Chapter 95 The master cherishes that home very much, doesn't he...?
"We'll talk about it when we get back."
He casually tossed out a sentence and left.
He didn't look back the entire time.
Without turning around, one can imagine the worry and tender affection in the girl's eyes, brimming with spring water.
It was completely different from the stagnant pool of water just now.
Xue Lanyi opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something more.
The door was closed gently.
A ray of sunlight shone in, only to be blocked again.
A gust of wind blew the door open, causing the curtains to fall and obscuring Xue Lanyi's view.
The gray curtains were a color Wei Zhang often used, conveying a sense of coldness and decisiveness.
Xue Lanyi's vision went dark again, and she felt a little suffocated.
Judging from Wei Zhang's reaction just now, he clearly wouldn't let Wei Xuan off the hook.
After all, Wei Xuan had taken Xue Lanyi away right under his nose, which was tantamount to challenging his authority.
How could someone like him tolerate such provocation?
Five days have passed since Xue Lanyi returned to the capital. Although she is still immersed in a depressed mood, she has not stopped paying attention to Wei Xuan's movements.
However, for five whole days, there was no news at all.
Ah Xuan seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Has he already been... taken by Wei Zhang...?
Xue Lanyi felt a pang of pain in her heart.
Once this thought arises, it feels like a chasm has opened in my chest, and a sense of unknown fear surges into my chest from all directions, yet it cannot fill the emptiness in my heart.
Xue Lanyi felt increasingly panicked, and the fleeting thought she had just had seemed very real.
Ah Xuan was already poisoned, could it really be... really...?
If Ah Xuan died from poisoning because she was in a bad mood and didn't receive timely help, then she would never be able to atone for it in her lifetime.
The images in Xue Lanyi's mind began to blur and become chaotic again. Suddenly, she rolled off the ground and staggered after Wei Zhang.
There was no time to walk through the winding corridors; she stepped barefoot straight into the chrysanthemum bushes and took a shortcut to the back door of the Imperial Study.
As I approached the study, I heard intermittent sobbing from inside the hall, mournful and powerless, as desolate as the autumn wind.
Xue Lanyi's heart tightened, and she couldn't help but peek through the crack in the window.
A familiar dark cloud suddenly came into view.
Wei Zhang sat upright in the main seat in the due north direction, leisurely skimming the tea foam from his blue and white porcelain cup.
The rising steam obscured his expression.
Even without looking at his expression, the oppressive aura emanating from him was enough to chill one to the bone.
He was so eye-catching that he completely occupied Xue Lanyi's field of vision, so much so that it took her a while to see that there was a woman sitting slumped in front of him.
The woman had long, loose hair and wore no outer garment. Because she was so thin, her undergarment hung loosely on her body, making her slender figure look as if it were about to break.
He swayed precariously, one hand still tightly gripping Wei Zhang's robe. "Lord Wei, do you have no regard for our years of friendship?"
The woman was heartbroken and devastated.
Xue Lanyi could not see the woman's face from the side and behind, but could only vaguely see tear stains on her raised cheeks.
Tears streamed down her face, leaving her almost bloodless, her lips dry and bluish, and she was struggling to breathe.
However, Wei Zhang remained expressionless, not even glancing at her, as if he hadn't heard the woman's cries, and calmly began to prepare the tea.
Once the tea had cooled to a warm temperature, he raised the cup to his lips, then paused, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. "Speaking of not holding onto old feelings, I am no match for Your Majesty and Lord Shen."
Having said that, he stretched his arm, which was holding the teacup, to the right and slowly turned his wrist.
The tea in the blue and white porcelain bowl then flows down in a gentle stream.
Xue Lanyi looked down along the water and saw a man dressed in a flying fish robe lying at Wei Zhang's feet.
The man was in a worse state than the woman, with his long hair hanging loosely in front of his eyes and his body covered in blood.
He lay on his side, and the tea just barely splashed onto his face, trickling down his dry lips.
He seemed to have been severely tortured, half-conscious and half-asleep, and upon receiving the sweet rain, he instinctively opened his mouth and swallowed.
Upon seeing this, the woman rushed forward to protect the man, using her back to shield him from the dripping tea.
His undergarment was soaked through, clinging tightly to his thin body.
Wei Zhang continued pouring tea, his calm voice guiding the conversation, "Have I ever told Your Majesty that although poison is colorless and odorless, the person who administers it is the biggest weakness?"
