To save all living beings, "This journey is long and arduous, and one may even be left without a trace..."
Tao Qingyun drank two cups of tea and left in a hurry, while Jiang Yuanfu stayed at the Luo residence for lunch. Seeing that Luo Zhaoxing's complexion was gradually improving, she was relieved and escorted back to the palace by the palace guard A Yi.
The room returned to its usual tranquility. Feng Hua entered, carrying a thick stack of books and several scrolls. Some of the books were worn and tattered, with torn and frayed pages and incomplete text, indicating their age.
“Miss, it’s all here. Uncle Gu said that everything the old master left behind is here.”
Uncle Gu is the son of the eldest brother of the old master of the Luo family. Ten years ago, he resolutely chose to stay in Beijing to guard the Luo residence and serve Luo Ling, who was all alone there.
In his early years, the patriarch of the Luo family followed the late emperor in conquering the world. After the world was at peace, he taught the crown prince the teachings of the sages. In his later years, his old illness, caused by his military career, relapsed, so he resigned from his official post and devoted himself to returning home.
While teaching her young grandson Luo Ling, she also wrote leisurely books in her spare time.
Luo Zhaoxing asked about Luo Yuan, who had gone out of the city with A Xiao last night to track him down.
Feng Hua shook her head and leaned closer to ask, "Miss, how come this girl is so powerful? Even Xiao and Luo Yuan couldn't do anything to her?"
Luo Zhaoxing recalled the pair of eyes he had vaguely seen inside the Star Gazing Tower last night.
And a corner of that indigo robe.
“He does seem somewhat like a man,” Luo Zhaoxing said.
Feng Hua was about to ask another question when she saw that she had carefully protected the books and was gently turning the pages, so she quickly fell silent.
She wanted to find some traces left by her ancestors in the early years, and to explore those little clues.
The first few books, however, are mostly notes, seemingly summaries of key points and reflections taken while reading.
The writing style is immature and unrefined.
She couldn't help but smile; it must have been left by her older brother when she was young.
The only sound in the house was a soft "splashing" sound. Feng Hua sat to one side, propping her elbow on her cheek and staring blankly at the drizzling rain outside the window.
Luo Zhaoxing looked up, his heart tightening. Ever since returning to the capital a month or so ago, Feng Hua seemed to have lost his soul.
She put down her book, looked up and said, "I have nothing to do here. Where would you like to go for some fun? It's been raining a lot lately, so how about another sunny day? If my brother is on leave, how about he takes us for a walk in the countryside? Zijin will be back soon too."
Feng Hua snapped out of her reverie and poured another cup of tea into her cup: "It's so much more comfortable at home. Once you step outside, you have to put in a lot of effort to deal with all sorts of monsters and demons." Thinking of this, she shook her head: "No, no!"
She originally had four maids by her side: Xia Zhi, Gu Yu, Zhi Qi, and Zhi Bi. Xia Zhi and Gu Yu were lively and clever, while Zhi Qi and Zhi Bi were calm and composed, each with their own strengths. They had all served her since their youth, but all of them left her ten years ago.
When she was young, her grandfather told her that only those who have accumulated perfect merit can attain Nirvana after death and be able to liberate all sentient beings. What about those who have died because of her over the years, those who died unjustly and without cause? Will she one day, when her life force is exhausted, go to Avici Hell?
The inescapable suffering of this world, to experience it all again.
Now, Feng Hua is the only person by her side.
Months ago, when she wanted to return to her homeland in the capital, Feng Hua pleaded with her with red eyes, "Miss, please let me go to the capital with you."
But she left alone, and she also wanted to return alone.
She sat in the carriage, her body trembling uncontrollably, while Feng Hua knelt before the carriage, tears streaming down her face.
"Miss, you have no one to serve you anymore, so let me go with you!"
Tears welled in her eyes, her mind made up, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "This journey is long and arduous, and I may be reduced to ashes and never recover. But if I find a way out, it will be my time to rise again."
Feng Hua knelt in front of the carriage, remaining motionless no matter how much others pulled or dragged him.
Her voice was hoarse and dry, her hands resting limply on the car arm. Looking at the resolute face below the car, she seemed to see herself in it.
"Alright, but you have to promise me one thing."
