Chapter 69 Are You Willing? The past is gone like smoke, let's hold hands for a lifetime, never to be apart...
On the sixteenth day of the eleventh lunar month, at the Xu residence.
The night was dark and shrouded in mist, the bare branches in the courtyard were shrouded in a hazy glow, and the pale moonlight shone brightly on them.
Two Kongming lanterns lay beside Xu Congjing. He stood tall and silent, his loneliness accentuated by the dim, cold light. Soft footsteps sounded behind him, carrying the intoxicating scent of rouge. He didn't turn around; his young wife was already standing beside him.
A letter appeared before him. His gaze sharpened slightly with a hint of hesitation as he reached out and took it. "What is this?"
Lou Yanxu remained silent, the moonlight illuminating his gloomy face. A sudden unease welled up in his heart. He opened the letter and read it, his facial features hardening even more in a short while.
The letter contained Yunli's dying words, detailing Rou'er's murder. It turned out that on the day Rou'er was kidnapped and assaulted, he tried to save her but couldn't arrive in time, forced to watch helplessly as his beloved died tragically. Later, he discovered the murderer wielded immense power, but unable to swallow his anger, he kept silent to protect the Xu and Lou families, going alone to seek revenge. Alas…
Xu Congjing probably knew what would happen next: he was drowned alive but the murder was staged as suicide, and the real culprit went unpunished.
At that time, Meng Shicheng was besieged on all sides in the court. Meng Lingwei did not make a big fuss and punish the Xu and Lou families. Yunli kept the matter a secret. Although it was a conservative plan, it was effective.
Now, the truth has finally come to light.
Xu Congjing's eyes were vacant, and every breath was accompanied by a dull pain. His soul seemed to have drifted into an endless abyss. Although it was not yet winter, he felt a bone-chilling cold.
Lou Yanxu looked at him, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart. She lit a Kongming lantern and sent it into the sky, sending her deep longing to the distance.
"Sister Rou, brother, Zizheng and I have come to see you." In a daze, she saw her brother and sister waving through the hazy night mist, and her heart ached even more. "When you leave, the dew will be cold and the river water will be chilling to the bone. Remember to wear more clothes... If you travel together, you will have company and it won't be so lonely."
Tears blurred her vision. She remained silent, sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face, soaking the tips of her shoes. Xu Congjing's heart ached. He turned to wipe away her tears, but she couldn't stop them. He could only let her rest her eyes on his shoulder, patting her back to help her catch her breath, and only let go when she gradually calmed down.
"Yunli, I was wrong to Wanwan before. I will make up for my mistakes for the rest of my life. Please forgive me again." He lit another Kongming lantern. The flame was fierce, but it was not as burning as the gaze he cast on Lou Yanxu's face. "From now on, I will take good care of Wanwan, go through difficulties with her, love her and protect her."
"Wanwan, I have a selfish reason. I want to take this opportunity to ask you a question..." he said again, his expression serious.
He had previously tested Lou Yanxu openly and secretly, and had already sensed that she had opened her heart. However, the two of them tacitly avoided mentioning the past. But he knew that if this matter was not brought up, it might become a hidden powder keg between them in the future, and one day it might explode.
So, he gazed at her cautiously and asked, "Are you willing?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, her heart leaped into her throat, fearing that she might say, "Xu Congjing, I will never forgive you."
Lou Yanxu could see his nervousness, so she didn't rush to answer. Scenes from the past flashed before her eyes, including moments of love and hatred between the two. But the depth of their love and the pain they felt meant they could never let go of each other's hands.
That's enough, that's enough.
I've hated and fought, but I can't escape the swamp in my heart. The knot in my heart is untied, so I might as well follow my heart and be as bright as the rising sun.
Then she smiled and said, "The past is gone like smoke; let us hold hands for a lifetime and never leave each other."
Xu Congjing's tense body finally relaxed, and he lowered his head with a broad smile. He quietly grasped the cool jade hand and made a promise while looking at the rising Kongming lantern.
