All the old things that Xie Bufeng brought back from the border were stored in Yuguang Palace.
He searched for a while and finally found those black cotton coats.
Xie Bufeng hugged the cotton coat tightly in his arms, trying to warm his body.
However, the faint bitter fragrance that once stained the clothes had long since dissipated with the passage of time.
The finest cotton, after being washed repeatedly, is formed into small clumps.
The only thing left on the cotton-padded jacket was the smell of blood, which could not be washed away no matter how hard you tried, silently stating the cruelty of the battlefield...
Just when he was about to leave, Xie Bufeng suddenly saw a dark blue piece of clothing exposed at the bottom layer of the wardrobe.
"This is… "
Xie Bufeng took it out carefully.
—A dark blue cloak appeared in front of the young man, with magnolia embroidered in dark thread on the cloak.
The bitter fragrance lingering in the room instantly awakened Xie Bufeng's memory.
That night in Jingshu Palace, Wen Qingci asked a young eunuch to deliver the cloak to him.
Xie Bufeng hugged his cloak and slowly closed his eyes. Wen Qingci's clear and gentle voice finally reached his ears after two years and hundreds of days and nights... I will go back to the Imperial Physician's Office to boil medicine and will not be able to send you back. Please remember to be careful when you return to Yuguang Palace later.
At that time, Xie Bufeng just felt disdainful.
Now he finally understood what Wen Qingci said.
But the person who spoke had really left him and went far away.
Xie Bufeng clutched his cloak tightly, vaguely noticing the wrinkles on the fabric, then hurriedly and carefully loosened it and gently held it in his arms.
For a moment I didn't know what to do.
*
"... You have a special constitution, so all kinds of spiritual medicines are almost ineffective on you. But fortunately, external injuries are not treated with these things," Song Junran said after examining Wen Qingci's arm, "Dad left me a method that might be useful, but the process might not be so... comfortable. If you are willing, you can try it today."
The successive masters of the Divine Doctor Valley would record the diseases they saw.
It will then be sorted out by the next valley master and turned into notes or medical books.
The method Song Junran mentioned was the one he compiled from the medical records left by the old valley master a while ago.
Wen Qingci never thought that his arm could actually recover.
He naturally would not miss this opportunity: "Of course I am willing."
"Okay!" Song Junran suddenly laughed, and somehow... Wen Qingci could read a feeling of success on his face.
The next second, Song Junran, who was well prepared, produced a bamboo basket from behind him.
Before Wen Qingci could ask what it was, he saw a small white snake sticking its head out of the bamboo basket with its tongue spitting out.
Then it slowly wrapped around his cold, numb left wrist.
Before Wen Qingci could react, the snake bit his wrist fiercely.
The pain that was hard to ignore spread from the wrist.
For a moment, the numbness was covered up.
The Divine Doctor Valley is isolated from the outside world, and it is spring all year round. If you stay here for a long time, it will be difficult to even have a clear concept of the passage of time and changes.
Wen Qingci spent half a day treating patients and half a day tending to Song Junran's flowers and plants.
His body, which had been severely damaged, was slowly recovering a little.
But he still thought of the medical books and notes that he had left behind in Yongdu and failed to bring back to the valley, as well as the young man who had become the emperor...
There are only a few dozen people in the Valley of Divine Doctors.
Most of them stay in seclusion for years, and all the news comes from a few medicine servants who occasionally go out.
Ever since the medicine servant who gossiped about Wen Qingci and Xie Bufeng in front of him returned to the valley, no one had entered or left the Valley of Divine Doctors for a long time.
Until Bai Zhiyuan, the medicine servant stationed in Yongdu, returned to the valley.
—Song Junran closed the medical clinic in Yongdu, and now it is empty.
Wen Qingci learned from him that the succession ceremony had already been completed.
Now Xie Bufeng has rightfully become the new emperor of the Wei Dynasty.
After dealing with the group of people in Yongdu, he used the military power in his hands to stabilize the four areas, and no longer completely followed the old system of the previous dynasty as before.
Instead, he took advantage of the opportunity of great changes to quickly carry out reforms, making major changes to military service, corvee labor, land system, and tax system.
