Chapter 67 In her dream, she married Xie Wenlang…
In the twentieth year of the Taixing era, on the first day of the first month.
With the help of the Xue and Xie families, the Crown Prince raised an army to seize the throne, imprisoned the emperor, and forced him to write an abdication edict. The Fourth Prince bravely led troops to rescue the emperor and finally quelled the rebellion. The Crown Prince died in the chaos of battle.
On the sixteenth day of the first month of the twentieth year of Taixing, the emperor died and passed the throne to his son, Prince Ji, and the reign title was changed to Xiangning.
Although General Xie Chengyan is the descendant of a traitor, he was exceptionally brave in protecting the Emperor. His Majesty appoints people based on their merits and has specially ordered him to guard the border and redeem himself through meritorious service.
The history books only mention it briefly, glossing over the years of bloodshed.
As the seasons changed and the years passed, the once-prosperous Xue and Xie families were replaced by newcomers. The lives of the living were always occupied by the trivialities of today and the daily meals of tomorrow. The scheming and intrigue that once shone through the clouds gradually faded into dust.
Only when the two sons of the Xie family, who had been given leniency by His Majesty, were mentioned did the court members sigh with regret.
The eldest son, Xie Chengyan, redeemed himself through meritorious service, spending his life guarding the border and never being allowed to return to the capital without being summoned.
The second son, Xie Wenlang, lost power and became despondent, never recovering. However, his marriage to Princess Chuyi was still arranged. In the twenty-third year of the Taixing era, he married the princess and lived a secluded life in Chengyang Mountain, never venturing out.
The fall of a prodigy is a perfect topic of conversation, but after a while, it can get boring.
Life gradually returned to normalcy, and I thought these things would just pass by and never cause any more trouble.
Until an imperial edict struck with a thud on the heads of all the gossiping court officials.
In the twenty-fifth year of the Taixing era, General Xie Chengyan, through his efforts in repelling the northern barbarians, repeatedly achieved extraordinary feats, pacified the borders, and his prestige shook the four directions. In accordance with ancestral regulations, he is hereby specially enfeoffed as the Prince of Jingbei and granted three counties in Qingzhou as his fief, to be inherited by his descendants.
Qingzhou.
Another winter has arrived, and at this time of year, Renfengtang is always packed with people, bustling with patients seeking medical treatment.
In recent years, Shen Xi has been able to see patients independently. Together with Wen Tingmao, they are busy until sunset before they have time to drink a sip of tea.
Wangyou slumped in the chair, slowly shaking her head, her tone utterly dejected: "When are we going to eat? I'm starving."
Over the years he has grown taller and is now a handsome young man, but he still acts and speaks like a child.
Looking at his limp, boneless state, Shen Xi casually tossed him a piece of fruit: "Have something to eat first."
Wangyou caught it and took a bite without any hesitation.
Shen Xi smiled and lowered her head to drink the warm tea in her cup.
Suddenly, a bird was calling and circling in the sky above the courtyard. Shen Xi was attracted and looked up. The bird had glossy black feathers and a robust body, and it was clear that it was well fed.
Wangyou muttered as she chewed on some fruit, "Why is this bird here again? I wonder whose family keeps it. It flies over here every day and is so noisy."
The bird landed on the tallest tree in the yard, turning its head and hopping around on the branches.
Shen Xi stared intently at him for a long time, seemingly lost in thought.
Wangyou couldn't help but wonder, "What's so interesting about birds?"
Shen Xi then came to her senses: "I used to keep a shrike in the capital, and it looks a lot like this one."
As he spoke, he thought of the capital city again.
She returned from the city and cared for the seriously injured Xie Chengyan for many days without changing her clothes. After confirming that he was out of danger, she set off again, leaving the capital and heading straight for Qingzhou.
Since he wants her to leave, then she should leave.
Anyway, I was going to leave anyway.
