Chapter 91 [91] One thought makes you a devil, one thought makes you a Buddha...
【91】/First release on Jinjiang Literature City
The moon was full in the sky. In front of Zhanlu Hall, there were two rattan lounge chairs next to a stone table filled with wine, cakes, melons and fruits.
Only one lounge chair was empty. On the other, Yun Ran, who had drunk a lot of osmanthus wine, was sitting in Sima Jing's arms. He stared at the moon and muttered foolishly, "Your Highness, do you think there really are fairy Chang'e and the Jade Rabbit on the moon?"
"have no idea."
Sima Jing looked down at the half-drunk young lady in his arms. Her pretty face was rosy and rosy, and because he was so close, he could even see the fine, soft hairs on her cheeks. She really looked like a full and ripe peach on a branch, so fragrant and sweet that one couldn't help but want to take a bite.
"Hey, don't look at me like that!"
Although Yun Ran was a little drunk, she could still see clearly from the man's eyes that he wanted to kiss her again!
But on the carriage leaving the palace, he had already pressed her against the wall and kissed her for a long time.
Her lips were swollen from kissing, and her top was torn into pieces by him. If she hadn't stopped him, he would have done that in the car.
Yun Ran refused to agree, and she vaguely felt that Sima Jing's mood was a little wrong.
She asked him, "What's wrong?"
He said, "It's okay."
She knew his sullen nature and asked him several more times.
He then said, "Maybe I saw blood tonight and lost control a little."
Yun Ran was caught off guard by this answer and didn't quite understand it.
While she was lost in thought, Sima Jing put on her shirt for her, then quietly held her in his arms, closed his eyes and whispered, "Take it easy, it will be fine in a while."
Although Yun Ran didn't understand, seeing that he didn't act recklessly again, he stopped asking questions.
When the two of them returned to the palace together, they ordered the servants to bring fruits, snacks, fine wine and moon cakes, and they celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival in this pavilion while tasting wine and appreciating the moon.
Yun Ran raised her hand to cover Sima Jing's lips, her flushed cheeks showing a serious expression: "Just enjoy the moon, don't think about those unnecessary things."
And after so many things happened tonight, how could he still be in such a good mood? Wouldn't he feel tired?
Sima Jing looked at her old-fashioned look and knew that she was probably frightened by the carriage, and he couldn't help laughing.
Obviously she talked about theories one after another, but the erotic picture albums she read privately were everywhere, by the window, by the pond, on the boat, in the car, on the swing...
If you really try it, it's like a mimosa, it shrinks when touched and you can't avoid it.
Although he didn't have any such habits outside, seeing her so shy, he couldn't help but tease her: "The princess is really overbearing. It's fine if you don't let me kiss you, but now you can't even think about it?"
As soon as Yun Ran heard his tone, she knew he was teasing her on purpose.
Don't respond, just glare at him.
Sima Jing stopped when he saw that things were going well and patted her shoulder: "Okay, no kiss, and I don't want to."
He followed her lead and brought the topic back to the Moon Fairy and the rabbit: "Are you envious of Chang'e, or do you want to eat rabbits?"
Yun Ran: “……?”
This is all what and what.
"That's a Jade Rabbit, a fairy rabbit! Are you a monster? How can you eat it?"
"...You asked about rabbits, I thought you were greedy."
Yun Ran couldn't understand the man's strange train of thought at all.
So I gave up discussing this with him and just continued to lean on his arms, instructing him: "Eat some more grapes."
Sima Jing took the crystal grapes beside her, peeled them for her and put them into her mouth.
Yun Ran contentedly ate four or five sweet and sour grapes, then suddenly remembered a question he had forgotten to ask: "Your Highness, how did you know the edict was fake? Do you recognize the late emperor's handwriting, or did you spot some other flaw?"
On the carriage back home, Yun Ran asked all the questions in her heart.
For example, how did Sima Jing know that Duke Su would take action tonight, and how did he control the soldiers and generals under Duke Su in such a short time, including how he found out the Rongdi spies lurking in the major bases, and when did he pass the news to the border generals to ask them to prepare in advance.
