Chapter 27 Twenty-Seven: A Heart Full of Love, Yet Heartless and Troubled
Zheng Yangzhi knelt down and said, "It was my fault for speaking out of turn and for being negligent. I beg Your Majesty to punish me severely."
Xu Heng pursed his lips: "Get up. I didn't mean to blame you, but it's only human nature, don't you think?"
Zheng Yangzhi stood up silently.
Xu Heng used to say something to Zheng Yangzhi, but later, unable to persuade him and to no avail, he stopped mentioning it for a long time. Now, he brought it up again: "Yangzhi, why do you always have to pick on her? A dignified vice prime minister, a learned man, a pillar of the state, why are you arguing with a shallow woman?"
Xu Hengzhen couldn't understand why Zheng Yangzhi had such a strong prejudice against Wang Yuying!
In fact, he wanted to rebuke someone, saying, "A subject must be loyal to his duty; that is the way of a subject." These were his true feelings, but he was used to being lenient in front of others, so he didn't say it. He only said, "I have other things to do. You should go and do your work too."
"I obey the order."
Xu Heng walked past Zheng Yangzhi with his hands behind his back and headed for the Imperial Study.
Government affairs will be handled as usual.
He reviewed several memorials, casually stacking them on the table, then instructed Qingfu to summon the guards from the imperial prison.
Qingfu didn't say much, and directly relayed the order. When the guard arrived, Xu Heng gave the order: "Interrogate General Wuwei."
He really didn't want to see Jing Ye. Seeing him made him feel uncomfortable and awkward. He remembered that the soldier said that Wang Ji Fried Balls were sold to his lover at the border. Ah, it turns out that it wasn't that lover who lived at the border, but a lover he met at the border, Wang Yuying!
Xu Heng gritted his teeth, remembering that he had also done favors for Jing Ye by altering the pomegranate earrings... It was all so frustrating, one thing after another!
Wang Yuying forbade him to kill Jing Ye, so he castrated Jing Ye completely, then exiled him to Lingnan, never to return to the capital without an imperial edict! He would leave Jing Ye neither male nor female for the rest of his life, confined to a desolate land, forever separated from Wang Yuying, never to see her again!
But then he thought again, what he promised Wang Yuying was not that he wouldn't kill him, but that he couldn't harm him. Not only could he not cut him, but there was also a lot of miasma in Lingnan. If anything happened to Jing Ye, Wang Yuying would hate him to death.
He was subsequently dismissed from his post and placed under house arrest in the capital.
But when Jing Ye arrived, Xu Heng didn't rush to issue an edict. Instead, he continued to slowly and methodically revise the memorials, one after another, while Jing Ye knelt in the room. There were many memorials today, and he wouldn't finish reviewing them until after midnight, so Jing Ye knelt until midnight as well.
He can't be killed, and he can't be harmed, so he has to vent his anger, right?
Jing Ye was quite simple-minded, only thinking that the emperor wanted to kill him. He knelt for nearly half an hour before slowly realizing that the emperor was punishing him by making him kneel in a disguised way!
Jing Ye smiled contemptuously to himself, feeling no torment, because when he left Yuqing Temple, he had silently put on the knee pads that Wang Yuying had given him. He had been wearing them constantly in the dark prison for the past two days, and they were still tied to his legs. They were as soft as clouds and as warm as the sun, and he could not feel the coldness and hardness of the floor tiles at all.
Jingye lowered his head and stared at his "guardian" knee pads as if he were looking at a lover.
After Xu Heng finished reviewing another memorial, he glanced down unconsciously as he was about to stack it up. He looked down, looked away, and then glanced again—what was Jing Ye staring at so intently?
A pair of knee pads?
The way he gazed at the knee pads was tender and affectionate, exactly the same way he looked at Wang Yuying! What else is there to misunderstand?!
These are knee pads that Wang Yuying made for Jing Ye!
She actually sewed underwear for other men!
