Chapter 536 Happy Dragon Boat Festival
When Yan Xiuyun brought his men to the government prison, Zhu Qingyan was sitting in the cell where Cheng Lian was imprisoned, and Cheng Lian fell beside her.
Yan Xiuyun winked at Xiao Yuan.
Xiao Yuan stepped forward and saw that Cheng Lian's throat had been cut, with blood all over the floor. It was obvious that he had been dead for a long time. He could only shake his head gently to Yan Xiuyun behind him.
Yan Xiuyun looked at Zhu Qingyan with a hint of anger in his eyes.
"My dear Lord Zhu, why don't I remember giving you the order to kill Cheng Lian?"
Zhu Qingyan knelt in front of Yan Xiuyun, but his body was straight.
“Your Majesty, Cheng Lian has been helping the King of Zhenbei for many years, and together with the King of Zhenbei, he set a trap to kill Princess Ningyue.
Such evil thieves deserve death."
"Daliang never kills surrendered generals. Cheng Lian has made great contributions in killing the King of Zhenbei, and I have already issued an edict to pardon his death sentence.
If you do this, where will the reputation of the court and me be put?"
Zhu Qingyan bowed and said:
"Cheng Lian's death was the private act of a guilty minister, and has nothing to do with Your Majesty.
I, the guilty minister Zhu Qingyan, have disobeyed the imperial edict and I ask Your Majesty to dismiss me from office and stay in the northwest to enforce the law."
Yan Xiuyun looked at her with a complicated expression for a long while, and finally sighed softly.
"Well, you also played a role in suppressing the rebellion this time.
Since your merits and demerits offset each other, I will only remove you from your position as the Director of the Hanlin Academy.
Since you want to stay in the northwest... the position of Yunzhou General is still vacant. I think you are brave and resourceful, so I will temporarily take over the position of Yunzhou General as a military officer.
When you recover from your injuries, you must immediately go to Yunzhou to take up your post. You are not allowed to return to the capital without an imperial decree."
Zhu Qingyan bowed again in gratitude, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
…
Since then, the rebellion in the northern border was finally completely quelled.
Wen Quan, the general of Danzhou, was posthumously named "General Huiyuan" and a temple was built and a monument was erected in his honor.
Wang Youya, the prefect of Danzhou, surrendered the city. Although he was sentenced to death, his family was pardoned for his benevolence and righteousness, and for sacrificing his life for his country, and was allowed to be buried with honors as the prefect of Danzhou.
However, due to her status as the daughter of a guilty minister, Murong Jing should have been stripped of all her titles.
However, the emperor, mindful of his achievements, removed his name from the genealogy of the King of Zhenbei and added him as "the first-class loyal and heroic duke".
Three days later, Yan Xiuyun led his subordinates to leave Danzhou and return to Yunzhou City.
Murong Jing's coffin was buried in Yunzhou with the rites of a duke.
The only personal item buried with the deceased was a blood-stained battle robe. On one corner of the robe there was an embroidered pattern that seemed to have just been repaired. It was a cute little tiger head.
Yan Xiuyun ordered people to build a ancestral hall for Murong Jing in Anran Lane, Yunzhou, where the people would worship him for generations.
On the day of the burial, the streets of Yunzhou City were deserted and the cries were deafening.
Including Yan Xiuyun, everyone wore plain clothes and fasted for seven days.
Zhu Qingyan walked with the coffin, and on both sides were people who came to see Murong Jing off for the last time.
A little girl with pigtails suddenly appeared in front of the road, holding a bunch of yellow and white daisies in her hand.
She timidly handed the flowers to Zhu Qingyan and glanced at the coffin behind her.
The girl said the flowers were given to her by an older sister.
Zhu Qingyan looked in the direction the little girl pointed, and saw a white figure flash by in the crowd.
She only saw the man wearing a white bamboo hat and carrying two brand new swords on his back. His back looked dusty and a little lonely.
The figure quickly disappeared in the vast crowd.
…
Seven days later, it was the Dragon Boat Festival.
Yan Xiuyun set out for Beijing on this day.