Sima Jing did not hide anything from her and answered her questions one by one.
It mainly consists of three steps. The first step was two months ago in Yuzhou, when he asked his second brother Yun Rui to secretly contact the commanders of various passes to give early warning.
"Collusion between internal and external forces is no small matter. Most of the border army generals are veterans and experienced. They are also cautious in foreign wars. They would rather believe it than not. They will increase their vigilance and be more cautious."
The second step was to have Geng Dong contact his colleagues and comrades in the major garrisons in Chang'an.
"In fact, this is all thanks to you. If it weren't for your kind thought that yielded good results and sent Geng Dong and other low-level military officers to my command, it would have been difficult to sort out those spies secretly lurking in the northern and southern government offices."
Being in a high position makes it difficult to detect subtle loopholes hidden at the grassroots level. On the contrary, those who live and eat together in the barracks and spend every day with others are more likely to notice something is wrong.
In addition, Geng Dong and his comrades all came from the battlefield of Yezhou. They hated the Rongdi people to the core and had dealt with them before. Once they learned that there were spies among them, they would definitely do their best to get rid of them as soon as possible.
As for the last step, it is also the most critical step——
The plum blossom inner guard in the hands of Queen Mother Zhao.
"When I entered the palace that day, I explained my plan to her, and she gave me the seal of the Plum Blossom Inner Guard."
He had heard of the Plum Blossom Inner Guards before, but only when he truly mastered the seal did he realize that it was an elite force that should not be underestimated.
This power is enough to make tonight's coup a success, and is also enough to send him to the supreme throne.
It was also at that moment when he held the seal that Sima Jing suddenly realized that perhaps what those people outside said was right, and the emperor and empress did favor their youngest son.
Otherwise, this power was enough to overthrow the throne, but the queen mother had always held it in her hands and gave it to him without hesitation.
Sima Ji should have thought of this as well.
So when he was leaving, his face was ashen and his mind was distracted.
"Your Highness? Your Highness?"
The clear and sweet voice in his arms pulled Sima Jing back from his wandering thoughts. He came to his senses and looked down to see his princess frowning and staring at him sullenly: "I'm talking to you, why are you distracted again?"
Sima Jing's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he said slowly, "I didn't look carefully, so I don't know whether the will is true or not."
Yun Ran exclaimed, "Then you were so confident and said it was fake. I thought you had seen through it."
Sima Jing twitched his thin lips slightly and looked down at her: "Why, do you hope that the edict is true?"
Yun Ran: "That's not the case. Didn't I say before that whether the will is true or false has nothing to do with me. I just treat it as a piece of waste silk."
"How can it have nothing to do with you? If the will is true, I can legitimately ascend the throne, and you..."
Sima Jing pinched her blushing face and said, "She is the queen who rules the country."
Having said this, he paused deliberately.
But Yun Ran pushed his hand away and said nonchalantly, "What's wrong with being the Queen? I may not have eaten pork, but I have seen pigs run. I may not have been the Queen, but I have seen my cousin become the Queen."
"Yes, being a queen is certainly honorable. She is a role model for all women in the world, second only to the emperor and above everyone else. Everyone must pay her respects and pay her respects when she goes out, and her virtues will be recorded in history books. But those honors and reputations are empty to me. I don't care about them, and I don't rely on them to make a living."
"When I think about becoming the queen, every word and action must be perfect, no mistakes allowed. I have to stay in the palace all the time. I can't go back to my parents' home whenever I want or go shopping whenever I want. And most importantly, I can't be jealous! Not only can I not be jealous, but I have to be willing to arrange beautiful women for my husband and expand his harem! If I don't do this, those ministers and scholars outside will write letters to scold me!"
"And my cousin has already given birth to a son, yet people outside are still urging her to have another. They say she can't have one, and they say she's overbearing and domineering... I know that having many children will help stabilize the country, but... alas."
Yun Ran couldn't say who was right or wrong. From the perspective of relatives, she felt that her cousin the queen was quite aggrieved, but from the perspective of the ministers, their ideas were not wrong.
