There were many small villages and towns in the capital region. Ten miles north of the capital, there was a nameless village. There were more than a dozen families in the village. They were all farmers who worked from sunrise to sunset.
Who would have thought that Xue Rui, whose disappearance had caused an uproar in the capital, was now trapped in this small village?
Half a month ago, he was handling a case in Fenghua Mansion and temporarily stayed at the posthouse. On the night that Yu Shu sent someone to inform him, a man quietly broke into his lodgings. With just one sentence, he took the initiative to leave with the man.
The man said, "If you want to know who killed your adoptive father, come with me."
It was not that he was not cautious enough, but there were very few people in the world who knew that he was not Xue Zao's biological son. Even if he knew it was a trap, he could not remain indifferent.
Moreover, the man was very skilled. Even if he refused to go with him, he would certainly have other ways to take him away.
Moreover, Yu Shu sent someone here. If he disappeared for no reason, she would be the first to know the details of his disappearance. Based on their tacit understanding, she would know the details of his disappearance. First, there were no signs of fighting in the room, and second, no one was alarmed. She would definitely guess that he was not in danger of death.
Xue Rui thought that he had considered everything, but he had miscalculated the importance he held in Yu Shu's heart. It would be fine if he disappeared for three to five days, but there was no news of him for half a month. How could she remain calm and not be affected by her emotions?
It was a small farmhouse yard surrounded by earthen walls. There were three rooms in the yard. The west room was the kitchen, the central room was the sleeping quarters, and the east end was a thatched hut, next to the barn, where a donkey was kept and a horse was hitched.
After that person lured Xue Rui out of Radiant Phoenix Estate, he brought Xue Rui to this small village, and Xue Rui ate and lived in this small courtyard. That person didn't restrict Xue Rui from moving about, and it was only when Xue Rui went out to handle some matters would the person politely 'invite' Xue Rui into the house to wait.
One day, the man took the donkey out again in the morning. Right now, Xue Rui was locked in the central room. The door was locked from the outside. There were two mud windows in the wall of the room. They were about half an arm wide and could let in the air and light. But people couldn't crawl out.
Xue Rui placed a stool under the earthen window. He had nothing to do, so he looked at the world outside the courtyard and pondered.
A few days ago, he tried to break the door, but when he split open the door and found that it was wrapped in stone, he gave up on the idea of escaping.
More than ten days had passed, and he was well aware of his situation. He had also roughly guessed the purpose of the person who imprisoned him. To be precise, they did not want to imprison him, but to prevent him from returning to the capital.
If he did not know what had happened in the capital, he would have been kept in the dark. Coincidentally, the messenger sent by Yu Shu was ahead of him.
This was not difficult to deduce.
The snort of a donkey came from outside the door. The man returned. The donkey was carrying a bulging backpack. It was unclear what he had bought.
"Lord Xue, I'm back." Jin Ke unloaded the backpack from the donkey and quickly walked to the front of the house. He freed his hands to unlock the door and greeted Xue Rui, who was sitting by the window. He did not treat him like a prisoner, but more like a guest.
He pushed open the thick door, and it immediately lit up. Xue Rui saw Jin Ke walk in, put down half of the things, and hurriedly carry the other half to the next room to start a fire. He was not worried that Jin Ke would take the opportunity to escape.
Xue Rui got up and followed.
Jin Ke was chopping the lamb bones. He rolled up his sleeves and chopped with great force. There was a meticulous expression on his face. He looked up at Xue Rui, who was standing by the door of the kitchen with his arms crossed. He chuckled at Xue Rui with an indiscernible fawning look. He explained, "I ran into some trouble on the way back, so I came back late. I saw that you didn't touch the pancake on the table. You probably found it too dry and hard to chew. It's fine. Let's eat meat tonight. I'll stew some mutton soup for you. I guarantee it will be delicious. Oh, I bought some clean clothes from town. Go try them on and see if they fit. "
Xue Rui did not respond. He turned around and returned to his room with a silent face.
Jin Ke used his wrist to wipe away the blood on the tip of his nose. He muttered to himself, "It's already the fifth day. He doesn't care about me or ask me. Why do I feel so uneasy?"
In the evening, the mutton soup was ready and served on the table. Jin Ke saw Xue Rui walk in from outside and filled a big bowl for him. He saw that Xue Rui had changed into a set of greenish-gray clothes, and his hair was half wet. Xue Rui sat calmly in front of him with a pair of chopsticks in his left hand. He slowly stirred the soup in half a circle, and his posture inadvertently made him look like the person Jin Ke respected the most in his heart.
