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Chapter 159: Jin Se (4)
Xie Xuan's story was long, and Xing Ruyi was starting to feel a bit weary. She rested her chin on her hand and leaned her head slightly against the fox's shoulder.
Opposite Xing Ruyi sat Chang Tai. His eyes were always downcast, and the flickering candlelight in the teahouse made it hard to tell whether his eyes were open or closed.
Xie Xuan sat beside Xing Ruyi, and whenever he recounted the past, he would unconsciously lift the teacup in front of him, only to set it down again without taking a sip. It was evident that as he narrated these memories, his heart was as unsettled as the tea cup he held.
Xing Ruyi quietly yawned and turned to Xie Xuan, saying, "So, what does Lord Xie intend by sharing this past with the Fox Demon?"
"Although my time with you has been short, I know that you are no common person, and neither is your companion, Young Master Yin. Therefore, I humbly request your assistance in resolving matters concerning Jin Yu. Rest assured, I understand the rules of Ruyi Rouge; regardless of whether this endeavor succeeds or fails, I will express my gratitude."
"From what you say, does that imply that the Fox Demon is a greedy person?"
"You misunderstand; I certainly do not mean that. I am merely asking for your help. Since it is a favor, how could I let you work for nothing? As for money or gifts, they are simply tokens of appreciation; you need not take offense."
"Let's skip the gifts; I prefer real gold and silver," Xing Ruyi stretched lazily. "In fact, there's no need to hide it from you—Fox Demon is quite money-minded. It's not that I'm greedy; it's just that I've experienced poverty firsthand. I know that while money isn't everything in this world, being without it is absolutely untenable. A gentleman seeks wealth through proper means; though I am but a woman, I would never take what doesn't belong to me. As for your request, I will need to think it over carefully, so please do not pressure me."
"Of course! One cannot force someone into such matters. However, I believe that Miss Xing will agree," Xie Xuan said confidently. "Because I can see that you are a righteous person with a kind heart who enjoys helping others. On behalf of Jin Se and her brother Jin Yu, I thank you in advance."
"Is this part of your strategy for asking favors? You flatter me with compliments so much that it makes it hard for the Fox Demon to refuse," Xing Ruyi stood up. "However, the Fox Demon has her own principles; thus, some tactics used in official circles won't work here."
Xie Xuan smiled but did not respond. It was then that the fox sitting beside them suddenly spoke up. Looking into Xie Xuan's eyes, he asked, "Do you know the name of the Taoist who cast spells for Jin Yu that day?"
"The Taoist?" Xie Xuan paused slightly. "Why does Young Master Yin want to know about that Taoist?"
"Is it strange? If my Fox Demon refuses your request outright, that's one thing; but if she agrees on a whim, shouldn't we know our adversary? Your reaction seems a bit odd. It's just a Taoist after all; you've shared such a long story—how could you not mention this seemingly insignificant yet crucial figure in the whole affair?"
"Young Master Yin misunderstands; it's not that I'm unwilling to speak about it—it's just—"
"Lord Xie, please don't! It was you who didn't ask that day." The fox leaned back slightly, lifting her entire face. Her handsome features seemed to radiate light, dazzling enough to make one want to look twice. "Lord Xie comes from the Xie clan, and what you learned is certainly different from the common people. Young Master Yin is just the same. So you understand Lord Xie's thoughts very well. To say 'you didn't ask that day' is just a way to deceive my innocent and kind-hearted Fox Demon."
"Xie Xuan truly did not mean that!" Upon hearing this, Xie Xuan hurriedly stood up. "It’s not that I intentionally withheld information; it’s just that when I was explaining earlier, I didn’t regard this Taoist as significant. What I cared about most were Jin Se and Jin Yu, siblings. As the saying goes, 'concern leads to chaos,' so naturally, matters like the Taoist could easily be overlooked. Therefore, I hope Miss Xing and Young Master Yin won't take it too personally; I truly did not intend to deceive you both."
"Then please tell us the name of that Taoist," the fox said, extending her hand in a gesture of invitation.
"I truly do not know the Taoist's real name. As Young Master Yin mentioned, I did notice the Taoist mentioned by Jin Se that night. At first, I was merely curious about how this Taoist could bring Jin Yu back to life. Later on, out of sympathy for Jin Yu's plight, I thought if I could find this Taoist in the future, it would help free Jin Se and Jin Yu from their troubles. However, based on my experience, I can deduce that what the Taoist told Jin Se was neither his true name nor his actual title."
"Could it be that he calls himself 'Moxu You' and claims to come from Zhongnan Mountain?"
Xing Ruyi had only asked casually, but to her surprise, Xie Xuan actually nodded and then widened his eyes at her in confusion. "Miss Xing, how did you know? Could it be that you also know this Daoist Moxu You?"
"Hehe!" Xing Ruyi chuckled awkwardly. "How would I know him? As Lord Xie just mentioned, this Daoist performed magic for Jin Yu during the Taizong era; at that time, there wasn't even a Fox Demon yet. It's just that not long ago, Fox Demon encountered a strange incident related to someone who claimed to come from Zhongnan Mountain and called himself Moxu You as well. That's why I asked casually. But just like Lei Feng doing good deeds without seeking recognition, 'Moxu You' is probably a name many Daoists and monks might use. So it's just a coincidence! A coincidence! Nothing extraordinary!"
