Chapter Twenty-Eight
When Mei Zhengjing said that the Mei family made a living by killing, Mei Jiu hadn’t quite believed it—after all, such things were far removed from her previous life. But now, she was beginning to.
Elder Zhi realized his emotional outburst had frightened Mei Jiu and released her grip. "You are not Fourteen Lady."
The girl before him was not the Fourteen Lady he had seen that day. Elder Zhi had absolute confidence in his perception, yet her appearance was identical to that day...
"Who are you?" Elder Zhi sat down, his sharp gaze fixed on Mei Jiu.
Mei Jiu lowered her head to avoid his stare and mustered her courage. "I am Mei Shiniang."
"Show me your hand," Elder Zhi commanded.
Mei Jiu obediently extended her hand.
After examining it briefly and testing the strength of her fingers, Elder Zhi’s tone softened slightly. "Your strength is severely depleted—this must be from injuring Mei Da at noon. Don’t push yourself too hard in the future."
Mei Jiu froze. Elder Zhi knew "she" had injured someone at noon, yet he didn’t reprimand her at all. Instead, he was concerned about her well-being?
"Go rest for today. Return to me in three days." Elder Zhi turned his attention to his tea, dismissing her.
Mei Jiu bowed and then fled as if escaping.
Elder Zhi watched her slightly panicked retreat, his brow furrowing again. He set his teacup down heavily. "Someone!"
A black-clad woman wearing a Ghost Mask descended silently from the rafters.
"Follow Fourteen Lady closely. Do not let her out of your sight," he ordered.
The woman acknowledged the command and vanished as if she had never been there.
...
After leaving Yongzhi Residence, Mei Jiu had Yao Ye take her straight to Mei Yanran’s quarters.
Mei Yanran’s residence was nestled among a cluster of buildings, though most of their owners had long since passed away, leaving the area desolate and silent.
The vast courtyard was quiet, devoid of people, yet the flowerbeds were meticulously maintained, showing no signs of neglect.
In front of the flower hall stood a jujube tree, its branches heavy with fruit. Through the half-obscured view, the open window revealed an embroidery frame inside, where Mei Yanran was bent over her needlework.
Hearing footsteps, she glanced outside and, recognizing Mei Jiu, set aside her needle to greet her. "I was just about to head to Jade Serenity Residence when you arrived."
"Mother." Mei Jiu’s eyes reddened as she threw herself into Mei Yanran’s embrace.
"Did Elder Zhi frighten you?" Mei Yanran gently stroked her back.
"How did you know?" Mei Jiu asked, her voice muffled.
Mei Yanran replied, "The elders are all eccentric. Elder Zhi is usually quite amiable, but when it comes to serious matters, he becomes overly stern."
Was it just the elders who were strange? Mei Jiu felt the entire family was bizarre—from Old Madam down to the maids and servants, none of them were like ordinary people.
Mei Jiu pulled away and wiped her tears with a handkerchief before speaking solemnly, "Mother, I have something to ask you."
Rarely seeing her daughter so serious, Mei Yanran glanced at Yao Ye. "Leave us."
"Yes." Yao Ye bowed and withdrew.
Mei Yanran cast a glance at the jujube tree before leading Mei Jiu to the study, the farthest room from their current location.
As soon as they entered, Mei Jiu asked, "Mother, is it true that our family makes a living by killing?"
Mei Yanran’s steps faltered. She turned to face Mei Jiu, her eyes filled with shock and resentment. "Who told you this?"
Mei Jiu felt as if she had plunged into an icy abyss. "Uncle," she murmured.
Mei Yanran slowly sat down. After a long silence, she finally spoke. "Sit. This is a long story."
Mei Jiu sat down woodenly.Mei Yanran watched her daughter like this, her heart aching as she turned her head away. "It's my fault for deliberately raising you to be a timid and weak girl."
She sighed deeply. "You have a lovely appearance, some talent but no knowledge of martial arts, a gentle disposition, and no awareness of the Mei Shi family affairs—you fit the criteria for a Mei Shi daughter to be married off. Even if you returned, you could still marry into a wealthy family in the future and live a peaceful life like other women."
"They captured you solely to threaten me into returning to serve the family. In this life, my greatest worry has always been you. You’re just two years away from being eligible for marriage. As long as you remain as meek as you are now, you can be safely married off. Even if I never see the light of day again, I’d still feel this life was worth it." Mei Yanran gripped the armrest tightly, and instantly, ice-like cracks appeared on the sturdy nanmu wood. "Who would have thought you’d actually shoot and kill two martial arts masters with arrows, making them consider nurturing you instead?"
This act wasn’t committed by Mei Jiu, but hearing her mother’s words still filled her with guilt.
Mei Yanran stood up, as if reminiscing about the past, and slowly walked to the window, gazing at the distant jujube tree. Suddenly, she raised her hand, a cold glint flashing at her fingertips. The crown of the jujube tree rustled without any wind, then fell silent again.
Mei Jiu’s mind was in turmoil, so she didn’t notice Mei Yanran’s action.
"Since you already know, I might as well make it clear to you." Mei Yanran returned to her seat. The armrest she had just gripped shattered into pieces with a mere brush of her sleeve. Seeing Mei Jiu’s astonishment, she said, "It’s just old and worn out."
Nanmu wood! Used for coffins, it wouldn’t rot even after centuries underground! But Mei Jiu had always trusted her mother implicitly and never thought to doubt her words.
An Jiu was deeply intrigued by Mei Yanran’s skill—she had never encountered such martial arts before.
"In the seventh year of Xiande, during Emperor Gong of Zhou’s reign, on the fourth day of the first lunar month, the Huangqiao Incident occurred. The emperor abdicated, and Taizu was draped in the imperial yellow robe. On the fifth day, the dynasty was renamed 'Song,' and the era was changed to 'Jianlong.' From the coup to the establishment of the Song dynasty, it took only four days, without encountering any resistance—a bloodless transition of power." Mei Yanran suddenly shifted to political matters.
This was one of the most famous coups in history, something even An Jiu, who knew little about Chinese history, had heard of.
"In truth, many people died in that coup." Mei Yanran dropped a shocking revelation.
Mei Jiu was drawn in by her words, momentarily forgetting her fear.
"Taizu secretly established a shadow unit, which eliminated all opposing faction leaders within those four days." Mei Yanran continued, "The 'Pact of the Golden Casket,' Taizu’s mysterious death, and Taizong’s succession—all happened because Taizong gained control of this shadow force. Thus, the very blade that helped Taizu clear obstacles and secure the throne turned against him and killed him. That’s why every subsequent emperor has placed extraordinary importance on this shadow unit."
Such secrets weren’t even recorded in unofficial histories. When Mei Jiu read historical accounts, she had sensed the Pact of the Golden Casket wasn’t straightforward, but she never imagined the truth behind it was like this.
Mei Yanran said, "This shadow army is called the Crane Control Army…"
The Crane Control Army played a pivotal role in the coup, so naturally, the emperor’s control over it was extremely tight. Once involved, unless the entire family was wiped out—leaving not a single descendant—there was no hope of ever withdrawing from it."So you mean..." Mei Jiu found it hard to believe the thought that had formed in her mind, but it was most likely true, "the descendants of Mei Shi didn't die young, but joined the Crane Control Army?"
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