Clearing the Bureau (Part Two)
Why would it be two bells ringing?
What happened to Hong Ning?
Chen Zhuangmu was completely stunned after hearing the two chimes. She tried to take a deep breath to calm herself down, but when she looked at Zhao Yi, she found that he was also shocked.
That's right, that's right, how would he know?
Chen Zhuangmu felt like she had completely lost her mind. No, she had to get to the bottom of this!
She nudged Zhao Yi, "Quick, let's go inside! Hong Ning... she's only sixteen!"
Zhao Yi lowered his eyes and nodded.
But as soon as they took a step forward, they realized that the capital was searching for someone. The soldiers would cover the person's tattered clothes with decent clothes, and there was a basin of water nearby to wipe them clean. They were determined to identify the person before allowing them to enter or leave.
Chen Zhuangmu pursed her lips and stared at the scene, thinking that the two of them should just charge in, but she felt Zhao Yi tug at her sleeve and say, "Don't be impulsive. I know a way, come here."
Zhao Yi pulled Chen Zhuangmu to the base of a large tree and said, "I know the way from outside the city to Tongshi."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Chen Zhuangmu said, stepping past Zhao Yi. Zhao Yi caught up and grabbed her, saying, "I spoke too slowly."
“I know this road because I made an agreement with Tongshi to prevent them from being investigated. But I don’t know if there are other people behind Tongshi.” Zhao Yi looked into Chen Zhuangmu’s eyes, waiting for her to make a decision.
Chen Zhuangmu glanced at the refugees at the city gate, observing the strict inspection. She could vaguely make out children playing in the capital. If she were to force her way in now, she feared she would ruin Li Chu and Zhang Jiao's hard work.
"Let's go! To Tongshi!"
They set off immediately, crouching low and hiding under the tree canopy. Chen Zhuangmu followed Zhao Yi along the city wall for a long time. When she felt the dry, hard texture under her feet, she realized that she had truly left Miao territory.
A wave of sadness welled up in her heart again. Hong Ning was only sixteen years old. How could she have died?
Chen Zhuangmu felt a dryness in her heart and wanted to cry. Her throat hurt, but she couldn't shed a single tear. In the end, she stopped paying attention to her own condition and only thought about how to find out the truth and how to make someone pay with their life.
If she didn't think this way, she would be too heartbroken to walk.
As he walked, Zhao Yi suddenly reached the edge of the city wall. He stomped his foot on the ground, producing a muffled yet crisp buzzing sound. He looked up and down to see if anyone was paying attention to him. When he saw that the patrolling soldiers' eyes were all focused on the main gate, he used his dagger to pry up the dry clod of earth on top, revealing a small piece of the original design.
Then, he lifted the wooden plank, revealing a bottomless underground passage!
Chen Zhuangmu looked at him in shock, then jumped down, supporting herself on the ground. Zhao Yi also jumped down and closed the gray template.
Many soldiers were walking back and forth on the city wall. A young soldier looked curiously into the distance, searching for something.
The passage was narrow and dark, and they stood inside, completely at a loss as to where to go.
"Doesn't this look like the scene we had back in Stone Village?" Zhao Yi chuckled.
But Chen Zhuangmu couldn't smile. She said calmly, "Lead the way."
"Give me your hand." Zhao Yi reached his hand behind him.
And so, in the pitch-black passage, they touched each other's palms and fingers, and grasped them tightly. This time, they knew where they were going.
As I walked, I realized that the darkness and narrowness were not the most unbearable problems; the muddy path under my feet was becoming increasingly muddy, and there was even a stench of decay coming from it from time to time.
"Qingzi, are you sure you didn't go to the wrong place? Why does this smell still linger?" Chen Zhuangmu asked, covering her nose with her other hand.
“That’s right, like this.” He said, squatting down. “Come over here, I’ll carry you on my back. The Gu worms in your body have just been removed, so you can’t come into contact with these damp things.”
"Is that so?" Chen Zhuangmu said, climbing onto Zhao Yi's back. She felt him gradually get up and walk steadily through the muddy ground.
"What happened when you said that Tongshi was related to you?" Chen Zhuangmu whispered in Zhao Yi's ear.
"Two years ago, I came here because of its reputation, but when I saw how dilapidated it was, I wanted to go back. Then I saw a minister from the imperial court come here with his face covered."
I recognized him because of the mole on his forehead. At that moment, I realized that although this place was small, it had some real skills, so I traded with them.
