Chapter 13 Reunion with an Old Friend His fingers touched Xie Qianli's arm, like rolling...
Su Xueyi, who had been standing with his hands behind his back, displaying an air of arrogance and pride, only stiffened for a moment upon hearing the butler's words before returning to a calm and composed demeanor.
"It's alright, it'll happen sooner or later." Su Xueyi didn't bring up the topic again. "Go get the violin."
The butler chuckled awkwardly, "Yes, young master." He quickly obeyed.
In the afternoon, Su Xueyi played a newly composed zither piece in the courtyard.
The Jiaowei Qin was passed down from a famous master, and its sound is elegant and refined.
Su Xueyi herself possessed extraordinary musical skills. Her fingertips glided across the strings, and clear, crisp notes flowed freely over the flowers and trees of the Prime Minister's residence, filling the surrounding area with melodious music.
Su Yin sat in the courtyard, holding a doll and gazing at her elder brother.
Not only Su Yin, but ever since Su Xueyi started playing the zither, more and more living things have gathered around her: there are handymen from the Prime Minister's mansion, servants and maids, and even scholars who stop by the wall to appreciate the music...
After Su Xueyi finished playing the zither, there was a long period of complete silence in the surroundings.
After another three or five breaths, Su Yin stood up, tossed the rag doll in her arms into the air, and exclaimed excitedly:
"Brother is awesome!"
The other audience members in the mansion who were fortunate enough to hear the performance, although they could not express their praise to Su Xueyi directly like Su Yin did, all had sparkling eyes and finally exclaimed in unison: "The Prime Minister's zither playing is a masterpiece, leaving everyone mesmerized!"
Su Xueyi slightly raised her eyes, calmly pressed down on the strings, and the lingering sound dissipated.
Su Xueyi was known as a polymath in Chang'an.
He always effortlessly garnered admiring glances from those around him, and over time, this became a habit, leading him to find many people and things utterly boring.
The father was preoccupied with the prosperity of the family, which was uninteresting;
A stepmother who chases after petty gains is boring.
The brothers in the clan often turn on each other in a fight over resources, sometimes even breaking off all ties in an instant. It's so unpleasant.
Boring, boring everywhere!
At this moment, hurried footsteps approached along the path leading from the garden to the main gate of the Prime Minister's residence.
Su Xueyi scoffed, thinking that someone from the palace had arrived. She plucked the strings with her index finger and started playing a different tune.
He didn't look up.
The footsteps stopped abruptly in the distance.
He guessed that Ying Xi might have been temporarily held back by the busy affairs of the Ministry of Personnel, which was why she arrived at the Right Prime Minister's residence in the afternoon.
Su Xueyi recalled that he would often visit Ying Xi when he claimed to be ill.
It must be said that Ying Xi is a beautiful young man. His appearance is not bad, and he has not yet made me feel bored.
But as an emperor, especially one facing internal and external troubles and a complex situation, how could a face alone solve all the problems?
Trying to please them is even more impossible.
Su Xueyi knew that Ying Xi wanted to please her.
The young emperor clearly had a face full of arrogance, yet he always forced a polite and courteous demeanor towards him.
Sending flowers and medicine, showing concern and care... all these are clumsy methods that even a woman in her boudoir would use to win back her husband.
Because Su Xueyi saw through everything, she wanted to tease Ying Xi even more, so she deliberately made him stand at a distance for a while longer.
Refined people often harbor cunning, and their methods of tormenting others are also quite unique.
The piece Su Xueyi played, "Changqing," is divided into thirteen sections and was composed by Ji Kang, one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove.
A full performance of "Changqing" could keep the emperor standing in his courtyard for at least half an hour.
The refined and pure sentiment expressed by the performer in the piece "Changqing" would surely have attracted the emperor.
The little emperor would willingly stand there without moving.
Su Xueyi secretly smirked, and "Changqing" continued to play, and sure enough, the other side stopped moving.
Ying Xi must have once again shown her boundless sincerity, right? Su Xueyi felt no guilt.
Actually, it is entirely possible to revive the Qin Dynasty, Su Xueyi thought.
But the potential cost is too high, and there are too many things to plan and give up. It would be better to let the family go into hiding until the change of dynasties.
After all, emperors come and go, but powerful families remain constant.
The new dynasty will also need to utilize the Su family, and he can also be among the first to surrender, thus gaining the new emperor's trust.
Oh.
Use Ying Xi's high regard to elevate your own value.
Anyway, he has no interest in Ying Xi, nor will he be devoted to her.
The song "Changqing" has ended.
Su Xueyi pitiedly withdrew her fingers from plucking the strings.
He casually straightened his sleeves, looked up slightly, and saw the tip of a black cloth boot approaching from afar—neither Ying Xi nor the eunuch in the air.
Su Xueyi frowned slightly.
Su Xueyi's face was ashen: "Su Fu?"
He was so engrossed in it all; he played "Changqing" in vain!
Su Xueyi was unaware that her tone was full of frustration when she questioned him, and said coldly, "What do you want? What were you standing there for?"
