Chapter 43: The Remaining Ashes
After a burst of smoke, Wei Yanqing disappeared. Ming Huashang and others were outside the house, but they did not see him run out. They thought there must be a secret passage nearby, and Wei Yanqing took advantage of the chaos to escape.
Xie Jichuan led his men to pursue Wei Yanqing, while Ming Huazhang dealt with the aftermath in Wei's mansion. Wei Moyuan and Wei Zhuyan accompanied Wu Kong to the chamber to recuperate, but Wei Baixuan was left behind.
Seeing this, Ming Huashang deliberately slowed down her pace, but was still caught by Ming Huazhang. The upper half of his face was covered with a mask, and his expression could not be seen, but his starry eyes were fixed on Ming Huashang, leaving her no room for luck: "You three go search for evidence."
Ming Huashang sighed secretly. There were too many places to search in such a big house. Ming Huazhang was determined not to let her hear the rest of the story. Ming Huashang could only imitate others and bow: "Yes, sir."
Wei Baixuan also knew what was going on. After the extra people left and the door just closed, Wei Baixuan took the initiative to kneel down in front of Ming Huazhang and said, "Sir, you are here for the puppet, right?"
Ming Huazhang sat at the top, looking as upright as a jade statue. He asked without revealing his expression, "What puppet?"
Wei Baixuan gritted his teeth and confessed, "I deserve to die. Some time ago, I was blinded by fame and fortune and became a traitor. I became a puppet that violated the law. I regretted it after I did it. Later, even if you made another request, I kept dragging my feet and did not deliver the work."
Ming Huazhang raised his eyebrows, and his cold voice was indistinguishable from his emotions: "So, you still want to take credit?"
Wei Baixuan smiled bitterly, "How dare I? I was so overwhelmed at first, but I came to my senses later, but it was too late to back down. I knew that this time it would be difficult to end peacefully, so I was frightened and depressed. Later, I ran into my senior brothers and sisters singing puppet shows, and I had a quarrel with my master... Wei Yanqing, that evil scoundrel. That's when I broke down and thought of pretending to be a ghost to get revenge."
Wei Baixuan curled his lips in self-mockery: "Little did I know that I was so stupid that I actually thought that I could torture those people with my own death. Self-mutilation can only attract people who care about you, and it is useless for other purposes. Even if I die, Wei Yanqing will not feel the slightest bit of guilt. After this incident, I have figured it out. Fame and fortune are external things. I have been fighting for my whole life, and all I want is someone to love and value me. I thought I had nothing, but I didn't expect that my senior brothers, junior sisters... and my father, actually miss me."
She raised her head, her eyes gleaming with light. At this moment, her ordinary face was no less beautiful than those beautiful girls. "Sir, I only wish to stay with my family and start a new life for the rest of my life. I hope you can help me! As long as you can spare my father and me a way out, I am willing to hand over the puppet drawings and client information."
Ming Huazhang seemed unmoved: "I can get these things if I catch Wei Yanqing. Why should I agree to you?"
Wei Baixuan said, "Now that things have come to this, I will tell you the truth. The big patron first approached Wei Yanqing, but Wei Yanqing was busy with banquets and had neglected his puppet craftsmanship. All the puppets were made by me, and no one knows the details better than me. Wei Yanqing initially tempted me with the marriage with my senior brother, and I really wanted to show off my skills in front of that big shot, so I made a batch of puppets myself, but when I finished, looking at those lifelike, real-life things, I suddenly felt a tingling in my spine and realized that I might be in big trouble. But if I ruined the order, I would only offend that big shot, so I was brave enough to leave some tricks on the puppets."
Ming Huazhang's eyes were as cold as a pond, and his fingers slowly stroked the hilt of the knife: "What tricks?"
"It's a kind of powder on butterfly wings." Wei Baixuan said, "It's used by female butterflies to court mates. As long as there's even a grain of powder dropped somewhere they pass by, male butterflies can follow the smell to find it."
Wei Baixuan was abducted when she was young and became a slave in a rich family. Later, she was exiled to the South Market because she offended someone. She suffered too much and was forced to learn that people must leave some for themselves, otherwise, she would be sold out by those superiors until nothing was left.
