Chapter 108 New Year (End of Text) May this day come to you every year...
The only sound left in the house was the crackling of candlelight.
Wen Zheliu glanced at the tall candle that was burning all night long, and subconsciously wanted to pick up the scissors to remove the wick, but was held back by his legs that could not move at all.
He couldn't even do something as simple as trimming a candle wick.
He is truly a useless person.
As if to vent his anger, Wen Zheliu clenched his five fingers into a fist and hit his paralyzed leg hard. His eyelashes trembled slightly like the wings of a fluttering butterfly.
"Whatever you want is up to you."
"……Feel sorry."
He Jiuyue had a hunch that she was still not completely sober, otherwise how could she have angered Wen Zheliu again? Her tongue was tied and she couldn't explain herself clearly.
She was anxious and helpless. She scratched her head twice and took off the crown as if to cover it up.
"Zheliu, I didn't mean to make a fuss about your legs, nor did I mean to tease you. I just... wanted to tease you."
Wen Zheliu smiled faintly.
"This minister, with the heart of a petty man, has judged Your Majesty's mind."
His voice was steady, but the corners of his eyes were slightly red. He Jiuyue couldn't tell whether he was coaxed or not.
"Ahem," the two of them remained silent for a moment. He Jiuyue, trying to make conversation, glanced at the phoenix crown on his head and asked casually, "Is this phoenix crown heavy?"
Wen Zheliu pursed his lips.
"This phoenix crown was crafted personally by Your Majesty. I've touched it and it's covered with dozens and hundreds of pearls and gemstones. It's naturally heavy, but I know the truth: 'If you want to wear a crown, you must bear its weight.'"
"If it's important, just say it directly. Why bother showing off your knowledge to me?"
He Jiyue lightly unbuttoned the phoenix crown tied to his hair: "What I care about is not whether you can bear this weight, I just feel sorry for you and your neck hurts when you wear it."
Wen Zheliu was stunned, and a little pink appeared on his cold white face.
"...Your Majesty, you are always making fun of me."
He was just joking, but He Jiuyue took it seriously.
The joking tone disappeared from her voice, and it sounded more cautious.
"Zheliu, I just said that I wasn't joking or teasing you. I was serious when I said this."
Wen Zheliu then burst into laughter and burst into tears.
He didn't know why he was laughing.
But I couldn't stop the joy that welled up in my heart. I laughed so hard that my stomach ached, my chest felt numb, and my whole body was hunched over. It took a while for me to stop.
He Jiuyue rubbed his back and waited quietly for him to finish laughing.
She rested her fingertips on Wen Zheliu's chin, maintaining a relatively safe distance, and asked him softly, "Zheliu, can I perform the ritual of wife and husband to you?"
Wen Zheliu didn't say yes nor no.
He lowered his head slightly, and the corner of his mouth rubbed against He Jiuyue's fingers.
"I have never said that Your Majesty is not allowed to touch it."
The emperor and empress's wedding attire was cumbersome to put on and equally cumbersome to take off.
He Jiuyue was being helped to put on her clothes today, and she couldn't wait for a moment, wishing she could only wear the outermost robe. But at this moment, when the beauty was lying quietly on the pillow, waiting for him to pick her clothes, she was particularly patient.
Not only did she help Wen Zheliu take off his cumbersome clothes with her hands, she also found time to kiss the corner of his lips.
"Then I will respectfully obey your command."
Chen Jin was standing outside keeping watch. She didn't want to eavesdrop on the secrets of the emperor and empress, but she had extraordinary hearing, and every word that He Jiuyue and Wen Zheliu said came into her ears.
She listened with a pang of heartache.
Oh my God, men are so difficult to please, especially a top-notch one like Master Wen. Even His Majesty can hardly wrap his mind around him. With her unromantic and nagging nature, she'd better be a widow for the rest of her life.
The next day.
After listening to the ambiguous conversation all night, Chen Jin did not dare to go in. He just called out from outside: "Your Majesty, it's time for the morning court."
He Jiuyue's ears twitched inside.
Having been on the alert for years, and having replenished her energy repeatedly last night, she was full of energy and jumped up, pushing away the quilt covering her.
The person in her arms was startled and whimpered.
"He Wuhuan...is it time?"