Shameless! Xu Heng tried to gently put down the folded document, but instead lost control and threw it down heavily.
Soldiers are unusually alert to sounds. Jing Ye immediately looked up, and Xu Heng was caught in the act. He looked embarrassed, then put on a stern face and ordered, "Take off your knee pads."
These are golden rules and absolute principles, not open to any criticism.
Jing Ye's heart tightened suddenly. He was unwilling and wanted to disobey the imperial decree, but he was also worried about the bad consequences of disobeying the decree, so he was somewhat intimidated.
He hesitated for a long time, but finally made up his mind—he had already clashed with the emperor several times in the secret prison, so what was there to be afraid of!
He straightened his back and enunciated each word forcefully: "Forgive me for being unable to comply, for this is the first gift my beloved has given me, a gift that will last until death."
Xu Heng felt as if a dull knife had cut another piece into his heart, and he knew that he had once again brought shame upon himself. He grabbed a new commemorative document, gripped it tightly, and forced himself to remain calm and composed, maintaining his imperial authority.
After a long while, still unwilling to give up, he glanced at the memorials and wrote down his thoughts, seemingly busy, and casually remarked, "Do you think she cares about you?"
Jing Ye had been bowing his head, but upon hearing this, he suddenly raised his head.
Xu Heng put down his pen, a smile playing on his lips as he looked down at the person below: "This morning I said I would take your life, but she didn't care."
A shadow of darkness flashed across Jing Ye's eyes before they brightened again. He rushed forward and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Your subject is foolish and does not know any great principles, but I know that a ruler of a country should not lie to people."
Xu Heng's heart sank. Did he think he was lying? Would a new emperor really need to deceive and cheat people?
Xu Heng recalled the belt that Wang Yuying had sewn a long time ago, the belt that never ended up in his hands.
"Want to make a bet with me?" he asked Jing Ye, his eyes deep and suddenly gleaming.
Brothers often made bets, and Jing Ye was used to it, so he answered without thinking, "What are we betting on?"
"Make her make you another belt, but don't mention the bet. If she agrees without knowing the truth, I'll leave the knee pads alone; you can still wear them. If she doesn't agree—" Xu Heng's eyes hardened, and his tone became more forceful, "destroy the knee pads immediately, and don't expect to get anything from her again!"
Upon hearing this, Jing Ye felt both fortunate and bewildered. The emperor could have simply ordered the knee pads to be removed from his knees and destroyed, but instead gave him a chance to preserve them—a chance to meet Wang Yuying again!
Thinking of this, Jing Ye's heart raced, and his expression changed uncontrollably.
Xu Heng saw this and found the bet ridiculous; perhaps it was an attempt to test something.
Jing Ye's heart pounded faster, and his tone grew increasingly hesitant: "But I—"
"I will arrange for you to meet her." Xu Heng guessed what Jing Ye wanted to say and interrupted him coldly. It was really painful to say those words; the dull knife was being used as a whetstone for his heart.
"General Jing Ye of Wuwei has misconducted and repeatedly failed to perform the duties of a subject, thus deeply disappointing me. However, considering your past minor merits, I cannot bear to punish you severely. Effective immediately, you are stripped of all your titles and ranks and reduced to commoner status. You are granted a residence in western Beijing to reflect on your mistakes in seclusion. Your daily life will be taken care of by the Inner Court Department, and you are not allowed to leave without my personal decree."
Xu Heng thought to himself that Jing Ye would never have the chance to call himself a subject again. He also felt that he had truly given Jing Ye a mansion as a way of repaying evil with kindness. He rubbed his fingertips on the memorial.
*
Wang Yuying stayed at Linxian Pavilion for two more days before being asked to move to the outer court. This was a superior room in the West Wing, with pine and cypress trees and three or four bonsai trees in the courtyard. Upon entering, she saw a six-panel screen made of rosewood with carved flowers and inlaid with treasures. She vaguely remembered that she had been here when she first became empress, but her impression was far less profound than that of Linxian Pavilion.
