I didn't know Mulan was a girl
He said, "Since you like that painting, just tell me which one it is and I'll get it for you someday. Whether it's vegetarian food or some other kind of food, if you want it from any restaurant or shop in this city, I'll have someone cook it and bring it to you. It's the same food you get in the shop."
Zi Shuxingzhi suddenly felt a little sad and sighed, "Forget it, forget it. Now that I am in this state, I don't know if I will have the chance to return to Qing Kingdom in this lifetime. I am afraid that I will have to live in Qi Kingdom for the rest of my life until I die."
The tea on the stove was boiling, the lid tumbling. Zi Shuxingzhi lifted the teacup and filled the cup in front of him, then filled his own. "I'm afraid I'll be completely dependent on you from now on."
He looked at Zishu Xingzhi, picked up the porcelain cup in front of him, and said, "There's been a lot of unrest outside lately. You should settle down here first and don't move around. This place is remote and no one can find you."
Zishu Xingzhi took a sip of tea, his throat rolling. He felt a warm current flowing from his throat to his lungs and throughout his body. He glanced around and said, "I've noticed over the past few days living here that the layout of this courtyard looks very familiar. It seems... quite similar to the layout of the mansion you lived in when you were a child."
The porcelain cup rested lightly on his lips, his eyelashes trembling slightly in the steam. After a while, he slowly put the porcelain cup down, watching the green buds float in the cup for a moment, and finally fall to the bottom of the cup. He slowly said, "Don't worry, one day, I will take you home."
Lin County was peaceful, the moat slightly frozen, even the sunlight shone through with a chill. Silence fell within the Great Hall. Zhong Yujing watched the last minister disappear through the palace gates, several miles down the hallway. Then she heard Emperor Hong dismiss the attendants, including the guards and eunuchs. Eunuch He, accompanied by a group of young eunuchs, swiftly withdrew, closing the doors and windows of the Great Hall. The hall, previously bustling with people, was now utterly desolate, a scene as eerily sad as the inevitable decline of all things from prosperity.
Emperor Hong's voice came slowly from the dragon throne beside him, "Do you think I am too cold and heartless?"
Zhong Yujing stood on the steps, said nothing, and just listened silently.
Emperor Hong chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Back when Prince Ping's uncle plotted rebellion and usurped the throne, he pointed a cold sword at my spine. I hated him for being so cold-blooded. To seize the throne, he plotted day and night to take his own nephew's life. But now... to seize this throne, I'm even plotting against others. Is this karma, or is this throne cursed, turning anyone who covets it into a cruel and hateful person?"
Zhong Yujing didn't turn to look at him. He was silent for a long while before finally saying, "Your Majesty is above everyone else. You should have a comprehensive view of the overall situation and prioritize the overall situation in everything you do."
Neither said he was wrong, nor did he say he was right.
Emperor Hong sneered again, "Above ten thousand people? I remember as a child, I often followed my father to the summit of the mountain behind Yong'an Temple. Standing on the peak, looking down, the mountains lay at our feet, everything in sight, my heart was filled with pride and pride. But standing alone, I felt that even if I paid close attention, I couldn't avoid the wind, frost, swords and knives that came my way. It was terrifying, just like how I felt when I sat on this throne. I often thought that perhaps those above ten thousand people all have this fear, which is why they wish to eliminate all dangers within their sight and use their corpses to pave the way for their own position, so that they can sit higher, see further, and feel safer."
Zhong Yujing didn't look at him, but he stood up from his seat and asked, "Yujing, have you ever regretted taking over the position of heir to the Zhong family, becoming the prime minister of Qi State, and... this Tianguan?"
Zhong Yujing looked ahead. The door of the hall was solemnly closed, cutting off everything from the outside world. She was like a tree growing in the hall. Even though she knew that the sky was high and the sea was vast, and birds were flying and fish were leaping, she could never escape the confinement of fate. She was neither a bird, without wings, nor a fish, and could not swim. Her roots were here, and she would die if she was pulled out of the ground. This was something that was destined from birth, and no one could choose or change it, let alone regret it.
"This is my fate, my family's mission. It was determined from the moment I was born. I have no choice."
She heard the person beside her chuckle, and the voice suddenly became a little soft, "It's really the same as when I first met you. Once you decide on something, you will go forward without regret."
Zhong Yujing was puzzled and turned around. She was shocked when she saw the man in front of her. He had already taken off his dragon robe and the tiara, leaving him in a rose-colored dress. His long hair fell down his back, his eyebrows were as pale as autumn water, and his skin was as delicate as a breeze.
After traveling together for several years, he didn't know Mulan was a girl.
"You... Your Majesty, you are..." Zhong Yujing sighed, but the woman had already walked straight to her, took her hand, looked at her with her bright eyes, and said with a blink: "Yujing, do you still remember me?"
Zhong Yujing's thoughts slowly flowed back. The figure before her was indeed very familiar. While she was looking at the woman with suspicion, the woman said, "When I was ten years old, beside the stream in the mountain behind Yong'an Temple..."
"Are you Jinhong?"
The woman was overjoyed when she heard this and nodded vigorously, "It's me!"
Zhong Yujing suddenly realized, "You are Jinhong!" She slapped her forehead, feeling unbelievable, "For all this time, I never recognized you!"
