Chapter 11 The Wedding
The Tomb of 'Yunxi'.
It has no surname, no birth or death date, and stands coldly on the damp, cold earth.
A small, thin figure was kneeling in front of the tombstone.
Onion Head never expected to run into the Prince of Huailing here.
The thought of this person causing the death of the boss filled him with an uncontrollable hatred.
He glared at the Prince of Huailing, then remembered what Yunxi had said earlier.
"Onion Head, I don't care about the outcome, I only care about my original intention. I have gone through so much trouble to get this, so I have to give it away. Whether he accepts it or not is his business, I just need to give it away!" She raised her lips and revealed a smug smile.
This was something the eldest brother had begged for, even though he was covered in injuries.
With resentment, Congtou pulled the inkstone from his bag, pursed his lips, and handed it to the Prince of Huailing, saying gruffly, "Here you go!"
The Prince of Huailing tilted his head and, with just a glance, knew it was an inkstone.
He didn't reach out to take it, but asked calmly, "Where did you get it?"
"What's it to you? Remember, it was the boss who traveled a long way, covered in injuries, to get it for you."
"How dare you! You've eaten the heart of a bear and the guts of a leopard, yet you dare speak to the Prince like that?" Dao Er rebuked.
Staring at the hatred in Congtou's eyes, the Prince of Huailing slowly reached out and took it.
The inkstone was cold.
He suddenly remembered the boastful promise Yunxi had made.
"Why do you refuse everything I give you?" She raised her eyebrows, her tone exceptionally confident. "One day I will give you a gift that you cannot refuse."
The Prince of Huailing examined the inscription on the edge of the inkstone, which depicted the sun and moon shining together.
It was discovered that this was a piece of calligraphy that every scholar and writer in the world desired.
He stared blankly for a few moments before slowly asking, "How did she get it?"
"How did you get it? Boss is amazing, what can't you get if you want it?" Onion Head asked with admiration.
With long, slender, fair fingers stroking the inscription on the inkstone, Xiao Shenjing asked again, "How did she obtain it?"
Onion didn't want to waste words with him, so he spat and tried to run away. But as soon as he turned around, a sharp longsword was pressed against his neck.
Dao Yi said sternly, "Answer whatever the prince asks, or your little head will be split up today."
Even though Onion hated it the most, he could only turn his head away unwillingly.
Just as Dao Yi was about to force Cong Tou to kneel down, the Prince of Huailing raised his hand to stop him.
"Last month, the eldest sister ran away from home to go to Longyue Mountain in Lingnan to find an inkstone. She said that she had met Zhang Xunzhi there when she traveled with her adoptive parents. In order to get the inkstone, she had to climb a steep mountain that reached into the clouds with her bare hands and pick a basket of five-cracked Coptis chinensis."
"That mountain is extremely steep, teeming with snakes, insects and wild beasts, and the slopes are covered with thorns. It took the eldest brother three days to climb to the top. On his way down, he slipped and his leg was pierced with several bloody holes, and he was also injured." At this point, Congtou glared indignantly at the Prince of Huailing.
Although Yunxi didn't say it that way at the time, she talked more about how amazing she was and downplayed her injury, Congtou wasn't stupid. He kept asking her questions, and Yunxi couldn't get away with just giving a vague answer.
"Go on," said the Prince of Huailing, his gaze fixed on the inkstone in his hand.
His thick eyelashes were half-closed, making it impossible to discern any emotion in him.
"What else is there to say? That's how the boss got the inkstone!"
"And then?" the Prince of Huailing pressed.
For some reason, he wanted to hear more about her.
Onion Head grew impatient. "You're such a strange person. Don't you already know what happened later? When the eldest brother came back and heard you were at Jiuge Workshop, he came looking for you, but in the end, Jiang Yuanhou's family chained him up in the woodshed."
The Prince of Huailing abruptly interrupted him, "She was chained up in the woodshed?"
Unable to contain himself any longer, Onion Head said with disdain, "How can a prince like you know nothing?"
The Prince of Huailing stopped Dao Yi from drawing his sword and asked calmly, "So, what happened next?"
"No one brought the eldest brother food or water. He thought something had happened at the Marquis of Jiangyuan's residence, so he was so anxious that he tried to cut a pillar with his sword to go out and save people. When he cut the pillar with his sword, his wrist was chafed raw by the iron chain."
Recalling what it was like to be the eldest, Onion Head's eyes reddened, and he choked up, unable to continue. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and cursed, "Those scumbags from the Jiangyuan Marquis's mansion are inhuman! She got new injuries on top of her old ones while trying to get the inkstone, and she even had a high fever and wanted to save them, but they deliberately didn't give the eldest a bite to eat or a drop to drink for two days and a night, just to prevent her from causing trouble."
