In the hazy dream, she seemed to hear her brother's gentle voice in her ear...
"Your Majesty," Chen Guiyi reminded him softly again.
Emperor Kang Le seemed to realize something and changed his tone, saying, "Ah, Minister Luo, what do you think of this matter?"
Luo Ling stepped forward, his expression calm, and said, "Your Majesty, then let a suitable person do this. Marquis Jingning, Fang Gui, is the right person to step forward at this time, and we should not lose our composure."
Emperor Kangxi nodded. He then asked Zhou Quan, "Minister Zhou, in your opinion, who should handle this matter?"
After a moment's thought, Zhou Quan quickly said, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, this person would be best suited to be His Highness the Crown Prince. His Highness is the heir apparent of the country, and His Majesty is also there to oversee him."
Emperor Kang Le pondered for a long time, then looked at Luo Ling with a kind smile: "Minister Luo is right. You and Ye Ning were the closest of brothers when you were young, and such friendship is the most precious." He coughed lightly, pressing his fist to his lips, and glanced at the assembled officials. He immediately made up his mind: "Then grant Xu Lin, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the authority to assist the Crown Prince in thoroughly investigating this case of the three bones. We should remain calm and observe to see what other tricks the person behind this has up their sleeve."
Xu Lin was somewhat surprised, a hint of astonishment flashing in his eyes, but it disappeared in an instant.
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Liang Shuwen suddenly broke the silence, straightened his posture, and stepped forward with an air of selflessness to offer his advice: "...Your Majesty, Xu Lin is Zhou Juyuan's disciple."
Emperor Kang Le was inexplicably irritated, and his dragon eyes glared. "What's wrong with Zhou Juyuan's apprentice?"
"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, we should avoid any appearance of impropriety in this matter..."
Emperor Kang Le frowned on his throne, then let out a long sigh. He then waved his hand, interrupting him: "Alright! That's settled then. I'm tired. Court is adjourned!"
After sitting for a long time, his legs became stiff, and Emperor Kang Le stumbled and almost fell.
The officials exclaimed in surprise, "Your Majesty!"
Emperor Kang Le waved his hand and, supported by Chen Guiyi, slowly walked out.
"My dear companion, I am old! All my old friends have left me!" Emperor Kang Le's light and unhurried words, devoid of any emotion, reached Chen Guiyi's ears.
Chen Guiyi smiled and said, "Your Majesty, if your heart is young, time will not age you."
Emperor Kang Le was taken aback upon hearing this, then chuckled and said, "That's why I say you're so clever. If it were Minister Liang, he would definitely say, 'Your Majesty, I would gladly exchange ten years of my life for ten years of your youth.'"
"But alas! My old friends have all left, how can I not grow old? Ten years ago, in that winter month, I lost two old friends."
After Emperor Kangxi left, the officials huddled together in small groups, whispering amongst themselves. Liang Shuwen frowned, muttering to himself, "What a mess!" With that, he flicked his sleeves, intending to leave. He had already taken a step when he heard the voice of Zheng Shi, the Left Censor-in-Chief, behind him: "Grand Secretary Liang. This is inappropriate, that is inappropriate, what do you mean by appropriate? The fire hasn't even reached your own roof, yet you have something to say."
Liang Shuwen choked on his words and turned to look at him. He thought of the Earl of Qingping, who had been dejected and absent for many days after losing his beloved son. "Who do you think you are, before he's even said anything?" he thought, about to retort, when Zhou Quan gracefully walked over and stood between the two of them, looking at him with sincere eyes: "Grand Secretary Liang, peace is paramount, peace is paramount!"
That evening, Jiang Yuanjun entered the Luo residence and had a private conversation with Luo Ling in the study.
"Ah Jun, has that person written to you again?" Luo Ling asked.
Jiang Yuanjun shook her head: "No. He disappeared after the Star Gazing Tower. Every time he came to deliver a letter, it was on my way to the Luo residence, through a little girl selling flowers in the market or a child playing alone. Children are too young to ask for any clues, so naturally nothing can be found."
Luo Ling pondered for a moment, then spread out the two secret letters that had appeared half a year ago on the desk and looked at them repeatedly.
"We are not familiar with this handwriting."
“Ah Jun, do you think there’s a possibility…” Luo Ling didn’t continue.
Jiang Yuanjun smiled and said, "How could I not have thought about it? But you saw it, brother, so it's impossible. Brother, you should know that Uncle Qin or our teacher had many old friends in the court back then. Back then, some people would step forward while others would remain hidden in the shadows."
“When I saw those two secret letters, I was very careful. Over the years, we have been secretly investigating Gao Jian, but we have not found anything unusual about the Observatory. If we had charged him with falsifying the materials used in the project and withholding funds, he would have been imprisoned, but the result might not have been so satisfactory.”
"So we followed the few clues left by this person and found out about the sudden crack in the floor of the observatory."
“My grandfather once told us that some people’s obsession with alcohol is not because they love alcohol. Rather, it is a way for them to try to forget the past that they do not like. Gao Jian has been rising steadily in rank over the years, eventually becoming the Minister of Works. But only he knows how many lives have been sacrificed behind this glory.”
Luo Ling nodded.
Jiang Yuanjun remembered Chu Yening, who had gotten drunk at Shuiyun Tower the day before, and asked him about it again.
Luo Ling sighed softly, "He and we are still the same as before. It's just that we've become a little too distant."
