61 Kite Punishment
In September of the eighth year of the Qingji period, Yuan Xuanlang and others transported goods to the capital.
King Nanning's staff went to receive the goods.
"Thank you for your hard work, brother. It was really urgent to temporarily promote Brother Yuan. Please bear with me." The staff member politely clasped his fists to express his gratitude.
Yuan Xuanlang used to escort only for private individuals, but for some reason, he was hired by the King of Nanning to escort. Although the King of Nanning was down and out, he was still a prince after all, so he shouldn't have trouble finding a leader for his escort.
"No problem, no problem. It's my honor to be trusted by Your Majesty." He knew it was inappropriate to ask too many questions about official affairs, so he tried to smooth things over.
"Brother Yuan, you've been exhausted from the journey. You might as well rest for a while at the prince's residence."
He frowned, his face showing a look of embarrassment. "Thank you very much for your kindness, Brother Zhang. However, I haven't seen my father in Beijing for many years and miss him terribly. I'm afraid I have to decline Your Highness's kindness. Please forgive me."
"It's best to have as little involvement with the government as possible," he remembered what his father had said, his father who was the Minister of the Left.
"In that case, please take care of yourself, Brother Yuan."
"Take care!" He said goodbye warmly and went to see his father whom he had not seen for many years.
Feeling homesick, he stood outside Yuan's house, looking at the high wall. He used to often climb over the wall to go out for fun, but Uncle Liu always persuaded him to go home, and then he had to face his father's scolding.
The vermilion gate of Yuan Mansion looked like an elderly man, with peeling red paint.
The cries at the gate of Yuan's mansion that year traveled through time and space, echoing in his ears: "Dad, do you hate me? Why are you driving me away? I will be obedient and will never cause trouble for you again... Don't drive me away..."
There was a trace of pity in the old man's eyes, and he finally let out a sigh: "I, Yuan Shilang, have devoted half my life to the country without hiding anything. Only this time... you can follow Elder Yikong and stay away from the hustle and bustle..."
He never understood what his father meant, so except for his master taking him back to visit relatives in his spare time, he had not taken the initiative to go home for more than ten years. To put it bluntly, he was just complaining and stubborn.
But why do you want to go back this time?
The door opened and a yawning old man walked out. When he saw Yuan Xuanlang, he was stunned and his eyes widened.
The old man walked closer and looked at him carefully, his voice trembling but not daring to confirm: "Master? Is that you?"
"Uncle Liu." He smiled a long-lost smile.
"Master...you're back..." Uncle Liu stammered with tears in his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm back." The Uncle Liu in his memory was no longer there. He was obviously older, with gray hair and wrinkles all over his face. "Is Dad home?"
"Yes! Yes! The master misses you very much, young master."
Uncle Liu hurriedly took him inside to see the master...
Jifeng Tower.
Lin Yuan lay in front of the window, picking up the withered and fallen sycamore leaves, and watching the autumn rain falling continuously.
"Is he seriously injured? Did he have a smooth journey?" she murmured to herself.
Ah! Don't think about it.
This is already the best ending. There is no need to worry, no need for love and hate, and separation. Let us forget each other in the world and in another world.
But no matter how you mend the torn window paper, wind still seeps in through the gap.
However, love is fleeting, true love is hard to maintain. Moreover, how long can unrequited passion last? Moreover, I lied to him? Moreover, I...
"My dear lady! Look what I brought you? Jin Shengyin's latest storybook, and sugar-roasted chestnuts!" Under the paper umbrella, Yu Liushang came in a red dress, as bright as a blood butterfly in the dim sky and earth.
"Oh, thank you." Why not get something for free?
She always has a lot of conflicting thoughts, so she eats something to distract herself, otherwise she would be consumed by these emotions.
"Our wedding is next month. What do you think, my lady?" Yu Liushang seemed to be deliberately provoking her.
"Crack!" Lin Yuan paused cracking the chestnuts and quickly shook her head. "No, no, no, let's not waste each other's time. Besides, a forced marriage won't be sweet. Let's call off the marriage."
"I like melons that are not sweet, too." A smile appeared in his peach blossom eyes.
"I don't like it."
The autumn rain makes a clear sound as it hits the leaves of the sycamore tree...
"It's too stuffy here. I want to go out for a walk." Lin Yuan turned and looked out the window.
"It's raining, let's wait until it clears up."
"I can hold an umbrella."
"It's easy to catch a cold, so stay indoors for now." Yu Liushang wanted to touch her hair.
"I could wear more." She avoided his hand.
The more she was told not to go, the more she wanted to go.
"Okay, I'll accompany you." He knew she was stubborn, so he had to give in.
Lin Yuan sighed, put on his cloak, and opened his umbrella. "Okay, let's go."
