Chapter 213 The King of a Lost Nation 13
Liang Guangyu reached out and helped Nan Liujing up. The more he looked at him, the more satisfied he was.
Nan Liujing cleverly changed the subject: "Master Liang, do you want to come in and have a cup of tea as a disciple?"
"Okay, it's not appropriate to publicize your becoming my disciple, but a cup of tea is definitely necessary." Liang Guangyu followed Nan Liujing into the house, "Do you have tea?" "
Knowing that Master Liang likes to drink tea, I asked Guisheng to find someone to exchange a few taels of tea leaves for me. Now, I just need them."
"Forget it this time, but don't waste it next time. I'll bring you some tea cakes." Liang Guangyu said this, but he felt that Nan Liujing's behavior was comforting.
After drinking the apprenticeship tea, Liang Guangyu had to leave the palace before the curfew, so he left in a hurry.
Nan Liujing sent him to the palace gate, and only turned back to the house to check the Emperor's Sword until his back disappeared from his sight.
With a flash of cold light, the Emperor's Sword appeared in Nan Liujing's hand.
This sword is made of black iron, and the blade is extremely sharp, which can definitely cut gold and jade.
The most special thing is its hilt.
The pattern on it is simple and ancient, and the outline of a golden dragon is carved with special techniques.
It is obviously just a sword, but when you look at it directly, you will feel a sense of solemnity and majesty from the bottom of your heart.
"Why is this sword called the Emperor's Sword?" Nan Liujing couldn't let it go.
No swordsman could refuse such a rare sword.
[This is a very legendary sword.]
[Since it was born, it has had five owners. The four before you were all emperors.]
[And the life experiences of these four emperors are also very interesting.] [
The first owner of the Emperor's Sword ended the chaotic world of separatist princes and became the founding emperor; the second owner killed the foreign tribes on the border and made them surrender, winning a hundred years of peace for the border. But its third and fourth owners died for various reasons, ringing the death knell of the dynasty. [
Later, there were rumors that this sword could only be obtained by the emperor, but not all emperors were worthy of it.]
Nan Liujing raised his eyebrows slightly and couldn't help but look at the Emperor's Sword a few more times.
No wonder this sword is said to be full of legends.
The first and second owners made it famous in the history books, and the third and fourth owners made it unknown.
Ghosts and monsters must ask for swords when they serve in the court, and jackals and wolves are in power and buried. What kind of fate will this fifth owner let it go to?
Thinking of this, Nan Liujing clenched his finger bones and held the hilt of the sword more tightly.
Late at night, Nan Liujing was wearing a comfortable middle-aged shirt and lying quietly on the bed.
He had the habit of reviewing before going to bed. He closed his eyes and recalled every detail of the day. He soon thought of the "target" mentioned by Liang Guangyu.
Nan Liujing was not surprised at all.
He had long known what kind of person Emperor Yongqing was.
What made him curious was -
"Teacher, why can the Ji family be so overbearing?"
Yao Rong was leaning on the sofa reading a book. When she heard Nan Liujing calling her, she turned her attention to Nan Liujing.
When she heard Nan Liujing's question, Yao Rong smiled slightly: [This is a long story.]
This was the first time Nan Liujing asked her about the situation in the court.
It was no longer her who took the initiative to instill in him, and he had begun to consciously understand the current situation.
It seemed that it was time for his world to extend from this small Changxin Palace, which was like a prison cage, to the outside world.
Yao Rong thought for a while and said: [New Year's Eve is coming soon, let's celebrate the New Year first. After the New Year, you will be fifteen years old, and I will tell you about the things of the previous generation.]
Nan Liujing nodded and went to sleep peacefully.
It was New Year's Eve in a few days.
Liang Guangyu was worried that his apprentice would not be able to eat good food, so he specially sent a lot of New Year's goods and gave Nan Liujing the New Year's money in advance.
On the fifth day of the New Year, Nan Liujing sat in the library and listened to Yao Rong talking about history.
More than a hundred years ago, the world was in constant war. Emperor Taizu rose from the chaos, recovered the north, pacified the south, unified the world, and established the Daye Dynasty in Luocheng, the capital, and rewarded those ministers who fought with him.
