Chapter 153 Tears: Who owes whom? Who loves whom deeply? ...
After he finished speaking, Yin Yi waited quietly outside. After a long while, the door opened from the inside.
Xie Qingyu, dressed impeccably, stepped out, his jade crown gleaming. He closed the door behind him and turned to look at Yin Yi: "How long has Lord Rong been here?"
Yin Yi said respectfully, "I have just entered the manor and someone has already been arranged to take me to the front hall for a short rest."
"I'll be right back after the discussion." Xie Qingyu glanced at him sideways. "Guard the courtyard well and don't let anyone in."
"yes."
It was still snowing heavily outside the corridor. Xie Qingyu left, a maid holding a paper umbrella for him, and several guards following behind with their heads bowed.
Not long after Yin Yi returned to the door, the door made another slight noise. His brow twitched, and his eyes quickly turned to the side, where he saw Yue Yining, dressed in a green robe, push open the door.
The woman, with a figure as graceful as bamboo and a beautiful face, appeared even more fair-skinned and red-lipped amidst the snow-covered courtyard. Her elegant and graceful demeanor resembled a jade lotus.
In Yin Yi's memory, this Yue person was different from Xie Qingyu; she was a gentle and kind person.
But as Yue Yining slowly closed the door, the look in her eyes as she glanced at him set off alarm bells in Yin Yi's heart.
This was the first time he had seen Yue Yining leave the house in so many days. Yin Yi knew she hadn't come to the Xie residence willingly, but she had never tried to leave the house before.
Before Yin Yi could move, Huang Qiu, on the other side of the door, spoke up first, calling out to Yue Yining: "The eldest young master has ordered that you return to your room!"
Yue Yining remained motionless. She cast a faint glance at Huang Qiu, who was speaking, and for some reason, Huang Qiu immediately shut his mouth, leaned back against the door, and remained as quiet as a chicken with his head down.
Yin Yi: "......."
Yue Yining turned around and looked directly at Yin Yi: "Guard Yin, I have some questions for you."
“Just now I saw some old wounds on your young master’s arm,” Yue Yining stared at him and said slowly, “I observed the depth and shape of the knife wounds and believe that they are not stab wounds, but cuts; they were not left by others, but self-harm by the injured person.”
"I want to know why he harmed himself. Can you enlighten me, Silver Guard?"
Yin Yi was already sweating profusely.
He didn't expect that Yue Yining would point this out in just a few words.
Yin Yi vaguely remembered that Xie Qingyu had started self-harming two months ago. As his personal guard, he was unaware of this at first. It was only after the maids serving in the courtyard were discussing the bloodstains often found on the young master's inner robes that he heard about it. Later, he did indeed find a short knife with signs of use in Xie Qingyu's bedroom.
It's normal for someone in a high position and at the center of power to be under a lot of pressure, but Yin Yi had never seen Xie Qingyu do anything unusual before.
Last year, he returned to the manor and went on a killing spree, murdering his relatives and committing incest, and disciplining his clan. Yet he was still able to sleep soundly and was full of energy. Now that he holds great power in the family, he is pale and dejected, and has even resorted to self-harm to relieve his pain.
The only major event that happened to Xie Qingyu two months ago was that one.
The answer is obvious.
Yin Yi looked at the woman in front of him and felt that she had already guessed it, but he still hesitated whether he should tell the truth.
He dared not refuse to reply, for if Xie Qingyu found out later that he had been disrespectful to Yue Yining, he would be in deep trouble no matter what his reasons were; but without Xie Qingyu's instructions, he should not reveal the truth.
After careful consideration, Yin Yi cautiously replied, "The eldest young master is usually taciturn and has never mentioned that he is injured, so I am not aware of it either."
He believed his answer was flawless.
Yue Yining looked at him, nodded, and then dropped a bombshell: "He started self-harming two months ago?"
This time, not only Yin Yi, but even Huang Qiu next to him was shocked.
Yue Yining was still staring at Yin Yi's expression, wondering what she had noticed, and continued, "After I broke up with him, he became depressed and listless. Two months ago, he started to self-harm intermittently. Everyone in your courtyard knows this, and you know it too."
"So, he really did harm himself because of me."
Yin Yi was now drenched in sweat. He immediately bowed his head, almost kneeling and begging, "Lord Yue, I... I never said that!"
“Of course you didn’t say it, but I can tell.” Yue Yining looked down at him. “I don’t need to hear the truth from you, because knowing the lie is knowing the truth.”
They all forgot that she was a celestial master proficient in the three arts, and no one could lie to her except for Xie Qingyu, who couldn't predict fate.
"You don't need to worry, I will be honest with Xie Qingyu. I forced you to say it." The female official in blue spoke calmly, but her hand, hidden in her sleeve, gripped the hem of her dress tightly. "But there's one thing I don't understand. Why did he deliberately cover up his wounds? Why was he afraid I would find out he was self-harming?"
Isn't he the best at playing the victim?
Why didn't you pretend this time?
