The bell falls and enters my dream.
Because of Tang Feng's promise, Liu Yiwan went to see Qin Jiujiu that very night. Qin Jiujiu was initially quite embarrassed, but ultimately, she still cared for Liu Yiwan, so she reluctantly agreed. Qin Jiujiu, her handkerchief tucked in, blushed and said, "I agree to this, but what about my godfather?" After all, Qin Jiujiu was Tang Master's adopted daughter, now the eldest daughter of the Tang family, while Liu Yiwan was, at best, Tang Feng's attendant. Moreover, if Tang Feng married into the Marquis's mansion, Liu Yiwan would definitely have to go with him. What would happen to Qin Jiujiu then?
Liu Yiwan helped Qin Jiujiu put the white jade hairpin in her hair. "Miss Jiujiu, don't worry... Young Master said he'll help me." Qin Jiujiu's eyes widened in surprise. "Xiao Feng will help you? You've always been so critical of Xiao Feng! How can he help you like this?"
Liu Yiwan scratched his head, as if Qin Jiujiu's words had struck a nerve. "This... I don't know either! I confessed my feelings to you at this time, and Young Master didn't say anything. He even said he would help me. I also think Young Master..."
Qin Jiujiu turned her back. "Since Xiaofeng said he'd help you, he wouldn't lie to you. These past few days, Xiaofeng has been depressed because of Zhou Ziliang; he's not in the mood for jokes. Go to Liufuji tomorrow and buy some osmanthus pastries. Xiaofeng loves sweets; let him enjoy them." Liu Yiwan nodded. "Don't worry... Jiujiu." Liu Yiwan usually called Qin Jiujiu "Miss Jiu," but this time she called her "Jiujiu," which made Qin Jiujiu blush. "Don't call me that. I won't respond until my godfather agrees."
That evening, Tang Feng went home and began planning how to talk to his master about the matter. Normally, his master treated Liu Yiwan quite well, and would likely grant any request. However, given the vast difference in status between Qin Jiujiu and Liu Yiwan, he figured the master wouldn't agree so readily. The next morning, Tang Feng dressed and prepared tea, waiting in his master's courtyard. His master, startled, saw Tang Feng sitting at the gate and exclaimed, "You brat, what are you doing sitting at my gate so early in the morning?" Tang Feng offered the tea and smiled, "Nothing much, I just haven't properly greeted you in all my years. I got up early this morning and came over."
Upon hearing this, Master Tang was astonished. After all, Tang Feng had paid his respects to him since his fall from his horse, but only after Master Tang himself had returned from court. This early morning tea ceremony was unprecedented, especially since it was the first time his eldest daughter had done so since her wedding.
Master Tang found a chair and sat down, looking at Tang Feng with a mischievous grin. He snorted coldly, "Speak! What trouble have you gotten into this time?" Tang Feng handed the teacup to Master Tang and smiled, "Nothing! I've been ill these past few days and haven't even left the house. How could I have gotten into any trouble? I just want to ask you for a favor."
"You didn't ask for His Majesty's reward, yet you come to me now. Tell me what happened!" Upon hearing that Tang Feng had something to say, Master Tang didn't even drink the tea offered to him, placing it on the table. Seeing Master Tang's reaction, Tang Feng immediately called his father a cunning old fox, saying, "Actually, it has nothing to do with me, it's just... Liu Yiwan! You know she's a few years older than your son, it's about time she got married and had children."
"You haven't even sorted out your own mess, and you're already trying to arrange a marriage for someone else? I don't agree to Liu Yiwan's situation," Old Master Tang frowned, wondering what Tang Feng was thinking, suddenly wanting to arrange a marriage for Liu Yiwan.
"Father, but getting married and having children is a natural human instinct. How could Liu Yiwan..."
"I said no! No way!" Master Tang slammed his hand on the stone slab. "Liu Yiwan has been your servant since you were a child. He will definitely come with you when you marry into the Marquis's mansion! Where else can you find a personal servant to marry? Aren't you just making a fool of yourself?"
"Forget about him!" Tang Feng rolled his eyes. "If he comes with me, I'll be lucky if he doesn't drive me crazy. Dad, he really does have someone he likes, and you're forcing him to come with me. That's so heartless! Besides... do you even know which family's daughter he's set his sights on? Whose young lady is she?!"
"No matter whose he is! It's unacceptable!" Master Tang finished speaking and was about to leave when Tang Feng quickly stepped forward to stop him. "My dear sister, do you also think it's unacceptable? Father, my sister and Liu Yiwan have been in love for a long time, but they've been dragging it out because they were afraid you wouldn't approve. I couldn't bear to see her suffer, so I came to you. Besides, there are so many servants in the manor; we don't need another Liu Yiwan. In the future... in the future, I can go to the Marquis's manor and find a kind and considerate servant." Tang Feng didn't tell Master Tang about his relationship with Zhou Ziliang, fearing that if he did, Master Tang would get angry, and the matter would become even more distant.
Master Tang was initially surprised, but his expression softened, and he slowly said, "I had my suspicions. During the days you were away, the two of them were quite close, but... never mind! Call Liu Yiwan over here. I want to ask him myself if he's really so irresponsible that I need to trouble the young master to plead for him." Tang Feng knew there was hope as soon as he heard this, so he quickly bowed and left.
