A gentleman is not a vessel.
A Qiu intuitively felt that Rong Yu's personality was definitely not as stiff and cold as she appeared, but rather a broad-minded and cheerful person; otherwise, she wouldn't have come up with such a whimsical idea as dressing as a man. She mustered her courage and replied:
"It is human nature to become accustomed to the people and things we see every day, and naturally we will not suspect anything unusual about them. A Qiu had only seen Rong Jian once, so he did not have any preconceived notions or habitual impressions. In addition, tonight Rong Jian deliberately appeared in his true form, which was obviously different from ordinary eunuchs, so he was able to guess."
Rong Yu's long, narrow phoenix eyes flashed with a clear and clever light, and he said with no reservation, "Come on up!"
A Qiu and Gu Yi ascended to the third floor of the Star-Picking Tower, where lights were already on. Soon after, a young eunuch brought over tea sets and a water stove.
The room is filled with calligraphy and paintings, and its elegant furnishings are of a refined and tasteful style, just like a scholar's study. No one would ever guess that it is the residence of an official.
Gu Yi never drinks a drop of tea when he is out. The last time he went to the branch of Mo Yi Ming Yue, the tea served there was also untouched.
But at this moment, Rong Yu personally prepared the tea, his fingers twirling his wrist as he whisked the tea in the cup with an extremely elegant and graceful posture. Before long, the tea leaves floated on the water, the green soup clear and bright. The eunuch immediately presented the prepared tea utensils, and Rong Yu personally served the tea, then had it presented to Gu Yi and A Qiu.
Gu Yi had been silently watching Rong Yu's movements, and at this moment he picked up the tea and drank it all in one gulp.
This was unexpected for A Qiu. She had originally thought that Gu Yi wouldn't touch the tea.
Rong Yu now appears as an old eunuch with wrinkled skin and white hair, her hands covered in spots and her knuckles prominent. However, her eyes, which she inadvertently reveal, are exceptionally bright and clear. She looks at Gu Yi and smiles, "Is this still acceptable to the Junior Tutor?"
Gu Yi paused slightly, a bitter smile appearing on his lips as he asked, "How long has Supervisor Rong known me?"
Rong Yu stood up, walked to the window, gazed at the deep night, and pondered for a moment before saying, "It must have been twenty years." She turned around, her gaze sweeping over Gu Yi's face, a hint of tenderness in her expression, and replied, "I remember the young master I first saw; he was very different from how he is now."
A Qiu's breath suddenly caught in his throat.
No one, whether in the Northern or Southern Dynasties or even throughout the entire world, ever knew Gu Yi's origins. The only impression Gu Yi left on the world was that he emerged from the palace ten years ago, wielding the Carved Moon Sword to quell the rebellion and bring peace to the world.
However, Rong Yu said that she had met Gu Yi twenty years ago.
Twenty years ago, Gu Yi should only be a seven or eight-year-old child. Where did he meet someone like Rong Yu?
Rong Yu's answer, however, explained A Qiu's doubts.
She continued, "Since entering the palace to serve the emperor, the four constellations of Tianji have become invisible. Unless they are in danger to the royal family, they will not care about anything. So even if something happens right in front of us, we will pretend not to see it."
The four constellations of Tianji entered the palace forty years ago. From then on, he remained in the palace for the rest of his life, never leaving even when there was war and the palace collapsed.
Therefore, her statement that she met Gu Yi twenty years ago must have been made in the palace.
Gu Yi didn't enter the palace to quell the rebellion ten years ago. He had been in the palace for twenty years.
Gu Yi lowered his head and remained silent, seemingly lost in memories, oblivious to everything else around him.
Rong Yu smiled and said, "Young Master has not yet answered my question. Is this tea still palatable to you?"
Gu Yi said with some difficulty, "Since Supervisor Rong met me twenty years ago, he should know that my body is different from that of ordinary people. To be honest, Supervisor Rong, I can no longer taste anything."
Where did I hear those familiar words before?
A-Qiu recalled in his mind. Fragments of memories flashed by like lightning.
“My body was already decaying, and it has only been preserved to this extent thanks to the support of elixirs. Your dagger is an ancient artifact from the Warring States period, and the aura of a thousand-year-old weapon on it is exactly what counteracts my body. Therefore, the damage cannot be repaired.”
She had deliberately tried to forget what Gu Yi had said that night in the secret room.
But here and now, it resonated vividly and clearly in her heart.
Gu Yi has a unique constitution, so she can't taste the flavor of tea, whether it's tea she brews or tea brewed by someone else.
Rong Yu said gently, "Since you can't taste the tea, why force yourself to drink it to hide your feelings of being speechless in my life?"
For forty years, across the nation and its people, across three thousand miles of mountains and rivers, the Four Stars of Heavenly Secrets willingly bound themselves to a promise for life. Rong Yuexian, once so carefree and unrestrained, playing in the mortal world, was transformed into a eunuch, forever residing in the deep palace, rising early and falling at night, performing endless tasks of serving others.
A Qiu suddenly thought of An Daoling, who was the same. But at least An Daoling chose to serve music rather than people; he spent most of his life with music, which, though lonely, was also serene.
Seeing that his inner emotions could not be hidden from Rong Yu's eyes, Gu Yi frankly said, "I just can't help but sigh that in this world where the country is broken and everyone is chasing after profit, there are still people like Rong Jian who are willing to silently shoulder the responsibility for this country."
Rong Yuexian was originally the most frivolous and unrestrained person.
Rong Yu smiled and said, "Young Master, do you know why I liked to dress as a man when I was young?"
Gu Yi shook his head.