Yin Yi remained silent for a long time. He wanted to stall for time until Xie Qingyu returned, so he asked Yue Yining to go back to the house and wait. However, Yue Yining did not listen at all and stood straight in place, staring at him with eyes brighter than snow.
She was only wearing a single robe, and it was freezing cold. If she caught a cold, Xie Qingyu would have to live with a sullen face every day.
Yin Yi then realized the stubbornness beneath Yue Yining's gentle exterior.
She was determined to find out.
Yin Yi sighed inwardly and could only whisper, "He's afraid you'll dislike him."
Yue Yining was slightly taken aback. Before she could react, Yin Yi continued, "You should have told him not to hurt himself anymore, right? If you knew about these things, you might think he wouldn't listen to advice and wouldn't repent. That's what he's afraid of."
"I cannot fully understand the eldest young master's thoughts, but I know that the person he cares about most is you, Lord Yue."
Yue Yining: "But why...?"
Why do I care about her the most?
Why do I like her so much?
Was her rejection and estrangement so intense for him that he needed to harm himself to suppress and alleviate the pain? But why, why was she so important to him?
She didn't understand. She hadn't given him anything, at most she had saved his life once. Moreover, he had saved her twice more later. Even if it was a favor, he had already repaid it.
"..." Yue Yining pursed her lips, her heart filled with a thousand words, but she remained confused and didn't ask the question.
She went back inside, shutting out the swirling snowstorm from behind the door.
She leaned against the door, feeling somewhat lost for a moment.
To say she hated Xie Qingyu would be a lie. He treated her extremely well, and even if he were a treacherous official, she was the one with the least right to criticize him. Moreover, regarding that kiss under the lanterns on the Lantern Festival, she clearly hesitated but didn't push him away because she couldn't bear to let go, and she had also fallen for him.
Could it be said that she liked Xie Qingyu? She had never liked anyone before, never felt affection for any man. Even if she couldn't bear to part with Xie Qingyu, how much could she really bear to part with him? She even abandoned the master who had raised her for many years. She was such a heartless and ungrateful person.
She knew that if she could not overcome the will of Heaven, her end would be tragic. Receiving too much love from others would only cause them more sorrow.
She fought against fate for many years, realizing that many things were never carefully considered from the beginning, but were simply a matter of necessity. Everyone has unspeakable obsessions. Deep affection lasts a hundred years, and continuous good fortune always comes to an end. No matter how much you say, in the end it all boils down to this: good things in this world are not lasting, colorful clouds easily disperse, and glass is fragile.
This inexplicable affection was destined to have no outcome; she should cherish and remember it in her heart, without having to spell it out.
It was precisely because she cherished him that she found it even more difficult to accept him.
After squatting in front of the door for a long time, Yue Yining's legs finally ached, and she stood up unsteadily.
She approached the desk and suddenly heard a few soft rustling sounds coming from the paper window behind the bookshelf. She stopped abruptly, wondering what was going on, when a clear, quiet voice called out from outside the window: "...Lord Yue?"
Yue Yining was stunned. Her legs had not fully regained feeling, but she almost ran over, staggered, and braced herself against the windowsill, pushing the paper window open halfway.
Upon seeing the person outside the window, Yue Yining's eyes widened, her face filled with shock and astonishment:
"Yingying?!"
The girl knocking on the window had long hair tied up, and her small face, no bigger than a palm, was half-dirty from some wall dust. Her round, bright eyes stared at her without blinking; it was Yingying.
Upon seeing that Yue Yining was safe and sound, her eyes lit up with joy, and she exclaimed with delight, "That's wonderful! Lord Yue, you're alright!"
Yue Yining never expected her to be able to sneak into the Xie residence. She quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her inside, saying, "There are guards all ahead. Don't let them find us. Come in first!"
"What exactly happened? How did you end up in Yanjing? Didn't you go to the border with General He?" Yue Yining pressed.
After closing the window, Yingying lowered her voice and explained, "After we arrived at the border, we found that the post roads there were cut off, and many communication channels were almost paralyzed, so messages couldn't be sent out at all. General He and Sister Feiyan were in charge of the situation at the border and couldn't get away, and everyone else had things to do, so they sent me back to deliver the message."
"I had just returned when Her Highness the Princess told me that the Lord of Yue had been framed and had gone missing! I was so worried!"
“Her Highness the Princess said she knows who kidnapped you, but she doesn’t know if you’re safe. I immediately said I’d give it a try. When I was in Qinghuai, I often sneaked into the mansions of rich people to steal things. Maybe I can find the Lord of Yue!”
"Weren't you surprised to see me, Lord Yue?!"
Looking into Yingying's eyes, which were burning with tiny flames, Yue Yining smiled and said, "Yes, I was really surprised."
She has been "punishing" Xie Qingyu every day for the past few days. On the one hand, she is indeed dissatisfied with his behavior; on the other hand, she is also bewitched by Xie Qingyu's beauty; and on the other hand, she wants to send a message out of the mansion so that Wei Yihua will realize that something is wrong in the Xie family.
