Chapter 13

Chapter 13: The heavens are changing, and the winds are beginning to stir.

The capital of Jiangdong Prefecture, Zhaoyang City.

When the sun in the sky emits thin rays of sunlight, it gently envelops this bustling city, providing a touch of 

warmth. By the roadside, there are occasional piles of snow, while the ground in the shaded areas is covered with 

thick ice.

On the bustling street, people wore expressions of excitement and joy, occasionally exhaling faint puffs of mist. 

Every now and then, the sound of firecrackers could be heard. 

Suddenly, the crowd parted slightly, and a horse-drawn carriage rattled through the center of the street, 

disappearing around the corner in no time. 

In the west of the city, in front of a quiet manor, the carriage suddenly came to a stop. At the same time, 

the manor gate was opened, and several people rushed out, embracing each other.

"Master..." 

Just as Si Cang Qing stepped down from the carriage, he heard a familiar call, filled with excitement and joy.

A green figure quickly ran up to Si Cang Qing, and in an instant, it pounced into Si Cang Qing's arms, sobbing 

and sniffing. 

With a helpless expression, Si Cang Qing raised one hand and awkwardly yet gently patted the woman's back, 

saying softly, "Lü Huan, don't cry."

Facing the crying Lu Huan, he always felt helpless, not knowing how to deal with it.

After sobbing for a while, Lu Huan finally left Si Cang Qing's embrace with a bit of embarrassment, looking up 

at this child she had watched grow up since he was small.

When they parted ways, the boy in front of her was still very immature and only about the same height as her. 

Now, she only reached his shoulders, and the child's face became increasingly cold and hard.

"Master, you're really too cruel." The woman, who was clearly already past middle age, didn't seem out of place 

when she acted spoiled. With tears still on her soft, charming face, she slightly frowned and complained to 

Si Cang Qing, "It's been two years since we last met, and you haven't given me a single word of news..."

"Go in!" Si Cang Qing, who had long been accustomed to Lu Huan's nagging, calmly ordered everyone, then 

strode towards the manor, followed closely by Feng Lan.

Dusk gradually enveloped the world. In the study, Si Cang Qing sat on the upper desk and looked through the 

account book in his hand. It was the details of the Feng family's business that Lu Huan and his guard Bing had 

managed over the past few years.

The candlelight flickered, and suddenly a faint popping sound was heard. Feng Lan quietly lit another candle 

and placed it on the candlestick. Then, he poured some hot tea into Si Cang Qing's cup and quietly sat down, 

watching the young face buried in the desk, his expression somewhat ethereal. 

"Knock, knock." 

Hearing the knock on the door, Si Cang Qing looked at Feng Lan, who promptly stood up to open the door.

"Master, it's night, you should eat something warm!" Lu Huan walked in with a tray in her hand, smiling gently. 

She glanced at the account book in front of Si Cang Qing, "Master, you've been working hard all day, the 

account book won't run away." 

Si Cang Qing casually closed the account book, leaned back in his chair, and watched Lu Huan set the dinner 

on the table, "I won't be staying here for long."

Since it was on the way, he decided to check on the business operations, after all, it was related to his future 

plans and couldn't afford any mistakes. 

"Honestly," Luhuan pouted slightly, "I knew it, the master doesn't have Lu Huan in his heart."

Completely ignoring the anger in Lu Huan, Si Cang Qing stood up and walked to the round table, simply saying, 

"I marked some small issues in the selected account books for them to pay attention to in the future."

"Yes, master." Luhuan quickly walked to the desk, tidied up the few account books, and was secretly amazed 

by Si Cang Qing's sharpness. In just a few hours, he had finished reading these account books and even pointed 

out the mistakes. Since it was a matter of official business, Luhuan's attitude was naturally strict, and he stood by 

the side and began to review them.

"Sit down and eat together!"

Si Cang Qing suddenly spoke up, and Lu Huan was momentarily taken aback. Without even raising her head, 

she jokingly said, "It's been years since we last met, and you've become even more considerate, Master. I've 

already eaten, so I don't need any..." 

