one
In early summer, a sixth-rank official named Ye Jun submitted a memorial to the empress dowager, saying that the case of Wei Wang's treason had been decided, and his position had been vacant for many days, and he recommended the Grand Marshal Xu Jingye to receive the title of Wei Wang.
The Queen Mother forwarded the memorial to Shang Rui without making any comment.
Shang Rui handed it directly to Xu Jingye himself.
Xu Jingye was full of fear and refusal in Qiantai Hall, but his expression was full of joy. He was now above ten thousand people and had great power in the court, but no one could guarantee that his descendants would be able to enjoy the prosperity forever after he passed away.
After Xu Jingye left, the outspoken Tian Yuan came out from behind the screen and said angrily, "This Ye Jun is such a damned bastard! There is no precedent in our dynasty for a person of a different surname to be crowned king. If this is true, the arrogance of the Xu family will probably cause a big uproar in the court and offend the public."
Shang Rui and Helan Xun looked at each other and smiled, their eyes full of meaning.
At the end of the month, Li Bingli submitted another memorial, begging the emperor to allow him to retire and return to the countryside.
Shang Rui took the memorial to Chengfu Palace.
The Queen Mother said, "On ordinary days, I want to see you but I can't. But today you came uninvited."
Shang Rui smiled and said, "My son is always overjoyed every time he comes to Chengfu Palace, but I never expected that my mother would dislike him so much, which hurts my filial piety."
The Queen Mother held back her laughter and poked his head with her finger, saying, "You are so happy that you can't help yourself." After that, she ordered people to bring him some of his favorite snacks and fruits.
"Every time you come back, something bad happens. Have you made any trouble?" the Queen Mother asked again.
When Shang Rui heard the question, he put down the snacks in his hand, took the handkerchief to wipe his hands, and then took out the letter from his sleeve.
"Li Bingli submitted another letter of resignation. This time he handed it directly to his son. The son felt it was inappropriate and asked his mother to review it."
"Didn't you refute him for me last time?"
"Yes, he's here again. He said his old injury hasn't healed yet, and his new illness has come back. He's old and weak, so he really can't do it anymore."
"In the south, there are barbarians in front and vassal kings in the back. There are very few generals in the court who are capable of taking on important tasks." The queen mother pondered.
"Last time, my son asked Wang Qing to report to mother that my son thought Xu Yang was suitable." Xu Jingye had two sons, the eldest son Xu Yang and the youngest son Xu Zizhang.
"Xu Yang is good. He grew up in the military camp with your uncle and does not have the habits of those rich kids in the capital. Besides, brothers fight together and fathers and sons fight together. He is your cousin and the military power is in the hands of our family. I feel at ease."
"Mother is absolutely right."
"But..." The Queen Mother frowned.
The Queen Mother did not follow up with the "but", but Shang Rui knew what she meant.
Later, Wang Qing finally couldn't help asking Shang Rui: "What would we do if the Queen Mother wanted to take it but not give it up?"
Shang Rui said happily: "It's like going to the gambling house in Mingjiang Lane to bet on the size of the house. It depends on your luck."
Wang Qing raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat off his face.
Helan Xun patted Wang Qing on the shoulder and said, "Brother Wang, the emperor was joking with you." Perhaps only he and Tian Yuan knew that there was no such thing as betting on the size of the ball. The gourd vine and the vacant throne of King of Wei had already made the empress dowager make choices.
She wanted to ensure that the Xu family would prosper forever, and she would not allow anyone other than herself to lay hands on her son's throne.
In June, Li Bingli asked for leave due to illness, and the court specially allowed him to rest at home.
In July, Xu Zizhan took up the post.
In August, Taiwei Xu Jingye resigned his military power and was granted the title of King of Wei and concurrently served as Taiwei. The emperor, in recognition of his hard work and great contributions, allowed the throne to be hereditary.
Since Emperor Taizu founded the country, there has never been a precedent of a person of a different surname being enthroned as king, and the title was inherited from generation to generation. Immediately, an uproar broke out in the court. A group of veteran and loyal ministers were indignant, shouting that it would be difficult to pacify the world without getting rid of the Xu family.
The waves were like the heat in the capital this year, which took a long time to dissipate.
In October, Xu Jingye resigned from the post of Grand Marshal, leaving only the title of King of Wei.
Tian Yuan asked: "Is Xu Jingye giving up his power like this?"
