“Squeak—”
The latch outside the main room had long since rusted and fallen off.
Xie Bufeng pushed open the rotten and deformed wooden door with almost no effort and stepped into the house.
He stood at the threshold, holding his breath and looking forward.
There was only a table in the small main room.
There is a bedroom on each side. The wooden couch in the room has cracked and warped at some point, giving off a strong smell of decay.
The room was covered in dust, and it looked like no one had lived there for many years.
Xie Bufeng stood here quietly, not moving at all.
Only the trembling fingers and the slightly obvious breathing sound inadvertently revealed the owner's nervousness.
The rooms in the small village are not paved with blue bricks.
It is impossible to tell whether there is dust on the compacted earth ground.
Xie Bufeng's gaze slowly slid past here.
At this moment, he was like a lone wolf patiently searching for his prey.
Amber eyes, calm and composed.
But in the young man's heart, there seemed to be a ball of fire burning beneath his skin.
At this moment, there was a sound of birds singing outside the window—
This sound pierced the silence of Shanyujian in an instant, and Xie Bufeng's heart was suddenly in turmoil.
Xie Bufeng narrowed his eyes, his dark pupils shrank slightly, and suddenly he walked quickly towards the bedroom on the south side.
Next to the bed was a small desk with a drawer made of thin wooden boards.
The new emperor, dressed in black, slowly leaned forward.
He saw:
There were two faint fingerprints on the dusty desk.
The fingerprints are still clear, the person may have just left here.
“… Wen Qingci.”
Xie Bufeng slowly forced out the name from between his teeth. He placed his finger on the fingerprint with a trembling hand, his brows full of tenderness and attachment.
After a pause of a few seconds, the muscles on the boy's forearms suddenly tensed, and then his palms clenched little by little.
It was as if he was grabbing that jade-white and slender wrist from across time and space.
Dust, fingerprints.
These things were too insignificant. Xie Bufeng's reason told him that all that he saw could not prove anything.
But his instinct was clamoring that it was Wen Qingci. Only Wen Qingci would come here to revisit the old place after twenty years.
The traces in the old house were like two sparks, lighting up the barren field in Xie Bufeng's eyes.
Suddenly, a ball of fire appeared in the empty ventricle, burning him all the time.
This fire forced him to do something - even if it was just to stop the boiling.
*
"…Didn't he say he would be here in four or five days?" Song Junran said in a low voice, almost gritting his teeth, "How could he be so unpunctual and arrive two days early!"
He seemed to enjoy finding fault with Xie Bufeng.
Although the Divine Doctor Valley is close to Songxiu Mansion, it still takes at least a day of walking on the mountain road to reach the hidden valley entrance.
In order to take care of Wen Qingci's health, after returning to the old house, the two did not leave immediately, but chose to stay in Songxiu Mansion for another day. After recuperating, they set off back to the valley.
But they didn't expect that the next morning, as soon as the two men rode to the gate of Songxiu Prefecture, they were stopped by soldiers.
—The royal boat arrived two days earlier than scheduled and will reach Songxiu Mansion today.
Since yesterday evening, Songxiu Mansion has not allowed outsiders to enter or leave at will.
Although Song Junran lowered his voice, his ugly expression still caused the soldiers guarding the gate to look at him twice.
Fearing trouble, Wen Qingci grabbed Song Junran's sleeve and pulled him back into the city.
"Forget it, Senior Brother," Wen Qingci looked back at the flow of people in Song Xiu Mansion and whispered to Song Junran, "There are tens of thousands of people in the city. If you blend in, you won't be discovered. On the contrary, if you leave the city now, it will arouse suspicion."
The imperial carriage is approaching, and the guards at Songxiu Mansion are more than ten times more than usual.
Not only did they defend the city gates, but they also filled the city walls with people, so that not even a fly could fly through.
Song Junran looked back and could only sigh with gritted teeth: "Forget it, let's go back to the clinic and rest first."
"Okay." Wen Qingci nodded and went with him to the clinic located in a corner of Songxiu Mansion.
The long street of Songxiu Prefecture was crowded with people, some locals and many who came from other places.
Without exception, these people came to see the royal procession.
Song Junran and Wen Qingci wanted to return to the clinic as soon as possible, but they did not expect that the roads in the city had already been blocked by this group of people.
Not to mention returning to the clinic, they could only follow the flow of people and head towards the Yinchuan Grand Canal.
