Chapter 180 Extra: Past Life (12)
Jiang Shuyi felt so guilty that she didn't dare to look at Pei Yan.
Pei Yan punished Jiang Shuyi a hundred times in his heart, but after the imperial physician left, looking at her uneasy and nervous appearance and the gauze wrapped around her wrist, he said nothing in the end.
Jiang Shuyi couldn't hold back her anger. She admitted her fault and whispered under the covers: "I thought Your Majesty didn't want me anymore, so I thought there was no point in living, so I might as well go find my aunt. I didn't expect Your Majesty didn't want me anymore. I was wrong. Your Majesty, please don't be angry. You can punish me in any way you want..."
When Pei Yan saw her like this, he regretted for the first time imprisoning her.
This can't go on.
As the king of a country, it is impossible for him to not have urgent matters. If Jiang Shuyi is always worried about gains and losses and wants to live or die, what will happen?
It is still necessary to let him go and let her know what he has done. Even if she is really anxious, she can go to him instead of doing something irreversible out of helplessness.
But Pei Yan was afraid that Jiang Shuyi would leave, so he threw his heart back on Pei Yu.
When he changed Jiang Shuyi's dressing in the evening, he mentioned casually, "Pei Yu just turned ten."
Jiang Shuyi was looking at him without blinking. When she heard this, she tilted her head in confusion: "Why did your Majesty mention him?"
Pei Yan clearly saw that there were no more complicated emotions in her eyes, only confusion and indifference.
He felt a little relieved.
But letting Jiang Shuyi go is not something that can be done easily.
Although the situation in the previous dynasty was not as serious as Pei Yan had previously threatened Jiang Shuyi, people's words were still scary and annoying.
Those who were dissatisfied with his lenient treatment of Jiang Shuyi had already been suppressed, but if he suddenly released Jiang Shuyi and restored her to her position, it would inevitably cause more intense opposition again.
Pei Yan needs to have an extraordinary achievement that can be recorded in history.
This achievement was so great that even if he killed a few of the most vehemently opposed ministers to intimidate everyone, it would not cause any turmoil in the court.
For a king, the greatest achievement is to expand territory.
The new emperor of Xitian is a licentious and immoral person. After he came to power, he killed his brothers and sisters, favored flatterers and distanced himself from wise people. Now, the country is in internal turmoil.
Pei Yan planned to take the opportunity to attack Xitian and make it part of Dayuan's territory.
This would not be accomplished in a short time. He thought about taking Jiang Shuyi with him, but the climate there was cold in the winter and hot in the summer. From food, clothing, housing and transportation to going to the toilet and washing on the march, Jiang Shuyi, who was so delicate, could not bear it.
Pei Yan brought up this matter after spending another month with Jiang Shuyi.
"I will lead the army in person in a few days."
Jiang Shuyi suddenly looked up at him, her mouth drooping. Pei Yan spoke before she could start crying: "When I come back, I will lift your confinement and restore your position. You can do whatever you want."
Jiang Shuyi was slightly stunned.
She looked a little happy, a little helpless, but overall excited.
Pei Yan was a little worried about her.
"Just stay in Zhaoyang Palace and wait for me to come back. I will send you a letter in three days. You can also write to me. If you have any urgent matters, tell the guards I left for you. They will help you find a solution. Also, no matter how much you miss me, you are not allowed to commit suicide, otherwise I will no longer love you."
Jiang Shuyi agreed with a bright look in her eyes.
Pei Yan was still afraid that she would forget, so he asked her to write down what he said, stick it on the head of the bed, and look at it every day.
Jiang Shuyi was very well-behaved, and she loved lively activities by nature. Perhaps because she was thinking that she could finally leave the cage, she obeyed Pei Yan's words without any argument.
The night before Pei Yan left, he gave her the token that allowed her to command his personal guards.
"Here, if there is an emergency and you have to see me, take this token and order the head of the guards to take you to the northwest. Do you understand?"
Jiang Shuyi nodded, took the token and put it into the secret compartment at the head of the bed, then ran back and hugged him tightly.
Pei Yan finally felt relieved.
*
In early June, Pei Yan led a large army to war.
