Chapter 94: Jincao He loves her.
Song Xieqing dismounted and his eyes inadvertently swept across Zhu Hao who was standing quietly at the steps. He didn't know what he saw, but his brows frowned almost imperceptibly.
As he arrived, the place that was originally blocked by the palace guards consciously moved away to a small path wide enough for one person to pass through. Everyone held their breath, and even the servants carrying the woman's body had to slow down their pace.
Song Xieqing walked towards Jiang Zhi calmly. He was cold all over, with frost and snow between his brows that had never melted for years.
He stopped three steps away from Jiang Zhi and bowed slightly. "I respectfully wish Your Majesty a long and prosperous life. May the vast land of Yingyang be peaceful and prosperous, and may all nations come to pay tribute."
As soon as these words were spoken, silence fell all around, with only the sound of the wind passing by.
Jiang Zhi forced a smile, stepped forward, and pretended to support Song Xieqing, exempting him from the formalities. He said gently, "Is the banquet prepared by the imperial chef today not to your taste? Why did you return home so early?"
Song Xieqing smiled back, but his tone was a little indifferent. "It's not the chef's fault, but I'm worried. Your Majesty hasn't attended court for half a month, and today, on your birthday, you were absent from the palace banquet. Naturally, I couldn't enjoy my food or the feast, so I simply returned home early to deal with the backlog of official documents. I was halfway there when I heard that Your Majesty had left the palace to enjoy the people and was staying at my humble residence. I was so frightened that I abandoned my sedan chair, rode a horse, and hurried here."
Without waiting for Jiang Zhi to respond, Song Xieqing glanced at the corpse of the woman being dragged by the two or three palace guards. He met Jiang Zhi's slightly amused gaze and said bluntly, "This person claims to be General Yu's wife, but she has no proof of identity. If she isn't General Yu's wife, it's fine. But if she is, I think she might be able to find out where General Yu has been for the past three years."
At this point, Song Xieqing raised his eyes, bewildered, and said, "I have been busy preparing for Your Majesty's birthday recently and haven't had time to interrogate her. I just don't know...why did this woman die?"
He was respectful, his head bowed slightly, and asked, "Have I offended Your Majesty? The servants in the palace have been negligent in their supervision, and I will punish them severely."
"She committed suicide," Jiang Zhi said with a smile. "It wasn't a collision... I just heard that this woman cursed the teacher in the street. I treat the teacher dearly and respect him. He is my teacher and even more so, my most important minister. How could I allow others to speak ill of him?"
The emperor asked with great interest, "Teacher, what do you think... should this woman be forgiven lightly or severely punished?"
"I thank Your Majesty for your kindness." Song Xieqing's gaze shifted slightly, landing on Qi'an, who was wailing loudly. "I am Your Majesty's teacher. To insult me is to disrespect Your Majesty's authority. Therefore, in my opinion, this woman should be sentenced to death. However, since she has made her own decision, her death can be considered as an apology for her crime. However, I think that it is not enough to let her go easily."
Jiang Zhi became interested. "Oh? Teacher, you thought that since the person is already dead, how else can they be punished?"
Song Xieqing didn't keep the secret and said bluntly, "Although this woman is dead, she still has a son. How about demoting this child to slavery and imprisoning him in my house to do hard labor as a warning to others? What do you think, Your Majesty?"
The so-called slaves were not allowed to be officials or good citizens. They had no land, no home, and no freedom. They were only subject to hard labor all their lives until they died.
Jiang Zhi laughed loudly upon hearing this, but his tone turned cold. He spoke slowly, "Is that all? If I told you that she not only insulted you, but also scolded me, how would you punish her?!"
The emperor was furious, and Song Xieqing immediately knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty, it was my idea."
Jiang Zhi frowned, suddenly finding it amusing. "What was your idea? Ha, teacher, are you trying to say that the woman scolded me in the street because of your instruction?"
"Yes." Song Xieqing answered decisively.
Everyone fell silent. How dare he take the blame for cursing the emperor for a general's wife suspected of treason? Was he crazy?
Song Xieqing bowed his head and said, "I have not been able to see Your Majesty for half a month, and I am worried day and night. I dare not forget the late emperor's dying words, which ordered me to assist Your Majesty diligently. I am afraid that I have failed the late emperor's trust, and I am even more worried that I will not be favored by Your Majesty. Your Majesty has not been at court for half a month, and urgent reports from the border are pouring in. The Qing Kingdom is watching covetously, deploying troops on the border of Ying Kingdom, conducting military exercises every day, and intimidating the Ying army. Moreover, the court affairs are overwhelmed, and many people's livelihoods are waiting to be resolved. I was favored by the late emperor and promoted to Your Majesty's teacher, but I have no way to make suggestions. I am forced to..."