Among them were the ancestors of the Ji family and the Yao family.
In the following decades, the Daye Dynasty rested and recuperated, the people walked out of the pain of war, and the national strength reached its strongest.
But prosperity and decline are inevitable for every dynasty. After the heyday, the Daye Dynasty began to gradually decline, and the imperial power also showed signs of weakening.
Twenty years ago, Emperor Yongqing ascended the throne.
The few years after he ascended the throne were the most serious period of party struggle in the court. The struggle between civil officials and military generals had reached a point of life and death.
At that time, the civil officials were headed by the Ji family, and the military generals were headed by the Yao family.
In order to balance the situation, Emperor Yongqing took the daughters of the Ji family and the Yao family into the palace and successively made them concubines.
Nan Liujing pursed his lips: "...The daughter of the Yao family that the teacher mentioned, is it my mother?"
Yao Rong nodded: [Yes, that is your mother.]
The Yao family, regardless of legitimate or illegitimate, male or female, has guarded the border for generations, fought bravely, killed the enemy in blood,
and died on the battlefield. They have made great military achievements, but their family has also declined.
Yao Rong is the only woman of the right age, and she must represent the family to enter the palace.
Nan Liujing first encountered the truth behind his mother's death: "The daughter
of the Ji family is the imperial concubine." [Yes. At that time, the most favored concubine in the six palaces, Concubine Li, had not yet entered the palace.]
In the former dynasty, there were the Ji family and the Yao family, and in the harem, there were the imperial concubine and Yao Rong. The situation was in a very delicate state of balance.
This balance lasted until the year when Yao Rong became pregnant.
Perhaps, the disaster had already been buried.
It was just that the news of Yao Rong's pregnancy became the spark that ignited the gunpowder barrel.
When Yao Rong was three months pregnant, the foreign tribes on the border began to make small movements frequently. They kept sending small troops to harass the people, making the people miserable.
At that time, General Yao had many hidden injuries from years of fighting, so he retreated from the border and recuperated in Kyoto.
But Yao Rong's eldest brother, second brother and younger brother all stayed at the frontier.
The three of them were quick to discover something was wrong and predicted that the foreign race would launch a large-scale war against Daye, so they wrote to the court asking it to make preparations early.
This memorial was suppressed by Emperor Yongqing and Ji Yushan.
When Yao Rong was five months pregnant, the situation on the border became worse. Scouts discovered traces of foreign military activities, and General Yao reported it to the court in an emergency.
General Yao knew his son's character well, and he would not have submitted this memorial if he was not absolutely sure. So General Yao asked the court to allocate food and fodder and mobilize troops to support the border troops.
In the end, Emperor Yongqing agreed to this matter.
But because the food and fodder were delayed and not in place, the foreign army found a way to cut off the border army's support, causing chaos in the border war.
Emperor Yongqing panicked and transferred an army to General Yao, asking General Yao to lead the army and food to reinforce quickly.
Poor General Yao was already old, and he had to ride day and night at full speed, for fear that he would be late.
Then, he caught up.
He rescued the besieged border army and organized an effective counterattack.
But the subsequent development always gave people the illusion that perhaps General Yao's catching up was
just the end of the Yao family and 30,000 elite soldiers.
General Yao Lao, General Yao Da and General Yao Er died on the battlefield, General Yao Xiao was nowhere to be found, and nearly all of the 30,000 elite troops were killed by the enemy.
Such casualties were tragic, but in the situation of being completely at a disadvantage, General Yao Lao and his men still tried their best to kill the enemy. After
this battle, the foreign army retreated to the grassland, and the border war stopped.
Emperor Yongqing was very pleased and ordered to posthumously confer titles on General Yao Lao, General Yao Da and General Yao Er.
Just as their coffins were about to be transported to Kyoto, several deputy generals who had escaped by chance actually sued General Yao Xiao for greed and recklessness. Old General Yao and his men rushed out to rescue Young General Yao, and thus fell into the enemy's trap.
A single stone caused a thousand ripples.
Titles like "pillar of the country" and "backbone of Daye" require the sacrifices of several generations for more than a hundred years, but they can be ruined because of a trumped-up charge.
