White Jade Crossbow (4)
In front of Yongding Gate, the sun rose in the east, and the streets were bustling with activity, shouts and cheers echoing one after another. Today was much busier than usual. Fang Ji, a former Hanlin Academy scholar, had been summoned by His Majesty a few days ago and had been reinstated a few days later. Today marked his return to office after an absence of eight years. Newly appointed young officials, upon learning of this event, flocked to congratulate him.
"Hanlin Fang, congratulations!" Hua Mingru, the Left Censor-in-Chief, learned about this yesterday. If he hadn't had something going on at home, he would have invited Fang Ji to have a drink last night.
Fang Ji smiled faintly, "No, no, I will have to rely on the Huadu Censor from now on."
Although Fang Ji was only a fifth-rank official, he had already served as the Prince's Grand Tutor when Your Majesty was still the Crown Prince. Later, when the Crown Prince ascended the throne, Fang Ji spoke frankly, and Your Majesty never convicted him. Over time, everyone in the court tacitly accepted Fang Ji's right to freely advise.
"I have been waiting for a long time and would like to welcome my dear teacher back to the court." A few days ago, Yuwen Xin heard the news that Fang Ji might be reinstated, so he went out of the palace to greet him early in the morning.
His eyebrows were gray and tightly furrowed as he lowered his eyes to look at the young man he hadn't seen for many years.
Dressed in gorgeous clothes, he looked nothing like the way he used to be when he knelt and begged in tattered clothes in front of Fang's house in order to become his disciple. Yuwen Xin lowered his head, his eyes revealing a bit of calculation without changing his expression.
"Your Highness, thank you for your kindness. Now I am nearly sixty years old, and I have the will but not the strength. I just want to live my life in peace." The sunlight was too dazzling this morning. Fang Ji narrowed his eyes and looked at Yongding Gate, his eyes never moving away from Yuwen Xin.
"Your Highness the Third Prince means well, Lord Fang, you are being too disrespectful." Prime Minister Pei Xian was holding a tablet, gently straightening his long sleeves, with a faint smile on his face.
Fang Ji ignored him, glanced at Pei Xianzheng, straightened his clothes and walked towards the palace.
Pei Xianzheng still had a smile on his face. Han Li came over, bowed his head and clasped his fists, and said humbly, "My dear teacher, you have always been straightforward. I hope Master Pei will not take it to heart."
Pei Xianzheng's face relaxed, his eyes lowered as he surveyed the young man before him. Though hunched, he maintained a composed demeanor, his emotions concealed. The old man's wrinkled face relaxed even further, and he twitched his lips. "Of course I know." Pei Xianzheng had taken a few steps forward, but stopped and turned. "I forgot to congratulate Prince Han. He passed the imperial examination this year, fulfilling Madam Wen's last wish."
Handi's pupils froze for a moment, and he remained silent for a long time. Pei Xianzheng suddenly narrowed his eyes and smiled, then slowly walked away.
"Maybe I remembered it wrongly? I remember that Prime Minister Pei and Hanlin Fang were old friends." A worker stopped pushing the cart and wiped his sweat.
The owner of a tea shop next door collected the leftover tea from the customers and wiped the table clean to welcome the next batch of tea customers.
"It's all because of what happened ten years ago." The shopkeeper lowered his voice again. "Back then, General Mo Wenqing was guarding the border. Logically, this battle should have been a sure win, but somehow it ended in a situation where both sides suffered losses. The entire Mo family died on the battlefield, but fortunately they managed to hold on to Ye County. The Jin people were also severely damaged and suffered heavy losses. Later, when the alliance was renewed, Xin State had the upper hand. I don't know who said it at the time, but General Mo was actually colluding with Jin State. I'm afraid he had already treasoned, but he didn't expect Jin State to turn against him and bite him back, which led to his defeat."
The tea shop owner continued, "When General Mo's body was brought back to the capital, many people pointed at it and cursed. Prime Minister Pei and Hanlin Fang both taught students, and who wouldn't envy being their student? General Mo was one of their students. That year was the sixteenth year of Zhenning, the second year of the new law. When the reform failed, Hanlin Fang suddenly petitioned His Majesty to reexamine the Mo family case. His Majesty, in a rage, suspended him, and only just recalled him now. During that time, the Fang family sent for help from Prime Minister Pei several times, but were always turned away."
