Chapter 71 The branch before him was one he had never seen before...
A short while later, Lin Yiqing and Su Ci walked out of the study.
Out of the corner of her eye, Su Ci caught sight of a woman standing anxiously under the eaves. She glanced at her a few more times. The woman's ten fingers were intertwined, and she kept picking at the skin on the side of her fingertips. Her anxiety and fear wrapped around her, making her unable to move.
Afraid of having her face seen, Chunming lowered her head hastily after their eyes met for only half a breath. Her heart pounded in her chest like a drum, occasionally leaping into her throat.
"Come in with me."
A deep, somewhat familiar voice rang out; it was the guard who had come to ask questions earlier. Chunming's heart leaped into her throat, almost overflowing.
The study was brightly lit, with palace lanterns shining all around.
Fu Huaiqing's gaze was fixed on the woman who followed Jiang Yue in with her head down. He tapped the table lightly with his knuckles.
A faint, almost imperceptible sound, like the lingering echo of a temple bell, solemn and serene, slowly reverberated through the study. Chunming's heart trembled several times, and she bowed shakily, "This humble woman, Chunming, greets Your Highness, Prince Su."
"Rise," Fu Huaiqing said calmly.
He rubbed the white jade thumb ring on his fingertip and gave Jiang Yue a look.
Nearly twenty years after the massacre of the entire family in Suzhou, the sudden appearance of Madam Bian's personal maid at such a critical moment raises suspicions.
"Where are you from?" Fu Huaiqing asked slowly and deliberately. "When did you arrive in the capital, and what is your relationship with the Bian family?"
The man's clear, calm voice was like an icicle in the cold winter. His breath, which suddenly blew past, carried an indescribable pressure. Chunming couldn't help but lower her head a few more times, her voice trembling: "I am from Suzhou. I have been by your side since I was a child. Thirty years ago, when you took over the Bian family, I went to the Bian family as your dowry maid. I came to the outskirts of the capital sixteen years ago. Later, I met Chen Lang and have been with him ever since."
As soon as she finished speaking, Chunming heard a faint laugh, an ethereal and indifferent voice slowly swirling down, causing her breath to catch in her throat and her body to tremble slightly.
Half an hour ago, Fu Huaiqing finally learned who this Chen Lang she was talking about was.
Chen Lang's real name was Chen Ming. He and she were both servants at a mountain villa in the suburbs of Beijing. However, Chen Ming's father had worked at the mountain villa in the suburbs of Beijing, and the whole family was law-abiding. He was also an extremely honest man.
“The Bian family of Suzhou.” Fu Huaiqing raised an eyebrow and said casually, “The Bian family was brutally wiped out eighteen years ago. All one hundred and twenty-seven people died that night. You say you are a maid of the Bian family's wife. Could it be that you have been resurrected?”
"Of the 127 people," Chunming's voice trembled with emotion as she recalled the tragedy from years ago. To this day, she still remembered the image of her young mistress's neck suddenly gushing blood, and the wet nurse who had come to greet her mistress with her child lying in a pool of blood. "One of them was a wet nurse who was not registered in the state register."
Fu Huaiqing stopped stroking the pad of the thumb ring, his gaze fixed intently on the woman below.
Chunming trembled, unsure whether Prince Su was the person behind the masked man, but the girl she encountered today... she looked so much like her mistress.
It was as if they were carved from the same mold. For a moment, Chunming thought she had bumped into the young lady from her youth. She was bright and dazzling, which reminded her of the little lady she had abandoned by the river many years ago.
She needs to come and check it out.
