Chapter 88
Xie Lin, her face streaked with tears, looked both sorrowful and indignant: "Before you came, our family was doing just fine. After you came, refugees came to the city, and Grandpa died. It's all your fault!"
Qin Sang sighed inwardly. That made sense. Sometimes, if someone's fate was too bad, it would affect the people around them. There was nothing that could be done about it. When people are connected by fate, no one can be immune. Who gets involved, who dies young, who lives long, who is blessed, and who is poor are all determined by the book of fate.
"Get out!" Xie Lin said angrily, then suddenly stood up and pushed her.
Seeing her stance, Qin Sang was suddenly amused and annoyed, but before she could make a move, Xie Wu had already pushed Xie Lin away: "What's wrong with you! If it weren't for your unscrupulous grandfather, would Grandpa have been implicated today?!"
"No! My mother said that my maternal grandfather did not buy relief grain privately; he was just being slandered!" Xie Lin glanced at everyone in the hall, his eyes red-rimmed. "My mother wrote to my uncle to ask, and it's really true..."
Wang Huiwen said coldly, "Someone will naturally investigate this matter. What kind of behavior is this, making a scene in front of the coffin? Kneel down now!"
Xie Lin bit her lip, standing there resolutely, pointing at Qin Sang: "She really is a jinx. If you don't get rid of her, there will be even more trouble in the future."
There was a moment of silence in the hall.
Because of this silence, Qin Sang sensed something was wrong. She looked up and glanced around casually, only to find everyone staring at her with hesitant and hostile gazes.
Suddenly, Xie Zhiyuan hissed, "Get out!"
Qin Sang: "??" They shouldn't be calling me, right?
Xie Zhiyuan raised his hand, his fingertip pointing directly at Qin Sang's forehead: "Get out of here! Where did this country bumpkin come from, causing so much trouble? We won't keep her, get out!"
"Second Uncle!" Wang Huiwen's voice trembled slightly. His red-rimmed eyes glanced at Qin Sang and advised Xie Zhiyuan, "She is the princess consort chosen by Prince Ning'an... she was betrothed to Father."
Cen Biyun lowered her head and calmly added, "She must be our family's daughter now, so that we and Prince Ning'an can be on the same side. The Emperor sent Prince Jing'an here because he was afraid that the Crown Prince..." She paused, "...The Emperor doesn't want loyal ministers to be wronged."
Xie Zhiyuan suddenly turned around and looked at Cen Biyun: "Has Father gone mad? With so many daughters in the family, why would he use her, an outsider with an unknown background, for a marriage alliance? And he's even dragging Prince Ning'an into it. Does he think all our daughters are dead?!"
"Second brother!" Xie Tiao couldn't stand it anymore. "Do not be disrespectful before Father's spirit."
Xie Zhiyuan flicked his sleeve and looked at Xie Lin: "You kneel down, this is not the time for you to stand up for yourself!"
Qin Sang noticed a very faint trace of resentment flash across Cen Biyun's face.
It seems Xie Zhiyuan's favoritism towards his concubine is a bit outrageous.
In such a large family, he dislikes his perfectly good son but protects a maid born of a concubine. It seems his true love is with that Aunt Tan. It's just a pity that his true love is now locked up in a house, her fate unknown.
It was difficult to argue with such an unreasonable person, so Qin Sang simply remained silent, only giving Cen Biyun a quiet smile as a gesture of both comfort and gratitude.
Relationships between people are built in these special moments with knowing glances between us.
Suddenly, someone rushed in through the rain, took off his straw hat, and the head steward of the Prime Minister's residence breathed slightly: "His Majesty's imperial carriage has passed Shangwu Street and is heading towards our Prime Minister's residence. Master and Second Master, prepare to welcome him!"
Everyone was stunned for a moment before they realized what was happening, and then they were both panicked and delighted.
"—This…with such heavy rain, why did the Emperor come in person…"
"Stop standing there, get out of here!"
"—Have someone bring more umbrellas. And to the kitchen staff who prepare tea, go and have some good tea..."