They got married yesterday. He Jiuyue was entertaining the ministers outside, and Wen Zheliu was waiting in Kunning Palace. According to etiquette, today should be the day when He Jiuyue leads Wen Zheliu to receive the ministers' audience.
But when he saw the dark circles under Wen Zheliu's eyes, He Jiuyue couldn't bear to wake him up.
"It's time."
Wen Zheliu struggled immediately.
He was suffering from both qi and blood deficiency, and was prone to dizziness in the morning. Now that he moved, it was even worse.
He Jiuyue just wanted to say something to Wen Zheliu, but she didn't expect him to make such a loud noise after hearing this. She hurriedly reached out to hold him down and spoke the next words like a machine gun.
"But you've been busy all night, and I'm afraid you're very tired. Don't force yourself to get up. Rest a while. I can find another time for them to see you."
Wen Zheliu's eyes were always dark, but this did not prevent him from feeling dizzy when he woke up in the morning.
"But……"
He Jiyue had anticipated Wen Zheliu's agonizing over such trivial matters, so she took the initiative to kiss his soft lips, blocking his words. "Words are exhausting. You need to rest. Go to sleep."
Wen Zheliu was already drowsy, and after being coaxed by He Jiuyue, he began to waver in his intention to go with her to meet the court officials. He closed his eyes and tried to pretend to sleep for a while in front of Wen Zheliu. When he opened his eyes again in a daze, it was pitch black again, and he didn't know what day it was.
Only the cold wind that came from nowhere took away the little warmth left in his body.
It was a chilly autumn day, and I shuddered at the sound of willows being cut.
He reached out and felt around the pillow, but all he felt was a lonely and cold feeling.
"Jiyue?"
People who have just woken up have not yet completely escaped from the dream and are always dizzy. The sound of willow breaking makes it even worse. Not only are they dizzy, but they also have tinnitus. It is bad enough that they can't see, they can't even hear normal sounds.
Because he couldn't hear, he didn't know that his voice was as hoarse as the rubbing of gravel, which made people feel heartbroken when they heard it.
"Young Master, Young Master? Young Master!"
Xiaobai stood beside him and called out to him seven or eight times, but Wen Zheliu still looked confused.
Even the corners of his eyes turned red when he heard the willow.
"He Jiyue, where are you, ahem,?"
Wen Zheliu could neither see nor hear at the moment. It was useless for Xiaobai to dance and wave his hands in front of him with all his might. There was really no other way, so he had to put his hands on his shoulders and shake them gently.
"……who?"
Wen Zheliu subconsciously wanted to avoid it, but he felt dizzy and his limbs were weak, so he could only endure it.
Only when he saw the word "white" fall on his palm did he feel relieved.
But before he could relax for a moment, his heart was immediately tensed up again - Xiaobai would not easily have physical contact with him without his order, but Xiaobai had been guarding him all the time. He had just called out so many times, there was no reason why Xiaobai couldn't hear him.
The only explanation is that he can't hear.
This conjecture was like a bolt from the blue, instantly shattering the hope in Wen Zheliu's heart into pieces.
First I lost my sight, then my hearing.
Will the loss of all five senses await him next?
Xiaobai can't recognize many big characters, and since his own name has few strokes, he can only write it by copying others.
To write something else is extremely difficult.
He wanted to convey the message that He Jiuyue sent Chen Jin to Wen Zheliu, but he was so anxious that he scratched his ears and cheeks and couldn't write anything. He just scribbled on Wen Zheliu's palm in vain.
After taking dozens of deep breaths, Wen Zheliu managed to calm his thoughts.
"Xiaobai, what time is it?"
"It's three quarters past noon. Sir, don't worry. Let me think about how to write the word 'noon'. It's a stroke on the left, a dot on the right, a vertical stroke on the right, and a horizontal stroke on the left... Sir!"
Unexpectedly, Wen Zheliu was unable to move his legs and struggled to get off the bed. Xiaobai's brain froze as he was thinking about how to write. He grabbed Wen Zheliu's arm and helped him back to the bed, his heart trembling with fear.
"Sir, if anything happens to you, I can't afford to pay for it even if I sacrifice my life!"
Wen Zheliu felt a pain in his ears: "Don't shout so close to me, you're going to deafen me."
Xiaobai was overjoyed: "You can hear again?"
“…I guess so.”
I could hear someone talking, but it wasn't very clear.
