Chapter 85 The Withered Five-Eyebrowed Woman Dies Before the Horse
She turned her gaze away from Zheng Yangzhi and couldn't help but imagine what she would gradually do if she could live to ninety-nine.
First, she needs to watch Yinyin walk down her own path.
Her heart broke when her daughter cried out that she was terrified of Xu Heng all the time.
That's the kind of person he is; he can abort his own children, let alone Yinyin, who isn't his biological daughter. He could choose another yesterday, establish a crown princess today, or remove her tomorrow.
She herself also had a desire to leave, to return to Yangguan and Yumen for a while each, to see the magnificent rivers and mountains she had never seen in person, and to explore the martial arts world she had heard of but never experienced...
As soon as she imagined these things, Wang Yuying felt a surge of joy, and even the darkness before her eyes seemed to brighten.
If you can really live to ninety-nine, you still have plenty of time.
But what if she only lives to the age of her parents?
Suddenly it became urgent and short.
She then vaguely remembered that when she was not much older than Yin Yin, she had ridden horses with Xu Heng during a spring outing. Before they had expressed their feelings for each other, the two of them sat side by side on the lush grass without touching each other.
A gentle breeze caressed her face; she was too shy to speak of growing old together, only recounting her wishes from before she met him: to return to Yangguan Pass, to roam the world...
Almost exactly, it's the same few points.
He listened patiently to her endless chatter, his handsome eyes brimming with tears, all he could see was her.
After Wang Yuying finished speaking, he confessed to her with his ears turning red, saying that if she was willing to be with him, he would accompany her and work together for years or even decades to fulfill her wishes.
He himself made that promise on his own initiative!
As a result, she was trapped for more than ten years!
How could I not hate it?
Wang Yuying clenched her fist; Xu Heng must die.
"If you don't say anything, I'm going to get all tied up?" Zheng Yangzhi suddenly asked, his voice full of laughter.
Wang Yuying looked in the direction of the sound. She knew before that he had also put his other hand on the bed, hooking a strand of her hair and twirling it between his index and middle fingers. Knowing that he had this little quirk, she didn't mind, but now Zheng Yangzhi even pinched a strand of his own hair, trying to tie it into a knot.
She gently patted his hand that was holding her hair: "Don't pull my hair."
Zheng Yangzhi chuckled and released his grip.
A bolt of lightning flashed across the window without warning, illuminating the scene like daylight before plunging it back into darkness. Thunder rumbled, and spring rain poured down, pounding against the windowpane like drums. Zheng Yangzhi, haunted by painful memories, involuntarily furrowed his brow and trembled slightly.
Wang Yuying saw him lower his eyes, and after a while, she sat up, pinched his chin, and leaned down to kiss him.
Zheng Yangzhi's body quickly stopped trembling, and feeling his relief from the pain, she felt a little more at ease.
Their four lips parted, and Zheng Yangzhi looked up at her, his eyelashes trembling slightly. A renewed longing was clearly rekindled in his eyes, but fearing she might be weary or unable to bear it, he first asked, "Yingniang..."
Wang Yuying understood his meaning. She wrapped her arms around Zheng Yangzhi's neck. She wanted it too, and she could handle it. She admitted that she had always been a lustful person. After years of abstinence, experiencing it again, coupled with his deliberate flattery, made her feel as light as a feather and as if she were floating on air. She had tasted the sweetness of it all.
Zheng Yangzhi smiled, lifted her down, and they fit together perfectly. She thought she would be on his lap, but Zheng Yangzhi bent his knees and tried to stand up.
The first attempt failed, so I helped her sit down again. The second time, she finally stood up straight, and I supported her as we rose and fell.
Wang Yuying wrapped her legs tightly around each other and asked worriedly, "Zheng Yangzhi, are you sure you can do this?"
The spring rain outside the window continued to beat like a drum, and he, like the spring rain, rushed: "If the rain doesn't stop, I won't stop either."
Just as I finished speaking, the rain suddenly stopped, and all was quiet.
Zheng Yangzhi's expression suddenly froze.
Wang Yuying laughed so hard she bent over, and he quickly reached out to support the back of her head—be careful not to bump her head on the bed frame!
Wang Yuying gripped tightly with both legs, afraid that Zheng Yangzhi wouldn't be able to support her with one hand and that she would slip down, making him lose face.
But the scenario he feared didn't happen. He lifted her up and down a few times, then carried her to the dressing stool. They both looked in the mirror; there was a reflection of her, and a reflection of him. Both of them tensed up simultaneously…
After their pleasure, Zheng Yangzhi held Wang Yuying in his arms. She looked up at his face and asked, "Yangzhi, are you scared?"