"Wanwan, I will trust you from now on, I will definitely trust you."
The two stood in silence in the courtyard for an hour, until just before curfew, when he escorted her to the door.
Lou Yunbing stood with his back to the door, one hand resting on the head of the stone beast, his gaze lost in the distance, seemingly pondering nothing in the world.
When she saw Xu Congjing, his eyes darted away slightly. Lou Yanxu glanced at him. She had originally intended to thank him in person for taking the knife for him, but he was timid and hesitant in front of her ancestor. She couldn't stand it, so she walked behind him and secretly poked him in the back.
Lou Yunbing stumbled and nearly fell on Xu Congjing. He looked embarrassed and glanced at him, mumbling, "Thank you for taking that knife for me that day."
Xu Congjing noticed his unease and smiled it off, saying, "We're family, how could I just stand by and watch you get into danger without doing anything?"
The words "family" made him grit his teeth, but since his benefactor was above him, he swallowed his harsh words. He stepped forward and looked Xu Congjing straight in the eyes without any fear. "If you dare to betray her, our Lou family still has people in our ranks. Let's see if you can keep your official position."
He has now established himself in Chang'an and has connections with all those high-ranking officials and nobles. He has secured a place for himself and will definitely support his elder sister in the future. No matter how high or low the official is, in his eyes they are all just people who can exchange their lives for his.
Instead of enjoying a good life, Xu Congjing was not so foolish as to fight him. With deep affection in his eyes and words that sounded like obsession, he said, "I'd rather die than lose her again."
Lou Yanxu was just stepping onto the stool when she heard this, she paused, tightened her grip on her skirt, her eyes shimmered, and she entered the carriage.
Yun Bing mounted his horse and reminded him expressionlessly, "Remember what you said today."
The carriage sped away, the tinkling of the bells hanging in front of it gradually fading away. Xu Congjing, holding onto the door frame, watched them go until his eyes were empty, then clutched his wound and walked back.
After recovering from his injuries for a few more days, he went to court in his official robes and came face to face with Lou Yanxu. Considering that others were present, the two of them remained silent. In the eyes of others, this was like "enemies meeting and their eyes turning red with hatred," which sparked another round of discussion.
Lou Yanxu ignored the rumors and quietly returned to the Court of State Ceremonial to keep busy. Today, the Pyu Kingdom would be leaving the capital with imperial gifts. She had already made a record of these gifts, so she had a general idea of what they were. When she saw the boxes being carried out, she immediately felt suspicious. She went forward and lifted a corner of one of them, and sure enough, the weights were different.
She glanced at the gift list. If the gifts were heavy enough, she would never have been able to lift them; someone must have tampered with them. The envoy would return with the gifts, and an investigation would reveal the truth. However, the Pyu king would not question him about such a trivial matter; he would only secretly worry that the Great Jin's stinginess would damage the friendly relations between the two countries.
This was a very serious matter. After much deliberation, she decided to report to her superiors first before making any further plans.
When the temple official Mei Yu learned of this, he not only did not investigate it carefully, but also showed impatience and wanted to send her away, saying, "I have already investigated these things, you don't need to investigate anymore, go do something else."
Lou Yanxu was repeatedly kicked out of the house and left in a sorry state. Mei Yu was a man with no one to rely on, but he managed to navigate among the officials with his jack-of-all-trades nature, offending no one. He would never dare to harbor such thoughts of harming the country and its people. The only people in the temple who could influence him were the Minister and Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies. The Vice Minister was upright and incorruptible and always acted alone, but she had accidentally seen the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, Xun Mian, presenting gifts to Grand Tutor Meng. If that were true, perhaps this matter could shake up a corner of the Grand Tutor's mansion.
Thinking this, she didn't linger in the government office and decisively headed towards the Ministry of Rites when no one was looking. Just then, she saw Xu Congjing standing with his hands behind his back, an official respectfully reporting official business beside him. She slowly approached, and as she brushed past him, she bumped into his shoulder hard, and was scolded, "How dare you!"
