Chapter 911 A Dream of Youth 443
The Qin zither is so generous, the Qi zither so harmonious and gentle.
At the banquet, amidst the clinking of glasses, Xie Ning, dressed in a crimson-purple official robe with a fish-shaped pouch at his waist, led his family to sit at a table.
Grandpa Xie and Grandma Xie couldn't resist coming this time at Xie Ning's request. After all, they wanted to see such a grand scene, especially since all their children had become officials.
The Xie family elders are so happy they can wake up laughing in their sleep; their children are truly remarkable!
They hadn't seen Xie Ning for a long time, so they didn't want to sit with Xie Wangzhi. Instead, they sat next to Xie Ning and put food on her plate whenever they saw something delicious. They had all gotten thin from hunger!
After playing for three years, Xie Ning hadn't been home for three years.
They could have returned much earlier, but the territory they had conquered still needed some consolidation, so they were delayed in returning for a while longer.
Xie Qi, sitting next to Xu Hongying as a family member, directly retorted when familiar officials came over to make jokes.
"What? Does Lord Li think his position is inferior to mine? Then why don't you go find a wife who can win battles?"
Xu Hongying almost spat out her drink. She knew Xie Qi could be a bit cheeky at times, but she didn't expect him to be so blunt. The official's face turned red with anger.
"You! You! Your own rank is even lower than General Xu's, how dare you insult me?!"
"My wife is more capable than you, that's all that matters, don't you think?" Xie Qi didn't feel ashamed at all that his current official rank was lower than Xu Hongying's; he was only proud!
When he's out and about, no one dares to mess with him because of his father, sister, or wife's names. Oh, and his mother too! His mother is a big shot in the business world; who would dare to touch her?
Xie Qi felt like he was a winner in life, but he didn't dare to give up, otherwise his father would hit him with a stick, and that wouldn't be the same as the little stick that used to hit his palm when he was a child.
There is a sense of sorrow in him, that he could have been a playboy but was forced to be a virtuous and capable minister.
Xu Hongying blushed slightly, then smiled brightly and said, "Yes!"
Their meeting was purely accidental, yet they found themselves standing together atop a mountain peak, under the endless starry sky, through the long and winding years, sharing the same bright moon and surveying the world.
The dance ends and the music ceases; only the black hat and the beautiful figure remain.
Xie Wangzhi glanced at Chen Wanniang, his eyes like the moon, and said, "Wanniang, you have taught the children very well."
"It's us."
Chen Wanniang's lips curved into a slight smile. Fine lines had appeared at the corners of her eyes, but she was still the most beautiful woman in Xie Wangzhi's eyes.
Throughout the journey, no matter what they did, they never let go of each other's hands, and there was no talk of one person bearing the burden while the other stood behind.
A gentle evening breeze swept by, and a figure in crimson purple mounted her horse. Behind her followed a group of women in official robes, their black gauze hats adorned with flowers, their beauty unrestrained.
The sunset glow over the sea of clouds burned away half of the nebula; it was them, the blooming flowers.
Time flows gently, and life flourishes.
Xie Ning eventually entered the Secretariat and became the Prime Minister. He served diligently for many years, cultivating a successor to his position. After several requests to resign, he was finally able to leave officialdom.
One man, one wolf, one horse—he traversed the world.
Because of the knife wound that almost cost her her life, Xie Ning's health deteriorated. She knew in her heart that if it weren't for that ordeal, perhaps this green leaf could have kept her alive for a long time.
But Xie Ning has no regrets. She walked alone in this world, leaving behind ties. Everyone has an end, so one should do one's best.
"She passed away when the mountain flowers were in full bloom, holding a book in her hands, amidst the bright clouds and rosy hues that filled the world."
Snowball lay down beside Xie Ning and then left.
The Crown Princess respectfully handed over the thick scroll in her hands. Xie Ning had written many books in her life, but this was the only one she had finished writing before her death.
Yan Xi turned to a page in the book, "The fourth year of Jingning, the ninth month, the Gengzi day..."
The slightly yellowed scrolls encapsulate Xie Ning's life and record the lives of the women she witnessed and heard about. They wrote biographies for themselves and others, from high-ranking emperors to peasant women in the fields; all of them have their own names in Xie Ning's books.
They are themselves, not anyone's appendage.
Whether in the book or in reality, they are no longer subservient; they are independent and free beings.
"Mother, may I go to see my teacher off?" The Crown Princess's eyes reddened. Xie Ning had been teaching her since she was born and was her only teacher.
"What do you call her, teacher?" Yan Xi covered her eyes, hiding her grief. "She is my teacher... You should call her Grandmaster!"
Even though she was slightly older than Xie Ning, Xie Ning had been patiently teaching her all along the way; he was her teacher...
"I'm going to see her off."
Yan Xi wasn't the only one who could go; anyone who had followed Xie Ning and received his instruction came, including officials, doctors, soldiers, merchants, craftsmen, embroiderers, and so on, both men and women.
Because Xie Ning opened many schools, she not only enabled women from all over the country to attend school and take the imperial examinations, but also gave countless children from poor families the opportunity to study.
Even those who had never met Xie Ning went.
The Xie family opened their gates wide, and people coming and going included wealthy nobles and commoners in old cotton clothes. They may have never met Xie Ning, but Xie Ning provided them with warmth and sustenance, and they would remember that forever.
Yan Xi suspended court for three days. On the day of the funeral, the streets were filled with people who came to see him off. They were all dressed in hemp clothing and had a piece of white cloth tied around their hands.
Paper money drifted by like clouds, like a shower of flowers, while the soul-summoning banners fluttered in the air, seemingly eliciting a soft sigh.
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