A piece of Japanese incense

The sunlight shines through the sparse clouds, sprinkling on Zhi Yihe's shoulders in patches, but it can hardly melt the frost in her heart.

When Zhi Siqi found her, she was holding the urn in both hands, her eyes drooped, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow on her eyelids, and the tear marks on her cheeks had not yet dried, as if she was having a silent conversation with the urn in her hands.

The altar is simple and ancient, but her eyes are heavier than the ashes in the altar.

"With my sister."

Zhi Yihe brushed away the loose hair on his forehead with his fingers, and forced a smile on his lips: "Why don't you rest in the house?"

"I heard you were here, so... I wanted to come and keep you company."

Zhi Yihe gently stroked Zhi Siqi's hair, with a bitter smile on his face: "Thank you for allowing me to meet my grandfather again."

"When we evacuated the Imperial City, the coffin was too conspicuous, so we had no choice..."

"I understand. I am deeply grateful for not leaving my grandfather alone in Yun Mansion."

Zhi Siqi frowned and said, "The incident that day was too complicated and puzzling. I also sent people to investigate who killed Doctor Yun, but to no avail. On the night of the Lantern Festival, all the relevant personnel outside the Xuande Building seemed to have evaporated from the face of the earth, disappearing without a trace."

Zhi Yihe slammed his palm on the table: "Humph! The face of the old woman selling cakes is engraved in my mind. I will never forget it even if I die. If I catch her, I will make her suffer more cruelly than being tortured by a wild gourd!"

"By the way, sister, why haven't you heard from me in the past few months?"

Zhi Yihe's eyes softened a little. She pushed Zhi Siqi into the sunlight, moved an armchair and sat down next to him: "Oh, I was stabbed in the downtown area." She pointed to her waist.

"What?!" Zhi Siqi coughed excitedly, gasping for breath with difficulty as if his breath was blocked.

"It's okay now! My cousin, it's Mr. Jin. He saved me and hid me in the mountains, so I escaped the disaster." Zhi Yihe patted his back, helped him breathe, and added calmly.

"Sister, Jinqi is not a simple person. I infer that the reason why Feng Yuanqi and his son took the lead in my father's plan is inextricably linked to this mysterious Mr. Jin."

Every word of Zhi Siqi's was like a bolt from the blue, shaking Zhi Yihe's mind: "What do you mean?"

“I remember that day, when my mother and I learned that the imperial physician Yun had unfortunately been poisoned, we quickly sent someone to inform my father. My father immediately ordered me to go to Yun’s mansion in person and lead everyone in the mansion to evacuate to Sanchuan.

When I arrived at the Yun Mansion, the funeral arrangements were just being made. Aunt He failed to convince the old lady, so I had to follow my father's wishes and forcibly take them away.

However, we were unexpectedly intercepted by the Imperial Grandmother on the way. Her behavior was very strange. She only said that she wanted to take Brother Nian and Aunt Hong away. I was confused and was about to ask her the reason, but unexpectedly, another group of people suddenly rushed out and surrounded us.

The Empress Dowager led the Yan Family Army to fight against that group of people. Seeing that the situation was declining, the old lady ordered me to carry the remains of the Imperial Doctor Yun and Aunt He to break out. Unfortunately, the other side was full of experts, and my physical strength was weak, so I was ultimately unable to take Aunt He away safely. "

Zhi Yihe frowned slightly, as if realizing something: "Then, were the group of people who appeared later all under my command?"

"It was only him. My father has always been meticulous and rarely trusts others. Only this Mr. Jin suddenly appeared, pretending to be my uncle, and deceived my father's trust. I have conducted an in-depth investigation. After he proclaimed Yuan Yu as the emperor, this person disappeared and never showed up again."

Zhi Yihe tore at his lips, thinking to himself: No wonder this "cousin" hasn't appeared for so long. At first, we still had correspondence, but later he just disappeared. It turned out to be a big liar who deceived the world and stole his reputation! No wonder he repeatedly tested whether I had any memories. It must be because I really knew nothing, so he gave up on me. How hateful!

Zhi Siqi continued, "Is your sister's injury serious? Did you see the man's face clearly at that time?"

"It's all right now, but there's a big scar left. I have to take a closer look! It's inexplicable. Who did I offend?"