"What's so good about this?" Song Junran said angrily. "Didn't the cruise ship from the southern tour come here a few years ago?"
His voice fell into the ears of the people around him.
"This is different!" A woman in a pink silk dress turned to Song Junran and said, "Your Majesty came to Songxiu Mansion this time to redress the injustice of the river workers who died unjustly that year."
After she finished speaking, her eyes couldn't help but turn red: "My brother is one of them... When the deposed emperor was in power, his family didn't even know how to pay tribute to him."
Only then did Wen Qingci see that she was holding a bouquet of chrysanthemums in her hand.
One stone caused a thousand ripples, and people around started talking about their own experiences.
The dam collapse happened twenty years ago.
But the hatred is hard to dispel and the feeling is hard to calm down.
They will witness with their own eyes today the moment when history, which was almost forgotten, is made public.
Song Junran suddenly pursed his lips... His mother also died on the dam.
After a long silence, Wen Qingci finally spoke slowly: "Brother, let's go over and take a look."
"… good."
Song Junran, lost in his memories, did not notice that Wen Qingci's voice was trembling slightly at this moment.
Taking advantage of the crowd's cover, Wen Qingci placed his right hand on his chest. He exerted force little by little, and clenched the fabric over his chest.
At this moment, his eyes were darkening.
The word "hate" appeared in Wen Qingci's ears again and again.
It was like a fuse that brought the strong hatred hidden in Wen Qingci's heart to the surface.
It is springtime in Shanyujian, which should be the best time of the year, but there is no one in the small mountain village to enjoy the spring scenery.
All Wen Qingci could hear was crying.
"Mother? Mother, what's wrong with you, mother?"
The woman lying on the bed had already turned blue in the face.
No matter how Ren Wenqingci cried and shouted, she did not open her eyes.
"Open your eyes, please? Look at Qingci again..."
"I, I also caught some fish. Do you want to try some?"
The small bamboo basket stood alone on the ground.
Most of the water in the bamboo basket leaked out through the cracks, and the small fish that were swimming around not long ago had now turned upside down.
There was dead silence in the room.
Wen Qingci lay on the bed and cried for a long time, then turned around hurriedly and shook the man's sleeve vigorously: "Daddy! Daddy? Wake up, wake up..."
Seeing that the two were still motionless, Wen Qingci finally seemed to remember something and quickly wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand. Then he took a slow, deep breath and placed his hands on their wrists with a trembling hand.
Not long ago, Wen Qingci was sent by his parents to a medical clinic in Songxiu Prefecture as an apprentice.
He was still young and not old enough to study medicine under a master. On weekdays he just did odd jobs for the clerks in the clinic.
But when Wen Qingci had nothing to do, he would also read medical books.
"Take the pulse, take the pulse," Wen Qingci tried to recall the formula, trying to identify his father's pulse, "It's light when you press it, nothing when you press it hard, floating like a piece of wood..."
Although he could recite the formula, he had no experience and could not distinguish any pulse conditions.
After all, the person on the bed had long since died.
"… How to do how to do?"
The tender child's voice echoed in the room again and again. With red eyes, he asked his parents for help.
But the room remained dead silent, and no one could answer his question.
Wen Qingci's heart was gradually consumed by despair.
The sunlight outside the window gradually dimmed.
As a child, he finally realized that Shanyujian was eerily quiet tonight.
There is no gossip from neighbors, no friends to play with.
There was only the deafening sound of crying coming from nowhere.
Until this moment, when he was still young, he finally understood that such silence was called "death."
Wen Qingci struggled to stand up from the bed.
I wish I had studied medicine earlier.
It would be better if my medical skills could be more advanced.
If only I had the legendary panacea in my hands...
His eyes were empty and there were only a bunch of "ifs" repeating over and over in his mind.
Wen Qingci's thirst for medical skills has never been so strong.
What happened in the past few days quickly flashed through his mind.
Wen Qingci vaguely knew that something big had happened in Songxiu Mansion.
The owner of the clinic was temporarily unwilling to take care of him, so he asked him to go home for a while before returning to Songxiu.
He was full of expectations and had a lot of things to say to his parents. He even caught some fish so that they could have a taste.
But I didn't expect to see such a scene when I returned to Shanyujian.
—There were corpses everywhere.
"Cough cough cough..." On the long street of Songxiu Mansion, Wen Qingci couldn't help coughing again. He felt a familiar tingling sensation in his chest and lungs.
