That night, when Xiao Yan returned to the manor, the evening gong had already struck three times. His steps were a bit muddy, and the cold, harsh look on his face carried an air of sternness.
“How is the situation at Rongjiang?” he asked.
“The three batches of people we sent earlier have arrived. They’ve been scattered and are starting to investigate those who were still alive back then. Jin Yun also set off southward this afternoon,” reported the attendant.
Cang Lang, standing by, added, “Don’t worry, Sir. It’s been so many years. The Lu family won’t guess that there’s still evidence left, and they wouldn’t have been on guard. What we don’t know is whether any of those who knew the truth back then are still alive.”
Xiao Yan’s expression was indifferent. “The disaster didn’t just happen in Rongjiang. Twenty years ago, the Lu family wasn’t the top aristocratic house. They could massacre Rongjiang only because it was a remote area and the plague had already spread. Prince Li had ordered a seal on the area beforehand. But the disaster affected thirteen states and over a hundred counties. They couldn’t have killed everyone.”
Back then, Lu Chongyuan didn’t have the power to control everything, and Emperor An was still just a prince, not one to openly intervene. It was because of their inability to cover everything that they were forced to collude with officials and bandits, leaving traces behind.
After the fact, neither the Lu family nor Emperor An could have killed everyone who knew the truth. Doing so would likely have attracted outside attention. To placate people and protect their own future, the most probable outcome was that they had offered benefits to recruit the people who had been involved in the chaos with them.
“In the past few days, I’ve gone through the disaster-related official assignments and reports with Qian Baokun. Shezhou, Langzhou, and Raozhou were the most severely affected by the disaster and were also the places where Emperor An gained the most fame for ‘pacifying’ the rebellion. Especially in Shezhou, over half of the officials there had been promoted after the flooding,” Xiao Yan continued.
“Twenty years isn’t long enough to erase all traces. Unless the entire southern region has been wiped out, digging three feet into the ground, this Lord doesn’t believe we won’t be able to find some people who know the truth.”
Cang Lang tightened his grip slightly at the words, recalling the bloody letter and the cold look in his eyes. “You’re right, Sir. With Jin Yun going personally, he’ll surely bring back results.”
Xiao Yan glanced at the direction of the imperial palace, thinking he could bear with them a little longer before bringing those involved back.
A cold murderous intent flickered in his eyes but was quickly suppressed.
Cang Lang followed Xiao Yan to the back courtyard. Upon seeing the darkness in the Crane Call Hall, he said, “Sir, you didn’t eat before leaving the city today. I’ll have someone prepare something…”
“No need.”
Xiao Yan wasn’t particularly hungry but suddenly remembered something the young lady, Tang Ning, had said earlier in the day. He knew she should have been resting by this hour, but for some reason, he had a strong feeling that she might still be waiting for him.
“Let’s go to the Tang residence.”
……
The manor and the Tang residence were connected by a small door in the back courtyard. Few people knew of this, and the servants in both houses were tight-lipped, not daring to speak out.
When Xiao Yan and Cang Lang arrived at the Jiuxiao Courtyard, Xiao Yan looked up at the plaque overhead and let out a faint smile. The plaque had been written by the young lady at his request. He hadn’t known at the time, but later found out that it hung in front of her courtyard.
Crane Call Hall.
Jiuxiao Courtyard.
“Crane call to the heavens, the sound reaches the wilderness. Fish hide in the deep, sometimes in the shoals.”
“Lord Xiao,” a maid greeted, bowing quickly upon seeing him.
Xiao Yan waved his hand to stop her and asked, “Where is she?”
“She’s inside.”
Xiao Yan stepped forward, and the maid, upon noticing his identity, relaxed and didn’t say more.
As he approached, Xiao Yan could hear Tang Ning inside, telling ghost stories with Xue Ru and Hua Wu. The young girl sat by the window, the light and shadow from inside casting a soft glow on her face.
Xue Ru and Hua Wu were listening intently, resting their chins in their hands.
“The rabbit was originally a mountain spirit but never harmed living beings. It ate mountain dew and wild grass and often transformed into a human form to help the weak and protect the people, but a scholar discovered its true form.”
“The scholar had heard a traveling Taoist say that eating the flesh of spirits could open wisdom and lead to immortality. Knowing that the little rabbit was kind-hearted, he pretended to be robbed by bandits, injured, and stranded, in order to get close to the naive rabbit spirit and deceive her with his feelings.”
“The little rabbit liked beautiful things, and the scholar was handsome and good with words. The rabbit quickly fell for him and couldn’t escape…”
“What happened then?” Xue Ru asked, sensing something was wrong.
Tang Ning smiled faintly, “Then the scholar earned the rabbit’s trust, learned her weaknesses, and on the day of their marriage, the rabbit became his meal.”
“…” Xue Ru’s face turned pale, and Hua Wu couldn’t help but tear up.
Xiao Yan hadn’t expected the young girl to tell such a horrifying story. Before he could compose himself, he heard Tang Ning change the tone of her voice. “But because the little rabbit had done good deeds for many years and accumulated merit, Heaven gave her a second chance at life.”
The previously teary-eyed Hua Wu immediately perked up, and Xue Ru also looked at Tang Ning with wide eyes.
“The little rabbit lived again?”
“Yes, she lived again. She returned to the day she first met the scholar. He was still pretending to be robbed and injured by the roadside, looking weak, trying to attract the little rabbit…”
“And the little rabbit?” Hua Wu asked urgently.
Xue Ru also asked, “Sister, the little rabbit didn’t soften her heart again, did she?”
Tang Ning smiled, “Of course not. The little rabbit struck the scholar dead with one blow.”
When the two girls stared at her in shock, Tang Ning continued with a smile, “Do you know what this story teaches us?”
Hua Wu immediately blurted out, “Don’t trust handsome men!”
Xue Ru looked confused.
Tang Ning: “???”
Hua Wu saw that both of them were looking at her, and she blinked inexplicably: "Did I say something wrong? If that scholar was ugly, Little Rabbit would not like him, and if he didn't like him, he wouldn't have any bad intentions. And he is handsome, so Little Rabbit would be dazzled by his sweet words. If he was ugly, his lies would have been exposed long ago."
Tang Ning was silent and wanted to refute, but when the words came to his lips, he felt that what Hua Wu said seemed to be correct.
Although beauty and ugliness are not determined by people, and she never thinks that appearance can be used to judge a person's goodness or badness, but when a handsome man says sweet words vs an ugly man, everyone will be more likely to believe the former.
Xue Ru thought Hua Wu was wrong at first, but after thinking about it with her head tilted, she felt that it made sense. The little rabbit had saved countless lives, so why did it only bring the scholar back? Wasn't it because it was obsessed with the scholar's beauty?
Hua Wu said seriously with a straight face: "So, the girl's story is to tell us that we should not pick up men on the street, especially the pretty ones. We should not pick up the good-looking ones who try their best to be nice to you, because they are definitely not good people!!!"
Tang Ning was stunned for a moment, thinking that this was weird.
Cang Lang, who was standing outside, subconsciously looked at the extraordinarily handsome and attentive Lord Xiao beside him and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Xiao Yan: “…”
Thank you, I have been subtly referenced.
The sudden laughter startled the three people inside. Tang Ning instinctively turned around and saw Xiao Yan’s handsome face in the shadowed light. His features were deep and captivating, his tall figure blending with the moonlight, and at a glance, even the bright moon seemed dimmed by his cool aura.
Tang Ning turned to look at Hua Wu for a moment before bursting into laughter, her shoulders shaking with amusement.
You can read ahead to chapterr 400 (100+ extra chapters) here
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