qianqing Palace
"Reporting to the emperor, Commander Wei requests an audience.”
"Please." As soon as the ministers left the court, Zhu Youtang sat on the dragon chair, thinking about the responsibility he should bear as the ruler of a country. His thoughts drifted to an unknown place in the distance, and the eunuch outside the palace entered the palace to report.
Commander Wei was one of his subordinates. When he was still the Crown Prince, he had been working for him outside. He would not enter the palace for no reason. Now that he entered the palace to ask for an audience, he might have news.
He was looking forward to the news…
After a while, Commander Wei walked in quickly.
"This lowly subject greets the Emperor."
"Quickly get up." Zhu Youtang said and then dismissed the eunuchs on both sides.
"How is it? Any news?"
"Emperor, no."
Commander Wei's words made Zhu Youtang's face covered with a layer of disappointment. Once again, his hopes were dashed. He thought that there would be a different answer this time, but he was helpless…
"Emperor, there are too few clues. It's really difficult to investigate.”Commander Wei said. It was not that he was trying to shirk responsibility, but it was not easy to find someone with just a mirror!
"Zhen knows, it's not your fault. If you want to blame someone, you can only blame heaven's will.”Zhu Youtang sighed. Everything happened too suddenly back then. He didn't have time to stop it. A relationship that hadn't sprouted was cut off just like that. How could he not blame fate for playing tricks on him?
"Emperor, these few years, this lowly official has visited all the pawn shops and silver shops in the world, but I couldn't find the golden mirror you spoke of. Could it be that the Golden Mirror has not been sold and is still in the hands of the person you mentioned?”Commander Wei speculated this possibility.
"Impossible. Their family is either a woman or a young master or a young lady who is used to living a luxurious life. In order to support such a large family, other than selling some valuable items, they can't survive at all.”Zhu Youtang analyzed.
Unless they no longer existed in this world, how could they survive these ten long years?
At the thought of this, he felt as if a hole had been gouged out in a corner of his heart, making him feel empty and heartbroken.
Zhuyun, where are you? Do you know how hard it was for me to find you?
The feeling of being at a loss and not knowing anything scared him. Even the ruler of a country had times when he couldn't control things. And she was the one who made him panic!
"Emperor, do you still want to continue investigating?”
Should he continue investigating? Commander Wei's question stumped him. The world was so big, where exactly was her place to stay? He had experienced that untouchable and unfeeling feeling too many times over the years. Every time Commander Wei asked him for instructions again, he would always be defeated by this kind of confusion.
It turned out that even after becoming the emperor, there were still many things that he was powerless to do.
Should he continue investigating? He asked himself in his heart.
It had been ten years. Would things turn out differently in the eleventh year?
He was afraid that the result would be…
"The Emperor?" Seeing that the Emperor did not respond, Commander Wei called out again.
"Forget it, you should rest for a few days! In two days, I will go to the Temple of Heaven to worship the heavens. Follow me to Nanjing!”He hadn't decided whether he should or not. He had a heavy responsibility now!
After ascending to the throne, his identity was that of the king of a country. There were more responsibilities placed on him, and he was no longer a person who could do whatever he wanted.
"The Emperor is going to Nanjing to worship the heavens?"
"Yes, we'll set off once the master of the Guoguo Temple arrives.”He had already asked the eunuch to summon him. He believed that the master sent by the National Guard Temple would enter the palace in two days.
"Your Majesty, why don't we go to the Temple of Heaven outside the Imperial City?”
"Zhen wants to go on an inspection tour in civilian clothes. I heard that there has been a great drought near the circular mound in recent months. I want Master to pray for rain at the circular mound.”
"So that's how it is. The emperor is truly a good ruler who loves his country and the people!”
Zhu Youtang did not think so. If he had a choice, he only wanted to be with her…
kunning Palace
The Empress's bedchamber was decorated with lanterns and streamers everywhere. Every door was pasted with the word " double happiness ". There were also dragon and phoenix candles burning on the red sandalwood round table in the palace, indicating that a wedding was being held here.
After the death of the previous emperor, the crown prince ascended the throne and reorganized the court. For a new emperor, there were many things that needed to be done as soon as possible.
However, as the crown prince consort, no, now she should be called the empress, she followed the etiquette and arranged the wedding ceremony for him. Other than putting on a good show, she was just an empty and lonely woman.
Before she entered the palace, she was the daughter of the Minister of War. She had been doted on since she was young and no one dared to look down on her. But after entering the palace, she tasted the feeling of being ignored.
She was the Crown Princess chosen by the late Emperor. After the late Emperor passed away, she naturally became the Empress. However, she, who claimed that she had never made a mistake, had never received a trace of love from the Emperor. He did not even participate in the Empress Conferring Ceremony, leaving her to suffer the ridicule of everyone in the ceremony.
Thinking of this, her resentment towards the Emperor deepened. In the past, in the Minister's residence, she was the pearl in the palm of her parents 'hands and had everything she wanted. Now that she was in the palace, she really couldn't go on with this kind of cold shoulder and the Emperor's disdain for her.
It was not that she had never tried to take the initiative, but no matter what she did, the Emperor would not even look at her. He would only look at her coldly and tell her to wear more clothes so that she would not catch a cold. That was the first time he had spoken out of concern for her, and also the first time she realized that the Emperor didn't even care about her, the Empress.
Therefore, even if she was the Empress, she was still a sad woman who could not get love!
Fu Zhenli sighed. Fortunately, the emperor was not fond of women, otherwise, other than being laughed at by others, she would also have to appease her own jealousy. This should be considered the emperor's compensation for her alone!
"Empress!"
