Kyushu · Endless Nagato

Chapter 62 The culprit (4)
"So we investigated all kinds of major events that happened in Tianqi City in the 11th year of Shengde, and we heard about the event that the family of the famous doctor Ouyang Duan was killed by the blood-winged bird," An Xingmian said, "This event seems to be related to what I'm looking for. The truth has nothing to do with it at all, but careful analysis reveals that the two are actually very closely related, because Ouyang Duan specializes in gynecology, and because of his superb medical skills, he is often called into the palace to treat nobles. What's more terrible is that Ouyang Duan's body It was discovered on July [-]th, and Wu Zuo deduced that he had been dead for three or four days, and just four days ago, another big event happened, that is, the birth of Emperor Hongjing."

"Now it seems that the blood wing bird's step is a bit self-defeating," the old man sighed again, "I knew that I would rather take the risk of being suspected, and minimize the impact of Ouyang Duan's death, so that at least no one would Returning to the case after more than 30 years."

"Later, people found the bloodwing bird killer's body and found the notes, and there was no record of this case in the notebook. It made people even more suspicious that someone borrowed the bloodwing bird's famous name to divert attention," An Xing Mian said, "Combined with the coincidence of the prince's birthday, it will naturally make people think that Ouyang Duan was actually killed because he was involved in some palace secrets."

"This is indeed a correct direction," said the old man, "so you thought, Emperor Hongjing was not the empress dowager's own?"

"I didn't think about this at the beginning, and I was always troubled by the contradiction of the truth," An Xingmian said. "We entrusted a ranger to investigate for us. In those few days, a court lady gave birth to an illegitimate child. Then, If the one who was taken away was the prince, why did the emperor kill him? If the one who was taken away was the illegitimate son of a court lady, what kind of big secret would have to be sacrificed to cover it up? So until you were caught here , in the big gold tent, because of an accidental spectator noise, I thought of this layer: the empress dowager's child and the palace maid's illegitimate child were born at the same time, but for some reason, the empress dowager abandoned the parent and child and took the palace maid's illegitimate child The son switched over to pretend to be his own. So the illegitimate son of the court lady turned into a prince, grew up safely in the palace, and eventually became the emperor. And of course the Empress Dowager wants to cover up all of this, for which she will not hesitate to take any means, and it is reasonable to sacrifice Nagato."

There was another silence.After a while, the old man said softly: "That's right, there is almost nothing wrong with your deduction. Everything that happened back then happened like this."

"But there is one thing I still don't understand," An Xingmian said. "It happened in the 11th year of Shengde and 32 years ago. Why didn't the queen mother, or you, start to deal with Nagato until last year? Before that, you didn't Are you afraid?"

"It's the queen mother who is afraid, not me," the old man replied. "The reason why I have been delayed for more than thirty years is actually very simple: I didn't catch that female Tianluo until the beginning of last year, and let the queen mother know her identity." existed, and threatened the queen mother anonymously, threatening her to find evidence and make it public. Without her own words, all the rumors would only be speculation, and it would be impossible for the queen mother to make up her mind to break the boat. Originally, all of this could have started earlier Yes, it can start from the day the Empress Dowager came to power, but unexpectedly, that female Tianluo actually felt compassion for the child and betrayed me."

"You want to say that you arranged all of this on purpose?" An Xingmian was filled with shock and anger, "That is to say, Nv Tianluo is not the sister of a court lady, but you deliberately arranged it! The queen mother is not the culprit behind the scenes, She was also manipulated by you!"

"It's not accurate to say that it is manipulative," the old man said lightly, "Nv Tianluo happened to meet the head monk, and happened to hide the important evidence in the back basket of the head monk, and the head monk happened to be sent by the Tianzang sect to deliver it. Disciple of collecting books, I am not a god. I can’t calculate and arrange so many steps. I’m just a person who has been waiting for an opportunity, and I was lucky enough to wait for this opportunity. 33 years ago, chasing and killing that woman One of Tianluo's Jinwu guards was my disciple. He witnessed the scene and judged that Nu Tianluo hid the evidence in the back basket of the long-door monk. As a smart disciple, I immediately realized the opportunity So I didn't tell the truth at the time, but came back and reported to me, but I didn't expect that Nv Tianluo disappeared later. Fortunately, the whereabouts of the child were finally found out. After that, I have been doing three things, one is Search everywhere for the whereabouts of that female Tianluo; the other thing is to ensure that the child of that court lady can become the emperor."

An Xingmian felt pity in her heart.The simple sentence "guarantee that the child of the court lady can become the emperor", but I don't know how much blood and blood and conspiracy killings are included in it, it is really chilling to think about.Tang He has already opened his mouth: "I have also heard some palace rumors, it is said that during the period when Emperor Hongjing grew up to ascend the throne, three princes died unfortunately due to various bizarre reasons, so you did it? "

"The throne is not so easy to sit on." Although the old man didn't answer directly, it was regarded as acquiescing.

