Chapter 188 The Powerful Minister Returns to His Youth 42.

"My father ascended the throne at a young age, but he was not the crown prince. He also went through a great deal of danger in the struggle for the throne. In order to keep a low profile, he rarely took in any concubines during his time as a prince. He was married for three or four years, but had no children and kept a low profile."

"Later, when he ascended the throne, there were only Empress Liang and two or three concubines of low rank in the palace, and only one prince, the eldest prince born to Empress Liang in the second year of Tianxi..."

The Prince of Yong's voice rang out slowly, recounting distant palace secrets.

The eldest prince, Ye Zhaowu, was the first son of Emperor Tianxi and was showered with love after his birth.

There was an anecdote at the time describing Emperor Tianxi's fondness for his eldest son. It was said that one day, Emperor Tianxi was holding his eldest son when he met with ministers in the Taiji Hall. The eldest son cried out and urinated on Emperor Tianxi's dragon robe in front of many ministers. Everyone was terrified, but Emperor Tianxi laughed and did not care at all, only praising his son for being healthy and strong.

Later, Empress Liang became angry and forbade Emperor Tianxi from taking the eldest prince to the Taiji Palace anymore. Emperor Tianxi was still unhappy and often stole the child out.

For a long time, the entire Qi court and the common people praised the harmony and beauty of the imperial family, and were filled with envy.

Many court officials have even begun to speculate whether, given the Emperor's favor towards the eldest prince, he will issue an edict to designate him as crown prince when the prince enters the Wenhua Palace villa at the age of seven.

This is by no means impossible.

However, their speculations ultimately remained just that—speculations.

In the third year of the Tianxi reign, a grand selection was held in the palace. The daughter of the prefectural magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture entered the palace. After three days, she was granted the title of Noble Lady, and after one month, she was promoted to Consort and named Consort Ning.

In the fourth year of the Tianxi era, Consort Ning gave birth to a son. In the seventh year of the Tianxi era, Consort Ning gave birth to another son, who became the second prince and the third prince.

During this period, Emperor Tianxi also favored other concubines, but none of them, whether they were the birth mothers of the eldest and second princesses or anyone else, could surpass Consort Ning.

With two princes by her side and the emperor's favor, Consort Ning was unparalleled in the palace, and even Empress Liang had to avoid her.

Even so, Consort Ning was still not satisfied.

“I ordered someone to find an old palace maid who served Consort Ning back then and was transferred before the chaos,” Prince Yong said. “According to her, Consort Ning is dissatisfied that the Emperor only favors her and does not show favoritism to her sons, the Second and Third Princes. She believes that the Emperor’s favorite son is still the First Prince. With the First Prince about to turn seven, she must make plans for her two sons…”

"Mother, Mother! Please help me, you can definitely help me!" Behind the flickering candlelight behind the screen, Consort Ning pleaded anxiously, her voice trembling. "Father knows so many people, you know so much, you can definitely help me!"

"That's a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family!"

“Mother, fortune favors the bold, that’s what you taught me!” Consort Ning gripped the old woman’s hand tightly. “His Majesty values ​​merit over kinship. Father only knows how to scheme, he has no ability. He’ll only ever be a sixth-rank official. Is Father content with that? Are you content with that?”

"Mother, please help me just this once. I am your daughter, and they are your grandchildren..."

The palace maid, bewildered, caught a glimpse of the terrifying scene and remained uneasy for a long time afterward. Only when she was kicked out by the nanny and sent to the palace of a neglected concubine did she finally find peace.

She didn't know what secret she had uncovered, but she knew it must be related to Consort Ning and the three princes.

Driven by curiosity, she kept thinking about it.

Not long after, she heard that the eldest prince had fainted during a morning class one day, saying he was ill.

Day after day, for some reason, the cold lingered and did not get better. Finally, it got better, but the eldest prince was also weak. The six or seven-year-old child was as thin as a reed.

His health was already poor, and the eldest prince had become completely sickly, unable to attend classes or even leave his house.

According to the customs of the Great Qi Dynasty, when a prince reaches the age of seven, he must leave his mother and enter the Wenhua Palace detached courtyard to study and grow up until he leaves the palace to establish his own residence. However, the eldest prince was weak and sickly, and Empress Liang was reluctant to part with him, so he stayed temporarily.

The palace maid vaguely felt that this matter might be related to the panic she had witnessed that night. However, she was just a lowly cleaning maid. It was already extremely difficult for her to live to be over twenty years old and leave the palace. Let alone anything else.

