When Nan Yi left, Hu Ruhai said, "Madam, please take care of me." His attitude was completely different from when they met. He solemnly bowed to her as a gentleman and saw her off in person.
Back at the inn, Nan Yi found that someone had been waiting for her for a long time.
Sister Qiu's eyes turned red when she saw her, she called her sister-in-law, then she hugged her and started sobbing. Nan Yi recalled sending Sister Qiu and her family away from Lidu Mansion on the Lantern Festival, and it had already been more than a month since they parted. It hadn't been a long time, but when we met again, it felt like we were a lifetime apart, things had changed and people had changed. Thinking of this, Nan Yi couldn't help but feel sad, and the two of them hugged each other and cried.
After finally calming down, Nan Yi wanted to help Sister Qiu sit down, but Sister Qiu knelt down in front of her with a plop.
"Sister-in-law, I'm sorry..."
Nan Yi was startled: "Sister Qiu?"
"It's my father. He betrayed the Xie family and the court... He is Daman."
This shocking information made Nan Yi freeze in place, and his whole body trembled unconsciously.
From Sister Qiu's mouth, Nan Yi learned many things that had been deceived before.
In addition to Xie Zhu, there were many people in the court who had already turned against Qi. Lidu Mansion is in trouble because these people are causing trouble behind the scenes, which makes the situation so complicated. Now that all the other rebels have been arrested, only Xie Zhu fled north, ruthlessly leaving his family behind in Jinling.
"Did he also know about Chao En's death?" Nan Yi asked bitterly.
Sister Qiu shed tears and nodded.
That was Xie Queshan's third uncle, a father-like presence in his life. At that time, he paid a huge price to save his third uncle and send him to Jinling. Because of this, when everyone later guessed who Daman was, no one suspected Xie Zhu.
What's even more shocking to Nan Yi is that this is also her first mission. Something so important to her was only used by Xie Zhu. She thought that what she had saved was a man of letters. She had also looked at that erect spine and learned the meaning of justice.
Can all of this be faked? Did his plan already start from then on?
How evil is the human heart?
Nan Yi sat down slumped, she felt extremely regretful, she should have made some mistakes in the mission, let Xie Zhu die, let him show his flaws, then would the ending be different now?
Suddenly, she thought of something: "Have the rebels confessed anything related to Chao En?"
Speaking of this, Sister Qiu nodded with a complicated expression, but there was no joy on her face.
Nan Yi knew that there were twists and turns.
Among the rebels, there were some who could not bear the torture and confessed. In their confessions, they mentioned how they contributed to the Lidu Mansion incident and how they framed Xie Queshan. However, the officials chose to seal it after hesitation. There is no other reason for these confessions - once the matter is made public, Xie Queshan can be cleared, but Xie Zhu's actions cannot be concealed, and the entire Xie family will be in danger.
The Xie Queshan incident did not implicate the Xie family because the Xie family had clearly drawn a clear line with him many years ago. In addition, Shen Zhizhong was running to protect him at that time. The Supreme Emperor agreed not to implicate the Xie family members, but Xie Zhu and Xie Jun They have never even separated. In everyone's eyes, he and Xie are closely connected. At that time, it will be difficult for officials to find excuses to protect the Xie family.
Although Nan Yi is determined to clear Xie Queshan's name, she will not put Xie's family in danger in the face of such a choice. The most helpless thing is this. You clearly know who the sinner is, and you clearly know which way will work, but under many considerations, you can only remain silent.
His thoughts were shrouded in a bleak gray mist, and Nan Yi felt that as he went deeper, the enemy's swords and guns disappeared, leaving only hidden arrows that were hard to guard against, and taboos that could be seen everywhere.
The successive blows left her speechless for a long time. She didn't know what else to do. She had just started on the road, but she already felt that there was no end in sight.
Sister Qiu's eyes were red and swollen, and she blamed herself: "If I had discovered my father's abnormality earlier, it wouldn't have been too late..."