Su Fu was stunned and quickly apologized: "Young Master, in order to avoid disturbing your enjoyment, I will wait here until you finish your performance and will not dare to move."
Su Xueyi's face turned ugly, while Su Fu, desperate to survive, flattered, "Young Master played the zither continuously for an entire hour without making a single mistake. Your patience alone is unparalleled in Chang'an! My admiration for you is beyond words!"
Stop talking.
Su Xueyi's brow twitched again, feeling even more insulted.
He glanced at the darkening sky, then rubbed his temples with his fingers: "Let's get down to business."
Su Fu: "Upon hearing that the young master has fallen ill, several court officials have already sent condolences this afternoon. The food has been distributed as the young master instructed, and the tonics have been left for the young lady."
Su Yin hugged the doll tightly, looking bewildered, and said warily, "Yin Yin won't drink her medicine!"
Su Xueyi gave a signal with her eyes, and Su Yin was led away by the wet nurse. Before leaving, she obediently bowed to her brother.
After Su Yin left completely, Su Xueyi hesitated for a moment before asking seemingly casually, "Has the palace still not sent anyone to inquire about me?"
Su Fu: "Not yet."
Su Xueyi: "..."
Su Fu seemed to realize that he had made a mistake, and quickly comforted him: "Young Master, don't worry! With your talent, the Ministry of Personnel will be as stable as Mount Tai if you are in charge."
"Your Majesty may only be busy for a while. Your Majesty will not forget the young master! He will not tire of the young master! And he will not lose favor with the young master!"
A surge of frustration welled up inside Su Xueyi.
Su Fu exposed him completely.
Furthermore, according to Su Fu's wording, she seemed to have gone from being a dignified prime minister to a lowly concubine, using affected and pretentious means such as playing the zither and feigning illness to wait for her husband's favor.
Su Xueyi took a deep breath, pushed the Jiao Wei Qin aside, and stopped playing.
Su Fu quickly bowed, trying to minimize his presence.
Su Xueyi stood up and looked towards the spot where the setting sun disappeared, wondering for the first time what Ying Xi was busy with.
He was so busy that he forgot about important things.
He asked Su Fu to inquire, and Su Fu went. Su Fu's figure disappeared into the courtyard path.
Su Xueyi's slightly furrowed brows did not relax.
Ying Xi used to treat him well day after day, but now that kindness has suddenly disappeared, and he feels a sense of unease that he can't control.
It feels like a heavy stone is pressing down on me, and it makes my heart ache.
Su Xueyi carefully savored this rare feeling. Few people could evoke such emotional changes in him. The corners of Su Xueyi's mouth turned up slightly.
"Come here and send a message outside the manor," Su Xueyi instructed her servant. "Say that I am seriously ill and may need to take a long leave of absence for several months. Close the gates and do not allow any outside guests to enter."
The servant secretly observed the prime minister and found him to be unusually energetic, not at all like someone who was ill.
If there's an illness, it might be in the brain.
The servant dared not object: "Yes."
***
Before the Duke of England's burial, the Xie family completed the necessary rituals well in advance and sent out invitations to the emperor.
The burial was to take place on the first day of the second lunar month, as the emperor was to be present in person.
The second day of the second lunar month is usually better, but that's the day the dragon raises its head.
On the day the dragon raises its head, people are buried in the ground. If the dragon is prevented from raising its head, it might offend the emperor.
Early in the morning of the first day of the second lunar month.
Ying Xi no longer slept in comfortably until she naturally woke up.
He was impeccably dressed, in mourning attire, the highest honor that Ying Xi could bestow upon the former Duke of Ying.
In fact, it was sufficient for the emperor to wear plain court robes; black mourning clothes were reserved for important meritorious officials and royal relatives.
The deceased is gone, and Ying Xi plans to win people's hearts at the funeral, not caring what she wears.
Xie Ji was certainly an important contributor.
As for relatives, Xie Ji married the former eldest princess, and Ying Xi was the adopted son of the former emperor. In terms of seniority, he had to call Xie Ji "uncle," so he was definitely getting a good deal.
Xie Ji was buried at Mount Li, which is adjacent to Chang'an.
Mount Li has been a geomantically auspicious place since ancient times.
The morning light shines down, ancient trees are planted everywhere, pines and cypresses are evergreen all around, and the magnolias are in full bloom in early spring.
A small stream meanders around the mausoleum in the mountains. The newly grown trees are so dense that when climbing the mountain, one can only hear the sound but not see the water.
The mountain road is long, spring is approaching, and the soil is moist.
If the emperor were to climb the mountain on foot, his feet would surely be covered in mud, and besides, Ying Xi didn't have the strength to do so.
Six guards carried Ying Xi in a sedan chair and escorted her up the mountain.
Two people carried the sedan chair in front, two people behind, and the last two people supported the bottom of the sedan chair to prevent the sedan chair from falling down along with the people when climbing.
After climbing for about half an hour, the view suddenly opened up, and the ceremonial procession entered a flat area and arrived at the Xie Family Cemetery.
