Chapter 102 Torture: He was the incomparably noble eldest son of the Great Xia Dynasty!
The night was thick and dark, enveloping the entire area of earthen houses in silent darkness.
Under the cover of the thin moonlight, several dark figures silently crept to the front of an inconspicuous stone house.
The leader lightly tapped the door with his fingertips, and as soon as the signal was given, the wooden door opened a narrow crack.
"Leader." The newcomer slipped inside, knelt on one knee, and his rapid breathing made his voice slightly hoarse. "The location where He Xiyuan is being held has changed. We raided the eastern dungeon as planned, but found nothing. Cai Shan and his group have also disappeared."
Alu Heng was sitting by the fire pit polishing his curved knife when he heard this and his movements suddenly stopped.
Fangru, who had been sitting quietly in the shadows of the corner, felt her heart sink the moment she heard the news.
The plan went wrong, and Yuan'er was moved, which meant that Zhou Ling already knew about her betrayal.
She suppressed her surging emotions and continued listening with her eyes lowered.
The warrior's voice grew increasingly heavy: "What's even stranger is that the explosion at Blackrock Slope failed. The Xia official only lost two of his men; he himself... was completely unharmed."
"Explosion?" Fangru's breath caught in her throat.
She had repeatedly told Aluheng that Zhou Ling could only be captured alive! Her heart pounded in her chest, and a chilling fear ran down her spine and through her entire body.
If Zhou Ling truly dies in the explosion, time will reset, and everything will return to the beginning of that nightmare at the Xuanji Banquet! Her fifteen years of forbearance, all her plans, and even Yuan'er's safety will all be in vain!
"What did you say?" She stood up abruptly, her voice rising in shock. "Yuan'er is missing?" She turned to A Luheng, her eyes filled with disbelief and anxiety. "You promised me you would send more people to rescue him! Send reinforcements immediately to investigate!"
Ah Lu calmly reassured him, "I've already sent three teams to investigate! But they changed the detention location at the last minute, clearly they were prepared! What's the use of your anger now?"
"You were prepared? If you hadn't so confidently claimed you could easily take down those Xia soldiers, why would I have risked cooperating with your elaborate scheme?"
She recalled the play she put on for Zhou Ling in the tent, where she pretended to hit A Luheng's joints with a torture stick to force him to reveal his contact information, all to lure Zhou Ling to Black Stone Slope, the place she thought she could safely trap him.
Her voice trembled with anger, "Now look what's happened! Yuan'er is missing, and even that high-ranking official from Xia Kingdom couldn't be trapped!"
She suddenly lowered her voice, each word seemingly squeezed out from between her teeth: "Before the operation, I repeatedly instructed that we could only capture that Xia official alive, and we must not kill him! And you, you actually planted explosives in the camel caravan shop! If he really dies, the entire Tuyu tribe will be buried with you, do you understand?"
Aluheng suddenly stood up, his tone firm: "No matter how high-ranking an official is, they must abide by my rules in this desert! How could I, a man of Tuyu, fear retaliation from officials in the capital?"
"Your rules?" Fangru sneered, her gaze sweeping over the silent warriors with their heads bowed in the room. "You mean to make the entire tribe pay the price for your recklessness? To let these loyal followers of yours bleed into rivers because of your impulsive actions?"
Aluheng's face turned ashen, but he was speechless for a moment after hearing these words.
In the stillness of the night, Fangru lay alone on her simple bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
A-Lu-Heng's underestimation of his opponent and his self-righteousness cast a heavy shadow of unease over Fang-Ru's heart.
He didn't understand Zhou Ling's methods at all, nor did he understand the terrible consequences of killing Zhou Ling. It wasn't just a simple loss of life; it would trap her in an endless time loop, making her relive the heart-wrenching pain of losing Yuan'er over and over again.
Rescuing Yuan'er was her only way out; she could not place all her hopes on this untrustworthy and reckless ally.
A Luheng's brief silence in front of everyone just now said it all.
His shifty eyes and tightly pursed lips revealed that he had never truly taken her warning to heart.
If we continue to rely on him...
Fangru dared not think about it too much and tossed and turned on her simple bed.
Finally, she sighed softly, put on her robe, and got up.
