"The Soul of the Capital" prays to the gods, asking for their protection...
The snow fell even more fiercely, but Tao Qingyun felt no pleasure whatsoever from finally beheading the murderer who had cruelly harmed her close friend.
He carried a flask filled with strong liquor, staggering through the snow, occasionally tilting his head back to gulp it down.
Inside the Jingning Marquis's residence.
Doctor Dong had already applied a full dose of wound medicine to the inch of skin on Chu Yening's back where he had been injured by the hairpin.
Crown Prince Jiang Yuanjun was confined to the Eastern Palace by Emperor Kang Le, who was both the emperor and his ministers, for this act.
Upon hearing the news of his eldest son's death, Liang Shuwen burst into tears. He forced himself to go to the palace to appeal to the emperor, but Luo Ling had already delivered the memorial impeaching the Grand Secretary to Emperor Kang Le before him.
Following this, many usually quiet court officials submitted memorials impeaching Grand Secretary Liang Shuwen, arguing that a Grand Secretary who failed to properly manage his family was unworthy of the title. Then, Zheng Shi, the Left Censor-in-Chief, entered the palace to meet the Emperor.
Zheng Shi, as the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, was responsible for monitoring rumors and gossip among officials in the court, and held the power to impeach officials and report to the emperor.
These usually quiet court officials remained silent during the Qin family's rebellion, demonstrating that they were neither Qin Heng's faction nor opportunists.
After leaving the Marquis of Jingning's residence, Qin Weixi rushed to the library in front of Tingyu Pavilion and once again removed the orchid bonsai painting. He looked again at the lines of ink writing. Then, with a swift stroke, he erased it.
Jiang Sinian!
A bitter smile suddenly appeared on Qin Weixi's pale, bloodless face, as chilling as the snow falling outside the window.
Father, Father, such a wise and astute man, must have known that this trip to the imperial court would be fraught with unforeseen dangers.
And does her father know about the iron certificate sealed in the wine jar?
And what was the father's state of mind when he left his mother and went to that place of no return?
Was it to save the descendants of the Qin family? Was it to ensure the survival of his beloved wife, whom he cherished dearly? And what about his two children in Jiangnan?
Yes.
But his father could never have imagined that his once close friend, the high and mighty emperor, would commit such a heinous act.
He killed his child, forced his wife to her death, slaughtered dozens of male members of his clan, and forced the remaining women of the household to die along with their husband and children!
Xiaguang Peak. Does the old man on Xiaguang Peak, who is sometimes blind and sometimes lucid, know this?
Qin Weixi asked himself the same question over and over again in his heart.
This snowy night was starless and moonless; only the howling wind and ice and snow existed in this world.
Qin Weixi walked back to Tingyuxuan in a daze, neither letting Fenghua accompany her nor lighting a guiding lamp.
But after leaving the bamboo grove and crossing the bluestone path, she could vaguely see a figure under the eaves, holding a bright and dazzling fish lantern and waiting for her.
It's Pu Niang.
The fish lantern was a gift from someone she cherished.
Each person and each lamp represents the people she cherishes most in this world.
Back in the house, Pu Niang took off her cloak covered in snowflakes and brought her a dry towel to wipe her waist-length black hair, which was wet from the snow.
“Pu Niang…” She tried her best to control her restless mind and smiled as she grasped Pu Niang’s hand.
Pu Niang lovingly stroked her head of black hair: "Miss Xi's shiny black hair is all wet."
Qin Weixi smiled, but released her hand that was tightly holding his, letting Pu Niang wipe him again.
She murmured, "Miss Xi... Pu Niang hasn't called me that in a long time."
"The Qin family will soon be exonerated, and Miss will soon be able to return to being the real Miss Xi. Pu Niang is happy." Pu Niang's gentle voice lingered in her ears, like a bowl of sweet almond tea that warms the heart.
Will he be exonerated?
“But I will still live well for Xiaoxing,” Qin Weixi said.
Pu Niang still lovingly stroked her head of black hair: "As parents, all we want is for our children to grow up healthy and live a happy life. May our sons achieve success and our daughters find a good marriage."
“Pu Niang’s daughter, Xi, has now found a good match, and the young master I watched grow up is also in love with the young lady from the Zhao family. Pu Niang is very satisfied.”
"Pu Niang only hopes that Miss Xi can live as she pleases in the days to come. I pray to the gods, asking them to protect my poor, unfortunate girl."
Qin Weixi suddenly turned around, grasped Pu Niang's warm hands with one hand, and instantly inhaled the scent of soapberry.