Wen Zheliu pinched his swollen and painful solar plexus, swallowed his saliva, and moistened his throat, which had been dry from not drinking water for a long time. "Ahem, where is His Majesty?"
Xiaobai's voice timidly echoed beside his ears: "Your Majesty has gone to court and has already finished his court. He just sent someone to say that he would be attending to matters in the Yangxin Palace and would not return to Kunning Palace until the evening. He instructed his subordinates to serve you well."
Wen Zheliu lost his three souls and seven spirits, and nodded blankly.
To stay until night, so long...
"I understand." After a long while, he only managed to squeeze out this sentence.
Xiaobai's ability to read people's expressions had improved significantly compared to last year, but he was still a novice in front of Wen Zheliu. He couldn't relate to Wen Zheliu's emotions. He scratched his head and said, "The sun is shining brightly now. It's time to eat something. His Majesty has instructed that you can't go hungry. Do you want food?"
"Not spreading it."
Wen Zheliu had exhausted too much energy last night, and it was difficult for him to digest the medicinal food he ate. Now his stomach felt empty and his mouth was slightly sour.
Based on his previous understanding of himself, he knew that he was about to faint from hunger and needed to eat something.
But without He Jiuyue, he couldn't eat anything.
"No appetite."
Xiaobai kept mumbling: "I still have to eat something..."
Wen Zheliu lifted the quilt over his head and took his words, which were not to be debated, to the extreme: "You leave."
Xiaobai didn't dare to persuade him anymore and retreated in embarrassment.
He was the only one left in the room again. Wen Zheliu no longer needed to pretend to be strong. His tense body relaxed instantly, just like a seemingly solid wall of iron and steel that had been corroded by the incessant rain for a long time. It looked like a beautiful exterior but rotten inside, and was useless.
He put his hands into the quilt, tossed and turned, pulled the hem of the quilt over his cold knees, and muttered to himself.
"Jiyue, I'm so cold..."
"Wa wah wah——" As if understanding Wen Zheliu's loneliness, He Yue, who always loved the hustle and bustle, came to his aid and started crying loudly as soon as he opened his mouth, exploding like thunder in the side hall.
"Princess, what happened?"
Wen Zheliu didn't care about his frail body, fear of the cold, and his unable legs to move, and gritted his teeth and called out to the outside.
Xiaobai answered quickly: "The princess is hungry again!"
Wen Zheliu stretched out his hand, which had just been warmed up by the quilt, and the heat that had been condensed with great difficulty was blown away by the wind.
But he was worried that only He Yue was still starving.
"Why don't you bring him in?"
"……yes!"
Compared with other babies, He Yue is sensible and considerate. At least, she has never been sick since she was born. Whenever she cries, it is either because she is hungry, thirsty, or frightened.
As soon as she started drinking milk, she became much calmer.
Wen Zheliu was exhausted both physically and mentally. At first, she tried to hold on, holding He Yue with both hands so that she could get close to the place where she could suck milk best. But He Yue had grown up after all, and was no longer the little girl who hadn't even grown any teeth three or four months ago.
Her hands and feet became stronger, and her bite force increased a lot. It would be fine if she didn't drink milk, but once she drank milk, it was amazing, and she would hold on to the mountain without letting go.
"Well!"
Wen Zheliu was very sensitive to other people's touch, and this strange feeling became even stronger when he felt uncomfortable.
At least he wasn't this sick when I was breastfeeding him before.
At this moment, the pain in his body was like a tsunami, and there was no one by his side. He finally understood what it meant to have misfortunes never come singly, and to cry out to the sky and the earth for help but no one answered.
"Wuwuwu..." He Yue was the first to complain, and she started crying when she couldn't get milk.
Wen Zheliu reasoned with her in a hoarse voice: "Dad is a little tired. You should eat half full first, take a nap, and then get up for the next meal, okay?"
Xiaobai was waiting nearby, feeling extremely anxious.
The princess is still young, how can she understand what people say?
But to everyone's surprise, He Yue really understood.
She was originally waving her short limbs to defend her right to drink milk, but Wen Zheliu gently coaxed her, and her humming gradually subsided. The big thing became small, and the small thing disappeared, and she fell asleep on Wen Zheliu's soft chest.
After being disturbed by his daughter, Wen Zheliu's energy, which he had accumulated with great difficulty, was completely gone, and he closed his eyes and fainted.
"……His Majesty?"
