Deeply in love
An Daoling's face was flushed red, as if he wanted to argue, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Rong Yuexian put away the scroll of literature and hid it in her sleeve. She said calmly, "Now that she is going to repay Madam Huachi's favor all by herself, I don't know what the other party will ask for, but it probably won't be easy. As the senior sister, I can't just sit idly by. Shihe, you decide what to do."
At this point, she had completely shed the girlish demeanor she displayed when they first met, and finally regained her commanding presence and heroic bearing.
A Qiu had a subtle feeling that this change in her began when An Daoling hesitated and stammered about Zhongli Wuyan's situation.
To be fair, An Daoling was completely unaware of Zhongli Wuyan's experiences and had no way of interfering, so it's hard to blame him.
But A Qiu understood one thing: of the four, only Zhongli Wuyan chose to marry—in fact, it wasn't even a proper "marriage," as she was merely one of Emperor Dezong's many concubines, a decision made with absolute certainty. And such a resolute decision couldn't possibly be without reason, nor could it be a spur-of-the-moment whim.
She also knew that her aunt, Chu Yuan, was deeply in love with An Daoling. She still vividly remembered the time when she went to Qiwu Palace to retrieve three Han Dynasty bricks, and Chu Yuan handed her the booklet handwritten by An Daoling with great care and reverence.
An Daoling had always been an elder whom A Qiu respected, and she found it difficult to judge him in her heart. The situation was awkward, and she could only remain silent, unsure even how to smooth things over.
Shangguan Yuqi then asked a crucial question: "Senior Yuexian wants to find Senior Zhongli, but do you know where Senior Zhongli has gone?"
Rong Yuexian was taken aback by her question. She had just received an urgent report and rushed to Baozhu Garden to find Zhongli Wuyan, only to find that she had already left the palace. Her immediate thought was to come here to question An Daoling, but she hadn't realized that she didn't know where he had arranged to meet Zhongli Wuyan.
A person of such skill as Zhongli Wuyan is elusive and her whereabouts are unknown. Once she leaves the palace, it will probably be difficult to track her down.
Looking at the letter in An Daoling's hand, A Qiu suddenly said, "Why don't you open the letter and read its contents, An Gong? Since Senior Zhongli left immediately after seeing this letter and did not come back to look for Shuanghua Teng, there must be a hint in the letter about the meeting place."
As An Daoling had predicted, he unfolded the letter, and upon reading it, all four of them were completely bewildered.
On the Xuan paper inside the letter were two lines of poetry: "The autumn wind rises, the leaves fall; the Wu River flows, the perch are fat."
Shangguan Yuqi pondered and said, "This is a poem by Zhang Han from the previous generation. He wrote it when he was an official in the Grand Marshal's office in Luoyang, the capital of Zhongdu. He said that every time the autumn wind rises, he misses the perch and water shield soup of his hometown Wu, so he wrote this poem. Later, he indeed resigned from his post and returned to Wu. People at the time regarded him as someone who did not covet power and had a noble character."
A Qiu asked, "But there is no obvious place name in these two lines of poetry. Could it be that the heir of Shuanghua Hall invited the four of you to meet in Wujiang? But Wujiang is a whole river, not a pavilion. Even if the four of you are willing to keep the appointment, I'm afraid you will have a hard time finding each other."
Rong Yuexian recited the poem softly, then said noncommittally, "Since it's a poem, it can't just be the first two lines. What are the next two lines?"
An Daoling cautiously replied, "Replying to Senior Sister, it is 'Three thousand miles away, I have not yet returned home.'"
For some reason, upon hearing this sentence, A Qiu instantly thought of Mo Yi Bi Shuang's state of mind.
Judging solely from his poetry, Hulü Guang was indeed someone who deeply understood Mo Yi Bi Shuang; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a disciple and confidant.
Rong Yuexian said calmly, "Indeed, those two sentences. I remember now."
A Qiu suddenly realized that Rong Yuexian was once known as a "refined scholar," and in terms of poetry and literature, he was certainly no less talented than An Daoling, who was known as the "Fairy of the Flute." She just couldn't recall him at the moment, or her memory was incomplete, but it wasn't that she had no impression at all.
From their conversation, we can see that Rong Yuexian, the senior sister, always makes the decisions, while An Daoling assists as the junior brother.
She seemed to understand somewhat the insurmountable chasm between Rong and An, a chasm that seemed impossible to bridge no matter how many years passed.
Rong Yuexian asked, "Then are there any place names in Jianzhang that are related to 'autumn wind,' 'Wujiang River,' or 'perch'?"
Shangguan Yuqi shook her head and said, "These words are all very common, but because they are so ordinary, I have never heard of any street or scenic spot being named after them."
An Daoling remained silent, seemingly unable to come up with an answer either.
Ah Qiu composed himself and said, "After reading this poem, are you two seniors truly completely clueless?"
Rong Yuexian nodded and said, "Although I have been in Jianzhang Palace for many years and later served in the palace, I really have no clue about this matter."
An Daoling also said, "When I was young, I mostly practiced the flute or sword at home and rarely went out to play. After entering the palace, I was often in the Music Bureau. Moreover, the outside world has changed drastically. Looking at the present Jiankang City, I really don't know where it is."
Although the palace is not actually disconnected from the outside world, and the distance is not far, it is a self-contained and self-sustaining system. Spending a long time in the palace can truly give one a feeling of being in another world, losing track of time.
A Qiu said succinctly, "But Senior Zhongli knew it at a glance."
Rong Yuexian finally met An Daoling's gaze for the first time. An Daoling realized what was happening and said, "You mean, if there is a place that Zhongli knows but the two of us don't, then it must be that place."