The greater the honor you enjoy, the greater the responsibility you have to bear.
"Anyway, I don't care about those false names, nor do I care about the so-called honor. I am just an ordinary person. I just want to eat well, drink well, and have fun every day. My family is safe and harmonious. And my husband is devoted to me--"
At this point, she hooked one hand around Sima Jing's neck and winked: "Anyway, I don't care. If Your Highness dares to take another woman, we will break up and I will never be friends with you again."
Sima Jing raised the corners of his mouth when he heard her jealous words.
Seeing him smiling but saying nothing, Yun Ran frowned, "Your Highness, why are you silent? Do you really have that plan?"
"No such plans."
Sima Jing lowered his head, his dark eyes blazing at her: "I am a narrow-minded person. I can't even get enough of your appearance, so how can I think about others?"
"But you, with your broad mind, kindness and love..."
He leaned over, brushing his tall nose against hers, and bit the corner of her lip. "What if I grow old and lose my beauty, and a handsome guy comes along and takes you away?"
"I'm not the kind of person who switches sides. Ugh... stop licking me!"
Yun Ran turned her head away to avoid it, but her jaw was pinched. The man's lips and tongue carefully traced the shape of her lips. The moist and warm touch made her tailbone numb.
"Sweet, grape flavor."
After tasting her lips, Sima Jing still felt it was not enough. Looking at the bright moon in the sky, he narrowed his eyes, raised his hands and picked up the person in his arms.
Yun Ran exclaimed, and subconsciously hugged his neck: "What are you doing?"
"It's late, time to rest."
Sima Jing carried her in his arms and strode into the house: "On a night of beautiful flowers and a full moon, we should naturally do some beautiful things, so as not to let down our first Mid-Autumn Festival together as husband and wife."
The moon is quiet, and the shadows of flowers are swaying.
Previously, Yun Ran announced to others that she was pregnant, and no one in the mansion knew about Sima Jing's existence. At night, Sima Jing came to Yun Ran to spend the night, and the two of them were like having an affair.
In addition, Yun Ran refused to let him take medicine. It was not until she went to the Marquis' Mansion to visit her third sister-in-law that she learned from her third sister-in-law that sheep intestines and fish maws were used for contraception for both men and women. She took the trouble to get some, and then the couple had sex a few times in a more restrained manner.
But during those times, they didn't dare to make any sound, didn't dare to last too long, and couldn't take a shower immediately after finishing. Not only was Sima Jing not satisfied, Yun Ran also felt uncomfortable.
But tonight, there is no need to be sneaky anymore, and no need to worry about the affairs of the country.
Since then, I have no distractions and indulge myself.
From the bed to the window, a pot of osmanthus wine was fed to him, half of which went into his stomach and half went out of his body.
"Ranran smells like osmanthus."
The man raised his hand to hold her face, and asked her to turn her head and kiss him: "You try it too."
Yun Ran didn't have time to say no before his lips were blocked.
In a daze, she vaguely thought that if she was really a osmanthus tree, in such circumstances, the osmanthus flowers would fall to the ground in no time, and she would become a bald osmanthus tree with only leaves but no flowers.
…
…
After a long time, the bald osmanthus tree turned into a cooked noodle, soft and wet.
Until the moon outside the window gradually fades and the sky in the east turns pale, everything returns to silence, leaving only the scent of orchid and musk.
When Yun Ran woke up again, his head was dizzy, his eyelids were heavy, and his voice was hoarse when he spoke.
"Qing Ling..."
She tried to stand up by supporting herself on the bed, but her arms were so weak and sore that she lay back down with a groan.
I am so tired, as if I have plowed the land all day and planted rice seedlings all night. My arms, waist and legs are sore, and I feel exhausted all over.
Fortunately, Qingling was guarding outside the house. As soon as she heard the noise, she hurried in with a basin and warm water.
"Madam, you are finally awake."
Qingling also has experience. She made a fuss all night last night, so she will definitely have to lie down for a whole day today.
