Tao Qingyun, who was standing at the cenotaph, was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "...
Back then, she awoke peacefully in an ancient town in Jiangnan. The deed was done; the Qin family had vanished without a trace, like a stone sinking into the sea. Everyone except the Luo family, Tao Qingyun, and her maternal grandparents in Jiangnan believed she had been killed by river bandits and died in the river. Tao Qingyun led a group of men through countless hardships, suffering heavy casualties, but in the end, Tao Qingyun risked her life to save her. Ah Xia's whereabouts remained unknown.
The two survived by the skin of their teeth and hid in the dense forest. She developed a high fever and was shot by an arrow. Tao Qingyun hid her in a cave and went to a family at the foot of the mountain. He had no choice but to put aside his pride as a scion of a noble family and steal medicine and food. Finally, he encountered Luo Yuan and his group who arrived and sent someone to secretly send her to Jiangnan.
Later, Luo Yuan went to the lower reaches of the river to look for A Xia, but there was no trace of her. A Xia knew martial arts and could swim, but she was seriously injured that day, and with the vast and boundless river, the group knew that there was no hope of survival.
In her dazed state, all she remembered was tightly clutching Tao Qingyun's sleeve, unable to utter a single word.
The boy seemed to have grown up overnight.
Tao Qingyun smiled and said to her, "This parting is long and arduous, I don't know when we will meet again, Seventh Sister, take care."
That address of "Seventh Sister" was undoubtedly a way of saying "I believe you" to her.
Finally, he sent someone to deliver silver to the family at the foot of the mountain, and the soldiers sent by the palace to find Empress Tao's nephew, as well as several people from the Eastern Palace, followed.
Not long after Tao Qingyun returned, news spread throughout the capital that she had been murdered by bandits from the Jiangnan waterways, her soul lost in the river, her body adrift on the vast expanse of water, its whereabouts unknown. The Empress's nephew also narrowly escaped death there.
During that time, Tao Qingyun confined herself to the Chengyi Marquis's residence for over a month without leaving. Once everything had settled down, her elder brother Luo Ling wrote to inform her that her maternal grandparents, the Xiao family, knew she was still alive and were determined to bring her back to the Xiao family.
But her elder brother told her maternal grandfather that the Xiao family was a prominent scholarly clan in Jiangnan, attracting many eyes and ears, and that it would be better to stay with the smaller Luo family in Jiangnan. He instructed her grandfather to remain secluded during that period, cutting off all ties with the major Jiangnan families, so that the Xiao family could extricate themselves from this storm. He also instructed the Luo family to sever all contact with the Xiao family, never to clear their names, and never to see them again. For her, her maternal grandfather's Xiao family was her only remaining hope.
She knew that her grandparents, who had cherished her since childhood and treated her mother like a precious gem, must have been extremely heartbroken at that time.
Her brother also mentioned that several of her uncle Qin's underage cousins were still alive; some had been sent to scholarly families, while others had gone to the Marquis of Wuding's residence. Tao Qingyun had fully recovered, Jiang Yuanjun's ban had been lifted, Chu Yening had gone to the Northwest, and Jiang Yuanfu, having obtained permission on a snowy night to send someone to Jiangnan to find her, had also seen some improvement in her injured legs. Zhu Ruo was also doing well...
No one knew she was still alive, and he couldn't understand who would want to kill her. An eight-year-old child couldn't possibly be the work of the royal family, especially since the royal family had already ordered her to be escorted back to the capital to await judgment.
The elder brother told his third brother, Qingyun, about this matter, wondering whether to tell the Jiang siblings and his sister-in-law, Zhu Ruo, who was in the nunnery, that she was still alive. Tao Qingyun, however, recalled what she had seen that day at Chengxin Nunnery, by Taiji Lake, where the crown prince of a country was almost insane and had lost his mind.
Even back then, someone in the capital leaked the news of that day's court session, and the little beggars in the city would secretly call the royal carriage "Your Highness, the Inkstone Prince" whenever they saw it.
Therefore, given these turbulent times, it's best not to reveal anything yet. Besides, the palace is currently conducting a thorough search for any remaining members of the Qin family. If one person doesn't speak, then no one should speak anymore. As long as people are alive, that's good enough; one day, we will see those we long to see.
