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墨書 Inktalez
"How did you come up with this step?" Xiao Luo asked, intrigued.
"Uh, didn't you see it?" Mei Shuang picked up the Fire Stick, standing a little farther away, gesturing with her fingers to illustrate the main strokes of the characters while guiding Xiao Luo's gaze. "Your Majesty, look closely at my hand..."
After squinting for a moment, Xiao Luo nodded. "I see it..."
"Exactly! When you look at those characters together, they form the character 'fan'... which means we need to look at it from the opposite side, right?" Mei Shuang said casually.
In fact, decoding such content wasn't too difficult; once you understood the first step, the hint for the second step was already embedded in it. During her time helping a professor in the archaeology department, she had encountered many ancient texts that required decoding. However, even if these ancient communications were artificially encrypted, they varied widely and were unique to each individual. Unlike modern times where an email can be easily secured with just a password, these ancient methods of encryption were much more complex. Of course, those straightforward methods like "acrostic poems" seemed trivial compared to the double-layered encryption of this Fire Stick. That's why she had spent so long on it; still, she felt a sense of pride and satisfaction from this achievement.
Listening to Mei Shuang's explanation, Xiao Luo felt a jolt in his heart. He stared intently at the pattern Mei Shuang had drawn, his thoughts becoming increasingly turbulent. Could it really be so? Was 'fan' not just 'opposite' but also—'reverse'?
He suppressed his inner turmoil and asked Mei Shuang, "Can you take a closer look? Where is this place?"
"......"
Just moments ago, Mei Shuang had felt relaxed after completing the decoding, but now she furrowed her brow and glanced at the paper she had drawn on. She thought to herself that it was merely a pattern resembling Mountain and River; how would she know what place it represented?
Suddenly, a spark of realization hit her. She examined the Fire Stick closely and instinctively said, "Oh? Is this—Qishan?"
Xiao Luo's pupils suddenly constricted, his previously deep gaze now shifting unpredictably.
Seeing Xiao Luo deep in thought, Mei Shuang dared not interrupt him but wondered how she had come to mention Qishan just now.
Of course, she had no idea where Qishan was; she only felt that there was such a place in her memory. Moreover, somewhere in her vague recollections seemed to overlap with what was before her, so she casually mentioned it. Immediately, a shock ran through her heart—could it be that the memory of Mei Shuang had returned?
Thinking of this, she secretly regretted it.
Ever since that dreamlike conversation with the Living Buddha, she had developed a deep sense of fear. She was determined to reject the memories of Mei Shuang. Knowing too much about certain matters could be detrimental to her; it might even bring about disaster. This Qishan was likely the source of trouble!
Damn it, she hadn’t expected to inadvertently reveal that she knew too much! If this matter were a quagmire, she feared she would sink into it.
Mei Shuang was feeling extremely frustrated when she suddenly heard Xiao Luo ask, “Who else did you tell before?”
Mei Shuang was taken aback, looking at the solemn-faced Xiao Luo, and for a moment, she didn’t understand. “What?”
The sky darkened, and Mei Shuang stared blankly at Xiao Luo, who stood with his hands behind his back by the window. Against the faint light outside, she couldn’t see his expression clearly, but his sculpted features hinted at a chilling severity.
Mei Shuang stood rigidly in place, not understanding why this Sovereign's expression had suddenly changed.
After a long while, Xiao Luo turned around, suppressing the coldness in his demeanor. His gaze was deep, and his voice was extremely soft. “Today, let it be as if you never came here…”
—
Watching that slender figure disappear into the night, Xiao Luo picked up the drawing that Mei Shuang had just made.
The lines were delicate and meticulous; one could vaguely discern the character "Qi" outlined within.
This booklet turned out to contain such a shocking secret! The so-called evidence that the "reverse" of the secret seal in the previous book was extended to "Rebellion" has just been further decrypted here by this woman. Thinking about it, this is the real core secret. Xiao Luo His eyes were dark, and there was an undercurrent surging in the dark eyes. Today, thanks to this woman's intelligence, everything soon became clear. "Come here! Quickly send Left Chancellor!" Xiao Luo's voice was cold and hard. —— Left Chancellor Mei Manor. Since the last time Queen Meiru went to Dazhao Temple to pray for Empress Dowager and was specially allowed by the emperor to return home to visit relatives, Chancellor Mei has had an uneasy feeling. He had just finished drinking the medicine and was lying on the couch with his eyes closed to rest. He had not been to court for several days because of the cold. Light footsteps sounded in the room. No need to open your eyes, Chancellor Mei knows who is coming. But at this moment, he didn't want anyone to disturb him. After thinking for a while, he said calmly, "You're here?" A few feet away from the couch, a woman in plain clothes and light makeup stood there, looking at the majestic Chancellor Mei on the couch with obvious uneasiness in her eyes. Hearing Chancellor Mei's low question, the uneasiness in her eyes became more obvious. She lowered her eyes as if she had done something wrong. Her white fingers twisted the handkerchief in her hand. After struggling for a long time, she finally timidly said, " Lord, I had a dream last night..."
Here it comes again!
Chancellor Mei furrowed her brows, suppressing her impatience, and asked lightly, "Qiao Lian, are you thinking about Ruer again?"
There was a long silence with no response.