Wen Zheliu woke up again, and there was no longer the outline of his daughter in his arms, only He Jiuyue's hot body temperature that could not be ignored.
Before He Jiuyue finished saying "It's me", He Yue's loud crying voice was heard outside.
He Wen and the other two were silent for a moment, and He Jiuyue said softly.
"Let her in."
Wen Zheliu nuzzled into her arms and said, "I'm still feeling bad, but you're just doting on her."
"I didn't mean to favor him."
He Jiuyue thought Wen Zheliu really wanted to compete with her daughter for favor, so she explained it to him seriously.
"The main thing is that He Yue is feeling unwell, and you will feel uneasy too. It would be better to calm her down first, so that you can focus on recuperating."
Wen Zheliu burst out laughing: "...That's true."
He Yue is almost four months old. Her eyebrows and eyes are relaxed, and she has some so-called baby fat on her face, which makes her even more adorable.
Wen Zheliu couldn't see, but when he heard her babbling, his heart softened. It was a pity that he had a low fever and felt a little drowsy, and he was exhausted after just feeding her.
He fell into He Jiuyue's arms, and following He Jiuyue's guidance, he poked He Yue's cheek with his hot fingertips from time to time.
"Is she almost done feeding?" After Wen Zheliu teased his daughter for a while, He Jiuyue touched her forehead with Wen Zheliu's. "Your forehead is still burning. If you feel uncomfortable, feed her less. She eats fast and should be full by now. Besides, she's plump, so skipping a meal won't be a big deal."
He Yue had no idea that her mother was planning to withhold her food, and that she was still counting money after being sold, so she giggled at her.
He Jiuyue was silent for a while.
He Yue's silly look is very similar to herself who was deceived by Xiao Wen Zheliu with that harmless face.
...It is true that a tiger mother will have a dog daughter, like mother, like daughter.
Hearing about the willow being broken, he nodded slightly.
"Chen Jin," He Jiuyue ordered, and Chen Jin immediately came into the house from outside and listened quietly to her orders, "Carry the princess out and ask Wu Yang to come in."
Wu Yang and Wen Zheliu were friends regardless of age difference.
But the last time they met, Wen Zheliu was still a plaything of the princess's mansion, but this time, he is the queen who rules the country.
Things are different now.
After learning about Wen Zheliu's life experience and the unjust deaths of his adoptive mother and biological parents, Wu Yang's heart was filled with pity. He took Wen Zheliu's pulse, which was weaker than before.
"The Queen has a low-grade fever and is suffering from a serious eye disease. If I rashly use medicine, I'm afraid it will damage her already weak Qi and blood. I think a medicinal bath could be an option... However, while medicinal baths are more effective for external injuries, they're not good for the Queen's legs..."
"Hmm." He Jiyue replied calmly, suppressing her words "there's no way to save the situation". "The medicinal bath is a good idea. It will be very beneficial for the Queen's old illness. But she is weak and has a fever. She can't handle strong medicine. You can prescribe some warming medicine to help her get used to it first."
Wu Yang was the best at judging the situation. He heard from He Jiyue that she didn't want to talk about Wen Zheliu's leg any more. He knelt down politely and said no more. The imperial beads around his neck jingled and said, "I obey your order."
When Wen Zheliu felt hot, he became unconscious and woke up repeatedly.
When He Jiuyue was talking to Wu Yang, he happened to be dozing off. He was picked up by He Jiuyue while in a daze. He couldn't open his eyelids, and when he did, it was pitch black.
Not knowing what to do, Wen Zheliu rubbed his cheek against He Jiuyue's shoulder anxiously.
"Where are you going to take me?"
"I'll take you to a medicinal bath."
Noticing Wen Zheliu's legs, which had begun to atrophy and droop limply, He Jiuyue shook him up and said, "You've been drinking that bitter medicine since you were a child, so you must be tired of it. Why not try a different method? Maybe it will work wonders."
Wen Zheliu tightened his grip around her neck.
"I can't see, how can I make a bath?"
"Don't be afraid."
It was clearly just two short words, but when they came out of He Jiuyue's mouth, they had an inexplicable magic that made people feel at ease. She spoke them slowly and leisurely, like a spring breeze melting the ice.
"Let's just soak for half an hour. If you feel uncomfortable, you can stop at any time... That little white guy is nice, but I don't feel comfortable just having him watch you. After thinking it over, I decided to put aside my official duties and come accompany you."
