67
"Old Zhang, I have found your son's remains."
Zheng Nanle has already collected the remains of Zhang Lao's son and brought them over.
She did this simply to repay the kindness of Grandpa Zhang.
Kindness is kindness, and resentment is resentment. It is true that Old Master Zhang committed treason, but it is also true that he protected Old Master Lu and his grandson, allowing her to live without worries. Therefore, out of gratitude, she moved the poor child's remains into a pottery jar, waiting to hand it over to Old Master Zhang.
She thought at the time that no matter whether Grandpa Zhang had let it go or not, he would still want to know where his son was.
Old Master Zhang suddenly turned his head, his throat gurgled, but no sound came out; he had lost his voice due to the intensity of his emotions.
Zheng Nanle told Grandpa Zhang what happened next: "The people who took your child away were not Xiao Rizi, but a young couple who had not been able to have children for many years. They saw your son standing on the street and no one came up to him for a long time. They thought that someone had deliberately abandoned him, so they took him away."
“They did a good job of caring for your son. When they found out he had a high fever, they took him to the hospital. Only after the fever subsided did they bring him home.”
But fate is fickle. That scoundrel Zhang Dezhu, in an attempt to make his acting more realistic, slammed his head against the wall. He was so dizzy that it took him a long time to recover before he finally ran to the hospital.
The hospital was in a hurry to save him, and the nanny was also distracted by him. When she learned from him that her younger brother had been taken away, she quickly sent people out to look for him. At that time, the couple had just left the capital.
“Life in the countryside is tough, material conditions are poor, and medical resources are not as abundant. That young couple did not have the same conditions as Grandpa Zhang. No matter how hard they tried to raise their child, he was still sick every three days and seriously ill every five days. In the end, he died in the winter when he was sent to the hospital.”
Because he was not the young couple's biological child, the villagers wouldn't allow him to be buried in the ancestral grave. They could only find a random place on the mountain to bury him. Later, the young couple had their own child. When Zheng Nanle came looking for them, they knew she was a relative of that child. They took her to the child's grave and allowed her to move the grave.
This is the best outcome; otherwise, once the couple and their child pass away, the child, whom they adopted out of selfishness in their youth, will become a wandering ghost, never to receive offerings from the world again.
Tears streamed down Old Master Zhang's face, his eyes no longer sharp and intelligent, but instead filled with a murky haze.
He wept silently for a moment, then, as if infused with renewed energy, sat up from the table and asked, "Where are the child's remains?"
Zheng Nanle went out and came back carrying a jar. "Here it is."
Old Master Zhang almost snatched it from him, rubbed the jar, and remained silent for a long time.
Finally, his aged voice rang out, "Come with me."
Old Master Zhang walked unsteadily upstairs, and Zheng Nanle noticed a sense of decline and impending death emanating from him.
It seems that Old Master Zhang's health is beyond repair.
For some reason, this thought flashed through Zheng Nanle's mind.
Without the will to live, the body will also deteriorate.
Once upstairs, Old Master Zhang sat down in a chair and handed Zheng Nanle a pen and paper. "I don't have any documents. All the documents and evidence are in my head."
He held the jar, stared blankly into the void, and began to recount his crimes, as well as the people and events he had experienced.
Zheng Nanle picked up his pen and began to take notes.
Old Master Zhang spoke without hesitation, which shows that over the years, he has often recalled these people and events in his mind so as not to forget them. However, his words were somewhat disjointed and the timeline was a bit chaotic.
But these are not problems; they can be addressed later.
"In the blink of an eye, my children have grown up, gotten married and had children, and now my grandson is all grown up. I asked to see my son. I haven't seen him for decades. I strongly requested to see him. They said that my son is currently married and it would be too much trouble for him to come back. However, they said that after I complete another task, they will find a way to send my son back."
"I agree."
"This task is to become a gravedigger."
“Anping County is not an important hub, and Liushan Village is not a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery, but back then, Xiao Zi had a Taoist priest by his side who firmly believed that Anping County was the place where the dragon would rise and that a great figure would emerge in the future to lead the country to new heights.”
“The common people naturally did not want the country to rise again, so they devised a way to slay the dragon.”
"And I am the one who guards the slain dragon. If any capable or extraordinary person discovers anything unusual about this place, I will kill them."
“I survived three assassination attempts and two poisoning attempts, and Xiao Lu and Lao Lu saved me each time. At that time, I had some suspicions, but I just didn’t want to believe it.”
“There are too many parasites in the country, so I dare not leave a single word. However, I left a piece of evidence in the cowshed. Not the cowshed where we lived, but the room where the cows actually lived, in the ground where the cow dung was hidden.”
Zheng Nanle: "..."
A very interesting piece of evidence.
"That piece of evidence is enough to reveal Qianlong's identity."
As he spoke, Old Master Zhang uttered a name.
Zheng Nanle was surprised.
This was actually a junior whom everyone admired, the most outstanding one, who had chosen him as a successor.
The hidden dragon has actually climbed so high.
So, are there even more spies hidden deeper than she discovered, and those she did discover are all disposable?
She put away the pen and paper. "Thank you for your cooperation."
Grandpa Zhang waved his hand, looking exhausted.
He was holding the jar, leaning against the chair, as if he were asleep.
Zheng Nanle left the study. Downstairs, Old Master Lu and Lu Guangbai stared intently at Zheng Nanle.
Zheng Nanle paused, his foot twitching.
"Is there something you need?"
