Chapter 129: Four Seasons (Part 2)
On the rainy night of Qingming Festival, thousands of people come to call back the souls.
Ni Su always felt that she was dreaming, a dream about him, from Que County to Yunjing, then from Yunjing to Yongzhou, and finally, from Yongzhou back to Yunjing.
Just two short years.
Compared to the length of her life, these two years were just a trivial period of time, but these two years were the opportunity that a lonely soul had been waiting for after suffering in Youdu for a hundred years.
She had been looking forward to this day for him, but when she was actually there, she discovered that it was not the clearing up of clouds and rain as she had imagined. It was still raining in the sky. She looked up from under the eaves and could not even see a single star.
"Xu Hexue!"
"Soul, come back!"
The sound of raindrops flowed along the eaves. On the high roof, Meng Yunxian's voice was almost drowned out by the shouts of the people.
In the dim light and shadow, he was soaked all over, and he kept waving the cloak with both hands. The rain soaked his gray hair, and the veins on his neck bulged. He used all his strength to say: "Xu Hexue! The four directions of heaven and earth, it is ominous to leave there, return to the old home, return to the old home..."
The cries gradually rose. There were common people holding lanterns, preferring to get wet rather than have their candles extinguished by the rain; there were also students from academies, candidates waiting for the autumn examination in Beijing.
Jiang Xianming looked up with sore eyes, but he heard He Tong beside him burst into tears. He could have suppressed his tears at first, but the more He Tong listened to Meng Yunxian's cries, the more the dull pain in his heart became.
He squatted down and cried bitterly.
Sixteen years late.
After sixteen years, how is it possible to call back the soul?
"He must hate us..."
He Tong cried, "It's too late, it's really too late... How can we have the face to ask him to come back?"
Jiang Xianming's throat was very dry. He wiped the rain off his face, but he didn't know how to tell He Tong that the man had come back.
"He doesn't hate."
Jiang Xianming clenched his knuckles tightly . "He doesn't even hate me... How can he hate you?"
His voice was drowned by the sound of rain. He Tong was crying uncontrollably. His wife came over with an umbrella and tried to comfort him. Unexpectedly, her sweet words made He Tong cry even more.
Pei Zhiyuan had never seen him with such snot and tears. Although he felt very uncomfortable, he still leaned over to help him up. "You are an official after all. Do you still have any dignity, Mr. He?"
"What face do I need? I don't even have any face left!"
He Tong wiped his face carelessly with his wife's handkerchief, his eyelids reddened by the rain, "As his senior brother, I will be sorry for him for the rest of my life."
It rained all night, and the people outside Princess Wenduan's mansion were reluctant to leave. Meng Yunxian changed his clothes and sat on the threshold of the mourning hall with Ni Su, holding the hot soup made by his wife Jiang Shao.
"Are your injuries feeling better?"
The rain gradually subsided, and Meng Yunxian spoke, his voice very hoarse.
"Much better."
The hot mist was blowing slightly, and Ni Su looked at the raindrops dripping from the eaves. "Thank you for your concern."
"He used to like having dinner with me at my house," Meng Yunxian looked at her pale face and took the initiative to talk to her about the past. "He was very well behaved in front of Chongzhi, but young people are always a little disobedient and ostentatious. I'm not as strict as his teacher, so he is more relaxed in front of me. I'm not his teacher, but I and Chongzhi have watched him grow up together from the age of seven."
"He likes the food cooked by Ashao very much. Ashao said, you like it too, right?"
"yes."
Ni Su nodded, "My cooking is never that delicious. During the time Madam has been at my house, Qingqiong and I have both enjoyed the delicious food."
Meng Yunxian drank a mouthful of hot soup, and his throat felt better. "I'm glad you like it. From now on, why don't you live in my house? Ashao likes you, and she even told me that she wants to adopt you as her goddaughter. In this way, we can live together as a family."
The words "family" moved Ni Su's heart. She turned around and said, "I know you and your wife treat me well. I am willing to become a family with you, but I am afraid that I cannot stay in Yunjing ."
Meng Yunxian asked hurriedly, "Where are you going?"
