Chapter 147 Mingzhu's life and death are intertwined; this body, this heart, you can only...
Chen Liangyu knelt in the Taiji Hall until late at night. The wind and rain had just stopped and the thunder had subsided. Only two corner lamps remained in the side hall where Xie Wenjun was temporarily resting.
Chen Liangyu raised her finger to her lips, gestured for the palace servants on duty to be quiet, and gently pushed open the door to the inner room of the side hall.
She knew Xie Wenjun should be asleep by now, but she still couldn't help but want to check on her. Afraid of waking her, she walked very quietly.
A soft felt cloth was laid on the small table beside the couch. Chen Liangyu placed the wooden box she had brought back from the northern border on it without making a sound. She peeked out and moved closer, intending to take a quick look and leave. But as soon as her gaze fell on the figure on the couch, she was met with a pair of half-open eyes.
Xie Wenjun also looked at her. Her black hair was hanging down on the jade pillow, and her face was plain. Perhaps she had been too busy these days and was tired. Xie Wenjun's face showed obvious signs of fatigue and she looked a bit haggard.
Chen Liangyu braced herself on the edge of the soft couch and asked in a low voice, "Did I wake you up?"
Actually, Xie Wenjun had already woken up the moment she pushed the door open.
Xie Wenjun sat up, resting her elbows on the soft pillows beside the couch. Her dark hair slid down with the movement, spreading out and a few strands falling beside her cheeks. A sleepy smile curved her lips. "Knowing you would come, I haven't slept at all. I've been waiting for you, and I don't know when I dozed off." She paused, then added, "You shouldn't be back at this time."
Chen Liangyu quickly picked up a soft pillow and placed it behind her back so that she could lean back more comfortably.
"I know."
"There is war in the North. Even if you can't get back in time, those pedantic officials won't be able to find any fault with you or impeach you for a single word."
"I know that too."
She knew perfectly well that as long as she remained in the Northern Border, Yongdu would be unable to touch her. But she didn't know just how murky the waters of Yongdu had become. She still had people she cared about, and relatives in Yongdu. She couldn't just abandon everything and seek only to protect herself.
Chen Liangyu said, “Your Highness need not worry about the war in the north. Zhai Ji has suffered two major defeats, losing Yunya and the Hudong pasture. His most important supply route has also been cut off by Ximano. He has now retreated to the interior and will be quiet for at least two months. Now the three prefectural commanders are in charge of all specific military affairs. They can make their own decisions on matters involving supplies, weapons, and border troop rotation. I don’t know when my position as commander will become a mere formality. However, this has given me half a freedom.”
"You said that day would come sooner or later, and I will not leave you alone. I am willing to go with you through success or failure."
The fact that she stepped into this side hall today will reach Xie Yuan's ears first thing tomorrow morning. In fact, Xie Yuan probably already understood her stance when she deliberately avoided Xie Wenjun's carriage and went straight back to the Northern Border last time, and now he only understands it a little more.
The palace servants brought water for washing. Chen Liangyu wet her handkerchief and wiped the dust from her face. Turning around, she saw Xie Wenjun already holding the wooden box in her hands, examining it closely, but not opening it. The carvings on the box had the characteristics of the Northern Yong. The Northern Yong often used wild beast totems such as lions, tigers, leopards, and wolves as decorations. The wolf pattern on this wooden box was carved sharply, and it was seized from Helian Wei's residence in Yunya.
"Aren't you going to look inside?"
Chen Liangyu walked over and sat down on the edge of the couch.
When the box lid was opened, camel hair felt was revealed inside, and on the felt lay a very rare bright moon pearl.
Chen Liangyu held the Bright Moon Pearl up in front of Xie Wenjun.
The pearl is even more lustrous than those specially made for the palace, and it has a warm luster even on rainy days. Looking at it like this, it's as if the moonlight of the northern desert has been frozen inside.
“The border region is desolate and there’s nothing of value here. This bead is quite nice though. I picked it up from Zhai Ji on a whim. I was thinking of having a craftsman make a hairpin for you, but I thought it would be most appropriate to inlay it on your phoenix crown, so I left it as it is.”
The top-grade Bright Moon Pearl that I acquired from Zhai Ji, which could be used as military funds.
Xie Wenjun instantly understood her nonchalant tone, "The Imperial Crown?"
Chen Liangyu nodded: "That's right."
This bead is the one obtained by dismantling Zhai Ji's imperial crown and taking the central moon bead.
"The North has nothing of fine craftsmanship, but having traveled thousands of miles, only this pearl is worthy of you. I hope that the pearl on the imperial crown will bring the best of luck to my prince."
