Big Devil
Heng Jin said, "I must get that jade hairpin back."
"Then Changmei is probably our biggest breakthrough point now. As long as we can find the person behind her, we may be able to find the jade hairpin that fell into the hands of Xie Yuan's former subordinates."
As Yuanli finished speaking, Heqi appeared in the room. "Isn't Yan Ye here?"
"Sister, it's been a while. Did you miss me?" He picked up a spare stool and sat down next to her, answering, "I brought Yan Ye and Si Xi with me. I asked them to have dinner and wait in the private room downstairs. Firstly, I was afraid that if I brought them in directly, it would be inconvenient when I talked about something. Secondly, their demonic powers can't penetrate this barrier."
"I've thought about it. I didn't know you were coming earlier, so I didn't wait for you to eat. Have you eaten yet?"
"I've already eaten, sister. It's okay. I didn't tell you in advance. When you're done, I'll take you home for dinner."
"Okay, okay. Let's get back to the point. Have you found out anything about the Yan family's orphan?"
He Qi said, "The Yan family was originally guilty of befriending the great demons of Xie Yuan's former clan, winning over many of them. However, only the members of the clan who participated in the conspiracy were sentenced, leaving a small, uninformed branch of the clan to inherit the family headship, that is, Yan Ye's branch. As for why the entire clan was wiped out and only Yan Ye was left, and why he was rescued by Sixi's father and brought back to Yuemang Mountain, it has not yet been discovered. After all, after relocating, the Yan family lived in a remote area and did not interact with other demons. When the incident occurred, no one reported it, and if they investigated, it would be too long ago and impossible to find out."
"Besides Yan Ye, are there any other orphans?"
"I haven't found any yet. Aside from Yan Ye, the bones found in the Yan family residence match the number of the remaining thirty-six registered members. Since the Changmei he sent a message about has the Yan family totem, and the location and totem match, she must be a member of the Yan family. The Yan family totem is specially made, and even I can't replicate it. I can change it, but I can't make it look real."
"Could it be that he escaped that year?"
"I don't know, maybe. Back then, I had just ascended the throne of the Demon Lord, and I hated Xie Yuan and his followers so deeply. So, if I could uncover anyone colluding with Xie Yuan, the entire clan would be held responsible. Anyone tainted with guilt or kept in the dark would be killed. There wouldn't be a single awakened living creature in my family. I would personally oversee the executions, verifying their identities and household registrations, to ensure no one escaped. From the moment the genocide was confirmed to the moment of execution, I would do everything in my power to ensure no one leaked the news. Back then, I worried that if even one escaped, someone would return to seek revenge and harm my people. I wanted to reduce the number of perpetrators as much as possible. But I still wasn't doing well enough."
Yuanli patted his shoulder gently and soothed him, "You've done everything you can to prevent it. I think Heqi is a monarch who cares deeply for the people. No one is perfect. Even if the six realms work together, they can't kill all the followers of Xieyuan, let alone you who have just taken on the responsibility." After praising him, she changed the subject and asked, "Have the household registrations of the executed members of the Yan family been archived?"
"Yes." He Qi swept his palm across the table, and a glazed stone slab appeared with glowing words on it. Inscribed on it were the names, ages and other household registration information of the females of marriageable age in the Yan wolf clan. All the women, from cradles to unmarried women, were recorded on it.
"The household registration code of the demon world has never been deleted since it was first used. Those who were expelled will also be recorded, but their names will be white. Red letters are for living people, and black letters are for deceased people. Changmei has the Yan family totem, so she must have a household registration. These women are the most likely ones."
"There are so many, more than twenty of them. Isn't this a bit too wide? We can't call them one by one."
"You don't have to call out one by one. The Household Registration Bureau can verify her identity. Just take a drop of her blood and it will immediately reveal her identity. This is why there are still remnants who escaped by mistake. I've tried it. As long as the blood is taken out of the body no more than half an hour ago and has not coagulated, it can be used as an impersonator. Therefore, the Household Registration Bureau now identifies people in the demon world by pricking their fingers."
Yuanli said, "My husband can obtain Changmei's blood, but even if he does so for no apparent reason, it will arouse the suspicion of the person who extracted her memory. If so, I'm afraid Changmei will become a forsaken child, and will no longer be of any value to us as a guide."
Cha Suxun said, "Then we should make full use of her role as a guide before she loses her value. Anyway, a portion of her memory is extracted every time she comes to see us, so there's no risk of her tipping off the people behind her. After identifying her, have Heqi's people keep an eye on Changmei and make sure they can track her and find the people behind her."
"Okay, brother-in-law, I'll arrange for Lan Xu to do it personally."
"I want to ask, what is the purpose of asking Heqi to bring Yan Ye here?" Yuanli asked Hengjin.
"My original intention was to use Yan Ye's help to confirm Chang Mei's identity. Now that there is a simpler and more accurate method, it is naturally no longer necessary."