Helan Xun said: "It's still a long way to go."
It seemed like the transition from summer to autumn in the capital was just a blink of an eye. Before we knew it, the sparse lotus leaves in the lake had begun to turn yellow at the edges.
Xia Yue passed the bank of Cuiyan Lake and suddenly stopped.
In the northeast is the luxurious corner tower of the imperial palace, and the city wall below is majestic and solemn.
"Miss, your aunt is urging you to go back." He Xiang reminded Xia Yue.
She stared into the distance in a daze, her eyes dull.
"Miss?" Seeing that she had no reaction, He Xiang waved her hand in front of her.
Only then did she regain her composure and put away the jade pendant that Zi Jin had left for her before he left.
Passing by Mingjiang Lane, Xia Yue heard the sound of stringed instruments coming from the restaurant, and faintly heard the singing of people with an Eastern accent. She couldn't help but stop and listen. He Xiang blushed when she saw this, and came over to pull her: "Miss, don't stay in this place for long."
The girl at the entrance of Guyue Tower on the left heard it and fanned herself with a handkerchief: "Hey - what's wrong with a place like ours? Can you be unlucky if you walk through here?"
When He Xiang saw that others had heard what she said, she lowered her head in embarrassment and remained silent.
Xia Yue was just about to speak up to help He Xiang out, but as she turned around, she saw a blurry figure passing by in the crowd.
In an instant, the noisy downtown seemed to be silent in my ears.
Even if it's just a glimpse from a distance.
That silhouette still made her heart move. Seeing that person walking away in the crowd, she broke away from He Xiang's hand and tried to find a stone or something on the ground. When she stood up again, the person had completely disappeared. Only strangers were still passing by, and she was the only one left standing there in a daze.
"Miss, what's wrong? Who did you see?"
Xia Yue looked disappointed: "Maybe I saw it wrong. How could Zijin come to the Imperial Capital?"
They had never been apart for such a long time since they were young. When she was free, she always wondered if he ate well, slept well, whether anyone would bully him, whether his old illness had recurred, and those people... Were they good to him? If there was any danger, would Chu Qin and Chu Zhong be around
When we returned to Chen's house, the sky was gradually getting dark.
I thought my aunt would be unhappy again, but she went out for something.
Xia Yue's mother, Chen's family used to do the herbal medicine business in other places, and now there is a younger brother in the family. After Master Chen passed away, the herbal medicine business became difficult, so Xia Yue's uncle moved to the Imperial Capital a few years ago and opened a medical clinic while doing herbal medicine. The uncle spent most of his time in the south running for herbal medicine and was not often at home, so the whole family relied on Xia Yue's aunt Pei to take care of it.
Old Madam Chen was extremely happy about her granddaughter's coming to live with her. Although Mrs. Pei was not happy, she still welcomed her with a smile considering that Xia Yue gave her money every month to subsidize the family expenses.
In the courtyard, the old lady was embroidering a few egrets flying to the sky. Xia Yue squatted beside her and watched quietly for a while. The old lady turned her head and smiled, her wrinkles deepened: "Girls are different when they grow up. You were not so quiet when you were a child, just like a tomboy."
He Xiang couldn't help laughing when she heard that.
Xia Yue glared at her and said, "I'll go make some tea."
"In fact, the young lady had always been very agitated, and then suddenly something went wrong. I wonder if it was because of the master's death."
"Alas - her uncle is not here, and her aunt is an outsider after all. I'm an old lady and my words don't count much at home. It's difficult for you." The old lady sighed.
He Xiang listened without answering.
Originally, Xia Yue really intended to just visit the old lady and fulfill her final filial duty. After all, she was her only blood relative in the world, and then leave the Imperial Capital. But she didn't expect the old lady to be in such poor health...
The old lady was a wise person: "Her aunt has a bad temper. Yue'er may not be able to stay here based on her personality. But I can't bear to see her go to another place alone, so I can only force her to stay with me."
"The young lady just told me that if we just left like this, the old lady would definitely be sad..." When He Xiang saw Xia Yue coming back with tea, she immediately winked at the old lady, and both of them fell silent and stopped talking.
As the sky gradually darkened, they could no longer sit in the yard and moved back to the house. The old lady suddenly thought of something and asked quietly, "Your aunt was there a few days ago, so I couldn't ask, where is the child from the Wei family?"
