Chapter 95: Fengshan at Qishan 2: Meet Again There is a small osmanthus forest on the west side of Anle Town. The osmanthus flowers are in full bloom at this time, and the rich fragrance reminds Xun Shu of the sweet and sticky osmanthus cake.
I don’t know if anyone sells osmanthus cake in Anle Town.
After nightfall, she arrived here early, found an open space to sit down, and watched the stars while waiting for someone.
The sky is full of stars, and although they may seem messy, each star has its own order and path to follow. If one of them deviates from its orbit, it is what is called an abnormal celestial phenomenon.
But after a few days, the evil star Mars moved again, and moved towards the star representing the Son of Heaven. Another star got a little closer, and they were almost touching.
Normally, the star would be dim, but today it is exceptionally bright.
It looks like the outcome is about to be decided.
It was late at night, the world was still, and Xun Shu sat with her shoulders drooped, completely lost. She sat quietly until midnight, when the sound of galloping horses reached her from the other side of the woods. Her heart skipped a beat, and she finally snapped back to reality. She sat up a little straighter, not turning her head, and continued to stare at the stars, her ears perking up uncontrollably.
The sound of horse hooves gradually slowed down, and someone jumped off the horse and ran towards her quickly... Xun Shu didn't want to pay attention to him, but couldn't help it.
She was actually eager to see him.
She turned around and looked at the person who was approaching.
The moonlight shone brightly, filtering through the dense canopy of trees, casting tiny specks of light onto the running young man, casting a faint silver glow over him. He traversed the woods, coming against the wind, the hem of his clothes shaped like the wind. He stopped a few steps in front of Xun Shu, not wanting to approach him any further.
But after not seeing each other for ten days, Li Xuanhe seemed to have lost a lot of weight, his clothes were tattered, and the bones in his cheeks were more pronounced. He smiled at Xun Shu, his eyes still sparkling, with a hint of the coffin shop boy in his eyes. The smile on his lips was three parts flattering, four parts aggrieved, and ten parts brilliant.
"Ashu..."
For a moment, Xun Shu couldn't help but soften. But then, the scenes of that day unfolded like a scroll: the dilapidated courtyard, Jiang Zheng with his head bowed, the bloodstains covering the house. A dense pain welled up in her heart. She lowered her eyelashes as if to escape, looked away, and gestured for him to look at the stars.
"I called you here tonight to tell you something important. I've thought about it and realized I can't handle this alone, so I'll have to tell you everything... maybe you have a better solution." Xun Shu was worried that Li Xuanhe wouldn't understand the stars, so after a moment's thought, she decided to explain. Pointing to the three stars in the sky, she said, "Do you see those three stars? They're so close together."
Li Xuanhe looked in the direction she pointed.
The sky was filled with densely packed stars, but he saw no difference. Li Xuanhe squinted for a moment, then shook his head obediently, "Are there any other characteristics?"
Xun Shu paused for a moment, then moved his finger half an inch. "Do you see a star that keeps flashing? That's the disaster star, Mars. It's right next to those three stars, very close to the one to the east."
Li Xuanhe squinted his eyes and continued to look, but still could not see anything.
Every star is twinkling, and no two stars are far apart. What difference can you make?
After twenty years of living, Li Xuanhe finally found something he wasn't good at and couldn't learn. If he were in school, he would have studied diligently and asked questions, determined to understand and memorize everything he didn't understand. But now, the person teaching him was Xun Shu, the girl he had been missing for so long, and now that he finally saw her again, how could he have the heart to think about anything else?
Xun Shu didn't wait for his answer and looked at him with a frown: "Did you see it?"
Li Xuanhe hummed vaguely.
Xun Shu then continued, "A few days ago, I was observing the night sky and suddenly saw the evil star Mars approaching the three stars of Antares. I've only learned the basics of astrology, but I was still able to see such an obvious astronomical phenomenon. This is the astronomical phenomenon of Mars in the Heart."
Li Xuanhe was stunned for a moment, then regained some consciousness and became serious: "But is the world in chaos?"
Xun Shu corrected him, "To be precise, it's a sign of a shift in imperial power. As to whether it will cause chaos under heaven, it depends on where the Mars disaster star lands."
