Chapter Seventy-Seven: Warm Lamps, Melodious Zither, Vast Shores
As dusk settled, Qi Kun frowned slightly. He had barely dismounted and taken a few steps when Mu Fei approached him with a hesitant expression.
"Mu Fei?" Qi Kun stepped towards Mu Fei. "Is your general in his tent?"
Mu Fei quickly stopped and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Qi Kun. “Strategist, why isn’t she here?” He pointed to the door with a worried expression. “She said she would come back to change her clothes and then go to see the lord, but she hasn’t come out since she entered the door. I made a meal, but she didn’t eat it. Just now, she even asked Ping to apologize to the lord, saying that she broke her promise.”
"Is that so?" Qi Kun frowned and sighed softly, then nodded. "I'll go take a look." He raised his hand and patted Mu Fei's shoulder. "You've been busy for so long, you should take a break too."
"Thank you for your understanding, strategist," Mu Fei raised his eyes and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Qi Kun. "We are nothing, but we have never seen the general like this before. We dare not overstep our bounds. We hope that you can have a heart-to-heart talk with the general."
Upon hearing this, Qi Kun chuckled and shook his head. "You two are practically like brothers and sisters, so there's no question of overstepping your bounds. She probably just didn't want you to worry. Don't worry, I'll go see her."
After saying that, Qi Kun nodded and walked into the house.
Mu Fei looked back at Qi Kun's retreating figure, sighed deeply, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
When the curtain was lifted, the room was dimly lit, with only a few candles burning quietly. Yang Xiao sat on the floor, leaning against the table, her head down, her face obscured.
With a few rustling sounds, the lit tinderbox went out in Qi Kun's hand, and a light slowly followed Qi Kun's footsteps.
Just as Yang Xiao sniffed, she felt a large hand press down on her head and gently rub it. The next moment, Qi Kun, completely disregarding his scholarly image, plopped down next to Yang Xiao and placed the lamp in front of them.
"Master?" Yang Xiao snapped out of her daze, startled by the scene, and turned to look at Qi Kun. "What are you doing..."
“You won’t eat, and you won’t see the lord,” Qi Kun raised his hand to wipe away the tears on Yang Xiao’s face. “I said I would come to see you, and Zhao Qing wanted to come along, but I didn’t bring him because I wanted to save face for you.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao immediately stopped crying and smiled. She raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes and let out a long breath. "Thank you, Master."
The bone flute he was clutching was already slightly damp, and the blood-written letter hidden inside was crumpled from being gripped so tightly.
"The Northern Qiang princess, who grew up on the grasslands..." Yang Xiao's voice trembled with a bitter smile, "heroic and unparalleled in bravery, she originally loved the grasslands and everything in the world carefree, just like a fledgling eagle. She was clearly one with the vast and magnificent nature, but..."
Tears welled up uncontrollably, rolling down her cheeks and onto her chin, then dripping down her collar with a sob from her throat.
Yang Xiao closed her eyes, bracing herself against the ground with her hands. "She met her father on the battlefield, they got to know each other, they fell in love. She embraced everything in the Central Plains with her purest heart, but what happened in the end?" She sobbed, clenching her teeth tightly. "She used all her knowledge to save the crumbling dynasty, only to be forced to her death by treacherous officials..."
Overwhelmed by tears, she was speechless, her heart filled with pain and sorrow. She turned around and bumped her head on Qi Kun's shoulder, her tears instantly soaking his collar.
“She suffered such great injustice, yet she still cared deeply for the common people and never hated this world…” Yang Xiao’s voice was broken and choked with sobs. She leaned on Qi Kun’s shoulder, clutching his sleeve and crying out, as if questioning, or perhaps venting, “Why? Why did they treat her like this!”
Qi Kun felt a sudden pang of pain in his heart. He raised his hand and patted Yang Xiao's shoulder repeatedly, letting out a long sigh, but he couldn't utter a single word.