The client was very pleased with the sample and soon asked her to make more similar puppets. Wei Baixuan was even more terrified because she knew that the client made it clear that he had no intention of keeping her alive.
So she was afraid to finish the second batch. On February 14, she had a big fight with Wei Yanqing. The marriage was just the trigger. The real reason was that her progress was too slow, which completely annoyed Wei Yanqing. Wei Yanqing locked her in the workshop and forced her not to come out until she finished the work.
Wei Baixuan sat in the cold and dark workshop, his precarious sanity finally broke down.
If she didn't finish her work, she would die. Even if the big shot didn't stop talking, she would be oppressed by Wei Yanqing for the rest of her life. What was the difference between life and death? What had she done wrong? Why didn't the world treat her well?
Wei Baixuan was sober while doing the crazy thing. She stayed awake for a whole day and night, transforming the unfinished puppet into a woman's body, completely replicating her appearance.
After finishing, her eyes were full of bloodshot, but Wei Baixuan didn't feel tired at all. She put the puppet on the ground and smashed the surroundings to make it look like a murder scene, and then waited for people outside to find her.
She had learned the skill of making the puppet bleed a long time ago. Ironically, she learned this skill because of her senior brother.
Wei Baixuan's life was a dark silent drama, with Wei Moyuan being the only ray of sunshine that broke in. She would never forget the times when she was violated and insulted, but Wei Moyuan dressed her like he knew nothing, took her out, and gently and carefully washed her face.
Wei Baixuan couldn't help loving that warmth, but the sun only likes the sun. A new junior sister came to the Wei family, a woman who was completely opposite to her, and the senior brother's eyes quickly shifted away.
Wei Baixuan hated the woman who had taken away his senior brother. Even if she stumbled over to say hello, she would be pushed to the ground maliciously by Wei Baixuan.
As time went by, Wei Zhuyan didn't dare to approach Wei Baixuan. But Wei Baixuan couldn't stop his senior brother from liking his junior sister. His senior brother secretly sang a love story with Wei Zhuyan. Wei Baixuan watched the scene from afar. It was just a few steps away, but for her, it was an insurmountable gap.
Even she learned the silk-pulling opera.
She practiced hard for many years to achieve perfection, but in the end, it was just a one-man show.
Although her puppet show did not attract audiences, she did learn new puppet techniques, one of which was vomiting blood. When the puppeteer sang the lines about life and death, he would quietly pull the thin wire at the key point to pull out the interlayer and let the prepared blood flow out. However, this kind of puppet mechanism is too delicate and requires a lot from the puppeteer, so it is not common.
Wei Baixuan came up with the idea of ​​letting the puppet die for her. She did this to avenge the Wei family, and also to fake her own death, so that she could escape with her life.
What happened next went more smoothly than she had expected. The person who opened the door was none other than her senior brother. She hid in a secret place, and when he pushed the door open, she cut the thin thread, letting the blood flow out.
As expected, the senior brother found nothing. Everyone at the door dispersed. Wei Baixuan took the opportunity to run out and went to look for Hua Nu as he had planned.
She knew that Hua Nu had evil intentions towards her, and she was walking into a tiger's mouth by delivering herself to him now, but she had no choice. She was crazy and wanted to take revenge on everything, and when she went to find Hua Nu, whom she despised the most, she was ready to sacrifice herself.
Surprisingly, Hua Nu did not take the opportunity to make further requests, he just looked at her silently. Under Hua Nu's cover, Wei Baixuan began to play tricks in the mansion. She brought a puppet that looked exactly like herself to perform operas in the middle of the night, and she did not restrain herself even if she was seen by passers-by.
She was like a madman, making a lot of noise in Wei's house. She didn't know whether she wanted to be discovered or not.
When she placed the fake corpse, she had thought maliciously and humbly, would her senior brother be sad to see her dead? However, her senior brother was not sad about her death, but the younger sister was depressed for many days.
How ridiculous things are in this world.
If it weren't for the group of men in black who fell from the sky, Wei Baixuan might never know the truth in her life. Wei Baixuan has been chasing Wei Moyuan for many years, and at this moment, she suddenly felt relieved.
It is not wrong to love someone, and it is not wrong not to love someone. In fact, everyone is right, the elder brother and the younger sister are the most suitable people.