"I want to cure Li Shuren's illness first,"
Ni Su thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go back to Que County. I want to take my brother's ashes back for burial. I also have a maid named Xingzhu, and I want to go see her."
"After that, I don't know where I will go. I will just be a traveling doctor, curing hidden diseases for women in the world, so that they don't suffer from them, and don't feel ashamed of them."
The remaining raindrops dripped between the eaves. Meng Yunxian was silent for a while and said, "It's no wonder that Zi Ling is worried about a young lady like you. It would be great if he was still here."
“He’s always here.”
Ni Su looked up. The eaves were washed clean by the rain overnight. The sky was foggy and blue-gray. "Every clear night with stars, if you look up, you can not only see him, but also his teacher, your good friend."
Meng Yunxian couldn't help but raise his head as she spoke.
The courtyard was shrouded in mist and the sound of footsteps approached. Meng Yunxian looked closely and saw that it was Rong Sheng and others in casual clothes, surrounding the Crown Prince.
Zhao Yi only saw the cloak draped on the railing of the corridor, with a black fur collar and crane patterns embroidered with silver thread . His steps became heavy and slow.
Ni Su held the bowl and stood up, holding the door frame with one hand.
"I, a commoner, Ni Su, pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Ni Su bowed his head.
Zhao Yi turned around suddenly and asked, "How did you... get this cloak?"
"I've seen you before, have n't I ?"
Zhao Yi stared at her closely.
"It was that night, the night I was attacked, right?"
Zhao Yi walked closer to her step by step, "A white horse, a man and a woman, the woman is you, then he..."
He dreamed repeatedly of that night, with all the snow and thick ice, and reeds dancing in the air. The man in white with a veiled hat and a sword in his hand advised him to take care of himself.
"Two years ago, at the Dazhong Temple in Que County, I saw a petition, and underneath the petition was a winter coat."
Ni Su did not answer him, but said, "I burned that winter clothing."
Zhao Yi quickly walked up the stairs and spread out the soaked cloak. The words "Zi Ling" on the cuffs caught his eye, making his eyes ache. "If it's burned, then what is this..."
He recognized the handwriting of his beloved wife Xizhen.
"It was him that night, wasn't it?"
What an absurd idea, but Zhao Yi couldn't help thinking so.
"right."
Ni Su nodded.
When Zhao Yi heard the voice, he staggered back two steps. Rong Sheng reached out to help him, but he blocked his hand. He realized that the figure that disappeared like mist that he saw on the night of killing Pan Youfang was not an illusion at all.
"Zi Ling!"
Zhao Yi looked around, "Zi Ling! I'm Yong Geng! Come out and see me..."
He rushed into the mourning hall. There was only a rusty broken gun in the coffin. The flame of the oil lamp was flickering. His eyelids were red, "Xu Ziling, I am Zhao Yonggeng..."
"Your Highness!"
Meng Yunxian couldn't help but call him, "Zi Ling... has left."
Zhao Yi paused, turned around, and the moist morning breeze outside the door blew towards him. He murmured, "Gone?"
The three of them sat on the doorstep in a long silence.
Zhao Yi suddenly asked, "Why doesn't he want to recognize me?"
"He doesn't want you to feel sad for him anymore."
Ni Su said softly.
Zhao Yi's throat tightened, "But, but..."
"I want to thank you, Your Highness,"
Ni Su handed him a bowl of hot soup and said, "If it weren't for you, Your Highness, and Lord Ge who risked their lives and were willing to kill Pan Youfang and Wu Dai for him, he would have really disappeared."
"Even though he is a ghost and can no longer meet us living people, we all know that he is still fine."
Zhao Yi's voice choked, "Can he see everything that is happening now?"
"Of course I can see it."
Ni Su said firmly, "He always told me that he didn't care about his reputation after death, but I always wanted to plead for him. Now, Your Highness, you are all pleading for him. It has been sixteen years. There are not many people left in this world who remember him and care about him. If you are gone, who will care about his stigma in the future, whether it is unjust or not?"
"Today, the people are calling for his soul because His Highness has become the crown prince, and because you, Mr. Meng, are willing to overturn his case even at the cost of your lives, and because of Censor Jiang's "Snow on the Blue Cliff" and Scholar He's "Ode to the Soul". He once died because of public opinion, and now he has been vindicated because of public opinion."
