Chapter 14: Miu Tan emmm, a new task has been assigned!
"Father, it's my fault for not considering you or the Yuyang Palace. For over ten years, you have protected me, keeping me safe in my boudoir. Please forgive my unfilial behavior. This kind of protection is not what I want. I only know that even though the sun and moon hang day and night, demons and monsters roam the world, confusing all beings to distinguish between good and evil, and leaving loyal souls with nowhere to seek justice. His Highness Jialing almost sacrificed his life for the Kingdom of Yue to ensure national peace, while Princess Jinghe and the Fourth Princess lost their kindness and harmony, causing chaos among the people. I sincerely don't want to live in this world and serve as a minister in vain. If I bring trouble to the Yuyang Palace, please remove my name from the ancestral temple and have no further contact with me!"
Qi Tian was still lying on the bench, but his eyes gradually became distant. Then, as if he had determined something, he gathered his eyes together and fixed them on one point.
"No matter how much I try to persuade you, you refuse to give in. In this case, you will be punished to kneel in the ancestral hall until you figure it out." Qi Ye sighed silently, retreated sullenly, and ordered his attendants to lock the door.
Shengdu, Taiqing Palace.
Qi Xin steadily passed by the golden bricks, stood under the Xuanyuan Mirror in the mouth of the coiled dragon on the top, dipped in the Four Abandoned Incense, bowed solemnly, and then slowly knelt on the ground:
"Your Majesty, your son, bows to your father. Long live the Emperor!"
Emperor Shengde said with a rare kind look, "Axin, you've been tired from the journey. Why bother with these empty formalities? Get up quickly."
"Thank you, Father!"
Emperor Shengde glanced at Qi Ling's face for a moment, then stopped at the face of Wen Shao, the Minister of Rites, and said in a loud voice:
"The Princess has dedicated herself to the country and benefited the people, traveling to the Kingdom of Yue to marry. Her return to Sheng is truly a journey of great achievement. I wish to host a banquet for all to celebrate the Princess's achievements. I will leave this matter to Wen Qing. What do you think?"
"I, your Majesty, will not fail your command."
Qi Ling, standing by, bowed her head and said, "Your Majesty is wise! However, Minister Wen has a lot of work to do, so I'm afraid I won't be able to take care of everything. I'm willing to help out, as it's my humble contribution to help my elder sister return."
"Approved!" Emperor Shengde's mottled beard twitched as he said, "A Ling, Wen Shao, you two may withdraw first. I have something important to discuss with the Princess."
"minister--"
"Your son——"
"Excuse me!"
Qi Ling and Wen Shao spoke in unison, then bowed and left the hall.
After the eunuchs had closed the palace door, Emperor Shengde slowly walked to Qi Xin. When he spoke again, his voice was as hoarse as the sound of camel bells in the desert, echoing dully in the empty palace:
"Axin, when I sent you to the Moon Kingdom, did you ever blame me?"
Qi Xin opened her lips, as if held in place by an invisible force. She swallowed silently and responded:
"I, your son—at first, I resented it. But then I understood, even if the silk painting had never existed, this was my mission as a princess. I believe that no matter which princess was married, they would have been obliged to embark on the journey across the border to protect the land of Dasheng. Therefore, I felt relieved."
"My Ah Xin..." Emperor Shengde stretched out his wrinkled hand, trying to touch the top of Qi Xin's head, but in the end, it was like his unfinished words hanging in the air and stopped abruptly.
Qi Xin curled his lips, bent even lower, and bowed again:
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your concern. Your Majesty's grace is so great that I will never refuse it even if I die. If Your Majesty has no other instructions, I will take my leave."
"I have ordered the renovation of the Princess's Mansion, just waiting for the day when Xin returns. She can have a place to stay like other children in ordinary families. Go and take a look."
"Thank you, Father!"
It was sunset when Qi Xin left the Hall of Supreme Harmony. She looked up at the cinnamon-colored clouds on the horizon, and her mind drifted to the farmer's yard again. She suddenly pinched herself:
What's going on? Who am I thinking about?
How could I be so useless that I could still think of him after only being apart for a few hours?
No, no, I have to go visit my mother quickly. I wonder how she has been doing these days.
Thinking of this, Qi Xin had already headed towards Kunhe Palace.
Empress Yuan's personal maid Xing'er had already been waiting at the gate of Kunhe Palace. When she saw Qi Xin, she came forward with tears on her face and helped Qi Xin into the palace.
"Your Highness, you are finally back. You don't even know how old the Queen has been..."
