CHAPTER 670: CHAPTER 546

Lady Yan slowly regained some strength and walked heavily to the bedside.

Meng Qianqian brought over an oil lamp.

After entering the Crown Prince Mansion, although he received meticulous care, his vitality had already been exhausted in the day-after-day imprisonment. He remained emaciated and unrecognizable.

An indescribable familiarity quietly arose in Lady Yan’s heart.

She bent down and leaned in closer.

At this moment, the man suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed Lady Yan’s wrist.

Yet, if one looked closely, he wasn’t really looking at Lady Yan, only staring blankly at the top of the canopy.

Lady Yan first glanced at a small scar on the back of the man’s hand, and her heart skipped a beat.

Then she carefully scrutinized his features once more.

Her eyes gradually reddened, her throat began to ache, her lips trembled, and she choked out, "Shishu... is that you?"

The man did not respond, his eyes remained dazedly fixed on the top of the canopy.

Then Lady Yan untied the man’s garment and saw the crisscrossing scars on his back, and she fell onto him, crying out loud, "Shishu... Shishu..."

Meng Qianqian had never seen Lady Yan so agitated.

She cried like a child, as if crying out all the grievances and longing of half a lifetime for this man who had long lost his mind.

No matter how she cried, her little Shishu could no longer respond to her.

Though he looked somewhat aged from the suffering, he didn’t seem to be of the same age as the Miao King or Emperor Liang.

Meng Qianqian guessed it was her second uncle, but never thought it would be Lady Yan’s Shishu.

So does this mean she should call him Grandmaster Shishu?

"Shishu... I’m Shuang’er... do you remember Shuang’er?"

Lady Yan herself was a doctor, so how could she not tell that Shishu no longer recognized her?

For this very reason, she felt even more heartbroken.

"How could this happen... I always thought you were wandering the world..."

Meng Qianqian put the oil lamp back on the table.

After a short period, the man closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Lady Yan lifted her hand to wipe away her tears and gently placed Shishu’s bony hand back under the blanket, choking as she said, "His age doesn’t seem like my Shishu’s, does it?"

Meng Qianqian hummed in agreement.

Lady Yan sniffled and revealed a reminiscent smile, "Little Shishu was my master’s youngest disciple, accepted by my grandmaster while roaming the world, only three years older than your mother. Outsiders often thought he was me and your mother’s senior brother. My grandmaster’s initial intent was not to expand our school, but to have someone by his side during his travels to amuse him."

Meng Qianqian: "Oh, an errand boy."

Lady Yan opened her mouth slightly, "But it’s true that Grandmaster taught him martial arts, imparting all his life’s skills to him. After Grandmaster passed away, Little Shishu stayed at the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion for a few years, during which my sister and I’s martial arts improved tremendously, thanks to him."

"There’s something else you might not know, your mother and father met through Little Shishu."

"Hmm?"

Meng Qianqian was momentarily stunned.

Recalling those carefree days, a smile unconsciously spread across Lady Yan’s brow, "Little Shishu and your father were good friends."

Meng Qianqian murmured, "So there was such a connection."

Lady Yan said, "Isn’t life full of unpredictable twists?"

Meng Qianqian found it hard to argue.

Lady Yan said, "Little Shishu was not committed to the school. After your parents got married, he went to wander the world again. He came back once when you turned one, and then..."

At this point, her smile froze.

Meng Qianqian guessed that when Grandmaster Shishu returned to the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, something troubling must have happened.

"It was at my master’s dying moments."

Tears that Lady Yan had managed to suppress welled up in her eyes once more, "Little Shishu sought herbs to extend my master’s life... Master did indeed last a few more days, hoping to endure longer..."

She took a deep breath, "The events that followed you must have heard about. Your mother killed the old Pavilion Master, becoming a traitor to the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, leading to a complete rift with the General Mansion."

Meng Qianqian solemnly said, "My mother didn’t kill him! My mother would never kill the old Pavilion Master!"

Lady Yan finally brought up the events of the past with Meng Qianqian.

This time, she held nothing back, having no reservations whatsoever: "Indeed, the old Pavilion Master was not unkind to my sister. What reason did my sister have to kill him? But the reason had long been fabricated, that my sister wanted to return to the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion to compete with Gongsun Yanming for the position of Pavilion Master. The old Pavilion Master disagreed, leading to a confrontation where my sister accidentally killed him."

Meng Qianqian coldly remarked, "What an accident! I see it was a premeditated act, such shameless conduct!"

Lady Yan sighed, "It would have been better if Little Shishu had been there; he wouldn’t have allowed harm to come to the old Pavilion Master, nor let anyone misunderstand my sister..."

Saying this, she suddenly realized something and furrowed her brow, "Little Shishu..."

Meng Qianqian paused: "When did Grandmaster Shishu leave the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion?"

Lady Yan recalled: "It was the day before the Pavilion Master met his fate."

Meng Qianqian pressed further: "Did he say goodbye to you?"

Lady Yan shook her head: "No... it was Xiao Mubai who said he invited Little Shishu to his home. Early that morning, he sent someone to the Xiao Family to get him. Could it be—"

Meng Qianqian pondered, "On the day of the old Pavilion Master’s death, Grandmaster Shishu was very likely still at the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, and he knew who the murderer was. He also left evidence behind. Xiao Mubai only gave false testimony."

Lady Yan suddenly understood: "So they imprisoned Little Shishu... to find the evidence?"

Meng Qianqian said, "Killing him would have solved everything. I guess evidence is only one part; it’s likely the old Pavilion Master entrusted something very important to Grandmaster Shishu before his death, and that’s why they imprisoned him."

Lady Yan clenched her fist tightly: "Gongsun Yanming, Xiao Mubai!"

Meng Qianqian remarked calmly, "The whole Gongsun Family is not clean, not just Gongsun Yanming."

Amid their conversation, commotion arose outside the courtyard.

Meng Qianqian told Lady Yan to stay inside while she went out to check.

Just as she reached the door, she ran into the hurried and flustered Steward Jia.

"Steward Jia, what happened?"

Upon seeing her, Steward Jia seemed as if he’d seen a ghost: "Ah! Miss Yan! You’re really here at the mansion?"

Meng Qianqian remarked calmly, "Killing him would have solved everything. I guess evidence is only one part; it’s likely the old Pavilion Master entrusted something very important to Grandmaster Shishu before his death, and that’s why they imprisoned him."

Lady Yan clenched her fist tightly: "Gongsun Yanming, Xiao Mubai!"

Meng Qianqian replied calmly, "The entire Gongsun Family isn’t clean, it’s not just Gongsun Yanming."

During their conversation, a disturbance was heard outside the yard.

Meng Qianqian instructed Lady Yan to remain in the room as she stepped out to take a look.

As soon as she reached the doorway, she encountered the flustered Steward Jia.

"Steward Jia, what’s going on?"

Steward Jia looked at her as if he had seen a ghost: "Ah! Miss Yan! You’re really in the mansion?"