"Are there any results now?"
Xun Shu paused, and instead of answering directly, he asked another question: "Are you familiar with the Crown Prince? Has he behaved in any unusual way recently?"
"Donggong and I are cousins. He is a few years older than me. We studied together when we were young and have a pretty good relationship." Li Xuanhe answered quite cautiously, but still told her everything she wanted to know as much as possible.
"Mars in the Heart signifies His Majesty's imminent death, and the star to which Mars is now approaching represents the Eastern Palace. This means—" Xun Shu stretched out his voice, speaking meaningfully, "this shift in imperial power, and even His Majesty's death, are inextricably linked to the Eastern Palace. Your good brother might be the mastermind behind all this."
Xun Shu spoke at an unusually fast pace, releasing all the malice within her. For a moment, she felt a sense of relief. She actually anticipated Li Xuanhe being torn between the East Palace, with whom she had close ties, and His Majesty, who represented the righteousness of the nation. She hoped this would cause him as much pain as she did. But as soon as she said this, she felt a surge of regret. It seemed as if she had unconsciously changed, becoming the person she disliked.
Li Xuanhe didn't react to Xun Shu's words with any particular emotion. He pondered for a moment, then earnestly warned, "Don't tell anyone about this. Just pretend you've never observed the stars and don't know."
His appearance made Xun Shu feel even more uncomfortable. She clutched her sleeves tightly and asked in confusion, "Aren't you sad? Aren't you angry? Or did you already know all this?"
Li Xuanhe dreaded Xun Shu's words, "You already knew that." The mere mention of them would mean he'd misspoken again, leaving her with a misunderstanding. If he didn't resolve the misunderstanding quickly, it would only deepen, becoming impossible to explain.
Li Xuanhe hurriedly said, "I swear to God, Ah Shu, I really didn't know about this. Although the Crown Prince and I have a good relationship and I often help him with errands, he is the monarch and I am a subject. How could he possibly tell me everything? I did notice that his behavior has been different recently, and he seems to be distancing himself from me, but I am not a god, so how could I have guessed that he was thinking of forcing the emperor to abdicate?" He sighed and continued, "Although I treat the Crown Prince as a family member and a good friend, he is ultimately the Crown Prince, the future emperor. My mother has been telling me this since I was old enough to understand, and I haven't dared to forget it for a single moment in all these years. A subject cannot be dissatisfied with the monarch or make any demands on him. This is the duty of a subject. Ah Shu, I really didn't lie to you."
Xun Shu still had doubts in his heart: "What about the recent celestial changes? Mars in the heart is a major event. With so many talented people in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, is it possible that no one saw it? I heard people discussing this matter while dining at the restaurant today. The people have all seen it, so how could you not have noticed it at all?"
Li Xuanhe smiled wryly, "The Imperial Observatory has been in the hands of the Imperial Preceptor for several years. I didn't think this matter was that important before, but today I realize it's a game plan with hidden implications, and we've been fooled all along. But think about it, the Fengshan Ceremony at Qishan is a major event, and the date was personally calculated and set by the Imperial Preceptor. And now, at this critical juncture, such an inauspicious astronomical phenomenon has occurred. If word gets out, not only will my authority be shattered, it might even anger the Emperor, a capital offense." He paused, then added with a wry smile, "However, His Majesty now trusts the Imperial Preceptor greatly. Even if I tell him about this, he might not believe it."
The mountain wind picked up, sending scattered strands of hair flying from Xun Shu's temples. She smoothed them down with her hand and tucked them behind her ears. "I suspect that someone in the East Palace might have helped conceal the news. When I came to you today, I didn't anticipate that Yinghuo would be chosen. I also thought that Yinghuo's presence in the heart would be a huge upheaval for Daliang's national destiny. Whether it succeeds or not, the people will suffer. I wanted to ask if you had any good way to resolve this. But now it seems you won't help me."
Li Xuanhe was stunned: "Ashu, what are you going to do?"
What could she do? As a disciple of the Sitian Pavilion, she had to protect the people of the world. She knew it would be difficult and her ability was very weak, but she still had to do it.