"Xing'er, where have you learned all the etiquette? Why are you still so talkative?" Empress Yuan sat solemnly on the armchair, her face looking more haggard than in previous years.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I only saw that you had such a hard time meeting His Highness, so I..."
Empress Yuan interrupted her again, "Enough, stop crying. Go down and tidy yourself up first. I have something personal to discuss with Xin."
"Yes, I'll take my leave."
After Xing'er left, Empress Yuan came over and took Qi Xin's hand, bringing her to sit beside her. When she turned her wrists over, she happened to see the fine scars on the inside of her wrists:
"This is?"
Qi Xin pulled his hand back without much concern and said comfortingly:
"Why should you worry, mother? It's just a minor injury. It won't hurt."
"Yueguo was injured?"
"Um."
"Axin, Axin, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's mother's fault that she couldn't protect you." Queen Yuan couldn't stop shedding tears as big as beans, her body trembling so much that even the tassels of her pearl hairpins became shadows, as if she was completely different from the Queen Mother who ruled the country in the grand ceremony of the past.
"Mother, please don't be like this. It's all in the past."
Empress Yuan straightened her appearance, thought for a moment, and said, "It's my fault, mother, that you've come back with such sad things. How about you stay in Kunhe Palace today and return to the Princess's Mansion tomorrow?"
"Everything is up to my mother."
Separated by several palace walls, no one noticed that at this moment, a man dressed in black, under the guidance of the eunuch, slipped into the Taiqing Palace through a side door.
Behind the screen, a hoarse male voice sounded:
"Here I come, Qi Ze."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The man took off his black hood, revealing his peerless amber eyes.
"I'm sorry for the trouble you've endured lately. You've been carrying this stigma for so long." The whites of Emperor Shengde's eyes were a little yellow, revealing his vicissitudes of life and fatigue.
"I feel no grievance. I am honored to have such trust from Your Majesty." Chen Yu looked calm, knelt on the ground with his hands clasped in front of his chest, and his back was as straight as the poplars in Ningbei.
Emperor Shengde waved his hand to signal him to stand up: "Tell me, what have you found out?"
Chen Yu said solemnly, "I have learned that the Yue Kingdom was also severely damaged after the battle in Ningbei, so they developed the Blood Pill. It seems to be a mind-control drug that can help people improve their combat capabilities in all aspects, or bewitch people and control them for their own use."
"It sounds like this blood pill is a poisonous and evil thing like the witchcraft in Nanling." Emperor Shengde stroked his beard and said.
"That's true." Shen Yu paused, as if trying to decide on the right words.
"However, there are two limitations. First, while those who successfully fuse with the remaining blood are indeed extraordinary, the success rate of the fusion experiment is less than 50%. And within this 50%, the degree of blood pill fusion is unlikely to reach more than 40%. Second, only women of appropriate age can serve as donors for the blood pill fusion experiment. He Lianzhu has also experimented on me before, so I wonder how many Da Sheng people have lost their lives in vain before me."
Emperor Shengde sighed: "In the end, it's - you've suffered so much. I heard that your leg..."
Chen Yu lowered his head and said calmly, "Your Majesty, don't worry. I'm fine. However, Your Highness Jialing, she has become a Zero Blood Person due to some unforeseen circumstances."
"What do you mean?" Emperor Shengde glanced at him, his brows furrowed into a shape of a "川" (river).
Chen Yu replied readily:
"Those with Excellent Zero Blood are those who have successfully fused with the Blood Pill, and are test subjects with a blood pill fusion rate exceeding 90%. As far as I know, His Highness Jialing is the only one who has achieved this. Moreover, those with Excellent Zero Blood have not yet achieved resonance, and their potential abilities are immeasurable. This is why He Lianzhu and He Lianjin are both eyeing them covetously."
"What is resonance?" Emperor Shengde asked, and the wrinkles on his face deepened a little.
"Resonance is a contract between an ordinary man and a successfully fused Blood Surplus, turning the Blood Surplus into a puppet that obeys their orders. Due to the unpredictable power of the Blood Pill, achieving complete resonance is not easy. Moreover, as the degree of fusion of the Blood Surplus's Blood Pill increases, their independent consciousness becomes stronger, and the difficulty of resonance increases. He Lianzhu was unable to resonate with His Highness Jialing, which gave He Lianjin an opportunity. However, how to achieve complete resonance, I really don't know... There is one more thing——"
Shen Yu's words stopped abruptly, and he quietly paid attention to Emperor Shengde's reaction.
Emperor Shengde raised his right hand and said kindly, "Qi Ze, please feel free to speak."
