Chapter 49: A Secret Courtyard, a Temporary Respite
The morning mist had not yet dissipated. Glistening dewdrops hung from the osmanthus trees in the courtyard outside Beijing. A gentle breeze rustled them, sending tiny drops of water cascading down onto the bluestone slabs. Yun Zhi, draped in a thin coat, stood on the porch, gazing at the rolling green hills in the distance. Her fingers unconsciously stroked the silver bracelet on her wrist—a relic left by her mother, and the only thing she cherished now.
"Miss, the wind is strong. You've just recovered. Don't get caught in the wind." Qingzhu came over with a bowl of hot bird's nest porridge and handed it to her carefully. "The doctor said that this porridge replenishes qi and blood. You need to drink more so that you can get better soon."
Yun Zhi took the bowl of porridge, feeling the warmth from her fingertips, but it couldn't warm her icy heart. She looked down at the bird's nest floating in the porridge, and the abortion drug she'd been forced down her throat resurfaced before her eyes, along with the excruciating pain of losing her child. Her eyes instantly reddened. If it weren't for the quest to uncover the Yun family's past and avenge her child, she might have collapsed long ago.
"I'm fine." She suppressed her surging emotions and sipped her porridge, her gaze sweeping over every corner of the courtyard. Though secluded, the courtyard was permeated with a sense of strangeness—the masked figure refused to reveal the identity of their "old friend," the doctor and servants merely followed orders, and even the flowers and plants in the courtyard were arranged in a formation, clearly a deliberate arrangement.
"Qingzhu, do you find this place a little strange?" Yunzhi put down her porridge bowl and lowered her voice. "We've been living here for three days, and apart from the doctor and the servants, there's not even a messenger. The masked man said he would report back as soon as possible, but until now, there's been no news at all about 'Uncle Liu' or the dilapidated temple in the western suburbs."
Qingzhu was stunned for a moment, then thought carefully for a moment and nodded, "It's indeed a bit strange. Yesterday, I wanted to go to the backyard to take a look, but the servants stopped me, saying that the backyard was a 'forbidden area' and I was not allowed to enter."
"Forbidden area?" Yun Zhi's eyes flashed. "Let's go and take a look."
The two of them walked around to the backyard of the villa and, as expected, they saw a locked wooden door. A faded wooden sign hung on the lintel, reading "No Trespassing." The wall beside the door was covered in green vines, seemingly untended. Yet, the lock was spotlessly clean, clearly someone opened and closed it frequently.
Yunzhi squatted down, her fingers brushing against the copper ring on the door lock, finding fresh scratches on it, as if it had just been opened. She gestured to Qingzhu to keep watch while she plucked the plum blossom hairpin from her hair, inserted the tip into the keyhole, and gently turned it—this was the lock-picking technique her father had taught her, and she hadn't expected it to come in handy now.
With a soft click, the door unlocked. Yun Zhi took a deep breath and pushed open the wooden door. A dusty smell, tinged with a faint odor of rust, hit her face. The backyard was overgrown with weeds, with only a small, well-trodden path leading to a dilapidated woodshed.
"Girl, it seems like no one has been here for a long time." Qingzhu followed her closely, his voice a little nervous.
Yun Zhi said nothing as she walked along the path to the door of the woodshed. The door was ajar, and through the crack, she could see a number of worn wooden boxes piled inside. She gently pushed the door open, and sunlight shone in through the hole in the roof, casting mottled shadows on the ground.
She walked over to the wooden boxes and carefully opened one—it was filled with old military uniforms! On the cuffs of the uniforms, a small wolf head was embroidered—the emblem of the "Wolf Fang Army" under her father's command!
"This is... the uniform of the Wolf Fang Army!" Qingzhu exclaimed, quickly covering her mouth. "Miss, could the owner of this villa be one of my father's former subordinates?"
Yun Zhi's heart began to beat wildly. She picked up a military uniform, her fingertips stroking the frayed fabric, her eyes instantly reddened. The uniform was the exact same size as her father's, and even the patches on the corners were sewn with the same precision her mother had used—this had to be one of her father's old belongings!
She opened the other wooden boxes, revealing not only military uniforms but also several yellowed military manuals, a rusted spear, and even a small wooden box wrapped in cloth. Yun Zhi trembled as she opened the box. Inside lay a jade pendant with the Chinese character "Liu" engraved on it and the wolf head emblem embroidered on the back—this was Uncle Liu's jade pendant! When Uncle Liu left the Yun family, his father had personally given it to him!
"Uncle Liu..." Yun Zhi clutched the jade pendant tightly, tears finally falling. "This place really has something to do with Uncle Liu! That 'old friend' might have been arranged by Uncle Liu!"
"So what should we do now?" Qingzhu was both excited and nervous. "Should we wait here for Uncle Liu to come back?"
Yun Zhi shook her head, carefully put the jade pendant away, and returned her uniform and military manual to the wooden box, carefully restoring it to its original state. "No. We still don't know if this is a trap. What if someone deliberately lured us here, waiting for us to fall into their trap?"
Just as she was about to close the box, her fingers touched something hard—a wooden board hidden at the bottom! She lifted it up, revealing a folded piece of paper. On it was a simple map showing the route from the courtyard to the ruined temple in the western suburbs. Next to it was a line of small words: "On the third day of the lunar month, at midnight, bring a secret letter. Remember, do not trust anyone else."
"The third day of the Lunar New Year!" Yun Zhi's eyes lit up. "Today is the second day of the Lunar New Year, which means Uncle Liu will be waiting for us at the dilapidated temple in the western suburbs tomorrow night!"