He paused, then continued, "I have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure, using a woman's mouth to shock His Majesty."
"You are criticizing me, aren't you?!"
The emperor was still in the voice-changing period between adolescence and youth, and his voice was hoarse from his angry roar.
"Yes and no." Song Xieqing met Jiang Zhi's sharp eyes, "I am terrified."
But where was the slightest hint of fear in his eyes? Instead, he was clearly calm and composed, with a sharp edge hidden beneath his submissiveness.
"Assisting Your Majesty is my duty as a minister. Correcting the emperor's mistakes is also my heavy responsibility as the imperial tutor. Moreover, I was entrusted with this task by the late emperor before his death. How dare I slack off in the slightest?" Song Xieqing spoke slowly and leisurely. "I have heard that the reason ministers dare to accept advice is because their emperor is wise and values talent."
"Your Majesty was held hostage in Qing when he was young. I was fortunate to be appointed your teacher upon your return to Ying. Therefore, I deeply understand that Your Majesty is a man of kindness and righteousness. Ultimately, it is precisely because Your Majesty is a benevolent and wise ruler who values talent that I have the courage to speak frankly and make such a statement."
Jiang Zhi was silent for a moment, then suddenly sneered, "Teacher, are you praising me, or are you boasting about being a talented and loyal minister?"
Song Xieqing smiled, "I am terrified."
"Tsk..." Jiang Zhi waved his hand, "Alright, stand up."
Song Xieqing didn't hesitate. He stood up as he was told, his eyes glancing at the civilians being restrained by the palace guards. He said, "I dare to ask, Your Majesty, why did you insist on blinding these people?"
Jiang Zhi's eyes twitched, thinking Song Lang was going to keep going today and was determined to go against him. Jiang Zhi sneered, "How unlucky it is for a woman to die here? The people have seen such filth. If the eyes are not disabled to remove the bad luck, what will happen if they are infected with bad luck in the future? In my opinion, it is better to disable this eye."
He stared at Song Xieqing intently and asked, "Why, teacher, do you want to persuade me again?"
"I dare not." Song Xieqing bowed and smiled slightly, saying, "Originally, the bad luck is hard to dispel, but with the True Dragon Emperor in charge, what evil spirit dares to approach the people?"
Li Qingrang, the instigator of the "bad luck", twitched his eyebrows. He was really impressed by Song Lang's eloquence.
This rough man who had studied military tactics since childhood and rode a horse with a spear in his hand boasted that he had honed his tongue in the court and could easily come up with flattering words to the tyrant emperor, but he was still a world away from the imperial teacher.
Song Lang was born with the talent to be a treacherous minister, or perhaps, as the outside world had rumored, he was a completely treacherous minister.
The emperor fell silent for the umpteenth time while looking at Song Xieqing. After a while, he finally heard Jiang Zhidan say, "I am tired. I am returning to the palace."
After saying that, Jiang Zhi didn't even look at Song Xieqing again, and stepped directly onto the throne by the back of the palace maid.
The palace guards stepped forward to ask for instructions: "Your Majesty, the people and women..."
The curtain of the carriage was half lifted, and a walnut hit him squarely on the forehead. The palace guard grimaced in pain, but he didn't dare to rub it.
A low, hoarse voice came from the throne room: "Leave it to the teacher for disposal."
Everyone knelt on the ground, respectfully bidding farewell to the emperor. After the imperial procession had moved some distance, Jiang Zhi could still hear Song Xieqing's unhurried voice: "Everyone present today must write a congratulatory letter to praise your majesty's virtue and celebrate your birthday. If anyone dares to write on your behalf, it would be a great disrespect to your majesty, and would be a waste of your majesty's grace in exorcising evil spirits and eliminating bad luck for you..."
Jiang Zhi felt a dull pain in his forehead and ordered the driver to ride faster.
Halfway through the journey, apart from the noisy sound, there was another child crying loudly. Jiang Zhi was annoyed and asked what was going on.