For a moment, Jin Ke forgot about the fragrant mutton in front of him and only stared at him. That was until Xue Rui looked up and gave him a sharp look.
Jin Ke looked embarrassed and tried to strike a conversation. "You're not used to living in such a remote place, right?"
"I'm not used to living here. When did he ask you to let me go?"
He didn't expect that Xue Rui would speak up for the first time. Jin Ke didn't even have the time to feel overwhelmed by the unexpected favor before he realized that something was wrong. Xue Rui's sudden attack caused him to be unable to react in time.
Xue Rui did not wait for him to answer. He put down his chopsticks and stared at Jin Ke with his dark eyes as if he had seen through everything. "You don't need to play dumb with me anymore. I already know who ordered you to lure me here. Go back and tell him that no matter what his purpose is, let me go back to the capital as soon as possible. Otherwise, I will never see him again."
Jin Ke was stunned and looked at him suspiciously. He could not tell if he was lying or not. After all, since he'd taken Xue Rui away from Fenghua Estate half a month ago until today, he hadn't revealed a single word of his background, so how did Xue Rui discern an inkling?
Seeing that Jin Ke did not believe him, Xue Rui smiled coldly. He only said one sentence, "Return to the Princess's Tomb."
There were only a few people who knew about his background. This person had asked him to stay away from the capital before the Xue Family was in trouble. Obviously, he had expected it. Originally, he had suspected that someone was targeting the Xue Family. However, Jin Ke's humble attitude towards him made him have other guesses.
In August of this year, he, Yu Shu, and Jing Chen went to the Princess's Tomb to worship. In a secluded place in the countryside of An County, they met Mr. Yanye, who had concealed his identity.
Later, it was proven that Mr. Yanye was Yun Hua Yi, who faked his death twenty years ago. After returning to the capital, Xue Rui accidentally learned the truth from Yu Shu.
It turned out that Yun Hua Yi's other long-lost son was him.
Yun Hua and Yu Shu had a private agreement. He asked her to help him find the whereabouts of his eldest son and left her a clue. He asked her to investigate a Suzhou magistrate who was in office during the Baotai period. In fact, that magistrate was Xue Rui's adoptive father, Xue Zao.
From this, it could be seen that Yun Hua had an ulterior motive. He asked Yu Shu not to find someone for him. Instead, he had already decided that Xue Rui was his father. He could not recognize him directly, so he borrowed Yu Shu's mouth to tell Xue Rui. He asked him to choose whether he wanted to recognize his father or not.
If he guessed correctly, the martial arts brother that Zhao Xiaozhu mentioned was Jin Ke, and the one who asked Jin Ke to bring him to this small mountain village to hide was undoubtedly Yun Hua.
Xue Rui's sudden revelation made Jin Ke speechless.
The two of them ate the meal without tasting anything. That night, Xue Rui was lying on the simple and crude wooden bed with his clothes on. When he was half-asleep, he heard the sound of the chain on the door rubbing against each other. He did not need to open his eyes to know that Jin Ke had left quietly.
.....
Jin Ke traveled quickly through the night. At dawn, he arrived at a small town with a population of less than a hundred households. He stopped at the back door of a house on North Street.
Hearing the knock on the door, Zhao Xiaozhu yawned and came out to answer the door. With a pair of sleepy eyes, he complained, "It's so early in the morning, and the sky is not even bright yet. Big brother, if you don't sleep, others will."
Jin Ke did not have the time to listen to his nonsense. He pushed Zhao Xiaozhu's head away with his big palm and entered the house. He asked in a low voice, "When did Foster Father sleep last night?"
"He slept before the third night-watch period."
When Jin Ke heard this, he went forward and knocked on the door without hesitation. "Foster Father, there's an emergency."
Without waiting for him to say it a second time, the lights in the house lit up. Then, there was a short "ding" of the bell. Jin Ke turned his head and gave Zhao Xiaozhu, who was following behind him, a look to ask him to wait outside. He pushed the door open and entered alone.
Yun Hua was sitting on the edge of the bed with a smock draped over his shoulders. He bent over to reach the teapot on the small wooden table. A strand of white hair hung down from his shoulders. The hazy candlelight revealed his age at this moment.
Jin Ke's eyes were wet. He strode forward. He took the teapot from Yun Hua's hands and half-squatted in front of the bed to serve tea.
