It’s now just three-quarters past the hour of the , the sky is still dark, and everywhere is filled with a sense of cold and desolation.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty?” The palace maid guarding the entrance of the Huixin Palace was taken aback, and quickly knelt down, “Long live the Emperor, long live, long live——”
The clear voice of the young girl immediately broke the morning tranquility of the Huixin Palace.
The cries of “Long live” rang out one after another, waking up the cold crows under the eaves, who flapped their wings and scattered.
Hearing the noise outside, the Consort Lan hurriedly put on her fox fur cloak and walked out from the resting back hall. When she saw the person’s appearance, she was taken aback: “Your Majesty, you… please come in first.”
Consort Lan originally wanted to ask him about his bloody appearance, but seeing Xie Bufeng’s icy demeanor, she immediately changed the topic.
After saying that, Consort Lan immediately made way to the door, and then quickly turned back to instruct the palace maid: “Go quickly, pour a cup of hot tea, and get a new set of clothes.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The Huixin Palace became lively, and the palace people were busy with their own affairs, and took the opportunity to stay far away from the Emperor who was full of murderous aura.
Xie Bufeng was separated from the Consort Lan not long after he was born.
But a mother knows her child best, today Xie Bufeng came, Consort Lan was not only not so surprised, but also guessed some reasons.
——It probably has something to do with Wen Qingci’s last words.
Consort Lan brought Xie Bufeng into the palace.
The faint fragrance overflowing from the Boshan stove instantly suppressed the strong smell of blood on Xie Bufeng.
“Your Majesty, please come in and warm up first, it’s still early for the morning court.”
As soon as Consort Lan’s voice fell, hearing the movement outside, Xie Fuyin also rubbed her eyes and let the nurse carry her out.
The little girl was originally still sleepy, but when she saw that the person was Xie Bufeng, her eyes immediately lit up.
“Brother!” Xie Fuyin happily waved to him, and then signaled the nurse to carry her down and put her on the ground.
Everyone in the Taishu Palace knew that Xie Bufeng didn’t live in his luxurious Yi Guang Palace, but insisted on living in the former Imperial Medical Bureau.
Although they didn’t dare to discuss it openly, the news spread around and even reached Xie Fuyin’s ears.
The little girl didn’t understand the twists and turns behind this, she only knew that her brother lived in Master Wen’s courtyard with rabbits.
She couldn’t help but gently tug at Xie Bufeng’s clothes, and said expectantly: “Then brother, can I go to the Imperial Medical Bureau with you to see the rabbits? Master Wen said before that if I want to see the rabbits, I can go anytime…”
Perhaps because Xie Bufeng’s face was too cold, the little girl’s voice became much weaker as she spoke.
The atmosphere in the Huixin Palace suddenly became heavy.
Especially the nurse who carried Xie Fuyin, she also held her breath in an instant.
…My God, why did the little princess bring up the wrong topic!
How could she directly say the three words “Master Wen”!
The faces of the palace people were all pale, and even the Consort Lan who was pouring tea, her fingers paused for a moment.
The palace suddenly became quiet.
The murderous aura on Xie Bufeng became even stronger.
A palace maid couldn’t help but look at his hem, where there were some dark marks.
The maid who had been responsible for washing clothes recognized at a glance… that was not a water stain, but blood.
Xie Bufeng came here with a body of blood.
Realizing this, her body also began to tremble uncontrollably.
The cold wind blew in from outside the palace, lifting the slightly curled hair of the young man, and the faint smell of blood was blown to the corners of the great hall, making people shudder.
Consort Lan slowly put down the tea cup in her hand, and looked at Xie Bufeng somewhat nervously.
The young man slowly lowered his eyes and looked at Xie Fuyin.
“…”
The little girl subconsciously took a half step back, and her eyes also showed a bit of fear.
For a while, the great hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
“Okay.”
——Okay?
Unexpectedly, Xie Bufeng not only did not get angry, but even after a long silence, he said the first word he came here today.
The emotions of children come quickly and go quickly.
Xie Fuyin immediately became happy, and even the sleepiness disappeared: “Thank you brother! Fuyin knew you would agree~”
After saying this, she even gently shook the young man’s hand a few times.
Xie Fuyin not only did not fear Xie Bufeng, but even seemed very familiar with him.
If it were in the past, Xie Bufeng would not care about a child’s opinion of him.
