Chapter 133 Winter of the eleventh year of Xianping, the second emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty…
Since Emperor Xianping had sent the Imperial Guards to the South Market execution ground to change Xiao Yu's sentence, he naturally also had Eunuch Xue kneel before the officials outside to convey his latest decree.
The civil and military officials, each with their own thoughts, were dumbfounded. Lady Xiao Yu had actually disturbed the execution ground? Xiao Yu's head hadn't been cut off yet? And the Emperor wasn't going to pursue Xiao Yu's death sentence?
After regaining their senses, Pei Xingshu hurriedly wiped away the tears on his face, and Xiao Lin silently loosened his clenched teeth. The two of them took the lead in shouting "Your Majesty is wise!"
Chen Ruliang and Yan Zhuang, who were overjoyed at the loss, secretly cursed Lady Xiao Yu for ruining their plans. However, Emperor Xianping was not seeing anyone at the moment, so they had no chance to kick him while he was down. They could only pretend to join the ministers in praising Emperor Xianping's benevolence to avoid giving themselves away.
At the execution ground, Luo Fu held Xiao Yu tightly in her arms, her right hand gripping the hairpin tightly, her eyes warily scanning the imperial guards who might rush over at any moment to snatch the hairpin from her hand.
Xiao Yu knelt facing the people, his gaze fixed on his wife's pale yet stubborn face. Before, he had avoided looking at his wife for fear that he would lose control and cry, or that he would change his mind and beg the emperor for mercy because he couldn't bear to part with her. But now, Xiao Yu forgot about the emperor and the people; his heart and eyes were completely occupied by his wife, and life and death no longer mattered.
"If there is an afterlife, I will definitely find you again, my lady," Xiao Yu promised in a voice only his lady could hear.
Luo Fu: "Shut up, don't distract me."
The moment she was taken away by the Imperial Guards, Xiao Yu's head rolled to the ground.
Xiao Yu had no choice but to shut up. After waiting for a long time, he noticed that his wife was trembling slightly. Xiao Yu also hugged his wife tightly and used his chest and arms to keep her warm as much as possible.
The crowd watching from below the stage: "..."
The Imperial Censor Xiao, dressed in white, was too handsome. His face showed no fear like that of a condemned prisoner before execution. He gently embraced his wife, as if this were his own backyard, and the couple were enjoying a tender moment together.
Finally, just as some elders were about to cover their children's eyes, the Imperial Guard who had gone to seek the Emperor's order returned and loudly proclaimed Emperor Xianping's edict, sparing Xiao Yu from the death penalty and imprisoning him in the Dali Temple prison to await the Emperor's decision.
The people, who all knew that Imperial Censor Xiao was a good official, cheered in unison. Only Luo Fu finally relaxed and buried her face in Xiao Yu's shoulder, weeping with joy.
Xiao Yu picked up the hairpin that his wife had dropped on the ground and said with a smile, "It's quite a distance from here to the Dali Temple prison. Would you please do me a favor and tie my hair so I won't have to travel in such a disheveled state?"
He had escaped death, and Luo Fu, no longer afraid of his demise, regained her composure. Seeing so many people still watching, Luo Fu pushed Xiao Yu aside, ran off the execution platform, found her own steed that had been startled by the crowd and moved away, and rode off without a second thought.
At the Marquis of Zhongyi's residence, Ping An persuaded the young master and young lady who wanted to pay their respects to the lady to leave, using the excuse that the lady had gotten up early to see the Third Master off and needed to catch up on sleep. Therefore, no one in the Marquis's residence knew that Luo Fu had actually left early.
At Wanhetang, Xiao Rong and his wife, Deng, leisurely finished their breakfast. Because of the cold weather, the 66-year-old Xiao Rong didn't like to go out. After breakfast, he called his wife to take a stroll in the garden. The doctor had said that the older one gets, the less one should sit still all day. Walking around more can help one live a long life.
Mrs. Deng was somewhat uneasy: "Is something going to happen to the third son again? He didn't seem right yesterday. The second son even went to see him, but he just tried to fool me with nice words."
Xiao Rong: "If they don't tell us, we'll just pretend we don't know. There's no use worrying about it anyway. They'll find out when something really happens."
Ms. Deng gave him a shove in an annoyed manner.
