Chapter 120 Shadow Guard, You're the One Who's Hidden the Deepest
Guan Ye recalled that her father had also knelt and bowed in the direction of Rongdu towards Mayi. Her father said: "Old Master Ma was a good man. He didn't burden others even in death."
Guan Ye thought to herself, “I must also respect the person my father respects.” She knelt before the portrait of Mayi.
“They are…” Mei Xiaoqing was dumbfounded. “Cousin… what’s wrong?”
Mei Shiyu seemed not to hear his cousin's words. He slowly approached the kneeling, wailing Xiao Ma, staring at his convulsing back and his deep-set eyes, which were also red. He touched the bone fan pendant that he never parted from at his waist with trembling hands, pressing it hard again and again. In his lifetime, he had finally met the descendants of the Ma family. If his father knew in the afterlife, he could rest in peace.
After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Ma finally stopped crying. His eyes were red and swollen, but the light in them remained undiminished. He looked up at Mei Shiyu's pale and thin face, and as he looked, he suddenly burst into laughter. He laughed at himself for having worried that Mei Shiyu might deny his promise or report him to the authorities. Xiao Ma, oh Xiao Ma, the world is not only full of evil and injustice. People may die, but love never dies. Even if he dies, sickly Mei Shiyu will never betray the Ma family.
"Little Horse." Mei Shiyu called out the name, "Nameless and without a surname, so you're called Little Horse?"
Xiao Ma smiled, his eyes welling up with tears again. "I have a name, my name is Ma Lin."
“The iris,” Mei Shiyu repeated, “is like a cattail, resilient as silk, and as immovable as a rock. What a fine iris! Father said Ma Yanyu is exceptionally talented and has a carefree spirit; indeed, that is true.”
“Father wants me to be an indestructible, ever-resilient iris, and I will definitely do it.” Xiao Ma stood up, and seeing that Guan Ye was still kneeling, he nudged her back with the hilt of his sword. “I kneel to my family, why are you kneeling to my grandfather?”
Guan Ye stood up and said, "Your grandfather is a hero, and a hero like him deserves my kneeling."
"Ma Lin?" Mei Xiaoqing's eyes lit up as she circled the little horse a few times, seemingly incredulous. "Cousin, is he... the one you mentioned... the one you've been thinking about? The one you often talk about... is that little horse?"
“He has a name, Ma Lin.” Mei Shiyu coughed a few more times. “My father’s close friend, Ma Yanyu, is his father.” As Mei Shiyu spoke, he tore off the jade clasp from the bone fan and handed it to the little horse. “Although you look very much like my father’s old friend in the painting, according to my father’s instructions, we still have to go through the motions. If… you lose it, it doesn’t matter. I believe I won’t misjudge you.”
Xiao Ma remained silent, reaching into his robes. After a moment of hesitation, he touched an object, then opened his palm, revealing a jade clasp to everyone. It was made of the same material as Mei Shiyu's bone fan pendant, smooth and translucent, just like the human heart.
"There's another token?" Mei Xiaojing exclaimed. "You didn't tell me about it!"
"Father told me this before he left." Mei Shiyu and Xiao Ma stood with their hands side by side, gazing intently at the jade buckle made of the same material, and then exchanged a difficult smile.
“Little Ma…” Guan Ye peeked at the jade buckle in the two people’s hands, “You’re the one who hid it the best. You’ve lived and eaten with them for so many years, and no one even noticed that you were carrying this treasure?”
Xiao Ma clenched his fist. "You said it's a treasure, how could others know?" He then looked at Mei Shiyu and asked in a low voice, "And when did you find out?"
Mei Shiyu stared at Xiao Ma's face, which resembled the person in the painting. "When you first came to the money shop, we only glanced at each other briefly before leaving. In that one glance, I felt that you looked familiar, as if I had seen you somewhere before... Then you came to my house, and I became even more certain that I had seen you before. You don't come to the temple without a reason. You didn't deposit or withdraw silver. You couldn't have come to see my cousin, could you? That night, I finally realized that you looked exactly like the person in his painting... Xiao Ma, you said your name is Xiao Ma. My father's old friend also had the surname Ma."
Xiao Ma sighed inwardly, unsure how to respond. Mei Xiao Jing, however, was anxious, her eyes reddening, and stamping her feet as she said, "Cousin, why couldn't he have come to see me? Maybe... he did come to find me? Xiao Ma, say something!"
Xiao Ma Jun blushed deeply, avoiding Mei Xiao Jing's burning gaze. "I'm so sorry, Miss Mei. That time... I hesitated about whether to come and acknowledge your cousin... I really didn't come to see you..."
