Chapter 851: Profound Truth
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Kong Qing knelt on the ground with a thud, his body trembling like a leaf. His face was ashen. His mouth trembled as he said in a trembling voice, “Heir, your, your hair…”
“Hair?” Song Mingzhao was confused and was stunned for a moment. “What happened to my hair?”
Tears immediately rushed out of his eyes. Kong Qing’s throat choked badly, and his mouth kept trembling. He couldn’t even say anything.
Song Mingzhao stood up and walked to the side of the desk. He set up another small table. There was a basin of water on the table for washing spare ink off his hands. When he lowered his head, he saw that the copper basin clearly reflected his gray hair mixed with white strands. There were also silver threads at the temples. He had actually withered before he grew old.
He was stunned for a long time.
In the nightmare, after “Song Mingzhao” found out the truth, his hair turned white overnight.
In the nightmare, “Song Mingzhao” also had a heart disease.
Song Mingzhao had convinced himself countless times that the “Song Mingzhao” in his nightmare was not him, and the person who had hurt Yu Youyao and caused her death was not him.
That person was not him.
He wouldn’t hurt Yu Youyao.
However, the many similarities between nightmare and reality gradually pushed him into eternal damnation.
Song Mingzhao chuckled. “Whether it’s a dream or reality, it’s just a fool’s dream in the end.”
Kong Qing looked at the heir’s pale face and was very worried. “Did you have another heart disease yesterday? Why don’t I get a doctor over…”
“It’s fine. There’s no need to make it public.” Song Mingzhao sat back down on the desk.
He took out a few pieces of paper and spread them on the desk. He flattened them with a paperweight. When he picked up his brush and dipped it in ink, his hand that was holding the brush suddenly paused, and his gaze landed on the Duan inkstone.
The Duan inkstone was like the moon that was reflected in a lotus pond. It was greenish-gray in color. It was an old inkstone from Guangdong. The color of the inkstone was moon-white with a hint of blue. It was made of top-notch white jade. Although it was very uncommon, it was indeed not rare.
It was the only serious reciprocation between him and Yu Youyao.
When he obtained this Duan inkstone, he was very happy. At first, he couldn’t bear to use it, but in the dead of night, he couldn’t help but take it out and play with it.
Later on, he felt that he couldn’t be separated from this Duan inkstone. He couldn’t look away either. He had to place it at all times where he could see it. Only then did he feel at ease, so he kept using this inkstone.
Every time he finished writing with ink, he would wash the inkstone in time and never lend it to others.
In his spare time, he would also cultivate it in the spring water and use wax oil to maintain it.
Song Mingzhao dipped in ink and began to write.
In the letter, he only wrote about all the trivial matters of governance and virtue after he became a virtuous person. At the end of the letter, he only left the words “Don’t worry about me.” He did not mention anything else.
After writing the letter, Song Mingzhao blew dry his brush and ink. He took out an envelope and folded the letter into it. Then, he took out some wax and used it to seal the envelope.
Kong Qing was still conflicted. Why had the heir’s hair turned half white overnight? He was both worried and uncomfortable.
Song Mingzhao handed the letter to Kong Qing. “Take the letter to the courier station and send it back to the Duke’s Residence.”
Kong Qing was stunned for a moment before hurriedly saying, “Heir, how can that be? Quanzhou is already under full martial law. I thought news couldn’t be sent over? Why are you still…”
Song Mingzhao said calmly, “There are pirates in Quanzhou. It’s suspected that pirates and pirates are stirring up trouble. As Quanzhou is close to the sea, the sea route extends in all directions. The goal of martial law is to prevent pirates and Japanese pirates from harassing them. Not all news can’t be sent out. Otherwise, it’s easy to cause fear. Quanzhou would have long been in chaos.”
Quanzhou was rich and coastal, and Japanese pirates often caused trouble. Last year, the pirates had already invaded Dehua. Before they could reach Quanzhou City, they were beaten up by Lord Ye and fled in all directions.
It was also because of this that the Jiazhou Residence used the excuse of bandits entering the city to kill and set fire to Quanzhou. The Imperial Court only thought that pirates had infiltrated the city and did not arouse any suspicion.
In order to prevent the news in the city from leaking, letters entering and leaving Quanzhou must have been checked by the government before being sent out.
Kong Qing understood immediately, but he was still a little worried. “But your every move is being monitored. Will sending a letter rashly alert the enemy?”
Song Mingzhao shook his head. “That might be the case earlier, but not now.”
Kong Qing did not understand.
Song Mingzhao said, “When I first came to Quanzhou, it was when the Jiazhou Residence was most afraid of me. If I send a letter rashly at this time, it will definitely cause him to panic. He didn’t even dare to let me enter the city, so he directly sent me to Dehua.”
The excuse was just right. The previous county magistrate had been mediocre, causing a mess in Dehua. He urgently needed the county magistrate to be in charge of the overall situation.
“I took advantage of the fact that I was busy with work in the government office and was overwrought all day. I wasn’t even in the mood to write a family letter, confusing the Jiazhou Residence. The Jiazhou Residence sent someone to keep an eye on me. Seeing that there was nothing wrong with me for the time being, they felt that they could control my every move and make them let down their guard against me.”
Kong Qing came to a realization.
Song Mingzhao continued, “I’m the heir of the Marquis of Zhenguo, a new top scholar who has been nurtured by the royalists. I also have a shocking reputation. The family and the royalists have high hopes for me. If I’m demoted to Dehua, it’s impossible for the family to ignore me. If I don’t contact the family for a long time, the family will also think of ways to send someone over to investigate me. The Zhenguo Marquis Residence is very powerful. Once they get involved in Quanzhou, I think the Jiazhou Residence will have a headache.”
“This is the best time to send a letter. Not only can it dispel the doubts in the Jiazhou Residence’s heart, but it can also appease the family. I think this letter will definitely be safely sent to the Zhenguo Marquis Residence.”
Kong Qing still had doubts. “But letters to and from Quanzhou have to be checked by the government. The Heir…”
Song Mingzhao said, “It’s just a family letter. If they want to investigate, let them. In any case, the Jiazhou Residence won’t touch me easily. I’ll be safe in Quanzhou.”
Kong Qing was confused. Why was the Heir so sure that the Jiazhou Residence wouldn’t attack him? Also, wasn’t the sudden letter really for the sake of sending a message? Was it just an ordinary family letter?
Song Mingzhao smiled and did not explain.
It wasn’t the contents of the letter that were problematic. It was the wax used for the letter.
The incense was made secretly at home, and there was a special incense in it. This kind of incense was only used for some important secret letters at home.
Once the incense was damaged, the incense would seep into the paper. Others did not know about the incense, so they naturally could not smell the difference. However, his father would have smelled it before he saw the letter.
Naturally, he would know that this letter had been opened and sealed again.
His father would definitely be able to guess. Why would an ordinary family letter need to be sealed with the family’s secret wax?
His status was different. Even if there were pirates causing trouble in Quanzhou, as the heir of the Zhenguo Marquis Residence, why did he have to be checked by the government to send a letter to his family?
With so many suspicious points, his father would naturally know that things had changed in Quanzhou.
The world did not know what kind of foundation the aristocratic family had inherited for generations. How could they know the various mysteries behind it?
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