Seeing Cui Lu on a long winter night, Cui Lu stood in front of the Lotus Viewing Garden...
Minister Yan suddenly recalled that when General Chu Boling passed away, Duke Qin He of Dingguo's hair turned white overnight, and the once healthy Qin He also passed away due to a serious illness.
However, he did not witness the later rumors in the capital that the old Duke Dingguo died with his eyes open, nor did he know if it was true. During that period, Emperor Taizu often neglected state affairs, and his once sharp, eagle-like eyes sometimes appeared empty and lifeless upon closer inspection. In the end, when he lived in seclusion at Penglai Xiaoding, he was already using a cane, and he passed away under the magnolia tree that he had planted himself.
Zhou Quan waited a long time for Yan Bing's response, then waved a hand in front of his eyes: "Minister Yan?"
Yan Bing snapped out of his reverie and suddenly remembered the current emperor, the supreme ruler. Before the death of the founding emperor, he had personally promised to assist the crown prince, whom the late emperor was most worried about, until the day he could no longer move.
Minister Yan sighed deeply, waved to Zhou Quan, and then got up and staggered away.
Zhou Quan lifted the curtain and stepped out, watching Yan Bing's solitary figure walk away in the courtyard. He then turned around and put on the heavy cloak he had worn earlier, rubbing the pain in his joints.
His paralysis has flared up again!
Zhou Quan rubbed his hands together, looked at the vast expanse of white snow in the courtyard, and pulled his thick coat over himself to wrap himself up even tighter.
Inside Tingyu Pavilion, Qin Weixi had just finished lunch and hurriedly left the courtyard, taking Pu Niang and Feng Hua with her as they quietly departed the mansion.
It was evening, at Old Zhang's teahouse on the outskirts of the city.
A tall, handsome middle-aged man was already standing outside the teahouse, gazing into the distance. Soon after, another carriage following Zhou Quan arrived, its wheels treading through the snow.
Qin Weixi and Pu Niang got off the carriage, each carrying a food box.
"Uncle Zhou!" This was the first real meeting and greeting between the two in many years.
Zhou Quan went to greet her, and couldn't help but smile as he looked at the lively little girl with her bright eyes and curved brows who was coming with the wind and snow.
"Hey! Calling me Uncle is too old-fashioned!" He laughed and immediately stopped.
Qin Weixi smiled at the middle-aged man in front of her, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Then he's called... elder brother?"
Zhou Quan's expression immediately turned strange: "It's quite comical and awkward. Little niece, please call me Uncle Shi."
The uncle and nephew exchanged a smile, and for a moment Qin Weixi seemed to see his third brother, Qingyun, many years later, now in middle age.
The two entered Old Zhang's small bamboo house and gave one bundle of the newly made flower pastries to Old Zhang and another bundle to Zhou Quan. Old Zhang laughed heartily, served two cups of tea, and left without disturbing the two.
Zhou Quan looked at the colorful flower pastries, seemingly impatient: "The pastries are delicious. Your aunt was wondering if your Uncle Zhou would be able to eat the sweet flower pastries you made when he comes home today."
Qin Weixi smiled and said, "If Auntie likes it, I think you'll like it too, Uncle. I'll make her some more when I get back."
Zhou Quan laughed and responded, then got down to business: "After your letter yesterday, I did some research. Of the eunuchs who were on duty in that annex back then, they either died of illness or were placed in various palaces and were given death sentences for offending their masters. Only one deaf-mute is now taking care of the flower room in Cining Palace. Another one left the palace and is now at Xiaguang Peak."
"The current Empress Dowager has long since retired to Xiaguang Peak, and the vacant Cining Palace has become a place that many palace servants do not want to work. Although they can have a leisurely life, their monthly salary is meager and there is no extra income. However, the Empress Dowager still has a greenhouse with flowers that need to be taken care of, which has become a good place for the deaf and mute old eunuch who is not usually well received."
"They're all dead." Qin Weixi pondered for a moment.
Zhou Quan continued, “Because it is a very important place in the inner palace, your Uncle Zhou cannot enter under any circumstances. However, if your aunt embroiders a handkerchief for the Empress, she can enter the inner palace. Your aunt is very skilled at embroidery; she can embroider a peony on a handkerchief so realistically that it looks real. The Empress also likes peonies very much and often summons her to the palace to keep her company.”
