The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 112

Chapter 112: Grandmother Tells of the Past

“Brother Qing, what else did you want to ask Lady Wei?” On the way back, Fenghuang couldn’t help but ask.

“This Lady Wei has Steward Fang send a shipment of grain and silver to Jingzhou in Liang every once in a while, vaguely stating that it’s for business with an adult named ‘Dongjun,’ but there are only expenses, never any income.”

“So, Brother Qing, you suspect that this ‘Dongjun’ is actually the real owner of Apricot Blossom and Misty Rain Tower?”

Xiao Jinyu nodded.

“But Dongjun should just be a code name. Who could this person be?” Fenghuang asked curiously.

Xiao Jinyu also fell into deep thought: Judging from Lady Wei’s reaction to seeing her today, she should know the former owner of these clothes, and the real owner of Apricot Blossom and Misty Rain Tower might be the “Princess” she mentioned.

Princess? Liang?

As if she had thought of something, Xiao Jinyu’s expression turned serious, and she stopped walking.

“Brother Qing, what’s wrong?”

Seeing the change in her expression, Fenghuang asked.

Xiao Jinyu just shook her head, said it was nothing, and continued walking towards West Stream Alley.

“Brother Qing, what else did you see in that account book, and what should we do next?”

Thinking about the upcoming plan to make the Prince of Shixing get the retribution he deserved, Fenghuang’s excitement burned once again.

Seeing the excitement and curiosity in Fenghuang’s sparkling eyes, Xiao Jinyu couldn’t help but smile again.

“Fenghuang, do you know how to kill a wolf without being bitten back by its fangs, or even hurting your own hands?”

Fenghuang thought for a moment and replied, “I think… it should be borrowing a knife to kill, right?”

Xiao Jinyu smiled again.

“That’s right, Fenghuang, you’re very smart. We need to borrow a knife, which requires leverage, and the Prince of Shixing’s biggest leverage lies in himself.”

“Judging from the account books, he is suspected of forming cliques for personal gain and recruiting soldiers, and he also has connections with high monks in Buddhist temples. Fenghuang, do you know what to do now?”

Fenghuang nodded as if suddenly enlightened.

Xiao Jinyu added, “Tomorrow, help me investigate someone first!”

Fenghuang looked at her.

“My uncle, Fan Yong of the Sunyang Fan Clan!”

“Okay!”

✿✿✿

When she returned to the “Xiao Residence,” she saw the courtyard full of people, each with a worried expression on their face, as if they were waiting for her.

There were traces of the courtyard being extensively searched by officers, and many tables and chairs were damaged, but fortunately, no one was injured.

“Young Lady, you’re finally back?” The first to speak was Ling Ye.

Last night, after receiving the message from Fenghuang, Ling Ye quickly took Xiao Yuan and the servants to hide in a secret underground chamber in the backyard that had been prepared in advance.

This was also the reason why Xiao Jinyu bought this house before. By setting up some mechanisms outside the existing underground chamber, it could be used as a defensible hiding place, originally intended for emergencies.

She didn’t expect to use it so soon!

Xiao Jinyu noticed that everyone’s faces didn’t look very good, so she asked with a smile, “What’s wrong with you all?”

At this time, Xiao Yuan suddenly walked out of the house. She went straight to Xiao Jinyu, looked at her face half-hidden by the veil, and murmured, “A’luan? You are my A’luan, right?”

As she spoke, she suddenly pulled Xiao Jinyu into a tight embrace, sobbing as if terrified, “Don’t go to the palace, they have set a trap to harm you, don’t go… A’luan, mother misses you so much, why did you only come back now?”

Xiao Jinyu looked at Xiao Xian standing behind her, not knowing what to say for a moment. Should she play along and comfort her, or tell her that she was actually her granddaughter?

But before she could think further, Xiao Yuan had lifted her veil, as if wanting to touch her face, but when she saw her face clearly, fear and anxiety appeared in her expression.

“You are not A’luan? Then who are you?”

“Who are you?”

Seeing her agitated expression again, Xiao Xian hurriedly called Nurse Lin to help Xiao Yuan back to her room to rest.

“A’yu, today an imperial edict came from the palace, saying that you should enter the palace tomorrow to see the Empress. Mother heard the edict and must have thought of the situation when your mother was summoned to the palace many years ago, so… she had another episode!”

“The Empress?”

“Yes! Why would the Empress suddenly want to see you? Could it be related to the Prince of Shixing?” Yuan Rujing also asked worriedly.

Xiao Jinyu nodded, “It should be!”

“Then what should we do? Sister, you’ve just escaped from danger, is the Empress going to blame you for the Prince of Shixing’s matter?” Tenth Young Lady Xiao became even more frightened.

“It seems that this is my fault!”

Fenghuang also lowered his head, feeling somewhat guilty.

“It has nothing to do with you, Fenghuang, you did a good job!”

Fenghuang, who was praised, happily raised his head and heard Xiao Jinyu say, “And I just want to enter the palace and have a look!”

