Xiao Nanhui stared at the object—which seemed like jade yet wasn't—still unable to fully process what she was seeing.
"Do not forget, before it was found, it had been submerged in that marsh for many years."
Hao Bai’s eyes were also glued to the disguised treasure, his pale face leaning closer and closer.
With a sharp *clack*, Zhongli Jing snapped the wooden box shut.
Hao Bai rubbed his nose, then remembered something. He pulled out the jade seal Xiao Nanhui had brought back earlier and held it in front of A-Lü.
"You were the one who swapped this, weren't you? Who gave it to you?"
A-Lü turned his head slightly, his eyes filled with stubbornness. "It is mine."
Hao Bai couldn't help but speak up. "The person who gave this to you knows a great deal; otherwise, they couldn't have produced a forgery so close to the real thing. What did he say to you to make you work for him so willingly?"
A-Lü remained silent. Just as Hao Bai was about to press further, Zhongli Jing unhurriedly produced a peach-pink silk handkerchief and unfurled it before A-Lü.
Embroidered in one corner was a jade hosta flower—it was the very same handkerchief Bolao had used as a mask that night.
"Do you know what this is?"
A sneer curled A-Lü's lips. "Of course. It was embroidered by my sister. What? Do you think I will tell you everything just for the sake of a handkerchief?"
Zhongli Jing traced the lifelike jade hosta on the silk. The embroidery was so detailed that even the veins on the petals were visible, a testament to exquisite craftsmanship.
"Then do you know that there is a style of embroidery—one a woman only uses for those she loves—where the embroiderer uses her own hair as thread?"
Zhongli Jing’s voice was calm, but to A-Lü, the words were like a thunderclap. His lips trembled for a moment before he suddenly lunged forward like a madman, trying to snatch the handkerchief.
Xiao Nanhui was startled, but Ding Weixiang moved with lightning speed, striking A-Lü back with a single palm.
Hit squarely in the chest, A-Lü’s blood surged, and he coughed violently on the ground.
Xiao Nanhui felt a pang of pity, but Zhongli Jing’s expression remained unchanged throughout.
"There was once a severe plague in the history of Huozhou; people still pale at the mention of it. A-Yun died of that pestilence. After her death, her body was cremated, and her bedding, personal clothing, and everything she used were burned along with her. The person who sought you out likely promised that if you could find what he wanted, he could help you bring your dead sister back. I suspect that some item from A-Yun’s person was required to serve as a vessel for summoning her soul. However, by the time you received the message and arrived, there was almost nothing of hers left in Wangchen Tower. You searched the entire building—her vanity, every single comb—but you couldn't find even a strand of hair. Refusing to give up, you became a servant in the tower, searching for that object in Mu'erhe while gathering every tiny scrap A-Yun had left behind. Am I correct?"
A-Lü gasped for air, staring at the man before him as if he were a monstrous beast.
"You... who exactly are you? Why..."
"An Lü, do you know that the surname 'An' was once the name of a noble family of great honor? Do you truly believe that so-called 'kind soul' who wanted to help you find your sister did so out of the goodness of his heart?"
An Lü’s emotions shifted from shock and suspicion to sheer terror.
He and his sister had been born into the slave class. Had it not been for An Yun’s great beauty, which allowed her to make a name for herself in Wangchen Tower, he likely would have remained the lowest sort of domestic slave in some official's manor for his entire life, never escaping his lowly status.
He had once asked his sister why some people were born as young masters and ladies while they were born to be servants. His sister told him: *Because only this way can we stay alive.*
What kind of people were born into slavery, such that even the other servants in the same room could bully them? An Lü had gradually come to understand this as he grew older. An Yun was older than him and could name many of their elders, but not one of them remained in this world. This was the punishment of 'Extermination of Three Generations,' a sentence reserved for the crime of high treason.
And the surname 'An'—from the moment he understood that truth, he never used it again. Neither did his sister.
Yet the person who had approached him had spoken that nearly forgotten surname the very first time they met.
The situation then was just like it was today.
Having grown up in the harshest of environments since childhood, he had a knack for reading people. The man before him was just like that other person—an existence he could not afford to provoke.
An Lü pressed his lips thin. After a long silence, he spoke with great difficulty. "He told me that the jade was no ordinary jade. It possessed divine power. If I had that jade, I could recall my sister's soul."
Listening from the side, Xiao Nanhui couldn't help but interject, "Isn't that nonsense? It's just a piece of jade. How could it bring someone back from the dead?"
An Lü shook his head stubbornly, his eyes bloodshot with exhaustion and agitation. "No, it's true! He said the former Emperors used to do it!"
At these words, everyone was struck with shock.
After a long silence, Zhongli Jing’s cold voice rang out.
"Emperor? Which Emperor are you speaking of?"
An Lü shuddered inexplicably, his voice dropping lower.
"The... the Emperor of Niexuan."
An Lü’s words were soft and trembling, but to the ears of those present, they were like a massive boulder crashing into the sea.
Even though those old lands and mountains had passed away nearly a century ago, the affairs of the previous dynasty had always been the ultimate taboo of the Tiancheng Empire.
How deep did that taboo run? It was rumored that Qiu Yuan, the former Emperor of Niexuan, loved red lotuses, and they could be seen everywhere in the imperial palaces. After the dynasty fell, Tiancheng spent a mere three years uprooting every red lotus that could be found within its borders.
Such a degree of obsession often left Xiao Nanhui baffled. But how could she, a person of humble origin who never concerned herself with politics, know what the person on the throne was thinking?
