Chapter 3393 Do you regret it?
Zhu Feng stood before the stone tablet, his face as pale as the surrounding mist, his expression solemn but unable to reveal any trace of sadness or joy. He was silent for a long moment, then suddenly said, "Xinping, Yongping, come and pay your respects."
If she had seen other stone tablets just now, Concubine Yi might have asked some questions, but when she saw this tablet without any words, Concubine Yi did not ask any more questions.
At this time, even the most slow-witted person would understand that the person represented by this inscriptionless stele was extraordinary to the emperor.
You can understand it just by looking at Zhu Feng's expression at this moment.
So, she carefully pushed Yongping over and said, "Listen to your father."
Yongping blinked his big eyes, walked forward obediently, put his little hands in front of the clean bluestone slabs, and slowly knelt down.
On the contrary, Xinping did not kneel down immediately after he stepped forward. Instead, he stared at the inscriptionless stele with wide eyes, then turned to Zhu Feng and asked, "Father, whose stele does this belong to?"
Nan Yan immediately whispered, "Stop talking nonsense!"
Zhu Feng was not angry. He was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "He's an elder."
Xinping blinked and wanted to ask which elder it was, but when she raised her eyes, she met Nan Yan's solemn expression. She frowned and shook her head at her, indicating that she should not ask any more questions. Xinping just pursed her lips and lowered her head.
Zhu Feng probably sensed something as well. He thought for a moment and then said, "You don't need to know who she is."
“…”
"All you have to do is worship her and feel a little gratitude towards her in your heart."
Nan Yan and Concubine Yi looked at each other, and both of them breathed more cautiously. The two princesses also knelt obediently in front of the stone tablet at this time, bowed three times and kowtowed nine times respectfully, and also burned incense.
After doing all this, we will prepare to go back.
But Zhu Feng said, "You guys go back first. I want to stay here for a while."
Nan Yan asked, "Is the Emperor alone?"
She originally wanted to say that she would stay with him, but then she looked at Concubine Yi next to her and saw that she was a little hesitant. If it were just her and Zhu Feng here, it wouldn't be a problem to say it, but if she stayed and Concubine Yi went back alone, it would seem that she was excluding her.
Besides, looking at Zhu Feng's solemn expression at this time, it seemed that he didn't want to be disturbed.
As expected, Zhu Feng said, "Yes. You, Concubine Yi, and the two maids go back first. I'll have someone wait for me at the foot of the mountain later."
Nan Yan nodded.
Zhu Feng added, "Have someone bring that thing over here."
Nan Yan hurriedly turned around and gave an order, and De Lu, who was following behind, immediately handed over the box in his arms.
It is the relic left behind by Imperial Noble Consort Xinqing before her death.
She specifically left it to the Imperial Concubine, asking her to take good care of the box and also to protect the Emperor. So Nan Yan had kept this thing for so many years. Although she knew that Zhu Feng had a way to open it long ago, Zhu Feng never did so, and she never urged him.
She understood that Zhu Feng was waiting for an opportunity, or in other words, waiting for a time to give an account of his memories.
So before setting off on this southern tour, Zhu Feng suddenly told her to take this thing with her. Nan Yan immediately understood that he wanted to open the box.
And, it is in this place.
Nan Yan took the box from De Lu's hand and carefully placed it in front of the inscriptionless stele. She looked back at Zhu Feng, thought for a moment, and said softly, "The dew is heavy on the mountain. The emperor should return early to avoid catching a cold."
Zhu Feng forced a smile and said, "Let's go back."
Nan Yan brought Concubine Yi and the two princesses to pay their respects to him, and then left with everyone else.
As soon as they left, the already quiet mountaintop became even quieter, so still that not even the sound of the wind could be heard. Even the mist rising from the lake condensed at this moment, surrounding only Zhu Feng.
He slowly walked to the inscriptionless monument and sat down.
The dew condensed on the tips of the grass quickly wet the corners of his clothes. A chill came over him, and his face became even paler. However, he had no intention of resisting. He just quietly looked at the brand new stone tablet without a single word on it.
"I had the monument sunk into the lake."
He suddenly spoke, as if talking to someone right in front of him, his voice a little hoarse: "I think you don't want others to know that you are here."
"I remember everything that happened in the past."
"Including when you die."
"But have you figured it out? Do you know that you've actually been deceived?"
"The so-called killing the mother and keeping the child is just a high-sounding excuse to let you end your life on your own. Even without me, he wouldn't let you—"
When he said this, a burning sensation rushed to his eyes, and Zhu Feng's voice suddenly became hoarse and he couldn't speak. He lowered his head and swallowed the bitterness forcefully.
After a long time, he looked up at the lonely monument without words with red eyes and smiled slightly.
"Do you regret it?"
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"elder sister,"
The group stood on a bamboo raft. Xinping and Yongping lay on the side of the raft, staring at the small fish in the clear lake water. The two little girls whispered to each other, while Nanyan sat quietly, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she was deep in thought. However, her thoughts were interrupted by Concubine Yi's cautious words. She immediately looked up: "Huh? What's wrong?"
Concubine Yi glanced back at the mountaintop, now shrouded in mist and invisible, and whispered, "Whose is that wordless stele?"
Nan Yan looked at her without saying anything.
Because the emperor was not around, Concubine Yi was a little bolder. She put her head close to Nan Yan's ear and whispered softly, "Is it, is it the emperor's—"
Before she could say the next two words, Nan Yan grabbed her hand.
She pinched quite hard, cutting off the words that Concubine Yi had not yet been able to say. Concubine Yi looked at her in surprise.
Nan Yan said sternly, "No matter who it is, since the emperor has erected a blank stele, it means he doesn't want anyone to know. In that case, why bother asking more questions, sister? Some people and things, like the words on the blank stele, should be erased."
Concubine Yi immediately felt guilty.
She nodded gently: "I understand."
The distance between the two islands was not far, and the bamboo raft soon docked at the foot of the mountain of Huangling Temple. Nan Yan told them to return immediately, but not to go up the mountain to disturb Zhu Feng, and just stay at the ferry. The young Taoist priest took the order and rowed the bamboo raft back.
Nan Yan led Concubine Yi up the mountain, and soon they returned to the Imperial Tomb Temple.
They entered through the back door and didn't run into anyone on the way. As they reached the gate of the small courtyard, they saw Master Shangshan coming towards them. He said to them, "Your Highness, Your Highness, and your two young princes, I bow to you."
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