Snow Breaker (4)
When Fang Ji died, Emperor Qianping personally delivered his coffin, and every official in the court envied Fang Ji's special honor. As for how the historians would write about Fang Ji, Emperor Qianping simply said that Fang Ji, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, had a late-night conversation with the emperor, and then died of a sudden illness. The emperor was so grief-stricken that he awarded him a lacquered wooden coffin.
The curtains swayed in the wind, the sky was orange and yellow, the old candle burned out, and the servant went into the room to replace the candle with a new one and then lit the fire again.
"Grandfather, please don't worry too much about my father's death..." Before Pei Yuanchi could finish his words, his grandfather raised his hand to stop him.
"Grandfather understands what Chi'er means. Grandfather is old, and Your Majesty is no longer the young Majesty. I should have thought of it back then." Pei Xianzheng put his hands behind his back, squinted his eyes, and carefully stroked a black jade pen. This was a gift from Fang Ji to Pei Xianzheng when he and Fang Ji were classmates.
A few tears inadvertently fell from the old man's gray eyes, and the tears broke up the clumps of wolf hair.
"It turns out that when you came to find me that night, you had already made up your mind to die." Pei Xian was staring at the slightly moist wolf hair brush, thinking of the night before Fang Ji's death.
That night was the beginning of autumn, and the sporadic drizzle was likely to turn into a heavy rain.
Pei Xianzheng and Fang Ji drank late into the night, reminiscing about the past and unraveling many past misunderstandings. When Emperor Ganping was still a prince, they were even closer. At that time, Emperor Ganping was little favored by the previous emperor, and Fang Ji often encouraged him, taught him to read and write, and even taught him how to govern the country and become a prince supported by all officials. It was precisely because of their help that the most unlikely emperor finally ascended to the throne. Fang Ji didn't know when Emperor Ganping began to grow distant from him, and the relationship between master and apprentice grew estranged, and the failure of the reforms was the key to this.
Fang Ji was dismissed from his post, but he never blamed Emperor Gan Ping. His life's mission and responsibility was to live up to the trust placed in him by the late Emperor and support the new Emperor in creating a new era of prosperity. Everything he did was for the greater good. Although he was not supported by Emperor Gan Ping, what he could not accept most was that the Emperor, whom he had once considered a child, had become like this: suspicious and distrustful, appointing treacherous ministers, listening to slander and turning a blind eye to the emperor's affairs, even doubting his fellow disciples who had fought with him on the battlefield, and ultimately allowing himself to be framed and killed.
Pei Xianzheng learned the truth about Pei Zheng's death, and he aged ten years overnight. He was really heartbroken about Emperor Gan Ping, and his position as Prime Minister of Daxin was also on pins and needles. But for the sake of his grandson, the Pei family, and his guilt towards his son, he would certainly not sit idly by.
Bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, the new year has arrived. Unknowingly, another year has passed. At the beginning of the spring of the 27th year of Zhenning, Zhao Mingshang told Xu Ning the good news that she was pregnant.
Xu Ning's eyes trembled slightly: "Really? You are pregnant?"
Everything was moved forward and had long since deviated from the development of the novel. Xu Ning finally understood why Guang Yu had said "the original book's plot is for reference only" when she first came here. She now no longer regarded this place as a book, but as a real place.
Zhao Mingshang's pregnancy was beyond Xu Ning's expectations. In this game, everyone was a variable.
"Why are you so surprised? It's not you who is pregnant." Maybe it's because Zhao Mingchang has a child, but her tone is much gentler, at least there is no sense of alienation as if she is telling people not to come near.
Mo Tingzhou has been in a coma for a month or two, and now he finally shows signs of waking up.
Tang Xixu copied some of the handwriting in the letter he received that day and gave it to Zhao Mingshang and Yuwen Xin, asking them to look for and compare them in the palace.
Zhao Mingchang took the three handwritings and took a closer look at one of them. He was shocked: "This one is extremely similar to the Queen Mother's handwriting."
As for the other two, Yuwen Xin found out that they all came from the Empress Dowager's palace.
Tang Xixu carefully compared the handwriting that Zhao Mingshang had copied from the palace, feeling doubtful and incredulous.
