Chapter 61: Sad Painted Fan (1) Old People and Old Memories
Prince Yu was lost in thought as he recalled the scene of that night. He seemed to have aged a lot in an instant, with pain and sadness lingering all over his body.
It was a clear night sky, with the bright moon hanging high in the sky. There was Zhuque Tower on Zhuque Street and Mingyue Bridge under the moonlight.
Prince Yu was standing on the Suzaku Tower. There were only two people downstairs. On the tall pillars hung conspicuous lanterns of the Suzaku Tower to inform passers-by that this was a restaurant.
But the moonlight that night was enough to illuminate the scenery downstairs.
After someone reported to him that the princess had seen the clues, Prince Yu panicked. If this were revealed, all his efforts would be in vain. His sister had always been his right-hand man. If she learned of his actions and told him, he would be finished.
"Kill her." Prince Yu faced the window, took a long breath, and finally gave the order.
By the time he reached Suzaku Street, his sister's body had already lost its warmth. It was late autumn, and she was dressed in a plain white dress. Withered autumn leaves were swept up by the night wind and fell on her body. Prince Yu was being pushed slowly forward in his wheelchair. He looked at his sister's pale, terrified face.
His heart ached like a knife.
"Have they caught him?" he asked, gritting his teeth. If someone hadn't secretly handed the evidence to his sister, how could he have been willing to kill her? He would never let the person who passed the evidence go!
No matter where he goes, he will never let that person go.
"My lord, the person who delivered the letter was mixed in with the maids brought by the eldest princess, and it was impossible to tell who she was. Moreover, the eldest princess ordered people to protect that person and let him escape. They split into three groups and hid their whereabouts very well. We, the subordinates... lost them." The messenger answered in horror.
"Waste!" Prince Yu angrily smashed the jade walnut he was playing with into his subordinate's face, drawing blood. Prince Yu ignored him and, after a moment's hesitation, his expression suddenly turned fierce. He sent someone to pass the news to Yan Huinan.
No one knew what Prince Yu was thinking. Clearly, as long as the body was disposed of, no one would know about what had happened today. Even if this was the eldest princess, she was just a widow without support. Now, the entire Yan family was left with only Yan Huinan, an orphan. What kind of trouble could this stray hyena cub cause?
Why would Prince Yu bother letting him know? It was just a one-night stand...
But no matter how many doubts they had, they could only do what their master said.
At that time, Yan Huinan was still immersed in the grief of losing his father. He was thin and looked decadent, but because he was still taken care of by his mother, he was still dressed the same as before. If you didn't look closely, he was still a noble young man, but he might have some illness, which seemed to be recoverable with some care.
But when he got the news from someone unknown, he felt inexplicably panicked and rushed to Zhuque Street in doubt. What he saw was his familiar and close mother, a mother as gentle as a goddess, lying pale in a small boat, which was drifting strangely in the river in front of Zhuque Tower.
His white clothes were stained with blood, and he had a peaceful smile on his face.
But in Yan Huinan's eyes, that smile was terrifying, creepy, and filled with despair. But because it was his mother, he stared at it in a daze. It was as if in the blink of an eye, he would no longer see his mother.
One glance is also ten thousand glances.
His mind went blank, and he felt as if his soul had been sucked out of him in an instant, his tendons and bones were being pulled out, and his whole body was in extreme pain.
His eyes went dark for a while, and when they came back to sight, his tears were like a curtain of rain, blocking his entire vision. He couldn't believe that it was his mother.
Clearly, his mother was fine before she left, and was still talking to him...
Why has it become like this now?
Yan Huinan staggered to the river. After a short distance, he fell and was covered with bruises because he was too weak.
It was as if he finally saw clearly what he had lost, and finally confirmed that it was his mother, Princess Heqing.
He leaned on the stone bridge, and in an instant, all five senses went out and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Ah--" He collapsed and screamed in pain and heartbreak. On the deserted Zhuque Street, the moonlight was as cold as iron, falling on the young man's thin and convex back. Yan Huinan's voice was torn and hoarse, shrill and sad, and echoed in the long street for a long time.
At that moment, the world was dead silent, and all things trembled and mourned together.
