On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month in the first year of Zhaoxi, it happened to be the Laba Festival. Due to the heavy snowfall last night, Mulu City was decorated into a blanket of silver. Every household cooked Laba porridge one after another, filling it with the aroma of the Laba porridge.
It overflowed in the air, as if the war that happened just a year ago and those painful and sad memories had been gradually forgotten with the wind and snow.
After nearly two months, Qi Ziyin mustered up the courage to return to Guihong Garden. Now, the tall tung trees in the garden have long lost their branches, and the withered yellow leaves have fallen all over the ground. And the originally clear and clean pool water,
It also became turbid due to lack of care, and washed away several stubborn rocks covered with moss that fell into the pond from the shore.
The waiters and maids in the palace had already been dismissed by the young man, leaving only a few Mo Ling guards standing far away in the corridor, responsible for guarding the safety of the young master. Qi Ziyin sat alone in the overgrown garden for a long time, waiting.
When I came back to my senses, it was already sunset and the crows were returning to their nests.
The young man propped up his somewhat numb legs, shook off the snow dust on his clothes, put the silver mask back on his face, and let out a long sigh. Looking at everything in front of him, he understood that even if he came back here again
, but the most beautiful time in his memory can never come back. Now, the hope of finding the ruins of the ancestors is getting slimmer. He is even more disheartened by the complicated worldly affairs, and only thinks about what he can do.
After finding out the whereabouts of Ning Yue and Jiang Yan, they went to a secluded place with their old friends to spend the rest of their lives peacefully.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he returned to Hongyuan, he saw dozens of unfamiliar faces in official robes who had heard the news from somewhere and had been waiting outside the door for a long time. When the officials saw Qi Ziyin coming out, they all knelt down and worshiped on the ground.
He blocked his way forward and while crying bitterly, he actually advised him to succeed to the throne as soon as possible.
"I did not come back this time to fight for the throne. The Qi family, which brought great disasters to this land, is now unable to maintain the country of Ye, and it is even more shameless to lead thousands of people in the country of Ye. You may wish to follow the example of the ancient sages,
By promoting virtue and talent, select a true sage to sit on the throne of the country?"
The young man in white with a silver mask had no expression on his face and shook his head firmly. However, as soon as he finished speaking, someone among the ministers already raised objections:
"The State of Ye has always been the State of the Qi family throughout the ages. It is against the rules to establish a new king, and it may destroy the thousand-year foundation of the State of Ye!"
"Yes, young master, please don't refuse anymore. Looking at the entire Ye Kingdom, and even the entire Wanzhou, if even you are not worthy of sitting on this throne, who else can sit on it?"
"This statement is very true. The person who killed the king and usurped the throne was Qi Shouyu. Now that the young master has ascended the throne, it is indeed what everyone expects. The people of Ye Kingdom look forward to it every day and night, saying that the young master will definitely become a wise king!"
The person opposite you complimented me one by one, but each had his or her own purpose and thoughts.
"Stop talking. In the face of power and desire, no one can guarantee that they can withstand the temptation. If you can't, my Uncle Wang can't, and I can't either."
"But in such a huge Ye country, can the young master have the heart to let it go and ignore it?"
"Yes, a family cannot be without an owner for a day, and a country cannot be without a king for a day. If the Japanese attack Liang again, what should we do? What should we do with the chambers of commerce and the people in the city?"
The ministers became more and more anxious as they talked, and even brought all kinds of powerful relationships to the surface. Qi Ziyin also knew that these ministers who could serve under Uncle Wang's rule were all smooth and sophisticated people. He understood even better that the other party also I wanted to take the opportunity to test my bottom line, but I just looked at the hypocritical faces coldly and said:
"Is there any royal land in the world? The Ye Kingdom is just one of the twelve princely states in the Great Ascension. And the thousand-year foundation you call is just something that only the princes and nobles care about. If it happens again because of this, Disputes and killings, is this justice? As long as the people can live and work in peace and contentment under someone's rule, who cares whether the country's surname is Qi, Luqiu, or someone else's? Last name?"
As soon as this statement came out, it immediately caused an uproar among the ministers. At the same time, Qi Ziyin suddenly heard a voice after himself:
"Brother Qi, what you said is wrong. In my opinion, the position of the leader of the country belongs to you."
The young man turned around and saw the silver-haired Mo Zeming, who had been supported by Mo Chen and stood behind him at some point. He immediately asked in surprise:
"Brother Zeming, why don't you take a good rest and come to the palace instead?"
"Miss Leng saw that you hadn't returned home for a whole day. She was afraid that something might happen to you in the palace, so she asked us to come over and have a look." The other party smiled slightly and walked slowly to the young man in white.