By the time Wen Qingci reacted, he coughed up a thin stream of blood from his throat.
Fortunately, there was a gauze curtain blocking the view, and no one except himself noticed this abnormality.
Wen Qingci quietly used a silk handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corner of her lips.
But at this moment, his heart still felt like it was being held in someone's hand, and it kept tightening and aching.
In an instant, regret and remorse were intertwined.
Wen Qingci's lips and teeth were trembling constantly.
As the emperor, Xie Zhaolin naturally could not leave the body on the banks of the Yinchuan Grand Canal. He sent people to transport the body to the outskirts of Songxiu Prefecture overnight.
To save time, minimize the impact.
The people in charge of dealing with the bodies simply found a secluded place and buried them hastily without doing any other treatment.
—That place is Shanyujian.
Songxiu Prefecture is located in the south of the Yangtze River, and has a well-developed underground river system.
The burial site was at the foot of the mountain, just upstream of the Yujian River. Countless corpses rotted underground, polluting the river below.
However, in just a few days, countless lives were lost in Shanyu Stream.
The mountain village that was once like a peach garden turned into a ghost town in an instant.
In the end, the only one who survived was him, who went out to study medicine.
The scorching sun shone from above, but it could not warm Wen Qingci's body.
He seemed to be dragged back to that cold early spring by his memory.
His left arm hanging by his side trembled uncontrollably, and he even forgot how to breathe.
The small snake hidden in his wide sleeves was also awakened by the trembling, and bit his wrist fiercely.
The sharp teeth pierced through the flesh, leaving two deep bloody holes on Wen Qingci's forearm, and it did not let go for a long time.
But he was lost in his memories and was unaware of it, and just let the little snake bite his wrist.
The dark red blood, like a vine, wrapped around Wen Qingci's wrist.
The next moment, it went around the fingertips and smashed to the ground.
"Snapped."
The long street of Songxiu Prefecture was crowded with people, and no one noticed that a bunch of dazzling red plum blossoms had grown on the hem of Wen Qingci's clothes.
—
Wen Qingci and Song Junran followed the crowd and walked to the bank of the Yinchuan Grand Canal.
There were so many people coming here today that although they arrived not too late, they were still squeezed to the back of the crowd.
Wen Qingci could hardly see anything because of the countless figures between them.
Only the scene inside the Yuzu Stream kept appearing in the depths of his mind.
—The little child didn’t know where to buy a wooden coffin, so he could only wrap his loved one with straw mats and bedding.
Then he used all his strength to drag them to the wasteland outside the village.
Finally, they dug a shallow pit with their bare hands and buried them...
The brown and black soil gradually covered the faces of our loved ones.
Before he could see anything clearly, his vision was blurred by tears.
Wen Qingci was drowsy under the sunlight.
His vision was still going dark from time to time and his ears were filled with buzzing sounds.
Everything happening around me seems like a dream.
He seemed to see a huge dragon boat docked far away on the bank of the Yinchuan Grand Canal.
There was a deafening cheer from the crowd.
After an unknown amount of time, the crowd gradually quieted down.
The eunuch's shrill voice was carried by the wind and spread in all directions.
The "Confession of Crimes" was filled with all the evil deeds done by Xie Zhaolin.
Xie Bufeng not only found out the truth about the dam collapse of the Yinchuan Grand Canal that year, but also dug out the unknown tragedy of Shanyujian from under the thick dust of time.
Not only that, Wen Qingci didn't know about it until this time.
It turns out that Concubine Lan's father and brother also died because of this.
—In order to complete the construction of the Yinchuan Grand Canal ten years before his accession to the throne, the emperor ignored the advice of the then chief architect and kept ordering speedy work.
He was even sent to Songxiu Prefecture together with the Minister of Works.
The day they arrived at Songxiu Prefecture, a dam collapse occurred...
They were buried here along with the river workers.
"So that's how it is..." Wen Qingci muttered softly.
"What's wrong?" Song Junran asked.
Wen Qingci paused for a moment and said, "I have seen the portraits of the river workers and the sculptures of Concubine Lan's father and brother in the Zhongxian Temple. Later I learned that the deposed emperor built the Zhongxian Temple not for commemoration, but to reduce resentment."
What Yu Guanlin said in the Zhongxian Temple that day was all lies to himself.
Wen Qingci's voice was a little hoarse and still trembling slightly.