The steward, who had probably already processed the news on the way here, hurriedly reminded them, "Gentlemen and ladies, there's no need to rush. The Emperor's arrival at this time shows that he trusts our Prime Minister and is here to uphold justice for him."
Xie Tiao realized what was happening and nodded vigorously, like a chicken pecking at rice: "Yes, yes, that makes sense. The Emperor himself has come, which means the matter has been investigated and cleared up... Yes, Father is a veteran of two reigns and was once the Emperor's tutor. The Emperor shouldn't have doubted Father. Those impeachment memorials are clearly partisan strife and slander... Quick, quick, let's go and welcome the Emperor!"
Qin Sang stared at the gradually quieting mourning hall, somewhat taken aback. Wasn't the interrogation just a moment ago? Even Prince Ning'an couldn't fathom the Emperor's thoughts, and last night he had warned her that the Xie family wouldn't survive...
She turned her gaze to the exquisitely crafted coffin and thought with admiration: This person was indeed remarkable, to have earned the emperor's trust so much. It's just a pity that he died so young.
After thinking about it, she figured she probably didn't need to go to greet the emperor, and no one had told her she had to go with him. She stood still and waited until everyone had left, only to find that there were still two people in the hall.
They knelt upright in the same way, and remained completely still.
She recognized Xie Xiao's back, but who was that next to him? She took a few steps forward and went around to his front. It was a graceful woman who still had a charming appearance.
She looked to be around thirty or forty, but... Xie Xiao called her his mother.
"Mother, everyone's gone. Do you want to rest for a bit?" Xie Xiao's tone was unusually gentle, even carrying a hint of careful tenderness, as if his mother were some fragile vase.
So young, and so beautiful, Qin Sang thought to herself.
The woman didn't even move a hair. Her lips were pale, and her eyes were wearily fixed on the coffin in front of her. Suddenly, she looked up at Qin Sang.
Their eyes met unexpectedly, and Qin Sang's eyelashes fluttered slightly.
But she said nothing, resumed her previous demeanor, and said in a calm voice, "You can go now, don't worry about me."
Xie Xiao remained silent, but his posture was stubborn. After a long while, he finally said, "I'll stay with you."
"You're still young, you have so much to do, I don't need you to keep me company."
The veins on Xie Xiao's neck were faintly visible.
Qin Sang couldn't understand what the two of them were saying, nor could she understand Xie Xiao.
The air suddenly fell silent again, and Qin Sang realized that it was inappropriate for her to stay there. Just as she was about to leave, Xie Xiao suddenly bowed deeply.
The woman's eyes reddened.
After Xie Xiao finished his prayers, he got up and left without even glancing at Qin Sang.
This is really true; it seems I am indeed disliked. But it doesn't matter. They may dislike her now, but they can't get rid of her. After all, she is the future princess consort personally acknowledged by Prince Ning'an, and her future is limitless.
"He likes you." She took another step and heard a woman's hoarse voice in her ear. Qin Sang stopped and turned around.
The woman didn't move, but continued speaking: "But you shouldn't like him, and you shouldn't let him like you. He's not someone you can entrust your life to."
Qin Sang: "???"
The man waited for the woman to say more, but then fell silent.
For a moment, Qin Sang was startled, wondering if she had taken poison to commit suicide for love.
Seeing that her breathing was even, I felt relieved.
As she walked out the door, she belatedly realized that when she approached the woman earlier, she had suddenly smelled a faint fragrance. Upon careful recollection, she realized it was the scent of sandalwood.
Yes, the servants all say that Aunt Jiang loves to stay in the Buddhist hall to worship Buddha.
***
The news that the emperor himself had come to pay his respects to the Right Chancellor likely spread rapidly throughout the capital's streets and alleys the moment he left his bedchamber. Those officials who had initially been hesitant to attend were among the first to arrive.
A long line of carriages stretched out in front of the Prime Minister's residence. Umbrellas could not shield them from the torrential rain, soaking their official hats and robes. Everyone looked pained and regretful as Xie Tiao and the others led them into the mourning hall, where they sprinkled incense, knelt in worship, and wept in mourning.