The couple had been strolling in the garden for a little over two hours when they returned and bumped into their daughter-in-law at the door. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes were red and swollen, but her expression was quite calm.
Mrs. Deng became anxious: "Why do you look like this? Did you fight with the third son last night?"
Luo Fu: "...No, it's just that your good son was imprisoned by the Emperor for opposing the Emperor's decision to depose the Empress. He should be able to get out, but I don't know how long he will stay this time."
Madam Deng froze, while Xiao Rong remained motionless, only blinking for a moment. Soon, the old couple came back to life. The father strode into Wanhe Hall, cursing and swearing, while the mother, not caring about her son, only felt sorry for her youngest daughter-in-law, repeatedly advising her not to be distressed, noting how much she had cried.
Luo Fu forced a smile: "My daughter-in-law is fine. Mother, go and rest. I'll go and tidy up his clothes and bedding so he won't get cold inside."
Xiao Yu had acquaintances in the Dali Temple prison, so all he needed to do was send things to his family, and Xiao Yu would take care of himself.
Luo Fu kept her mouth shut. When Xiao Lin returned in the evening, apart from Xiao Hong and Cheng Jie'er, who were deliberately kept in the dark by their elders, Xiao Rong and the others realized that if Luo Fu hadn't gone with him out of concern, Xiao Yu's head would have really been chopped off this morning!
Xiao Rong's hands trembled, and Deng Shi was so frightened that she kept crying. After she calmed down, she was about to kneel down to her youngest daughter-in-law.
Luo Fu quickly helped her up, and said angrily, "If Mother continues like this, it means she doesn't consider me family!"
Mrs. Deng hugged her youngest daughter-in-law and wept bitterly again.
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In the palace, Emperor Xianping simply had Eunuch Xue serve him quietly for the entire day.
Before Xiao Yu was taken away by the Imperial Guards in the morning, he boasted that he would use his hot blood to wake up Emperor Xianping's head, which had been dazed from being hit. Emperor Xianping naturally did not receive Xiao Yu's hot blood, but in the instant when he thought Xiao Yu was really dead, Emperor Xianping's head, which had been occupied by anger for days or even months, seemed to be shaken by a thunderclap, dispelling all the smoke that filled it, and his mind was truly restored to clarity.
Emperor Xianping was still dissatisfied with Empress Xie's ruthlessness towards him, but he finally listened to Xiao Yu's reasons for persuading him to depose her.
It pacifies the Chinese within the country and appeases the barbarian tribes without.
He was so old and weak that even Empress Xie could push him down. How could he possibly have the strength to conquer neighboring states and intimidate barbarians? He couldn't even destroy the Yin Kingdom and conquer Liaozhou. If he were to depose Empress Xie because of a mere marital dispute, it would not set a good example for the world and would further alienate the people of Jingzhou.
As for the Crown Prince, he never intended to replace him. Since he wasn't going to replace him, why damage the dignity of the Crown Prince's birth mother and hurt the feelings of the Crown Prince and his siblings?
At the court assembly on the thirteenth day of the eleventh lunar month, Emperor Xianping confessed his faults, saying that he should not have thought of deposing the empress in a moment of anger. He then affirmed Xiao Yu's loyalty and integrity in arguing and advising based on reason, and immediately ordered Xiao Yu to be reinstated to his original position.
With the previous dynasty's affairs resolved, Emperor Xianping simultaneously lifted the bans on the Crown Prince, the concubines, and the princes and princesses, and then summoned the Crown Prince to his side to comfort him.
The Crown Prince did indeed harbor resentment towards his father, blaming him for treating his mother unfairly. But no matter how much he resented him, when faced with the wound on his father's forehead, his haggard face, and his weak body, the Crown Prince's eyes still reddened, and he knelt before the dragon bed, saying, "Your subject does not blame your father. I only ask that your father rest in peace and recover his health as soon as possible."
Emperor Xianping gently patted his chest: "The foundation has been damaged. It will be restored today but relapsed tomorrow. Let's just endure it like this. I can't wait to see the agreement I made with Xiao Yu to work together to create a peaceful and prosperous world. In the future, I will have to rely on you to fulfill the agreement on my behalf."