Oh dear, this blockhead! Guan Ye was getting angry. The girl was so clear-headed, how could Xiao Ma, such a smart man, not care about a young lady's feelings? He'd better give him a good scolding when they got back.
Mei Xiaojing was both embarrassed and annoyed. She put her hands on her hips and said, "So you've come here to retrieve your family's savings?"
—There really is silver in the bank? Guan Ye swallowed hard and couldn't help but look at Xiao Ma a few more times. Everyone on the island was dirt poor, but Xiao Ma, who was crawling on the ground picking up copper coins from the dead, was not only a descendant of the mint, but also had silver in the bank even after his family's house was ransacked.
“Young Master Mei’s loyalty to my family is as clear as the sun and moon. My family’s wealth is stored in your residence, so I can rest assured. Since I have no use for you, why should I take it out?” Xiao Ma smiled slightly. “I came here today only to recognize Young Master Mei, for no other reason.”
"Recognize each other but not take the money?" Mei Xiaoqing retorted aggressively, "I don't believe it."
Xiao Ma carefully put the jade buckle back into his pocket, then reached into his clothes and rummaged around again. Guan Ye watched his movements and knew what he was going to take out. "Miss Mei, Xiao Ma came to your house today for other matters."
Mei Xiaojing snorted and turned her face away haughtily, but she still stole glances at Xiao Ma out of the corner of her eye.
Xiao Ma took a deep breath, opened his palm to reveal a copper coin, and handed it to Mei Shiyu. "I heard that all the counterfeit copper coins received by Gongcheng Money Shop have been destroyed by the Salt and Iron Bureau... even your father's private stash was swindled away. I still have one here... please take a look, Young Master Mei."
With just one glance, Mei Shiyu recognized the counterfeit copper coins in Xiao Ma's hand as the very ones from before. "Where did you get these..." he began, then stopped abruptly, realizing something. "I know! No wonder the counterfeit copper coins from over ten years ago have reappeared in Rongdu! So that's it, so that's it..."
Guan Ye suddenly realized what was happening, looked at Xiao Ma in surprise, and pointed at him, saying, "The fake copper coins that appeared in Rongdu were something you did on purpose... You little rascal, Xiao Ma."
Guan Ye slapped her thigh. Ajiu had gone to the ghost market with her to buy things. Ajiu was carrying a bag of copper coins, which Xiao Ma had given her before she left, telling her to bring back some fried cakes from West Street for everyone to try... The cunning Ma Lin actually made Ajiu help distribute counterfeit goods.
Outside the ghost market, Little Sword Slave fell for Hidden Hook's trick. Ah Jiu used the copper coins she had for buying fried cakes to pay the debt, but she didn't get any fried cakes. However, she still achieved Little Ma's goal...
"Little Ma, you're something else." Guan Ye punched Little Ma's shoulder hard. "Aren't you afraid? If we use fake copper coins and people find out, it'll be me and Ajiu who get arrested."
Guan Ye's hand was heavy, making Xiao Ma wince in pain. Xiao Ma dodged Guan Ye's fist. "These fake copper coins are exquisitely made. Merchants would never notice anything unusual when they handle them. Only those who have entered a money exchange would have a chance. I also wanted to distribute them myself. Back then, we had just arrived in Rongdu. Only you and Ajiu had a chance to go out... Stop hitting me, stop hitting me. I was wrong, okay?"
Guan Ye stopped clenching her fist, rubbed her hands, and glanced at Ma Yi's portrait again. Ma Yi had helped her father before, so she would let his grandson off the hook for now.
Mei Shiyu listened and frowned, saying, "Your trick is indeed effective, bringing back the fake copper coins from more than ten years ago in Rongdu. There are only two possible intentions."
"Firstly, in the entire Rongdu, only the manager of the Mei family can distinguish between genuine and counterfeit copper coins. Are you telling me that the descendants of the Ma family have arrived in Rongdu, and that you want me to remember the case of counterfeit copper coins from back then, and not forget the injustice done to the Ma family?"
Xiao Ma's lips twitched slightly without uttering a sound, seemingly waiting for Mei Shiyu to continue. Before Mei Shiyu could speak, Guan Ye interrupted, "Gongcheng Money Shop received counterfeit copper coins, so they will definitely report it to the imperial court. The case was closed hastily and unclearly back then, so there must be some hidden story. With the reappearance of old items, the people involved in the case and the mastermind behind it will definitely make some moves. Xiao Ma's second intention is to stir up trouble and make those people panic. It would be even better if the case could be reopened and investigated. Any unusual movements will inevitably lead to clues, and a reopening will provide opportunities. The bigger this matter becomes, the better. I'm just afraid it's not big enough."
