Volume 2: Chapter 17-Twin Evil-Part 2

“You slept for a day and a night. You must be starving. Your elder sister came to see you this morning. Seeing you still asleep, she stayed with you for a while. I saw she was tired and made her rest. We just had lunch, but the dishes are cold. I’ll have them make fresh ones for you.”

Madam Du went out to arrange the meal. After washing up, Teng Yuyi went to the next room to see her cousin, Du Tinglan, who was sleeping soundly with her face buried in the quilt.

Teng Yuyi quietly left and went to Songyun Hall to see Duanfu.

Duanfu, much better after a night’s rest, was sitting silently on a low bed.

When he saw Teng Yuyi, he stood up.

“Miss.”

Recalling Duanfu’s tragic death in her previous life, Teng Yuyi felt a sudden ache in her eyes.

This loyal old servant had protected her until his last breath.

Duanfu noticed something strange in Teng Yuyi’s expression and lowered his voice.

“Miss, what happened?”

Teng Yuyi averted her gaze, pretending to examine the room.

“Nothing, just some sand in my eyes. You’re better now, so sit down. Why don’t you go out for a walk since your wound is bandaged?”

Duanfu said, “Miss instructed me to rest indoors yesterday.”

“So you haven’t moved at all?”

“The master ordered me to protect you. Now that my arm is injured, the physician advised against moving around. I can’t follow you until I’m healed, so I must recover quickly.”

Teng Yuyi fell silent.

When she had just woken up on the boat half a month ago, she only remembered her cousin being murdered in the bamboo forest in her previous life.

Her mind was focused on getting to Chang’an to save her cousin. Yesterday’s dream reminded her of many forgotten details from her past life.

“Duanfu, I remember you came to serve me when I was five. Before that, you were my father’s loyal servant.”

Duanfu nodded.

“Yes.”

“Did you ever see father interact with a person named Wu from Nanzhao when you were with him?”

Duanfu was silent for a moment before saying, “I served the master for only three years before being assigned to you. During that time, I only saw a woman named Wu Yingying.”

Teng Yuyi nodded.

Duanfu wouldn’t lie.

Besides Wu Yingying, he hadn’t seen any other Wu family members with her father.

The night she was murdered in her previous life, she found letters from Nanzhao in her father’s study.

Could they have been from Wu Yingying?

“Do you remember when Wu Yingying first arrived?”

Duanfu lowered his eyebrows.

“Ten years ago, when the master returned from Fengxiang, Wu Yingying was brought to the camp by a group of dark guards. She was injured, so the master arranged for a physician and an old woman from the town to care for her. Once she recovered, he sent her to Yangzhou.”

Teng Yuyi felt pang in her heart.

That was the beginning of her mother’s tragedy.

She had already investigated these events in her previous life, but hearing them again was still painful.

“What did the dark guards look like, and what was their accent?”

“They arrived at night and left before dawn. The leader spoke with the master alone for a long time, and the master dismissed everyone else.”

Teng Yuyi paced back and forth, suddenly recalling the dream. Her father had hidden those letters in his study. To find out who wrote them, she just needed to search the study.

She said to Duanfu, “Rest well for the next few days. When you’re better, I want you to teach me some deadly self-defense moves.”

Duanfu was puzzled.

“Miss, what do you mean by deadly self-defense moves?”

Teng Yuyi walked to the door and turned back.

“Moves that can kill instantly; the more lethal, the better.”

She remembered the black-cloaked man who appeared on the wall the night she and her servant were murdered. His cold, deadly aura was terrifying. There was much to do, starting with finding out who he was.

Leaving Duanfu, Teng Yuyi went to the dining room where Madam Du had prepared the meal. She poured buttermilk over the sesame rice and pushed it to Teng Yuyi.

“You loved this when you were little. I made it this morning, waiting for you to wake up and eat.”

Despite Teng Yuyi’s thoughts of returning to her residence, she didn’t want to disregard her aunt’s thoughtful arrangements. Besides, after just one trip out, she had already started to sweat. Remembering that she hadn’t eaten since her long sleep starting from the previous afternoon, she decided to sit down at the table: “Aunt, join me for the meal.”

Madam Du sat opposite her as requested, lovingly watching Teng Yuyi.

“In the morning, your uncle went to find the heir apparent of Prince Cheng as you suggested. He decided to tell him about your sister’s encounter with Lu Zhao’an in the bamboo forest that night. This way, the Heir apparent of the Prince of Cheng can investigate whether Lu Zhao’an is involved with that monster. However, the doors of the Qingyun Temple were tightly shut, and we don’t know what happened inside. Your uncle waited for a long time, but no one came to answer the door, so he had to leave.”

Teng Yuyi was puzzled: “Isn’t Qingyun Temple always bustling with worshippers? Why would it suddenly be closed?”

“Your uncle said it was unusually quiet inside, as if no one was there. He found it suspicious but couldn’t investigate further. After returning home for lunch, he planned to visit the temple again in the afternoon. I wonder if he will manage to see the Prince of Cheng this time.”

Hearing the name “Prince of Cheng” triggered a memory from her past life when she was in her father’s ancestral shrine. The scene felt too surreal, vastly different from her personal experiences in her past life, and upon waking, she had forgotten most of it, unable to distinguish between reality and illusion.