Xie Qingyu willingly accepted the punishment and never resisted, allowing her plan to proceed smoothly.
She deliberately stripped him naked to prevent other servants from disturbing him. If Xie Qingyu didn't want to lose face, he would have told them to leave. At the same time, she deliberately tied him up and left him aside, occasionally giving him a slight reprimand, and only letting him leave in the evening. All these actions were to prolong the time Xie Qingyu stayed in her room.
As long as he stays in the courtyard for an extended period without being seen, the spies planted in the Xie residence will notice something amiss and relay the message to the Eldest Princess.
Xie Qingyu did indeed turn down most meetings for her sake. He would only go out to entertain a very small number of people and then come back to apologize to her afterwards.
Yue Yining wasn't actually annoyed, because she could tell from the crowd which people were Xie Qingyu's confidants, which were pawns deliberately hidden by the Seventh Prince, and which were key figures whom Xie Qingyu could drop everything to see by simply having a name conveyed by the guards.
Among them, Rong Xuan, who had just come to see Xie Qingyu, was someone Yue Yining had never expected.
Yue Yining had already considered this matter.
The key to the success or failure of her plan actually lies with Wei Yihua herself. Xie Qingyu will definitely have her subordinates cover for him and find a suitable reason for his strange behavior. If Wei Yihua cannot see through his lies, if Wei Yihua cannot think of this aspect, then no matter how much she hints, it will be in vain.
However, Yue Yining inexplicably believed in Wei Yihua. She believed that her prince must be losing sleep over her disappearance, that she must remember the special connection that had existed between Xie Qingyu and her, and that she could see through the hidden meanings in these messages, know that it was her, know that she was still alive, and would not be manipulated or deceived by Xie Qingyu's tricks.
Xie Qingyu wouldn't hurt her, so Yue Yining didn't plan to send out the message to Wei Yihua to rescue her. However, she thought that the Princess might be worried about her safety and take the risk of sending someone to rescue her.
But she never expected that the person would be Yingying, who was only ten years old.
Yue Yining: "So how exactly did you get in?"
Yingying quickly said, "I came in through the dog hole! The guards in this mansion are too tight. An adult could not get in at all. Her Highness the Princess sent many people, but none of them were able to sneak in successfully. Only I succeeded."
"I had the medicine powder that Deputy Division Commander Jiang gave me on me. I took a lot of detours, trying to avoid the guards. If I couldn't avoid them, I knocked them out. I made my way into this courtyard!"
"Her Highness the Princess told me that she has made all the arrangements. In two hours, there will be spies creating chaos north of the Xie residence, and we will escape in the confusion! I have a lot of poison prepared by Deputy Commander Jiang on me, so taking down some ordinary guards won't be a problem. Once we are out of the residence, someone will be there to meet us!"
Looking into Yingying's bright, sparkling eyes, Yue Yining couldn't bring herself to refuse, but she was still somewhat hesitant.
This scene, as seen by Yingying, was the gentle and intelligent Yue Ren lowering his beautiful eyes, seemingly pondering something, before raising his head again: "Since we're leaving, we should take something with us; we can't have come all this way for nothing."
Xie Qingyu set a trap for them, so naturally she had to retaliate in kind; that was the only way to reciprocate.
...
"Bang!"
A crisp yet dull thud of an object falling to the ground suddenly rang out from Yue Yining's temporary guest room, breaking the tranquility of the Frost Pen Courtyard.
Yin Yi and Huang Qiu outside the door tensed up instantly, exchanged a glance, and the other guards also gripped their swords.
"What's going on?" Yin Yi approached the door and called out in a low voice, but there was no response from inside for a long time. Huang Qiu took another step closer to the door and listened intently.
Not long after, a series of violent coughs suddenly came from inside the room, interspersed with intermittent sounds: "Cough cough cough... cough cough! Someone help me! There's so much smoke! Cough, cough cough cough!"
Almost simultaneously, wisps of thick, acrid, and burnt-smelling grayish-white smoke emerged from the cracks in the doors and windows, like silver snakes slithering out of their cages, vying for position!
"Oh no! There's smoke! There's a fire inside!" Yin Yi's expression changed, and disregarding etiquette, he pushed open the door abruptly.
A surge of thick smoke, hot and with a strong, pungent odor, rushed in like a wild beast breaking free of its restraints, causing everyone at the door to involuntarily take a step back and cough heavily.
"Send water! Protect Lord Yue first!" Yin Yi reacted quickly and gave the order in a stern voice.
Huang Qiu covered his mouth and nose and rushed into the smoke-filled room, followed closely by the other guards who reacted quickly.
The room was shrouded in gray, thick smoke billowed, and people were barely visible.
In the center of the room, the largest and most exquisite cloisonné enamel incense burner lay overturned, its lid rolled to the side, and unburnt incense ash and charcoal scattered all over the floor.
Worse still, curtains, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, were half-covering the charcoal fire, emitting a sizzling sound that made your teeth ache and continuously producing choking smoke. These curtains were connected to a carpet not far from the incense burner, which had been burned through with a charred hole that was still widening, with tiny sparks and wisps of smoke rising from its edges!
