r18novel Chapter 1931 is not an ominous sign.
Chapter 1931 is not an ominous sign.
Where did this broken arrow come from?
The old Duke was also taken aback and looked at what Lu Zhaoling was holding.
The old Duchess explained to them that it was found by the wall of the guest courtyard, right behind that tree.
Upon hearing her words, the old Duke's expression changed slightly, and he looked at Zhou Shiyue.
So, is the broken arrow that was dug up there the reason for the strange behavior of the King of Jin back then?
But how could the King of Jin have seen the broken arrow buried under the grass back then?
"Your Highness, is there something strange about this thing?" the old Duke couldn't help but ask.
Lu Zhaoling had already used the basin of clean water to wash the mud off the half of the arrow.
But the rust on that arrowhead can't be washed off now.
From this perspective, there's nothing special about this half arrow.
But Zhou Shiyue walked over, looked at the half-arrow, and his expression was somewhat serious.
"Let me see?" He held out his hand.
Lu Zhaoling looked at him, but shook her head, "Don't touch it yet, let me study it first."
"Lord Duke, please don't worry. This arrow is neither ominous nor does it carry any malevolent energy. However, it is indeed somewhat strange, and its origin is probably unusual. So, I would like to ask if I may take it back to examine it more closely?"
Lu Zhaoling asked the old Duke.
The old duke simply waved his hand and said, "Just take it. If it's not ominous, then it's yours. What use would we have for this half of a rusty arrow?"
They probably don't know what to do with it.
Lu Zhaoling then took a piece of cloth and wrapped the half arrow up.
The old duke handed the box to her.
"The letter is in this box, and there's also a small carving knife in the box, which also belongs to Brother Zhihui."
Lu Zhaoling opened the box and saw the small carving knife.
The knife looks ordinary, but the blade appears to be very sharp.
She could tell at a glance that the knife had probably been used to carve magical artifacts, because it faintly exuded a spiritual aura.
"Did he give you this small carving knife?" Lu Zhaoling asked.
The old Duke coughed and said, "No, he doesn't give gifts. Brother Zhihui isn't actually that generous. I borrowed this from him back then, but I never had the chance to return it to him."
Later, when he wrote to arrange a meeting, he intended to bring the carving knife back to return to Brother Zhihui, but Brother Zhihui had to leave in a hurry.
So he kept the carving knife with him.
He placed the carving knife and the letter together, thinking that this way he wouldn't forget whose knife it was.
Now they've all been given to Lu Zhaoling.
“Take it for now. If Brother Zhihui returns it, I will let you return the knife to him. If he doesn’t come back, you can keep the knife.”
The old Duke just asked Zhou Shiyue in his study who Lu Zhaoling's grandfather was. Zhou Shiyue told him a few things, and also said that they all suspected that Zhihui might be Lu Zhaoling's grandfather.
Therefore, the old Duke now feels that leaving the carving knife with Lu Zhaoling was the right thing to do.
If he dies first, and Brother Zhihui returns to the capital later, he should ask Lu Zhaoling to go see Brother Zhihui on his behalf and return the carving knife to him.
If Brother Zhihui doesn't come back, it's as if the carving knife has been given to Lu Zhaoling.
"Thank you, Your Excellency. I will not refuse."
Lu Zhaoling accepted the items without hesitation.
Having obtained the items, Lu Zhaoling and Zhou Shiyue left the Duke's mansion.
On the way back, Lu Zhaoling also told Zhou Shiyue about the incident from his childhood.
The old Duke and his wife felt it was difficult to tell him, but if they didn't, the matter would weigh heavily on their minds.
Lu Zhaoling felt that since this had happened to Zhou Shiyue himself, it was better for him to know.
But after she finished speaking, she looked at Zhou Shiyue with some concern.
"After hearing this, did anything come to mind? You have no memory of that incident from back then?"
Zhou Shiyue was silent for a while before saying, "Actually, I had a vague idea of what I had done in the middle of the night."
"you know?"
"I vaguely remember getting up and going out, and I also clearly remember feeling very cold. But I can't remember anything else. I don't remember why I went out, how I got back to my room, or what happened after I went out."
Zhou Shiyue sighed and said, "But at that time, the old Duke and the old lady were by my bedside, looking worried and confused. How could I not see that? I asked them, but they kept asking me the same question. I guessed that what I did might be a little strange."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaoling gave him a thumbs up.
He was so young at the time, it was already quite impressive that he could deduce so much on his own.
"Why didn't you check later?" Lu Zhaoling asked.
"How old was I at that time? Probably five or six years old."
"Wasn't the Crown Prince only two years old? How could the Emperor Emeritus have been so at ease leaving such young children like you and the Crown Prince in the Duke's mansion?"
Lu Zhaoling found it somewhat unbelievable.
Shouldn't this uncle and nephew in the palace be accompanied by a bunch of eunuchs, maids and nannies wherever they go?
"At that time, the court was going through a lot of troubles, and it seemed that there were natural disasters in other places as well. When he returned to the palace, he was often in the Imperial Study reviewing memorials and had no time to take care of us. As for Aze, no one paid any attention to him. He was like a shadow following me around."
Zhou Shiyue chuckled and said self-deprecatingly, "I've probably been quite shrewd since I was a child, so they often forget my actual age and are at ease letting me stay at the Duke's mansion. They even think I should take good care of Aze."
"Also, it was actually my suggestion that we stay at the Duke's mansion that day," Zhou Shiyue said.
Lu Zhaoling was taken aback. "You brought it up yourself?"
“Yes.” Zhou Shiyue thought for a moment. “It’s been too long, but I just thought about it carefully. It seems that my father had something to do and was in a hurry to leave. I was too lazy to follow him in a hurry, and I thought the Duke’s mansion was more fun than the palace, so I said I wanted to stay overnight. That kid Aze didn’t think about anything else, he just clung to my leg and followed me.”
Lu Zhaoling pictured a five- or six-year-old boy being hugged by a little dumpling, and found it rather cute.
"So, besides feeling cold, do you have any other memories of that night?" Lu Zhaoling asked.
Zhou Shiyue shook his head. "I can't think of anything right now. I'll think about it carefully when I get back."
What was the Crown Prince doing that night?
“He must have been sleeping the whole time,” Zhou Shiyue said. “He used to sleep very soundly when he was with me as a child.”
Zhou Ze had told him that he had never been able to sleep well in the palace.
However, when Zhou Ze was a child, he could sleep soundly whenever he was by his side or at the Prince of Jin's residence.
Perhaps it's because I feel more at ease when I'm with him.
“Let’s go back and study this broken arrow,” Lu Zhaoling said. “I think what happened back then is related to this arrow.”