130 Chapter 130
◎After eighty-three days, he finally saw her.◎
If you have any difficulties in the future, go find him?
Even though he had never seen it with his own eyes, Xu Qinghe could imagine the look on his face when he said this. There was probably sadness in his eyes, but he had to pretend to be righteous.
"If he wants to see me ask him for help," she pursed her lips slightly, "he has to live to see that day."
This was really too much, so Lin Xiao shrank his neck and dared not speak.
Xu Qinghe then looked at her and said, "If you can tell me this today, you have already chosen your side. But if you try to leak information to him from me again in the future, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Lin Xiao immediately declared her loyalty: "No, no, Lin Xiao would never do that! If my brother had lied to me for so long, I would have stabbed him a few times. The princess is being extremely tolerant now. As a woman, Lin Xiao naturally stands on the princess' side!"
But Lin Xiao no longer has any brothers.
Her brother Meng Chen had been poisoned to death in the Ministry of Justice prison six years ago, but he was still labeled as a man who had made meritorious contributions but could not overcome his conscience and finally committed suicide out of fear of punishment. His name has not been cleared to this day.
But her Xie Qi is still there.
The spring sun was warm, and Xu Qinghe was quietly in a daze under the warm sun until the fact that she was pregnant made her feel sleepy.
She had a dream that seemed very long and yet very short.
She parted with Xie Qi in her dream, and she still went to the deep palace in Kyoto. However, Xie Qi did not escape death as he did in reality, but died in the fire like other people in the Xie family.
Xu Qinghe woke up from her sleep with a start. The tears on her face had dried, but her heart felt empty.
She sat on the bed for a while, then got up and went to the study.
She spent the entire afternoon in the study. During dinner, Nanzhi couldn't help but advise, "The princess's waist isn't noticeable because she's slender. Once covered by her loose dress, she looks just like an ordinary person. But she's pregnant after all. Why don't you rest your eyes?"
But Xu Qinghe did not listen to her and went into the study after dinner. Nanzhi had no choice but to follow him in and serve him with writing materials.
It was past midnight, the night was quiet, but the candles in the study were still burning.
Half an hour later, Xu Qinghe finally stopped writing and handed a stack of densely written papers to Nanzhi.
"Tomorrow morning, find someone to copy several copies of this excerpt and deliver them to the various opera troupes and teahouses before noon. Pay them generously to spread the word as widely and quickly as possible."
As a result, the teahouses, taverns, and even theatrical troupes and storytellers in Kyoto became busy again, and the city became even more noisy.
**
There have been frequent rumors in the capital recently, all saying that the Duke of Fuguo was the real culprit in the case of treason. The rumors were so convincing that Zhao Wan, the wife of the Duke of Fuguo, was in a very bad mood.
For this reason, she has not left the house for several days.
This rumor has spread so widely that the palace must have heard it a long time ago. By then, it will only take a word from His Majesty to quell the rumor. As long as he praises the Duke of Fuguo as a loyal minister, the rumor will naturally be shattered.
In order to make the mistress feel at ease, the nanny beside Zhao Wan specially invited a troupe of actors back to the mansion.
"Madam, you have always loved listening to operas since you were still a boudoir girl. With His Majesty's birthday approaching these days, the opera troupes in the capital are even more lively. I have invited the one you often listen to back. Would you mind going with me to take a look?"
Zhao Wan leaned on the couch and replied "OK" in a listless voice.
Originally, Zhao Wan had planned to invite the women in the mansion to attend the opera. Wei Yiqun had many concubines, and although they were favored by different people, it was quite lively when they gathered together during their free time. However, today, she was the only one in front of the stage.
"Wei Ling went to the Buddhist temple to pray, and he hasn't sent a message home for such a long time. And Wei Yun and that concubine Jin, I've been looking for them for so long but there's still no news. I don't know what happened to the Duke in recent days, he sent all those girls away, making the backyard deserted." Zhao Wan sighed, feeling extremely bored.
Now the sun has set in the west, and the ground is still filled with the residual heat from the day. It is a time that is neither too dry nor too cold.
