Chapter 23: Answer

Qiandeng felt her eyes getting hot. She stretched out her trembling hand and tightly grasped the letter that was handed to her. She took a deep breath and suppressed the anxiety and grief that was roaring in her chest.

Ling Tianshui and Cui Fufeng looked at her. They didn't urge her, but just waited quietly.

After waiting for Qian Deng to calm himself down, he slowly opened the letter.

The letter seal has been opened and the opening is smooth.

This was my mother's habit. She always cherished paper and was meticulous with books and letters. She would carefully cut the opening of each letter.

Pulling out the thin letter paper from inside, Qiandeng closed his eyes, then unfolded it and first looked at the signature at the end of the letter.

That was the seal of her second uncle, the current King of Kucha. Because they had exchanged letters for many years, she recognized the seal and was sure it was correct.

The letter was sent to her mother, Mrs. Qiguo. The familiar handwriting told her something she had never expected.

Powerful enemies in the northwest were eyeing the region, and the Tang Dynasty was weakening. Although Kucha remained the center of the Anxi Protectorate, it was no longer able to survive in these turbulent times. With the country's fortunes declining and the Tang Dynasty struggling to protect it, coupled with numerous wars on both the eastern and western fronts, the Kucha royal family, scattered and war-torn, was in imminent danger.

However, recently Kucha received word from the Uighurs that Mingjiu, the prince of the Yaoluoge tribe, the most powerful of the fifteen tribes, admired the glory of the King of Changhua of the Tang Dynasty and therefore had high hopes for the Princess of Lingling, the only descendant of the royal palace.

If this were true, it would be a great opportunity for both Kucha and the Changhua Palace. Therefore, the letter asked Lady Qi to consider whether she could bring Qiandeng back to Kucha and, in her dual identities as Princess of Lingling and Princess of Kucha, establish an alliance with the Uighurs.

In this way, the royal families of Kucha and Uighur would marry each other and gain a powerful ally; and the Yaoluoge tribe would consolidate its power to rule over the other fourteen Uighur tribes with the dual support of the Tang Dynasty and Kucha; and Qiandeng would become the most powerful princess in the northwest and even the queen and queen mother in the future, becoming the pride of the Kucha royal family.

This is a proposal that will determine the fate of Qiandeng and Kucha. I hope they can discuss it carefully. Whether to be a county lady who lives out her life in obscurity in the Tang Dynasty, or to be the princess of Kucha or the queen of Uighur with infinite glory, I hope they will make a careful decision.

Qiandeng read the letter over and over again, then slowly folded it and put it back into the envelope, remaining silent.

Seeing her gloomy expression, Cui Fufeng asked, "Is the content of this letter important? Is it related to the death of Lady Qi?"

Qian Deng slowly shook his head: "It shouldn't be related, because this letter... my mother has already replied for me."

Although her mother had said that she could decide on her own after she had chosen a husband for the letter that would change her destiny, since her mother supported her in choosing a husband in the Tang Dynasty first, her intentions were obvious.

She didn't want her daughter to become a victim of politics and become a princess of a foreign race for the sake of power and glory.

Even if this gave her the power to dominate the northwest and make her the queen or even the queen mother worshipped by all, it also meant that she would always be standing on the sharp edge of power, and if she stumbled, she would be shattered to pieces.

Not to mention the distant past, the two princesses Jingle and Yifang who were married to foreign princes in this dynasty were beheaded by their husbands as a sacrifice when there was unrest at the border, and their bodies were dismembered.

What's more, Kucha is located at a strategic point connecting the east and the west, and is the center of conflicts and disputes between the Tang Dynasty and various ethnic groups. When she bears the glory of the dual identities of the Tang Dynasty county princess and the Kucha princess, she is thrown into the vortex of chaos.

The court was in turmoil, the borders were in turmoil, and all her loved ones were gone. If she obsessed with the glittering power and chose to embark on that extremely dangerous path, then, when she reached the end of her rope, how could she save herself, how could she find a way out?