“Cough, cough, cough”
Mo Tingzhou, who was lying on the bed, suddenly coughed. Tang Xixu put down the letter and said, "Brother."
Tang Xixu called Xue Bushu over to take his pulse again. Xue Bushu relaxed his brows and smiled softly, "Fortunately, I stole a poisonous insect from the witch tribe back then. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to develop an antidote, and your brother might not have woken up."
"Thank you." Tang Xixu nodded.
Xue Bushu was very surprised. He never expected that the words "thank you" would come out of Tang Xixu's mouth one day.
Tang Xixu helped the man up and put a soft pillow behind him.
"Brother, you have suffered a lot these years." Tears welled up in the young man's eyes.
Xu Ning felt as if a thorn had suddenly pierced his heart, and he couldn't help but worry.
The man on the couch looked pale. Tang Xixu had trimmed his beard only a few days ago, and it had recently grown back. Two long locks of hair hung from his temples. Mo Tingzhou looked exhausted, as if he was straining all his strength to barely open his eyelids.
Mo Tingzhou heard a conversation between several people while he was half asleep.
Without waiting for Tang Xixu to ask, Mo Tingzhou said, "Since you all know, I won't hide it any further."
"Brother, is this why you haven't shown up in all these years? You want to investigate what happened on your own and avenge the Mo family. But I'm also a member of the Mo family. I have the right to know. Can't we do it together?"
There was anger in Tang Xixu's distressed eyes.
Mo Tingzhou endured the pain in his heart and said weakly, "One of the Mo family's children must be left behind. You were so young back then, I couldn't possibly take you on such a risk."
"What about us?"
A female voice with a crying tone came from the door.
Xu Ning looked back when she heard the voice and saw Qiao Mulan holding the ten-year-old Mo Xinglan's hand and standing in the door frame.
"Mo Huanyu, you are truly unbelievable! You are so cruel! You ignored me, an orphan and a widow, for ten years!"
Tang Xixu wrote to Qiao Mulan shortly after rescuing Mo Tingzhou. Mo Xinglan hid behind Qiao Mulan, and the child looked at Mo Tingzhou timidly.
Mo Tingzhou looked at Mo Xinglan, who looked exactly like him when he was young. Without waiting for Mo Xinglan to come over, he stood up and ran over. As soon as he got off the bed, he fell to the ground. Fortunately, Tang Xixu caught him in time.
"Brother, this is Xinglan and the others are all still alive."
"It's me. I'm sorry for you." Mo Tingzhou held the hands of the mother and son tightly, and tears fell on the back of Qiao Mulan's hand.
Mo Tingzhou never told them that he had already heard about them over the years and had passed by Buhuo City many times but had never entered. Every New Year, he would go to the old house of the Mo Mansion to sit quietly for a night, gazing at the bright moon, drinking a pot of wine and reuniting with his family in his sleep.
"Brother Mo, did you know what happened back then? Who wrote these letters? Also, did His Majesty really send someone to kill my father?" Pei Yuanchi asked a series of questions. He still didn't believe that His Majesty was responsible for his father's death.
How could it be His Majesty? How could it be him? My father and Uncle Mo have such a good relationship with His Majesty. They are good brothers and comrades, and they are friends who have risked their lives on the battlefield. How could they kill my father?
Mo Tingzhou looked around at everyone, and they all looked at him with confusion.
He sighed deeply and said, "Everyone wants to know, so I will tell everyone."
"I also participated in the battle of Ye County. I'm sure everyone has already found out that Su Wujin killed the men of my Mo family because they were poisoned. However, five thousand of them were poisoned, and another five thousand were killed by mistake. Sima Zhao's intentions were obvious. My father broke with him the night before the battle. The memorial requesting support was indeed sent to the capital, but His Majesty did not send anyone to support us. Instead, he ignored the memorial."
Mo Tingzhou added, "Without His Majesty's permission, no one dared to go to Ye County to provide support. Uncle Pei learned of this and came to inform my father, hoping he wouldn't go and die. But on his deathbed, my father still resolutely went to die after learning of this."
Tang Xixu sneered, shaking his head with a cold look in his eyes, feeling that the world was ridiculous. Xu Ning tightened his grip on the young man.