Xitian was already in the midst of civil strife, and when it learned that the army was approaching, it had no time to even deploy. Pei Yan led his army to capture two border cities with great momentum. The new emperor of Xitian was frightened, so he sent envoys to ask for peace, offering to pay annual tribute and be a vassal forever.
Pei Yan wants more than just this.
He said to the envoy with a smile: "If you want to stop the war, Xitian has no choice but to submit to me. I will make your king the Marquis of Anle, and he can still enjoy wealth and glory for the rest of his life."
The new emperor of Xitian was somewhat shaken. Anyway, his throne was already unstable due to the internal strife. Even if Dayuan withdrew his troops, he would be doomed if his throne was usurped in the future. It would be better for him to surrender.
So at the end of July, the new emperor of Xitian tied himself up in front of the battlefield and surrendered to Pei Yan.
The war ended much faster than expected. Pei Yan returned to the tent and prepared to write a letter to Jiang Shuyi, but suddenly received an urgent report from the capital.
Pei Yan's heart suddenly tightened inexplicably at that moment.
He opened the letter and read what was reported inside. He felt a fishy-sweet taste rising up his throat and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Hearing the eunuchs' exclamations in the camp, Pei Yan clenched the letter paper, raised his head, and stared in the direction of the capital with his red eyes.
Jiang Shuyi.
He repeated the name several times in his mind, finally swallowed the blood in his throat, and ordered his troops to return to Beijing quickly.
Leaving the army behind, Pei Yan traveled day and night without sleep and returned to the capital in seven days.
But it was no use hurrying, Jiang Shuyi was no longer waiting for him.
Pei Yan held Jiang Shuyi's body, watching her familiar face turn pale; watching her neck, which he had caressed and kneaded countless times, now had wounds deeply sunk into the flesh due to the rope; watching her hand, which was supposed to hold him, hanging limply to the side...
He touched her cheek lightly, expecting to feel some warmth, but it was just cold.
Pei Yan was not heartbroken, and didn't even shed a tear.
He didn't know why he was like this, he was exceptionally calm and clear-minded.
The whole story was written in the report. Jiang Wanqing collapsed due to what she had experienced in the past two years. She went mad and strangled Jiang Shuyi and then hanged herself, but failed. She was rescued by palace servants and was still in a coma.
Pei Yan knew that if Jiang Shuyi's soul had not left yet, it would definitely want to see him avenge her.
He ordered the use of the best medicine to save Jiang Wanqing's life and to nurse her back to good health.
It is already autumn and the weather is getting cooler, but even so, the body cannot be kept for too long.
Pei Yan ordered someone to make a gorgeous ice coffin and carried Jiang Shuyi inside to lie down.
He would come to change Jiang Shuyi's clothes and hairpins every day, and would occasionally scold her.
"Why are you so disobedient?"
"I gave you the token so that you can come to me, not to seek death."
"Do you think I will punish you, so you just don't want to see me anymore?"
"...I will not punish you. I will not punish you in the future. I will not lock you up anymore. You can do whatever you want. I will accompany you as long as you want. Even if you want to follow me to court, I will agree."
All the palace servants were trembling with fear, thinking that His Majesty had lost his mind.
Pei Yan ordered a large number of people to be killed.
The news of Pei Yu's illness was able to reach Zhaoyang Palace not only because of Jiang Wanqing's efforts, but also because of the concubines who were jealous of Jiang Shuyi and fanned the flames, and the guards and palace servants neglected their duties and failed to fulfill their responsibilities.
These people will naturally die.
The palace was filled with blood and everyone was terrified.
Pei Yan also wanted to posthumously confer a title on Jiang Shuyi.
Although Jiang Shuyi never asked for the position of queen, Pei Yan knew that she definitely wanted it.
As for the posthumous title.
Pei Yan never liked giving titles to people, as that was not a reward but a discipline, so when he gave titles to his concubines, he mostly intended it as a warning.
But if there was no posthumous title, people would probably guess that he did not like her.
Pei Yan hesitated for a long time and decided on the two words Zhaoxi.
He didn't have any expectations of her being filial, virtuous, kind, or chaste... He just wanted her to be lively and bright and live happily.