Rong Yuexian spread her hands and said with a wry smile, "What you said makes sense, but since neither of us knows, we can't give you any clues."
A Qiu immediately remembered something and asked, "If the two seniors don't know, would Aunt Yuan Yi know?"
Rong Yuexian exchanged another glance with An Daoling, and after a moment of contemplation, she suddenly replied, "Actually, Zhong Li and Yuan Yi were closer in age and had a closer relationship when they were young."
Then, as if enlightened, he said, "The two of them often sneak out of the manor to play after finishing their practice when the elders aren't looking, while Shihe and I, being more composed, usually stay inside to practice, but we cover for their outings. Therefore,"
She concluded, "What you said is quite possible. There is a place that Zhongli and Yuanyi both know about, but Shihe and I are unaware of. However,"
An Daoling naturally picked up where she left off, saying, "Given Yuan Yi's current state, it would be pointless to ask her."
A Qiu couldn't help but think that An Gong at that time might not have been truly calm and composed by nature. He just wanted to accompany Senior Yue Xian, not his two junior sisters.
She naturally wouldn't say this to An Daoling's face. But a conversation she'd had with Chu Yuanyi in front of Qiwu Palace, and a person she'd met, flashed through her mind like lightning. She suddenly asked, "Senior Yuexian, what was the name of the palace maid who received the letter at Baozhu Garden?"
Rong Yuexian replied very naturally, "Su Jinlan."
As she uttered the name, her eyes were fixed on A-Qiu, as if trying to discern something from her face.
Ah Qiu, however, was oblivious. He suddenly realized, "So when I met Su Jinlan outside Qiwu Palace, she was on her master's orders to deliver fish and mutton to Aunt Yuan Yi. Aunt Yuan Yi did not know that Su Jinlan was acting on someone else's orders. And this master was Senior Zhongli."
Upon hearing this, Rong Yuexian's expression softened, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her lips. She said, "Zhongli and Yuanyi have always been very good friends, but later..." She glanced at An Daoling and stopped speaking.
A-Qiu continued, "Aunt Yuanyi told me that her favorite dishes are steamed fish sashimi and roasted mutton, and the best cook of these two dishes is..."
She carefully recalled what Chu Yuan had told her before, and said the place name without a doubt:
“The third shop at the entrance of Ping Le Lane in Jianzhang East Market, a restaurant called ‘Narcissus Pavilion’.”
Rong Yuexian then revealed a look of sudden realization and said, "No wonder. Although I have never been to Shuixianlou, I am somewhat familiar with it. When we were young, it was only famous in the neighborhood for its delicious dishes and careful selection of ingredients, and the storefront was not very big. But later, after I entered the palace, I remember that it was at the height of its fame, and everyone in the Jianzhang high society flocked to it."
An Daoling interjected at the opportune moment, "It's said that someone was pulling the strings behind it back then. I wonder if Senior Sister remembers, more than ten or twenty years ago, Madam Huachi spotted us and invited us to a meeting. The location marked on the invitation was the Narcissus Pavilion. However, at that time, we all felt that this woman was too presumptuous. Even if we owed her a favor, how could the Four Stars of Tianji be gathered together just because she called out, to accompany her for a meal and drinks? Therefore, none of us went. However..."
Rong Yuexian immediately understood and said heavily, "It was Zhongli who went alone and brought back this Frostflower Vine."
Upon hearing that someone was pulling the strings behind the Narcissus Pavilion, A Qiu immediately thought of the Jade Pavilion and instinctively felt that it was Mo Yi Bi Shuang's doing. And An Dao Ling's subsequent words confirmed her guess.
Lady Huachi, Mo Yi Bishuang, did not meet with the Four Constellations of Tianji for food and drink, but to establish the Frost Vine Pact with them.
It is unclear why all these details were known to Hulü Guang.
Could it really be that Mo Yi Bi Shuang informed Hu Li Guang of this clue?
But A Qiu simply couldn't believe that Mo Yi Bi Shuang would pass on the Frost Flower Pact to Hu Li Guang instead of her own son, Mo Yi Ming Yue.
An Daoling immediately said, "Now that we know the location, let's go see it right away."
A-Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi exchanged a glance. A-Qiu said, "No problem. However, I'm afraid Lord An will have to change out of his current attire."
She had already guessed that Rong Yuexian, An Daoling, and Zhongli Wuyan probably did not appear in their original forms in the palace. Therefore, even if someone had seen them acting as the "Four Constellations of Heavenly Secrets," they would not recognize them when they encountered them in their incarnations in the palace.
That's why the four of them were able to hide in the palace for so many years. But Chu Yuanyi was probably an exception. She was poisoned to the point of mental instability, and her appearance aged rapidly. She probably no longer had the awareness to take care of her appearance, let alone disguise herself. Fortunately, she was no longer a registered palace maid. She hid in the abandoned palace of Qiwu, and so many years had passed. There were hardly any people in the palace who recognized her.
Unexpectedly, Rong Yuexian said, "No need."
When the three of them turned to her with surprised looks, Rong Yuexian said calmly, "Now that we know the location and these two juniors are with us, it's enough for me to go. Shihe, you should stay in the palace. If we leave together and something happens in the palace, there will be no one to fight back."
An Daoling hesitated, but because Rong Yuexian's reasons were reasonable, he couldn't find any objections.
Rong Yuexian's voice turned stern as she said, "Our primary task is to ensure the safety of the royal family. As for personal matters of repaying kindness or settling scores, those are other matters. We must not confuse priorities or fail to distinguish between what is important and what is not."
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