Feng Hua stopped crying and smiled, got up, wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve, and ran over.
“Miss, whatever you say, I will do.”
"From the day I return to the capital, you shall not accompany me into the palace gates for any reason, whether it is for business or banquet."
Inside the Jingning Marquis's residence.
Chu Yening stayed overnight in the palace last night, intending to have a long talk with the current emperor, but the sudden collapse of the Star Gazing Tower threw many people into disarray. The return of the Marquis of Jingning, who had been exiled to the border for ten years, was temporarily no longer so important.
Chu Yening returned to his study, looking somewhat tired. He glanced at the desk but couldn't see the items that his personal attendant Jiuqu had brought back the day before.
"Where is the stuff?" He immediately frowned.
Jiuqu asked blankly, "What is that?"
He was completely confused.
Then, he suddenly realized.
“Isn’t it because I received your orders, Lord Marquis, that I put it here…” Jiuqu’s words trailed off: “Huh? I clearly put it here last night.”
"Who came last night or this morning?" Chu Yening asked.
Jiuqu said, "Young Master Tao from the Marquis of Chengyi came by this morning, saying he had something to discuss with you, Lord Marquis. I thought you would be back soon, so I settled him in Fanyin Hall. But he left in a hurry after only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."
"Could it be?" Jiuqu became more and more flustered as she spoke.
He didn't know what was inside the brocade box, only that it was his master's treasure, priceless. He had carried it all the way to the capital, braving wind, sand, rain, and snow.
"How did he get into the study?" Chu Yening's face darkened, and his eyes also turned cold.
Jiuqu stared wide-eyed.
They stared at each other, wide-eyed.
"Has the northwest wind clouded your mind? Go down and receive your punishment." Chu Yening stood up, leaving behind these words, and disappeared with a gust of wind.
Jiuqu responded and departed.
"Come back." Jiuqu, with her head down, was already walking towards the corridor when she heard the voice behind her. She quickly turned around and followed.
Inside the dimly lit secret prison of the Marquis's mansion.
A burly man in his fifties was roasting mutton over a burning brazier, while a pot of hot water was boiling next to him.
The house, which never sees sunlight, is filled with dampness and the smell of blood.
The clanging of chains echoed in the distance, followed by the departure of a young man with striking features and sharp eyebrows.
He was dressed in a narrow, dark brocade robe embroidered with gold and auspicious clouds, with a dark brocade belt with auspicious cloud patterns around his waist. He wore a black cloak over his robe, and his jet-black hair was tied up with a jeweled gold crown. He wore a pair of gold-threaded brocade boots.
Soon, two mounted attendants approached from a distance, a man and a woman, with a emaciated, wounded, blind in one eye and unrecognizable, ragged beggar dragging between them.
The two bowed to Chu Yening.
The burly man stood up, hands behind his back, a smile on his face: "You're back."
Chu Yening nodded, and they exchanged a knowing glance.
Then Chu Yening sat down on the chair beside him, picked up a cup of scalding hot tea, gently blew on the foam, and then used his fingers to pick up the tea lid and put it back on the cup.
The cup and lid collided, producing a tinkling sound typical of porcelain.
The beggar's disheveled hair covered most of his face. He had been unconscious, but now he was awakened and looked towards the sound. One of his eyes met a sinister smiling face.
The beggar couldn't help but scream, but the sound he made was barely audible.
The burly man stood in front of the beggar, holding a plate of roasted mutton. His eyes were wide with anger, his face was covered with a beard, and his appearance was not approachable. He looked exactly like a living Zhong Kui (a legendary Chinese demon).
He then handed the plate of mutton to the man and woman beside him and said in a deep voice, "I don't know why, this year's roasted mutton doesn't taste very good."
The beggar, smelling the sudden aroma of meat mixed with the stench of rotting flesh from the dungeon, couldn't help but gag.
The two took it, and a silvery laugh rang out. The woman asked the burly man, "Old Zhong, do you think this meat is delicious?"
Upon hearing this, the beggar's face turned deathly pale, and he immediately made strange "woo-woo" sounds.
Zhong Ti glanced at him and sighed, "Alas, not a single inch of his body is intact. Who could be so vicious? He even poisoned his voice." As he spoke, he kicked the man.
