Chapter 64
◎ Military talisman. ◎
Zhu Guang walked around the study, knocking on the walls and checking the floor. He returned to Ci Ying and shook his head, "No secret room, no clues."
Looking at the dust and traces everywhere, Zhu Guang added: "Not many people come here often, but someone must have come here some time ago, and left after a short stay." As he spoke, Zhu Guang guided Ci Ying's gaze to the scene on the windowsill.
There was a flower that had been withered for a long time on the dusty windowsill. The flowerpot had been moved, and there was a circle of dust on the windowsill next to it where the empty space had been.
Ci Ying whispered, "Probably Yan Ji."
The two of them inspected the study again and then left.
Standing in front of an exquisite courtyard, Ci Ying's hands were a little timid. Zhu Guang was dealing with the unconscious guards on the side, and he understood that Ci Ying was nervous about being close to home.
Inside was the courtyard of Madam Yan, Ciying's biological mother. Ciying had not seen Madam Yan for a day, and knowing the past, it was common for her not to dare to push the door and look.
Having said that, Ci Ying did not delay for too long.
The door was gently pushed open, and what came into view was a swing wrapped with flower vines. Many years had passed, and the flower vines had long since died, but it still retained the appearance of being wrapped around it in life. When the wind blew, it made a "creaking" sound, and it was so fragile that it seemed as if wood chips would fall off your hands if touched.
The two continued walking forward. There was an empty area that probably used to be a garden, but now only traces of flower pots left on the ground over the years remained. Everything looked very clean, yet there was an indescribable sense of emptiness.
When she pushed open the door, Ci Ying was choked by the dust and coughed for a long time.
Zhu Guang didn't move, just looked at Ci Ying. Ci Ying stopped coughing before walking into the room. There were many precious objects in the room, all colorful. Some jewelry that were not taken to the palace were also very bright. Ci Ying stroked them one by one, imagining what kind of person Madam Yan was in the past.
The outline was completed when she saw a red paper silhouette in the book. Inexplicably, she felt that this was the appearance of Madam Yan, lively and charming, not at all like the appearance in Su Xueruo's letter.
Zhu Guang didn't know why Ciying looked like she was about to cry. He raised his hand and touched Ciying's head, saying softly, "It's okay, it's okay."
But how can it be okay?
Zhu Guang hugged Ciying and whispered, "If Madam Yan knew that Ciying didn't die young and was doing well now, she would be very happy too."
Ci Ying leaned on Zhu Guang's shoulder and said nothing.
Zhu Guang stroked Ciying's back, moving his hand from top to bottom, saying over and over again, "It's okay, Ciying. We'll be fine from now on."
The two people did not leave the yard before dark.
It wasn't that Ciying couldn't calm down, but Ciying said to Zhu Guang, "Maybe it will be more convenient in the evening."
At this time, Zhu Guang did not understand what Ciying meant by "convenience", but subconsciously chose to believe Ciying. She watched Ciying looking at the empty garden, and sat with Ciying in the corridor.
The two waited for dark, and when it finally got dark, Zhu Guang asked Ci Ying where they were going.
Ci Ying was silent for a moment and then talked about the Yan family tomb.
Zhu Guang fell silent. Ci Ying looked at him and heard an indescribable expression on his face. Then he said, "Okay."
After a while, Zhu Guang couldn't help but turn around and ask Ci Ying: "Is it what I thought it meant?"
Ci Ying looked at Zhu Guang, confirmed his thoughts, and said softly, "Yes, that's what you meant."
The military token is in the Yan family's ancestral tomb.
Zhu Guang believed in Ci Ying unconditionally. Although she didn't know how Ci Ying came up with this idea, if it was the Yan family tomb, it was very normal that Yuwen Fu had not found it for decades... Even if Yuwen Fu was given another ten years, he would not be able to find it.
Ci Ying followed Zhu Guang silently, and the two of them arrived at the Yan family tomb.
Ci Ying explained softly to Zhu Guang, "When we were in the palace, the maids told us news that wasn't very important, but one maid said that Madam Yan had been estranged from Yuwen Shu in her last few years and didn't want to be buried in the Yuwen family's ancestral mausoleum."
Zhu Guang was puzzled: "But didn't the nanny say at the end that Madam was buried in the Yuwen family's ancestral mausoleum?"
Ci Ying searched bit by bit and squatted down under a flower tree. She gently pulled out the weeds and looked at Zhu Guang. Zhu Guang looked closely and saw only four words written on it - "Puyin's Tomb".