Why is everyone staring at her like that?
Grandpa Lu waved to Zheng Nanle.
Zheng Nanle went downstairs.
Grandpa Lu lowered his voice, "How is Old Zhang? Has he had another attack?"
"No."
"What did you say that upset him like this?" Old Master Lu complained slightly.
Zheng Nanle did not speak.
Lu Guangbai tugged at Grandpa Lu, "Grandpa, Nanle is on official business."
Even if I said something that might have offended Grandpa Zhang, it was all part of my duty.
Grandpa Lu realized his tone was inappropriate and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Nanle, I was a bit too hasty."
"It's nothing, it just concerns Old Master Zhang's family matters, so I can't say anything." Zheng Nanle shook his head.
Grandpa Lu didn't ask any more questions.
The three of them said goodbye to Zhang Ma, left the military compound, and returned to their courtyard house.
Zheng Nanle looked at Lu Guangbai apologetically, "Guangbai, I have to leave tonight."
She had originally thought that by submitting Old Master Zhang's statement this time, she could wash her hands of the rest and have more time to spend with Lu Guangbai. But now, she was going to break her promise.
Lu Guangbai's lips pursed down, clearly unhappy.
He suppressed the bitterness in his heart and said casually, "It's nothing, work is more important."
He smiled and said, "We still have a long time ahead of us."
Zheng Nanle looked at him for a moment, squeezed his hand and then let go, saying, "When I go back this time, I will prepare the marriage documents. When I come back, we will get our marriage certificate directly."
"Really?" Lu Guangbai's eyes lit up, and the disappointment in his eyes vanished.
“Really.” Zheng Nanle looked around and saw that Old Master Lu had gone to the main room and couldn’t see this side, so he pushed Lu Guangbai into the room and pressed him against the wall to kiss him.
When Zheng Nanle kisses, she is always bold and unrestrained, biting her lips and attacking with her tongue. Her kisses are urgent and fast, but they don't last long. Lu Guangbai, on the other hand, is slow and tolerant. He initially indulges Zheng Nanle with his mouth open, but only slowly reignites the passion when Zheng Nanle's enthusiasm dissipates.
The kiss wasn't intense, but it lingered for a long time.
Like a fine spider web, it gradually entangles its prey, leaving it dizzy and with nowhere to escape; or like the water used to boil a frog, it gradually heats up until they burn each other.
*
Zheng Nanle was busy settling things down, and his schedule was always very tight.
Upon arriving at Liushan Village, they didn't even mention resting. Instead, they covered their mouths and noses with a towel and went to the cowshed.
She used her mental energy to penetrate the cow dung and probe the ground below, and sure enough, she found an iron box half a meter deep.
Although she knew that mental energy was virtual, she still had the illusion that her mental energy was corrupted. After digging out the iron box, she went to the stream in the back mountain and repeatedly cleansed her mental energy.
This was the secret base where she first met Lu Guangbai. At that time, she thought Lu Guangbai was a stick figure. After learning that he was an ancient doctor, she grabbed him to take her pulse and forced him to eat and pay for her medical expenses.
Looking back now, I can't help but smile.
Zheng Nanle reminisced for a moment, then went to the next village to find the Taoist priest. She wanted to ask if there were any extraordinary people in this world, but she couldn't find anyone. The villagers said that the army had come to pick him up and that he needed to assist in a mission.
Zheng Nanle guessed that it must be about breaking the formation.
Without asking any further questions, she returned to the capital.
Previously, she had given this evidence to the right people, but now that the iron box in her hand was too important, she dared not hand it over casually.
She had to personally deliver it to the table of the person at the very top, and make sure he saw it.
This is difficult.
Although this world doesn't have special abilities, the guards who have retired from the battlefield have an almost supernatural intuition. When she gets a little closer, even though the group of people don't see her due to the influence of their superpowers, they stare at her with their eyes fixed on her, looking left and right suspiciously, as if they really do see her.
Fortunately, she finally found an opportunity.
It should be said that the cause she initially guided has led to the current opportunity.
That person took the time to personally meet with the Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain in [location missing].
She disguised herself as a Taoist priest and followed the group of Taoist priests inside.
Before the Taoist priest enters, his belongings will be checked. Zheng Nanle hid the photo of the evidence in his hair, which was tied up in a Taoist headdress. He also disguised the documents and Taoist books and scriptures by alternating pages in the middle of the first half and the middle of the second half. Even if the guards carefully looked through the books, they would usually start from the back, the middle and the front. The content they looked through was all orthodox Taoist content.
Everything went smoothly. Zheng Nanle left with the Taoist priest, leaving the photo and documents on the table. When the leader returned to pack up, he was surprised to see the extra items.
Upon seeing those photos and the documents that Zheng Nanle had specially torn out, they were even more shocked.
The guards were surprised that someone had managed to sneak in; this was a dereliction of duty on their part.
A subordinate asked the leader, "Shouldn't we investigate who it is?"
The leader put away the books and photos, waved his hand, and said, "Since that extraordinary person is unwilling to reveal their identity, why pursue it to the end?"
That extraordinary person has the country and the people in her heart. Even if she is not under the control of the country, she will not do anything that is against humanity. Moreover, she is always within the system. If there is really a need for her, and you ask her to complete a task, would she refuse?
If that's the case, why disturb their desire to live a normal life?
But that person was the one who truly surprised him.
I never expected him to be so secretive.
So how many people around him have been infiltrated?
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