"Why..." Yang Xiao seemed to have cried herself to exhaustion, a wave of dizziness washing over her. She slumped down and wiped her tears on Qi Kun's body. "No one did anything wrong, so why did my mother suffer such a tragedy, and why did I..." Her words caught in her throat, turning into silent tears that rolled down her cheeks.
She let out a long sigh, trembling, "Never mind."
"The world is like this. Corrupt officials, for the sake of so-called power, are all inherently suspicious and wish they could exterminate all the loyal and good people. On the other hand, loyal ministers, for the sake of the country and for the greater good in their hearts, have no choice but to endure humiliation and do their best to save the precarious world."
Qi Kun also sighed and gently patted Yang Xiao's shoulder, comforting her, "Princess, you are pure and kind-hearted. Back in the Northern Qiang, you were already a brave and skilled warrior. After marrying General Chixiao, you made even greater sacrifices for the country and its people."
Qi Kun sighed with emotion, then looked back at Yang Xiao's tear-streaked, aggrieved face. He shook his head and gently wiped her tears with his sleeve. "But Lingyu, think about it, is there any effort in this world that is wasted?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao looked up and met Qi Kun's comforting eyes, barely managing to stop her tears, waiting for him to continue.
"Everything the princess and General Chixiao have done is for the sake of a peaceful and prosperous future, and isn't the path you are walking now the same?" Qi Kun raised his hand and patted her head again. "Relax, keep moving forward, and things will eventually be peaceful and prosperous."
"No one's sacrifice on this road is ever in vain, never."
Yang Xiao leaned back on the table, nodded solemnly, and let out a long sigh of relief. "Master, you're right. Thank you."
"We're getting too distant, Lingyu. Why are you thanking me?" Qi Kun chuckled and shook his head. "You cried for so long just now. Will eating some sweets make you feel better?" With that, Qi Kun stood up. "I'll go find Mu Fei and see if he has any snacks or anything."
“Oh, Master,” Yang Xiao said, quickly grabbing Qi Kun’s sleeve as he was about to leave. “There’s no need for that. But…” she chuckled and tilted her head, wiping away the dry tears from the corners of her eyes. “It’s been a long time since I’ve heard you play the zither.”
Qi Kun nodded and smiled knowingly, "I'll go move the piano."
“No need,” Yang Xiao chuckled and shook her head. “I’ll walk with you there, just to clear my head.”
"Okay." Qi Kun nodded and pulled Yang Xiao up from the ground. "Put on your cloak. Although it's early spring, it's still chilly at night."
Yang Xiao let out a long sigh, pulled off the cloak hanging by the door and draped it over her shoulders. Looking back at the tear stains on Qi Kun's shoulder, she couldn't help but laugh.
"You're still laughing?" Qi Kun followed her gaze and brushed the wet patches off his shoulder. "Let's go for a walk."
Spring is in full bloom, and the fragrance of flowers wafts through the streets, but it is also accompanied by the chill of the evening.
Yang Xiao looked up at the sky, which was about to darken completely, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. She raised her hand to rub her sore neck, and her heart gradually calmed down.
"Actually, my frustration today isn't just because of my mother." Yang Xiao sighed, pouting, and then looked back at Qi Kun.
Qi Kun lowered his eyes to meet Yang Xiao's red and clear eyes, and patiently tilted his head, "Besides the princess's matter, who else could make you so sentimental?" He also changed his usual teasing tone and gently turned his eyes, "Let me think, it can't be Yang Song, then it must be Xiao Yan? Or... Lu Qi behind her."
“Master, I wasn’t wrong,” Yang Xiao said with a light laugh, looking at Qi Kun. “You are indeed very interested in Lu Qi.”
Qi Kun was taken aback upon seeing this. He shook his head helplessly, "Why are you bringing me into this? What about Xiao Yan? Have you met him?"
“How could that be?” Yang Xiao shook her head with a smile. “It’s just that… after today’s battle, I’ve seen through Xiao Yan’s intentions.”
Qi Kun nodded quietly, his gaze still warmly fixed on Yang Xiao. "What do you mean by that?"
