Chapter 67 New students ride horses, drink wine, and send their thoughts to the wind!
Pei Xiaoyun was stunned. The surroundings were completely silent, except for the particularly jarring sound of the talisman bells shaking.
The repeated cries of "Return, soul!" were like demonic chants piercing his ears. His pupils constricted, and he shouted, "Stop! Stop!"
The Taoist priests, not understanding what was happening, were driven out.
Pei Xiaoyun seemed to have been awakened by He Lianqing's scolding. She ordered someone to remove the array that had been set up and muttered to herself, "You're right. She just arrived down there and probably still has grudges against me. If I bring her back now, she probably won't forgive me. After some time, I will ask a spirit medium to come and convey what I want to say to her."
He really had a lot to say to her.
With her gone, he had no one to talk to.
He Lianqing shook his head silently; he hadn't expected Pei Xiaoyun to turn out this way either.
He's so insane and mad; he absolutely mustn't know that Mingying is still alive.
Shen Mingshu stayed in the capital for another month before returning to the Northwest. Pei Xiaoyun, feeling guilty about the gold, silver, jewels, and fiefdoms bestowed upon him, discarded them like worn-out shoes, returning alone and leaving alone once more.
Upon hearing that Shen Mingshu had left, Pei Xiaoyun was slightly surprised. Still gazing out the window, lost in thought, she simply asked, "Did he go back?"
He had initially thought that Shen Mingshu's refusal to allow him to move Mingying's coffin to the Imperial Ancestral Temple was because he wanted to take the coffin back to his hometown of Yangzhou for a proper burial.
He was even thinking of picking an auspicious day so that he could take her home with him.
But unexpectedly, he left us just like that.
Kong Qing said, "General Shen was so grief-stricken that he fell ill. He was treated for a month before he regained some strength. Perhaps he returned to the Northwest to numb himself."
Pei Xiaoyun remained silent, staring intently at the hairpin, her gaze fixed on it.
"My lord, General Shen asked me to pass on a message to you before he left."
"explain."
"He said that Miss Ming had a life of wandering and constant movement, and now he couldn't bear to move her grave and cause her further suffering, so he buried her in the capital. He asked you... not to disturb her anymore."
Pei Xiaoyun's hand froze, and the last two pearls on the hairpin hit the corner of the table and rolled to the ground...
He watched the pearl roll further and further away, its image blurring before his eyes. When he came to his senses, the pearl had vanished without a trace.
He promised Shen Mingshu that he would not disturb her grave.
The next day, he ordered the Ministry of Rites to send people to rebuild the imperial mausoleum, and the location was decided on the mountain where Mingying was buried.
He won't bother her, but he will protect her and give her the best.
When the imperial decree to rebuild the imperial mausoleum was issued, the court was in an uproar. But who didn't know that with the downfall of powerful families and the imperial family, and the late emperor having no sons or brothers, Pei Xiaoyun would soon ascend to the throne?
When dynasties change, it is only natural to rebuild an imperial mausoleum.
The first woman lying in the imperial mausoleum, although she was the sister of the Marquis of Jing'an, was not Pei Xiaoyun's legal wife, nor even a concubine. How could she be worthy of being buried in the imperial mausoleum?
A few months later, Pei Xiaoyun successfully ascended the throne. His first intention was to appoint Mingying as empress, but the court officials strongly opposed it, and the dispute continued.
Even his only mentor from his childhood, Cui Yuan, the retired Grand Tutor, submitted a memorial advising him to think twice before acting.
He had just ascended the throne and urgently needed to form a marriage alliance with a noblewoman to consolidate his power. How could he possibly give the position of empress to a commoner who had already died?
Pei Xiaoyun had made up his mind. He rejected several memorials overnight and went back to write the imperial edict of investiture himself.
He wasn't afraid that Shen Mingshu would scold him if she found out; it didn't matter if she scolded him, he just wanted to give her the position of empress.
He wrote this imperial edict very slowly, and with each stroke, he seemed to see her face.
He knew everything. From the very beginning, she had hoped to spend her life with him. Her indifference and her forced congratulations were all fake.
It was he who pushed her away that led to all the grudges that followed.
He only found out about these things now.
Is it too late? It seems really too late.
“Ah Ying, don’t be reluctant, this is what I wanted to give you.”
He seemed to know she was unwilling, and he tried to persuade himself while also trying to persuade her.
He fell asleep halfway through writing the imperial edict, slumped over his desk, and had a dream in which she walked toward him, her expression indignant, and tore the edict to shreds.
She still said she didn't want to be with him, and that she didn't care about any of the things he offered.
As dawn broke, he suddenly awoke, the imperial edict still pressed beneath him.