Mo Tingzhou still remembers the way his father died. The old man with white hair knelt at the city gate, defending Ye County to the death, with a smile on his lips and his eyes open.
"The enemy's strength has increased significantly because they have been infected by this poison."
"How did Brother Mo get infected with this poison?" Xu Ning frowned.
"Su Wujin rescued me by digging up a grave. Ha, what kind of rescue was that? He poisoned me and told me to work for him monthly before giving me the antidote. Later, I took advantage of the turmoil in the palace to steal a lot of antidotes and escape. I've learned a lot from working for him over the years. He's been trading with the Ningzhou Wu Clan. They developed that poison and then force-fed it to people. They want to create a powerful army to attack the Xin Kingdom. Their offensive power is very strong. If they succeed, I'm afraid even the combined forces of the Central Plains martial arts community may not have a complete chance of victory."
Everyone present felt a chill down their spines.
Mo Tingzhou took a sip of water and continued, "As for these letters, I stole them when I escaped. Later, when I met Lord Fang, I gave the letters to him. To prevent the poison from harming anyone, he asked me to lock me up in the cave.
I was lucky enough to see Su Wujin once when he was meeting the Xin Kingdom spy. It was a woman, about fifty or sixty years old. I once entered the palace and met the Empress Dowager when I was young. Her voice was exactly the same as this woman's.
Tang Xixu recalled what Ye Yulan said to him before she left, and a light flashed in his eyes: "If it is really the Queen Mother, why would she do this? Why would she want to put my father and the Mo family to death?"
“That’s the next thing I want to say.”
"The Queen Mother was once a princess of the Feng Kingdom. Many years ago, during the Qi Wang Incident, such an army also appeared."
"Brother Mo suspects that the incident was planned by the Queen Mother. She wants it." Xu Ning's eyes widened, and everyone present understood everything.
Empress Dowager Feng wanted to rebel back then, and it is very likely that Mo Wenqing knew about it, so he rushed back from Ye County. When King Qi failed, the Empress Dowager personally beheaded him and apologized to save his life.
"Uncle Mo knew about this, so the Queen Mother naturally couldn't let him go. So she teamed up with Su Wujin to kill Uncle Mo on the battlefield against the Jin State." Xu Ning sneered, "The Queen Mother's move was truly brilliant. As expected of a princess of a fallen nation, she endured and lay dormant for decades just to seek revenge."
Tang Xixu pursed his lips: "I'm afraid it's not just for revenge."
Xu Ning suddenly realized: "She wants to restore the country?!"
…
The March breeze was exceptionally mild, and the Spring Examination had arrived, but even before it began, something unexpected happened. The exam questions had been leaked, and a large number of wealthy young men paid large sums of money to buy them, plunging the capital into chaos.
Yuwen Yi knelt in the Qinzheng Hall, and Yuwen Xin glanced at his brother who was eager for quick success.
"You really disappoint me!"
Emperor Qianping originally wanted to protect him, but Prince An and the Prime Minister reported him to the public, so Emperor Qianping had no choice but to demote him to the frontier.
When seeing them off, Yuwen Yi and Yuwen Xin passed each other in front of the palace gate. Yuwen Yi lowered his eyes and said coldly: "Third brother, you are very cunning. Mother is right. You and father are cut from the same cloth."
Yuwen Yi was the official in charge of this exam. Yuwen Xin got the answers and spread them around. Yuwen Yi naturally fell into the trap as the exam was about to begin.
If Yuwen Yi did not compete with him for the position of crown prince, Yuwen Xin would definitely let his good brother go.
"Mohe has thousands of miles of snow drifting, and the scenery is unique. Seventh brother, just relax and spend your days."
Zhao Mingchang's pregnancy was getting better, and Yuwen Xin had accomplished such a great thing. Emperor Ganping was very happy and rewarded Prince An's Mansion with many valuable things.
On the fourth day of May, the Empress Dowager personally visited the Wanfo Temple to pray for blessings and clear out all the temple residents.
The gilded Sakyamuni Buddha with a blue lotus as the background has two eyeballs pressed together, looking at all living beings from afar. If you get close to the Buddha and kneel down to worship him and look up, it seems as if he is gazing at the devout worshippers.