The worker seemed to understand and said, "In that case, it makes sense that the relationship between the two has become distant."
There were two people sitting at the table in the tea shop. One of them was a young man in a plain robe. He took a sip of tea. His fingers holding the teacup trembled and his eyes fluttered.
Xu Ning placed a hand on the back of the young man's hand, "Ah Xu, don't worry. The truth will come out one day. Uncle Mo and everyone in the Mo family who died will not die in humiliation."
Not long after, a man in black came and whispered a few words to Tang Xixu.
Tang Xixu looked into the distance and said, "Let's go, he's already here."
…
Many flowers have bloomed in Kunning Palace. A few days ago, a few new-colored ones were introduced, and the palace maids are exchanging the old ones.
As soon as Yuwen Xin left the court, he was summoned by the Queen.
"I asked Aunt Jie Ping to prepare some cakes. Xin'er can have some first."
The queen closed her eyes, slightly opened her red lips, and twirled the Buddhist beads with her thumbs. Her gentle voice concealed the queen's majesty.
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Xin drank a bowl of tea. He was not a sweets fan, so he only ate a small piece.
"Your Majesty summoned Fang Ji this time. Xin'er, have you heard anything?" The Queen went straight to the point without beating around the bush.
"Your Majesty, this time it was summoned by the Emperor alone, so no one knew about it." The man in the gorgeous brocade robe answered softly.
The queen glared at him secretly. Since Yuwen Xin said so, she couldn't say anything to blame him.
Then, the Queen said coldly, "I heard that the orphan of the Mo family has returned. I don't know how he managed to sneak in after Your Majesty's birthday celebration that day. I hope Your Majesty will re-examine the Mo family case."
"That's true, but Father refused."
The Queen paused as she twirled her Buddhist beads before speaking, "Don't interfere in this matter from now on. This is something your father doesn't want to talk about. Don't let this matter damage your relationship with your father and ruin the overall situation."
Yuwen Xin lowered his head again, his eyes dimming slightly, "Yes, mother."
Since the birthday banquet of Emperor Gan Ping that day, Tang Xixu and Yuwen Xin have reconnected. This life is different from the previous one. Xu Ning is worried about whether he should tell Tang Xixu Yuwen Xin's true identity, and even if he should, in what form to reveal it.
A man in a plain robe came into the room, and the prince Yuwen Xin stood up to greet him.
"Yin Zhao, long time no see."
When Xu Ning saw the face of the visitor clearly, he realized that the person he wanted to see was Yuwen Xin.
A few years ago, before the Mo family moved to Ye County, Tang Xixu and Yuwen Xin were both study companions to the Crown Prince. Unfortunately, the Crown Prince had a short life. At the age of seven, he accidentally fell into a lake. He was already dead when the palace maids found him. The late Queen also died of depression because of this.
"Third Prince, long time no see."
The two felt a little awkward when they recognized each other, and the scene fell into silence for a while.
Yuwen Xin was the first to interrupt, "Can Miss Xu bear Yin Zhao's behavior?"
Xu Ning was thinking about what to eat when someone called her name. Her cloudy eyes cleared up and she came to her senses. "What's wrong? What did you say?"
The man in the plain robe raised the corner of his lips, "Gu~Gu", Xu Ning covered his stomach and laughed.
Tang Xixu asked for a few plates of cakes and a pot of tea. "The cooking skills of this restaurant are not very good, so just make do with this to fill your stomach for now."
There are strangers here. Such a common sentence made the woman's cheeks flush and her body stiffen.
"Oh, it turns out Yin Zhao has another side. I thought you couldn't laugh." Yuwen Xin took a sip of tea and smiled softly.
Xu Ningmeng drank several cups of tea, but the redness on his face showed no sign of fading.
Yuwen Xin thought that Xu Ning was different from other girls in the boudoir, at least she would not be so easily shy.
He realized something was wrong and secretly glanced at Tang Xixu. Sure enough, the man's eyes were as cold as the February day.
"Cough, cough." Yuwen Xin looked away, trying his best to avoid Tang Xixu's eyes that wanted to kill someone with a knife.
