Chapter 706 The Truth of What Happened Back Then (Two Updates)
The rain was pouring down, and the eaves of the houses on both sides of the street were crowded with vendors pushing their stalls and pedestrians seeking shelter from the rain. Occasionally, a pedestrian would open an umbrella and pass by, but would quickly close the umbrella and take shelter in the shops next door.
A horse-drawn carriage slowly made its way from the east end of the street, its wheels churning through the rain.
The rain was too heavy, the roads were slippery, and visibility was also obstructed, so the driver dared not drive too fast.
Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from behind. A swift horse caught up with the carriage and then darted past it!
As soon as Master Jing opened the carriage window to see whose horse was running so fast, he was splashed in the face by the rain kicked up by the horse's hooves.
Master Jing: "..."
Master Jing was furious. He wiped the rain off his face, closed the carriage window, and lifted the curtain in front to look at the horse galloping past. He recognized it at a glance.
"Hey? Big brother, look, isn't that the horse from Sky Dome Academy? The really crazy one!"
The story of the Horse King's battle against the Black Wind Riders has long been a legend in the polo world. Anyone who follows polo matches knows that the Sky Dome Academy has produced a formidable horse that can easily defeat the Black Wind Riders.
The Duke sat beside Master Jing, his gaze fixed intently on the direction the horse had gone. The horse had run so fast that it disappeared in the blink of an eye.
However, he still managed to lift his thin fingertips and tap on the armrest of his wheelchair with difficulty.
This means that.
If it's two taps, then it means it's not.
"Strange, how did that horse end up here?" Master Jing pushed open the carriage window again, stuck his head out in the rain, and looked back. He didn't see any carriages from Tianqiong Academy, which made him even more puzzled.
Duke Anguo raised his hand, touched the cinnabar on the armrest, and with trembling fingertips struggled to write a single word: "Pursue".
...
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and even though the horses of the Duke of Anguo's mansion were top-notch steeds, it was still very difficult for them to catch up with the speed of the King of Horses.
Fortunately, the horse king kept stopping and starting, seemingly searching for something, and its speed wasn't always extremely fast.
They followed the horse king further and further into the remote areas, eventually arriving at a desolate and deserted street.
"This is..." Master Jing's expression changed instantly.
In the past, it was the most prosperous place in the capital, bustling with traffic and crowds. Every day, people came to see him in droves, and if you didn't have a visiting card, you might not be able to get in for ten days or half a month.
But now, this street has changed beyond recognition.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Heavy crashes echoed ahead after the heavy rain, each one seeming to strike one's heart.
Master Jing lifted the curtain and looked around: "That direction is..."
Black Wind King was smashed in, his head bleeding profusely and his body covered in wounds.
The horse king saw it from afar and galloped towards it without stopping.
The horse looked at it with a bewildered expression, seemingly not understanding why it was trying to ram the door.
When the horse king saw it crashing, it followed suit and crashed as well.
However, the Horse King was unaware of what this dilapidated mansion meant to the Black Wind King. It raised its powerful forelegs and was about to stomp on the chained gate.
Unexpectedly, the Black Wind King actually knocked the Horse King aside.
Horse King tilted its head, looking at it with a completely bewildered expression.
Black Wind King continued to ram the door with his head and body.
The Duke's carriage stopped not far away.
Master Jing lifted the curtain, and rainwater lashed in, soaking him and Duke Anguo.
Duke Anguo stared intently, his hand on the armrest tightening little by little.
Master Jing was also filled with mixed feelings. He looked at Black Wind King, frowned, and said, "What's wrong with that horse? Has it gone mad? It'll die if it keeps charging like that!"
Black Wind King was too badly injured, so Horse King stopped it from crashing into him, and the two horses fought.
Just as the two horses were locked in a fierce fight, the coachman suddenly shouted, "Lord Duke, Second Master! Someone's coming from over there!"
It was a young man riding a tall, fine horse. He gripped the reins tightly in one hand and held a red-tasseled spear in the other. He galloped through the heavy rain, his whole body soaked through, his hair disheveled and stuck to his face, but his calm eyes revealed an untamed composure.
He rode his horse toward the Xuanyuan family's residence.
Master Jing was momentarily lost in thought.
Was the rain too heavy, or was the fantasy in my mind too realistic?
He could almost see his brother-in-law returning from the military camp, with the same calm and unrestrained demeanor.
Right on this street, right in front of this mansion.
The brother-in-law dismounted, walked up the steps, and pushed open the mansion gate as usual—
Master Jing held his breath.
