Who exactly are you?
The first time was a "major search of the study." While He Mo went to the yamen to retrieve Wei An's old case files, Yin Li sneaked into his bedroom with a small oil lamp, looking like a little thief stealing candy.
The books on the bookshelf, from "The Art of War" to "Travels in the Jianghu," were arranged more neatly than Yin's account books. She tiptoed to reach the top wooden box, almost falling on her bottom. After much difficulty, she found a carved wooden box, but inside there were only a few old family letters, not even a trace of the character "Su."
Finally, she decided to hide the secrets under her pillow—isn't that where all the secrets in TV dramas are hidden?
Reaching out to touch it, it felt soft and squishy. Pulling it out, I saw that it was a crookedly sewn rabbit doll: one ear was longer than the other, the eyes were dots drawn with charcoal, the mouth was crooked to the chin, and the tail was sewn in the wrong direction.
"Could this be a love token from Asu?" Yin Li muttered to herself, holding up the doll. The more she looked at it, the uglier it seemed. Just as she was about to stuff it into her sleeve to take back and study it, she suddenly heard footsteps outside the door!
In a panic, she tried to hide the doll behind her back and turn around to hide behind the screen, but instead bumped into a warm embrace with a "thud." The rabbit doll fell to the ground with a "plop," its ears even twitching twice.
"Miss Yin, are you stealing from my room?" He Mo's voice was laced with amusement. He looked down at her reddened earlobes, then glanced at the "crooked-faced rabbit" on the floor, his amusement barely concealed. Yin Li hurriedly picked up the doll and stuffed it into her sleeve pocket, stubbornly saying, "Who stole anything!"
"I...I came to help you clean because your room was so dusty!" As soon as she finished speaking, He Mo pulled a copy of "The Salt Transport Chronicle" from the bookshelf. A dried crabapple petal fell out of the pages with a "whoosh"—it was a petal that she had accidentally brushed into his book a few days ago when she was watching the flowers fall in the corridor, and he was still holding it there.
Yin Li's face instantly turned red to the roots of her neck. She no longer cared about "Cha Asu," grabbed the doll from her sleeve pocket, turned around, and ran away: "I suddenly remembered that the maid said the kitchen was making soup!"
He Mo was left standing there, picking up the rabbit doll from the ground. He ran his fingers over the crooked stitches, shaking his head with a mixture of helplessness and amusement—this girl, even investigating a secret, she's so reckless.
Two days later, Yin Li resumed her "covert surveillance mode." Early in the morning, He Mo was practicing his sword in the courtyard. She moved a small stool to the porch, pretending to be embroidering a handkerchief, but in reality, her eyes were glued to him out of the corner of her eye. She was thinking, "If he stares blankly in a certain direction, or mutters 'A Su,' I'll rush up and ask him what's going on!"
After embroidering for half an incense stick's time, several holes were poked in the handkerchief, and she didn't get to see He Mo "reveal a flaw." Instead, she made He Mo's swordplay so chaotic. His originally smooth swordplay became more and more erratic, and finally he simply sheathed his sword, picked up the scabbard, and walked up to her: "Yin Li, if you keep staring at me like that, I won't be able to hold my sword properly."
Yin Li hurriedly shifted her gaze to the handkerchief, pretending to embroider flower petals earnestly: "I... I saw that you have good swordsmanship and wanted to learn a couple of moves for self-defense! That way, I can help you fend off assassins in the future!" He Mo suddenly leaned down, gently picking up a fallen leaf from her hair with his fingertips, his voice teasing: "Do you need to stare at my sword tassel for half an hour to learn self-defense techniques?"
"Or do you think my sword tassel is prettier than my swordsmanship?" Yin Li's face flushed red. She grabbed a small stool and ran towards her room. She almost tripped over the threshold, leaving behind only the words, "I suddenly remembered I need to burn paper money for Yin Li."
He Mo couldn't help but laugh out loud at her flustered appearance, even his hand holding the sword sheath was trembling—how could his young lady be so easily embarrassed when investigating a secret?
The most hilarious part was the "kitchen interrogation." Yin Li, having heard that "A Su" might know He Mo's tastes, dragged Zhang, the cook responsible for preparing He Mo's meals, into a corner of the kitchen for a "trial":
"Aunt Zhang, tell me the truth, what did Prince He like to eat in the past?"
Has any girl surnamed Su ever brought him food? Like Suzhou-style pastries or Su's steamed buns?
The cook Zhang stopped using her spatula and thought for a long time before saying, "When the prince was at the border, he ate very simple food. Every meal consisted of steamed buns and pickled vegetables. There was no fine food at all."
Lately, I've been having the kitchen make osmanthus soup and osmanthus cake every day, and I specifically told them to add your favorite candied osmanthus flowers.