As he spoke, Emperor Xianping chuckled twice, looked out the window, and said, “You grew up listening to stories about Xiao Yu, and you were also one of his students. You know him better than I do. Before your grandfather passed away that year, he left your father a list of officials to appoint, and Xiao Yu was listed first among the civil officials. Unfortunately, I often make mistakes and never listen to Xiao Yu’s advice, which led to me being injured by the woman from Yin and losing my vitality.”
The crown prince shook his head, not wanting to hear his father's words, which sounded like he was giving his final instructions.
Emperor Xianping, however, seemed to have opened a floodgate of words, wanting to say: "Look, your father insisted on competing with Xiao Yu, and as a result, he ruined himself and ended up achieving nothing. So, if you ever get angry with Xiao Yu in the future, just think more about the lessons your father learned. If you are truly more talented and ambitious than Xiao Yu, he is just an advisor by your side. If you are inferior to him in any way, then listen to all sides and you will be enlightened. In the end, it's all for the sake of the country. If the court has more loyal and virtuous ministers, you will be able to handle state affairs more easily."
The Crown Prince understood that his grandfather and father each had their own strengths and weaknesses. He would learn from their strengths and make up for their weaknesses, striving to fulfill their long-cherished wish of unifying the ten provinces and creating a prosperous era.
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Emperor Xianping's emphasis on the Crown Prince was evident to all the civil and military officials. However, although Emperor Xianping no longer mentioned deposing the Empress, he also did not summon Empress Xie again.
By the end of winter, the wound on Emperor Xianping's forehead had scabbed over, leaving a noticeable scar. However, as he himself said, his illness never stopped. First, he caught a cold, which then aggravated his lung disease. By mid-December, Emperor Xianping was so ill that he was bedridden and ordered the Crown Prince to act as regent.
Consorts Li, Lin, and Liang brought their princes and princesses to visit him. Princess Kangping and Princess Yi'an came to the palace to visit him. Civil and military officials came to pay their respects every day. The Crown Prince personally served Emperor Xianping morning and evening. Only Empress Xie never showed her face.
Emperor Xianping knew his time was coming to an end, and if he continued to wait in vain, he might not even be able to see Empress Xie one last time.
On this day, Emperor Xianping sent someone to summon Empress Xie.
More than a month later, the couple met again. Empress Xie had lost some weight, but still had a full head of black hair and beautiful features.
Emperor Xianping, at only forty-five years old, already had a full head of gray hair and a sallow complexion.
Empress Xie glanced at it and immediately lowered her gaze.
Emperor Xianping smiled wryly and said, "Am I now so ugly that I'm unbearable to look at?"
Empress Xie truthfully replied, "I just couldn't bear to see His Majesty so ill."
Emperor Xianping: "You don't even care about me, yet you pity me?"
Empress Xie did not respond to this, lest the argument escalate. She did not care, but the Emperor's health could not withstand the growing anger.
Silence fell between the Emperor and Empress. After a long while, Emperor Xianping asked, "Regarding what happened before, and that painting, do you resent me?"
Empress Xie shook her head: "His Majesty still cherishes our marital bond. I am only grateful to His Majesty. As for that painting, I copied it from the original. It is enough that I can continue to remember you both through the painting. It doesn't matter who painted it."
Emperor Xianping silently repeated the last sentence twice in his heart, then suddenly laughed, and as he laughed, two lines of tears streamed down his face.
"Since you are heartless towards Wei Heng, why can't you be affectionate towards me?" Emperor Xianping truly couldn't understand.
Empress Xie took out a handkerchief and wiped away Emperor Xianping's tears, but her own tears fell: "White as snow on the mountain, bright as the moon in the clouds."
Emperor Xianping's lips trembled as he thought of the last two lines of the poem "The Ballad of the White-Haired Man": "Hearing that you have two minds, I have come to sever our ties."
After that, Empress Xie never visited Emperor Xianping again.
None of those who came to visit Emperor Xianping knew why he often shed tears, and when they asked, they received no answer.
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On the 27th day of the twelfth month of the eleventh year of Xianping's reign, amidst the howling wind outside the window and Consort Li's wailing cries, Emperor Xianping, only forty-five years old, suddenly passed away.
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Author's note: Aww, I've finally written the part where the second generation dies!
100 small red envelopes, see you tomorrow, and by the way, I'm frantically asking for a bunch of nutrient solutions!
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