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Yu Shu sent Xin Liu and his daughter back to the Xin Residence. Xin Ya had just regained consciousness and when she heard the servant's report, she forced herself up from the bed.
The mansion was brightly lit and Second Mistress Xin brought Xin Liu to ask for forgiveness from Xin Ya. When they entered the courtyard, they saw Second Master Xin supporting Xin Ya out of the room. When she saw them, Xin Ya's ashen face flushed red. She shook off her second son and raised her hand towards Xin Liu. No one in the courtyard tried to stop her. Yu Shu was a distance behind when she heard a 'pa' sound.
Xin Liu covered his face and knelt down. Two bubbles of tears rolled down his cheeks but he did not dare to cry out loud. Xin Ya raised her hand and was about to slap him again when Yu Shu rushed forward and blocked her. She grabbed his wrist and supported half of his body while saying, "Ai ai":
"Master Xin, quickly calm down. Why are you being so magnanimous? Didn't Feifei get bored a while ago and ran over to my place to relax? Didn't you tell your family? Look, didn't I rush to send her back to you!"
These few words confirmed that Xin Liu went to her place today. Even if in the future people say that Xin Liu's behavior is improper, they still have to consider if they will offend her.
Xin Ya was anxious and was awakened by her. He took a deep breath and glared at Xin Liu fiercely. He pulled Yu Shu back and sighed, "It was a false alarm, a false alarm."
Yu Shu could understand his false alarm. This old fox was used to being shrewd. When Xin Liu disappeared, he should have guessed that the Gu father and son were up to no good. With Prince Xiang's death, the Gu family was doomed. The Xin family was the last piece of driftwood they could grab when they were drowning. How could they let it go so easily? He was afraid that Xin Liu had already suffered a loss and this unlucky marriage had to go through.
"What are you all still standing here for? Go away, go away." Xin Ya angrily pointed at the children and grandchildren gathered in the courtyard and chased them away, except for the three members of the second branch. He called them into the room and asked Xin Liu in detail. When he found out that she had been tricked by Gu Qi to return to the Gu family and was locked up, he was instantly enraged. Xin Liu was so frightened that she immediately knelt down and hugged his thigh while crying, saying "I was wrong" over and over again.
Xin Ya could not bear to hit her again and could only tell her to shut up. In a flash, she had thought of hundreds of ways to deal with the Gu family. But she heard Yu Shu say, "Master Ya, listen to me. Do not provoke the Gu family again. I've seen Gu Gai today and he is a man who knows when to yield. He has nothing to lose. If we force him into a corner, it will cause a lot more trouble."
Xin Ya knew that what she said was reasonable, but he could not swallow his anger. So he said, "We have to teach them a lesson, lest they think that the Xin family is a pushover."
Yu Shu said this and did not try to persuade him anymore. She stood up and said, "It's the middle of the night, I should go back."
Second Master Xin and Second Madam Xin quickly stood up to send her off and thanked her, "I am really sorry for making you run back and forth tonight. I will come back tomorrow to thank you."
Yu Shu smiled and refused, "Please don't. If word gets out, it will mean that Feifei was having fun at my place. Why did you have to do this?"
Xin Ya was still dizzy, so she did not stand on ceremony. She waved her hand and asked her son and daughter-in-law to send her out. As for Xin Liu, he looked at Yu Shu pitifully as she left.
After a night of noise, Old Academician Xin, who lived in the Jingyuan, was alarmed. He sent someone to ask questions in the middle of the night. Xin Ya did not dare to hide it from the old man, so she asked the person to repeat what he said.
Having an old man in the family was like having a treasure. Who knew that it was partly because of the old man that he was able to keep his position as the Celestial Commissioner safe and sound.
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The next day, before Yu Shu went out, she received an invitation. It was from the mysterious Old Academician Xin, who invited her to his house to appraise his treasures. She was more than happy to accept. Nothing happened that day. The next afternoon, Yu Shu went home from the Celestial Commissioner. She changed into casual clothes, brought some good tea, and went to the house.
She did not go through the front door of the Xin family, but through the back door of the Beiyuan in the alley. A young boy was waiting for her. He led her all the way to the Jingyuan and directly into a two-story library. She saw Old Academician Xin sitting under the window, cleaning antiques.
"Here you are." Old Academician Xin saw that she was not polite, so he pointed to the soft cushion opposite him and asked her to sit down. He put a jade on the ground and picked up a black copper scale. She did not know how old it was. He squinted his eyes and held it under the sun to take a closer look.
Yu Shu was at ease. She sat cross-legged on the ground. She was not in a hurry to ask questions. Instead, she looked around with interest and identified the old things on the ground. Some of them were treasures she had seen in the List of Strange and Rare Objects, and some were small things that could be seen everywhere in the market.
Old Academician Xin glanced at her and said casually, "What do you want to see me for?"
Yu Shu was stunned. He was the one who invited her here.
"Hmph, didn't you coax that silly girl Liu to see me? Why can't you remember?"
Hearing this, Yu Shu slapped her forehead as she recalled that there was indeed such a matter. A few months ago, she had mentioned to Xin Liu that she wanted to meet the old master. Later, after the ancestral worship ceremony, she was busy with other matters and had forgotten about it.
"Old academician's eyes are sharp. Nothing can be hidden from you. I do have something to ask."
"Sharp eyes?" You don't have to suck up to me. This time, you've saved the Xin family from a crisis. I should be thanking you. If there's anything you want to say, just say it. I don't have any other skills, but I've lived for a long time, so I've seen and heard more things than others. "Xin Qing smiled and said," I think you're just blind from old age. You don't have to flatter me, you little girl.
