PFC Chapter 420 He Knows Everything! (Bonus Chapter)
Chapter 420 He Knows Everything! (Bonus Chapter)
Meng Chen cupped his hands and said, "Old man, I am a scholar passing through. I originally wanted to stay at the mountain temple ahead, but I got lost in the dark and ended up here."
His tone was relaxed, but his face showed a hint of helplessness.
"Since there's hardly anyone here, I'd like to ask to stay the night. Would you be so kind as to do me that?"
The old servant shook his head and said, "We are just guards of the estate, not its owners. How can we let just anyone come in and stay? This is the Xie family's property. Young master, you should find somewhere else to stay."
Meng Chen looked troubled and repeatedly clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.
“Old man, it’s getting late, the mountain path is difficult to traverse, and besides, there’s really no other place to stay nearby. I’m just a scholar and have no ill intentions. If you’re worried, you can check my luggage at any time.”
He paused for a moment, then took out a silver ingot from his sleeve and quietly handed it over.
The old servant hesitated for a moment as he looked at the gleaming silver.
In the end, he reached out and took it.
"Alright, alright, I see you're all alone and it's not easy for you, so stay here tonight. Remember, you have to leave by dawn, and don't cause any more trouble."
Seeing this, Meng Chen smiled and clasped his hands in thanks again: "Thank you for your kindness, sir. I will not delay any longer."
Then, Meng Chen slowly walked into the courtyard with the old servant.
As you walk on the moss-covered stone path, the desolate scenery around you becomes even more apparent.
As Meng Chen walked, he asked casually.
"Old man, why has such a large village remained uninhabited for so many years?"
The old servant raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the corridor, and said calmly, "Because someone died here..."
"The last Lady Zou, a Marquis, died here in childbirth."
"Li, the old nanny who serves Madam Zou, also went mad here."
"Madam Xie felt this place was unlucky, so the Xie family never came back after that."
"But I never expected that this neglect would last for more than 20 years."
"Gradually, only a few of us old servants were left in the manor."
Meng Chen nodded slightly, as if asking unconsciously, "Where was the house where Madam Zou gave birth back then?"
The old servant turned around and pointed to a large courtyard in the center of the manor.
"Madam Zou gave birth in the main courtyard back then, which was the best place in the estate. The rooms were spacious, well-ventilated, and very cool."
Meng Chen nodded and silently memorized the location.
The old servant led Meng Chen to a side room and specifically told him not to wander around at night.
Meng Chen, of course, wouldn't listen.
As soon as the old servant left, Meng Chen quietly left the side room and sneaked into the main courtyard.
Although the main building is still relatively intact, the wooden pillars under the corridor are mottled and the paint on the walls has peeled off, revealing the gray and white wood grain underneath.
Meng Chen stepped onto the bluestone slabs, his shoes scraping against the thick layer of dust.
He pushed open the door to the main room and looked around in the dim moonlight.
This house has obviously been uninhabited for a long time.
His gaze fell on the carved bed in the center, and he walked over to examine it.
There were some red bloodstains on the edge of the bed, and several bottles of medicine on the table next to it.
They are all medications used to induce labor and stop bleeding; the writing is blurry but still legible.
This place was cleaned up back then, but some traces are still left.
Meng Chen pondered.
It is true that Lady Hou gave birth...
But the child should have been switched.
He was certain that Xie Yanli was not the child of Madam Zou and Lord Xie, but rather that of his master.
Were there women giving birth in this area back then?
If so, then this woman must be his master's wife...
The next day.
Meng Chen and his old servant sat at a simple wooden table eating breakfast.
The meal was simple, consisting of only pickled vegetables, steamed buns, and a bowl of hot soup.
As the two were eating, Meng Chen suddenly spoke up, seemingly out of the blue.
"Grandpa, it's so quiet here. Has it always been like this? Was it like this twenty years ago too? Are there no other families living here?"
The old servant put down his chopsticks, looked up at Meng Chen, and shook his head.
"Twenty years ago, there were no other people around here. This whole area belonged to the Xie family, and only servants like us lived here."
Meng Chen frowned upon hearing this.
servant?
The adults in his household didn't look like servants at all.
"However, although there are not many houses around here, a major event happened in this area more than 20 years ago."
The old servant continued, "Back then, the late emperor's eldest son and princess fell off a cliff and died near here."
As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something and became somewhat agitated.
"Oh, by the way, the day the eldest prince died was the same day that Lady Zou gave birth!"
Meng Chen's hand, which was holding chopsticks, paused, and he froze on the spot.
The old servant seemed oblivious to Meng Chen's unusual behavior and continued muttering to himself.
"What a pity. The eldest prince was such a good person. He died just like that. His wife was pregnant at the time and was due to give birth in a month."
"Who would have thought it would turn out like this? All three of them are dead."
"This matter was investigated for a long time back then, but no results were found, and it was just left unresolved."
The eldest prince...
The pregnant princess...
Meng Chen couldn't help but tremble, his throat tightening.
A cold light pierced his mind, and his previously calm expression instantly went out of control.
He knows! He knows everything!
-
The night was still and quiet. A carrier pigeon fluttered out, flew over the low courtyard wall, and soared into the night sky.
In the nearby woods, Qin Jiuwei's bodyguards had been lying in ambush for some time.
They were hidden among the shadows of the trees, their figures blending into the night.
As soon as the carrier pigeon took flight, one of the guards quickly locked onto the target and nocked a crossbow bolt.
The bowstring was taut, and the arrowhead trembled.
Then a very faint whooshing sound cut through the air—
The carrier pigeon plummeted straight down.
The guard nimbly leaped out of cover, took a few steps forward, and caught the pigeon just before it hit the ground.
Qinglan Courtyard.
"Young Madam, we've got it."
The guard respectfully handed a small bamboo tube to Qin Jiuwei.
Qin Jiuwei raised her hand to take it.
He lowered his eyes and slowly took out the small roll of letter paper inside.
Qin Jiuwei spread the letter on the table, her eyes fixed on the dense characters on it.
She tried to look at it, but she couldn't make sense of it at all.
She was so engrossed in watching that she didn't even notice when Xie Yanli approached.
"What are you looking at?"
A familiar, deep voice came from behind me.
Qin Jiuwei came back to her senses, looked up at him, and said softly, "The letter that the secret guard just delivered was sent to Meng Ze by the fake teacher, but I can't understand it."
Xie Yanli glanced down at the letter in her hand.
A knowing glint flashed in his eyes.
"This is a code."
"A code?" Qin Jiuwei frowned even more, her gaze returning to the string of characters.
Xie Yanli nodded slowly and explained, "These characters all have specific meanings, and only Meng Ze himself knows their interpretations."
"This is a common way for spies to send messages. We've caught carrier pigeons before that were sent to Daliang, but we couldn't understand the contents."
"Then this attempt to catch the carrier pigeon was a complete waste."
Qin Jiuwei sighed softly.
Xie Yanli's background is really too difficult to find out.
She wanted to help him, but she could never find a clue.
I always felt that the truth was always around her, just brushing past her several times, but I just couldn't grasp it.