"Sister Kejia just asked you to check on my situation, but she didn't ask you to persuade me to take the throne, right? I have already made up my mind on this matter, so I won't bother Brother Zeming."
Qi Ziyin cupped his hands as he spoke and turned around not wanting to say anything more. But the silver-haired boy grabbed him and said, "Brother Qi, please listen to me. If I really can't convince you, Zeming should resign."
"Okay, whatever you say."
The other party's extremely firm tone made Qi Ziyin nod helplessly. Mo Zeming still had the half-smiling expression on his face, but he raised his hands above his head, bowed forward, and gave a respectful salute:
"I admire Brother Qi for being able to think so clearly about choosing profits and exercising power. However, the world is so big that not everyone can be as broad-minded as you. If you don't inherit the throne and don't have royal power in the future, Ye State will Who should restrain the old and young in the territory, the princes and nobles, and the wealthy gentry who took advantage of the war to hoard food and make a fortune? Who should sympathize with the people who have been displaced and live in embarrassment? "
Mo Zeming's words were loud and clear, as if they were meant to be heard by the ministers on the side, causing them to blush and feel uneasy. Seeing Qi Ziyin's face also moved with compassion, he paused for a moment. He continued:
"What's more, today Ye's domestic worries are not settled, and foreign troubles are rising again. Young Master, please think carefully, whether it was Chengguo or Weiliang, have they ever done anything to the common people? At this moment, Baisha Camp Tens of thousands of soldiers have been loyal to the young master for a long time, and they are eager to have the opportunity to be loyal to the best. Now, the whole country of Ye is in urgent need of your leadership. And this is what you, as the only descendant of the Qi family in the world, must do. What a responsibility!”
Qi Ziyin didn't expect that he would actually be moved by what the other party said. After thinking for a long time, he bowed and returned a big gift:
"Brother Zeming's words awakened the dreamer, which made me feel ashamed. The current disaster that Ye State is suffering is caused by my Qi family, and it should be resolved by my Qi family's descendants."
"Young Master, this is how you agree to ascend the throne?"
The surrounding ministers began to stir again, and some of them even slowly retreated, planning to escape. It turned out that from the beginning, they believed that the young master would not easily succeed to the throne, but now Qi Ziyin
The drastic change in attitude was self-defeating and caused them unspeakable suffering.
Seeing this, Qi Ziyin immediately waved his hand and ordered Mo Lingwei standing beside him to stop all the ministers: "Didn't you all just now try your best to persuade me to ascend the throne as soon as possible? Now that I have agreed, why don't you seem to be okay with it?
Are you happy?"
Faced with the questioning, all the ministers promoted by Qi Shouyu had no choice but to kneel to the ground and shout "Long Live the Mountain". The young master in white struck while the iron was hot. After thinking for a moment, he started to make arrangements for what he had always wanted to do but had never been able to make up his mind to do.
Things to do:
"Since I have decided to ascend the throne today, I should announce this to the world as soon as possible. Now that the New Year is approaching, I should hold a grand ceremony after the beginning of spring to celebrate with the people. This is one of them!"
"I will obey the emperor's decree!"
"Immediately send people to establish a roster to clear the names of General Baili and other loyal and brave soldiers of Ye State who were falsely accused by Qi Shouyu of rebelling against the party, and to give them a generous burial. This is the second one!"
“National T-shirt!”
"Send people to take inventory of the treasury, and ride fast horses to the rich, gentry and powerful people in various places, asking them to donate their personal money and grain reserves to relieve the people. The resulting shortfalls will be compensated by land tax exemptions and land grants in the future. These are the three
!”
"The Lord is benevolent!"
"Tomorrow at sunrise, I will be in the Zichen Hall to discuss political affairs with all the ministers and hundreds of officials, and discuss strategies to recuperate the people and restore their health. There must be no slack. These are the four!"
"The Lord of the Kingdom is Holy Ming!"
The four edicts were like the ringing of four bells, deafening and endless. The ministers who originally expected to be able to fish in troubled waters finally realized that they were afraid that they would never be able to play in front of this ridiculously innocent young master.
What a trick. But their previous plan to make some money for themselves while the new king was still undecided and everything was waiting to be done was completely frustrated at this moment.
After temporarily arranging the state affairs, Qi Ziyin and Mo Zeming returned to the villa in East City called Zheliuxuan. They had stayed here for the past two months.
Leng Jiayun had already tidied up the messy old house. Some of the things Xiang Baili had used in the past had also been carefully sorted out by her and buried in a tomb under the crabapple trees in the courtyard.
