Chapter 117 Chapter 117: Breaking the Pride.
Jiankang City stands here and has indeed never changed. The only things that have changed from beginning to end are the people who see it.
Xie Li looked at his nephew, whom he had high hopes for, and found it hard to connect him with the high-spirited Qilang of the past. He sighed deeply, but did not ask him why he asked for the Star-Picking Platform.
Sometimes, Xie Li always reveals the tolerance of an idealist.
After a long silence, he said, "The Star-Picking Terrace was built by His Majesty. Qilang, if you claim it, you will be accused of disrespecting the imperial authority."
Xie Yun looked indifferent and didn't care at all.
Now he is like a lake covered by ice, so calm that not a single ripple appears.
"Is it just the Star Picking Platform?" Xie Li asked again, this time in a gentle tone with a hint of indulgence towards the younger generation.
Xie Yun lowered his eyes and nodded.
"Okay, uncle will speak to His Majesty and grant you the Star-Picking Terrace. Qilang, some things can be forced, but some people cannot. You should understand this principle."
…
Xie Li glanced at the tent filled with the aura of war and left calmly. He certainly knew what had happened to his nephew.
Although it was unbelievable, Xie Li still accepted this fact.
The cold-hearted Qilang falls in love with a woman who doesn't love him back and tries every possible means to stay away from him. Even the cage of marriage and power can't hold her heart. She's willing to take risky actions for his safety, but that's all.
When she did that, he lost even the slightest bit of resentment.
Xie Li sighed as he stepped into the ebony carriage. He raised his hand to close the door and told the driver to drive more slowly and steadily.
"Don't scare people, don't you think? My friend."
Xie Li smiled, the elegance accumulating over the years vividly reflected in him. He looked towards a spot inside the carriage, and when the huddled figure slowly raised their head, his smile deepened. "So it's you, Ah Xian."
Zhang Jingxian did not panic because her identity was exposed, but her face still blushed. After all, it was not very decent for her to sneak into Prime Minister Xie's carriage.
"Don't blame me, Prime Minister. I just feel the need to see you."
Her words were a little vague, but Xie Li understood immediately. He stroked his beard with his long fingers and asked her with a smile how long she planned to keep it a secret from Xie Yun.
"He seems to be sick. I plan to leave after he recovers." Zhang Jingxian said frankly. She still had a question she wanted to clarify.
"If the Prime Minister can help me divorce Xie Yun... I want to get the divorce documents."
Under Xie Li's all-seeing gaze, Zhang Jingxian's eyes were clearly black and white, her tone of voice was inexplicably uneasy and stuttering, and her voice was getting lower and lower.
Fortunately, Prime Minister Xie never used coercive tactics in his dealings with others. He slowly shifted his gaze away without being aggressive.
"Ah Xian, you can call me uncle. I haven't thanked you enough for everything you've done for Qilang and the soldiers on the front lines, risking your life."
Zhang Jingxian breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. "I'm just taking advantage of my position. I don't deserve your thanks, Prime Minister. My cousins are also in the army. Resisting foreign enemies is the responsibility of everyone in the world."
Xie Li expressed his approval of her words, looked at her with a smile, and did not say a word.
Zhang Jingxian paused before revealing her true intention of hiding in the carriage. The words about divorce she had just said were just words she brought up in a hurry.
She pursed her lips and whispered, "Prime Minister, could you please thank the envoy for hiring a famous doctor to treat his health? Also, I don't know why he wants to get the Star Picking Platform."
Zhang Jingxian looked a little confused. Even though she had never read poetry or books, she could see that Xie Yun was playing with fire. He shouldn't give up the reward of the Duke of Changling and lead 5,000 soldiers to Jiankang City to ask for a Star-Picking Tower.
She had seen the golden high-rise building once. It was very beautiful and sacred, but getting it would not only bring no luck, but would also erode Xie Yun's reputation.
Originally, after this battle, he could have gone down in history without doing anything.
Once the matter of requesting the Star-Picking Terrace came to light, it was hard to guarantee that history books would not record him as arrogant, conceited, and domineering.