Mei Shiyu couldn't help but glance at Guan Ye a few more times. The girl was dressed in fiery red, and her demeanor and speech were just as passionate. Most importantly, she, Xiao Ma, and Xiao Ma were on the same page. She got straight to the point in just a few words. No wonder Xiao Ma brought her along. This Guan Ye was not to be underestimated.
"Wait." Mei Xiaojing suddenly grabbed Xiao Ma's sleeve. Xiao Ma was startled. His dark eyes first fixed on Mei Xiaojing's face, then slowly slid down to her soft white hand. Xiao Ma wanted to pull his sleeve away, but dared not exert any force.
Mei Xiaojing stared at Xiao Ma's flushed face. "Xingguo Ward is on Canglang Island. Were your parents exiled there?"
Canglang Island… Mei Shiyu’s eyes darkened as he looked at Guan Ye, who was speaking with great enthusiasm. Guan Ye had a bad feeling. Her heart skipped a beat and then stopped abruptly. Now that things had come to this, there was no need to hide anything from the Mei siblings. Although Mei Junhe was dead, his son had inherited his will. Not only Mei Shiyu, but also Mei Xiaoqing was with him. The girl in front of her was still young, but the determination between her brows was no less than that of any man in the world. As Guan Ye thought about this, her face involuntarily relaxed.
Xiao Ma glanced at Guan Ye and said in a deep voice, "My parents were exiled to Lingnan, and that's where I was born."
“Born in Lingnan, yet a visitor from Canglang…” Mei Shiyu already had the answer in his heart. Gazing at Xiao Ma’s young and weathered face, his deep-set eyes reddened with heartache. “After becoming a refugee, nameless and without status, you returned with Xingguo Ward. You are now Xiao Ma, the swordsman of the ward.” Mei Shiyu sighed deeply. “After years of wandering, you must have suffered a lot, but no matter how difficult it was, you have returned to Rongdu. With your return, success is inevitable.”
"Guan Ye, what about you?" Mei Xiaoqing turned to look at Guan Ye again. "How did you and Xiao Ma meet?"
Guan Ye suppressed a laugh, "Miss Mei is very concerned about Xiao Ma's affairs, and she wants to dig up his past."
Mei Xiaojing, being a childlike person, didn't feel embarrassed even when her words were exposed. "I told Xiao Ma before that one day I would know his name, and now I do. Ma Lin, Ma Lin, it's not a nice name, but it's not bad either. I like Ma Lin... this name."
Mei Shiyu pulled Mei Xiaojing aside. "Guan Ye is Xiao Ma's friend, which means she's our friend too. There's no need to pry into a friend's past." He looked at Guan Ye, his deep-set eyes gleaming. "Guan Ye, just hearing your name makes me feel close to you. Xiao Ma always involves you in important matters. You're definitely someone we can entrust with our affairs."
Xiao Ma nudged Guan Ye's back with his fist. "Guan Ye found this last fake copper coin. She said that you can't use the water displacement method for tiny things, so you have to use the method of separating things in pairs."
"Drainage inspection?" Mei Shiyu raised an eyebrow. "That makes sense." Mei Shiyu glanced at Guan Ye a few more times, a smile playing on his lips. "No wonder I feel a sense of familiarity with you, Guan Ye... perhaps we are old acquaintances."
Guan Ye clasped her hands in a respectful bow to Mei Shiyu, then lowered her eyes and remained silent.
The flames of the bronze incense burner flickered, reflecting the expressions of the people in the main room who seemed to have met too late. Outside the main room, the head manager, Qian Rong, had already noticed that the usually open window of the main room had suddenly closed. He alertly dismissed the servants around him and prepared several shrewd and experienced stewards at the key entrance of the corridor, instructing anyone not to approach the main room.
After chatting for a while, Mei Xiaojing, parched, hurriedly went to make tea. Mei Shiyu picked up the teacup, blew on it to cool it down, and took a sip. "If you hadn't come to find me, I probably would have gone to find you. It's fortunate that you're smart, Xiao Ma. When Xiaojing told you that the counterfeit copper coins had been confiscated by the court, you realized... something was amiss."
Xiao Ma nodded. "I sensed something was wrong as soon as I entered the money exchange that day. This half of the street is your family's property. Usually, there are only carriages, and no vendors ever block the road. But that day, there seemed to be disguised sentries along the way. As soon as I stepped through the gate, there were several unfamiliar faces. Judging from their posture, I could tell they were hiding weapons, as if they were waiting for someone..."
"You're so smart." Mei Xiaoqing rubbed the hem of her clothes, looking embarrassed and annoyed. "When I saw there was a stall in front of my house, I happily went and bought a candy. I was wondering why it tasted so bad... Ugh."
“They are the palace's shadow guards,” Mei Shiyu said in a low voice.
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