He opened his eyes wide, and for a moment, he felt as if none of the tragedy had happened, and that the door would open and the people inside would walk out smiling.
However, the brother-in-law did not do that. He went to the two horses and stopped them from being separated.
Master Jing suddenly realized what was happening.
He's not my brother-in-law.
no.
His brother-in-law was already dead, and he personally collected his body.
He personally lowered his brother-in-law down from the city wall, and his hands trembled as he pulled the red-tasseled spear that had pierced his brother-in-law's body.
Master Jing turned his head away, not wanting his elder brother to see his reddened eyes.
Duke Anguo did not cry.
He had already cried all his tears.
After the destruction of the Xuanyuan family, after the loss of his pregnant wife, and after Yinyin closed her eyes forever in his arms, he no longer shed tears.
Master Jing raised his hand and wiped his eyes haphazardly, suppressing a sob in his throat, and said in a normal tone, "It's that brat Xiao Liulang."
Duke Anguo saw it as well, of course.
His gaze fell on Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao held the red-tasseled spear in one hand and raised the other to touch the Black Wind King's head, looking at it with calm eyes.
Black Wind King was gradually appeased.
Perhaps finally realizing that its master, whom it had waited for most of its life, would never return, it looked up at the dark sky and let out a mournful cry.
Gu Jiao quietly stayed with it.
Gu Jiao rarely empathizes with people or the outside world.
But at this moment, she lowered her eyes, raised her hand, and covered her chest.
"Who goes there!"
Several city guards rushed over in the heavy rain. They had been informed by nearby residents that a suspicious person had gone to the old site of the Xuanyuan family.
Although the Xuanyuan family has been wiped out and their entire clan exterminated, and this once bustling street has become a dead end, the deterrent effect of the Xuanyuan family on everyone remains strong.
The city guards dared not be careless, so they rushed over to see what was going on.
Master Jing quickly dismounted, holding up an umbrella, and stopped several city guards who were about to walk towards Gu Jiao.
He showed the Duke's mansion token and said politely, "My elder brother and I were startled and ran here. My guards are over there."
As he spoke, he took out a money pouch from his pocket and tossed it to the leading city guard.
The guard guessed the other person's identity.
"So it's Second Master Jing, my apologies for not recognizing you." The Duke of Anguo's mansion and the Xuanyuan family are related by marriage, so he didn't believe that the Duke of Anguo's horse had accidentally wandered here.
He weighed the silver in his hand, smiled with satisfaction, cupped his hands and said, "With such heavy rain, it's easy to startle a horse. Since Second Master Jing has already found the horse, we'll take our leave now."
Master Jing smiled and nodded: "Take care."
After the guards had walked quite a distance, one of his companions said, "Should we tell the higher-ups?"
The head guard said, "What do you want to tell the higher-ups? The Duke of Anguo and his brothers have come to mourn the Xuanyuan family? Who in Shengdu doesn't know about the Duke of Anguo's relationship with the Xuanyuan family? When the Xuanyuan family rebelled and was defeated, everyone who had dealings with them avoided them like the plague, fearing to get into trouble. Only the Duke of Anguo, who was still the heir apparent to the Jing family, risked his head to go to the battlefield to collect the bodies of the Xuanyuan family members. Second Master Jing went with him, he's not afraid of death either. Haven't they been mourning the dead of the Xuanyuan family all these years? Is there anything to report to the higher-ups?"
The companion said, "But that kid just now didn't look like a guard from the Duke of Anguo's mansion. He was also holding a red-tasseled spear. When I first saw him, I thought it was a ghost from the Xuanyuan family that had returned."
"What nonsense are you spouting in broad daylight!" the leading guard said, though he was actually quite uneasy inside.
That kid was indeed a bit strange; the way he held the red-tasseled spear was just like someone from the Xuanyuan family.
But the Xuanyuan family members are all dead, so they can't really be vengeful ghosts coming to seek revenge.
He shook his head decisively, took out the purse of silver given to him by Master Jing, and laughed, "Don't even think about it, come on, I'll take you guys out for a drink!"
The guards disappeared completely into the heavy rain.
Master Jing walked around the two horses and came to Gu Jiao's side, asking, "Why did you come here?"
Gu Jiao was looking up at the plaque of the mansion. The plaque had been exposed to the sun and rain and had been maliciously vandalized. It was already badly damaged, and even the two characters "Xuanyuan" were blurred under the thick cobwebs.
"Xiao Liulang, Xiao Liulang!" Master Jing waved his hand in front of Gu Jiao's eyes.