Jiang Wanqing has been revived by the imperial physician and is almost recovered.
Pei Yan had someone take her to Jiang Shuyi's coffin.
When Jiang Wanqing came here, she still had a glimmer of hope. She thought that His Majesty had saved her and asked the imperial physician to treat her carefully because her sister had passed away, and His Majesty had become interested in her face, which was three-quarters similar to her sister's.
However, after seeing the ice coffin, Jiang Wanqing's rosy face turned pale, and she took two steps back in panic.
If it was Pei Yu, Pei Yan would explain everything clearly before letting him die, but if it was Jiang Wanqing, nothing would be necessary.
He just calmly looked at the person in the ice coffin and threw two words to his guards: "Lingchi."
Jiang Wanqing realized something and trembled all over, but at this moment, it was too late to commit suicide.
The screams in the hall were endless. Pei Yan just felt it was noisy, but when he thought about how happy Jiang Shuyi's spirit in heaven would be when she saw her great revenge, he felt a lot more relieved.
Until he suddenly remembered that Jiang Shuyi was timid.
The Eastern Palace once dealt with a spy, and the bloody corpse was seen by Jiang Shuyi. She was so scared that she had nightmares for several nights. From then on, she dared not even watch the palace people being tortured.
Pei Yan immediately stopped the guards who were carrying out the execution.
He said in annoyance: "Take him out and execute him."
After the bloody man was dragged away, Pei Yan gently stroked Jiang Shuyi's face and comforted her: "Don't be afraid, I'm here. If you are really scared, come into my dream at night and I will comfort you."
But Jiang Shuyi didn't.
Pei Yan just thought that she had avenged her great hatred and had no regrets, so there was no need for her to enter his dream.
Okay.
She has always been so heartless.
Pei Yan was even still interested in state affairs at this time.
He arranged the aftermath of Xitian, and then began his daily life like before, getting up in the morning to attend court, and after court he would accompany Jiang Shuyi, review memorials by her side, and talk to her.
At first he always criticized her, but later he thought about it carefully and realized that he had done a lot of wrong things too.
Why did he have a quarrel with Jiang Shuyi?
She clearly knew that her sister was not a good person and that she doted on her son too much, but instead of restraining or correcting her, she wanted her sister to suffer the consequences of her actions and come to her crying and begging for mercy because of the darkness in her heart.
Why imprison her?
She already knew the true identities of her sister and son. Even if they were not locked up, she would no longer be as incapable of judging people as before. Even if she was confused and soft-hearted again, Pei Yan would simply get rid of Jiang Wanqing and Pei Yu.
Why didn't you take her with you?
No matter how hard the march was, he prepared everything, accompanied her and comforted her day and night, which was better than leaving her alone and helpless in the palace.
......
There is no use regretting.
What Pei Yan faced every day was still that cold body.
The fact that the emperor had lost his beloved concubine was known to everyone in the court.
A newly appointed official in the capital wanted to take advantage of the situation. He took the opportunity to report on government affairs to flatter Pei Yan, saying that he knew a sorcerer who could summon spirits and allow him to see Jiang Shuyi's soul.
Pei Yan did not believe in ghosts and gods.
But in the end, he still stroked the armrest of the dragon throne and said "hmm" softly.
What if?
The official asked someone to perform a shadow play for him.
Pei Yan laughed out of anger, but to be honest, the shadow did look somewhat similar to Jiang Shuyi.
He praised it generously and watched it with great interest until the shadow began to kneel down and sob, and the person behind him who was acting as a mouthpiece said, "I bid farewell to your majesty, and we shall never meet again."
Pei Yan was almost deceiving himself, and he actually let him have no chance to meet again.
Pei Yan executed this group of people for the crime of deceiving the emperor.
But from this moment on, he suddenly felt some hope.
What if ghosts and gods really exist in the world?
He began to issue decrees, promising high positions and generous salaries, and summoning sorcerers from all over the world to bring Jiang Shuyi back to life.
There are many people who are swindling and cheating.
Pei Yan could only assume that they were coming to surrender and kill them one by one.