The next moment, he jumped into the icy river without hesitation and swam desperately to the boat. He was soaked all over and looked more miserable than a drowned chicken.
He hugged his mother in despair and pain. At that moment, the former Yan Huinan was truly dead, along with his clansmen, his father and mother.
A child who had just lost his father and then his mother again hugged his mother's body in pain and misery, crying bitterly. At that moment, all the secret guards who followed Yan Huinan out of the house felt their hearts clenched in pain.
But no one could empathize with Yan Huinan at this moment.
The child was not yet an adult, but his tears seemed to have dried up overnight, and the blood he vomited had almost dried on his clothes.
But my heart has been bleeding since then.
He cried until he couldn't breathe, sobbing uncontrollably, his eyes were blank, and he could only hug his mother's cold body tightly. Helplessly and pitifully, he put his face close to his mother's cold and pale face, calling "Mother" over and over again.
But no one responded to him. In this life, there will never be a woman who will respond to his call with a gentle and warm smile and welcome him into her arms.
At that moment, all of Yan Huinan's faith and hope collapsed into ruins. He was also hammered heavily into the earth, and the weight of tens of thousands of pounds was pressing down on him, making him breathless.
Why?
Why did this happen.
Why didn't he come out with his mother...
Why?
Who did all this?
"I'm going to kill him. Who is it? I'm going to kill him..." Yan Huinan burst into tears, as if crying out his entire being. His body was almost numb, and everything became an obsession that would haunt and torture this fragile young man for countless days and nights to come. He lowered his head deeply, tears streaming down his face. "I'm going to kill them all! Father, mother, I'm going to kill them all! I'm going to kill everyone! Who is it..."
No one dared to approach the mother and son. Yan Huinan's sadness seemed to form a barrier, isolating him from the world.
Those were his mother's last moments.
It was also at this moment that Yan Huinan suppressed the blood and tears in his throat and forced himself to survive.
He must survive, live longer than his enemies, take revenge, and kill all his enemies.
Even if he becomes a ghost in purgatory, a terrifying skeleton, with only one breath left, his sword will still point directly at the heart of his enemy without wavering.
As the moon rises and sets, the young man no longer trembles, no longer fragile, but has reshaped his bones and flesh. He is determined to rise to the top, look down on the world, kill his enemies with his own hands, and take revenge!
All of this fell into the eyes of Prince Yu on the Suzaku Tower.
What a beautiful scenery, the bright moon, the stone bridge, the flowing water, the people and the crows, and a wonderful play.
He unconsciously hummed "Twenty-four Bridges on a Moonlit Night, Where Does the Jade Beauty Teach Me to Play the Flute?"
This was a poem that his sister had personally taught him to recite. They both liked it very much and yearned for the moon and bridges of Yangzhou.
He especially liked the last sentence.
Tonight is also a moonlit night.
Prince Yu immersed himself in his memories for a long time, savoring them slowly.
Xie Yun was almost nauseated by his disgusting look. She lay on the bed and retched weakly, but because she had hardly eaten or drunk anything that day, she couldn't vomit anything. She could only vomit out bitter and sour water from the depths of her stomach, which burned her chest with a burning pain.
Her face was pale, but her eyes were red, as if tears of blood were about to seep out.
"Why, he... he respects you so much, respects and loves you like a father, why are you doing this? He is your nephew!" Xie Yun questioned Prince Yu who was sitting calmly in front of her with a hoarse voice.
All the sharp weapons, such as hairpins and daggers, that she was carrying were removed.
She turned her gaze to the small porcelain vase on the bedside cabinet...
Prince Yu looked at Xie Yun, "Why?"
He looked at Xie Yun with disdain, as if he had just heard a huge joke. "You didn't see the scene that night. Sister was like a holy and flawless white water lily, sleeping peacefully on the water under the moonlight. Sister's smiling face was facing me. Only from the top of Suzaku Tower, my favorite vantage point, where I can usually see the long street. Only from this perspective can I see the most beautiful water lilies blooming that night. I mercifully informed Ziyou, otherwise how could he have witnessed this wonderful scene?"
