Chapter 61
◎Mobei. ◎
Ci Ying sometimes felt that the world was full of contradictions. She had met many bad people, but she had also met many good people. For example, the young lady, the lady, and the farming couple who had saved her life.
While she was playing with the little girl, she saw the couple catching chickens. The little girl whispered, "Eggs are delicious."
Before Ci Ying could react, she saw the farmer couple wipe the chicken's neck, bring it to the yard, and scald its feathers with boiling water, as if they were going to make chicken soup.
The little girl watched curiously with her and said sweetly, "Dad and Mom said we should wait until the chickens keep laying eggs and then sell them in town. We'll use the money to buy chicks and then place an order once the chicks are grown."
Ci Ying turned her gaze and asked, only to find out that the chicken that had just been killed was the only laying hen in the farmhouse.
As the aroma of chicken soup wafted from the small kitchen, the woman came out sheepishly, her face a bit black and gray. She said to Ci Ying shyly, "There's not much good food in a country home, but this chicken is somewhat nutritious. Don't despise it, young lady. We'll be having dinner in two hours. I also have some mushrooms I picked from the mountains. I wonder if you like them."
Ci Ying naturally said she liked it, but the word "troublesome" stuck in her throat. She stroked the little girl's raised head and whispered, "When your injury gets better, I'll definitely find the best doctor for Xiaobao."
The little girl's name was Liu Zhubao, which means baby. Ciying and the couple called the girl by her nickname.
The little girl opened her eyes wide and said, "Sister, can I stand up in the future?"
Ci Ying nodded and said gently, "I will."
The usually well-behaved and quiet little girl clapped her hands, and in the corner, the farmer couple's eyes turned red.
Two days later, Ciying's leg injury no longer affected her walking. The farmer's home was in the mountains and there were few houses nearby. Ciying asked the farmer about the terrain and prepared to go to Dingyang.
All her belongings were taken away by the masked man. She smashed the jade bracelet into pieces and sharpened it to make a blade. The silver bracelet was given to her by Ru Zhen a long time ago and was not valuable. Therefore, everything could only be concluded after arriving in Dingyang.
At this point, they were still dozens of miles from Dingyang. She felt embarrassed, but Ciying could only negotiate with the farmer if he could give her a ride. The farmer looked at his wife and children at home and hesitated. Ciying said softly, "Once we get to Dingyang, I'll go to the silver shop to get the money. I can then bring the doctor back directly. Xiaobao isn't in good health, and you're worried about him traveling with us."
The woman nudged the farmer, who immediately agreed, blushing and touching his head as he said, "I'm just worried about them."
Ciying of course understood and said "thank you" many times.
At nightfall, the little girl pushed her wheelchair to Ciying's room. Ciying was a little surprised and asked softly, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
The little girl pushed the wheelchair forward a little, stretched out her thin arms, and hugged Ciying.
Ci Ying was a little stunned. The little girl waved to her and said, "Mom said that you will be leaving tomorrow. I want to say goodbye to you. Goodbye, sister."
Ci Ying's eyes softened instantly. She squatted down to the little girl's level. "Okay, I'll come see Xiao Bao when I have some free time. Pinky promise."
The little girl's eyes lit up, and she wrapped her pinky finger around Ciying's and whispered, "I believe in you, sister."
Ci Ying nodded.
The next morning, the farmer pushed out a cart, tied up his only donkey, and said shyly, "Come on, girl. The mountain road is not easy to walk on."
Ci Ying stepped carefully onto the donkey cart and said softly, "Excuse me."
The journey was relatively smooth. The masked man that Ci Ying had been worried about not coming again did not happen. The donkey cart took a day and a night to reach Dingyang. Ci Ying found a silver shop and first took out ten taels of silver and gave it to the farmer. Then he asked for a token and turned around to hand it to the farmer.
The farmer had already refused the ten taels of silver many times, so Ci Ying said seriously, "You saved my life, so any amount of money is what you deserve. Take these ten taels of silver first. With this token, you can come to this silver shop every month to withdraw two taels of silver for your living. If you encounter something that is not enough, you can talk to the people in the silver shop and they will help you."