Zhu Qingyan bid farewell to the emperor's guard of honor as the new military officer of Yunzhou.
After the team left, Yunzhou prefect Ding Wangyuan came to Zhu Qingyan, seeming to be hesitant to speak.
He and Zhu Qingyan were old acquaintances, and he didn't understand why Zhu Qingyan was determined to stay in Yunzhou instead of having a bright future in the capital.
Zhu Qingyan just smiled at him and didn't answer.
After Ding Wangyuan left, Zhu Qingyan climbed up the high city wall of Yunzhou alone.
At this time, the evening sun was setting, and wisps of smoke began to rise in Yunzhou City, which had not been affected by the war.
The original vendors began to return home one after another, saying "Happy Dragon Boat Festival" to each other with a smile, and lanterns were hung in front of every house.
From afar, the lights of thousands of homes look like stars.
Zhu Qingyan sat on the city wall facing the sunset.
She gently stroked the ghost mask in her hand, picked up the wine jar with one hand, raised her head and took a big sip, and soon started coughing due to choking.
Ajing’s favorite “Jiuyunzui” is indeed not an ordinary liquor.
Zhu Qingyan wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and laughed.
She remembered the last words Ajing said before she left.
Ajing said that she would not die and she would always be there.
Yes, she has always been there.
Zhu Qingyan's gaze became somewhat distant, as if he saw the Dragon Boat Festival several years ago, when the setting sun was also shining.
At that time, he and Zhu Lan were still working in the Hanlin Academy together. He asked for leave, saying he was going back home, but actually he secretly took advantage of the Dragon Boat Festival to come to the northern border to visit Ajing.
Ajing took me to the top of the city wall of Yunzhou City, opened a jar of Yunzhou's famous "Jiuyunzui", and insisted on asking me to taste it.
At that time, the two of them sat here side by side, looking at the lights of thousands of homes in Yunzhou City.
I asked her out of curiosity why, as a noble princess, she would rather give up her wealth and glory and stay in the northern border.
Ah Jing looked at their feet and asked, "Did you see it?"
Zhu Qingyan asked what he saw.
Murong Jing smiled and said, "See the meaning of our existence."
She took Zhu Qingyan's hand, as if she wanted to touch those sparks.
"Look, I am the one who lives and works in peace and contentment in Yunzhou City."
"The millions of people in Daliang are also me."
"As long as they are here, I will always be here."
Yes, as long as these lights are on, Ajing will always be there.
Zhu Qingyan took another sip of the liquor and suddenly found that he seemed to have gotten used to the burning feeling in his throat.
"Ah Jing, don't worry, I will stay here from now on.
As long as I am here, I will never let the people living on the border suffer from the war again.
Everything you cherish, I will protect for you."
Zhu Qingyan smiled and raised the wine jar, as if inviting the sunset to drink with him.
…
Night falls.
The emperor marched in a grand procession along the official road from Yunzhou to the capital.
Yan Xiuyun was injured and could not ride a horse, so he took a carriage instead.
"Xiao Yuan." Yan Xiuyun's voice came from the carriage.
Xiao Yuan was riding a horse, walking in front of Yan Xiuyun's carriage, but he seemed a little absent-minded at this time.
It was not until someone around him reminded him that he suddenly reacted and hurried to Yan Xiuyun's carriage.
"Your Majesty, is there anything wrong with the wound? Do you need to change the dressing?"
"No need." Yan Xiuyun lifted the curtain of the carriage. The team was now traveling on a mountain road.
"What mountain is this?"
Xiao Yuan replied: "This place is called Luoyan Slope. After crossing this mountain, we can rest in Tongzhou tonight."
Yan Xiuyun nodded and was about to say something.
Suddenly, a whoosh sound came from the pine forest in the east.
A feather arrow unexpectedly broke through the air and firmly nailed into the wall of Yan Xiuyun's carriage!
"There is an assassin, protect His Majesty!" Xiao Yuan's face changed and he drew his sword.
The guards immediately surrounded Yan Xiuyun's carriage and protected it in the center.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