Perhaps because everyone was stunned by these sudden words, no one noticed the fleeting emotion in the depths of Zhongli Jing’s eyes. When he spoke again, his voice had returned to its usual calm.
"This is the first time I have seen someone risk their life on nothing more than a hollow promise."
An Lü lowered his head, his voice tinged with self-deprecation and sorrow. "If I had any other choice, why would I have done this?"
Zhongli Jing drew a small message tube from his sleeve and extracted a thin slip of paper.
Seeing this, An Lü’s face turned pale. He finally understood how he had been exposed.
"Aside from correspondence, have you ever seen that person with your own eyes?"
"He always communicated with me through letters, except for the first time we met. But even then, there was a door between us, and I never saw his face. Judging by his voice, he seemed to be a young man."
Zhongli Jing’s fingers loosened, letting the paper and the tube fall before An Lü. At the same time, he let fall a casual remark.
"The sister was a clever woman; I did not expect the brother to be such a fool."
The veins on the youth's hands suddenly bulged. His fingers clawed deep into the dirt, and tears seemed ready to fall from his eyes.
Those tears held both humiliation and hatred.
He had lost. He had lost completely, with no room for recourse.
They had already walked a good distance from the courtyard when Xiao Nanhui turned back to look at the lonely figure slumped on the ground. She felt an indescribable sense of sympathy.
She could understand everything An Lü had done. If the person who had died were Xiao Zhun, she might also have clutched at any straw and believed anyone who could help her.
As long as there was a one-in-ten-thousand chance, people would throw themselves into it like moths to a flame. In the end, it was all just obsession.
But in this world of mortals, how many people's obsessions ever see a reward?
A wind rose in the woods, whistling as it kicked up a cloud of dust.
When the dust settled, a small, thin figure crawled out from a nearby patch of grass. After looking around, the figure slipped into the dilapidated courtyard.
"Brother A-Lü."
The youth’s body had been prostrate on the ground like a stone for a long time. Hearing the voice, he slowly raised his head.
Standing at the entrance was a boy who hadn't yet reached his full height, looking at him timidly. It was Jin Dou'er.
"Brother A-Lü," Jin Dou'er called again, hesitating for a few steps before approaching. "Are you alright?"
An Lü’s gaze fixed intently on the person before him, but he did not speak.
Jin Dou'er felt that the person in front of him was not the same cautious A-Lü he had known at Wangchen Tower. However, his hand brushed against something tucked in his sleeve, and he summoned the courage to hold it out.
The small, thin palm slowly opened. In the center was a crumpled mass of emerald green.
"This is for you. It's Sister A-Yun's."
An Lü’s expression changed instantly. He snatched the item like a starving wolf, then unfolded it with extreme care.
It was the handkerchief embroidered with the jade hosta.
The fine stitches were lifelike, but the jade hosta was not white—it was a dark brownish-red.
How had he not noticed it before?
An Lü looked up, studying Jin Dou'er.
"Why give this to me..."
Jin Dou'er looked at the handkerchief, seemingly remembering the past. A sense of attachment showed in his round eyes. "Sister A-Yun was very good to me. She was the kindest person in the whole tower. It's a pity I was too small to save her... This is the last thing of hers left in the world. If you miss her too, keep it. Let it be something to remember her by."
An Lü looked at Jin Dou'er. The boy was actually only a few years younger than him, but he was much shorter—the result of long-term heavy labor and a lack of nutritious food.
He had lived through such bitter days himself, but...
"When did you get here?"
Jin Dou'er didn't notice the change in the other's gaze and answered subconsciously, "Just... I saw you leave the tower alone, so I followed Uncle Li, the vegetable delivery man, over here."
*So, you heard everything you were supposed to hear.*
An Lü struggled to his feet.
Ding Weixiang had struck him hard, and his chest still throbbed with pain, but he didn't care at all. He simply folded the emerald silk handkerchief carefully and tucked it close to his body.
"Jin Dou'er," An Lü called softly, his voice holding a brotherly warmth and affection. "Come here."
Jin Dou'er looked at An Lü, somewhat dazed. The youth’s features already bore a resemblance to A-Yun’s. His previous cold expression had naturally been frightening, but now that he showed a gentle side, it reminded the boy of how A-Yun used to speak to him.
Jin Dou'er’s feet moved involuntarily toward the youth who wore a brotherly smile.
An Lü opened his arms and pulled him into an embrace, his voice low as if he were coaxing a child to sleep.
"Thank you for everything you did for An Yun. I will bring her back."
Jin Dou'er’s eyes, which had been about to close, suddenly flew wide. Something warm and liquid was draining from his body. His pupils gradually dilated until they were like two empty holes.
An Lü’s flat, emotionless voice rang in his ear once more.
"I alone am enough. You may go in peace."
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
安律 | An Lü | A-Lü's real name; 'An' is a disgraced noble surname.
安韵 | An Yun | A-Lü's deceased sister.
玉簪花 | Jade Hosta | Also known as Plantain Lily; a flower used in the embroidery.
夷三族 | Extermination of Three Generations | An ancient Chinese punishment involving the execution of the culprit's entire extended family.
涅泫 | Niexuan | The name of the previous fallen dynasty.
天成 | Tiancheng | The name of the current empire.
裘鸢 | Qiu Yuan | The name of the former Emperor of Niexuan.
金豆儿 | Jin Dou'er | Literally "Golden Bean"; a young servant boy from Wangchen Tower.
