Chapter 050 The Ambitious Regent 12
At this moment, Pei Mingjue really wanted to let Jian Ziyan go.
He knew that Jian Ziyan was poisoned, and if he left the mountains and seas of precious tonics to keep him alive, he would probably die soon.
But he also knew that for Jian Ziyan who had regained consciousness, this huge palace was a cage full of filth. Jian Ziyan would rather rely on Gu Shishan's hand to escape from here. It was he who seized his weakness and caught his already spread wings, forcing him back into this filthy cage.
Even when Pei Mingjue thought that he might never see Jian Ziyan again, he felt a cold wind blowing from his bones, chilling him to the bone. But if it could make Jian Ziyan happy again, he would not mind doing anything.
Even if it meant letting him go.
He was willing to dig out the only obsession he had for so many years from his heart, and he could also replenish the precious medicinal materials to Consultant Shan at any time. As long as he could take good care of his teacher and accompany him until he gradually smiled again, then all this would be worth it.
Pei Mingjue held back the pain in his heart, looked at Jian Ziyan with a sad smile, and expressed his determination with his eyes.
[At this juncture, 419 suddenly became very excited: "I know! Shouldn't you agree now, and then drag your sick body to leave with Consultant Shan, and pass away after filling up Consultant Shan's forgiveness points? When the news of your death spreads back to the palace, Pei Mingjue will definitely hand over the last forgiveness points obediently!"
Jian Ziyan: ...
419: "Oh, and there's Shangguan Lin. He should be easy to brush, right? He admires and likes you so much. When the news of your death comes back, he will definitely be full of points!"
Jian Ziyan: ...
419: "Have I made great progress? I have analyzed many, many melodramatic novels during this period, and it cost me a lot of my salary!"
Jian Ziyan: ...
419: "Tell me quickly, have I made great progress~"
Jian Ziyan couldn't stand it any longer: "I told you to shut up!"
419 suddenly fell silent.
Jian Ziyan: "Even if there is a system to help maintain the character, how can I immerse myself in the plot when you keep chattering like this? Little Jiuzi, slap your face!"
The excitement of 419 disappeared, and he let out a wronged sound.
Jian Ziyan gritted his teeth and said, "It's a big improvement, but you
Are you reading novels from years ago? This method is too old-fashioned. You can read mine. ”】
Seeing that Jian Ziyan was just looking at him with a gloomy gaze, without any expression, let alone any look of joy, Pei Mingjue could no longer maintain the already very forced smile on his face, which gradually turned into cautious fear.
"Old..." He remembered that Jian Ziyan was unwilling to let him call him teacher now. Pei Mingjue suppressed the bitterness in his throat and said, "Don't you want to?"
Although Jian Ziyan was looking at Pei Mingjue, there was no light in his eyes, let alone joy, there was not even a fluctuation, only depression and boredom.
"Your Majesty does not want me to stay in Yanfu Palace. Where do you want me to be transferred to?"
Pei Mingjue heard a very bad premonition from these words.
"There is no need to keep emphasizing the general to me. I know that the emperor has great power and can find me wherever I hide. I also know that the general is in the emperor's hands now, so I will obey him." Jian Ziyan's voice was hoarse but clear. "I swear that I will never run away again."
Pei Mingjue was struck by lightning. He listened to the words entering his ears, but could hardly make out their meaning.
For a moment, he thought Jian Ziyan was still in a dream and mistook him for his dead father.
But when he steadied his dizzy eyes and saw the clarity and fatigue on Jian Ziyan's face, he felt like a cat whose throat was suddenly pinched, his whole body burning.
It is shame, regret, and embarrassment.
He felt very clearly that these words were spoken by Jian Ziyan when he was sober, and were spoken to him, Pei Mingjue!
In Jian Ziyan's heart, what was said to him was no different from what was said to his father.
They were all the same people who tortured and oppressed him from above, there was no difference between them...
Pei Mingjue's blood surged, drops of blood dripped from his lips, and his eyes suddenly turned red.