"Qilang is emaciated and needs a doctor. As for why he asked for the Star Picking Platform, Ah Xian doesn't know, and I have no idea either."
Xie Li shook his head and looked at her and made a suggestion.
"How about I arrange for you, Ah Xian, to enter the Star Picking Platform so you can hear for yourself what he truly desires? Would you be willing?"
Xie Li told her that the Star-Picking Tower was originally built to communicate with the gods and ghosts between heaven and earth, so as to protect the Great Zhou from foreign enemies and ensure peace for generations to come.
He had also heard that the emperor in the palace once went into the Star-Picking Terrace alone, offered sacrifices of five kinds of animals, and knelt down to pray that the royal family would continue uninterrupted, that the emperor's throne would be secure, and that he would live a long life.
The Grand Marshal openly told this as an interesting story to his guests and staff. Facts proved that no matter who knelt in the Star-Picking Platform, their wishes would not come true.
The Great Zhou was still invaded by foreign enemies, the world was on the verge of collapse, and the noble emperor was inevitably threatened by powerful ministers and illness.
Xie Li didn't believe this. He believed his nephew Qilang wouldn't listen to the sorcerer's nonsense, but fate is always strange, isn't it? Even the most cold-hearted person will one day place hope in the gods.
What was Xie Yun's inner prayer? He had no intention of delving into his nephew's private affairs, but he was certain that it must be related to the woman in front of him.
So, Xie Li asked her to go and listen with her own ears.
Zhang Jingxian fell silent, twisting her fingers nervously. She didn't know whether she should agree or not. The entanglement between her and Xie Yun should have ended when he gave her freedom.
It was she who took the initiative to approach again.
"Ah Xian, I promise you that I will give you a divorce letter from Qi Lang later. Shu Jian told me that this marriage was not your wish, but Qi Lang forced you into it."
Xie Li noticed her hesitation and entanglement, and made a promise in a good-tempered manner.
A gentleman’s word is as good as gold.
He was an out-and-out gentleman, whose every word and action convinced the world, so naturally he would not go to great lengths to deceive her.
Zhang Jingxian finally responded. She silently persuaded herself in her heart, which was also to clarify her doubts.
-
Prime Minister Xie went to the palace, and soon the emperor in the palace agreed to give the Star-Picking Terrace to Xie Yun, in order to stop the gossips of the world by saying that it was for the blessing of the dynasty.
As soon as Prime Minister Xie left the palace, King Xiao Chongdao of Donghai rushed before the emperor in anger, and it was said that the two had a quarrel.
Finally, the words of the King of Donghai cursing Xie Yun with a gloomy face, calling him a traitor and a villain with ulterior motives, spread quietly.
But not many people care, because the King of Donghai has been like a mad dog biting anyone he catches over the years, and people in Jiankang City have gotten used to it.
The imperial family was in decline, so what else could he do besides curse and secretly make some small moves? Compared to the Grand Marshal's burning of the imperial family's sons, Xie Yun's action of demanding the Star-Picking Platform was no more than that.
After all, the Star-Picking Platform is just a dead object, and the illusory ghosts and gods have never appeared.
After the imperial edict was issued, on an ordinary morning, Xie Yun, with a small entourage, led dozens of people into Jiankang City.
Most of the soldiers and horses remained outside Jiankang City, waiting for the next order. Gongcheng Yue was among those who stayed behind. He looked at his friend's back as he entered the city, and broke the pure black feather fan one by one with his own hands.
"Xie Yun, you're a complete lunatic! A lunatic! A lunatic!"
Gong Chengyue's fingers trembled slightly as he cursed in a low voice. He couldn't stop it, he couldn't stop this guy from seeking death!
He was also gambling that this guy still had some sanity.
"Pass the order down, and prepare the troops for battle."
"Yes, Mr. Gongcheng."
…
Zhang Jingxian accepted Prime Minister Xie's arrangement and entered the Star Picking Platform two hours early.
Her hair was tied up, she wore a loose Taoist robe, and held a seven-star wooden sword. Her unique and pure temperament made her look like a natural little Taoist child.
No flaws at all.