However, Xu Congjing raised his hand to stop him.
With so many people around, it wasn't wise to say much. Lou Yanxu could only apologize while giving him meaningful glances. Fortunately, they were on the same wavelength, and he noticed something amiss, so he asked, "What official business does the Court of State Ceremonial have today?"
"Reporting to Minister Xu, the envoy from Pyu Kingdom departed the capital today, and the Court of State Ceremonies is currently inventorying the gifts," Lou Yanxu reported respectfully. Now he roughly knew where the trouble was, so he changed direction and headed towards the Court of State Ceremonies, "Let's go take a look."
Only after he had walked far away did she slowly walk back.
A short while later, Xu Congjing appeared at the Court of State Ceremonial. He went to report to the temple's assistant, Mei Yu, who immediately came out to greet him, looking embarrassed. He wondered to himself who had brought this big Buddha statue here.
Xu Congjing looked around and asked, "Has everything been inventoried?"
As the current Minister of Rites, he had no right to interfere in the affairs of the Court of State Ceremonial. However, since he held an honorary title, Mei Yu, a low-ranking official of the sixth grade, dared not act rashly. So he gave a forced smile and replied that everything was ready, only thinking about how to get rid of him.
Xu Congjing knocked on the sealed trunk, showing no intention of leaving. Instead, he ordered someone to bring out the gift list. What a shrewd man he was! This would surely expose his scheme.
Mei Yu panicked. Forgetting about being disrespectful, he directly intercepted the gift list, still with that obsequious demeanor, "Please don't be offended, but I must remind you that you are merely the Minister of Rites. Even if you concurrently hold the position of Minister of Works, you have no right to manage the affairs of my Court of State Ceremonies."
Xu Congjing snorted coldly and laughed out loud, "If I can't manage it, can the Crown Prince?"
Mei Yu choked. Everyone knew that this was a favorite of the Crown Prince. As the saying goes, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Even if Xu Situ was not as powerful as before, he could still be easily crushed with one hand. How could he dare to say anything more now? He should have slapped himself for meddling in other people's business.
"Mei Sicheng, may I speak with you in private?" Xu Congjing glanced around, giving Mei Yu face. The latter shrank back, reluctantly leading the man inside.
"Whose idea was this?" As soon as he entered the room, he heard a cold, accusatory voice. His heart pounded, but he stubbornly insisted, "It was my own idea."
Xu Congjing walked to the desk, picked up the large stack of densely written papers and looked at them for a while. The long silence made Mei Yu's heart clench tightly. Just as he was about to relax, he heard a sudden "smack" as a stack of official documents was slammed down, hitting him right in the heart.
Then came news that "the unexplained absence of gifts has angered the Pyu Kingdom, and according to the laws of the Great Jin Dynasty, anyone who disrupts the peace between the two countries shall be sentenced to death."
His body trembled involuntarily. He was always good at changing his stance depending on the situation, but neither side was easy to deal with. Which way to go would lead to certain death? His legs were shaking. After a moment of struggle, he decided to take a gamble to get through this crisis first.
"It is...it is Minister Xun."
It was indeed him. His inner suspicions were confirmed. Xu Congjing's brows furrowed, and a bloodthirsty smile crept onto his face.
Xun Mian outwardly submitted to the Crown Prince, but in reality worked for Meng Shicheng. Mei Yu must have known this, which is why he dared not speak out. Now that he has spoken out, he is betting that Xu Congjing is unaware of this matter, but unfortunately, he lost the bet.
Not only Xu Congjing knew, but the Crown Prince also knew.
Having received the answer, Xu Congjing made a plan in mind. He opened the door to leave, but stopped at the door and turned back to remind himself, "If you don't make a fuss about this, the fire won't reach you."
Mei Yu dared not disobey and nodded repeatedly.
However, he did not expect that the fire would spread to the Grand Tutor's mansion that very night.
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