He was born in the north. His father was a Mongolian officer who invaded Yang City, and his mother was a pitiful singer. Half of the blood of the barbarians flowed in his body. He struggled in humiliation since he was a child and bore the brand of a slave. He witnessed his birth mother being trampled by a group of ruffian soldiers, but he had to beg for mercy to survive.
He hated the world, and he hated himself even more. He hated that he could not die, but he was lucky enough to live.
If he had not met his foster father, who gave him a chance to choose to escape from the abyss of suffering, he would probably continue to live a despicable life, a life worse than death.
A palm fell on his shoulder, and Jin Ke was pulled back to reality from his brief memories. He raised his head and saw his foster father's questioning gaze. He suppressed his emotions, straightened his body, and said, "My younger brother noticed. He guessed where I came from and asked me to bring a message to you."
Yun Hua's expression changed slightly. He opened his mouth and patted his shoulder, indicating for him to continue.
"My younger brother said that he wants to go back to the capital and asked you to let him go." Xue Rui's original words were not so gentle. Jin Ke certainly would not copy his words and use them to stab his foster father in the heart.
Yun Hua's eyes flashed. He raised three fingers and made another gesture.
"You want me to send him back to the capital after three days?" Jin Ke understood, but he did not understand why Yun Hua made such a decision.
"You have already calculated that the Xue family is facing imminent disaster. If he takes the risk to return to the capital at this time, he will most likely die. Why don't you let me explain it to him? I think my younger brother is a reasonable person. If he knows that foster father is doing this for his own good, he will not blame you wrongly. "
Yun Hua shook his head and said in sign language, "The Xue family raised him, and he will not easily give it up. In the end, he must put an end to this."
Jin Ke pursed his lips tightly, and it seemed that he did not agree with Yun Hua's decision. Although he and Xue Rui were brothers with different surnames and had only known each other for a short half a month, he had followed Yun Hua for more than ten years and often felt his fatherly love and guilt for his son. He felt that he had replaced Xue Rui and enjoyed Yun Hua's love and care for many years. He had long vowed in his heart that if he found his younger brother one day, he would repay him double. Now that he was asked to send Xue Rui to walk into a trap, how could he be willing to do so?
"Are you not going to meet your younger brother?"
Yun Hua sighed softly. If he did not avenge his wife's death and his son's death, he would not be able to face his own flesh and blood.
Jin Ke scrutinized his expression and suddenly knelt down. He pleaded, "Foster father, please allow me to stay by my younger brother's side and protect him."
Yun Hua knew that he was passionate. He hesitated for a moment and placed his left hand on his shoulder, silently agreeing.
Then, he told him a few things and asked him to go out and bid farewell to Zhao Xiaozhu.
***
Just when the capital was in turmoil because of the Xue family's change, the imperial court made another big move.
In the last ten days of the 14th year of Zhao Qing, Emperor Zhao Qing decided to send troops to conquer the island of Japan. He drafted six edicts to deploy troops, and the first edict was to appoint Prince of Dongjing, Jiang Huaiying, as the Grand Marshal of the Eastern Expedition.
The courtiers who originally disagreed with Prince Dongjing's decision to lead the army chose to remain silent after Xue Lingnan was suspended from his post and grounded. Everyone was worried for their own safety.
On the day of the edict. Madam Wei heard the news. She, who was very sensitive to politics, smelled a conspiracy. She immediately sent someone to find her daughter who was wandering outside.
"Mother, why are you in such a hurry to find me?" Jiang Miya was reluctantly "brought" back.
Madam Wei asked her, "You don't come home all day. What are you busy with outside? "
"Didn't you hear that the Xue family is in trouble? Xue Dalang has been missing for a few days. I'm looking for him everywhere," Jiang Miya said worriedly.
Madam Wei had heard about it long ago. After all, her son and Xue Rui were brothers. She couldn't be completely unconcerned. However, in the imperial capital, her every move was restricted by others. She couldn't ask about it personally, but she didn't stop Jiang Miya from looking for him everywhere.
However, after today. It would be another matter.
"From this moment onwards, you are not allowed to go out without my permission," Madam Wei warned her sternly.
"Mother!" Jiang Miya widened her eyes and refused to comply. "Xue Dalang and I owe him a debt of gratitude. Since young, you taught me to repay a debt of gratitude. Now that his family is in trouble, aren't we being ungrateful wolves if we just stand by and watch? "
She talked back without thinking. Madam Wei laughed angrily and slapped her on the head. She scolded in a low voice, "You only know that he is in prison. Do you know that our family is also in trouble?"
