Chapter Forty-Two
As soon as Mo Yinghuo stepped out of the palace gate, he saw two carriages parked at the entrance.
Beside the carriage stood a man dressed in black with a gloomy expression. Every time Mo Yinghuo saw him, she couldn't help but think of the man from beyond the Great Wall who hadn't appeared for nearly six years and wore earthen-red boots.
"Your Highness, Abbot Zhao, please get into the carriage." Lord Wu lowered his voice and pointed to the carriage behind.
Mo Yinghuo thought he would be going on horseback, but he didn't expect to be going by carriage. It seems that this matter is quite confidential.
Lord Wu had obviously guessed Mo Yinghuo's speculation, so he approached him and whispered, "Your Highness, the Emperor said that this matter must not be made public, lest it cause panic among the people."
Mo Yinghuo was always a little wary of this person, and unconsciously took a small step back.
Zhao Shu's brows furrowed silently.
The carriage clattered forward, and Mo Yinghuo knew from the sound of the horses that they were the finest of the best. Indeed, the people of the Starry Sky Division were swift and efficient in their work.
Mo Yinghuo half-closed his eyes, intending to take a nap, but then felt a pair of eyes staring at him. He then remembered that there was another person sitting in the moderately sized carriage. He opened his eyes slightly and, by the starlight and moonlight streaming into the carriage, discovered that Zhao Shu had been staring at his face the whole time.
"Um... Master Zhao, are you staring at me like that because you've taken a fancy to me?" Mo Yinghuo's mouth, when nervous or smug, always seemed to want to act wildly.
Zhao Shu quickly turned his head to the side, his hands on his knees unconsciously clenching together, and his ears turned slightly red.
The carriage was already dimly lit, so Mo Yinghuo didn't notice the change in him, only vaguely sensing that Zhao Shu seemed to have tilted his head slightly.
"Your Highness."
The voice was extremely soft, almost drowned out by the sound of the carriage running. Mo Yinghuo frowned, unsure if she was hallucinating or if Zhao Shu was calling her. She only heard two words before the crisp sound of hooves returned. She wondered why there was silence again, unsure whether to respond or not. Just as she was about to ask, a deep voice finally broke the silence. However, the speaker sounded somewhat nervous.
Are you... angry today?
Mo Yinghuo was taken aback. She hadn't expected that the usually aloof and elegant Yelan Starman would care about her feelings, which belonged to Yunxiu Kingdom. His question immediately dispelled the mixed feelings she had been harboring. Feeling a little guilty, she smiled bitterly and said, "Nothing like that. I... I was just thinking about something. Young Master Zhao, please don't take it to heart."
If there's nothing wrong with it, then why tell people not to worry about it? Mo Yinghuo's lips twitched.
That's good.
...
Inside the carriage, all was quiet again. Mo Yinghuo felt that she could no longer hear the sound of horses' hooves, only her own slightly rapid breathing.
"Um, Zhao Shu, I didn't mean it at noon, please forgive me. I was thinking about something and didn't notice..."
"fine."
Mo Yinghuo's eyes widened in the dim light, his fingers clenching his knees, and he exclaimed in shock, "He's alright! He actually said he's alright!"
...
The carriage suddenly stopped, and Mo Yinghuo immediately opened her half-closed eyes. Almost at the same time, she faintly smelled a faint bamboo fragrance.
Lord Wu: "Your Highness, Abbot Zhao, we have arrived."
Mo Yinghuo lifted the curtain and alighted from the carriage with Zhao Shu. The hazy moonlight bathed a bamboo grove, casting crisscrossing shadows.
There wasn't a sound of wind; it was unusually quiet. Even the sound of a broken twig snapping underfoot would make one hesitate.
The night was dark and windless. Apart from Mo Yinghuo, who was dressed in azure robes, everyone else was dressed in black. The people of the Star Division were always dressed in pure black from head to toe, clearly people who did extraordinary work.
Zhao Shusu usually wore a long black robe. While the difference between black and white was still discernible during the day, it blended into one at night. Mo Yinghuo, surrounded by a group of men in black, looked, under the moonlight and in her flowing, light blue robe, like a group of guards escorting a concubine who had secretly entered a foreign country.
Led by Lord Wu, the group lightly strolled along several paths, trampled through several dead tree trunks, and climbed several steps. Along the way, they could hear the gurgling of water but could not see the stream itself.
Mo Yinghuo felt increasingly strange as she walked, because the place seemed familiar, as if she had been here before. She glanced at Zhao Shu beside her, and Zhao Shu was also looking at her. Their eyes met, and after a moment, they understood each other and turned away.