However, before leaving the capital, out of a desire to get revenge, she specifically asked Chu Cheng Jimo to inform him that she had returned.
Five years have passed in the blink of an eye.
I wonder how that shrike I used to have is doing now.
Upon closer inspection, Wangyou realized that the bird was indeed a shrike.
But he nonchalantly ate the last bit of fruit, tossing the pit aside: "It's definitely not the one you had before. The bird that flew from the capital would have died of exhaustion halfway there."
Before he could finish speaking, he received a light slap on the back of the head.
Wangyou clutched her head and turned around angrily, about to say something, but when she saw it was Wen Tingmao, she immediately fell silent.
She stammered, "Master, why didn't you make a sound when you came over?"
Wen Tingmao glared at him and pointed to the fruit pits on the ground: "Clean it up!"
Wangyou hunched her shoulders and hurried off to sweep the courtyard.
Shen Xi was already used to Wang You's increasingly provocative behavior, and couldn't help but give him a gloating smile.
But Wangyou wasn't one to suffer in silence. She glared at Wen Tingmao and complained, "Sister Chen said she misses her brother-in-law! Master, please persuade her!"
After saying that, he made a face at Shen Xi and hurriedly ran away.
When Shen Xi faced Wen Tingmao, he was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to explain. He was indignant and secretly held a grudge against him.
Wen Tingmao had obviously also noticed the shrike in the courtyard: "What? Want to go back?"
Shen Xi said helplessly, "Don't listen to his nonsense. I quite like my life now."
Wen Tingmao raised an eyebrow: "If you want to, that's fine too. I heard that the kid is enfeoffed in Qingzhou, so you'll be able to meet him sooner or later."
Shen Xi gave a slight twitch of her lips and winked mischievously: "Could it be that when you promised him you'd send me away from the capital, you already had this in mind?"
Wen Tingmao was taken aback by her question: "You...know?"
“I already knew that, Master. You can’t keep secrets at all.”
Shen Xi nodded, looked away, and gazed into the distance.
As darkness fell, the surrounding streets lit up with lights, but the house at the end of the street that Chen Xi was looking at remained dark.
"It's all your fault! Neither of you spoke up, and you both lied to the other, putting this old man in the middle in a difficult position!"
Wen Tingmao immediately slapped his thigh, finally able to openly and angrily rebuke after holding it in for so many years.
One asked him to help her escape without the other's knowledge, while the other begged him to help her leave without the other's knowledge.
They clearly had the same goal, but stubbornly refused to speak.
Shen Xi smiled apologetically: "I was young then, and I acted on impulse. I'm sorry, Master."
Wen Tingmao snorted coldly and stopped talking, which could be considered as accepting this insincere apology.
After a while, seeing that Shen Xi was still staring at the house at the end of the street in a daze, Wen Tingmao stepped forward and followed her gaze.
"That house has been uninhabited for over twenty years, but people often come to clean and tidy it up. It must belong to some wealthy family who has so many houses that they have long forgotten about this one."
Shen Xi seemed thoughtful: "Is that so?"
Wen Tingmao glanced at her sideways: "What do you mean 'is it or not'? I've been on this street longer than you've lived for years, and you don't believe me?"
Before Shen Xi could speak again, Wen Tingmao had already flicked his sleeves and headed to the kitchen: "Don't just stand there like an idiot, come and eat."
After walking a short distance, he still muttered to himself, "What's wrong with this kid lately? He keeps staring at that house. Could he have picked up something unclean..."
Wen Tingmao was getting on in years, and his senses were not as sharp as before. His voice unconsciously became louder when he spoke. At this moment, he thought he was muttering to himself, but Shen Xi heard him clearly.
As Shen Xi watched Wen Tingmao's figure disappear into the setting sun, she suddenly spoke out of the blue, "Thank you so much, Master."
Wen Tingmao stopped in his tracks, turned around, and asked, puzzled, "Thank me for what?"