This time was no different from the first time they met. Wang Yuying walked around the screen and carefully looked around the room. Although the furniture was not carved, it was made of rosewood and huanghuali. On the wall hung four ink paintings of wild birds: ducks in spring, sparrows in summer, geese in autumn, and mandarin ducks in winter.
The winter painting features a few casual strokes depicting withered lotus leaves and two clusters of mandarin ducks; the remaining half of the painting is left blank to represent accumulated snow.
Wang Yuying glanced at the painting twice and found it bland. She turned around and looked at the table. There was a bronze crane holding an unlit incense stick in its beak, and a bronze bowl with double ring handles with a golden osmanthus and white chrysanthemums.
"The osmanthus flowers have already bloomed in just a few days," she thought to herself, "and I'm sure it's because of the warm rooms in the palace that they've been encouraged to bloom."
Wang Yuying actually quite liked the osmanthus. She lowered her head to sniff it carefully and glanced into the pot. There was no water or soil inside, so it seemed the flower was changed daily. She was completely unaware that the paper for the mandarin duck painting was special, with light passing through one side and windows visible in the unpainted areas. Xu Heng was alone in a secret room separated by a wall, staring intently at her.
To avoid being discovered, he not only deliberately concealed his presence but also did not light any lamps. The secret room was as dark as a cave, swallowing all colors, with only a white jade pendant at his waist faintly glowing and dust motes visible around it.
After smelling the osmanthus blossoms, Wang Yuying rummaged through her belongings to check out the place where she would be living in the future.
After finishing her work, she sat on the edge of the bed to rest. Thinking about how she couldn't bear to break those treasures when she was imprisoned in the Immortal Pavilion, she refrained from practicing her martial arts for two days. The courtyard here was spacious, and although she didn't bring her sword, she could go out and practice a set of boxing techniques.
Suddenly, she noticed someone entering the courtyard and walking towards the entrance.
The person's breathing was slightly disordered.
Was it the imperial guards watching over her or the emperor? Wang Yuying had already walked most of the way to the door, and there was no reason for her to give up halfway, so she continued on to find out.
She was clearly taken aback when she saw Jing Ye behind the screen, but then she was overjoyed. She forced herself to suppress her joy and remain calm, because it was unusual for Jing Ye to be here at this moment.
Jing Ye stood at the doorway, tall and strong, almost touching the lintel. His eyes were full of longing and affection for Wang Yuying, but his feet were rooted to the outside of the threshold.
"You escaped from prison?" Wang Yuying asked him after finishing her analysis.
Jingye shook his head and asked with concern, "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"
As he spoke, he looked her up and down again, sizing her up once more.
"I'm fine," she said, remembering to ask Jing Ye in return after being shown concern. "How about you? Were you tortured?"
Because it was pitch black inside the secret room, Xu Heng's face could not be seen; only the light around the jade pendant illuminated his suddenly clenched fists.
"I'm fine." Jing Ye felt a lump in his throat and his eyes welled up with tears when he heard her concern for him. He couldn't help but move closer and step over the threshold, wanting to embrace Wang Yuying. However, he remembered that he hadn't changed his clothes for several days in the dark dungeon and smelled terrible. He took two steps back when he was almost touching her toes, afraid of bothering her with the stench.
Wang Yuying guessed what he was thinking. Actually, she didn't mind at all. On the contrary, she was a little moved. She looked closely at Jing Ye and saw that his tears were still welling up in his eyes. She smiled lightly and said, "It's rare for us to get together again. Don't cry."
Jing Ye didn't utter a single rebuttal, only busy wiping away her tears and sniffing. In the dark room, Xu Heng had already dug finger marks into his palm.
Wang Yuying sat down at the table and invited Jing Ye to sit as well. She glanced at him again as he lifted his robe—after several days in the dark prison, the original color of his navy blue robe was no longer visible, and for some reason, his belt was missing, causing it to hang loosely.