Passing by a stone tablet, Mo Yinghuo noticed the strange characters on it and became absolutely certain. This bamboo forest was the place she and Zhao Shu had reached last time through the white jade coffin.
Suddenly, Mo Yinghuo and Zhao Shu stopped in their tracks simultaneously. The rest of the Star Division members immediately followed suit.
Lord Wu walked quietly to the two of them and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, is there a problem?"
A colossal stone statue stood there, its hand gesturing as if holding a flower. Moonlight bathed its face, making its sculpted features even more pronounced. Mo Yinghuo stood there, gazing up at it for a long time, his eyes fixed on the slightly raised eyes between the statue's brows. He seemed completely mesmerized, as if his soul had been drawn to it. He didn't even notice when Lord Wu approached to speak.
Lord Wu's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly reached out to grab Mo Yinghuo's shoulder, but a flash of cold light appeared, and his hand felt icy cold. His body trembled involuntarily, and he took a half-step back in shock. When he regained his composure, he saw that Zhao Shu had blocked him with his scabbard.
The two men blocked and retreated so quickly that they made no sound, and none of the Star Division members noticed.
"What a unique knife, even the scabbard exudes such a chilling aura," Lord Wu couldn't help but marvel.
Zhao Shu slowly lowered his hand holding the knife and said calmly, "Don't worry, Lord Wu, His Highness is fine. He was just staring at the stone statue and lost in thought."
Mo Yinghuo only realized what had just happened after hearing Zhao Shu's words. She glanced at the Xuan Blade in Zhao Shu's hand, looked at Lord Wu's gloomy face, and raised the corners of her lips, "I'm sorry, Lord Wu."
Lord Wu: "Has Your Highness discovered something?"
Mo Yinghuo: "This princess and Abbot Zhao have been here before."
Without hesitation, Lord Wu replied, "Didn't Your Highness just return to the capital?"
Mo Yinghuo smiled. "Lord Wu, this matter is difficult to explain. We have indeed been to this place before, and I remember this stone statue. However..." She suddenly stopped, her eyes involuntarily looking back at the stone statue.
Zhao Shu's gaze followed Mo Yinghuo's and fell on the stone statue. He frowned and pondered, "Your Highness, is this stone statue any different from the one I saw before?"
Mo Yinghuo shook his head and said with a wry smile, "It's the same, no change, but it seems... a little more kind."
Lord Wu: "..."
Zhao Shu said calmly, "Perhaps the moonlight is gentle."
Mo Yinghuo nodded. "Perhaps."
Lord Wu: "..."
The two examined the stone statue carefully from head to toe, but found nothing amiss.
Lord Wu stood behind the two men, motionless and barely breathing, his head held high as he stared at the stone statue in front of him. He couldn't see anything special about this ordinary stone statue. He looked at the two men with a puzzled expression, but they completely ignored him, their flesh and blood bodies almost standing like another stone statue.
"Ahem..." Lord Wu gently reminded him.
Mo Yinghuo turned around, rubbed his temples, and seemed to remember something. "By the way, Lord Wu, isn't there a pair of black and white wild cranes here?"
Lord Wu asked in surprise, "Yes, Your Highness, how did you know?"
Mo Yinghuo: "Last time, we saw it right in front of this stone statue. And another thing, Lord Wu, didn't you send someone to search this place thoroughly?"
Lord Wu: "The search has been completed, and no suspicious persons were found."
Mo Yinghuo: "It should be said that we didn't find anyone."
Lord Wu's serious gaze fell on Mo Yinghuo, and after a moment, he nodded solemnly.
Mo Yinghuo crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow, and a barely perceptible smile flashed across her lips as she coldly asked, "Then why is Lord Wu so cautious? You've been leading everyone here on the edge of the ground, like a group of thieves breaking into someone's house." She paused, then smiled and said, "Lord Wu, is there something you're hiding from me?"
Lord Wu was stunned for a moment, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his gloomy face. He cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, please forgive me. The people of the Starry Sky Division are used to doing things in secret. Perhaps their appearance reflects their true nature, and they inevitably... look like thieves."
Mo Yinghuo: "..."
Deep within the bamboo forest, there was a dungeon.
Two spies from the Starry Sky Division, carrying torches, led the way as the group descended the stairs deeper underground. Mo Yinghuo felt an increasing chill as she went, but thankfully, Granny Shen, always concerned for her, had prepared a loose robe. However, the robe was still too thin and couldn't ward off the pervasive cold of the dungeon.
