The final recovery
That night, in the small flower hall of Dingyuan Marquis's mansion, there was a family dinner. Xingzhi and Chen drank for more than half a day, feeling sober and relaxed.
Xingzhi put down the wine cup in his hand and asked, "You really don't need me to accompany you tomorrow?"
Chen Qing waved his hand, "You've been away from home for several days, and you're going to Qi Kingdom with me before you even have time to warm up your seat. I can't bear it." He then teased, "What's more, after being away for several days, those close friends of yours won't all be waiting for you to comfort them. It will probably take some time, so I won't keep you any longer."
Xingzhi remained calm and said, "You take this as a lie that is meant to deceive others?"
Chen Qing raised his eyebrows slightly, "But I think you are taking it too seriously. At your age, you haven't even had a single lover. Are you really putting all your energy into pursuing other girls?"
Xingzhi smiled and said, "I have only ever loved poetry and painting. When I am acting with them, I can also indulge in what I love. It is not difficult for me."
Chen Qing shook his head and sighed, "Never mind. You've always been fond of showing off your knowledge since you were little. That's fine. In life, one needs to have someone one loves in their heart so that life won't be boring."
Xingzhi nodded and said, "I'm glad you understand me." He took another sip of sake and asked, "By the way, what will you do with Prince Duan's son and widow?"
Chen Qing's expression turned cold, and he said contemptuously, "You don't know, the old ministers say, this thief's son is stupid and mentally retarded, and his widow is also a cowardly and incompetent woman, otherwise she wouldn't have let Li become the empress dowager and control the government. When this woman heard that Li had fallen, she was so scared that she took her child and shut herself in. When the guards arrived at the palace gate, she knelt at the door with the child, begging for her life."
"What are you going to do?"
Chen Qing raised his stern jaw slightly, "Back then, the Emperor Gaozu was merciful and spared the thief's life and kept him in the palace. Zishu's family doesn't lack a bowl of dog food now, so he ordered people to confine him and his son to an abandoned courtyard and provide them with daily meals until they die of old age."
Xingzhi nodded. "This will also prevent them from being exploited and causing further trouble." He picked up a piece of shrimp and chewed it carefully. Suddenly, he said, "You old ministers have made great contributions. Their support in the hall has been a great help to us. Over the years, they have been secretly contacting and mobilizing you, and they are willing to wait for your return. Their loyalty is as great as the sun and the moon."
Chen Qing put another spoonful of shrimp on Xingzhi's plate and said, "Everyone has been rewarded generously. Only you, the great contributor, have not yet received your reward."
Xingzhi took another piece of shrimp from the plate and said with a smile, "Me? From now on, I will completely rely on you! If Your Majesty wishes to reward me, please marry that female Prime Minister as soon as possible. As long as I see Your Majesty get married and establish a career, I will feel at ease and at ease."
Chen Qing raised the wine glass in his hand and clinked it with Xingzhi's.
In Qiguo, inside the Zhong Mansion's ancestral hall, candlelight flickered. The door opened slightly, and a man entered. Zhong Yujing opened his eyes, looked, and stood up, saying, "Uncle."
Xianren walked over to Zhong Yujing with a smile, sat down on the couch opposite her, and said, "I heard from your parents that you have been meditating in the ancestral hall recently and have not been able to sleep late at night."
Zhong Yujing lowered her head, not knowing where to begin.
"Last night, my mind was slightly moved, and I got a divination. The mountain and the marsh were damaged. I knew that the fate of the Qi Kingdom was over."
Zhong Yujing looked up, eyes wide, and asked, "Uncle is also going to suffer a loss?"
Xianren smiled and said, "It seems that you and I agree."
"Uncle..." Zhong Yujing pondered for a moment and said, "The virtuous prince is on his way back to Qi and will arrive tomorrow."
Xianren nodded and smiled, "It's been a while since we last met, and you two will finally meet again."
Zhong Yujing raised his head suddenly, "Uncle, you..."
Xianren looked at her kindly with a look of understanding, "Your parents and I all know about this." Seeing her embarrassed look, he added, "The Concubine Dowager also knows about this."
Zhong Yujing lowered her eyes, staring at the hem of her clothes, rubbing her hands on them. "What do you think?"
Xianren said in a gentle voice, "Yichen is a good boy and a perfect match for you."