The woman stiffened, then suddenly turned her head to look at Wei Zhang.
He was like an insurmountable Five Finger Mountain, his dark shadow looming over the men and women on the ground.
His deep eyes could easily see through people's expressions and thoughts. Just by looking at the woman's feigned expression, he could easily see through the fact that she had poisoned the tea.
The woman panicked for a moment, and the pleading look on her face vanished, leaving only resentment. She clenched her teeth and said, "So what if I poison you? You were destined to die a horrible death anyway. I'm going to force you to your death!"
No, no.
At this moment, the man on the ground was awakened by the tea.
"Yes, it was me who taught Qingqing to poison her. This matter has nothing to do with Qingqing. Please let her go, let her go..."
The man was seriously injured and unable to move. He could only crawl and kneel to Wei Zhang's feet and grasp his official boots.
"Qingqing doesn't understand anything. Everything she did in the past was to scheme against you and disobey you. You can do whatever you want with me, just let her go away from the Summer Palace, let her go away from the Summer Palace, I beg you..."
The man's blood-stained face lifted up, and Xue Lanyi finally saw that the man who had fallen to the ground in such a sorry state was none other than Shen Jinglan, who had been a ruthless killer for the past six years, a man worthy of the title "Living Yama."
The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who was most trusted by the emperor, has now fallen into such a servile state.
So, the woman beside him...
Xue Lanyi's pupils dilated as she stared in disbelief at the sickly face.
Is the current young emperor actually a woman?
No wonder the young emperor listened to Wei Zhang so readily; it turned out that Wei Zhang held such a huge handle on the young emperor.
Moreover, it is quite obvious that as early as six years ago, when Wei Zhang and Xue Lanyi were labeled as traitors and rebels, and when Wei Zhang was still nobody, he had already mastered the young emperor's secret, which enabled him to rise step by step.
How did he know such a secret?
Xue Lanyi's shocked gaze involuntarily turned to Wei Zhang at the head of the table.
On the wall behind him hung a huge portrait of the late emperor.
He just sat there casually, watching the poignant scene unfolding beneath his feet with a mocking expression.
Upon hearing that Wei Zhang had returned to the capital, he immediately imprisoned Shen Jinglan in the imperial prison on charges of indiscriminate killing of innocent people.
He then subjected Shen Jinglan to all the tortures he had invented.
This includes the amputation of Zhou Yu's feet, the branding torture of Lu Lin, and the various cruel tortures that Wei Zhang himself suffered.
When the young emperor first ascended the throne, Shen Jinglan went on a rampage, arresting and humiliating the crown prince's faction.
This naturally includes Wei Zhang, who has close ties with the Crown Prince's faction.
How Wei Zhang later persuaded Shen Jinglan to let him go and how he gradually reached a cooperation agreement with Shen Jinglan and the young emperor remains unknown.
But Wei Zhang is a vengeful man. He has kept the humiliation he suffered six years ago in his heart and will make sure Shen Jinglan suffers sooner or later.
Now, Shen Jinglan is exhausted and his six years of arrogance have been completely crushed under Wei Zhang's feet.
He lay prostrate on the ground, catching the dripping tea from Wei Zhang's hand, his voice hoarse from the poison, pleading, "Please, let Qingqing go, let Qingqing go. I'll do anything you want. I'll be your dog, kill for you, do all the dirty work for you. I know how to be an obedient dog now, I know..."
"Alan!"
The young emperor stared incredulously at the humble Shen Jinglan, then spread his arms to shield him. "Alan! We won't beg him. We'll die together! He poisoned the emperor and framed loyal officials. In the future, loyal ministers and righteous men will not forgive him!"
"Loyal ministers and righteous men? Would loyal ministers and righteous men ever defend tyrannical and treacherous officials like you who are in cahoots?"
Beside Wei Zhang, someone blurted out angrily.
It turned out that Mu Qinghong had been waiting respectfully behind Wei Zhang the whole time.
Hearing the young emperor speak so confidently, he couldn't help but scoff. After speaking, he realized his abruptness and quickly lowered his eyes, carefully observing Wei Zhang's expression.
Wei Zhang remained calm and composed, folding his sleeves as he poured tea, seemingly without any blame, and even giving a slight, appreciative smile.
