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"With the fall of the Jin family and the appointment of a new historian, the historical records of the Taiming era were deliberately altered, so..."
"So your uncle, as a historian, must have witnessed something firsthand, which is why the new emperor had no choice but to eliminate the entire Jin family," Tang Qi said slowly, looking at him.
“The historical records that have been preserved are all altered on His Majesty’s orders. The true history is what my uncle recorded back then!” Cheng Junshi became more and more frightened as he spoke: “So the Jin family fell because… because they learned the truth back then…?”
The Crown Prince died of illness, the late Emperor died suddenly, and everything pointed to His Majesty, who was now sitting high in the Hall of Brightness.
The emperor whom he had regarded as a wise ruler since childhood.
Cheng Junshi suddenly felt a deep sense of irony.
Tang Qi watched as the person before him crumbled, his face turning almost deathly pale. But after a long pause, he finally mustered the courage to speak: "Junshi, your mother…"
"I know...I know...I know." Cheng Junshi raised his hand to interrupt, saying "I know" three times in a row. Yes, how could he not guess?
Although his mother had married into the Cheng family, she still bore the surname Jin. How could His Majesty not suspect that Jin had also hidden the historical records filled with the truth in Luoyang?
No wonder…no wonder his mother was killed in their own yard, no wonder his father wasn't home that night, no wonder…
Many things that I couldn't understand before suddenly became clear in an instant.
That person played this game of chess for twelve years.
Cheng Junshi suddenly felt his hands and feet were ice cold, and a chill suddenly rose between heaven and earth. Tang Qi walked beside him without saying a word or offering any comfort. She simply walked slowly alongside him.
After an unknown amount of time, two figures suddenly rode in from afar. They were Hu Xingche and Lu Juezhen.
The two of them rushed here, and before their horses had even come to a complete stop, Lu Juezhen started shouting, "Master, come back with me quickly, something has happened to your father!"
＊
When the four men returned on horseback, it was already late at night. A group of people were gathered around the house, with Wu Shunyi sitting in the middle. There was a chessboard on the table, which had obviously just been played. Lying on the chessboard were the messages they had received from Jingzhou.
Cheng Junshi picked up the letter and glanced at it; his expression instantly changed. Tang Qi, meanwhile, looked towards Ye Qian and asked directly, "What's the situation now?"
"News has come from Jingzhou that Lord Cheng has been arrested and imprisoned for holding a position without performing his duties. His Majesty has purged a group of people, and Lord Cheng is the first," Ye Qian replied, highlighting the key point.
"And—" Shen Zhiqing looked at Cheng Junshi and continued, "Yun'an returned to the capital first to report the Jinan incident. His Majesty's decree has been issued. You, Shaoqing, have been reinstated. His Majesty has ordered you to no longer be stationed in Jinan and to return to the capital immediately."
"Return to Beijing immediately?" Cheng Junshi sneered.
"He arrested Lord Cheng, and now he's ordering you to return to the capital immediately. Our Emperor is far too anxious," Tang Qi said coldly.
“If I don’t go back, my father will definitely die.” Cheng Junshi looked up at Tang Qi: “He wants to trap me in Jingzhou.”
“Then go back. Once things in Jinan are over, you were going to return to Jingzhou anyway. There are still many things waiting for you in Jingzhou,” Tang Qi said suddenly, looking at him.
Based on his previous deductions, Tang Qi's words were clearly an implication to him, and he frowned as he glanced at the person opposite him.
Tang Qi then turned her gaze to Ye Qian and Shen Zhiqing: "What about you two? What are your plans?"
Ye Qian chuckled lightly, glancing indifferently at the girl beside him. Shen Zhiqing shrugged and said, "Now that the matter in Jinan is resolved, I will naturally go to a more distant place."
Very open-minded, and very persistent.
Shen Zhiqing never stops moving forward.
"There's plenty of time ahead, and Miss Shen's footsteps will surely traverse the length and breadth of the land." Tang Qi's voice was relaxed yet solemn.
He has always believed this.
Everyone believed it.
They met in their youth, and many things didn't need to be asked or said. All the sentimentality and bitterness were transformed into a tacit understanding in their eyes. Parting doesn't have to be sad; setting off with hope is the best starting point.
When passing by Tang Qi, Ye Qian stopped again and said in his usual reliable and gentle voice, "You must have found out something there. I'm not here to advise you. If you've made up your mind, come find me."
