Chapter 131: Four Seasons (IV)
On the tenth day of the fourth month of the twenty-first year of Zhengyuan, Emperor Zhengyuan passed away in the Qinghe Hall. As there was no will left by his father, the two ministers of the East Palace and the West Palace ordered the secretary Pei Zhiyuan to draft a will and read it out in front of the coffin. The crown prince Zhao Yi ascended the throne, changed the reign title to Xiyou, and presided over the funeral ceremony of the late emperor.
On the west steps of the palace, members of the royal family and all civil and military officials in the capital wore plain clothes and went into the palace to mourn every seven days for a total of forty-nine days.
"Have you asked for help from the Imperial Medical Bureau?"
On a rainy night, a young palace maid anxiously asked a eunuch outside the palace.
"I've gone. It should be here soon!"
The eunuch wiped the rain off his face. As the two were talking, they saw a series of lights coming closer and . They looked closely and saw that the person being surrounded by a group of people was Rong Sheng, the chief of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
"Rong is on duty."
The two of them saluted hurriedly.
Rong Sheng walked up the stairs slowly, listening to the woman screaming in pain. He asked, "Why do we need to call a doctor when the midwife is already inside?"
"The queen is having a difficult birth, and her life may be in danger..."
The maid answered cautiously.
"It's a difficult birth,"
Rong Sheng nodded, "That's a bit troublesome. Have you asked for help from the Imperial Medical Bureau?"
"They have already gone. We have also reported this matter to Her Majesty the Queen." The maid answered truthfully.
The queen she was referring to was the previously deposed Princess Jia, Li Xizhen.
When the late emperor passed away, the new emperor, in the name of funeral rites , went against the majority opinion and made Li, a commoner, the empress, and led the ladies of honor to mourn for the late emperor.
Rong Sheng said, "We are here at the order of the Empress. The wet nurses are waiting in the side hall, right?"
"yes."
The maid responded.
Rong Sheng nodded and was about to ask something else when he heard the sharp female voice in the hall suddenly stop. He raised his head and saw the vermilion door of the hall opened, and a midwife was seen with a pale face and sweat on her forehead.
"What's going on?"
Rong Sheng frowned and immediately asked, "Has the Concubine Dowager given birth?"
"Give birth,"
The midwife's lips trembled, "But, but..."
"But what!"
Rong Sheng said sternly.
"The baby was born, but it was stillborn!"
The midwife lowered her body immediately.
"What?"
Rong Sheng opened his eyes wide.
The news that Concubine Wu had given birth to a stillborn baby reached the Qinghe Hall. The new emperor Zhao Yi was reading memorials at his desk. He raised his head when he heard the news. "Is it true?"
"Yes, official."
Rongsheng was soaked by the rain.
"Go down and change your clothes."
Zhao Yi waved his hand, "Liang Shenfu, all of you go down."
Liang Shenfu responded immediately, and then led his godson Rongsheng and a group of palace maids and eunuchs out.
There were only the emperor and the empress in the palace. Zhao Yi stood up and drew aside the curtain. The empress was still wearing plain clothes and sitting on the couch. She looked tired. "My lord, why don't you speak?"
"Xi Zhen..."
Zhao Yi walked in, "Is that what you meant?"
Li Xizhen has been busy with funeral ceremonies recently, and the number of people has decreased a lot. "Now everyone in the court says that you are very different from before. You dealt with the more than 30 criminals in the General Yujie case as you wish. You also killed or exiled those who framed Mr. Zhang Chongzhi, Zheng Jian. With the two ministers Meng and Huang here, no official in the court dares to look down on you, the new emperor."
As she spoke, Li Xizhen raised her eyelids, "But I have been married to the emperor for many years, so how could I not know that the reason why you were so decisive on these two matters was, firstly, because General Yujie and Mr. Zhang Chongzhi were too important to you, and secondly, because you vented all your anger over the years here, but you hesitated about the child in Mrs. Wu's belly."
"Xizhen, you shouldn't get involved in these things. I'm just thinking of a foolproof plan."
Zhao Yi said.