The stone house was silent. She walked to the window, intending to open the wooden window to let in some fresh air, but then she heard hushed conversations coming from next door.
At first it was just a faint whisper. She didn't want to eavesdrop and was about to turn away when she heard a familiar name.
"...Please rest assured, Lord Yuan."
These words were like needles chilled to the bone, piercing her eardrums.
Fangru shuddered, immediately held her breath, and pressed her ear tightly against the cold stone wall.
“Once we deal with the Xia official here,” the unfamiliar voice was hoarse and deep, with the rough accent characteristic of the Northern Di people, “I will lead you straight to Longxi Pass. The garrison commander is one of my former subordinates. With our combined efforts from within and without, we will surely be able to take it down in one fell swoop.”
Fangru felt a chill creep up from the soles of her feet.
It turns out that Aluheng had been colluding with Qiyuan all along!
He swore he would never have anything to do with the Northern Barbarians. His sincere eyes and resounding vows were all a carefully orchestrated performance!
She recalled how she had risked her life to help him escape capture, and how she had cooperated with him in staging that self-inflicted injury to lure Zhou Ling into the trap. A wave of nausea and anger surged through her heart.
Qi Yuan's voice continued, each word carrying a chilling malice: "Although we failed at Blackstone Slope, we lost two of his trusted men. After retreating to Carle City, he mobilized local troops, and they will surely come to Shadow Valley to encircle and annihilate us tomorrow night. However..."
He let out a chilling laugh, “I already have people among the officers and soldiers. Once they paint the trees along the chosen route red as a signal, we will plant explosives in advance, ensuring that the Xia official will not return.”
"How can you be so sure he'll take that path?" came Aluheng's voice, tinged with doubt.
“My spies will mark the route they will take before they set off. Red paint will be the mark, so that there will be no mistakes.”
Fangru covered her mouth tightly.
If Zhou Ling dies, time will restart, all her efforts will be in vain, and she will forever lose the chance to save Yuan'er! This realization almost suffocated her.
Today, she risked her life to help Aluheng escape from trouble, thus repaying the debt of gratitude she owed him back then.
Now that he is colluding with the Northern Barbarians and plotting to harm Zhou Ling, she absolutely cannot sit idly by.
She quietly retreated, each step landing on the cold ground, yet feeling as if she were stepping on burning embers, making her uneasy.
She pushed open the back window, and the wooden shaft made a slight creaking sound, which startled her so much that her heart stopped. She held her breath and waited for a moment, and only when she saw that no one had noticed did she dare to move.
She glanced one last time in the direction of Aluheng, the ally she had once trusted, who had now become an enemy hindering her from saving her son and potentially destroying everything.
She then took a deep breath, leaped out of the window, and sped off toward the city of Carle.
Tonight, she must find Zhou Ling before dawn.
Not only must they save Yuan'er, but they must also stop the assassination attempt that is destined to trigger a time restart.
On the other side, Cai Shan took a pair of heavy wooden shackles from the rack of torture instruments. Although there was a thin cloth padding inside the shackles, their weight was still evident.
He Xiyuan was pressed down on a cold wooden chair by two guards, his wrists bound to the back of the chair with iron chains.
He looked at the wooden shackles, his fingertips trembling slightly, but his back was straight, like a newly sprouted bamboo.
His mind raced with images of his mother's years of forbearance. She had lived in anonymity for fifteen years, never even contacting her beloved grandfather. There must have been untold hardships behind it all.
If I were to expose my identity here, I would surely betray my mother and make all her fifteen years of forbearance and sacrifice go to waste.
In any case, the secret that he is Zhou Ling's son must be kept.
“Your father, He Ruo, defected with A Lu Heng, the leader of the Tuyu tribe.” Cai Shan’s voice was very low. “A Lu Heng set a trap, and in the battle of Heishi Slope, several of our brothers were blown to bits. The master has ordered that if you obediently tell us where A Lu Heng is hiding, you will suffer less physical pain.”
Xi Yuan slowly raised his eyes, his peach-blossom-like eyes showing no fear, but rather a calmness beyond his years: "Who ordered the interrogation?"
"It's Lord Zhou's order," Cai Shan answered readily, his gaze fixed on the boy's expression.
Xi Yuan's heart skipped a beat.
Is it my father? It really is him!
