Chapter 238 Wen Xingluo was locked in his bedroom

Xie Guanlan said, "Don't worry, Madam Wei."

The young man was mature and steady, and was better at hiding his emotions than anyone else. Wei Si did not notice anything unusual about him and turned around to get on the carriage heading to the capital.

Before leaving, Xie Xuchi found Xie Yanchen standing alone in the corner of the city wall.

Xie Yanchen was dressed in white clothes as white as snow, with clear eyes and eyebrows, just like he looked when he was a child.

He stepped forward, "Ah Yan."

Because of the protection of Xie Guanlan and Xie Shian, Xie Yanchen is no longer as afraid of Xie Xuchi as he was when they first met.

He lowered his eyes and played with the flute made of ground bones, ignoring Xie Xuchi.

Xie Xuchi continued to look at him. "Although I've done a lot of bad things over the years, my childhood ambitions have never changed. Ah Yan, there will always be a place for you in the Eastern Palace. There will always be a place for you by my side. I hope you can resolve your feelings as soon as possible, come to the capital to assist me, and fulfill our shared ambitions. I hope that the day I ascend to the throne, it will be you standing by my side. By the way, do you still remember our ambitions in the past?"

"'Establish a mind for Heaven and Earth, establish a destiny for the people, carry on the lost knowledge of the ancient sages, and bring peace to the world for all eternity.'" Xie Yanchen recited the passage he had learned in his childhood.

Xie Xuchi was overjoyed, "Ayan, you really remember!"

Outside the city wall, the cold wind blew up a roll of weeds, and light snow fell faintly.

The distant sky is gray.

Xie Yanchen looked up at the gloomy sky. "The year I went to the capital as a hostage, the first essay I studied at the Imperial Academy was 'Four Lines from Hengqu'. How could I not remember it?"

"and you……"

Xie Xuchi seemed to want to say something but stopped.

He wanted to ask Xie Yanchen if he still remembered the scene when they first met in the Imperial College.

At that time, his biological mother was Concubine Zhang, but because the queen had no children, he was adopted by the queen. As a result, he was suspected by both sides and was not favored by either side.

The palace servants did not serve him wholeheartedly, which led to him being weak and sickly when he was young, and he often daydreamed and fell asleep in school.

That day, the teacher randomly asked him to recite this article. He was sleepy but was woken up to recite it. However, because he had not prepared for the lesson in advance, he could not recite a single word.

Amidst the whole room bursting into laughter, a very gentle voice suddenly came from beside him, quietly telling him the content of "The Four Sentences of Hengqu" sentence by sentence.

Only then did he realize that there was an unfamiliar child in white clothes sitting next to him.

He followed his instructions, blushing, and slowly recited the four sentences.

Later he learned that the child was called Xie Yanchen, a hostage from the Zhenbei Palace.

The seven-year-old Xie Yanchen loved cleanliness very much. He kept everything from his pens, ink, paper, and inkstone to his schoolbag and clothes neatly and meticulously. He had a gentle temperament and smiled at everyone he met. Although he was only a concubine's son in the mansion, his talent and character were first-class.

Gradually, he and Xie Yanchen became very good friends.

They agreed that in the future they would establish their minds for heaven and earth and their missions for the people.

They want to be the best ruler and ministers.

"Ayan..."

Under the tall city wall, Xie Xuchi's prince's uniform embroidered with four-clawed golden dragons swayed in the cold wind. It was obviously extremely luxurious, yet inexplicably desolate.

He looked at the young man in white and the bone flute in his hand that did not suit him.

His eyes gradually dimmed, and he never mentioned the past again. He only patiently reminded her, "I will write to you again. Remember to write back to me."

When Xie Xuchi and Xie Yanchen were saying goodbye, Xie Zan lifted the curtain of the carriage.

Wei Ying propped up her cheek with one hand and sneered, "We can no longer see the Zhenbei Palace from here."

Xie Zan ignored her and just looked up at the towering city wall.

A huge plaque was hung on the city wall. The two words "Rongcheng" were simple and solemn, and had not changed at all in the wind and snow over the past hundred years. He remembered that when he left home, the plaque looked the same as it does today.

He looked for a long time until his eyes became sore.

Just as he was about to look away, he saw another person on the city wall.

Wearing red clothes and jade belt, holding a paper umbrella.

It was his eldest brother, Xie Guanlan.

Across the vast snow and hail, the two looked at each other for a long time.

The convoy started its journey, moving further and further away on the post road.

The man on the city wall gradually disappeared in the vast snow.

Wei Ying propped herself up on the small Buddhist table, leaned over to Xie Zan's ear, and said venomously, "You have a home but can't return, and you have relatives but can't recognize them. Xie Zan, you are so pitiful."

Xie Zan sneered and grabbed her arm, which was branded with the word "Zan". "It's better than someone's country being destroyed and family being ruined, and becoming a slave."

Wei Ying's face turned pale.

Xie Zan let her go, took one last look in the direction of Rongcheng, and said in a low voice, "One day, I will go home."

Go home with dignity.

He lowered the curtains, bent down and pulled out the small glass bottle worn on his chest.

The bottle contained soil that he had dug from the garden of the Zhenbei Palace.

He gripped the vial tightly.

The day he returns home, spring will surely come and flowers will bloom.

On the day he returned home, his grandmother would definitely make his favorite four-happiness meatballs from childhood and wait for him in Wansongyuan. Xie Xiaosi would also have a face similar to his and clamor to wear the same clothes as him.

"I'll be home."

He repeated his whisper.

Unlike the depressing atmosphere in Xie Zan's carriage, the carriage behind was filled with laughter and joy.

The carriage was spacious and housed the four siblings of the Wen family.

Wen Yueyin said excitedly: "Our lives are getting better. Father really brought us to the capital!"

Wen Rufeng closed his eyes to rest, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, "I wonder what official position my father will give me. It would be best if it is a third rank or above in the capital, so that I don't have to go out and take up an official position."

Wen Ruyun waved his folding fan and said with a smile, "Speaking of which, when we go to the capital, should we live in the mansion given by our father, or live directly in the palace?"

"I think I'll live with my mother." Wen Yueyin guessed, "But then again, if my father marries my mother and I become a princess, how can I marry the crown prince? Should I be a princess or a crown princess? It's really distressing."

Wen Rulei kept looking out the window, "Why don't I see Wen Xingluo? Is he in Mother's carriage?"

Wen Ruyun was disdainful. "She's an ungrateful person. Why do you care about her?"

"She is our biological sister after all. If we don't care about her when she goes to the capital, she will definitely be bullied." Wen Rulei said firmly, "Big brother, second brother, I am here to make a decision today. From now on, the three of us brothers should treat our two sisters equally. We can't treat Yue Yin specially anymore."

Wen Yueyin curled her lips.

Wen Rufeng didn't have any objection.

At this moment, Wen Xingluo was locked on the top floor of Canglang Pavilion.

This is Xie Guanlan's bedroom. The furnishings are simple and the colors are monotonous. The only colorful thing is the rag rabbit placed on the desk - it is the one Xie Guanlan bought from her during the spring garden tour that year.

Wen Xingluo sat on the couch and looked up at the Kongming lantern hanging in front of the bed.

The Kongming lantern was old and broken, and the words "stargazing" could be vaguely seen on the burnt and curled lantern cover.

It's her handwriting.

The girl let out a soft sigh.

With nothing else to do, she fiddled with the handcuffs on her hands, but unexpectedly heard footsteps.

She looked up and saw Xie Guanlan coming in from outside with a cold look on his face.