The countless books that Xie Bufeng had studied on his own in Suzhou, the scenes he had seen at the border when he was a young man guarding the mausoleum, and everything he had seen, heard, and seen during his military career, all came in handy at this time.
He completely dismantled and reconstructed the system of the previous dynasty that was based on aristocratic families.
If the Wei Dynasty under the deposed emperor was simply a continuation of the previous dynasty, with the royal family having a new surname.
Then the current Wei Dynasty can be considered a complete change of dynasty.
Although Wen Qingci knew that Xie Bufeng would definitely become an emperor completely different from Xie Zhaolin, everything he heard today was still beyond his expectations.
What Wen Qingci hadn't anticipated was... Under the endless emptiness and numbness, what supported Xie Bufeng were actually the few words he left behind.
He said to Xie Bufeng, "Cherish the person in front of you," so Xie Bufeng forced himself to meet Concubine Lan and Xie Fuyin every day.
Xie Fuyin told Xie Bufeng that Wen Qingci said he was "a hero of the Wei Dynasty", so the young man really became that kind of person as Wen Qingci said.
“… However, although Xie Bufeng is very powerful, people have mixed opinions about him.” Bai Zhiyuan said to Wen Qingci.
"Why is that?"
"His achievements are obvious to all, but his behavior of throwing all the rules of propriety and filial piety behind his back is also obvious to all," Bai Zhiyuan couldn't help but say, "For example, he loves torture. He even tortured the deposed emperor. No matter what the deposed emperor did before, it can't change the fact that he is Xie Bufeng's biological father. If I were Xie Bufeng, even if I did it, I would hide it and do it secretly. This shouldn't be difficult for the emperor, right? But he insisted on being aboveboard. Now everyone in the Wei Dynasty knows that their emperor is an unfilial son who disregards human ethics."
Bai Zhiyuan's tone was very exaggerated, like a storyteller. It was obvious that he had heard many wonderful "stories" in Yongdu.
After he finished speaking, he paused and said with emotion: "But the emperor has achieved what he has done... It seems quite refreshing."
Wen Qingci smiled, nodded gently, and continued to water the flowers and plants around him.
What Bai Zhiyuan said is the view of most people in Wei Dynasty.
No one can erase Xie Bufeng's achievements.
But some of his actions were extremely outrageous.
Everyone condemned him, saying that he and the deposed emperor were indeed father and son, as they were both equally crazy.
But on the other hand... I can't help but secretly envy such people in my heart.
After Xie Zhaolin's downfall, the people in Songxiu Mansion, who were originally afraid of the current emperor and dared not speak carelessly, gradually began to talk openly about what happened that year.
Song Junran did not allow anyone to discuss the affairs of Yongdu in the valley.
Therefore, while Bai Zhiyuan was talking, he couldn't help but observe his surroundings silently.
Hearing footsteps not far away, he quickly cleared his throat, changed the subject and pretended to discuss medical principles with Wen Qingci.
But at the last second, Bai Zhiyuan couldn't help but whispered: "... It is said that the deposed emperor has been driven completely crazy. Xie Bufeng's methods are indeed cruel."
There is a special person in the Ministry of Justice prison who is responsible for guarding Xie Zhaolin.
At this moment, his condition was indeed the same as Bai Zhiyuan said, he had completely fallen into madness.
Xie Zhaolin will be talking nonsense for most of the day tomorrow, praying in fear that the "innocent souls under the Yinchuan Grand Canal" will stay away from him.
The words he kept saying were always the same two sentences.
After listening for so long, the soldiers in charge of guarding him developed calluses on their ears.
However, although he was good at talking, those who were in charge of looking after Xie Zhaolin could see that the deposed emperor had reached his limit.
Xie Zhaolin was transferred from the round prison to the water prison.
On this day, while being detained here, he suddenly became much more conscious.
He no longer yelled like crazy like before, but instead murmured with his eyes wide open: "... I know, I know."
"Hahaha Wen Qingci, that day, the words you said were what you said, not my hallucination! Right?"
He recalled the day in Baiqiao Tower when Wen Qingci had provoked him with words in an attempt to drive him crazy.
After waking up, Xie Zhaolin thought it was a picture he had imagined.