That man who held immense power and caused his mother half a lifetime of suffering!
A surge of emotion, a mixture of resentment, curiosity, and even a hint of inexplicable longing, instantly welled up in his heart, causing his eyelashes to tremble involuntarily, as quickly as a butterfly's wings flitting across the sky, yet Cai Shan had already keenly caught it.
He suppressed the turmoil surging within him, his voice remaining clear and steady: "My father, He Ruo, is an upright and honest man who would never collude with foreign tribes to harm the innocent. There must be a huge misunderstanding here." He deliberately emphasized the name "He Ruo," as if to reaffirm his stance and also to remind himself of his current identity.
Cai Shan placed the wooden cangue on the table beside him: "This is a wrist cangue. Although it won't hurt your skin, over time, your hands will gradually lose sensation. You can still speak up now."
Xi Yuan looked at the wooden shackles, her face slightly pale, but she still shook her head firmly: "I really don't know anything about it."
"My lord, why waste words with him!" Zhao Si, a guard who had been watching the execution, could no longer contain himself. His sworn brother was Wang Meng, who had died in the line of duty at Black Stone Slope. At this moment, old and new grudges surged into his heart, and his eyes burned with raging anger. He stepped forward, snatched the wooden shackles, pointed at Xi Yuan, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Look at him! He's clearly not going to admit his mistakes until he sees the coffin! Think about how tragically Wang Meng and Sun Yi died! If I don't make him speak today, I, Zhao Si, swear I'm not a man!"
"Yes! Use torture!"
"Let's teach this kid a lesson and avenge our brothers!"
Several guards who were on good terms with Wang Meng and Sun Yi roared angrily with red eyes and surrounded them.
The small cell was instantly filled with a murderous aura, as if the air itself had solidified under the chilling atmosphere.
Zhao Si's eyes were bloodshot, and veins bulged on his forehead. He grabbed a short whip covered in spikes from the table and raised it to strike the boy.
At the critical moment, Cai Shan's gaze swept over the boy's stubbornly pursed lips, and a scene from his patrol yesterday evening suddenly flashed through his mind.
As the sun was setting, a ray of golden-red afterglow shone through the iron bars of the high prison window and landed precisely on the dust in the corner of the wall.
The boy, with his back to the prison door, huddled in the shadows, was intently drawing and writing on the ground with a dry blade of grass.
That slender profile looked particularly fragile in the sunset, yet his back was ramrod straight. The unwavering focus he showed even in dire straits exuded an indescribable tenacity, which made him take a second look at him.
The image suddenly overlapped with the youthful yet composed face before him, and Cai Shan's heart softened inexplicably. The anger that had ignited because of his brother's tragic death subsided somewhat.
"Wait!" he raised his hand to stop them, his voice steady yet carrying an undeniable authority.
His gaze swept over the tense faces of the crowd, and he slowly said, "I understand your feelings. Wang Meng and Sun Yi are brothers who have gone through thick and thin together. We will avenge them sooner or later. But..."
He paused deliberately: "There are still some suspicious points in this matter. I will inform Commander Li before we discuss it further. No one is allowed to touch him before I return."
"My lord!" Zhao Si stamped his foot anxiously, his grip on the short whip almost watering it. "It is precisely through severe interrogation that we can force him to tell the truth!"
Cai Shan slowly shook his head, his tone becoming increasingly firm: "His Majesty only ordered the interrogation, without specifying what kind of torture to use. Before I report the situation to Commander Li and receive his approval, no one is allowed to carry out the torture without authorization. This is an order."
He emphasized the word "order," his sharp gaze fixed on Zhao Si, carrying an invisible pressure: "Let me make this clear beforehand: if I return and find him missing a single hair or with even the slightest unexplained injury, he will be dealt with according to military law without any leniency."
A brief silence fell over the cell, broken only by the crackling of the burning torches.
Zhao Si and the guards exchanged glances, their eyes filled with resentment, but in the end they dared not disobey the military order and reluctantly lowered their heads: "Yes, sir."
Cai Shan took another deep look at the boy curled up on the wooden chair. There was no fear in his eyes, only a trace of vigilance and stubbornness, which made Cai Shan feel even more that this matter was not simple.
He said no more, turned and walked away quickly.