Song Junran finally noticed that his junior fellow apprentice was not in good condition.
I couldn't see his face clearly through the gauze curtain.
But Song Junran guessed that Wen Qingci's face must be pale.
The sun is extremely scorching today.
If Wen Qingci stays here any longer, it is possible that he will faint.
"Let's go..." Song Junran said softly to Wen Qingci, "Everyone is gathered on the bank of the Yinchuan Grand Canal now, it's more convenient for us to go back now."
After saying that, he grabbed Wen Qingci's sleeve and led him to the small street behind him.
He patted Wen Qingci's shoulder and said, "What happened in the past is in the past. Don't worry, the little emperor will definitely not let his father die easily."
Although Song Junran was unwilling to say anything good about Xie Bufeng, he always readily admitted that "Xie Bufeng's methods were vicious."
It was as if echoing Song Junran's words.
Just a second later, they heard a scream in their ears.
"-ah!!!"
Wen Qingci and Song Junran turned around at the same time.
Coincidentally, although the street they were in was farther away from the canal, the terrain of the street was much higher than the open space where the two were just now.
The entire scene on the canal fell into the eyes of the two men.
There was not a single piece of intact skin or flesh on Xie Zhaolin's body.
He couldn't even make any other sound except screaming.
He, who was once the king of a country, was now trapped in a narrow iron cage like a wild beast.
There were several huge stones hanging on the four corners of the iron cage.
There was complete silence on both sides of the canal.
Everyone held their breath at this moment.
Two soldiers brought Xie Zhaolin to the front of the dragon boat, and without giving him any time to catch his breath, they pushed the iron cage heavily.
Even though they were hundreds of meters apart, Wen Qingci could still sense his fear from the banging of the iron cage and his desperate screams.
But in the end, the screams suddenly stopped.
Xie Zhaolin opened his mouth and used all his strength to pronounce the name in a hoarse voice: "Ning Yuzhao, you... is it you, is it you?"
"boom-"
Followed by a muffled sound.
This scene has appeared countless times in Xie Zhaolin's nightmares.
At the moment when the cold water of Yinchuan Grand Canal flowed into the iron cage through the gap, Xie Zhaolin's heart was calmer than ever before.
For a moment, he couldn't tell if this was real or just another one of his nightmares.
The former emperor was now in a daze, as if he had lost his soul.
He saw countless hands reaching out to him from the bottom of the Yinchuan Grand Canal.
They screamed at him to be dragged into the river.
In addition to the wronged souls whose figures could not be seen clearly, a goose yellow figure also appeared before his eyes.
It’s Ning Yuzhao.
He looked at Xie Zhaolin and said calmly, just like he did back then: "I got up not to kill you, but just to hug you again."
Xie Zhaolin's eyes widened.
But I gave him a cold sword.
He subconsciously stretched out his hand, trying to catch the goose yellow figure that was about to disappear.
In the end, he only held the cold water at the bottom of the Yinchuan Grand Canal.
Countless wronged souls attacked him, and finally, just like in his nightmare, they dragged the iron cage and pulled him to the bottom of the river.
Xie Zhaolin could never have predicted this in his lifetime.
At the last moment, he did not fall into a deep sleep in the warm dragon bed surrounded by his descendants.
Nor was he consumed by fear and hatred.
At that moment, he had only one thought in his mind.
When Ning Yuzhao stood up, he had nothing in his hands.
He stood up not to kill himself, but just... to hug himself again.
Xie Zhaolin has killed countless people in his life, and countless people have also wanted to kill him.
From the common people, to the person beside him, to his own son.
The only person who didn't want to kill him was killed by him with a single sword more than 20 years ago.
Even though he was a deposed emperor, Xie Zhaolin's ending was too sloppy.
But this was done deliberately by Xie Bufeng.
The cage sank.
The young emperor in a black robe jumped onto his horse with one hand and headed away from the canal with the royal baggage.
—It was exactly the direction where Wen Qingci and Song Junran were.
His breath was instantly choked.
After a year, Wen Qingci finally saw Xie Bufeng again at this moment.
The sun was setting in the sky, shining on his light honey-colored skin.
Xie Bufeng's facial features became more profound, and his eyes were full of arrogance.
He has both the murderous intent of a wild beast and the cold and solemn dignity of someone who has been in a high position for a long time.
The wind pushed down the hem of his clothes, which were decorated with gold and jade, and faintly outlined the contours of his muscles.