"But I know that none of you are happy in your hearts, and neither am I."
"Because he is dead."
The soup in Ni Su's hand had already gone cold. "Your Highness is now the crown prince. I still want to say something to you."
"What?"
Zhao Yi wiped his face.
"Your Highness, you should now have a clear understanding of what public opinion is. It is in the hands of those in power. Whether they kill an innocent person or a person who has committed many crimes, it is not their fault."
Ni Su paused for a moment, "Now it is in your hand, Your Highness, please take my husband as a warning and do not kill the innocent soul with a sword again."
"Zi Ling and you..."
Zhao Yi's tearful eyes showed surprise.
As the breeze blew, Ni Su tucked the light hair on her cheek behind her ear and smiled, "I'm sorry, Your Highness, I couldn't invite you to have a drink at the wedding."
An eunuch hurried over and whispered something in Rong Sheng's ear. Rong Sheng's face changed, and he came over immediately and said carefully, "Your Highness, I'm afraid the emperor is in trouble... Please return to the palace quickly."
As the prime minister of the East Palace, Meng Yunxian knew that he should go back to the palace to change into official uniform and enter the palace when he heard this.
Zhao Yi and Meng Yunxian walked to the steps. After a few steps, he suddenly stopped and turned around, "I will give you Princess Wenduan's mansion."
Ni Su was stunned and wanted to refuse, but her eyes stopped on the wall of roses not far away. The raindrops were crystal clear between the gorgeous stamens, and the ground was covered with fallen petals.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Finally, she leaned over.
Zhao Yi shook his head, "I should thank you. If it weren't for you, Xi would have really gotten sick and it would have been terrible."
The princess's mansion had not yet been furnished with a bedroom to live in, so Jiang Shao brought back hot soup for the common people, and then she, Qing Qiong and Ni Su returned to the clinic on Nanhuai Street.
After a sleepless night, Jiang Shao helped Ni Su change her clothes and let her lie down to rest.
There was no sound of rain outside. Outside the half-open lattice window, willow branches were dancing in the wind like silk ribbons. Ni Su stared at them for a while and felt sleepy.
In the quiet room, the offerings on the incense table suddenly rolled down.
The beast bead emitted light, shook off the incense ashes on its body, and landed silently on her pillow.
Thick fog, reeds, and vast water of hatred.
The sky was covered with dark clouds, lightning and thunder, and a pagoda was looming among the clouds, with soul fire shining brightly inside.
By the bank of the Hate River, the figure was wearing the clothes she made, but they were not clean at all. The sleeves were stained with blood, so red that it was blinding.
He looked out at the sea of clouds, the cold light of lightning occasionally falling on him.
The pagoda was filled with mournful cries and sharp shouts. A thick, turbid black air poured out and swept to the riverside like a hurricane. The reeds rustled and the scattered soul fire was torn apart and gathered.
No matter how the soul fire struggles, it cannot escape the control of the resentful energy.
On top of the pagoda, golden bells rang.
He watched quietly on the shore.
Until countless soul fires swept out from the top of the tower, they condensed into one hazy figure after another. They were unfamiliar faces, with wounds and blood, wearing torn armor, holding weapons, and with strict military discipline.
The golden bells were still ringing.
He looked at them across the water.
"General!"
"General!"
"General!"
The shouts of 30,000 people shook the whole world, and every one of them straightened their backs and stood tall.
"Where is my son Jing'an?"
The young general opened his mouth with a sharp voice.
"The Jing'an Army is here!"
Thirty thousand people shouted in unison, shaking the sky.
The young general looked at each of them, "We have lived and died together, killed countless enemies, you are my Xu Hexue's best soldiers! I am proud to have you as my soldiers. When I was alive, I failed to protect you, and you died with me bearing the infamy. After death, you were trapped in the pagoda because of your resentment. Fortunately, now the resentment has been eliminated, and you, all of you, will enter the reincarnation."
With a wave of his hand, thirty thousand heroic souls transformed into drops of soul fire, floating across the Water of Hate and heading towards him.