Here, they give me the information I want, and I provide them with intelligence to protect them, but there must be others behind them. Zhao Yi spoke slowly and in a low voice. Chen Zhuangmu nodded, having no intention of responding.
Tongshi was built underground, so they didn't need to go up from below. After walking for a long time, they finally saw the passage becoming wider and wider, and they could see a faint light at the end.
Finally, they emerged from the passageway.
We walked from a muddy area to dry land. Although there were only a few small houses here, and the place was very simple, there was always a bloody smell.
Upon closer inspection, they discovered the source of the bloody smell.
The originally wooden house was covered with bloodstains of varying sizes and sizes. The area was so large and the scene so tragic that even the ground beneath their feet had a strange, somber color.
Clearly, a massacre occurred here.
"How could this happen?" Taking a deep breath, she realized she had encountered too many things lately and was at a loss for what to do.
Zhao Yi's expression was also grave. "Let's go out first. Only by going out can we find out the truth."
They didn't linger there, and as they passed a small house, Chen Zhuangmu heard a very familiar voice.
"Sister." The voice was soft, still carrying a touch of childish innocence.
Chen Zhuangmu's body stiffened instantly.
That's Yu Hongning's voice.
But she didn't dare turn her head to look. What if it was someone else? What if it was another little girl calling someone else "sister"?
She seemed unable to bear another blow; each time her hope was rekindled, it was extinguished, which was extremely painful.
However, she heard footsteps getting closer and closer, and Zhao Yi beside her seemed to have stopped as well. She slowly turned around to look.
A man dressed in coarse brown clothes, with his hair tied up and loose strands hanging down, wearing no jewelry, with a few dried brown bloodstains on his face, and a timid yet shocked expression.
“Hong Ning?” Chen Zhuangmu was stunned.
"Hong Ning...!" Chen Zhuangmu thought she was about to faint, and she felt like she was floating when she walked. She tugged at Zhao Yi, who whispered, "It's her."
Yu Hongning walked over, her lips twitching downwards. "Sister, what's wrong? Don't you recognize me?"
At this moment, Chen Zhuangmu burst into laughter. She was overjoyed, and the sudden change in her mood left her at a loss for what to do.
Yu Hongning looked at her and smiled, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Sister!" She ran over and hugged Chen Zhuangmu. "Sister, I never thought I'd see you again, I never thought..."
Chen Zhuangmu hugged her tightly, stroked her hair, and said, "It's me, I'm Chen Zhuangmu, I'm your sister."
After a while, Chen Zhuangmu wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and her eyes felt a little better.
Yu Hongning sobbed as she pulled away from his embrace, saying, "Sister, so much has happened in Huijing lately, how can I tell you..."
Chen Zhuangmu sighed, marveling at how much the little girl had grown up. She wasn't just crying and complaining, but she also felt sorry for her, wondering what had happened to cause such a big change. She stroked the girl's hair repeatedly and said, "Tell me about yourself first. How did you get here? I heard two bells before I entered the city."
“Sigh. How should I put it…” Yu Hongning lowered her head, and soon, as if she had made up her mind, she said, “Actually, before you left, I had already been placed under house arrest by my father.”
"Household confinement? What's going on?"
Yu Hongning didn't stand on ceremony and said, "You know that Father is very good to me. I don't need to announce myself when I enter the Imperial Study, and I always forget to knock."
She swallowed hard twice and continued, "After I went in, I heard him say, 'You've been smart all your life, but when it comes to winning, you still can't beat me...'" Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible. She leaned closer to the dark curtain and said, "I heard Father call out Aunt's name."
"Hmm." Surprisingly, Chen Zhuangmu remained calm.
Yu Hongning glanced at her and continued, "You know that Aunt and Father have a very good relationship. If Aunt hadn't had that accident, she would have already returned to Huijing. But when Father turned around and saw me, he actually had me placed under house arrest. Although Mother comes to visit me every day, she doesn't say anything to me and is somewhat eccentric."
"I sneaked out while they were delivering vegetables. You know I often run away. I first went to your residence, but the gates were closed. So I thought I'd go find Yuan Sheng; he's here on business, so I came along for a bit. But here I discovered the palace archers."
Yu Hongning closed her eyes, seemingly unwilling to recall anything, but there were some things she had to say.
