I shouldn’t have left this message, but I couldn’t help it…
I wish you could still stand before me, smiling slightly at me. You don’t know how beautiful your smile is…”
His voice choked, becoming intermittent and hard to distinguish.
Then there was silence. Yu Yi waited a while and heard her own voice again from the recording: “Who are you exactly?”
She gently released the jade dragonfly, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Meng Qing’s words were clearly sincere. He loved his wife deeply. He said this jade dragonfly only recognized his wife as its owner, and no one else could use it. But couldn’t she use it? Could his wife be referring to her?
Yu Yi laughed softly to herself. She had never seen him before, and she had never been married. How could she be his wife? It seemed he had mistaken her for someone else, perhaps his wife looked very similar to her, so even the jade dragonfly mistook its owner.
Yu Yi understood this and felt relieved, thinking that if she met him again, she would return the jade dragonfly and tell him, “You’ve got the wrong person.”
At this moment, Yue Tao called from the outer room: “Miss, do you know about the terrible thing that happened today?”
Yu Yi hesitated slightly, put the jade dragonfly in her chest, and then asked, “What’s got you so flustered?”
“Lord Chen from the Ministry of Justice has had an accident.”
Yu Yi was shocked and hurriedly asked, “What happened to Lord Chen? How do you know?”
“Lord Chen was attacked and killed while out today.”
The Marquis has been busy handling this matter all morning and won’t be back for lunch.”
Yu Yi was stunned. The seemingly crazy Meng Qing had said that because Chen the Counselor would later set a trap to harm her father and all the men of the Marquis’s household, his wife killed Chen the Counselor to change their future life. She had thought it was nonsense, but it turned out to be true. But if what he said wasn’t nonsense, would Chen the Counselor really set a trap for her father in the future? And she was really his wife? How could this be possible?
Yu Yi’s thoughts were in chaos. How could anyone know about future events? Only gods would know, right?
She sent away Yue Tao and the others, took out the jade dragonfly, and listened to his message again, becoming more confused.
Chapter 156: Lost Memory
Meng Qing lay on the bed, staring at the blank ceiling.
Meng Qing suddenly asked, “Lin Bai, do you remember my memory gap? You should still have the coordinates from that time and space. Send me there.”
“For what?”
“To find my lost memories.”
“Lost memories? I think you’ve fallen for that girl,” Lin Bai laughed.
“Haven’t seen her for a few days, and I miss her,” Meng Qing laughed softly. He had been thinking about her these past days. She was beautiful, but what attracted him wasn’t just her appearance. When he first saw her in the pavilion, he felt a warmth like an old friend, a reluctance to leave mixed with a hint of heartache.
Lin Bai muttered, “It’s strange that you suddenly appeared there. The night before, I treated you to a big meal, and after that, you went directly to your room, and then you arrived in that time and space. This doesn’t make sense. You shouldn’t have been able to go to that time and space without my authorization.”
Meng Qing sat up from the bed, turned on the terminal, and changed into period clothing. “Stop rambling, just send me over. I’ll know once I go and investigate.”
“How can you speak to your superior like that? I was too good to you before,” Lin Bai complained while sending Meng Qing over.
Meng Qing returned to the time point he had last left, recorded the current time and space coordinates, and then looked around. This was a back alley of a mansion. Judging from the wall’s style, it should be the mansion of the girl he had seen before.
He walked to the front gate and looked at the plaque inscribed with “Zhong Yi Marquis Residence,” raising an eyebrow.
So she was a young lady from a marquis’s household.
He walked around the marquis residence and spotted a household on a certain street that seemed vaguely familiar. He followed the street and unknowingly arrived at the city gate. After walking out of the city, he turned and saw the giant characters “Long Du” on the city wall.
He murmured, “Long Du, Long Du…”
He walked aimlessly along the road and soon reached a beautiful suburban location.
From afar, he saw several constables bending over by the roadside. As Meng Qing passed by, he noticed a chief constable and courteously asked, cupping his hands, “I am Meng Qing. May I ask the chief constable’s name? And what case are you investigating here?”
The chief constable stood up, sizing up Meng Qing. Seeing he was dressed like a scholar, with an open and honest demeanor and polite speech, he cupped his hands in return and said, “My humble surname is Guan, given name Yue. This morning, a murder occurred on this road. I wonder if Young Master Meng knows anything? If you’ve noticed anything unusual, you can tell me. It might help with the investigation.”
Meng Qing observed that Guan Yue had handsome features and a tall, broad-shouldered build, immediately recognizing him as a remarkable person.
He feigned surprise, “A murder here? I’m new to Long Du City. I’m just taking a leisurely walk today, found this scenery interesting, and wandered around. I didn’t expect such a beautiful place near the bustling capital would have criminals. I shouldn’t have come alone.”
Guan Yue, seeing his worried expression, said, “Young Master Meng, don’t worry. This isn’t a typical robbery. It’s a revenge killing. The murderer has extremely high martial arts skills, killing the victim in just a few moves before quickly leaving. They weren’t after money and didn’t intend to harm the accompanying guards. But if you’re truly afraid, you can return to the city with me after I finish investigating.”
Meng Qing stood by the road, learning from Guan Yue that the victim was a Ministry of Justice official named Chen. Not wanting to pry further, he said, “Since it wasn’t a robbery, I suppose I needn’t worry. It seems Chief Constable Guan needs to stay here a while longer, so I’ll take my leave.”
Leaving the constables, Meng Qing returned to Long Du City. He vaguely felt this case was related to his lost memories. Arriving at the Zhong Yi Marquis Residence near dusk, he scaled the back wall and arrived near the octagonal pavilion where he had suddenly appeared.
He looked toward the pavilion and saw the young lady he’d seen during the day, this time not painting but playing with something. After watching for a while, he realized his current position was perfect for observing the pavilion.
Meng Qing grimaced, wondering if he had a split personality. If he could speak with the girl, he might learn more, but he didn’t want to startle her and have the household servants or guards come running.
He heard the girl mumbling to herself but was too far to hear clearly. Seeing her half-lowered head facing him, he shot a listening device into the nearby grass, which she didn’t notice.
Switching his earphones to the device’s frequency, he was shocked to hear a male voice. Listening carefully, he was stunned.
It was his own voice.
“…I told you, I want to marry you in every time and space… In the end, you still chose to sacrifice yourself for your family. I understand, so I won’t stop you… Actually, I shouldn’t have left this message… I wish you could stand before me again, smiling slightly. You don’t know how beautiful your smile is…”
After a while, he heard the girl’s voice: “Who are you?”
Hearing the long message a second time, Meng Qing realized it was a repeatable audio clip, apparently recorded by himself.
