Chapter 78
◎Temple. ◎
In late June, Xie Huaijin's legs completely lost sensation. When Ci Ying found out, she felt so dizzy that she almost couldn't stand. It was the maid beside her who supported her and prevented her from falling.
The reporter lowered his head as he spoke, and the atmosphere in the room grew heavy. Ci Ying was helped to a chair and a cup of warm tea was placed in her hand. It was the perfect temperature, but as it rolled between her lips and teeth, it burned her so much that tears were about to fall.
While wishing Xie Huaijin could survive, she also felt that it was truly cruel that Xie Huaijin would never be able to stand up again. Ci Ying sipped her tea, swallowing back Rufeng's tears, and asked, "Master, do you understand?"
The person who reported it said that he already knew that the young master was awake during the acupuncture and massage.
Ci Ying sat quietly there for a quarter of an hour, then stood up to look for Xie Huaijin. When she arrived at the courtyard, she hesitated, but finally pushed the door open and walked in.
June was coming to an end, and the flowers on the trees had almost all withered. Ci Ying stepped over the petals scattered on the ground, pushed the door and walked into the young man's room. Perhaps because he had just received treatment, the young man's fatigue was almost overflowing from his eyebrows, and a book in front of him was spread out in a mess.
Ci Ying's eyes suddenly turned red. When the young man heard the sound and opened his eyes, Ci Ying ran towards him and hugged him.
The weather in June was already quite hot, and when their skin touched, the steaming heat spread in their chests.
Ciying's eyes turned red before her face, and she whispered, "I don't believe it."
Although Ciying only said three words, Xie Huaijin understood what Ciying meant.
He gently touched Ciying's head and said softly, "It's okay."
Ciying looked at him with red eyes, and he was looking at her seriously: "Ciying, I am already very content."
They don't often say sweet words or words of love, but every time they call out the name, it is filled with countless affections.
Compared to the passionate love, their love is quieter, so the sound of their heartbeats becomes more noisy.
Ci Ying hugged Xie Huaijin tightly: "I don't believe it. I will definitely find someone to heal your leg. I don't believe it. I don't believe there is anything in this world that can't be done. It was clearly fine before, and it was clearly possible to heal it."
The young man looked at Ci Ying tenderly and placed a gentle kiss on the girl's hair.
He still said "It's okay".
Because Ciying is by his side, he already feels that he has too much, something greater than all the meaning of his life, so it doesn’t matter if it’s just a pair of legs.
Xie Huaijin generously gave these legs to fate.
Ci Ying rested her head on the young man's shoulder, her body shaking slightly.
At dusk, Doctor Li and Xu Yunfen came to see her.
Doctor Li was silent for a long time and only said "I'm sorry".
The old man had traveled thousands of miles to get here, so Ci Ying couldn't blame him. She just said, "Thank you." Doctor Li sighed and couldn't say anything else.
The old man said goodbye, but Ci Ying tried to persuade him to stay, saying softly, "His leg injury was too severe, and you gave us a glimmer of hope. You've come all this way, so how can we let you go now? You must stay for a few more days, and we'll take you around Chang'an. When you want to go back, I'll arrange for the Yan family's boat to take you all the way back."
The old man declined several times, but Ciying insisted on keeping him, and finally the old man stayed.
Xu Yun arrived half a quarter of an hour after Doctor Li left. Seeing Ci Ying's exhaustion, he didn't stay long. He simply reassured her, "Don't be discouraged." Xu Yun softly said, "Birth, aging, sickness, and death are all common. It's a blessing that your health has recovered to this point. I've learned a lot recently and have some ideas. I'll think about it later."
Normally, doctors shouldn't exaggerate, but Xu Yun could guess Ciying's loss. She regarded Xie Huaijin and Ciying as her saviors, so she spoke especially sincerely.
Hope rekindled in Ciying's eyes, but soon faded away.
If you don't have such high expectations, the disappointment won't be so severe.
Leg injuries were not Xu Yun's forte. Although she had replaced Doctor Li in acupuncture these days, it was mainly because she was young and had more physical strength. "Learning by stealing" was just a way of making her laugh.
Ci Ying thanked him earnestly, "Thank you, Doctor Xu, for your trouble. I'm sorry for the trouble."
Xu Yun waved his hand and said with a smile, "If you are really worried, go and worship Buddha. There are at least eight, if not ten, temples with great incense in Chang'an. Madam, you can just find one and worship there."