Yin Li's heart skipped a beat, and she pressed on, "What about before? Had any woman ever brought him food?"
For example... for example, pastries wrapped in handkerchiefs embroidered with the character "Su"?
Cook Zhang scratched her head, then suddenly slapped her thigh: "Oh! I remember now!"
"Last time you made a plate of osmanthus cake for the prince yourself, and the smile on his face never stopped while he ate it. He even told me, 'It tastes even better than the cakes made by the imperial chefs in the palace!' He even picked up and ate the crumbs that fell on his clothes!"
Yin Li's face flushed as she listened, and half of her doubts dissipated. But then she remembered the word "A Su" and couldn't help but sigh. She had searched high and low but hadn't found any trace of "A Su." Instead, she had learned that He Mo remembered her preferences and wouldn't even waste a crumb of cake. She felt a little sweet inside, but also a little angry that her "investigation" had gone astray.
That evening, Yin Li sat at the table and wrote down the "investigation results" of the past few days on a piece of paper:
1. There is a rabbit plush toy with a crooked face under the pillow in the bedroom (it is suspected to be a gift from Asu, ugly but cute);
2. He Mo always asks the kitchen to make my favorite osmanthus desserts (maybe to please me, or maybe Asu likes them?).
3. He became distracted when I stared at him while he was practicing swordsmanship (he seemed guilty! Something was definitely wrong!).
4. She smiles like an idiot when she eats the osmanthus cake I make (this is barely a good point, and I won't list it as a point of doubt for now).
As he was writing and drawing on the paper, the door was suddenly pushed open, and He Mo walked in carrying a bowl of lotus seed soup: "Why aren't you asleep so late? What secret are you writing?"
Yin Li hurriedly folded the paper into a small square and stuffed it into her sleeve pocket, but He Mo snatched it away with lightning speed.
He unfolded the paper and saw the crookedly written words "Investigate clues about Asu." He was taken aback at first, then burst out laughing, even spilling the lotus seed soup in his hand: "You've been searching through my study, watching me practice swordsmanship, and squatting in the kitchen asking Aunt Zhang questions these past few days, all just to investigate 'Asu'?"
Yin Li's face instantly turned as red as a ripe cherry, but she still nodded with a stiff upper lip, puffing out her cheeks and saying, "Who told you not to tell me!"
I have to find it myself!
What if... what if Asu is the person you're hiding away? Wouldn't I be a fool?
He Mo smiled and placed the lotus seed soup on the table. He picked up a pen and drew a small begonia flower next to "A Su" on the paper. Then he pointed to the mole behind her ear and said, "'A Su' is none other than your childhood nickname."
He looked at Yin Li's wide-eyed expression and continued, "I lived in Xinghua Village when I was ten years old and saw you once—you had two little braids, chasing butterflies, and you fell into a mud puddle but refused to cry. You held your hands full of mud and shouted, 'My name is Asu, and I'm not afraid of pain.' The mole behind your ear was particularly noticeable because of the mud on it."
I even helped you pick up the butterfly kite that you dropped. You said you would give me osmanthus cake, but I was taken back to the capital the next day and never got to receive your cake.
Yin Li was completely stunned. A vague childhood memory flashed through her mind—it seemed that there really was a little brother in a blue cloth shirt who helped her take the kite hanging on the tree and brushed the mud off her body.
Looking at the tenderness in He Mo's eyes, she recalled the "stupid things" she had done these past few days: finding an ugly rabbit doll in the study, getting caught spying, and finding out that her osmanthus cake was being cherished while squatting in the kitchen... Her cheeks instantly burned, and she reached out to punch him: "You knew me all along? Then why didn't you say so sooner!"
"You're just laughing at me!" He Mo chuckled, grabbing her hand and pulling her into his arms, his fingertips gently pinching her flushed cheek. "I wanted to see you worry about me; it's quite cute."
He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "Besides, whether you are Yin Li or Asu, the only one I care about is you."
From the mud pit beside Xinghua Village to the present-day Silver Prince's Mansion, it has always been the same.
Yin Li nestled in his arms, listening to his steady heartbeat. Remembering the ridiculous things she'd done these past few days, she felt both angry and amused, and couldn't help burying her face in his chest: "You're so mean! I'll never pry into your secrets again!"
He Mo gently patted her back, his eyes full of doting: "Okay, from now on I'll tell you all my secrets, and I'll never let you guess again."
He picked up the crooked-faced rabbit doll from the table and handed it to her. "By the way, this rabbit is something I wanted to give you back in Xinghua Village, but I didn't have time."
I've kept it with me all these years; I never expected you to find it.