She couldn't help but tighten the collar of her wide robe.
Suddenly, she felt a slight warmth coming from behind. Mo Yinghuo glanced sideways curiously and saw that Zhao Shu was indeed walking behind her. Perhaps due to the crowded steps, they were only about a hand's width apart.
A sly, secret joy flickered across Mo Yinghuo's lips. He slowed his pace, maintaining a distance of about half a palm's width, and quickly began to secretly steal body heat, just like the people from the Star Division.
The dungeon walls and steps were seeping water, and the group continued to descend cautiously.
"Your Highness, Lord Wu, we've arrived." A scout stopped in his tracks.
Mo Yinghuo and Zhao Shu entered and were taken aback. Inside the dungeon were two men, one old and one young, which was strange.
The older man had a completely white head and beard, clearly nearing a hundred years old, and wore a tattered set of clothes that were almost faded from washing. The younger man, however, was only around the age of a dancer, with a pair of small eyes that, though small, were exceptionally bright and expressive, and two thick eyebrows that were as black as charcoal, as if drawn with a brush. In short, he was the kind of person whose face you would remember after just one glance; he was so vividly and realistically portrayed.
"Lord Wu, the Emperor has ordered me to return to the capital immediately, saying that two strange people have appeared. Are you referring to these two?" Mo Yinghuo asked.
Zhao Shu simply stood aside, his gaze fixed on the white-haired old man.
Lord Wu nodded, then leaned closer to Mo Yinghuo and said in a low voice, "Yes, Your Highness."
Zhao Shu looked at the two of them and frowned repeatedly.
Mo Yinghuo: "Is there something wrong with these two?"
Lord Wu: "They all claim to be soldiers under General Long."
Yun Bing immediately fell silent, her gaze sweeping over the two men from head to toe with a sharp look. Both were indeed dressed in the same soldier's uniform; although the older man's uniform was faded from washing, the general style of its original form could still be discerned.
During the Zhaoming era, although the soldiers' uniforms were modified, the soldiers' everyday uniforms remained similar to those of the Lizhao era. The uniforms were all made of a single piece with narrow sleeves, a straight inner lapels, and an outer lapels with a corner, connected by ties, and worn with plain cloth trousers underneath. Moreover, the collar of this type of clothing had a relatively unique design, with a pointed neckline.
As the commander of an army, Mo Yinghuo naturally recognized them at a glance. Just now, she thought that the Starry Sky Division had given the two people a change of clothes, but it seems that the clothes they were wearing were their own.
"Has it been verified?" Mo Yinghuo asked.
Lord Wu leaned closer and lowered his voice, saying, "We have verified the identities of the two people with the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War. The older one is called Li Zhong, and the younger one is called Zhu Chunhua. These two people did exist during the Lizhao era, but the records all state that they died in battle."
Mo Yinghuo: "..."
Lord Wu paused for a moment, then continued, "I asked them some questions about the Lizhao era and General Long, and they answered truthfully. However, it's a bit strange. The young soldiers kept saying that he was fighting with General Long yesterday, while the old one said that he had been captured and imprisoned by the Northern Barbarians for nearly eighty years."
However, the two men's registered ages with the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War differed by only one year.
"Only one year apart?" Mo Yinghuo looked at the two of them and felt that it was a stretch to call them grandfather and grandson.
Lord Wu nodded solemnly.
Mo Yinghuo pondered for a moment, then asked, "Where were they found?"
Lord Wu: "This is the place. This bamboo forest is in the suburbs of the capital. In the past, when mountain bandits were rampant, they often ambushed and robbed merchants and people traveling to and from the capital. Many people lost their lives and lost their money here. Gradually, they preferred to take a detour rather than pass through here."
Mo Ying asked, puzzled, "Wasn't the rampant banditry a thing of the past, before the late emperor? How come it still exists now?"
Lord Wu: "Since the reign of Emperor Lizhao, the late emperor and the current emperor have worked diligently to govern the country. Most of the mountain bandits have been eradicated, and the remaining ones only exist in some remote areas. However, too many murders have occurred in this bamboo forest, and the people feel it is an ominous place, so no one sets foot here."
No wonder there was no one around.
Mo Yinghuo: "Then how did these two discover it?"
Lord Wu felt that the Princess seemed a bit far away from him, so he leaned closer and whispered, "There was a group of foreign merchants who, taking advantage of their numbers and being in a hurry, tried to find a quick and easy way to get through the bamboo forest. They came in at night, and when they passed by, they heard cries of 'Help!' coming from underground. They were so frightened that their legs went weak and they immediately ran out of the bamboo forest. That very night, they reported it to the authorities."
