Chapter 259: When I pass away, will you return to Beijing to see me for the last time?
One month later.
The ice and snow melted, the grass and trees revived, and it was time for Xiao Lingzhao to set off for guarding the border again.
A few days ago, Xiao Lingzhao had submitted a memorial to the emperor seeking approval. He wanted to go to the border with his whole family, and his elderly parents wanted to go with him.
According to common sense, a general with hundreds of thousands of troops under his command is already capable of rebellion. When he leaves, he should leave his family in the capital to prevent the general from rebellion. It is not possible to leave with the whole family.
But Xie Junlin agreed.
Xie Junlin's feelings towards Xiao Lingzhao have always been complicated. Sometimes he is envious, sometimes jealous, and sometimes he has evil thoughts, but every time he calms down, he feels indebted.
Especially when he saw his smart and clever eldest son jumping around in front of him, and especially when he heard the ministers praising him for having a good child and a hope for the throne, he would always think in his pride that if Shen Yuanwei and Xiao Lingzhao had not been willing to help him, he would not have his own child -
At times like this, his conscience will overcome the evil thoughts in his heart and make him want to be extra nice to the Xiao family.
Therefore, even though the court officials told him implicitly that the old general and his wife must not be allowed to leave, and that it would be best if the Xiao family's twins were detained in the general's mansion in the capital, he still decided to help Xiao Lingzhao.
He agreed to let the old general and his wife accompany Xiao Lingzhao to the border.
The old general has been in the military for half his life, and now his health is getting worse day by day. The imperial physician in the palace said that the old general may not live long. How could he bear to let such a hard-working and meritorious old man live a lonely and miserable life in the last stage of his life?
How could he bear to let the old man die without seeing his son?
He believed that Xiao Lingzhao would not rebel, and he wanted to help Xiao Lingzhao fulfill his filial duty.
The day before the Xiao family set off, Prince Rui Xie Tianyou came to the Xiao family and said goodbye to Shen Yuanwei.
A month later, Xie Tianyou was much calmer than when he first broke up.
He could face Shen Yuanwei calmly.
Shen Yuanwei asked with a smile, "You've let it go, right?"
Xie Tianyou stared at Shen Yuanwei's beautiful face and smiled bitterly, "What can I do if I don't let go? I am willing to be your concubine, but you still don't want me..."
After a pause, he murmured, "Besides, even if my sister wants me now, it's impossible for us to be together."
After hearing this, Shen Yuanwei's eyelashes trembled.
She understood what Xie Tianyou meant.
Although no one had evidence to prove that it was she who caused Queen Mother Jiang to be raped by the Second Young Master Zhao that night, the two brothers of the Xie family knew it clearly in their hearts. There was no need for evidence for this kind of thing, and the two brothers could confirm that it was her who did it.
Therefore, for Xie Tianyou, there is now a feud between them that is humiliating to the mother.
Even if this was the result of Queen Mother Jiang's own actions, even if Xie Tianyou would not hate her or blame her, but as a son with a conscience, Xie Tianyou could never continue to be obsessed with a woman who caused his mother to be ruined.
How can he be worthy of the mother who gave birth to him if he ignores his mother's pain and continues to cling to her enemy?
It would be fine if he was in love with the other person, and he could even say that he overcame all difficulties for love, but this relationship has always been one-sided on his part. What's the point of him overcoming all difficulties and being in love with her?
Xie Tianyou took a deep breath and said, "Sister, no matter what, I am grateful that you saved me. The hatred between you and my mother will never affect my gratitude to you."
Shen Yuanwei felt sad.
She would not admit that she had harmed Queen Mother Jiang, but she owed Xie Tianyou an apology.
That night, Xie Tianyou was able to testify for her when his mother was murdered, but she let Xie Tianyou down for his pure feelings for her.
She bowed and said, "Ayou, I am sorry for you."
Xie Tianyou also felt a sore throat.
His eyes were red as he shook his head and said, "I don't blame you. Others have hurt you. Who can ask you not to fight back and wait to be hurt? If you don't fight back this time, they won't learn their lesson. Even if you can escape, they will continue to hurt you a second and third time. You can only fight back to get rid of it once and for all, right?"
Shen Yuanwei looked up at Xie Tianyou.
Xie Tianyou wiped his tears and choked up, "If it wasn't my mother who was suffering, I would definitely applaud and say you did a good job, but she is my mother. Even if she did something wrong, I can't blame her for anything. She is already in great pain now..."
Shen Yuanwei's eyes also turned red.
She was not afraid of Xie Junlin's harsh words, but she was afraid of Ayou's understanding and tolerance.
This will cause her great torture.
She spoke with difficulty, "Is the Queen Mother okay now?"
Xie Tianyou shook his head. “No, she’s not feeling well now. She can’t eat or sleep all day. She always asks me how the people in the capital curse her, the empress dowager who lost her chastity, and whether the curses are very ugly. But every time she asks, before I open my mouth, she suddenly pushes me away, covers her ears and says she doesn’t want to listen. She doesn’t want to hear those dirty and vicious curses…”
Shen Yuanwei guessed that Queen Mother Jiang was having a hard time now.
