He put aside his nine thousand years of dignity and knelt down on more than seven thousand stone steps from the foot of the mountain to the top, bowing his head every step. He went back and forth three times before he finally met the legendary "old immortal".
It is not entirely true to call him an "old immortal". He was indeed an ordinary old Taoist priest, wearing a simple blue-grey Taoist robe, with white hair and beard and an ordinary face. Only his eyes were sharp and saw through the world.
As Xue Shu kowtowed along the way, the old Taoist priest was sweeping the fallen leaves on the steps with a broom and passed by him several times.
Perhaps it was because he had been there for three consecutive days that he finally moved the old Taoist priest.
The old Taoist priest read his fortune and said that he was destined to be a lonely star, and that all his relatives would die in the eight directions. Huagai met the void, so he was more suitable to become a monk. He advised him to let go of his obsession and convert to the Three Pure Ones.
Xue Shu naturally refused and asked him, "If your heart is not pure, how can you practice Taoism?"
Finally, the old Taoist priest had no choice but to make a fortune for him. He drew nine fortunes in a row, and all of them showed bad luck. He said that he and Yin Chengyu were incompatible in fate and had no destiny. One of them was dead and the other was injured in this life, so even if he prayed for the next life, he would only repeat the same mistakes.
He refused to believe in fate and forced the old Taoist priest to teach him how to change his destiny.
It is beyond human power to change one's fate, so the old Taoist priest asked him to build nine pagodas for the afterlife, from the extreme north to the extreme south, running through the entire main dragon vein in sequence, using the dragon vein and earth energy to conceal the secrets of heaven. He also had to accumulate countless merits to break the deadlock and gain a glimmer of hope.
However, this land has long been divided into pieces. The once prosperous country has split into countless small countries, which have been replaced by each other from generation to generation. Now, the dragon veins within the territory of Dayan Kingdom have long been incomplete.
So he spent several years planning and implementing the policies formulated by Yin Chengyu during his lifetime. He implemented policies to comfort the people, opened the sea and promoted trade, making the country rich and the people strong. After recuperating and strengthening the army and horses, he launched a war and personally led the army to conquer the northern tribes and incorporate them into the territory of Great Yan.
Over the course of five years, nine pagodas were built one after another.
When the largest tower of rebirth on the dragon head was completed, he was placed in an ice coffin and buried together with Yin Chengyu's body.
Yin Chengqian and Xie Yunchuan could not stop him and could only scold him, saying that he was already terminally ill and beyond help. Yin Chengqian even threatened that when he died, he would move his brother's body back to the imperial mausoleum.
The old Taoist priest also said that no one had ever tried this method and it might not work.
But he couldn't hold on any longer.
Regardless of success or failure, life or death, he and Yin Chengyu are always together.
That's good.
The old Taoist priest once told him that this world is full of sorrows and sorrows, and that there are many regrets and dissatisfactions, and advised him not to cling to them. But from the first glimpse of Yin Chengyu at Yutai, he had made a last-ditch effort.
The obsession has long been integrated into my bones and blood, and I can’t let go or give it up.
Fortunately, God always has mercy on him. He has suffered a lot, but in the end, he finally got the person he loves.
"I have promised that if my wish is fulfilled, I will come to Zixiao Palace to burn three incense sticks to fulfill my wish."
Since he recovered his memory, he had not taken the initiative to look for the old Taoist priest again. Now that the opportunity had come, he came to fulfill his promise.
"Now that you have fulfilled your wish, let's go back." Yin Chengyu retracted his gaze, and rarely did he ask about the matter, but walked out first. When his arm brushed past Xue Shu, his fingertips naturally hooked his hand.
He has always been afraid of cold, and his body temperature is always lower in winter, just like cool jade, which relieves the emotions that have been accumulating in his heart for years.
The haze in his eyes dissipated, Xue Shu wrapped his hand around that finger, covered it with his entire palm, and held his hand in his palm.
The two came side by side and left side by side.
The horses at the foot of the mountain saw their master and made low noises as they stepped on the broken snow.
Yin Chengyu untied the reins and mounted the horse, but he did not grab the reins that were frozen with ice and snow. Instead, he looked at Xue Shu sideways and said, "It's cold and windy, and my face and hands are hurting."
After saying this, she looked at him steadily with a pair of sparkling eyes.
Xue Shu looked at him for a moment and immediately understood what he meant. He put the reins on the side of the saddle and walked towards Yin Chengyu: "I will ride the horse for Your Highness." Before he finished speaking, he had already stepped on the reins and sat on the horse's back.
A warm body pressed against him from behind. Yin Chengyu squinted his eyes comfortably, leaned back a little, and absorbed the warmth from his body.
Xue Shu tidied up the fox fur for him, then he took the reins and rode back.
The other empty horse followed behind with a clatter of hooves.
…
The two rode together all the way, and only when they were about to reunite with the team did Xue Shu return to his own horse.
Because they had to wait for them, the team did not move very fast. At this time, they left Wuchang Prefecture and entered De'an Prefecture.
Yin Chengyu abandoned his horse and got on the carriage, and the team headed north towards Wangjing.
In February, the severe cold weather in the north had not yet subsided, and the roads were still difficult to travel. The team went at full speed and traveled from mid-February to late February before entering the northern Zhili area.
Arriving here, Yin Chengyu and Xue Shu decided to go their separate ways.
Yin Chengyu went ahead, while Xue Shu led more than a hundred foreign servants to take a detour, staying for a few days before returning to the capital.
At the end of February, winter had not yet passed and spring had arrived. Under the raging snow and ice, green had already begun to bloom. Yin Chengyu watched the group of people and horses leave in a grand manner, and then he lowered the curtain of the carriage and closed his eyes to rest.