Zheng Yangzhi smiled silently. Why would he be afraid? He wasn't Jing Ye. If it weren't for saving her back then, he would have gone to the Forbidden Palace instead of Tonghua Temple.
*
During his recovery, Xu Heng temporarily suspended the morning court session and met with court officials in the Funing Hall to handle government affairs.
If Wang Yuying wanted to see Xu Heng, she could only come to the Funing Palace.
She paused, gazing at both sides. Years ago, he demolished the side hall to build a general's mansion, and the two had a huge argument. Xu Heng did not get his way. Later, he rebuilt and restored the side hall, and now there is no trace of its demolition.
Wang Yuying twitched the corners of her lips and continued walking forward to the front of the hall, whereupon the eunuch announced her arrival.
When she entered, Xu Heng was sitting behind the table, having already put down his pen. She glanced down and saw that he had a velvet blanket draped over his lap, covering his dragon robe and also concealing his legs and boots.
Xu Heng also scrutinized Wang Yuying, momentarily stunned—her skin was radiantly white today, her eyes were bright and sparkling, and she exuded a subtle allure. It wasn't that she hadn't looked well before, but she was noticeably better today.
Xu Heng had a sudden thought: Could it be that she put on makeup specifically to see him?
His gaze swept over Wang Yuying's face, but he couldn't detect any makeup. He smiled and said, "You look great today."
He was happy to see her doing well.
"Has His Majesty's injury healed?" Wang Yuying changed the subject.
She still cared about him, which made Xu Heng even happier, but also depressed. After saving Zhao Hui that day, he felt his instinct to protect his daughter. In addition, his relationship with Wang Yuying improved, so he completely gave up the idea of choosing an heir, but he did not intend to appoint any crown princess.
This was all because his leg injury not only hadn't healed, but he had also become lame.
According to custom, during the spring sacrifice, one must ascend the high altar in full view of everyone and cannot ride in a sedan chair.
His imperial pride prevented him from walking with a limp in front of the world, just as he still applies black and white hair every morning.
Only the emperor and the crown prince could preside over the spring sacrifice. He delayed until the day before the sacrifice, when the sun was about to set, before finally making up his mind to appoint Zhao Hui as the crown prince—someone he had raised himself, surely better than those princes he had never met.
Later, he heard that Zhao Hui had done an excellent job hosting the event, which made him feel a sense of relief. Just like how she could recite the Book of Documents when she was young, he felt that he had finally gotten revenge for the melancholy boy who could only stand in the shadows under the altar during his childhood, and fulfilled his long-cherished wish.
But he couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy. Why was Zhao Hui able to stand on the altar and command the wind and rain at the age of thirteen?
He imagined the scene of the Crown Princess receiving the obeisance of all the officials, and couldn't help but think of the deceased Empress Dowager again, his palms feeling slightly cold.
He couldn't sort out his feelings for Zhaohui. Sometimes he would forget that she wasn't his biological daughter. He taught and hoped for her, and at that moment, protecting her beneath him was a genuine and heartfelt emotion.
But he didn't expect that he would become lame because of it, and the impulse to regret it after he became lame was real.
Just as he told himself that now that he had established himself, he should not look back and should focus on supporting Zhaohui, he continued to worry that she would really learn the art of rulership.
He had struggled with this decision many times, and each time the final result was to put it on hold temporarily.
Now, facing Wang Yuying, he couldn't help but hesitate. Throughout history, the number of crown princes who successfully ascended the throne was roughly equal to those who failed to do so; he ultimately decided to leave it to time to provide the answer.
"How badly is His Majesty injured?" Wang Yuying had to press for an answer because Xu Heng hadn't responded for a long time.
Xu Heng pursed his lips and looked at her, his eyes flickering. Should he show his vulnerability to the woman he loved most?
Wang Yuying went around behind the table and squatted down: "Let me see your legs!"
Xu Heng stared at her dark hair for a long time before lifting the velvet blanket and raising a corner of his dragon robe.
Wang Yuying looked up at Xu Heng for a moment, then looked down again and rolled up his trouser leg. His left calf was completely deformed.
She was momentarily moved, but then she thought back to that year in the ice cave, and how much she had sacrificed for him? It all had long since been offset.
"How could this happen..." She lowered her head, trying to make her voice as sorrowful as possible, "The imperial physician said there's still a chance of recovery?"
