Gazing in the direction Qingchen had left, at the crossroads where people came and went but no familiar figures remained, Meng Gexing stood silently. A gentle breeze brushed against his cheek, and his eyes blinked involuntarily.
Should we do that?
Can we do that?
He asked himself the question, and after a while, he seemed to hear a voice from the depths of his heart. The voice was both near and far, both real and somewhat indistinct, as if it came from the distant heavens, yet it resounded above his head.
He was the leader of the White Lotus Sect, a figure followed and worshipped by countless followers across the Ming Dynasty. He was a ruthless, smiling wolf, always pitying his own people and cruel to his enemies. She was an official, he was a bandit; they stood on opposite sides. She was such an outstanding official of the Ming Dynasty, and with Zhu Rui possessing her, he would inevitably become even more difficult to deal with… No matter how he thought about it, it seemed he should expose her identity to avoid jeopardizing his future and to prevent himself from having regrets when he turned away.
But a voice deep inside him said—he couldn't do it.
Just now, in his anger, he tried to stop her and scare her, but he felt struggle and pain. When he tore her clothes, he felt no pleasure.
He couldn't bring himself to truly hurt her.
He vented his anger towards Zhu Rui, his own powerlessness, and his frustration with the capricious and fickle nature of the world on her. Now, in calmer moments, all he feels is regret.
Parting is already a painful thing, and now he's made a complete mess of things. Their beautiful memories will likely be diluted and erased by what he's done today.
The peach blossoms behind me were fading; a gust of wind blew, and the last peach blossoms of the year fell in droves. Petals covered the carriage.
Meng Gexing returned to the carriage and remained silent for a long time, without calling the driver.
He just sat there quietly and forlornly, holding his head in his hands.
He was terrified of losing them. Ever since losing his parents as a child, he had never met someone so trustworthy and lovable. Now that he had finally met someone, that person was about to leave him.
Thinking of this, Meng Gexing gave a self-deprecating laugh. What fate is determined to take away, he can never hold onto, no matter how hard he tries.
On the road to that supreme throne, who knows how many partings and how much loneliness he will have to endure.
Meng Gexing sighed and said to the person outside the curtain, "Let's go."
Just as the driver was about to drive away, someone handed him a letter through the window.
"Are you surnamed Meng? This was sent to me by an official in the government office."
Meng Ge unfolded the letter; it was from Qing Chen, and the handwriting was neat and elegant.
The letter contained only a few lines, but he read it for a long time. After he finished reading it, he threw the letter out the window.
The carriage began its journey.
Once again, the petals of the peach tree drifted down, slowly and gently, covering the long road where Meng Gexing had left.
The fragrance of peach blossoms fills the air, peach blossoms bloom in abundance, and peach blossom wine is brewed under the peach trees.
The peach blossoms are red, the peach blossoms are pretty, and they laugh and talk among the peach petals.
Spring is fading, people are parting...
Two months later, Qingchen returned to the capital.
The carriage had barely reached Tongzhou when the summer heat of the capital was already upon them. The wheat in the fields was lush and green, and the farmers were busy with their livelihoods and hopes, some carrying water, others driving oxen or donkeys.
The trees on both sides of the road are green, and their thick branches support huge shades, with the midday sun casting dappled patterns on the ground.
The scenery was exactly the same as when she left.
Qingchen sat in the carriage, lifting the curtain to look outside, "Father, we're back again."
In just over a year, she traveled thousands of miles from north to south and back again. She had transformed from an ignorant and naive Hanlin Academy probationary official into a powerful regional official who once governed a province, and then from that official into the core of the Ming Empire's central government, becoming one of the few prominent figures in the entire court.
Her heart was more resolute, more composed, and she understood better what to do and how to do it.
Qingchen's journey was smooth. Although Lu Shenyun had given her a token that could command the wind and rain, she hadn't used it. Why bother others with the path she could walk herself?
As Qingchen entered the outer city gate of the capital, he couldn't help but look back.
The road back was long, and the two tire tracks stretched far into the distance. She really had returned from Yunnan.
Looking back, all the little things from the past year flooded back into my mind.
The people and events of Yunnan seem like they happened just yesterday. The new Yunnan Provincial Governor should have arrived long ago, the first rice crop should be ripe by now, the unfinished irrigation works should be completed, and the foals grazing on the grasslands should have grown taller...
As for Meng Gexing, I wonder how he's doing now.
Before leaving, she wrote him a letter, but he didn't reply. At that moment, Qingchen was certain that Meng Gexing would no longer cause her trouble.
Although her words in the letter were stiff, in her heart she was grateful for his consideration.
At the city gate, the guards stopped Qingchen's carriage as usual and questioned the person who came.