Wen Zheliu pursed his lips into a straight line, said nothing, and no one knew what he was thinking.
It was not until He Jiuyue stuffed his legs into the medicinal bath tub and then pulled his whole body out, with the water covering his waist, that he suddenly began to struggle.
"hot."
He Jiuyue hurriedly pulled his upper body out of the water.
It’s no wonder that she put Wen Zheliu’s legs in there just now. He didn’t say a word, and his legs... were completely numb.
But this water temperature is just right for her.
Maybe Wenzheliu is too delicate and tender.
Wait quietly for a moment, He Jiuyue.
He could feel his upper body being wrapped in hot water, and his arms being firmly held by a pair of large hands to prevent him from slipping in the bathtub. Wen Zheliu let out a long sigh.
"He Wuhuan..."
Although the spring light suddenly appeared, He Jiuyue tried hard to restrain her instincts and protected him obediently.
"I'm always here, you can call me anytime."
Wen Zheliu hummed softly and closed his eyes to enjoy it.
The temperature of the water in the bathtub gradually dropped as time went by. Wen Zheliu's body, which had just been warmed up, trembled violently when the autumn wind came in through the window.
"A-choo!"
He sniffed hard and opened his eyes, but it was not the darkness he was almost accustomed to, but a bright and clear sky.
I blinked harder and realized that the shiny spot was actually mist condensed on my eyelashes. When the temperature dropped, the mist turned into water and fell into the bathtub.
But why can he see the mist?
Isn’t he blind...?
Wen Zheliu turned around suddenly and grabbed He Jiuyue's hand with incredible precision.
He Jiuyue also saw the film in his eyes disappear.
"You...can see?"
Wen Zheliu nodded vigorously.
"He Wuhuan, I can finally see you again."
Before the two of them had time to snuggle up to each other and be sweet and loving, Wen Zheliu sneezed again, making a loud sneezes that shook the earth. He Jiuyue hurriedly pulled him out of the bathtub and wrapped him in a bath towel, wrapping him tightly like a Dragon Boat Festival rice dumpling.
"Come out first. The water inside is freezing."
Unfortunately, the efficacy of this medicinal bath is limited.
Wen Zheliu's eye disease was cured by accident, but the fever in his body recurred several times, and he had to take bitter medicine for more than ten days before he got better.
As soon as Wen Zheliu recovered from his illness, he couldn't sit still at all.
He was unwilling to stay in the deserted Kunning Palace during the day, only keeping company with the often drowsy He Yue, so he ran silently to the western warm room of the Yangxin Palace. When the court officials finished chatting with He Jiuyue, he came out from behind the screen and ground ink for her.
He Jiuyue frowned at first.
"Grinding ink is a job for servants. How can you do such rough work?"
It can be heard that Zheliu insisted on doing so.
He rubbed his fingers until they were sore, his white fingers were covered with ink, and even the gaps between his nails were blackened by the ink, but he still refused to give up.
Whenever He Jiyue knocked on his side and tried to scare him with words like "Your hands are dirty, so I don't like you anymore", Wen Zheliu would panic for a moment, then stand there in a daze, looking at her with a pair of red eyes filled with tears.
"Your Majesty's heart is as deep as the ocean, and a minister cannot possess it all to himself."
It would be fine if I just cried, but sometimes I get so emotional that I feel uncomfortable.
Once, Wen Zheliu was so angry that his lips turned purple and he almost fainted. He took three life-saving pills before he could breathe again. He scared He Jiuyue half to death.
Someone submitted a memorial requesting to fill the harem with concubines. He Jiyue was about to reject it when Wen Zheliu saw it.
But he just kept talking about other things.
"Your Majesty, are you planning to expand your harem?"
He Jiuyue shook her head.
"No, I promised you that we would be together for life. You are the only one in this harem."
Wen Zheliu was silent for a while, then his eyes moved to his legs, which were lying limply on the sedan chair and almost rotted into mud, and he smiled to himself.
"But how can someone with a crippled leg become the queen?"
"There's no emperor who would take only one scoop from the vast expanse of water." He Jiuyue didn't take it seriously. "We both have our own unique ways of doing things."
Wen Zheliu liked to change the subject whenever he felt embarrassed. His hands were covered in ink and he couldn't stir his sleeves, so he turned his head and said.