After finishing his business with Liu Yiwan, Tang Feng felt a bit more at ease. The weight that had been pressing on his heart for the past few days lifted considerably. He even had a rare urge to go out and explore the streets. Having stayed in the mansion for half a month without venturing out, Tang Feng wandered the streets, unsure of where he was going. He just strolled aimlessly until he stumbled upon a pawnshop. Looking up at the sign above the pawnshop, he lifted his robe and went inside. The old manager of the pawnshop greeted him with a smile, "Oh, it's Tang Sicheng! It's been so long! How are you feeling? Are you feeling better? Oh dear, the other day, when you were being carried out, I secretly glanced at you, and your face was as white as a sheet!"
Tang Feng smiled and said, "It's nothing serious. I recovered after resting for a while." Just as Tang Feng finished speaking, the old shopkeeper suddenly leaned closer and whispered, "The way you looked the other day, you were clearly terrified. I've told you so many times, a lot of the items in the pawnshop are from the previous dynasty. What if they're tainted by some vengeful spirit?"
Tang Feng rolled his eyes, then lowered his voice, "To be honest, just as you said, I did see something I shouldn't have seen: a copper bell, and a black cat was wearing it around its neck."
The old shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, you mean that black cat? It was a tribute presented to our Empress Dowager by the envoy from Shanghan a while ago. The pawnshop was still recording it, and it was delivered to the palace these past few days! But... it doesn't have that bronze bell around its neck! Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Tang Feng shook his head. "Impossible. That bell is quite special. The lighting wasn't good that night, so I couldn't tell if it was gold or bronze, but it seemed to have ghost grass carved on it." That bell was indeed special. All the other bells were carved with dragons and phoenixes, but that bell was carved with ghost grass. Ghost grass is also called dream orchid, and because of its eerie appearance, it's said to be a flower that blooms in the underworld.
The old shopkeeper frowned upon hearing this. "You're not talking about... Yu Lingzi, are you?"
"Yu Lingzi?"
"Yes! If it really is that kind, our pawnshop does have one. I heard it was found by someone and brought directly to the pawnshop."
"Found it? This person is quite honest. Logically speaking, why would they give such an important item to a pawnshop instead of taking it home to make a fortune?" Tang Feng couldn't help but laugh out loud. This reason was a bit too far-fetched! But seeing the old shopkeeper's serious face, he suppressed his laughter.
"I know you find this somewhat unsatisfactory, but it is indeed true. I heard that it was found by the Sixteen Riders of Yanshan in the south of the city. This bell is of great significance, so the Emperor sent someone to return this Imperial Spirit Bell to the pawnshop for strict guarding."
"What's so special about a bell?" Tang Feng didn't understand. It would be understandable if the bell was significant to him, but why was it also significant to the Emperor?
"I heard that these Spirit Stones were originally a pair, and were Su Xiang's personal belongings."
"Prime Minister Su?" Although Tang Feng was far removed from the court, he still knew a little about it. He didn't really know who this Prime Minister Su was, only that Xu Chang'an's father was a prime minister.
"Yes! Su Zili! Everyone in the older generation in Yanyun knows him. He was the first prime minister of Yanyun after its founding. He used to be said to be a fortune teller, and he always carried those two bells. And you know what? He was quite accurate. Our Emperor followed his predictions all the way north and seized the throne. But... because of those two bells, the Empress Dowager said he was a scourge to the country and bewitched the Emperor, and in the end, he was forced to leave. Our late Empress was Su Zili's sister. Sigh, you know, Su Zili worked tirelessly for Yanyun. Even if he didn't achieve great things, he certainly put in a lot of effort! In the end, he met such an end. The Empress Dowager was heartbroken by this!"
Tang Feng seemed to recall Zhou Ziliang mentioning Su Zili at Lishan Academy. He said the late Empress was the birth mother of the Eldest Princess, and that Su Zili was the one who named the Eldest Princess. Then... this bell... "And where is this Prime Minister Su?"
"I heard he went to Shanghan, but... some say he died, executed by the Empress Dowager. After all, His Majesty is the ruler of a country; finding someone shouldn't be difficult! But after twenty or thirty years of searching, not even a trace of him has been found, so rumors have spread that the Empress Dowager couldn't let go of her resentment towards Su Zili, so she sent the Sixteen Riders of Yanshan to kill him."
"Dead?" Tang Feng frowned, then smiled and said, "Old shopkeeper, thank you. I've been out for so long, it's time for me to go back. I'll rest for a couple more days and then come back to work at the pawnshop." After saying goodbye to the old shopkeeper, Tang Feng went to the street to buy some food and headed home. Just as he was about to enter the mansion, Zhang Mobai called out to him, "Little brother?" Zhang Mobai saw Tang Feng and quickly stopped him. "Little brother, why are you out? How are you feeling?"
"Much better," Tang Feng smiled. "I haven't been out for a long time, and I was getting restless staying in the manor, so I decided to go for a stroll." Zhang Mobai was relieved to hear this and pulled Tang Feng's hand, leading him towards his house. "My father misses you terribly, and when he heard you were sick, he was very worried. Since you're out, come to my house for a meal so he can rest easy and stop nagging me all the time." Tang Feng thought this made sense and followed him inside.
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