Chapter 89 Reincarnation.
When Lingyi arrived at the border, it was a clear and crisp autumn day, and Lin'er followed slowly behind her on horseback.
After Huan'er ascended the throne, he wanted to grant him a hereditary title, but Lingyi stopped him because it was too conspicuous.
Although the Song family had been divided and weakened several times by the two emperors, Qin Lie and Huan'er, and was now like a distant myth in Zhuozhou, no longer the dominant force it once was, Lingyi still didn't want Lin'er to encounter unnecessary trouble in the future. She gave Lin'er her dowry and many rewards, allowing him to do what he wanted. Lin'er loved horses, and after the Xiongnu submitted, he built a horse farm in the borderlands, specializing in the horse trade.
Compared to when he was in the capital, his face was tanned dark, and he was dressed in the clothes of a man from the northern frontier, riding his horse steadily.
When he was a child, his father forbade him to practice martial arts. When he arrived in the border region, where no one was restraining him, he learned martial arts from the bodyguards of merchants and the soldiers guarding the border. Although he had lost his childhood training and his master was not very skilled, he was destined not to achieve much. However, he became more robust and muscular. When he talked about business with people, he spoke fluent border dialect and did not look like a person from the Central Plains at all.
He got married here; his wife was a girl born to a Xiongnu and a Han Chinese.
The girl had two long braids, and her skin was tanned dark. When she smiled, all you could see were her white teeth. Despite her swollen belly, she still brushed and trained horses every day, and she was skilled at everything.
When Lingyi first arrived and saw the two of them, she couldn't help but feel worried.
—She was, after all, from the Central Plains, and had always considered fair skin to be beautiful; she was afraid they would give birth to a child who was dark-skinned.
It's clear that their family was harmonious and loving, and the wind blowing across the grasslands naturally broadened their horizons.
She then had no more worries and felt only joy.
She stayed here for two months. Every winter, the horses had to be moved to the interior. Although there were plenty of people to help, Lin'er and his wife were used to doing everything themselves. Although Lingyi couldn't help much, she wanted to stay with them.
They worked like this until dark, and after all the horses were moved, the group, though tired, hurried back in high spirits.
It was the first time Lingyi had ridden a horse across the grassland. The moon in the sky was big and round when suddenly a long-lost voice rang in her ears.
"The moon on the grassland seems exceptionally bright, sometimes eerily so. When marching at night, it feels as if you might accidentally stumble into it and have your soul taken away."
She turned around abruptly, but did not see the person; only the wind caressed her veiled hat and stirred her cloak.
.
Although Song Lin regarded her as his aunt, he was also extremely filial. During the winter, when they lived in Jizhou, the couple always put her first.
Both Huan'er and Lin'er got what they wanted and lived the lives they desired, which made Lingyi happy for them.
—At least the hardships and dangers along the way were not in vain.
While she felt gratified, she also felt a sense of loss and emptiness. She had spent half her life planning for them, and now that they had achieved their goal, she was at a loss as to what to do next.
Lin'er became a father before the New Year. The baby was much fairer than Lingyi had expected, which relieved her.
But then she thought that if she followed this couple, she might only have white eyes and white teeth left, and Lingyi couldn't help but sigh slightly.
No matter how filial they are, this is not her home after all. After celebrating the child's 100-day celebration, Lingyi embarked on her journey home.
When she reached the border of Huangzhou, she suddenly had a whim to visit the place where she used to live.
However, the outskirts of Huangzhou had long since changed, even the villages had been transformed, not to mention the roads that oxcarts used to travel on had long been replaced by official roads.
In the end, it was only through the help of a teacher who had become a second-rank official in the imperial court that they were able to find the old village.
The former residence of Confucius has become a famous historical site. He, who was once all alone, now has many more relatives and even erected a family genealogy by the river.
With the help of this family genealogy, Lingyi was able to confirm that this was the river from back then, and thus finally found the village where she had lived.
When I arrived, I found that the area was now full of brick and tile houses, and there were more than twice as many people as before.
She didn't know Zhou Sao's real name, and when she mentioned Little Stone, it was a childhood nickname that no one knew now.
As for the man Zhou later married, she had long forgotten his name, so she had no way of finding out.
The disguised palace maid said, "Your Majesty, would you like me to retrieve the census register from the government office and verify it one by one?"
Lingyi said, "It was just a whim, there's no need to make a fuss. I'll just walk around here for a bit, then we'll leave."
She got off the carriage, and seeing that no one was around, she walked slowly along the riverbank. Unexpectedly, a man came towards her as she turned a corner. After walking past him, he turned back and then stared at her.
The palace maid was furious and wanted to step forward to punish him for his disrespect, but Lingyi stopped her and asked hesitantly, "...Little Stone?"
