Chapter 178 The Powerful Minister Returns to His Youth 32.

After the heavy snow and with the winter solstice approaching, Huai'an is not cold. Today, the rare sunshine dispels the bone-chilling cold, making the fallen leaves fall softly, the breeze gentle, and the sky clear and bright.

A willow tree leans against the flower hall, its leaves half yellow and half green, its branches drooping and sweeping across the eaves and roof tiles, making a very light sound, like the wind.

The story of Mobei ended sometime later. Afu was very quiet, and Yu Shiqing was also very quiet. One of them looked at the painting, and the other looked at the flower, remaining silent.

After an unknown amount of time, Afu's voice came first: "Sir, is it... that something has happened to Father or Little Uncle?"

This child is both surprisingly slow to react and surprisingly sensitive.

Yu Shiqing shifted his gaze from the swaying, unnamed wildflower to Afu. "It's your father, he's missing..." He explained the situation as simply as possible in a language Afu could understand.

Of course, this is different from what Princess Tongyong said. He didn't mention many of the troop deployments and plans; he only focused on one key point for Afu.

"...In your previous life, very little was known about your father's headache. What your youngest uncle and I witnessed was that after your youngest uncle entered the Eastern Palace, the prince suddenly distanced himself from him and gradually became unfamiliar in his behavior. After that, without any investigation or attempt to ease the situation, your youngest uncle and I went to the northern desert. When we returned, your youngest uncle had quelled the turmoil in the capital and ascended the throne as emperor, while your father went to his fiefdom and went far away."

Yu Shiqing slowly said, "Later, I only heard that your father's headaches became more and more severe and more frequent. Your little uncle often sent famous doctors and precious medicines to Cenzhou, but nothing changed."

"Then, one day in the third year of the reign of Emperor Qianlong, news of the Prince of Yong's rebellion arrived, shaking the court and the country. Your youngest uncle wanted to personally lead the expedition, not to quell the rebellion, but simply to see what had become of his elder brother."

"But his position meant he couldn't do it. So, I was ordered to go south."

Yu Shiqing raised his eyes and looked towards the distant southern sky, his voice low and deep: "In the final battle, on Qingyang Lake, I saw your father."

"He... was very strange. It was as if he had suddenly woken up from a dream. He looked at me with a strange and dazed expression and said, 'Tell Xuan Shu that it was Fourth Brother who wronged him.' Then, without any warning, he drew his sword and committed suicide."

"At the time, I didn't sense anything. It's all about the victor and the vanquished; so many heroes and villains have fallen into this trap. But now, facing this new situation, all these strange occurrences, combined with the doubts from my past life..."

He closed his eyes briefly, then suddenly smiled, meeting Afu's gaze: "To be honest, before this matter, my plan was to use my position as a calligraphy and painting master to gradually gather enough information from the young princess. Unfortunately, fate is never in our control."

"But this isn't necessarily a bad thing. At least I'm happy sitting in the flower hall with Afu, even though I haven't taken a single class yet."

"Afu is unhappy...Afu wants to cry." The little girl's eyes were both cheerful and sad.

But she didn't understand what joy or sorrow meant, so when they came together, all that remained were tears.

“Cry if you want to cry, laugh if you want to laugh,” Yu Shiqing said gently. “Afu can always do that.”

The little girl's eyes were covered with a handkerchief by the mute old woman. After a moment, a voice came from under the handkerchief, as soft as a kitten's, "Sir, you want to know... what was wrong with my father's headache in his previous life... right?"

"Afu is intelligent," Yu Shiqing exclaimed, both admiring and praising him.

“The tragedy has not yet occurred, but many things seem to have appeared ahead of time, as if drawn by some force,” Yu Shiqing said. “The Prince’s sudden disappearance in Huai’an is something that has never happened in the previous life. We only know that he was suspected of being controlled by a strange person and left with his secret guards, but we have no idea where they went. We cannot contact the secret guards, and the search continues to expand but there are no clues.”

"The longer we delay, the worse it will be for the prince. We must find them as soon as possible."

“I suspect that the strange man’s condition is related to his headaches, and that he existed in a previous life. In this world, apart from the strange man himself and your father, perhaps only you have some understanding of him.”