Xu Heng could still only see the top of her head, but he suddenly felt that this crown princess was worthwhile. If this was the kind of response he would receive, then he could accept his sacrifices for the mother and daughter.
"He can recover, but it will take time," he lied to Wang Yuying.
"It seems that the lake cruise is not going to happen."
Upon hearing this, Xu Heng felt disappointed, and his heart sank, a sense of gloom welling up inside him.
“It should be better in the fall?” Wang Yuying pulled down her trousers and covered him with the dragon robe and blanket. “Go in the fall, and you won’t be left out.”
Xu Hengzhong curled the corners of his lips.
"Don't use your left leg to exert force during this period. Don't go up stairs or walk long distances. Sit down whenever you can. And don't let your leg hang down like that. Raise it up and make sure it's level." As she spoke, she went to move a stool. Qingfu didn't dare to trouble Wang Yuying to do it, so she quickly arranged everything. Xu Heng raised his left leg and placed it on the stool.
She glanced at him and asked, "Are you feeling better now?"
Xu Heng raised the corners of his lips, enjoying her tireless nagging; it was quite agreeable. She had truly begun to care about him again.
Wang Yuying, to his satisfaction, continued her rambling for another quarter of an hour before taking her leave, thus ending her visit.
Xu Heng's smile lingered on his face for a long time before he gently instructed, "Chu Xiong."
He summoned his bodyguards. "Go and find out what she's going to be busy with next."
His diary entries about Wang Yuying's daily activities never stopped, but now he has hope for the future. He is no longer satisfied with just knowing about her yesterday, but wants to be involved in her tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the rest of her life.
Xu Heng soon received a new secret report that Wang Yuying was focused on preparing for the Qingming Festival ancestral worship ceremony and would take the Crown Princess to Niuyang Mountain.
On the day of Qingming, it rained heavily.
Offerings were already laid out before the tomb. Wang Yuying lit three sticks of incense and silently recounted the events of the past year to her parents. The year she returned to the capital from the northern frontier, she had confessed her sins before the tomb, saying that while she had upheld her patriotism, she could no longer be loyal to the emperor.
I apologize again today.
Whether it was confusing the imperial lineage, usurping the throne, or simply being consumed by greed, she confessed to all the heinous crimes. She was determined to kill Xu Heng and to support Yin Yin to ascend the throne—it could only be her daughter; she would not entrust the lives of herself and her daughter to any other successor.
Wang Yuying knelt down and kowtowed three times, then handed over the umbrella, and it was Yinyin's turn to light incense and kowtow.
After the ceremony, Yinyin was about to get up, but Wang Yuying gestured with her eyes that there was no rush.
Yinyin composed herself, held her breath, and knelt down again.
Wang Yuying stared at the tombstone, her expression solemn and grave. Despite the heavy rain, her voice remained clear: "Yinyin, you promised your maternal grandparents that you would be a wise ruler, bringing honor to the country and benefiting the people. If one day the nation declines because of you and me, we, mother and daughter, will not only be forever condemned to oblivion, but will also be replaced by virtuous and capable men."
Yin Yin gasped, turned to look at Wang Yuying, and after a moment, straightened herself up and swore to the heavens: "I will always remember this, never forget it, and dedicate myself to governing the country and bringing peace to the people!"
She had read all the royal records and discerned the truth from the deliberately embellished text. She felt that the emperor was more lucky than talented, and that she could do better than him.
But she also couldn't help but recall the emperor's leap to protect her, and the many beautiful memories of him holding her on his lap.
Yin Yin didn't struggle or hesitate, because the records showed that the emperor could order the death of Jiang Shuren, cause the empress dowager to die immediately after Tonghua Temple, and even banish her mother from the capital.
Her mother had a very hard life in the first half of her life.
Yin Yin's childhood memories have faded considerably, but she clearly remembers one time when the emperor himself was reading history to her. When he talked about the previous emperor's daughter being married off to a foreign ruler, he himself laughed and said, "I can't bear to part with Zhao Hui!"
But when she replied that she had heard that the previous war with the Northern Di had caused great suffering to the people, and that as the princess of the emperor, she was to be worshipped by the people and enjoy wealth and glory, she was willing to marry into a foreign land to exchange for peace on the frontier, even if it meant marrying far away to the harsh land of the Northern Di.
Perhaps thinking that Yin Yin was too young to remember, the emperor suddenly changed his expression to one of ruthlessness without any restraint. She remembered clearly the way the emperor stared at her, a look he would never have shown to a stranger. He treated her like an enemy.
No father would look at his daughter like that.
This was the beginning of her suspicions.
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