Looking at the Sword by Lamplight (Twenty-Six)
Crown Prince Bian Chen had been attending to the sick for over a month. At night, he would set up a small couch in the Emperor's bedroom and take turns with Puyang Ci and Jiang Zhongyi to keep watch. During the day, he would retreat to the Imperial Study in front of the Emperor's bedroom to handle endless government affairs. Therefore, there was no need to call for him; Jiang Zhongyi would quickly summon the Crown Prince.
Bian Chen didn't hear clearly what Jiang Zhongyi said. He walked around from the imperial study to the outside of the bedroom and saw his father, who had been sleeping on the couch for many days, smiling at him with vigor. He was not a fool without common sense. The four words "last glimmer of light" suddenly burst into his head. His feet shook at first, and he hit the threshold hard, and a big bump swelled up on his ankle immediately.
Then he limped to Bian Zixue, his eyes trembling uncontrollably, and he fell on Bian Zixue's knees and cried silently.
Bian Zixue raised the prince from infancy.
He had once told the King of Liang that he had two fathers, and that wasn't a lie. His father doted on him, giving him practically everything he asked for. After he entered the court, he gave him even more of his full attention—unfortunately, as a father, he didn't have to report everything to his child. The Forty-Nine Immortal Palaces and the "Beloved, Not the World" seal were both created before Bian Zixue was born or when he was far away in the countryside. Not to mention his uncle, who had been feeling the approach of death lately, with dreams often reminiscent of his youth.
So much time has passed, he even asked himself in his dreams why he and his uncle had gotten to such a point?
He couldn't recall his feelings at the time, much less the old Prince Liang's reaction. Only the memories from even more distant times remained vivid, the earnest instructions of his uncle, who had taught him horsemanship and archery, still ringing in his ears. Everything he had learned, both likes and dislikes, from his two fathers, had been artificially selected and bestowed upon the Crown Prince.
His father once said to him, "I never wanted this kingdom, but now that it's in your hands, I don't know what to do."
Hence, he had Bian Zixue—in Emperor Ling's own words, he hadn't escaped the same sorrow as Emperor Wu, having once again, despicably chosen a woman to bear his child, then shamelessly passed the burden on to an ignorant child. Bian Zixue refused to repeat his past mistakes. Over the years, he had suffered countless bouts of poisoning, the pain of which he dared not even recall, even if he wanted to share it with others. Despite this, he couldn't selfishly close his eyes and let go of the crown prince.
Bian Zixue patted Bian Chen twice on the back of his head. He could clearly feel his life force gradually draining away, so he didn't want to say anything extra. He just called out to the prince, "Bao'er..."
Bian Chen suppressed the sob in his throat.
Afterward, eight ministers, both new and veteran, hurried over, having anticipated this, knelt in the bedroom. The medicinal aroma lingered in the chamber, its bitterness numbing the tip of one's tongue, and even the gentle breeze couldn't dispel it. Bian Zixue leaned against Jiang Zhongyi's chest, silent for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the graying hair on his chest.
How old is he this year? Well, I can't remember.
Bian Zixue didn't have much to explain.
He looked at the female teacher who had come with Elder Cui and smiled at her, "The Crown Prince is young and has never had any hand in the rise or fall of the Forty-Nine Immortal Palaces. He was also adopted by me from the royal family, so I cannot blame the emperor or his father. I have to leave it to Lord Zhao."
This Lady Zhao was one of the first women rescued by Emperor Ling and admitted to the Forty-Nine Immortal Palaces, and she was also the foremost promoter of the system of female officials. Unfortunately, Emperor Ling, the ruler who introduced this system, never truly saw it as a tool to benefit the people. He grew up under Emperor Wu's oppression of the harem, and like Bian Hongqiu's gentle and affectionate father, he was a monarch prone to tenderness towards women. He established the system of female officials simply because he believed that power was paramount in this world, and that women who could not follow this path would be pitied for the rest of their lives.
He went against the crowd's opinion just for the tears of these poor women.
Bian Zixue saw the unlimited potential of Hunzhou when he met Xi Zhongting. But after returning to Beijing, he was trapped in the drastic reforms he had in hand, and the most unexpected obstacle was Emperor Ling.
Disagreeing over the fate of Emperor Wu's Concubine Hui after her death, the brothers, who had been dependent on each other since childhood, began to have estrangements. Emperor Ling always believed that the Prince of Jingxi was still the brother who wept in the arms of Concubine Hui. He felt that sooner or later, the Prince of Jingxi would understand his painstaking efforts to prevent Concubine Hui from being reviled, and trading the imperial seal for a beautiful woman seemed like a harmless concession.
He casually gave the imperial seal away and then passed away without any warning.