She absolutely dared not get involved.

"Then came the tenth year of the Tianxi era, when the Rebellion of the Demon Empress broke out. For many years, the court and the public have said that this was the fault of Empress Liang and Consort Ning, but in fact, Father..."

Prince Yong paused, hesitated for a moment as if he wanted to say something but then sighed deeply, "Perhaps Father Emperor... didn't do well enough either. He... most likely knew what Consort Ning had done."

That was when Emperor Tianxi first learned that his fourth son, who had just been born, had suffered as a result of the chaos caused by the Demon Queen. In a fit of anger, he couldn't help but unintentionally reveal a few words.

It is also the delirious rambling of palace servants and imperial physicians who personally experienced the chaos caused by the empress and are still alive.

"Was it really my fault back then? I... I just felt that Wu'er was destined to be ruined, and Wen'er and Jin'er were still young and couldn't be without their mother..."

"Not long after the First Prince recovered from his illness, His Majesty suddenly flew into a rage, reprimanded Consort Ning, demoted her rank, confined her to her quarters for three months, and even took the Second and Third Princes away. I could hear Consort Ning crying even in the laundry department..."

"His Majesty did not issue a public summons, but secretly ordered the guards to bring Master into the palace under cover of night... I asked him, but Master did not tell me. Later, when he became senile, he said a few words, that he was ordered to treat the eldest prince and ask him if the antidote could save his health."

"Only then did Master realize that the First Prince had actually been poisoned... But the First Prince was too young, and his body was riddled with holes. No matter what, he could only be extended in time, and that was no longer possible."

"His Majesty didn't say much at the time, only instructing my master to prescribe medicine. A few days after my master left, two imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital suddenly fell ill and died. My master remembered that they were the ones who treated the First Prince's cold and were deeply trusted by Empress Liang..."

"After that, Empress Liang invited renowned doctors from Jiangnan to the capital," said Prince Yong.

What happened next was pretty much exactly as Qiu Jingsong had described.

Under the care of renowned physicians, the eldest prince recovered for a few days, but then suffered a sudden relapse, vomiting blood and dying. Emperor Tianxi was furious, executed the physicians, and punished Empress Liang and her family.

Empress Liang was shocked and grieved, overwhelmed with sorrow. She had already lost all hope, but unexpectedly, she heard about Consort Ning's actions from somewhere and learned that the emperor had protected her.

Empress Liang, grieving the loss of her beloved son, had gone mad. She stabbed Consort Ning and two princes to death with her sword, and then plotted to kill Emperor Tianxi. The former two were unprotected by secret guards, and Empress Liang's attack was a surprise, leaving the Imperial Guards no time to react. But the latter was different.

That was the ruler of a country.

Liang was shot and killed on the spot.

A raging fire broke out in Consort Ning's Chunque Palace, and it did not go out for a day and a night.

"Father, one wrong thought leads to a series of wrong steps..."

A son should not speak ill of his father. The Prince of Yong spoke with difficulty, but he still told everything he had found out over the years, word by word, "Danzhi—since you are with Xuanshu, I will call you that."

"I am telling you this today for two reasons. First, to let you know that the case of the rebels, once brought back to the court and to the whole country, will eventually be clarified to reveal the truth. Second, I hope that you will have a better understanding of your father and that you and Xuan Shu can learn from this experience."

"To be honest, I should admit I'm a coward," Prince Yong finally gave a bitter smile. "I dare not sit on that throne. Firstly, I'm afraid I won't do a good job, and secondly... I'm afraid it will devour me, and I'll lose what I truly care about..."

"To be the supreme ruler is difficult. But Xuan Shu is fortunate to have you."

The palace intrigues that had been buried for over twenty years, and the turmoil that had raged for over two decades, have finally been cleansed of their dust and revealed their original, faded appearance.

What was once a simple palace intrigue turned into a disaster that lasted for years and harmed countless people due to a single wrong decision by Emperor Tianxi.

Yu Shiqing felt melancholy and depressed, but no matter what, everything will eventually pass.

"...Take it easy, take it easy! Let it go!"

The clear voice traveled from his left ear to his right, and then from his right ear to his front. Yu Shiqing pulled himself out of his recent memories, raised his eyebrows, and saw a dim yellow light illuminating the darkness before him, in which a pair of dark blue eyes emerged.

Upon seeing those eyes, Yu Shiqing couldn't help but smile and ask, "What's wrong?"

"Ergou has been calling you for ages, asking when the lotus lantern will be finished." Ye Cangxing, holding the lantern, squatted in front of him and gestured with his chin to the side.