Mu Qinghong felt relieved and became even more unrestrained, even showing signs of deliberately trying to please the young emperor and hoping to gain favor.
"Don't you know? In the past six years, Shen Jinglan has slaughtered thousands of innocent people and burned down hundreds of noble families' mansions without cause."
"For every nightmare you have, a family dies in a mass grave on the outskirts of the city."
"If you ask for peach blossom rouge, all the women in the capital will be searched out, and your reputation will be ruined."
"You want to eat the roasted sweet potatoes from the Summer Palace? Over a hundred people from the palace dig for sweet potatoes on the mountain in the dead of winter. Infants in swaddling clothes and elderly people with cold ailments all froze and starved to death in the icy mountains and snow. Aren't the sweet potatoes nourished by their corpses and souls fragrant?"
Mu Qinghong spoke with a firm and resounding voice, her eyes reddening as she spoke.
At this moment, as he recounts these rumors, the anger in his eyes is genuine.
The tyrant and the treacherous minister have long been the subject of public resentment. What right does Mu Qingyun have to ask others to speak up for her?
Mu Qinghong's methods of obtaining the throne were despicable. Mu Qingyun, who had been in the Mingtang for six years, was also worthy of the throne, given his numerous actions.
"The people of Dayong would love for you to die!"
Mu Qinghong's voice echoed.
Mu Qingyun slumped to the ground, staring blankly at him, unable to recover for a long time.
How could that be?
Alan is simply hunting down treacherous officials and rebels; this is a good thing for the country and its people.
Her peach blossom rouge was bought by Alan after queuing all night at Jin Yu Zhai.
Her roasted sweet potatoes were grown by them in the summer resort.
She didn't disturb the residents; she's been working very hard to learn about national policies.
Alan is also the kindest person in the world.
When she was young, she was bullied at the Summer Palace, and it was always the young Shen Jinglan who stood in front of her.
In the dead of winter, they secretly got married in a drafty, dilapidated woodshed.
He dug out a sweet potato and handed it to her cold palm as a betrothal gift.
He said he would support the family from now on, and he wanted to dig up the biggest sweet potato in the world.
From then on, Qingqing would never go hungry again.
He was such a good person.
They were just an ordinary couple.
How come, as time went by, all the souls under his knife, which he used to hunt for a living, were dead?
He just wanted to dig up a really big sweet potato, but how did he end up digging up a whole mass grave on the outskirts of the city?
Mu Qingyun shook her head and glanced back at Shen Jinglan.
Shen Jinglan's eyes darted away.
After a moment, he stared at Mu Qingyun again, his guilt and apology intertwined, but were ultimately overshadowed by a deep affection.
Today, he has nothing to refute.
His gaze slowly left Mu Qingyun, and he struggled to his feet, kneeling before Wei Zhang. "Lord Wei, I am utterly wicked and unforgivable. Whether you kill me or torture me, I have no way to defend myself."
"But Qingqing...she's your student. You know very well what kind of person she is. She knows nothing. Can you...can you..."
Shen Jinglan swayed precariously and slowly bowed and kowtowed.
Mu Qingyun suddenly hugged Shen Jinglan, supporting his back as he bent over.
"Yes! I instructed Alan to do everything!"
“Qing, Qingqing…” Shen Jinglan shook her head weakly at her.
Mu Qingyun stared at him, her gaze unwavering. "Alan is a treacherous minister, and I am a tyrant! If Lord Wei wants to punish them, then punish them both!"
Six years have passed. Ever since she ascended the throne, she has been suspicious and insecure, afraid to look others in the eye, lest they say that her position is illegitimate.
She studied diligently every day, and she wanted to do this well, but unfortunately she didn't have the ability.
Because she lacked the ability, Shen Jinglan had to take up the butcher's knife for her and eliminate all possible dangers.
Is Shen Jinglan good or bad? Is he a devil or a treacherous minister?
He was her husband, and everything he did was for her.
She couldn't join others in condemning him, so she decided to share the consequences.
She suddenly hugged Shen Jinglan tightly and whispered in his ear, "Alan, let's stop arguing. We... can go home now."
Behind their bridal chamber at the Summer Palace, many fruit trees were planted.
White pears, pink peaches, yellow loquats, red pomegranates—a kaleidoscope of colors.
Shen Jinglan once said: Fruit trees are the most practical; when they bloom, you can enjoy the flowers, and when they bear fruit, you can fill your stomach.
next year……
Colorful flowers can also be used to cover their graves.