"Your Majesty is accustomed to making fun of your subjects."
"I'm not kidding."
He Jiyue put the red brush back on the pen holder, folded his hands, rested his chin on the tiger's mouth, and the smile on his lips faded: "Wen Zheliu, I am coaxing you."
She comes from a military background and is intimidating without even getting angry.
When he laughed, the servants didn't notice anything.
But as soon as her face lost expression, the people serving beside her couldn't help but think wildly about themselves, wondering why she had lost expression, and were afraid that they had done something wrong and offended her.
Little did people know that sometimes He Jiuyue was just too lazy to smile.
Wen Zheliu had been with her for more than ten years before he figured out whether He Jiuyue was expressionless when she was really angry with him in her heart, or if she was just letting her face blank and didn't want to show any expression.
"Why are you trying to trick me?" He chuckled.
He Jiyue told him everything: "Of course it's to make you happy. Otherwise, you'll be pissed off again."
Wen Zheliu covered his lips with the back of his relatively clean hand. "Indeed, your humble servant is already the husband of a daughter and the head of the harem. I shouldn't be so willful as to control whether Your Majesty takes in other brothers or sisters."
He Jiuyue took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped the ink from between his fingers.
"If you keep talking nonsense, I will punish you."
Wen Zheliu's dark eyes rolled, filling with a smile. "Your Majesty always says this, but until now, there has been no punishment. This is the worst example of a person with a sharp tongue but a soft heart."
He Jiuyue talked about something else.
"Are you all right?"
Wen Zheliu was stunned: "That's about it. What are your instructions, Your Majesty?"
He Jiuyue's eyes darkened.
"The New Year is almost here. We can't let He Feng stay in the prison and eat all the food for so many days. It's time to send her on her way... I promised you that I would let you put an end to her with your own hands."
When he heard about the willow being broken, his expression became solemn.
He Jiyue said "Oh" and changed the subject: "But before that, I want to take you to see someone first."
In the prison, rats are rampant.
He Jiuyue pushed the sedan chair for Wen Zheliu, and dodged left and right to avoid the unscrupulous rat.
She was not afraid of mice, but she was afraid that they would knock over Wen Zheliu's wheelchair or make him feel uncomfortable.
The jailer led the way, and He Wen and the other person came to the innermost room, which happened to be the cell where the people from the prime minister's residence were imprisoned. She unlocked the lock with the key at her waist and respectfully retreated outside to await orders.
The person imprisoned inside was the late emperor, Emperor Jingming He Feng.
Time has not been kind to her, leaving her head covered with white hair.
He Jiuyue took three or two steps forward, raised his leg and kicked her hard in the chest.
The once high and mighty emperor's head hit the dark and damp cold wall of the prison with a "bang".
Blood oozed from He Feng's forehead, but she couldn't muster up the strength to scream. She just stared wide-eyed at Wen Zheliu behind He Jiuyue, and Wen Liuqing, who shouldn't have been there.
"Aren't you dead?"
Wen Liuqing, who was beaten and in the recovery period, took a breath and opened his mouth to answer, but He Jiuyue raised his hand to stop him.
"I'm anxious to send you off, so I'll cut to the chase. Back then, you were so anxious to destroy the Prime Minister's Mansion that you arrested their entire family, young and old, and threw them into the Sky Prison without explanation. You also executed them immediately, hoping to silence them and protect yourself.
"It's a pity that my master is far-sighted. Although he has long disregarded worldly affairs, he still couldn't bear to see his disciples suffer, so he secretly brought my senior brother Wen Liuqing out... That's all."
He Feng cursed loudly, "Dongfang Lan, it's her again! Back then, when I imprisoned Wen Zheliu in Changle Palace, she was the one who was not afraid of death and insisted on visiting Changle Palace. It turns out that she has been ruining my plans all along!"
"Does what you do deserve the word 'good'?"
A faint sneer flickered across He Jiuyue's lips. "It's better to do it now than today. Didn't you say before that it was up to me to kill or chop you up? Well, it just so happens that today I'll send you to hell."
She raised her hand and asked Chen Jin to hand over the blunt knife she had prepared before coming to the Heavenly Prison.
"Cut the willows, and go."
A blunt knife is not good for cutting things, and Wen Zheliu's hands are not strong enough. The combination of the two is very tiring.