Jiang Miya was stunned. She was immediately silenced and asked, "Mother, why do you say that? Is the emperor going to make things difficult for our Jiang family again? "
Madam Wei's face darkened. This child wasn't stupid and immediately hit the nail on the head. This matter was of great importance. She didn't hide it, but she was afraid that she couldn't explain it clearly now. This silly daughter was causing trouble behind her back again.
Thus, she told Jiang Miya about Emperor Zhao Qing appointing Jiang Huaiying as the Great Marshal of the Eastern Punitive Expedition to attack Wei Nation.
Jiang Miya had followed her brother in and out of military camps since young. She was familiar with military strategy and had fought in wars. She had seen blood and killed hundreds of people. She was the number one female general of Ning Dong City. When she heard about the war, her first reaction was to frown deeply.
This war wasn't going to be easy.
It was currently the tenth month, and it was getting colder every day. If they wanted to attack Wei Nation, they would have to cross the sea. Imperial Brother had received the imperial edict that he would need at most a month to prepare the troops before setting off. At that time, it would be freezing cold. If they encountered bad weather, a group of people would freeze to death before they could meet up with the enemy.
Brother Wang had a well-trained navy under him. If he sent all of them out this time, he might have the confidence to win the battle. However, if he did that, the loss would be too great. If he conserved his forces and suffered a defeat, it was obvious that the Emperor would not let go of this opportunity to punish the Jiang family.
"Dog emperor!" Jiang Miya scolded angrily, "If it wasn't for our Jiang family guarding the bitter cold land of the north for decades, half of Da An would have been taken by the Tatars long ago. How could he sit comfortably and enjoy peace? Now that the world is settled, he's using himself to measure others. He's afraid that Imperial Brother will have disloyalty and wants to get rid of the donkey when it's no longer useful. He's simply muddle-headed and tyrannical!"
Madam Wei's eyes flickered, but she didn't reprimand her disobedient words. She only sighed, "When the birds are gone, the fine bow will be hidden. When the cunning rabbit is dead, the hound will be cooked. Our Jiang family has been in the north for too long. Many people are jealous of your father and brother. When your father was still alive, there was still a trace of kindness here. Today's Anling City no longer has a place for the Jiang family. Our roots have already been planted in Ning Dong City. "
Therefore, if he wanted to uproot them, how could the emperor not put in a lot of effort?
"No, I have to write a letter to Imperial Brother. We can't let him send troops now. We have to find an excuse to delay it until next spring and win the war beautifully. We can't let that muddle-headed emperor get what he wants." Jiang Miya gritted her teeth.
Madam Wei shook her head inwardly when she saw her being so impulsive. In the end, this daughter of hers was spoiled by them. She was smart, but it was a pity that she was reckless and often did bad things. In the future, she had to find a meticulous son-in-law to watch over her.
At this moment, Madam Wei thought of the candidate she originally had her eyes on. She felt helpless and regretful.
"How can it be as childish as you said? Delaying military plans is a serious crime. Your Imperial Brother can only send troops when he receives the imperial edict. Why do you think the emperor brought us to the capital? Isn't it to restrict your Imperial Brother? What concubine selection and marriage is all a pretense? If Ning Dong City really disobeyed the imperial edict, we will be the first to bear the brunt."
When she said this, her face turned cold. "I'm not afraid of your Imperial Brother losing the war. I'm only afraid that the emperor has other means to make your Imperial Brother unable to return."
Hearing this, Jiang Ya's heart sank, and she grabbed her mother's hand. She grabbed her mother's hand and said anxiously, "Then why don't we escape quietly?"
"It's too late." Madam Wei's eyes were full of ridicule. "As I expected, the outside of the Wang Residence is already filled with spies. They are monitoring everything. They would know if a fly flew out."
Jiang Miya stood up with a whoosh. She walked around the room in exasperation. She kicked over a vase that was half the height of a person. She turned her head and shouted with her eyes burning with anger, "What are you afraid of? If things don't work out, I will bring my mother and kill our way out of the capital. I don't believe that the dog emperor would dare to harm a loyal and good person in broad daylight!"
Madam Wei stared at the broken porcelain on the floor and the broken flowers soaked in dew. She was in a daze. It was as if she could vaguely foresee the defeat of the Jiang family of Duke of Dongjing in the near future.