…But just now, she mentioned “Master Wen”.
The young man had doubts about this at the celebration banquet. At that time, he wanted to ask Xie Fuyin, what did Wen Qingci say about him in front of her, but he could not find an opportunity.
Until now, Xie Bufeng’s heart suddenly gave birth to a strange expectation and tension, the young man couldn’t help asking: “You are not afraid of me?”
“Not afraid!” Xie Fuyin shook her head seriously, “Master Wen told Fuyin that brother is a very good person, and a good brother. Hmm… he is also the hero of our Wei Dynasty!”
Xie Fuyin had deeply engraved these words in her mind.
As soon as Xie Bufeng asked, she said it out loud and clear.
So in his eyes, he is a… very good person, a hero.
A cup of hot tea was brought to Xie Bufeng’s side at this time, and the heat was steaming, making people’s noses sour.
The young man trembled and carefully held the tea in his hand, and his restless and anxious heart finally calmed down at this moment.
Pain and joy intertwined in Xie Bufeng’s heart.
It’s like a thin silver needle, gently piercing there.
The young man is not like his hypocritical father.
Xie Bufeng has never deigned to be a good person, but he never thought that one day he would be so praised and give birth to infinite joy.
Even at a certain moment, for the first time, it overwhelmed pain and sadness.
The murderous aura on the young man weakened a lot.
He slowly bent down, as he did back then, and gently held Xie Fuyin in his arms.
“What else did Master Wen say?” he asked.
“Um…” The little girl thought for a while, her eyes suddenly brightened, “Master Wen also said, ‘Princess, remember, the Eldest Prince also loves you very much.’”
Consort Lan didn’t even know that Wen Qingci had once said such a thing to Xie Fuyin.
In an instant, even she was stunned, and her eyes turned red.
In Consort Lan’s mind, the scene on the southern tour suddenly appeared:
That day, Wen Qingci didn’t know what he said to Xie Bufeng. The young man hesitated for a moment, slowly walked towards her, and then opened his arms to hold Xie Fuyin in his arms.
In a trance, she seemed to smell the warm wind full of grass and wood fragrance in Dengcheng Mansion that day.
A clear tear fell from the corner of Consort Lan’s eyes, and she hurriedly lowered her head to cover up her loss of composure.
…The childish voice deliberately imitated Wen Qingci’s gentle tone, and Xie Bufeng seemed to see Wen Qingci at that time through this sentence, through Xie Fuyin’s eyes.
He told Xie Fuyin that he loved her.
Xie Fuyin firmly remembered this sentence in her mind and gave herself extraordinary trust.
“Cherish the person in front of you.”
And the last trembling finger pointing to Consort Lan and Xie Fuyin…
This is the last bit of scenery that Xie Bufeng can see through Wen Qingci’s eyes.
Xie Bufeng finally slowly got rid of the madness and calmed down.
Like a wandering soul that found a temporary body.
…
The rebel Hengxin guards of that day were executed one by one.
The deposed emperor never got a quick death.
He was locked in the bottom of the Ministry of Justice’s prison, being bled on one side and being hung with various rare medicinal materials.
Most of his body was soaked in water, and he was tormented by nightmares and hallucinations every day.
When he was awake, he was angry at the failure of the palace change, and cursed Xie Bufeng loudly.
When he fell into madness, he also had hallucinations, thinking that he was not in the palace now, but sinking to the bottom of the Yinchuan.
There are countless pairs of hands hidden in the cold river water, desperately pulling him towards hell.
It’s better to die than to live, it should be so.
All of this, Xie Bufeng did it openly.
Anyone who passes by the prison of the Ministry of Justice can hear the heart-wrenching curses and screams.
Xie Bufeng, unlike the deposed emperor, didn’t care about the so-called “reputation after death”. Holding military power, he spoke with great confidence. In just a few days, he dealt with all those in the court who displeased him.
Then Xie Bufeng even issued an edict, ordering all court officials to mourn in plain clothes until the forty-ninth day, when the mourning could be removed. By this time, his affair with Wen Qingci had spread throughout Yongdu.
Who knew that he not only ignored these rumors, but even intensified them, demanding that the court officials mourn for the imperial physician! Xie Bufeng acted arbitrarily and recklessly to the extreme.
However, from beginning to end, no one dared to express any objection.