Yin Li held the jade pendant bearing the character "Mu" from Master Mu Han between her fingertips, her fingertips repeatedly rubbing the cool jade surface. Suddenly, the sound of the wind from the summit of Qinglang Mountain echoed in her ears—the day the purple-clad man attacked, He Mo shielded her from a fatal blow, and as he fell into a pool of blood, the word "A Su" he uttered in his hazy consciousness weighed on her heart more than the jade pendant in her palm at this moment.
She sat up abruptly from He Mo's embrace, the sweetness in her eyes instantly replaced by suspicion, and her hand holding the jade pendant tightened: "No, that time at Qinglang Mountain you called her 'A Su,' the tone was wrong."
She looked up at He Mo, her eyes full of inquiry, "You were almost unconscious at the time, and you were calling out in a hurry and panic. It didn't seem like you were remembering your uncle's words, but rather like... like you were calling out a name for many years."
He Mo paused, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes, but he quickly covered it up with a smile: "When you're unconscious, your mind is all over the place, and you might remember anything. Maybe you mixed up the things you and your uncle were talking about."
But Yin Li shook her head, and more fragments surged in her mind—the Master Mu Han she had seen when she was a child. Although he was also wearing a long blue cloth robe, he had a calm and scholarly air about him. There were faint fine lines at the corners of his eyes, and when he smiled, his eyes would curve into crescent moons.
The He Mo before him had sharper eyebrows and a clearer jawline. He was much younger than his master in his memory, with a more youthful and bright look. Yet, when he looked gentle, his eyes were somewhat similar to his master's.
“But you and Master Mu Han don’t look alike.” She frowned, her tone puzzled. “Master is older than you, and has fine lines around his eyes, but you…” She reached out and gently touched the corner of He Mo’s eye with her fingertips, where it was smooth without a single line. “You are much younger than Master, and you look more like… more like Master’s apprentice, but you also say that Master is your uncle.”
She became more and more incoherent as she spoke, and then she remembered the mysterious young man she had met at Qinglang Mountain before—at that time, the man was wearing a veiled hat, only revealing a section of his fair chin, and his voice was clear and pleasant. He had helped her out of a predicament and then disappeared. Now that she thought about it, that voice was somewhat similar to He Mo's!
But that person was colder than He Mo, and did not have the cool fragrance of pine and snow on He Mo.
“I really can’t connect you, Master Mu Han, and that man from Qinglang Mountain.”
Yin Li lowered her hand, her eyes filled with doubt. "You said Master is your martial uncle, and you even brought the jade pendant as proof, but I still feel like there's something you haven't told me."
Looking at her serious expression, He Mo's eyes flashed with a hint of helplessness, yet also with a touch of indulgence: "I know that no matter what I say now, you won't completely believe me."
He reached out and gently took her hand, the warmth of his palm passing over her. "But I didn't lie to you. Uncle Mu Han is indeed my elder, and I was indeed the one who helped you retrieve your kite when you were little."
As for the matter of Qinglang Mountain, you will understand once the truth is uncovered.
But Yin Li didn't budge. She took out the small notebook from her bosom where she had previously written down clues about "investigating Asu," turned to a blank page, and wrote on it:
"Suspicion 1: He Mo's appearance does not match that of Master Mu Han, and his age is in doubt; "
Suspicion 2: Qinglangshan was unconscious and called out "Asu" in an unusual tone;
Point of contention three: The mysterious man on Qinglang Mountain has a voice similar to He Mo's, but his identity is unknown.
After finishing writing, she put the notebook back in her bosom, looked up at He Mo, and said with a determined look in her eyes, "I still want to continue investigating. It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I want to understand everything and don't want to be kept in the dark anymore."
He Mo looked at the seriousness in her eyes and then at the little notebook in her hand, and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Alright, then go ahead and investigate. But when you're investigating, don't do what you did before, rummaging through my study and finding a rabbit doll, or watching me practice swordsmanship until you tripped over the threshold."
Yin Li's cheeks flushed instantly, but she still forced a smile and said, "This time it won't happen again! I will investigate thoroughly and I will definitely find out the truth!"
Despite saying that, she was still uncertain—on one hand, there was the jade pendant and childhood memories that He Mo had taken out, and on the other hand, there were all sorts of suspicious points that she had noticed, as well as the shadow of that mysterious man from Qinglang Mountain. It was all a tangled mess that made her feel uneasy.
He Mo looked at her frowning and biting her lip, reached out to brush away the stray hairs from her forehead, and said gently, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself."
No matter how long you search or what the results are, I'll be by your side.
Yin Li looked up at him, the doubt still lingering in her eyes, but his words warmed her heart. She nodded, saying nothing more, only tightening her grip on the jade pendant.
Hey, you can't be an old man, right?
Yin Li muttered to herself, her head felt heavy, and she gradually lost consciousness.
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