"Great!" Qingzhu almost jumped up with excitement. "I can finally meet Uncle Liu! As long as I get the evidence, I can avenge the Yun family!"
Yun Zhi, however, was less optimistic. She looked at the words "Don't trust others" on the paper, and her doubts deepened. Why did Uncle Liu specifically remind her not to trust others? Was he worried someone was setting an ambush in the ruined temple, or... couldn't even trust that masked man?
"Let's go back first and don't let anyone know we've been here." Yun Zhi folded the map and hid it in her sleeve. "Tomorrow night, we'll secretly go to the ruined temple in the western suburbs. We won't bring anyone with us, only the secret letter from my father."
The two of them quietly left the backyard and just as they closed the door, they heard footsteps behind them - it was Xie Heng!
"Where have you been?" Xie Heng's face was pale, and it was obvious that his wound had not healed yet, but he was still trying hard to come look for them. "I looked for you for a long time ahead, but I couldn't see you."
Yun Zhi's heart tightened, and she quickly covered it up, "I didn't go anywhere, I just took a walk in the yard. Brother Xie, your wound hasn't healed yet, why don't you rest in your room?"
Xie Heng stared into her eyes, his tone filled with worry: "I always feel uneasy. I saw the servants go to the backyard just now. Did you go to the backyard? I told you that it's not safe here. Don't walk around."
Yun Zhi knew she couldn't hide it anymore, so she pulled Xie Heng into her room, closed the door, and told him everything about finding the military uniform, jade pendant, and map.
After hearing this, Xie Heng frowned even more tightly. "Since Uncle Liu left clues at the villa, why didn't he just show up? And why did he ask us to meet at the dilapidated temple in the western suburbs? This is too abnormal. Maybe it's a trap."
"I know it's very likely a trap," Yun Zhi took out a map and spread it on the table, her eyes determined, "but this is our only chance to see Uncle Liu and get evidence. Even if it's a trap, I'm going to go."
"I'll go with you." Xie Heng said without hesitation, "It's too dangerous for you to go alone. With me here, at least I can protect you."
Yun Zhi looked at Xie Heng's sincere eyes, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart. In this maelstrom of conspiracy, Xie Heng was the only one who truly cared about her and was willing to take risks for her. She wanted to refuse, but knew she needed help, so she nodded and said, "Okay, we'll go together. But we must be prepared, bring weapons, and survey the terrain near the ruined temple in advance, just in case."
Xie Heng nodded, his eyes falling on the map. He suddenly pointed to a mark and said, "This is a secret passage behind the ruined temple, marked 'for escape.' It seems Uncle Liu has been prepared for this. Perhaps he also knew that someone would set an ambush."
Yun Zhi leaned over to take a look. Sure enough, in the corner of the map, there was a secret passage leading from the ruined temple into the forest. Her heart was slightly relieved—at least Uncle Liu was prepared, not completely passive.
"Oh right," Xie Heng suddenly remembered something, took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Yun Zhi, "I found this at the door of the room last night. There was no name written on it, only a wolf head mark."
Yun Zhi took the note, which contained only one sentence: "On the third day of the lunar month, there will be a scam in the ruined temple. Be careful of 'old friends'."
"Be careful of 'old friend'?" Yun Zhi was stunned. "What does this mean? Could it be that the 'old friend' is not Uncle Liu, but wants to harm us?"
Xie Heng also frowned and said thoughtfully, "It's hard to say now. But what is certain is that someone doesn't want us to see Uncle Liu, and even wants to use the ruined temple as an opportunity to catch us all in one fell swoop."
Yun Zhi clutched the note tightly, her suspicions growing. The masked man claimed to have been entrusted with this task by an old friend, yet the note warned, "Be careful of old friends." Uncle Liu had left behind a map and a secret passage, yet he hadn't actually appeared. What conspiracy lay behind this? Was it Princess Lin Wanru, Prime Minister Shen, or... Xiao Jin?
"No matter who wants to harm us, I will go there tomorrow night." Yun Zhi carefully put away the note and map, her eyes full of determination. "Even if it means going through mountains of swords and seas of fire, I will get the evidence and seek justice for my father and child!"
Xie Heng looked at her determined eyes and knew he couldn't persuade her, so he said, "Okay, let's go together. But we must be more careful. Tomorrow morning, I will go to survey the terrain near the ruined temple. You prepare weapons and dry food here. We will act separately and meet under the old locust tree outside the ruined temple at night."
Yun Zhi nodded, but she felt an inexplicable unease. She walked to the window, gazing at the distant green hills, her fingers unconsciously stroking the jade pendant engraved with the Chinese character "Liu"—Uncle Liu, where are you? Tomorrow night, what awaits us? Will it be the truth, or just another trap?
Meanwhile, in the capital, at Prince Duan's mansion, Lin Wanru was trembling with anger as she read a secret report. The report read, "Yun Zhi is not dead. She was rescued by an unknown force and taken to a villa in the suburbs of Beijing. She appears to be connected to an old member of the Yun family. She will be taken to a ruined temple in the western suburbs at midnight on the third day of the first lunar month."
"The Yun family's former subordinates? The dilapidated temple in the western suburbs?" Lin Wanru crumpled up the secret report and threw it to the ground, roaring at the secret guards behind her, "What a bunch of losers! They can't even capture a woman! Tomorrow night, bring all your men and go to the dilapidated temple in the western suburbs. I want Yun Zhi and her former subordinates to die together without a burial place!"
The secret guard bowed and accepted the order, then turned and disappeared into the shadows. Lin Wanru walked to the window, looked at the dark night sky outside, and a vicious smile appeared on the corner of her mouth - Yunzhi, this time, I wonder who can save you!
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