She lifted the persimmon-colored curtain with ease, first took a soft pillow for her young lady to cushion her, then poured a cup of throat-soothing warm water to her lips. After the two cups of warm water were finished, Qingling soaked the handkerchief and squeezed it dry, then sat down on the bed holding the ointment: "Madam, lie down, I will apply it from behind first."
Even though he had wiped it off twice when the fight got serious, Yun Ran still felt embarrassed.
She lay down obediently, her hot face buried in the pillow, trying to chat to cover up her embarrassment: "Where is His Highness?"
Qing Ling: "His Highness entered the palace half an hour ago."
"Enter the palace?"
Yun Ran turned around in surprise, but he turned around so quickly that he felt a pain in his waist and gasped.
"Don't be nervous, my lady. His Highness said before he left that he would be back soon."
Qing Ling comforted him, scooped some ointment with her fingers, and rubbed the extremely clear fingerprints and teeth marks on Yun Ran's waist.
Don’t even mention that my wife is embarrassed, she is embarrassed too.
The two times I applied the medicine at the beginning of the year, at least the teeth marks were on my waist, but this time, there were teeth marks and red marks on my legs too...
I dare not think about it.
I didn't expect that His Royal Highness Prince Jing, who looks noble and aloof, is actually so reckless in private. Look how he treats his wife like a piece of meat.
This time, applying the medicine took longer than the previous two times—
Later, Qingling felt sorry for his wife and couldn't help but mutter, "Although a short separation is better than a new marriage, Your Highness is too unrestrained."
When Yun Ran heard this, he felt like he had found a soulmate: "That's right!"
Qing Ling: "Then please stop His Highness and don't indulge him in everything."
Yun Ran: “…”
Is it that she doesn't want to stop it? It's that she can't stop it at all!
Thinking of those ridiculous scenes last night that made her blush and her heart beat faster, Yun Ran could only bite her lip and secretly swear: "I will never drink with him again next time."
…
Zichen Palace.
Green smoke curled up from the animal-shaped incense burner, and the luxurious and elegant ambergris was mixed with a faint bitter medicinal smell.
Sima Jing, dressed in a purple robe, sat upright in a mahogany armchair, watching coldly as Emperor Wenxuan drank the bowl of black medicine beside the couch and then picked up the fragrant tea to rinse his mouth.
When Emperor Wenxuan wiped the corner of his mouth with a silk handkerchief and raised his hand to order the palace servants to leave, Sima Jing completely lost his patience: "Your Majesty, please speak up if you have something to say. Why put on such a show for me?"
Emperor Wenxuan paused while wiping his lips, then raised his eyes to look at the young man sitting diagonally below him.
Seeing his upright posture and full demeanor, he was like a vibrant poplar or pine tree, without any trace of his former lifelessness.
Especially the bright and clear air between his brows, which clearly shows that the long winter is finally over and the dead trees are welcoming spring.
"I know you have a grudge against me, and I don't ask for your forgiveness, but the medicine I just gave you was definitely not a show for you."
Emperor Wenxuan looked at him and said, "Ajing, my brother won't live long."
After these words were spoken, the hall fell silent.
Sima Jing's face, which had been sullen ever since he entered the Zichen Palace, began to fluctuate slightly. He frowned and looked at the vermilion figure beside the couch.
After a while, he opened his thin lips slightly: "Why are you telling me this?"
Emperor Wenxuan said nothing, just looked back at him quietly.
Sima Jing made eye contact with him for a brief moment, then turned his head away and sneered, "Are you testing me, or are you pretending to be pitiful?"
"If it's the former, there's no need. I returned the seal of the Plum Blossom Inner Guard to my mother before I left the palace last night. If I had any intention of usurping the throne, I would have done it last night. There's no way you and I would be sitting here talking nonsense now."
"If it's the latter..."
Sima Jing glanced indifferently at Emperor Wenxuan's handsome face, which was slightly grayish-green in the sunlight: "That's even more unnecessary."
"I won't sympathize with you, and my sympathy is meaningless to you."