As they spoke, the people in the silver shop had already brought a doctor. Ci Ying brought the farmer to the doctor and said, "This is the famous doctor Hui in the city. Take him to check Xiaobao's condition first and see what he says. Don't worry about the herbs or anything else, I will send someone to deliver them to you."
The farmers had no idea that Ciying would make such a thorough arrangement. They had already accepted so much silver from that nobleman, so how could they afford to accept something as valuable as Ciying? However, since it concerned their daughter's illness, they could not say no and could only say over and over again: "Thank you, thank you..."
Ci Ying shook her head. She should be the one to thank them.
She sent the farmers away and entered the dark room inside the silver shop to write letters to Lingyue and Lingshuang. Lingshuang had always been in charge of the silver shop, and the people here knew her because she had been there once before. The person in charge stood respectfully nearby. After finishing her letter, Ciying said to the person in charge, "Send it to Jiangnan, and then go and find out what's going on in Mobei."
The person in charge said "yes" and went out with the letter written by Ciying.
They have arrived at a safe place, but Ci Ying is still a little anxious. Yuwen Shu is always a hidden danger. She can escape once, but if she is caught again, she will never be able to escape. Dingyang cannot be considered a completely safe place, but at least it is under Anhuai, Xie Huaijin's place in Anhuai, and Yuwen Shu's people will not be as rampant as in other places.
Ci Ying thought of the crowd of secret guards in the yard again, and her brows furrowed. Even the dark environment of the dark room became irritating. She didn't know what Xie Huaijin was talking about.
They have already separated, what does he want to do by sending so many secret guards to monitor her?
Ci Ying lowered her eyes and tried to calm herself down. She walked out of the silver shop, disguised herself, and walked onto the street with a few guards. Today happened to be market day, and although it was late, there were still many people around. It was much more lively than she remembered.
She sat in a teahouse on the street, ordered a pot of tea, drank it slowly, and thought about what she would do next.
Should I stay in Dingyang or go back to Jiangnan first?
If the masked man guessed her actions, once she left Anhuai, the journey back to Jiangnan would become very dangerous.
But staying in Dingyang forever is not a perfect solution.
Ci Ying thought for a long time but couldn't think of a solution that would satisfy both parties. As her face became more solemn, she noticed that the sky was getting darker. When the rain started, Ci Ying had not finished the tea in her cup yet. Pedestrians were hurrying on the street, and many people were crowded in the tea stalls to avoid the rain.
Ci Ying didn't bring an umbrella when she went out, and was now trapped in the tea stall, but fortunately she was in a corner and had guards guarding her, so she was not squeezed.
The people in front had started arguing for some reason. Ci Ying sent a guard forward to check. Before the guard returned, he heard the teahouse owner's voice trying to mediate. He said in a gentle voice, "It just rained suddenly and everyone wanted to hide. The pushing and shoving was not intentional. Please don't mind, guests. We don't know how long this rain will last. My wife went home to get an umbrella. Please wait a moment."
A quarter of an hour later, the teahouse owner came, carrying dozens of umbrellas with her waiter. Ci Ying was lucky enough to get one. She thanked the owner, who waved her hand and said thank you for taking care of the business.
Ci Yingduo left a tip and left. When she walked onto the street, she looked behind her for some reason, but there were only people hurriedly hiding from the rain behind her. She did not see any familiar figures.
At the corner, Zhu Guang supported Xie Huaijin, who was hunched over and spitting blood. The young man's snow-white coat was already a little wet from the rain. Zhu Guang's eyes were complicated: "Sir, it's just an umbrella. Is it difficult to deliver it yourself?"
"If I give it to her, she won't want it." The young man said calmly.
Zhu Guang supported the person and didn't know what to say.
"What is the young master planning to do on Yuwen Shu's side?" Zhu Guang's eyes gradually turned cold, and he understood why Mo Yu had volunteered to assassinate Yuwen Shu.
Xie Huaijin was quiet for a while, then walked in the opposite direction of Ci Ying with his umbrella, and said softly, "I can't do anything."
Zhu Guang didn't understand: "Because Yuwen Shu is Ciying's biological father?"
"Both." Xie Huaijin coughed, frowned as he looked at the corner of his rain-soaked clothes, and whispered, "Someone is more suitable than me."
"Zhu Guang."
Zhu Guang suddenly heard his name, turned his head and saw Xie Huaijin whispering, "Go to Ciying, I'm worried."