The officials who had impeached Xie Zhongxu yesterday now stood cautiously to the side, keeping their eyes down and enduring the accusations and criticisms from those who defended the prime minister.
Qin Sang went out, but then came back after seeing the situation. When she returned, neither Aunt Jiang nor Xie Xiao were in the mourning hall.
The group investigating the case had probably all heard that the Emperor was coming, and they all flocked to the courtyard, which had been spacious before, and suddenly became crowded.
Qin Sang and the women could only stand far away, but she had good hearing and could hear what they were arguing about even from a distance.
Suddenly, the noisy courtyard fell silent.
Everyone looked in the same direction in unison.
The emperor finally arrived, and all the officials fell silent, not a sound could be heard.
A flurry of people knelt down, and Qin Sang followed suit. Then she looked up and saw a tall, middle-aged man dressed in a Taoist robe without a crown slowly walking into the garden from the gate.
His expression was somber, whether from a natural indifference or not, his gaze fixed straight ahead, fixed on the direction of the mourning hall, on the coffin.
Inside were his teacher, his capable minister.
The shadows blocked her view, and Qin Sang couldn't see what was happening inside. She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard the eunuch announce the imperial decree.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Chancellor Xie Zhongxu, like the dimming of the North Star, has fallen from grace; a pillar of the state has crumbled; he was virtuous and upright, assisting two dynasties. He followed Emperor Wen, quelling chaos and rebellion, and aided me in governing, thus illuminating our great undertaking; now he has succumbed to illness and passed away, and I am deeply grieved. Therefore, I hereby order: all government offices in the prefectures and kingdoms shall wear mourning clothes for half a day, and a thousand Imperial Guards shall be dispatched to guard his coffin. He shall be granted a yellow cypress coffin, a jade burial suit, and buried with the rites due to a prince. This decree shall be proclaimed throughout the realm, so that all may know. This is my decree!"
Qin Sang understood some of it, but not all of it.
What he understood was that the emperor wanted to give the prime minister a grand funeral and that the whole country should mourn.
What's incomprehensible is that while the truth hasn't been uncovered over there, this side has already drawn a conclusion, claiming that the prime minister died of illness.
This is truly something else; how the person in power dies determines how they are judged.
This way of ruling offends no one; this emperor is truly a master of appeasement.
However, this is already an excellent outcome for now.
The family members of the Prime Minister's residence, who had been living in fear all night, could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
At least there won't be any fabricated charges against them, and their homes won't be ransacked and their heads chopped off overnight.
Qin Sang noticed that Wang Huiwen's body visibly weakened, and she was supported by Cen Biyun.
After Xie Tiao, the current head of the household, led the way in expressing his gratitude, a calm middle-aged man's voice came from the quiet crowd: "When Prime Minister Xie came to the palace to play chess with me, he often mentioned that he had a little grandson who was very handsome, but a bit mischievous... His name is... Xie Sui'an? Come, let me see him."
The speaker, whose voice was not very strong, was none other than the current emperor, Zhao Tuo.
The next moment, Qin Sang heard Xie Sui'an's voice from the courtyard gate: "Xiaomin is here!"
The emperor said, "Come closer, you're too far away, I can't see clearly."
Then Xie Sui'an, dressed in plain white robes and tall in stature, walked through the crowd, walked up to the emperor who was also dressed simply, and knelt down.
The emperor's voice remained calm: "Hmm, you are indeed a handsome man, as the prime minister said. You look quite old... Do you hold any official position?"
Xie Sui'an: "I am preparing to participate in this year's autumn imperial examination, but I do not yet hold an official position."
Emperor: "I heard you've practiced martial arts since you were a child?"
Xie Sui'an: "Yes."
The emperor paused for a moment, then said, "I don't need another civil official like you, but my Imperial Guards are lacking someone as young and good-looking as you. Would you be willing to join the Imperial Guards and start from scratch?"
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