Yu Shu smiled. She liked to talk to people directly. Old Academician Xin's temper was much more to her liking than Xin Ya's.
"Old man, do you still remember that two years ago, I met you at Xin Ri Reguang Da Yi Store?"
Old Academician Xin stared at her and recalled, "I do. Back then, you were still a silly little girl. You didn't have the courage you have now. You were with that kid from the Xue family."
Seeing that he had such a good memory, Yu Shu also recalled the scene that day. Her eyes couldn't help but become gloomy and she began to think about Xue Rui. They used to be together, but now they were in different places. She could tell if he was safe or not, but she couldn't tell if his thoughts were the same as hers.
"Why did you stop?" Old Academician Xin called her back to reality.
Yu Shu collected her thoughts and looked into his eyes. She asked in a slow voice, "Do you remember? I mentioned a sword to you at that time. The sword was one foot and eight inches long. It was full of copper rust. Under the night sky, it looked like it was glowing red. There was an ancient character engraved on the handle."
Old Academician Xin's eyes narrowed into slits. He put down the copper scale in his hand. He dipped his finger in his saliva and drew a character on the ground. He asked her, "Is that so?"
Yu Shu nodded. Now she was sure that the old man knew the origin of that ancient sword. Otherwise, he wouldn't have remembered it so clearly.
"You told me that it wasn't a sword, but you wouldn't tell me what it was. Today, I want to ask you, can you tell me the origin of that sword?"
Old Academician Xin raised his head and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He looked a little absent-minded. He seemed to be lost in his memories. He didn't say anything for a long time. Just when Yu Shu couldn't help but ask again, she suddenly heard him sigh.
"Of course it wasn't a sword. It was the Six Founding Weapons of our dynasty."
Yu Shu's body stiffened. Her eyes widened in disbelief. The Six Founding Weapons!? A sword, and the Six Founding Weapons. Isn't it —
"Chunjun Sword. That's the Chunjun Sword." Old Academician Xin said to himself, "A hundred years ago, Emperor Xizong was on the throne. He had a son, Prince Yunzheng. Although he was talented, he was a rebel. He married a female general. Later, the female general committed a serious crime. Prince Yunzheng broke out of prison for her. He took her to escape from the pursuers and escaped into the Imperial Mausoleum in the eastern suburbs. It was said that he mistakenly entered the tomb of Empress Ningzhen and stole the Chunjun Sword. With the acquired divine power, he broke out of the tomb with his wife. They fought their way out of the encirclement and disappeared without a trace. The Chunjun Sword has been missing since then. "
Yu Shu had heard the story of the female general and the prince more than once. Old Academician Xin's version was not the most true, but it was the one that shocked her the most. She adjusted her breathing a few times to hide her panic and tried to test him.
"In that case, how do you know what the Chunjun Sword looks like?"
Old Academician Xin snorted coldly and looked at her in disdain. "Little girl, do you know where our Xin family's' Wonderful and Rare Objects List 'came from? Three hundred years ago, among the meritorious ministers who followed the Holy Emperor to conquer the country, there was an ancestor of the Xin family. He drew the shape of the Six Treasures of the Founding Dynasty on a piece of paper and recorded it in the Wonderful Treasures List. How could I not know what the Chun Jun Sword looks like? "
Then, he asked her suspiciously, "But you, where did you hear about the appearance of the Chun Jun Sword?"
Yu Shu's heart was beating like thunder. She put her hands into her sleeves and clenched them into fists. Facing his question, she casually made up a lie. "I can tell you, but you have to swear to keep your mouth shut. Otherwise, I won't tell you."
Old Academician Xin's eyes twinkled. He excitedly straightened his back and immediately made an oath to urge her to tell him quickly.
Yu Shu took a breath and told him in a low voice, "You should know Jing Chen. He is the son of Yunhua Yi and Princess Luyue Royal. He was sent to Longhu Mountain to cultivate when he was young. Later, when he returned to the capital, he was conferred the title of Daozi by the late emperor."
Old Academician Xin squinted at her. "I know him. He is the boy who almost married you but ran away on the day of the wedding."
Yu Shu was speechless. She thought that this old man had lived in seclusion. How could he know about her gossip? She organized her words and said, "Yes, it is him. I've known Jingchen for a long time. Before he came to the capital, I met him in Yiyang County. At that time, I saw him carrying a sword like that. But later on, when he was being hunted down, he lost the sword. I have always been curious about what treasure it was. I asked him, but he refused to tell me. After that, I met you in Dayi Store, so I asked. "
Old Academician Xin had a look of sudden realization. He nodded and said, "I see."
Yu Shu said nervously, "You can't tell anyone. Otherwise, there will be trouble. It is not a small matter to lose the Six Treasures of the Founding Dynasty."
Old Academician Xin rolled his eyes and said, "In your eyes, the old man is not trustworthy. Even if you tell others, it is not certain whether people will believe you. I will not say it. If I say it, my whole family will die. Is that okay? "
Yu Shu laughed dryly. She stood up and bowed to him. "Thank you for your guidance. If there is nothing else, I will leave first."
Old Academician Xin waved his sleeves. He did not want her to stay any longer. He turned around and picked up his treasure and wiped it.
Yu Shu walked out of the library with steady steps. She left the Xin family with a calm expression. After sitting in the carriage, she wiped her sweaty palms on her knees. She was so excited that her teeth were chattering.
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