Chancellor Mei turned her head to look at the Second Lady, who was bowing her head submissively. Her eyes were fixed on the ground, her face slightly flushed, and her fingers were twisting a handkerchief as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Suddenly, a strong sense of disgust rose in Chancellor Mei's eyes.
Ever since her precious daughter became the Empress, she had become somewhat foolish, often saying nonsensical things that were completely different from her previous obedient and gentle demeanor. Now, standing right in front of her, Chancellor Mei could almost predict that the next thing she would say would be some trivial matter about her beloved daughter from a dream.
It was merely her memories; claiming it was something she dreamed about was utterly meaningless. Hearing these repeated words had become tiresome.
Chancellor Mei's voice turned cold and hard. "Thanks to the Sovereign's grace, didn't Ruer just come back to see you a few days ago?"
Qiao Lian's expression froze for a moment, and she immediately became flustered, waving her hands repeatedly. "Ah, ah, that's not what I meant..."
After a pause, her expression suddenly turned somewhat confused as she muttered to herself, "Did I miss Ruer?"
This foolish look made Chancellor Mei frown even more tightly. Just as she was about to scold her, a clear voice came from outside. "The Lord is sick and needs rest. How can the Second Lady be so inconsiderate as to disturb him? Hurry up and leave; if there's anything, wait until the Lord is well."
Before the words fell, a young woman entered holding a bowl of soup. She was petite and looked disdainful in every aspect.
The sound clearly made Qiao Lian even more flustered. She seemed to be quite afraid of the woman and hurriedly jogged out.
It wasn't until she had gone a considerable distance that she stopped, panting heavily, and glanced back. In her daze, her eyes held a complex expression...
Watching Qiao Lian rush out in a panic, Chancellor Mei finally felt somewhat relieved.
The young woman stepped forward, greeted him respectfully, and then checked his pulse. Nodding, she said, "My Lord, rest assured, this illness will be better in just a few days..."
Chancellor Mei fixed his gaze on the woman before him until her delicate face turned slightly pink.
He reached out and took her small hand in his, his tone warm. "Duan'er, are you getting used to living here?"
Duan'er smiled lightly. "With Chancellor Mei's care, everything is naturally in order..."
Chancellor Mei nodded, his gaze lingering on Duan'er's charming face, momentarily lost in admiration...
Suddenly, Duan'er recalled something. "Just now, someone from the palace came; the Emperor has summoned you to the palace."
---
"Smack!"
A folded document landed before the kneeling Chancellor Mei.
Chancellor Mei picked it up in confusion, his expression suddenly changing. "Your Majesty, this—"
"Left Chancellor, do you know your crime?"
Chancellor Mei was taken aback.
"Bring in Right Chancellor!"
Right Chancellor rushed in, glancing at the kneeling Left Chancellor before also kneeling down. "Your Majesty."
"Explain this memorial to Left Chancellor."
Right Chancellor cast a glance at the memorial and respectfully said, "This memorial was obtained by my subordinates from Left Chancellor's confidant. On the surface, it appears to be a report on Public Sentiment, but upon closer examination, I believe it serves as evidence of Left Chancellor's Rebellion. However, Left Chancellor is highly esteemed and possesses integrity; I dare not speculate further and thus present it to Your Majesty."
Chancellor Mei felt a chill run down his spine, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The reason he had secluded himself under the pretense of illness these past few days was to await this memorial, yet he never expected that trouble would arise at the last moment.
"I am wronged! I would never dare to utter the word 'Rebellion'!" Chancellor Mei exclaimed in protest.
Seeing Chancellor Mei in such a state, Right Chancellor felt a surge of satisfaction. After years of rivalry, today he finally had something to hold over this old fox. Even if he couldn't bring him down completely, at least he could make him lose face before the Emperor.
Xiao Luo sneered and asked Chancellor Mei, "I suppose you want to know what exactly is written on this memorial?"
Chancellor Mei shook his head.
Xiao Luo's lips curled into a cold smile as he rose from the dragon throne and approached the kneeling Chancellor Mei. He gazed intently at the seemingly imposing elder, who was far more complex than he appeared during their daily morning court sessions.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he spoke lightly, "Today, I will tell you a story..."
---
"Once upon a time, there was a humble couple who, until they were nearly forty, had no children. When they finally had twin sons, they wept tears of joy, believing it to be a blessing from heaven. They endured countless hardships for the sake of their sons' upbringing, yet they found joy in their struggles."
"The two sons did not disappoint their parents; one was devoted to studying while the other was passionate about martial arts. Their complementary talents became a local legend."
"The brothers shared a deep bond and made grand vows to one another: they would travel to the capital to take the imperial examinations—one would become a Top Scholar in literature, and the other in martial arts. But then one day, a woman appeared..."
At this point, Xiao Luo lowered his gaze to the expressionless Left Chancellor on the ground.
"Both brothers fell in love with this woman, and she loved them both in return. However, caught between two choices, she found it difficult to decide. Eventually, tormented by her dilemma, she chose to leave... But just as she was about to depart, the two brothers found her and declared that they would duel for her affection; the victor would stay with her while the other would leave forever."
"Naturally, the woman refused; she did not want to see the brothers turn against each other. By the time she tried to intervene, it was too late—the elder brother remained while the younger brother vanished..."
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