“This time, Xiao Yan used me to get rid of Cheng Feng,” she said, turning to look at Qi Kun. “She also orchestrated this battle so that I could meet with my brother.”
As she spoke, she closed her eyes briefly, looked up at the sky, and sighed with a sense of melancholy. "Cheng Feng is a treacherous villain, no need to say more; Xiao Yun is ambitious and wants to become emperor, and his actions are no different from those of the wicked men in the palace before. Only Xiao Yan," Yang Xiao frowned as she looked at the faintly visible moon.
“She went to great lengths to promote loyal and virtuous officials, and even used others to eliminate treacherous ministers on the battlefield.” Yang Xiao turned back to look at Qi Kun with a conflicted expression. “I have a feeling that she has some hidden motives. Her rise to power… was not just for power.”
Warm yellow light shone from the approaching room. Qi Kun raised his hand, lifted the curtain, and nodded to Yang Xiaoyi, "Let's go inside."
He took a few steps into the room, boiled a kettle of water by the stove, waved for all the servants to leave, and then looked up at Yang Xiao. "So, you were moved?"
Yang Xiao nodded slightly, sat down opposite Qi Kun, and looked up at the edge of the table. "I was just wondering, if she still has a heart for helping the world, then is this trip still considered legitimate?"
"What is right and wrong will be judged by future generations," Qi Kun leaned closer to the table, looking at Yang Xiao with a warm and persuasive gaze. "Let's not talk about Xiao Yan for now, let's talk about us."
He leaned on the table, tilting his head to look at the moonlight outside the window and daydreaming, "If we can conquer the world, we will be a gathering of heroes, upholding righteousness and pacifying the land; but if we make a mistake and do not reach our destination," he turned to look at Yang Xiao, "then it will be a fleeting moment, and the heroes will eventually disperse."
Yang Xiao looked at Qi Kun, who was slowly getting up to pour tea, and asked, "So, Master, you mean that Xiao Yan..."
“Xiao Yan’s merits and demerits are not for us to judge,” Qi Kun said after a moment, then placed a cup of hot tea in front of Yang Xiao. “She killed a tyrannical emperor and employed loyal and virtuous officials. Now she is focused on governing the country and eliminating traitors, which seems to show her good intentions.”
Qi Kun brought a zither and placed it on the table. His slender fingers gently brushed the strings, and the muted, dark melody blended with his voice. "But Lingyu, what she is doing now cannot cover up her previous actions of murdering concubines to climb the ranks and disregarding human life to dominate the officialdom. Her path is paved with blood. Before gaining Yang Song's trust, she used methods of house arrest and coercion to manipulate him."
Yang Xiao's mind was in turmoil. She frowned and pressed on the table. "But Xiao Yan's original intention..." She took a soft breath, as if to calm herself down. "Even if she doesn't take action, the things that happen in the harem to compete for favor and the court full of treacherous officials are nothing more than this."
“Lingyu,” Qi Kun’s clear voice came from above. Yang Xiao looked up and met those clear, jade-like eyes. “One thing at a time, don’t confuse the two.”
His fingertips plucked the strings slightly, and the notes of the zither dripped into Yang Xiao's heart like raindrops. "Even if Xiao Yan is full of a heart to save the world and bring peace to the country, that is not a reason for her to do all these things."
Yang Xiao's heart calmed down, and she looked up at Qi Kun, "What do you mean by that?"
"Stepping through the bloodshed of the court, murdering the emperor and usurping the throne, forcing loyal officials to serve." Qi Kun plucked the strings of his zither and sighed softly, "If such things can be wiped away by so-called original intentions, then what evil in this world cannot be absolved by so-called 'good'?"
These words resonated in Yang Xiao's heart like a gong, and she looked up suddenly, her eyes filled with understanding.
"And what you just said about the righteous path," Qi Kun said, looking at Yang Xiao with a smile in his eyes, "if Xiao Yan and the lord share similar thoughts, then the so-called righteous path will depend on who ultimately brings peace to the world."
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