The officials of Yongdu were in plain clothes, and the mourning bells were ringing. This strange scene remained in the memories of countless people and was also recorded in the history of the Wei Dynasty.
Wen Qingci’s departure was like a knife, cutting away a part of Xie Bufeng’s soul. In addition to sadness, he became numb and confused.
He followed his reason to handle government affairs, but the rest of the time, there was only emptiness left.
For a while, Xie Bufeng would appear in Huixin Palace almost every morning.
Consort Lan was both surprised and happy, as if she wanted to make up for the motherly love and care she owed over the years.
The two of them also changed from initial silence to occasional conversation.
Xie Fuyin would even go with Xie Bufeng every day to feed the rabbit left by Wen Qingci in the Imperial Medical Bureau.
The little guy was quickly fattened up by the two of them.
But this brief calm made Xie Bufeng increasingly uneasy.
——Like the unusually quiet air before a rainstorm——
Under a huge mulberry tree in Valley of Divine Physicians, people were crowded.
They were huddled together, excitedly talking about something.
“…Yesterday I went to Songxiu Prefecture to buy medicinal materials, guess what I saw?” A medicine attendant mysteriously said to the people around him.
“What did you see!”
“I saw that the tomb of the Second Valley Master was surrounded by people! Even the prefect of Songxiu came to worship, it was extremely grand!” The medicine attendant’s tone revealed a hint of excitement, “They said that now the civil and military officials of Yongdu, when they go to court, they all wear mourning clothes, as if they are mourning for the person in the tomb.”
“Even the newly enthroned young emperor, leaving his palace, nests in the small courtyard of the Second Valley Master all day.”
“That Second Valley-”
“Mourn what? What tomb? Why are you always talking about unlucky things here?” The medicine attendant’s words were not finished yet, and they were interrupted by a familiar voice,
“From now on, don’t mention this matter in the valley!” Song Junran, who didn’t know where he came from, said through gritted teeth.
“What’s wrong with talking about it, outside…” People outside are all spreading it like this.
The medicine attendant just wanted to argue, and the next second he saw Wen Qingci slowly walking behind Song Junran.
…His face was pale, and his expression was as gentle as ever, but there was a bit more fragile sickness.
“Second, Second Valley Master is also coming for a walk?” The medicine attendant who was gossiping a second ago ran into the person involved, and his face was instantly full of embarrassment.
Little did he know that Wen Qingci at this time was even more socially dead than him.
The Second Valley Master, dressed in a moon-white long gown, forced a smile and nodded at him, then turned around and said to Song Junran, “I’m a bit tired from walking, I’d better go back and rest first.”
Thick eyelashes covered the light in his eyes.
Wen Qingci’s emotions were also hidden.
At this moment, Wen Qingci really wanted to ask the original owner why he used his real name to make a name for himself.
“Okay, let’s go back.” Song Junran glared at the medicine attendant and turned around and left with Wen Qingci.
Several gossiping medicine attendants finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They couldn’t help but look at each other, and at this time they all saw the curiosity that was hard to hide in each other’s eyes.
——Are the rumors outside true? What is going on between the Second Valley Master and the new emperor?
Did they really have a past of love and hatred?
In Valley of Divine Physicians, willow catkins were flying, just like a spring scene.
“Although you can get up today, it doesn’t mean that you have recovered. As a physician, you need to pay more attention to yourself. Especially your left hand…”
Speaking of this, Song Junran suddenly stopped, “Qingci, what are you thinking?”
“…Huh? Nothing.” Wen Qingci paused for a while before realizing that he had just lost his mind.
“Left hand, I’m thinking about my left hand.” He hurriedly found a reason and fooled Song Junran.
“So you also care about your own hand?” Song Junran was not suspicious, and then began to teach Wen Qingci with a hint of anger, “If father is here, knowing that you went out once and ruined your own hand. I’m afraid I’ll have to be punished with you.”
Wen Qingci smiled, according to the memory of the original owner, Song Junran was indeed often implicated by him.
He just got up and walked, and his activity range was not large, so he walked back to his room in two steps.
Song Junran had other things to be busy with, and after sending Wen Qingci back to his residence, he left.
Wen Qingci’s side quieted down again, and the only thing left in his ears was the bird song coming from the distance outside the window.
The words he heard just now, once again uncontrollably echoed in his mind.