How ridiculous.
How sad.
[More than half of the generals in Daye Dynasty were either related to the Yao family or promoted by the Yao family. In addition, the Yao family has guarded the north for hundreds of years, and the people in the north trust the Yao family more than the royal family.]
[Emperor Yongqing has long regarded the Yao family as a thorn in his side. Nan Liujing
took a deep breath, his chest was filled with grief and anger, but the angrier he was, the more he could keep his head clear: "Teacher, there is one thing I can't figure out."
"At that time, almost all the young men of the Yao family died in the battle. No matter what, the Yao family could not return to their previous status, let alone threaten the status of Emperor Yongqing."
"Why doesn't he let the Yao family go?"
Yao Rong's eyes flashed with coldness: [This matter is related to Ji Yushan.]
[I don't know how Ji Yushan did it, but after this incident, the power of military generals was suppressed, the power of civil officials increased greatly, and Ji Yushan completely controlled the court.]
The battle between civil and military ended with the civil officials winning a great victory.
Ji Yushan, who had been restrained, began to abuse his power. The imperial concubine, who had always been gentle, became more arrogant.
Nan Liujing's temples twitched when he heard this. His eyelashes, as dense as crow feathers, drooped, forming a semicircular shadow under his eyelids, making it impossible for Yao Rong to see his expression at this moment.
"What role did Ji Yushan play in this matter?"
"Was the defeat of General Yao a simple accident, or were there human factors involved?"
Yao Rong shook his head: [It has been too long. Even if there are any traces, they have been almost washed away. I didn't find any useful information.]
Nan Liujing frowned tightly.
After a moment of silence, Yao Rong said softly: [Since you mentioned these, I just want to emphasize one thing to you. ]
Nan Liujing raised his head, revealing a pair of clear eyes like the blue sky after rain: "Teacher, do you want me to find out the truth and give justice to the Yao family and the 30,000 soldiers?"
[The case of the Yao family involves Emperor Yongqing and the Ji family. If you have the opportunity in the future, I really hope that you can do justice for the Yao family. But I'm not talking about this matter. ]
"What is that?"
[It's a personal matter. ]
[Liujing, I hope you don't blame your mother. ]
[She is the person who loves you the most in this world, and the person who is most looking forward to your arrival in this world. If possible, she would not take risks with a big belly when she was seven months pregnant. ] However
, someone who has regarded his father and brothers as heroes since childhood would not be able to watch his father and brothers die and bear the curses.
She grew up listening to the stories of the ancestors of the Yao family since she was born. She knew that her struggle might not have much effect, but how could she just watch all this happen and do nothing...
So she did everything she could, and she did not live up to her family name until her death.
[When she left this world, she had nothing to be ashamed of, but she felt guilty towards you.]
Nan Liujing nodded and shook his head, unable to speak at all, with a deep red at the corners of his eyes.
"I know..."
Nan Liujing started to speak, and finally couldn't control a tear.
He lowered his head and buried his face in his palms.
"I always knew it."
In fact, he rarely heard Guisheng and Aunt Chunyu talk about his mother, but whenever they mentioned his mother, the deep regret and nostalgia they felt was enough to make Nan Liujing sure that his mother was a very good person.
She must have had her reasons for not being able to grow up with him.
He just didn't expect that her difficulty would be this.
Yao Rong stared at the child with a calm and sad look, as if he saw him being born from a pool of blood through those long and distant years. At that time, the persimmon tree in Changxin Palace was just a sapling.
Later, the tree grew up, and the child who everyone thought would die also grew up.
He grew up to look like the Yao family.
No matter in appearance or character.
[You know she loves you, but sometimes, when a person grows up in the cold palace, he will feel very sad and will imagine how nice it would be if she could accompany you, right?]
Nan Liujing wanted to say "no", but swallowed the words back.
Finally, Nan Liujing still said what was in his heart: "I miss her very much, and I really want her to be by my side."
As if he felt that this answer ignored the teacher, Nan Liujing raised his hand and scratched his hair, whispering: "This is a wish that is destined to be unrealized, but it doesn't matter, I have a teacher."
"I am very satisfied to have a teacher accompany me."