The rest of the words were choked up after all.
If only a few days earlier, the turning point in Lidu Mansion could have arrived first, Xie Queshan would not have been forced to death.
But what’s the point of saying these ifs now?
The two sat facing each other in silence, helpless. Fortunately, they now have a lot of time to waste.
Wait, is it all there is to wait?
There was a vague boiling noise outside the window, separated by several doors and windows, as distant as the wind on the edge of the cliff. Gradually, the wind seemed to blow over, and the sounds outside became louder and louder. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
The boy at the inn shouted: "You two ladies, go to the palace gate and have a look!"
Nan Yi and Sister Qiu looked at each other and hurriedly ran out.
The crowd had gathered at the entrance of the palace, but was stopped by the imperial army.
During the discussion, Nan Yi and Sister Qiu realized that Hu Ruhai took off his hat and robe, walked from the palace gate to the outside of the Tai Chi Hall with three steps and one kowtow.
He shouted all the way - I framed Zhongliang and deceived my superiors! I am guilty! I wish to die and ask the officials to review the Xie Queshan case!
Hu Ruhai's voice became farther and farther away, almost inaudible over the noisy crowd. Suddenly, the crowd at the front let out a cry of surprise, and the sound finally reached Nan Yi's ears.
"Master Hu committed suicide by hitting a pillar!"
Nan Yi suddenly grabbed Sister Qiu's hand. She should be lucky. She thought that Mr. Hu could only sigh and feel sorry for Xie Queshan and could do nothing. However, she did not expect that in order to make up for the mistakes he had made and to bring order to the chaos, he would be so determined to die to clarify his ambition. Such a massive death remonstrance should shock both the temple and the people, right?
But she wasn't happy at all. The hole in her heart was opened wider, and the wind was blowing into it.
Those lives that are like fireworks. Cruelly and brilliantly, it illuminates her path.
No matter how bad the world is, there are always people who continue to fight without hesitation, just for the sake of loyalty.
Master Hu is dead.
When death is just for expression, it finally has a deterrent effect.
At this point, public opinion became more and more high, and petitioners were petitioning every day, asking the court to thoroughly investigate the Xie Queshan case and give the world an explanation. This seemed both absurd and reasonable, and the tide of public opinion changed overnight, and after his death, people began to love him again.
Three days later, the emperor's edict finally came, and the case was reopened and handed over to the three departments for trial.
Everything is finally on track, but it's not enough.
In court, there is no basis for what you say.
As long as there is half a piece of file about Xie Queshan in Bingzhusi, the matter will not be so difficult. However, the identity of "Yan" is top secret, and Shen Zhizhong did not leave any records about him.
Xu Keyue came to Nan Yi for the first time and told Nan Yi some possible clues: "After Zhang Zhicun escaped from Bianjing, he had a secret conversation with Mr. Shen. Mr. Shen was also his teacher and told him that he would connect him with Xie Queshan. His deeds were written into a folder and submitted to the court to ask for credit. This was also the first time that Zhang Zhicun learned of Xie Queshan’s identity. But afterwards, we sent people to search Mr. Shen’s house, but the folder could not be found... …and some of Bingzhusi’s files are also missing.”
Nan Yi's heart skipped a beat, and she faintly heard some hope. The excerpt written by Shen Zhizhong is the most powerful physical evidence! As long as he gets this thing, Xie Queshan's grievances will be overturned.
Sister Qiu recalled that when she saw her father for the last time, his father was carrying a baggage. The things in the baggage were angular, not like soft clothes, but more like some books and files.
"Master Shen was poisoned by his father. If this Zhezi is still alive, he must have taken it away..." Sister Qiu deduced.
But Xie Zhu is now in Bianjing City. His whereabouts are very mysterious. There has been no news since he entered the city. He is probably being closely protected by Wanyan Pu Ruo.
Go to Bianjing to find Xie Zhu.