…He doesn’t know how Xie Bufeng is doing now.
Thinking of this, his heart trembled slightly.
Wen Qingci sighed softly, opened the medical book, and forcibly threw the distractions out of his mind.
The “Imperial Physician Wen Qingci” of Yongdu has passed away, and the things there will no longer have anything to do with him in the future.
It’s better not to think about it…
*
The heavy snow in Yongdu fell endlessly.
In some places, the snow had already reached above the calves.
In order not to let the heat leak out, the doors and windows of Huixin Palace were tightly closed.
The scent of incense and heat mixed together, making people’s heads slightly dizzy.
“Your Majesty, the enthronement ceremony will be in a few days, these are the auspicious robes sent by the Shangyi Bureau, there are three pieces. Can you see if there is anything that needs to be modified?”
The dragon robe worn by the emperor when he ascended the throne was prepared by the Ministry of Rites.
After the ceremony, the emperor will change into ordinary auspicious clothes, which is the responsibility of the harem.
The new emperor did not establish a harem, so all these things fell on Consort Lan.
These days when Xie Bufeng came to Huixin Palace, Consort Lan would use the matter of the enthronement ceremony to chat with him more and try to narrow the distance between mother and son.
Hearing that there were new clothes to see, Xie Fuyin, who was originally sleeping, didn’t sleep anymore, and followed to join in the fun.
She was a bit afraid of the cold. Even if the ground dragon in the palace was burning vigorously, she had to wear thick cotton clothes and put on fox fur.
At this time, her entire face was hidden behind the fluffy collar, looking very cute.
She and Xie Bufeng looked at the three auspicious clothes placed in front of them together.
——Xie Bufeng doesn’t like bright yellow, so these three auspicious clothes are all based on black, and the patterns are embroidered with dark-golden lines.
It is now midwinter, and the auspicious clothes became more and more heavy and complicated.
One can see that it is not ordinary at a glance.
“Wow…” Xie Fuyin couldn’t help but exclaim in a low voice, “It’s so beautiful!”
Hearing her exaggerated cheer, Consort Lan also laughed, “Your Majesty can try it first to see if it fits.”
Xie Bufeng glanced at these three clothes lightly, and then nodded slightly.
Two little eunuchs who had been following him came forward to prepare to change clothes for Xie Bufeng.
“Okay, Fuyin. Let’s go first, wait for His Majesty to change clothes, and then come to see if it’s good?”
“Good good!” Xie Fuyin looked very excited, “Then brother, we will see you later!”
At this time, a eunuch had already taken the auspicious clothes off the hanger and slowly unfolded it.
Perhaps because the palace was too warm, or perhaps because of Xie Fuyin’s emotions, Xie Bufeng’s face also showed a faint smile.
“Alright, see you later.”
This scene just happened to fall into the eyes of Consort Lan, who was passing by him.
She couldn’t help but take advantage of this atmosphere to give more instructions to the two eunuchs, “The Shangyi Bureau… didn’t have time to measure and tailor carefully, these clothes were all made according to your old clothes. You must pay attention to whether the details are appropriate later, and you must not make any mistakes. Oh, by the way, be careful later, remember not to touch the embroidery.”
When Xie Bufeng first seized power, he was in poor condition and had no intention of caring about the enthronement ceremony or the making of ceremonial clothes.
Time was pressing, and the Shangyi Bureau and the Ministry of Rites were afraid of touching Xie Bufeng’s bad luck, so they had to give up the step of measuring and tailoring.
“Yes, Your Highness.” The eunuch hurriedly responded.
“Mother is so serious,” seeing this, Xie Fuyin pretended to be a little jealous, “My dresses, Mother did not prepare so carefully.”
Consort Lan smiled and bent over, touching the little girl’s forehead with her hand, “Mother has been preparing dresses for you all day, but the emperor has grown up so much, and mother has this opportunity for the first time, so naturally she has to be more serious.”
Her words were filled with a faint smile, and her tone was very relaxed.
But Consort Lan, who was talking to Xie Fuyin with her head down, did not see that as her words fell, Xie Bufeng incredulously clenched his teeth, and the smile on his face disappeared in an instant.
The first opportunity?
A buzzing sound came from the young man’s ears.
“…Mother said, this is the first time you have prepared clothes for me?” Xie Bufeng suddenly turned around and stared at Consort Lan and asked.
