Chapter 116 When the Wind Arrives 3 False and True
During the months Xun Shu was in a coma, a lot of things happened in the capital. The most important one was His Majesty's ascension to the throne and the change of the reign title to Shen'an.
During the previous emperor's lifetime, he was obsessed with cultivating immortality and the Way, leaving state affairs largely under the supervision of the Crown Prince. Upon ascending the throne, the Crown Prince decisively seized power and, with lightning speed, abolished the position of Imperial Preceptor, sealed off the Changsheng Palace's shrine on the outskirts of the capital, and decreed that all Taoists within the Changsheng Palace be expelled from the capital. Those who left the Changsheng Palace would never again be allowed to enter the capital.
The Hall of Eternal Life has been deeply rooted in the city for many years, and its intricate structures are too complex to be eliminated overnight. However, His Majesty's series of decrees are a signal that the Hall of Eternal Life's heyday has passed, and it's time for those in power to re-enter the game.
The court, which had been turbulent due to the Palace of Eternal Life and the Imperial Preceptor, finally saw signs of peace and tranquility. The people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and the market was prosperous. The unspeakable events that had taken place at the Fengshan Ceremony at Mount Qi a few months ago were gradually forgotten by everyone. Even if someone occasionally mentioned them, they were all positive, as if the sudden death of the previous emperor before the ceremony and the prince's sacrifice to heaven and earth on his father's behalf were all the will of the gods, and that the current emperor was the emperor personally selected by the gods.
The second matter was the case of Jiang Zheng, which Xun Shu was concerned about. While everyone in the capital was away, Li Song had already uncovered the truth about Jiang Zheng's case.
On the day of Jiang Zheng's death, Qin Yuan was out investigating a case when a note was slipped to him. It contained only one sentence: "The truth about the matter entrusted to me by the late emperor." The note also contained the address of an abandoned courtyard and instructed him to attend the appointment alone.
At that time, the crown prince had not yet ascended the throne. The "late emperor" mentioned on the note was the crown prince's grandfather, the current Emperor Gaozu.
Qin Yuan had also wondered if this was a trap, but the events of that year had long perplexed him, practically a nightmare that had plagued him for years. Unfortunately, Emperor Gaozu, the only person who knew about this, had passed away long ago, and much of the truth had been buried with him. So, when he received the note that day, he immediately decided that even if it was a trap, he would go and see for himself.
When Qin Yuan arrived at the courtyard, the main door was open. He immediately saw Jiang Zheng, tied to a chair, barely breathing, tortured beyond recognition. Qin Yuan pressed Jiang Zheng if he knew the truth, but Jiang Zheng trembled and begged him to remove the dagger from his chest.
The dagger was stuck in Jiang Zheng's heart, and because he didn't pull it out immediately, he lost his life. Qin Yuan saw that Jiang Zheng was determined to die, and after hesitating for a moment, he chose to continue questioning until he was sure that Jiang Zheng really didn't know what happened that year. Then he pulled out the dagger himself, ending Jiang Zheng's pain.
Blood gushed out, splashing all over his face and body. At this moment, other people from the Dali Temple rushed into the yard.
At that time, Qin Yuan was filled with self-blame and regret because he had caused Jiang Zheng to suffer for a long time for no reason. He did not explain the matter at the first time, but he did not expect that his action would cause such a big misunderstanding and estrangement between Li Xuanhe and Xun Shu.
Shortly after the incident, Qin Yuan recounted the events of that day in detail to Li Xuanhe, even handing him the note he had received. As for the exact nature of the Emperor Gaozu's request on the note, Qin Yuan didn't reveal it, and Li Xuanhe didn't inquire. After all, it had nothing to do with the case; some secrets were better left untold.
Qin Yuan had no idea who had killed Jiang Zheng, or why he had appeared in that courtyard. Li Xuanhe was in a hurry to leave for Mount Qishan, and Qin Yuan took the initiative to avoid suspicion, so he had no choice but to hand the case over to Li Song to continue investigating until the truth was revealed.
Before leaving the capital, Li Xuanhe had hinted to Li Song that the case might be connected to the Hall of Eternal Life. Li Song, always a man of direct action, took advantage of the Imperial Preceptor and His Majesty's absence from the capital, preventing information from being relayed quickly. He, along with his men from the Dali Temple, abducted several lone Taoist priests from the Hall of Eternal Life without questioning them, and brought them to the Dali Temple for the internment. As luck would have it, one of them happened to be a close aide to the Imperial Preceptor.
There were hundreds of torture methods in the Dali Temple, and Li Song was always generous in using torture methods. He paid special attention to the imperial teacher's attendant, and within half a day, the man told everything he knew.