Gu Jiao snapped out of her daze and said, "I've come to find my horse."
Master Jing snorted, "So you heard me. Then why did you deliberately not answer?"
"It wasn't intentional," Gu Jiao said. "I heard you, but I was thinking about something. It was something I was thinking about first, and you asked me about it later."
The implication is that I can only answer you after I've thought things through.
Master Jing, who had never seen anyone like this before: "..."
"What's wrong with your horse?" Second Master Jing asked, pointing at Black Wind King.
Gu Jiao said she came to find a horse, but didn't say she was only looking for one horse, so Master Jing naturally assumed that the other horse also belonged to Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao didn't explain that Black Wind King wasn't her horse, but simply shook her head slightly and said, "I don't know either."
Duke Anguo sat in his carriage, watching Second Master Jing talking to Gu Jiao in the rain like a fool, and he was so angry that his body was trembling.
Master Jing had an umbrella, but Gu Jiao did not.
Fortunately, Master Jing and his elder brother finally understood each other. He said to Gu Jiao, "Why don't you stay in the outer city? The rain is so heavy and it won't stop anytime soon. Why don't you take shelter in the carriage?"
Gu Jiao turned her head to look at the carriage after the heavy rain.
Duke Anguo sat in the carriage, staring intently at Gu Jiao, his eyes revealing eager expectations.
Gu Jiao said, "Okay."
Gu Jiao boarded the carriage.
Horse King bit Black Wind King's reins, dragging it along regardless of Black Wind King's willingness.
The carriage drove out of the desolate long street, turned right through an alley, came to another main street, and after walking for a while, turned into a hutong and stopped in front of a small courtyard.
This is a small house of about the same size as the one rented by Gu Jiao and her group. There is a front yard inside, and a back yard is connected to the main hall.
Gu Jiao didn't go that far in; she just stopped under the eaves of the first row of houses.
Looking at the courtyard full of lilies of the valley, she felt a strange sense of familiarity with the place, as if she had seen it in a dream.
Master Jing carried his elder brother, wheelchair and all, to the walkway. The two brothers' clothes were a little wet.
Master Jing summoned a servant and instructed him to take Gu Jiao to a side room to change into some dry clothes.
"Wear my older brother's clothes. Besides my older brother's clothes, there are only his sister-in-law's belongings left here."
He dared not touch his sister-in-law's belongings; his elder brother would kill him. Besides, Xiao Liulang was a man and could not wear his sister-in-law's clothes.
The servants found Gu Jiao a new set of clothes that the Duke of Anguo had never worn.
Gu Jiao was considered tall for a woman, but compared to the Duke of Anguo's height, she was still slightly petite, looking like a child wearing an adult's clothes, with a touch of charming innocence.
When Master Jing changed his clothes and came out of his elder brother's room, this was the scene he saw.
He thought to himself that he must be seeing things, that he actually found the kid cute.
It's obviously infuriating, okay?
Master Jing said aggressively, "Your horses are in the stable. Don't worry, they're being fed and won't go hungry! A veterinarian has also been found! They'll treat your horses' injuries!"
"Thank you," Gu Jiao said.
Master Jing was not used to such politeness, and his attitude immediately became less fierce. He coughed lightly and said, "My elder brother invites you over for tea."
Gu Jiao went next door.
The Duke's condition has improved somewhat recently. He used to struggle to write even a single character, and might not be able to succeed. Now he can write three to five characters a day, and if he is in a very good state, he can write seven or eight.
...Most of them were cursing Master Jing.
What's it like to have a younger brother who's asking for a beating?
The wheelchair was wiped clean and dried. Duke Anguo sat in an official's hat chair. There were chairs on his side and opposite him. Without saying a word, Second Master Jing plopped down opposite his elder brother.
That way, his older brother can see him. He's so clever!
Anguo Gong's eyes flashed with murderous intent.
Master Jing shrank his neck, and why did he feel a chill on his neck again?
Duke Anguo could not turn his head, which meant he would not be able to see Gu Jiao sitting beside him.
But Gu Jiao did not sit down immediately. Instead, she came to him, knelt down on one knee, and took his pulse.
"His pulse is indeed much smoother than before," Gu Jiao said. "The Duke is recovering well."
Duke Anguo raised his fingertip again, this time not gently touching it, but dipping it in the tea in the cup, and tremblingly wrote three words: "How are you?"
Gu Jiao said, "I'm fine."
The Duke of Anguo wrote again, trembling: "Black, wind."