The ones left in a state of embarrassment were Bian Zixue and the women involved in the massive construction of the Forty-Nine Immortal Palaces. He knew by then that the Imperial Seal would not be recovered anytime soon, and the continents were stirring up trouble. The blood shed by the Minister of Culture in the Taiji Palace was still fresh in his memory. The Champion Marquis Luo had the audacity to rebel because Emperor Ling had forcibly seized his wife and daughter. Bian Zixue didn't dare to gamble on the Western King's next move, so he preemptively overturned the Immortal Palace and the system of female officials, saving these innocent lives.
"In the Ming Dynasty, the 'life-buying fortune' of Hunzhou will be rectified. Xi Zhongting said that the new woman in charge of the city is young but very capable. This is a starting point, and Xi Zhongting will help her."
Lord Zhao crawled a few steps on his knees and then lay on the ground for a long time.
After saying so much, Bian Zixue was almost out of breath. Suddenly, he turned his head and asked Jiang Zhongyi: "Is Xi Zhongting not back yet? Zuo Dan Shibazhou..." The silence in the bedroom gave him an answer that he couldn't bear to speak directly. Bian Zixue panted and lowered his eyes, feeling that the sky in front of the hall had dimmed. After a short rest, he continued: "When the Western Territory is stabilized, Cui Yue and Xi Zhongting can be summoned back to the capital. Now that the rules of the imperial examination are not clearly arranged, Cui Yue is a waste of talent in the Western Territory... Baoer, don't treat the Cui family unfairly."
This was said to Mr. Cui, and he kept saying that he didn't dare.
Despite decades of support from the emperor and his ministers, the terminally ill Emperor Xue remained untouchable. Elder Cui certainly didn't dare to overestimate his power in front of the dying emperor and the still-young crown prince. If he and the Cui family had the will, a single blow from Xi Zhongting would turn a meritorious official into a traitor.
As Bian Zi Xueyue spoke, his voice became lower and lower, and the only sounds left in the bedroom were the people's breathing becoming lighter and lighter.
His mind sank, and in the end he didn't even know what he was saying, but he didn't dare close his eyes. He muttered a few words and asked again, "Is Xi Zhongting back?"
As usual, there was silence.
The prince leaned on his knees, almost looking through the door of the bedroom. Bian Zixue's cold fingertips dropped to his brow and said in a very soft voice: "Bao'er, the Liang Palace is not an enemy."
Bian Chen's heart paused.
Bian Zixue: "I... from the moment I ascended the throne, my family, my lover, my friends, were all betrayed by me. If Song and Shao hadn't been in the Imperial Uncle's household, the current Prince of Liang wouldn't have lived to the age of thirteen, to the point where the barbarians had retreated before I recalled him to the capital. If, if A-Ci's Puyang family were still around, I wouldn't have forced him to stay in the palace. I'm destined to go down in history as a fool. He alone offers no more benefits than restoring the system of female officials in the future, so I've pinned the disaster caused by the exchange of the Jade Seal on him. And, Xi Zhongting, I'm using Lan Ye's affairs to buy his continued service to you..."
"Bao'er, you too, I brought you to my side when you were still in your infancy."
As he spoke, he lowered his head with a vacant look in his eyes and gave the Crown Prince a wry smile. At that moment, the Crown Prince, who had been staring blankly in thought, saw all his suspicions vanish. Even if Bian Zixue was a cold-blooded emperor capable of manipulating even the saying "a dying man's words are kind," even if he could control his expressions to perfection, the Crown Prince he had raised would never tolerate any slander against his father for the rest of his life because of that smile.
Just like now, Bian Chen burst into tears and could only shake his head, desperately refuting Bian Zixue's words in his heart.
Bian Zixue said, "You've read Cui Yue's memorial. The King of Liang is likely to be childless. So, why not let him go to Shangyang? You don't need to dwell on the grudges of your fathers. You're about to become an emperor. You need to understand what you should do."
Bian Chen choked up, "Father, I will demote the Cai family far away; Prince Liang is a talented general, and he will spend the rest of his life defending Dayu from the rising foreign enemies. I will not be confused or emotional." He felt the light and shadow behind him change, and thought that Xi Zhongting had returned with the news of regaining the western border. He turned around in surprise and found that it was Puyang Ci who had rushed back from Zaoshan Academy, holding a peony flower that was about to be blown to pieces by the wind.
Puyang Ci took over Jiang Zhongyi's position breathlessly.
He exuded a fresh, grassy scent. Bian Zixue, despite losing all five senses, could still feel the cold dew on his chest. "You...how did you come back so soon? What flower is blooming?"
Puyang Ci: "I had a dream. I dreamed you called me, saying I had set out last night. The peony flowers were in bloom, so beautiful. I picked one for you." He clasped Bian Zixue's hand, holding the delicate flower in both of theirs. Bian Zixue's still-moving fingertips traced the flower again and again, as if he truly possessed the ability to control himself—at any moment, he would realize the presence of the Crown Prince and the court officials, and would say, "Ah Ci, I'm sorry..."