She recalled how Li Sheng, in his youth, would often compare himself to his brother Shuoguang, his jealousy even stronger. How could he not feel resentment at the Qin family's sudden downfall? But the Qin family was no longer able to protect itself, and she was far from home; how could she trouble her brother, who was all alone in the capital?
As for whether she was alive or not, it made no difference. In that harsh winter of the third year of Kang Le, who else escaped the calamity? She wrote back to her brother, saying that some things are better left unknown than known.
Her brother seemed to know what she was thinking. He said he would take good care of her and that when the time was right, he and Jiang Yuanjun would send her to Danzhou, where there was an old friend of Luo's father, who was a very friendly person.
However, in a short while, his elder brother wrote to him that his three cousins, who had been sent to the Marquis of Wuding's residence, had disappeared without a trace, and later became three skeletons, forever resting in that filthy place. At that time, he heard that Jiang Yuanjun had almost killed Li Sheng with a single sword stroke, but his elder brother stopped her. His elder brother said that what's done is done, and now that they were government slaves, the world would think their deaths were not a pity. But one day, the Qin family would be exonerated or reappear in the world, and they would be caught off guard again.
In his letter, my elder brother repeatedly wrote down his faults.
But her brother was also an eighteen-year-old boy at that time, his first year alone in the capital. At the beginning of the New Year, amidst the sound of firecrackers, her brother ate dumplings and glutinous rice balls alone in the huge Luo mansion. But she knew that her third brother, Qingyun, and Afu would definitely come that year.
Tears welled in her eyes, and without hesitation, she ordered someone to send a letter back to the capital that very night. Enclosed among the Luo family's letters was a note addressed to her brother: "Though our names differ, we were born on the same land, and we will weather the storms together." Just as her brother had told her.
A crystal-clear teardrop dampened the letter, leaving a tear stain. After thinking for a moment, she finally wrote at the end of the letter: "May my brother one day pass the imperial examination with flying colors."
Later, just as the whole family had hoped, his elder brother passed the imperial examination with top honors in all three levels and was appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy.
In the rain-soaked alleys of Jiangnan, with its small bridges and flowing water, the gentle patter of rain on the bluestone slabs is like a patter on her heart.
Lady Miao! She's going to meet this Lady Miao, the wife of the Marquis of Wuding!
"Miss, you can't eat anymore!" Feng Hua reminded her loudly.
She then realized that her mouth was full of chestnut cakes and the box was more than half empty; she was so choked that she couldn't speak.
Feng Hua snatched the food box from Pu Niang and hurriedly asked, "Where's the tea? Is there any tea?" Pu Niang slapped her forehead, a look of embarrassment suddenly appearing on her face: "I just brewed it before I left, and I completely forgot to take it."
The person outside the carriage seemed to sense something. Tao Qingyun looked back with soft eyes, chuckled softly, then turned the horse around and tried to take the water pouch from her waist and hand it to the girl inside the carriage.
Chu Yening reached for his waist, only to find nothing. He then glanced at Queshe and Jiuqu beside him.
He gestured with his chin toward Sparrow Tongue and said, "Give it to me."
Sparrow Tongue looked somewhat bewildered.
He stared at the water pouch at Jiuqu's waist, then shifted his gaze to the carriage behind him. Que She understood, and unconsciously opened her mouth, then quickly untied the water pouch from her waist and handed it to Tao Qingyun.
Feng Hua and Pu Niang, both inside the carriage, were taken aback.
Feng Hua smiled as she accepted the water pouch from the sparrow tongue, repeatedly thanking Tao Qingyun.
Tao Qingyun narrowed his eyes as he looked at the sparrow tongue: "Smiling tiger! Great demon!" Then he raised his voice towards the carriage: "Eighth sister, after drinking this water, you will be even bolder than before. Follow your third brother and stir up the muddy waters of the capital."
Qin Weixi choked again, but couldn't help glancing at the straight back of the horse.
Sparrow Tongue narrowed his eyes and said, "Third Brother with a sharp tongue!"
Tao Qingyun flew into a rage: "You! What did you call me?!"
The sparrow tongue darted away in a flash.
Looking at Luo Ling again, he was lost in deep thought on horseback. Jiang Yuanjun, on the other hand, was slightly taken aback.
