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墨書 Inktalez
The fox stared at the bronze mirror for a while before slowly speaking.
"Whether it's true or not, I don't know. Even this story, I heard it by chance from someone while in Divine Capital. I found it interesting, so I wrote it down. I didn't expect that today I would coincidentally encounter something related to Li Yan. So, I shared it with you. You can just consider it a story and not worry too much about the details."
Although the fox did not explicitly state it, Xing Ruyi still picked up on the underlying message in its words. If the story told by the fox was true, then the bronze mirror in her hand was indeed the heart-protecting mirror that Li Yan's father-in-law had given to that Fake Li Yan.
"What happened after that? Does the story mention anything?"
The fox nodded and changed its position.
"This heart-protecting mirror sewn into the groom's attire is no ordinary object. It is said to have come from the armor of a general from a previous dynasty. That general had fought many battles and achieved great military success, struggling on the brink of life and death numerous times. This heart-protecting mirror not only safeguarded the general's life but also absorbed much of his bloodshed. After the general died, this mirror was buried with him as part of his burial goods. Time passed quickly, and several years went by. Strangely, this heart-protecting mirror that was originally buried with the general appeared in a ghost market at the border and eventually ended up in Li Yan's father-in-law's hands.
To common people, such a mirror would surely be seen as an ominous object, but Li Yan's father-in-law was different. Although he held a civil position in the military, he was still a soldier at heart. He had a special affection for this heart-protecting mirror and its original owner, so he not only quietly kept it but also sought out skilled craftsmen to make some modifications to it.
Li Yan's father-in-law had only one daughter, but his future son-in-law was the son of a colleague and had performed well in the military in recent years, which is why he decided to gift this cherished item as a wedding present sewn into the groom's ceremonial robe. Unfortunately, the person who ultimately wore the Wedding Garment was not Li Yan.
Upon learning the truth, Li Yan's father-in-law regretted his decision, but his daughter was already married; there was no turning back. He could only advise his daughter and son-in-law to live well together.
As for the girl, upon discovering she had married the wrong person, she felt humiliated and furious. In front of Li Yan, she drew her sword and stabbed at her husband. Fortunately, with the heart-protecting mirror shielding him, the Groom came to no harm.
Originally, this farce seemed to have reached an understanding at this point. Li Yan chose to overlook past grievances and was willing to bless the two newlyweds. Li Yan's father-in-law also accepted his mistake and acknowledged Fake Li Yan as his son-in-law. However, the girl refused to accept this and insisted that her newlywed husband write her a divorce letter while demanding that Li Yan fulfill their unfinished marriage contract.
"Is that even possible?" Xing Ruyi widened her eyes. "Setting aside whether General Li would care about his fiancée marrying someone else, even just this act of forcing a divorce would surely anger Li Yan!"
"Of course! Choosing to overlook past grievances and even bless them is already quite magnanimous of Li Yan. Now being forced into marriage right in front of him—especially when this bride had just married another man yesterday—would be humiliating for any man. So naturally, Li Yan refused on the spot.
This girl had a stubborn temper and was quite obstinate; seeing her marriage being forced failed, she began to cry and throw a tantrum, causing Li Yan to turn dark-faced and leave angrily. Meanwhile, her father—Li Yan's father-in-law—was so upset by his daughter's antics that he fell ill. Coupled with his frustration over Fake Li Yan’s situation, he soon passed away.
What should have been a joyous occasion turned into a funeral shortly thereafter. The matter of the divorce letter was thus put on hold. After the funeral, due to her husband's death, the girl's mother harbored some resentment towards her daughter. Moreover, since this marriage had caused quite an uproar in Yun Family Village, they had no choice but to let their son-in-law take their daughter back to her in-laws."
"Thus," Xing Ruyi concluded, "this tangled marriage finally has some clarity."
"Unfortunately, it was resolved, yet the knot remained untied. When Fake Li Yan returned to his hometown with the girl, she developed a murderous intent. Secretly, she poisoned her husband's meal and ended up poisoning Fake Li Yan. Unfortunately, in her hurried escape, she did not check whether her husband still had a breath left."
"Fake Li Yan didn't die?"
"He did die, but at that moment, he was still alive. He took out all his possessions and earnestly asked the Clerk who was driving to send news of his death back home and inform his family who his wife was and how he died. In the end, he uttered a very important phrase."
"What important phrase?"
'To live together in life, to be buried together in death.'"