The master once said that one should not easily interfere with the karma of others, otherwise retribution will backfire on the person who changed their fate. But the master also said that disciples of the Sitian Pavilion learn skills and should protect the people of the world.
When I was young, I thought these were just useless rules and self-contradictory, but now I realize that the way of Sitian Pavilion can only be understood by experiencing it personally.
In the past, she was unwilling to interfere with the cause and effect of others. Even though she had predicted the death of others, she would rather feel remorse and guilt in her heart and stubbornly refused to remind them. But now she realized that whether it was Mrs. Zhao and County Magistrate Zhao in Chaozhou, or A Shui and Shou Wenxue in Ningyuan Village, they were all members of the people in the world and were all people she should protect.
When disciples of Sitian Pavilion leave, they are expelled from the sect. Thousands of disciples hide among the masses. If they abide by the principle of not interfering in the cause and effect of others, are unwilling to bear the backlash, and do not save others, then they will never be able to step into the mountain gate again in their entire lives. But if they can put their own life and death aside, they will understand that, in fact, they have never left the sect.
This matter may be risky. Although she is weak and powerless, and may even be punished by God, she is willing to give it her best try.
Xun Shu did not answer Li Xuanhe's question. He pursed his lips and said slowly, "I have said everything I wanted to say. It is late at night and the dew is heavy. I will go back to bed first. Lord Li, please go back soon."
Li Xuanhe took a few steps forward, rushed in front of her, and blocked her way. "Ah Shu, I have something to tell you. I received news today that you wanted to see me, and I was very happy. I was originally going to come here with the Holy Emperor tomorrow, but after receiving your news, I rode at full speed and arrived just now." His face showed a bit of grievance, "Ah Shu, I want to explain to you that everything you saw that day was not true. I asked Master, and he said that Uncle Jiang's death had nothing to do with him. He was already in that state when he arrived. The dagger in his hand was indeed the murder weapon, but that was because he accidentally triggered a mechanism when he entered the room. The dagger was a hidden weapon, and it flew towards him, and he could only catch it in his hand... Ah Shu, everything I said is true, you may believe me?"
The night wind was chilly, but the boy before her was sincere like fire, burning Xun Shu half a step back. She raised her eyes, but the collapse she had felt at that moment was gone, leaving only a stillness as still as stagnant water.
"Li Xuanhe, I gave you a chance to explain yourself back then, but you didn't say a single word. Did you know I would have believed anything you said back then? Now, so much time has passed, and you're coming to me again to explain. Who knows if it's just a new excuse you've racked your brains to come up with over the past ten days? Why should I believe an excuse I don't know if it's true or not?" She raised her head, a glint in her eyes. "Li Xuanhe, the opportunity is gone, it's gone. If you were me, would you believe it?"
"Ashu..."
Xun Shu averted his gaze and looked at the ancient and unchanging stars, just like five years ago: "I didn't tell you that I had actually met Qin Yuan a long time ago. Five years ago, after the fall of the Si Tian Pavilion, he led the people from the Dali Temple to wander in the mountains and forests. At that time, he searched so seriously, I thought he really wanted to find the truth... I didn't expect that in the end he would close the case by accident. The head of the Si Tian Pavilion has lived for more than a hundred years. What can he not predict? If he hadn't been ambushed, how could he have been so defenseless? So when I met him that day, was he really searching for evidence? Or was he searching for the treasures of the Si Tian Pavilion?
"Two months ago, Uncle Jiang was abducted because of me. Later, I listened to Wuweizi and thought it was the Hall of Immortality who did it, but now I think that's not necessarily the case. It wasn't just the Hall of Immortality who was looking for the disciples of the Sitian Pavilion. Qin Yuan also has motives in this matter, doesn't he? A few days ago, I saw him standing over Jiang Zheng's body with my own eyes... Li Xuanhe, all the clues are converging in one place. I even began to suspect that you were deceiving me in the dilapidated temple in Chaozhou. You knew that Jiang Zheng was taken away by Qin Yuan, but you didn't tell me. I don't understand. You knew that I was the one who was really related to the Sitian Pavilion, so why didn't you tell Qin Yuan? Li Xuanhe, what do you want?"
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