"Teacher, I really didn't lie to you." He spoke each word with great emphasis, wishing he could reveal his heart to Jian Ziyan. "I really want to let you go. From now on, I will never bring you back to the palace again, and I will never bother you again."
Jian Ziyan simply raised the corners of his lips slightly, an expression that couldn't even be called a smile.
"Your Majesty, it's meaningless if you keep saying these childish things." He whispered, "Do you think I have anything worth probing? Even if Your Majesty opens the palace gates and lets me escape, I won't run away anymore. I don't dare, and I can't."
Pei Mingjue couldn't utter a word for a long time.
He had countless words he wanted to say and countless sorrows he wanted to cry out, but he only felt as if something hard was pressing down on his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe, let alone speak.
In his confused mind, there was only one thought that was extremely clear: the teacher no longer believed in him.
No matter what he said, Jian Ziyan refused to believe him anymore.
In Jian Ziyan's heart, he has completely become the same as his father. They are not trusted and even do not deserve to be hated. They try their best to catch this person in their hands, but they can only push this person further away.
Pei Mingjue was clearly still holding Jian Ziyan's body, but he felt as if he was thousands of miles away from him. No matter how powerful he was or how skilled in martial arts he was, he could never touch him again.
"Teacher, you don't believe me." Pei Mingjue squeezed out a hoarse voice from his throat, "I didn't mean to threaten you with the general, and I didn't mean to tease you, I swear."
Jian Ziyan, who had originally shown no expression, suddenly stopped breathing for a moment when he heard this. His eyes changed and became extremely disappointed.
The tone of his speech also changed. It was no longer the humble tone of a subject, but was filled with the pain of being disappointed in his superiors.
"The same method will lose its effectiveness if used more than twice in a row. Didn't I teach you that? I've already said that I won't run away again. You don't have to test me again. You can torture me or kill me as you wish. I just ask you not to ask me this question again."
Hearing this extremely familiar tone, Pei Mingjue suddenly opened his eyes wide. He stared blankly at Jian Ziyan, and despite the sadness in his heart, a hidden and despicable hope rose in his heart.
However, before this budding hope could break through the ground, Jian Ziyan quickly lowered his eyelids and returned to his forbearing and weary look.
"It was my fault that I was so presumptuous," he said, "but I take every word I say seriously. Your Majesty, please let me handle it."
After saying that, he simply closed his eyes, as if he didn't want to look at Pei Mingjue even more.
Pei Mingjue's newly ignited hope was once again ruthlessly extinguished, and this time, along with his entire heart, it was kicked into an even deeper and colder abyss.
He was silent for a while, and suddenly laid Jian Ziyan's body down gently and solemnly. Then he lifted the hem of his clothes, and the most noble man in the world knelt down in front of Jian Ziyan's bed.
"Teacher, the person I'm talking to you now is not the emperor of Dajing, but Qingjie." Pei Mingjue said softly, "It was Qingjie who misjudged me for 19 years. He was also stupid and misunderstood me for five years, and even committed a huge mistake. He has failed the heaven and earth, and failed my teacher. Qingjie apologizes to you here."
As he spoke, the young emperor knocked his head heavily, and his forehead hit the ground with a loud sound. It was obvious that the kowtow was not false, and it successfully attracted Jian Ziyan's attention.
Pei Mingjue did not raise his head, but said word by word with his head banging on the ground: "However, Qingjie also knows that this crime is extremely treasonous and unforgivable, so Qingjie dare not ask for forgiveness from the teacher, but only hopes to compensate the teacher. If the teacher wants to punish Qingjie, even if he has to pay with Qingjie's life, Qingjie is willing to do so. I only ask the teacher not to isolate himself and let the real criminal stay out of it."
Even though Jian Ziyan no longer believed in him, he opened his heart and told him every word from the bottom of his heart.
This was the sin he should bear.
He also had a dark thought in his mind. He desperately wanted Jian Ziyan to punish him, even if it meant killing him, which would be better than letting him bear the torture of conscience and reality.