"Who is Lei Feng? Is he also someone who practices Daoism?" Xie Xuan pressed on, even Chang Tai, who had been keeping his head down, focused his gaze on Xing Ruyi's face.
"Lei Feng is someone from my hometown; he is particularly kind and always eager to help others. However, after helping someone, he doesn't want to accept their gratitude and always leaves quietly. If someone presses him for his name out of urgency, he would leave behind just his name. Later on, his good deeds moved many people, and more and more began to learn from him. Whenever he did something good and was asked about it, he would simply reply, 'I am Lei Feng!' That's roughly how it goes."
"So Lei Feng isn't actually a person's name but rather a name used by many who do good deeds? Am I right?" Xie Xuan furrowed his brow slightly before asking again, "Ruyi isn't from Luoyang? Where is your hometown?"
"I am from Luoyang; however, not from the city but from the countryside—specifically from the village where I was born. As for where it is located, even if I told you, Lord Xie wouldn't be able to find it because several years ago there was a major flood that submerged my hometown. My parents died in it; I survived thanks to being rescued by a fox. So I don’t want to talk about those past events anymore; they are too painful!" Xing Ruyi said as she leaned against the fox's shoulder, her shoulders shaking slightly.
Chang Tai felt some sympathy and interjected softly: "Fox Demon is indeed from Luoyang! Her hometown has truly disappeared. Lord Xie has been appointed here in Divine Capital for official duties; thus there are many things he wouldn’t know or could not possibly know. Many villages near Luoyang are close to riverbanks; when floods occur, some villages can get submerged. However, because these are rural areas, such matters are often concealed by the Ministry of Revenue and subordinate officials. Only when national maps are redrawn can one discover these towns that have already vanished."
Xie Xuan initially intended to use Moxu You's matter to pry into Xing Ruyi's background but ended up with such results instead. Being an official himself, he naturally understood how things worked in the bureaucracy. Throughout history, many common people have privately cursed emperors for being foolish and tyrannical without realizing that emperors are often the most innocent ones because their officials do not tell them the truth. If one person lies while nine speak truthfully, an emperor can discern things clearly; however, if nine-and-a-half out of ten people lie while the remaining half either refuses or hesitates to speak honestly with him—how can an emperor remain clear-headed or truly understand what’s happening among the common folk?
Take himself as an example: although he is an official in the capital's government office dealing with daily cases mostly involving trivial family matters with little real criminal activity involved—if an emperor were to ask him about current grain prices in the city or which village outside has the best harvest or which village grows mulberries or weaves cloth—he would have no clear answers for any of those questions. Yet such questions could arise unexpectedly during an audience with the emperor; if he were asked out of curiosity one day and had to respond with “I don’t know! Let me go back and ask!” he would likely lose his head on the spot! Thus he could only think of a response based on what he consumes at home and what monthly allowances are distributed—calculating a satisfactory answer that even the emperor himself would want to know.
The emperor felt that he was doing a decent job as a ruler, believing that he had managed the country well and that the people were living in peace and prosperity. But what was the truth? Everything the emperor knew was fabricated by an official; how could the real lives of the common people possibly match the daily life of a court official in the capital?
Thus, the emperor's incompetence was not his fault, but rather that of his officials! From this, it could also be inferred that Xing Ruyi's hometown being destroyed was likely true. Therefore, when he sent Phantom to investigate, he could not uncover Xing Ruyi's background.
Meanwhile, Xie Xuan had many mixed thoughts swirling in his mind.
On the other side, the fox gently stroked Xing Ruyi's back and spoke to her using ventriloquism: "Is your hometown really in the countryside?"
"Of course it's in the countryside; I am indeed a proper village girl!" Xing Ruyi replied, slightly raising her head to reveal her eyes as she blinked vigorously at the fox. "Also, I'm not lying; I am truly a native of Luoyang, just a Luoyang from a thousand years later. By the way, I even visited the ruins of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. It's just a pity that I couldn't find any trace of Golden Tang Dynasty's grandeur."
After thinking for a moment, Xing Ruyi took out a coin from her pocket and waved it in front of the fox. "If I carve my name on this coin and then bury it under this teahouse, will people from a thousand years later, who exist in the same time as us, dig it up? If they do find it, will it become an antique?"
The fox pondered carefully. "As for coins, there are plenty dug up from graves; they aren't anything special. If you really want to bury something, I think you should write a book and bury it under Ruyi Rouge, so that future generations can see what the true Golden Tang Dynasty was like. It wasn't just about the prosperous reign of Zhenguan; there were also spirits and demons."
Xing Ruyi's eyes brightened at first but then dimmed again. "Even if I did write it and those future generations dug it up, at most it would just be a collection of ghost stories from the Golden Tang Dynasty. No one would believe it was real history. As for my name, it would probably be erased and replaced with something like 'Anonymous' or 'Fox Demon Wanderer.' Xing Ruyi? Such a feminine name—do you think it would ever appear?"
"That's okay!" The fox held Xing Ruyi's hand and added with ventriloquism: "You could write your name as Azure Fox Emperor!"
Xing Ruyi shot a glance at the fox and muttered under her breath, "Full of yourself!"
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