Other than the servant who woke up in the middle of the night to use the toilet, the rest of the journey was smooth and they did not meet anyone else. He Yan carefully walked to the door of a room and whispered in Xiao Jue's ear, "This is He Rufei's study room."
So this was He Yan's study room. But now it was He Rufei's study room. After walking around and finding no other hidden mechanisms, He Yan gently pushed the door open and walked in.
This was the place where he lived, so he was very familiar with it. Xiao Jue followed him in. As soon as they entered, He Yan was surprised.
The bookshelves were still the same as before, and the table was the same as before. But the decorations in the study room were many times more than before. There were all kinds of porcelain and antiques. It was completely different from when He Yan lived in the past. She guessed that He Rufei probably put all the things that His Majesty gave him in the study room. She did not know who he was showing them off to. The bookshelves were originally half filled with books, but now they were full.
In the middle of the wall, there was a sword hanging. The blade of the sword was green and the scabbard had a bit of green color. It was Qinglang.
She was stunned for a moment, and her eyes unconsciously focused on the Qinglang sword. She wanted to reach out for the sword, but when her fingers were about to touch the blade, she retracted her hand.
Xiao Jue asked, "What's wrong?"
He Yan shook his head, "Now is not the time."
Even if she could steal the Qinglang sword back tonight, He Rufei would definitely report it to the officials tomorrow. The sword in her hand would become a "stolen property" and she would not be able to show it in public. Wouldn't this be an insult to the Qinglang sword?
So, now is not the time.
He Yan thought for a moment, got up and walked to the bookshelf. He squatted down and half of his body was on the ground. He reached into the innermost part of the bookshelf and felt around. When he touched a familiar bulge, the hidden compartment made a slight "click" sound. It was actually an empty compartment. He Yan took out a small palm-sized box from the compartment.
Xiao Jue asked, "What is this?"
"Exquisite Box." He Yan replied in a low voice, "Back then, His Majesty gave me a reward. This is the only one in the world. After I left, I gave it to He Rufei. I don't think he was willing to throw it away."
The hidden compartment on the bookshelf was made by He Yan in the past. This exquisite box was also very precious. Before she married into the Xu family, she couldn't take these things with her, so she gave them all to He Rufei. The Jewel Box was very suitable for storing secret scrolls. Even the most outstanding craftsman in the world would not be able to open it. Only the person who had set up the opening method for the Jewel Box would know how to open it. Moreover, the way to solve the problem could only be set up once.
With He Rufei's temperament, he wouldn't throw away such a precious item. What's more, from He Rufei's point of view, He Yan was already dead, and he was the only one in the world who knew how to open the Exquisite Box, so of course he was happy and relaxed.
However, he did not expect that He Yan would come back from the dead. This time, it was actually more convenient for him to do things.
"I don't know what he put inside." He Yan said in his heart. He picked up the Exquisite Box, and according to his memory, he gently turned the lock on the blind man's door. In just a moment, with a "pa" sound, the lid of the Exquisite Box opened.
The two of them looked into the box.
In He Er Furen's room, He Xinying and He Er Furen sat at the head of the bed. In her hand, she was still holding the military book that she stole from He Yan's old residence. She asked, "Mother, what is this? Did my sister leave it behind? Why did she keep this? "
Her voice was very low. In the room, there was only a small oil lamp at the head of the bed. The servant girls were all chased out of the room. He Xinying only knew that she hadn't seen her mother for a long time, and wanted to sleep with her at night so that she could take care of her. Now, she didn't dare to trust anyone, and didn't dare to keep anyone by her side, especially the people who were brought out by the Xu family.
He Er Furen stared blankly at the military book in her hand. There were traces of tears in her eyes, but she didn't say anything.
He Xinying felt that her mother must know something, and her heart became even more anxious. "Mother, why aren't you saying anything? Are you hiding something from me? I always feel that Xu Zhiheng is strange. Elder sister … "She wanted to say that perhaps He Yan's death wasn't as the rumors said, but when she saw He Er Furen, she swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth.
If He Yan's death was really not simple, He Er Furen would be even more sad when she found out. Right now, her mother's health was not good, so she couldn't make things worse.
"Ying 'er, don't worry about these things." After a long time, He Er Furen opened her mouth. Her voice was particularly tired: "You just need to live your life well."
"How can I live my life well? I don't want to die like my elder sister without knowing why!" He Xinying blurted out.
As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she regretted it. He Er Furen's face turned pale and she coughed twice. He Xinying quickly picked up the handkerchief next to her and wiped her mouth. When the handkerchief fell down, it was splashed with blood, which looked shocking.
He Xinying was shocked and said in a panic: "Mother … why are you so sick?"