“If possible,” Yu Shiqing looked at the little girl across the table, his gaze gentle yet firm, seemingly radiating a spring-like, boundless strength, “please have Afu tell the teacher about the prince’s several bouts of headaches in his previous life, as well as some events during the Yong Prince’s Rebellion…”

The handkerchief was removed from the little girl's eyes. Her eyes were clear and bright, revealed in the sunlight.

...

Winter days are short, and the sunsets are not particularly spectacular.

As the sun began to set, only a faint light shone on the horizon. Yu Shiqing stepped out of the flower hall and into the lakeside pavilion, bathed in that light.

Afu was still sick. After speaking and crying, he was exhausted and soon fell asleep in the arms of the mute old woman. There were still tear stains on the corners of his eyes, but his little face was no longer as pale as before.

"Thank you, Mr. Yu."

Upon entering the pavilion, before she could even speak, Princess Yong rose and solemnly bowed.

Yu Shiqing was taken aback, then realized and returned the greeting: "Your Highness is too kind. It is Afu who is so clever."

“Intelligence is both a good thing and a bad thing,” Princess Yong sighed. “Afu has always been precocious despite his young age. After being reborn, whether on the surface or in his heart, he only occasionally shows signs of depression. We can’t tell anything from him. Although we feel sorry for him and care about him, we can’t point it out, and we also don’t know what’s wrong with him. If it weren’t for today’s event, we would never have known that this child had so many worries in his heart.”

"Regardless of her past or present life, she's only a few years old... It's my fault as her mother..."

"Fourth Sister-in-law, there's no need to blame yourself," Ye Cangxing said, shifting his gaze from Yu Shiqing. "This matter is strange; who can handle it properly? Once we get through this, things will only get better."

Princess Yong sighed again.

Yu Shiqing then grasped the key point: "What the Princess just said was... her true feelings?"

“That’s right,” Ye Zangxing said directly, seeing that Princess Yong had no intention of hiding anything from Yu Shiqing. “This is exactly what Fourth Sister-in-law was talking about with me just now…”

He explained the whole story in a few words. Clearly, after the two of them, along with the guards and secret agents, reported to her and clarified the current situation, Princess Yong had changed her mind and made up her mind.

"So that's how it is."

Many questions suddenly cleared from Yu Shiqing's mind.

He closed his eyes briefly and whispered, "Your Highness, all this turmoil is caused by wicked people. In our past lives, we were all deceived, but it's not too late to wake up now. Whether Your Highness believes it or not, the Sixth Prince and I have never intended to be enemies with you and Prince Yong..."

“I believe what Mr. Yu says,” said Princess Yong.

Yu Shiqing had a meal.

Princess Yong saw the undisguised doubt on Yu Shiqing's face and smiled, "Mr. Yu, there's no need to be surprised. Since you know that Afu is someone who has crossed the Bridge of Helplessness, and you also know that three of the four members of our family can hear Afu's thoughts, you should be able to guess that we will naturally learn many things about you from Afu's 'mouth'."

Princess Yong showed a hint of reminiscence: "The thing I remember most clearly is what Afu said. In her previous life, when she left the capital and went to Cenzhou with us, she heard many people say bad things about Xuan Shu and you. They secretly told him that your family had left their hometown and could never come back because of these two people."

“Afu was very angry at the time, and cried secretly. She threw away all the puppets, small swords, and flower balls that Xuan Shu had made for her before. Later that night, she cried again and secretly went to pick them up, but she couldn’t find them anywhere…”

"Afu went to Cenzhou like this, and he was not happy along the way. He did not get off the carriage or leave the post station until the carriage entered Lunan. There was a lot of noise outside, and people were talking about the new emperor and you, Mr. Yu."

"Ah Fu couldn't resist and went to eavesdrop..."

[My mother still thinks Mr. Yu is just a minor scholar who didn't even pass the imperial examinations, and therefore has no ability! If she knew that in Li County, and most of southern Shandong, people would praise Mr. Yu, love him, and wish they could build a shrine in his honor and a grand temple for him, she would definitely be just as curious and surprised as she was in my previous life!]

