135 Chapter 135
◎ "Xie Qi, will you marry me?"◎
The Concubine Chen did not continue to ask questions, but just held her hand and told her about her past.
"Before I entered the palace, I also had a sweetheart who I grew up with. He loved me very much and treated me very well. I also loved him very much and was willing to marry him."
"We agreed that when I reached the age of 15, he would have my family propose marriage and marry me off in a grand ceremony. He even swore to me, saying he would only marry me and never have concubines or hang out with prostitutes. I said he was just teasing me, but I knew in my heart that he could do everything he said. He always kept his word."
"But in the end, the one who broke the promise was me."
In her prime years, she was noticed by Emperor Yongshun who was on a secret tour, and she lost her freedom ever since then.
"At first, the emperor's order was difficult to obey. He even offered to take me away, but I couldn't abandon the hundreds of lives of the two families, so I finally accepted the imperial decree and entered the palace."
"I haven't seen or heard from him since then."
Xu Qinghe had heard that Empress Chen was forced into the palace by imperial decree. Even though no one in the palace would talk about it, there were many rumors about it outside the palace.
But this was the first time she heard Empress Chenfei talk about her own affairs on her own initiative.
She lowered her eyes, looking at the intricate patterns on her dress. "Is your Majesty trying to use your own experience to tell me not to do things that will leave me with lifelong regrets?"
"Wrong."
Chen Fei took her hand and said with a smile: "I want to tell you that everyone has their own considerations for everything they do, so don't forgive easily, and don't give up easily."
"My former lover wanted to elope with me because he took into consideration our years of love and promises. I insisted on accepting the imperial decree and entering the palace because I considered the undeniable imperial power and the hundreds of lives of our two families. Even if I could have married him, he would have lost his career and family, and I would have lost my family and my peace of mind. So, we each had our own thoughts about what happened back then, and neither of us was wrong. So, while I feel regret, I don't regret it."
"I don't believe there's anyone in this world who wouldn't like a good girl like you. Since Xie Qi likes you, but wants to push you away, he must have his own reasons. If we figure out what he's thinking and whether you care about what he's thinking, then this matter can be resolved."
Concubine Chen said, "Qinghe, what you and he are facing is not the unyielding imperial power. You two still have room for maneuver."
She whispered, "Unlike him and I, we haven't seen each other for over twenty years."
Her gaze gradually became distant, as if she was looking through the spring light outside the window at the energetic young man from many years ago.
But in the end, she still betrayed him.
**
Three days later, the execution ground in the south of the city was crowded with people.
Whether commoners or students, civilians or officials on leave, all craned their necks to gaze towards the execution ground. The ground was packed with people, shoulder to shoulder, practically overflowing. The private rooms in the nearby teahouses and restaurants were fully booked, and everyone was willing to pay a fortune just to witness the traitor's death.
At this time, the prisoner had not been brought in yet, and Nanzhi and Lin Xiaopan could only see a dark crowd of people from the window.
This place had an excellent view. Nanzhi couldn't help but sigh, "When we first bought this restaurant, we never imagined it would be so close to the execution ground. Otherwise, we might not have been able to witness the execution of that thief in person."
Xu Qinghe was sitting on the embroidery stool in a daze, and actually didn't hear clearly what Nanzhi was sighing about.
These days, her ears were filled with the soft words that Empress Chenfei whispered that day, which made her think about them over and over again and unable to sleep all night.
"Princess, the prisoner has been brought here, look!"
Even though she had been crowned a princess, Lin Xiao still habitually called her using her original body. As she spoke, she almost leaned half of her body out of the window.
Nanzhi shouted at her to be careful while coming over to help the princess up.
No, from the day the truth came to light, the person in front of them was no longer a princess, but a princess.
I believe that if the prince and princess are still alive, they would be happy.
Xu Qinghe walked slowly to the window, and before he lowered his eyes to look at the execution ground below, he unexpectedly met the familiar gaze of the people in the teahouse opposite in this lively spring.
It’s Xie Qi.
Her heart skipped a beat, the scenery around her seemed blurry, and all that was left in front of her was the man she had cared about twice.
After a moment, she took a deep breath and finally returned to normal, then looked at the crowds of people on the street.
But her fingertips, clenched until they turned white on the window frame, still revealed the turbulent waves in her heart.
After a long time, there was a knock on the door outside the private room.
Lin Xiao went to open the door, but felt a little embarrassed when he saw who was coming.
"The princess... is the major general..."
Xie Qi outside the door was suddenly stunned.
Ever since the day when Emperor Yongshun issued an edict to confer the title of marquis on him and the title of princess on her, he had never heard anyone call her "Princess" or "Major General" again.
The past has wiped out the young general who only knew how to practice martial arts and fight, and the carefree little princess. Now all that is left are Marquis Dingnan and Princess Zhaoning who have gone through countless hardships.
But now Lin Xiao's voice seemed to bring him back to the past.
The past before everything happened, the past in the South that was filled with beautiful memories.
In fact, before today, he had no intention of seeing her again.
Even though he missed her deeply, he understood the principle of cutting the Gordian knot, so he wanted to treat the farewell in the palace that day as a farewell forever and never appear in front of this girl again.
But the quick glance just now had already made him come here.
Just treat it as the real last time.
They should all witness together when their enemy is brought to justice.
"You two, get out first."
He stood outside the door without saying a word, but his girl understood everything and had sent the other two away, leaving only the two of them in the private room.