Before retreating to the interior, Zhai Ji personally led the Northern Yong army in a general offensive to reclaim the grasslands east of the lake. It was on that occasion that Chen Liangyu confronted him head-on and immediately took a liking to the bright moon pearl on Zhai Ji's crown.
The gemstones, agates, and pearls of Beiyong are the best, and the bright moon pearl inlaid on Emperor Zhaiji's crown must be of the highest quality.
During the exchange, a silver spear deftly deflected Zhai Ji's imperial crown into the air. Chen Liangyu declared, "It's mine now."
Xie Wenjun held the Bright Moon Pearl between her fingers, the coolness of its surface seeming to carry the sandstorms of the northern border. "There's only one like this."
Chen Liangyu's heart stirred slightly. When Xie Wenjun pointed out that the phoenix crown was only inlaid with a single bright moon pearl and was about to say that there were a few slightly inferior bright pearls in the Northern Territory's warehouse, and she would order someone to send them back, she saw Xie Wenjun raise her eyes, her gaze even brighter than the clear radiance of the bright moon pearl.
"Where is your phoenix crown?" she asked softly, her voice rising slightly at the end, like a fine needle pricking at Chen Liangyu's heart.
Chen Liangyu was taken aback before realizing the meaning behind her words.
What Xie Wenjun was talking about was not the ceremonial crown worn during court assemblies and celebrations, but clearly the phoenix crown that a daughter wears to match her wedding gown.
In that case, two crowns would be needed, which would mean one less Moon Pearl.
“My phoenix crown,” Chen Liangyu thought for a moment, “should naturally be prepared by Your Highness.”
Xie Wenjun suddenly leaned over, pressed the bead into Chen Liangyu's palm, and then covered it with her own hand, gathering both of their hands under the brocade quilt.
"good."
She agreed.
Chen Liangyu glanced out the window, but there were no extra people around. When she arrived earlier, she noticed that the unfamiliar faces in the corridor of Taiji Hall were gone, so she guessed that Xie Wenjun had sent the palace servants away. But after all, she was in the palace, full of eyes and ears, and she didn't know which corner the eunuchs would habitually pop up and lie in wait at any time. To be on the safe side, she still planned to go to the main room to deal with them for a few hours.
She brushed Xie Wenjun's hair aside, pressed her forehead against Xie's, and lingered for a moment. Since the mourning period for Emperor Xuanyuan was not yet over, Chen Liangyu did not make any further moves.
"I must go now, Your Highness."
"Where are you going?"
As soon as Chen Liangyu got off the soft couch, Xie Wenjun reached out and pulled her back down.
Xie Wenjun shifted closer to the couch, and a corner of the brocade quilt was lifted to reveal a moon-white nightgown underneath. "I have sent the spies around Taiji Hall to other places. The people on night duty in the corridor are all our own people. If any eyes had been missed, the message would have been sent out when you pushed the door open just now. If you are in such a hurry to leave now, it would seem deliberate."
Chen Liangyu hesitated for a moment.
Xie Wenjun's fingers brushed across her brow bone, where there was a faint white scar hidden beneath her eyebrow, left by a stray arrow during the attack on Yunya. "You braved wind and rain to return to the palace, then knelt and guarded for half the night, resting for several hours in the side hall. No one dared to say anything."
The couches placed in the side halls of the palace were always narrow, barely enough for two people to squeeze together.
The quilt was pulled up to cover their intertwined ankles.
Chen Liangyu pulled Xie Wenjun close, and as she closed her eyes, drowsiness washed over her like a tide. She kept her eyes open, her breathing becoming irregular, sometimes heavy, sometimes light.
Xie Wenjun asked, "Can't sleep?"
Chen Liangyu shook her head. "If you're by my side, I'm afraid I'll sleep too soundly and won't wake up tomorrow morning."
Xie Wenjun moved closer to her, "Then don't wake up."
Chen Liangyu always carried a special aura. If you got close enough to smell it, the aura would become more distinct, like the dryness of sun-dried sand. It wasn't strong, but it was unforgettable. It was as if you could close your eyes and see her standing on the Gobi Desert in armor, with the setting sun melting gold behind her and the vast expanse of flat sand in front of her.
That expansive and carefree feeling, now shared with her on this small, soft couch in the side hall, felt strangely harmonious.
The wind outside the window picked up again, blowing and pattering against the bright windowpane, as if trying to lull one to sleep. Chen Liangyu struggled to stay awake for a short while before her consciousness began to drift off.
