Chapter 180 Farewell
Since coming into this world, Li Xiaoxiao has rarely shed tears. She is optimistic and cheerful by nature and believes that she has found a way to solve all the problems she has encountered, except for Zheng Mian, with whom she has been completely stumped.
She felt deep sympathy for this tragic figure and wanted to save him, but for the first time, she felt powerless.
His appearance created an unsolvable dead end.
She still harbored resentment, resenting the injustice of fate, resenting Emperor Jian'an's neglect, and resenting that Zheng Shi had entrusted such a heavy burden to a child who was only a little over one year old. For the next thirty years, she lived under the shadow of revenge, which ultimately led to his young death.
She resented Prince Chun the most, because of his selfishness, he harmed so many people. He was the one who truly deserved to die!
If the Crown Prince doesn't sentence him to death because he's her uncle, she's prepared to personally chop him up!
When Jiang Liandao and Wen Tai saw Li Xiaoxiao come out with tears streaming down her face, they immediately sensed something was wrong. Wen Tai went to greet her, saying, "He..."
Li Xiaoxiao wiped away her tears: "He's gone."
Jiang Liandao couldn't help but sigh, and then couldn't help but ask, "Did he leave any last words?"
Li Xiaoxiao nodded: "He asked me to pass on a message to his child, forbidding his descendants from holding official positions for three generations..."
The two high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Justice looked surprised, but at the same time lowered their heads in dismay.
They clearly understood Zheng Mian's choice.
Li smiled and said, "My lords, please examine him and complete the formalities. Then hand over the body to me. I need to give him to his guard to take back."
Jiang Liandao nodded to Wen Tai, who bowed and went to complete the formalities.
The Crown Prince summoned Li Xiaoxiao and learned that his last words were that no one in his family could serve in the government for three generations. The Crown Prince murmured, "That's fine. When will this cycle of revenge end? I will keep my word. Send his body away."
Li Xiaoxiao nodded listlessly and went to the Ministry of Justice to retrieve his body. Perhaps due to the care of two high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Justice, Zheng Mian's appearance had been carefully tidied up, and he had even been dressed in a new set of clothes.
That's for the best; at least he can leave with some dignity.
After Li Xiaoxiao signed the relevant documents, the jailer placed Zheng Mian in the coffin, and Li Xiaoxiao personally drove Zheng Mian out of the city.
She hadn't gone far when she sensed someone following her, but she didn't say anything and instead walked towards the city gate.
Once outside the city, the streets became increasingly deserted. Finally, the man following behind couldn't hold back any longer and blocked her carriage, his eyes filled with sorrow: "General Li, is our master in this coffin?"
They've probably been keeping an eye on things in the Ministry of Justice prison these past few days. When they saw Li Xiaoxiao go in and then pull out a coffin today, they finally couldn't help but follow her and ask.
Li Xiaoxiao said sadly, "Yes, he asked me to take him back to the small estate and return him to you."
Even though they had already guessed that their master wouldn't be able to come out of the Ministry of Justice prison unscathed, when they learned that he had really died in prison, the guard's tears still streamed down his face: "My lord, did my lord suffer a lot in prison?"
Li smiled and said, "This isn't the place to talk. Let's go to the estate and talk."
Li Xiaoxiao's car drove ahead, with the guards following behind, weeping. When they arrived outside the small manor, all the people who had been waiting for news came out and stared blankly at the coffin behind Li Xiaoxiao, their eyes red.
Li Xiaoxiao got off the carriage: "Carry your elders inside."
The guards stepped forward and carried Zheng Mian's coffin down. The coffin lid was not nailed and was easily opened. Zheng Mian's peaceful and serene face appeared before everyone's eyes, with what seemed like a slight smile on his lips, as if he were just asleep.
"My lord!"
"grown ups!"
The guards knelt before the coffin, wailing and weeping, their tears falling like rain.
Li Xiaoxiao lowered her head and shed a few tears. After a long while, when the guards had calmed down a bit, they carefully closed the coffin lid and suddenly knelt down in unison before Li Xiaoxiao and kowtowed several times.
Li Xiaoxiao took a step back: "What are you doing?"
The head of the guards said with red eyes, "Thank you, General Li, for bringing our lord's body back and for cleaning him up so well. We all know that once our lord is in the Ministry of Justice's prison, it won't be easy for him to get out. You must have gone to a lot of trouble to bring him back in such a presentable manner..."
Li Xiaoxiao said sadly, "I couldn't do anything to help Lord Zheng. Actually, it was the idea of several officials in the Ministry of Justice to tidy up his appearance, change him into clean clothes and send him out. Your lord didn't suffer much after being imprisoned. He died of illness."
The guard leader choked up and said, "General Li, does our lord have any words to say?"
In truth, they dared not harbor too many illusions; it was already a blessing that their lord's body had been brought out intact.
Li smiled and said, "Yes."