"I am not trying to excuse myself." Shen Yu said slowly:
"But Your Majesty, do you feel that the rumors in Ningbei were too logical? And later, during the blood pill experiment, I encountered an orphan blood slave girl from Sheng Kingdom, who was actually sold to Yue Kingdom by an established organization. I have a vague feeling that these two incidents are connected, and I am afraid that someone in the court has been secretly colluding with Yue Kingdom for a long time."
Emperor Shengde nodded, squeezed his arm, and agreed:
"As Qi Ze said, I have indeed discovered something. However, the person in the dark is too cunning. I have been investigating for many years without any results. That's why I let you use this stigma to lure the snake out of its hole. But it's still all in vain."
Chen Yu responded earnestly:
"Your Majesty, please do not blame yourself. Now that we know what the Blood Pills are and the existence of the Blood Remaining Army, we can ultimately avoid some disasters. As for the spies within the court, I have already laid the groundwork and set up a network. I will follow the clues and the truth will eventually come to light."
"Okay, okay, Qi Ze, I'll do as you arrange." Emperor Shengde patted his shoulder with satisfaction and said:
"However, your stigma is meaningless. If you continue like this, it will not only bring bad reputation to the Jingguo Army, but also cause many inconveniences for you in Shengdu. How about I find a pretext tomorrow to reduce your presence? It just so happens that Ah Xin has returned. If there is really someone in the court colluding with the Yue Kingdom, I am afraid they will also take action against her."
Chen Yu looked troubled and after thinking for a while, he said:
"Your Majesty, I'm fine, but His Highness Jialing is your biological son after all. If this happens, I'm afraid it will..."
"Born into the royal family, who can remain unscathed?" Emperor Shengde's eyes became sharp, and he raised his hand impatiently.
"Qi Ze, there's no need to persuade her anymore. Asin is stubborn and doesn't trust easily. This play can only be performed with her. You two have spent some time together in the Ningbei camp. With your ability, Shen Qi Ze, you should have already gained her trust. The situation in Shengdu is uncertain now. Even if she doesn't join the game, she will be in danger. It would be best for you to protect her in secret and capture the spy at the same time."
Chen Yu couldn't argue any further, so he simply bowed again, going through the motions.
"Minister, I obey your orders—"
At the next morning court session, all the ministers thought that the emperor was overjoyed to have his eldest daughter return, and joined in the congratulations. However, they were unaware that they would receive a rather controversial imperial decree.
The eunuch placed his whisk on his arm, took the imperial edict with both hands, and read it in a shrill voice:
"By the Will of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Duke Jingguo, Shenyu, formerly accused of treason, was in fact a plot orchestrated by the Crown Prince of Yue. Unjustly wronged, he led his troops into hiding, secretly investigated Yue's plot, and captured six Yue princes in the wild, ultimately obtaining the imperial decree for Princess Jialing's return to Sheng. However, on his return journey, he was ambushed by the King of Yue and died protecting his master. His loyalty and bravery are known to the nation. He is hereby posthumously awarded the title of Duke Zhonglie, posthumously named Wuxiang, and enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, forever honoring his merits. I hereby order the Dali Temple to swiftly apprehend the soldier who previously lied about military intelligence and to thoroughly investigate Yue's spies, searching all prefectures and counties within Sheng's borders. Anyone who can report a significant clue, upon verification, will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold and granted the title of Marquis of Qianhu; anyone who conceals the truth will be executed as an accomplice. His loyal soul is gone, but his loyalty is evident. All our officials should emulate this sincere devotion and work together to uphold the rule of state. This announcement shall be made known to all. I decree!"
The author has something to say:
----------------------
ps——
Xiao Ba: Master Qi is so amazing, he can escape like a cicada~
Qi Xin: Learn from me?
Chen Yu: [shy]
Note:
[Rolling the Embroidered Ball] The sun and moon hang in the sky at dawn and dusk, while ghosts and gods hold the power over life and death. Heaven and earth! They are only meant to distinguish between the clear and the turbid, yet how could they have confused Dao Zhi and Yan Yuan? Those who do good suffer poverty and a short life, while those who commit evil enjoy wealth and longevity. Heaven and earth! They act like they are afraid of the strong and bully the weak, yet it turns out they are also just going with the flow! Earth, if you can't distinguish between good and evil, what are you called Earth? Heaven, you misjudge the wise and the foolish, and you are unworthy of being Heaven! Alas, I can only shed tears. - Guan Hanqing, "The Injustice of Dou E"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