Jian Ziyan didn't say anything, and Pei Mingjue didn't raise his body. He could feel Jian Ziyan's gaze on him, full of complexity.
"Pei Mingjue." He called out his name directly, his voice suddenly becoming weak, "Do you already know everything?"
Pei Mingjue swallowed his Adam's apple. He was now open-hearted and no longer willing to hide anything from Jian Ziyan. Moreover, with Jian Ziyan's intelligence, it was only a matter of time before he knew about this matter. Therefore, he stopped hiding it and said in a low voice, "Yes. I am stupid and found out too late, so I committed a heinous crime. Please punish me, teacher."
He was waiting for Jian Ziyan's thunderous rage.
However, Jian Ziyan was not angry, instead he laughed softly.
This cold laughter that sounded like something from hell frightened Pei Mingjue very much. He raised his head and looked at Jian Ziyan, and found that although he seemed to be smiling, there was only deep disappointment and fatigue in his eyes.
"It's too late, Qing Jie."
Pei Mingjue's whole body trembled and his pupils contracted slightly.
Jian Ziyan propped up his upper body with one hand and slowly stroked Pei Mingjue's cheek. His fingers were cold, and together with his cool, smooth long hair, they fell in front of Pei Mingjue's eyes. Pei Mingjue tried his best to hold back the desire that was roaring for him throughout his body, and felt the touch at this moment greedily and obsessively.
"The moment I decided to hide the truth from you, I thought you would hate me. When you escaped from the palace, I knew you would come back to seek revenge on me one day." Jian Ziyan's voice was very light, as if he had no strength left. "But I just thought you would kill me. Even if you were that man's child, I believed in my two years of teaching, and I would never teach my students to be shameless, disloyal and unjust. But I was wrong. After all, you are still his child. You have the same blood and the same essence. How could I dare to expect that just two years would transform you? You disguised yourself so well. If I had discovered that you were such a beast in human form, then I might not have chosen to sacrifice myself to save you."
With every word Jian Ziyan spoke, the fear on Pei Mingjue's face grew more intense.
At the end of his speech, Pei Mingjue was shaking like a sieve. Jian Ziyan's not-so-strong voice kept repeating in his mind. He kept shaking his head, tears streaming down his face unconsciously.
What he was most afraid of hearing was that his teacher regretted using himself to protect him. If he had known that his father would use this method to retaliate against him in the future, would he rather his father poisoned him to death?
"No...no..." Pei Mingjue shook his head desperately, trying desperately to hold Jian Ziyan's hand on his cheek. His eyes were full of pleading, and his voice was trembling and humble. "Teacher, I was wrong. It was my greed and delusion that tore my conscience apart. It was my ugly and selfish desire that ruined you. I was really wrong. Qing Jie really knows he was wrong..."
He sobbed inconsolably, his voice almost drowned out by the sound of tears. He only knew to repeat over and over again that he was wrong, trying to grasp the little bit of warmth from Jian Ziyan.
Jian Ziyan stared into his tearful eyes without being moved at all.
"It's not you who's wrong, it's me. I shouldn't have wanted to protect you unilaterally. Facts have proved that you really don't need my protection. I'm not a good teacher either. I made a unilateral decision for your own good, but neglected your education. Everything now is destined by fate."
“No…” Pei Mingjue had no other way to describe the despair in his heart except crying. He tried hard to grab Jian Ziyan’s hand, but it seemed that if he let go, his teacher would immediately stand up and walk away, making him unable to touch him again. “Teacher, don’t be disappointed in Qing Jie. You can beat me, scold me, or even kill me, but don’t be disappointed in me…”⑦
"Disappointed? Maybe. I'm disappointed in you, but even more disappointed in myself."
Regardless of how he begged, Jian Ziyan firmly pulled his hand out from his grasp little by little.
After all, Pei Mingjue was still worried about his health and didn't dare to really let go. He looked at Jian Ziyan while sobbing, his eyes full of fear and pity, which reminded Jian Ziyan of the first time he met him.