"Zi Jin, Chu Qin and Chu Zhong went to the Southern Region in April." Xia Yue answered while placing her chopsticks.
"They're willing to let you come to Beijing alone?"
"I'm here to see you, why would they worry about me?" Xia Yue said evasively.
The old lady nodded thoughtfully: "Alas... It wasn't easy for that child either. It was such a big thing. He saw everyone in his family die. And his body was so weak. I thought he couldn't be raised."
Xia Yue's hand holding the chopsticks paused in the air for a moment.
She had heard those things from somewhere else. Zi Jin had never told her, as if it had become a lost memory, silently erased by time. Gao Xinyu was soaked in a deep hatred. In the past, he would say with an indifferent expression: "I don't remember." But she knew, how could he not remember.
She subconsciously touched the ancient jade in her arms.
two
In November, my uncle Chen Qie, who was doing medicinal materials business in the Southern Region, brought another batch of goods back to the Imperial Capital.
He was a man who had traveled a lot and had a wide range of experience, so when the summer months were free I liked to sit in the shop and listen to him chat about the white tea from Luoshan, the beautiful jade from Lantian Mountain, the inkstone from Qingwu, the mountains and rivers from Yizhou... Unconsciously my horizons broadened, and the emotions that had been pent up in my heart gradually melted away.
The Wanshou Festival is approaching.
On this day every year, the Queen Mother would offer alms at the Uisan Temple in Gyeonggi Province. It is said that the emperor was born unexpectedly in this temple, and the Queen Mother had a difficult delivery but survived, so every year she would find a good match here.
People from the imperial capital, regardless of their wealth or status, all come to join in the fun, pretending to be eating vegetarian food but really coming to pray for good luck.
Xia Yue was very disdainful of this, but her aunt was very persistent. Because the old lady was in poor health, her aunt insisted on taking Xia Yue with her.
But on the first night of the Wanshou Festival, heavy snow fell.
The first snow in the capital came late.
When Xia Yue, He Xiang and her aunt were still a mile away from Yishan, they discovered that due to the bad weather, there were too many people and cars, and they were stuck on the road and couldn't get through.
These people were not in a hurry. They simply got off the carriages and chatted about whatever topic they were talking about, regardless of whether they knew each other or not. Seeing that her aunt was also joining in, Xia Yue found it extremely boring.
"He Xiang, tell your aunt that I'm going for a walk in the woods over there. Call me when the road is open." Without waiting for He Xiang to reply, she walked towards the woods with quick steps, as if she was escaping from a suffocating atmosphere.
It only snowed overnight and a thick layer of snow had accumulated, but it was much smaller than earlier, so there was no need to bring an umbrella.
The rhythmic "crunching" sound of her feet and the crisp clatter of the silver bell tied to her belt gradually eased her mood. Before she knew it, she could see the high walls of the temple deep in the woods. After walking a few more steps, she suddenly saw an open space in front of her. The snow on the ground had been swept and piled around. Without the cover of branches, the light was much brighter than the surrounding area.
In the middle of the open space, there was a tall green figure standing with his back to Xia Yue and his hands behind his back. He was staring at the stone table in the middle of the open space in a daze, and there was nothing on the table except a layer of white snow.
Xia Yue took another half step forward curiously, and there was another "crunch" sound under her feet.
When the man heard the noise, he immediately turned around vigilantly.
At that moment, she saw his profile, and her heart jumped with excitement.
is it him
He is not doing well, is he here to look for her
Has he been bullied
"Zi Jin!" She called out these two words and ran towards him at the same time. However, she tripped over the snow after taking one step and fell heavily to the ground.
The man walked over quickly, squatted down and offered his hand to help her: "Did you fall?"
Xia Yue looked up at him and shook her head, her eyes already wet.
He was stunned for a moment and saw the round teardrop sliding down his cheek.
When he was very young, he had heard the old maids in the palace tell the legend of the mountain ghost and the snow fairy that appeared from time to time in the forest of Yishan Mountain. At this moment, he was actually a little dazed. So, he lifted Xia Yue's chin and quickly leaned down to seal her mouth with his lips.
Warm lips, warm fingers, the kiss was so passionate and suffocating.
Xia Yue was startled and pushed him away: "Who are you?"