Yu Shiqing turned his head and saw a row of children surrounding him, all staring intently at his hand. One of them, about four or five years old, was in the lead. He waved his little hand and blocked the way.

"This was pasted on by Brother Yu, so you all need to stay out of the way!"

He was practically the village tyrant.

Yu Shiqing smiled, and while finishing pasting the last petal of the lotus lantern, she reached out to Ye Cangxing: "Where's the candy? Give it to me."

The moment the word "candy" was uttered, it immediately attracted the attention of all the children. They all turned their heads in unison, their big eyes fixed on Ye Zangxing. Ye Zangxing glanced at Yu Shiqing, coughed lightly, and with a leap, grabbed a handful of small candies.

"Come, come, come find Brother Cangxing! Brother Cangxing is giving out candy!"

Wow, candy! It really is candy!

"Brother Cangxing, give me a piece! Give me a piece!"

"I want one too! I want one too!"

A group of snotty-nosed kids instantly abandoned Yu Shiqing and surrounded him.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yu Shiqing shoved the lotus lantern into Er Gouzi's hand and gave him a wink. Er Gouzi grinned and immediately ran out.

Between sugar and lotus lanterns, he still preferred the lotus lanterns! This was the money he earned for helping to clear weeds from Yu Ge's ancestral graves on the hill! The money given to him by the God of Literature, as his grandfather had mentioned!

Er Gouzi cheered and ran off to release river lanterns on the banks of the Fei River.

Tonight is Lunar New Year's Eve. In Feishui County, it is customary to boil dumplings, set off firecrackers, and release river lanterns. Yujia Village is no exception.

The academy had given way to a holiday a few days ago. Yu Shiqing hadn't planned to spend the New Year in Yujia Village; he only intended to return to Huai'an after paying respects to his ancestors. He had no relatives or friends left in Yujia Village, and staying would only bring him more trouble.

Unexpectedly, on the day they set off to return to Feishui, when the carriage curtain was lifted, they saw Ye Cangxing leaning against the inside with his luggage slung over his shoulder.

"On New Year's Eve, it's a family reunion. My fourth brother's family of four, and you and I, husband and wife, what's wrong with that?"

The carriage was dimly lit, but the boy's smile was bright, like the rising sun, like the spring sunshine.

Yu Shiqing is incredibly soft-hearted.

Since Ye Cangxing left in his previous life, he has never looked forward to the New Year. Such liveliness and festivities are often separated from him by an invisible veil, unable to make him happy. He can only lower his eyes and feel extremely lonely.

Now, that veil is gone.

The warmth of everyday life returned to him once again.

He took Ye Zangxing back to his hometown.

He took him up that low hill to sweep the tombs and pay respects to his ancestors. Together they knelt and worshipped in the fine white snow. He helped him write many Spring Festival couplets and the character "福" (fortune), which were pasted on the old courtyard walls and doors and given to the neighbors in the village. He helped him decline the village chief's invitation and go to town to buy rice, flour, fish, and meat. They lit the stove, fanned the smoke, and prepared a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner.

This is like a dream.

No, it's more perfect than a dream.

"Why are you spacing out again?"

Ye Zangxing's cool hand touched him, and Yu Shiqing was startled and came back to his senses.

The courtyard had become quiet at some point; after the bag of candy was distributed, the snotty-nosed kids scattered noisily.

"What are you thinking about?" Ye Zangxing mischievously slipped his hand into Yu Shiqing's collar.

Yu Shiqing looked down at him, pressing down on his hand and warming it with his own body heat, and said, "I miss you, I miss the capital... and I miss the past."

"As the sun shines brightly on every door and window, people replace the old peachwood charms with new ones," Ye Cangxing said, raising his eyes. "Let the past remain in this year; when tomorrow arrives, everything will be replaced with new ones."

Yu Shiqing smiled and said, "I think so too."

Ye Zangxing looked at him, then suddenly reached out his hand: "What about mine?"

"What?" Yu Shiqing was taken aback.

“My lotus lantern,” Ye Cangxing raised an eyebrow, “there’s no reason why Er Gou has Yu Ge’s lotus lantern, but I, his ‘close friend’ who can take it back to my hometown, don’t have one?”

Yu Shiqing said, "What if I say no?"

Ye Zangxing's eyebrows and eyes immediately drooped, showing none of the majesty of his former life as an emperor.