Ciying agreed.
In early July, she and Xie Huaijin actually went to the temple.
However, it was not one of the most popular temples in Chang'an, but a temple outside Chang'an, the one where Xie Qingyu became a monk and passed away. Ci Ying pushed Xie Huaijin's wheelchair to Xie Qingyu's room.
The young monk who had been beside Xie Qingyu became the abbot a few years later. When he saw the group, he bowed and said, "Amitabha, the donor has returned to see Abbot Yuhua."
I talked to Xie Huaijin about this.
Ci Ying looked at the people coming and going in the temple and asked softly, "Do you come here often?"
Otherwise, how could the monk recognize Xie Huaijin, who had changed so much, at a glance?
The young man smiled softly, and when Ci Yingcan turned his head towards him, he said gently, "My money comes often."
Ci Ying tried to hold back but couldn't help it and burst out laughing. Then she looked at the young man reproachfully and whispered, "We are here to pray to the Buddha. Thank you, benefactor. You are being disrespectful."
Neither of them believed in gods or Buddhas, so they just told jokes to each other.
The young man looked at Ci Ying gently and said, "Madam, please help me donate more incense."
Ci Ying was stunned for a moment when she heard the first two words, and then her face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye. She stood behind the wheelchair, hummed softly, and said "Okay" in a low voice after a long time.
Ciying donated a lot of money.
A lot.
She only made one wish in front of the Buddha - "Let Xie Huaijin get better."
My legs got better, my ears got better, and I got better.
She was afraid that this wish was too great, so she donated a lot of money.
Fortunately, she is rich now.
When she followed the abbot to donate incense money, the young man was watching with a smile not far away. Ci Ying turned around with the word "Madam" echoing in her mind, and she almost made a mistake when signing her name.
On the way back, Ci Ying looked out the window, and the evening breeze gently blew her hair.
Ci Ying turned around and saw the young man looking at her.
One day in a Buddhist temple, they didn't talk much, and their clothes were stained with the smell of incense from the temple. Ci Ying took two steps and sat down next to Xie Huaijin. When the carriage turned the corner, she hugged him.
A faint smell of medicine filled her nostrils, but she was already used to it. She just closed her eyes quietly and rested in the young man's arms.
Pray to Buddha, pray to Buddha.
It doesn't matter.
It doesn’t matter if the Buddha doesn’t agree.
Ciying was content to be able to hug each other like this.
Xie Huaijin gently touched Ciying's head. The girl's hair was soft, like fine silk.
Ci Ying snuggled into his arms again, her eyes still closed but with a slight smile on the corner of her lips.
In mid-July, a letter came from Mobei saying that Ciying needed to go back.
Xie Huaijin still had to have acupuncture every few days and couldn't go back with her, so the two had to separate temporarily.
When Doctor Li heard that Ciying was going back, he no longer wanted to keep her at Xie's house and wanted to go back with Ciying. Ciying would not try to keep her any longer and just wrote a letter to Mobei, asking Yan Ji to make the arrangements.
Along the way, Ci Ying spent most of her time handling official business in Mobei, and a small part of her time practicing acupuncture with Li Jun.
Doctor Li is better at guiding people than Xu Yun. After learning for a few days, he happily said that Ciying could use him to try out the needles. Ciying didn't dare to do so and continued to practice with her own wooden man. Doctor Li smiled and said that her mother was not so cautious back then. When she heard that she could practice with a human, her eyes lit up and she started to insert the needle.
Ci Ying curiously asked her mother if the injections were correct. Doctor Li shook his head, "None of them were correct."
Ciying also laughed.
We went back by boat. When it was late at night and everyone was asleep, the river became turbulent.
Ci Ying stood at the bow of the boat, a lamp above her head illuminating the rushing river below, and she thought of Xie Huaijin.
Thinking of Xie Huaijin, many things came to mind, and all kinds of emotions surged in her heart. In the end, Ci Ying still smiled. In any case, when she came, she did not expect them to reach this point. Fate has been kind to her.
After returning to Mobei, Yan Ji no longer mentioned the marriage proposal to her, but only indirectly asked Ci Ying whether she would stay in Mobei for a long time. Ci Ying remained silent for a long time before saying, "I don't know."