Zhu Guang was also worried, but she was even more worried about the person in front of her. She almost died while guarding the young master, so she didn't dare to go to Ci Ying.
Her silence showed rejection on her face. Xie Huaijin said gently, "She needs you. Even if you stay with me, there's nothing you can do."
Zhu Guang still didn't let go, she held the sword tightly in her hand.
Xie Huaijin said softly, "Please, Zhu Guang."
These five words crushed Zhu Guang. She gripped her sword tightly, not wanting to look at the young man standing beside her. The rain poured down, and Zhu Guang shed tears into the rain, whispering, "Can't you all just be okay? If Yuwen Shu is the cause of all this trouble, I'll just kill him."
The young man remained silent, merely looking ahead. As if he had foreseen his own fate, he fell silent as never before.
It was not until they reached their temporary resting place that Zhu Guang heard Xie Huaijin calmly say, "Yuwen Shu is Ciying's biological father after all."
Zhu Guang didn't understand: "So what?"
Everything around him became quiet, and Zhu Guang saw the young man's silent eyes.
Xie Huaijin didn't look at Zhu Guang, but looked at the rain outside the corridor.
He said, "You know Ciying, Zhu Guang. Do you think Ciying would want me to kill her biological father?"
Zhu Guang heard him say, "I don't understand her anymore."
Zhu Guang originally wanted to say, "Just kill people like Yuwen Shu," but when she thought that this was Ciying's biological father and that Ciying protected the people around her, she was speechless.
She sat down on the corridor and whispered, "What should I do? Can I kill Yuwen Shu secretly without letting Ciying know? Yuwen Shu must have bad intentions in taking Ciying back. If he really wanted to reunite with Ciying, why would he send so many secret guards to capture her?"
Zhu Guang gritted his teeth and said, "If it weren't for the fact that you placed so many secret guards around Ciying, I can't imagine what would have happened."
"That's why Ciying needs you." Xie Huaijin went back to his original words: "Those who, like Yuwen Shu, want to take a bite out of the Xie family, may attack her like Yuwen Shu did. Yuwen Shu was able to save Ciying's life because of the father-daughter relationship, but others may not."
Hearing this, Zhu Guang was naturally shaken. She clenched the sword in her hand and hesitated: "Then, sir, can you promise me that you will live well before I come back?"
Under the corridor, Xie Huaijin coughed softly and just said "OK".
His eyes were calm and he didn't think there was anything wrong with lying to Zhu Guang.
As for the oath, there was no oath between him and Zhu Guang.
The next morning, Zhu Guang left.
Zhu Yi and Zhu Er watched Zhu Guang leave, then silently looked at the person inside the room. The young man opened the door from the inside and said softly, "Get up."
.......
Ci Ying was surprised to see Zhu Guang.
Although she had written a letter to Zhu Guang, she had not expected him to arrive so soon. She finally felt relieved and whispered, "I thought you would receive the letter in half a month."
Zhu Guang didn't want to lie but had no choice but to say, "I just happened to be nearby. When I heard the news from the secret guards, I thought that you, Ciying, might be in Dingyang, so I came directly from Anhuai. I didn't expect you to be there."
As he spoke, Zhu Guang began to check Ciying's injuries. Ciying said softly, "There are only some on my hands and thighs. I've been applying medicine these days, and they're almost healed."
Zhu Guang knew it, but still pretended to be completely innocent. Since she couldn't lie, she tried not to mention the previous events and only asked Ci Ying, "What are you going to do now?"
Ci Ying calmed down, and after a while, she looked at Zhu Guang and said, "I want to go to Mobei to investigate what happened back then."
Zhu Guang shook his head: "It's too dangerous. Mobei is Yuwen Shu's territory. If we're not careful, we might be found."
Ci Ying said softly, "I know, but you can't always be by my side. If Yu Wenshu sends someone else, I might be caught and taken back in even greater danger."
Zhu Guang also quieted down. After a while, he wised up a little: "Ciying, do you have any other plans?"
She knew Ci Ying quite well. Ci Ying was not a reckless person. Even if she wanted to know what happened back then, she would not rashly go to Mobei.