He glared fiercely at the Prince of Huailing. "You're just like them. Our leader would give her her heart to help you, to find a way to be with you. She, a woman, even risked her life to join the army. Do you know how dangerous that was? You didn't even save her. What did she do wrong to deserve this?" He choked up as he said, "Elder, in your next life, I hope you never meet them again."
Onion felt he was a man and shouldn't cry, but he was so upset that he could only squat on the ground and cover his face.
I hope I never encounter these bad people again in my next life.
The Prince of Huailing gripped the inkstone, turned around, and looked at the tomb behind him.
Yunxi is dead. So what if she was different from many other women?
There are millions of women in the world; whatever they desire, they can have.
He never regretted his choice.
The choice made at the time was not wrong.
Soon, everyone will forget her, including him.
Years later, when I think of it again, it's nothing more than a faint fragrance wafting by, then it vanishes forever in the wind, never to be remembered again.
A month later, no one knew that the reigning emperor would suddenly pass away, causing the court to be thrown into turmoil overnight.
On his way to the palace, the Crown Prince was blocked by Qi King Xiao Huanyu with his troops. Later, the Crown Prince was shot by an arrow, and Qi King was defeated and committed suicide in front of Xuanwu Gate.
That night, the crown prince ascended the throne, but died three days later due to the severity of his injuries. His eldest son, who was less than three years old, then ascended the throne, with the Empress Dowager acting as regent, and Grand Tutor Zhang Bang and Grand Secretary Wang Xiao assisting in governing the country.
The turbulent political situation has temporarily stabilized.
However, due to the emperor's young age, the formation of factions among court officials became increasingly serious, gradually splitting into the Grand Tutor Party, headed by the Grand Tutor, and the Huailin Party, headed by Wang Xiao.
The infighting between the two factions created chaos and misery in the court, leading to widespread suffering among the people. Powerful families who were affiliated with the Grand Tutor's Party and the Huailin Party took the opportunity to seize land and amass wealth.
Taking advantage of the situation, foreign enemies launched a large-scale invasion. In the south, Japanese pirates plundered the coast, and in the north, the Turks invaded, burning, killing, and looting.
The Grand Tutor's faction advocated surrender, while Wang Xiao's faction advocated resistance, and the two sides argued endlessly.
The Jing Kingdom valued civil officials over military ones. Civil officials lined their own pockets, while military generals who were sidelined were targeted, demoted, or killed. It was common for military pay to be withheld or delayed, and supplies for soldiers on the border became increasingly scarce.
The heavy taxes and levies led to widespread poverty and misery, and the selling of children for food was a common occurrence.
At this time of internal and external troubles and turmoil, the Fifth Prince Xiao Shenjing stepped forward.
"All the officials in the world are only obsessed with fighting for power and profit in the imperial court, and not one of them looks back at the suffering of the people. Since the small compassion is the thief of the great compassion, then I will bear this infamy for thousands of years, and only hope that the people will no longer suffer from war and misery."
"I had no desire for the throne; I only offered my courage to bring peace to the land and seek tranquility for all people."
Xiao Shenjing led an uprising in his fiefdom, with the slogan "Overthrow the tyranny, restore China, establish the rites and laws, and save the people." His uncle, Wang Hechang, who was stationed in Yunnan, led troops to respond.
In the same month, the two armies met in Hanzhong and marched north.
His uncle Wang Hechang's main force was unstoppable. Moreover, because of their strict military discipline and good treatment of prisoners of war, they never burned, killed, or looted when entering the city, which caused many garrison commanders to open the city gates wide.
The morale of the imperial army was low, and they collapsed in disarray.
Xiao Shenjing captured the capital in just three months, forcing the Empress Dowager and the young emperor to retreat to Jinling.
To everyone's surprise, after Xiao Shenjing led his army straight to the capital, he did not ascend the throne. Instead, he abandoned his usual benevolent image and ordered his soldiers to massacre various powerful families and important officials in the court.
Like a living Yama appearing in the world, countless heads roll with a laugh, and the iron-fisted tyranny caused rivers of blood to flow in the capital, making everyone feel in danger.
Overnight, the streets were littered with the bones of high-ranking officials.
Before the powerful clans that controlled various regions could react, an edict was issued granting land to the tillers, redistributing the land held by these clans.
The powerful families immediately united and raised an army.
Little did they know that Xiao Shenjing had already dispatched troops to lie in ambush in various places. Overnight, the powerful families were slaughtered, and all the money and valuables were used to pay and supply the soldiers on the frontier.
The elusive nature of Wang Hechang terrified the powerful clans, and the morale of the army collapsed at one point.
