiayu saw him, she would definitely find out.

As long as the poison in Qu Yu remained uncured, he could die at any moment. Right now, they could only hope that the people from Shoulin could bring Liu Wuxiang back.

She had been thinking today that if only Cheng Xi hadn’t left. She was Liu Wuxiang’s disciple and should have some knowledge of poisons, but Qu Sheng didn’t know how confident she would be.

            

Now that Cheng Xi was a princess of a nation, it wouldn’t be easy to ask her to come. But it would be better to ask Liu Wuxiang than her; after all, when treating her eyes last time, Cheng Xi’s confidence had not been as great as Liu Wuxiang’s.

“Tomorrow I will go discuss it with Fourth Brother,” Qu Sheng replied after swallowing her food.

Avoiding her forever wasn’t a solution. They had been gone for nearly a month, and Zhao Jiayu and Qu Yu hadn’t seen each other for that long either.

            

Although Zhao Jiayu wasn’t particularly perceptive, if this continued, she would eventually notice something was wrong.

Zhao Jiayu was about to give birth soon, so waiting a few more days was an option. But Qu Yu’s life was hanging by a thread. He might not have a next time after this visit.

Early the next morning, as Qu Sheng and Lin Xizhao were preparing to leave, they were stopped by Zhao Jiayu.

            

“You haven’t even had breakfast. Where are you going?” Zhao Jiayu had deliberately come to block them this morning.

Lin Xizhao replied, “I need to go back to my residence to handle the account books.”

Zhao Jiayu looked displeased at this. Her face fell, and she said aggrievedly, “I clearly told you yesterday to take me to see Ah Yu.”

            

It wasn’t difficult for a woman to enter a military camp, but the difficulty lay in the fact that no one would take Zhao Jiayu. She had tried to have a carriage prepared before, but no one in the residence dared to do it.

“Let’s go in a few days. Something has come up in jiejie’s residence recently that we need to handle,” Qu Sheng lied, though it wasn’t entirely a lie.

Something had indeed happened at the Lin Residence: Lin Jianhai wanted to marry Lin Xizhao off. Although they weren’t taking it to heart, it could serve as a convenient excuse now.

            

Hearing Qu Sheng’s voice, which had lost its previous coldness, Zhao Jiayu looked up at her, a hint of a smile on her face. “A few days is how many days? Give me a specific time so I can prepare.”

Qu Sheng lowered her eyes for a moment. Lin Xizhao glanced at her. After a brief pause, Qu Sheng looked up. “The day after tomorrow. On the day after tomorrow, I promise I’ll let you see Fourth Brother.”

“Alright, it’s a promise.” Zhao Jiayu extended her little finger, her chin slightly raised.

            

Qu Sheng looked down, then reached out her hand and linked her pinky with hers.

Watching the two of them leave, Zhao Jiayu smiled and went to the main courtyard for breakfast.

After leaving the residence, Lin Xizhao and Qu Sheng went to where Qu Yu was. This morning, Qu Jinian had sent someone to the Imperial Physician’s residence to summon him, so he should be arriving soon.

            

Lin Xizhao and Qu Sheng entered the courtyard. Qu Sheng handed the medicine to the Imperial Physician, who had arrived at almost the same time as them.

The Imperial Physician took the medicine, opened a vial, and gently fanned the air with his hand to smell it.

The smell was indescribably strange. A few vials had no smell at all, and the medicine was a transparent liquid, making it difficult for him to identify.

            

“Commandery Princess, Miss Sheng, please permit this subordinate official to take some of this back to discuss and research it with my colleagues at the Imperial Medical Academy.​⁶ I will give you a reply tomorrow.”

Qu Sheng and Lin Xizhao exchanged a look. There was no other way for now; this was the only option.

After Lin Xizhao nodded, they had someone see the Imperial Physician out.

            

Qu Yu was still sleeping in the room, but his complexion looked much better than yesterday’s. He was still taking the life-sustaining medicine prescribed by the doctor, but it always made him drowsy.

Lin Xizhao and Qu Sheng waited until noon before Qu Yu slowly woke up. Qu Sheng told him about Zhao Jiayu’s wish to see him. Qu Yu stared blankly for a long time before saying in a weak voice, “Alright. The day after tomorrow, I’ll have to trouble Xizhao-meimei to lend Fourth Brother some rouge and powder.”

He wanted to cover up his poor complexion.

            

Qu Sheng and Lin Xizhao stayed with Qu Yu until evening. After feeding him his dinner, they left.

The weather was beginning to turn cool. Qu Sheng sat by the desk in a daze. Lin Xizhao came out from the inner room with a thick cape and draped it over Qu Sheng’s shoulders.

Qu Sheng turned her head with a blank look. Only when she saw Lin Xizhao did she come back to her senses.

            

“Jiejie,” Qu Sheng murmured.