She had never worn a girl's brightly colored dress in her entire life, and after her death, she no longer needed to worry about it.
She wanted to cover herself in all sorts of colors.
Actually, thinking about it, I'm quite happy.
Going home is better than living in fear and trembling in the palace every day, wearing thick, heavy dragon robes.
She leaned on Shen Jinglan's shoulder and smiled with relief, "Sir."
She suddenly called out to Wei Zhang.
She is illiterate and cannot read.
When she first came to the palace, it was Wei Zhang who wrote calligraphy models for her to copy, and it was also Wei Zhang who taught her to start reading the Three Character Classic.
At that time, Wei Zhang was also a new official and was not as cold and inhumane as he is now.
Mu Qingyun respectfully addressed him as "Mr. Wei".
However, over the course of six years, various conflicts arose, and they ultimately went their separate ways, so the title "sir" was not used for a long time.
Wei Zhang must have heard words that were both unfamiliar and familiar, because his hands, which were resting on his knees, curled up slightly.
A person who suddenly shows weakness is definitely up to no good.
He frowned, cautiously examining the two people on the ground.
At this moment, Mu Qingyun had her back to him, so he couldn't see what Mu Qingyun was planning.
Xue Lanyi was standing directly opposite Mu Qingyun.
This was the first time she had seen the young emperor's face clearly.
She has a small face, big, bright black eyes like grapes, and cascading black hair; she is a very pretty and cute little girl.
Even the sunlight streaming in through the window seemed to favor her, its golden rays shining only on her face.
At this moment, she harbored no scheming or resentment, but simply looked up and enjoyed the sunshine, relishing the feeling of being a woman in broad daylight, embracing her lover.
However, she was seriously ill and her eyes were barely open. She leaned on Shen Jinglan's shoulder, her vision blurred, and slowly poured out her heart.
"Sir, do you remember what happened in this study six years ago?"
A sense of emptiness flickered in Wei Zhang's eyes.
Mu Qingyun said, "That year, the teacher always thought I was stupid and always locked me in the Imperial Study, not allowing me to leave until I finished reciting the Three Character Classic."
My teacher is really heartless. Even on the night of the Winter Solstice, he took a ruler and forced me to copy the Three Character Classic ten times.
Alan felt sorry for me, so while her husband was taking a break and drinking tea, she secretly slipped through the window and brought me a bowl of wild vegetable dumplings.
Unexpectedly, the master had anticipated this and had tied a bell to the window beforehand. As soon as Alan jumped into the room, the master caught her red-handed.
The teacher was very fierce. He not only punished me by making me copy the Three Character Classic ten more times, but also forced me to throw away the dumplings that Alan had made by hand.
The gentleman said: If you want to eat dumplings, the imperial kitchen has all kinds of delicacies and fillings, and you can eat them whenever you want; but if you don't have the ability, you can only eat dumplings in the King of Hell's palace.
Sir, don't you know that on the Winter Solstice we eat dumplings and pinch our ears so that mice won't eat them?
Wei Zhang frowned even more, a hint of confusion and surprise appearing in his eyes.
He didn't know what Mu Qingyun wanted to say, but surprisingly, he didn't stop her.
Mu Qingyun smiled suddenly, her face streaked with tears. "Alan said: It's because no one makes dumplings or pinches your ears that you're so envious and jealous."
Later, Alan got smarter. On New Year's Eve, he shamelessly brought dumpling wrappers and a rolling pin to the study. He made a bowl of handmade dumplings for his teacher. Does his teacher still remember?
Why are you saying all this?
Mu Qinghong sensed the eerie silence in the imperial study and felt uneasy, so he stepped forward to interrupt Mu Qingyun.
Mu Qingyun ignored him and continued, "That New Year's Eve, Alan pulled Mr. to make dumplings with us."
It was then that I realized that such a clever man as my husband didn't know how to make dumplings, nor did he know what "money dumplings" were.
When the gentleman found a coin in the dumpling filling, he was not only unhappy, but also scolded us for letting something dirty fall into the filling.
The gentleman didn't know that Ah Lan and I deliberately put the money dumplings into his bowl.
Has no one ever secretly saved the "money dumplings" for the gentleman?
Has no one ever told my husband that eating 'money dumplings' will bring him lasting good fortune?