Suddenly stopping, Luhuan looked in shock at Feng Lan sitting next to Si Cang Qing, realizing she had 

misunderstood.

Si Cang Qing glanced at Luhuan, then continued eating dinner. Meanwhile, Feng Lan's face turned slightly 

embarrassed, blushing secretly, his movements not as nimble as usual, as he served himself more rice.

Lu Huan's gaze flickered back and forth between the two, a hint of doubt in her heart, always feeling that the 

current situation was somewhat strange. Si Cang Qing, she had watched him grow up, and no one understood 

his coldness better than she did. Today, he actually knew how to 'care' for his subordinate. It's not that 

Si Cang Qing treats his subordinates poorly, but he would never take the initiative to care about others. 

However, now... 

Being stared at intently by Lu Huan's strange gaze, Feng Lan lowered his head uncomfortably, wishing he 

could bury it in his rice bowl. 

"Lu Huan, you can leave!"

Si Cang Qing suddenly spoke, and Luhuan was slightly startled, quickly covering up her earlier lapse. Her 

smile was as bright as ever. "Master, Luhuan will take her leave now and not disturb you any further." 

The moment the door closed, Si Cang Qing seemed to hear a chilling laugh, and he couldn't help but frown. 

How had Lu Huan's temperament become more and more strange after not seeing her in these years?

◇Cang Huan◇Seven Palaces◇

"Master..." 

"What is it?" 

Feng Lan hesitated for a moment, seemingly unsure of how to start, clenched his fists tightly, suddenly knelt 

down, and said, "Feng Lan would like to request a half-day leave tomorrow."

Looking at Feng Lan kneeling on the ground, Si Cang Qing's expression was indifferent as he lightly asked, 

"Why?" 

For years, Feng Lan had never taken the initiative to make any requests, but now, suddenly asking for half a 

day's leave, Si Cang Qing couldn't help but feel slightly puzzled. 

"Feng Lan," Feng Lan lowered his head, his voice barely audible, "Feng Lan wants to pay respects to his family."

Suddenly, Si Cang Qing looked at the slightly uneasy Feng Lan silently. Feng Lan was originally the youngest 

son of the Lan family in Jiangdong. His father, Lan Weilun, was the prefect of Jiangdong Prefecture back then, 

and he was also a well-known honest and good official. He was always in tit-for-tat with the Qin family's 

relatives, and was regarded as a thorn in the flesh by Qin Gaoli, the uncle who controlled the government at 

that time. Later, he was accused of collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country, and the nine tribes 

were implicated. There were many disciples of the Lan family, and riots continued for a while. For this reason, 

Qin Gaoli killed them all, involving dozens of family members, and became the most tragic murder case in the 

history of Canghuan.

"Where is your family buried?" Si Cang Qing suddenly asked. 

"On the outskirts of the city," Feng Lan gently bit his lip and then continued with difficulty, "in a mass grave."

Slightly startled, even though Si Cang Qing didn't quite understand the complex emotions, he wasn't completely

incapable of understanding the feelings between relatives, just like the shallow bond he had with Si Cang Juetian 

and Feng Aozhu.

Mass graves...

There, they bury nameless corpses.

"Tomorrow, I will go with you." Si Cang Qing decided. Suddenly looking up, Feng Lan stared at Si Cang Qing 

in surprise, hesitating to speak. Si Cang Qing glanced at him faintly, "It's late at night, I want to rest."

"Thank you, Master."

……

Outside Zhaoyang City, there are mass graves.

Crows fly chaotically, sometimes crying, sometimes wailing.

Walking through the desolate and eerie graveyard, the cold wind howled, making it even more mournful. The 

deeper Feng Lan went, the more sorrowful his expression became. Suddenly, he halted, looked at Si Cang Qing, 

hesitated for a moment, and said, "Master, you shouldn't have come here. It is beneath your dignity..."

Si Cang Qing ignored him, bypassing a decaying corpse that had not yet been buried, and continued walking 

forward. 