She relayed Zheng Mian's last words to the guards, then took out his final words from her sleeve and handed them to the guards: "The Crown Prince has promised not to pursue the Zheng clan's responsibility. After you cremate his body, take his ashes and leave. The more low-key and silent the Zheng clan is now, the safer they will be. Prince Chun's case involves too many people. The longer you stay here, the more attention you will attract."
The guard leader carefully accepted Zheng Mian's will, tucked it into his arms, and bowed to Li Xiaoxiao: "Thank you for the reminder, General Li. We will set off for Shanxi immediately after cremating our lord's body and will not linger in the capital."
As the sun began to set, it was time to leave.
Li Xiaoxiao boarded the carriage and turned to look at the guards who had come to see her off: "Go back, go back and live a good life. Lord Zheng's greatest wish is for the living to let go of hatred and live well. Although your young master can no longer take the imperial examinations, life is not just about taking the imperial examinations. As long as you are alive, as long as you are still alive, there is always hope. Do not let Lord Zheng down."
The guards responded in unison and bid farewell to Li Xiaoxiao.
When Li Xiaoxiao returned home, it was already completely dark. Meng Guanqi had been waiting for her at the gate.
Seeing her weary figure appear at the alley entrance, Meng Guanqi rushed towards her and suddenly reached out to hug her tightly.
The two of them could feel each other's sadness without even saying a word.
Li Xiaoxiao buried her head in his shoulder, pressing her entire weight onto Meng Guanqi.
This was the first time Meng Guanqi had ever seen her so dejected, like a wilted cabbage after a frost, all her energy drained away.
She was always positive, optimistic, and cheerful, but because of Zheng Jingwen and Zheng Mian's affair, she seemed to have become depressed.
He whispered softly in her ear, "It will pass, it will all pass, you'll feel better after a good night's sleep."
She actually fell asleep in his arms, and in the end, he carried her home.
When Li Xiaoxiao opened her eyes, the sun was already high in the sky. Meng Guanqi had gone to the yamen. Li Xiaoxiao didn't want to move, so she called out, "Liuzhi~"
Liu Zhi quickly came in from outside the door: "Is the young mistress getting up?" Ever since Li Xiaoxiao and Meng Guanqi got married, Granny Qi has forbidden the servants in the house from calling Li Xiaoxiao by her name or addressing her as "sister" without proper respect. They must all be addressed as "young mistress" according to the rules.
Li smiled and said, "Where's Meng Guanqi? He went to the yamen, why didn't he call me?"
Liu Zhi said, "Young Master wants you to rest at home for a day, saying he will help you ask for leave."
It's wonderful that I don't have to go to the palace.
Li Xiaoxiao lay sprawled on the bed, unwilling to move, and suddenly felt disgusted with her days working in the palace.
It would be great if I could rest for ten days or half a month.
Prince Chun has been captured, and the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review are investigating his accomplices. However, due to sufficient evidence, sentencing is only a matter of time. Moreover, the Ministry of Rites and several other ministries have resumed preparations for the enthronement ceremony.
While the Crown Prince was busy in the court, the Crown Princess was not idle in the harem either. She investigated all the palace servants and removed all those associated with Prince Chun, Prince Xin, and even other princes, replacing them with new people with clean backgrounds. She also placed the original people from the Eastern Palace in various important departments. Finally, she cleaned up the harem and could sleep soundly.
Jinghe Palace was the late Empress's sleeping quarters, where both the Emperor and Empress passed away. Naturally, the Crown Princess would not choose this location for her sleeping quarters. She ordered the Imperial Household Department to renovate Zhaohua Palace, which is located east of Taiji Hall, and to use it as her sleeping quarters thereafter. All the concubines of the late Emperor were moved to the Beiyuan Halls to distinguish them from the new Emperor's concubines in the future.
The palace was bustling with construction projects, and Zheng Mian's death was a very minor matter, seemingly unnoticed by anyone except her and Meng Guanqi...
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess probably never imagined that she would become lazy and even skip work just because she saw Zheng Mian off.
She chuckled self-deprecatingly, rolled over in bed, and decided to take it easy. She was stealing a moment of peace. Now that the palace was full of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess's people, there was no need to keep such a close watch on Aze's safety. She should be fine skipping work occasionally, right?
Thinking this, she wanted to go back to sleep.
Just as I closed my eyes, a familiar voice called out from outside the courtyard: "Sister Xiaoxiao!"
Li Xiaoxiao sat up, utterly dejected: "Coming."
Aze, accompanied by several eunuchs and palace maids, stood pitifully looking at her at the gate of her courtyard.
Li Xiaoxiao pulled him by the hand and led him inside: "I was just taking a day off, why are you out again?"
Aze said angrily, "It's so noisy in the palace! I don't want to stay in the palace!"
Li Xiaoxiao suddenly realized, yes, a few days ago, in order to find the explosives planted by Prince Chun, the Imperial Guards turned up all the floor tiles in the palace and messed them up. In addition, the Crown Princess was rebuilding Zhaohua Hall, and the Ministry of Rites was leading a group of people from several departments to prepare for the enthronement ceremony. The whole palace was in a mess, with people everywhere and things piled up everywhere. Aze must have thought it was too noisy.