Last time, she had a dream through divination and fortune-telling, but it was just a dream after all, not necessarily the truth. She still had to go to the palace and ask “those people” about some things!

“Don’t worry, I’ve inquired about Empress Liu Jingyan’s temperament. She is a virtuous and gentle person, and she won’t make things difficult for me. The one who really wants to make things difficult for me should be another…”

“But with the Empress by her side, this person can’t do anything to me!”

Speaking of this, Xiao Jinyu seemed to remember something and smiled to herself: Liu Jingyan, this noble lady who believed in the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi, emphasizing the importance of water and yielding, was once her close friend!

Now she has become Chen Xu’s Empress…

……

✿✿✿

At night, Xiao Xian couldn’t fall asleep, so he simply got up, put on his clothes, and came to Xiao Jinyu’s door. He wanted to knock on the door several times, but in the end, he lowered his hand.

Just as he turned to leave, the door suddenly opened.

He stopped abruptly and turned around to see Xiao Jinyu standing gracefully in front of the door in a fur coat.

“Uncle Xian, do you have something to say to me?” She asked first.

Seeing Xiao Xian’s hesitation, she added, “It’s cold and dewy at night, come in and talk!”

Xiao Xian nodded and entered the room. After a long silence, he asked, “A’yu, will you go to Qi in the future?”

Xiao Jinyu did not deny it.

Xiao Xian’s heart sank sharply, and then he gave a bitter smile.

“I should have known. A’yu, you are so talented that you will definitely not be content with a small Chen. Moreover, my sister… your mother, after all, died in Qi. She once served as the exclusive imperial physician of Emperor Wenxuan of Qi and also held the position of Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, Third Rank. If you say that her death has nothing to do with the powerful people in Qi, I wouldn’t believe it!”

As he spoke, he looked at Xiao Jinyu with gentle and sad eyes.

“I don’t know what you and your mother went through in Qi, but what Rujing said yesterday still hurts my heart. So, selfishly, Uncle Xian doesn’t want you to go back to Qi,

even if… your mother’s death remains a mystery, as long as you are alive, living happily and peacefully, it’s enough for me!”

Xiao Jinyu felt the fear of losing her in his eyes, and this feeling of being cherished also made her heart warm and touched.

“Uncle Xian, I promise you, I will live well.”

She assured him with a smile.

“I won’t go to Qi for now, not before you officially become the head of the Xiao Clan…”

“And I still want to take back everything that belongs to the Xiao Clan for you. That’s also the foundation that my mother tried her best to preserve, her last wish!”

The last sentence made Xiao Xian’s face suddenly change.

✿✿✿

As the two were talking, a gust of cold wind blew in from outside. Xiao Xian turned around abruptly and saw his mother, Xiao Yuan, standing at the door, not knowing when she had arrived.

“You just said that A’luan is… dead? Died in Qi?”

She murmured, as if she couldn’t believe it, but tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision again.

“Mother—”

Xiao Xian hurriedly stepped forward and supported Xiao Yuan, who seemed to be in unbearable pain, clutching her chest and on the verge of collapsing.

“A’luan is dead?”

“No, A’luan is so smart, so capable… she’s still so young… how could she die?”

“No, she won’t die, I must have heard wrong… I heard wrong…”

Xiao Jinyu came to her and softly called, “Grandmother!”

“Have you remembered everything?”

She asked cautiously again.

The poison had been completely cleared, unless she didn’t want to remember, didn’t want to believe, didn’t want to admit…

Xiao Yuan burst into tears again, clutching her chest as if in spasms.

“I feel so bad, so bad… my A’luan… I didn’t even see her for the last time…”

Seeing her heartbroken and devastated, Xiao Xian felt even more pain:

“Mother—”

Only then did Xiao Yuan raise her head, looking at Xiao Xian with a dazed and sorrowful expression.

“Xianlang, it’s mother’s fault. I harmed your elder sister and your brothers. It’s all my fault. I didn’t protect them well…”

“You recognize me?”

Hearing Xiao Yuan finally call his name, Xiao Xian felt a little joy in his heart, but also sighed and comforted her:

“Mother, we can’t change the past, but we must cherish those who are alive, right?”

As he spoke, he pointed to Xiao Jinyu.

“This is elder sister’s daughter, your granddaughter. She is the continuation of elder sister’s life. She is back, which means elder sister is back!”

Only then did Xiao Yuan look up at Xiao Jinyu with tearful eyes.

Fortunately, this time she didn’t mistake her for her father again. Instead, she stared blankly for a long time, then burst into tears and murmured:

“A’luan’s daughter? She looks so much like him… A’luan must have suffered a lot to protect you, right?”

“No wonder… no wonder she didn’t take you back to Chen. You look so much like him, how could the Emperor of Chen let you go…”

“But with such a beautiful appearance, you wouldn’t have a peaceful life in Qi either, so A’luan she…”

“Did she sacrifice herself to protect you?”

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