When Xie Yun arrived, she was among many Taoist children, looking at him from afar, and no one noticed anything unusual.
A sorcerer in a purple robe stood in front of the Taoist children. Coincidentally, he had the same surname as Zhang Jingxian and was respected by everyone as Master Zhang.
In the past, he was in charge of all matters big and small at the Star Picking Platform. Now that the Star Picking Platform was given to Xie Yun by the emperor, he had lost his job, so his expression was rather stiff when facing Xie Yun.
"Welcome, Your Excellency! The Star-Picking Platform has been opened. Please enter and pray."
After shaking his silver whisk, Master Zhang retreated a few steps to the side, revealing the high steps leading to the Star-Picking Platform.
No more, no less, a total of five hundred steps.
According to Master Zhang, this is because the numbers of the five elements are used. Each step is not very high, but wide enough so that people will not be so tired when walking on it.
However, Zhang Jingxian heard the Taoist children around her whispering and knew that when the emperor arrived, eight Taoist children in front and behind would carry a palanquin and lift the honorable emperor onto it.
There are eight in total, and the emperor is exactly the ninth one.
Xie Yun was not the emperor, and no matter how great his achievements in repelling foreign enemies were, he was not worthy of being the ninth emperor, so Master Zhang prepared a four-person sedan chair for him.
But Zhang Jingxian instinctively felt that Xie Yun would not accept this sedan chair.
She looked at him quietly, not realizing that when the man waved away the sedan chair with an expressionless face, her eyes were filled with a smile as light as the wind.
Five hundred steps were not difficult for him to climb.
As she thought, Xie Yun not only did not need a sedan chair, but also coldly ordered Master Zhang and the Taoist boy to step aside and not block the way.
"Envoy... do you want to go up by yourself?" Seeing this, Master Zhang was a little surprised. In recent years, many people have entered the Star Picking Platform, including royal relatives, noble families and high-ranking officials, but almost no one has walked to the end.
How could a pampered noble be willing to walk up all five hundred steps? Those with a strong will and determination often don't believe in the words of sorcerers, and of course, they wouldn't come to the Star Picking Terrace.
Xie Yun ignored him and stepped onto a wide and low step. Then, there was dead silence all around, as if everyone's breathing and heartbeat stopped at this moment.
He slowly bent down, lowered his long legs, and bowed his head in an extremely respectful posture, putting aside all his pride in front of this cold, dead object.
Look up, face upwards, bow your head, and stand up.
The repetitive action was repeated several times in a short moment, without a single mistake or omission, and the arrogant Envoy Xie was also having his pride broken over and over again.
Silence, eternal silence, no one spoke.
Zhang Jingxian opened her lips, pale and weak. She could not move at all. Her body seemed to be nailed to the spot, and the blood in her body had frozen into ice.
Only her eyes were alive, and she was dazed as she watched this scene.
Anger and sadness intertwined and surged out of her body, but she could not find a crack to vent.
What is he doing? What is he doing!
"Envoy... Envoy, you don't have to do this, you really don't have to do this..." Immortal Master Zhang reacted and his whisk suddenly fell to the ground. He hunched over and pretended to support himself, but he stumbled on the steps in a panic.
He became even more anxious. This had never happened before. No one had ever knelt one by one in a row... to enter the golden roof of the Star-Picking Terrace.
"Get out of the way."
The man had a calm expression and tirelessly repeated the act of bowing. Because of his good family background and etiquette upbringing, even though he no longer had the pride, his posture was still elegant.
I don’t feel tired, I don’t feel pain, and I don’t feel anyone’s gaze.
Master Zhang was helped up by the Taoist children. He was stunned for a long time before he found his voice. He ordered all the Taoist children to turn their backs and lower their heads.
Don’t look, don’t listen!
"But anyone who disrupts the envoy's prayers will be guilty of an unforgivable crime!"
As soon as his old and trembling voice fell, suddenly, a figure rushed out from among the many Taoist children.
She staggered up the steps and walked behind the man, her clenched finger bones emitting a faint blue color.
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The author has something to say: Muah, here it comes, here it comes. I'm a little stuck, so I guess I'll have to wait for two more chapters~
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