Wang Yuying had noticed Jing Ye when he entered, but she didn't mention it then, and she didn't ask about it now either. Instead, she looked away.
Jing Ye noticed her scrutiny and took the initiative to lift his robe to show her: "The belt is gone, but the knee pads are still on."
Wang Yuying smiled, not objecting to his attempt to take credit at this moment.
But she soon stopped laughing, because she noticed that Jing Ye's behavior was very strange. He glanced down several times, and his hands were clenching and unclenching repeatedly, as if he was very nervous.
Then, he scratched his nose, as if he were about to lie.
What lie is he trying to tell?
As Wang Yuying was pondering, she heard Jing Ye plead, "Yingniang, I don't have a belt anymore. Could you make me one like you would a knee pad?"
After Jing Ye finished speaking, he felt very uneasy. He instinctively raised his arm to grab Wang Yuying's hand, but worried that his hands were dirty, he carefully placed them next to her, with his fingertips a few centimeters apart.
Wang Yuying's heart sank completely because of these words.
In ordinary couples, it's natural and casual for the husband to ask his wife to embroider a belt for him.
But she and Jingye were not husband and wife.
Of all the men Wang Yuying had been with, only Xu Heng dared to ask her for such small items. Jing Ye only uttered this last wish on his deathbed; he never dared to ask for them normally.
This is clearly not right.
In the brief silence, she quickly sorted out her thoughts—Jing Ye must have devised a plan before coming, setting a trap for her. After saying, "Your belt is gone, but your knee pads are still here," he waited for her to jump in willingly, promising, "It's okay, I'll make you a new one."
But she didn't follow the rules and remained silent.
Jingye panicked and asked her for the belt.
He was too hasty and gave himself away.
With Jing Ye's intelligence and shrewdness, he couldn't have come up with such a thing. There must be someone behind him guiding him, or deliberately inducing or provoking him.
The incident of Wang Yuying embroidering a belt for Xu Heng was really a long time ago. She thought about it for a while before she remembered it, and she sneered inwardly—he was using Jing Ye to test her, to see if Jing Ye would get the belt that she couldn't have.
She wanted to deliberately provoke Xu Heng, so she took Jing Ye's hand and said, "Okay, I'll make it for you. Where do you live now? I'll make it and send it to you as soon as possible."
Jing Ye's eyes shone like stars, his heart filled with both pride and joy, and his nose tingled again: "No rush, no rush." He emphasized, "I live at the very end of Yongning Lane on West Street, the one without a sign. Take your time, don't tire yourself out."
Wang Yuying smiled and let go of Jing Ye's hand. It turned out that Xu Heng had detained the man in the west of the city.
Inside the dark room, Xu Heng's face was extremely ugly. His pupils were constricted, and his cheeks and lips were taut, as if he were clenching his teeth. He was just being a fool, making a fool of himself and humiliating himself! He didn't move, as if he was nailed to the dark room. Even after Jing Ye left, he still stared at Wang Yuying with a sinister and silent gaze.
She actually opened the drawer, picked out a piece of cloth, then took out a needle, thread and scissors, and sat down to sew a belt for Jingye.
Xu Heng felt ice-cold all over, chilled to the bone, and she couldn't wait any longer!
He could no longer hold back and let out a heavy sigh.
Wang Yuying finally heard breathing, and a smile appeared on her lips. So he was right next door!
Rats in the sewer!
Xu Heng knew he had been exposed, so he simply came out of the dark room and rushed into the main room. With nowhere to vent his anger, he kicked the sandalwood screen in the opposite direction from Wang Yuying.
At this moment, he hated himself the most. Why could he be so sure of his judgment about everyone else, but only Wang Yuying would defend him again and again, and the truth that was later verified left him covered in wounds.