Zhong Yujing didn't look up and continued, "I'm talking about... the fact that I'm a celestial official."
Xianren laughed out loud. Zhong Yujing was puzzled by the sound and looked up at Xianren, only to hear Xianren say, "The Taoism I taught you since you were young is to follow the will of heaven and submit to fate. Now you and I both know that the fate of Qi State is a foregone conclusion and cannot be changed by human power. If this is the case for a country, how much more so for individuals? The heir of the Zhong family has supernatural powers, but he can only see things that have happened in the past. Even if he can predict things that have not happened, he is only glimpsing the secrets of heaven. The secrets of heaven are things that have been determined by heaven, and human power cannot interfere or intervene. Whether it is a country or an individual, they are all following their predetermined fate. The decline of Qi State is fate, and your meeting Yichen is also fate.
"Yu Jing, a thought gives birth to all things, and a heart stirs all things. Follow your heart and do what you should do and what you want to do. In the face of fate, we only need to do our best and not leave ourselves with regrets."
Zhong Yujing's confusion over the past few days was completely resolved, and she was deeply moved.
After leaving the ancestral hall with her uncle, Zhong Yujing returned to her room and slept soundly for the first time in many days. This was not only due to her uncle's advice, but also because she had a tough battle to fight tomorrow...
He is coming back.
The army approached from outside Lingmen Pass, with a dark and oppressive momentum. From a distance, it looked like a huge black cloud gradually pressing down on the horizon. Only when they reached the outside of the gate did the Qi Kingdom’s defenders see clearly that the black cloud was tens of thousands of soldiers. The soldiers on the side of the leading general shouted loudly: "Your Highness, the virtuous king, return to Qi and open the city gates!"
The guarding general took a closer look and saw that it was Yi Shi, the deputy general of the Wise King, who had spoken. Beside him, the silver figure at the head of the team, if it wasn't the Wise King, then who else could it be, and why... The soldiers behind the Wise King were not wearing the military uniforms of the Qi Kingdom. This black and red battle uniform looked more like the people of the Qing Kingdom who had fought against the Wise King from afar outside the city gate before?
Qing is located in the north of China, and belongs to water in the Five Elements. Black water embraces red. The people of Qing pride themselves on having sharp swords, tempered by fierce fire and forged by black water, which makes them invincible. Therefore, the dragon robe of Emperor Qing is forged in black, with red edges on the lapels and cuffs, dominating water and fire among the Five Elements.
While the general was puzzled, he heard Deputy General Yi shout again, "What are you still dawdling about? Your Highness the King is here, why don't you open the city gates immediately!"
The defending general could only nod in agreement. The city gates flew open, and the army marched straight into the city. The people of Qi had never seen the Qing army before, so they didn't have many concerns about the soldiers' attire. Seeing that it was the wise king leading the army, they thought they had won another victory. Men, women, young and old, the entire city rushed out of their homes and spontaneously gathered in the streets to watch, admiring the god of war.
Chen Qing returned triumphantly as he had countless times before, his warhorse riding steadily and proudly. His face was stern and he stood tall and majestic. The soldiers behind him were also awe-inspiring, intimidating without anger, but without any murderous intent.
When the troops were about to reach the palace gate, the guards saw from afar that it was the virtuous king and immediately opened the palace gate. Chen Qing's army entered the palace without stopping for a moment.
The hall was empty and all officials had retired. Zhong Yujing told Jinhong the news that Chen Qing had returned today, and she was waiting in the hall at this moment, with Zhong Yujing accompanying the marquis at her side.
The orderly footsteps of the army approached gradually, like the sound of thousands of drums, inspiring people's spirits, and finally stopped outside the palace gate. The palace door was wide open, and Zhong Yujing could clearly see Chen Qing dismounting and striding towards the palace alone. After he stepped into the palace, he paused slightly and waved his hand. The guards closed the palace door. For a moment, there were only Jinhong, Zhong Yujing and Chen Qing in the huge palace. The palace was silent. Chen Qing's footsteps rang out, steady and powerful, slowly walking towards the steps in front of the dragon throne.
Chen Qing's silver figure stopped at the steps. He raised his head, even looking at Jin Hong on the steps. Zhong Yujing didn't say anything, but Jin Hong finally couldn't contain her excitement and said happily, "Brother Wang has finally returned! We've set up a family dinner tonight. I and Prime Minister Jing will welcome you!"