However, no one spoke, they just stood side by side in front of the window.
They watched together the golden crow slowly moving forward, and the shadow of the sundial finally pointed to three quarters past noon. After hearing the final order from the supervising officer, the executioner selected from a range of knives, including ox-ear knives, scimitars, and sickles, and peeled off the thief's flesh inch by inch.
Without Wei Yiqun's collusion, the Southern Border War would have ended with a resounding victory for Da Ling. The Nanyi Kingdom would have been severely damaged, and a comeback would have been impossible in the short term. The Southern Border Army soldiers could have temporarily retired, reunited with their families and friends, and enjoyed a peaceful and prosperous era.
Meng Chenneng could return home with his military merits and salary, make warm and comfortable clothes for his mother, and make an exquisite and beautiful headdress for his sister. In his spare time, he could teach his sister some self-defense skills to prevent the little girl from being bullied in the future.
The Prince and Princess of Nan'an would return home exhausted, finally able to spend plenty of time with their only daughter. The princess would strictly test their daughter's painting skills, while the prince would make jokes on the side, just hoping that his daughter would be relieved soon so that he could take his daughter and the princess to go horse racing in the suburbs.
The Xie family will eventually be reunited, and Xie Huaiyuan will finally be able to ride back home to see his wife whom he has been separated from for a long time. Mrs. Xie will look at her three sons who have just returned from the battlefield one by one, ask about every injury they have suffered, and pretend to blame General Xie for not protecting her sons well.
In addition, there should be several happy events in the southern border.
First, Xie Erlang's many days of courtship finally moved General Shen, who was willing to marry his only granddaughter into the Xie family.
Then the princess came of age, and the marriage between the Xu and Xie families could finally be put on the agenda.
At that time, there would be a profusion of red wedding ceremonies, the sound of gongs would resound throughout the heavens, and the people of Nanjing would be bustling with activity, all vying to see how heroic and extraordinary General Xie was on his majestic horse, and how intelligent and beautiful Princess Qinghe was in her sedan chair...
…
But even if Wei Yiqun was cut into pieces, those things that should have happened according to plan would not happen again.
The King of Nan'an and his wife, along with 50,000 soldiers from the Southern Border Army, had been buried in Mengyuan Valley for many years. The remains of the Xie family were still hard to find. The young man and woman who had been engaged in their youth and should have been happily married, were now left without parents, each with their own worries.
In fact, the execution scene was not a good look.
The sharp blade cut off the flesh from the human body layer by layer. With each cut by the executioner, the bloody smell in the air became stronger. The scene was so tragic that it scared away most of the people who were watching the execution.
Xu Qinghe's stomach was churning, but he still stood in front of the window and refused to leave.
"Stop looking."
Suddenly, an arm stretched out in front of her, carrying with it a breath that she was extremely familiar with, and a gentle and soft voice: "The scene is bloody, be careful of nightmares tonight."
The man was very tall, and when he leaned over to close the window, he almost held her half in his arms. After leaving the Duke of Fuguo's Mansion, which was full of gold and jade, the fragrance of spring in the snow on his body had faded.
While Xu Qinghe was secretly sensing his aura, Xie Qi was also looking down at her.
That day in the hall, he didn't have time to look at her carefully.
After not seeing her for many days, she didn't lose weight as much as he thought. Instead, she looked plumper. The coldness that had been on her face since childhood was reduced a lot, and she looked more gentle and peaceful.
He remembered that when they had just gotten married, she would always wake up from her dreams, never sleep well, and occasionally break out in cold sweats.
During that period, she had a poor appetite, felt light when she was held, and didn't seem to gain weight.
But it turns out that she can live well after leaving him.
However, no matter how her appearance changed, the girl's inner stubbornness remained unchanged. She still had a cold face, walked straight past him, and stubbornly pushed the window open.
Xie Qi sighed inwardly, but there was nothing he could do, so he had to agree with her.
According to the laws of Da Ling, the punishment of lingchi must be carried out from 3:30 pm to 3:30 pm, a full three hours.
Three hours later, the mastermind behind all the tragedies finally paid with his life, but the crowd of onlookers gathered around the execution ground and refused to disperse.
"Why weren't Princess Zhaoning and Marquis Dingnan there on the day of the thief Wei Yiqun's execution?"
"The princess and the marquis simply didn't want us to see it, but they would definitely come to such a gratifying scene."
"I never thought that Marquis Dingnan was actually General Xie, who was engaged to Princess Zhaoning. After all these twists and turns, the lovers finally got married."
"Yeah, I don't know when they will get married again, and whether we can have a chance to drink at the wedding."
"What are you thinking about? The Southern Border Army is leaderless now, and Marquis Dingnan will be leaving for the Southern Border soon. Princess Zhaoning will definitely have to return to the Southern Border to take care of many matters. Her wedding will definitely be held in the Southern Border, and we won't be able to see it!"
…
Xie Qi lowered his eyes and listened, then finally raised his hand to close the window, trying to block out the sounds of people talking outside.
However, the next words from the person behind him made his arm freeze in mid-air, unable to move.
"Xie Qi, will you marry me?"
She asked calmly, in a normal tone, just like when she asked him before whether he wanted to go for a walk, but what she said was such an important life-long event.
【Author’s words】
I wish all the candidates all the best and hope they can get into their ideal universities and majors.
After taking each exam, put it aside, start over, and keep working hard.
Everything goes as planned
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