The jade stones were originally inlaid on the screen to form persimmons and ruyi (a type of scepter), symbolizing good fortune and wishing for all things to go well. Now, with the screen shattered into pieces, Xu Heng was momentarily stunned, only thinking of preventing the shards from hurting her, forgetting that his kick was a waste of precious jade, and feeling a bit regretful. Then he thought, oh well, it's broken, so be it. Nothing is ever perfect anyway.
He looked up and saw a thick sneer on Wang Yuying's lips, clearly enjoying his embarrassment and anger.
Xu Heng calmed down instantly.
He took two steps forward, grabbed the belt that was only just beginning to be embroidered on the table, and with a few ripping sounds, the belt shattered into several pieces. Xu Heng said angrily, "Didn't I warn you not to attract unwanted attention, to defile the palace, and to disgrace the imperial family? Can't you behave yourself? It's only been a few days, and you're already embroidering a belt for some wild man right under my nose?"
The room was completely silent.
After a long silence, Wang Yuying sneered, "Xu Heng, how hypocritical are you? Just say you want the belt."
She felt that this was the same as being forced to stay in the palace; it had nothing to do with love, but rather a possessive desire that she herself could not have and that no one else could have either.
Xu Heng's heart softened upon hearing this. He slowly looked at the painting on the wall, depicting mandarin ducks in winter, their love lasting until old age, and a pang of sadness welled up within him. His tone softened as well: "It's kind of you to remember that you owe me a belt."
Wang Yuying said impatiently, "I do remember, but can you please stop bringing this up? Are you going to keep bringing up these old grievances for the rest of your life?"
Once the opportunity is gone, it's gone forever. Things are very different now. Do you really think she'll give you a belt again? Dream on!
Xu Heng slowly froze, realizing that these were the words he had once spoken to her. Years later, they had circled back and finally pierced his own heart.
Xu Heng could no longer stay and fled in panic.
Guards were already waiting outside the courtyard gate, and they followed Xu Heng quickly, saying, "Your Majesty."
Xu Heng didn't stop walking, and asked coldly, "Where's Jing Ye? Has he gone back?"
The guards chased after them with lightning speed, returning with hunched backs: "They've been taken back."
Xu Heng strode across the imperial road and ordered his guards to bring him his horse. After mounting the horse and leaving the palace for a while, he pursed his lips and said, "Let's go to West Street."
The guards followed the emperor on horseback, daring not to utter a single word except to obey. But in fact, the notification came too late; the entire group had already arrived at the entrance of Yongning Lane.
The alley was a backstreet and narrow. Xu Heng jumped off his horse and rushed to the end. Jing Ye had gone home and boiled water for a bath, washing his dirty clothes and stained knee pads along with them, and then hung them out to dry in the yard. He was currently boiling the second bucket of water in the woodshed. As Xu Heng entered the yard, he saw the knee pads fluttering in the wind and thought to himself, "Heaven is helping me!"
He ripped off his knee pads and barged into the woodshed. Jing Ye turned around, still stunned, but Xu Heng had already thrown the knee pads into the fire under the stove without hesitation, and the cloud and thunder pattern on the edge of the knee pads turned black in an instant.
Jingye jumped up in anger: "What are you doing!" and was about to rush into the fire to rescue people.
Xu Heng said expressionlessly, "Stop him."
The guards surrounded Jing Ye as ordered. Jing Ye was outnumbered and couldn't get close to the fire for the time being, but the fire was quickly burning his knee pads. He was so anxious that his neck turned red and his eyes turned red. He glared at Xu Heng and said angrily, "His Majesty promised me that if Yingniang agreed, she would leave the knee pads to me!"
"A gentleman's word is as good as his bond, how can Your Majesty break your promise?!" Jing Ye shouted as he fought.
Xu Heng seemed not to hear Jing Ye's shouts and only stared at the fire.
Only after seeing the knee pads completely burn to ashes did the tightness in my chest ease slightly.
He watched as Jingye rushed over, ignoring the scorching flames, and carried out the pile of ashes.
The gray sand, like black sand, slipped through his fingers, making Jingye so angry he wanted to cry.
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