Ci Ying didn't hide anything. "Zhu Guang, you should already know my background. Although Su Xueruo's letter described what happened back then, I still feel something is strange. From what I understand, Yuwen Shu hid his incompetence and avoided the chaos of that year. He relied on my mother's family to gain the support of the Yan Family Army and thus established himself in Mobei."
Ci Ying's eyes turned complex. "Then why was my mother hunted to such an extent by her enemies? The letter said that she died of worry because of my premature death. If my mother cared so much about me, wouldn't she send someone to investigate what happened back then? If we investigate what the scholar's family did, it's not impossible to find out. When we were young, my youngest brother was only nine months older than me. If my mother knew, wouldn't she be suspicious?"
Zhu Guang clenched his fists: "Ciying, what do you mean..."
Ci Ying said frankly, "I suspect Yuwen Shu did something."
Zhu Guang gritted her teeth and said, "You old bastard, you can kill your own wife and child! I should have..." Zhu Guang swallowed the words "cut into pieces" and looked at Ci Ying, whispering, "What are you going to do?"
Ci Ying raised her eyes, her eyes were bright, and she told him the plan she had been thinking about for a long time.
She was fed up with this kind of life, always running away, always being caught, the money in her hands was nothing compared to power, and she was always racking her brains to find a solution.
She wanted to take back something that was rightfully hers, if her suspicions were correct.
She said softly, "Xie Huaijin once told me that Yuwen Shu had a military token that could command the Yan Family Army. I've been thinking about this these days. I think what Xie Huaijin meant at the time was that with my status, if I got the military token, I could command the Yan Family Army just like Yuwen Shu."
She only recently remembered that when Xie Huaijin suggested that they go to Mobei in a month, she asked what they were going to do, and Xie Huaijin used a very strange word in his answer - "take it back."
She always thought that Yuwen Shu owed Xie Huaijin something, but now she thought that what Xie Huaijin meant at the time was to "take back the military token" in her name.
Zhu Guang frowned: "Then Ciying, do you know where the military token is?"
Ci Ying shook her head and said softly, "I don't know much about Yuwen Shu, and I haven't heard much about the Yan Family Army. These are things that can only be learned in Mobei, so I want to go to Mobei and try. If you don't come, I was planning to enter the city soon and write to the governor to ask him to borrow some people."
Zhu Guang thought for a moment and said, "Okay, Ciying, let's go to Mobei."
As he spoke, Zhu Guang had already begun to prepare. He pulled Ciying in front of the bronze mirror and changed her appearance. "Before I came here, I heard that Yuwen Shu was going to hold a banquet soon. The name he used was to select a concubine for the Crown Prince. He invited many local young men and women, as well as some from Chang'an."
As he spoke, Zhu Guang dressed up and whispered, "I'll go and intercept two ID badges tonight. Ciying, you will disguise yourself as a young lady and I'll be your maid. You can ask the silver shop's manager to prepare the guards and carriage. I've brought some secret guards with me, so even if we're discovered, I can still take you and run."
Ci Ying blinked lightly to indicate that she heard it.
Zhu Guang finished dotting the last mole under Ciying's eye and said softly, "I didn't know if you looked like Madam Yan, so I completely changed your appearance. Ciying, look in the mirror."
Ci Ying touched her face in the mirror and said softly, "I don't know if I look like Madam Yan."
Zhu Guang said, "Once we have infiltrated the Yuwen Mansion, I will go and look for Madam Yan's portrait."
Ci Ying shook her head: "Let's find the military talisman first."
Zhu Guang asked, "Ciying, where do you think she is? I've actually heard of the military token. Yuwen Fu has been looking for it for years, both openly and covertly, but has never found it. Yuwen Shu must have hidden it somewhere very secret..."
Ci Ying didn't know, but she felt that if she found out what happened back then, everything might become clear.
As for Yuwen Fu...
It is even more impossible for her to give this military token to Yuwen Fu.
The matter between Yuwen Fu and Ru Zhen is still a mess. Ci Ying doesn't know how to face Yuwen Fu, whose identity has suddenly changed. Even though she has learned the whole story from Ru Zhen, she still can't help but resent Yuwen Fu for what Ru Zhen has become now.
As for kinship, Ciying doesn't really care that much.