Qin Weixi listened attentively to Zhou Quan's words, and when Zhou Quan spoke of his beloved wife, Kang Shi, a hint of tenderness appeared on his smiling face. She had seen that look in his eyes before.
She looked at Zhou Quan with a smile: "Uncle treats Aunt so well."
Zhou Quan smiled as he listened: "Since she married me, I have to treat her well. It's not easy for a girl in this world. I can only do my best to make her feel satisfied and not hurt her."
Qin Weixi nodded and returned to the main topic: "But Kunning Palace and Cining Palace are separated by major palaces, so Auntie might not be able to get in. Besides, when Uncle mentioned Xiaguang Peak, I remembered someone."
Zhou Quan said, "That's right. Your aunt and I discussed it after learning about this, and it seems there's some difficulty in getting into Cining Palace." Then, hearing Qin Weixi mention Xiaguang Peak, he asked, "Is it that little eunuch who left the palace?"
Qin Weixi said, "That's right."
At the New Year's banquet that year, they saved Cui Lü, a resilient young eunuch, because Sun Shaopu ordered him to be beaten. Cui Lü had served in the palace for many years and naturally had slept in that side room for many years as well.
If he had inadvertently known or seen why Sun Shaopu was in the side room back then, or had a clear understanding of that group of people from that time...
Qin Weixi came to her senses and said, "Uncle Zhou, there is no need for Aunt to see the Empress. Years ago, a few of us juniors happened to save a palace maid in the side room. He is the one who is now on Xiaguang Peak. His name is Cui Lü. He also served in the Empress Dowager's flower room for a few years. Perhaps he knows some things that we don't."
"Cui Lu?"
Qin Weixi nodded.
Zhou Quan said, "That would be great."
The two women each drank another cup of tea. Recalling their trip to Chongqing, one of them asked with a smile, "Little niece, Luo Yuan sent a letter yesterday. Did you find the Lu Yu mother and daughter you mentioned in your letter?"
Qin Weixi recalled the wonderful times in Chongqing Prefecture and nodded with a smile: "Back then, Lu Yu took his family fortune and fled the capital, but now he lives a precarious life, not to mention he has a little daughter who is nearly eleven years old and has not yet learned to read or write. When I and the Marquis of Jingning appeared in front of her, even if we tried to hide it, she accepted it."
"If we don't go and see Lu Yu in person, I'm afraid she won't be willing to return to the capital. Judging by the time, we should be arriving in the capital soon. We can endure the journey back to the capital in a hurry, but her youngest daughter is still young, so let Mu Tong take them with him at a slower pace."
Zhou Quan smiled as he looked at the young girl in front of him, who was talking eloquently. It was as if he were seeing the young man he had met under the quiet ancient temple years ago.
He couldn't help but exclaim, "My little niece looks remarkably like the Duke of Dingguo."
Little did they know that when the capital was covered in snow that year, their brush past each other under the palace wall would be their eternal separation, never to meet again.
Qin Weixi's eyes softened, and a faint smile appeared on his lips: "Yes, Weixi resembles his father."
After saying that, she suddenly remembered the series of actions Zhou Quan took when the Qin family case occurred. He stood in the vast snow holding the memorial impeaching his father, which calmed the emperor's anger, who held the power of life and death, and also caused him to suffer from paralysis ever since.
She rose and bowed solemnly to Zhou Quan, but not in the manner of a daughter; rather, she clasped her hands in a gesture of respect, as a martial artist would. Her father had once practiced and loved martial arts, and had even ridden warhorses into battle to slay enemies.
"Uncle Zhou..."
However, Zhou Quan did not wait for her to finish speaking. He stood up, blocked his punch with one hand, and bowed, saying, "Little niece, there is no need to thank me. I, Zhou Quan, am only here for the Duke of Dingguo."
After saying that, he drank the tea in his cup in one gulp, and then laughed heartily: "If you really want to thank me, once your family is exonerated and can see the light of day again, I will definitely invite Uncle Zhou to your Qin family cemetery so that I can meet with Duke Qin of Dingguo one more time."
"It's a deal!"
Without further ado, the two parted ways at the teahouse. Under the twilight light, a carriage rumbled towards Xiaguang Peak, where apricot trees covered the mountains in late summer.