There was a sense of oppression in his voice, his hands were tightly clenched, and even his breathing became rapid, like a drowning person desperately looking for a floating board in the sea.
Xie Bufeng was full of despair and panic that did not match his identity.
Seeing this, the two eunuchs immediately looked at each other and temporarily put down the auspicious clothes in their hands.
Xie Fuyin, who didn’t understand what had happened, was also scared to hold her mother’s hand tightly.
“Yes, yes…” Consort Lan paused for a while, and nodded hard.
“When I was just sent to the North, you didn’t send me a gift?”
In a hurry, Xie Bufeng even forgot the self-proclaimed “I”, and his tone became aggressive.
He didn’t even notice that his lips were trembling.
Xie Bufeng prayed hard in his heart, he prayed thatConsort Lan had just forgotten this matter.
Or… don’t regard that inconspicuous cotton-padded jacket as formal clothing?
Consort Lan was also infected by this tense atmosphere, she forced herself to smile at Xie Bufeng and said, “Of course, of course there is… it’s just that your father, uh, the deposed emperor has been staring at me. The person I sent out just set off, and he was intercepted and returned…”
Her usually calm voice was a bit flustered.
Consort Lan had thought about this problem, but after a few days, this problem was diluted by the joy of Xie Bufeng’s great victory.
She naturally thought that Xie Bufeng, who had established a great military exploit, not only had a military rank, but also received a reward in terms of money.
And as long as there is money, it is not complicated to buy winter clothes.
But now from Xie Bufeng’s reaction, she realized… things are not the same as she imagined.
“So, the clothes you sent, never arrived in the North…” The young man murmured like a dream, and there was only despair left in his voice at this time.
This is clearly the truth, but seeing Xie Bufeng’s current appearance, Consort Lan no longer has the courage to admit it.
So who made the cotton-padded jacket that accompanied him through the severe cold, through the snow, through countless life and death junctures, and stained with countless blood?
——Your Highness, these are all sent by Consort Lan.
The person who sent the clothes clearly told him so.
Xie Bufeng’s body trembled with fear.
The huge pain swept over him again and again.
Who would it be? In this world, who else would care about him so much?
Wen Qingci.
Is it Wen Qingci…
In addition to the clothes, there were wound medicines and Tianci’s antidote.
Who else in this world would have it besides him?
Xie Bufeng’s heart ached again and again.
But why didn’t he admit it?
Instead, he said that all these things were given by Consort Lan?
Xie Bufeng suddenly turned around and ran towards the outside of Huixin Palace.
“Wait, Your Majesty—be careful of the cold!” Before Consort Lan’s voice could come out, the young man’s figure disappeared into the snowstorm.
The heavy snowstorm stripped away Xie Bufeng’s body temperature in an instant.
As if at the same moment, it also stripped away the heavy winter clothes wrapped around his soul over the years.
Tears slid down from the corners of his eyes and were frozen on his cheeks by the cold air.
At this moment, Xie Bufeng, like a newborn child, was thrown naked into the snowstorm.
The answer was clearly placed in front of him – Wen Qingci was afraid of being rejected by him.
That day on the Yinchuan Grand Canal, Wen Qingci gave him all the wound medicine in his hand, neatly and carefully placed in front of him, and reminded him that swords have no eyes, and be careful after going to the battlefield.
But… At that time, he never took a second look at them.
The small porcelain bottle stood on the deck in the heavy rain, as if it had been abandoned by him.
In a trance, the small medicine bottle in the memory suddenly turned into Wen Qingci’s appearance.
——He stood alone on the deck, silently watching him leave.
Later, even when sending winter clothes, he was afraid of being rejected by him, so he had to borrow someone else’s name.
In the end, he could only be gentle and cautious…
With the cover of the snowstorm, Xie Bufeng finally allowed himself to cry out loud.
He slowly hugged himself, and also hugged the warm hand muff that he carefully held in his arms.
But whether it was the faint bitter fragrance or a little warmth.
It has long been scattered clean with the endless snow night.
The young man stumbled and stood up, heading towards the edge of Taishu Palace.
He is going to find those winter clothes.
This night, it was the day when Tianci should have erupted, Xie Bufeng wished… the poison that Wen Qingci fed him at the beginning was real poison.
Thank you for the update~
🥹🥹🥺