He quietly added in his heart that although he loved his mother very much, he felt that even if his mother was still alive, she probably couldn't do better than the teacher.
His image of his mother was always vague, until the teacher appeared, and his ideal image of his mother finally took shape.
The teacher met all his imaginations of female elders - gentle and strong, like a ray of warm sunshine in winter.
Maybe you can survive the winter without sunshine, but winter without the sunshine will definitely make people feel tortured.
It's a pity that just like he has never seen his mother, he has never seen what the teacher looks like.
I don't know... if there will be a chance in the future.
Yao Rong's lips curved slightly, and he suddenly suggested: [Let's plant another persimmon tree. Plant it next to the previous persimmon tree.]
[I have been with you for more than a year, and the persimmon tree is also one year old. ]
[The growth rings of the big trees record their age, and the number of growth rings means how many years they have been planted. The first persimmon tree records your age, and the second persimmon tree will record how long I have been with you. ]
This proposal immediately made Nan Liujing excited.
It happened that he had stayed in the library for a long time today. Nan Liujing returned to the real world and started to plan excitedly.
"It's just right. I'll ask Master Liang to help find tree seeds in the next few days. When the snow melts and the climate warms up in a while, we can start planting trees." "
But I haven't learned how to plant trees yet..."
[I'll teach you, and you just need to do it according to what I say. ]
Since the "golden cake" craze last year, there is no shortage of persimmon trees around the capital. As long as there is open space, every household will try to find persimmon trees in the wild, and then transplant them to their doorstep.
So the tree species that Nan Liujing wanted was found quickly.
When the crabapples were blooming around the capital, Nan Liujing planted a young persimmon sapling under the command of Yao Rong.
In addition to studying and practicing martial arts, he also had to water the trees every day.
But soon, something happened that broke Nan Liujing
's peaceful but diligent life - the confinement period of the noble concubine ended, and the fourth prince angered the noble concubine for some unknown reason, and knelt in the Yu Garden for two full hours. When he was sent back to the palace by the palace servants, his knees were all red and swollen.
On the day when the news broke, Yao Rong asked Nan Liujing: [Liujing, do you want to go out of the palace to have a look?]
Nan Liujing stood there in a daze, and it took a long time for him to come back to his senses.
"Go outside the palace?"
[Yes, you and Guisheng will go.]
The harem is the territory of the imperial concubine. Before, the imperial concubine was under house arrest and could not make any big trouble. Now who knows what she will do, and it is too risky to let Nan Liujing stay in the palace.
Nan Liujing couldn't help but feel a little bit of anticipation in his heart.
He has never stepped out of the palace.
Now, the teacher told him that he has the opportunity to go out of the palace to see the outside world.
"I want to go out."
"Teacher, I want to see what is happening outside, see if what is recorded in the travel notes is true, and see the beautiful mountains and rivers of Daye."
[Of course no problem. ]
"But how can I leave the palace? Will Emperor Yongqing agree?"
Yao Rong brought up this matter, and naturally he had already thought of a solution: [I found a pill for curing illness. After you take it, you will get some rashes on your body, which looks a bit like an infectious disease.]
The teacher's products must be top-notch. Nan Liujing knew that he would definitely be able to leave the palace, and he was excited.
But after the excitement, he looked at the small persimmon tree in the yard that had sprouted tender buds, and his face fell: "My tree has just been planted. If I am not in the palace in the future, who will take care of it?"
Yao Rong smiled: [Don't worry, this persimmon tree has begun to take root, and it can grow smoothly even without your care.]
Nan Liujing sighed.
Yao Rong had to change his words: [If you are still worried, you can ask Lord Liang to come over from time to time to take a look, water it and apply fertilizer.]
Nan Liujing immediately smiled and felt relieved.
He thought about it carefully for a day, and when Liang Guangyu came to Changxin Palace, he told Liang Guangyu and Guisheng the complete plan.
Three days later, Nan Liujing took the pills to
pretend to be sick, and a lot of red rashes appeared on his body. It looks a bit scary, but it doesn't hurt or itch, and it will disappear on its own after a few days.