[Mr. Yu lived and ate with so many people on the dike, working day and night to fight the flood for a whole month. Finally, he came up with a method that cured the Lu River!]

[Some people even presented him with a "people's umbrella"!]

Princess Yong still chuckles when she recalls the overwhelming praise, admiration, and regret that Afu expressed when she first mentioned Yu Shiqing. No wonder her master was so jealous after hearing it; Afu had never admired his father like that.

“Afu said that anyone praised by so many people must be a good person. The young prince is friends with such a good person, so he must be a good person too,” Princess Yong said. “Since then, Afu has somehow become happy again. Occasionally, when he hears someone cursing Mr. Yu for ‘seeking fame and fortune’ or ‘being nothing but a stinking peasant,’ he will jump out of the carriage to argue with them…”

Yu Shiqing listened absentmindedly, his expression a mixture of emotions.

He had mostly talked about the Yong Prince's mansion with Afu, barely mentioning himself. He never imagined that Afu viewed him this way. Praised by all, what merit did he possess?

Even the finest jade has its flaws, and no gentleman is perfect.

Unlike him, Ye Zangxing listened attentively.

Even in the hazy fog in my mind, some images vaguely appeared: the roaring Lu River, the endless torrential rain that seemed to collapse the sky and the earth, the sun and moon going dark together, tears and blood crashing against the long dike, and finally, a smiling face and a paper umbrella with countless unspeakable hardships.

This is Yu Shiqing.

He's a good person, and a little bad, but ultimately, he's a very, very good person. Whether praised or criticized, his character remains unchanged.

“What I knew before is what I knew before,” Princess Yong sighed, “but I never imagined that the past life is also today. If Mr. Yu hadn’t stepped forward himself, he could be considered the most hidden extraordinary person here.”

"The future may not be peaceful."

Before Yu Shiqing could answer, Ye Zangxing, who was listening intently, blurted out without hesitation, "What's there to be afraid of? As long as I'm here, I'll always protect Danzhi!"

Her voice was clear and melodious, like the most agile wind and the most joyful water.

Yu Shiqing's brows furrowed, and he was slightly taken aback.

"As long as I am here, I will always protect you, Qingqing. What can heaven and earth do against me?"

On the eve of the coronation ceremony in the first year of the Qianding era, under a starry night, the new emperor, lifting his robe, squatted on the steps and looked at him with a smile.

An emperor's word is his bond; he has never broken his promise. However, the prerequisite is "my presence."

"You still have the heart of a young boy, not much older than Awang..." Princess Yong said with a helpless smile.

Having said that, she turned to look at Yu Shiqing, about to say something more, when she saw Mr. Yu suddenly lower his eyes, his face blank for a moment, as if he had just drunk the soup of oblivion. Princess Yong paused, vaguely sensing that something was amiss.

However, before they could think any further, distant footsteps sounded outside the pavilion. A guard rushed over, breaking the silence: "Your Highness, Your Highness! Nanshan! It's in Nanshan! We've found traces of the Prince!"

The three people in the pavilion paused and turned around in unison.

at the same time.

Nestled in the mountains by the water, the village was shrouded in darkness. A man, tightly wrapped in a cloak, concealing his hands, feet, head, and face, spoke in a low, indistinct voice: "Will the arrangements at Nanshan truly be effective?"

Trust me, it definitely works!

Inside the secret room, another voice answered, but no one was visible. "They only have one reborn Ye Zhixia on their side. The disappearance of Prince Yong is very strange. They're not smart enough to ask her. They might as well play dumb and stay clueless! If there are any smart people who can pry anything out of her, I guarantee they'll die in Nanshan!"

The cloaked figure stopped speaking, silently lit an incense stick, then knelt down on the prayer mat.

On the offering table, the Bodhisattva lowers her brows, her smile filled with compassion.

Author's Note:

I'm updating daily as usual, and I'll contact you via DM if anything comes up.

There are 10-15 more chapters in this world, and one side story is tentatively planned. After this, the main story of this book will be completed, and then side stories will be added. One or two side stories are tentatively planned for each world, depending on inspiration.