He stared at the words, lost in thought.
When the Vice Minister of Rites came in to collect the imperial edict, he rolled it up, tossed it into the scroll frame, and rubbed his aching forehead: "It's alright, I've changed my mind, you may leave."
If he were to force her to become his empress, he feared she would appear in his dreams every night and say things that showed her resentment towards him.
Despite strong opposition, he insisted on burying a commoner in the newly built imperial mausoleum. He demoted or dismissed the officials who said she was of lowly status and unworthy of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. As time went on, no one dared to risk their lives to advise him anymore.
After ascending the throne, he abolished the privileged families, promoted agriculture and sericulture, reduced taxes and corvée labor, revised the laws and regulations, re-established the imperial examination system, and personally trained troops to prepare for the defense against enemies in the northwest.
Within a year, the imperial court was completely transformed and became orderly.
But every night at midnight, he would sit alone in the empty hall, as if those thick, dark shadows were about to devour him.
Snowflakes are falling outside the window, while the palace road and vermilion walls appear pristine white.
The lamp burned out silently, and the heavy snow broke the branches, the crisp sound lonely and long.
This is the first year since she left.
—
In the Northwest, yellow sand flies and the north wind blows across the sky.
The vast grassland stretches as far as the eye can see. Two fine horses gallop across the grassland, and the woman's black hair trembles in the wind. She is dressed lightly with her sleeves rolled up, and her clothes flutter in the breeze. She rides her horse as if riding the wind.
"drive!"
The horse circled the pasture a few times before stopping on the empty lawn. Mingying wiped her sweat and dismounted.
In the dead of winter, after riding two laps of horseback, I felt warm all over and didn't feel cold at all.
During her year in the Northwest, she adapted quickly, learned to ride a horse, and even learned some self-defense skills from her brother. Some time ago, she and her brother even joined forces to subdue a bully who was harassing the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled on the street.
She had just dismounted when Shen Mingshu came over after finishing his training. He noticed the weather was bad and it looked like it was going to snow.
“Aying, it’s going to snow. Someone is having a birthday celebration today, and they’re having mutton hot pot in the camp. Hurry up, or there won’t be any left.”
Mingying didn't like mutton hot pot before, but she started to like it after coming to the Northwest.
A group of people sat around a campfire, eating hot mutton and gazing at the stars in the sky. Even though the north wind was biting and felt warm in their hearts, it was still comforting.
Mingying shouted into the distance, her voice carried by the wind: "Ayao, let's go eat mutton hot pot!"
After settling in the Northwest for six months, she reconnected with her old friend Shen Yao from Suzhou.
At that time, Shen Yao had been swindled out of all her money by the man beside her, so she accepted his invitation to come to the Northwest to live.
They continued to open their spice shop in the Northwest as before, and whenever they had free time, they would come to the grasslands to ride horses, enjoying themselves immensely every day.
The Northwest is all her brother's territory, so she can live safely here. However, she can no longer use her old name. She still goes out in public as if she is surnamed Shen and is the owner of the popular spice shop, Hua Rong Xuan. No one suspects her.
After a hearty and satisfying mutton hot pot meal, it really did start snowing.
When she was sleeping at night, her right calf was aching slightly, so she took some warm medicinal wine and rubbed it on it.
This is a wound I was bitten by a venomous snake a year ago when I escaped from the White Horse Temple. The old doctor said that improper treatment would cause sequelae, and my calf would cramp whenever it got cold.
She never wanted to recall that summer night.
Many old friends have also vanished without a trace, their whereabouts unknown.
Her feigned death was flawless; she had truly made plans to live her entire life in the Northwest.
The next morning, when the doors of Hua Rong Xuan were opened, a flood of customers arrived.
"Boss Shen, I've been waiting for your Jade Complexion Cream for three days now, you have to do my business first!"
"Me too, why hasn't it been open for the past three days? I've been waiting forever."
Jade Complexion Cream is the signature fragrance of Hua Rong Xuan. It was a fragrance powder that Ming Ying and Shen Yao developed over half a year. When applied to the body, it has a light and elegant fragrance of cold plum blossoms that does not fade after washing and lasts for a long time, making it a favorite among female customers.
"We have everything! We were short of spices a few days ago, so we went to the docks to restock." Mingying brought out the new stock, allowing customers to come in and choose for themselves.
One female customer said, "Mr. Shen is so thoughtful. He even does the restocking himself. I feel more at ease buying your perfume powder now."
Mingying was calculating the bill on the abacus, and said with a smile, "I can ask the shop assistant to pick up the sachets and the like that I use on my body, but the things I use on my face are the most important, and I dare not neglect them."
