"This is my mother's dagger? Why is it here with you?"
Liu Ang had originally forgotten this matter, but the arrival of Shangguan Yuan and his companions suddenly reminded him that his third daughter Songzhu had given him such a dagger more than a year ago, and she had said something to him.
"Dad, I went down the mountain to look for my fifth sister, and I met a beggar who was about to die of hunger. I kindly gave him some food, and he actually gave me this dagger, which belonged to my eldest sister. Guess how he got it?
Here? He picked it up in Daoxian more than 20 years ago."
Liu Ang thought she just wanted to find an excuse to go down the mountain for a walk again, so he ignored her and impatiently threw the dagger in the corner and dismissed her.
I went back last night and found that the dagger was still there.
A closer look shows that the dagger is very old and has been around for quite some time. It doesn't look like it was made temporarily.
The battle of Daoxian, Dagger, and Gucheng suddenly made him think through an old incident that had troubled him for many years.
At that time, Liu Ang led the Liu family army to contain the supporting army of Chang Sun Ji, while another general Fan Mang led the army to besiege Gucheng.
Fan Mang was a famous general in the previous dynasty, with both wisdom and courage.
In that battle, their layout was meticulous and careful, and they could have completely wiped out the enemy.
But at the critical moment, Fan Mang lost his temper and surrounded and killed Shangguan Bo and his men at all costs, so that An Xingdao easily broke through and escaped.
Fan Mang killed Shangguan Bo and sent his troops to kill him.
That civil war came out of nowhere. The Liu family army was attacked by Changsunji's army and Fan Mang's army, and suffered heavy losses.
Liu Ang thought Fan Mang had surrendered to the enemy and killed him with a sword.
And Gucheng, who finally got it, was taken back by An Xingdao.
Afterwards, Liu Ang sent people to investigate and found that Fan Mang became mad because his family members in Daoxian County, north of Gucheng, were massacred overnight.
The letter sent from Daoxian County said that the murderer's weapon had the character "Liu" on it. Therefore, Fan Mang couldn't figure out what was going on, so he had to kill Liu Songmei's husband Shangguan Bo first, and then turned around and led his troops to kill Liu Jiajun.
He originally thought it was a misunderstanding, but when he saw the dagger again and thought about his third daughter Liu Songzhu's words, he realized that it was not the case at all.
"Shangguanyuan, this is the sky net that is not leaking out! God asked me to discover the truth before I was about to die, and I met you again, so I probably wanted to use my mouth to tell the truth.
Don't say you didn't expect it, I couldn't imagine it, that she could be so cruel. There are more than 70 members of the Fan family, all innocent, how could she do it?"
"This is impossible! If my mother is really the kind of person you say, there is no need for her to spend more than 20 years thinking about revenge."
Liu Ang felt relieved, but Shangguan Yuan felt extremely uncomfortable.
Although they are blood relatives, they still have old grudges. How can we believe what such a person says?
However, Shangguan Yuan's reaction was as if he already believed it.
In a fit of rage, he vomited blood and fainted.
Perhaps out of some family affection, or perhaps out of pure interest, Liu Ang called an old military doctor from the mountains to see Shangguan Yuan.
When the military doctor peeled off his clothes, Liu Ang was shocked to see the bruises all over his body.
"This doesn't look like a battlefield injury."
"It was his mother who beat me. She would rather beat Shangguan Yuan to death than let him marry me."
Seeing Shangguan Yuan's comatose state, Qianru couldn't help but blush, thinking that the relationship between them was a veritable bad fate.
Just when she was feeling sad, Liu Ang smiled.
"Back then, that bitch married Shangguan Bo at all costs and devoted her whole life to helping him achieve great achievements as a prince. In the end, she became a laughing stock rejected by her husband and son. It was really satisfying. However, on the other hand, the man from the Shangguan family worked hard to help him.
How can he be trusted if his wife can turn her back on the mother who supported him?"
"I can't believe a man who can risk his life for me. Who else in the world can I believe?"
These words were not only meant to irritate Liu Ang, but also expressed the deepest confusion and melancholy in her heart.
"Grandpa, you have said so much, why not think about how to wake this guy up? If he dies here, who will recruit us?"
Being hit in the head by reality, Liu Ang covered his chest and sat aside in frustration, silent for a long time.
It wasn't until the military doctor revived Shangguan Yuan that he got up and came over.
"Everything I told you is true, but there are many conjectures in it, so you should not believe it at all."
Shangguan Yuan understood what he was thinking and said frankly: "I will do my best to do what I promised you. As for the truth about the battle of Gucheng, I will do my best to find out."
"I just remembered that there is someone who may be able to give you more reliable clues."
"who is it?"
"More than twenty years ago, the magistrate of Dao County. I heard that he led the police to hunt down the gangsters and was stabbed but luckily survived. He may have seen the perpetrators. If you find him, you will know whether what I said is true or not.
Fake. If your mother didn’t do this, then your father’s death had nothing to do with her.”
Qianru suddenly remembered that Yi Zhonglun had said that Antai was the magistrate of Dao County during the Battle of Gucheng, and he also had a dagger with the word "Liu" engraved on it.
According to Liu Ang's words, An Tai's dagger should belong to Shangguan Liu.
If it is an object that proves identity, it must be unique, but why does Liu Ang also have one here?
After asking, I found out that Liu Ang's dagger was brought up the mountain by Liu Songzhu more than a year ago.
Is An Tai not dead yet?
She asked urgently, but Liu Ang could not tell where the beggar who gave Liu Songzhu the dagger was.
But Liu Songzhu, the only one who knew the truth, died suddenly last night.
The world is so big, where can one find such a beggar?
Could it be that the clues have been cut off again?
Just when Qianru and Shangguan Yuan were discouraged, Liu Ang named a few more people.
"Back then, I learned the inside story of Fan Mang's madness from Lian Kui, Fan Mang's sworn brother. Later, Lian Kui surrendered to the Changsun clan."
"Are you talking about Lian Kui, who is known as the Soul-Seducer General who is good at using a pair of Wu Hooks?"
Liu Ang thought for a while, "It seems like such a nickname."
"He died at the border last year."
"I vaguely remember that when we attacked Gucheng with Fan Mang, there was a young general named Shi who wielded a left-handed sword. Anyway, he was a fellow countryman of Fan Mang. Later, he joined Lian Kui and joined the Changsun clan."
"Shi Lin? The one who likes to be shirtless all year round and has the unicorn tattoo on his right back?"
"Yes, it was that tattoo that made me remember him. He may know something about it."
"Alas!" Shangguan Yuan sighed: "He was involved in a conspiracy case and was executed by the whole family."
"It's been more than twenty years, and most of the people from back then are no longer here. Who else is there?" Liu Ang thought for a while and thought of one person, "There is someone who must know the truth and may be alive, but she may not tell you."
"who is it?"
"She is your mother's personal maid and a dog-headed military advisor. Your mother can't live without this person. Her name is Zi Ning."
"Aunt Zi Ning?"
At this time, there was a cry of someone being taken away from outside. Liu Tang hurriedly chased out to ask, and learned that there was a woman eavesdropping outside just now, but she had already escaped and disappeared.