"The matter you asked me to do a few days ago has already been resolved."
That day, after listening to Xu Ning's advice, Tang Xixu contacted Yuwen Xin to check what was happening in the palace.
"Han Li has been a law-abiding man these past few years, and hasn't done anything to harm the Liao family. However, he occasionally visits the Empress Dowager's palace."
"Madam Wen is the Empress Dowager's cousin. As the only legitimate son of the Marquisate, it would be easy for Han Li to deal with a concubine even if he wanted to. Why would he need to seek refuge with the Empress Dowager?"
Xu Ning took a few bites of the osmanthus cake and said what was on his mind.
"That's certainly true, but what if the murderer who killed Madam Wen was someone else, and that person held a high position?"
"Our Empress Dowager Feng looks kind-hearted, but she is no pushover. Don't forget, when the late emperor was alive, she was the one who managed the government affairs when he was bedridden. If she just wanted to avenge Madam Wen, with Empress Dowager Feng's power, she might not resort to such a big fuss." Yuwen Xin poured a cup of tea and continued.
Tang Xixu held his forehead with his hand and tapped the wooden table with his index finger. Just a moment later, the sky was filled with orange and red, Yongding Gate was closed, and the lanterns in front of the gate were lit.
Huajing is as lively at night as it is during the day. The cries of people selling pancakes are replaced by street performances, and cheers echo around the long street.
The two walked back, and although they were silent as usual, the atmosphere today was obviously tense.
Xu Ning thought all the way, if it was really as Yuwen Xin said, the power of the people behind it must be huge. Not to mention the retrial of the Mo family case, the court alone is already complicated, and the interests involved behind it are so huge that it may even shake the foundation of the dynasty.
After thinking about it, Xu Ning stopped. Tang Xixu took a few steps and noticed that the people next to him had fallen behind. "What's wrong, Ningning?"
The frosty moonlight covered half of the young man's face. On the way back, Tang Xixu found that Xu Ning was worried. Although the two of them didn't talk much in the past, Xu Ning was mostly jumping around and occasionally called him "Ah Xu" and "Ah Xu". But today she was just silent, quiet and solemn.
The young girl, dressed in a turquoise shirt, smiled faintly, "I suddenly remembered that drunk old man said he wanted to teach me kung fu, but I haven't seen him in a long time. Has Ah Xu heard from him?"
The young man's eyes froze. Did she know?
Tang Xixu was silent for a while, then lowered his head and murmured, "Actually, I didn't mean to lie to you."
Hearing the word "cheat", Xu Ning came back to his senses and ran up to the young man with a confused look on his face. He still didn't understand what this "cheat" meant.
"What do you mean by that?"
Tang Xixu's voice was soft, and Xu Ning moved closer, almost touching his face.
The young man looked at the thin hairs on the woman's cheeks and decided to "confess."
"That's right, I faked my death, and it was actually Senior Zui who saved me."
When Xu Ning heard what was going on, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, what's the big deal? As long as the person is still alive, that's all that matters. Life comes first."
Tang Xixu met those clear and determined eyes and was stunned for a moment. He couldn't say anything and felt a little amused and helpless.
"Then Ningning has to promise me that she will be good to him." Tang Xixu's eyebrows curved into crescents. "Just like Ningning said, life comes first."
Tang Xixu has been dreaming frequently these days. He can't remember what happened in the dream, he only remembers Ningning. He doesn't know what happened either, he just saw Ningning crying, and many people were crying too. In the dream, he seemed very desperate, and his heart was torn apart, so that he was still frightened when he woke up.
"Ah Xu, what are you thinking about?" The young man's eyes filled with stars stared at Xu Ning for a long time. Xu Ning waved his hands in front of him, and then moved his whole face closer, and Tang Xixu came back to his senses.
"Oh, nothing." The young man raised his lips slightly, as if a snowflake had bloomed.
Xu Ning thought for a moment, then looked ahead at the place where there was no moonlight and said, "It's actually okay to just keep going down this road until the end."
The road ahead was pitch black. Xu Ning walked straight ahead. Turning around, a bright smile entered the young man's eyes. "Even if it's pitch black without light, so what? I can become a light to find my own direction. That's all I need."
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