"Sir...you're actually an orphan just like us, right?"
"What orphan? Who are you cursing?" Mu Qinghong pointed at Mu Qingyun on the ground.
Mu Qingyun turned her head, her gaze passing over his fingertips and looking directly at Wei Zhang. "So, sir, you must know what the orphan desires most, right?"
There was a word on the tip of his tongue, and Wei Zhang instinctively parted his thin lips slightly, but ultimately said nothing.
Mu Qingyun clearly saw Wei Zhang's reaction in that instant.
Wei Zhang may appear cold, but he also harbors desires.
Like them, he had the deepest longing for "home".
Otherwise, why would he always stay up late in the Imperial Study to handle official business during holidays?
Actually, it's so we can make zongzi and dumplings together, right?
Mu Qingyun stared more intently at Wei Zhang, "Later, every year during festivals, the teacher would be with us, until three years ago, when the teacher could no longer reunite with us. The teacher said—he wanted to go home."
"Sir has a family now, and he cherishes that family very much, doesn't he?"
Mu Qingyun's words echoed in the imperial study.
No one responded.
Only the creaking of the wind blowing through the windowpanes indicated that the air inside and outside the palace was moving and surging.
Separated by only a window, Xue Lanyi also stood frozen in place.
During the three years in the courtyard, although Wei Zhang was cold and aloof, he would indeed visit the courtyard during festivals.
They would often bring some zongzi, tangyuan, and dumplings from the imperial kitchen, but they were all loosely shaped and didn't taste good.
Those holiday gifts are all...
Xue Lanyi's pupils contracted slightly as she looked at Wei Zhang.
Wei Zhang's expression was cold and stern, no different from usual.
But Xue Lanyi knew very well that if Wei Zhang thought Mu Qingyun was talking nonsense, he would have stopped giving her a chance to speak long ago.
Mu Qingyun must have said something that resonated with Wei Zhang.
Mu Qingyun also knew her teacher well.
She knew that Wei Zhang had been swayed by her words, so she went a step further, looking intently at Wei Zhang, "I have returned the dragon robe to you, sir, and I have also written the imperial edict of succession for you. Ah Lan and I do not have much time left. I only ask you for one thing..."
"I beg you, sir, for the sake of our years of friendship, allow my and Ah Lan's remains to return home!"
Every orphan spends their entire life searching for a home.
Wei Zhang was one, and so were they.
She only asked that he have even a sliver of empathy and grant her final wish.
She stared intently at Wei Zhang.
Everyone present was moved to some extent.
Only Mu Qinghong.
He couldn't understand what the others were saying, feeling like an outsider.
This feeling made him panic.
He knew very well that if Wei Zhang sided with Mu Qingyun, he would be finished.
He believed that Mu Qingyun's nonsensical remarks were simply an attempt to win over Wei Zhang.
Mu Qingyun did not truly give up the throne at all!
This realization caused Mu Qinghong's face to suddenly stiffen and turn pale.
He stepped forward, blocking Mu Qingyun and Wei Zhang's view, and pointed at Mu Qingyun, scolding:
"You are nothing but a maid who climbed onto the emperor's bed and seduced the emperor to give birth to his bastard child! Your brother-in-law is the legitimate son of the Duke's mansion and the adopted son of the Prince of Qi's mansion. How can you compare to your brother-in-law?"
Even if the elders of the Duke's Mansion and the Prince Qi's Mansion are no longer alive, my brother-in-law still has my sister. How can we be some orphans all alone? Don't try to stir up trouble."
“Brother-in-law, he keeps saying that I am homeless, but isn’t my sister my brother-in-law’s family?”
By saying that, isn't she cursing her sister to die?
My sister's health is already poor, how could she tolerate such treatment...
Mu Qinghong turned to look at Wei Zhang.
In an instant, I met a pair of calm and deep eyes.
Wei Zhang lifted his eyelids and glanced at Mu Qinghong with an inscrutable expression.
It's really noisy.
"Your sister isn't as omnipotent as you think," Wei Zhang said calmly.
These days, Mu Qinghong not only mentions Xue Lanyi to him repeatedly, but also uses Xue Lanyi's name in all his actions at the Duke's mansion.
How could Wei Zhang not understand Mu Qinghong's thoughts?
The ripples in Wei Zhang's eyes gradually froze. "If you drag your sister into this again without cause, I will deal with both of you."
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