Li Xizhen pulled her lips, "If I don't get involved now, will I leave the trouble for you to hesitate? Of course I know you are afraid that this matter will be known to the court officials, and they will use it to attack me in the future, but I am not afraid of these. I only know that if it was a princess, she would have passed safely tonight, but Wu gave birth to a prince. If that prince is still alive, your throne will not be stable."
"Or do you want to punish me, sir?"
"Xizhen! How could I possibly punish you?" Zhao Yi walked up to her, squatted down, and looked at her thin face. "I know you did this for me. I shouldn't be soft-hearted. You were right to teach me a lesson."
Seeing him squatting in front of her like this, Li Xizhen couldn't help but smile. She reached out and touched his head, "How dare I teach the emperor a lesson?"
"I never thought that there would be such a day. You know, I actually don't want to stay here at all, let alone be an official. But Xizhen, I am already in this position now."
Zhao Yi rested his head on her lap. "I don't know if I can be a good emperor, but when you are by my side, watching over me and reminding me, I feel at ease. We are husband and wife, and we will always be."
"Don't listen to the court officials who ask you to persuade me. I, Zhao Yi, only want you as my wife in this life, and no one else."
Recently, the affairs of the great funeral have gradually come to an end, and there have been more and more memorials in the court requesting the new emperor to select an imperial concubine and continue the royal succession. After the court officials headed by Huang Zongyu failed to persuade the new emperor many times, they turned their attention to Queen Li.
"They know that I am not in good health, and they want you to learn from the example of the late emperor and have more offspring."
Li Xizhen said.
"I am the adopted son of the late emperor. If they push me too hard, I can just adopt someone from the royal family. What's the big deal?"
Zhao Yi is not the previous emperor. He is not so stubborn about his own children. "Don't try to persuade me."
Li Xizhen straightened his hair and said, "Sir, Miss Ni invited us to her home for a gathering tomorrow. She is going back to Que County, and we should see her off."
Zhao Yi was startled when Ni Su was mentioned, then he looked up and said, "That's my sister-in-law, so we should go."
…
At the end of May, there were more than 30 varieties of peaches on the market. Cai Chunxu had just returned from her hometown. Ni Su and she went to the street and bought a full basket.
At dusk, Meng Yunxian and Jiang Shao and his wife came over. Ni Su saw Meng Yunxian holding a jar of wine and a roast goose. "Foster father, didn't I say you don't need to bring anything?"
"He said this was a good wine that he normally wouldn't drink."
Jiang Shao smiled and came over to hold her arm. "I picked this roast goose. The roast goose shop in the south of the city is the best in Yunjing. I wanted to buy some for you earlier, but you are sick and it is not good for you to eat these meats."
"Thank you, stepmother."
Ni Su laughed and said, "Let's go in."
Just as he opened the curtain and walked to the back corridor, Meng Yunxian smelled the fragrance of food. He couldn't help but smile and said, "Is it that little brother named Qingqiong? It smells so good. I'm really hungry."
As soon as he finished speaking, a young man with sweat all over his forehead ran out from the kitchen. He was still wearing a headscarf, his eyes were dark, and he was holding a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables in his hands. "Mr. Meng, Mrs. Meng, you are here? Please take a seat!"
There was a round table in the yard with several dishes already placed on it. Qingqiong put the stir-fried vegetables on the table. Meng Yunxian was about to speak when he heard the noise in the kitchen.
He looked at Qingqiong who was moving the chairs, wondering, "Ah Xi, who did you hire to help in the kitchen?"
Ni Sucai put the basket on the chair in the corridor, and a man came out from the smoky kitchen. He was wearing a light blue round-collared robe with white collar, black hair and thick eyelashes. He was just putting down his sleeves. He was tall and straight, and his face was clear and handsome under the sunlight. "Mr. Meng, Madam."
Qingqiong saw the wine jar and roast goose in Meng Yunxian's hands suddenly fall down, and he immediately stretched out his hands to catch them in time.
Jiang Shao also stood there in a daze, unable to speak for a long time.
Meng Yunxian still recalls that night as if he were in a dream. A 19-year-old boy was holding a lantern, his figure as thin as mist. He stood in front of him, bowed to him and asked him to put it down.
Now, under the bright sunlight, the boy still looks like he is 19 years old, bowing and observing courtesy.