They wandered among the buildings. The wind was cold and the leaves were falling. There was actually not much to see.
Suddenly a stone hit Lin Yuan on the head. She looked around and saw Zhu Wanling hiding behind a big rock and waving at her, looking like a thief sneaking around.
"Hmm?" Lin Yuan asked.
"What's wrong?" Yu Liushang turned around and asked, following her gaze to look at the big rock, but there was nothing special.
"Ah, I feel a little tired. I want to go back."
"Okay, I'll take you there."
Lin Yuan declined and returned to her bedroom alone.
Zhu Wanling jumped in from the window in a hurry.
"Left Protector, you don't want to go through the Gate of Light, but you insist on breaking through the broken window?" Lin Yuan teased her.
"Oh, forget it. One good news and one bad news. Which one should I hear first?"
"Good news," she paused and said slowly, "On such a cold and gloomy day, shouldn't we say something good to cheer us up?"
Zhu Wanling paused and said, "Let's talk about the bad news first."
Lin Yuan: ...
"Your love—wasn't your predecessor delivering birthday gifts for the King of Nanning?"
When she mentioned this, Lin Yuan felt something was wrong.
"But a few days before the birthday party, they opened the box and found it was full of broken and tattered items."
Lin Yuan grabbed her arm and asked, "How could that be? Did he rob the escort with other people besides us? How is he?"
"When the emperor learned of this, he was furious and ordered a kite execution on his birthday. He was also convicted and punished. Yuan's father pleaded for mercy but was denied and was instead demoted and exiled."
"What! Explain clearly, what is kite punishment?"
"It's like tying a person to a big kite, putting them high in the sky, and then letting them fall. Life or death is left to fate. Even we in the Demon Cult wouldn't do such a ridiculous thing!"
The world before Lin Yuan's eyes twisted into a kaleidoscope, spinning non-stop. The tearing feeling in her heart penetrated her brain, "I... I..."
Her mind was blank, and she was even wondering who she was.
"Young Master, why are you still hesitating? Don't you want to see him for the last time?" It is true that the eunuchs are anxious even though the emperor is not.
Lin Yuan suddenly ran out of the house.
"Eh? Master, bring an umbrella!"
The sound of horse hooves clunked and the autumn rain continued. Lin Yuan urged the coachman to rush to the capital as fast as possible.
"My dear, I forgot to give you..." Yu Liushang knocked on the door, but no one responded. He looked inside through the window, but still no one was there.
His heart skipped a beat, his face turned gloomy, and he went to find Lin Yuan angrily, but was stopped by Zhu Wanling before he had taken a few steps.
"Did you tell her?" Yu Liushang narrowed his eyes, murderous intent revealed.
"Yes..." Zhu Wanling's face flushed red as he pinched her neck. "I'm... doing this for your own good. Do you... want her to hate... you?"
Yu Liushang's eyes changed and he let go.
"Ahem...you can...hide it from him for a while, but can you hide it from him forever?" She said in a hoarse voice, "If she sees his corpse, she'll give up."
"Hmph, this is a warning. Don't meddle in other people's business next time!" He turned away.
At the Suzaku Gate in the capital, the emperor, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, stood in the Suzaku Pavilion, supported by a group of attendants, admiring the spectacular spectacle of the kite execution.
Lin Yuan was running in the muddy flowers, clutching the umbrella handle to squeeze out water. There were screams in the sky, like a duck flying into the sky and howling miserably.
In her haste, she stepped on her skirt and fell to the ground. Passersby looked hurried and nervous, glanced at Lin Yuan and walked away.
She felt she had no strength left and was about to fall asleep. She was stuck in a void, unaware of the passage of time.
Strange formations, childish laughter, the peach blossom sword stained red with blood, heart-wrenching cries...
Suddenly she was awakened by a faint scream. She struggled to stand up and looked at the empty sky blankly. Suddenly she remembered something and continued to run towards the Suzaku Gate.
Corpses were strewn across the open space inside Suzaku Gate, their flesh and blood mangled, their faces unrecognizable. The surrounding city walls were so high that the space was so cramped that it was hard to breathe.
She staggered a few steps, held onto the wall, and walked out of the Suzaku Gate like a zombie, letting the rain soak her.
Everything is meaningless.
If she had said "I like you" to him in front of him, liked him openly, and then left with relief, things wouldn't be like this now.
In a remote alley, she slid down the wall, wrapped her arms around her knees, buried her head in her arms, and after a long time, finally burst into tears, like a tide breaking through a dam.
She could no longer tell whether it was rain or tears in her mouth.
The cold wind and rain blew towards her, but she felt nothing.
Suddenly, the wind and rain subsided, and she felt the sky darken, just like her gloomy mood.
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