Zhao Shu remained silent, but for some reason, his expression grew increasingly somber.
...
Mo Yinghuo roughly understood the situation. The one who shouted "Help!" was naturally the soldier named Zhu Chunhua. After all, the old man's trembling voice probably wouldn't be able to produce a sound that could penetrate the earth.
The two had no idea why they had suddenly found themselves in this dungeon. They had only woken up and opened their eyes to find themselves imprisoned here in horror. She looked at the two of them again, an old man and a young man, the young man supporting the old man. In this damp and dark place, they had somehow managed to create a scene of mutual dependence and filial piety between grandfather and grandson.
Veteran Li Zhong coughed a few times with difficulty, and junior soldier Zhu Chunhua quickly patted his back to help him breathe. Her technique was very skillful, and it seemed that she had taken good care of the old man during her days of detention. The two got along quite well.
Mo Yinghuo: "Lord Wu, keeping these two here is not a solution. The dungeon is damp and cold, and that old soldier probably can't take it..." Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly heard someone calling him.
"Princess, they say that General Long is dead, and you are the current commander of the Yunzhao Army of Yunxiu Kingdom. They also say that the Yunzhao Army has swept through the surrounding countries in five years. I... can I also become a soldier under your command?" Zhu Chunhua had been listening intently to Mo Yinghuo and Lord Wu's conversation, and guessed that the woman in the blue dress in front of her was the Princess of Yunxiu Kingdom and the commander of the Yunzhao Army.
As Mo Yinghuo listened to him speak, she adjusted her outer sleeves, glancing at the young man every now and then. Finding him quite interesting, she smiled and asked, "What did you do under General Long before?"
Zhu Chunhua's thick eyebrows and small eyes flickered, and she proudly declared, "I'm the one carrying the flag!"
"Alright! Then you'll follow me from behind." Mo Yinghuo nodded slightly. This soldier's personality was completely different from Gongliang Zhong's, but for some reason, he reminded her of him.
Upon hearing this, Lord Wu was about to speak when Mo Yinghuo waved his hand to stop him.
Zhu Chunhua was so excited she couldn't control her voice, "Really! The Eldest Princess!"
Mo Yinghuo: "Naturally true."
At this moment, the old soldier with white hair and a long white beard slowly walked to Mo Yinghuo's side, coughed a few times while covering his fist, and said with difficulty, "Princess, my old bones can no longer follow you to the battlefield to fight the enemy. I beg Your Highness to let me go to Jietai Temple to become a monk soldier, to pray for the Yunxiu Kingdom, for the Emperor and Your Highness. Cough cough..."
Mo Yinghuo: "Lord Wu, please report this matter to the Emperor..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lord Wu cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor said that the handling of the two is entirely up to the Princess, and there is no need to consult him."
Mo Yinghuo's eyes twitched, and she pondered for a moment before saying, "Then let's settle this veteran at Jietai Temple." She paused, looked at the two of them, ran her fingers across her forehead, and coldly reminded them, "You two naturally know that some things cannot be said."
"Yes!" the two replied as if answering a general's command.
Once everyone was out of the dungeon, judging by the old soldier's pace, he would probably reach the end of his life by the time he walked out of the bamboo forest. Although the old soldier was old, he had an unusually large frame, and must have been a fierce and burly soldier in his youth. Therefore, Lord Wu had the men of the Star Division take turns carrying him.
As he passed the stone statue, Mo Yinghuo subconsciously slowed down and took another look.
"Your Highness, is there a problem?" Zhao Shu asked softly.
Mo Yinghuo shook her head. "No, it just feels a bit off."
"Zhu Chunhua, Li Zhong, you two get in the carriage," Lord Wu said in a low voice, then looked at another man dressed in black beside him and said, "You get in the carriage too."
"Sir, I can ride a horse," Zhu Chunhua said loudly, puffing out her chest.
Lord Wu immediately shot a sinister gaze at her, and Zhu Chunhua immediately lowered her head, trembling as she helped the trembling old soldier, who was said to be about the same age as her, onto the carriage.
"Your Highness, Abbot Zhao, please get into the carriage," Lord Wu said in a low voice as he approached Mo Yinghuo.
Mo Yinghuo: "..."
Zhao Shu turned his face away and climbed into the carriage without saying a word. He kept his eyes half-closed the whole way.
Fortune changes like the wheel of fortune.
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