Meng Yunxian looked at him and found that his figure was different from that night. The sunlight at the end of May was already very bright, and when it fell on his body, it did not reveal that he was a ghost.
He couldn't help himself and couldn't believe it, "...Zi Ling?"
Ni Su pulled Xu Hexue into the yard and stood in front of Meng Yunxian and Jiang Shao, "Adoptive mother and adoptive father, it's him."
"You're back?"
Meng Yunxian's eyes were filled with tears. He raised his hand, wanting to touch her, but his hand stopped in mid-air.
Xu Hexue lowered her head, "Yes, I'm back."
"I heard your voice, thank you for collecting my body."
"What kind of burial is that? I can't even find your remains, let alone a cenotaph..." Meng Yunxian's voice trembled, "It's sixteen years late. If it weren't for that broken gun, Ziling, how would we have the face to see you in your mourning hall..."
"These are not important. If it weren't for you, Yonggeng, if you hadn't risked everything for me," Xu Hexue said, holding the hand of the woman beside him, "I wouldn't have such a chance to return to the world of the living now."
"Godfather and mother, please don't be sad. Come and sit down."
Ni Su let go of Xu Hexue and pushed Meng Yunxian and Jiang Shao to sit at the table. She turned around and asked, "Are there any dishes in the kitchen?"
"There is only one soup left, I'll go get it!" Qingqiong untied the oil paper around the roast goose and brought a few cups. When he heard Ni Su asking Xu Hexue, he immediately turned around and went back to the kitchen.
"Does Ziling eat these too?"
Jiang Shao suppressed her tears, raised her face and asked uncertainly.
Ni Su and Xu Hexue looked at each other, and she smiled at Jiang Shao, "Food."
"If I had known Zi Ling was here , I would have been the one to cook this meal," Jiang Shao wiped her face with a handkerchief, "After so many years, I'm afraid Zi Ling has forgotten my cooking skills, right?"
Xu Hexue's pale face didn't show much expression, and even his voice was cold, but even so, his words could make people feel a bit gentle. "Yes, I haven't eaten at your house for many years. I was young then, and I was grateful for your care."
"I'll make you a meal right away."
Jiang Shao's eyes became hot again and she stood up and rolled up her sleeves.
"Let me help you."
Ni Su took her hand and went to the kitchen with her.
We meet again today, there is no grudge between people and ghosts, the light spots are rippling under the swaying shadows of the trees, the sun makes people feel warm, and when old friends meet, there is only warmth.
Ni Su and Jiang Shao Qingqiong were busy in the kitchen. Meng Yunxian opened the wine jar and took a sip himself. His throat felt very hot. "Zi Ling, look at us. We are all old, aren't we?"
“This is something I can’t ask for.”
Xu Hexue said, holding the wine bowl.
Meng Yunxian smiled bitterly, "If Chongzhi and I hadn't pushed for the new policy and offended too many people, the Qingyazhou Xu family wouldn't have been wiped out."
"You did nothing wrong. If the accumulated problems in the country's politics are not eliminated, there will be no peace for the country and the people. I have read your "Cleaning Channels" many times," Xu Hexue put down the wine bowl and rested one hand on his knee. "If I had not joined the army, even if I was a civil servant in Beijing, I would still be by your and teacher's side to stabilize the country with new policies."
"Those who have carried out reforms in the past have all shed blood and made sacrifices. You and the teacher are not afraid, and neither am I."
Xu Hexue asked, "If you don't care about the life and death of your teacher and me, would you regret writing "Qingqushu"?"
Meng Yunxian shook his head. "First there was Wu Qi, then there was Shang Yang. It seems that those who reformed the country all ended badly, but in the end, there is still Li Kui, right? He was able to reform the country and make Wei strong. I dare to bet my life on the prosperity of my Great Qi and the happiness of my people."
The breeze rustled under the tree, and mottled light fell on Xu Hexue. "Everyone will grow old, but I know you are someone who refuses to accept old age."
"Your teacher taught you this,"
Meng Yunxian looked at him and said, "I don't want to have any resentment in my heart. This makes me feel even more ashamed."
"Not only the teacher, but also you. I am very fortunate to receive the teachings of you two elders," Xu Hexue picked up the wine bowl again, and the skylight shimmered in the bowl. "Although the teacher is no longer in this world, he is watching you from heaven. I also pray for you and hope that everything will be renewed."