When she came, she already knew that He Er Furen had been bedridden for many days, but the He Family only said that it was a common cold and that she would be fine after resting at home for a few days. But now it seemed that it was much more serious.
"Father, didn't you find a doctor? What the hell is going on? "He Xinying was anxious and wanted to get out of bed," I'll ask someone to bring an invitation to invite a doctor … "
"Don't go." Madame He grabbed her hand. She looked like a weak woman, but when she grabbed her hand, she was particularly strong, as if she wanted to use up all her strength. "Mother, this is an old problem. It doesn't matter. It's okay. "
He Xinying was about to cry, "Mother, why won't you tell me anything? I feel that there's something in the house that's hiding from me, but I don't know anything. "
Before she got married, she was carefree and naive. When her eldest sister passed away and she married Xu Zhiheng, she made a fuss for a period of time. But soon, she was moved by Xu Zhiheng's gentleness and thoughtfulness. As a girl who had never experienced the dangers of the world, she naively thought that she could be protected for the rest of her life. But when some ugly truth was revealed, she vaguely glimpsed a trace of filth and danger, then she felt powerless as a woman.
"Ying 'er," He Er Furen said slowly, "Your eldest sister is dead, and mother only has you as a daughter." She looked at He Xinying lovingly and patted He Xinying's head comfortingly, just like when He Xinying was still a child. "You have to remember, whether it's the He Family or the Xu Family, don't trust a single person. Mother doesn't have the ability to protect your sister, and I can't protect you. If you want to live well, then don't look, don't ask, and don't listen. "
He Xinying said blankly, "My eldest sister became blind not long after she married into the Xu Family. Didn't she lose her sight? But she still died. "
A trace of pain flashed through He Er's eyes.
"Mother, you just need to tell me, did my eldest sister leave this military book behind? Why does Xu Zhiheng value it so much? Also, Eldest Brother comes to the Xu Family every few days, not to see me, but to look for Xu Zhiheng. And you … "She said," Are you under house arrest by father? "
He Er looked at the woman in front of her. Although they were biological sisters, she always felt that He Yan and He Xinying didn't look alike. He Yan was strong, independent, silent and quiet. She wore a mask since she was a child, so now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember He Yan's appearance when he was a child. But when she grew up and returned to the He Family as a woman, she only saw him a few times.
He was a girl who was born with a heroic spirit and had a resolute and courageous appearance.
He Xinying was different. She was soft and cuddly, like a snow-white dumpling, and was very likable. She would cry when someone stepped on her foot and act coquettishly for a beautiful dress.
These two daughters had completely different temperaments, so she took it for granted that He Yan was born strong, and He Xinying was born to be loved.
Until He Yan died.
One day, she suddenly realized that perhaps in the past, He Yan was just like He Xinying. They would cry when they were wronged, and they would yearn to have something they liked. Just like a strong girl would also need her mother's care and love. And the little girl in front of her, who always grabbed her clothes and clamored to buy candy, had unknowingly grown up.
He Xinying didn't know that when she was serious and stubborn in pursuit of the truth, she was very similar to her dead eldest sister.
But even so, she still couldn't say anything.
The more she knew, the more dangerous it would be for He Xinying. She had already lost a daughter, she couldn't lose another one.
"I …"
Before Madame He could say anything, she suddenly heard someone shouting from outside, "There's a thief! A thief has entered the residence! Quickly catch the thief! "
Immediately, the entire He Family became lively.
"A thief?" He Xinying subconsciously shrank to the head of the bed and said, "Which thief is so blind that he dares to enter our residence?"
Madame He grabbed her arm, "Don't talk, and don't go out. Be careful!"
He Xinying nodded.
On the other side, He Yan was running around the courtyard with Xiao Jue, secretly cursing He Rufei for being cunning. Although He Rufei couldn't make any changes in the way of opening the exquisite box, this person was very suspicious and actually installed a layer of mechanism inside the box. Once the exquisite box was opened, there would be a whistling sound.
In this way, as long as someone opened the exquisite box, they would be discovered.
However, when she opened it just now, she clearly saw that there were a few letters inside. She put the letters into her bosom. Since He Rufei didn't leave the Exquisite Box empty and even deliberately tampered with it, these letters must be very important. Today's trip wasn't considered to be in vain.
"The bodyguards are all awake." Xiao Jue reminded her, "Do we run or fight?"
"I'm carrying your sword. Once the sword is unsheathed, it will be exposed. We can't fight. "He Yan looked down and thought," Come with me! "
She knew every corner of the He Family's courtyard by heart, so it was easy to avoid people. But she didn't know if it was because He Rufei was very guilty these days, there were more bodyguards than servants in the residence. At this moment, when the whistle sounded, torches and people came from all directions.
"They're over there, chase!"
"The general said that if we catch the assassin, we don't need to leave him alive. Life or death!"