His determination was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Cai Shan came from a humble background and witnessed a wrongful conviction in his hometown when he was young.
To meet their quota, county officials tortured the innocent carpenter's brother, a neighbor, into confessing. The honest young man, simply because he refused to admit to a fabricated crime, ultimately died unjustly under torture.
That memory was like a brand, deeply etched in his heart. Since taking charge of criminal justice, he has always adhered to one principle: interrogation is for uncovering the truth, not for venting personal grievances. Every life, every case, should be treated with utmost care; this is his promise to himself and to the deceased.
The stubbornness and clarity in the boy's eyes just now were completely genuine, which inexplicably touched him.
What troubled him even more was that the child, despite being imprisoned, still did not forget to read and write. The way he focused on writing in the dust reminded him of when he was young and could not afford paper and pen, so he would hide outside the window of a private school to eavesdrop and practice writing repeatedly with his fingers on the sand.
"Could such a diligent and studious young man, who remains calm in the face of danger, really be the son of a traitor?" Cai Shan pondered as he walked, his doubts growing stronger.
Moreover, this young man possessed an indescribable air of authority.
That composure in the face of adversity, that unyielding spirit, those overly clear and bright peach blossom eyes, and the unintentional noble demeanor when raising a hand—all these were completely different from the children of ordinary families, making him feel that there was probably more to the story.
However, after Cai Shan's figure completely disappeared at the end of the corridor, the atmosphere in the cell became tense again.
Zhao Si listened intently for a moment, making sure Cai Shan was far away, before slowly turning around with a sinister smirk on his lips.
He pulled a thin, specially made rope from his pocket. The rope was wrapped with fine barbs, which gleamed coldly in the dim light.
He walked step by step toward the boy, his eyes flashing with a complex light, a mixture of resentment, bitterness, and a hint of hidden madness.
“Boy, don’t blame us for being ruthless.” He shook the finger-binding rope in his hand, his voice extremely low. “Lord Cai forbade torture, but he didn’t say we couldn’t ‘serve’ you. This thing won’t leave a single mark on the outside, but the feeling inside… I guarantee you’ll never forget it.”
He gently tied a thin rope around Xi Yuan's middle finger and slowly tightened it.
At first, it was just a slight feeling of tightness, but as time went on, my fingertips started to feel numb and swollen, and finally, I felt a series of stinging pains.
Xi Yuan bit her lower lip, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead, but she remained silent.
"Switch to the other hand!" Zhao Si ordered.
This process was repeated, and Xi Yuan's ten fingers endured this slow torment.
Although there was no blood, the persistent numbness and tingling were more unbearable than the momentary pain.
His face grew paler and paler, and his breathing became rapid, but his eyes remained clear and firm.
"Use the incense to wake you up!" Zhao Si took out another stick of incense and lit it.
The pungent smoke drifted slowly towards Xi Yuan, irritating his nasal cavity and eyes.
He couldn't help but cough, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably, yet he stubbornly turned his head away.
Finally, under the continuous torment, the already frail boy could no longer hold on and fainted.
"Wake him up! Trying to play dead? No way!" Zhao Si ordered, and took out a whip, preparing to change the instrument of torture and teach him a lesson again.
A guard immediately brought over a basin of ice water and poured it mercilessly over Xi Yuan's head!
"Splash!"
The biting cold caused his body to convulse violently, and he let out a groan.
The cold water washed away the dust, sweat, and blood from his face, and also washed away the dark makeup he had carefully applied to conceal his appearance, revealing his originally fair, jade-like, and exquisitely beautiful skin and features.
That unmasked face was completely exposed under the flickering lamplight, and time seemed to stand still at that moment.
All the noise, shouting, and panting stopped abruptly.
An eerie, suffocating silence fell over the cell.
Zhao Si's hand holding the whip froze in mid-air, his eyes widened like copper bells, his mouth opened unconsciously, and all the color drained from his face, leaving only boundless horror and disbelief.
"Your Majesty...?" He almost groaned as he squeezed out the two words, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
The guards nearby reacted as if they had seen a ghost, and they retreated abruptly. One of them accidentally bumped into the rack of torture instruments, causing a series of clanging noises, but no one paid any attention.
Their gazes were fixed on Xi Yuan's face, as if drawn by a magnet.
