Chapter 55: Meeting the Parents Can I talk to the elders? ...
The emperor's decree was issued throughout the country, and the grievances of the old ministers of the old dynasty were redressed.
When this decree was issued, the whole world was shocked.
The change of dynasties is a big event, but for the people, whether they can live a stable life is the most important thing.
Fortunately, the new emperor was wise. He first issued an imperial decree to open the imperial examinations, and then ordered the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice to re-examine old cases. Within a few days, many cases were overturned, many people's grievances were cleared, and a number of prisoners were released. In their place were the villains who had abused their power for personal gain and bribed them heavily.
When many truths surfaced, some were surprised and shocked, while others felt relieved. Many evildoers were not in the open, and the darkness behind the scenes was even more difficult to guard against. Many people were imprisoned along with the buried truths, and thus even more people were silenced, unable to wait for the dawn to come, and remained silent in the darkness.
Now many truths have come to light, not only the Liu family case, but many cases have been vindicated, and the people's hearts have been relieved.
Then smiles appeared on everyone's faces, no longer sadness and pain. Some happily welcomed their sons home whom they had not seen for several years, while others knelt in front of their father's grave and cried bitterly, saying that the emperor's grace was great and their grievances were finally redressed.
Lou Wanqiao was walking on the street and looking at the world, with an inexplicable emotion surging in his heart.
It turns out this is what she has been working towards all along.
This is the world she hopes to see.
Wen Xuechi walked silently beside her, like a silent guard.
She walked slowly and steadily, step by step. From time to time, people with dusty faces passed by and threw themselves into the arms of their families. Laughter was mixed with crying, and some people cried for joy.
Lou Wanqiao looked at the reunited family. The man was hugging his wife and daughter, and all three of them had smiles and tears on their faces.
She couldn't help but think that if her mother, father, sister and others were still alive, it would probably be such a warm and loving situation.
She could throw herself into her mother's arms without any worries and tell her father that the emperor in the past was blind and could not judge people well. From now on, she would not have to worry about anyone's face or be worried about being slandered by villains in the court.
Not only that, there are millions of families like ours in the world that will not fall apart because of false accusations, will not be separated from their wives and children, and will not die without any evidence.
What prevails now is fairness and justice.
From then on, there would be more and more talented and capable people in the court. The selection of officials would no longer be limited to the powerful families, nor would it rely on money, but on the imperial examination.
Talented and capable people will be promoted.
Lou Wanqiao paused, then looked up into the distance as if sensing something.
Wen Xuechi stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Come with me to a place."
The horses' hooves pounded the dust, and at noon they rode out of the city gate.
Lou Wanqiao was a little silent today. Perhaps she was not a talkative person, but Wen Xuechi felt that something was not right.
But he could probably guess what Aqiao was thinking. A goal she had pursued for over a decade had finally been realized today, and the reason she was able to achieve this success was because she had never given up.
Finally, Lou Wanqiao reined in his horse and stopped beside an inn at the foot of a mountain. He first tied the horse to a tree to let it graze, and then he and Wen Xuechi each had a bowl of noodles.
This bowl of vegetarian noodles had a very bland taste, with only a handful of chopped green onions and not much oil or water, but Lou Wanqiao ate one mouthful after another and looked like he was enjoying it very much.
Wen Xuechi also ate the noodles in big mouthfuls, and when Lou Wanqiao finished eating, he also put down his bowl and chopsticks, and the soup noodles in the bowl were finished.
"Let's go." She paid the bill, picked up the embroidered spring sword on the table and headed towards the mountain path.
He didn't know what she was going to do, but Wen Xuechi always did whatever A Qiao told him to do, so he just followed her obediently like he did just now.
They walked deeper and deeper into the mountain. The road led up the mountain. Sunlight shone through the jungle, casting mottled marks on the path. All around them were the chirping of insects and birds, the occasional flower of different colors, and a gentle breeze brushing against their cheeks.
But this mountain is really remote. It took them ages to get here. There was hardly anyone in the inn just now, and the surrounding area was even more desolate.
As he walked, Lou Wanqiao stopped.
Wen Xuechi stopped at the same time as her, and before she could make any move, he unsheathed the sword in his hand.
The sword blade, wrapped in a biting wind, chopped the grass and trees behind him, and wherever the sword energy passed, all the grass was subdued. Several black figures appeared behind the grass at a distance from them.
Just as Lou Wanqiao put his hand on the hilt of the sword, he saw the man in white robe beside him flying away with a long sword in hand. The long sword pierced her chest cleanly and neatly. His movements were fast and his moves were almost unreserved. However, he was back to her side in a few breaths.
"I left someone alive. Do you have any questions?"
Lou Wanqiao shook his head: "No."
Wen Xuechi nodded slightly, raised his hand, and a cold light shot out from his sleeves, and then there was no sound in the grass in the distance.
Lou Wanqiao looked at him in surprise.