Suddenly there was a "bang".
Meng Yunxian and Xu Hexue both turned their heads following the sound, only to see broken pottery pieces all over the corridor and a pool of water dripping down from the corridor.
A couple in elegant clothes stood on the corridor arm in arm.
"Officials."
Meng Yunxian stood up immediately, "My Lady."
The aroma of aged wine filled the courtyard. Zhao Yi's grip on his wife's hand suddenly loosened. He stepped on the broken pieces of the wine jar on the ground and, without choosing a path, he lifted his leg and stepped over the corridor.
When Xu Hexue saw him stagger and fall to the ground, he immediately stood up and walked over.
Zhao Yi raised his head and saw a bony hand stretched out in front of him. He saw such a face. They parted at a young age. He had never seen the appearance of his best friend when he died at the age of nineteen.
"Yonggeng."
A cold voice sounded, and Zhao Yi's eyelids became wet.
Once upon a time, this man had also stretched out this hand to him in Zhaowen Hall of the Imperial City and said to him, "Zhao Yonggeng, get up."
Zhao Yi held his hand and felt it was wrapped in ice and snow.
He was shocked.
Nothing could be more intuitive than this kind of temperature. In this extreme coldness, he had to face the fact that he and his best friend were separated by Yin and Yang.
Pushing open the door of a room, Zhao Yi raised his eyes. Dust as fine as fluff was floating in the sunlight. He followed Xu Hexue inside. The furnishings inside were simple, without too much decoration, but there were a lot of books piled on the desk.
Although there are many, they are also neat.
"I thought I would never see you again."
Zhao Yi opened his mouth, his voice trembling and his eyes filled with tears.
Xu Hexue asked him, "When you killed Pan Youfang and Wu Dai, you were determined to die, right?"
Zhao Yi's throat was choked with sobs and he couldn't speak.
"Yonggeng,"
Xu Hexue sighed, "If the late emperor had not been seriously ill, you would have died because of me."
"I have lived more than ten years longer than you, but I can't bear any burden. When you were tortured to death, I couldn't save you. When my teacher was sentenced to beheading, I couldn't protect him either...Xu Ziling, look at me, I am such a useless person."
Zhao Yi couldn't stop crying. "I can't wait like Mr. Meng and the others. They can still endure, but I'm very scared. I don't know when the late emperor will become disgusted with me again. No matter how hard I try to stay in Yunjing, I can't resist the emperor's anger. Instead of this, I might as well use my life to avenge you..."
"If I want to live, I can only humiliate you again and again in front of the late emperor, but I don't want to, I really don't want to..."
Xu Hexue looked at him and said, "Zhao Yonggeng, you are already over 30 years old, and you are the new ruler of Da Qi. Don't do this."
But Zhao Yi couldn't stop crying, "You saved me that night, why didn't you recognize me?"
"I'm just afraid you'll be like this."
Xu Hexue said.
"Yong Geng, you and I are friends. I know your character best and I know how difficult it is for you. If it weren't for this world, I wouldn't want you to be in your current position."
Xu Hexue looked calm, "But now you are in this position. No matter what you were unwilling to take on in the past, you have to take it on now."
"I know."
Zhao Yi nodded, "Teacher's wish before his death was to implement new policies for the country and the people, but the late emperor only used the new policies as a means to gain power. I don't want that. I must remember teacher's unfinished ambitions. I will never let him down, and I will never let Mr. Meng down."
Xu Hexue's cold eyes showed a faint smile, "Do you still remember how sadly you cried when we were traveling and met people who starved to death on the road?"
"Remember."
"Then do you still remember what we talked about that night when we were penniless and staying at Dazhong Temple for free food?"
"Remember."
Xu Hexue and Zhao Yi stood opposite each other, one with a pale face, forever remaining at the age of nineteen, the other having gone through more than ten years of worldly vicissitudes and now looking more than thirty years old.
The old friends looked at each other, as if they were back in the days of their youth, and they both said in unison:
"My heart is filled with the hardships of farming, and my ears seem to hear the cries of hunger and cold. I will strive to get a fur coat ten thousand feet long, so that we can build Luoyang City together."