The Jiang family was innocent, and Duke of Dongjing had the heart of a subject. However, the emperor did not believe them and would not let them go. They could only blame themselves. A ruler was a ruler, and a subject was a subject.
***
In the evening, Yu Shu also heard about the imperial edict that Emperor Zhao Qing wanted to send Duke of Dongjing to lead the troops into battle. She did not have much of a reaction to it.
What troubled her now was another matter. Xue Rui was very likely to be Yun Hua's son.
If Feng Zhaomiao did not mention the old matter of Xue Rui's father being the Yangzhou Magistrate, she would still be planning to help Yun Hua find his son.
Based on Xue Rui's character, there was no way he could escape from this matter. He wouldn't lie to her for no reason, unless he had no other choice.
After she understood what was going on, Yu Shu did not blame Xue Rui for hiding it from her. Instead, she felt that Yun Hua was a scumbag. He said that he wanted her to help him find his son, but in fact, he had already found the right person. He was just using her as a mouthpiece to leak the information to Xue Rui.
However, she was kept in the dark and still foolishly hoped that Xue Rui would help her find the person.
On the other hand, this seemed to be a good thing. Yun Hua had a brilliant plan. He was an unfathomable person. Perhaps he had already predicted that the Xue family would be in trouble. Yu Shu boldly guessed that Xue Rui's disappearance in Fenghua Manor was probably because Yun Hua had taken him away.
If that was the case, she would be able to put down her worries.
But what if she was wrong?
Yu Shu hesitated for a day and finally decided to go to the south of the city. After all, she had to confirm it carefully before she could be at ease.
.....
Yu Shu's carriage made a circle in the south of the city. She bought everything she saw along the way, so that the secret agent of the palace who was following her thought that she was just out to buy.
At noon, there was a sudden drizzle. The carriage stopped at a place called Calabash Alley. Yu Shu held an umbrella and got out of the carriage. Lu Hong and Xu Qing followed closely behind.
"The eleventh house from the east, the eleventh house from the east," Yu Shu said silently. She counted the houses one by one until she reached the end of the alley. There was another street in front of her.
She stood at the intersection and looked back at the tenth house. After staring at it for a while, she had to admit that she had been tricked.
There were a total of ten houses in this Calabash Alley. How could there be an eleventh house? It was impossible for her to remember wrongly. It could only be that Yun Hua had fooled her.
He did not intend to meet her at all.
It was a cold day, but Yu Shu felt a surge of anger rising to her head. How could this person be so treacherous? He had fooled her into running errands for him for nothing. In the end, she did not even have a place to go to to settle the score.
"Master, the rain is getting heavier. Let's get in the carriage and go." Lu Hong only thought that Yu Shu came out to get some fresh air. Seeing that the rain was getting heavier and the wind was blowing on her face, he quickly persuaded her.
"Let's go back." Yu Shu was full of grievances, but she had no one to complain to. She could only swallow her anger and leave.
Yun Hua was such a shrewd person, he would not just watch Xue Rui be in trouble, he would definitely make the first move. Yun Hua was a shrewd person, he would definitely not watch Xue Rui be in trouble.
***
A series of changes happened to the Xue family. There were many people who were happy to see it. Not to mention others, the residence of the assistant minister of revenue, Yin Zhourong, was one example.
Not long ago, the third young master of the assistant minister's residence, Yin Yuanbo, was instigated by Prince Ning to slander Yu Shu's reputation in the theater. He was caught by Xue Rui and brought back to the Supreme Court. That night, he was sentenced, beaten half to death, and thrown into prison.
His father, Yin Zhourong, did not dare to return to the residence of Prime Minister Yin to ask for help. He went to the Supreme Court several times to plead for mercy, but he was rejected. After much difficulty, he finally managed to get everything together and brought a doctor to visit his son in prison. However, he also received bad news. Yin Yuanbo's lower body was injured. When he recovered, he was afraid that he would have a hidden injury.
This hidden injury, to put it plainly, meant that Yin Yuanbo could not have sex.
This was no different from a bolt from the blue. Yin Zhourong's eyes were dazed. Yin Deng shi fainted when she got home. Even though Yin Zhourong scolded Yin Yuanbo all day, there were many children in the fu. The husband and wife doted on their youngest son the most.
The husband and wife hated each other. The grudge was too big. They had no choice but to endure the humiliation. Seeing that the Xue family was in trouble and Xue Rui had disappeared, the culprit, Yu Lianfang, had no one to rely on. How could they restrain themselves?
If they did not take revenge, they would be ashamed to be parents.
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