It was not until now that he finally realized that Wen Qingci did it on purpose!
He was deliberately provoking himself—
"If I had known earlier, I should have killed you right away at that time!" Xie Zhaolin said gritting his teeth.
After saying this, Xie Zhaolin started laughing crazily as usual.
The laughter echoed over and over again in the empty cell, sounding extremely creepy.
The soldiers guarding outside the dungeon looked at each other and quickly retreated.
The emperor had instructed that if Xie Zhaolin mentioned Wen Qingci, he should tell him about the matter as soon as possible.
After an incense stick of time had passed, the new emperor, dressed in black clothes and a golden crown, actually appeared here.
"... Hahahaha, I should have killed you long ago, on Qingming Festival in the twenty-seventh year of Tianchu... I should have killed you at that time."
The moment Xie Bufeng walked into the Ministry of Justice's prison, he happened to hear these words.
Qingming Festival in the twenty-seventh year of Tianchu, why this day
The soldiers following Xie Bufeng looked at each other in bewilderment.
Before they could figure out what the deposed emperor was doing today, they saw Xie Bufeng suddenly grit his teeth and pull out a long sword from the hand of a soldier nearby.
Accompanied by a sound of breaking through the air, a cold light flashed the next second, and the cold sword blade was already against Xie Zhaolin's throat.
"What did you say? What happened on Qingming Festival in the twenty-seventh year of Tianchu?" Xie Bufeng narrowed his eyes, his words full of murderous intent.
I don’t know when, Xie Bufeng had completely lost his boyish naivety and immaturity.
His voice was low and hoarse, intimidating without even being angry.
Xie Zhaolin slowly turned around and looked at the people around him with cloudy eyes.
Then he stood there motionless.
Seeing that the other party was not cooperating, Xie Bufeng smiled gently, slowly rotated the hilt of the sword, pressed his shoulder with the sword, and pushed him little by little into the stagnant water.
Water and coldness rushed in from all directions.
In a trance, Xie Zhaolin saw countless wronged souls of river workers crawling out from the bottom of the water, grabbing his ankles and pulling him into hell.
"Ahh..." Xie Zhaolin screamed loudly, but when he opened his mouth, the water poured into his mouth and nose, "I'll tell you, I'll tell you-"
Xie Zhaolin struggled desperately, and the heavy iron chains hanging on his body made a series of loud noises.
But Xie Bufeng seemed not to hear his cries for mercy and continued to push him underwater carelessly.
The soldiers in the Ministry of Justice's prison were all shocked by Xie Bufeng's aura.
Stuck in place, unable to move.
“Let me go, please... Spare me, spare me..." Xie Zhaolin took a deep breath and begged for mercy from Xie Bufeng.
"What happened on Qingming Festival in the twenty-seventh year of Tianchu?" the young man asked in a low voice.
Xie Zhaolin knew that Xie Bufeng had lost his patience. He trembled and said quickly, "He, he disappeared during the Qingming Festival that year. I had a headache and could not call him into the palace. At that time, the eunuch said that he was poisoned. He must be lying to me, right... He must be lying to me."
"I should have killed him at that time—"
"How dare you, dare to deceive me together with the virtuous eunuch, the crime of deceiving the emperor, you should be beheaded... You should be beheaded!"
After Xie Zhaolin said a few words, he started yelling crazily at the imaginary "river workers", telling them not to come near.
"Someone come here!" Xie Bufeng turned around abruptly and almost gnashed his teeth as he ordered the person behind him, "Bring the eunuch here for me!"
"Yes, Your Majesty—"
One soldier took the order and left, while the rest held their breath and stood still.
Qingming Festival in the twenty-seventh year of Tianchu - at this moment, this point in time is the only one that keeps lingering in Xie Bufeng's mind.
Xie Zhaolin said, Wen Qingci disappeared for those few days
In the twenty-seventh year of Tianchu, the battle in which he was seriously injured broke out before Qingming Festival.
Xie Bufeng was instantly confused.
He held the sword tightly, unwilling to let go for a long time.
After a while, the old eunuch was taken to the prison by two soldiers.
At this time, he was no longer on duty in Taishu Palace day and night, but returned to Yong's house to live out his retirement.