That afternoon, Liang Guangyu came to Changxin Palace, and left in a hurry not long after.
Not long after, Emperor Yongqing learned that Nan Liujing was suspected of having an infectious disease.
Emperor Yongqing's face changed drastically, and he asked immediately: "Is this disease contagious?"
The chief eunuch said awkwardly: "Your Majesty, the imperial physician has not had time to see him yet."
"How can such a thing be delayed? What if it is transmitted to me——" Emperor Yongqing walked back and forth in the hall twice, and said, "No, he can't stay in the palace. Send someone to move him out of the palace immediately."
Chief eunuch: "Your Majesty, where should we move him?"
"Just find a place." Emperor Yongqing waved his hands impatiently, "Do I need to teach you this?"
The chief eunuch did not dare to ask any more questions and quickly retreated.
Liang Guangyu was still waiting outside, and when he saw the chief eunuch coming out, he quickly stepped forward.
The eunuch chief said in a hurry: "Master Liang, Master Liang, let's stand further away and talk." He distanced himself from Liang Guangyu and relayed the order of Emperor Yongqing to Liang Guangyu.
Liang Guangyu seemed to be in a dilemma: "Who should I let escort the third prince out of the palace?"
Hearing this, the chief eunuch looked at Liang Guangyu.
Liang Guangyu received his gaze, his face changed, and after a while, he gritted his teeth and took the initiative to say: "Eunuch, I have already contacted the third prince. It is better not to bother two masters with one thing. Let me lead the team to send the third prince out of the palace."
"It just so happens that I have an empty yard near the royal temple. It is far away from Kyoto and has beautiful scenery. It is very suitable for the third prince to recuperate."
The chief eunuch smiled. Liang Guangyu's suggestion really helped him a lot: "Then I'll trouble you, Lord Liang."
Liang Guangyu's acting skills are still very good.
There are not many people who can achieve his position who have bad acting skills.
He smiled bitterly and said, "Okay, okay, you and I are both working for His Majesty."
The chief eunuch hinted, "Your Majesty will know what Lord Liang means."
A quarter of an hour later, Liang Guangyu brought a group of soldiers to Changxin Palace and waved his hand to let them go in and move the third prince.
Guisheng was so anxious that he wanted to stop him: "What are you doing? What do you want to do to His Highness?"
Liang Guangyu said, "Eunuch Guisheng, we are also doing this for the good of the third prince. Can he recover from his illness in this cold palace? There may be a glimmer of hope if he is sent out of the palace."
"You want to send His Highness out of the palace?" Guisheng's face was as cold as ice. Seeing that they were outnumbered, he softened his tone, "Okay, I won't stop you, but I want to leave with His Highness."
Liang Guangyu nodded lightly, indicating his agreement.
Several guards carried Nan Liujing, who was lying on the bed pretending to sleep, to the carriage.
When Guisheng got on the carriage, Liang Guangyu waved his hand and said, "Let's go."
The wheels rolled over the bluestone floor, making a slight shake. Nan Liujing opened his eyes slightly and smiled at Guisheng.
However, just in case, Nan Liujing did not sit up immediately. He did not sit up until the carriage was completely out of the palace. Then he pretended to wake up and asked what happened.
Then he sat up with Guisheng's support and quietly lifted a corner of the carriage curtain.
Windmills, candied haws, acrobatic performances...
the most common restaurants, teahouses, and steamed bun shops in the market...
babies held in their mothers' arms, children riding on their fathers' shoulders, a group of teenagers running by with joy, and people returning home tired after a busy day...
Everything outside was so new to him.
Those descriptions that he had only seen in books finally materialized and were deeply engraved in his mind.
As the sun set and the sky gradually darkened, I don't know which restaurant was the first to light the lanterns hanging high at the door, illuminating the way for the returning people.
The whole long street seemed to have been pressed, and lanterns gradually lit up one after another.
The carriage only drove a dozen meters away, and when he looked back, Nan Liujing saw thousands of lights behind him.
Nan Liujing thought that he would remember this scene forever.
From this moment on, he was truly free.
The sea is wide enough for fish to jump, and the sky is high enough for birds to fly. The cold and lonely Changxin Palace could no longer trap him.