The slightly curly black hair tied behind her head fluttered like a black cloud.
"Long live the emperor—"
"Long live the emperor—"
Wherever Xie Bufeng goes, the people kneel down in worship.
The rumbling sound makes people's hearts skip a beat.
When passing by the small street from a distance, Xie Bufeng seemed to sense something and suddenly turned around to look in the direction of Wen Qingci.
Even though there were thousands of people between the two of them, at this moment, Wen Qingci couldn't help but have an illusion that he was like a prey, falling into those light amber eyes.
The sun made Wen Qingci feel dizzy, and he seemed to see the young man surrounded by the people in the north again.
The heavy snow fell and piled up on the iron armor.
The flames that shot up into the sky illuminated Xie Bufeng’s cheek.
He seemed to be looking far in his direction just like he did before.
Even though I was in the snow, it felt as hot as fire.
And today, Wen Qingci's heart sank as heavily as it did back then.
Xie Bufeng was no longer the despised young man in Taishu Palace.
But he is now a mature emperor.
"Let's go..." Wen Qingci quickly lowered his head, holding up his veil and speaking to Song Junran in a low voice, "I... feel a little uncomfortable in my heart."
"Heartache?" Wen Qingci's words frightened Song Junran. He immediately took Wen Qingci's right hand and checked his pulse. "Go find a place away from the sun to rest."
"Okay." Wen Qingci nodded slightly and walked along the street as Song Junran said.
The black warhorse galloped past.
In Xie Bufeng's eyes, everything around him was just swaying blocks of colors.
But even though it was just a flash, as thousands of people were kneeling in worship, the white moonlight standing alone behind everyone was still slightly eye-catching.
He was like a thorn, pricking Xie Bufeng lightly without him noticing.
Before I could see it clearly, it dissipated like fog.
The young man couldn't help but frown and slowly tightened the reins in his hands.
—
"How many more days will the gates of Songxiu Prefecture be closed?" In the clinic, Song Junran impatiently put down the teacup in his hand, "Xie Bufeng is really more arrogant than his father. I remember that when the former deposed emperor visited Songxiu Prefecture during his southern tour, people could still enter and leave the city freely."
He really couldn't stand Xie Bufeng.
The owner of the clinic hesitated for a moment and said, "… Well, I went out to ask around today, and it's not that I can't leave. If there's something urgent, you can write it down, report it, and after your identity is verified, you can leave the city."
Song Junran: “…”
He felt that his heart was also hurt by these words.
"Oh? How should I write my document?" Song Junran said angrily, "Write my name, Song Junran? The person I'm traveling with is Wen Qingci? The so-called urgent matter is to get away from under his nose. And then submit this document to the little emperor?"
Hearing this, the owner of the clinic couldn't help but feel that it was a bit outrageous.
Even Wen Qingci, who was treating a wound on his wrist, couldn't help but chuckle.
"Forget it then." He said with a little embarrassment.
"Ah," Song Junran sighed and picked up the teacup again, "I hope Xie Bufeng has finished his business and won't cause any more trouble."
Song Junran asked the owner of the clinic to go out and inquire, and the government said that Xie Bufeng made this trip to comfort the dead.
Now that he has finished his work, he still hasn't left...
This made him wonder whether Xie Bufeng would really go to "visit" Wen Qingci as the shopkeeper said that day.
Song Junran suppressed the uneasiness in his heart by drinking tea.
Wen Qingci treated the wound and put the ointment aside.
As soon as he looked up, he saw that Song Junran's face looked a little strange: "What's wrong, brother?"
Seeing that the two were about to talk, the owner of the clinic stepped back and slowly closed the door.
Song Junran slowly shook his head and said, "I'm a little worried that Xie Bufeng will notice something strange."
Wen Qingci frowned: "Why are you worried?"
"I said that day that I would bring your body back to the valley for medical research."
Wen Qingci nodded slightly. These were the words he had taught Song Junran to say before.
It is possible to detect whether there is someone in the coffin.
Rather than having someone discover something unusual during the burial, it is better to find a reason and bury the empty coffin directly.
According to the original plan, the coffin containing Wen Qingci would be taken directly back to the Valley of Divine Doctors by Song Junran.
There is an empty coffin buried outside Songxiu Mansion. It is just a cenotaph.
But that's where the problem lies.
