Chapter 51 Why did he think of her again?

Xing Zhao looked up and, the instant her eyes met those phoenix eyes, she clearly saw the storm being suppressed within them.

His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately lowered his head and continued to report, “Your Majesty, the current Khan Ashina Duobi disguised himself as a Persian merchant when he was young and traveled to the Central Plains. He had an illegitimate son, Xu Yuansi, with the daughter of the wealthy merchant Jiang Wang. Xu Yuansi was able to escape from the Supervisory Office this time because of Jiang Wang’s involvement. This is the testimony of the people involved.”

Xing Zhao bowed and presented the list, then bowed again and returned to his original position.

Xiao Shenjing opened the memorial, glanced at it without raising his eyebrows, and wrote, "Releasing the enemy prince is undoubtedly treason."

He raised his imperial brush and wrote a large "Execute" on it.

With a 'thud,' the memorial was thrown back at Xing Zhao's feet.

Xing Zhao bent down to pick it up and continued to report: "Ashina Duobi had a total of seven sons and five daughters. The only living princes are the eldest son Ashina Yuanlie, the second prince who was recently found, and the youngest seventh prince Ashina Wusu. Now, the only one with the strength to compete for the throne is the second prince who was recently found."

Xiao Shenjing remained silent.

He slowly turned his head, staring at the snowlight coming from downstairs in the multi-treasure pavilion, his gaze indifferent, his jawline taut as a line.

Does Yunxi know Xu Yuansi's true identity?

If she had known, given her personality, she wouldn't have cared whether the other person was Turkic or not.

Will she go to find him?

Even if she had to travel thousands of miles through mountains of knives and seas of fire, nothing could stop her.

Or perhaps she already knew Xu Yuansi's identity?

That's why she risked everything to escape the palace, just to return to his side.

The young emperor suddenly lowered his eyelashes, concealing the sudden surge of cold ruthlessness in his eyes.

So what? He dared to seize this empire, how could he let her go?

Everyone in the world prostrates themselves before him, so why is Yunxi the exception?

She will eventually understand that she should stay by his side for the rest of her life.

You are not allowed to go anywhere.

"Send men to keep a close eye on the Turkic court's every move." The young emperor issued the decree from his high position. "Send Yunxi's portrait to the spies. If she appears in the Turkic territory, they must capture her for me."

Xing Zhao and Gu Wenqian both answered "Yes".

"Gu Wenqian, if you still have no clue about her within ten days, I will hold you responsible."

His indifferent tone was like a sharp blade hanging over Gu Wenqian's head, ready to fall and behead him at any moment.

Besides practicing with his fellow apprentices in the escort agency, Yunxi spent the rest of his time running around the streets with Congtou and Xiaobei.

Go to the entertainment districts to listen to music and watch cockfights and animal shows, and play some dice games when you have nothing else to do.

As the year draws to a close, the streets are filled with a festive red hue.

Seeing this, she changed her ways and stopped drinking and gambling. She spent her free time figuring out how to make the escort agency more lively and bustling.

All sorts of lanterns were hung all over the yard, even on the crooked jujube tree.

She even had many paper-cut window decorations made for her, and as if that wasn't enough, she also made some herself.

On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Congtou and Xiaobei suppressed their laughter as they brushed the paper-cut window decorations with paste and pasted them on the windows.

When Zhang Huailin, who was visiting a friend, entered the backyard and saw the paper-cut window decorations pasted on the windows, he felt his vision go black.

She replaced the imposing broadswords held by the gatekeepers with embroidery needles and bent down to embroider.

The carp leaping over the dragon gate pasted on the main door has turned into a fathead fish stuck on the dragon gate, rolling its eyes and sticking out its tongue, looking like it's lying flat.

She didn't even spare the kitchen, cutting out a Kitchen God figure with tears streaming down his face from the spiciness of chili peppers.

"Yunxi, come out here!" A deafening roar suddenly echoed in the courtyard.

In the backyard, Yunxi, sitting on the loquat tree, picked at her ear and slowly ate another candied hawthorn.

It's sweet and sour, refreshing, and delicious.

Looking at the strange paper-cut window decorations, Zhang Huailin somehow found a stick, rushed to the loquat tree, pointed at her, and yelled, "You, you, you, get down here! Do you know this is a great disrespect!"

Yunxi chuckled, "Uncle Zhang, don't you think a smile makes you ten years younger?"

