Chapter 109 Lost and Found
Fortunately, it should all be over now.
Xiao Qing listened blankly to the Buddhist chants around her, then slowly felt the temperature of her body and the vitality of the blood flowing through her veins, feeling that everything was unreal.
If it weren't for this ordeal, she doesn't know when she would have truly come to regard this body as her own.
She suddenly felt relieved, and then noticed a layer of cold sweat on her forehead and back.
Since she couldn't move anyway, she turned her eyes to look at the limit of her vision.
She could only see half of Fu Mingyi's face; he seemed to be watching the blackbird fly away, but then looked away in an instant.
As the dark clouds gradually dispersed, it was as if the vengeful spirits gathered at the Martial Soul Tomb had truly let go of their attachments and entered the cycle of reincarnation, along with the Buddhist chants of the monks of Tianyin Temple.
They left behind only the spirit of martial artists, merging it into the tall and heavy tombstone, offering some comfort to their living relatives and friends who can pay their respects from afar.
Death is a farewell that will never be seen again. All the things they do, even if they are accompanied by solemn and magnificent ceremonies and generous rewards, are nothing more than comforting the hearts of the living.
After the Buddhist ceremony, Master Jueyan requested to return to Tianyin Temple first, and Fu Mingyi then looked at Xiao Qing.
Because the acupoint had not been unblocked, Xiao Qing sat there quietly, her thoughts already wandering off somewhere else.
Fu Mingyi walked up to Xiao Qing and bowed, taking the opportunity to carefully examine the emperor before him once again while inquiring about the matter.
Xiao Qing finally came to her senses and looked at him with gentle eyes, but because she couldn't move her neck, it was extremely difficult for her to see.
Fu Mingyi glanced at Ma Hong, who hesitated for a moment before releasing some of Xiao Qing's acupoints.
Xiao Qing said, "Master Jueyan has worked hard for several days. It wouldn't hurt for him to leave a moment earlier."
Jueyan breathed a sigh of relief and naturally expressed his gratitude.
Xiao Qing added, "Please give my regards to Abbot Jueyin. I will certainly come to see him as promised."
Jueyan glanced at her in surprise, remained silent for a while, then clutched the bell that had only rung once in his palm before leading the monks away in haste.
Fu Mingyi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Untie it," he whispered to Ma Hong.
Ma Hong's face turned deathly pale. After quickly relieving his acupoints, he knelt down with a thud, his body trembling.
He knew that after he did these things, the Grand Tutor would be fine, but he himself would probably not survive.
He hadn't originally intended to live. When the young emperor collapsed in front of him, he had already resolved that if anything happened to the young emperor, he would definitely go to the underworld to accompany him.
I never expected so many things to happen afterward, leading to the current situation.
Xiao Qing now completely believes Jueyin's words.
The person Jueyin was referring to as the dying man was Ma Hong. This worried her immensely.
But this is not the time to speak.
"Get up. We can discuss this back at the palace."
Xiao Qing touched her stiff neck. Now that she could move it, she didn't really want to look at Fu Mingyi anymore.
Fu Mingyi didn't mind, and said, "The old armor of the late General Wang is currently in the Prime Minister's residence. General Wang made great contributions, was upright and had a pure spirit. I request that General Wang's armor be enshrined in the Martial Spirit Temple so that future generations can admire it."
"Granted."
The official in charge of ceremonies saw Ma Hong waving his flag from afar, so he jogged over. Upon hearing the young emperor's decree, he returned to the steps and loudly proclaimed the name of King Xiang, as well as the young emperor's decree.
Wang Xiang was actually quite unhappy before – Xiao Qing's glance made him start to wonder if he had misjudged the person and invested in the wrong direction.
So when the master of ceremonies called out, he was a little confused.
But he heard it clearly, so he quickly picked up the old armor he was about to abandon and walked up the steps, saying thank you, while his mind raced through all his previous deductions.
What followed was the routine process: funeral procession, temple worship, offering sacrifices to heaven, and so on.
The ceremonies at the Martial Soul Tomb were all completed, and it was almost dusk. A Mid-Autumn Festival banquet awaited the officials in the palace.
Accompanied by Fu Mingyi, Xiao Qing raised a glass with the officials at the palace banquet, but only stayed for a short while before handing the reins over to him and returning to Chengde Palace with Ma Hong and Mingxiu.
It was already dark by then.
Everyone says the moon is roundest on the fifteenth of August. Xiao Qing looked up at the moon, and it really was big, bright, and round.
On this night of the full moon, Xiao Qing forcibly suppressed the regret and pain stirred in her heart by the full moon, telling herself to cherish this hard-won opportunity to live.
In Chengde Palace, Xiao Qing finally relaxed and sat down, and also let Mingxiu and Ma Hong sit down.
The two lived in fear all day, neither daring to sit down.
Xiao Qing sighed, "I know I acted a little strangely today. You are the people closest to me, and I am not afraid to tell you the truth. I was in great danger today. If it weren't for the help of Tianyin Temple and Li Qinghe, I would probably be dead by now."
Both of them were startled and looked at Xiao Qing. Mingxiu finally couldn't help but ask first, "Your Majesty, what's going on?"
Xiao Qing had several close calls today and was quite frightened. Right now, she really didn't want to recall those terrifying scenes.
So she waved her hand, "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, a good holiday, so let's not talk about those unlucky things. Please sit down, I have a few questions for you."
Seeing that Xiao Qing was still as usual, unlike when she had just gotten off the carriage, Mingxiu believed her words and relaxed to sit down.
Ma Hong was still somewhat shaken and hesitated to sit down, keeping his head down.
Xiao Qing gave Mingxiu a wink, and Mingxiu boldly pressed him down into his seat.
"His Majesty tells you to sit, so sit. Do you intend to disobey the imperial decree?"
Ma Hong was so frightened that he sat down on one side of his buttocks, his head almost burying itself in his stomach.
Xiao Qing sighed, "Alright, I believe that what you did was understandable, and I will not punish you. Raise your head."
Having no other choice, Ma Hong had to raise his head.
"I ask you, did the Grand Tutor ask you to choose whether or not to go to Prince Yan's place? Did the Grand Tutor approach you before?"
Ma Hong had just settled down when he knelt down again with a "plop".
"It's all the servant's fault, it has nothing to do with the Grand Tutor."
Xiao Qing rubbed his palms and pulled a note out of his sleeve.
At this point, she had to admire Fu Mingyi's brilliant foresight and uncanny ability to predict the future.
She personally handed the note to Ma Hong, then squatted down to look at him closely and said gently, "Take a look at this."
Ma Hong unfolded the slip of paper, which contained only four words: "Nothing is impossible to say."
He recognized it as the Grand Tutor's handwriting.
Ma Hong stared blankly at the note, then heard Xiao Qing say, "If I wanted your life, why would I go to such lengths? The Grand Tutor and I share the same opinion: we want you to live, preferably for a long time. As long as you are willing to stand by my side, I will never pursue the past and will treat you well."
Xiao Qing breathed a sigh of relief. "Even if you don't want to, I don't want you to be like this. I've already promised Mingxiu that she'll have the opportunity to leave the palace and practice medicine in the future. If you want to go out and be free, I'll make sure the Grand Tutor agrees..."
Before she could finish speaking, Ma Hong's shoulders trembled, and finally, seemingly unable to hold back any longer, he burst into tears.
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