"Logically, clothes should be put in the coffin outside Song Xiu Mansion, so that it can be called a cenotaph," Song Junran said, with a look of regret on his face, "but at that time I... ahem, thought it was unlucky, so I left nothing behind. So once the coffin is opened, you will find that it is indeed an empty coffin."
Considering that Song Junran was Wen Qingci's senior brother, the guards sent by Xie Bufeng gave him enough space.
Unexpectedly, the biggest omission occurred on Song Junran himself.
So there is such a thing
I have to say that my senior brother is really considerate.
It is indeed not auspicious for a person to build a cenotaph while he is still alive.
Unlike the nervous Song Junran, Wen Qingci didn't care much.
He smiled faintly and said as a matter of course: "Why would someone open a coffin for no reason?"
"You're right..." Song Junran picked up the cold tea and took a big sip. He muttered to himself, as if to comfort himself, "Who would have nothing better to do than to dismantle someone else's coffin?"
Only a madman would do such a thing.
*
On the outskirts of Songxiu Prefecture, in front of the cenotaph.
It was only mid-spring, but the sun over Songxiu Mansion was exceptionally scorching.
What the store owner said that day was indeed correct.
After dealing with Xie Zhaolin, Xie Bufeng actually brought civil and military officials to Wen Qingci's "tomb".
This place is located on the outskirts of Songxiu Prefecture, with mountains on one side and water on the other. It has a wide terrain and excellent feng shui.
As early as when local officials learned that Xie Bufeng was coming to Songxiu Prefecture, they began to renovate it.
At this moment, the tomb looked almost as majestic as the imperial mausoleum.
Xie Guanzhi, dressed in plain clothes, held three incense sticks and walked over slowly.
As he walked to the incense burner, he was stopped by a hand.
"Wait."
"What's wrong?" Xie Guanzhi turned around and looked at Xie Bufeng with some confusion.
Isn't this a rule that has been set long ago
Xie Bufeng glanced at the tombstone in front of him calmly, then said softly: "No need to worship." His tone was calm and no emotion could be heard, but his words were surprising.
“… No need to worship?” Xie Guanzhi couldn’t help but clench the three incense sticks in his hand, “What does your majesty mean?” the young man asked subconsciously.
Following Xie Guanzhi, Lan Fei and others also stopped.
Hundreds of people here all looked towards Xie Bufeng.
Without waiting for his answer, the Minister of Rites, dressed in purple, suddenly walked forward.
Behind him, there were dozens of guards.
The guards were not equipped with swords as usual, but... with shovels and pickaxes.
Xie Guanzhi smelled an unusual scent in an instant.
He put down the incense in his hand, slowly moved forward, and stood in front of the tomb.
The Minister of Rites looked at Xie Guanzhi for help as if he had found a life-saving straw.
But before Xie Guanzhi could say anything, their Majesty slowly looked at him and said the word "dig" expressionlessly.
The "past" between Xie Bufeng and Wen Qingci had long been spread throughout the court and the country.
Although the customs of the Wei Dynasty were relatively open, in the eyes of most people, "gay relationships" were just a form of entertainment and recreation that was not worthy of being discussed in public, let alone being compared with getting married and having children.
Xie Bufeng has been on the throne for a year, but there is no mention of offspring, and the harem is empty.
All this really proves the saying: The emperor is not in a hurry, but the eunuchs are.
A few months ago, when attending court, an official finally couldn't help but bring up this matter, reminding Xie Bufeng that he should fill his harem as soon as possible and establish a queen.
Xie Bufeng was silent for a moment and said nothing.
The court officials were unsure of what Xie Bufeng was thinking and were all speechless.
The official who made the proposal had his clothes wet with cold sweat on his back.
After an unknown amount of time, Xie Bufeng finally raised his eyes and smiled nonchalantly.
"My dear, what you said makes sense... But this matter should be handled by the Ministry of Rites and has nothing to do with you."
Then, the official was transferred from Yongdu to a remote county - obviously he had offended the emperor.
At that time, the other officials were only concerned with rejoicing and treated Xie Bufeng's words as a casual perfunctory response.
The same was true for the Minister of Rites... It was not until after the court session that Xie Bufeng called him into the study.
A young emperor dressed in black sat alone on a high step.
It was daytime, and there were candles burning all around him, but the official couldn't help but have an illusion... Xie Bufeng's whole body was immersed in darkness.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live the emperor—" The Minister of Rites knelt down hurriedly and saluted Xie Bufeng.