Yu Shiqing smiled and was about to speak when Ye Cangxing suddenly raised his eyebrows and took out a somewhat rough but carefully crafted lotus lantern from behind his back.

"I don't expect you to give me one, but there is one I absolutely must give you," Ye Cangxing laughed. "Here you go, let's go and compete with those brats for the best spot to release our river lanterns!"

"Wait a minute." Yu Shiqing chuckled and quickly reached out to pull Ye Zangxing back from rushing out.

Ye Zangxing turned around, not understanding why.

Yu Shiqing put down his hand, signaling him to wait a moment. He then got up, picked up Ye Cangxing's lotus lantern, and entered the small study that his mother had built herself, which could only be described as a shed.

A moment later, he stepped out, holding a lotus lantern in his hand. It looked different from ordinary lotus lanterns, more like the ever-burning lamps in temples.

Ye Zangxing was slightly taken aback: "This is..."

“I was reborn on the day the results of the provincial examination were announced. After seeing you, I returned to my hometown soon after. During those few days in the hometown, I couldn’t sleep at night, so I made this lamp, imitating the eternal lamp of Huguo Temple.”

Yu Shiqing said softly, handing the lotus lantern to Ye Zangxing, "I was thinking that many, many years from now, if you can come to Feishui, we will light it together."

"Just like... when you and I first came to the capital and went to Huguo Temple together to light those two eternal lamps?"

"yes."

Ye Zangxing accepted the lamp, feeling a mix of sweetness and bitterness in his heart. He grabbed Yu Shiqing's hand under his sleeve and wouldn't let go.

"Aren't we supposed to fight for a spot to release river lanterns?" Yu Shiqing said helplessly.

“It’s pitch black, they can’t see.” Ye Zangxing persisted.

Yu Shiqing indulged him, and led him out along the village path, carrying a lantern, towards the Fei River not far from the village entrance.

Along the way, little children would occasionally run by carrying lanterns, their laughter echoing through the air. Every household was filled with the warmth of cooking, the aroma of incense wafting from the stoves, and the occasional sound of firecrackers accompanied by the joyful cheers of new life.

Yu Shiqing gazed intently, feeling as if her heart, like a grain of wheat, had fallen into warm soil.

In the distance, the Fei River was already shimmering with ripples. The banks were lined with people, and the river was covered with lotus lanterns. Each lantern, like a fiery fish, swayed with the current toward the horizon.

"Qingqing".

Ye Zangxing suddenly called out to him.

Yu Shiqing tilted his head.

Ye Zangxing's eyes reflected the water and the lamplight: "In our previous life, the little novice made us both write down our wishes, which were then thrown into the lamp wick and burned out. What did you write?"

Yu Shiqing smiled, took out a tinderbox, lit the lotus lanterns in their hands, and asked instead of answering, "And you?"

“I’m the one asking you,” Ye Zangxing said.

Yu Shiqing lowered her eyes indifferently: "Say yours first, then I'll answer mine."

Ye Cangxing glanced at him, remained silent for a moment, and said in a low voice: "I... lit that eternal lamp for you in the hope that you will pass the imperial examination and the palace examination, and that you will become the top scholar, a famous minister, and even more so, Yu Shiqing who will always be Yu Shiqing."

"For a thousand years, ten thousand years, the sea will not change its name, and the mountains and rivers will not change their voice."

Yu Shiqing paused, a wry smile appearing on his face.

“I wish… that all your wishes may come true,” he sighed.

Ye Zangxing was stunned. "You wasted a wish..."

Yu Shiqing glanced at him, let go of him, and carried the lotus lantern to release it. Ye Cangxing snapped out of his daze and immediately chased after him, "Yu the fool, don't go!"

"Who are you calling an idiot?"

"Making such a wish, if you're not stupid, then who is?"

Yu Shiqing squatted down by the river, and Ye Cangxing sidled up from behind. In the crowded riverbank, amidst the gusts of wind, at the end of the old year when the sky and water, stars and lotus lanterns reflected each other, he gently rested his chin on Yu Shiqing's shoulder.

The sound is like the wind, and like the water.

"Don't be foolish again, Yu Danzhi."

"good."

Yu Shiqing responded.

"From now on, let's stay together, live well, and do lots and lots of good things."

"good."

Yu Shiqing responded again.

"This place is beautiful, wonderful. We want the whole world to be beautiful and wonderful..."

"good."

Yu Shiqing should still respond.

One voice, one response; one response, one lifetime.

Firecrackers usher in the old year, and the bright moon welcomes the new.

...

...

[End of Unit 4]

[The main story is complete]