She breathed silently and deeply for a long time, then walked to her mother's dying bed, sat where she had leaned before her death, and looked ahead.

When she looked at the small pavilion in front of her, she seemed to see that night when eleven people, some far away, some sitting, some standing, appeared before her.

"I know... the meaning of my mother's last words before she died."

The person her mother was pointing to was not a specific person.

She just hoped that her daughter would choose someone from among them.

No matter who it is, no matter which one.

Her daughter wanted to find a man in the Tang Dynasty and live a peaceful life, instead of choosing power and glory and rushing into the bottomless abyss.

Qiandeng raised his hands to cover his eyes, forcing back the tears that were welling up in his eyes.

The mystery that had been lingering in her heart for a long time seemed to have been largely solved.

She finally no longer had to worry about her mother's choices or guess about her last wishes before her death.

The mother didn't actually choose anyone; she knew she would love the person her daughter chose. Because she loved her so much, she would naturally love her choice.

Ling Tianshui and Cui Fufeng did not speak. They waited for her quietly, waiting for her to wipe away her tears and regain consciousness.

After she stood up and put away the letter, she left the water pavilion with them and slowly walked down the corridor.

Finally, Cui Fufeng couldn't help but ask her in a low voice: "Does the county lady know about the fate-changing decision in the letter?"

Qiandeng nodded: "I understand."

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Do you know who the lady was referring to before she died?"

Qiandeng nodded again, but didn't say anything this time.

Therefore, the mother’s death had nothing to do with the letter, and the man she pointed to before her death was not a specific person.

All the questions seemed to have been answered perfectly, and all the mysteries were completely solved at this moment, but her heart was still empty and had not been resolved.

There was clearly nothing wrong with it, but the overly simple answer made the world in front of her eyes begin to blur.

She reached into her sleeve and tightly grasped the letter. Her mother's last words before her death rang in her ears again:

"Deng Deng, you must marry him... and then take him home."

Her mother did hope that she would find a husband among the people in front of her, or in the Tang Dynasty, and avoid being involved in the bloody storm of the court, but what did the last sentence of "bring him home" mean?

Go home...which home?

The person who had inserted the arrow deep into her vitals should have been there, but she was in great grief and did not notice anything unusual about anyone.

So much so that many men have died, but that person is still hiding his whereabouts and cannot be reached.

Shi Jingning, who died in Jianfu Temple, left her the last message before his death: a rabbit and a well fence.

The rabbit is referring to the Baibai that they raised together when they were young, or the Baibai that Meng Lanxi killed innocently last night?

And what does the well curb refer to?

After Shi Jingning's death, she had people secretly search the railings of all the wells in Chang'an and the surrounding areas, but found no clues. After her mother's death, there was no abnormality in the wells on the farm.

The mystery of his mother's death remained shrouded in mystery, and the body found in the canal offered no clues. Even though the deceased had carried a Phoenix Sign, leading them to suspect it was Su Yunzhong, they could find no credible leads.

If he really was Su Yunzhong, why did he sneak back to Chang'an and leave a blood letter on the hull of the ship to accuse her? What exactly happened behind all this?

As she walked slowly, lost in thought, a sentence that had once been ordinary and buried deep in her mind suddenly emerged from her myriad thoughts. Amidst the gray and white chaos, it echoed in her ears.

"County Lady, please do not forget Madam Qi's last words. You must... choose the person she designated for you."

It’s Yan Penglai.

Those were the last words he said to her before he died.

At that time, she asked in surprise, "Do you know who my mother is referring to?"

He shook his head, looking at her with a look of pity: "I think the county lady is so smart that she must know what Madam meant at that time."

Does he know something unknown to the public? How does he know it?

Before him, Shi Jingning, who wanted to tell her the truth, had already died under the swords of the imperial guards. Why did the gentlemen who had seen the inside story choose to conceal the truth and refuse to expose it?