Every drop of soul fire reluctantly tugged at his clothes, floating around him. Surrounded by cold smoke, the soul fire gathered into the figure of a man.
His body was covered with holes left by arrows and he was tall and sturdy.
"Little scholar."
This call made Xu Hexue almost burst into tears, "Xue Huai."
"I'll never let you worry while I'm alive,"
Xue Huai's face was still stained with blood. "I didn't expect that even after death, you would still worry about us. We are so sorry for you, General."
"I failed to protect you."
Xu Hexue took two steps forward.
"General, you are the best general in my heart," Xue Huai said with red eyes, but still gave him a stiff smile, "Although we had a fight when we first met, but in those years with you, I fought happily. I admire you and I never regret staying with you."
"You are also my best deputy general."
Xu Hexue said.
"I am very happy to hear your words."
Xue Huai's figure became increasingly faint. "If there is a next life, I am still willing to be a soldier at the border. If I can meet you again, I will still be your deputy general. Fuck the king and father, I am only for the people and the country!"
The soul fire surrounding Xu Hexue gradually dissipated, the old man's voice and appearance were no longer there, and he stood alone quietly among the reeds.
"General Yujie, you should also go back to where you should be."
An old and heavy voice came, almost resounding throughout Ni Su's entire dream. The figure disappeared, and the pagoda of hatred was shattered by thunder.
She opened her eyes suddenly.
The room was dark.
She slept from day to night.
She was breathing heavily, and the green gauze curtains in the room moved in the wind. She heard a faint sound, and the moonlight spread through the half-open lattice window. She raised her eyelids and saw the kite on the desk being blown up by the strong wind.
She didn't even bother to put on her shoes and socks, she stood up, brushed aside the curtain, and went to pick up the kite.
She put the kite back on the table and turned around. The moon was bright outside and the sky was full of stars.
With a creaky sound, she opened the door and stood barefoot under the eaves. The lights were on in the yard and it was quiet. She looked up and the sky full of stars looked like a vast river.
She tried hard to distinguish them, trying to find the brightest one.
Ni Su searched for a long time and saw two stars next to each other. They were almost equally bright, while the other stars around them were much dimmer.
Is it him?
Is it him, and his teacher?
They must have met in heaven.
"Xu Ziling, I'm probably going to hate rain."
Ni Su looked at the night sky and said, "You'd better let me see you every day. From now on, the two of us, one in heaven and one on earth, will live well together."
Shuang Ge and Xiao Zao were breathing heavily in the stable, their horses' hooves pounding the ground.
Ni Su took out a copper basin, lit a fire in it with firewood, and then sat on the steps. In her arms was the clothes she had made for him the first time.
Snow-white satin with beautiful light gold patterns on it.
There was also a scarlet inner robe.
He likes this one very much, but is always afraid of getting it dirty.
The fire in the copper basin burned more and more vigorously. Ni Su dipped his pen into ink and stared at the clean paper for a long time before he put pen to paper:
"Fan Yang's wife Ni Su has prepared winter clothes for her husband Xu Hexue."
She blew on the wet ink and placed it inside her robe. Sparks flew and made crackling sounds. The moment she let go, the clothes fell into the brazier. The flames devoured the fabric and burned the paper.
The flames burned Ni Su's cheeks until they were hot. She sat on the steps, her eyelids silently moist.
Suddenly, the sound of golden bells rang out.
Ni Su seemed to be stabbed by the sound, and then the night wind suddenly became fierce, blowing the flames in the copper basin in front of her to flare up.
A cold fog suddenly rose. Ni Su wanted to stand up, but she almost couldn't stand. She held on to the pillar to relax herself, but the strong wind made it difficult for her to open her eyes.
Cold, wet air dripped onto her clothes drop by drop. Ni Su forced herself to open her eyes. The moment the lanterns in the yard were blown out, she could clearly see the snow on the back of her hand.
Ni Su looked up suddenly.
The moonlight is like a silk thread, and the falling snow is like a thread.
She opened her eyes wide, the ice and snow on her neck and shoulders stimulated her senses, the moonlight fell in the vast cold fog, condensing into a tall figure.
Snow-white sleeves, vermilion lapels, and thick black hair.
Such a pale and handsome face.
"Ah Xi."