The wooden box on the small table beside the couch was still open, and the bright moon pearl seemed to have lost its luster.
As night deepened, a chill crept in. The water clock ticked past midnight, and the candles in the bedchamber had gone out. The palace servants did not come in to add oil, leaving only a sliver of dim moonlight filtering through the window, falling on the two people who were sleeping with their fingers clasped together.
Chen Liangyu was fast asleep. In her hazy state, she seemed to be afraid that the person in her arms would catch a cold, so she unconsciously tightened her arms. But she didn't know when her arms had slipped to her side, and she was curled up in Xie Wenjun's arms with her head resting on her shoulder.
Xie Wenjun was a light sleeper, and her movement woke her up a bit. She adjusted to a comfortable position and gently placed her other hand on Chen Liangyu's back.
It's impossible to tell who's protecting whom anymore.
This man could rebuke the three highest officials in the court during the day and charge into battle with his spear, but at night, he would change his position in his sleep and find a more peaceful place to rest.
The sky outside the window had passed its deepest darkness and was turning a bluish-gray, just before dawn.
Xie Wenjun found it difficult to fall asleep again. She turned her head and looked at Chen Liangyu, who was fast asleep beside her. After a while, her thoughts drifted away and fell on the past between Empress Huixian and Emperor Xuanyuan.
The couple, young lovers, fell in love. When Emperor Xuanyuan, then Prince Hui, was still a prince, he staged a farcical incident at the Rong Mansion, where he attempted to abduct the bride. This event, however, became a celebrated tale after his ascension to the throne, earning him widespread acclaim in Yongdu. Empress Huixian, at that time, probably never imagined that she would be imprisoned within the high walls of the palace for years, her beauty fading away. Nor could she have foreseen that her dying wish would be not to be buried with Emperor Xuanyuan in the imperial mausoleum. But once in the royal family, life and death are no longer in one's own hands. The maidservant of the Jin Pavilion, who knew of this affair, understood her own powerlessness and inability to influence the Empress's burial place, so she kept it a secret for years, until Xie Wenjun gained control of half the empire, at which point she revealed the truth.
Xie Wenjun thought to herself that if one is destined to live and die together, then it must be a lifetime together.
Xie Wenjun was afraid of disturbing Chen Liangyu's gradually falling asleep, but she still couldn't help but ask, "A-Li, where will we be buried after we pass away?"
Her voice was exceptionally soft in the darkness.
"We were already separated more often than we were alive, torn apart by the palace and the world. I don't want to go to the imperial mausoleum. It's cold and impersonal, filled with too many rules and barriers. I want to choose a secluded place, as if it were a retreat for us, where no one will bother us anymore, just the two of us."
Chen Liangyu was fast asleep, her consciousness seemingly floating in warm water. She could only clearly hear the gentleness in Xie Wenjun's words, and instinctively replied, "Wherever Your Highness goes, I will accompany you."
"How is Lingjiu Mountain?"
She still remembered that year when she found the map of the academy drawn by Chen Liangyu in the library of the Marquis of Xuanping's mansion. She said she wanted to build an academy so that women all over the world could also read and understand principles, so she eagerly searched for the place called Six-Foot Lane. Actually, she didn't know anything about good or bad locations at that time. She just saw the light in Chen Liangyu's eyes when she mentioned this, and she wanted to fulfill Chen Liangyu's wishes as soon as possible and please her.
Looking out from Lingjiu Academy, one can see Lingjiu Mountain. Crown Prince Yizhang has an imperial estate on Lingjiu Mountain, a tranquil place.
"Okay." Chen Liangyu replied in a half-awake state, a slight smile appearing on his lips.
"Then it's settled. For life and death, you can only give me your body and your heart."
Chen Liangyu replied, "I pledge myself to Your Highness, that we will never be apart, even in life and death."
The sky brightened a bit more without them noticing. When it was dawn, Chen Luan didn't wake the two people who were still resting in the side hall. He informed the palace servants on duty in the Taiji Hall and then hurriedly left the palace.
During the court session, there were no ministers holding tablets waiting to attend court at Jinshui Bridge. Instead, Yun Shu and others waited outside the palace gate, carrying a food box.
Seeing Chen Luan leave the palace, he came forward to greet him, "My Lord..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Luan interrupted him, glancing at the food box in his hand before boarding the carriage. "Perfect timing, let's go to the Heavenly Prison."
He didn't believe Han Song would make such a foolish mistake as not avoiding the Empress Dowager's name when drafting an imperial edict, so he thought he would find out as soon as possible and exonerate him. But then he thought that Han Song had made many enemies in the court, so to be on the safe side, he briefly explained the whole story to Yun Shu, "Go to Lingjiu Academy immediately and find Headmaster Gu to explain the whole story."