Tang Qi swallowed hard, then chuckled softly. No matter how many dangers the world held, he was not alone.
There weren't many people left in the room, and Wu Shunyi finally walked up to Tang Qi. After that incident, they finally had a chance to have a proper talk.
"I will not forgive you," Tang Qi said bluntly.
He will never forget the blood feud with Lang Cejun.
“But I won’t kill you now.” Tang Qi’s eyes remained cold: “Three years. Didn’t you say you would make sure there were no more bandits in Jinan within three years? After three years, I will personally come back to take your and Deng Ning’s lives.”
Wu Shunyi across from him seemed to chuckle, as if he thought Tang Qi was arrogant and ignorant: "Putting me aside, what makes you think he'll obediently wait for you to take his life?"
"He may not wait, but I will definitely come."
"What exactly is your relationship with that group of people?" Wu Shunyi stared at him, her eyes full of curiosity.
"Among the people you and he killed were people I cherished. I will not close my eyes until I avenge them," Tang Qi said without any hesitation.
He was determined to fight them to the death.
"Fine," he finally laughed loudly as he left, his back still straight and tall: "I'll wait for you to come and take your revenge."
...
"Ahem," Lu Juezhen, who had been standing there, suddenly whispered to the person next to him, "This atmosphere is a bit strange. Should we go out for a bit?"
Seeing Tang Qi and Cheng Junshi standing silently opposite him, Hu Xingche also had the idea of escaping. The two exchanged a glance and slipped away in perfect unison. Only after the room was completely empty did Cheng Junshi finally sit down at the table, looking at the half-finished game of Go, and say, "What exactly are you trying to say? What did those words mean?"
Tang Qi walked over, picked up a white stone from the plate, and slowly said to him, "I will go to the Northern Frontier and come back in three years."
"Are you still going to find the First Prince?"
“That was true before, but I have a better idea now.”
Cheng Junshi looked up at him: "What do you want to do?"
Tang Qi leaned against the table, watching him, fiddling with the white chess pieces she had just acquired, and chuckled lightly, "Isn't it obvious?"
With a flick of his wrist, the white piece instantly slipped from his hand and crashed onto the board, perfectly replacing the black piece in the very center.
"No matter who sits in that position, Da Shuo will still be Da Shuo."
Cheng Junshi froze for two or three seconds, then immediately jumped up and grabbed the man's collar, saying incredulously, "Are you crazy?! You want to rebel?! Have you considered the consequences? If we fail, you'll die, do you know that?! Besides, what do you want Tang Yan to do then? What do you want the Tang family to do then?!"
Tang Qi stared intently, then pulled Cheng Junshi's hand away and chuckled coldly, "Cheng Wang, have you forgotten that Tang Qi is long dead?"
Cheng Junshi choked for a moment, then exclaimed excitedly, "What about the Lin family? You're using Lin Zhengye's identity now. If you're going to raise an army, are you going to disregard the Lin family as well?!"
"The Lin family is gone." He said calmly, "They've been gone for a long time."
“Junshi, so many soldiers died unjustly in the southern borderlands. No one can stop me, not even you.” Tang Qi’s eyes were full of calm.
Cheng Junshi's lips trembled slightly.
He never lies.
"You're willing to die for them, but what about me? Tang Qi, what am I to you?" Cheng Junshi almost shouted with hatred, "You can live or die as you please, but what about me?"
"What am I?" His eyes were full of hurt. "An object that can be discarded at will?"
"I really forgot, Young Master Marquis is the most dashing person in the world." Cheng Junshi chuckled self-deprecatingly, then turned to leave with an indifferent look in his eyes.
"Cheng Wang," Tang Qi suddenly called out to him, raising his voice.
Cheng Junshi stopped.
"It's almost dawn." He looked up outside.
The long night is coming to an end.
"You always say you don't want to collude with me, but I'm in a good mood today, so I won't drag you down with me."
Cheng Junshi turned around, and the person opposite him was still radiant. Tang Qi crossed his arms, shrugged, and looked at him with a smile, his personality still as flamboyant as before.
“There is too much darkness in the world, and I am not happy,” his eyes suddenly turned mischievous: “So, I’m going to set fire to that dark sky and burn a huge hole in it!”
Even if it means exploding like fireworks to give others a bang, he would still be willing to shine so brilliantly just once.
One shot rang out, and the world turned red.
One day, fireworks will light up the sky, and then the bright blue sky will truly shine.
