Chapter 155 From now on, you will never be apart in Longxi.
The Mei siblings remained silent for a long time after listening. Seeing Xiao Ma's shifty eyes, Luo Yichen knew something must have happened. They kept their mouths shut and didn't utter a word. He couldn't pry them open with his sword either. Luo Yichen strolled to the side and, seeing that no one was paying attention to him, poured himself a bowl of hot tea. Seeing the freshly steamed Eight Treasure Cake smelling delicious, he became even hungrier. He reached out to try one, but pulled his fingers back just as they were about to touch it. It wasn't his own home, and it wouldn't be appropriate...
“Shadow guards…why are they following me for no reason?” Xiao Ma chuckled awkwardly. “I’m working for Xingguo Warehouse. I was just following the manager to collect the silver. Maybe…they’ve followed the wrong person.”
Seeing Luo Yichen staring at the Eight Treasures Cake and swallowing it, Mei Xiaojing took out a handkerchief, placed it on the table, poured a plate of Eight Treasures Cake onto the handkerchief, tied it tightly, and handed it to Luo Yichen, saying, "Want some? You can have them all."
"This..." Luo Yichen blushed, "Is it alright?"
Mei Xiaojing glared at him, "Why not? I'll take the money, you can keep the food, aren't you leaving?"
"Leave?" Luo Yichen wondered what he had said to offend the young lady again. Why was she already telling him to leave after only a few words? "Aren't you leaving?" Mei Xiaojing pushed open the door and gestured for him to leave. "Come back next month."
Luo Yichen took a few steps and then turned around, staring at Xiao Ma's unnatural face, and said in a low voice, "The Shadow Guards are never insignificant when they are deployed, and they would never follow the wrong person. You know what you have done wrong. The Shadow Guards must be guarding outside the bank. Xiao Ma... the Mei family are all good people. You must not implicate them."
As soon as he stepped out of the house, Mei Xiaojing slammed the door shut, the loud bang making Luo Yichen's ears ring. The Mei family had been operating in Rongdu for many years, and their integrity was known to all. But that guy named Xiao Ma... He came to Rongdu with Xingguo Fang, so there shouldn't be anything wrong with him... Why would he attract the palace's shadow guards? If it was the Crown Prince's doing, it would definitely have gone through his hands... If it wasn't the Crown Prince, then it could only be... Luo Yichen shuddered.
If the Shadow Guards are only here for Xiao Ma, then Xiao Ma's background is definitely not simple. If it's not for Xiao Ma, then it's just Xingguo Ward behind him. What is the Emperor planning in Xingguo Ward?
In Xingguo Ward, there was not only Xiao Ma, but also A Jiu, who looked like the Crown Prince, and the dimple between the Crown Prince's brows... Luo Yichen moved swiftly, this matter was of utmost importance, and he had to report to the Crown Prince immediately.
"Little Ma, you must go." Mei Shiyu's expression was stern.
"Let's go?" Xiao Ma asked hesitantly.
"Leave Rongdu, I'll make the arrangements for you." Mei Shiyu's voice brooked no argument. "You go first, to Xiao Jing's hometown, Longxi. There's the old ancestral home of the Mei family there, only a few elderly relatives still live there. After some time, Xiao Jing will leave Rongdu under the pretext of returning home to find you in Longxi..."
"Why must we leave?" Xiao Ma raised his voice. "Maybe Luo Yichen is mistaken, maybe... even if Shadow Guard Ye isn't after me."
Mei Shiyu sighed, "Xiao Jing told you that the Shadow Guards have already been to Lingnan. Although the officials insisted that you fell to your death, the Shadow Guards would never give up a reason to go back and report. You were already ten years old when you disappeared, so someone must remember your appearance. If I were one of the Shadow Guards sent out, I would have someone draw a picture of your appearance when you were young. Xiao Ma... how have you changed since then?"
Mei Xiaojing tiptoed and turned Xiao Ma's face to the side. He had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, fair skin and red lips. Even after many years of hardship, he could not hide the noble air between his brows. Such a person was extraordinary at first glance, and he was just like that a few years ago.
“You came to Rongdu with me when you returned to the capital through Xingguofang. Your identity as a swordsman allows you to move freely, but you cannot underestimate your opponent.” Mei Shiyu’s deep eyes were filled with worry. “You have already seen him when he presented his sword to the emperor, and he… must have seen you as well.”
The sword was presented before the Emperor. Yes, that day, Little Horse finally saw things clearly.
"This is in the palace, the Emperor is watching us. Under the Emperor's nose, if you hold onto your sword, don't take us with you if you want to die."
Emperor Jin, Mu You… looked up at the emperor as if he were assassinating the king, but that time, Xiao Ma was not afraid. He turned around and looked at Mu You, who was wearing a yellow robe. Their eyes met, and Mu You also saw Xiao Ma.
“As soon as he sees the portrait, he’ll remember who you are.” At this point, Mei Shiyu coughed violently a few times, pushed away Mei Xiaojing’s hand, and forced himself to stand up as he walked towards Xiao Ma. “Who are you…you are Ma Lin, the grandson of Ma Yi, a descendant of the Ma family. The case of the counterfeit copper coins is unfathomable. If I’m not mistaken, it involves a complex web of issues that might even shake the foundations of the Great Jin Dynasty. Otherwise, a few dozen counterfeit copper coins wouldn’t have caused such a stir…”
"Stop talking." Xiao Ma turned his back to Mei Shiyu. "He had people follow me, but he didn't dare to let them lay a hand on me, because he knew that I might have more than just these things in my hands. The world is vast, but where can I hide? Even if I go as far as Canglang Island, won't I still be found by the Grand Preceptor's ship? This time, I don't want to run away again."