"Pu Niang, what's wrong with you today?"
Pu Niang smiled gently, then patted her hand and took out a stack of new clothes from the wardrobe.
Qin Weixi looked over.
It was a new garment, meticulously and carefully sewn by Pu Niang herself, stitch by stitch. Every night she spent working on the thread by lamplight held within it her unspoken love.
She choked back tears and laughed, "Pu Niang, why are you making me new clothes again? I really, really can't wear them all even when I'm seventy or eighty and become an old lady."
Pu Niang laughed heartily: "I'm so happy!"
*
The snow was still falling when it got light.
Qin Weixi suddenly awoke from an endless nightmare, drenched in sweat, her undergarments soaked through. Her eyelids were twitching incessantly.
She struggled to her feet, and before she could even put on the brand-new cloud-patterned shoes lying on the ground, she felt a sudden pang in her heart, as if it had been torn apart.
She remembered the pair of cloud-patterned shoes that had been soaked with snow and mud last night, which were still under her bed when she went to sleep.
Qin Weixi forced herself to walk to the small window, her heart pounding with pain. She leaned on a small table and gazed out. After each snowfall, Feng Hua would lead several maids in building snow lions, and the gusts of wind would flit about in the snow. But today, there was no one outside the window; all was silent.
Lu Yu, who fled the capital, and Sun Shaopu, who should have been dead and reduced to bones, are now strong evidence to exonerate the Qin family. Today, she originally intended to enter the palace with the so-called imperial edict and the notebook she found in the Jingning Marquis's residence.
She wanted to question that tyrannical emperor and recount his crimes one by one!
With this thought in mind, she struggled to change into riding attire, then took the cloak hanging on the chair, one hand covering her chest, and was about to descend the steps. Suddenly, a commotion arose outside the window.
Immediately afterward, Feng Hua, her face streaked with tears, ran up, sobbing, and collapsed to the ground before even reaching the wooden steps. Xia Zhi and Zi Jin followed closely behind.
Everyone looked panicked.
Qin Weixi's face was as pale as paper, and he clutched his chest in unbearable pain.
Xia Zhi was about to help her up when Feng Hua cried out, "It's Pu Niang... Pu Niang is gone!"
"How come it's gone..." Qin Weixi's vision suddenly went black, and before Xia Zhi could take it, he lost his footing and fell down the wooden steps.
"Miss--"
His forehead was immediately stained with blood and red marks.
Xia Zhi and Zi Jin helped her up, then held her tightly. Qin Weixi said with difficulty, "Let go of me!" Then she walked quickly toward the door, then suddenly stopped. She quickly climbed the steps and took another bow from the wall outside the bedroom where the Radiant Sword hung. She also took the quiver and hurriedly tied it to her waist as she walked downstairs.
The wooden boy was already waiting outside the courtyard. The two of them rushed out of the mansion and mounted their horses.
Amidst the vast expanse of white snow, beneath the grand red gate flanked by pillars bearing the inscription "Gulou Street," stood Pu Niang, dressed in plain white silk, her clothes draped in blood-stained fabric, the front and back of which bore sixteen striking characters:
A descendant of loyal and meritorious service.
Loyal ministers and generals who sacrificed themselves for their country.
His frozen hands, palms facing the crowd, bore four bloody characters: "The Qin clan has been wronged."
Qin Weixi stared at Pu Niang, whose eyelashes were covered in snow and whose hair had been dried with frost the night before. She had been talking to her and drying her hair the night before. She immediately screamed.
"Pu Niang—"
The snow fell so heavily last night that the streets were deserted by evening. The patrolling soldiers on guard duty also began to slack off, failing to relieve the guards in time. As a result, a woman, already covered in frost and snow, remained undiscovered on the bustling Gulou Street until dawn.
Qin Weixi burst into tears, feeling as if a thousand arrows were piercing her heart.
Then she untied the longbow from her back, quickly took out her quiver, and with a whoosh, shot it at the thick hemp rope tied to Pu Niang's head.
Upon seeing this, two soldiers guarding the Great Red Gate hurriedly pushed aside the crowd and stood in front of them menacingly, saying, "This matter has occurred in the bustling city, and it is no small matter. We must report to the Commander of the Military Command. You must leave immediately!"
"Shut up! That's my Pu Niang!"
Then, with two more whooshing sounds, the two soldiers felt a sharp pain. They saw that the girl who had been crying uncontrollably in the snow had raised her bow and arrows and shot them in the arms.