“?” Zhang Huailin.

Yunxi swung her legs and said matter-of-factly, "These gods can make us laugh more and live ten years longer. Isn't that a merit?"

Zhang Huailin

Because of Yunxi's strange and unusual paper-cut window decorations, everyone who saw them couldn't help but laugh, making the originally serious escort agency filled with laughter all day long.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, all the lanterns in the courtyard were lit, creating a festive and lively atmosphere.

Zhang Huailin set up two tables, filled with hot dishes and fine wine.

“Come on, Uncle Zhang, let’s have a drink.” Yunxi held the wine jar, her cheeks flushed with wine, bright and radiant.

"You've had enough to drink tonight, drink less," Zhang Huailin couldn't help but remind him.

"Uncle Zhang, are you talking so much because you're getting old and don't dare to drink with me?" Yunxi deliberately provoked him.

"You little brat, you've completely gone too far!" Being a member of the martial arts world himself, Zhang Huailin was instantly enraged by her. "Come on, let's drink until we drop tonight!"

"Hahahaha!" Yunxi laughed loudly, "Alright, come on, drink this bowl."

The small courtyard was unusually lively, easily shattering the chill of deep winter.

It gives you a strong sense of the New Year's atmosphere just by looking at it from afar.

Yet, within the majestic Forbidden City, the most magnificent and opulent place in the world, lies a chilling coldness.

As emperor, his annual schedule was fixed.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, the court officials played the "Dance of Pacifying the World," and Emperor Xiao Shenjing bestowed wine upon various ethnic groups from the Western Regions.

Afterwards, the nine ministers received their annual gifts at the Donghua Gate.

At the beginning of the hour of You (5-7 PM), the emperor ordered the imperial kitchen to send "biting spring boxes" to various government offices. These boxes contained spring pancakes, braised meat, and five pungent vegetables (such as scallions and garlic), symbolizing "the unity of the emperor and his ministers."

Boring.

At 2:45 PM, Xiao Shenjing set up a banquet in Kunning Palace to have New Year's Eve dinner with a group of concubines and imperial relatives.

When the emperor approached, all the concubines were extremely careful, fearing that they might say something wrong and leave a handle against them.

Even with music playing, the banquet remained quiet, solemn, and reserved.

Princess Chong'an has been keeping a low profile lately. At banquets, aside from the usual congratulations, she simply drinks and doesn't say much.

The young emperor, seated on his throne, barely touched even the ivory-inlaid gold chopsticks.

Noticing this, Cen Yuwei pursed her lips and invited everyone to play a drinking game.

This actually made the otherwise boring family dinner a bit more lively.

Xiao Shenjing leaned back on the sandalwood dragon-patterned couch, his fingertips lightly tapping the imperial table as he listened casually to the concubines playing drinking games.

When it was Consort Li's turn, she held the golden goblet, her eyes sparkling, and said in a sweet voice, "Your Majesty, I accept the 'Fu' character and wish Your Majesty boundless blessings and longevity, and may you have several sons and daughters next year!"

Before he finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

The emperor paused, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

"Sister Li is so considerate." Consort Xue covered her lips with a handkerchief, her smile not reaching her eyes. "But this blessing of 'adding a child' depends on fate; it cannot be forced."

"Yes," Consort De said slowly, peeling a kumquat. "The Imperial Astronomical Bureau said a few days ago that there's an inauspicious star near the Purple Star, which might be inauspicious."

Before she could finish speaking, the emperor coldly raised his eyes, and the virtuous concubine immediately fell silent, lowering her head to take a sip of wine.

The charcoal fire crackled inside the hall, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere, yet inexplicably sending a chill down one's spine.

"Your Majesty?" the Empress called softly.

Xiao Shenjing's gaze swept over all the concubines in the hall, finally landing on Consort De, and he said indifferently, "Since Consort De is so eager for offspring, she should go to Baohua Hall tomorrow to copy scriptures and pray for blessings."

Consort De turned pale and hurriedly knelt down to express her gratitude.

Outside the palace, the wind and snow intensified, and the palace lanterns under the eaves swayed, casting many shadowy figures throughout the hall, like a farcical dream.

Sitting in the Forbidden City, a place countless people dream of living in, surrounded by beauties of all shapes and sizes.

What should have been a moment of great joy was instead quickly abandoned by Xiao Shenjing and his concubines.