She was too tired. If possible, she wanted to go to a place where there was no master or senior brothers and start over.
Ming Huazhang did not express his opinion, even though he was very tempted by Wei Baixuan's conditions. Xuan Xiaowei received a secret report that someone might take action against the crown prince's canonization ceremony, and Ming Huazhang followed the intelligence to find the Wei family.
It is easy to guess who is behind this. There are only a few people who want to deal with the prince. But what is really important now is not revenge, but to ensure the smooth holding of the enthronement ceremony.
The Queen's mind changes every day, and no one dares to guarantee whether the Queen will pass the throne to Prince Luling after the failure of this ceremony. It concerns the future fate of the Tang Dynasty and the forbearance of the Li Tang royal family for more than ten years. The Prince's Book of Classics in three days must not be a surprise.
Ming Huazhang still looked indifferent and uninterested. He said, "Hand over the butterfly wing powder and the male butterfly. Don't try to play tricks. You have offended people, and there are many who want your life. Only if you tell the truth can you save your family."
Wei Baixuan's eyes lit up and he said quickly, "Thank you, sir! I always carry the butterfly wing powder with me, and it's all here. The male butterflies are kept in the garden, please follow me, sir."
Wei Baixuan handed over a narrow-mouthed porcelain bottle. Ming Huazhang turned it carefully, and after confirming that it was non-toxic, he opened it and scanned it, then said coldly, "Lead the way."
Ming Huashang, Jiang Ling, and Ren Yao were standing in Wei Yanqing's room, groping for clues in the dark. Jiang Ling had a question mark in his head, and when he found an opportunity, he asked: "Ming Huashang, how do you know what kind of person the murderer is?"
Ming Huashang only walked around the crime scene and was able to accurately tell the murderer's gender, age, and personality. It was incredible. Ming Huashang said, "It's not that mysterious. If there weren't so many clues laid out in the early stages, I wouldn't be able to draw it."
"That's amazing too." Jiang Ling said, "As soon as you finished speaking, the servants of the Wei family recognized it as Wei Baixuan. It's amazing. I thought you and Ming Huazhang were acting in unison."
"Yes." Ren Yao agreed with Jiang Ling for once, and asked, "Hua Shang, how did you do it?"
Ming Huashang could not resist and said, "Everything has its own rules, and the same is true for murderers. What a person has experienced, what he will think and what he will do, in fact, there are traces to follow. And people with similar experiences often have similar ideas, so as long as you identify the traces they left behind and classify them, you can guess what kind of personality he has and what he has experienced in the past. I am just summarizing, the credit goes to everyone."
In fact, Ren Yao still couldn't imagine what this feeling was, but he roughly understood what Ming Huashang meant.
Ming Huashang is sensible, understanding and good at reading people's emotions. She has such a strong ability to empathize that she can capture the psychological traces left by the murderer at the scene of the murder and infer what kind of person the murderer is.
Ren Yao was amazed and said seriously: "You are the most unique young lady I have ever seen. General Han was right in choosing you. I believe that in time, you will be able to carve out a niche for yourself in Xuanxiaowei."
"No." Ming Huashang couldn't bear it. "I just want to live a stable life. Let others build my career."
Jiang Ling smacked his lips for a while, and finally came to his senses: "No, that's not right. If you said you could portray the murderer, you should have come first! We have been searching for several days, but we are in the wrong direction, and we can't even find the right man or woman. Isn't this a delay?"
Ming Huazhang just walked to the door when he heard this. He paused, then raised his hand and knocked on the door without changing his expression, reminding the people inside that he was here: "Have you found any evidence?"
Ming Huashang turned around and saw Ming Huazhang and said happily: "Second brother, you are here! We found some letters and account books, but we are not sure whether they can be considered as evidence."
"Okay." Ming Huazhang said succinctly, "Take away everything that might be valuable and take a look at it when you get back."
Jiang Ling said he understood, and he started to search the boxes and cabinets more freely, just like a robber. Ming Huashang noticed something was wrong and asked, "Brother, what are you going to do here?"
Ming Huazhang sighed inwardly. She was really too sensitive. She had heard it. In this case, Ming Huazhang did not hide it and said, "There will be a fire here, and the entire Wei Mansion will be burned down."