Taking advantage of the situation, Xiao Shenjing issued an edict to appease those who surrendered and were willing to hand over their land, promising that they would not be punished for their past actions. At the same time, he ordered the massacre of more powerful families who wanted to take the opportunity to rebel, and he even used Suzhou as an example to redistribute the land he had collected.
His actions won the hearts of the people, despite his tyranny.
It undermined the powerful clans from within.
In October of the same year, Xiao Shenjing ascended the throne in the capital and changed the country's name to Jingsheng Year 1, finally stabilizing the long-turbulent situation.
That month, Xiao Shenjing personally selected talents to establish the Supervisory Bureau to oversee the duties of all officials in the country.
His iron-fisted and ruthless methods earned him the nickname "Slaughter Emperor" among the common people. This decisive and ruthless emperor, whose hands were stained with countless blood, showed tenderness only to one person: his childhood sweetheart, Princess Yong'an, Cen Yuwei.
For her sake, they even reopened the case of her parents' murder years ago. In order to avenge her parents, they even executed the entire Qian family, which is known in history as the Zhaoxue Bloodbath.
One month after Xiao Shenjing ascended the throne, he granted a general amnesty and became engaged to Princess Yong'an.
Three years later.
The sun is shining brightly.
Inside the courtyard of Huichuntang, a slender woman was drying herbs in a winnowing basket.
She wore a light green jacket, the sleeves slightly rolled up to reveal her slender wrists. The hem of her skirt swayed gently in the breeze, seemingly blending into the surrounding greenery. Her hair was styled in a simple bun, adorned with an elegant silver hairpin. A few stray strands of hair were lifted by the breeze and clung to her smooth forehead, making her appear exceptionally beautiful.
A moment later, the curtain was lifted, and a middle-aged woman wearing a headscarf walked in.
With a "Oh dear," she exclaimed, "Sister Shu, how come you still have the leisure to fuss over these things? In two days, it will be the day you and Manager Xu get married."
Zi Shu reached out and turned over the dried angelica root. "Aunt Wang, isn't there still two days left?"
"What are you saying? This is a once-in-a-lifetime event." Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, Aunt Wang simply grabbed Zhou Zishu's hand and pulled him up. "Come on, come on, come back with me. We need to try on the altered wedding dress. If anything is wrong, we'll have plenty of time to make changes."
Zi Shu chuckled, "Okay, okay, I'll go back, I'll go back, alright?"
"That's more like it." Only then did Aunt Wang let her go. The two of them had just stepped out of the backyard when they saw the curtain sway gently, and a tall figure stepped in.
The man was tall and slender, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and a dark robe made him appear even taller.
"Dr. Xu's back from his house call!" Aunt Wang greeted him. "You've all been so busy with house calls, and one of you've been busy drying herbs, and your wedding is just around the corner!"
"It was my fault," Xu Yuansi said, quickly looking at the woman behind the door, explaining, "The county magistrate caught a cold yesterday, suffering from vomiting and diarrhea, and insisted that I come over."
"What are you thinking about?" Zi Shu chuckled and said as she walked, "I'm not angry, seeing a doctor is the important thing."
Xu Yuansi breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. Don't worry, I've arranged everything in the auditorium. I'll go back and check it carefully one last time." He then coughed lightly, seemingly a little embarrassed. "The day after tomorrow, I will definitely welcome you in with great fanfare."
"Of course I believe you." Zi Shu nodded. "Then I'll head back now."
She had only taken a few steps.
Xu Yuansi caught up with her. "Zishu, why don't you stay a little longer?"
Zi Shu turned to look at him and saw the slightly red tips of the young Doctor Xu's ears.
The golden sunlight streaming through the diamond-shaped window is like warm, alabaster jade, stirring the heart and making one's soul yearn with irresistible longing.
She was about to agree immediately, but Wang Da Niang behind her insisted on breaking them up, saying, "That's not allowed."
Without saying a word, she took Zishu's hand and said, "According to custom, you are not allowed to see each other for a month before the wedding. You have already gone too far now. Today, Sister Shu has to try on her wedding dress and makeup. She doesn't know when she will be done and needs to go back early. In any case, you absolutely cannot see each other again tomorrow."
Zi Shu had no choice but to look at Xu Yuansi with a regretful expression before being forcibly dragged away.
Seeing her leave, Xu Yuansi took a step after her and called out, "Zishu, wait for me the day after tomorrow."
"Okay." Zi Shu smiled at him, raising her eyes.
Although Aunt Wang had broken up the couple, she didn't miss the chance to tease them: "Did you see that look in Doctor Xu's eyes just now? He looked at you with such reluctance, like you were holding onto a piece of candied fruit."
"You noticed that?" Unlike other women who were shy, Zi Shu readily admitted it.