The coachman replied, "It's the newly appointed Vice Minister of Revenue, Lord Shen, who's returned from Yunnan."
The officers and soldiers were skeptical, but when they saw Qingchen hand out the imperial edict through the window, they immediately bowed respectfully and opened the city gates wide.
"We sincerely welcome Mr. Shen back to Beijing."
The carriage traveled on until it reached an inn, where Qingchen had it stop. As was customary, she was to immediately go to the palace to express her gratitude upon returning to the capital, and during this time, she would have to change into new official robes.
Qingchen first settled his father in the inn, then changed into his official robes before getting into the carriage and heading to the palace.
Inside the carriage, she looked down at her new official robe. It was a scarlet robe with a patch on the chest embroidered with colorful clouds and peacocks, the peacocks spreading their wings and soaring proudly in the sky.
Qingchen touched the patch on his chest and took a slight breath.
The carriage arrived at the familiar Daming Gate and stopped. Qingchen stepped down from the carriage, put on his black gauze hat, straightened his robe, and walked straight into the palace.
Under the sunlight, her new robe was bright and eye-catching, and she wore a black gauze hat with the rank of a third-grade official on her neat sideburns. She looked gentle, elegant, and composed.
When the guards at the Daming Gate saw her, they were all slightly taken aback, but quickly bowed and greeted her, "Lord Shen."
After entering the Daming Gate, on the way to the Qianqing Palace, Qingchen encountered many officials. When they saw him, they would always show some surprise, bow to him, and respectfully call him Lord Shen.
"Lord Shen is back."
"Greetings, Lord Shen."
"This humble official greets Lord Shen."
"Greetings, Your Excellency."
This left Qingchen completely bewildered. She hadn't actually been in the palace for very long, and not many people knew her to begin with. Now that she'd been gone for over a year, how come everyone suddenly knew who she was upon her return?
She politely returned all their warm greetings and formalities, her demeanor composed and gentle, a faint smile on her face.
Upon reaching the Thousand Steps Corridor, Qingchen ran into Chen An, an old acquaintance from the Hanlin Academy.
Chen An saw from afar that it was a refined and elegant third-rank official, and he was somewhat hesitant to recognize him. It wasn't until he stood face to face with Qing Chen that he came to his senses and greeted him, "Lord Shen!"
"Chen An!" Qingchen was delighted to see him after so long and went to greet him, saying, "What a coincidence! I just got back and ran into you. Long time no see, how have you been?"
Chen An smiled and nodded, looking her up and down at her new robe, and said, "It's alright, it's alright. But I still think you're the best."
Qingchen was a little embarrassed. "You're making fun of me."
"How could I dare?"
"Ever since I entered the Great Ming Gate, many officials have greeted me. I was wondering how they could recognize me?"
Chen An shook his head. “You must be tired from your long journey. They may not recognize you, but they will recognize your official robes! How many officials of the third rank are there in the entire court? Those who know you already know you, and those who don’t, who else could it be but you, the newly promoted Vice Minister?! When I saw you from afar just now, I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Qingchen smiled slightly, "I see."
"You've come back to the palace to express your gratitude, haven't you? Go quickly. After you've expressed your gratitude, you can go back and rest early," Chen An said thoughtfully.
"Okay." Qingchen nodded. "I'm going now! I'll find you again later to catch up."
After bidding farewell to Chen An, Qingchen arrived at the Qianqing Palace.
Standing before the Qianqing Palace, at the foot of the long white marble steps, she looked up for a while, then straightened her wide sleeves, lifted her official robe, and stepped forward.
The guards and eunuchs on both sides of the palace gate all bowed their heads when they saw her.
Emperor Zhu Rui was sitting in the palace drinking tea when a guard reported that Minister Shen of the Ministry of Revenue requested an audience. He immediately put down his teacup and summoned her into the palace.
Once Qingchen entered the hall, Zhu Rui exempted her from the kneeling ceremony.
"You're back. Please take a seat."
The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty looked closely at the person before him. He noticed that she had lost some weight and seemed a little tanned, but her temperament remained as gentle, refined, and serene as ever. Unlike before, her gaze was more resolute, indicating that she had matured considerably.
"Shen Qingchen, you must have had a hard time on this trip to Yunnan."
"Your Majesty's decree has been issued for my post in Yunnan. I dare not complain of hardship, but I fear that as the official in charge of Yunnan, I have not done a good enough job and have failed Your Majesty and the people." Qingchen raised his head slightly and looked at the emperor. He felt that Zhu Rui seemed to have aged a bit since they last met more than a year ago.