"You're a complete lunatic!" Xie Yun collapsed and screamed, "You're crazy... No, you're not a human at all... You're a beast, a beast!"
Prince Yu, however, looked like he was indifferent and turned away. His mouth was dry and astringent from talking so much. He poured himself a cup of tea and continued, "Do you know why I chose Suzaku Street?"
Suzaku Street...
No wonder Yan Huinan no longer likes to pass by Zhuque Street.
Xie Yun had heard Yan Huinan say many times that his father and mother got engaged in Zhuque Tower on Zhuque Street.
He loved walking along Zhuque Street. Once, as a young boy, he was taking his friends there for a stroll when they unexpectedly encountered a group of unscrupulous bandits. These were Hu people, disguised as Hu merchants, who had sneaked into the city. Yan Huinan recognized them, having spent time on the border with his father. He recognized them instantly and saw through their nefarious intentions. He stole his father's warrant, went to the parade grounds, and mobilized the troops, capturing the entire gang in one fell swoop. The late emperor rewarded Yan Huinan generously for this.
From then on, Yan Huinan became famous in one battle, and truly became the little bully known to everyone in the capital. He was also the young Marquis Yan that no one dared to mess with.
Many of his memories of joy and honor were related to Suzaku Street.
Prince Yu chose this place to completely destroy this young man from the inside out.
But what had Yan Huinan done wrong to deserve Prince Yu's cruel treatment of him?
Xie Yun racked his brains but couldn't figure it out.
But now she hated him to the core and wished she could kill this old villain for Yan Huinan.
She took advantage of Prince Yu's unpreparedness, grabbed the porcelain bottle in one fell swoop, rushed towards him, and smashed the porcelain bottle hard on the back of Prince Yu's head.
The porcelain bottle suddenly broke into pieces and shattered in Xie Yun's hands.
The next moment, Prince Yu slowly turned his head, blood slid down his neck, soaked his clothes, and slowly fell to the ground.
Xie Yun didn't even wait a second to hold the fragment in his hand again, and cut it fiercely towards the fatal part of Prince Yu's neck.
"Go to hell——" Xie Yun shouted in her heart.
-
A month ago, thousands of miles away, in Qingzhou City.
Yan Huinan's thoughts came back to normal from the sad and bloody memories.
Lu Song, who was standing opposite Yan Huinan, knelt on the ground with tears in her eyes and begged him, "Young Marquis, my young lady has never betrayed you for a single moment! Ever since she learned about the old marquis's accident, she has been eager to see you. She doesn't know what the old marquis has done, but the moment she found out, she was overwhelmed with worry for you! She fell seriously ill because of this... She tried every possible way to find clues from the old marquis, and finally found the evidence in his study. She will not hesitate to risk her own life to hand the evidence over to the princess!"
Lusong didn't know what happened afterwards. After she led the pursuers away for Xie Yun, she finally hid in the drainage ditch in the capital and barely escaped. She hid in the ditch for several days. When she was hungry and thirsty, she ate dirty food in the ditch and drank the stinking water in the ditch. Finally, she returned to Xie's house.
But at that time, the Xie Mansion was empty, and only Yan Huinan, who was also there looking for someone, was seen.
"I was so scared, so hungry, and so tired that I fainted." Lu Song burst into tears. "But... little Marquis. Just ask yourself, who in this world would be willing to abandon their biological father and send evidence to someone who hates him to the core. The young lady knew that if this evidence was sent out, the master would die and the Xie family would be in trouble... But she still tried every means to get the evidence to the princess. The young lady was less than ten years old that year! Little Marquis!"
"You know what kind of person she is... Young lady would rather sacrifice her own life, even go against filial piety, to clear Lord Yan's name!"
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The author has something to say: The author has cried violently once... woo woo woo
The climax of the story is approaching, and the crematorium is approaching.
"On a moonlit night under the Twenty-Four Bridges, where does the beautiful woman teach me to play the flute?" is a line from Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu's "To Han Chuo, the Magistrate of Yangzhou." This passage is a mishmash of historical periods, and the line is used solely for the atmospheric effect of a "moonlit night." Please don't misunderstand this poem. This humble author begs for mercy. Woohoo.
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