If Prince Su is indeed the mastermind behind the murderer, the young lady must not remain by his side. Who knows, he might discover her true parentage one day, leading to her utter destruction. But if Prince Su is not the mastermind—
Chunming dug her fingertips into her palms, forcibly suppressing the surging tears in her eyes. "During that time, the wet nurse's young daughter had a persistent high fever. Seeing her worry every day, Miss asked the wet nurse to bring the young daughter over and ordered me to find a doctor to treat her. The wet nurse and her young daughter stayed at the mansion during that period. That night, before going to sleep, the wet nurse brought Miss and her own child to greet Miss. For some reason, Miss suddenly started crying loudly. Seeing that the wet nurse seemed to have something to say to Miss, I took Miss to the backyard for a walk."
As soon as she reached the backyard, the little girl in her arms stopped crying. The little girl raised her hands as if to grasp the stars above her head, her little hands clenching and squeezing, and she seemed to be trying to turn over.
"Before I could drink half a cup of tea, I could smell a faint odor." Chunming still remembered turning around and seeing the blood-red scene in the courtyard. She was stunned and stood there. A man wearing a mask stood in the courtyard. His lonely and solemn figure was like a god of death, directing everyone to enter. When she came to her senses, she hurried back. However, "before I got back to the bedroom, I witnessed the scene of my young lady being beheaded by an axe."
She was both surprised and frightened, and instinctively stepped back.
"I couldn't care less about anything else. I thought their target was the Bian family's masters." At that moment, Chunming's only thought was to escape with the little lady in her arms as soon as possible. She stumbled and ran towards the side gate of the backyard. Thinking of that scene, the corners of her mouth slightly raised. "The little lady, who would whimper at the slightest bump or bruise on ordinary days, was very quiet that day, without making a sound."
That's how she managed to escape from the Bian family.
Stepping out of the Bian family's spring tea house, one realizes that something is wrong. Within a radius of fifty feet centered on the Bian family's residence, there is utter silence, not even the sound of dogs barking.
She ran to the state capital, but the lights were already off.
Left with no other choice, Chunming ran towards the city gate. But before she even reached the gate, she bumped into the figure she had seen in the courtyard earlier. He wasn't wearing a mask, and his gentle, jade-like appearance left her momentarily dazed.
"At that time, there was still half an hour before the manure cart left the city." Chunming finally found the caravan that was transporting manure carts out of the city. Taking advantage of their inattention, she hid in the bucket. After leaving the city, she seized the opportunity to escape with the young lady. She did not know the way, so she had to run north. "The woman carried the young lady and walked north, pretending to be a beggar and begging along the way. It was half a month later when she arrived at Lijia Village."
Before even stepping into Lijia Village, she heard someone mention the massacre of the Bian family in Suzhou. Only then did she learn that the Bian family had been brutally slaughtered overnight, and even the guard dogs had not been spared.
Upon hearing the name Lijia Village, Fu Huaiqing's expression changed slightly.
His gaze sharpened slightly as he looked at the woman kneeling on the ground. His eyes then rose past her figure and, through the study where faint sobs echoed, looked at the girl standing stunned under the eaves of the study.
She frowned slightly, staring incredulously at the woman's retreating figure.
Before she could finish her tea, Biezhi, who was working on poison, heard that the guards had come looking for her. She thought it was Fu Huaiqing who wanted to talk to her about assassinating Zhang Yan. She washed her hands and came to the study. Before she could even speak, he shook his head slightly, indicating that she didn't need to say anything.
Biezhi walked to the eaves and listened quietly.
The more I listened, the more something seemed off.
“Since they were able to slaughter the Bian family, they must have investigated the entire Bian family beforehand. They may not recognize the young lady’s face, but they must remember my face.” As she spoke, Chunming’s voice rose slightly, filled with indescribable excitement. At that moment, she had only one thought: she could not leave with the young lady, nor could she ever show her face again. “I observed outside Li Family Village for nearly ten days. The villagers in Li Family Village were very friendly, so I found an opportunity to place the young lady by the river next to Li Family Village.”
She hid behind the tree and watched as the little girl was carried away before she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fu Huaiqing's face was somber, and a heavy, oppressive feeling lingered in his chest, making it hard to breathe.