Already in a bad mood due to the noise, and with Li Xiaoxiao even taking the day off, Aze immediately insisted on coming to her house.
When the Crown Prince received the leave request that Meng Guanqi had submitted on behalf of Li Xiaoxiao, he was not very happy. Why should she ask for leave when the palace was so busy? Didn't she know that there was no one to look after the child? But when he heard that Aze was going to find her, he immediately laughed without any kindness. With a wave of his hand, he sent a few guards to his son and told him to take his personal attendants out of the palace to find Li Xiaoxiao.
Aze was happy just sitting next to Li Xiaoxiao, and he was also very considerate: "Sister Xiaoxiao, Mother said you're in a bad mood. Is it because Zheng Mian died?"
Seeing Aze looking at her with concern, Li Xiaoxiao suddenly remembered Zheng Jingwen's attempt to assassinate Aze. These days she had been so focused on Zheng Mian's affairs that she had neglected the fright Aze had suffered that day.
He was almost killed by Zheng Jingwen.
She stroked his head and said apologetically, "Aze, I'm sorry, I neglected you. Were you very scared that day?"
Aze shook his head: "I'm not afraid. I know my sister will save me."
Li Xiaoxiao said, "Don't worry, your father and mother have already cleaned up the harem and found out the bad people who harmed you. They will be punished soon, and you will be safe from now on."
Aze nodded: "That's what Father and Mother told me too. Sister Xiaoxiao, I know you've been a little unhappy these days. Is it because of Zheng Mian? I asked Father and Mother, but they wouldn't tell me. Can you tell me?"
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess did not tell Aze because it might involve mentioning the mistakes made by the late Emperor. As their son and daughter-in-law, they naturally could not speak ill of the late Emperor in front of their son, so they had to use other excuses to cover it up.
But Aze has experienced a lot of hardship in the past two years, making him more mature and intelligent than other children. If his father and mother don't tell him what he wants to know, he will find other ways to find out.
Li Xiaoxiao looked at him: "Do you really want to know?"
Aze nodded solemnly.
Li smiled and said, "I can tell you, but you have to promise me you won't tell anyone else. Can you do that?"
As usual, Aze held up his little finger: "Let's pinky swear."
The two of them solemnly made a pinky promise, and that was it.
Aze looked at Li Xiaoxiao with anticipation.
A melancholy settled over Li Xiaoxiao's brows again, and then, trying to remain detached from personal feelings, she carefully recounted the entire story.
After hearing this, Aze's face was covered in tears and snot.
So pitiful, so pitiful, how can there be such pitiful people in this world?
He was initially angry with Zheng Jingwen, but when he thought of how Zheng Jingwen carried Zheng Chuyang's body through the snow and sought help from every medical clinic in the capital, and how he resolutely castrated himself and entered the palace the following year just to avenge his master, he was filled with sympathy. He had spent nearly thirty years, and in the end, he was even used by Prince Chun, and died so tragically.
There was also Zheng Mian, who shouldered the heavy responsibility of avenging his father and uncle when he was just over one year old. He became the top scholar in the imperial examination at the age of sixteen and a high-ranking official of the second rank at the age of thirty-two. However, he would personally go to the capital to search for his loyal servant when he went missing, and eventually died of illness in prison.
Heaven has been too cruel to them.
With his large, tearful eyes, he said, "Why can't Father spare Zheng Mian's life? He's so pitiful."
Li Xiaoxiao sighed: "Because the law is strict, although Zheng Mian's background is pitiful and lamentable, he did something wrong. Your father has already shown extra leniency by pardoning his clansmen, which is already very good."
Li Xiaoxiao asked him, "If it were you, what would you do?"
Aze murmured, "I still want him to live. He's suffered too much... This whole thing was my grandfather's fault. He owes the Zheng family an explanation..."
He raised his head, his eyes gleaming with intelligence: "Is it because Father cannot pursue the mistakes of Imperial Grandfather, otherwise it would be unfilial and disrespectful to our ancestors, right? If Father can admit that Imperial Grandfather was wrong, the two sides can be balanced out, so can Lord Zheng be spared from death?"
Li Xiaoxiao's expression was complicated as she patted his head: "You're right, your father can't do that. Even if he wanted to, the ministers in the court wouldn't agree, so Zheng Mian can't escape the death penalty..."
Aze straightened up: "Sister Xiaoxiao, if I do something wrong in the future, I will definitely admit it. I'm not afraid of being criticized by others, but I'm afraid that some people will end up like Zheng Jingwen and Zheng Mian, carrying the burden of hatred for the rest of their lives..."
Li Xiaoxiao looked at Aze with surprise and relief. He was only nine years old, yet he could say such things!
She couldn't help but hug him tightly: "Good boy, remember what you said today. When you become emperor in the future, remember what you said today. Your ability to think this way is a blessing for the court and even more so for the people."
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