This branch of the Xie family was a branch of the Chenjun Xie family that migrated to Chang'an. When the emperor arrived, the Xie family members had been waiting for a long time, and old friends of the Xie family were also present at the ceremony.
This time, it wasn't that the emperor was late; rather, only the officials were waiting for him. Before the emperor arrived, the Xie family had already simplified the ceremony.
Ying Xi appeared, the two sides met, and the officials paid their respects.
Xie Qianli, dressed in hemp clothing and still in deep mourning, kowtowed to the emperor again to express his gratitude for attending the ceremony, as a filial son.
Normally, Xie Qianli would kneel on one knee, performing a military salute, but today was different.
Today, he paid a deep bow to Ying Xi, half-prostrate with his forehead touching the ground, his eyes bloodshot. The hempen clothes made Xie Qian's face darken, weakening his sharpness.
Xie Qianli said, "Your Majesty's personal presence is a great honor. If my late father knew this in the afterlife, he would be moved to tears. We, your humble servants, will certainly not fail Your Majesty and are willing to serve you with our lives." After he finished speaking, the other soldiers in the army echoed, "We are willing to carry on the legacy of the Duke of Ying and serve Your Majesty with our lives."
It felt as if a mountain had collapsed in front of Ying Xi.
He looked at the back of Xie Qianli's head and discovered a white hair that was completely out of character for his age. Ying Xi withdrew his gaze.
He shifted his gaze to the crowd in the distance, and reached out to help Xie Qianli up. Two deputy generals, Feng Ze and Lian Qing, helped the current Duke of Yingguo to his feet.
Ying Xi's fingertips touched Xie Qianli's arm, and it felt like touching a scalding hot stone. Ying Xi withdrew her fingers.
When Xie Qianli stood up straight, he was more than half a head taller than Ying Xi, and his gaze quickly swept over the hemp clothing on Ying Xi's body.
"..." In that instant, Xie Qianli's breathing became disordered.
At the end of the burial ceremony, Xie Ji's coffin was transported into the underground palace.
The underground palace was not large, and Xie Ji was buried simply in accordance with his last wishes.
The burial goods were few, consisting mainly of Xie Ji's weapons, his usual porcelain cups, and his armor and cotton-padded clothes. Those cotton-padded clothes were said to have been sewn by Xie Ji's deceased wife, the Grand Princess, and were made of fine silk and satin, which were unsuitable for the battlefield and would not have felt comfortable to wear.
Princess Huining, one of the most noble women in the world, was able to personally do needlework for Xie Ji, which shows how loving the couple was.
It's no wonder that after the Grand Princess passed away, Xie Ji had no concubines and never remarried.
The coffin was transported into the underground palace, and the palace was sealed and filled with mercury.
From that moment on, they were separated by death, and the cries of Xie's generals and relatives reached their peak at that moment.
Even as the Xie family's generals and retainers, and those who followed the Duke of Ying, wept, none of them dared to look at Ying Xi again.
Therefore, the emperor could not yet discern whether the Xie family harbored any resentment towards him.
Overwhelmed with grief, Xie Qianli's expression was as if he had been petrified, and nothing could be discerned from his face.
Ying Xi shook her head secretly.
After the funeral, the emperor returned via the same route.
The Xie family also headed down the mountain.
The mountain road was winding and narrow. Due to natural reasons, the emperor's entourage could not be too grand, and he still used a sedan chair for transportation.
There were more people on the way down the mountain, making it feel crowded.
The road downhill was more difficult than the road uphill. The guards carrying the sedan chair at the front had to scout the way and find footholds to support the weight of the sedan chair.
The guard to the left stepped on a loose stone, which broke under the weight, and the carriage trembled.
Yingxi's heart tightened inside the sedan chair.
Then I felt a hand slapping against the side of the sedan chair. The sedan chair became stable, and my heart, which had been hanging in suspense, returned to normal.
Ying Xi breathed a sigh of relief.
After a while, he slowly lifted the sedan curtain with his fingertips, peering out of the sedan, but saw no one and no hands.
He thought it was an illusion, that his pupils reflected the stream beside the mountain path.
Magnolia petals fall from the Xie family cemetery on the mountaintop and drift down, swirling in the water like small boats.
Ying Xi paused, and for some reason thought of the Yangzhou border defense. Lingxi suddenly realized and said, "Jade Mirror."
"Your servant is here." Yu Jing trotted over.
Ying Xi leaned forward and beckoned with her finger: "Go ask General Xie later. I have a way to make up for the extra military expenses. Ask him if it's feasible."
Yingxi shared her thoughts with Yujing.
Yu Jing replied repeatedly, "This servant will go and deliver the message immediately."
A gust of wind suddenly rose, and Yu Jing's figure disappeared from beside the sedan chair.
The long wind blew from Mount Li back to Chang'an and reached the Prime Minister's residence.
Inside the Prime Minister's residence, Su Fu reported repeatedly, "Young Master! Young Master! This servant has found out that His Majesty visited the Xie family cemetery today!"
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