Puyin was Madam Yan's nickname.
Ci Ying said softly, "I've always found it strange. What happened back then was so strange. Why did General Yan Fei order Yan Ji to obey Yu Wenshu before he died? It wasn't until we heard what Nanny said that day that everything became clear."
Ci Ying recounted everything she had learned in the past few days, choosing her words carefully. Her gentle voice echoed from this side of the mausoleum, "Back then, General Yan Fei struck a deal with Yuwen Shu to fulfill Madam Yan's last wish. While Madam Yan was officially buried in the Yuwen family's ancestral mausoleum, General Yan Fei actually took her back to the Yan Mansion for burial."
"Transaction is the military token? But..." Zhu Guang was puzzled and couldn't figure out what the connection was between this and the military token.
Ci Ying slowly knelt down in front of the tombstone, and Zhu Guang came up holding a lantern.
Zhu Guang didn't sense any other people's presence in the mausoleum, so she didn't urge them. She saw Ci Ying staring at the tombstone, and something flashed through her mind.
"...Is the military talisman in Madam Yan's tomb?"
After these words were spoken, Ci Ying, who was kneeling in front, slowly turned around and lowered her eyes to Zhu Guang, meaning "yes".
Zhu Guang took a step back, so startled that the lantern fell from his hand. The flames devoured the lantern paper outside. Zhu Guang kicked it away and knelt beside Ci Ying: "Really?"
Ci Ying bowed deeply and said softly, "Yes."
Is there any place in this world that Yuwen Fu cannot find even after ten years? Is there any place that Yuwen Fu cannot find even in her entire life? She had not originally thought of the Yan family's ancestral tomb, but Zhu Guang woke her up that day.
Zhu Guang said, "Ciying, I found out that Yuwen Fu has been looking for the military token for many years, but he has searched the Yuwen Mansion many times and even dug up the ancestral tomb, but he still can't find it..."
Yes, according to Yuwen Fu's personality, he dug up the ancestral tomb most likely to vent his anger.
Therefore, it is impossible for him to really set his sights on the ancestral tomb. It is natural that the ancestral tomb of the Yuwen Mansion was not dug up to vent his anger. Then, is there any place that Yuwen Fu would never dig?
Ciying only thought of one thing.
Hearing from the nanny that Madam Yan didn't want to be buried with Yuwen Shu before she died, Ci Ying basically guessed everything. Madam Yan's tomb was probably in the Yan family, and the military token that Yuwen Fu had never been able to find was placed in Madam Yan's tomb by Yuwen Shu.
Under the moonlight, Ci Ying looked silently at the grave in front of her. She called out "Mom" very softly, and then "I'm sorry". Her hands dug through the loess, bit by bit. Zhu Guang silently accompanied her in digging, until the daybreak, when Ci Ying's hand touched the traces of the coffin.
Zhu Guang paused and said softly, "Let me do it, Ciying."
Ci Ying did not let go of his hand, but just lowered her eyes and shook her head.
The sound of the coffin being pushed was not loud in the rising sunlight. The sound of wind, fog, and sunlight shining through the clouds was even more piercing than the sound of the coffin being pushed open. Ci Ying's eyes had turned red at some point. A rotten stench came from inside the coffin. The skinny human bones lay on the soft mattress, with a pile of extremely gorgeous jewels and a small straw butterfly next to them.
And on Madam Yan's chest as she slept peacefully, there was a small military token.
Zhu Guang was surprised by Yu Zhenzai and watched Ci Ying pick up the military token with trembling hands.
Ciying's face trembled strangely in the sunlight. Zhu Guang didn't know if Ciying was crying, but her eyes were inexplicably red. When she wanted to go forward and hug Ciying, Ciying looked at the dry bones in the coffin, which were almost covered by jewels, and whispered, "Zhu Guang, we found it."
She put the military amulet aside, thought for a moment, tidied up the weeds she had just pulled out, and quickly made a small green butterfly with her fingers. She put it in the coffin, and looked at the old butterfly. She moved the jewels aside, leaned over the coffin, and called out "Mom" softly again.
Ci Ying could only piece together what Madam Yan looked like before her death from the lines of the text, and could only piece together the past from one short letter after another. Regret turned into an unspeakable emotion. She didn't know what they would be like if her mother were still alive. Time would make love become like this, and hate would also become like this.
Pushing the coffin up, the two men quietly buried it back.
Ci Ying held the small military token, but she did not feel relieved.