"Archers?" Chen Zhuangmu asked, puzzled. "I've never seen archers when I come to the palace..."
“How could that be?” Yu Hongning continued, “He stayed in the palace all day protecting Father. Hmm… he was very burly, wore a mask, and had an eagle embroidered on his right shoulder. He also led a group of people and killed… everyone… here.”
But after she finished speaking, she didn't receive a reply from Chen Zhuangmu. She sneered to herself, thinking: There's still an eagle on my shoulder...
"Are you alright?" Chen Zhuangmu looked at her. She shook her head and said, "No, it was chaotic at the time. I hid well, but Yuan Sheng was hit by an arrow."
They didn't answer, and Chen Zhuangmu was even more at a loss for words. Then she said, "I hid in a very secure place. A few children were left behind like me; the rest are gone. Yuan Sheng was shot in the abdomen, but he treated himself and managed to survive."
Chen Zhuangmu heard that Yu Hongning's words no longer conveyed grief and sorrow, but rather a sense of helplessness, and she didn't know how to comfort her.
The person in front of her grasped her hand and said, "Sister, I... I know my father may have done something to hurt Aunt... I didn't hear everything he said that day, but I could hear that he... harbored resentment towards Aunt."
Surprisingly, she found Chen Zhuangmu's reaction to be rather indifferent, or rather, she seemed exhausted, but she still smiled and touched Chen Zhuangmu's hair, saying, "You actually knew? I was just thinking of telling you..."
No wonder they smelled this strange odor as soon as they came in. To say the smell was strange is an understatement; it felt strange. It was eerie, like a dying, powerless old tree.
Yu Hongning was waiting for her to continue, but she asked again, "What about those who died?"
"I buried the person with those children in the back." Her voice was low, each syllable heavy and difficult to understand.
"Hmm." Chen Zhuangmu smiled. "You've grown up and can protect yourself now."
"Zhao Yi, let's go." She turned around and patted him, then said to Yu Hongning, "I'll go back first. Take care of yourself, okay?"
She took a slow, deliberate step, raising a crimson curtain of water beneath her feet. Behind her, someone cried out urgently, "Sister! I...I know you'll be angry if Father hurts Aunt, but please...please...can you be nice to Father?"
Her throat tightened, and she couldn't say anything more. She didn't know if it was because she had been protected too well, or because she didn't believe that there would be any tragic ending between her father and her dear sister.
"What are you panicking about? Maybe I won't succeed?" Chen Zhuangmu didn't turn around.
“I knew you would persevere to the end. I knew it from the time you burned down Consort Yun’s palace when you were a child.” Yu Hongning kept her voice steady, at least she thought it sounded the same as when she spoke normally.
Chen Zhuangmu didn't know what to say. She didn't want to tell the young girl in front of her the whole truth. It would be too cruel for her. Even though it was a life-or-death struggle between her and the emperor, she just wanted the girl to know later.
The atmosphere seemed to have changed. Everyone's breathing was clearly audible, like being tossed about in the waves. Even if they didn't go ashore, they wouldn't die, but they would feel terrible.
"Hahahaha." Chen Zhuangmu turned her head and laughed. This was the most unrestrained she had been in all these months.
"If I had known you could remember for so long, I would have made the fire even bigger. Goodbye." She spoke casually, and without looking back at Zhao Yi, she hurried away.
Yu Hongning was uneasy, but she couldn't let go of Yuan Sheng and the children here. She also couldn't understand why the archers in the palace were killing people indiscriminately. But her sister-in-law said that she heard two bells before entering the city.
Two bells tolled, and the princess died...
Could it be that the archer saw her clearly?
These days are always scorching and oppressive, as if you're being roasted on a fire pit, squeezing out every last bit of your energy.
After leaving Tong City, Chen Zhuangmu and Zhao Yi decided to split up.
She had already made an appointment with Li Chu when she left. Li Chu was very close to the inner palace. She would give Li Chu a clue and Li Chu would come to her current location to find her and enter the palace at night.
Zhao Yi disguised himself as a wanderer outside Zhang Jiao's residence to find out the Privy Councilor's recent movements and eradicate the seeds that had been planted in people's hearts over the years.
Zhao Yi thought he would wait until Li Chu arrived before leaving, but Chen Zhuangmu had hidden herself in a place, so he had no choice but to go and find Zhang Jiao.
But they don't know that now.
Li Chu is already in the palace.
Zhe Jian is already in prison.
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