The man was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized, "Aunt Lingyi, it really is you! I knew it! How could I possibly meet someone as divine as you twice!"
Little Stone invited her to go home together, and Lingyi gladly agreed.
During a casual chat on the way, it was learned that Zhou Sao and her later husband had both passed away several years ago. Since Lingyi's disappearance, Zhou Sao had been thinking about her and had even reported her to the state government several times.
Lingyi said with a pang of sympathy, "It was my fault for leaving without saying goodbye."
Little Stone quickly comforted her and then started talking about himself. It turned out that he had passed the imperial examination at the county level in his early twenties, and although he hadn't achieved any further official rank, it was still a source of pride for Zhou Sao and Little Stone. For this, Little Stone praised the teacher extensively, feeling quite pleased with himself as a student of the Vice Minister.
As they talked, they arrived at his doorstep. He now owned fifty acres of land, and because of his official rank, he didn't have to pay rent, so he hired tenant farmers to manage it. His house had been renovated several times, and he had also bought several other houses in the surrounding area. Now it was a five-courtyard house, where his family of eight lived, along with maids and servants, and they lived a very comfortable life.
Lingyi listened with a smile, but as she was about to enter, her gaze swept to one side, and she suddenly paused, "Over there..."
Little Stone slapped his forehead: "I was so focused on talking about myself that I almost forgot. After you left, my mother initially took care of the house, hoping you would come back someday. Later, someone wanted to buy it, and my mother argued with them, but because she had no connections in the government, she could only watch helplessly. The deed was almost finalized, but then it suddenly stopped. They not only sealed the house off but also said it couldn't be sold again. It's been vacant ever since, but people often came to take care of it until a few years ago..."
Lingyi didn't listen to what he said at all and had already walked over.
The surrounding houses were all newly built brick and tile houses, but this place was still a low village house with doors that were not closed and could be pushed open.
She was stunned at first glance.
Years had passed, and she thought she had long forgotten. But when she saw him again, those memories came flooding back, and he looked exactly as he had when she left. Her mind was jolted, but she walked in very slowly, touching the tables and chairs, and finally came to the bedside.
The bedding was neatly folded. She reached out to lift it, but a palace maid tried to stop her, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager..."
Lingyi knew what she was going to say, and said softly, "This is my old home. You can go out first. I'm tired and want to rest here for a while."
The palace maid hesitated for a moment, but finally withdrew.
Lingyi took off her shoes and outer garment and lay down on the bed.
Compared to the silks and satins in the palace, this place still uses the fine cotton cloth she used before, which is not as soft.
But she felt at ease and peaceful.
No matter how filial Huan'er is, this place feels more like her home than the palace.
Here, there will be no fathers who are not fathers, sons who are not sons, brothers who are not brothers, or younger brothers who are not younger brothers.
There are no couples who scheme against each other, nor are their true feelings destined to be betrayed.
She suddenly felt extremely tired, a weariness that seemed to seep into her very bones, so she lay down and closed her eyes.
.
She didn't know how long she had slept, but when she opened her eyes, the lights in the room were on.
A tall man sat on the edge of the bed, staring intently at her.
Lingyi didn't get up, and asked in surprise, "Why are you here to pick me up?"
She thought it would be the Fifteenth Princess and Aunt Liu Cui.
Qin Lie smiled and said, "How dare I come to pick you up? I've just been waiting here, hoping that one day the princess will come to me herself."
Lingyi said, "You lied to me until your death, why would I look for you?"
He thought about it carefully, but still couldn't figure it out, so he asked her, "What did I lie to you about?"
Lingyi listed his crimes in detail, "You told me, 'When a person is about to die, their words are good,' and you also said, 'I'm afraid we'll never see each other again.' I thought you were going to execute me, but it turns out you were the one who couldn't live anymore. On our last meeting, you deliberately lied to me like that, didn't you?"
Qin Lie said, "I told you back in Huangzhou that you should live well, wait for Huan'er to grow up, and then outlive me until I die. Then you can openly move into his house, enjoy your grandchildren, and live a life of family bliss. I told you these things a long time ago, so how can I be lying to you?"
Lingyi retorted, "You still want to use those words that I have long forgotten as excuses! The fire dragon burned so brightly that day because you were injured and afraid of the cold, and the fragrance was deliberately so strong because you were afraid I would smell the blood and medicine. How can that not be considered premeditated?"
Qin Lie laughed: "I can't hide it from the princess. That's right, I did it on purpose. I wanted to hear your true words before you died. At that time, I felt like I was being pierced by a thousand arrows. I was in unbearable pain, so I thought I might as well die like that, so that you would be sad and regret it, and that you would remember me for the rest of your life."
