Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

Chapter 55: Stumbling upon a shameful secret?

In his sleep, Zheng Tu felt a soft, fragrant body leaning against him, seemingly out of nowhere.

The sensation was elusive, like clouds or mist, making it hard to distinguish between a dream and reality.

Nothing more was said that night...

The next morning at dawn, Zheng Tu slowly woke up.

Opening his eyes, he saw unfamiliar roof beams overhead, and the furnishings inside were completely different from his own cramped room. It was indeed the guest room in the Wu family's home.

Looking out the window again, the morning light was faint, and sunlight streamed in through the window paper, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Birds chirped under the eaves, and the distant noise of the morning market could be faintly heard.

Zheng Tu breathed a sigh of relief: "As expected... the decision was right. Staying at Wu's house, with Wu Song by my side, we managed to get through last night safely."

"This overwhelming sense of security..."

As he was sighing to himself, he suddenly caught a faint scent of perfume on his body and couldn't help but shiver.

"That woman... could she have done something while I was unconscious?" Zheng Tu's heart tightened, and he hurriedly looked down to check: his clothes were mostly intact, his belt was not loose, and his shoes and socks were still there.

"Fortunately... I didn't make any major mistakes." Zheng Tu felt somewhat relieved.

only……

He lowered his head and brought it closer to her clothes, a rich, perfumed scent wafting towards him. The fragrance was sweet and intoxicating, the very scent that Pan Jinlian often wore. Although he couldn't smell it from a distance, now that he was so close, the scent gently entered his nostrils.

This smell... could it be... from sleeping on me all night?

Just as he was hesitating, Wu Song's loud voice came from outside the door: "Brother, are you awake? Did you sleep well last night?"

Zheng Tu jolted awake, hurriedly got up, and rushed to the window. Pretending to look out, he said, "You're awake! Sorry to have bothered you last night!"

This way of standing not only keeps me at a distance from Wu Song, but also allows the morning breeze outside the window to dissipate some of my body odor.

Wu Song pushed open the door and came in. He saw Zheng Tu standing by the window and laughed, "Brother, you're in a good mood, enjoying the scenery so early in the morning."

Zheng Tu only gave a vague reply, saying only: "It's stuffy inside."

Wu Song walked to the table, poured a bowl of cold tea, and handed it to Zheng Tu: "Brother Zheng, have some tea to sober up."

Zheng Tu took the tea, turned his back to him, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp. The cool tea cleared his mind somewhat.

"Thank you, Erlang."

He put down his teacup, still facing the window, and said, "I was quite ashamed of my behavior last night. I won't bother you any longer today, so I'll take my leave now."

Wu Song hurriedly said, "Brother Zheng, why the rush to leave? It's not too late to go back after you've had your meal."

"No need, no need!" Zheng Tu waved his hands repeatedly, "I have some matters to attend to at the teahouse... I'll head back now!"

Having said that, without waiting for Wu Song to persuade him further, he hastily bowed and fled from the guest room as if escaping.

Wu Song saw him to the door, and watching Zheng Tu's retreating figure, he couldn't help but chuckle: "Brother, your temperament... is quite impatient."

He turned and went back into the house, about to make the bed, when suddenly his nostrils twitched and his brows furrowed.

"Huh? Why... is there a faint scent of perfume on this bed?"

He leaned closer to the bed and sniffed carefully. The fragrance was sweet and cloying, the very scent of rouge and face powder that women often used. Though not strong, it was clearly discernible.

Wu Song's expression changed slightly. He straightened up and looked around the customer's room.

The room was simply furnished, and there were no women's items inside. This fragrance…

He suddenly remembered that his sister-in-law had been taking care of Zheng Tu last night, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Could it be...?"

A thought crossed his mind, but he forcibly suppressed it. "No, it can't be. Although my sister-in-law is... although she is a little frivolous, she wouldn't do that. My brother is an upright gentleman. I must be overthinking it."

He shook his head, folded the thin blanket, and tidied the bed.

…………

Zheng Tu walked swiftly back to his teahouse room, closed the door, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"This visit... was extremely dangerous! I almost... almost got myself killed!" He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

However, the reason for this rebirth remains unknown.

He frowned, deep in thought: he had clearly asked Wu Song to send him back to the teahouse, yet he still died inexplicably.

What exactly is the reason for this?

Just as they were racking their brains trying to figure it out, they heard Wang Po knocking on the door.

"Master Zheng! Ying Huazi has sent someone to invite you to a gathering at the Lion Tower!" Wang Po's voice came from outside the door, filled with joy.

Zheng Tu responded, thinking to himself, "If I can't figure it out, I'll stop thinking about it for now. I'll go see Ximen Qing first and then make a plan."

He changed into a clean coat before opening the door and going out.

Granny Wang stood outside the door, her face beaming with smiles: "My lord, hurry! Yinghuazi is already waiting at the Lion Tower!"

Zheng Tu nodded, left the teahouse, and headed straight for the Lion Tower.

We arrived shortly afterward.

This restaurant is three stories high, with flying eaves and bracket sets, and is quite impressive.

Sure enough, they saw Lord Ying standing in front of the building, waving a gold-flecked fan and looking around.

Upon seeing Zheng Tu arrive, his eyes lit up, and he stepped forward with a smile, saying, "I've finally waited for Brother Zheng! Please follow me upstairs; the feast has been prepared. It's just the three of us this time, so we'll meet Brother Ximen when he arrives. If we hit it off, we'll become sworn brothers on the third day!"

"It's all up to Brother Ying's arrangements."

The two climbed the stairs side by side, and Ying Bojue lowered his voice and said, "Brother Zheng, don't worry, Brother Ximen loves to make friends with heroes. With your abilities, Brother Zheng, you're sure to win his favor."

Zheng Tu nodded, understanding dawning on him.

The so-called "ten brothers" were actually gathered together entirely by Ximen Qing. If Ximen Qing lost power, this group would scatter like monkeys falling from a tree. Therefore, there was no need to pay attention to the opinions of the others. As long as they had Ximen Qing's approval, even if the other nine were dissatisfied with him, they would have to greet him with a smile; if Ximen Qing disliked them, even if the other nine liked him, they would never dare to associate with him.

Lord Ying led Zheng Tu straight up to the private room on the second floor. Pushing open the door, they saw that the room was exquisitely furnished, with a large round rosewood table, embroidered stools around it, and calligraphy and paintings by famous artists hanging on the walls.

The two sat down, and the waiter served them fragrant tea and snacks.

Earl Ying personally poured tea and said with a smile, "Brother Zheng, please have a seat. Brother Ximen will be here shortly."

The two shared a drink.

This Earl Ying was a seasoned patron of brothels and theaters, and his nose was incredibly sensitive.

Although Zheng Tu had changed into clean clothes, how could he escape the faint scent of perfume from his dog-like nose?

He snorted twice, leaned closer to Zheng Tu, winked and teased, "Brother Zheng, you're quite the ladies' man! Last night... you must have had a good time, right?"

Zheng Tu knew he had misunderstood, but he didn't want to explain further. He just smiled calmly, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

Seeing his tacit agreement, Ying Bojue became even more certain, thinking to himself, "This man looks honest and simple, but he's quite the ladies' man! Hehe, when he's with Brother Ximen in the future, he'll inevitably share this interest and become even closer."

As the two were chatting, they suddenly heard a series of steady and powerful footsteps coming from the stairs, approaching from afar.

Earl Ying abruptly stood up, his face plastered with an extremely obsequious smile, and whispered, "They've arrived! Brother Ximen has come!"

Zheng Tu slowly put down his teacup and looked up at the doorway.