That year, at the age of ten, Zhong Yujing accompanied her parents to Yong'an Temple to pay homage to the Buddha. They were accompanied by her uncle, then Prime Minister Renxiang. Qi State was a venerable Buddhist state, and Yong'an Temple was the state temple. Emperor Wu often visited Concubine Ying and her son under the guise of paying homage to the Buddha, and he also patronized Yong'an Temple, making it a popular temple.
The carriage of the Zhong Mansion stopped at the foot of the mountain. Zhong Yujing and her parents climbed to the middle of the mountain. The temple was embedded in it, floating between heaven and earth, worshipped by the world, but also detached from the world and untainted by the dust. This is the artistic conception it embodies.
The mountains are shrouded in clouds and mist all year round. Temples appear and disappear among the green pines and cypresses, with smoke curling up in the air, making it look like a fairyland.
Zhong Yujing accompanied her parents in praying devoutly in front of Baoxiang. Her uncle discussed matters with Emperor Wu in the back mountain. After the Buddhist ceremony, her parents told her that she should listen to the abbot finish his lecture, and her uncle would come back home with them. On that day, Emperor Wu was also in Yong'an Temple.
With nothing to do in her spare time, Zhong Yujing went to the back mountains to play. When Yong'an Temple was built, Emperor Taizu specifically consulted the Zhong family's ancestors to determine the location, which ultimately led to the selection of such a precious site. Zhong Yujing had followed her uncle in his studies since childhood, and observing the scene, she marveled at their ancestors' wisdom. This spot, they believed, would not only bring prosperity and longevity to the temple, but also foster imperial descendants. Furthermore, the temple's location directly faced the star Ziwei, indicating that the more prosperous the temple, the more likely it was that the country would prosper. It now appears that Emperor Wu's decision to send Concubine Ying and her son to Yong'an Temple for seclusion was actually a premonition of cultivating the young prince.
The mountains are full of towering ancient trees, clear springs flowing quietly, and the place is peaceful and quiet. As they walked, they saw a small stream sloping out from the mountain stream. Because there is a treasure temple stationed on this mountain, the place is quiet and leisurely, and there has never been any idle people around. But at this moment, Zhong Yujing heard the faint crying of a woman.
She walked in the direction of the sound and saw a touch of red water in the mountain stream, like a small rose planted in the valley.
Zhong Yujing walked behind her and patted her shoulder gently, "What's wrong with you? Why are you here alone?"
The girl shuddered, as if she hadn't expected someone to come. She turned around, startled, revealing a face about ten years old, thin and pale, with brows as thin as smoke. Seeing Zhong Yujing, she must have felt there was no danger, so she relaxed and the wariness in her eyes faded.
Zhong Yujing saw that she was about the same age as him, so he was not on guard. He waited for his uncle and parents to be free, so he sat down next to her. "Why are you sad? Have you been separated from your family?"
The girl looked at her, wiped the tears from her face, shook her head, and said, "My home is in the back mountain. I'm not lost. Why did you come here alone?"
Zhong Yujing smiled and said, "Today I came to Yong'an Temple with my parents to worship Buddha, and I ran out to play."
The girl looked her up and down and asked, "Is your last name Zhong?"
Zhong Yujing was puzzled, "How do you know?"
The girl smiled and said, "My family lives in the back mountain. My father and the abbot of Yong'an Temple are old friends. A few days ago, the abbot told me that a noble from the Zhong Mansion would be coming to the temple to make a donation. The abbot and the monks have been preparing for many days. Today, they have specially closed the temple for a day to keep it quiet."
Zhong Yujing nodded in understanding. After the girl finished speaking, she seemed to remember something and became dejected again. She looked at the stream at her feet with a gloomy expression and said nothing.
Zhong Yujing then asked tentatively, "If you have something on your mind, why not tell me? After all, we don't know each other, and after we're done, we'll both part ways. Perhaps we'll never see each other again, so no matter what you say, no one else will know, and it won't be spread. Now, if you pour out your mind, your worries will flow away like water from a mountain stream, rushing away, no one knows where they're going, and they'll finally be free of that blockage."
The girl looked at her, pondering for a moment. Suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes again. She lowered her head to gaze at the flowing water before her and said, "My family is a prominent and well-known family. Because my mother preferred quietude, my father built her a separate courtyard in the back mountains. I grew up here, away from the family disputes, and accustomed to a carefree and happy life. But recently, my father told me that he wanted to hand over the leadership of the family to me. Now I understand why he taught me both civil and martial arts since I was young and ordered several teachers to teach me. It turns out it was all for this reason."
Zhong Yujing asked her, "Are you unwilling to take over as the head of the family?"
The girl nodded. "My father said that the person in charge must be a man. I'm a woman, so from now on I must return to the family as a man and dress in men's clothing. But why should I do what men should do when I'm a woman? I've been free and unrestrained since I was a child, and I don't want to return to the family, face the complex social world, and control the family's lifeline. I originally thought that my father favored my mother and me by placing us here, but now I know that he was just training me as a tool. I was furious and felt that he had deceived me, so I ran away from home."
Zhong Yujing's heart suddenly stopped. The fate of the girl in front of her was so similar to her own.
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