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墨書 Inktalez
The oldest Qingfeng Teahouse in the capital had only three small private rooms.
Pushing open the weathered wooden door, a faint scent of orchid tea wafted through the air. The bamboo curtain was half-rolled up, casting dappled shadows, while distant voices of storytellers echoed intermittently. Liu Ying sat alone at a small table by the window, lost in thought as she watched the tea leaves swirl in her cup.
This was her usual haunt. Whenever she encountered a perplexing celestial phenomenon, she loved to come here and ponder over it. Today was no exception, but her mind was occupied with that self-proclaimed "madman" who claimed to understand the thoughts of the stars.
"Are you waiting for someone, young lady?"
A familiar hoarse voice suddenly broke the silence. Liu Ying looked up to see Xu Yuan entering, fanning himself with a tattered fan, swaying slightly as he walked.
"Since you know I’m waiting for someone, I suppose you also know who it is," Liu Ying replied nonchalantly as she poured herself another cup of tea.
"Hahaha..." Xu Yuan laughed heartily and unceremoniously sat down across from her. "The stars say Master Liu is waiting for a madman."
The waiter rushed over, eager to shoo him away, but Liu Ying waved him off. Xu Yuan, however, had already picked up his teacup and began sipping tea with an air of seriousness.
"Tai Bai shines brightly in the sky; Zi Wei loses its brilliance for power," he suddenly said with a grave expression. "What does Master Liu think?"
Liu Ying's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't that exactly what she had found written on a note in the library?
"Since you know these words, I assume you also understand their deeper meaning," she probed cautiously.
"Deeper meaning?" Xu Yuan grinned widely and returned to his eccentric demeanor. "What does a madman know about deeper meanings? All I know is that twenty years ago, the stars were arranged just like this."
Liu Ying's hand trembled slightly around her teacup. Twenty years ago was when the Xu Family Case occurred. Could this man...?
"Back then..." Xu Yuan swayed his fan, his voice fluctuating between high and low tones. "There was a little child who was carried away from a burning mansion. The stars saw it but chose not to speak."
Liu Ying held her breath. These details were secrets that the authorities could not uncover. He was clearly hinting at something significant.
"You seem quite knowledgeable about past affairs in court," she remarked.
"Oh dear, you've wronged me!" Xu Yuan exaggeratedly waved his hand. "It’s all the stars that told me. The stars say that the official in charge of the Qintian Observatory that year left behind a bronze mirror. Inside that bronze mirror..." He suddenly lowered his voice, "lies a tremendous secret."
Liu Ying's heart raced. Was there truly something unusual about the Bronze Mirror her grandfather had left her before he passed away?
Just as she was about to ask more, Xu Yuan abruptly stood up and gazed out the window with a dazed expression. "Oh no, oh no! The moon is angry; it says I talk too much. We’ll discuss it another day... another day..."
With that, he swayed out of the door. Before leaving, he turned back and looked at Liu Ying with piercing eyes. "As Qixi approaches, Master Liu should pay attention to the changes in The Purple Forbidden Enclosure when calculating fate."
Liu Ying stared blankly at his retreating figure. As the sun set, that silhouette gradually faded into the twilight until it disappeared behind the railing at the street corner.
The fragrance of tea lingered in the air while intermittent storytelling continued: "It is said that General Xu entered and exited seven times, striking fear into the hearts of the Northern tribes..."
Yet Liu Ying seemed oblivious to it all. Xu Yuan's earlier words echoed incessantly in her mind: Bronze Mirror, twenty years ago's flames, changes in The Purple Forbidden Enclosure... What did these fragmented pieces of information signify?
She instinctively touched the note hidden in her sleeve. This was no chance encounter; it was clearly a meticulously planned secret meeting. And who exactly was that seemingly mad Xu Yuan?
As dusk deepened outside, the owner of the tea house began to light the lamps. The warm yellow glow reflected on the window panes, casting intertwining shadows, much like this seemingly accidental yet profoundly meaningful conversation, filled with an indescribable subtlety.
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