Royal study.
"Long live, the champion of martial arts has arrived." The chief eunuch came in to report respectfully.
"Let him come in," Zhong Mingwei looked at the white jade Guanyin pendant in his hand, said in a deep voice, and said to the chief eunuch, "You don't have to come in to serve later."
"Yes, I obey." At that moment, the chief eunuch bowed and retreated.
"My subordinates have seen the Long Live Lord! Respectfully welcome the Long Live Lord!" After a while, He Chengzhi came in, and was so busy that he went to pay respects in front of Zhong Mingwei.
"Get up," Zhong Mingwei stepped forward to help He Chengzhi up, pointed to the embroidery pier behind him, and said, "Sit down and talk."
"Yes, thank you, Long Live." He Chengzhi sat down as he said, and seeing a cup of steaming tea on the table, he knew that Zhong Mingwei had someone prepare it in advance, and the smell was still the same as before. Lu'an Guapian, which I love the most, but I can't drink it for fifteen years, felt grateful and complicated at the same time, paused, and then said to Zhong Mingwei, "I don't know what orders the Lord Long Live has for summoning his subordinates today?"
"I called you into the palace today because I wanted to talk to you about something homely. You don't have to be too nervous," Zhong Mingwei looked at the fine beads of sweat oozing from He Chengzhi's forehead, and said slowly, "I'll be out in a while." Yushufang, don't take too seriously what I said to you today."
He Chengzhi was stunned: "This subordinate is dull, and doesn't quite understand the meaning of Long Live Lord."
"Chengzhi, didn't you beg me to help you find your sister's whereabouts before?" Zhong Mingwei took a sip of tea, put the teacup back on the small table, and cast his eyes on He Chengzhi's anxious face , paused, and then said, "I sent people to investigate, but I found something, so I called you into the palace today."
"Thank you, Lord Long Live, for your kindness!" He Chengzhi knelt down on his knees in a hurry, kowtowed to Zhong Mingwei, and then asked anxiously, "I don't know where Sister She is now? Please show me, Lord Long Live."
"At the beginning of Jiasheng's twentieth year, there was indeed a four-year-old girl among the palace daughters who entered the palace, but unfortunately, this girl did not survive that winter," Zhong Mingwei said to that anxious face, He looked at He Chengzhi's instantly stiff face, and then clenched the hand holding the pendant even tighter, "Chengzhi, your sister died fifteen years ago."
"My subordinates guessed it early in the morning." He Chengzhi said in a deep voice, he was telling the truth, how could a mere four-year-old child and the daughter of a criminal minister survive under this high wall? So he was mentally prepared for this early in the morning, but why does he still feel like a knife is twisting his heart at this time
He Chengzhi supported the cold floor tiles with both hands so as not to let himself collapse on the ground. After a long while, when he raised his head again, his face was already extremely pale: "Thank you, Long Live, since that's the case, please, Long Live Return the jade Buddha pendant to the subordinate, so that the subordinate can have a thought."
Zhong Mingwei looked at the slightly twitching face, and his lips trembled twice uncontrollably. He swallowed a big mouthful of saliva, and then said to He Chengzhi: "I'm afraid I can't return your Jade Buddha pendant. You are gone, I have other uses."
"Long live, what do you mean?" He Chengzhi was startled, and looked at Zhong Mingwei blankly.
"Do you see if this Avalokitesvara pendant can be exchanged with your Jade Buddha pendant?" While speaking, Zhong Mingwei stretched out his hand and slowly opened his hand, revealing the white jade that he had been holding in his palm all along. Pendant of Guanyin.
"This... this is..." He Chengzhi immediately became agitated. He stared at the pendant with wide eyes and gasped for breath. Later, he didn't care about the courtesies of the emperor and ministers, and took it from Zhong Mingwei's hand. He snatched the pendant, brought it to his face and looked at it again and again, but in the end his eyes filled with tears, "This is the pendant I put on my sister with my own hands! This is it! There can be no mistake!" He Chengzhi said Surprised and delighted, it took a long time to remember that it was still in the imperial study, and wiped away tears in a hurry, and then asked Zhong Mingwei anxiously, "I don't know where the Lord Long Live got this Guanyin pendant?"