The empress dowager knelt down and kowtowed, muttering something to herself. Zhao Mingchang couldn't kneel for too long, so the nanny helped her stand up by the hand.
Zhao Mingchang also didn't understand why the empress dowager came here to burn incense on this day every year and ordered the abbot to light a thousand eternal lamps.
The monk replaced the candles in the gilded cups that were about to burn out.
"Your Majesty has arrived."
The Queen Mother opened her eyes and then she held Aunt Hechun's wrist and stood up: "Emperor, why are you here?"
"My fifth brother's birthday is coming soon. I will come and burn a stick of incense if I have time today." Li Dequan bowed his head and presented the incense, which Emperor Ganping took.
If Zhao Mingchang had not come to pay her respects, Emperor Ganping might not have seen her.
"Why is the third son's wife here too?" Zhao Mingchang was showing signs of pregnancy, and Emperor Gan Ping was worried and blamed her for walking around.
"Your Majesty, don't blame her. It was me who asked Shang'er to come and accompany me." The empress dowager took Zhao Mingshang's hand and sat down, patting the back of his hand gently with one hand.
The lotus buds in the pond are about to bloom, and large lotus leaves cover the entire pond, making it look like a green carpet. Occasionally, a few pink lotus flowers bloom first, as if they are competing for beauty.
The vegetarian food at Wanfo Temple is unique in Xin State. It is refreshing and delicious. Even a plate of vegetarian food can be made into a flower. Even the imperial chefs in the palace cannot compare with it.
Emperor Gan Ping concealed his emotions and picked up a piece of tofu for Empress Dowager Feng. It was fresh, fragrant and juicy. The tofu juice was poured over the white rice, and the bean fragrance filled the air with every bite.
After a while, the Queen Mother said, "I think the youngest son of the Mo family is good. It would be even better if he could serve the royal family."
Emperor Gan Ping picked up some vegetables from a nearby table with his chopsticks and paused, "Your Majesty, I don't know. I used to think the same, but this child is different from Wen Qing back then. He has no ambitions and only wants to be an idler."
"Oh?" Empress Dowager Feng knew about this that day. "If he doesn't want to come, then bring him here." After saying that, Feng Jin got up and left.
Emperor Ganping put down his chopsticks, his eyes deep and cold as he watched Empress Dowager Feng leave. She was clearly five or six years older than him, but she walked much more stoutly than him.
Late at night, though summer was almost here, the nights were still a bit chilly. Beneath a candlelight, a woman in an apricot-colored dress was writing something. Half an incense stick of time later, Zhao Mingchang summoned the maid: "Cuizhu, return to the palace now and tell His Highness that it's getting cold and that the princess needs more clothes." Then, Zhao Mingchang placed the letter in the maid's hands and gestured for her to put it away.
Late at night, when the air is fresh, it is the best time to practice swordplay. Xu Ning has recently started practicing Tang Xixu's Liquan Spear. She is the first person to use a spear as a sword. In the world, only Xu Ning can combine the Ruchen Sword Technique with the Liquan Spear.
"Why do I feel like you're very skilled with my gun?" Tang Xixu watched the Liquan gun spinning in Xu Ning's hand. "I remember you rarely used it."
Xu Ning was nervous for a moment. The last battle in his first life was fought with a gun, so how could he not be skilled? Xu Ning had already memorized Tang Xixu's gun techniques, but he was still not as good as Tang Xixu.
"Really? I think it's just average." Xu Ning bared his teeth.
As they were talking, the young man was already close to her, and his hot breath hit Xu Ning's earlobe. Xu Ning's breathing stopped, and her hand was held from behind. Her feet uncontrollably followed Tang Xixu's steps.
"Since you are not familiar with it, I will teach you again."
The cold long fingers covered Xu Ning's fingers, and the long fingers tightened a little when he drew his gun.
There is wind in my ears and flowing water in front of my eyes, and the swirling wind shakes the silver frost in the pool that reflects the overlapping shadows of the two people.
Xu Ning couldn't hear any sound and didn't think at all. It took about half an incense stick of time for Xu Ning to regain consciousness.
"Tangxi Xu."
The young man in the navy blue robe turned around, two crescent moons reflected in his eyes.
"Let's get married."
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