Chapter 424 Farewell
The next day, the much-anticipated Spring Examination began as scheduled.
When Wen Li'er was handling palace affairs in the side hall of Fengli Palace, hurried footsteps were heard outside the hall, followed by the eunuch's report:
"Your Majesty, Wan'an... and his brother Liu Can are outside the palace gates, requesting an audience. They say... they're here to bid you farewell."
"Farewell?"
Wen Li'er paused while writing, and ink spots smudged across the paper.
She suddenly raised her head, her face full of surprise and confusion.
"Liu Shen? Shouldn't he be taking the imperial examination today? Why is he in the palace now?!"
Nanny Qin, who was standing by, had a complicated expression on her face. She stepped forward and whispered:
"Your Majesty, I just overheard something outside. Young Master Liu Can...felt ashamed to stay in the Wen Mansion any longer, and even more ashamed to serve Your Majesty, so he gave up the imperial examination. The two brothers planned to leave the capital and go out for a walk."
"What?!"
Wen Li'er stood up suddenly, her chest heaving violently, a mixture of shock and strong regret.
"That's sheer nonsense! After ten years of studying, how can you just give up and ruin your future because of a moment of anger and someone else's mistakes?!"
She paced back and forth in the hall, feeling sorry for Liu Can.
She ordered, "Call them in!"
The palace door opened slightly, and two figures walked in slowly.
Wan'an, who was in the lead, seemed to have his spine pulled out overnight.
The once gentle, peaceful, shrewd and capable chief steward now looked haggard, with sunken eye sockets, cloudy and empty eyes, and every step he took was as heavy as a walking corpse.
He took off his chief eunuch uniform and put on a half-worn indigo cloth robe, which was so plain that it was almost shabby.
And one step behind him was Liu Can.
The appearance of Liu Shen made Wen Li'er feel even more regretful.
He was wearing a bamboo-green Hangzhou silk robe, and his posture was as straight as a bamboo.
But in that gentle and jade-like temperament, there is too much heaviness that does not belong to this age.
His face was pale, with a faint blue shadow under his eyes.
But those clear eyes did not lose their luster. Instead, they looked like glass tempered by fire, their translucence carrying an almost tragic determination.
The two brothers walked into the hall, and with a thud, Wan'an fell heavily to his knees, his forehead resting deeply on the cold and smooth gold bricks.
Liu Shen also knelt down.
"May your servant be well and safe. / Your humble servant Liu Shen pays homage to the Empress, may your Majesty be blessed with good health and happiness."
Wen Li'er looked at the brothers, especially Wan'an's back, which seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, and felt mixed emotions.
She took a deep breath, suppressed her surging emotions, and said in a deep voice, "Get up and talk."
Wan'an seemed not to hear, his body trembling violently, and he banged his forehead against the gold brick again with such force that his skin was broken in a few hits, and a glaring bright red blood oozed out.
His self-blame, his torment, his hatred for his sister's heinous crime and his guilt for his master's deep kindness, burned his soul like a raging fire, torturing him to the point of being emaciated.
Wen Li'er could even feel the strong aura of death emanating from him - a kind of despair that made one want to die quickly without any desire to live.
"Wan'an!" Wen Li'er sternly stopped his almost self-harming behavior, her voice filled with regret.
"Liu Qing is Liu Qing, and you are you! The crimes she committed will be dealt with according to the laws of the land. I also know that you are loyal and have never slacked off! This matter... is not your fault!"
She turned her gaze to Liu Shen, who was kneeling silently beside her, and her tone became anxious and puzzled:
"Liu Shen, tell me! Why are you giving up the imperial examination? You've studied hard for ten years, and I know your talent. Qingxi has often praised your writing! Now you only wait for your name to pass the imperial examination and bring honor to your family. How can you ruin your own future because of someone else's mistakes? This is not the behavior of a wise man!"
Liu Can slowly raised his head and met Wen Li'er's concerned and regretful gaze.
There was no excuse on the boy's handsome face, only a calm sadness and calmness.
"My Lady."
He spoke, his voice clear and firm, with a calmness beyond his years.
"My sister has committed a heinous crime, which is unforgivable."
"As her brother, we are related by blood, and my body and heart have been defiled by her."
"The Wen family treated me like their own son, providing me with food and clothing, and inviting teachers to teach me. Their kindness is as heavy as a mountain;"
"Your Majesty and His Majesty are so kind and generous that they have protected me, which is why I am what I am today."
"What you did, sister, is not only a rebellion against the grace of Heaven, but also tramples upon the kindness of the Wen family and the Empress."
He paused, a flash of pain in his eyes, but his back straightened even more.
"If I were to remain in the Wen residence and enter the Imperial Examination Hall under the name of 'Duke Cheng'en's student', even if I were lucky enough to pass, I would still feel uneasy."
"The eyes of the world are sharp, and rumors are sharp. I do not want the Wen family to be tarnished because of my siblings, and I do not want the reputation of the Empress to be further tarnished."
"For me, fame and honor are the foundation of life and the step towards serving my country. However, my mind is already turbid. If I force it, I fear it will taint the writings of the sages, and it is not what I truly desire."
He looked at his brother Wan'an, who was still sobbing in pain beside him, his eyes full of worry and heartache.
"My second brother has been loyal and righteous his entire life, devoting himself to the Liu family and the Empress. Now, what happened to my sister has dealt him a particularly heavy blow. I cannot let him endure this heart-wrenching pain alone, and I cannot watch him sink into despair."
Liu Shen kowtowed deeply:
"Your Majesty's kindness, I will never forget. I am not destroying my own future, but rather I wish to emulate the ancients, 'Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles.'"
"I beg Your Majesty to allow me and my brother to leave the palace and temporarily escape this sad place."
"I, a humble citizen, wish to take my brother with me to travel across the mountains and rivers of Dayan, to observe the sufferings of the people, and to sharpen my will and strength."
"Once I have washed away all the dirt on my body and cleared away the burdens in my heart, if Heaven has mercy on me and my mind becomes clear and my knowledge progresses, I will return to the capital one day."
"Whether I take the imperial examination or work as an official, I will do my best to serve the court with my useful body and repay the Empress and the Wen family for their kindness in giving me a new life."
The young man's voice was not loud, but every word he spoke was sonorous and resounding.
The man wrapped in the bamboo-green gown was no longer the carefully crafted noble young man of the Wen family, but a man with a proud character who, after being hit hard by fate, chose to take responsibility, hone himself, and seek a new life in the most difficult yet cleanest way.
Wen Li'er looked at His Highness and his brothers.
One is on the verge of collapse amidst boundless self-blame and torment, as if all vitality has been drained away;
A young man who stood up straight in the face of great shame and misfortune, with his eyes burning with the ambition to wash away the stigma and rebuild himself.
She was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.
I feel heartbroken for Wan'an's pain, shocked by Liu Can's determination, and even more deeply sorry for the clear ambition shown by this young man in difficult circumstances, but I also feel a hint of respect for him.
"Willow ginseng..."
Wen Li'er's voice was a little hoarse. She looked at the boy's determined eyes and realized that it was futile to keep him.
This young man looks gentle as jade, but deep down he is a man of unyielding will who would rather break than bend.
The path he chose was a path of tempering with mountains and rivers as furnace and time as hammer.
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