Gu Xiehui understood his meaning: if Han Song was framed, it would be good to contact the poor scholars from Hanhong Academy as soon as possible to submit a petition.
These preparations alone are not enough. Chen Luan handed his fish-shaped tally to Yun Shu: "Go to the Censorate again and find Censor-in-Chief Jiang Xiantang."
"Yes, my lord."
"Give me the food box." He had heard Chen Liangyu say that the food in prison was substandard and inedible.
Chen Luan carried the food box through the damp passage of the Ministry of Justice dungeon, his shadow stretched long and short by the torches on either side.
The jailer led the way, "My lord, this way please."
Although Chen Luan was already prepared and knew that Han Song would inevitably suffer some hardship, he was still shocked the moment he saw Han Song's face.
In the cell at the very end, Han Song, shackled, sat hunched over on a filthy straw mat against the wall, his legs twisted at an extremely contorted angle on the ground.
The lantern the jailer brought over provided a meager glimpse of light, illuminating the cell. Only then could Chen Luan clearly see that Han Song's knees were bent backward, the bones beneath the flesh appearing as if they had been snapped. He remained sitting ramrod straight.
"You've arrived."
Han Song turned his head very little and spoke in a low voice.
Several new wounds appeared on his face, one eye was injured, and his body was covered in a crust of blood; some wounds were so deep that bone was visible. Clearly, he had been subjected to severe torture more than once.
Chen Luan signaled to the jailer to open the cell door.
Han Song barely managed to lift his head slightly, and with his only remaining eye, he struggled to make out Chen Luan. He said, "I checked that edict many times after it was drafted. There was absolutely no violation of the Empress Dowager's name. It was changed during the copying process."
"Is it Jiang Andong?"
Han Song smirked, "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter who it is."
The food box was placed on the straw mat, and Chen Luan placed a plate of braised meat in front of him. "I'm trying to figure something out. Hang in there. I've contacted the Censorate, and the young lady is also willing to put in touch with the students and old friends of Hanhong Academy..."
Chen Luan's face suddenly turned cold.
He noticed that the bones in Han Song's ten fingers had been broken by the clamps. Such cruel torture must have been orchestrated by someone, and the officials in the court hated him to the core.
"it's useless."
Han Song seemed to want to force a smile, but it only aggravated his wound, causing a painful spasm.
"It's no use... Don't plead for me, it's no use. How could the Emperor not see through such a frame-up? He just wants to use this opportunity to warn me. Listen to me... Only if I give up my life and die in the imperial prison will the Emperor be wary of the aristocratic families' counterattack, and only then will the new policies have a chance to survive."
He suddenly laughed, a laugh as if his scheme had succeeded, a laugh that made his whole body tremble with pain.
"What kind of look is that? Are you pitying me? Giving me charity?"
Han Song's eyes instantly turned venomous.
"Chen Xingqian, I don't need your pity! I don't need... To hell with his cheating in the imperial examinations, that was my own essay! Don't look at me like that!"
"Back then, who wasn't filled with patriotic fervor, studying diligently through the years to pass the imperial examinations? I was just one step away from achieving that goal. Once I passed that hurdle, I could use that fame to realize my ambitions and bring prosperity to the people. At that time, Xun Xian approached me, made a pact with me to become his disciple, and tried to pull me onto his pirate ship... If today, you weren't a nobleman's son, you weren't surnamed Chen, and you were still that poor, begging-for-food-from-a-farm guy in Cangnan, without even a pair of straw sandals in the dead of winter, could you really decide whether or not to join the Prime Minister's pirate ship? You had no choice, and neither did I."
"It's so unfair, Chen Xingqian, God is really unfair."
"It doesn't matter anymore, it's just me who's left. The family's privilege must be broken, otherwise, those from poor families will have no way out, and there will be... millions upon millions of me..."
He called Chen Luan for the last time.
"My lord."
The sound was incredibly clear, and his eyes became clear as if he had experienced a final burst of lucidity.
He wanted to say, be a good person.
The person before him was no longer the childhood friend who used to beg for food. He was now a marquis, a hereditary title, a man standing above thousands in the imperial palace. The difference between them was now like heaven and earth. The good person he considered a potential benefactor was, in Chen Xingqian's eyes, perhaps nothing more than an eyesore and a lowly ant like himself.
The thought changed, and the words that were about to come out were ultimately different.
So he said, "Be a good official."
Author's note: Thank you for reading this far!
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