Chapter 224 Can You Cut Through the Thorns, Ah Jing?
"Young Master Mei recalled his father's past. Mei Junhe said that back then, he, Ma Yanyu, and Lu Chaoge were of similar age and family background, and they often interacted. Mei Junhe said, who wouldn't admire such a woman? But none of them asked the Lu family for her hand in marriage. Firstly, they respected Lu Chaoge's talent and swordsmanship, and secondly... Lu Chaoge had many admirers. They were both talented young men in Rongdu, but... there was someone who far surpassed them. Compared to this person, the young masters of the Mei and Ma families were nothing."
Guan Ye continued, "Mei Junhe said that anyone who dares to mess with Lu Chaoge is making an enemy of the world, and even his family's success will be in jeopardy. What kind of person would make Mei Junhe say such a thing? This important figure could make Lu Chaoge and my father study ancient methods all night to create a spiral bellows, and could even persuade Lu Chaoge to personally burn materials and forge a sword for him... They even burned it into white flames, almost, just a little bit away from melting the meteorite."
These words caused an uproar in the hall. Mu Lexiu was so engrossed in listening that he almost urged Guan Ye to continue when he saw her suddenly stop.
"To be an enemy of the world?" Cui Jin laughed wildly. "You can't even protect the word 'success'? Mei Junhe, who possesses unparalleled wealth, would feel ashamed in front of this person? Interesting, truly interesting."
Guan Ye coldly stared at Cui Jin, who was laughing oblivious to the world around him. "It's not just this person. Mei Junhe also said that one day, a swordsman from Lu Chaoge's side came to the bank to deposit silver. He casually asked if Miss Lu was home, and the swordsman's face changed drastically. He looked like he wanted to devour him. Even a swordsman would treat his young lady as his own. Mei Junhe wouldn't dare to covet Chaoge even if he had the guts of a leopard." Guan Ye stared intently at Cui Jin's face, which was obscured by ink, and blinked before adding, "When I mentioned Lu Chaoge, the Imperial Preceptor's several outbursts and gaffes were very similar to the Tianhu swordsman Mei Junhe mentioned. Oh, no, this person can't be the Imperial Preceptor. The Imperial Preceptor wields a curved sword. How could he be a mere swordsman from Tianhu Workshop back then?"
Cui Jin swallowed hard in frustration. Guan Ye's words were like daggers piercing his heart. He had a scimitar hidden in his hand, and he wished he could draw it and skin this girl alive to vent his anger.
"Since he knew about the relationship between the Fourth Prince and Lu Chaoge, and had the Fourth Prince's personal edict, Old Master Ma had no choice but to immediately allocate 500 catties of brass from the mint to Tianhu Workshop. With the enemy at hand, the five major workshops were working day and night to forge weapons for the court. The Fourth Prince had been entrusted with a critical mission and shouldered a heavy responsibility. Old Master Ma was a hero. He didn't know what use the brass would have, but he knew that the Ma family also had to contribute to the fight against the enemy. The edict said that any vacancies would be registered and filled by the Salt and Iron Bureau. Old Master Ma had complete faith in the edict. Everything else could wait until the rebels were defeated. These were the five major workshops that took the protection of the country as their mission... and there was also the edict from the current prince as proof. If it were me, I would not hesitate to do it... even at the cost of my life."
Guan Ye recalled her father's recollections of Old Master Ma, recounting the old stories of Mayi from her own perspective. It was as if she herself had lived through that time, a period filled with poetry and wine, passion, heroism, loyalty, and the blazing, soul-stirring white flame. More than twenty years have passed; the poetry and wine are gone, the passion has cooled, the heroism has faded, the loyalty has dissipated, and the white flame has died out. But… the seed of the white flame remains. As long as the embers are preserved, it will ignite into a prairie fire, illuminating the entire Rongdu.
"Old Master Ma was filled with patriotic fervor. He thought he was about to do something extraordinary, until..." Guan Ye lowered her voice, composed herself, and continued, "The Blood Crossbow Incident occurred, the crossbow battalion was wiped out. Old Master Ma was in the coin business, with channels throughout Jin. He must have had ways to get information from many people earlier. He was a seasoned veteran in the trade; perhaps the moment he received the intelligence from the front lines, he guessed the whole story... Tianhu Workshop, and even the Five Great Workshops... were framed..."
"Wait a minute." Mu Lexiu felt that something was not quite clear. "The Mayi mint did not understand the properties of iron ore, and he did not know what use brass could be. How could he have figured out the mystery in the case of the blood crossbow?"
"—Because…" Guan Ye recalled the two portraits hidden deep in the main hall of the Mei family, "Ma Yanyu, the young master of the Ma family back then."
“Ma Yanyu…” Feng Shisan murmured, “Little Ma, Ma Lin’s father.”
"It's him." Guan Ye looked at Feng Shisan, whose face was full of sorrow. "There's something you all don't know yet: Xiao Ma also knows some casting techniques."
"Because of his father's connection with Lu Chaoge?" Feng Shisan raised his face.
Guan Ye nodded. "Remember the method of testing objects by draining water I used in Xingguo Ward? Xiao Ma also knows this method. Lu Chaoge taught Ma Yanyu. The Lu and Ma families have been friends for generations and often visit each other. Ma Yanyu is good at research, and Lu Chaoge and he have tried many techniques together. Old Master Ma must have asked his son about the properties of brass. As long as Ma Yanyu explains, Old Master Ma will understand everything. The Blood Crossbow Case, the Five Great Wards were framed, and the problem lies in the brass. The person who mixed the materials... is naturally the mastermind." Guan Ye could imagine that Ma Yi, after figuring out the truth, must be filled with regret, wondering how he could have become an accomplice to the mastermind. If he had gone to the Salt and Iron Bureau to verify before mixing the brass... or asked his son more about the use of brass... the tragedy wouldn't have happened.