Zhong Ti heard the iron pot on the fire stand making a gurgling sound, and then walked over.
Chu Yening also stood up.
Que She and Song Yang each grabbed the beggar from either side.
Zhong Ti extinguished some of the torches in the secret cell, and the surroundings immediately became dark, making it difficult to see people's faces.
One step, two steps...
The man in black stopped, his hands behind his back, looking down at the beggar.
The drowsy beggar stared in surprise at the gold-threaded black boots before him, and slowly raised his head.
His eyes widened in surprise, and the hair on his body immediately stood on end. He seemed to be making continuous "ah ah" sounds from his throat.
Sparrow Tongue is a girl, and Songyang is a boy. Ten years ago, when Chu Yening was exiled to the border, only Sparrow Tongue and Nine Bends followed him.
The two men burst into laughter upon seeing this.
Zhong Ti found himself holding a cup of scalding hot tea. Chu Yening took it and poured it over his head without hesitation.
The burning pain made the beggar twist his body, trying to break free from their grasp.
The past events are still vivid in my mind.
One midsummer, the heat was unbearable, and he was sweating profusely. He had just been reprimanded by his superiors and was not in a good mood. Sitting in the carriage on his way home, the horse was startled, and the things inside the carriage crashed to the floor. He also slumped to one side, and blood appeared on his forehead. He flew into a rage, summoned two servants to restrain the young man who had frightened the horse, and poured a cup of scalding hot tea over him.
"It's hot, isn't it? Young man, we'll treat you to a warm bath."
The beggar came to his senses, and Zhong Ti gave him a look. The two of them loosened their grip slightly, and he used all his strength to pounce on the man in black, bowing repeatedly.
Zhong Ti stood before him with his hands behind his back, and asked solemnly, "Who harmed you? And who brought you here?"
Six months ago, on a snowy night, this beggar suddenly appeared in the outhouse of the Marquis of Jingning's mansion, his hands and feet bound with hemp rope, his feet sinking into the latrine. Songyang, who had a habit of getting up at night, was startled. After seeing who this person was, he woke up Zhong and Ti in the middle of the night and "joined forces" to wash him inside and out, enduring the stench.
But the beggar boy withstood the severe torture and didn't utter a single word. Zhong Ti had no choice but to say to Song Yang, "Very well, the young prince will be back soon. Let him enjoy this peaceful life for another six months."
When Chu Yening left the manor, he was just a teenager. These servants of the Marquis's manor followed the old Marquis, and when the great general who had passed away was still alive, they would call him "young master" and sometimes, in a daze, they couldn't help but change their way of addressing him, and they had to accept the fact that the great general had passed away.
Sparrow Tongue looked at the beggar with disdain, not wanting to look at him again, and snorted: "A sycophantic little man."
The beggar was on the verge of tears, his lips trembling. His eyes were fixed on the man in black. He shook his head, then seemed to remember something. His remaining eyeball rolled around, and he dipped a finger into the scalding water on the ground and wrote a crooked character—Qin.
Zhong Ti let out a long sigh of relief.
Jiu Qu's light shone like a torch, and he kicked him in the heart, saying with disgust, "Do you still think this is your luxurious nest? Open your dog eyes and look where you are? Do you think we're three-year-olds trying to fool us? Where is the Qin family now? You're so stubborn, holding back for half a year without saying a single truth. Your luxurious nest has long since changed."
The beggar was startled, then grimaced in pain.
The man in black suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze seemingly churning with turbulent waves.
Seeing this, Zhong Ti asked him again, "How do you know it's Qin? Do you know this person? Is he a man or a woman?"
The beggar shook his head and wrote down a few more large characters: "Unknown, waist tag".
Zhong Ti sighed and asked, "Is it the waist token from the Qin family guards?"
The beggar nodded.
Chu Yening's eyes narrowed suddenly, and then he looked at the beggar, his gaze deep and sharp, like ice that had never melted for a thousand years.
The beggar was so frightened that he backed away repeatedly.
Then Chu Yening, with a cold expression, picked up a bow from the wooden table beside him, but it was missing an arrow.
His voice was indifferent: "Such a fine bow needs an arrow. There are many wild beasts roaming in that forest, so let's find a suitable arrow and scare them away."
A note from the author:
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