Puyang Ci did not spoil him.
"Yes, you've let me down. I won't wait for you anymore, and I won't die with you. When you die, I'll go back to the academy and never come back to see you again in my life."
Bian Zixue's voice was too soft, and no one could hear it clearly except Puyang Ci.
He complained to Puyang Ci: "This is different from what we agreed on. Do you want me to die with regrets?"
Puyang Ci smiled with tears in her eyes: "Then you can close your eyes later. Zixue, I will definitely change my mind. Don't leave yet."
Bian Zixue nodded: "Yes, Xi Zhongting hasn't come back yet?"
Meanwhile, Xi Zhongting, who had been rushing to the capital for days, finally arrived at the palace walls on horseback. He'd killed several horses along the way, was practically as skinny as a stick, and had broken one arm. The head of the King of Jingxi was practically stuck to his clothes, which he'd never changed. Riding was forbidden in the palace, so he raced towards the Taiji Hall at a pace that threatened to kill him, his voice ringing throughout: "The Eighteen Continents of Zuodan have been recovered! I, Xi Zhongting, present the traitor's head to Your Majesty!"
He ran and shouted all the way.
The eunuchs under the order of the Crown Prince took turns shouting, and the entire palace was filled with mixed shouts.
Finally, the attendants guarding the emperor's bedroom heard the shouts and rushed into the palace, tumbling and crawling: "Your Majesty! General Xi is back! Zuo Dan's Eighteen Continents have been recovered!"
He cried out in a shrill voice, his face half-excited with joy, and rushed into the hall. He saw Emperor Xue's hands falling from Puyang Ci's arms, while the Crown Prince and his loyal ministers cried out in grief. Xi Zhongting staggered into the hall amidst the sobbing, seeing the emperor and old friend he hadn't seen in years for the last time.
In the late spring of the sixteenth year of Shengyuan, Emperor Xue died in Beijing.
In the same month, Dayu, which had been divided for generations, began to usher in peace.
Far away in the Eighteen Continents of Zuodan, the people of Prince Liang's mansion changed their attire upon learning of the national mourning. Bian Hongqiu was busy finishing up matters in the western border; the imperial envoy would arrive soon with a decree. Meng Shizhuang was accompanying Liu Lang as they saw Li Yan and the two grandmothers off.
The ferry crossing was very spacious. Traces of Chen Pingzhou and his companions' pursuit and interception of the King of Jingxi were still visible, and coils of black iron chains still clung to the crossing. The boat given to Li Yan was from the same batch used to build the King of Jingxi's warships. Li Yan had been credited with delivering the message, and Bian Hongqiu had instructed her to choose the boat she liked best.
She only asked for the ship and enough supplies for the people on board to survive for a year, and did not ask for any other property.
At this age, Liu Lang was already a head taller than his mother, whom he had only met a few times. They stood facing each other, their expressions identical. Li Minghe's tears began to flow, and Liu Lang wiped them again and again, never asking her to stay. He was naturally more perceptive than his peers, and he knew better how the world was about to change.
The girl in charge of Ming Hunzhou and Bian Hongqiu's leniency towards Li Yan seemed to indicate that an era in which women could breathe was coming.
But he didn't think so. During the reign of Emperor Ling, it's no exaggeration to say that female officials, especially those in the capital, had no control over their status. However, with a single decree, their preferential treatment could be abolished. He didn't want to leave because the four regions of Dayu ultimately treated men better. He had someone to rely on, and perhaps his ambitions and ideals would one day be realized.
But the freedom that Li Yan expected was impossible.
Some suffer martyrdom, others flee to freedom. They are both right.
As for Li Minghe, Liu Lang knew that his young age was a hindrance, and it would be a shame to trap Li Minghe now.
Liu Lang just smiled and said, "Mother must be the best to you, why are you crying?"
Li Minghe's eyes were filled with tears: "Liu Lang, are you really not going with us?"
Liu Lang pretended to be distressed: "But I want to be a high-ranking official in the future."
Li Minghe was unable to offer any words of advice and turned his gaze to Li Yan.
Li Yan seemed very stingy towards this son with whom he had no feelings. He nodded and, under pressure from Li Minghe's tears, said perfunctorily: "Be a good official. If you can't sail on the sea in the future, I will leave Minghe to you to raise."
Liu Lang secretly competed with her: "I wish for it."
But he was certain that Li Minghe might never come back. Even if her age and current strength couldn't withstand every storm at sea, she wouldn't come back. Just as a free bird dies at sea, so too would she die.
The large ship gradually drifted from the ferry into the sea.
Li Minghe was still waving at Liu Lang, and Li Yan was standing beside her.
Liu Lang didn't see Li Yan very often, and he had never seen the smile on Li Yan's face now, the kind of relieved and unrestrained joy.
He sighed softly.
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