After he finished speaking, the hall fell silent again.
Sima Jing waited for a long time, but seeing that Emperor Wenxuan still said nothing, he lost his patience.
Instead of wasting time on him, he wanted to go back home to be with his lovely princess.
"Since Your Majesty has no other instructions, I will take my leave first—"
"A Jing."
Emperor Wenxuan finally spoke, but he took out a bright yellow imperial edict from the box behind him and placed it on the table.
Sima Jing frowned.
Emperor Wenxuan: "Open it and take a look."
Sima Jing: “…”
After a moment's silence, he stepped forward and picked up the imperial edict.
Apart from the moment of surprise when he first opened it, his brows furrowed even more as he quickly glanced at it.
Finally, he closed the abdication edict and casually tossed it back onto the table, just like he had thrown away the late emperor's edict yesterday. "Your Majesty, what do you mean by this? I've already told you. There's no need to test me again."
"The imperial seal has been sealed, do you think I'm still testing you?"
Emperor Wenxuan seemed to be so angry that he couldn't help coughing. His pale face turned red and he quickly picked up a handkerchief to cover his lips.
Sima Jing just kept a straight face and watched quietly.
Until he saw a small spot of blood on Emperor Wenxuan's handkerchief.
The bright red blood is eye-catching.
He pursed his thin lips tightly for a long moment before speaking in a deep voice, "You've been studying history since childhood, so you should know better than I do that no emperor who took elixirs since ancient times could achieve immortality."
"I take the elixir not for immortality."
Emperor Wenxuan looked up at his tall brother standing in the bright light and forced a wry smile. "You may not believe it, and neither do I, but... perhaps karma really does exist in this world."
Sima Jing's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't say anything.
Emperor Wenxuan threw the handkerchief down, his eyes sneering, "Ah Jing has been very intelligent since childhood, with a photographic memory. You should remember everything that happened that day and night clearly, and have never forgotten it, right?"
Although the year and night were not specified, the two brothers knew it.
It was the night when the Zhaode Rebellion broke out and they were fleeing on the boat.
That night, Queen Mother Zhao and the Duke of Protectorate were discussing matters at the bow of the ship, while the two brothers were sleeping in the cabin.
The younger brother suddenly wanted to urinate, so he woke up his older brother and asked him to accompany him.
When we reached the stern, my brother said, "Here it is, hurry up."
The river was very dark at night, but with his brother by his side, the younger brother was no longer afraid that a water ghost would pull his feet.
But just as he was pulling up his pants, a hand pushed him from behind.
He fell into the river unexpectedly and almost instinctively shouted, "Brother!"
"The moment you called me brother, I regretted it."
Recalling the past, Emperor Wenxuan's face seemed frozen and his voice became hoarse.
The scene that night was like a lingering water ghost, appearing in his dreams countless times over the years. The icy river water almost swallowed him.
One thought makes you a devil, one thought makes you a Buddha.
In a flash, he wanted to get rid of this younger brother who had robbed his father, the emperor, and his mother of all their love and attention since birth. But when his younger brother fell into the water and called him brother, he thought of his kindness.
My younger brother likes him, admires him and loves him so much.
When he was still a baby, he would smile at him.
As soon as he learned to speak, he called him brother.
When he was able to walk and jump, he would follow behind him like a little tail, asking his brother to play with him.
Unlike his father who is philandering and his mother who is partial to him, his younger brother is the only one in the palace whose heart and eyes are completely devoted to him.
This is his biological brother, his most well-behaved and sensible brother.
How could he harm him?
How can I lose him?
He regretted it and was afraid. He lay on the bow of the boat and stretched out his hand to his brother: "A Jing, A Jing, hold on to your brother!"
But my brother couldn't swim, and the bow of the boat was slippery. He just grabbed it with both hands and fell down while struggling.
“…This must be God’s punishment.”
Punish him for his cruelty and greed.
"I didn't expect that the Queen Mother would choose me."
He was both grateful and happy, feeling that his mother still loved him, although he later realized that his mother cared more about his status as the crown prince.