He asked, "You didn't contact her again after that?"
"No," Chunming shook her head. "And we can't look for it."
When she made the mental preparation to leave the young lady in Li Family Village, she decided never to look back. No matter what, she could not disturb the young lady's peaceful life. Even if they came to her door one day, she would face death alone.
After leaving Lijia Village, Chunming slashed her face and left alone.
By chance, she met Chen Ming and followed him to the outskirts of the capital. From then on, she worked in the manor. Later, the manor was bestowed upon the seven-year-old prince. In the last two years, Chen Ming's health deteriorated, and she began to accompany him to the Prince Su's manor to deliver things. Apart from the Prince Su's manor, she would not step into any other place, not even to rest.
Fu Huaiqing sat upright behind his desk, his dark eyes as deep as an abyss. He stared at Biezhi outside the study for a moment, then said, "You saw her today."
Chunming suddenly raised her head.
With a whoosh, tears fell like beads on a broken string. Her eyes glistened with tears, and she could no longer see the man behind the desk. "That girl, is she really our young lady?"
How could her young mistress be in the capital, and how could she be at the Prince Su's residence...?
Fu Huaiqing nodded. "It's her."
In an instant, Chunming burst into tears.
Looking at the girl under the eaves whose eyes suddenly reddened, Fu Huaiqing felt a momentary choke in his chest.
The branch before him was unlike anything he had ever seen before.
Even when facing death, she would not feel regret or envy for herself. All she could think about were the things she had regretted before, and how she wished she could have accomplished them.
Beneath her pure, innocent, and carefree appearance lies a heart so resilient it can withstand anything.
After a brief silence, Fu Huaiqing asked, "What's her name?"
“Zhaoyan,” Chunming said, “Bian Zhaoyan.”
Bian Zhaoyan.
Biezhi silently recited the unfamiliar words, and an indescribable emotion welled up around her.
She took a deep breath and was about to step into the study when she heard three or four quick footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Lin Yiqing and Su Ci returning, followed by an unfamiliar face.
The moment Song Minghui saw the girl's face under the eaves, he froze on the spot.
His body felt as if it were filled with lead; he couldn't move an inch. He stared blankly at the girl, frowning and muttering, "Madam Bian?"
The sudden voice shattered the peace that had been maintained in the academy for so long. Chunming, who was kneeling on the ground, turned around abruptly. Her eyes were blurred with tears, and she hurriedly raised her hand to wipe them away. When she saw the girl's fair and bright face, as beautiful as a garden of pear blossoms, she could no longer hold back and burst into tears.
The girl in front of her was her young mistress!
Biezhi stepped forward and helped her up.
As Song Minghui walked over in a daze, he saw Chunming crying her eyes out and couldn't help but take a deep breath.
He finally came to his senses, strode into the study, and bowed to the man who had somehow gotten up and was walking down the steps, saying, "Your Highness."
Without Song Minghui needing to say anything more, Fu Huaiqing already knew what he wanted to say and simply hummed in agreement.
Biezhi took the handkerchief Jiang Yue handed over and gave it to Chunming.
Not very good at comforting others, she awkwardly imitated how other parents comforted their children when she was young, gently patting Chunming's back and comforting her, "It's okay, you can live in peace from now on, go wherever you want, I won't let them cause you any more trouble."
Chunming raised her eyes, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.
The tears she had managed to hold back welled up again, and it took her a long time to find her voice, "Young Miss, how have you been all these years?"
“Very good.” Biezhi carefully wiped away the tears on the woman’s face. “From then until now, everything has been very good.”
Fortunately, she only encountered good people.
Whether it was her grandmother, the others in Lijia Village, her master, Fang Tingzhi, or her colleagues in Xianyun Tower, "there were relatives, masters, friends, and—" She paused, then glanced at Fu Huaiqing beside her, leaned down and whispered in her ear, "and him."
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