After the discussion, Cha Suxun went to find Changmei to draw blood to confirm her identity. He Qi took her away on the pretext of letting her reunite with Si Xi, and took her to a separate room, where there were only the two of them.
After sitting down and setting up an illusion barrier, Heqi said, "Sister, there is something I don't know how to decide. Can you help me with some advice?"
"What is it that requires my help?"
"It concerns Si Xi and Yan Ye. That day, Yan Ye came to me alone and begged me to help him thoroughly investigate the real culprit of the murder of their Yan clan. The people have grievances and are asking for your help. Thirty-six lives were lost. For both public and private reasons, I will thoroughly investigate and restore justice to him. So I sent people to investigate. As I said just now, although it has been too long and the place is remote, finding witnesses and clues is like looking for a needle in a haystack. But I have found some clues."
"So the real murderer is related to Si Xi's father?"
"Yes. It is still unknown whether Si Xi's father was the mastermind behind the murder of the Yan family, but he is an accomplice and cannot escape the charge. I haven't told Yan Ye about this yet. After all, the real murderer has not been found out yet, so I can't give Yan Ye a complete truth. Besides, Si Xi told me some things about Yan Ye. In fact, Yan Ye is like a very important sibling to her. Yan Ye, on the other hand, is wholeheartedly in love with Si Xi and regards her as his future wife. I really don't know how to tell him. Sister, tell me, if I find out the truth, how should I start?"
After hearing this, Yuanli was also in trouble. No matter whose identity she brought in, she couldn't think of a comprehensive solution.
“It’s a bit cruel.”
"Yes. If I tell them, how will Yan Ye and Si Xi cope with each other? How will they get along with each other? But as a king, I must tell my people the truth."
"Then let nature take its course. Handle the case as you would normally as a king, and restore justice to your people. As for how Si Xi and Yan Ye deal with it, that's something they can handle on their own. As their elders, we can only ensure they don't harm themselves. Even if you didn't say this, Yan Ye would have figured it out on his own one day. It would have been cruel to find out the truth after we got married."
Heqi was in a depressed mood, holding the fruit in his hand in a daze.
Seeing this, Yuanli had no choice but to speak frankly, "Yan Ye and Si Xi grew up in Yuemang Mountain. They're not as naive as you think. On the contrary, they're far too sensible. They won't be indiscriminate. On the contrary, they're probably just grateful to you. Even though Yan Ye imagines you as a rival in love, I don't think it's a deliberate lie to separate them. You've anticipated too many negative outcomes, putting yourself in such a dilemma. You know the best way to handle things, but you're just a little too pessimistic and easily fall into that trap."
"I don't want to be too pessimistic, but I've become accustomed to preparing for the best and worst in everything, so I don't end up in a situation where things reach their worst point and are beyond repair. My sister once taught me that as a monarch, I must always do my utmost to consider the interests of my subjects and the demon world. The more I plan and consider, the better off I will be for both my subjects and the demon world."
"It's important to think more about your people and the demon world, but it's also important to think about yourself. Living such a pessimistic life, and being trapped in that palace forever, it's no wonder your heart is so broken."
He Qi forced a smile at her, trying to soothe her worries and distress, and jokingly said, "I am a great demon. I am not a Bodhisattva or Buddha who selflessly dedicates himself to the common people. I cannot reach the same lofty realm as a Bodhisattva. Of course, I also consider myself and have my own feelings of love, hate, anger, ignorance, resentment, cruelty, and jealousy." After a pause, he added, "But all of that comes after my people and the demon world."
"Tsurusu, is there anything you particularly like?"
"Yes, my sister. In this world, my love for you is my sister. But, my sister, you will never remember our childhood memories again." With those last words, Heqi's tears fell like pearls from a broken string. He folded his arms, daring not to cry out loud, no matter how sad he was, just like the past 30,000 days and nights without his sister, when he held his lonely self.
Yuanli felt sad and distressed seeing Heqi like this. She sat down beside him and hugged him like her mother hugged her when she cried as a child. She patted his back gently with one hand and leaned his head against her with the other hand, with her warm palm against his head so that the sleeve covering his head could hide his tears.
My mother said that children also care about their reputation, even in front of their family members.
The twitching of Heqi's shoulders gradually intensified, and the sound of sobbing followed. He habitually tried to restrain himself, as if he was afraid that someone would hear him crying.
Yuanli recalled the nursery rhyme Liwan had sung in Kashi. She still remembered the melody and the lyrics, but she didn't want to make him even more upset by singing it now. So, she sang songs used to comfort children to drown out his sobs. One of them was the nursery rhyme Yuanli had often sung to her unborn child when she was pregnant.
He Qi hugged her tightly, clutching her clothes tightly in his hands, venting the emotions that had been pent up for a long time.
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