Ren Yao and Jiang Ling were both surprised by such a big move. After Ming Huazhang left, Jiang Ling couldn't help but say, "In order to investigate a few puppets, they have to burn down other people's houses. Xuan Xiaowei is too domineering."
"No." Ming Huashang did not turn around. She looked at the tall figure gradually moving away in the night and said, "On the contrary, he did it to save those people's lives."
Wei Moyuan and Wei Zhuyan have already received the judgment of fate. They have two choices: either guard the Wei family's property and be responsible for their own life and death in the future; or burn down the Wei Mansion. They will lose all their property but can change their identity and live outside the capital.
Wei Moyuan and Wei Zhuyan naturally chose the second option without hesitation. Wu Kong still had marks on his neck from being pinched, but he could still speak: "Da Lang, the Wei family has made a lot of money over the years. These assets should have been yours. Don't you regret throwing them away like this?"
"There's nothing to regret." Wei Moyuan looked at the dark house and said, "This is my master's property, not mine. A real man should make money with his own hands. How can he look forward to taking over someone else's property all day long?"
Wei Moyuan looked at Wei Zhuyan, and Wei Zhuyan silently held Wei Moyuan's hand. The two had a lot to say to each other, but all was expressed without words.
Wei Moyuan thought clearly that the Wei family was in trouble now, and he would not be able to protect it even if he gave it to him. It would be better for him to wander around the world with his beloved.
Wei Yanqing never avoided him, so Wei Moyuan naturally knew about the unusual order. At first, Wei Moyuan felt uneasy. The craftsmen who built the mausoleum would be silenced by the authorities. After the second apprentice sister finished the puppet, would she still be alive? He repeatedly advised his master to let go, but his master was blinded by fame and fortune and refused to give up.
So when he found out that Wei Baixuan was faking her death, he didn't expose her, but helped her lie. On the one hand, it was because of guilt. He knew the situation of his second junior sister, but he didn't dare to stand up to stop her. He owed her this. On the other hand, it was also to save his life.
He knew the feelings of the Second Junior Sister towards him, but pity and guilt were not love after all. Wei Moyuan held Wei Zhuyan tightly and said, "Besides, this house hides too many sins. I have not been very happy living here these years. I miss the days when I traveled around the world with my master. I guess my master doesn't miss it anymore, but I can take Zhuyan with me and build a home for the two of us from scratch."
Wu Kong saw the deep affection between the two and looked at Wei Baixuan with concern. Unexpectedly, Wei Baixuan was very calm. She still couldn't really feel happy for her senior brother, but she said sincerely: "I wish you happiness."
Wei Baixuan and Wei Zhuyan's eyes met, they both smiled faintly and looked away.
Over the years, the family property disputes and emotional entanglements were real, and they did hate each other at some points, but they were still sisters. When the other party encountered injustice, infringement, or even life-threatening situations, they would not hesitate to do their best to protect each other.
This world is full of interests and evils, and it is not beautiful at all. But it is not completely ugly or hypocritical. Somewhere you don't know, someone loves you silently.
Tung oil was poured everywhere, a spark fell, and flames shot up into the sky. Wu Kong looked at the burning Wei family mansion and suddenly remembered the scene of him and his junior brother practicing opera many years ago.
At that time, they were practicing what would later become Wei Yanqing’s finished work – Rebirth.
A song of rebirth, the end of the song is rebirth.
Wu Kong and his daughter and Wei Moyuan and his wife did not communicate about where to go in the future. Perhaps, never meeting each other in this life is the best ending.
·
Wei Yanqing threw a smoke ball, and while those people couldn't see clearly, he quickly opened the secret passage in the house and ran out for his life.
The exit of the secret passage was in a dry well. Wei Yanqing climbed out and rolled and crawled to the Bodhi Temple.
The temple is a clinic, a school, and an inn. As long as you pay a small amount of money, you can rent a small courtyard or guest room in the temple. The same is true for the Bodhi Temple. Many literati and foreign merchants live in the West Temple. Wei Yanqing climbed over the temple wall. He was so panicked that he didn't care about attracting other people's attention. He knocked on the door.