Sparrow Tongue and Nine Bends exchanged glances, and suddenly felt a sharp gaze upon them. They quickly lowered their heads.
Chu Yening approached Tao Qingyun, who had turned her horse around again, and said, "Give it to me."
"What?" Tao Qingyun asked, her face full of suspicion.
"The luminous pearl you stole."
Tao Qingyun was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "What luminous pearl? A marquis of a nation, you're trying to frame me?"
"Bandits." Chu Yening chuckled coldly and stopped looking at him.
Tao Qingyun laughed again: "Unfortunately, I've already given it away." Then he opened his folding fan with a "whoosh" and, taking advantage of the gentle spring breeze, rode off on his horse ahead.
Several people followed behind, and Fa Cai smiled and started driving the carriage again.
As the people walked further away, Que She frowned and asked, "Don't you think this Miss Luo looks like someone?"
Jiuqu grinned mischievously, "What do you look like? You look like the mistress of the Marquis's mansion! You look like the Marquis's sweetheart!"
Sparrow Tongue looked back at him, shook her head as if looking at a fool, and punched him in the face!
"Ah! Why are you hitting me!"
Sparrow Tongue ignored him and with a "ha!" swiftly leaped up, wrapping an arm around Luo Yuan's neck. Nine Bends then pulled Luo Yuan's legs together, suspending him horizontally in mid-air.
Sparrow Tongue said resentfully, "So you're pretending not to know us? Have you forgotten who used to take you out to restaurants all the time? Come on, let's find a restaurant tonight and have a good drink!"
Jiuqu laughed heartily, and a smile quickly bloomed on Luo Yuan's cold face. Ah Xiao, carrying his longsword, glanced at the three of them again and quickly caught up with Jiang Yuanjun ahead.
Qin Weixi craned his neck to look back, feeling incredibly peaceful at that moment, until the scene behind him gradually shrank and became indistinct before retreating back into the carriage.
Chu Yening, on horseback, slightly curled the corners of her lips and slowed the galloping pace of her horse.
A horse and a carriage, one in front and one behind, drove unhurriedly into the city.
It was a dark and windy night at the Jingning Marquis's residence.
In the study, under the candlelight, Chu Yening sketched a painting with flowing strokes, one by one, on the desk.
Songyang stood upright before the desk, his gaze fixed intently on the magnificent landscape painting before him. Over the past ten years, on countless nights spent at the border, the Marquis had invariably painted the same picture.
After returning to the capital, one night the candles burned brightly in the Jingning Marquis's residence. Jiuqu, who was grinding ink beside him, asked, "My lord, what are you painting this for? It looks somewhat familiar."
Song Yang frowned and gestured for him to be quiet.
Chu Yening replied simply, "I know the truth."
A spring breeze blew by, causing the candlelight to flicker and bend. Chu Yening asked, "How is that person?"
Song Yang understood, recalling the person who had been "shouting" in a hoarse voice in the secret prison this morning.
He shook his head.
“Let’s polish it a bit more.” Chu Yening’s pen strokes became heavier, and without looking up, he said, “Go to Jiangnan and investigate the Luo family’s whereabouts over the past ten years.”
Song Yang hurriedly agreed. Then he raised his head, and the first thing that caught his eye was the candlelight reflected on the wall and a tall, solitary shadow. The candlelight shone on the solitary shadow and flickered eerily.
The study fell silent for a moment, and Songyang was about to quietly take his leave. But just as he was about to close the door, the person inside put down his pen and stopped.
"No need. Everything has its cause and effect. It's easy to meet again, but difficult to meet again. The present moment is the best. Let's find a suitable person to go to the Northwest and dismantle the cenotaphs there!"
Thinking of that cenotaph, Song Yang's eyes flashed, but the man picked up his pen and threw it into the pen holder, decisively saying, "Go to sleep!"
He walked a few steps to the small couch, seemingly intending to sleep fully clothed. Perhaps due to exhaustion, he quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Seeing this, Songyang casually closed the small window in the room that had been blown open and quietly retreated.
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Author's Note: Your Highness the Inkstone! The Sharp-Tongued Third Brother! Chu Yening sat casually on the tree trunk, fiddling with the little bouncy ball at his waist and grinning mischievously: "My nickname in the martial arts world must be famous!" Tao and Jiang: "..."
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