Although everything in Xuanzhong has changed, the young man suddenly felt that Xiang Baili had never left his side at the moment he entered the courtyard for the first time——
Although the flowering season has long passed, just a few days ago, the begonia flowers in the courtyard that had not been cared for for many years but were still lush and leafy bloomed one after another. Although the first snow had arrived, the bright red flowers did not wither, but
It becomes more and more colorful and moving. The white snow and red flowers complement each other, creating a breathtaking beauty.
Leng Jiayun had already prepared several sets of bowls and chopsticks on the small stone table in the courtyard. When she saw the three people returning, she immediately stood up and greeted them:
"It's a holiday today, let's have a drink with Baili."
The Dongli woman put on her purple clothes again and held a jar of Qingli roast that had been stored for many years in her arms. Only then did Qi Ziyin notice that there were too many bowls, chopsticks and wine cups on the table.
One pair was specially prepared for the late Xiang Baili.
Leng Jiayun filled the cup with wine, picked up the small cup and walked to her lover's monument, slowly pouring the wine down. There was no inscription or epitaph on the simple stone monument, but in front of it was placed the bird that Xiang Baili had always carried with her. The soil on the body.
"Baili, today is the festival, let me drink another cup of Qingli Shao with you. Although Qingwan is no longer here, your great revenge will be avenged, and the people on the island will be properly settled. You should be able to rest in peace in heaven. Already."
The woman in purple whispered, but her emotions were not too much, and she didn't cry. It seemed that after everything came to an end, the hatred and sadness in her heart that seemed to be eternal were finally let go.
Qi Ziyin also took off his mask and walked to the tomb. After paying respects to his mentor, he filled another cup, raised his head and drank it all in one gulp:
"Teacher, now I will succeed as the leader of Ye Kingdom. After the country is stabilized, I will definitely find Jiang Yan and Ning Yue as soon as possible and come back with them to see you."
"Zi Yin, you have actually figured it out? That's really great! I originally wanted to ask you what your next plan will be."
Hearing what he said, Leng Jiayun immediately turned around and smiled at the young man, then saluted Mo Zeming again, "Little Patriarch of the Mo family, I want to thank you very much this time!"
"Brother Zeming is indeed the lobbyist sent by you, Sister Jia!" Qi Ziyin was stunned at first, but then he laughed in relief.
However, Mo Zeming on the side just nodded slightly, but his eyes were wandering, as if he had something on his mind.
Mo Chen finally couldn't bear it any longer and pressed the wine cup in his hand hard on the bluestone table. He looked into the silver-haired boy's eyes and asked, "Little master, aren't you going to talk about that matter?"
"Mo Chen, don't talk too much! It's a holiday today, and I don't want to ruin the fun of Brother Qi and Miss Leng!"
Mo Zeming shook his head vigorously, signaling the other party to shut up, but it was obviously too late. The eyes of the two companions opposite him were immediately drawn to him:
"Brother Zeming, what is Mo Chen talking about? Why can't you tell us?"
"Yes, if you don't say it, wouldn't it be in vain to attract people's appetite?"
Qi Ziyin and Leng Jiayun's questioning made the silver-haired boy more and more embarrassed. However, before he could answer, Mo Chen answered first:
"Actually, the young master has already figured out the whereabouts of Jiang Yan."
"Are you serious? This is rare good news! Is Brother Zeming planning to send Mo Chen to quietly pick him up and give us a big surprise?"
The young man in white clothes was already a little tipsy. He reached out and patted the silver-haired young man on the shoulder. Seeing that he could no longer hide it, Mo Zeming sighed softly, then shook his head and said:
"It's not that I don't want to tell you, but I'm afraid that after learning the whereabouts of the other party, you will find it difficult to accept it for a while."
"Did Jiang Yan encounter some trouble? Tell me quickly, where is he now!" Seeing that the other party's tone was wrong, Qi Ziyin suddenly became nervous, and Jiu Jin was mostly awake.
"Brother Qi, please rest assured that Jiang Yan is currently in the northern border. Although there is trouble, it is not unsolvable. It's just that-"
The silver-haired boy paused for a moment, "It's just that right now, he has already married Tuya, the princess of the Muyun tribe, and unified all the Shuodi tribes to become Tianhehan on the Yanluo Plain!"
"What are you talking about? How could Jiang Yan get mixed up with those northern barbarians! Besides, Ning Yue's whereabouts are unknown. Not only did he not go looking for her, but why did he marry a foreigner who had seriously injured him? A woman is a wife!”
Qi Ziyin immediately jumped up, picked up the wine cup on the table with his sleeves, dropped it to the ground and smashed it to pieces.
However, Mo Zeming's expression soon made him understand that every word he just heard was an undeniable fact.
The starting point is not the first release, and all copies are free.