This was the limit of his strength. He had only written half of the last stroke of the character "风" (wind). Sweat seeped from his forehead, running down his cheeks and into his clothes.
"Huh? What did my older brother write?" Second Master Jing leaned over. "Black Wind? What Black Wind?"
Gu Jiao understood that Duke Anguo had probably recognized the Black Wind King. She said, "It is indeed the Black Wind King of Prince Han, but I don't know why it went there."
She came to find the Horse King, and encountering the Black Wind King was unexpected. Who would have thought that the Black Wind King, who had already left with Prince Han, would appear in that place again?
"That horse is Black Wind King, really..." Master Jing murmured with a complicated expression.
"Really what?" Gu Jiao asked.
Master Jing sighed: "How can I explain this? You've seen the Han family's Black Wind Riders, but do you know that they didn't originally belong to the Han family? They were trained by the Xuanyuan family."
“I’ve heard people mention it,” Gu Jiao said. “After the Xuanyuan family was defeated, military power was divided into four parts, and the cavalry was given to the Han family, including a large number of Black Wind Cavalry.”
"You seem to know a lot about the affairs of the Yan state."
Gu Jiao did not refute.
Master Jing was simply teasing Gu Jiao and didn't think she had any ulterior motives. He continued, "Only one Black Wind King can emerge from among the thirty thousand Black Wind Riders. All the previous Black Wind Kings were stallions, but this one is a mare. She had a difficult birth, having been confined in the womb for too long, and was almost dead when she came out. By the way, it was my brother-in-law and Commander Xuanyuan who delivered her, and after she gave birth, Commander Xuanyuan took her back. So, that horse was actually raised by Commander Xuanyuan himself."
Gu Jiao asked, "Who is your brother-in-law...?"
Master Jing stammered awkwardly, "Ahem, my elder brother's brother-in-law is my brother-in-law! Xuan Yuanhao!"
Gu Jiao grunted and said, "Didn't you change your name to Xuanyuan Sheng?"
Master Jing was taken aback: "You even know this?"
Gu Jiao said, "I've heard of it."
Wait, who are the people around you? How can you talk so much about the Xuanyuan family? Aren't you afraid of getting your head chopped off?
Master Jing rolled his eyes, then, as if remembering something, added, "Speaking of which, Black Wind King and Yinyin are the same age."
"Yinyin?" Gu Jiao murmured. The name sounded strangely familiar, as if she had heard it in a dream.
Master Jing, unaware of her thoughts, simply assumed she was asking a question and explained, "Yinyin is my elder brother and sister-in-law's daughter. She was born in the same year as the Black Wind King. When they were two years old, the Xuanyuan family encountered trouble, and the Han family distinguished themselves in the great battle. The king bestowed the Black Wind Cavalry upon the Han family, and the Black Wind King, who was still a foal, naturally also belonged to the Han family. Alas, fifteen years have passed in the blink of an eye."
So, is Black Wind King going back to find its master today?
After all these years, is it still waiting for its owner to come back?
Gu Jiao was silent for a moment, then asked, "Has the Xuanyuan family really rebelled?"
An eerie silence suddenly fell over the room.
Master Jing tensed up and didn't dare to answer.
With his fingertips dipped in tea, Duke Anguo used the last bit of strength he had regained to write a single character in a crooked and shaky hand.
Looking at the "Yes" that the Duke had written with almost all his might, strangely, Gu Jiao wasn't too surprised.
Duke Anguo wanted to write more, but he was too weak.
Seeing his elder brother's trembling hands, Second Master Jing said with heartache, "Brother, don't write anymore, let me write it!"
They had only met the boy a few times, so they shouldn't be talking about it in such depth. He just couldn't understand why his older brother was so unguarded around this kid.
Master Jing composed himself and solemnly said, "That's right, the Xuanyuan family has rebelled, but they were forced into it. The culprit behind all this is the Imperial Preceptor's Hall!"
"What did the Imperial Preceptor Hall do?" Gu Jiao asked.
Master Jing snorted coldly and said, "That damned Imperial Advisor cast a divination for the Xuanyuan family and said that someone in the Xuanyuan family has the destiny of the Ziwei Star. The Ziwei Star is also known as the Emperor Star, and only the ruler of a country is qualified to have this destiny. This is clearly saying that the Xuanyuan family has the aura of an emperor. Tell me, which ruler would feel comfortable with that? In order to prove that they have no intention of rebelling, the Xuanyuan family resolutely offered to hand over their military power."