The nanny poured a cup of tea for her mistress and said with a smile, "This is all due to the instigation of the prince. He thought that the mistress had spent a lot of time dealing with those concubines over the years, so he sent them away so that the mistress could have some peace and quiet."
"At this age, it doesn't matter."
Although he said that, Zhao Wan couldn't suppress the corners of his lips.
She naturally knew that her son's proposal to dismiss the concubines was not entirely to give her some peace and quiet.
Even a woman in the inner chambers of the capital had heard the rumors, let alone the son and his wife, who often had to go out for social events. The rumors were so detailed that they might have originated from within the Prince's mansion. So his son proposed to publicly dismiss the concubines, but in reality, he secretly detained and interrogated them one by one.
But no matter what the purpose of this matter was, her son finally gave her some peace and quiet, and Zhao Wan naturally felt very comfortable.
"Madam, look quickly! This is the most popular play in the capital recently. All the opera troupes are vying to perform it."
With the sound of the gong, everyone came on stage.
Zhao Wan fanned herself and listened carefully to the babbling sounds on the stage.
She didn't think anything was wrong at first, and even followed the play with great interest. But later on, she paused fanning herself with the fan in her hand, and began to murmur in her heart.
Why does this play seem more and more wrong the more I listen to it...
**
The ninth day of the fourth month of the thirty-second year of Yongshun was the forty-second birthday of Emperor Yongshun.
The weather that day was gloomy and overcast, weighing heavily on everyone's heart.
Spring rain is as precious as oil, and it is especially scarce this year. It only fell sporadically half a month ago. Since then, although the weather has been occasionally gloomy, there has been no rain, and the people have been complaining even more.
At the hour of Yin today, Emperor Yongshun first wore his crown and robes and went to the Taimiao to offer ancestral worship. Then he changed his clothes and went to the front of the hall to accept the congratulations of all officials and envoys, and then he gave a banquet to all the officials in the hall.
Just as singing and dancing were being performed in the hall and everyone was toasting each other, a few bursts of muffled thunder suddenly rang out outside, making the originally bustling hall quiet for a moment.
Under normal circumstances, the rumbling thunder in the sky would not be a good sign, but it was different today when spring rain was scarce and it was Emperor Yongshun's birthday.
"Your Majesty's merits must have moved the heavens, and they are finally sending rain for our people in Daling to use for farming. This is an auspicious sign."
Wei Yiqun raised his glass to pay tribute to Emperor Yongshun.
When all the officials and envoys saw this, they naturally raised their glasses in celebration.
Emperor Yongshun smiled and said, "A few days ago, there were also bursts of thunder, but no raindrops were seen. It's premature for Wei Qing to say this."
Wei Yiqun said, "Your Majesty's concern for the people is well known to everyone. Even if it doesn't rain today, it will definitely rain in a few days. It is truly a blessing for the people and for Da Ling to have such care from Your Majesty."
Even though the Duke of Fuguo had lost his command of the Southern Frontier Army, he remained a trusted minister favored by Emperor Yongshun. While the envoys from various countries and the officials of Daling were currently getting along well, the interests of nations were constantly changing, and war could break out again at any moment.
Da Ling's military preparations are lax. Won't they have to rely on the Duke of Fuguo, who has rich battlefield experience, to resist foreign enemies?
Everyone knew what was going on, so they naturally agreed.
Immediately, congratulations were heard one after another in the hall. Emperor Yongshun smiled and drank the wine in the cup. Then, amid the singing and dancing, he greeted the envoys one by one and asked about their well-being.
Da Ling had just concluded a war with the Nanyi Kingdom that had lasted several years, so naturally, this time, he received the most attention from Emperor Yongshun. After the greetings, Emperor Yongshun nodded slightly, and the eunuchs around him clapped their hands, and actors from the Shengping Office entered the hall one after another.
The hall is spacious enough for the actors to perform.
"Today's spring thunder is not common, but the new opera performed by the Shengping Office is quite fresh. My dear ministers, please join me in listening."