With a clear sound, Xie Bufeng threw the memorial in his hand aside.
The pair of amber eyes slowly passed the person kneeling at the foot of the long steps and looked outside the hall.
That was the first time that the current Minister of Rites saw Xie Bufeng smile like that.
Tenderness and anticipation.
Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the official heard the most terrifying words in his life from Xie Bufeng's mouth.
Xie Bufeng said: The person he wanted to marry was far away in Songxiu.
That person was Wen Qingci.
A soldier's duty is to obey.
Soldiers in soft armor came forward with shovels and pickaxes.
"What are you going to do!" Without waiting for Xie Guanzhi to stop him, the soldier walked around him, waving the tools in his hands and smashing at the mausoleum made of white marble in front of them.
"boom-"
With a loud bang, a two-meter-long crack suddenly appeared on the pure white ground.
The earth also trembled.
"Ah!" The little princess Xie Fuyin, who followed Xie Bufeng here, was startled by the voice and subconsciously went into the arms of Concubine Lan, who was now the empress dowager.
She had never felt her brother was so strange as she did at that moment.
Concubine Lan's face turned as pale as paper in an instant.
All the court officials stood there in a daze.
They looked at each other, all stunned by Xie Bufeng's actions.
Several older court officials wanted to step forward to stop him, but then they changed their minds and didn't know - what right did they have to stop Xie Bufeng
Xie Bufeng possessed tremendous power, and he completely disregarded what people said and the so-called ethical principles.
If I speak up to stop him now, I'm afraid I'll end up at the bottom of Yinchuan Grand Canal, accompanying the deposed emperor...
Even if they had read all the history books, they had never heard of such a strange emperor as Xie Bufeng.
From a public perspective, Xie Bufeng's political reforms will definitely have an impact on generations to come.
There seems to be nothing wrong in saying that he was a wise ruler.
But in private... Xie Bufeng acted recklessly to the extreme.
The word "stupid" cannot describe him.
Only "crazy and willful" barely fits his description.
"What? What are you doing?" Xie Guanzhi turned around and tried to stop them, but the soldiers didn't listen to him at all. The young man had to take a deep breath, muster up his courage, turn around and say to Xie Bufeng, "Your Majesty, do you know what you are doing?"
Xie Guanzhi gritted his teeth and said, "He's gone, can't you even give him a little peace?"
When he finished speaking, there was a hint of crying in his voice.
"boom-"
The loud noise continued.
In just a moment, the originally neat and shiny marble steps were smashed into ruins.
Countless soldiers stopped here carrying wooden boxes wrapped in red silk.
The bright color like blood dyed Xie Bufeng's pupils red in an instant.
Xie Guanzhi was still saying something loudly, but Xie Bufeng smiled slowly as if he couldn't hear him.
He certainly knew what he was doing.
If Wen Qingci died, Xie Bufeng would want his name to be recorded alongside his own for generations to come.
If Wen Qingci was really alive... then Xie Bufeng would have to tell him that he had never forgotten him and would never give up on him.
Regardless of life or death.
He couldn't wait to see Wen Qingci's always calm black eyes become emotional because of him and be stirred up by him.
Thinking of this, Xie Bufeng looked towards the grave with eyes full of tenderness and expectation.
The huge white marble was smashed into pieces and ground into powder, which flew everywhere.
The coffin buried underground was exposed in front of everyone.
Xie Guanzhi's eyes turned red, and his voice became hoarse: "... You brought people to destroy his grave today, and you will regret it in the future! Destroying and digging graves? In history, this is a revenge against people with heinous hatred. How dare you use this on Wen Qingci's grave?"
In a hurry, Xie Guanzhi had completely thrown aside the differences between the monarch and his subjects.
“Your Majesty, you must not forget…” Xie Guanzhi said with a trembling voice, taking a deep breath, “Wen Qingci’s body was… brought back to the valley by Song Junran a long time ago, to be… dissected. By now, it might have already been mutilated—”
Every word of Xie Guanzhi is like a knife.
Cut towards Xie Bufeng steadily and fiercely.
What he said was a taboo in Taishu Palace and even in the entire Yongdu.
Everyone tacitly kept silent.
Before Xie Guanzhi could finish his words, a flash of silver light appeared.
The long sword brushed past his shoulder, penetrated his clothes, and nailed Xie Guanzhi to the ground.
—At that moment just now, Xie Bufeng wanted to kill him.
(End of this chapter)