Jiangnan Cemetery

She did not control the volume, and the three words "Prince Wen's Tomb" fell into the ears of several female guests standing nearby, who all silently moved away from them.

"My two distinguished guests, please follow me to the second floor for tea."

Yuanli followed Xiaotao to the second floor. The layout remained unchanged, but it was no longer used to receive guests. It was used to worship the Broom Star God and her tablet.

"My two distinguished guests, you may not know that the word 'Wen' is forbidden in Kyoto, let alone the three words 'Wen Wang's Tomb' that you just mentioned. It is a taboo. That is why those female guests looked at me strangely. Please don't take it to heart."

"Why can't I mention it?"

Xiaotao led the two into the private room, brewed a pot of fresh tea for them, and placed a stack of peach blossom cakes on top.

"There are two reasons. First, 'Wen' is a taboo word. The new emperor issued an order upon ascending the throne that the entire nation must not mention the word 'Wen'. No matter whether it is a common citizen or a member of the royal family, no one's life can be at risk if the word 'Wen' is mentioned. If anyone mentions 'Wen', they must change their names immediately."

"What about the other reason?"

"Have you two heard the anecdote about the love affair between Prince Wen and his wife? It was all the rage in Kyoto at the time, and even other kingdoms knew of the affection between my lord and his husband. However, a year ago, my lord divorced her husband and was crowned empress by the new emperor. After my lord's death, all the able-bodied men in both kingdoms were conscripted to build the shrine to the emperor and empress. The shrine is extravagant, covering an area of ​​ten miles in radius, and none of the able-bodied men have returned to this day. A rumor, spread from somewhere, that my lord is a demon queen, has led to this situation. The world blindly follows this rumor, blaming Prince Wen and his wife for their own misfortunes, completely forgetting his countless battles and his efforts to save the people from disaster."

Xiao Tao's words became more and more excited. Yuanli was a little annoyed, and a nameless fire was rising in her heart. Her A Ci was once a beautiful general loved by the people. Wherever she went, the people praised her achievements. But now, she was so fickle that even her name was erased after her death.

"Then do you know where Prince Wen's tomb is?"

"I don't know. A year ago, during the war, my master died. Prince Wen wanted to bring back his head, but he was outnumbered and haunted by demons, so he was defeated. The new emperor, in love with my master, threw Prince Wen's body into a mass grave. Ziyun and I heard the news and rushed there. The zither player my master admired dug Prince Wen's body out of the pile of corpses and took it away from Kyoto for burial."

After chatting with Xiaotao for a while, Yuanli said goodbye and immediately set off for Jiangnan.

Jiangnan is far away from Kyoto, so the architectural style still retains the appearance before the national chaos. However, human and financial resources are inevitably damaged, and many refugees have poured in. Therefore, it is not as prosperous as before.

The two asked around and found out that there was no Shen Mansion in Jiangnan, nor was there a zither player from Kyoto.

After failing to find the whereabouts, Yuanli learned from an old man from Jiangnan that a year ago, a wealthy businessman named Lin generously bought the old house that belonged to the Shen family ten years ago, including the back mountain, and renamed it Lin Mansion.

The Lin Mansion was a strange place, with its doors often closed to the outside world. The head of the family was a wealthy businessman, but he had no business in Jiangnan, and he had no dealings with the wealthy local businessmen in Jiangnan. It was said that the head of the family, Lin Shen, was kind-hearted and her servants were all refugees she had taken in.

Upon hearing about Lin Shenshi, Yuanli was a little surprised. She saw the feelings of Wujiu and Lin Jian clearly, but she didn't expect that after the war was over, both of them were free and had been hiding in Jiangnan for only a year, but Lin Jian actually married again and let that Lin Shenshi be the head of the family.

When they arrived at the gate of Lin Mansion, they found that it was closed just as the old man had said, and there was not even a gatekeeper.

Yuanli stepped forward and gently knocked on the doorknob. After looking around three or four times, the door swung open with a bang. A ferocious-looking man walked out and asked menacingly, "Who are you looking for?"

"I wonder if the mansion master's name is Lin Jian?"

After a long silence, the rough man's expression softened a bit, and his hand holding the door loosened. A hoarse and deep male voice came from inside, saying, "Chen Liu, the master of the family is willing to see guests. Let them in."

Hearing this, the brute opened the door on one side of the mansion and stepped back to make room for them to enter, but his vigilant eyes followed them all the time.

Inside the gate was a bustling scene, with servants everywhere. All the servants were men, each one strong and tall, their muscles no less impressive than the brute who had opened the door. Rather than calling them servants, they were more like thugs hired by the Lin Shen family.

The old butler with a hoarse and deep voice took them to the main hall. The furnishings and even the layout of the house were similar to those of Prince Wen's Mansion. Yuanli was even more convinced that Lin Jian was there.

"Please take a seat, my master will be here soon."

The door curtain swayed slightly, and Wujiu walked out wearing a plain green robe, with Lin Jian's black jade pendant tied around his waist, and a not-so-delicate wooden hairpin holding up his hair crown. He sat directly on the seat of the head of the family.

When it comes to the Shen family, there is no blame.

"Who are these two people?"

"We are from the Chang Xiang Si Pearl and Hairpin Shop. Following our master's will, we have come to burn incense for His Highness Prince Wen."

"Thank you, Miss Xiaotao and Miss Ziyun, for your concern. Since you know the name of my master and the location of the Changxiangsi Pearl and Hairpin Shop, I believe what you two said is true. Please follow me."