After a moment of hesitation, Feng Lan quickly caught up and whispered, "Master, this way."

The graves, tall and short, were overgrown with weeds, and the closely packed mounds were all small, some 

almost flattened to the ground. It was clear that these graves had been here for many years, and presumably, 

no one had come to tend to them.

Feng Lan stood dazedly in place, biting his lip tightly, his face full of sorrow. 

Si Cang Qing silently watched Feng Lan, but he made no move, and asked softly, "Here?" 

Feng Lan looked at Si Cang Qing, forcing out a smile more hideous than crying, "I... don't know."

All he knows is that the general location is here. More than ten years have passed, and he has never returned. 

His memories have faded a lot. Besides, the graves in this mass grave are all similar. How can he determine 

where his Lan family members' final resting place is?

Si Cang Qing did not speak, but scanned the surroundings, observing carefully. The graves here had no 

tombstones, making identification indeed exceptionally troublesome, especially since Feng Lan was just a 

six-year-old child at that time. 

"At that time," Feng Lan suddenly said quietly, "the wet nurse and I escaped. But the wet nurse's only son was 

mistakenly identified by the officers and soldiers and took my place..."

“Later, the wet nurse took me to this place, and she even used a piece of wood as a monument. The tree was 

here, but... she didn't dare to write the names of the family members... Now, the piece of wood has disappeared... "

Si Cang Qing listened to Feng Lan's story quietly and watched Feng Lan lowering his head, tears falling drop by 

drop on the withered grass.

This person, as a royal shadow guard, has faced countless life-and-death situations and is exceptionally resilient; 

having followed him for six years, have seen him nearly lose his life several times, but have never seen him show 

such a helpless expression, like a child, silently and sorrowfully crying. 

Feng Lan kept talking, not caring about the person in front of him, who was his exceptionally cold master. It was 

as if he had finally found an outlet for his emotions, recounting his past in a disorganized manner—the tragic 

events of that year, his family, his siblings... 

"My father always urged me to study hard. He hoped that when I grew up, I would pass the imperial 

examinations and become a good official who served the people..."

His mouth seemed to have a mind of its own, speaking incessantly. If he stopped, he feared that all the 

composure and calm he had maintained over the years would completely collapse. 

After a long time... 

"Lan," Si Cang Qing said calmly, staring at the man's resolute face, delicate features and crystal tears with cold 

eyes, "the blood of the Lan family will not be shed in vain."

Before long, he would personally remove the tumor of the Qin family dynasty. Si Cang Qing's words were as 

cold as ever, "If you are willing, I will hand Qin Gaoli over to you for you to deal with personally." 

Suddenly stopping his words, Feng Lan stared blankly at Si Cang Qing, whose expression was so cold, unsure 

of how to respond. His lips trembled slightly, and he tried to speak several times but didn't know how to reply.

The hatred of exterminating one's family, the enmity of killing one's kin, anyone would want to personally 

end their enemies, right? 

Si Cang Qing, with a calm gaze, looked at Feng Lan and asked, "What do you think?" 

"Master..."

A person in sorrow cannot remain calm as usual. Feng Lan suddenly hugged Si Cang Qing, gripping his clothes 

tightly as if holding onto a lifeline. What started as silent tears turned into soft sobs.

Suddenly being hugged, Si Cang Qing couldn't help but be taken aback. After a while, feeling Feng Lan's 

body trembling incessantly, Si Cang Qing sighed silently, slightly furrowed his brows, and slowly raised his 

hand, gently and clumsily patting the back of the person in his arms.

Feng Lan buried his head deeply on Si Cang Qing's shoulder, silently shedding tears, releasing years of 

accumulated sadness and helplessness. The boy in his arms, clearly much younger than him, surprisingly 

provided a sense of reassurance with his chest. The faint scent of his body filled his nostrils, making him 

willingly succumb.

And on the back, that soothing pat, one after another, like this person's heartbeat, steady and strong, warm as 

such.

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