"Stupid!" Mei Shiyu felt a surge of blood in his throat, swallowing the blood foam that reached his lips. "What can you do if you stay in Rongdu? You've already stirred up trouble and disrupted his plans. You know who the instigator is, and that's enough. As for the rest... you can't do it, and neither can I. At least for now, there's nothing we can do but avoid his sharp edge and wait for the future."
Xiao Ma suddenly turned around. "Avoid his sharp edge and wait for another day?" Xiao Ma laughed loudly. "So what if I know who he is? You can't even do it now, and you want me to wait for another day? Exiled to Lingnan, then to Canglang, and now you want me to hide in Longxi? Where can I go if he finds Longxi?"
“Take a boat to Japan,” Mei Shiyu squeezed out. “Leave everything to me.”
"Aren't you afraid?" Xiao Ma asked in surprise, looking at Mei Shiyu's pale face.
Mei Shiyu smiled sadly, "My body can't take any more trouble. It's best to stay in Rongdu. After all, it's the treasure trove of Jin Kingdom. Would he really be willing to smash it? The Mei family is law-abiding and serves the country and its people. He can't find a reason to do that. Little Ma..." Mei Shiyu wanted to say something more, but suddenly everything went black and he coughed up blood.
Xiao Ma rushed forward to support Mei Shiyu, while Mei Xiaojing, her voice trembling with fear, cried out, "Cousin, we must hurry and fetch a doctor."
Mei Shiyu grabbed her collar and shook his head, his sunken eyes fixed on Xiao Ma, panting heavily as he said, "Years ago I asked my father, if the Ma family didn't do it, why did Old Master Ma turn himself in? There's something else I only learned after my father died..."
"It's recorded in the case files of the three judicial departments that it was my father who... denounced Old Master Ma."
Xiao Ma and Mei Xiaojing were both stunned. "Impossible." Mei Xiaojing clenched her fists. "Uncle is a man of his word and a man of great integrity. How could he report Xiao Ma's grandfather?"
"When I first found out, I was just as incredulous as you were, but I quickly understood..." Mei Shiyu raised his ever-present bone fan to Xiao Ma, the jade clasp swaying, its emerald green dazzling. This was the covenant between the Mei and Ma families, for ten years, a hundred years, several hundred years... Whenever someone brought a jade clasp of the same material to the Mei family, the Mei family would hand over the family he had guarded for the Ma family, a promise as good as gold, never to be broken. His father, on his deathbed, held on to his last breath, his eyes still open, waiting for his son to return, to place this jade clasp in his palm. Even if the Mei family were gone, the Ma family's possessions would remain hidden deep within the Mei residence's highest walls, never to be taken away by anyone else, even if their loved ones never returned.
—Little Horse, do you understand?
Xiao Ma took out the jade clasp he kept close to his body. Mei Junhe had reported his grandfather to the Three Departments... How could a true informer remember the alliance between the two families until his death, and how could he raise a son who would go through fire and water for his father's deceased friends...
Unless, of course, it was Grandpa who instructed Mei Junhe to denounce him. Only then could Grandpa legitimately surrender himself to the authorities, admit to all the crimes, and save the rest of the Ma family with his own life. Grandpa knew the truth. He knew the Ma family was powerless to resist. The Mei family and the Ma family had a close relationship, and the Mei family's bank was very influential in Jin State. If they were to be investigated, they would likely be implicated and accused of being accomplices, giving the court leverage to restrain the Mei family. That's why Grandpa instructed Mei Junhe to denounce him. The Mei family's act of betraying their old friendship and righteousness would leave the court with no way to act, allowing the Mei family to preserve their foundation and also providing a way out for the Ma family's descendants.
If Grandpa and Mei Junhe couldn't do it, how could I possibly do it?
Inside the main room, Mei Xiaojing closed all four windows and the main door, lit the bronze incense burner on the table, and the flames illuminated the three people's sorrowful faces. At Mei Shiyu's signal, Mei Xiaojing tore down the landscape painting by Mei Junhe, revealing two portrait paintings of people in front of them.
Xiao Ma knelt straight in front of the painting, his mouth choked as soon as he opened it, tears of resentment welling up in his eyes, dripping onto the ground and forming a deep lake.
Mei Shiyu staggered closer, looked up at the portraits of Ma Yi and Ma Yanyu, and said, “The day we recognized each other, you saw your grandfather for the first time. He and your father are here to guard you, waiting for the day you will return.”
“I told Guan Ye,” Xiao Ma sobbed, “the spirit of the Ma family still lives on. If I were to smash the wall because I was greedy for money, my grandfather and father would surely crawl out from underground and strangle me… I thought that what they couldn’t do, I could do… I would do it even if it cost me my life.”
When Mei Xiaojing read the poignant passage, she couldn't help but sob a few times. Mei Shiyu looked at her and asked, "If Xiao Ma takes the silver to Longxi, will he still be the person you worry about?"
“Yes, yes!” Mei Xiaojing cried out, “Xiao Ma’s grandfather also wanted him to take the money and live a good life.”
Grandpa also wanted to live a good life, otherwise he wouldn't have smiled at Mei Junhe when the knife was raised and his head fell. He was happy that his old friend had come to see him off on his final journey. He was sure that the Mei family would protect the wealth he had accumulated. He was delighted that the case could finally be closed. He was relieved that his family could live on.
"Ma Lin, it's enough that you came back alive."
Mei Shiyu said that three days later, a carriage would be waiting for Xiao Ma at the foot of Fengqi Mountain outside the city. Once on the carriage, they would head to Longxi, a place with high mountains and distant waters where few people venture. It was a secluded and beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains. The people there were simple and honest, and everyone lived peacefully without worrying about outside affairs. When spring came next year, Mei Xiaojing would also return there, and from then on, they would never be separated again.
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