He Yan sneered in her heart. Unexpectedly, she was so scared. She was even more sure that the letters in her bosom were not simple. She pulled Xiao Jue and ran all the way. When they passed by a house, she hid inside.
Madame He was pulling He Xinying to lean against the head of the bed. She was very nervous as she hugged the quilt. Unexpectedly, there were two more people in the room. He Xinying was so scared that she was about to scream. The next moment, a cold sword was placed on her neck. The masked man in black said, "Shut up. If you dare to scream, I'll kill you."
He Xinying was so scared that she immediately shut up.
He Yan held the long sword in her hand. She was very annoyed. She originally thought that since Madame He's courtyard was the closest to the outer wall, it would be easy to pass through. Who knew that Madame He was still awake in the middle of the night. He Xinying was also here. It was so late at night. What was she doing here instead of sleeping? Were the mother and daughter whispering to each other? He Yan's heart immediately gave birth to a sour taste, but what was this now? She was holding her biological mother and biological sister hostage?
Perhaps the commotion inside had spread to the outside, as a maidservant outside asked, "Second Madam? Did something happen to Second Madame? "
He Yan's heart skipped a beat. Before she could threaten her, Madame He had already spoken. Her tone was normal, "It's nothing. It's just a little cough."
He Yan breathed a sigh of relief when there was no more noise outside. She looked at Xiao Jue behind her. She was vigilantly staring at the door to prevent anyone from rushing in.
"Listen," He Yan said in a low voice, "I don't mean to hurt the two of you. Give me the key to the backyard and let the two of us go."
He Xinying said in a trembling voice, "Who knows if you'll kill us to keep us quiet?"
He Yan was a little surprised. His sister looked so obedient, but he didn't expect her to be so brave. She deliberately lowered her voice and said in a sinister voice, "Do you think you have the right to talk terms with me?"
He Xinying's face turned pale. She didn't dare to speak.
On the other hand, Madame He ignored the sword on He Xinying's neck. She got off the bed and took out a key from the drawer. She handed it to her and said, "You can leave now."
He Yan was very surprised.
He thought that Madame He would also talk terms with her, or find a way to inform the He family. He Yan was even prepared to be on guard. But he didn't expect her to be so peaceful. He Yan couldn't help but look at her. The woman in front of him was staring at him. He Yan couldn't understand her gaze.
She seemed to be looking at He Yan, but also seemed to be looking at another person through He Yan. If He Yan didn't know that he was wearing a black mask, he would have suspected that Madame He had recognized him.
Seeing that He Yan didn't move, Madame He pushed her again, "The bodyguards will come soon. Let's go."
Xiao Jue nodded to her and said, "Let's go."
He Yan didn't care about anything else. She grabbed the key to the backyard and turned to leave. The moment she passed by, she suddenly felt something stuffed in her hand. She didn't have time to look at it carefully. She subconsciously put the thing in her hand into her arms, took the key, opened the door of the backyard, and ran out.
Madame He was right. The pursuers would be here in a blink of an eye. They came through the dog hole, but they didn't have time to go back. Since they were exposed, they directly went through the back wall. Just as the guard was about to chase after them, he suddenly felt a pain in his knee. Looking down, he saw a yellow dog biting his calf. The pain made him wail like a ghost and howl like a wolf. Unable to catch up, he could only watch as the two black-clothed men disappeared into the night.
The entire residence was in chaos. He Xinying finally managed to calm herself down with great difficulty. She reignited the lamp on the table and patted her chest as she said, "I was really scared to death just now. That person's eyes were so fierce. I was really afraid that he would kill us. Mother, if uncle knew that we let the assassins go, even if it was to save his life, he would be angry. If no one found out about this, let's not tell anyone for the time being … Mother? "
Madame He just stared at her hands blankly, as if she didn't hear what she just said. He Xinying said anxiously, "Mother!"
Madame He came back to her senses and looked at her, "I know. Don't tell anyone about this … Don't tell Master Xu either."
He Xinying felt strange. His mother's expression when she saw the men in black was very strange. Then she thought of something, "But did those two men really come to steal something? I saw that they were empty-handed, so they didn't steal anything. My military book … By the way, where is my military book? "
When she was talking to Second Madame He on the bed, the military book was placed at the head of the bed. Now that it was empty, He Xinying was startled, "Oh no, those two couldn't have stolen my military book, right? But why did they steal it? Mother, did you see my military book? "
Madame He coughed and said, "No need to look for it. I gave the military book to the men in black just now."
"Why, why?" He Xinying didn't expect that Madame He would do such a thing.
"That thing will be a disaster in our hands." Madame He looked empty, "Those two men came to steal, but they were empty-handed. I don't know if they stole what they wanted to steal. If they stole it, it would be the icing on the cake. If they didn't, it would be a timely help. They didn't take the risk to come to the He Family in vain. "
"Mother," He Xinying said angrily, "How can it be like that? It was difficult for me to get that thing from the Xu Family."