Although Xie Junlin ordered all officials to keep their mouths shut that night and not to tell anyone about the empress dowager's scandal, everyone knew that if a secret was known to hundreds or thousands of people, it would no longer be a secret. There would always be someone who wouldn't keep his mouth shut, unless he killed everyone present.
On the fourth day after the palace banquet, someone spread the news of what happened at the banquet.
When the people learned that the Queen Mother had actually been hanging out with the notorious playboy of the Zhao family at a palace banquet and had been caught in the act, wouldn't they be extremely excited?
No matter how much they feared the imperial power on weekdays, when they encountered such exciting gossip, they were not afraid of anything and started discussing it in groups of three or five...
In less than a day, everyone in the capital knew about Queen Mother Jiang's romantic affair.
Although no one dared to speak of the Empress Dowager's romantic affairs in public, courageous opera troupes and storytellers took turns to bring the previously hidden series of Pretty Widows back to the stage.
But the government can't do anything about them.
They were not singing about Queen Mother Jiang. They were singing an old opera that was passed down hundreds of years ago. It had nothing to do with Queen Mother Jiang. There was more than one Pretty Widow, so was it illegal to sing an opera?
Although Xie Junlin could suppress it with force and strictly forbid the Beijing opera troupe to perform the series of the Pretty Widow, Xie Junlin knew very well that people have a rebellious mentality. The harder he, the emperor, suppressed this kind of scandal, the more interesting some rebellious people would find it, and they would even hold back their big moves -
He didn't want to escalate the matter, so he chose not to intervene.
The people are only temporarily excited about it, but after a while, they will lose interest in it.
Therefore, the capital city is still in the midst of a carnival. If you walk along the streets, you will see scenes of the Pretty Widow everywhere.
No wonder Queen Mother Jiang was so restless.
Shen Yuanwei said to Xie Tianyou, "It will be fine after a month or two. People always like to hear new things, but if they get tired of hearing them over and over again, they won't think it's anything new."
She thought, it's just like a certain Y-photo incident in modern times. When it first broke out, almost everyone in the country was watching the incident. But half a year later, a few years later, who mentioned it anymore?
Even if someone mentioned it, not many people paid attention.
Shen Yuanwei said, "You should persuade your mother to be more open-minded. If you don't regard some things as shameful, they won't hurt us and won't affect us. Look, when I was at the border, didn't the enemy also scold me for being shameless and marrying two men? Didn't they also scold me for wanting to die? Do you think I should pay attention to them?"
Xie Tianyou nodded, "I will persuade my mother. She has been better these past two days than in the past few days. I think she will gradually become indifferent and adapt to it."
Shen Yuanwei thought for a moment and asked again, "Does your mother still scold me every day? Will she... deal with me again?"
Xie Tianyou looked at Shen Yuanwei with a complicated expression, "How dare she? She had a high fever a few days ago, and when she was confused, I heard her mumbling. She said that you are the daughter of God, and you have God's support behind you. God will help you to do what you want to do, and whoever wants to harm you will be punished by God. She said that she harmed you twice, and both times she suffered heavy losses. She doesn't want to be your enemy anymore. She will just pretend that you don't exist in the world. She endured it and accepted her fate-"
Shen Yuanwei didn't know whether to laugh or cry for a moment.
Is she God's daughter?
Maybe.
Otherwise, why could she encounter the mysterious ball of light after her death, why could she travel through time with the golden finger, and why could everything go so smoothly?
Shen Yuanwei felt relieved to know that Queen Mother Jiang had stopped her evil intentions and would no longer use tricks against her. She chatted with Xie Tianyou for a while, and then Xie Tianyou said goodbye and left.
Shen Yuanwei looked at Xie Tianyou's back and suddenly said, "Ayou, if you hate your father so much, why don't you go and vent your anger on him?"
Xie Tianyou was slightly stunned.
He turned around and looked at Shen Yuanwei, "He's dead, why are you venting your anger?"
Shen Yuanwei smiled and said, "After a person dies, you can still grind his bones and scatter his ashes."
Xie Tianyou was stunned again.
Shen Yuanwei sighed, "How can a man who brought disaster to the country and harmed his wife and children deserve to be buried in the imperial mausoleum and worshipped by future generations? It would be better if a tomb robber stole his bones, right? Otherwise, when you go to the imperial mausoleum to pay homage in the future, you will have to worship such a bastard father. How disgusting!"
“…”
Xie Tianyou looked at his black-hearted sister and blinked gently.
yes.
He can't destroy his father's remains, but tomb robbers can.
If you have any problems, go find the tomb robbers. What does it have to do with him?
Xie Tianyou gave Shen Yuanwei a faint smile, turned around and left quickly.
…
Early the next morning, the Xiao family army was about to set off.