The driver reined in his horse, and the palace guards hurried forward to investigate. A moment later, they returned to the sedan chair and bowed, reporting, "Your Majesty, a family ahead has had twins, and since then, they've been plagued by bad luck. We're planning to send one away, but the woman is refusing to comply... She's hugging her child and crying in the street... Your Majesty, I'll have the road cleared immediately..."
This is not surprising in Ying Country. The birth of twins has been an ominous sign since ancient times. Many families have abandoned or given away their babies, and some even strangled the babies in their cradles. It is rare for a family to raise twins who cried in the street with their noses pinched, but in recent years, there have been many misfortunes, so they had no choice but to give one of them away.
The palace guards who had returned the report waited a long time for the emperor's order, but were about to send someone to clear the way when they saw the pearl curtains above the throne sway gently. The attendant maids on either side rolled up the curtains. The emperor stepped out, but he did not get out of the sedan chair. He just looked down at the mess from a high position. Jiang Zhi asked calmly, "Which child are they planning to send away?"
The palace guard hadn't expected the emperor to inquire about such trivial matters. Fortunately, he had asked clearly and reported swiftly, "Your Majesty, this family intends to send away the youngest son and keep the eldest."
Jiang Zhi smiled upon hearing this. He sat high on the throne, glaring coldly at the large family that had been forced to retreat to the end of the street by the imperial procession. He ordered, "Bring the eldest son here."
In the distance, a woman, holding a babbling three-year-old child, watched armored guards abduct her eldest son. The woman panicked and cried, "Don't take them away! Don't take them away!"
The indifferent husband and his parents-in-law saw their beloved eldest son being abducted by a group of soldiers, but they dared not say a word. Looking at the endless procession, it was probably the emperor's parade! They must have disturbed the emperor, otherwise how could their eldest son be taken away!
But… if they were going to plunder, they'd have to plunder the youngest child this damned woman was so determined to protect! Doesn't this foolish woman know that giving birth to twins is a bad omen? Having raised them all these years, she's endured so much scorn and undeserved misfortune. Now that she's determined to send one away, it's only natural that she'll keep the older child and abandon the younger one.
The older brother, who was slightly stronger than the child in the woman's arms, was brought before the emperor. How could a child of only three years old have ever seen such a scene? He was already so frightened that he cried out to the sky, calling for his mother and father.
Jiang Zhi didn't hide the disgust in his eyes, and he just coldly spat out two words: "Kill him."
…
As the imperial carriage moved further and further away, everyone dared to stand up.
Li Qingrang rarely saw Mei Lianjun, so he turned around to look for her, but found that she had already ridden her horse behind the princess's procession.
He didn't care about his manners and took three steps at a time to catch up. Unexpectedly, Mei Lianjun didn't even glance at him. Instead, the fierce horse under him raised its hoof and kicked Li Qingrang in the thigh.
Mei Lianjun tightened the reins and snorted coldly, "Flatterer."
Li Qingrang covered his thigh and groaned inwardly. Was she scolding Song Lang? No matter how he looked at it, Song Lang deserved those words!
Seeing that he could not catch up with Mei Lianjun, Li Qingrang became angry and turned to look for Song Xieqing, but found that the flatterer had already returned to the mansion with a group of servants, and only the girl who was rumored to be Song Lang's new bride was limping behind him.
He raised his eyebrows, thinking that this girl must have been forced into the Song Mansion by various forces. Why would Song Lang be so ignorant of how to be gentle with women?
The gate of the Song Mansion was closed and bolted, and the woman's body had been carried back into the mansion. Qi'an lay on A Niang's body, wailing and sobbing.
Zhu Hao raised his head, and his body suddenly felt lighter. A strong arm was wrapped around his waist, and Song Xieqing picked him up by the waist before he even said hello.
He saw that the young lady's eyes were still misty and fixed on Qi'an, so Song Xieqing softened his tone and said, "I'll take care of everything. Just follow me first."
Song Xieqing carried her to a nearby room and carefully placed her on the low couch. He lowered his eyes and saw that although the blood on her knee had stopped seeping, the mottled bloodstains on her plain silk skirt were particularly glaring.
He didn't care about the so-called distinction between men and women at the moment. Song Xieqing lifted up her skirt and rolled up her relatively loose trousers inch by inch. He took some clean water and wiped the blood stains off her body very gently. Then he took out the medicine she had given him earlier from his sleeve. Song Xieqing dipped his fingertips in the ointment and gently applied it to the healed wound.