Shen Xi finally looked away from the house, moved closer to Wen Tingmao, and said in a light tone, "Just thank you."
After saying that, he ignored Wen Tingmao's doubts and walked away.
The setting sun dipped below the horizon, turning half the sky a fiery red.
Shen Xi looked up and gazed into the distance, watching the sunset being swallowed by the night. She couldn't help but think of the frequent and strange dreams she had since leaving the capital.
In that dream, she was still Chen Xi, still in the capital.
However, in her dream, she married Xie Wenlang.
As for Xie Chengyan, to her, he was just her husband's brother whom she had met a few times; they were not familiar with each other.
Shen Xi only remembered that on a certain Lantern Festival, Xie Wenlang was seriously injured and on the verge of death. She stayed outside the door all night without sleeping, while Xie Chengyan was also by her side, keeping her company all night.
Quite by coincidence, the person who saved Xie Wenlang in his dream was actually Wen Tingmao.
Just like in real life, she recognized him as her mother's master, and just like in real life, she begged him to teach her medicine and take her away from the capital.
In the dream, Wen Tingmao nodded once again.
Just as she was trying her best to leave the capital, Chu Yi took a fancy to Xie Wenlang and used his power to force him to divorce his wife and remarry.
Taking advantage of the moment when everyone was busy dealing with Chu Yi, Shen Xi faked her death and escaped unscathed.
It was a precipice where the north wind howled, but the cliff face was covered with vegetation, which served as a buffer, and there was a deep pool at the bottom of the cliff.
Despite the risk of death, Shen Xi deliberately jumped off the cliff in front of Xie Chengyan.
She needs someone who will witness her death.
I just never expected that this person would be Xie Chengyan.
She admired her husband, but also felt some pity for him. He always kept to himself and was all alone. Even Shen Xi, an outsider, could see the difference in how her in-laws treated him compared to Xie Wenlang, let alone the person involved.
Unexpectedly, in the end, even she had to scheme against him.
The cliff was very high, and Shen Xi was initially a little scared, but when she realized that the person who witnessed her death was Xie Chengyan, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
Shen Xi dared not say much to him, firstly for fear that he would suddenly disrupt her plans, and secondly because she felt guilty. She only exchanged a few words of pleasantries before making up her mind to jump.
In her final moments, she murmured, "I'm sorry."
For some unknown reason, she shed a tear.
I can't explain why, but perhaps when you're hovering between life and death, you still feel some fear and anxiety.
Xie Chengyan was unable to save her.
Of course, he couldn't save her.
After this ordeal, Shen Xi was seriously injured and nearly lost his life.
Even though Wen Tingmao, who was guarding the bottom of the cliff, pulled him out, he remained unconscious for nearly a month before waking up again.
He broke many bones throughout his body and it took him a full six months to recover before he could walk again.
Fortunately, she survived and managed to leave the capital.
Half a life for freedom.
value.
After that, Xie Wenlang's first wife, Shen, was no longer with him.
However, Renfengtang in Qingzhou now has an additional doctor, Dr. Shen.
After leaving the capital, Shen Xi came to Qingzhou and studied medicine under Wen Tingmao. As the days went by, she rarely thought about the old things in the capital anymore.
Until one day, Wen Tingmao was urgently summoned to make a house call.
As a disciple, Shen Xi naturally went along, but unexpectedly, this time they ended up in a military camp.
As Wen Tingmao entered the tent, a man lay on the bed, his body mangled and bloodied.
The candlelight was dim, but Shen Xi could still see the face obscured by blood at a glance.
It was Xie Chengyan.
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Author's Note: Master Wen's past life appears in Chapter 12, only mentioned briefly.
Xiao Xi has always been a bird yearning for freedom. In both her past and present lives, escape and freedom have always been Xiao Xi's unchanging essence. [Lop-eared rabbit head]
As for jumping off a cliff because of heartbreak, that's purely your imagination, Xiao Yan. [Sigh]
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