Rong Yu said calmly, "To be honest, my lifelong wish is to experience as many different lives as possible. Being born a woman, I naturally have my own world, but when I transform into a man and travel to other parts of the world, I will have different experiences. And when I enter the palace and become a eunuch, the way I am viewed and treated is naturally completely different from that of a dashing scholar or a highly skilled senior sister from a prestigious family. However, I still succeeded."
A Qiu understood what Rong Yu meant. When she was the eldest disciple, she represented the glory of the righteous path; when she disguised herself as a man and entered the world, she was known as a "refined scholar"; and when she entered the palace as a lowly eunuch, she silently became the most powerful eunuch in the history of the Southern Dynasty. Whether it was a foolish emperor like the last emperor of the Huan Dynasty or a wise ruler like Xie Lang, they all regarded her as their most trusted confidante.
The highest good is like water, which dwells in formlessness. What Rong Yuexian seeks to prove in the world is this kind of gentlemanly way of non-vessel. She can transform into anyone because she has no attachment or belief in the "identity of a human being".
A Qiu couldn't help but ask, "Then, do the other three members of the Four Mansions of Tianji know Rong Jian's identity?"
Rong Yu seemed to recall something amusing and smiled, "Before entering the palace, the four of us made a pact to remain completely hidden and forget our past. We decided to never see each other again and none of us would reveal our identities, unless it was a moment when we needed to act in front of the palace. But we would strike once and then retreat, and then disappear again. I think they don't know that I am their senior sister."
Gu Yi knew she wasn't lying, because over the years, the only person he knew was An Daoling, and they had gradually become friends. But if Rong Yu hadn't deliberately revealed her flaws today, he would never have seen through Rong Yu's identity.
She smiled and said, "Let's just consider this a game among the four of us during these long years in the court. As long as I am not found, they will always have something to look forward to."
Ah Qiu persisted, asking, "Since Rong Jian has been deliberately concealing his identity, why did Master guess it tonight?"
Rong Yu replied matter-of-factly, “Naturally, it’s because a high-ranking palace eunuch can’t stop your master from asking me questions he shouldn’t ask. Only by bringing up the title of ‘Elegant Scholar,’ the head of the Four Mansions of Tianji, can he be silenced.”
Both A Qiu and Gu Yi were stunned by her words, neither of them expecting that Rong Yu, with her shrewdness, would answer so directly. She wanted to use her seniority to keep Gu Yi from asking any more questions.
A Qiu said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "My master hasn't even spoken yet, but you seem to have already predicted what question he's going to ask."
Rong Yu smiled knowingly and said, “Whatever the question, it won’t be a good one. He hasn’t come to see me, the Grand Eunuch, for over ten or twenty years. He must be asking for something important. He doesn’t drink tea, so is he just passing by and thirsty, asking me for a cup of water?”
A Qiu couldn't help but admire this former leader of the righteous path, Senior Sister, for her wisdom and resourcefulness. Her words effectively sealed off any possibility of Gu Yi asking her any questions. And what she said was not unfounded. Given her position in the palace, anything Gu Yi would think of asking her must be a secret related to the royal family.
Gu Yi, however, did not allow her any excuses, and said, word by word, "If someone were to use the poison of Qianji San to frame our dynasty, would Supervisor Rong also consider this matter unrelated to him and not allow me, Gu, to investigate?"
His question was extremely sharp and hit the nail on the head.
No matter what he asked, Rong Yu could refuse by citing matters involving royal secrets. However, there was a high probability that the Qianji Powder had leaked out from her, the person in charge of managing it. In a sense, she also bore responsibility for mismanagement. How could she not allow Gu Yi, the Junior Tutor, to investigate?
Upon hearing the words "Qianji San," Rong Yu's face, which had been withered and expressionless due to his disguise, showed a shocked expression for the first time. He exclaimed, "What Qianji San? Since the fall of the Great Huan Dynasty, the Sima imperial family has been wiped out. I haven't seen Qianji San for more than ten years. Where did this Qianji San come from?"
Seeing her expression change, A Qiu immediately said, "Someone poisoned someone at the Beining Pavilion where the Shuofang Army is stationed. The head of the Gongye family confirmed that the poison used was the 'Qianji San' used in the Southern Dynasty court. As Rong Jian said, the head of the Gongye family also said that he had not made Qianji San for more than ten years. Therefore, this matter should be investigated by Rong Jian to see if any Qianji San was lost more than ten years ago."
She pointed out that the poison of "Qianji San" had been confirmed by the Gongye family, its successors, thus eliminating the possibility that Rong Yu was questioning whether it was truly Qianji San, and also ruling out the possibility that the Gongye family was privately refining Qianji San, making it clear that the matter should be focused on Rong Yu.
In reality, it's unlikely that Rongyu secretly kept or lost the Qi-Qi powder. However, if the responsibility isn't firmly placed on her, she'll probably just say it's a confidential matter and she can't disclose it, thus clearing her name.
This wasn't due to a lack of sincerity on Rongyu's part, but rather the composure and caution required for her position. As the Grand Steward of two generations of emperors, she had a responsibility to remain silent about the emperor's family affairs, rather than having them easily revealed by a powerful minister. This, in itself, was true loyalty.
As expected, Rong Yu's eyes lit up, as if she were deep in thought. Clearly, the involvement of the Gongye family had won her trust, making her feel that this matter was not unfounded, and Gu Yi's personal visit also demonstrated the importance of this matter.
After a moment, Rong Yu said, word by word, "In the spring of the twenty-third year of the Yuanhe era of the former Huan dynasty, I was promoted to the position of Grand Palace Supervisor of Jianzhang Palace. Until the seventh year of the Xiyuan era when Huan was destroyed, I had received a total of seventeen bottles of Qianji Powder. And the names of the people to whom these seventeen bottles were given are all known."
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