Although Eunuch Xian had spent most of his life in the palace and had seen countless storms, he had never been to a place like this.
The soldier who brought him here did not explain his intention, so the moment the bloody smell and coldness of the prison came through, Eunuch Xian's legs could not stop shaking.
In all dynasties, whenever a new emperor ascended the throne, he would deal with the old people of the previous dynasty.
Although Eunuch Xian made great contributions in helping Xie Bufeng seize the throne, this still cannot erase the fact that he was once Xie Zhaolin's greatest confidant.
Ever since Xie Bufeng ascended the throne, the virtuous eunuch knew that this day would come...
"Long live the emperor—"
Before the eunuch Xian finished his ceremony, Xie Bufeng interrupted him: "On the Qingming Festival in the twenty-seventh year of Tianchu... what exactly is going on?"
The low and hoarse voice, mixed with Xie Zhaolin's crazy shouting, echoed over and over again in the prison.
The virtuous eunuch who was kneeling on the ground paused, then kowtowed heavily.
As an emperor, Xie Bufeng was not fussy about trivial matters - this could be seen from the fact that he did not mind that he had been Xie Zhaolin's confidant and allowed himself to stay in Yongdu to retire.
But Eunuch Xian also knew that if he could not answer the question well, he might have to stay here forever and keep Xie Zhaolin company.
Fortunately, fortunately, he chose the right person to follow and kept a trump card.
Eunuch Xian's voice suddenly became tearful. He kowtowed and spoke from the beginning, "Your Majesty, to be honest, Mr. Wen was worried about your Majesty's safety and wanted to send cotton clothes and medicine to the north. He didn't have anyone he knew in the army, so he had to ask me to help deliver the things to you and to find out the military news in the north..."
Although he already knew the origin of those cotton clothes and medicines, Xie Bufeng's heart still ached when he heard this.
The eunuch, who was anxious to survive, continued, "That's why I became good friends with Mr. Wen."
When he said this, there was a hint of sadness in his voice, as if he really had a good relationship with Wen Qingci.
"On the Qingming Festival in the 27th year... the deposed emperor was not feeling well and asked me to go outside the palace to look for Mr. Wen. But I found that Mr. Wen was not in the palace from beginning to end, not even in Yongdu..."
"Then, the deposed emperor ordered someone to forcibly bring Mr. Wen into the palace, and he went back and forth for several days. It was because I was too partial to him in this matter that the deposed emperor became wary of me."
"… That's right. Although I didn't see it with my own eyes, I heard from others that after the Qingming Festival in the 27th year of Tianchu, Mr. Wen returned to Taishu Palace with injuries and illnesses all over his body. His vitality was severely damaged, and it seemed that he had lost half his life. The deposed emperor also placed him under house arrest in Taishu Palace from then on."
Until his death, he was never able to leave the palace.
Hearing this, Xie Bufeng's mind went blank.
He stood there without saying a word.
Eunuch Xian couldn't tell what Xie Bufeng's mood was at the moment.
He suddenly reached into his sleeves with shaking hands, yanked hard, and pulled out the thing he had kept to save his life: "Your Majesty, please look. I have really been in contact with Mr. Wen..."
The soldier took the thing from his hand and handed it to Xie Bufeng.
This is a yellowed note with the efficacy, usage and dosage of various medicines carefully written on it.
Xie Bufeng had seen exactly the same content on a medicine bottle sent to the north.
However, the version he saw had unfamiliar handwriting.
But every word on the paper in front of me was written by Wen Qingci.
A hint of warmth finally appeared in the boy's cold eyes.
The virtuous eunuch couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief...
Wen Qingci would write the instructions every time, have someone copy them, and stick them on the medicine bottles before sending them to the north.
The first time, he found someone himself.
Afterwards, Eunuch Xian was cautious and asked Wen Qingci to directly bring the instructions and have someone copy them himself.
At the same time, I took this opportunity to keep the original copy.
The one Xie Bufeng is holding in his hand now is one of the original copies left by Eunuch Xian.
The boy saw that beneath the dense description of the medicine's effects, there were a few words he had never seen before.
"Your Highness, I hope you are well."