The attendant didn't know Jiang Zheng's name, only that he was a disciple of the Si Tian Pavilion. He explained that Jiang Zheng had been brought back to the capital several months prior. Initially, the Imperial Preceptor treated him with great respect, placing him in a dark chamber within the Imperial Palace. The Imperial Preceptor spent a month interrogating him about the secret of the Si Tian Pavilion's immortality, but Jiang Zheng was adamant, refusing to reveal anything beyond his identity as a Si Tian Pavilion disciple.
The Imperial Preceptor's health had deteriorated over the years, and Jiang Zheng was his lifeline. While the Changsheng Palace had many ways to kill him, the Imperial Preceptor only tortured his body and mind, refusing to kill him. That was until one day, the Imperial Preceptor received a letter from Wuweizi in Ningyuan Village, and everything changed.
After that, the Imperial Master no longer spared Jiang Zheng's life and became increasingly ruthless. Jiang Zheng's body had long been destroyed, and he could no longer hold on after just a few days.
On the morning that Xun Shu and the others discovered the body, the Imperial Master had Jiang Zheng brought to the courtyard and waited for them to find him. As for the note delivered to Qin Yuan, it wasn't written by the Imperial Master. The exact author of this matter remains undetermined.
The attendant finally mentioned that the Imperial Master had recently placed great trust in a man named Fang Yan. Although Fang Yan had only recently joined the Hall of Eternal Life, he was incredibly talented and intelligent, and the Imperial Master had high hopes for him. Even this disciple of the Sitian Pavilion was brought back to the capital by Fang Yan and personally delivered to the Imperial Master. If Li Song wanted to know more, he could go to Fang Yan; he was sure to know more.
Li Song didn't bother to figure out why this person suddenly said Fang Yan's name. He immediately sent people to search for Fang Yan's residence. After finding him, he personally led people to the inn to arrest him. However, they didn't find Fang Yan, but instead discovered a dying girl in the room.
Li Song had seen this girl before at Zhao's house in Chaozhou. She was the second Miss Zhao.
According to the innkeeper, Fang Yan had already left, and the date was the same day Jiang Zheng's body was discovered. However, because he had paid a sufficient amount in advance, the innkeeper not only reserved a room for him but also cared for the sick girl in his room daily, bringing her food and hiring a doctor. This is how Zhao Jingrong survived until the day she was discovered by Li Song.
Xun Shu quietly listened to Li Xuanhe's account of the past few months. When he heard about Zhao Jingrong, he couldn't help but ask, "How is she now? Can I see her?"
Li Xuanhe was silent for a moment, then told Xun Shu the truth: "Li Song placed Miss Zhao Er in the guest room of the Dali Temple and hired many doctors for her. Unfortunately, she was already exhausted and passed away a few days after you and I returned to the capital."
Xun Shu and Zhao Jingrong weren't close, having barely exchanged a few words, but hearing the news of her passing still grieved her. She sighed and whispered, "Second Miss Zhao was a pitiful person. Her health was poor, and both her parents had died tragically. Now she only has one brother left, and they're not even related by blood... By the way, I heard the eldest son of the Zhao family was assigned to study in the capital. Have you sent anyone to contact him?"
Li Xuanhe nodded. "Young Master Zhao still misses this non-blood-related sister. He took Miss Zhao's body away and buried it in a beautiful location outside the capital. When you recover, if you want to visit her, I'll go with you."
Xun Shu thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Never mind. Now that I think about it, the last time I saw Miss Zhao, she was clearly asking me for help, but I couldn't help her. I think she might not want to see me... I'd better leave her in peace. However, I can't quite understand. Fang Yan was a spy left in Chaozhou by the Hall of Eternal Life. After the disaster relief silver was found, it was only natural for him to leave Chaozhou. But why did he take Zhao Jingrong with him?"
Li Xuanhe explained, "Before Second Miss Zhao passed away, I met her once and heard her mention this matter. Fang Yan had resigned suddenly, and after Second Miss Zhao heard about this, she took the initiative to find Fang Yan and begged him to take her away from Chaozhou. She seemed to feel that everything in the Zhao residence, everything in Chaozhou, brought her only sadness. She didn't want to stay in this sad place any longer, and wanted to leave Chaozhou with the person she loved and travel around. Fang Yan didn't agree at first, but only agreed to her request before leaving.