Baozhu and Dingwei were both surprised to see the person who came, because this time she was not accompanied by anyone else, only the servants and maids of the Luo family.
Inside Wansong Pavilion, the Empress Dowager had just finished her dinner and taken a stroll in the small garden. Now, she was leaning against her bed, holding a small stove in her hand, listening to Baozhu tell interesting stories about the common people.
Upon hearing her voice, the Empress Dowager frowned slightly and asked, "Baozhu? What time is it?"
"Reporting to our ancestor, it is already 7 PM."
The Empress Dowager's empty eyes searched for the girl, and Qin Weixi went to meet her and took her hand.
The Empress Dowager said in a gentle voice, "Why did it come at this hour?" As she spoke, she went to explore and listened to the sounds behind her.
Are you all alone?
Qin Weixi nodded and gently replied, "Grandmother Zhao, I brought Pu Niang and Feng Hua with me."
But the Empress Dowager said, "It's dangerous there without men."
Qin Weixi smiled: "There is no danger. Grandmother Zhao, I will protect myself."
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager chuckled and said, "Grandmother Zhao's maid is now able to protect herself? Since it's so late, let's stay here."
Looking out at the cold winter, Qin Weixi turned around and tucked the brocade quilt covering the Empress Dowager in further, teasingly saying, "If I had come earlier, would Grandmother Zhao have sent me down the mountain? I'm not a chattering little sparrow; I won't bother you, Grandmother."
The Empress Dowager's smile grew even more benevolent as she gently stroked the long, glossy black hair that hung down the back of the girl's head, and asked, "Have you had dinner yet?"
Qin Weixi shook her head: "I left in a hurry today and need to ask Grandmother for a meal. I'll make you some flower pastries tomorrow."
Baozhu laughed from the side, "Look at this quick-witted little sister-in-law."
The Empress Dowager's smile grew even more amiable, and the wrinkles etched on her face by the years seemed to converge at this moment.
Tonight she still rested in Guanhe Garden, which was separated from Wansong Pavilion by a lotus pond, but she did not eat a single bite of the food that Baozhu ordered the palace maids to bring. Instead, she politely dismissed the palace maids that Baozhu had sent to Guanhe Garden to serve her, and in the dead of night, she extinguished the candles in the palace and took Pu Niang to see Cui Lü.
Cui Lu had known that Baozhu was on Xiaguang Peak as early as that evening when she sent palace maids to start a new stove.
On a long winter night, Cui Lu met the girl who had come covered in snow in the front hall of Guanhe Garden.
Cui Lu was about to bow in respect when Pu Niang stepped forward to stop him and helped him up.
Qin Weixi said, "Eunuch Cui, the reason I rushed up the mountain tonight is because of an important matter. Back then, you offended that scoundrel Sun in the wing room and were severely beaten. Do you know why that scoundrel Sun would come to this place during the New Year's banquet when all the officials were celebrating with the emperor?"
Sun Ce?
Caught off guard, Cui Lu was taken aback. He quickly realized who the girl in front of him was referring to as the "traitor Sun" she was talking about with such rage.
Cui Lu carefully recalled for a long time, remembering that night when he was subjected to despicable means and his life was hanging by a thread.
He quickly regained his composure and said respectfully, "But it seems that Eunuch Sun came to see someone. He was looking around in the side room. I was locked out because I was given sweets by my superiors and returned late. I happened to see Eunuch Sun coming alone."
"But no one dared to ask who Eunuch Sun was looking for at the time."
Qin Weixi then asked, "Eunuch Cui, during the time you stayed in the side room, did you notice anything unusual about the palace servants who were on duty with you?"
Upon hearing this, Cui Lu fell into deep thought again, carefully recalling the events.
“Replying to Miss, there didn’t seem to be any special people back then…” Suddenly his eyes lit up: “If there was anyone special, it would probably be Eunuch Chen. At that time, he and I were both lowly servants in that wing, but no one dared to bully him, and many people were even somewhat afraid of him. I couldn’t believe it until I saw him become the Grand Eunuch by His Majesty’s side.”
"Chen Guiyi?"
Cui nodded.
A thunderbolt seemed to strike Qin Weixi's mind: Chen Guiyi and Sun Shaopu were indeed connected.
Soon after, Cui Lu spoke again: "Miss, I also have something I need to secretly do to find you. Some time ago, I discovered something very suspicious!"
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