After a while, the door opened, and inside came a thin, sickly man who looked like a frustrated scholar. When he saw Wei Yanqing, his expression became even uglier: "Why are you here? Where are your things?"
"Something bad has happened!" Wei Yanqing said in panic, "A group of men in black have come to the Wei family, and they want to kill me! You said that as long as I do what the King of Wei wants, you will keep me safe and wealthy!"
The scholar's face became even gloomier. He glanced behind him calmly. The surrounding grass and trees were lush and thick, with only the night wind blowing. The scholar opened the door and said, "Come in first and talk."
Wei Yanqing walked in with a startled look. The scholar carefully looked behind him and made sure that no one was following him before he closed the door. He did not invite Wei Yanqing to sit inside the room, but asked, "How did you get here?"
Wei Yanqing said: "Secret passage."
The scholar felt relieved and asked again, "Is the puppet finished?"
Wei Yanqing looked ashamed and shook his head.
The scholar was not surprised, but still could not hide his disappointment. He asked, "Did you make all the puppets yourself?"
Wei Yanqing's heart skipped a beat, but years of appropriating his apprentice's works had worn away his remaining sense of shame. He said without blinking, "Of course, I did everything myself, and didn't let anyone else do it."
Wei Yanqing thought that if he exaggerated his own talents, the King of Wei would appreciate his talents and would try even harder to save his life. The scholar nodded in admiration and said, "You have worked really hard these days, Manager Wei. What did those men in black look like, what marks were on their bodies, and what did they tell you?"
The scholar asked, and Wei Yanqing realized that he knew nothing about the mysterious people. He tried to recall, but his memory was only black.
Today, he was looking for blueprints in Wei Baixuan's room. Even after the death of this jerk, Wei Baixuan, he still caused trouble for him. Wei Yanqing knew that Wei Moyuan had something to hide from him, but the most urgent thing was to finish the puppet that His Royal Highness the King of Wei requested, and the rest could be put aside.
Wei Yanqing had no time to investigate Wei Baixuan's death, but was focused on making puppets. He taught Wei Baixuan the puppet craft, and he firmly believed that as long as he found the blueprint, he could also make it.
He searched for several days and finally found the secret box, but before he could even take a look, he was knocked unconscious. He was awakened by a series of intermittent voices, and he recognized it as Wei Baixuan's voice, and was struck by lightning.
But his hands and feet were tied and his mouth was blocked, so he could only glare to express his anger.
As for the man in black who tied him up... he seemed to have not seen him from beginning to end, let alone remembering his characteristics.
Wei Yanqing frowned and said, "I didn't see the person who kidnapped me clearly, but I saw a man in black through the screen. He was very tall, with a half-mask on his face. Judging from his chin, his face was good-looking, and his voice sounded very young."
There are countless people and gods who meet these characteristics. The scholar was a little disappointed, but he didn't expect anything from Wei Yanqing.
Wei Yanqing was still frowning as he thought about why he had an indescribable sense of familiarity. He seemed to have heard that voice before.
Cui Langjun!
The moment Wei Yanqing thought of this surname, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. Wei Yanqing looked at the man in front of him in disbelief.
The scholar drew back his dagger and threw him to the ground in disgust: "A low-class actor actually wants to curry favor with the prince. Ha, how ridiculous."
At this point, the scholar frowned, and suddenly his pupils contracted: "No, you were knocked unconscious. Why did you wake up in a room with a secret passage?"
But it was too late. A streak of snow flashed across the dark night, and before the scholar could escape, he was already restrained by the man in black. Xie Jichuan stepped forward and removed the scholar's jaw with his own hands.
Xie Jichuan took out a handkerchief, wiped his hands slowly, lowered his eyes and smiled gently at Wei Yanqing: "Jingzhan is right. Once a person loses his balance, he is not far from death. You are too panicked. You should have noticed that we were the ones who brought you to the room with the secret passage."
"But it doesn't matter."
Wei Yanqing stared at the night sky with eyes wide open, as if he had seen something extremely shocking. Xie Jichuan turned around and saw a blazing fire in the direction of the Wei family mansion.
"It's all burnt." Xie Jichuan shook his head, his expression gentle, but there was no warmth in his eyes. "It's great, it's all clean."
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