boyutpedia Chapter 118 About His Past
Chapter 118 About His Past
Back in her own courtyard, Jiang Wan couldn't calm down.
Xiao Hengzhi's burning gaze just now stirred up some complicated emotions in her for no reason.
What exactly did Xiao Hengzhi experience in his childhood?
Why did he end up on the streets near death?
Jiang Wan thought for a moment and decided to go and ask the person he had saved.
Since he was a childhood friend, that person might know something.
As night deepened, Jiang Mian wrapped her cloak tightly around herself and went to Guiye's house.
Guiye was resting in bed when he saw her arrive and immediately wanted to stand up and greet her.
Jiang Mian raised her hand to stop him: "Young master is injured, there is no need for you to bow."
He was a little uncomfortable being addressed as "Young Master" for the first time.
He had no choice but to adopt the proper demeanor of a young master and politely inquire, "Miss Jiang, what brings you here so late at night?"
Jiang Wan was taken aback: "How did you know my surname is Jiang?"
Guiye paused for a moment before replying, "I heard the Prince mention that Commander Jiang's family is temporarily staying at the Prince's residence. I suppose you must be Commander Jiang's daughter."
Jiang Wan nodded and casually said, "I just came to check if you have enough charcoal in your room, so that the cold weather won't worsen your illness."
"Thank you for your concern. With the Prince's help, everything has been arranged."
Jiang Wan nodded and poked around in the furnace with an iron shovel.
"By the way, where do you live? If you've been away from home for too long, your family might worry. Should we send someone to deliver a message?"
Guiye sensed the probing in her words and casually came up with a reason to reply: "My home is in Qingzhou, and I live alone."
"Qingzhou? I heard that bandits are rampant in Qingzhou now. No wonder you were attacked."
She then asked, "Did you meet the prince in Qingzhou as well?"
"No, that's not it. I met the prince in the capital."
Jiang Wan frowned slightly: "The capital? The prince has not been in the capital since he was lost from the Beiqin Prince's Mansion when he was young. How did you know him in the capital?"
"...I met the prince before he went missing." Guiye wasn't good at lying, and he felt a little nervous.
"Since you met him before the prince went missing, your family must have some connection with the old Prince Beiqin, right?"
Gui Ye was speechless when she asked him, and could only say frankly, "Miss Jiang, there's no need to try to trick me. If you want to know about the Prince, you can just ask him directly."
Jiang Wan smiled and explained, "I was just exchanging pleasantries with you casually, you don't need to think too much about it."
Guiye didn't say anything more.
Jiang Mian sat for a while longer, but knowing she wouldn't get any information, she had no choice but to leave.
But this interrogation made her even more suspicious of Xiao Hengzhi's past.
She had just left and closed the door when Xiao Hengzhi emerged from behind the screen beside the bed.
Gui Ye tilted her head and asked, "Is she still gathering information for Duan Zhi'an? Did I say something wrong?"
Xiao Hengzhi shook his head slightly and said, "It's alright, Duan Zhian should be too busy to take care of himself right now." After a pause, he added, "Just remember what I told you, and do it as soon as your leg heals."
He tossed something over—the set of keys he'd taken from the beast farm owner, Wu Ke.
The next morning, before dawn.
Only a thin layer of frost covered the silence between heaven and earth.
Jiang Mian performed a kneeling ceremony outside Jiang Xun's house.
Dressed in military uniform, Jiang Xun left the palace after giving Jiang Mian a few words of advice in the pitch-black night.
The troops in the barracks are fully equipped and ready to go.
Jiang Xun rode on horseback, leading his troops along the official road toward Qingzhou.
The sounds of warhorses' hooves and the clanging of armor were exceptionally clear in the still of the morning.
As we walked along a mountain path, the sky was already shrouded in morning mist, and the outlines of the distant mountains were only faintly visible.
Suddenly, a commotion came from behind, mixed with a few exclamations and the neighing of horses.
Immediately afterwards, the clatter of horses' hooves rang out.
The lieutenant rode up and reported, "General, the horses in the rear were startled and accidentally injured a nun who came down from the temple."
Jiang Xun waved for the group to stop and went to check on the situation himself.
As I approached, I saw several nuns dressed in gray robes standing by the roadside, one of whom was clutching her shoulder.
Jiang Xun frowned, dismounted, and walked over, asking in a low voice, "Is Your Excellency seriously injured?"
When the nun saw him approaching, she lowered her head and replied softly, "It's alright."
Another older nun replied in a low voice, "The horse suddenly got startled and kicked someone. My junior sister injured her shoulder, but she is not seriously injured."
Jiang Xun nodded, then glanced at the injured nun.
She kept her head down, her face hidden in the shadow of her veiled hat.
But his figure looked very familiar.
Jiang Xun then moved closer and said, "If you feel unwell, I can send someone to take you to the village ahead to find a doctor."
"Thank you, General. I am fine. I must continue my journey. Farewell."
She was about to leave after she finished speaking, keeping her head very low the whole time.
As Jiang Xun listened to her voice, a person inexplicably came to mind.
He impulsively grabbed her arm.
"Keep your head up."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
Several nuns nearby tried to intervene, but the eldest one shook her head to stop them.
The nun, whose arm he had grabbed, stiffened and slowly raised her head.
The moment Jiang Xun saw her face clearly, his heart sank, and his face showed unconcealed shock and complex emotions.
"Xinrong..."
His voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, as if it were being forced out of his chest.
The person in front of me was none other than Aunt Wan.
The once beautiful and delicate woman is now pale, with sunken cheeks and no light in her eyes, only exhaustion and numbness.
Aunt Wan paused slightly upon hearing this long-unseen name.
She then lowered her eyes and whispered, "My Buddhist name is Jingche..."
Jiang Xun stared at her, his brows furrowed: "Didn't Jiang Li bring you to the Xie Marquis's residence? How could you..."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Wan's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, but it was tinged with bitterness.
Jiang Li abandoned her in the wilderness, and she walked a hundred miles without finding a drop of water.
He was on the verge of death when he met Master Jingming, who saved his life.
After that, she entered a Buddhist nunnery and sought a quiet place to live out her life.
"...I have no one to rely on and nowhere to go. Now, I have taken refuge in Buddhism, and worldly affairs are no longer my concern."
She spoke calmly, as if she were narrating someone else's story.
As Jiang Xun listened, it felt as if a thousand-pound stone was pressing on her chest.
He looked at the woman's bowed head and remembered her smiling face in the general's mansion, and the scene of her sewing his battle robe by hand.
He felt a tightness in his chest, and though he wanted to say something, he found that all the words were stuck in his throat.
A short while later, an older nun came over and urged her to hurry on her way.
She clasped her hands in a gesture of respect to Jiang Xun, then turned and slowly walked away.
The movements were so slow, yet they seemed to be widening the distance between them.
Jiang Xun watched her retreating figure, his heart filled with indescribable complex emotions.
Aunt Wan took a few steps, then paused slightly, as if she wanted to say something more.
But in the end, she didn't turn back. She stood there for a moment, then continued walking, disappearing into the morning mist, her figure gradually fading into the distance.
Jiang Xun sat on his horse, gripping the reins tightly, gazing at them for a long time.
Past events, like her departing figure, gradually blurred until they disappeared.
The morning light gradually spilled down, enveloping the quiet mountain path.
Jiang Xun raised his head, took a deep breath, suppressed his emotions, waved his hand, and said in a deep voice, "Continue on your way."
The procession started moving again, the sound of hooves crisp and rapid, but Jiang Xun was firmly trapped by something, his mind unable to calm down for a long time.