Pei Mingjue thought that their first meeting was behind the rockery, but in fact, their first meeting was in the Golden Palace where he was chosen as the top scholar.
At that time, Jian Ziyan was the focus of the whole audience, dressed in fine clothes and riding a horse, looking so glorious, but he still caught sight of the little prince who was hiding behind a stone pillar with a look of admiration in his eyes.
The little prince is still so young, living in the shadows, but his face is full of yearning for the light.
He made a secret decision in his heart at that moment that if possible, he must reach out and help this child so that he wouldn't have to be like himself when he was a child, only able to shout at the empty walls without getting an echo.
But he didn't expect that later he did pull the child out, but the child turned around and pushed him into the abyss.
Jian Ziyan looked at Pei Mingjue's tearful face, his eyes flickering, and finally froze into a gray and dead silence.
He raised his hand, and with a "slap", he hit Pei Mingjue in the face with all his strength.
Pei Mingjue was stunned. He stared blankly at Jian Ziyan's dead eyes, and an unprecedented fear spread in his heart.
"Teacher?"
"This slap is my return to you." Jian Ziyan's tone was as weak as a flickering candle, full of the powerlessness of an old candle. "From now on, I am no longer your teacher, and you are no longer my student. All the past grudges are gone. You don't have to worry about my life or death, and I have no right to interfere with your future. Pei Mingjue, from now on, there is only the distinction between the monarch and the subject between us, and there is no longer a master-disciple relationship."
After saying this, Jian Ziyan's body could no longer support him and he fell straight down.
Pei Mingjue's eyes were red with anger: "Teacher——!!"
…
The imperial physician walked hurriedly that night, and the lights in Yeonbok Palace were on all night.
When Consultant Shan got the news, he was so anxious that he climbed over the wall into the palace before dawn. When he arrived outside Yanfu Palace, he saw Pei Mingjue standing in front of the palace gate, staring blankly at the moon.
Consultant Shan calmed down and knelt down to apologize: "Your Majesty, I climbed over the palace wall in the middle of the night and entered the palace without permission. Please punish me..."
"Wenshan, do you like the moon very much too?"
After hearing this irrelevant question, Consultant Shan was silent for a moment and replied: "Throughout the ages, the moon has always been the most beautiful symbol in people's hearts."
"Yes, everyone knows that the moon is the most beautiful."
Consultant Shan Xin
He was so anxious that he ignored the emperor's inexplicable words and asked anxiously, "Your Majesty, what happened to the regent?"
Pei Mingjue turned around, and under the exceptionally bright moonlight tonight, Consultant Shan clearly saw his face wet with tears, his red and swollen lifeless eyes, and the overly obvious bruise on his forehead.
"How can a mortal catch the moon? Mortals can only look up at the moon. It is a great blessing to be illuminated by the moon's light for a moment, but most mortals just daydream." Pei Mingjue said slowly, "Anyone who wants to catch the moon has committed an unforgivable sin for eternity."
Consultant Shan's heart sank deeply.
He was keenly aware that the person he should worry about at this moment was not only Jian Ziyan, but perhaps also the little emperor who had gone crazy.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for my impoliteness." Consultant Shan said as he stood up carefully and approached Pei Mingjue, "But I think that Your Majesty may be tired and should take a rest."
Just when he was about to risk being charged with disrespect by knocking the emperor unconscious with a slap, he heard the emperor's shocking words.
"Wenshan, wait until the teacher wakes up, then you can take him away."
Consultant Shan was stunned on the spot, unable to believe what he heard.
Pei Mingjue didn't look at him, as if if he looked at him for one more second, he would be unable to resist tearing the man who stole his treasure into pieces.
"The teacher is so disappointed in me that he won't believe me anymore."
His voice was extremely dry, but his tone was very calm. When facing people other than Jian Ziyan, he no longer revealed his emotions.