Lin Xizhao heard her but didn’t ask anything. She walked closer and pulled Qu Sheng’s head into her embrace.

She understood Qu Sheng’s worry, and she understood her fear.

            

Qu Ce and Qu Ming had both died at Yan Fengwu’s hands. Now, even though he was dead, they had been one step too late, and he had managed to strike at Qu Yu before his death.

The Qu siblings had always been close. If anything happened to Qu Yu, she could imagine how devastated Qu Sheng would be.

Of course, she cared deeply for Qu Yu as well. If Qu Yu were gone, she could also imagine what would happen to Zhao Jiayu.

            

The next morning at breakfast, Qu Sheng noticed that Qu Jinian’s face was perpetually grim, as if he were sulking at someone and still hadn’t gotten over it.

Qu Sheng glanced up a few times, then heard her Third Uncle, Qu Jiqin, trying to console him. “Eldest Brother, don’t be angry anymore. When His Majesty learned that Fourth Brother and Ting’er drove out the Chemu Tribe, he must have wanted to annihilate them in one fell swoop. I heard in court today that half the officials support it. If we can truly eradicate the Chemu Tribe, it would be a good thing. The Northern Frontier would finally be at peace.”

Qu Jinian looked up, then shook his head after a moment. “The Chemu Tribe is not as simple as you or I think. Although Fourth Brother has been on the battlefield, he has never fought against the Chemu. Ting’er, even less so. The Chemu live in a vast and sparsely populated land. The stretches of grassland all look the same. If a battle breaks out, it’s impossible to get one’s bearings, and there’s no place for cover. We might not lose out within our own territory, but it’s hard to say what will happen on the Chemu’s land.”

            

Qu Jinian was worried that if Fourth Uncle Qu Jian and Qu Ting entered the Chemu’s territory, they would be led by the nose. If they were forced into a passive position, the battle would be difficult to fight.

He also believed that both of them understood this well, which was why they hadn’t given the order to pursue. Today, the Emperor had suddenly issued a decree ordering them to completely annihilate the Chemu Tribe to display the might of the Tiansheng Kingdom. It was such a foolish move. He had argued with the Emperor for several sentences in the great hall today, disregarding all attempts to stop him, but he still couldn’t prevent the decree from being issued.

Qu Sheng now understood why Qu Jinian was so furious. If she were commanding the three armies, she certainly wouldn’t dare to pursue rashly. For the Emperor to issue such a decree so suddenly, someone must have instigated it. Now it remained to be seen whether Qu Ting and her Fourth Uncle would obey the order.

            

“Master, someone from Shoulin has arrived,” the steward reported hurriedly.

Qu Jinian subconsciously glanced at Zhao Jiayu, who was still eating with her head down. After a moment, he said, “Have him wait. I’ll be right there.”

People from Shoulin often came, but it was rare for Qu Jinian to be so concerned that he would leave a meal unfinished.

            

Zhao Jiayu watched Qu Jinian’s departing figure and thought for a moment. He was probably just upset from arguing with His Majesty today and didn’t feel like eating.

After Qu Jinian left, Lin Xizhao also glanced at Zhao Jiayu.

Zhao Jiayu met her gaze, her eyes curving into a smile, and continued to eat.

            

After breakfast, Zhao Jiayu pestered them for a while before the two made the excuse that they had matters to attend to at the Lin Residence and had to go again.

But this time, Zhao Jiayu absolutely refused to let them go alone. If they were going, they had to take her with them.

Qu Sheng and Lin Xizhao had no choice but to take her with them to the Lin Residence.

            

Lin Xizhao looked over the account books in the residence while Zhao Jiayu sat to the side, eating snacks.

Qu Sheng was anxious and soon made an excuse to use the privy and slipped out.

Qu Sheng scaled the courtyard wall, mounted a horse, and rode to the courtyard where Qu Yu was staying.

            

As she walked, she asked the servant guiding her, “How is Fourth Brother?”

“The Fourth Young Master woke up once this morning but has been sleeping ever since. Just now, the Marquis brought an old man, said he was a doctor. He’s treating the Fourth Young Master right now,” the servant replied, hurrying to keep up with Qu Sheng.

Qu Sheng walked to the closed door and stood there for a moment before gently pushing it open.

            

Inside, Liu Wuxiang was currently treating Qu Yu with acupuncture. Qu Jinian and her Third Uncle were waiting anxiously.

“Father, Third Uncle, how is Fourth Brother? What did Doctor Liu say?” Qu Sheng asked in a low voice after entering.

Qu Jinian’s eyelids twitched. He looked at Qu Sheng and replied, “Doctor Liu couldn’t identify the poison either.”

            

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The author has something to say:

Qu Sheng: “This is a huge headache.”

Zhao Jiayu: “But I think your head is quite small.”

            

Qu Sheng: “…”

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