Luo Ling originally intended to conceal the events of yesterday, but remembering the wooden child who appeared out of nowhere but was already a dead person in this world, he still told him about it.
As Jiang Yuanfu said, they have always been in the same boat.
"Wooden Child? Brother, are you talking about the wooden child who was by Brother Ashu's side back then?" Jiang Yuanjun was very surprised and it took her a long time to come back to her senses.
“Exactly.” Luo Ling nodded.
Jiang Yuanjun's eyes sparkled: "He's still alive?"
“Xiao Xing, are you sure you didn’t see wrong? Where is she? I’m going to see her. If that really is Mu Tong, there are some things we don’t know that Mu Tong must know.”
Luo Ling smiled gently and turned to look at the sky outside the window. The moonlight was growing stronger, and lanterns were lit throughout the courtyard.
Jiang Yuanjun quickly realized what was happening, her ears turning bright red, and she quickly said, "I was being reckless."
Luo Ling chuckled to herself.
I recall the little prince in his childhood, who was both lively and energetic, and gentle and refined, never getting angry no matter how much Qingyun and the others teased him.
That's all.
Even if a person has many facets, the many things that happen on the road to growth will make them the one who can best withstand the storms.
But today, he seemed to see the young imperial grandson from back then.
Luo Ling recalled the decision made at today's court meeting and smiled, "Having Xu Lin's help is a good thing."
“He is the most upright and incorruptible. If every place in the world had such a capable minister, then all the people in the world would live a good life.” Jiang Yuanjun smiled as he mentioned this: “I will have A Xiao secretly look into the matter of Mu Tong. It’s getting late, brother, you should rest early.”
Luo Ling saw him out of the study, watching him walk gracefully away in the moonlight, dressed in brocade robes. Jiang Yuanjun suddenly stopped and turned around, saying to him, "As for Ye Ning, I really can't understand it. An elder brother is like a father, and Ye Ning respects you the most. It seems that from now on, only you, elder brother, can do your part to maintain our relationship."
Luo Ling smiled and watched him go until Jiang Yuanjun's figure could no longer be seen in the distance.
At this moment, the crescent moon that had been hanging in the sky secretly hid behind the clouds, and the night gradually fell into darkness.
Inside Tingyu Pavilion, the person on the bed had their eyes closed, was breathing rapidly, and was covered in sweat, as if they were in a deep sleep but struggling in a nightmare from which they could not escape.
"Brother, when will you take me to the ancient villages in southern Anhui? My third brother said that the area is surrounded by mountains and ancient trees, like a fairyland."
She nestled her small hands and feet against her brother's warm back, her bright, deer-like eyes scanning the surroundings with keen interest.
As the sun set, the boy carried her on his back along the country lanes, his smile radiating joy, his words as warm as the sunshine: "Soon, very soon. Yes, then we won't just go to southern Anhui, we'll go to Nanjing, Wuxi..."
"Don't you love Huishan clay figurines the most? Let's buy them all this time."
The little girl's eyes shone with endless longing, and her laughter was as clear as silver bells. "Are you buying lots and lots of clay figurines? I want ones for the birthday boy, opera singers, chicks, puppies, and geese. When we bring them back, we'll give one box to Afu and two boxes to Xiaoxing." As she spoke, she waved her small hand in front of the boy, making a "two" gesture.
The boy laughed heartily upon hearing this: "You little rascal, are you showing favoritism? Why did you only give Afu one box?"
She giggled on her brother's back, "There are all sorts of treasures in the palace. Afu doesn't like them, but a small gift carries great meaning. But Xiaoxing is different. She's been frail and sickly since she was little and rarely goes out. When I grow up, I'll collect all the rare and precious treasures in the world, along with beautiful dresses, jewels, and embroidered shoes, and give them all to her."
The boy laughed again, his pace suddenly quickened, and he started running with her on his back.
"Great! When our Xixi grows up, she'll buy lots and lots of pretty clothes for her brother."
The scene shifts to a heavy snowfall. Her brother kneels on the white snow, his face covered in blood, staring at her with wide eyes. There is no one around. She runs towards him from a distance, her feet sinking into the icy ground. She then realizes that she is only wearing a thin undergarment, her hair is disheveled, and she is barefoot.
Large tears slid down her cheeks. She pushed her brother's shoulder forcefully, sobbing, "Brother, brother?"
However, her brother just smiled at her without saying a word, his face, mouth, and teeth were covered in blood.
The cold wind made it hard to open one's eyes, and the snowflakes stung the face even more. Tears blurred her vision, making it impossible for her to see her brother's gentle face. Yet, she felt a piercing pain in her internal organs. Then, she slowly knelt on the ground, holding her brother's arm with one hand and resting the other on his shoulder, trying to warm his cold body with her own.
She strained to open her eyes wide, only to discover that a spear over ten feet long had somehow pierced her brother's chest and penetrated his back.
She immediately screamed in fright, her face turning pale, her body trembling uncontrollably, and her teeth chattering as she asked, "Brother, who hurt you? Brother, are you in pain?"
However, this time, the elder brother seemed to be asleep with his eyes open, refusing to say a word.
She held her brother's cold body until night fell. In her hazy state, she seemed to hear her brother whispering gently in her ear: "My dear sister, leave quickly, your brother will frighten you."
A note from the author:
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Thank you to the little angel for the nutrient solution!
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