He Feng originally thought that it would be a quick and easy death, but after three quarters of an hour, he was still breathing.
"He Jiyue!" He Feng banged his head on the ground, "Please spare me! Please! Please spare me! Give me a quick death!"
"That won't do."
He Jiuyue snorted a cold laugh, "Back then, when you sent Chen Sanxi to give my mother that intestinal and stomach-wrecking poison, and when you had the Xiangfu family arrested and thrown into the prison, why didn't you think of sparing them? You'll just have to endure this slowly."
This torture lasted for two hours.
Wen Zheliu's face was pale, his hands were covered in blood, and he collapsed in the sedan chair, breathing deeply and shallowly.
Wen Liuqing subconsciously wanted to help him, but he was still one step too late. He stood there in a daze, looking at the perfect couple and laughing at himself.
Zheliu became the founding father of the country because of the care of Your Majesty.
It's not his turn to care.
Seeing that Wen Zheliu looked unhappy, He Jiuyue stuffed two heart-protecting pills into his mouth before instructing Chen Jin to clean up the scene.
"Deal with it cleanly and throw it into a mass grave."
"Yes!" Chen Jin was used to cleaning up after things. When he was ordering people to move the body out, he ran into a familiar face.
"Your Majesty," Chen Jin turned back and knelt down to report to He Jiyue, who was gently wiping the sweat off Wen Zheliu's forehead, "The Minister of Justice Guan requests an audience."
After not seeing each other for three months, Guan Ze has lost a lot of weight.
She kowtowed deeply and then knelt for a long time without getting up.
"Back then, I followed the late emperor's order and had the entire Prime Minister's family imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison. This was not my own fault. Wen Liuqing's escape from the Heavenly Prison was also due to my contribution. Your Majesty, please consider our past friendship and forgive me for the crime of killing the Empress's mother and father!"
He Jiuyue choked for a moment.
To be fair, she knew that Guan Ze, like her, had been kept in the dark for a long time in this matter and was innocent.
But for Wen Zheliu...
In the end, it was his biological father and adoptive mother who were killed.
She, He Jiuyue, had no right to express forgiveness for him.
"Zheliu, what do you think?"
Wen Zheliu was wearing a black fox fur coat, and his face looked even paler under the dim firelight in the sky prison.
He clenched his fist against his jaw, coughed lightly, and shook his head slowly.
"Nothing, it's all over."
He Jiuyue winked at the anxious Guan Ze.
"The Queen has forgiven you, why don't you thank her?"
Guan Ze kowtowed repeatedly: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your generosity in not holding a grudge against me! I beg you to be safe and sound, and may you be blessed with good health!"
Wen Zheliu's fingertips on the armrest of the sedan chair moved and tugged at He Jiuyue's bright yellow dragon robe.
"Let's go back to the palace. I'm tired."
He Jiyue pushed him up into the carriage steadily: "I'll listen to you."
In the blink of an eye, it was midwinter.
In Kunning Palace, snow is flying outside the window of the coffin.
Wen Zheliu sat in a sedan chair inside the house, looking at the cloudy sky and snow outside, his eyes bright and his breath white.
"What does Your Majesty plan to do for this year's New Year's Eve banquet?"
Ever since Wen Zheliu married into the palace and enjoyed the glory brought by the title of queen, she also did not forget to manage the accounts for the harem. He did not hear He Jiuyue's reply for a long time. He pointed his finger at the account and turned to ask He Jiuyue who was sitting next to him, but saw that she was staring at him with burning eyes.
"Your Majesty, you were still awake. I thought you were asleep." Wen Zheliu turned the pen in his hand and waved it in front of He Jiuyue with the end away from the tip. "Why don't you answer?"
Whenever he talked about official business, he would call He Jiuyue "Your Majesty".
After a few times, He Jiuyue got used to it.
It’s just that Wen Zheliu’s appearance is too dazzling. When she talks about the account books that she is good at, she picks up the pen and talks about it, which makes people unable to take their eyes off her.
He Jiuyue finally understood why she always blushed when she handled state affairs at the desk in the Yangxin Palace and heard people breaking willow branches and grinding ink.
People who handle matters seriously are the most attractive.
"My original intention was to do it as before."
He Jiuyue raised her head slightly, motioning Wen Zheliu to continue what she had just said, "But the Queen seems to have a different opinion. Why not share it with us?"