He raised the corner of his lips: "Who am I?" He seemed to find this question incredible, and instead of answering, he asked, "I also want to ask who you are? Where did Xu Jingye find his niece? I am really satisfied with the trick he played this time. In the future, don't climb on the couch so often. It's not bad to do this occasionally." As he said that, he reached out to grab her chin again.
Seeing the mocking look on his face and that rude hand, Xia Yue suddenly became angry and slapped him on the left cheek.
With a "pop" sound.
But she was not satisfied and cursed inwardly, "shameless."
"You really don't know what's good for you." The man was unmoved, and suddenly he smiled again. The smile was hard to understand, with a coldness at the corners of his mouth and a hint of cynicism. His face was similar to Zijin, but he showed a completely different smile.
"Didn't they teach you how to serve a man?" He sneered, standing up from the snow.
She immediately stood up, then took five or six steps back with full vigilance, glanced at the man, and then ran away.
She didn't dare to take a breath and kept running towards the road. She just happened to bump into someone. When she saw it was He Xiang, she felt relieved.
"Miss, what happened? You are so scared." He Xiang poked her head behind her.
She hugged He Xiang, gasping for breath and unable to speak.
But a few people came from the other side of the snow.
"emperor!"
As soon as the woman left, Helan Xun and Ming Lian came to look for him.
He turned around when he heard the sound and found a jade pendant in the snow pile at his feet, which must have been dropped by the other party. When he bent down to pick it up, his movements suddenly stopped and his whole body froze.
This jade pendant—he recognized it.
It was an ancient jade in the shape of a cicada. Its original texture was white, but it was probably stained with a slight green color because it had been buried underground for thousands of years. It was crystal clear and moist, and the carving was extremely fine. The jade cicada seemed to be alive and about to fly. There was a hole in the cicada's head and a tassel was tied to it.
Shang Rui turned around and looked in the direction where the woman disappeared, and suddenly remembered that he had also seen her in Jinluo's academy.
Shang Rui came back from Yishan. When no one was around, he suddenly called Helan Xun alone, and then took out a jade pendant from his sleeve.
After seeing the jade, Helan Xun was slightly disappointed and asked, "Your Majesty, could this be the Gao Xin jade that was rumored? How did it end up in Your Majesty's hands?"
Shang Rui didn't answer him, but smiled slightly: "It can be regarded as an eye-opener for you. I have only seen it from a distance a few times before."
At that time, he was still the least noticeable among the princes, and this jade pendant was hung around the child's waist, as if it had become a symbol of nobility and distinction.
Shang Rui threw the jade pendant to Helan Xun: "Take out the jade copy and go to Jinluo to ask for information." Then he raised the corner of his mouth slightly and smiled, "You'd better hurry up, I need it tomorrow."
three
The next morning, the snow stopped.
Xia Yue found out that the jade was missing when she got home yesterday. She was anxious all night, and her only hope was to find it back along the same route. She didn't know if she could find it, or if someone had picked it up. With such a bleak mood, she still rushed to Yishan early in the morning.
In the woods, she saw the man from a distance, standing tall. The warm sunlight of early winter shone through the protruding branches and poured onto his shoulders, bright and dazzling.
Apparently he had arrived earlier, perhaps even before dawn, and had cleared the snow off the open space.
He did not look back, as if he had known Xia Yue was coming, and tilted his head: "You came at noon."
Yesterday's stone table and stone benches have been cleaned, thick cushions have been added to the benches, and tea cups have been placed on the table.
Shang Rui sat down and took a sip of hot tea leisurely. Then he found Xia Yue still standing there in a daze, so he pointed at the stool and asked her to sit down.
Xia Yue secretly glared at him fiercely. She had no good feelings towards Shang Rui, a stranger who was so rude when they first met, not to mention that she had slapped him in the face.
Unfortunately, maybe Zi Jin's jade pendant was really picked up by him.
She frowned, sat down reluctantly, and smoothed her hair: "If you find anything of mine, please return it to the original owner." Then she spread her hands.
Shang Rui wanted to tease her for the unclear slap, but he didn't expect her to be so straightforward, so he was stunned for a moment and deliberately asked with a smile: "What?"
"Jade cicada!"
"Oh—" He drew out the sound, but did not say whether he had it or not, whether he would return it or not, and then there was no further comment. He changed the subject and said, "Let's have tea first." As he spoke, he pushed a cup of tea to Xia Yue, but Xia Yue looked at him coldly and did not appreciate it.