Chen Qing did not answer, but just looked at her coldly.
Chen Qing's usually stern expression now showed a touch of warmth. Jinhong thought he was too exhausted from traveling and hadn't yet taken a break from political and military affairs, so she asked again, "Brother Wang, did your peace talks with Qing Kingdom go smoothly?"
"I came here today to discuss this matter with Your Majesty." Chen Qing looked at Jinhong on the dragon throne with a dignified look, without any expression.
Jinhong's smile froze on her face. She paused and asked in a low voice, "Brother Wang...what do you mean?"
Chen Qing's expression remained unchanged, and he spoke in an emotionless voice, "I, Chen Qing, the son of the Crown Prince of Qing, have come to persuade His Majesty the Hong Emperor to submit to the Great Qing."
Jinhong's smile vanished from her face, and the corners of her eyes drooped. She looked shocked and asked, "What did my brother say?"
Chen Qing stared at her for a long moment, then said in a deep voice, "Yihong, you should know that Qi Nation has reached its end. Returning to Qing is inevitable. Any further stubborn resistance is futile. If you surrender, I will protect you and treat the people of Qi Nation with kindness, just like all the people in the world. You are all my people, Daqing. You are no longer able to protect them, so leave them to the more powerful wings to shield and protect them."
Jinhong's body slowly sank down, landing heavily on the back of the chair. Her eyes became empty, her whole body weak, and she closed her eyes sadly for a long while. She didn't open her eyes, but curled her lips and sneered, "I have thought about this day, countless times, that someone would force his way here, put a sword to my forehead and neck, and drive me out of this position. But I didn't expect that person would be you, my brother..." When she opened her eyes again, the determination she had always had was gone. That kind of thing that shouldn't be seen in a woman's eyes, no one knew whether she was doing it from the heart or deliberately. At this moment, her eyes were filled with worry and sadness. She looked at Chen Qing and said, "Who are you?"
"Qing is the son of Emperor Huan and the crown prince of Qing. Nineteen years ago, King Yao colluded with Emperor Qing Feng to frame Emperor Huan and sent Wenren Rang as an assassin to sneak into the Qing Palace and kill Emperor Huan. His mother was also murdered by the traitor. The queen dowager lost her son, so in order to protect her cousin's son, she brought him back to Qi and raised him by his side as the son of King Yao." Zhong Yujing said from the side.
Jinhong turned to look at Zhong Yujing and sneered again, "So you knew too. You...you all kept it a secret from me..." Then she looked at Chen Qing, "You've been lurking in Qi for so many years, just for revenge? Have you ever had any feelings for Qi?"
Chen Qing lowered his eyes slightly and did not answer.
Jinhong's lips suddenly turned bitter, and she spoke in a tearful voice, "Actually, I never wanted to be this idiotic emperor. If I hadn't met Yujing when I was ten, would I have risked my life to rebel against my father and ultimately not have to sit here?"
She slowly stood up and walked down the steps. "Because of sitting here, I lost my right to be myself and all my family. They all see me as an enemy and want to kill me... Now I've even lost you, my brother..."
She took off her dragon robe and threw it on the ground. She walked into the darkness, wearing only her inner lining. Her back trembled, and she could only hear her sobbing, "But I can't even live the life I want... I want..." She suddenly raised her head and looked at the sky, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said in a fierce voice, "I scheme against others and exploit their hearts... Others scheme against me, and I scheme against others. In fact, how am I any different from Uncle Yao and Uncle Ping?"
She turned her head abruptly and suddenly shouted, "Enough!!! I've had enough!!! I've been trapped in fate, tightly bound by shackles, and dared not break free..." She raised her hand, grabbed the crown on her head, and threw it to the ground with great force. With a loud bang, it was as if her heavy body was taken off and shattered to the ground. Her long hair fell down, and her voice, which was softer than usual, startled Chen Qing suddenly. He was looking at her in surprise, but heard her chuckle and said, "In fact, we are all wearing bodies and masks. You are not my brother, and I am not your brother. It was because my father had no son that he forced me to pretend to be a prince to succeed to the throne. I didn't want to sit on the throne..." She finally covered her face with her hands and cried loudly, as if she wanted to cry out all the unwillingness and grievances over the years.
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