"Ying 'er, remember," Madame He's expression became serious, "Whether it's the assassins tonight or the military book of the Xu Family, don't mention it to anyone."
He Xinying originally came to solve his doubts. Now that he didn't understand the mystery, there were more and more things he didn't understand, but he couldn't do anything. In the end, he could only say, "I know. I won't mention it to anyone. "
Fei Nu was outside, so when he received He Yan and Madame He, the three of them immediately hid in another courtyard.
"Where is this place?" He Yan asked curiously.
"I'm in another courtyard in Shuo City. Sometimes it's inconvenient to do things in the mansion, so I'll do it here." Xiao Jue replied.
He Yan thought for a moment and understood. Xiao Jing and Madame He were very kind. Xiao Jue's experience meant that his actions wouldn't be understood by most people. This was good. If they couldn't see it, it would save them a lot of trouble.
He Yan took out the letter from the exquisite box and showed it to Xiao Jue, showing off, "Look, this trip is very fruitful. I already said that going to the He Family would definitely make a profit."
Xiao Jue glanced at her and said, "It's very dangerous. It's only this time, don't do it again." She paused and said, "Starting tomorrow, He Rufei will use this as an excuse to search the entire Shuo City. You should stay at home for the next few days and don't act rashly. If these letters are lost, the first person He Rufei will suspect is me. I'm afraid it will implicate you. "
"It's okay. I'm Marquis Wu An personally appointed by His Majesty. If he can't produce evidence, he can't do anything to me." He Yan couldn't wait to open the letter. "Let's see what's in the letter first. He Rufei hid it so well. I don't believe it's a love poem. "
There were a total of three letters. He Yan and Xiao Jue opened each letter. It wasn't long, but after reading it, both of their expressions changed.
"Bastard!" He Yan put down the letter in his hand and couldn't help but punch the table. "There's actually such a heartless person in the world!"
Of the three letters, two were for Uto and one was for Xu Jingfu. Although He Yan guessed that He Rufei might have a relationship with Xu Jingfu when he saw He Rufei's servant Ding Yi in Liangzhou City, he didn't have any evidence. The letter in front of him clearly stated in black and white that this was indeed the case.
He Rufei really did make a deal with the Uto after the battle in Hua Yuan. He Rufei gave the Fuyue Army's military intelligence to the Uto and purposely won a bitter victory. The price was to establish a relationship with Prime Minister Xu and express his sincerity in cooperating with Xu Jingfu. He would also advocate for peace when the Uto emissary came to the capital to ask for peace and facilitate the Uto to open a market in Da Wei.
He Rufei's greatest fear was that his identity would be exposed and that the world would find out that he was different from the "General Feihong" of the past. But in order to hide his identity, he actually colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country. He didn't care about the lives of the people of Da Wei.
Xiao Jue looked at the letter in her hand. It was troublesome for He Rufei to establish a relationship with Xu Jingfu. Xu Jingfu was the most powerful person among the civil officials. Most of the civil officials were in favor of peace and only a few generals were in favor of war. However, "General Feihong" had always had a good reputation among the generals. If He Rufei was in favor of peace, the generals who were in favor of war would be few and far between.
He Yan took a deep breath. "Once such a shameless person enters the officialdom, he becomes even worse. He just has to use my name. It's really disgusting. "
"Don't worry," Xiao Jue said calmly, "I'll take care of everything."
He Yan suddenly remembered that when she left the He Estate, Madame He stuffed something into her hand. But at that time, the situation was critical and she didn't have time to take a closer look. She just put it in her pocket. Now that she finally had time, she took it out of her pocket.
It was a book. The pages were wrinkled and yellowed from being used for a long time. The corners of the book were all curled up. This book had probably been read many times, and the pages were very thin. As soon as He Yan opened it, he was stunned.
Xiao Jue stood behind her, her gaze also falling on the book.
"This is …"
"My military book." He Yan muttered. She lowered her head and flipped through a few pages. Yes, it was her handwriting. Ever since she joined the army in her previous life, she had read many military books. She read the most precious books repeatedly and wrote her own notes and notes at the side.
Later, when she got married, everything related to "General Feihong" had to be abandoned. She couldn't take her sword, her war horse, and her trusted subordinates. In the end, He Yan secretly hid a military book in her dowry box and brought it to the Xu Estate.
In front of others, she was dignified and gentle. She was no different from an ordinary woman. But in private, she missed the days when she was free on the battlefield. Every time her fingers touched the book, she would think of her comrades who had gone through fire and water with her in the army camp.
She hid this military book under the bedpost where she slept. Now, she found it again.
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