But what's done is done, and no amount of regret can change anything. All Mayi can do is try his best to make amends... This is a calamity that has struck from the heavens, a calamity that wipes out his entire clan. He is a capable merchant, not a celestial being with divine powers. How can he make amends? He can only try to save as many as possible.
"Next, I'll tell you how Lu Chaoge escaped from Rongdu."
"She..." Mu Lexiu said in disbelief, "She's really not dead? She survived?"
Guan Ye took a deep breath. "Everyone dies. She escaped Rongdu alive, but she might not have survived to this day. I'm just curious, if Lu Chaoge were still alive, would His Majesty want to see her again?"
"You're asking me?" Mu You laughed coldly. "Guan Ye, every word you utter is a capital offense. You yourself might not even survive today, yet you dare to ask me?"
Guan Ye's expression was calm, and she smiled and said, "I guess the Emperor must miss her very much, and even... hopes that one day he can reconcile with her and continue their relationship."
"Oh?" Mu You asked with interest. "How did you guess?"
"The wanted posters from back then listed three people: my parents, a swordsman from Tianhu Workshop, but not Lu Chaoge's name or portrait. Lu Chaoge was famous throughout the land; everyone in Rongdu knew her. Did the executioner not know whether she was dead or not? Did the Fourth Prince not know? They all knew Lu Chaoge had escaped Rongdu; otherwise, they wouldn't have pursued us for so many years. My father even lamented that the court was incredibly persistent, relentlessly chasing a blacksmith like him for so many years. It's a pity my father died without knowing that Miss Lu was still alive like him. If he had known, he would have been very happy. The court wasn't just arresting him; they were also... searching for Lu Chaoge."
Mu You leaned forward slightly, as if waiting for an answer. "Even you know that I want to rekindle our relationship. She's not on the wanted list. I don't want her to die, and I won't let her die. So why doesn't she come back to see me?"
"Her entire clan died because of the Blood Crossbow Incident, how could she possibly reconcile with her enemy? If it weren't for the constraints that bind her, she would definitely return to Rongdu and kill her enemy with her own hands." Guan Ye steered the conversation back on track. "Old Master Ma went to Tianhu Warehouse and told Master Lu what he had learned. His original intention was for the Lu family to find a way to save themselves and escape Rongdu before the court took action. But he also knew that not everyone could survive. Tianhu Warehouse had over a hundred people, men, women, the old, and the young. Which of the four city gates of Rongdu didn't recognize a few familiar faces from Tianhu Warehouse? Over a hundred people... in the chaos of war, where could they escape to? Even if they escaped the city, they couldn't go very far... What Old Master Ma really wanted was for the Lu family to preserve their lineage, lie low in a foreign land, and wait for the day they could return to Rongdu to clear their name. The only one who could inherit everything and had the ability to carry on for everyone... was..."
“Only Lu Chaoge is left.” Wan Qixi suddenly spoke up. “The child, Guan Ye said she still has a child with her. I heard Lu Chaoge also has a younger brother, who also escaped from the city?”
Cui Jin remained calm with his single eye, "Lu Chaoge does have a younger brother named Lu Xiaojun, who was just a child back then."
Mu You's eyes darkened. "The entire Lu family was beheaded at Caishikou. Among them was a six or seven-year-old boy. In the rush, the Lu family couldn't possibly conjure up a child of similar age to die in place of their son. Lu Xiaojun is already dead."
“Yes,” Wanqi Xi echoed, “If he’s not dead, he’ll be almost thirty. At nearly thirty, he’s still a rat that can’t be seen in the light of day. It’s better if he’s dead. What do you say, Grand Preceptor?”
Cui Jin lowered his gaze, seemingly not having heard Wan Qixi's words.
"—Lu Nian knew he couldn't leave. Not only himself, but Tianhufang was doomed. Their only hope was their daughter, Chaoge. The future was uncertain and unpredictable. He was worried about his daughter being alone, so he assigned a swordsman from the ward to escort her." Guan Ye closed her eyes, recalling the appearance and name of the man in the bamboo hat on the wanted poster. It had been too long, and Guan Ye couldn't remember the man's appearance clearly, but his name was very special. Although Guan Ye hadn't mentioned it to anyone else, she had always kept it in her heart and never forgotten it. "That swordsman was called A Jing."
"Ah Jing?" Lou Cangyu asked doubtfully, "The 'Jing' in 'to cut through thorns and brambles'?"
—I want you to be a formidable troublemaker, to pave the way for Tianhufang for the rest of your life. Ah Jing, can you do it?
"—It's the 'thorn' in 'piercing through thorns and brambles'," Guan Ye said. "The four gates of Rongdu aren't impenetrable fortresses. I guess Old Master Ma pointed Lu Chaoge in the right direction. Like my parents, she left Rongdu before the city was sealed off, heading towards a path to survival. She and my parents must have left the city one after the other. Speaking of which, Lu Chaoge is really much smarter than my father." Recalling everything, Guan Ye couldn't help but smile slightly. "Lu Chaoge had a clear goal. Once she left the city, she already knew where she was going. My father, on the other hand, wandered around for more than ten years, traveling across most of Jin, before he finally knew where he wanted to go... When he finally brought me to the other side, he still couldn't set foot on the place he thought he would return to."
Wan Qixi's heart clenched, and he suddenly dared not look at Guan Ye. So close, so close that this girl would have died like her father on the eve of heading to Canglang Island.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
