Chapter 59: Hiding in a Deserted Temple, the Bloody Truth
The roof of the dilapidated temple leaked, bringing with it the chill of late autumn, and rustling the hay in the corner. A single oil lamp sat on the altar, its dim light flickering, barely illuminating half the temple. The rest was shrouded in darkness, as if hiding countless prying eyes.
Yun Zhi knelt beside the haystack, clutching a piece of coarse cloth soaked in hot water, carefully wiping the arrow wound on Xie Heng's back. Ali had already pulled the arrow feather out, but the wound was too deep, and blood still oozed intermittently, staining the hay beneath them red and emitting a pungent smell of blood.
"Brother Xie, bear with it for a moment. I'll apply some medicine to you." Yun Zhi's voice trembled slightly. When her fingertips touched Xie Heng's cold skin, her heart ached like a needle. She pulled out a hemostatic ointment from the medicine box and was about to apply it when Xie Heng suddenly groaned and slowly opened his eyes.
"Water..." Xie Heng's voice was hoarse as if it had been rubbed by sandpaper, and his lips were dry and cracked.
Yun Zhi quickly took the water bag next to her and carefully fed him a few sips. Looking at his pale face and the faint rise and fall of his chest, she could no longer hold back her tears, which fell on the back of Xie Heng's hand.
"It's all my fault..." Yun Zhi choked up, "If I hadn't insisted on getting the evidence, you wouldn't have..."
"I don't blame you..." Xie Heng shook his head weakly, raised his hand, and gently wiped away her tears. "I'm willing to do something for you... for the Yun family..." He paused, his eyes becoming anxious. "Evidence... is the evidence still there?"
"Here! They're all here!" Yun Zhi quickly took out the secret letter and Shen Qingyue's diary from her bosom and placed them on the altar. "Don't worry, I will definitely hand these over to the emperor and make Prime Minister Shen and Shen Qingyue pay for their blood debt with blood!"
Xie Heng's eyes fell on the secret letters, a weak smile stretched across his lips, and he passed out again. Yun Zhi looked at him unconscious, her heart filled with determination - she couldn't let Xie Heng be hurt in vain, and she couldn't let her father's grievances go unpunished!
She picked up the secret letters on the altar and, by the light of the fire, carefully flipped through them one by one. The first was a letter from Prime Minister Shen to Batu. The handwriting was elegant but veiled with venom: "Yun Xiao has discovered the whereabouts of the military rations. We must eliminate him immediately. Qingyue has obtained the defense map. We can forge a letter of treason and pin the blame on the Yun family. The prince will surely believe it then."
"The defense map... was stolen by Shen Qingyue..." Yun Zhi's hands were shaking, and tears dripped onto the letter paper, blurring the handwriting. She had always believed that Shen Qingyue was innocent and was forced by Prime Minister Shen, but this letter was like a knife, cutting through all the illusions.
She picked up another secret letter, a reply from Batu to Prime Minister Shen: "The Yun family has been eliminated, and the three cities can be ceded as agreed. Also, your daughter Qingyue is very much to my liking. If you can give her to me, I can extend the war for another year."
"Is that what I want?" Yun Zhi's voice was cold, filled with rage. "Shen Qingyue not only faked falling off a cliff, but also colluded with Batu! For power, to frame my family, she even sold out her own innocence!"
Finally, she picked up Shen Qingyue's diary and opened the first page. The handwriting on it was exactly the same as the one in the secret letter, recording her conspiracy: "I met the prince today. He loves me deeply, but it's a pity that Yun Xiao is in the way. My father said that if the Yun family falls, I will be the prince's only wife. For the prince, for the Shen family, the Yun family must die."
"For the prince..." Yun Zhi sneered, tears falling again. Xiao Jin still believed that Shen Qingyue was killed by the Yun family, and that she was the pure and flawless white moonlight. Little did he know that the Yun family, whom he hated so much, was framed by his beloved woman!
She continued to flip through the diary, and the following contents chilled her heart even more: "Today, I pretended to fall off a cliff, and the prince was indeed furious. He ordered a strict investigation of the Yun family. That bitch Yun Zhi looks a bit like me. It's just right for me to let her stay with the prince as a substitute. When I return, it won't be too late to get rid of her."
"A substitute..." Yun Zhi clutched the diary tightly, digging her nails into her palms, blood seeping out. "It turns out that I was just her substitute from the very beginning! Xiao Jin's kindness to me and his hatred for me are all because of her! My unborn child also died because of her!"
All the truths, like sharp knives, pierced Yun Zhi's heart. Her father's injustice, her child's tragic death, her own humiliation, Xie Heng's serious injury... The culprits of all this were Prime Minister Shen and Shen Qingyue, and the foolish Xiao Jin who was blinded by love!
"Xiao Jin..." Yun Zhi's voice was cold, filled with tearful determination. "For Shen Qingyue, you killed my child, ruined my life, helped your enemies, and suppressed my family... I will definitely take back what you owe me and the Yun family double!"
She carefully put away the secret letter and diary, hiding them in her bosom, close to her heart. Then, she stood up, walked to the door of the dilapidated temple, and looked out at the dark night sky. There was no trace of weakness in her eyes anymore, only cold hatred and determination.
At this moment, Xie Heng, who was lying on the haystack, suddenly started coughing and coughed up blood. Yun Zhi hurried over and supported him: "Brother Xie! How are you?"
Xie Heng opened his eyes weakly and looked at Yun Zhi, his voice broken: "I... I may not be able to hold on for much longer... You must... you must hand the evidence to the emperor... And... Xiao Jin... he may... have his own difficulties..."
"Hardship?" Yun Zhi sneered, "Is his hardship to help his enemies harm me? To watch me being sent to Batu? Brother Xie, stop speaking for him. He's not worth it!"
Xie Heng wanted to say something more, but he coughed up blood and passed out again. Yun Zhi looked at him unconscious, feeling distressed, but also more determined to seek revenge.
She walked to the altar, picked up the oil lamp, and rechecked the secret letter and diary, confirming that nothing was missing. Then, she blew out the lamp, and the diary was instantly plunged into darkness. She leaned against the wall, closed her eyes, and replayed the contents of the secret letter and diary in her mind over and over again, replaying Xiao Jin's cruelty, Shen Qingyue's hypocrisy, and Prime Minister Shen's viciousness.
"Prime Minister Shen, Shen Qingyue, Xiao Jin..." Yun Zhi silently recited these three names in her heart, each word filled with deep hatred. "Just wait, I, Yun Zhi, will definitely come back and make you pay the most painful price for your actions! I won't let any of you go!"
The wind outside the dilapidated temple grew stronger, making the temple door creak, as if playing the prelude to the coming storm of revenge. But Yun Zhi knew that from tonight, she was no longer a slave to the slaughter, but the heir of the Yun family, armed with evidence and bent on revenge. Her war had just begun.
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