Too many had been killed, and those who valued money over their lives no longer dared to come and die, so Pei Yan simply sent people to capture them.
They would find out where there were talented people, especially those who could bring the dead back to life, and then bring them directly to the capital.
This move eliminated a lot of scammers.
Until Wu Jianshan was caught.
He was famous and had a righteous character, and he treated Pei Yan neither arrogantly nor servilely.
Pei Yan asked him, "I heard that you resurrected a wealthy businessman?"
Wu Jianshan kindly denied it: "I am a swindler."
Pei Yan didn't believe it.
He had Wu Jianshan's apprentice beaten and thrown into the hall. Only then did Wu Jianshan close his eyes and admit it, but he also said something else: life and death are determined by fate, so he should accept the change with patience.
Pei Yan didn't want to hear anything. It was too easy to threaten a good man. He could just capture anyone, not to mention his disciples and the wealthy businessman he had personally brought back to life.
Wu Jianshan finally agreed to the ritual of resurrection.
Pei Yan didn't want to stay at first, as he was afraid of being disappointed and despaired again, until he saw with his own eyes Wu Jianshan vomiting blood three times for no reason and his face turned pale.
He seemed to see the hope of Jiang Shuyi's resurrection, and began to lose interest in state affairs and only cared about her.
It was said to be 49 days, and on the last day, Wu Jianshan suddenly vomited a large mouthful of blood and fell heavily to the ground.
Pei Yan immediately went to check on Jiang Shuyi, but she was still lying there quietly, with no blood on her face.
He felt the urge to kill again, and a gloomy look covered his brows.
Until Wu Jianshan called him.
Wu Jianshan was actually dying, and with his last breath he told him that he was the Emperor Star, and as long as he insisted on meeting Jiang Shuyi, he would definitely meet her, but he must not kill indiscriminately, otherwise he would not only fail to save Jiang Shuyi, but also himself.
After Wu Jianshan died, Pei Yan's mind felt clear for a moment.
He stood there silently for a long time, so long that everyone in the hall was crawling on the ground and trembling, and some timid people even fainted from fright.
Pei Yan did nothing. After driving everyone away and quietly accompanying Jiang Shuyi for three days, he gradually calmed down.
Since he has begun to rely on ghosts and gods, he must believe in cause and effect and must not do evil things anymore.
He released Wu Jianshan's disciples and gave them gold and silver as rewards, and appeased them with kind words.
He then asked the rich businessman: "Everyone says you are a kind person. What did you do to allow an old stubborn man like Wu Jianshan to be resurrected?"
The rich businessman knelt down tremblingly: "I, you little know, I also try to make money on weekdays, but there was a famine, I saw that all the grain shops raised their prices, and the people were going to starve to death, I couldn't bear it, so I sold the grain I saved at a low price, and since then I have been known as a great philanthropist. With this name, I really can't help but do good deeds, so I have done more and more good deeds over the years..."
Pei Yan ordered the wealthy businessman to be sent away as well.
Jiang Shuyi will never have the chance to be kind in her life, and I'm afraid no one will come to resurrect her.
Pei Yan didn't want to endure another few decades.
What Emperor Star? He wants to see if it’s real.
Before that, Pei Yan had to stabilize the country and at least prevent it from falling into civil strife after his death.
After he selected a member of the royal family, he called Pei Yu and Pei Yi to Jiang Shuyi's coffin.
Jiang Shuyi died because she was going to meet Pei Yu, so Pei Yu naturally couldn't live alone.
But how could he kill the bloodlines of the two with his own hands? What if Jiang Shuyi blamed him?
So Pei Yan designed a plan to let Pei Yi kill Pei Yu, and then Pei Yi was executed.
Everything is settled.
On the night when Pei Yan was appointed crown prince, he drank poisoned wine and lay in the ice coffin.
It's so cold.
He hugged Jiang Shuyi tightly, trying to keep her warm.
In a trance, Pei Yan seemed to feel her wiggling in his arms, and then she snorted in grievance: "Your Majesty finally remembered to accompany me."
He curled his lips and smiled.
Yes, I'm here to accompany you.
We will never be apart.
(End of the previous life extra)
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