Lingyi said, "You're mistaken. I won't regret it, and I won't remember you. I'll be happier without you."
Qin Lie lowered his eyes and remained silent for a long time. He sighed softly and finally looked at her gently: "Yes, I was wrong. I'm the one who has been regretting it all along. There are so many things I should have said to you, but I didn't have the chance."
Lingyi asked, "What do you want to say?"
Qin Lie looked away: "I forgot."
Lingyi stared at him, "But I want to hear it."
Qin Lie said awkwardly, "It was just some childish and absurd nonsense. I couldn't even say it back then, let alone now."
Lingyi smiled and said, "Actually, when you asked me if I had anything to say to you, I lied too."
This time, it was Qin Lie who was curious, and he was even a little nervous, "What did you say?"
Lingyi refused: "You speak first."
Qin Lie asked, "How do I know if the princess is lying to me?"
Lingyi was emboldened, saying, "If you don't tell me, you'll never know if I'm lying to you."
Qin Lie said helplessly, "Fine, I'll tell you."
He leaned close to her ear and whispered a few words. Lingyi smiled and finally commented, "They were indeed some childish and absurd nonsense. It would have been better not to listen."
Qin Lie sighed, "Princess..."
He had lost all hope in what she had said before and was convinced that she was lying to him.
Lingyi slowly opened her mouth: "I really did have a question I wanted to ask you back then, a naive and absurd question."
Qin Lie asked, "What did you say?"
Lingyi was somewhat embarrassed, but still looked at him and said, "What I wanted to ask back then was, about that Cheng family's Zhenniang, did you actually...?"
The question was so absurd, so naive, so foolish that even now she couldn't fully explain it.
He paused for a moment, then stared at her intently, his lips curving upwards and upwards until he finally burst out laughing.
Lingyi snapped, "Don't laugh!"
He tried to suppress his smile, but couldn't stop it. His chest heaved, and his eyes grew brighter. He finally managed to stop himself from laughing under her angry gaze, but said, "I won't tell you this. I'll make you think about it every day, think about it, think about me."
Lingyi couldn't stand his smugness. "Actually, you don't need to tell me; I can guess it myself."
He took her hand and gently hummed in agreement.
Lingyi continued, "Besides, this answer isn't actually that important to me."
He played with her fingers and replied casually.
Lingyi rarely gets angry these days, but she pulled her hand back at this moment, saying, "Stop laughing!"
"Alright, alright, stop laughing." He readily complied, forcing himself to suppress his laughter.
The moonlight cast the shadows of the palace servants outside onto the window paper. He glanced at them, then turned to ask her, "It's almost dawn, is the princess still leaving?"
Lingyi said, "I was sleeping soundly when you woke me up. I'm still tired, so I won't leave yet."
His deep gaze was fixed on her: "Princess, have you thought this through? If you don't leave today, you may never be able to go back."
Lingyi found him nagging and impatiently turned over, closing her eyes again.
.
The Empress Dowager died in Huangzhou and was on her way back to the capital.
The day after her coffin returned to Beijing, Qin Hong visited the Qianqing Palace for the first time since stepping down from his post.
Huan'er had always held his uncle, who had personally taught him how to fight, later wholeheartedly assisted him, and then readily relinquished his military power, in high esteem. Qin Hong had never made any demands before, but this was the one thing Huan'er refused to grant.
Qin Hong sighed, "The late emperor had only one last wish: to be buried with the Empress Dowager. If Your Majesty, as his son, cannot fulfill his wish, wouldn't the people of the world criticize Your Majesty for not respecting filial piety?"
Huan'er said, "But since Mother Empress does not wish to be buried in the imperial mausoleum, I cannot be unfilial to her! As for Father Emperor, he did not make Mother Empress during his lifetime, so it is only right that she be buried with Empress Xiaoyi."
Huan'er held absolute power and had no say in anything. Even though Qin Hong held the late emperor's edict, it was to no avail.
He not only refused to allow Lingyi to enter the imperial mausoleum, but even removed her name from the historical records.
The family of historians would rather be wiped out than easily alter history or record it carelessly. However, this historian was a former teacher in a girls' school. After only a moment's thought, he agreed.
Princess Yongjia, the seventeenth daughter of Emperor Jiahe of the Great Han Dynasty, lived through the twilight of the Great Han Dynasty and the chaotic world. She had a son with the emperor of the Southern Dynasty who ruled over a region. Eventually, she became the Imperial Noble Consort of the Great Han Dynasty, integrating the bloodline of the previous dynasty into the bloodline of the new dynasty, and became the Empress Dowager.
It spanned three dynasties and seven emperors.