"You only said two things just now, what about the third thing you've been doing?" An Xingmian asked again.

"In order for the queen mother to have fear of the library cave, it is necessary to ensure that the evidence that threatens her always exists. Therefore, I want to ensure that her biological son is always alive, which is also extremely important evidence, and may be used at any time up." said the old man.

"My own son? You mean...Nv Tianluo finally saved the child?" An Xingmian was very pleased.

"Not only did he survive, but he was also raised by others," said the old man. "Although he was physically disabled, he finally survived."

"Sure enough, the child was thrown away because of his disability," Bai Qianyun snorted angrily, "This mother is nothing short of a beast!" He has disabled legs, so he hates discrimination against disabled people the most in his life.

"You can't blame her," said the old man. "It's really not easy to survive in the palace. For those noble concubines, the biggest dream may be to raise a prince. The child is deformed, the two legs are glued together, if they are forcibly separated, they will not be able to walk normally, and will only become a cripple for life..."

"Wait! What are you talking about? Your legs are stuck together?" Bai Qianyun suddenly felt a nightmare-like shock as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer.

"Brother Bai... When I met you last year, you happened to be 32 years old... You were born in the 11th year of Shengde!" An Xingmian also realized it all at once, and suddenly broke out in cold sweat, "Could it be that you are ...Could it be that you are..."

"Yes, he is, but you also know that he is living a pretty good life now," the old man said, "Nv Tianluo entrusted him to those Heluos, it seems a wise choice, at least he will grow up properly He even became a rich man and a master of martial arts."

four

Everyone was speechless, and fell into extreme shock and surprise.Because their eyes were always covered with black cloth, they couldn't see each other's expressions, but it was not difficult to imagine the expressions at this moment.Even Xue Huaiqing, who rarely showed any emotions, was full of surprise at this moment.They never imagined that Bai Qianyun who is always rude and heroic, that Bai Qianyun who is always stubborn to live a better life than normal people, that Bai Qianyun who secretly manufactures and sells Heluo weapons, It turned out to be a prince, and a prince who was abandoned and hunted down.

"You... you fart!" Bai Qianyun finally came back to his senses and stammered, "What are you talking about? How could I be the emperor's son?"

"How is it impossible?" The old man said unhurriedly, "If you weren't the child abandoned by the queen mother, why would I get rid of so many enemies who tried to deal with you secretly for you, and why would I spend so much money every year?" Time to stay in Cloud City to monitor you?"

An Xingmian was shocked again.The first half of the old man's sentence explained clearly why Bai Qianyun had been doing dangerous business for so many years, but he was still safe and sound; the second half of the sentence was somewhat meaningful.He spends a lot of time in Cloud City every year, could it be that he is...

"You are the dumb old man of the kneader!" Xue Huaiqing had already called out, "No wonder I always smelled a little uncomfortable smell before being poisoned, it was the smell of the dye left on your hands, and Left on the fruit plate! I've seen yours!"

An Xingmian suddenly realized.When he was in Yunzhong, he also specially introduced this dough kneader's old man to Xue Huaiqing, especially emphasizing that he travels around, but he likes Yunzhong City the most, and he didn't expect him to use this identity to conveniently monitor Bai Qianyun.This old man is like a hunter who is not in a hurry to strike. He comes to the hunting site every day to look at his prey, and is ready to wait for it to grow fat before he strikes.

A blinding light suddenly appeared in front of his eyes, making An Xingmian close his eyes tightly, feeling uncomfortable. It was because the black cloth was taken off his eyes.It took a while before he could open his eyes and barely make out everything around him.

They were locked in a very strange stone room. The stone room was very large, almost equivalent to a hall, but it was empty inside. There was nothing except the candles lighting the walls, not even a table and chairs.This stone room also has no doors and windows, but there is a stone slab on the top that is different in color from the surrounding stone slabs. It is estimated that it should be a trap, and it is the only entrance and exit of this stone room.He judged that there were some hidden ventilation holes in this stone chamber, otherwise it would not be possible for people to breathe.The four people were all tied up and placed against the wall, like four sacks full of goods.

"Since you already know who I am, there is no need to keep blindfolding your eyes." The old man standing in the middle of the stone room said.Sure enough, this was the old man who had been pretending to be a dumb kneader. He still looked hale and hearty, wearing coarse clothes, and his palms were stained with unclean color.This is an ordinary face, but behind the ordinary is a terrifying power.