“I…” Cheng Junshi’s eyes were blank, and he was interrupted as soon as he was about to speak.
He was still smiling: "This time I have to go alone. If I fail, someone has to light the next fire."
"You are my source of confidence."
—This is also my determination to die.
No one in this world can live as they please, but I hope you can live an easier life than I can. Whichever path we choose, I hope you're the one who survives.
so,
"Junshi, please forgive me."
Cheng Junshi stood there, his mind in turmoil. He looked at Tang Qi's calm and composed demeanor, his eyes filled with an almost resigned look of defiance, and could only clench his hands tightly under his sleeves.
"You'd better come back alive to see me."
When it comes to the real parting, there's not much sentimentality. A few carriages, in a few directions, and just like that, they go their separate ways and gradually drift apart.
Hu Xingche dangled his legs on the carriage, pulling on the reins, while waiting to chat with Tang Qi.
"Where do you get so much to talk about?" Hu Xingche stretched lazily, looking bored.
The two people facing each other showed no reluctance about parting; the road ahead was still dark, so they had no time to worry about such things.
It's just that the road is far, not that our hearts are far apart.
"Do you remember that you owe me a wish?" Tang Qi suddenly asked.
Cheng Junshi glanced at him: "I remember. What do you want?"
"Originally, this wish contained a little bit of selfishness towards you, but now it seems completely unnecessary." Tang Qi grinned at him: "But, since I finally have such an opportunity, I feel like I'd be missing out if I didn't take advantage of it."
Cheng Junshi narrowed his eyes, sighed helplessly, and stared at him with the same smile:
What do you want me to do?
Tang Qi rubbed his hands, still looking serious, and said, "Shaoqing, you must keep your chastity for me during these three years I'm gone. Otherwise, I'll be stranded in the northern frontier, where it's freezing cold and I won't even be able to see you. If you break my heart, how pitiful I'll be."
His voice grew more and more aggrieved as he spoke, as if Cheng Junshi had truly become the biggest heartless man in the world.
Cheng Junshi almost kicked him, laughing and cursing, "Go to hell."
After a few playful exchanges, Tang Qi had completely dispelled the sadness of impending separation.
"Seriously," he finally became serious, "I don't know when I'll be back, maybe three years, maybe longer."
"Now that you know most of the truth about Jingzhou, you must hold onto it. Don't be reckless, and don't give anything away. You must take good care of yourself. We already know the truth about your mother, and revenge isn't something that can be done in a short time. Staying alive is more important than anything else." Tang Qi's voice was full of instructions, and his eyes were more serious than ever before: "You will be under constant surveillance in Jingzhou."
"Junshi, you're going to suffer."
Cheng Wang laughed upon hearing this: "Are you still treating me like a child? I'm already prepared to return to the capital. His Majesty won't break off relations so quickly. My uncle must have left something behind when he went to Luoyang. Otherwise, His Majesty wouldn't be so wary of our family."
He continued calmly, "Over the years, I've always thought my father was a coward. My mother's death was so strange, yet he didn't dare to investigate. But in reality, he was the one who knew the truth best. He always knew who the real culprit was, but he didn't dare to say, and he didn't want me to investigate, because there was always a pair of eyes watching the Cheng family."
“I suspect that His Majesty doesn’t dare to take direct action against the Cheng family because the things my uncle left behind back then haven’t been found. Those things are enough to threaten his throne, so he doesn’t dare to gamble. He only dares to monitor, only dares to threaten, only dares to force my father to swallow the truth.” Cheng Junshi’s voice gradually turned cold: “Now that my father has been arrested, he is forcing me to return to the capital, just to use me to threaten my father once again.”
“My father has already started to rebel. The snow in Jingzhou will melt sooner or later. Tang Qi, why don’t you go to the northern frontier and create an even bigger snowstorm?”
On this long journey, Tang Qi was uncertain about the road ahead. The journey to the northern frontier was long and treacherous, and he might not even reach it. But he didn't want to make any assumptions, nor could he make any promises to the people in front of him. There were too many unknowns ahead.
He was so insignificant, so utterly insignificant.
"good."
But Tang Qi didn't want to disappoint him. Nor did he want his uncertain future to be filled with fear and terror. This place held things he cherished, things he missed, and reasons why he had to return here no matter what.
That alone gave Tang Qi the courage to take a desperate gamble.
No matter how far away the northern border is, he will always come back.
but,
“Junshi,” Tang Qi suddenly paused, “if I don’t return in three years, I need your help.”
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