Nan Yi made a decision immediately.
Xu Keyue was startled: "No! You can't take any more risks! I will ask the government to send a suitable spy to complete this mission, and you will stay with us in Jinling to wait for news."
"I can also accomplish tasks that others can accomplish, but no one in this world has greater determination than me."
Nan Yi didn't want to sit there and wait, and she couldn't accept the news that the mission had failed. She was not someone who made rash decisions. The Qi people had just occupied Bianjing less than a year ago. The city was heavily guarded and heavily guarded everywhere. But she was a stranger, so it was easier for her to sneak in.
There is also a hint of madness, perhaps with no way out and no care.
Xu Keyue realized that she couldn't stop Nan Yi.
"Do you have to go?" she murmured.
Secretly, she was afraid of losing any of her old friends.
Nan Yi knew what Xu Keyue was afraid of, and this kind of care continued to give her strength after Xie Queshan's death. She softened inexplicably, and tears welled up in her eyes for no reason.
"I'm not going to die." She gritted her teeth and said firmly.
Sister Qiu was silent for a while. After hearing that she had made such a firm decision, she suddenly said, "I'll go with you."
Nan Yi understood what Sister Qiu meant. She is Xie Zhu's only daughter. At a critical moment, this identity may be of some use.
She couldn't help but agreed, but she didn't really intend to take Sister Qiu with her. After all, Sister Qiu is a weak woman who has never traveled far. It would be too risky to take her deep into the enemy camp.
But when Nan Yi sneaked away late at night, she saw Sister Qiu squatting next to the stable with her baggage in her arms and taking a nap. When she heard the movement, she woke up immediately.
She didn't expose Nan Yi's intention to keep her, she just whispered as usual: "Sister-in-law, let's go."
Nan Yi wanted to cry again. She seemed to become extremely prone to tears.
She knew that Sister Qiu's mood was the same as hers. Even if the road ahead was full of swords and fire, even if they only had little strength, they still had to go on the road to gain that slim hope. Nan Yi could no longer ignore this innocent heart. She couldn't get rid of her, so she could only secretly resolve to protect Sister Qiu.
Sister Qiu, who rarely went out after being tired from traveling and traveling, really couldn't bear it. She got off the horse the first day and went into the woods to vomit out the gall water.
But when she came out of the forest, although her face was pale, she kept insisting that she was fine and refused to stop and rest for fear of dragging down Nan Yi.
Sister Qiu and the Xie family have very different personalities, but they share the same stubbornness. She vaguely saw the shadow of Xiao Liu and even the shadow of Xie Queshan in her body.
Nan Yi is often in a trance due to the boring life of traveling. It was as if she could bring Xie Queshan back as long as she ran hard.
She slept less and less.
She doesn't dream either. She didn't know why Xie Queshan didn't give her a dream.
Are you so disappointed in this world that you cross the Naihe Bridge without looking back?
But she wanted to see him again.
When she was silent and dazed, Sister Qiu stayed with her holding a small blanket. Sister Qiu is not a talkative person. Most of the time, they are just silent.
One night, it rained heavily, and they were forced to set up a tent in the mountains to rest.
Looking at the seemingly endless rain, Sister Qiu suddenly asked her: "Sister-in-law, why did you take this road?"
Nan Yi replied without thinking: "This road is relatively close and hidden."
Sister Qiu did not go to correct Nan Yi's mistake, but just continued: "I don't mean that brother Chaoen's posthumous name is not important. In fact, even if you don't do it, Master Song, Yu Chengjun, Princess Your Highness, and even the officials... one day, they will find the opportunity to do this."
Nan Yi rested her head on the hard rock in silence and looked at the deep night sky. The dense raindrops were silver.
why?
After a long time, until Sister Qiu thought Nan Yi had fallen asleep, she heard her murmuring answer.
"I was just thinking...how can I tell the world that all my flesh and blood and courage are his gifts."
