Chapter 147 He did it for her
Last night's flashing swords and images had been drained of their blood by the morning light. When the sky brightened, the sound of bells and chimes rang out from within the palace walls, and elegant music filled the white marble square in a magnificent manner.
All officials wore court robes and stood solemnly in order under the red steps.
No one mentioned the rebellion last night, nor did anyone discuss how the remnants of the former prince's army were taken to prison.
It seemed as if Xiao Jinhuan's downfall was just a speck of annoying dust that had to be cleared away during the transition of power.
At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on the Danbi.
The new Crown Prince Xiao Jinyu, wearing the crown and robes of the crown prince, with a calm expression, stepped onto the steps step by step to accept the emperor's imperial seal and the worship of all officials.
The roar of "Long live the emperor" and "Thousand years of life for the prince" rang out like a tsunami, and it crashed heavily into the vermilion palace walls like a substance, and then bounced back, layer upon layer, shaking the snow on the eaves of the palace to fall down.
Amidst the flying snow foam, the vast sound waves gradually subsided, and the only thing left between heaven and earth was the solemn majesty of the beginning of this new chapter.
Xie Jinglan stood before Emperor Dan, his dark court robes making him look tall, handsome, and awe-inspiring.
When his gaze passed over the crowd and accurately locked onto the slender figure beside Concubine Hui, his heart seemed to be suddenly clenched -
It was the desire to live that kept him going during countless days and nights in Cangwu, amidst blood, fire and miasma.
However, the image of her riding a horse, drawing a bow, and speaking harshly two hours ago suddenly popped into his mind.
"I'm detoxifying you, not letting you die! Xie Jinglan, you bastard!" The crying voice was still roaring in my ears.
How could he not know? She was clearly terrified to the extreme, terrified to the core, and this was the reason for the raging anger and worry that erupted.
It was this clear realization that instantly shattered his forced composure, turning it into a heart full of sour and burning pity.
When did she learn to ride a horse? When did she learn to draw such a strong bow?
What kind of fear had she carried with her during his absence that forced her to hold the reins and the bow?
A wave of guilt and indescribable longing suddenly rushed over my heart.
He really wanted to rush over without hesitation at this moment, hug her tightly in his arms, whisper apologies in her ears over and over again, and then ask her all the questions that had just popped up in his mind.
Feeling the man's gaze, Wen Ning's fingers in her wide sleeves suddenly tightened, and she used the tingling in her palms to maintain her composure until the end of the ceremony.
No matter what Concubine Hui said to her, she could only remain silent and lower her head, and left with Concubine Hui's procession.
…
That night.
Xie Jinglan returned to the Marquis' Mansion and went straight to the old lady's room to pay her respects.
The old lady had been looking forward to it for a long time. When she saw that he was finally standing in front of her in good health, although he had lost a lot of weight, her eyes immediately turned red.
She took her grandson's hand and rubbed it repeatedly. Thousands of words turned into a choked sob, "It's good that you're back... Coming back is better than anything else..."
Xie Jinglan felt sad. He comforted his grandmother gently for a while, then went to look for Xibao again.
He held the soft little ball tightly in his arms, as if to make up for all the time we had been apart. No matter how intimate he was with her, it never felt enough.
After a long time, he took out a small thing carefully wrapped in warm and soft fur from his arms.
It was a snow-white eagle chick that he had accidentally rescued at the border of Cangwu.
Little Xibao opened his eyes wide, looking at the furry little life, so surprised that he could hardly speak. He stretched out his little hand and touched it carefully, with a brilliant smile on his face.
After pacifying the old lady and coaxing the young son, Xie Jinglan walked towards the Xie family ancestral hall, where the candles were always burning and the atmosphere was solemn and cold.
He took off his shirt and knelt upright in front of the tablets of the Xie family's ancestors.
On the broad back, old wounds overlapped with new wounds, crisscrossing each other, like a cruel scroll painted with flesh and blood.