Yue Yining slumped down not far from the incense burner, in an awkward posture, as if she had twisted her ankle. She covered her mouth and nose with one hand, while waving the other in vain in the air, trying to drive away the smoke. Her face was pale, and tears welled up in her eyes from the smoke.
"Lord Yue, are you alright? Are you injured anywhere?" Huang Qiu rushed over and asked anxiously.
"Cough cough... I think I twisted my ankle and can't stand up..." Yue Yining raised her tear-filled face, her voice hoarse and full of regret, "I'm sorry... I accidentally knocked over the incense burner, cough cough cough...!"
As she spoke, she erupted in another heart-wrenching cough, as if she were about to pass out at any moment.
Yin Yi quickly scanned the scene: the overturned incense burner, the thick smoke from the smoldering wet cloth, the charred holes in the carpet, and Yue Yining, who was clearly frightened.
Seeing that people were already arriving with buckets of water, Yin Yi made a decisive move and began to direct the other guards to put out the fire. "You, go and put out the embers! You, open the windows to ventilate! The rest of you, move the carpets and curtains to prevent the fire from spreading and keep watch on the surroundings!"
He spoke rapidly, his gaze shifting to Huang Qiu, and instructed, "This smoke is too thick; Lord Yue is already choking on it and cannot remain here any longer! Huang Qiu, immediately escort Lord Yue to the eldest son's room to rest. I will send someone else to fetch a physician! Go now!"
"Yes!" Huang Qiu stepped forward without hesitation, carefully avoiding the scattered ashes and embers on the ground, and reached out to support Yue Yining's knees, picking him up in his arms. "Lord Yue, I'm sorry for the offense, I'll take you away from here first!"
"Thank you so much..." Yue Yining's voice was weak. She lowered her head, looking extremely tired and powerless. Most of her weight was leaning on his arm as Huang Qiu carried her and quickly ran out of the smoke-filled room.
As soon as I stepped out of the room, although there was still some lingering smell of smoke in the courtyard, the air immediately felt much fresher.
Yue Yining seemed to have caught her breath, but she still kept her eyes closed and leaned weakly against Huang Qiu. Huang Qiu didn't dare to delay and led her through the corridor, heading straight for the main house where Xie Qingyu lived.
Along the way, Huang Qiu passed many maids in a hurry. Without glancing at them, he rushed open the door of the main house and placed Yue Yining, whom he was holding, on the soft couch in the inner room.
Huang Qiu was about to speak when he said, "Lord Yue, please rest here for now. I will go and fetch a physician immediately..."
Before the words were even finished!
Yue Yining's eyes changed as she left his embrace. Using her wide sleeves as cover, she subtly flipped her wrist and sent a small pinch of fine, dust-like powder with a strange sweet and fishy smell precisely flying towards Huang Qiu's unsuspecting mouth and nose!
"Huh?!" Huang Qiu felt a sweet fragrance rush into his nostrils, his mind went blank, the scenery in his eyes blurred and spun instantly, and all the strength in his body was instantly drained.
He stared in shock at Yue Yining.
The woman in blue sitting by the couch stared directly at him.
Her aura had completely changed; the feigned weakness and panic receded like the tide. A deep, unfathomable smile slowly surfaced in Heishan Baishui's eyes.
Huang Qiu realized they had fallen into a trap, but his vision went black and his body went limp uncontrollably, crashing heavily onto the smooth blue brick floor with a "bang," and he completely lost consciousness.
The smile on Yue Yining's face vanished completely.
Without even glancing at the unconscious person on the ground, she swiftly closed the door silently, bolted it shut, and completely shut out the noise from the outside world, leaving only her deliberately suppressed breathing inside.
She turned around and her gaze settled on the large, heavy rosewood desk in the inner room, on which were piled several scrolls of documents and several opened letters.
Time was of the essence, and Yue Yining did not hesitate at all, striding to the desk.
With her hands and eyes working in unison, she quickly scanned the pile of documents and letters on the table, her gaze carrying a calm urgency as she swept over each line of text, searching for her target.
Just now, before causing that fire, Yingying told her many things.
"...After we arrived at the border, General He and Sister Feiyan have been lurking among various forces, secretly gathering information and gradually figuring out the reasons for the chaos at the border."
"Because of the reform of the border army, the border government was almost entirely controlled by the commoners. However, most of the generals were protected by the Gu family clan and obeyed the orders of the powerful families. As a result, the border area almost became a small court, with frequent conflicts and intensified contradictions."
"Those military generals have brute strength, but they are no match for the cunning of the civil officials who have been immersed in the bureaucracy. The officials from humble backgrounds, because they have received the help of Zuo Yingfeng, have almost all the power and have no one to supervise them. They have long been blinded by greed."
"They were dissatisfied with the way the military generals acted. In order to completely control the discourse in the border areas, the faction from humble backgrounds chose to take advantage of the opportunity of the border army reform, cooperate with local military businessmen, exploit the treatment of border generals and soldiers, provoke disputes, and attempt to dissolve their camp from within."