This play is called "Blood of Loyal Soul" and is divided into three acts.
The first act, "Double Loyal Iron Mirrors", tells the story of a battle between the Southern Border Army of Da Ling and the Army of Nan Yi State. Da Ling had the upper hand in the battle, but due to a treacherous person in the army secretly colluding with the enemy and lying about military intelligence, Da Ling lost two loyal generals and 50,000 soldiers.
In the past, everyone would have had no doubts about who this treacherous individual was, but with rumors spreading across the capital lately… For a moment, they all wondered, "Your Majesty, by letting them watch this show today, is he trying to address the rumors?" After all, the real perpetrator of these rumors was right here.
Wei Yiqun had naturally heard of this play.
These days, he used his power to suppress the rumors in the capital, but he found that there seemed to be someone secretly against him, so that the rumors could not be dispelled, but became more rampant. In just a few days, they had spread throughout the streets and alleys, and even the deep palace was not spared.
Today, His Majesty actually brought this play to the main hall for performance. Wei Yiqun sensed that something was wrong and was about to express his loyalty: "Your Majesty..."
"Don't worry, father."
His son Wei Che suddenly spoke up. Wei Yiqun turned his head to look at him. He saw a smile on his son's face, but no smile in his eyes. "Your Majesty, there must be a reason for this. Father, why not wait and discuss it, so as not to be confused about His Majesty's intentions and anger His Majesty?"
Wei Yiqun suddenly realized that his son's calls of "father" were no longer full of tenderness, and even his son's face looked a little unfamiliar to him.
He remembered that a few days ago, when Zhao Wan talked to him about the famous opera in Beijing, his face was full of indignation.
"Who in the capital is trying to harm my son? Seeing him here makes it all the more obvious that they've fabricated such a accusation against him! Although I didn't raise him, he's still my own flesh and blood. How could he endure such injustice? I hope my husband will quickly identify the mastermind behind this, shatter these rumors, and clear Che'er's name."
Wei Yiqun also thought so at that time. It seemed that someone saw that although Wei Yiqun had his military power taken away, his son was increasingly valued by the emperor, so they spread the rumor that Prince Wei was not Prince Wei, but the son of a traitor, to ruin his reputation.
However, at this moment, an extremely absurd idea suddenly emerged in his mind...
The second half of "Double Loyal Iron Mirror" was soon sung in the hall.
A year later, someone at court accused Xie Huaiyuan, now temporarily in charge of the Southern Border Army, of collaborating with the enemy. With witnesses and evidence in hand, Emperor Yongshun first brought the orphan of Prince Nan'an back to the capital, then, according to the Daling Law, sentenced the entire Xie family to execution. When the charges reached the southern border, Xie Huaiyuan refused to plead guilty, but his loyalty to the court prevented him from resisting. Ultimately, his entire family was exterminated, with only one son escaping.
The separation of life and death made everyone at the banquet sigh, but the short play in the hall continued.
The second act of "Loyal Soul and Blood," titled "Cold Firewood and Bitter Gall," tells the story of the orphan of Prince Nan'an, who, upon entering the palace, is treated with great courtesy by the royal family. He secretly investigates the true cause of his parents' deaths in battle. Then, Xie Huaiyuan's son uses martial arts secrets to disguise himself as the heir apparent of the Duke of Fuguo. Together, they endure hardships and endure hardships to search for evidence and uncover the truth...
"Did you write this excerpt?"
In the direction of the royal ladies' seats, Princess Jing'an whispered to the maid beside her.
Inside the hall, the elegant songs and dances were replaced by lively short plays, and most people's eyes were on the actors. Few people looked at the corner where Princess Jing'an was sitting, and naturally they would not hear the noise from this side.
Except Wei Che.
From the moment Princess Jing'an brought her into the palace, he knew it was her.
Wei Che raised his hand and touched his chest, where his heart was beating faster than usual.
He missed her so much that he hadn't seen her for eighty-three days.
【Author’s words】
I fixed the timeline. This year is the 32nd year of Yongshun.
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