She vaguely recalled that in the third year after her death, Lin Chengyou seemed to have been ambushed in Beirong. But she didn’t know whether he survived or perished, as she was awakened by an old man before she could find out.

Who exactly was the old man who called her name?

That deep, resonant voice had pulled her out of a long, heavy nightmare.

She absentmindedly picked up her chopsticks and said to her aunt, “That night, after the Prince of Cheng expelled the tree demon from Madam Anguo’s body, Madam Anguo seemed to be on the verge of death. The sudden closure of Qingyun Temple might be related to saving her.”

Madam Du pondered, “Could it be that they closed the temple to perform a ritual?”

After eating, Teng Yuyi washed her hands and face: “In the rush the other night, I left many things at home. Aunt, I need to go back to the residence.”

Madam Du was taken aback and quickly followed her out: “Take some people with you. Get what you need and come back soon. Shaotang seemed to have something urgent to discuss with you. He came by several times this morning but refused to tell me what it was.”

Teng Yuyi responded vaguely and hurried to the Teng residence with her entourage. Due to Teng Shao’s frequent absences on official duties over the years, although the residence was cleaned daily, it still felt damp and somewhat desolate.

As they approached the garden, Teng Yuyi hesitated.

“What’s wrong, miss?” asked Biluo.

Teng Yuyi walked to the pond. It was early spring, and the garden was in full bloom. The willows by the pond swayed gently in the wind, and the clear pond water sparkled under the sunlight.

She stared bitterly at the pond, the fear of drowning in the icy water still vividly fresh in her mind.

She stood silently by the pond for a long time, waiting for the frightening sensation to subside a bit before looking in another direction. Her mind had been filled with fragmented memories, but this recent dream confirmed her suspicions.

Indeed, someone had jumped into the pond to save her during her dying moments, but she had died before that person could rescue her.

That person did not seem to be a soldier or a guard. Judging by the silhouette in the night, it appeared to be a young man.

Could it have been the Crown Prince? After her father’s death, the Crown Prince came to pay his respects, saying that her father was his mentor and that she could seek his help anytime. However, she never sought the Crown Prince’s help and strictly forbade her subordinates from interacting with the royal family. But considering the emergency that night, it wouldn’t be surprising if Steward Cheng had sent someone to seek the Crown Prince’s aid.

But it had been too dark that night, and her vision had blurred as she neared death. She could only vaguely sense that the person’s figure didn’t quite match the Crown Prince’s. Perhaps it was one of her father’s subordinates?

To retrieve more memories, Teng Yuyi walked slowly around the pond. Seeing that it was getting late, she returned to her father’s study.

The pine and cypress outside the study were lush and dripping with vitality. The courtyard was tranquil, with a clear spring flowing nearby, making everything feel so familiar as if nothing had changed.

Teng Yuyi walked silently to the study’s entrance, raised her hand, and pushed the door open without hesitation. Seeing the room’s interior, she suddenly choked up.

That night, after arguing with her father, she stormed out while it was snowing heavily. The world was silent; the pines and cypresses weighed down with snow, creaking under the weight. Her father stayed inside, listening to her footsteps fade away.

Filled with anger towards her father, she had walked briskly through the snow, never imagining it would be their last meeting.

She turned to the people behind her and said, “Wait outside.”

“Yes, miss.”

Teng Yuyi closed the door and looked at the bookshelf. Although the shelves were still filled with books, they were far fewer than before, likely because her father hadn’t officially moved back to Chang’an, leaving many books in Yangzhou.

She searched thoroughly but couldn’t find her mother’s qin. She wandered around the room, checking every corner, but found nothing.

She slumped onto the couch, sweating. Could it be that her father carried the qin with him? If he hadn’t returned to Chang’an, the Qin naturally wouldn’t be here.

Teng Yuyi thought for a moment, then walked to the Duobao cabinet. If she remembered correctly, this was where the qin was later placed. Right now, there was a small ink-painted screen on top. She removed the screen and felt around for the hidden panel she remembered. Soon, she found the sliding panel.

Her heart raced as she carefully pried it open with a paper knife. When the cover came off, she was stunned to find it empty. Not even a hair strand was inside, let alone the letters.

***

Back at the Du residence, Teng Yuyi was still pondering the matter. Either her memory was wrong, or her father hadn’t yet put the letters into the secret compartment.

But ever since she woke up on the boat, almost everything matched her past life, so it was unlikely she remembered incorrectly. The most likely scenario was that her father considered the letters important and carried them with him even in the military.

She was lost in thought as she got off the carriage.

An old servant that was under Du Shaotang, seemingly waiting for a long time, approached her mysteriously: “Miss Teng, the young master asked me to give this to you. He said Caifeng Tower is hard to find, and this has the detailed directions drawn by his classmate. He reminded that you must take him with you when you go, and make sure not to let the Madam see this, or neither of you will be able to go.”

Teng Yuyi took the map from the old servant’s hand. Caifeng Tower was indeed a brothel, located in the southern part of Pingkang Ward. The map detailed nearby eateries and taverns.