Wen Qingci wrote these words by hand and then gently crossed them out.
In an instant, the note in Xie Bufeng's hand seemed to weigh a thousand pounds and he couldn't even hold it.
—On the Qingming Festival of the twenty-seventh year of Tianchu, when he was seriously injured, Wen Qing left Yongdu and returned several days later with injuries all over his body.
The dream that should have been forgotten became clear in an instant.
Colorful bed curtains decorated with stained glass fragments.
And the trembling cold lips...
The beautiful dream in my memory is not false.
The answer is at hand.
The person in my dream that day was indeed Wen Qingci.
Pale neck, ambiguous biting, caressing, wanton touching... and suppressed gasps.
I actually touched the person in my dream whom I didn't dare to kiss when I was awake.
They even take advantage of the fact that nothing is real and become extremely presumptuous.
Wen Qingci was the first to learn about his injury and, despite all the risks, headed for the North.
How did he do it
Xie Bufeng didn't even dare to think about it.
The boy stumbled back a step.
Xie Bufeng suddenly remembered that after he woke up, he still felt pain at an acupuncture point on his neck.
I was ill at that time, and if Wen Qingci wanted to, he could just kill me.
However, not only did he not do so, he even allowed himself to... make him dirty.
Xie Bufeng held his breath and thought carefully... So, could it be that Wen Qingci also has a little bit of irrational love for him
The sword fell to the ground with a bang.
Xie Bufeng's heart ached with every breath.
In the prison, only Xie Zhaolin's curses were still echoing.
The deposed emperor was imprisoned, and past events that he had suppressed in the past began to surface one after another.
The death of Emperor Ai and the countless innocent souls buried at the bottom of the Grand Canal in Yinchuan became a topic of discussion among everyone in the Wei Dynasty.
But this was not enough, Xie Bufeng ordered a thorough investigation of what happened that year.
In particular, we need to find out what happened in the village where Wen Qingci lived as a child.
None of the officials in the court had any objection.
When the court was about to leave, the young man in black clothes said calmly: "... After this matter is thoroughly investigated, I will start the dragon boat again, and all civil and military officials will go south with me to Songxiu Mansion to comfort the dead soul."
"Your Majesty is wise—" Upon hearing this, the court officials knelt down one after another.
Finally, a minister in red came out hesitantly. He bowed to Xie Bufeng and asked very carefully, "Your Majesty, your birthday is coming soon this year. How should we celebrate?"
His voice echoed in the silent hall, sounding particularly lonely.
"Wanshou Festival" is the emperor's birthday. Generally speaking, it lasts for three days and is the most important festival of the year.
But now that the Wanshou Festival is getting closer, there is no movement from Xie Bufeng's side. The officials in charge of this matter in the Ministry of Rites can make the decision themselves, and for a moment they don't know what to do.
There is no other way but to ask the question at this time.
Xie Bufeng paused, then glanced at the other person slowly and said, "No."
“Uh…” The man was stunned for a moment, “Yes, Your Majesty!” Then he stood up and retreated hurriedly.
The court officials looked at each other in bewilderment - from ancient times to the present, there has never been an emperor who did not hold a birthday celebration!
What is going on in your Majesty's mind
Although there was no celebration for the Wanshou Festival this year, the court and the people still took a three-day break as usual.
Three days later, late at night.
Xie Bufeng sat alone under the magnolia tree in the Imperial Medical Bureau, pouring himself glass of wine one after another.
After drinking the strong liquor, my chest and lungs felt like they were burning with fire.
—Only now did he realize that after he had the sense of pain, even drinking had a little more flavor.
Soon…
After he has found out the truth about what happened, he will bring all the civil and military officials to Songxiu Mansion and to Wen Qingci's grave to tell him everything in person.
Xie Bufeng slowly closed his eyes. The cheering sounds of the crowd outside Taishu Palace passed through the palace walls and fell into his ears. It was a bit too noisy.
The boy just gently rubbed the blood-stained bracelet on his wrist.
He slowly put the bracelet to his heart, and imitated Wen Qingci's tone back then, muttering to himself: "Happy birthday, Your Highness."
May you live forever and last for generations.
All he wanted was a simple "Happy Birthday".
(End of this chapter)