It was difficult for her to explain to Yan Ji how she was pushed step by step to this position. She was not sure about Xie Huaijin's physical condition, but she would not be separated from him for long. It was possible that Xie Huaijin would come to Mobei or she would go to Chang'an, or the two of them would find a new place to live together.
She wasn't pressed for time to make a decision.
Yan Ji sat down opposite Ci Ying and whispered, "Yin Ce asked me to discuss something with you a few days ago."
Ci Ying noticed something unusual in Yan Ji's serious expression. At least it wasn't some childish thing like an arranged marriage. She asked, "What's going on?"
Yan Ji raised his eyes and met Ci Ying's gaze, and said simply, "Yin Ce wants to borrow troops from us."
Borrowing troops is nothing more than those few things.
Yin Ce wanted to rebel.
Ci Ying was silent for a long time, then asked Yan Ji, "What do you think?"
Yan Ji didn't know: "The current emperor is incompetent. Mobei is okay, but other places are suffering. Natural disasters and man-made disasters have occurred. The prince appointed by the emperor a few years ago has died, and the royal family has not had any children in recent years... Compared to the people of the Yuwen family, Yin Ce has always had a reputation for virtue. Although I don't know how true it is, he is definitely better than the current one."
Ci Ying heard Yan Ji's support and looked into his eyes. "Do you want to be the emperor?"
Yan Ji didn't hesitate and shook his head: "If I ascend to the throne, I will probably be similar to the current emperor."
Ci Ying felt that Yan Ji was being self-deprecating, but Yan Ji was indeed unfit to be emperor. But Yin Ce… Ci Ying looked at Yan Ji and said, “You know the Yan Family Army’s situation over the years. It seems they’re fighting every year, but most of them are veterans. If they really help Yin Ce rebel and conquer the world, the Yan Family Army will not only be accused of treason, but will also suffer heavy losses. What did Yin Ce promise us?”
Ci Ying paused. "Or rather, Yan Ji, what can Yin Ce promise us? If he has a strong army, why would he need our help? If he can't even send out his own troops, then everything he promises us will only be exploitation of the common people."
Ci Ying is not optimistic about Yan Ji's optimism.
We need to explain it clearly once and for all so that Yan Ji can give up this idea and understand the pros and cons.
Ci Ying continued, "Let's assume Yin Ce succeeds in his rebellion, and the Yan army has the merit of following him. But once Yin Ce ascends to power and the world stabilizes, will he start to fear the Yan army? How will Yin Ce treat the Yan army then? Yan Ji, can you gamble the lives of 100,000 Yan army soldiers on Yin Ce's kindness?"
Yan Ji's expression grew uglier as he listened, and he asked Ci Ying, "Master, have I been tricked?"
After summoning the "master", Ci Ying smiled and said, "I don't know. Yin Ce might really be like he said, unable to bear the suffering of the people, but he might also have his own selfish motives, or maybe it's both."
"But I don't want to gamble." Ci Ying said bluntly.
The world's problems cannot be solved in a short time, and they have much better solutions.
Even though Yan Ji didn't say anything, she also discussed it with Xie Huaijin.
Seeing Yan Ji's indignant expression, as if he had been deceived, Ci Ying consoled him, "Just assume that Yin Ce is indeed as he said. Yan Ji, Mobei is vast and is more than enough for us."
If Yan Ji had such ambition, Ci Ying would consider it again.
But the use of the Yan army to conquer the world for Yin Ce was later recorded in past history books.
When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked.
The next day, Yin Ce came to meet Ci Ying.
She guessed that Yan Ji had rejected Yin Ce the previous night, and Yin Ce heard that she had returned and guessed that it was her idea.
Ci Ying met Yin Ce in the study. Yin Ce was humble and spoke like a gentleman, but the meaning he expressed was the same as that conveyed by Yan Ji. He begged Ci Ying to borrow troops to attack Chang'an. He just spoke more elegantly and it took three sentences to understand his meaning.
After spending a long time with Xie Huaijin, Ci Ying thought this was normal.
Yin Ce was gentle and polite, and his whole body exuded humility. He even dressed up specially. Ci Ying vaguely felt that he was somewhat similar to the former Xie Huaijin.
But it's just a feeling. If you look closely, you will find that it is completely different.
Ci Ying withdrew her gaze from Yin Ce's snow-white clothes and said softly, "Master Yin, I'm sorry."