Fortunately, the injury was only on the knee, and the wound was not deep, just a little skin abrasion. There was redness and swelling under the eye. Song Xieqing raised his eyes and saw Zhu Hao frowning and biting his lower lip without saying a word, with fine sand and mud on the center of his eyebrows.
Song Xieqing frowned and raised his hand to brush it away. It must have been the stain that got on him when he kowtowed to Jiang Zhi just now.
As soon as he got the news, he rushed back without stopping, but he was still one step behind.
Song Xieqing leaned over and gently blew on the red mark on her forehead, then blew on the wound on her knee. He wanted to get closer, but the young lady took advantage of the situation and bumped into his arms, clutching his back shirt tightly.
Song Xieqing's body stiffened, but he did not push her away. He struggled in his heart for a moment, raised his hand, and stroked Zhu Hao's back awkwardly.
The person in his arms trembled, and Song Xieqing's clothes were soaked. He felt an indescribable pain in his heart. He completely threw the important principles of sex to the back of his mind and just hugged her tighter, whispering softly in her ear: "It's my fault, I'm late and scared you..."
"No, I'm not blaming you... Song Xieqing, don't feel guilty." Zhu Hao raised her head slightly, peeking out a tearful eye from his arms, "It's me... I've accomplished nothing... I've been causing trouble lately. If I were brought into the palace today, wouldn't I have to implicate you..."
Song Xieqing caressed her tear-soaked cheek and rested his forehead against hers. Their breaths intertwined, and all the intimacy was so natural, as if he and she were meant to be together like this. "No, you didn't cause any trouble."
Song Xieqing wiped away the tears from her eyes. He pursed his lips. His eloquence in front of the emperor just now was no longer effective. His lips moved repeatedly, and he spoke haltingly, "If you can come to me... I... Pianpian, I..."
How lucky he is.
Unexplained emotions surged in his heart. He had only known her for a month, so why did he want to get close to her and love her so much when he saw her? He thought he was not someone who was easily moved by emotions, and he had never thought about getting married and having children in these years. But when he saw her, he wished he could stay by her side forever.
The pain in his heart and the sweet words he spoke to her were all evidence that he loved her.
Song Xieqing touched her slightly cold hand, and then he found that there were tiny blood marks on Zhu Hao's palm. Judging from the size of the nail marks, it could only be done by the child.
I counted them and found there were four.
It was shallow, but the medicine still had to be applied. After applying the medicine, Song Xieqing put his lips on the palm of her hand and breathed gently.
The young lady in his arms wiped all her snot and tears on him, and then asked with sobs: "Why does he do this... What does he want... He is already the emperor, isn't he satisfied..."
It was a completely impulsive remark. Song Xieqing followed her ups and downs and sighed softly, "If he really wanted something, it would be a good thing. But Pianpian, he wants nothing and yet is insatiable. This makes him the most difficult to deal with. There's no way for him to get in."
Just like that woman, she thought that she could stir up the situation by threatening to commit suicide, and she used the people's mouths to criticize the king, stirring up the people's resentment against the heavy taxes, causing Jiang Zhi to lose the support of the people, and thus inciting the princes and forces from all sides to rebel.
Little did they know that the man was not seeking the empty title of a saint, so he would not be panicked by this. Instead, he would enjoy it even in the crisis of the collapse of the empire.
"I don't care what he wants..." Zhu Hao sniffed sharply and hugged him tighter, "Song Xieqing, Song Xieqing..."
"exist."
She called out his name again and again, and Song Xieqing patiently responded. Zhu Hao gradually stopped sobbing and said, "I will definitely save you."
Be it her wishful thinking or just an ant trying to shake a tree, she will never go through this in vain.
…
Seeing that Zhu had a good nap, Song Xieqing left the room.
It was already dusk outside the house. Xiangyu was kneeling on the bluestone slab. He had been coaxing Zhu Hao for at least two hours, but no one knew how long Xiangyu had been kneeling there.
However, it does make it easier to find him.
"You can't stay here anymore. Pack up and leave Yingdu today. Whether you return to Huaicheng or find another place to go, I won't stop you."
Xiangyu would rather be scolded by Song Xieqing and be severely punished than see Song Xieqing dismiss him in such a distant and indifferent manner.
Is Shaojun completely disappointed in him?
But even if he had to do it again, he would still make this choice.
Since the woman went through the streets to complain, she was determined to die. Therefore, when the doctor diagnosed that she had already taken a deadly poison that would take effect seven days later, he and the young master were not surprised.