"But not long after the military power was handed over, war broke out on the border. The states of Jin and Liang joined forces to attack the border of Great Yan. Great Yan was attacked from both sides. The king did not use the Xuanyuan family at first, but as a result, he suffered several defeats in succession. Morale plummeted, the army was unstable, the land was broken, and the cities fell. The king had no choice but to give the Xuanyuan family a second chance."
"Xuanyuan Li, with his eldest son, led the charge, attacking the Jin army first and capturing three cities in one fell swoop. Xuanyuan Li's second brother, along with his third and fifth sons, led troops to besiege the Liang army, and they were undefeated wherever they went. The alliance between the two countries, which had been unable to be conquered for a long time, was utterly defeated by the Xuanyuan family. The people on the border were moved to tears of gratitude, and when the Xuanyuan family withdrew, the entire city lined the streets to see them off."
"This incident made the king fully realize the power of the Xuanyuan family and understand their importance in the hearts of the people. The Purple Star descending upon the Xuanyuan family cannot be stopped simply by the Xuanyuan family relinquishing their military power, unless—"
Gu Jiao spoke for him, saying, "Unless they are all dead."
Master Jing nodded: "That's right. From the day the Xuanyuan family returned to the capital in triumph, the king had been determined to eliminate them completely. However, Xuanyuan Li was a veteran of two dynasties and a general of six kingdoms. The various measures taken by the Grand Preceptor's Hall were undoubtedly crucial to the rise of Yan from a lower to a higher power. But how could those who had once oppressed Yan be willing to see Yan rise to power? How many battles and how much blood did the Xuanyuan family's army fight to stop the wolfish ambitions of other countries? If it weren't for the Xuanyuan family guarding the territory, Yan would have been destroyed long ago. What would be the point of talking about being a higher power then?"
"The Xuanyuan family's achievements overshadowed the king's, making the king wary. However, he couldn't simply kill them, as he needed them to become a superior nation. So, the king devised a plan to lull the Xuanyuan family into complacency. When the Xuanyuan queen gave birth to a princess, the king immediately made her the crown princess. For over ten years, the king doted on the crown princess, showering her with affection and granting the Xuanyuan family every request. The king originally intended to cultivate the Xuanyuan family's arrogance and spoiled nature, but the Xuanyuan family's strict rules prevented them from doing anything out of line."
Gu Jiao said, "Even ordinary outrageous matters wouldn't be enough to punish the Xuanyuan family, would they?"
Master Jing choked, "Ahem, that's true."
Gu Jiao grunted and said, "So the king doesn't want the Xuanyuan family to make a mistake on their own initiative, but rather to let all the people of the world see how he treats the Xuanyuan family well, so that one day, if the Xuanyuan family betrays him, the people will cry out for justice on his behalf."
Master Jing scratched his head: "Ah, is that so? What you said seems to make some sense."
Gu Jiao asked, "Then, how exactly was the Xuanyuan family forced into rebellion?"
Master Jing remained silent for a moment, then clenched his fist and said with a complicated expression, "I don't know the specifics, but it seems to be related to the Crown Princess. My elder brother does know a thing or two, but as you saw, he is unable to speak."
Gu Jiao pondered for a moment and asked, "There must be quite a few people who want trouble for the Xuanyuan family, right?"
Master Jing nodded with grief and indignation: "The power, status, military strength, and martial prowess of the Xuanyuan family are the envy of all. The Xuanyuan family has never betrayed the world, but the world has betrayed the Xuanyuan family."
...
The rain showed no signs of letting up, and the raindrops pattered against the eaves.
Master Jing said he was hungry and went to the kitchen to find something to eat.
Only Gu Jiao and Duke Anguo remained in the room.
Gu Jiao moved a small stool and sat next to Duke Anguo, massaging his arms and hands to help him with his rehabilitation.
"Tell me about the Xuanyuan family's affairs. Aren't you afraid I'll tell everyone?" Gu Jiao asked.
Duke Anguo tapped the armrest twice with his fingertips.
Don't be afraid.
Gu Jiao unexpectedly understood.
As she massaged his other hand, she said, "Why aren't you afraid? We haven't met many times. I'm very bad."
Duke Anguo tapped the armrest three times with his fingertips.
You won't.
Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow at him: "How do you know I can't?"
Duke Anguo nodded repeatedly.
You, just, won't.
He felt a sense of closeness from the first time Gu Jiao snuggled into his bed.
I can't explain why.
But just like the most important person, she came back to his side.
(End of this chapter)
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