"The two of you once mentioned Zhang Haoge's name at my noodle stall," the old man said. "Although the voice was very soft, I still heard it. So I have paid attention to you two since then."

An Xingmian couldn't care less about regretting his carelessness at that time, and focused on Bai Qianyun.Bai Qianyun's face was ashen, his eyes were red, and he stared at the old man viciously, as if he wanted to tear out the old man's heart with his eyes.He gasped heavily, facing this sudden revelation of his life experience, he seemed to have no idea how to react.At this time, Tang He whispered to him from the side: "No matter who your parents are or what they did to you, you are yourself. Remember this, you are yourself."

"Yes, I am myself," Bai Qianyun gritted her teeth and said, "But I still won't forgive her, never will."

"You have no chance to forgive her or not to forgive her," said the old man. "My goal has been achieved. The seeds of doubt have been generated within Tianzangzong, and I have started to destroy the first cave. With the second One, there will be a second, a third... There is no need to add power later. Therefore, there is no need for you to continue to exist."

"So, this is a double game?" An Xingmian said suddenly, "The queen mother wants to destroy all the book collection caves, in order to destroy the evidence hidden in the caves that the prince lost his bag; and you, help the queen mother destroy evidence, but the fundamental purpose is to destroy the cave?"

"You have already guessed it, so I don't need to deny it," the old man nodded, "Yes, destroying the library cave is a means for the Queen Mother, but it is an end for me. What I have done in my life The thing is just to destroy those caves themselves, there is nothing else to ask for."

"Why did you do this? What kind of hatred does Nagato have with you?" An Xingmian's breathing became rapid.He didn't expect that when he had completely abandoned the thesis that "someone tried to destroy Nagato" and began to believe that Nagato was just an accidental victim, he discovered that there was another layer of the original culprit behind the scenes.The Empress Dowager really had to push Nagato to the forefront of the storm, but the Empress Dowager was just a pawn in the old man's hands. He spent his whole life trying to deal with this sect that had nothing to do with the world.

The old man saw the anger in An Xingmian's eyes, and he shook his head: "Do you think I have a grudge against Nagato? You are wrong. To the Queen Mother, Nagato was an accidental victim, but she Innocents to have to deal with; for me, too."

"What are you talking about?" An Xingmian was puzzled, "You want to destroy the library cave, isn't it out of hatred for Nagato?"

The old man didn't answer.With his hands behind his back, his eyes were slightly closed, as if he was recalling the past years.After a long time, he opened his eyes and said to An Xingmian: "You know enough, you have some doubts, let's let it be doubts forever. I think it's time to send you on your way. What are your last words? I will give you a stick of incense time to think about it."

He spread his hands, and a dense purple air began to rise in his palms. Although An Xingmian didn't know what kind of secret technique it was, he knew very well that it must be quite powerful.The old man in front of him seemed to be a master of mystic arts, but it was completely conceivable.

what can we do about it?Cold sweat broke out on An Xingmian's forehead.Now all four of them have been poisoned, and they are completely powerless to fight back.He had already used the technique he learned from Feng Qiuke to quietly untie the rope behind him, but it didn't help - his limbs couldn't move.He turned his head and wanted to discuss with Xue Huaiqing in a low voice, but he immediately remembered that this old man's hearing was excellent, even if he wanted to discuss something with her, he would probably be overheard immediately.Although he has encountered many crises in his life, this time is probably the most dangerous, and there is almost no hope of a comeback. Even Feng Qiuke, who used to save lives at critical moments, has been killed by this terrible The old man beat.

At this moment, he made an almost instinctive movement—moving his body to block Xue Huaiqing's body.This is of course a meaningless action, because once the old man's secret technique is released, maybe everyone will die at the same time.But at this moment, he couldn't think too much, he just wanted to block Xue Huaiqing and leave her with a little hope, even if it was just a moment longer than himself.When his life came to an end, he finally realized that he really couldn't become a real Nagato monk, and there was no such possibility at all.Because before he died, what he thought of was not the endless gate of life, the truth that countless people are struggling to pursue, and the so-called "true meaning of life" that is mysterious and mysterious.When the god of death showed a ferocious smile, An Xingmian found that he had forgotten everything else, but only one thought remained:
To live and stay with this woman behind me is what I want most in my life.

At this moment, he felt a warmth on the back of his neck, as if some liquid had dripped on his neck, and he quickly realized that it was Xue Huaiqing's tears.He couldn't help thinking that it was finally a kind of comfort to be able to welcome the arrival of death in the girl's tears.

"Thank you," Xue Huaiqing put her lips next to An Xingmian's ear, and said softly, "If someone is willing to do this for me, even if I die, I will be happy in my heart. So I will only let myself die, and won't let you die."

(End of this chapter)