"I've heard this phrase before; it means to be together in life and to be buried together in death." Xing Ruyi nodded repeatedly: "I didn't expect this Fake Li Yan to be so infatuated. Even after being poisoned by his wife, he still thought about being inseparable in life and death. But even if he is willing, his newlywed wife may not be."
"The key point is not how Fake Li Yan thinks or whether that girl is willing, but that the Clerk, after taking Fake Li Yan's money, actually kept his promise and brought back Fake Li Yan's body along with those words. He even enthusiastically relayed everything that happened on the journey to Fake Li Yan's family. He even described the appearance of Fake Li Yan's new wife in great detail."
"Could it be that Fake Li Yan's family wants to bring her back?" Xing Ruyi pursed her slightly dry lips: "Actually, there's no need. Fake Li Yan was poisoned; with the coachman as a witness, they can report it directly to the authorities and let the people at the Yamen handle it. What kind of poison it was, how lethal it was, and whether Fake Li Yan died because of his new wife's poisoning—these can all be easily determined by the Coroner. If reported to the authorities, Fake Li Yan's wife would certainly not survive."
"If this happened to your relative, would you choose to report it?" The fox looked into Xing Ruyi's eyes.
Xing Ruyi thought for a moment and replied: "Though I would feel somewhat stifled inside, it concerns a life, so it's not appropriate to handle it privately. Therefore, after some struggle and weighing my options, I would definitely choose to report it."
"And then what after reporting?" The fox asked again.
"After reporting? Of course, I would wait for the Government Office to uncover the truth and severely punish the murderer who poisoned."
"But if the Government Office uncovers the truth and captures the real culprit behind the poisoning but their verdict does not align with your expectations, would you still choose to report?"
Xing Ruyi gritted her teeth: "I would! No matter how unwilling I feel inside, I would! Because a life must be paid for with another life; poisoning is a crime, and punishing the murderer privately is also illegal. However... if the other party has connections within the Yamen, clearly deserving of death but able to escape due to those connections, I wouldn't mind handling it privately. After all, given my current abilities, I have a ninety-nine percent certainty of venting my anger and seeking revenge without being discovered by anyone in the Government Office."
"Very good!" The fox clapped: "The thoughts of Fake Li Yan's family are just like yours."
"What?"
"Son died mysteriously outside, and he was poisoned. The person who brought back the news told me that the one who poisoned Son is Daughter-in-law, whom we have never seen before. If you were a family member of Fake Li Yan, would you report it to the authorities without any investigation?
The Golden Tang Dynasty is vast, and investigating someone's background is not a difficult task, especially since the person being investigated is not a mysterious figure. Therefore, it didn't take long for Fake Li Yan's family to find out clearly who had poisoned their Son and what their background was.
Reporting the poisoning of Son to the authorities would naturally be the easiest option, but this woman who poisoned Son has a background that even the court fears to touch. Even if the local Yamen captured her, it might not lead to a clear resolution. Thus, Fake Li Yan's family chose a method that was convenient, straightforward, and could fulfill Son's dying wish for revenge."
"What did Fake Li Yan's family do?" Xing Ruyi thought of the ghostly face that looked extremely terrifying.
"Fake Li Yan's family secretly captured the girl and held a wedding ceremony for the two according to local customs. However, one was a lifeless corpse supported by others, while the other was a living person tightly bound.
The wedding ceremony began at Midnight. In the darkness of night, white silk floated in various lengths. The musicians playing instruments all painted their faces with a layer of green, making them appear like expressionless dummies from afar. The music was festive, but on such an eerie night, it only felt chilling.
They bowed to the ground, bowed to the high hall, and exchanged vows as husband and wife, but they were not sent into the Wedding Chamber.
Although the girl had stayed at Border Defense and had seen many dead bodies with her Father during her childhood, she had never seen such a terrifying corpse before her eyes. That was her husband, with whom she had shared one intimate night, and also the husband she had poisoned herself. Now he stood before her wearing a bright red Wedding Garment, adorned with a Wedding Hat, his pale face facing hers. His eyes were propped open with two thin bamboo sticks, revealing murky whites inside, while his mouth curled into an eerie smile.
The girl was terrified; an infinite fear arose from deep within her. She struggled desperately to escape from this wedding hall, but the ropes binding her were tight, and she was watched over by two burly Women, leaving her unable to move an inch. She wanted to scream for help, but the courtyard was deep and it was late at night; even if she shouted, no one might hear her. Moreover, her mouth was gagged at that moment. All she could do was helplessly stare at those in front of her while letting out mournful cries from her chest."
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