"It was probably sent by Jinqi. He could not only thank you for saving your life, but also put you under house arrest in disguise, and use this to threaten your father and find out the family secrets."

"That makes sense. Oh, by the way, what is the secret of this ring?" Zhi Yihe took out the white jade ring.

"Sister, you should already know that my father rescued you to protect you..."

"Hey! Stop! He is just using my name to cover up his ambitions!"

Zhi Siqi smiled and continued, "At present, we have more than 73,000 people, spread across the county governments, officials and even the people. This white jade ring is the 'tiger talisman' that can command everyone."

Zhi Yihe sneered and threw the ring into Zhi Siqi's arms: "Here! Now it's yours!"

Zhi Siqi took the ring, looked at it carefully, and said slowly: "If you don't like it, you don't need to wear this ring, everyone will recognize you. Since my father adopted them, he has painted a portrait of you every once in a while. Therefore, all my fellow soldiers, even if they have not seen your true face, can recognize you at first sight."

A touch of touch surged in Zhiyihe's heart, just like the tender buds of early spring quietly sprouting in the heart, soft and fragile.

Zhi Siqi took out an elegant scroll from somewhere and handed it to her: "Sister He, this was painted by my father. The person in the painting is my grandmother's personal maid, Jiang Yu. She is..."

"Stop! No need to say more, I already know everything. She took away the Xiqi national treasure, and you can't find her, right? It's useless to tell me, I can't find her either." Zhi Yihe spread his hands, expressing his helplessness.

"Sister He, my life is hanging by a thread, and my only last wish is to help you fulfill my father's request. In the past, I was in an awkward position, caught between two countries, and I still had concerns. But now, my grandfather is imprisoned in the deep palace, and my relatives are also imprisoned by Feng Yuanyu. Sister He, are you going to continue to stand aside and watch?"

After these words were spoken, Zhi Yihe stood there silently, playing with the scroll in his hands, without saying a word.

"Public sentiment is surging, and people want to appease the many wronged souls with my aunt's blood. Feng Yuanqiu and his son are exactly what the people want. Sister, you must have heard something along the way. When the war breaks out, where will my family go? How will the innocent people survive?"

A trace of pain flashed in Zhi Yihe's eyes. She had always felt that she was just a grain of sand, so small that even if she fell into the sea, she would not cause any ripples. However, at this moment, she seemed to need to embrace everything in the world. She was the one who felt pity, and she was also the one who stood by and watched.

Zhi Yihe unfolded the portrait calmly and changed the subject: "Are there any news about Shan Yi and Yu Yi? I have something to ask you. Yu Tuan has been with me while I was recovering from my injury. Since I know that Jin Qi is unreliable, it is natural that I should take Yu Tuan over as soon as possible."

Zhi Siqi smiled knowingly: "Sister, if you have any instructions, just tell me. You don't need to arrange it through me! We have received the signal from Shan Yi. He is injured and hiding in the forest. Yu Yi is also with him. Our people have gone to meet him."

"That's good." Zhi Yihe's eyes fell on the painting: "I will try to find this person, don't worry. Don't be too negative, sister will find a way to save... Wait! This... this person..."

Zhi Yihe was stunned. She covered the eyes of the woman in the portrait with her hands and looked at it again and again.

"what happened?"

"This painting was drawn by Daddy, so his impression of Jiang Yu is the same as it was twenty years ago, right?"

"Yes... that's it."

"I've seen this guy!"

Zhi Siqi's eyes were like torches, and he wanted to stand up from his chair: "Are you serious?!"

Zhi Yihe supported him and comforted him gently: "When I was investigating the baby-eating case, I took her daughter's bracelet. Her daughter died tragically in Zhangxian Temple. I also sent her and her son home!"

"Okay! Sister! That's great! I'll send someone to look for her right away!"

"That's not right. She has been hiding her identity for so many years without being found. She must be very cautious. So, I will set off to return to Beijing in person!"

"No! My sister has finally escaped, how can she take the risk of going back!" Zhi Siqi hurriedly stopped her.

"How about this? I'm just about to meet Yu Tuan, so why not write a letter and ask her to bring that woman out of the imperial city to see him no matter what."

"That's...that's fine."