"But even they didn't expect that, on the one hand, the drawbacks of the border army reform were becoming increasingly apparent, and many of the dismissed lower-ranking soldiers became homeless vagrants, gradually gathering together and frequently causing trouble in the border areas, disturbing the peace and morale of the people;"
"On the one hand, the Di Rong people had long been eyeing the city covetously, and had planted many spies and agents in towns inside and outside the border. Hearing that the border was in chaos, they harbored treacherous intentions and suddenly led their troops to attack the city one day."
"They came with great force and were well prepared. They chose a remote small town and almost drove straight in, winning a great victory. The defending army was severely understaffed due to the reform of the border troops and their weapons were crudely made. They suffered a crushing defeat in the battle."
"Several important generals and all the soldiers defended the city to the last moment and all sacrificed their lives heroically, including Sun Cheng, the commander of the Black Tiger Gorge Garrison."
"Although other cities heard the news and sent troops to help, and recaptured the city, the towns near Black Tiger Gorge had already been burned, looted and burned, and countless civilians were killed or injured."
Yue Yining was stunned for a long time after hearing Yingying's explanation.
She had expected it, but when she heard it with her own ears, a deep sense of grief still welled up in her heart.
For those soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country, and for those innocent civilians who died tragically.
Yingying said, "Theoretically speaking, such a big thing should be reported back to Yanjing to inform the court, but the officials in the border areas know the reasons for the disastrous defeat in this battle."
“They dared not take responsibility, nor face the subsequent investigation and questioning by the court. They joined forces to block the post road and ordered their subordinates to guard it strictly, so that no news could be leaked. Even if someone leaked the news and secretly sent the letter to Yanjing, it would be intercepted by the Ministry of War or the Grand Secretary and could not be delivered to the emperor.”
"They've got the upper hand!" Yingying said angrily. "If it weren't for General He having the talisman given to him by the Princess, we probably wouldn't have been able to leave the border and come back."
Back then, Yue Yining had Wei Yihua give He Chan the talisman that represented her, precisely to ensure the safety of He Chan and others. Wei Yihua's identity was special; she was not only the favored eldest princess of the court but also the daughter of the Gu family, a prominent military clan.
In border regions where military officers were the majority, the status of this identity was self-evident.
With her talisman as a guarantee, He Chan, Jiang Feiyan, and the others will be able to leave the border safely, and even in the face of a crisis, they will be able to intimidate the government.
Yue Yining: "Besides the soldiers of Black Tiger Gorge, were there any other deaths that were covered up?"
Yingying: "General He has investigated and found that the breach of Black Tiger Gorge has the worst impact. The border troops are on high alert. If the Di Rong come to harass us again, they will be able to respond in time. Although it is still very difficult and consumes a lot of manpower and resources, at least the city gates have not been breached."
"But General He said that this was not good either. She said she had seen the border terrain map and felt that the Di Rong's frequent harassment was not like simple looting of supplies, but more like testing the true strength of the border troops, because the route they chose to attack the city was traceable, and it just happened to go around the southeast side, which was the easiest to break through, the weakest and most difficult to support."
"The general said that the Di Rong are likely already planning a full-scale war, and the border officials are completely unaware of it at all!"
Yue Yining's expression was also grave: "I share General He's opinion that this is definitely a harbinger of a major battle. There is no time to lose; we must immediately send generals and soldiers to provide assistance, and at the same time transport weapons and provisions to the border."
"If we rely on the current border officials and the inferior military equipment in our reserves to fight this war, we are very likely to be defeated. Even if we win by a narrow margin, we will inevitably suffer heavy casualties!"
At this moment, Yue Yining was in Xie Qingyu's room, investigating the intelligence that the Seventh Prince's strategist had sent to Xie Qingyu.
She read very quickly, going through almost all the documents on the table, obtaining a lot of key information and inside stories, and finally came to a conclusion—the Seventh Prince's faction did not participate in this border army reform, and Xie Qingyu had no relevant incriminating evidence.
For some reason, she felt a sense of relief.
She was about to continue rummaging through the drawers when she pulled one open, only to find it locked.
Yue Yining's eyes narrowed instantly.
The numerous important intelligence reports on the case were laid out casually for her to look at, and the other drawers that were opened were also unlocked, except for this one.
There must be something fishy going on!
As a master locksmith, Yue Yining's years of experience allowed her to quickly make a judgment just by looking at the keyhole. She pulled a thin silver hairpin from her hair and inserted it.
Before long, with a soft "click", she pried open the lock.
Yue Yining opened the drawer. To her surprise, there were no important documents or secret letters inside, only a few sealed scrolls.
Yue Yining hesitated for a long time. She had actually planned to close the drawer, but for some reason, a strong intuition guided her to open the scrolls.
In the end, she couldn't resist the urge that rose within her and reached out to pick up one of the rolls.
She untied the thin silk ribbon tied to the scroll, and a scroll half the height of a person was unfurled.
Yue Yining's pupils suddenly contracted.