His sword-like eyebrows slanted upwards, his nose was high and straight, and his lips were full and beautiful. In particular, the noble and aloof air between his brows, which lingered even in his coma, made this face a clear replica of the current emperor Zhou Ling in his youth, whom they admired every day in the court, in the ceremonial procession, and on the throne!
“No…impossible…how could this be…” a guard muttered to himself, his legs trembling.
Undeterred, someone staggered over and brought a basin of water. With trembling hands, they dipped their sleeves in the water and vigorously wiped Xi Yuan's cheeks and forehead.
However, the more he wiped it, the clearer the outline of the face became, and the higher the degree of overlap with the emperor's appearance!
"Gulp." Someone swallowed hard, the sound particularly clear in the deathly silence.
The guards, who had just been filled with murderous intent and wished they could devour Xi Yuan alive, were now ashen-faced, sweating profusely, and their hands and feet were ice-cold.
Looking at the marks on the boy's hands that they had left themselves, they felt that each wound was like a death warrant, stuck to their own lives and the lives of their entire clan!
“You…whoever wants to lay a hand on me can…” a guard cried, practically scrambling back to the corner. “I…I have an eighty-year-old mother at home…I…I dare not…If this really happens…we…we’ll all lose our heads…no, our entire families will be exterminated!”
The phrase "nine generations of relatives..." struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.
The whip in Zhao Si's hand fell to the ground with a "thud" again. He looked at his hands, as if they were covered with indelible sins, and his body began to tremble violently uncontrollably.
"Quick! Go find Lord Cai and bring him back! Hurry!" Zhao Si roared hoarsely, his voice filled with desperate panic.
Cai Shan was hurriedly pulled and dragged back. The moment he stepped into the cell and his eyes fell on Xi Yuan's true face, he was struck by a thunderbolt and froze on the spot!
They look so alike!
It was so similar that it made his very soul tremble!
"Ten, fifteen years ago..." The most senior guard suddenly went weak in the knees and almost collapsed to the ground, his voice trembling and out of tune, "I was still on duty in the Imperial Guard at that time, and I remember a rumor very clearly... On the night of the Xuanji Banquet, His Majesty was at Zuixianlou and had his way with Shen Fangru, the daughter of Minister Shen of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices!"
He swallowed hard, his face still showing signs of shock, and continued, "Back then, there was a rookie guard who didn't know the rules. Because of the urgent report from the northern border, he broke into a private room at Zuixianlou and happened to run into His Majesty and Miss Shen... After that, that rookie never appeared again. It was rumored in the palace that His Majesty was furious and punished him on the spot."
He didn't dare utter the word "execution," but everyone present could clearly hear the bloodshed in his unfinished words. That reckless guard had already paid the price with his life for uncovering the emperor's secret.
The old guard lowered his voice even further, filled with a deep-seated fear: "If Miss Shen had been pregnant back then, the child... wouldn't he be this young man's age now?"
These words were like a boulder thrown into a deep pool, plunging the entire cell into a deathly silence where you could hear a pin drop.
All eyes were fixed on He Xiyuan's face, a face almost identical to the current emperor's, which now exuded a suffocating sense of oppression.
"Shen Fangru!!!"
This name, like the final piece of the puzzle, slammed into Zhao Si's mind!
He suddenly recalled that eleven years ago, when His Majesty heard the news of Shen Fangru's death, his heart-wrenching cries were like those of a trapped beast, and his boundless rage, which was almost frenzied, as he massacred the Western Rong!
That battle left corpses strewn for miles and rivers of blood, almost changing the landscape of the North!
But... but the border troops clearly brought back Miss Shen's body and keepsakes back then... Could it be... could it all be fake?
A cicada shedding its shell?!
Zhao Si trembled as he crouched down, staring intently at Xi Yuan's slowly opening, peach blossom eyes filled with confusion and pain. His voice was hoarse and distorted with extreme fear: "You...your mother...is she Shen Fangru? She...is she...already dead?!"
Xi Yuan had just woken up from his daze, his consciousness still hazy, but the words "Shen Fangru" and "dead" exploded in his ears like thunder, instantly dispelling all the chaos.
I can't tell!
The fact that his mother was still alive was an even bigger secret than his own background!
It is the truth that my mother has been protecting for fifteen years, hiding her identity and going into hiding!