She couldn't tell Yin Ce directly what she had explained to Yan Ji. She looked at Yin Ce and said calmly, "Ci Ying doesn't have such grand ambitions."
Yin Ce was a little disappointed, and he didn't even hide it. He whispered, "I thought the young lady would understand my intentions."
Ciying understood.
She never forgot the starving Dingyang and the miserable Anhuai, but helping Yin Ce rebel was definitely not the best choice.
As Yin Ce was leaving, he asked Ci Ying, "If I send out my troops, will you stop me?"
Ci Ying shook her head: "I don't know."
She didn't know how Yin Ce would do this. The Yan family army had been guarding Mobei for generations. If Yin Ce did something that harmed Mobei, Ci Ying would take action.
She respected Yin Ce's ambition, but felt that Yin Ce should find a better way.
War will cost too much blood.
If Yin Ce really cared about the people's sentiments, he would know that the person in the palace has been turned into a puppet, and the affairs of the world have been managed by someone else since a few years ago. Except for natural disasters, the situation in other places has improved in recent years.
This is naturally the work of Xie Huaijin.
Even though he was sickly and weak when he was young, he still had absolute power over the years.
Ci Ying discovered that Xie Huaijin had done so many things in the past two years when she was reading the letters. She sometimes felt that Xie Huaijin was a very contradictory person. The youthful breeze and bright moon were real, the strong aura of self-destruction was real, and the things he did in secret were also real.
Everything Xie Huaijin had done over the past few decades was enough to be recorded in history books, but Xie Huaijin didn't even tell her.
Just quietly, just like when he dealt with the Xie family, he healed the world.
Of course, it's not just Xie Huaijin. The young descendants of the Xie family scattered across the country have also been working hard in recent years, being transferred from the central government to the grassroots level. Anhuai is the best example. Most of the descendants of the Xie family and its branches have served in Anhuai. Behind Xie Huaijin's massacre of Anhuai was a seed planted for the world.
It was difficult for Ci Ying to describe the feeling of knowing everything at that moment. Xie Huaijin did not avoid her, but he did not intend to show it to her on purpose.
They each have their own pursuits, and at this level, Ciying felt unprecedented respect.
This was something that Ciying could never have when she was young.
Many years later, she was able to look at her lover as an equal, and only then was she able to discover the soft heart beneath the young man's hard shell.
People are always biased, completely positive or completely negative, but human nature is complex.
Ci Ying looked at Xie Huaijin and finally said nothing, but just reached out and hugged him.
Therefore, Ci Ying would never agree to Yin's plan.
She trusts her own judgment more than Yin Ce.
She imagined what she saw and felt.
Even though these things had deceived her before, she still chose to believe them, just like she believed in Xie Huaijin.
Love gave her courage.
......
It was half a month after she arrived in Mobei that she received another letter from Xie Huaijin. The young man's letter was no different from the previous one, and the same sentence was written at the end:
"I missed you so much."
Ciying wrote back to Xie Huaijin for the first time.
She picked up her pen and briefly mentioned Yin Ce's affairs, then recounted her experiences on the way back, and how Yan Ji seemed to be pursuing Ling Shuang. She wrote a long page, and Ci Ying felt that it was almost done, so she solemnly finished her words.
"Xie Huaijin, I miss you too."
After sealing the letter, Ciying went out to find Lingyue. It was Lingyue who told her that Yan Ji was pursuing Lingshuang.
Ciying really didn't see any clues, so Lingyue stuck out her tongue and said, "Sister will never agree to him."
Ci Ying smiled softly and did not speak for Yan Ji.
Lingshuang and Lingyue remembered for a long time how Yan Ji had troubled her.
Ciying gave the letter to Lingyue and asked Lingyue to send it back.
Lingyue said "Aiyah" a few times, then went to mail the letter happily.
When Yan Ji was secretly called to the Yan Mansion, he did not understand what Ci Ying meant.
It was not until late at night that someone suddenly attacked outside.
Yan Ji wanted to go out to see, but was stopped by Ci Ying. Under the candlelight, the girl's eyebrows were cold and cold: "I have arranged people in advance."
"You knew this all along?"
Ci Ying nodded slightly.
"I thought you called me here to protect you." Yan Ji touched his head.
Ci Ying chuckled softly: "Of course, that's also to protect me, thank you brother."