This painting depicts a woman.
In the azure rain, she sat alone on the veranda, sipping tea while enjoying the rain, with distant mountains and dense bamboo as her backdrop. Beneath her green long gown was a pristine white robe, her vivid features meticulously depicted with fine brushstrokes. A gentle tranquility flowed through the ink and color on her body, almost bursting forth from the painting, deeply attracting the viewer and drawing them into this rain-soaked mountain courtyard.
Yue Yining was all too familiar with this woman's face.
That's her.
Yue Yining stared blankly at the scroll.
After a very long time, she suddenly put down the scroll in her hand and went to get the second scroll.
Volume Two, Volume Three, Volume Four... Yue Yining was increasingly surprised and shocked as she read on.
These paintings depict her at various ages, from a dusty little beggar who was still wandering around at the age of seven or eight to a disciple of a venerable master who was full of vigor and just beginning to learn the Five Arts at the age of eleven or twelve.
At the age of fourteen or fifteen, he became more composed and reserved, gained some understanding of the profound secrets of heaven, and was a generation of outstanding talents who were in awe but unwilling to be manipulated.
At the age of seventeen or eighteen, she had already descended the mountain to travel the world, wandering the world with Fu Yao, hiding her identity, and not caring even if she was mistaken for a swindler. She was an ordinary female Taoist master.
The two paintings that followed both depicted her at the age of twenty. One was a rain scene she had just seen, with the background clearly showing the mansion in Jiulian Town; the other was at the Xie Mansion, which she recognized because of the white cloth and apricot blossom grove in the background.
It was the day she came to pay her respects and attend the funeral after hearing of Xie Zhi's sudden death.
That day, she and Xie Qingyu strolled in the apricot grove in the backyard. She comforted Xie Qingyu, who was weeping for his father's death. At that time, she still thought Xie Qingyu was a gentle and kind gentleman, just as his name suggested, and had not yet seen through his true colors.
Even after so long, she still remembered the apricot blossoms that covered her head and face when the wind blew, and the gentle, tender look in Xie Qingyu's eyes when he looked at her.
The woman in the picture wears a simple robe and a plain shirt, but her smile is radiant and dazzling, and her shoulders are covered with snow-white apricot blossoms.
She didn't understand painting or know how to appreciate it, but these paintings didn't require her to deliberately comprehend them. The painter's emotions poured into the brushstrokes like a stream flowing into the viewer's eyes and into her heart, so intense that she could hardly breathe.
Yue Yining was somewhat dazed. She realized that these paintings were very likely the work of Xie Qingyu himself, and her fingers holding the scroll began to tremble involuntarily.
But why?
Have they met before? Did he know her before?
Otherwise, how could he have sculpted her face so perfectly, even during her teenage years when she herself had no portraits left behind?
Yue Yining's thoughts were in a state of confusion, and her fingers flipped to the last scroll.
In the last painting, in deep darkness, she is dressed in a blue robe stained with blood, chained to a rack, her neck crooked, her eyes closed.
Yue Yining's breathing became lighter. She stared intently at the painting, completely absorbed.
For some reason, even though the woman's face on the rack was not clear, Yue Yining had an almost sharp intuition—that the person in the picture was her.
But she had never been tortured or bled that much, which means that this was a scene imagined by Xie Qingyu.
This painting is the most hastily done, with rough brushstrokes and no refinement. It is completely different from the other paintings, as if it was made to vent, or as if the painter was unable or unwilling to depict the details.
The purpose of creating this painting was to remind him that while he was indulging in pleasure, he should not forget his original intentions, nor the inevitable end.
Looking at the unfamiliar version of herself in the painting, Yue Yining suddenly had an almost absurd and crazy association.
This is very much like the ending she had envisioned.
Once she is defeated by the will of Heaven, this will be her fate.
"The bigger man!"
Yue Yining suddenly looked up, startled from her thoughts.
She looked at the open windows in front of her, which were still creaking and swaying. Yingying, standing beside her, was looking at her with curiosity: "Lord Yue, have you found what you're looking for?"
"What are you looking at? Why are you so focused? I called you from the window but you didn't hear me."
"..." Yue Yining silently put away the paintings, returned them all to their original places, and locked the drawer.
When facing Yingying, she smiled, but it was much more forced than usual: "It's nothing. I've searched it all, but there's no useful information in it."
"Okay." Yingying was a little disappointed, but she quickly cheered up. "Let's hurry while they're still putting out the fire! We only have one hour left; if we want to leave, we have to act now!"
Yue Yining remained silent: ".......Okay."
The main house was quiet and peaceful, perhaps because all the staff had been mobilized to put out the fire, and not even a maid was in sight.
On the way away from the Frost Spray Courtyard with Yingying, Yue Yining was unusually quiet, while Yingying chattered away like a noisy and lively little sparrow.
Halfway there, Yingying suddenly remembered something, slapped her forehead, and exclaimed, "Ah, that's right!"
"Her Highness the Princess asked me to bring a letter, saying that if the Lord of Yue is under tight guard and cannot take you away, then this is for you. Thank goodness, I almost forgot about it."