"Today is a good day, you should be happy. I don't want to dirty Aqiao's hands with this kind of thing." Wen Xuechi said with a faint smile, "I know Aqiao is the most powerful, and these people are just small fry. It's not worth it for you to see blood on your blade today."
After his explanation, Lou Wanqiao also smiled. She gently brushed her hand across his palm and hooked her pinky finger. "Let's keep walking. We should be able to walk for a while longer."
The sound of footsteps came one after another. Lou Wanqiao thought as she walked. Those people might be Li Yulan's people, or Prince Duan's people, or Prince Yun's people, or maybe they were people who had made enemies with her before... But none of that mattered.
It doesn't matter anymore.
Wen Xuechi was right. Today was a good day, and it wasn't worth getting the blade stained with blood.
…Otherwise, they will be unhappy.
After walking for about half an hour, Lou Wanqiao stopped.
The view in front of me suddenly opened up. Birds were circling in the sky, and in the vast valley, hundreds of flowers were competing for beauty.
Lou Wanqiao took a deep breath and looked at the row of tombstones in front of him.
Wen Xuechi looked over and his expression became stern.
She walked step by step to the tombstone, but before she could stand still, she staggered and fell to her knees.
Wen Xuechi hurried forward, but stopped abruptly after taking two steps.
He already knew where this place was, and was shocked that Lou Wanqiao was willing to bring him here.
Now is not a good time to disturb A Qiao, so let her... reminisce about the past.
The tombstone in front of Lou Wanqiao was overgrown with weeds, and the breeze rustled the grass. Birds landed on the tombstone, then flew away with the next gust of wind.
"Mother," she stroked her fingers across the tombstone, tears streaming down her face, "Jiaojiao is here to see you."
It seemed like a long time had passed in the world, so long that she had grown from a little girl into the powerful Minister of Dali Temple, so long that... her elder and second sisters were already younger than her.
If this happens two more times, she will be the same age as her parents.
She was speechless for a moment. She had a thousand things to say, but she didn't know where to start. She felt like there was something stuck in her throat that she couldn't swallow.
"Daddy, Mommy, look." She pulled a bright yellow imperial edict from the cloth bag she carried and spread it out in front of the tombstone. "This is the edict of rehabilitation written by the current emperor... Yes, it's about the child who was sent to the Taoist temple. Now that he is emperor, the people of Dali no longer have to live in oppression, and no one will kill innocent people indiscriminately."
"From tonight onwards, both the imperial examination system and the laws will be gradually improved. One day, Dali will become prosperous again, and the people will live and work in peace and contentment."
"Dad, Mom, elder sister, second sister, and everyone in the Liu family... can you see it?"
She lit a fire and burned the edict in front of the tomb.
Lou Wanqiao had Li Su rewrite a new edict, modeled after the previous one, which is the scroll in her hand. Her relationship with Li Su made this easy for him. Li Su must have known what she wanted to do, and without further ado, she wrote an identical edict and affixed it to her with the imperial seal.
Lou Wanqiao continued to burn the letters she had written over the years and the beautiful jewelry she had bought.
If there really is a Yellow Spring, they should be able to rest assured.
"Mother," she lowered her head, tears falling drop by drop into the soil, quickly melting into it, "I am Jiaojiao, mother, I am Liu Wanqiao, I am Liu Jiaojiao..."
"Jiaojiao misses you so much, mother."
"It's been many years. Now... can you still recognize Jiaojiao?"
Her head rested gently on the tombstone, as if she were leaning on her mother's arms.
"Dad, I can stand on my own now. I supported Li Su in his rise to power. You once praised him for being a kind person, but lacking in scheming and tactics. This was his strength, but also his weakness back then."
"But it doesn't matter, Dad. I will protect him and do my best to safeguard fairness and justice in Dali and protect the well-being of the people."
"Big sister, Jiaojiao still hasn't learned how to embroider or weave. You have such clever hands. I really hope I can wear the gloves you knitted again... But I have learned sword dancing, and no one can bully me anymore. Second sister, I have learned how to protect myself. I am very powerful now, and they are all afraid of me."
She spoke quietly, as if to pour out all the grievances and longings that had accumulated over the years. "I'm wrong. I haven't had much free time these past few years, but I will come to see you more often in the future... Ah, speaking of which, I didn't come alone today."
Lou Wanqiao raised his head slightly and wiped his face. Wen Xuechi saw this and hurriedly stepped forward and knelt down with a thud.
She turned to look at him in surprise, but saw Wen Xuechi's expression was extremely serious: "Uncle, aunt, I am Wen Xuechi, the junior, and I am honored to meet you all here!"
He bent down and bowed three times in a very standard manner, then called out to each of them: "Uncle, Aunt, Big Sister, Second Sister..."
This look made Lou Wanqiao stunned. Although she knew that Wen Xuechi was a very good person, her attitude and behavior still made her feel uncomfortable.
Wen Xuechi then turned to look at her and asked seriously, "Can I continue talking to the elders?"
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