Huo Jincheng went to the east room, ground some ink, and picked up his pen. He first told his father about the Zhao Palace sending soldiers to Dingjia Village, and then talked about Jian Ning and Meixiang. After writing and letting the ink dry, he felt a little hesitant.
Once the letter was sent out and reached his father, he would definitely inform Prince Pingnan immediately. If Jian Ning was really Duan Xinning, a blood test would be enough to confirm it.
But once it is confirmed, it will be a troublesome matter.
After Duan Xinning was abducted, she was nowhere to be found. Princess Pingnan, missing her young daughter, fell ill and remained bedridden for years. The Prince of Pingnan never gave up searching for her daughter. They didn't mention canceling the marriage, and Huo Jincheng's parents naturally didn't want to broach the subject either. It wasn't until Huo Jincheng met Ah Man's mother and faced strong opposition from them that he secretly married her and fathered Ah Man.
This incident caused quite a stir in the capital at the time. Huo Jincheng broke with his father for a while, moved out and set up his own residence with A'man and her daughter. Later, Prince Pingnan learned about it and came to persuade the tutor, and the father and son resumed their contact.
He was now unsure whether to tell his father about this now. After all, it was just his suspicion and guess, and if Jian Ning was really Duan Xinning... His heart skipped a beat, and he found that he actually had some hope that Jian Ning was Duan Xinning!
This realization shocked him. Jane Ning was already married to another man and had four children. How could he have such an idea?
He was about to grab the letter from the table and tear it up when Weidong came over with his hands behind his back. It was getting late, and Weidong had come to see if he had finished writing so he could return to camp and rest. Unexpectedly, he saw him about to tear up the letter, so he asked, "Why? Do you have to think carefully about a letter home? Do you have to tear it up and start over?"
"Master." Huo Jincheng stood up, walked over, closed the door, and took Weidong inside. He said softly, "There's something that's very troubling me. I don't know if I should tell my father about it. Master, please give me some advice."
"Oh, what's the matter? Come to our house and tell us."
Huo Jincheng briefly explained to him the possibility that Jian Ning was Duan Xinning, the legitimate daughter of Prince Pingnan, and then added, "My father seemed to have had doubts in his mind. One day, he suddenly asked about Miss Duan and asked if I still remembered what she looked like."
After hearing this, Weidong seemed to be thinking about something.
In the second year of the Yongping reign, he was recommended by Blind Liu to serve in the Yin family palace. On his way back to the capital, he heard that the Huo and Duan families had married their children. At that time, the Grand Tutor was still the newly crowned top scholar, and the Prince of Pingnan was still the General of Zhennan. Not long after, he met Duan Xinning at the Yin family palace.
"We've met Miss Duan before. It must have been not long after your two families got married. At that time, the Emperor hadn't yet appointed a queen, but all harem affairs were overseen by the future Empress. That day, the Empress hosted a banquet for the families of some court officials. General Zhennan's wife and Miss Duan were among them, and the Empress congratulated her on your marriage."
Huo Jincheng's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "Master, do you have any impression of Miss Duan?"
Wei Dong glanced at him and asked, "Don't you have any impression of your own little wife?"
"This... cannot be said to be completely absent, but it's a little vague." Huo Jincheng felt inexplicably pleased when he heard him talk about his young wife.
Wei Dong nodded. "That's true. You two were only a few years old back then, so it's possible you don't remember."
He stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and paced around the room for a few more steps before looking at Huo Jincheng. "If you hadn't mentioned Miss Duan, I wouldn't have remembered that Madam Jian's eldest daughter, if I think about it, looks about five or six points like Miss Duan."
"Yes, that's right, they do." He pointed his finger at Huo Jincheng. "Not only the eldest girl, but the second and third girls are also somewhat similar if you look closely. As for Miss Jian, firstly, she's an adult now, so her appearance has changed since she was a child. Secondly, her behavior is completely different from when she was a child, so it's hard to say."
When Yin hosted a banquet for a group of women from ministers' families in her own palace, Wei Dong had only seen a few young ladies from the ministers' families, including General Zhennan's legitimate daughter Duan Xinning, but had never seen General Zhennan's wife. He had a good memory, otherwise he would have known a thing or two just by looking at Jian Ning.
"Then, Master, do you think we should mention this to my father? We can also ask the Pingnan Palace to send someone to identify her. After all, the Pingnan Prince has never given up on finding Miss Duan's whereabouts over the years, and the Pingnan Princess has been overly worried and her spirits have been poor."
Huo Jincheng himself couldn't figure out his own mentality at the moment. He secretly hoped that someone could push him from behind.
"Of course I have to tell you. Have you written it?" Wei Dong pointed at the letter on the table. "If not, write it quickly so you can go back and rest."
Wei Dong's thoughts differed from Huo Jincheng's. He considered that even though Jian Ning was the daughter of the Duan family and the eldest daughter of the Prince of Pingnan, she had already been a wife and a mother. He had never had much contact with the Prince of Pingnan, but the Prince of Pingnan supported the orthodoxy and the Crown Prince.
"If you can help Prince Pingnan find Miss Duan, it will be a good thing both publicly and privately. Even if it is ultimately proven that she is not Miss Duan, Prince Pingnan will be grateful for your kindness. Why not do it?"
After he said this, Huo Jincheng no longer hesitated. He folded the letter and put it in his sleeve. "Then there's no need to rewrite it. Let's go."
"Wait a minute." Wei Dong raised his hand to signal him to wait. "Why don't you go ask Madam Jian yourself? We remember that she was abducted not long after Nan Xiang's accident. She should be around four years old. She should have some impression of her parents. Why not go and ask her directly?"
Huo Jincheng frowned. "She might not remember. I heard that Brother Ding's father picked her up from the town, and she doesn't even remember her own name." He pointed at his forehead and said, "I heard there were some problems here a few years ago, and Dabao was also affected. Later, she was struck by lightning, and she woke up."
"There is such a thing?" It was the first time Wei Dong heard of it.
Huo Jincheng nodded. He had overheard this incident a few days earlier at the riverside base. He had only just learned about it when Ding Lao San mentioned it to someone in a casual conversation. "I guess even though she's awake now, she probably doesn't remember much about her childhood. If she does, even if she doesn't recognize me as an adult, she should at least remember my name. She should also have an impression of my father. You can't fake it."
"In that case, let's go."
The two men came out of the east room, and Ma Fuquan also came to Blind Liu's place. He left with high hopes but returned disappointed, so Blind Liu sent him away with the words that the secret must not be revealed.
He called Tian, Ma Xiaomai and others, and came out with Huo Jincheng, Weidong and others. Outside the yard, they heard the sound of horse hooves from the hillside below, as if someone was coming towards the Ding family's old house, and there were more than one or two people coming.
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