Yue Yining was stunned: "A letter?"
Yingying nodded vigorously: "She said it was given to her by a Taoist priest named Zhang Wangyuan!"
Upon hearing the name, Yue Yining immediately understood.
She took the letter from Yingying, knowing that it contained the magic Zhang Wangyuan had promised to teach her, but she didn't rush to open it. Instead, she carefully hid it in her bosom.
Seeing her actions, Yingying, for some reason, also became much quieter and more obedient, instead of being eager to try.
Yue Yining looked at her and said, "Let's go."
Yingying nodded, and the two walked side by side. Yue Yining noticed Yingying's unusual behavior and kept glancing at her, asking softly, "Why aren't you saying anything? Weren't you just talking about the border?"
Yingying raised her eyes, then quickly lowered them again. She touched her head and whispered, "Actually, when I came back from the border, Sister Feiyan told me some things. She told me that if I saw the Yue people, I must pass on her message."
"She was prejudiced against you at first, but after returning to Yanjing and going to the border, she gradually realized that you were indeed a good person, a rare official who was willing to give everything for the people."
"She always felt very sorry for making things difficult for you and Xie Qingyu back then, and even for making Xie Qingyu kneel before her..."
As Yingying spoke, the female official in green beside her suddenly stopped in her tracks.
She looked over and found that Yue was completely stunned, standing motionless in place.
My ears were ringing and my mind went blank.
Yue Yining could hardly believe what she was hearing.
It took her a long time to find her voice, which seemed to come from a very far place: "What did you say?"
Who knelt before her?
Yingying was startled by her expression. "It's...it's Xie Qingyu..."
Yue Yining was in a daze. She looked at Yingying, her voice almost floating, lingering for a long time: "...When did this happen?"
"During the disaster relief efforts in Qinghuai? Why don't I remember that?"
"Doesn't Lord Yue know?" Yingying asked in surprise. "You had a fever and fell into a coma, and you were unconscious for several days. It was Lord Xie who took care of you. Sister Feiyan was really rude at first, leaving you in a moss-covered cave while it was raining heavily outside, which is why your fever got worse and worse."
"It was Lord Xie who offered to exchange his gold and jade ornaments for a set of clothes and a straw mat so that you could sleep peacefully."
"But later your condition did not improve at all, but worsened. So Lord Xie came to Sister Feiyan to buy herbs from her. But at that time, there were very few herbs in the camp because it was troublesome to bring them into the city. They were almost all reserved for emergency use. Sister Feiyan refused to sell them to him."
"Sister Feiyan deliberately made things difficult for him, saying that if Lord Xie was willing to kneel down and beg her, she would consider it."
"Because of Fei Yan's previous experience, she particularly hates men who pretend to be affectionate. She thinks that a young master from a prestigious family like Lord Xie would never kneel. She wants to expose Lord Xie's pretense and embarrass him, which is why she said that."
"But she didn't expect that Lord Xie would kneel down without hesitation."
Yue Yining remembered.
No wonder, in those few days, Xie Qingyu always walked very slowly, as if he was injured, but when she asked him, he would smile and say that he was fine;
No wonder, when she woke up she found that Xie Qingyu's crown and accessories were gone. He even told her that he had accidentally lost them on the way up the mountain.
No wonder Jiang Feiyan was arrogant when she took her away, but when she woke up she was lying in a warm cave with a bed, bedding, and medicine.
It turns out that all of this was because of him; he suffered injustice for her.
“…I don’t know.” Her voice was very soft, as if she were talking to herself, or as if she were lost in thought. “He never told me.”
Xie Qingyu was adept at feigning weakness. He knew she was more responsive to gentle persuasion than force, so he would always use some means to soften her heart and make her unable to hold his actions against him. But this time was an exception.
Why did you keep it from her? Why didn't you tell her? Why are you only letting her know all this now?
Yingying seemed to understand a little. She looked at Yue Yining cautiously, her voice soft and low, as if afraid of upsetting her: "I'm sorry, I didn't know Lord Xie hadn't told you. Sister Feiyan also thought you should have known about these things a long time ago."
"I'm so sorry..."
The two stood silently in place.
The path was secluded, but a group of guards ran past quickly on the outer perimeter, their metal weapons clanging together with a crisp, sharp sound, as if reminding the two that this was not a place to linger.
After hesitating for a long time, Yingying whispered, "Lord Yue, aren't we leaving?"
Yue Yining seemed to come to her senses only then. She slowly raised her head and looked at Yingying with an unfathomable gaze.
“…I’m sorry,” Yue Yining said, “I have to stay.”
Her mind was a complete mess; both her emotions and thoughts were in utter chaos. The palpitations and sharp pains surging through her chest were inexplicable and unexplained.
Yue Yining felt her eyes were warm and wanted to cry, probably because the wind and snow were too cold and had made them red.
She had a vague feeling that she couldn't just leave like this.
She should stay. She can't just leave after knowing all this.
She had so much to say to him, and she was eager to tell him everything.