"Shameless." Instead, Aunt Wang spat and gently pushed Zisu's forehead with her finger. "Once you two get married, your life will definitely be sweet and blissful. You'll be the kind of couple that everyone envies, not even the immortals."
"Does Aunt Wang have eyes of fire? How could she possibly see this?"
"Don't tease me, you little rascal," Aunt Wang said with a laugh. "I've never seen a man as considerate as Doctor Xu. He closed his shop for days to accompany you to the Taishan Temple Fair. He even learned how to make dragon-shaped dishes all night so you could have them for breakfast. He's completely absorbed in whatever you do. When you caught a cold the other day, Doctor Xu was busy making porridge and milk skin for you." She tapped Zi Shu's forehead as she spoke. "Look at all the other men, which one is as considerate as Doctor Xu?"
"Don't worry, I'll treat him well too," Zi Shu assured him with a smile.
Aunt Wang was telling the truth.
This is also one of the reasons why Zi Shu was willing to marry Xu Yuansi.
When we first met on the Lantern Festival last year, the way he turned around in the crowd was breathtaking.
They got along very well and felt comfortable together. She liked the feeling, so she decided to stay in this place.
Perhaps it would be possible to live here for a lifetime.
Who knows? Let's wait and see if she decides she doesn't want to stay anymore.
She lived in Shuanggui Lane at the east end of the city, only two streets away from Huichuntang.
They chatted and laughed and soon arrived home.
May 18th is a rare and auspicious day, suitable for marriage.
The weather wasn't very good, though; it was gloomy and windy.
Early in the morning, Shuanggui Lane was already bustling with activity.
When Doctor Xu arrived on a tall horse with betrothal gifts, the sound of firecrackers echoed throughout the alley.
The children chased and played happily, and many neighbors stood on the street to watch the fun.
Xu Yuansi, dressed in a red auspicious robe, appeared even more handsome.
Amidst the commotion, Yunxi, holding a fan, sat in the bridal sedan chair.
Accompanied by the sound of suona horns, two children scattered flower petals along the way.
The falling petals caused quite a stir, and pedestrians on the street quickly made way to watch the spectacle.
The groom, riding on horseback, had a beaming smile on his face, which made the women on both sides exclaim, "What a handsome groom!"
"The bride is also very beautiful; they are truly a match made in heaven."
"It's a pity that you can't see it from inside the sedan chair."
"That's Madam Shu, who's skilled at brewing wine. She's always been kind to people and even gave me some wine once."
Amidst the bustling crowds on the street, a tall and slender figure stood out from the crowd, attracting considerable attention.
Looking at him directly, his facial features are even more stunning.
Like a thin mist over distant mountains, it is cool and serene, making one dare not be presumptuous in the slightest.
A servant boy dressed as a page exclaimed beside him, "Young master, no wonder everyone says that you should go down to Yangzhou in the third month of spring. The scenery here is truly beautiful."
The one referred to as "Young Master" is none other than Xiao Shenjing, the former Prince of Huailing and now the new emperor.
This trip was undertaken incognito to investigate the dispute over rice paddies in the Jiangnan region.
Upon hearing his words, Xiao Shenjing shook the folding fan in his hand. "Yangzhou is rich in resources and has a developed salt industry. It has been a prosperous place since ancient times."
Just then, the group reached the main street, turned around at the sound of the commotion, and saw a long welcoming procession.
When Xiao Shenjing saw Xu Yuansi riding on horseback, his gaze lingered for a few more moments.
"Tsk, the groom is quite handsome," the page remarked.
Perhaps it was because Xu Yuansi was indeed too outstanding in appearance, Dao Er couldn't help but say, "I never thought there was anyone in this world who could rival our young master in looks."
"I don't think so," Dao glanced at him. "This man has an aquiline nose and deep-set eyes. How can he compare to the young master's innate nobility?"
Xu Yuansi has deep-set features, a perpetually smiling face, and an excellent temperament. He is gentle, kind, and easy to get along with.
Xiao Shenjing's phoenix eyes were serene and aloof, giving him an air of unapproachability.
As they spoke, they naturally stopped.
In just that short time, the wedding procession arrived in front of them.
Just as the bridal sedan chair passed in front of Xiao Shenjing, a round ball landed on the road from nowhere, and the sedan chair bearers instinctively dodged.
The bridal sedan chair swayed unsteadily, and a gust of wind swept by, lifting the curtain of the sedan chair.
Xiao Shenjing glanced at it subconsciously.
That one glance made his pupils tremble violently, and he was frozen in place.
Inside the sedan chair, Zi Shu gripped the fan and finally steadied herself.
Xu Yuansi had already ridden over and called out, "Zishu, is something the matter?"
"I'm fine."
Zi Shu's voice drifted out from inside the sedan chair.
A familiar voice, an identical face.
Yunxi?
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