She spoke the truth, unlike other shop owners who were deceitful, saying one thing to one person and another to another.
In addition, the products are indeed of good quality, and they don't easily raise prices. They are also kind and good at business. As soon as they open their doors, their goods are sold out within three to five days.
Besides female customers, there are also many male customers every day who choose gifts for the women in their families.
A male customer who knew little about rouge and face powder asked her which type of rouge to choose for his wife.
Mingying remained calm and observed his age. The man was probably around thirty years old, and she guessed that his wife was not much younger than him. So she handed him a box of slightly brightly colored rouge: "Use this box. This one is excellent. I guarantee your wife will like it."
The man paid and left happily.
The Hua Rong Xuan shop was full of customers, men, women, and children. Some were picking out face powder, others were trying out rouge. The shop had few staff, so Shen Yao led the staff to attend to the customers while Ming Ying settled the bill at the front desk.
While waiting to pay the bill, her gaze passed over two figures in front of her and saw a man in black acting suspiciously, untying a purse from the waist of another man in white.
The man in white was completely unaware. Mingying found the tall, slender figure strangely familiar, and her brows furrowed as a long-suppressed emotion stirred within her.
She walked towards the man in white, and just as the black-clad thief was about to succeed, she quickly grabbed his wrist and twisted it to the left using the technique her brother had taught her: "How dare you steal from my shop!"
This technique allows you to use the lightest force to severely restrain your opponent.
The petty thief, his muscles twisted, grimaced and cried out, "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding..."
"Yuanfu, quickly take this man to the authorities. In broad daylight, this petty thief is truly outrageous." Mingying had hired a thug to watch the shop to prevent trouble. She handed the thief to the thug and took back the purse from his hand.
Yuanfu took the person out.
The man in white, unaware that his purse had been stolen, was walking towards the door, about to leave.
"Wait." Mingying held the dark green purse and looked at his figure again. Her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes welled up with tears.
The man in white turned around, his refined and elegant face, his deep-set eyes, like a flawless piece of white jade, deeply etched into Mingying's eyes.
Her fingers tightened, gripping the purse in her hand so tightly it deformed, as all the memories surged in her mind, crashing and pounding like waves.
"Ziming, I've been looking for you for so long." Her throat was hoarse, and she was oblivious to everyone around her. She wanted to go up and hug him, but she was held back by guilt and something else. She could only stand there, her legs feeling like lead.
That year, although she could not return to Jiangnan, she and her brother asked all sorts of people in Jiangnan to inquire about Lin Xian's whereabouts, but to no avail.
Unexpectedly, they were able to reunite in the Northwest.
That year, they traveled a long and arduous journey, planning their life in the Northwest. Now, have they finally realized their dreams?
"Miss...recognize me?" Lin Xian was clearly surprised that she knew his courtesy name.
But when he saw her face clearly, he felt a pool of dormant water in his heart, crashing against the walls around him, but he couldn't break through them, he couldn't get out.
But then I suddenly realized that she seemed familiar.
He came to the Northwest from Hangzhou, seemingly looking for someone. It was this belief that drove him to travel tirelessly from south to north.
He couldn't remember who he was looking for, but he just felt that she must be here.
Mingying's eyes reddened, a lump of hot air caught in her throat, and she opened her mouth in astonishment: "You..."
Does he not remember her?
Lin Xian took out a roll of yellowed kraft paper from his sleeve. The four corners were torn, but he carefully unfolded it.
He always had this painting with him, and he told himself that the girl in the painting was the one he was looking for, and that she was very important to him.
He didn't see any women in Jiangnan who resembled the women in the paintings even by seven or eight points. It was as if guided by fate that he came to the Northwest, as if a voice deep within his heart was calling to him.
When Mingying saw the painting clearly, she felt as if she had been transported to another world.
It was a snowy night. In that little house, he painted this picture of her, saying that if he painted her, he would never forget her and could see her all the time.
Her gaze swept over him, her voice trembling and hoarse: "What's wrong with you?"
Lin Xian showed her the painting: "It seems that I am an old acquaintance of yours. I am looking for the girl in this painting. You look just like her."
—
The palace was brightly lit.
Inside the main hall, a tall, aloof figure was reflected in the sunlight.
As the year drew to a close and Lunar New Year's Eve approached, Pei Xiaoyun felt increasingly unwell, dreaming of her every night.
Now, even when he dreams of her, she won't speak to him, not even a few words of resentment or a reproach.
She simply stood at a distance, coldly watching him, and as he walked towards her, her figure vanished into thin air.
Sometimes, he still felt that she wasn't dead, that she was right beside him, hiding somewhere in the palace.
"Ah Ying, Ah Ying..."