Wujiu stood up to lead the way. A Cuju ball rolled and landed at her feet. Yuanli picked it up and was examining it when a six-year-old child came over, bowed, and said self-reproachfully, "I didn't mean to offend you. I'm deeply sorry."

"It's okay, it's okay. Whose child are you?"

The six-year-old child stood beside Wu Jiu and said, "My father's name is Lin Jian. My father is the one in front of you."

She returned the Cuju to him, and the child politely thanked her. It was so adorable. Wu Jiu took the six-year-old's hand and continued walking forward. "My son Lin'an bumped into you, young lady. I apologize to you on my behalf. Please don't blame me."

"It's okay, Lin'an is well-behaved, cute and lovable, how can I bear to blame him."

The Shen Mansion was also large, and Yuanli and Wujiu chatted all the way to the backyard.

From him, he learned that Lin'an was a child he had picked up when he fled back to Jiangnan. Lin'an's biological parents had died in the war in the streets of Kyoto. When Wujiu first met him, his parents covered him with their bodies, which allowed Lin'an to hold on until he met Wujiu.

Lin'an lay among the dead, neither crying nor making a fuss, just staring at him blankly. Remembering what Lin Jian had told him, Wu Jiu immediately asked Lin'an if he was willing to go home with him.

Lin Jian was an orphan with no sons or daughters, so Wu Jiu adopted a child and named him Lin so that his family tree would not be deserted and there would be successors.

The servants in the mansion were the Black Armor Guards who helped the refugees escape. Wujiu used the Ansheng silver left by Lin Jian to buy a house, opened a family tree for him, and created a home for everyone.

Walking to the backyard, there are countless graves standing on the huge lawn, and the graves extend all the way to the mountains. Some have names, some are just cenotaphs, and some have no names, leaving only an empty tombstone.

"Don't be afraid, young ladies. These are the Black Armored Guards who fought alongside the Lord through thick and thin. Most of them are cenotaphs, containing only scraps of clothing they wore. Even though there are 5,864 graves here, only 1,058 actually contain remains."

Although life and death are unpredictable in war, Yuanli was still a little shocked. She was not only shocked that so many Black Armor Guards were buried in this mountain, but also shocked that Wujiu had found a safe place for their souls.

"Did you bring back all these cloths and corpses from the Kyoto Imperial Palace?"

"It's not entirely my fault. Prince Wen led three thousand black-armored guards into the palace with the intention of bringing back the princess' body, but they failed. Not only did they not bring back the princess, but their entire army was wiped out. I used all the money I had saved in the palace to bribe the palace servants in Western Xinjiang. I cut the pieces of cloth from their bodies and brought them back to Jiangnan. I built a cenotaph for their deceased souls to rest in peace."

Wujiu looked at the graves with a calm smile as he spoke, and Yuanli admired him for that.

"The Palace Master is thoughtful. You have engraved the names of so many soldiers one by one."

"No, no, my lord once told me that since Prince Wen established the Black Armor Guard, he ordered the embroiderers to embroider the names of every soldier on their collars. He promised the soldiers that even if there was only a slight chance, he would bring them back and build a cenotaph for them, a place for their souls to rest in peace."

Yuanli listened to Wen Yici's past and couldn't help but feel sad and tears gathered in her eyes.

Following the path in the forest winding into the mountains, there are more cenotaphs standing on both sides of the stone road. The forest is full of lush vegetation, and the sunlight shines through the gaps between the leaves, leaving mottled shadows on the tombstones.

When they reached the top of the mountain, Yuanli's legs were a little weak, but Wujiu was still walking briskly with Lin'an in his arms.

Seeing her panting, Wu Jiu said with a guilty tone, "I'm so sorry. I come here so often that I'm used to the mountain road and forgot to stop and rest."

Looking behind Wujiu, Yuanli saw two tombs behind him from afar. Unlike the ones at the foot of the mountain, the tombstones here were much more luxurious and magnificent.

"Does the Palace Master come here every day?"

Wu Jiu walked to the grave on the left, lit some incense and candles, and replied, "Well, I was worried that my master would be lonely in the mountains. He likes to listen to my music, so I come here every day to play for him."

Lin'an imitated his father, lit three thin incense sticks and handed them to them. He took the incense and kowtowed three times in front of Prince Wen's tomb, then knelt in front of Lin Jian's tomb and said, "Father, are you well? I am here to see you."

Yuanli approached the large tomb where her family of four was engraved. However, there were no remains of their children in the tomb. Perhaps there was only a small piece of clothing she had sewn.

"Is Princess Wen's body also here?"

"No, she's in the Empress's Shrine."

Wujiu stood up and took out the paulownia zither that he treasured from a small house not far from the tomb. Yuanli saw the words engraved on the tombstone: Tomb of my beloved husband Lin Jian.

He sat on the ground in front of Lin Jian's tomb, and the paulownia zither played a melodious tune. Lin An knelt quietly behind Wu Jiu, and his right hand unconsciously beat the rhythm with his piano.

She had heard that tune once, at a banquet held to thank Lin Jian after she fell into the water.

After leaving Wujiu, Yuanli cast a protective spell on the mountain behind, which could keep away evil spirits for a hundred years.

The Emperor and Empress Temple mentioned in the letter is located in Yaowei Mountain in Kyoto. The entire temple was hollowed out of the mountain range. One has to pass through eight layers of burial grounds to reach the main tomb chamber. Mechanical masters from several countries gathered together to set up the mechanism without using any language or magic.

Yuanli shuttled through the maze-like underground palace, which even had Taoist formations. The countless treasures were enough for her to build dozens of temples.