After another five days' journey, the prince's carriage finally arrived in the capital.
Yin Chengyu got off the carriage in front of the Meridian Gate and first went to report the disaster relief matters to Emperor Longfeng. He also ordered the accompanying officials from the Ministry of Revenue to hand over the document of disaster confirmation to the Ministry of Revenue, which would then reduce taxes on the disaster-stricken areas.
Only after all matters were handed over did he return to the East Palace.
But just as he left the Qianqing Palace, he was stopped by the female official sent by Empress Yu.
"But is there something wrong with my mother?" Yin Chengyu asked in a low voice as he followed the other party to the rear palace.
The female official looked around and made sure that no one else was watching, then she quietly reported the situation: "During the time when Your Highness was away, the man in the east became restless again. Your Majesty and the little prince were fine, but Concubine Rong suffered."
Yin Chengyu frowned slightly when he heard the name Rong Fei unexpectedly: "What does this have to do with Rong Fei? Did Rong Fei have an accident?"
The female official sighed and told the whole story: "Four days ago, the queen took the little prince and Rong Fei to Jiaoyuan for sightseeing. During the break, they had some cakes and tea. It was a coincidence that day. His Majesty heard that the two queens and the little prince were enjoying the scenery in Jiaoyuan, and he sent cakes and tea over for the first time. His Majesty gave gifts, and we dared not speculate rashly, so we did not test for poison. But who knew that one of the sugar-soaked osmanthus cakes was actually mixed with poison..."
Upon hearing that the cakes were poisoned, Yin Chengyu's face darkened.
The female official gritted her teeth in hatred and suppressed her emotions, saying, "The sugar-soaked osmanthus cake used to be our queen's favorite, but it happened that the queen's spleen and stomach were a little uncomfortable those days, and she followed the doctor's advice to eat less sweet things, but it didn't work. Instead, Rong Fei accidentally used a piece... The poison was so strong that before she could leave the banana garden, Rong Fei had an attack and was about to die. After the imperial physician came to see her, he said that she was poisoned. The poison was in the dish of sugar-soaked osmanthus cake. After the queen got the exact news, she immediately reported the matter to His Majesty and asked for a thorough investigation. His Majesty ordered the chefs, eunuchs and palace maids who were involved in the matter to be brought in for interrogation, and the result was also found that the person who poisoned was the eunuch who delivered the cakes. But... but..."
"Just what?" Yin Chengyu's face was as pale as snow, and his deep voice contained a tremendous amount of anger.
The female official shuddered in her heart, then steadied her voice and continued, "...But the eunuch said that he originally wanted to harm the Empress. It was because the Empress had reprimanded him for not doing things properly, and he took the opportunity to poison her. But she didn't expect that the Empress didn't eat the cakes, but asked Concubine Rong to eat them instead. Now everyone in the palace is saying that Concubine Rong took the blame on behalf of the Empress."
There are even more unpleasant ones, some even saying that the Empress used Concubine Rong as a scapegoat.
But the Empress sent someone to investigate privately, and it was clearly Concubine Wen's idea that the Emperor suddenly decided to give cakes to the Emperor that day! As for the eunuch who sent the cakes, he bit his tongue and committed suicide after he confessed. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that something was wrong!
But His Majesty stopped there for the sake of saving face and was unwilling to investigate further. The Empress was also very worried about Concubine Rong's illness, so she detained everyone in Kunning Palace in the palace, forbidding them to go out and even forbidding them to quarrel with others.
It was not until today when the Crown Prince returned to the capital that the Empress ordered her to invite the Crown Prince.
The female official has been feeling very aggrieved these days, and she looks angry and hateful when she talks about it.
"How is Concubine Rong?" Yin Chengyu asked.
"The Empress ordered the imperial physician to use the best medicine, which temporarily saved the patient's life, but he has not woken up. The imperial physician said that we can only do our best and leave the rest to fate."
Yin Chengyu frowned and asked again, "Where's the eldest prince? Is he okay?"
The female official shook her head and said, "After hearing the news, the eldest prince has been staying in Yongxi Palace to take care of the sick without taking off his clothes. He even refused to let anyone help him boil the medicine."
Yin Chengyu's expression became more solemn after hearing this. He paused on his way to Kunning Palace. After a moment's consideration, he said, "I will go to Yongxi Palace first. You go report to my mother first."
The female official bowed and went to reply to Queen Yu's letter.
Yin Chengyu strode towards Yongxi Palace.
It is now March, the snow has stopped, but the ice and snow have not yet melted. The chilly wind of early spring blows in my face, making it chilly.
When he arrived in front of Yongxi Palace, Yin Chengyu stopped walking. He stood in front of the door for a while before continuing to walk inside.
The palace maids serving outside the hall saw him trying to perform the salute, but Yin Chengyu raised his hand to stop him. He slowed down his pace and walked into the main hall.
The main hall was extremely quiet. All the palace servants were sent outside, leaving only two imperial doctors and Yin Ciguang guarding the inner hall.
Two old doctors were standing by to take orders at any time, while Yin Ciguang had his back to the door, holding a bowl of medicine and carefully feeding it to Concubine Rong with a porcelain spoon.
From where Yin Chengyu was standing, he could only see half of his face. His delicate and beautiful face was pale and thin, and the dark blue four-clawed python robe on him looked empty and pointless.
It was clearly just before he left Beijing that Yin Ciguang regained his identity and was happy that the mother and son had escaped disaster.
When Yin Chengyu thinks back now, he can still recall the light and hope in his eyes at that time.
But the world is always unpredictable, and hope can be destroyed in a moment.
Yin Chengyu's feet seemed to be nailed to the palace door, as heavy as a thousand kilograms. After a long time, he finally stepped in with difficulty and called out "Royal Brother".