To outsiders, it must have seemed like a magnificent and eventful affair.
Future generations will surely condemn her as shameless and promiscuous.
Some people might envy this person's good fortune, thinking that they could live their entire life without ever leaving the imperial family and enjoying wealth and glory.
Although Lingyi did not care about her posthumous reputation, she did not want to be criticized, speculated about, envied, or sighed by irrelevant people.
So I decided to simply disappear from history.
Everyone experiences moments of elation and moments of painful struggle while living in this world.
Everyone thinks they are important, and she once was too. She had some naive and romantic expectations, and did some foolish things that overestimated her abilities. She lost a lot and gained a little, and whether it was joy or regret, it will all dissipate in the wind with her passing.
Decades later, after her children have also passed away, no one will remember her anymore, and she will be forgotten by everyone.
That's what she thought, and Huan'er thought so too.
Little did they know that over a hundred years later, at a crossroads a thousand miles from the capital, a young man who would one day establish a new dynasty, his face bearing whip marks, would rise and glare at the yellow dust kicked up by the carriage, spitting angrily onto the ground. His companions called out, "Brother Zhu! Don't be angry. Didn't you say you'd take us to join the army? There are so many rebel groups now, which one should we choose? Wang Shubao or Li Jiande?"
The boy said impatiently, "Nonsense, of course we'll choose whoever feeds us!"
The friends were discussing it, some saying that Wang Shubao had meat every meal, and others saying that Li Jiande had fish every day.
Unable to reach an agreement, they finally looked at the boy named Pillar.
The boy was overwhelmed by the explanation, but finally came up with a good idea.
—Draw lots with grass roots, and whichever one you choose goes there.
But before that, the boy said, "We need to give ourselves names first."
Someone said, "Don't we have names? Tiezhu, Gousheng, Dahei, Erleng..."
The boy slapped him on the head. "We're going to seek refuge! If they find out we used to be a bunch of beggars, who will value us? If they don't value us, we'll just be common soldiers, the kind who charge at the front in battle and die the fastest! Isn't this the princess's fiefdom? From now on, we'll say I'm a descendant of the princess's former bodyguard general. My grandfather was murdered by villains when I was young, and I was hunted down and ended up on the streets because my ancestor told my grandfather that the princess had a treasure hidden in the outskirts of the capital. Only I know exactly where it is!"
Someone asked innocently, "But we don't know, what if they find out?"
The boy, exasperated, said, "Nonsense! That's why we can rest assured in the capital; we'll make a living off this. They can't even get to the capital! So before that, I need to have a resounding name, understand?"
"I understand." Hanhan scratched his head. "But we can't read, so what names should we have?"
The boy kicked the ruins at his feet; it was the site of an abandoned school with sparse writing still on it.
He had a photographic memory from a young age, and when he went to steal things from the private school, he overheard a few words and recognized them.
"Command...righteousness...?"
He recognized the first character, and only half of the second character, but that was enough.
"The storyteller once said that the first princess to come here was named Princess Rong... and her bodyguard general's surname was Zhu." The boy murmured, then shouted, "From this day forward, my name is Zhu Lingyi! Remember that?"
"Zhu Lingyi, Zhu Lingyi..." The group repeated it several times and unanimously agreed, "What a great name!"
The boy laughed heartily, "From now on, if you follow me, Young Master Zhu, I guarantee you'll live the high life!"
The group shouted in unison, "Eat the best food! Drink the best drinks!"
The simpleton asked, disappointed, "But what if the enemy really marches on the capital?"
"Nonsense!" the young man exclaimed, beaming. "If we really conquer the capital, what's the point of Zhu Lingyi? I'll definitely be a great general by now, and I'll take you all into the palace! And that pretty young lady in the carriage just now, isn't she also going to the capital? I'll make her my wife and your sister-in-law!"
Recalling the fleeting glimpse of the beautiful girl in the carriage earlier, the young man's face flushed. He had never seen such a beautiful person in his entire life.
Her face was so white, her eyes so big, and her lips so red.
The person was just too fierce!
He had only glanced at her a few more times when she lashed him with a whip.
Thinking of her, his earlier jest turned into something more serious. Touching the whip marks on his face, he thought, "It's just the capital. Everyone else can go, so why can't I?"
The storytellers in the teahouse often say that heroes emerge in troubled times, and that the times create heroes.
With the country in turmoil and uprisings erupting everywhere, who knows if Zhu Lingyi isn't a hero?
Thinking of this, his chest felt hot, and he called out to a group of friends to head east.
Behind him, only the large characters of Lingyi Academy remained, hidden in the weeds.
Meanwhile, the book, already filled with records, slowly turned to its latest page, preparing to welcome the next cycle...
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