A little over a year ago, he was slightly overweight and had a rosy complexion, but this time when I saw him, he seemed to be in poorer shape than before.
Zhu Rui smiled and shook his head. "You did very well. I know the difficulties over there. I originally thought that the more difficult it was, the more it would train you, but I didn't expect you to do even better than I thought. You adapted very quickly and have your own methods. Just the two harvests of rice this year have already satisfied me, not to mention getting that smiling wolf Meng Gexing to obediently listen to you and farm... I didn't misjudge you!"
Qingchen felt slightly embarrassed by the emperor's undisguised liking and praise, "Your Majesty flatters me."
"Do you remember what I said? As long as you don't disappoint me, I won't disappoint you either. Look, this time, I didn't disappoint you, did I? Knowing that things weren't easy for you in Yunnan, I let you come back. You're only twenty-two years old now, and you've already become a third-rank Vice Minister of Revenue. You're the first Vice Minister of our Great Ming Dynasty to be so young." Zhu Rui said, recalling, "Back then, your teacher, as the greatest talent of the Great Ming Dynasty, was already twenty-four years old when he became a Vice Minister. Now, you've surpassed him."
The green comes from Yue, yet surpasses Yue.
Upon hearing this, Qingchen's heart skipped a beat. "...Your humble servant is terrified and thanks Your Majesty for your kindness."
Upon reflection, she realized that Zhu Rui had made Song Yue her teacher, and now it was Zhu Rui who had brought her back, placing her on a position almost equal to Song Yue's. As her ruler, he appreciated her talent and gave her ample space to realize her ambitions. As a human being, she was already incredibly fortunate and deeply grateful.
Qingchen wanted to kneel down and kowtow in gratitude, but Zhu Rui stopped him again.
"No need to kneel." Zhu Rui waved his hand. "I appreciate you, but I must also remind you. You bear a heavy responsibility. You are still young. Although you have experience serving as an official in the capital and in the provinces, you are still relatively inexperienced and have not yet encountered many thorny issues. Once you gain great power, you will inevitably face even greater difficulties. You must maintain your original aspirations and persevere. In this regard, you can learn more from your teachers and the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet."
Qingchen nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will do my utmost..."
Later, the emperor and his minister exchanged a few more words, and Zhu Rui seemed somewhat uncomfortable, so Qing Chen withdrew.
As Qingchen exited the main hall and was about to descend the stone steps, he looked down from the steps and saw two familiar figures.
It was Song Yue and Zhao Qiran.
Under the setting sun, that tall figure remained as upright as ever, his well-fitting crimson robe wrapped around his strong body, and his wide sleeves swayed gently in the wind.
He was also looking up at her.
That face was still peerless, even more stunning than before, and once again amazed her without warning.
Qingchen stood on the high ground, dozens of steps away from the two people below, looking down at them as they began to ascend. After a moment, she gave a simple bow and also began to descend.
She simply avoided their path, focusing her gaze solely on the direction she was heading, neither looking at them nor intending to speak.
"Qingchen!"
Zhao Qiran called her name, but she pretended not to hear and ignored him.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Qiran jogged over, "Qingchen! You're back!"
But that person stood still.
Faced with Zhao Qiran blocking her way, Qingchen could only smile slightly and say, "Lord Zhao, it's been a long time."
"It's been a long time." Zhao Qiran seemed a little excited. "I only knew that the Emperor had issued an edict ordering you to return, but I never expected that you would actually come back! It's wonderful that we're reunited. And look at your robes... a third-rank Vice Minister of Revenue! They look so good on you. I'm so happy!"
Qingchen maintained his smile, "I am somewhat apprehensive to be appointed as the Vice Minister of Revenue at such a young age, thanks to the Emperor's favor. Lord Zhao is my senior, and I hope you will provide me with guidance in the future."
“I can’t, my brain isn’t as sharp as yours.” He suddenly remembered something. “I can’t help you, but Old Song can. You just got back and haven’t spoken to him yet, have you? Come on, go say hello to him.”
As Zhao Qiran spoke, he began to drag Qingchen toward Song Yue.
Qingchen broke free from his grasp, glancing briefly in that person's direction before looking away. "No. His Majesty has instructed me to report to the Ministry of Revenue as soon as possible, and I have other matters to attend to. Let's do it another day."
Zhao Qiran paused for a moment, then glanced in Song Yue's direction. "You're already so busy as soon as you got back? You don't even have time to say a few words?"
Qingchen smiled and nodded, "Please forgive me, Lord Zhao."
"...You've become so polite. It's only been a little over a year since we last met, why are you being so polite to us?"
"I'll take my leave now." Qingchen didn't explain, but simply cupped his hands in farewell and left.
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