She looked at the road in front of her, but habitually looked back. Zhu Guang came from behind, took her hand, and whispered, "Let's go back first. I want to go to the restaurant to eat osmanthus chicken, crispy lotus root, apricot cake, and sweet rice wine..."
Ciying said "OK".
*
When Yuwen Fu came to her house, Ciying didn't really want to see him.
After knowing her life story, the person she least wanted to see was Yuwen Fu.
But she had already opened the door, and Yuwen Fu had already seen her face. Ci Ying lowered her eyes and asked, "How did you know we were here?"
Yuwen Fu was silent for a moment. He didn't know how to face Ciying. Xie Huaijin's threats were still fresh in his mind. He also had mixed feelings towards his sister. He looked at Ciying and said, "I only found out not long ago."
Ci Ying didn't answer, but just said softly: "Yeah."
Seeing that Ci Ying had no intention of letting him in, Yu Wenfu held the door with his hand and said, "I think we should talk."
Ci Ying looked at Yuwen Fu. He was not in good condition. There were obvious scars on his neck and a little scratch on his face. She could smell a distinct smell of blood when she got closer. She stood at the door. Zhu Guang came up from behind and was stunned when he saw Yuwen Fu, but did not say anything.
Ci Ying lowered her eyes for a long time, and finally let Yu Wenfu in.
She had no good feelings towards Yuwen Fu, but he was her brother by blood. If possible, she wanted to hear some things about her mother from this so-called brother.
Yuwen Fu got straight to the point: "Ciying, I know you are looking for the military token."
There was nothing unusual on Ci Ying's face. She just looked at Yu Wenfu without saying anything.
Yuwen Fu didn't dare to tell Xie Huaijin that he almost killed him, so he could only promise in a roundabout way: "I won't hide it from you. I have been looking for it for many years and still haven't found it, but I will keep looking. Ciying, I can't give the military token to you."
Ci Ying's eyelids twitched, and she heard Yu Wenfu continue, "But I can promise that when I find the military token and avenge my mother, I will fulfill my responsibilities as a brother."
Yu Wenfu said the word "brother" very stiffly. He didn't know how to say it. If this sister was not Ciying, he would be very happy, but when this sister was Ciying, he always felt complicated.
It was as if he and Ciying shouldn't be relatives.
Maybe he understood what he had done to Ci Ying and knew that Ci Ying would never forgive him easily, so he felt uneasy instead of expectant, and he felt uncomfortable all over.
Ci Ying retracted her gaze and said softly, "I don't need it."
Yuwen Fu's face turned a little grim. He wasn't afraid of Ciying, but of Xie Huaijin. Back in the prison, he could see that Xie Huaijin really wanted to kill him. Although it had temporarily passed, would he be able to persuade Xie Huaijin the next time he got the idea?
He cannot give up Bingfu, and the only way to survive is to ease the relationship with Ciying.
Ci Ying looked at Yu Wenfu's changing eyes, not knowing whether she was disappointed or something else, but after a while she felt normal again.
She didn't really have high expectations for family affection, especially when it came to Yuwen Fu. But perhaps... she was still a little disappointed. Ciying looked out the door. It was all cloudy and foggy, and the morning sun had completely vanished.
Yuwen Fu did not give up: "I know you blame me a lot because of Ru Zhen's matter, but Ciying, to this day I still don't think I did anything wrong. If you were in my position, you would do the same thing."
Ci Ying didn't want to discuss Ru Zhen's affairs with Yu Wenfu. She just said softly, "Ru Zhen is fine now. Don't bother her."
Yuwen Fu hadn't heard from Ru Zhen for a long time. When he heard this, his hands trembled, but he still remembered his purpose today: "I won't go to see her until the matter in Mobei is completed, don't worry."
Ci Ying was worried, but she didn't want to argue with Yuwen Fu verbally. After all, it was useless to argue about who was superior.
Yuwen Fu started talking about the military token again, and Ciying couldn't stand it anymore.
She looked directly into Yuwen Fu's eyes and said, "I can also promise that when I find the military token and take over the Northwest Army, I will also fulfill my sisterly responsibilities. Yuwen Fu, are you willing to give me the military token because of this promise?"
Yu Wenfu subconsciously said: "How can this be possible? This is different."
Ci Ying asked, "What's the difference?"
Yuwen Fu's face looked grim.
Ci Ying stared into Yuwen Fu's eyes: "You have things you want to do, don't I have things I want to do? If it's because of Madam Yan's matter, I will take action against Yuwen Shu after I find out everything. Is this promise enough? If there is anything else, you can ask for it, Yuwen Fu."