Just then, Li Chuirong, the daughter of the Marquis of Wuding, who had disappeared for several months, suddenly appeared out of nowhere, stretching out her arms and blocking her way with resentment in her eyes.
"Qin Weixi! You're still alive! You're the one who killed my Li family!"
Qin Weixi snatched the long sword from a soldier beside him, drew it from its sheath, and pointed it at Li Chuirong.
Anyone who blocks my way today shall die!
Then Qin Weixi said to Mu Tong, "Quickly, take Pu Niang home!"
Mu Tong had already picked up Pu Niang's cold, stiff body and placed it on the horse's back, but when he turned around, she was nowhere to be seen.
Immediately following the crowd of onlookers, a horse's neigh suddenly rang out. Qin Weixi had mounted the horse, gripped the reins, and spurred it on, galloping away despite the biting wind and swirling snow.
The wooden boy shouted, "Miss—"
Meanwhile, Jiang Yuanjun, who had been confined to the East Palace overnight, knocked out the palace servants who were delivering breakfast to the East Palace. She also snatched a long sword from the palace guards guarding the door, killed them, and carved a bloody path through the crowd.
"I am the Crown Prince! Anyone who stands in my way today will be killed!"
At the Donghua Gate, Qin Weixi dismounted and strode past, but was stopped by the palace guards with swords drawn and refused to let him pass!
Qin Weixi swept her gaze across them with icy eyes, and roared, "I possess the imperial edict and iron certificate bestowed upon my Qin family by the late emperor!" Then she once again untied the bow and arrows from her back, drew the string, and aimed at the palace guards approaching her: "Anyone who blocks my way today shall die!"
Suddenly, the palace gates creaked open, and a man emerged from within, wearing a gauze hat and carrying a whisk. He seemed completely unfamiliar with her, saying, "Miss Qin, please come in. His Majesty also wishes to see you privately. But that bow behind you..."
Qin Weixi suddenly let out a cold laugh and threw the bow far into the snow.
"I've said it before, there are no cowards in my Qin family who fear death!"
*
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Qin Weixi glared fearlessly at the emperor on the throne. For ten long years, this was the only time the two of them had met.
Her voice, hoarse and strained, echoed through the empty palace: "Jiang Sinian, you are not worthy to be emperor!"
"Will you admit it or not!"
"A certificate of merit! My Qin family doesn't care for it!"
"Jiang Sinian, every defeat and every moment of resentment you feel ultimately leads you to turn your anger towards your son! Do you want to imprison him for the rest of his life? With your so-called fatherly love!"
Emperor Kang Le remained lost in thought for a long time, gazing at the face that resembled that of his old friend who had passed away many years ago.
Suddenly, he recalled his father's advice to him when his old friends passed away one after another. His father said, "Sinian, you must know that when the world is not yet settled, the kings of the country are fighting each other, and the world is vying for power. Swordsmen and noble families are fighting to the death. But I am fortunate to have three close friends by my side. The Chu clan is good at fighting, the Qin clan is wise, and the Luo clan is skillful. If it weren't for them, how could I have the momentum to unify the world?"
“Si Nian, you should know what you should do when your father grows old and passes away.”
May they enjoy the blessings of Heaven for ten thousand years. That was also the expectation of the founding emperor for the empire they had built together.
Emperor Kang Le snapped out of his reverie and murmured, "Quick-witted and eloquent, you really are just like your father."
Beneath the throne, Qin Weixi straightened his back and said firmly, "Weixi resembles his father. What, is it not allowed?"
“You, Jiang Sinian, are a wolf in sheep’s clothing! You are inhuman! Ten years ago, the moat was filled with the blood of my Qin family. You single-handedly turned this palace, which was once a peaceful and prosperous place under the rule of Emperor Taizu, into a living hell.”
"Your suspicions led Father to commit suicide in the Hall of Mental Cultivation! Father knew that entering the palace was suspicious, and that he might never leave this palace alive. Father saw through you and wanted to sacrifice himself to save the lives of the rest of the Qin family. But what about you? Jiang Sinian, you killed my brother, you killed my mother, and you killed hundreds of people in the Qin family! You concealed the news of Father's death, lured out my brother, and then let him die by Liang Xu's blade."
"Jiang Sinian, I want to ask you when exactly this scheme was devised? But I know that for the past ten years, you have never had a moment of peace, and you have dreamt of your father's face before he died!"
-----------------------
The author's note: May we enjoy the blessings of Heaven for countless years. (Quoted from the Book of Songs, Greater Odes, Lower Martial Arts)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com