"He was willing to leave with you at the beginning, he must have trusted and loved you. I will keep your position as general. I will send you all the precious medicinal herbs and treasures in the palace on a regular basis. You don't have to worry about money or land deeds. I will prepare everything for you. You... help him for the sake of the teacher saving your life."
Consultant Shan could no longer tell what his mood was. Something he longed for very much but knew was impossible had suddenly come true. Instead, he did not feel much joy in his heart.
They all knew that Jian Ziyan was about to die. Even if all the precious treasures were keeping him alive, they could not protect him from dying peacefully. This time, rather than taking care of him and accompanying him, it would be more like sending him off to his final resting place.
"Your Majesty... have you really made up your mind? Once I take the Regent out of the palace, Your Majesty and the Regent will probably never see each other again, whether in this life or in this life."
The night was colder than water. When Consultant Shan opened his mouth, hot air came out, blurring the little emperor's face.
Even though no new tears were falling on Pei Mingjue's face, Consultant Shan could feel that he was crying.
"That's great." Pei Mingjue said, "Whether alive or dead, the teacher will never want to see me again. I have been doing things that let him down all my life. This is the last thing I will do to fulfill his wish."
Consultant Shan stopped talking. He lowered his head and suppressed a sigh in his heart.
At this moment, any words are superfluous. From Jian Ziyan's perspective, he cannot forgive Pei Mingjue's actions. Even though his father had treated him with such a contemptuous and insulting attitude, he must have felt even more hopeless to be treated like this by the child he personally protected and taught.
But now seeing Pei Mingjue's appearance, he could no longer say anything accusing, whether to his ministers or friends.
When it was already dawn, the chief physician of the Imperial Hospital, Wang, came out, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Even though he saw that Consultant Shan was standing there at this time which was against etiquette, he did not dare to say a word and knelt down with a thud.
"Your Majesty, the poison has already penetrated the regent's internal organs, and he is determined to die. He resisted and vomited out the poison no matter how much I injected him with needles or how much I fed him medicine... I'm afraid it's too late to save him!"
"What?!" Before Pei Mingjue could say anything, Consultant Shan's eyes widened. "It was just one night. He was fine in the afternoon. How could he suddenly become helpless?"
Doctor Wang was so scared that he trembled: "The Regent has already made up his mind to die. Under such circumstances, we are powerless to do anything..."
Doctor Wang shouted this with his eyes closed. He thought that given how much the Emperor cared about the Regent, he would be in great danger.
However, Pei Mingjue didn't say a word, he just walked into the inner hall.
Consultant Shan followed immediately and watched him walk past the palace maids and imperial physicians who were kneeling on the ground, then he lifted the curtain and walked in.
Consultant Shan hesitated for a moment, but finally stopped. At this moment, he heard Pei Mingjue's voice: "Wenshan, come in."
Consultant Shan walked in immediately and saw Pei Mingjue kneeling on the ground beside the bed, holding Jian Ziyan's hand and looking at him.
"Teacher, open your eyes and look. Consultant Shan is here to take you away. As long as you wake up, you can leave the palace immediately and go anywhere you want."
Jian Ziyan closed his eyes, and the rise and fall of his chest was almost invisible.
Pei Mingjue's originally calm expression suddenly broke. He looked at Jian Ziyan with red eyes, and there was a heart-wrenching sharpness in his voice.
"Open your eyes and take a look. Qing Jie really didn't lie to you. Haven't you always wanted to leave with him? Haven't you always been begging for him? Now that he is here, no matter where you want to go with him or how far you want to go, Qing Jie can only bless you. Please open your eyes..."
“Your Majesty… Your Majesty!”
Relying on the few remaining moments of clarity he had over the mad little emperor, Consultant Shan grabbed his shoulders forcefully.
"Maybe we've all got one thing wrong."
"Perhaps the Regent King did not ask you not to kill me because I saved him from the palace, nor because of so-called love..."
"He wants to protect me simply because I can protect this Dajing kingdom for you. So if you use this reason to beg him, he probably won't be willing to wake up."
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