Yuwen Fu said hoarsely: "You don't need a Northwest Army..."
Ci Ying looked directly at Yu Wenfu: "Why am I not lacking?"
Yuwen Fu bit back Xie Huaijin's name, but Ci Ying still noticed it. Her eyes turned colder, and she looked at Yuwen Fu with an incomprehensible look. Although she didn't hold any hope of family affection for Yuwen Fu, she still found it a little funny. She said, "Are you going to say 'Xie Huaijin', Yuwen Fu? Sometimes I don't understand whether you really don't understand or are just pretending not to understand. Didn't you personally go to the post station to capture Ru Zhen and bring her back to Chang'an, forcing me to go back?"
Yuwen Fu hesitated and said, "This is different."
Ci Ying asked, "What's the difference? You know very well how forced I am to be trapped by Xie Huaijin's side. You're using the guise of family affection to justify your actions today, but as my brother, why do you always ignore my suffering? The military token depends on one's ability. Whoever gets it gets it."
Zhu Guang lowered his head and drank the cold water in the cup.
Even she could see that Ci Ying was not really angry, but Yu Wenfu was not.
She actually knew that Yuwen Fu took the military order to avenge Madam Yan, but as Ciying said, was that all?
Not necessarily.
Yuwen Fu, who was fed up with living under someone else's roof and being looked down upon and could only pretend to be a playboy, wanted to take power into his hands. There was nothing wrong with that, but it was not reasonable to blame Ciying for this. As Ciying said, if Yuwen Fu was more sincere, Ciying could even protect him.
Yuwen Fu knew that the conversation could no longer continue. He looked at Ciying with a grim expression, but he finally calmed down and said, "No matter what, Ciying, you are my sister. I will not harm you."
Ci Ying didn't say anything until Yu Wenfu left.
Zhu Guang handed over a cup of cold tea, but Ci Ying didn't take it. She looked into Zhu Guang's eyes and asked softly, "Is he in Mobei?"
Zhu Guang tightened her grip on the teacup. She wouldn't lie often, and she certainly couldn't lie to Ci Ying.
Zhu Guang asked, "Him?"
Ci Ying watched Zhu Guang's reaction for a long time, feeling frustrated. She asked, "When did it start?"
Zhu Guang really didn't know this, but she couldn't answer, because if she answered, it would be indirectly admitting that the young master was in Mobei.
The young master did hide it from her, but the things Zhu Yi and Zhu Er used to disguise the young master were the same as what she usually used, so she recognized them at a glance. Moreover, the young master took advantage of the fact that he had been ill for a long time and Ci Ying could not recognize him, so he did not even conceal his figure.
Ci Ying didn't want to make things difficult for Zhu Guang, so when she saw that Zhu Guang didn't say anything, she said, "Forget it."
Zhu Guang actually wanted to ask Ci Ying how she knew this, but before he could ask, Ci Ying spoke up, "It's strange that Yuwen Fu came to see me today."
"We disguised ourselves when we entered Mobei. He was captured and taken back to the palace a while ago. We didn't reveal our identity in the palace, so how did he know we were in Mobei, and how did he know I wanted the military token?"
Ci Ying played with the military token in her hand, her eyes drooping slightly: "And his tone was lowering his head. It seemed like he was talking to me, but he was actually talking to Xie Huaijin."
The disappointment in Ci Ying's tone could no longer be concealed, perhaps because only Zhu Guang was there, she didn't even bother to hide it.
Zhu Guang asked softly, "Ciying, are you unhappy?"
Ci Ying shook her head, she was just a little disappointed.
She was just a little disappointed that her brother was such a person. She looked at the military token in her hand and tightened it little by little.
Zhu Guang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Ci Ying did not mention the young master again.
It started raining outside at night.
Ci Ying couldn't fall asleep for a long time. She leaned against the window, the sound of rain coming in from outside. She raised her eyes to look outside, the rain splashed into her eyes, she wiped them with a handkerchief feeling uncomfortable, and soon calmed down again.
Xie Huaijin was indeed in Mobei, and she confirmed this from Zhu Guang's reaction.
She didn't know what to feel in her heart, complicated and confused. She began to search every corner of her memories. She didn't feel surprised after searching for a long time, but only felt that her guess was confirmed.
Ci Ying closed the window, walked to the bed and covered her head with the quilt.
She covered her head for a long time and then took it out. Her face was all red from being suffocated, but she still felt uncomfortable. She didn't know why she felt so uncomfortable. The military token was lying beside her pillow, and she turned sideways and held it.