But to be able to make my mother care about me, even if it is not out of love... that is enough.
He thought that without Ajing, he and his mother would have to depend on each other. As long as he was filial, diligent, and sensible, and became a good prince and a good emperor, his mother would recognize and love him sooner or later.
But the queen mother still cared about her younger brother and urged him to work hard to govern the country and redeem Ajing as soon as possible.
Later, the younger brother finally returned to the court.
The Queen Mother only had her younger brother in her eyes. She told him countless times, "We owe Jing too much. We must compensate him."
In the first two years, he wanted to be that good brother and try his best to make up for it, even if his younger brother did not appreciate it.
Until he and the queen had no children, until he was diagnosed with mumps and was at risk of having no children.
"I panicked at the time. If this matter were exposed, the throne would undoubtedly be given to you or your heir."
“…”
Hearing this, Sima Jing was completely confused: "So you poisoned and killed three noble ladies who had arranged marriages with me."
Emperor Wenxuan glanced at him and said in a difficult tone: "Hmm."
Sima Jing was not surprised.
After two breaths of silence, he asked, "Is Yu'er your biological child?"
"yes."
Emperor Wenxuan chuckled to himself, "Maybe it's God's mercy. Peng Qiuzi's elixir worked. But the golden elixir is so potent that once you use it, you can't live without it."
"I started learning at the age of three and read history at the age of five, so I naturally know the fate of those who took elixirs in ancient and modern times. But once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. If I don't continue to take the elixir, I will be drowsy and weak, and I will not be able to deal with the complicated memorials at all. And Yu'er is still so young..."
In order to leave a good business for his son, he knew that taking the elixir would overdraw his life, but he had no choice.
"This is probably my karma."
Emperor Wenxuan smiled slightly and looked at his brother again, his face showing a rare sense of relief. "These words have weighed on my heart for too many years. Now that I've spoken them today, I feel much more at ease."
Sima Jing looked at him like this, and for some reason he remembered what Yun Ran said last night when she was lying in his arms -
"What's wrong with being a queen? I've never been one, but I've seen my cousin being one..."
"To me, those honors and good names are empty. I don't care about them, and I don't rely on them to make a living."
The dismissive tone made him chuckle.
Emperor Wenxuan was startled for a moment, and squinted at him: "A Jing, what are you laughing at?"
Are they laughing at his retribution? Or are they laughing at how he ended up with such a ridiculous end after doing so many bad things?
"It's none of your business."
Sima Jing suppressed his smile and said calmly, "Are you finished? If you are, I will leave."
Emperor Wenxuan: “…”
He sat up straight, his brows furrowed tightly. "I've just said so much, don't you have anything else to say?"
Sima Jing: "No."
Emperor Wenxuan: “…”
Seeing that the emperor's gaze was still fixed on him, Sima Jing showed impatience. He had never found the emperor so clingy before.
"The princess once said that the past cannot be retrieved, but the future can still be remembered. Cherishing the present is the right path."
Sima Jing squinted at Emperor Wenxuan and said calmly, "Over the years, neither you nor I have had an easy time. As for forgiveness, there's no need. There's no need to even mention brotherhood."
"That's it."
He raised his sleeves in a vassal salute and turned around.
"etc--"
Emperor Wenxuan coughed twice and called him, "Take this abdication edict."
Sima Jing paused for a moment, didn't turn around, just turned his head and said: "I said, I'm not interested in this position."
"Don't you have a son? Leave it to him."
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly thought of something and added solemnly, "The position of Protector General of the Western Regions is quite appealing to me. It depends on whether you are willing to give it to me."
Without waiting for Emperor Wenxuan to speak, he walked away.
The clear autumn light shone through the carved window grilles. Emperor Wenxuan lowered his eyes and stared at the abdication edict that was casually opened on the table. His haggard face was split into two halves by the sharp edges of light and shadow, making it difficult to see clearly.
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The author has something to say: My dears, I have been waiting for a long time! I will drop a small red envelope as compensation~ [hug]
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