Since she's using herself as bait, why bother trying to keep her here? It would be better to let her in and muddy the waters even more.
Their young master was the young master of Huaicheng, but how could such a gentleman, as pure as the wind and bright as the moon, murder such a loyal general?! It was clearly the work of a tyrant! Why should the young master bear the eternal infamy?
Song Xieqing pressed his brows lightly, his eyes fixed on him, and asked calmly, "If I had been even a step later today, she would have been torn into pieces. Although she drank poison, she died without a complete body. Do you think that in the afterlife, General Yu would be grateful to you or resent you to the core? Will they praise you as a hero someday?"
He recalled the report from the secret guards that Jiang Zhi had killed the twin brother in the street. Song Xieqingyin had some suspicions and sighed, "If Madam Yu's actions can make him panic, then so be it, but how do you know that chaos in Ying Country isn't exactly what he wants?"
Xiangyu didn't understand. He was the monarch of Ying Dynasty. Even if he was absurd in his daily life, why would he hope for turmoil in the country?
"Xiangyu." Song Xieqing sighed again: "I have been very indulgent towards you. You are still young, and I don't just treat you as an ordinary subordinate. But in terms of official business, I am your master, right?"
Xiangyu nodded hesitantly, his heart tightening.
"Well, I am your master, but you disobeyed my wishes and secretly let Madam Yu leave the house. Xiangyu..." Song Xieqing asked in return, "As your master, can I still keep you?"
After saying this, he didn't even wait for Xiangyu to reply, and turned to leave. "As I said before, pack your bags and go. Also, stop crying here."
The person in the room was finally coaxed into falling asleep by him.
Song Xieqing walked out of the wing courtyard, passed through the slightly dilapidated pavilion and went straight to the back door. The carriage was ready, and the woman's body had been washed, dressed in new funeral clothes, and laid in the coffin.
The body could not wait until the seventh day for burial. He knew Jiang Zhi too well and was afraid that Jiang Zhi would change his mind and become interested in dismembering the body so that the person would not have peace even after death. As for the burial place, he would bury him together with Yu Shu in the deep forest in the suburbs. As long as they concealed their whereabouts, no one would disturb them.
Song Xieqing decided to go with them and personally see the couple off for the last time.
He casually asked about the child's condition, and it turned out that he was in the same situation as Pian Pian, having fallen asleep after crying himself tired. However, when everyone was about to set off, the child stumbled forward, clinging tightly to the wheel that was as tall as him, and said, "Sir... Sir, I want to see my mother off."
It was only natural for children to escort their brides to the palace, so Song Xieqing naturally did not stop them. He simply scooped the half-grown child onto the carriage. As they were traveling, Song Xieqing stared at Qi'an, who was no more than five or six years old, and said meaningfully, "When you return, copy the Thousand Sons Essay forty times."
Qi'an didn't understand what was going on, but because he was living under someone else's roof, he didn't dare to ask more questions and could only nod obediently.
What's more...A-niang once said that they are good people.
When the moon broke through the remaining clouds, the group finally arrived safely in the dense forest. Qi'an saw Song Xieqingxing get off the carriage, and hurriedly followed behind, rolling and crawling on the ground. Looking around, he saw that the servants had already dug a grave, and they were just waiting for the funeral procession to arrive so that they could bury the body.
Qi'an threw himself on the coffin, his slender hands gently stroking the rather fine coffin. Song Xieqing asked, "Do you want to see your mother again?"
Once he saw his mother, it would be hard for him to let her go. Qi'an frowned and shook his head, tears streaming down his face, hitting the coffin. "Thank you, sir, but I can't see my mother anymore. Seeing my mother, who can't breathe, can't speak, and can't even open her eyes to look at me, I... I will be sad. If my mother sees me sad, how can she bear to go peacefully with my father?"
Song Xieqing said no more and just ordered people to bury the body properly.
The old carpenter who was accompanying them had also engraved the tombstone. The craftsman presented it with both hands and engraved it with: Tomb of Madam Yu.
Although Qi'an was young, he could already read. When he saw the newly carved tombstone, tears burst out without a word. He cried breathlessly and pointed at the tombstone and said with all his might, "My mother's name is not Madam Yu! My mother's name is Xiang Jincao!"
"Strong grass!"
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The author has something to say: Although late, it is a big chapter
Please give Pianpian a little time [pat head]
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