The battle outside ended quickly. Ci Ying had been prepared for this, and half of the secret guards around him were from the Xie family. They were all elites of Zhu Guang’s former leaders. It was no exaggeration to say that he could defeat ten people alone.
There was a knock on the door, and Ci Ying looked at Yan Ji: "Let's go out and take a look."
Yan Ji followed Ci Ying out. Even though everyone had been captured, Yan Ji was still on guard.
The two men walked up to the only three survivors. The three of them gritted their teeth and looked as if they would never speak.
Yan Ji observed the clothes of several people, picked up one of them and looked at his skin, and said coldly: "Tell me, who sent you here?"
Several people said nothing. Yan Ji kicked over and Ci Ying watched silently.
At this time, she always wants to thank Huai Jin.
She had been fooled too many times by him, and he had taught her too many things, intentionally or unintentionally. The best lesson he taught her was to always be on guard against others.
Yan Ji interrogated them for a quarter of an hour, but all three kept their mouths shut.
Ci Ying said softly, "Okay, I know who it is."
Yan Ji remained silent. Ci Ying had been on guard from the beginning, and she had a clear choice in mind. Yan Ji ordered the soldiers to take the three away and lock them up in a dark cell. After most of the people had left, Ci Ying said, "It's Yin Ce."
Ci Ying told Yan Ji the whole story of Yin Ce coming to see him.
Yan Ji clenched his fists when he heard this: "How dare he!"
Ci Ying calmly analyzed, "He thought that if something happened to me, you would agree to cooperate with him. From the moment you told him I disagreed, I became an obstacle to his ambition."
Yan Ji retorted: "I didn't say..."
Ci Ying said softly, "Did you really not mention me at all, Yan Ji? Think about it carefully."
Yan Ji stopped talking. He held his sword and was about to go out when Ci Ying stopped him.
Ci Ying looked at the sky and said, "It's late. Let's go tomorrow."
Realizing that he had caused trouble for Ci Ying, Yan Ji was very obedient, with embarrassment visible between his brows.
Ci Ying felt that Yan Ji really needed to be more careful. If she left Mobei in the future, Mobei would probably be handed over to Yan Ji. However, Yan Ji was too rough in his thinking and was easily instigated. No wonder he had been controlled by Yuwen Shu all these years. There was nothing he could do even if he was unhappy.
The next day.
Ci Ying asked Yan Ji to submit the invitation to Yin Ce.
Several people made an appointment to meet at a restaurant.
In the afternoon, Yin Ce prepared to keep the appointment, looking calm and composed.
If Ci Ying had not directly pointed out that it was Yin Ce who did it, Yan Ji, looking at Yin Ce's appearance, would never have imagined that Yin Ce sent someone to murder Ci Ying last night, and yet could still be so calm today, with no sign of it on his face.
After the three of them sat down, Ci Ying looked at Yin Ce and said calmly, "Master Yin, you should know why we are gathered here today."
Yin Ce glanced at Yan Ji's expression, then smiled at Ci Ying and said, "Miss, are you finally willing to agree to my request?"
Although he was talking about treason, Yin Ce made it sound very ambiguous. This time even Yan Ji noticed it and frowned slightly.
Ci Ying didn't feel anything. She said calmly, "Of course not. What we should be talking about is that you sent someone to assassinate me last night."
Yin Ce asked in surprise, "Was the young lady assassinated yesterday?"
Ciying said: "Yes, and it was you who did it."
Ci Ying didn't leave any room for maneuver, which made Yin Ce's smile a little hard to maintain, but he still controlled his emotions.
Yin Ce has a modest and gentlemanly face, which makes people want to trust him easily, but Ci Ying has already met Xie Huaijin, so Yin Ce is not good enough for her. She can easily see the resentment under Yin Ce's gentleness.
She actually thought Yin Ce should be more afraid, but Yin Ce didn't seem to think so at all.
He even gently asked Ci Ying, "But a thief has framed me. Even if we didn't reach a cooperation agreement, I wouldn't become her enemy. Isn't that unwise?"
His words were asking Ciying for evidence.
Yan Ji's face became even uglier.
Ci Ying didn't feel anything. She looked at Yin Ce calmly and said bluntly, "Do I need evidence? Yin Ce."
Before Yin Ce could react, Ci Ying said calmly, "I'll give you three days to take the Yin family out of Mobei. Otherwise, I can't guarantee what will be left of the Yin family."
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