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墨書 Inktalez
I was lying in a place that was clearly not the Inn of Chang'an. This room was brighter, warmer, and furnished with more luxurious items. The winter sun filtered softly through the window, creating a pleasant atmosphere.
My body was wrapped in bandages, and judging by the exposed part of my arm, I looked quite like an Egyptian mummy. I moved slightly, and sharp pain shot through me from all directions.
“Bai… Lord Bai?” Even speaking was a struggle.
“The charcoal stove here isn’t warm enough. I just replaced it with a new one and came to check on you after finishing my business. I hope I haven’t offended you,” Lord Bai Qianfan said with a polite smile. “If it weren’t for this incident, I wouldn’t have known you were actually a girl; I had always thought of you as that Brother Ye.”
I weakly shook my head. In this era, it was quite improper for an unfamiliar man to enter a woman’s bedroom like this. But he must have understood that I wasn’t an ordinary woman; I had some connections to the underworld. Moreover, we had our shared history and were friends, so no one would mind too much about rigid etiquette. His willingness to come over and help me with the heating made me feel relaxed and touched.
“Lord Bai, where is this place?”
Bai Qianfan smiled and replied, “This is my residence. The Emperor sent a secret decree for you to recuperate here in peace.”
Ah, so it was Li Shimin who brought me here? I remembered losing consciousness after being captured and stabbed by the masked man from Snowfall Villa. How much had I missed?
“You’ve been unconscious for almost five days. However, your injuries have been treated by the Imperial Physician in the palace. Although your wounds look severe, they are actually not life-threatening; they will just be painful,” Bai Qianfan said, suddenly recalling something and chuckling, “Lord Nie even pestered the Imperial Physician for quite a while, showering him with compliments and insisting that he guarantee you wouldn’t be left with any scars. It’s really… quite straightforward!”
Ah…
I was momentarily stunned; how could Nie Qiuyuan possibly do such a thing? But upon further reflection, I realized that it must have been Luo Dachun using Nie Qiuyuan's identity in front of Bai Qianfan.
Images of Luo Dachun pestering the Imperial Physician with a grin flashed in my mind, making me unable to suppress a smile. He was back; that was him! I felt relieved instantly.
Bai Qianfan’s warm smile and elegant demeanor made it hard to believe he was a cunning and unpredictable detective. During my time in Luozhou, I hadn’t interacted much with him and wasn’t very familiar with Lord Su Liche either, especially since I had taken his cold medicine before.
Now that I looked closely at him, he was indeed quite handsome—mature and composed, exuding charm and grace. He appeared to be in his thirties—a true handsome uncle.
Just as I was about to thank him, a bright voice called out from outside: “Liuying, are you really awake?”
The person hadn’t even appeared yet when the voice reached me. It was unmistakably Luo Dachun’s voice.
Bai Qianfan smiled and said, "Lord Nie, you arrived quite quickly. I have some matters to attend to, so I must take my leave for now. I will come back to visit the young lady tomorrow."
Just then, Luo Dachun pushed the door open. The two exchanged warm greetings, and Bai Qianfan even patted him on the shoulder.
"Liuying, how are you doing?" After Lord Bai left, it was just the two of us in the room. He walked over to the bedside and sat down, his smile gradually fading as his expression grew serious.
"I'm sorry, Liuying. It's my fault for not being able to protect you well enough, even though I've always been by your side."
"Brother Luo, I shouldn't have run off on my own. If anyone should be blamed, it should be me, not you." I wasn't trying to comfort him; I meant every word. In this era, being weak is a kind of sin. If you're weak, you deserve misfortune—there's no one else to blame.
Luo Dachun shook his head and said, "Liuying, you're a smart person; you've figured it out long ago. I am from Snowfall Villa."
I fell silent. This question had been circling in my mind for a long time, and I already had a very clear answer. From Luo Dachun's reaction to the Snowfall Villa incident, to his suddenly revealed impressive swordsmanship, to his words and the black-clad man's mention of Sikong Ming—I had no doubt he was from Snowfall Villa, and he was certainly not an ordinary person. Not only him; Han Meilan was definitely also connected to Snowfall Villa.
However, their connection to Snowfall Villa was not that simple. They must be hiding some unknown secrets. My intuition told me that Luo Dachun and the others had a relationship with Snowfall Villa that was complicated and tangled—neither a bond nor a belonging in a good sense; perhaps it was more like a painful scar.
So I had no intention of asking him about himself. I simply tried to smile at him and said, "Brother Luo, no matter where you're from or what name you used to go by, it doesn't matter. All I know is that you are my Brother Luo, and that will never change."
Luo Dachun silently gazed at me for a long time before suddenly smiling in relief.
"Are those people really from Snowfall Villa?" I changed the subject.
"No," Luo Dachun replied.
I vaguely remembered that before I fainted, that group of black-clad men seemed to have all committed suicide by poison. Today, Luo Dachun carefully recounted what had happened at that time, confirming my suspicions. More than twenty black-clad attackers were extremely well-trained and bore no identifying marks; they left no survivors behind, making it impossible to investigate their identities.
"Even though it's been five years since leaving Snowfall Villa, if these people were truly from there, I shouldn't be unfamiliar with any of them. Moreover, having fought them for some time and seen various techniques they used, their methods were not those of Snowfall Villa at all."
"So their main objective was to frame this incident on Snowfall Villa?"
As I thought to myself, gleefully, "Murderer, you are truly unfortunate. If it were someone else, you might have actually deceived them. But you just happened to run into Liao Zhen, the real deal; this is not a fate that can be easily concealed."
Luo Dachun said, "Fortunately, Brother Mu has become the emperor. Do you know how the Duke of Tang was demoted in the previous dynasty?"
I nodded. The Duke of Tang was Li Yuan, the father of Li Shimin. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty executed several officials with the surname Li simply because he heard a folk song called 'Peach and Plum Chapter,' and even Duke of Tang Li Yuan was stripped of his title and exiled from the capital.
The 'Peach and Plum Chapter' goes like this: "Peach and plum trees, must fall; the Queen wanders around Yangzhou, gracefully in the garden. Do not speak carelessly; who says permission is granted?"
A scholar named Li Xuan Ying, after studying the 'Peach and Plum Chapter,' predicted three things. First, 'peach' sounds like 'escape,' meaning those with the surname Li who flee will find refuge. Second, the emperor and the Queen, lost in Yangzhou, will not return to the capital. Third, "do not speak carelessly; who says permission is granted" means "secret."
This interpretation of the 'Peach and Plum Chapter' involved those with the surname Li who contributed to the downfall of the Sui Dynasty and even predicted Li Mi. This prophecy is considered one of the most mysterious political prophecies in Chinese history.
Hearing Luo Dachun mention the 'Peach and Plum Chapter,' I began to understand his point.
"If such a Serial Murder Case had occurred in the previous dynasty, I fear the emperor wouldn't even ask questions; he would have already mobilized his forces to flatten Snowfall Villa," Luo Dachun said with a faint smile.
In my heart, I couldn't help but sigh. This is what makes Li Shimin extraordinary; he may not be entirely trusting, but he possesses great patience. Until everything is clear, he would never act rashly. This not only shows respect for the truth and wins people's hearts but also helps him avoid creating many enemies.
At least this move has prevented his enemies from succeeding; it was indeed a beautifully executed strategy!
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