"Ms. Zhao Er accompanied Fang Yan all the way north. Initially, Fang Yan was very patient and kind to her, but after arriving in the capital, everything changed. He became very busy and often disappeared, leaving her alone in the inn. Moreover, since her arrival in the capital, she has spent most of the day drowsy and weak. At first, she thought her condition had worsened, but later realized it was all Fang Yan's doing. She also tried to escape from the inn, but never succeeded. As for why Fang Yan did this, why he refused to let Miss Zhao Er go free, I can't figure it out. Some truths may only be known after finding Fang Yan."
Xun Shu sighed endlessly.
The two of them talked for a long time, and the fatigue on Xun Shu's face could no longer be hidden. Although Li Xuanhe still had many things to say to her, he could only swallow them for the time being. He helped her lie down again and tucked the quilt over her. Xun Shu lay in the soft bedding and quickly closed her eyes. Li Xuanhe looked at her sleeping face, with a hint of pleading in his tone: "Ashu, remember to wake up early this time and don't make me wait too long, okay?"
Xun Shu had already fallen asleep, so naturally she didn't hear what Li Xuanhe said, nor could she answer him. Li Xuanhe sighed, leaned over and kissed her forehead, then quietly left.
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The news of Xun Shu's awakening soon spread throughout the princess's mansion. In the evening, when Xun Shu opened his eyes again, he saw Ah Shui with tears in her eyes beside the bed.
The door was closed, and the heat from the charcoal fire wafted through the air, but Xun Shu felt no warmth at all. With Ah Shui's help, she stood up and tucked her hands under the quilt. Looking at Ah Shui, who was sobbing non-stop, she smiled and said, "What are you doing? I'm still alive, aren't I? Back in Ningyuan Village, I thought you were brave, but I didn't expect you to be so fond of crying."
Ah Shui wiped her tears and smiled with tears in her eyes: "That girl misunderstood me. I have loved crying since I was a child, but my family doesn't like me crying, so I rarely shed tears. Now that no one cares about me, I can be myself." She stood up, opened the food box beside her, took out the soup noodles in the box, and brought it to Xun Shu, "Miss, you woke up at the right time, and the soup noodles are warm. The third young master said that you must want to eat something delicious after lying in bed for so long, so he specially ordered this chicken noodle soup. The soup noodles only have chicken soup, without any difficult-to-digest meat or vegetables. Miss, just eat it. When you feel better, I will make many delicious dishes for you, all of which are the dishes I learned in the past few months."
"It's actually Ah Shui's cooking. I must eat it all."
Ah Shui served Xun Shu noodle soup, and kept talking about interesting things in the mansion. Xun Shu listened quietly and unknowingly finished half a bowl. Xun Shu's stomach was filled, and he felt more energetic and his mind was working faster. Suddenly, he remembered that he forgot to ask Li Xuanhe when he woke up last time.
"A Shui, do you still remember Wu Wei Zi? Have you heard anything about him recently?"
Ah Shui's expression froze, and he didn't know how to answer for a moment.
Xun Shu wasn't stupid. Seeing her like that, how could he not guess the reason? Wuweizi was deeply involved in the matter of the elixir of immortality and knew too much. Even if the crown prince wanted to show his mercy and spare the lives of most of the people in Xingyue Palace, Wuweizi wouldn't be among them.
What's more, the prince has never been a soft-hearted person.
That day, outside Anle Town, she was assassinated. She had never held an grudge against anyone, so if the assassins had come to abduct her and extract the secrets of the Sitian Pavilion from her, she would never have killed them. After all, corpses can't speak; if she were dead, the secrets would naturally die with her. But she remembered the assassination vividly: every move the assassins made was filled with murderous intent, as they charged at her, clearly intent on silencing her.
Apart from the prince, she couldn't think of anyone else.
Xun Shu's mood dropped. "He's such a cunning guy. I knew he was going to have a disaster, but I never thought it would be this bad."
Ah Shui comforted him softly, "He works for the Hall of Eternal Life, and this disaster is retribution."
Ah Shui was unaware of the events between Wuweizi, the Crown Prince, and the elixir of immortality, and naively believed that Wuweizi's death was due to the Hall of Immortality. Xun Shu sighed, not daring to say more, fearing that he might implicate Ah Shui. He simply whispered, "They're just pawns. What's the point of talking about retribution?"
Ah Shui had no idea what Xun Shu meant, but she could tell she seemed troubled. Just as she was at a loss, the door opened and the eldest princess walked in. Before she even reached the bed, an unhappy voice rang out, "Why do you look so bad? Have the Imperial Hospital staff been here? What did they say?"
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The author has something to say: The next update will be on Wednesday, the last day of the holiday, and it will be a large update of about 8,000 words. Those who are still following the update can leave a reading coupon, which should be more cost-effective~
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