“My mother… is alive and well…” He endured the stinging pain in his fingertips, his voice weak but unusually firm, “Her name is Vire… she was an ordinary embroiderer… you… don’t talk nonsense…”
However, Cai Shan keenly noticed the fleeting panic in his eyes, the momentary hesitation, and the stiffness of his deliberate change of words.
Cai Shan and the others already knew that the boy was lying.
He was too young to know how to perfectly conceal the shock in his heart.
That moment of panic, that feigned composure, both silently told the truth.
At this moment, all the clues were connected in Cai Shan's mind.
This face is almost identical to His Majesty's when he was young, the corpse whose identity was questionable eleven years ago, and the strange reaction of the boy in front of me when he mentions his mother.
Everything points to that astonishing fact: Shen Fangru is still alive!
And the stubborn young man before them was none other than His Majesty’s biological son with Shen Fangru, whom he had been searching for in vain and who had been lost among the common people. He was the most noble eldest son of the Great Xia Dynasty!
Zhao Si exchanged glances with the other guards. Although the boy vehemently denied it, everyone was already convinced of it in their hearts.
That face, so identical to His Majesty's, is the most compelling evidence.
An eerie silence fell over the cell.
Looking at the boy's pale yet stubborn face, and recalling the torture they had just inflicted on him, everyone felt a chill run from their feet up their spines.
It’s over!
Zhao Si and the others were deeply shocked, as if they had been overwhelmed by a raging torrent!
They just tortured the imperial heir and whipped the royal bloodline... This is not just a simple dereliction of duty, it is a heinous crime that will implicate nine generations of the family!
Given His Majesty's unpredictable nature, everyone present will likely face certain death!
"Quickly! Go and report to Lord Li Zuo!" Cai Shan suddenly stood up, his voice shrill and distorted with extreme fear. Then, as if remembering something, he changed his words with even greater terror, "No! No! This matter is too great; Lord Li cannot bear the responsibility! Seal off the news! Prepare the horses immediately! I want to go to Carle City myself! To meet the Emperor! To meet the Emperor directly!!"
Inside the cell, the air was so heavy it seemed as if it could drip water.
Everyone stood frozen like clay sculptures, their gazes fixed on the face that resembled the emperor's with extreme complexity. Their hearts were in turmoil, filled with fear, regret, disbelief... a mix of emotions that nearly drove them mad.
Xi Yuan, amidst the deathly silence and countless terrified gazes, slowly and laboriously closed his eyes again.
The stinging pain in my fingertips hadn't completely subsided, constantly reminding me of the agony I'd just endured.
However, a strange feeling quietly spread through Xi Yuan's heart. It was neither hatred nor the pleasure of revenge, but a sense of satisfaction mixed with pride and a touch of youthful spirit.
He was, after all, just a fourteen-year-old boy.
Just moments ago, those guards had surrounded him aggressively, their eyes red with fury as they roared that they would subject him to severe torture. But now, they were all ashen-faced, their limbs trembling, circling around him with eyes full of panic and helplessness. They were even breathing very softly. Their arrogance turned into obsequiousness, which made him feel a secret sense of pride rise in his chest.
"See, Mother," he said softly to himself, a slight ache in his nose, yet he couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips. "I didn't disgrace you. They tortured me, and I was in so much pain I could barely bear it, but I didn't yield, and I didn't utter a single word."
The guards' actions had indeed wronged him; he had done nothing wrong, yet he was being subjected to inexplicable punishment. He had also been afraid; the salt-soaked whip was right beside him, and he was genuinely afraid he would scream out loud.
But he didn't really resent them.
His mother once stroked his head and said that most people in this world are not in control of their own lives, and many seemingly fierce actions hide their own hardships.
Their anger stemmed from their deaths, and this obsession seems somewhat understandable.
Seeing their distracted and evasive expressions, he felt a pang of pity for them.
He closed his eyes and murmured in his heart: Mother, I have lived up to the resilience and forbearance you taught me. I did not reveal a single secret; they saw through it and guessed it themselves. But... Mother, I'm sorry. Your son was not strong enough; I couldn't have done better.
This secret joy was tinged with a hint of guilt, both for his fleeting vanity and for the trouble he might have caused his mother.
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