He walked from the palace gate to the end, searching for her everywhere, calling out her name earnestly, as if he could really find her.
"Who is His Majesty calling?" The palace maid on night watch felt a chill run down her spine and trembled with fear.
They had more or less guessed that the Aying the Emperor spoke of was the woman who was lying in the imperial mausoleum without proper status.
"Didn't I tell you to guard her? Where did she go?" Pei Xiaoyun looked at them coldly and blurted out that she would punish these derelict servants.
The palace maids knelt down in unison and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, there is no one in the hall!"
Pei Xiaoyun's mind went blank. He closed his eyes and shook his head. The flickering candlelight in the hall was clearly visible.
There is no one.
How come he saw her just now? She was sitting by the window, turned to the side, arguing with him.
As the scent of ambergris from the incense burner wafted over him, dispelling his lingering thoughts, he realized that this was the imperial palace, not his residence.
She left, it's been a year.
The snowy night silenced everything. He opened the window, letting the cold wind fill his arms, and the white snow shone brightly in the darkness.
Rewind six years, it was also a snowy night. He was working in his room, and outside the window, heavy snow weighed down the pine branches. He opened the window to let in the cold wind, and the little red lanterns lit up on the trees came into view. She had hung them up herself to welcome New Year's Eve.
He saw her squatting under the tree, making several snowmen and arranging them neatly on the stone table.
He looked at her flushed profile as she leaned lazily against the window frame and called out, "Aren't you cold? Come on in."
She suddenly looked up and gave him a big smile. When she came in, she had picked a few sprigs of green plum blossoms, bringing in a whiff of their cool fragrance.
At the time, it seemed like nothing special.
"It's so cold, be careful not to catch a cold." He looked at the darkness and seemed to see the scene from years ago, and called out to it from afar.
The palace servants outside the hall dared not reply, for they knew His Majesty's habits well; he must be thinking of his deceased loved ones again.
Pei Xiaoyun waited anxiously, hoping someone would come in, but no one came towards him until the wind and snow extinguished the candlelight.
The hope in his eyes was also crushed by the frost and snow.
The main hall was so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, and it seemed to stretch on forever.
That year, someone carried a knife at all times, and every now and then, they would carve a deep mark on his heart.
Each stroke, dripping with blood, forms a single character.
He recognized the word, but it felt strange and absurd. Was this what regret was?
He couldn't read it, so he could only reach out and erase it, but the word was etched deeper and deeper. He hadn't cared about it before, but now he had to bear the pain that came from ignoring it.
He hadn't slept all night, and something came to mind.
With New Year's Eve approaching, all government offices were on holiday for ten days. He sent someone to the Imperial Hospital to summon He Lianqing.
He trusted him and gave him the official position of Director of the Imperial Medical Academy. Now, he is the youngest imperial physician in the Imperial Medical Academy.
He Lianqing wasn't originally at the Imperial Hospital; he was invited back from a clinic outside the palace. When he came in, he encountered Xingwei and was taken aback.
I hadn't seen her for half the year; I only heard that Pei Xiaoyun had sent her on a mission to Jiangnan, and that she would probably only return at the end of the year.
The two looked at each other for a while, neither of them spoke, and then they passed each other.
When He Lianqing entered, she found that the hall was filled with paintings, all of which were Mingying painted by artists commissioned by Pei Xiaoyun.
His eyelids twitched. That year, whenever Mingying was mentioned, Pei Xiaoyun would act crazy and cause a lot of trouble.
For example, they might hire a psychic to communicate with her, or believe in a Taoist priest's talismans, claiming they can see her spirit.
Fortunately, he was only confused about matters of personal love.
During his year in office, he revised the laws and reinstated the imperial examination system, accomplishing many practical things that benefited the country and its people.
Those charlatans who wanted to get promoted and make money through unorthodox methods, he never allowed them to disrupt the government. He would often reward them with gold and silver and let them go after they used their schemes.
"Sit down, I've been looking for you everywhere."
Pei Xiaoyun was writing something on the table. Hearing his footsteps, she raised her eyelids and calmly discussed with him: "A few days ago, a sorcerer offered me a technique to bring the dead back to life. I want to save her, you must know that. The sorcerer said that he would use the blood of her beloved as a medicinal ingredient to help her rebuild her body. I don't trust anyone else about this matter, so I would like to ask you to help me collect the blood."
He Lianqing felt dizzy and speechless for a moment.
Pei Xiaoyun thought he had some concerns, "You don't need to be afraid of hurting me. This is my will, and I forgive you."
"Taking the blood of her beloved?" He Lianqing suddenly retorted, sneering, "Her beloved is you?"
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Author's Note: I'm going crazy!
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