There is a monument engraved with the family motto next to him - "Do not get involved in party disputes, and do not seek personal power."
"Master..." Qing Feng held a black and shiny family whip in his hand, his voice heavy and sad, and he was reluctant to take action.
Xie Jinglan closed his eyes, his voice as cold as iron, "Beat me! This Marquis has violated the family precepts and I accept the punishment. If you show mercy, you will be an enemy of the Xie family's ancestors!"
Qing Feng gritted his teeth, and the whip fell through the air, hitting the flesh heavily.
He was eager to achieve success and force a breakthrough in Cangwu. His injuries had not yet healed, and now he had to endure the ruthless family punishment. His back was soon covered in blood again.
Xie Jinglan's muscles were tense, and cold sweat oozed from his forehead. He clenched his teeth and did not utter a single groan of pain.
The ever-burning candlelight in the ancestral hall illuminated for the first time a figure who was being whipped and then kneeling to apologize until dawn.
The cold air was filled with a faint smell of blood and sandalwood, and the wound on the man's back had already solidified and turned black.
Qing Feng reached out to help him, but he waved his hand away.
Xie Jinglan supported himself on the ground and stood up, saying in a hoarse voice, "Prepare the car and go to the palace gate."
The white marble steps outside the palace gate are colder and harder than the stone slabs of the ancestral hall.
He was wearing court robes to cover the scars on his back.
From the biting cold wind at dawn to the heavy snow falling on my shoulders at nightfall.
No one knew why Marquis Anyuan, who had just achieved an unprecedented feat in Cangwu and quelled the rebellion the day before, suddenly knelt here for a long time.
Only Xie Jinglan himself knew that the family rule was to apologize to the ancestors, and kneeling in front of the palace was to confess one's true feelings to the emperor.
He intervened.
Not only did he intervene, but he also set up a chess game with his own strength, pushing this huge wave to the other side he expected.
Your Majesty is not completely unaware of what he has done.
Xie Jinglan's "disappearance" in Cangwu and his quick "appearance" to quell the rebellion were too coincidental. The handover of the capital's defense and the efficiency of responding to the rebellion could not be achieved in a leaderless state.
His Majesty simply chose to remain silent. While using his sharpest knife to cut off the rotten branches, he was also secretly weighing whether his knife was too sharp and whether it would hurt the hand holding it.
This emperor, who lives in deep heaven, seems to be ruling with ease, but in fact his heart is as deep as the sea, and his kindness and power are unpredictable.
Even though Xiao Jinhuan deserved to die, he, Xie Jinglan, ultimately violated the Xie family's ancestral precepts of neutrality and loyalty to the king, and personally stirred up the vortex of the dispute over the crown prince.
He won the situation and cleared the obstacles, but he did not become proud of his achievements. Instead, he took the initiative to respectfully return the final power of decision, along with his own reputation and future, to the emperor.
He knew very well that when all the hard evidence of Xiao Jinhuan colluding with foreign enemies and intending to rebel, as well as the Queen's past secrets, were completely laid out before the emperor, the emperor would inevitably trace the source of the incident in anger.
Thinking about the role Xie Jinglan played in this situation, he was a minister who saw through secrets, promoted change, and even to some extent "forced" the emperor to make a decision.
If Your Majesty harbors the slightest resentment or suspicion towards him, then what will follow is likely to be anger and cold treatment towards all related matters.
He couldn't take the risk of allowing the old case that affected Ning'er's mother's innocence to become complicated again.
Therefore, he wanted to use this to gain the emperor's complete peace of mind.
It was not until the night had settled on the steps that Eunuch Li came out with a cloak in his hand. "My Lord, the Emperor has asked you to go back and rest."
Xie Jinglan slowly raised his head. The fluttering snowflakes fell on his dark-black temples and eyelashes, forming a layer of cold white frost.
He looked at the closed palace gate and kowtowed slowly.
He knew it was okay.
He did it for her.
And within the high palace walls that he could not see, a slender figure was kneeling with him under the same snowy sky.
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