A northerly wind suddenly rose outside the corridor. Although hexagonal palace lanterns hung from the eaves of the corridor, their red color could not break through the cold desolation that had accumulated in the Forbidden City over the years.

Xiao Shenjing stood under the corridor and slowly stopped.

He suddenly remembered New Year's Eve five years ago.

On New Year's Eve, all the princes and princesses, along with their concubines, would attend a family banquet.

Emperor Jingquan had eleven sons and three daughters.

Four of the princes died young, and others were exiled for making mistakes.

In reality, only six remained in the capital.

Every year at the end of the year, the earthenware radiator would be heated until the gold bricks were scorching hot, and the other five seats would be occupied by the mother and concubines sitting to the side, naturally creating a harmonious and joyful atmosphere.

Xiao Shenjing, however, had lost his mother at a young age and sat alone at the end.

At that time, he preferred to tend to flowers and plants without competing or vying for anything. In the eyes of the princes, he was the least threatening one, and their words of suppression and ridicule were natural.

He naturally disliked such a family banquet, but as long as the emperor remained seated, he had no choice but to sit there until the end, no matter how much he disliked it.

Winters in the Forbidden City are always very cold, with heavy snow covering the sky.

Before he could marry and have children, Emperor Jingsheng sent him out of the palace at a young age.

So every Lunar New Year's Eve passes by quietly and coldly.

He thought that New Year's Eve was always like this and there would be no difference.

After receiving the imperial food and returning to the mansion, he had just stepped into the outer courtyard and passed the screen wall when his eyes suddenly lit up.

There was a new 'tree' in the yard.

White silk, resembling snow, is wrapped around the vigorous branches of the plum tree.

Hundreds of diamond-shaped tin foil pieces hang there, fluttering in the snow and wind, refracting fragments of red and gold light.

It was so lively it was like a dazzling display of lights.

Go around this tree.

A string of lanterns suddenly appeared before Xiao Shenjing's eyes.

There are all kinds of lanterns, but the most eye-catching ones are the little figures painted on them.

Although simple, it is very lifelike.

The painting depicts a man and a woman meeting on the street. The man stands up for the woman, and the two fall in love at first sight.

This was his first meeting with Yunxi.

On that day in Chang'an, Yunxi bumped into Zhu Chenjie, the eldest son of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, while saving a beggar.

Seeing that she, a noble lady, only knew how to crudely brandish knives and spears, she was ridiculed by a group of young masters.

"Is this Miss Fan from the Jiangyuan Marquis's mansion going to play Mu Guiying leading the army?" someone joked. "Why don't you change your clothes and come with us to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion to sing a little song?"

Before the words were finished, the four-bearer blue sedan chair crushed the ground, eliciting laughter. The black sedan chair curtain was lifted halfway by a jade-framed fan, revealing half a face.

Even the midday sun seemed to dim slightly because of her radiant beauty.

His face was so beautiful and stunning that the anger in Yunxi's eyes vanished instantly.

All that remained was the bright, glaring light.

Zhu Chenjie, the "Prince of Huailing," was taken aback. The young men who had been laughing intimately just moments before now looked like quails with their throats being choked.

The person in the sedan chair casually glanced at the several noble young men present, smiled slightly at Yun Xi, and praised, "This young lady's sword aura is so fierce that it can shatter the moon in the sky."

The little figures on the lanterns, one after another, guided him toward the inner courtyard.

With so many lanterns, it's hard to imagine how Yunxi patiently painted them all.

Xiao Shenjing walked and observed along the way.

They couldn't feel the chill of winter or the desolation of New Year's Eve at all.

The little figures on each lantern depicted moments he and Yunxi spent together, except that the part about the woman and man getting married was fictional. In the end, the two had a chubby baby.

Just as Xiao Shenjing stopped to take a closer look, Yun Xi appeared before him, dressed in a scarlet robe.

That crisp, clear call seemed to echo in my ears.

Xiao Shenjing suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The warm light vanished from her sight, and her charming smile, like peeled gold foil, was instantly swallowed by darkness.

He returned to the Forbidden City in an instant.

Silent and solemn, cold and empty.

It resembles a huge tomb.

Xiao Shenjing stood there, looking dazed.

I stood there for a long time.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Fu Shun asked softly from behind.

Soon, Xiao Shenjing shook his head.

Clutching his hands, he took a step and walked towards the sleeping quarters.

Yunxi, no matter where you escape to, I will find you and bring you back.