Yue Yining squatted down, gently took her hand, and looked at her with her already red eyes, "Yingying, you should leave the manor quickly, while it's still early, there's still time."
“I’ve just made up my mind. Even if I get out, I’m still a criminal now, and I’ll end up back in prison anyway, so I might as well stay here. Tell Her Highness the Princess that I’m fine here, I can handle Xie Qingyu, and I can even use him to get more information about the Seventh Prince’s faction. My life is not in danger, and Xie Qingyu won’t hurt me. Tell her not to worry.”
"As for Her Highness the Eldest Princess's arrangements, I will handle them. I know who the spies in the mansion are, and I will find a way to contact them and tell them not to act rashly."
"Please tell her thank you for me. I know she understands me, and I know she will come to my rescue. She never disappoints me. I trust her from the bottom of my heart, which is why I entrusted this case entirely to her. Tell Your Highness that this was also the reason why I planned it this way in the first place—because I wanted Your Highness to win on your own this time."
"With this experience, there will be countless more. She will become a princess who can truly stand on her own, and she will be able to win every battle even when I am not by her side."
She hugged Yingying and whispered, "I'm waiting for your good news."
......
It was half an hour later when Yin Yi and his men finished dealing with the thick smoke and fire in the room.
In the midst of the chaos, he did not forget to promptly send someone to inform Xie Qingyu, who was waiting for guests in the front hall.
Yue Yining returned to the main house and sat down in front of the bed. Not long after, she heard hurried footsteps coming from outside the corridor. She looked up and saw Xie Qingyu just opening the door.
He had clearly run over; he wasn't using an umbrella, and his clothes were covered in snow.
He looked at her, his face showing undisguised bewilderment.
Xie Qingyu stumbled into the room, knelt down in front of her, and reached out to hug her waist.
Yue Yining watched helplessly as he threw himself into her arms, his still trembling arms tightly wrapped around her.
He was completely flustered, unlike his usual gentle self. His strength was so great that he almost mashed her into his bones, causing her some pain. He was also cold, with a chill tinged with frost and snow.
But Yue Yining let him hold her without objecting.
Xie Qingyu's panicked voice rang out: "Miss, are you injured? Are your clothes on fire? Quick, let me see..."
"Xie Qingyu".
Yue Yining spoke abruptly, her voice a little hoarse, "...You're getting more and more outrageous."
Did I give you permission to hug me?
Perhaps because he had truly seen that she was safe and sound, Xie Qingyu gradually recovered from his previous state of extreme panic, but judging from his expression, he was still shaken.
Xie Qingyu realized her lapse in composure, slowly loosened her grip, and knelt somewhat awkwardly in front of her, "...I'm sorry."
"I was too hasty. As soon as I heard the guard say that your room was on fire, I completely..." completely lost my composure.
That's just how he is; he can never stay calm when it comes to her.
Xie Qingyu almost pleaded with her, holding her hand and gently coaxing, "Can I take a look? I won't touch you, I just want to see if there's anywhere on your body that's been burned..."
Xie Qingyu looked up and saw Yue Yining's face, his voice suddenly stopping.
He asked in astonishment, "...Miss, were you crying?"
Xie Qingyu had never seen Yue Yining show such an expression before; it seemed like she was sad, or perhaps just silent.
She looked into his eyes, which were filled with countless mists and raindrops, blurry and indistinct, like a spring mountain shrouded in misty clouds.
“…I didn’t cry.” Yue Yining lowered her eyes, her eyes slightly red, and said softly, “You’re mistaken.”
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Author's Note: Finally! They should be able to get together in the next chapter! [heart emoji]
I spent two days writing this long chapter of over 10,000 words, brimming with sincerity. [Sunglasses]
For those of you who have read this far, could you please share some nutritional supplements? [kiss][kiss]
P.S.: The foreshadowing about the painting was actually mentioned in the chapter where Ningning and Yuyu broke up. Yuyu actually planned to give Ningning a painting that day.
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The following contains minor spoilers regarding the plot and relationships. If you don't want to read them, you can scroll away here. [heart emoji]
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This chapter contains a lot of information, so I'll just mention it briefly.
In fact, each of the female officials was originally a great figure who would have been remembered in history. For example, Jiang Hairong and Jiang Chiyin were divine physicians (and Jiang Chiyin also invented gunpowder for battle). He Chan, Jiang Feiyan, and Fu Yao were famous generals. So if you think their strength is unreasonable, just think about the famous people in history and you will understand. That's the setting.
Regarding being together, I've always felt that Ningning needs a significant shock to make it happen.
She's not someone who acts on emotion, so I had to really shake her up in this part of the plot to make it feel natural. That's why I added a ton of buffs to these two chapters: the self-harm incident, the scroll incident, the kneeling incident... Because of the magic sent by Zhang Tianshi, Ningning will also learn Yu Yu's true identity in the next chapter, and that he came for her.
Volume 3 is nearing its end, and the main story will conclude with Volume 4. I'm working hard! Hope it finishes soon! [pat on the head]
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