"In previous years, we would hold a family banquet and invite the prince to the palace for a gathering, but our dynasty has no prince, so I'm afraid it will be difficult to organize..."
Wen Zheliu continued, "Your Majesty, if you want to have some fun, you can gather all the officials above the first rank to the Imperial Garden. It would be a bit of a commotion on New Year's Eve. Since all the officials are here, you can handle more government affairs and avoid being overwhelmed after the New Year."
"Empress, Empress, the harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs. When the time comes, let them report on matters. What will you do if you overhear them?"
He Jiyue smiled and rubbed Wen Zheliu's head: "But this is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that I don't want them to see my queen. What if one of them is tempted by her beauty and wants me to take your husband away? Wouldn't that be a mess?"
Wen Zheliu coughed lightly: "Your Majesty has another plan."
"But it's okay."
Wen Zheliu's thin lips twitched, "Just now, your humble servant said that we should gather all the ministers together to create a lively atmosphere. If Your Majesty wants some peace and quiet, you can just summon the Grand Emperor and the Prince to the palace, along with your humble servant and the princess, and we can gather together as a group of five."
"I like this one."
He Jiuyue said calmly, "It's just a family dinner, why don't you let your adopted brother Wen Liuqing come too?"
"He just paid his respects to me, saying he was traveling with Master Dongfang Lan in the Western Hills and would not be returning to the capital for the New Year... Your Majesty, let's talk business. Why are you provoking me?"
He Jiyue kissed her once, but it was not enough, so she pecked her again: "The Queen is so virtuous, how can I reward you?"
"Thunder, lightning, rain, and dew are all..."
Wen Zheliu was suddenly silenced by He Jiuyue's kiss, and his words stopped abruptly. When He Jiuyue finally let go of his mouth, he was already panting heavily.
"Ten days from now, it will be the New Year's Eve banquet. Your servant has something to tell you about, so please have the servants take care of it..."
"Isn't there still ten days left? There's no rush."
The clouds turn and the rain changes.
The Empress was the only one who enjoyed the Emperor's favor and she did not leave Kunning Palace for ten consecutive days.
The banquet was held according to etiquette. He Jiuyue sat at the head, followed by Wen Zheliu, and below him sat He Jiuyue's father Zhong Zian, his younger brother He Liuyun, and Princess He Yue sitting opposite each other.
In the previous wedding, Wen Zheliu had been staying in the bridal chamber. This time, it was the first time for the ugly husband to officially meet his parents-in-law.
He was afraid of being rude, so he dressed up until almost the hour before taking his seat. He sat upright in a sedan chair, and when Xiaobai pushed him in from outside, the perfumed powder on his body drifted to the nose of He Yue, who was full of curiosity about the world.
"Ah, ah?"
He Yue pointed her fingertips in the air, talking and laughing, as if she was appreciating the intoxicating fragrance, as if she was questioning why his neck was red in several spots.
Wen Zheliu quickly turned up the collar of his fox fur coat.
...Ji Yue, you pecked too fiercely.
Zhong Zi'an and He Liuyun were both easy-going people, and had been instructed by He Jiuyue in advance, so they greeted Wen Zheliu politely and did not ask much about his immobile legs.
In addition, He Jiuyue helped to balance the atmosphere, making the banquet full of joy.
When the fireworks start to go off, it’s time to make a wish.
He Jiuyue picked up the pen reverently and finished writing in a flash. Wen Zheliu followed closely behind. They each held the piece of rice paper they had written on, looking at each other.
"Breaking the willows," He Jiuyue finally took the initiative, "What wish did you make?"
Wen Zheliu shook his head cautiously.
"It won't work if you tell me about it."
He Jiuyue had no choice but to give up: "...Okay then."
Two pieces of rice paper were overlapped and sealed in a letter box. The handwriting was different, but the words were the same.
May you have this day every year.
The sky was filled with fireworks and the two smiled at each other.
This Spring Festival is not only the end of the year, but also the beginning of the year.
They have definitely had more than one such lively and festive festival.
Everything changes, but family friendship lasts forever.
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The author has something to say: The main story is finished. There is a special ending called "BE" that will be updated in the next few days. If you don't unlock it, it will not affect your full subscription. After that, there will be a bonus chapter. Welcome to point out the jokes~ [hug]
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