…She found it herself.
But she was able to think of it so quickly because of Zhu Guang's words.
Ci Ying couldn't help but feel annoyed again. She hated that Xie Huaijin's shadow was everywhere in her affairs, even though it seemed that Xie Huaijin had good intentions now.
But Xie Huaijin had a lot of good intentions hidden on the surface before, but they all turned into sharp blades later.
Ci Ying clutched the quilt tightly and lowered her eyes.
The rain outside was getting heavier. Ci Ying opened the door and went out with an umbrella. Zhu Guang was awakened and asked Ci Ying what she was doing. Ci Ying clenched the military token in her hand and said, "I'm going to look for Yan Ji."
Xie Huaijin's appearance always gave her a bad feeling. She had originally planned to observe for two more days before trying to persuade Yan Ji, but now she couldn't wait any longer.
Zhu Guang stood in the corridor and looked at Ci Ying. He picked up an umbrella and walked over to Ci Ying: "Then go."
A warm breath came from Zhu Guang, and Ci Ying asked softly, "Did I disturb your sleep?"
Zhu Guang shook his head and looked at Ci Ying worriedly.
Ciying held the umbrella tightly and heard Zhu Guang say.
"Ciying, calm down."
Zhu Guang understood that even Ci Ying would not be able to react if she received too much information at once.
From the moment she decided to find the military token to persuade Yan Ji to bring the Northwest Army under his command, Ci Ying was like a taut string. The matters of Madam Yan, General Yan, Yuwen Fu and the young master piled up together, and Ci Ying became more and more tense, with signs of breaking already appearing.
In the rain, Ciying held an umbrella and lowered her head.
Heavy rain fell from between the umbrellas, and Ciying nodded lightly.
People are always ashamed to admit what they are thinking, so Ci Ying couldn't even say that to herself, and she was a little worried.
Even though everything was going well, her heart was still beating wildly.
She looked at the pouring rain, and when she walked back into the house, her hands and feet were already frozen stiff by the rain.
Somehow a bird flew past outside, and Ci Ying followed the bird's gaze into the distance. She walked up the stairs step by step, opened the door, closed the door, and slowly sat down.
When she came to her senses, she found that she had brought an umbrella with her. The rain on the umbrella had soaked her clothes halfway, making them icy cold. Ci Ying changed her clothes slowly. After being frozen for a long time, her body actually warmed up. She had a dream that she hadn't had in a long time.
There was only a faint smell of medicine in the dream.
The next day, Ciying got up early in the morning and went to Dingyang. It only took a day to ride back and forth on horseback. Ciying wanted to confirm some things.
In the town, Ci Ying bought some toys that children liked. She had never played with them in her childhood, so she found each one novel. She bought a lot of them for Xiaobao and packed them all up and hung them on the horse.
Zhu Guang also bought some and said he would burn them for Mo Yu someday. When Ci Ying heard the word "Mo Yu", she looked at Zhu Guang. Zhu Guang smiled at her and then hugged the things he bought in his arms.
Ci Ying didn't say anything. She had been hiding the matter from Zhu Guang.
She instinctively felt that Zhu Guang would be even sadder if he knew that Mo Yu had come to see him before his death, but Zhu Guang happened to be away.
Ciying seemed to understand why people sometimes lie and conceal things.
She didn't feel it was right, but she did it anyway.
The two rode their horses across the mountain road and arrived at a farmhouse. The peasant woman saw them from afar and went in to call Xiaobao. After a while, when Ciying and Zhu Guang stopped, Xiaobao came out with a crutch.
It was still made by the hunter himself. A small snake was carved on the top of the crutch because Xiaobao's zodiac sign is snake. A cute little snake coiled at the top of the crutch. The tail was made a little smaller to make it easier for Xiaobao to find people. There was also a bell under the crutch, which would jingle if you put some force.
Ci Ying handed all the things she bought to Xiao Bao, who jumped into Ci Ying's arms, looked around in surprise, took out a little tiger head and said, "It's so beautiful." Ci Ying was afraid that Xiao Bao would fall, so she caught him with a smile and carefully held Xiao Bao's crutches.
The couple kept looking at them with a smile on their faces.
After reminiscing with Xiaobao, Ciying went to talk to the couple.
After some pleasantries, she explained the purpose of her visit: "Only after returning home did I realize I forgot something in the cave last time. It's not valuable, but it's very important to me. After much thought, I decided to come back and bother you. Could you please take me to see it?"
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