As soon as the Xiao family gathered at the city gate, they saw the Dragon Scale Guards leading thousands of guards out of the city in a hurry.
Shen Yuanwei lifted the car curtain and took a look, feeling a little surprised.
Just as they were wondering what the Dragon Scale Guards were going to do, Xiao Lingzhao came over and said, "The Emperor has brought the two princes to see you off."
Shen Yuanwei hurriedly got off the carriage with her parents-in-law to meet Xie Junlin.
Xie Junlin asked them to stand up without formalities.
Xiao Lingzhao stood up, pointed in the direction the Dragon Scale Guard left, and asked tentatively, "Your Majesty, why are the Dragon Scale Guards rushing out of the city so early in the morning?"
Xie Junlin was wearing white casual clothes today, looking elegant and gentle.
Hearing this, he glanced at Shen Yuanwei with a half-smile, which made Shen Yuanwei puzzled.
The next moment, he spoke slowly, "It's nothing serious. Last night, a group of skilled and daring tomb robbers came from nowhere and robbed the late emperor's tomb. The burial objects were looted, and even the late emperor's body was stolen—"
When Shen Yuanwei heard this, she almost laughed out loud.
She just told Ayou about this yesterday. Someone robbed the tomb last night. This might not be done by Ayou alone. Emperor Xie Junlin must have been involved, right?
The Xiao family didn't know the inside story, so Xiao Lingzhao said immediately, "These tomb robbers are too lawless! They even dared to touch the royal mausoleum!"
Xiao Lingzhao cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, would you like me to stay for two days and help the Dragon Scale Guards catch the tomb robbers?"
Xie Junlin waved his hand, "No need, the border is more important. Let the Dragon Scale Guards slowly catch these little thieves. They just stole a corpse that has been rotten for many years. If we find it early, can it be resurrected? Just take your time to find it."
Xiao Lingzhao was slightly stunned.
He looked up at Xie Junlin in surprise.
His father's body was stolen, but the emperor was so calm and composed?
Are you afraid that you stole it yourself?
The Emperor must have learned about what the late Emperor had done to the Empress Dowager, and hated the late Emperor so much that he staged the scene of stealing the corpse and grinding it to dust, right?
Xiao Lingzhao suppressed his laughter, bowed and stopped talking.
Xie Junlin patted the two little princes on the head and said, "Go and say goodbye to your mother."
The two children immediately rushed over and hugged Shen Yuanwei's legs, tears welling up in their red eyes.
Shen Yuanwei squatted down and hugged them.
Looking at their red and swollen eyes, Shen Yuanwei felt heartbroken.
She kissed the two children and said softly, "Mother really wants to take you away together. You are all my sweethearts, and mother can't bear to leave you, but——"
The two children hugged her tightly.
Xie Congyuan could only cry loudly, but Xie Chengyun held back his tears and choked up, "We know, mother, Uncle Xiao has the responsibility to guard the country, and we also have our responsibilities. Uncle Xiao and mother cannot abandon the people at the border and stay in the capital, and we cannot abandon the country and leave the capital. We all have to do our own things, and separation is inevitable."
Shen Yuanwei stroked Xie Chengyun's cheek, "Yun'er, you are always so sensible. I am so proud of you, but also so distressed... You are still a child, too. Sometimes, you can be as childish as your brother. You don't have to force yourself to be so capable."
Xie Chengyun shook his head.
He said softly, "Father said that he will appoint me as the crown prince in a few days. He said that he is old and he is afraid that he can't wait for me to grow up. He wants to teach me how to govern the country as soon as possible. So I can't be childish. I have to work harder and be more capable. Only in this way can I make father happy and make him feel at ease."
He looked back at his father with white hair on his temples, and his eyes became sore.
He buried his head in his mother's arms and cried, "I'm afraid that if I don't work hard, my father will be worried about me. I'm afraid that when my father really passes away, I will not be able to rest in peace..."
When Shen Yuanwei heard this, she couldn't help but feel distressed.
Her luck has too much to bear.
She glanced at Xie Junlin who was talking side by side with Xiao Lingzhao. Looking at the man's white hair, her eyes felt a little sore.
She whispered to Xie Chengyun, "Good boy, just do your best and don't push yourself too much. You have to trust mother and Uncle Xiao. Even if your father dies one day, Uncle Xiao will be your strongest supporter, okay?"
Xie Chengyong nodded vigorously, "I believe in mother, I believe——"
As he nodded, tears as big as beans began to fall, looking so pitiful that it was heartbreaking.
With tears in his eyes, he stretched out his little hands and hugged his mother tightly, "Mom, my father asked me to ask you on his behalf. He knows that you don't like him, but when he dies, can you come back to see him and see him off for the last time?"
Shen Yuanwei was stunned.
She subconsciously looked at Xie Junlin's back.
Xie Junlin seemed to have sensed something. He turned around, and his deep eyes stared at Shen Yuanwei intently.
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