A few days later, Yuwen Shu looked at Yan Ji, who was sitting lazily on a chair, and said coldly, "Are you saying that all the people you brought with you are dead and haven't been captured yet?"
Yan Ji covered his chest and said, "Not only that, I was also injured internally by the young lady's kick."
A teacup was thrown directly at him. Yan Ji dodged it calmly and screamed "Ah" loudly without any composure. The teacup broke into several pieces on the ground and tea splashed all over the floor.
Yuwen Shu got angry just looking at Yan Ji, but Yan Ji commanded half of the Yan family army. Although he had not been well behaved in recent years, he was still obedient and could be considered a useful knife, so he could only swallow his anger.
"Then let's not look for it for now. I have something more important to tell you."
Yan Ji sat down and listened to the superiors say: "Go and bring Yuwen Fu back."
Yan Ji touched his head and said, "Your Highness, I've been catching either young masters or young ladies all day long. What will I do if they take over in the future? I'm afraid the young lady will hate me for wearing a mask all these times. But even if I'm wearing a mask, she can still recognize me. If something goes wrong, my adoptive father will definitely beat me to death when I'm released."
Yan Ji is an orphan adopted by Yan Fei. He has always been with Yan Fei in the army. After Yan Fei's death, the Yan family army listened to Yan Ji the most. Yan Ji kept Yan Fei's last words and always worked for Yuwen Shu.
Yuwen Shu's anger gradually subsided, and he glanced at Yan Ji: "Yuwen Fu has been making a lot of noise recently. Do you think I don't know that you are tolerating him?"
Yan Ji patted his head: "After all, he is a young master. Your Majesty, don't you also want to train the young master?"
Yuwen Shu became more and more annoyed as he listened, and knew that he could not use Yan Ji in this matter, so he waved Yan Ji to leave. Yan Ji picked up a piece of grass from somewhere, frowned as he passed by a wing room, turned around and looked to make sure it was someone he didn't know before turning his head back.
At the corner, Ci Ying also glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
Zhu Guang looked at Ci Ying and asked what was wrong. He walked away a little. Ci Ying said softly, "If I'm not mistaken, the man just now was the one who arrested me."
Zhu Guang recalled: "The masked man from last time?"
Ci Ying nodded. It was the same person, she could feel it.
Zhu Guang said softly, "Last time I thought he was from the army. Most of the people from the army in Mobei are from the Yan family army. He is so carefree and has good skills, but they are not all trained in the army. His position should be high, and he can enter and leave the Yuwen Mansion freely without having to hide behind others..."
Ci Ying almost instantly read out a name that she had guessed for several days.
"Yan Ji."
Zhu Guang nodded: "It should be."
Ci Ying held the teacup. When Yan Ji caught her before, she could feel a trace of kindness left in Yan Ji, including the fact that he always called her "Miss". This title of "Miss" was probably more because of her mother Yan Lian than because she was Yuwen Shu's daughter.
Ci Ying thought that if what happened back then was as she expected, she felt that Yan Ji might not be impossible to win over.
The banquet was scheduled for three days later. Ostensibly, it was to select a concubine for Yuwen Fu, but Zhu Guang said that Yuwen Fu and Yuwen Shu had always been at odds, and could even be said to be incompatible. Yuwen Fu was not in the mansion at all. Ci Ying tapped the cup with her hand, thinking about Yuwen Shu's real purpose.
At the same time, in a house in Mobei, Zhu Yi and Zhu Er stood on the side of the carriage, with their heads lowered, listening to the instructions of the young man in the carriage.
"Let Yuwen Fu come to see me." After saying that, the young man started coughing again, his face as pale as snow.
After Zhu Yi and Zhu Er agreed, the carriage left. The two men looked at each other and went their separate ways.
The carriage drove to a house with the word "Yan" written on it. The coachman stopped the carriage and bent down to lift the curtain for Xie Huaijin. Yan Ji leaned against a pillar, biting a piece of dogtail grass, and looked at the young man who got off the carriage.
"You are really not afraid of death, Master Xie." Yan Ji teased.
Xie Huaijin looked at Yan Ji in front of him with indifferent eyes. He could not hide the sickness on his body, but he did not look embarrassed. Instead, his eyebrows and eyes were still full of unparalleled dignity: "You understand, if you kill me, you will get nothing."
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