An ordinary-looking maid ran in. She only wanted to report the news to the Empress as soon as possible, but she did not expect to step on the white fox raised by the Empress. The fox jumped up in pain and looked at the person with vigilance.
"You actually dared to hurt bengong's Guo 'er!”Fu Zhenli ran over, picked up the fox, and slapped the maid. "Someone come! Drag this lowly servant out and behead her!”
"Empress niangniang, this servant didn't do it on purpose. This servant only wanted to report the emperor's edict this morning to the empress niangniang.”When the maid heard that the Empress was going to chop off her head, her face immediately revealed a deep fear, afraid that she would lose her head if she was not careful.
"Oh?" Hearing the emperor, Fu Zhenli paused and scolded,""Hurry up and say it!"
"Yes, I am. The emperor ordered to choose a good day to go to the Temple of Heaven in Nanjing to worship heaven.”
The Temple of Heaven was a place to worship heaven. It was originally built outside Zhengyang Gate in Nanjing, south of Zhongshan Mountain. It was also known as the Round Mound. It was originally a place to worship heaven in the Ming Dynasty. However, after Emperor Yongle moved the capital, in order to avoid the pain of trekking, another Temple of Heaven was built in the east of Zhengyang Gate in Beijing. Later generations of the Zhu family had slowly been sent to the Imperial Mausoleum and no longer went to Nanjing. But now, the Emperor was going back to Nanjing to worship the heavens…
Fu Zhenli tried to guess the Emperor's intentions, but she couldn't figure it out.
"Did the emperor send any ministers to accompany him?”Fu Zhenli asked. In fact, she wanted to know if the Emperor would allow her to travel with him.
The maid shook her head." I only heard that Commander Wei and the nun from the Nation Protecting Temple will go together.”
"Useless!" Fu Zhenli glared at the maid." I want to ask you, how was that Taoist nun?”As long as she could meet the Emperor's woman, she had to touch them clearly. Only after confirming that her appearance was comparable to that of others would she be slightly relieved. Therefore, the women in the palace were all inferior to her.
"This servant doesn't, doesn't know." She was in a hurry to report this and forgot to investigate first.
"You're so clumsy, what use is bengong keeping you? Men, drag her out and behead her!"
"Empress, you, why do you still want to kill this servant?”The maid asked in astonishment.
"It's very simple. BenGong just realized one thing, that is, your eyes are brighter than BenGong's, BenGong won't allow it!”Her scheming face was ferocious and terrifying.
"Empress!"
"Someone come! Hurry up and drag it out." Before the maid could plead for mercy, Fu Zhenli carried Guo 'er into the inner palace and handed the maid over to the guards.
"Empress, please spare my life!"
She snorted coldly. She loved hearing people begging for mercy.
Jing Xin followed the eunuchs sent by the palace and traveled day and night. Finally, they arrived at the Imperial Palace before nightfall two days later.
On the left side of the majestic Forbidden City, there were Yujing Palace, Chuxiu Palace, Qiankun Palace, Changchun Palace, Tiyuan Palace, Taiji Palace, and more than ten other palaces. On the right are Zhong Cui Palace, Chengqian Palace, Jingren Palace, Jingyang Palace, Yonghe Palace, Yanxi Palace, etc. Not counting the main hall, there were dozens of palaces in the Forbidden City. There were also stone paths, gardens, pavilions, carved eaves, and styles between each palace. She was dumbfounded.
Compared to the usually simple Pingzhen Temple, this place was the epitome of luxury.
The spacious and empty pavilion was filled with a desolate atmosphere. Was this the place where her father's murderer lived?
In an instant, she forgot what her master had said before she left. She was so dissatisfied with that person. Now that she had personally come to this place, she could not help but feel angry! He was furious that he would never be able to take revenge.
It was a pity that as a woman, she could only helplessly try to forget about her family's hatred. However, forgetting was such a difficult thing. He could only remember it for the rest of his life.
At this moment, the moon was hanging high in the sky. The gorgeous palace was silent, and because she was trapped by the past, she seemed to be focused. She was deep in thought as she strolled along the path, unaware that a burning gaze was locked on her from behind.
Who was she? Why was he in front of Chengsu Palace?
Without his orders, no one was allowed to stop in front of the Hall of Solemn Justice. There was no other reason than that this was the front hall of the Zhong Cui Palace, where treasures were hidden.
In a corner of the garden, Zhu Youtang's eyes could not move away from Jing Xin.
Her back looked so lonely, like a fairy abandoned by the heavens. She was so refined that she was not stained by dust, but there was a strong loneliness covering her, so strong that he could not ignore it.
What kind of extraordinary heart was wrapped in her slim figure that made his heart tremble just by looking at her back?
Suddenly, he had an urge to get to know her, even though she was a lowly servant girl. Although the aura he sensed made him feel that she was definitely not a maidservant.
"Who are you? Don't you know where this is?"
A deep voice appeared behind her. Jing Xin was so shocked that she immediately turned around and forgot to cover her ears with the veil.
She saw a man, a tall and handsome man, but at the same time, she heard him gasp.
She frantically pulled up the gauze by her ear. She was already used to the frightened eyes and gasps of others when they first saw her.
But why did the inferiority complex that she had been hiding for a long time suddenly pop up in front of him, constantly reminding her that she was incomplete and ugly?
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you couldn't come here.”Suppressing her strong uneasiness and inferiority complex, she just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.
"You don't know me?" If he confirmed that she was not a palace maid, then who was she? How did he enter the palace?
" You're the emperor!?" She raised her head. The man in front of her with a heroic spirit was actually the current emperor, the person she had to meet in the palace this time?
She knew that she had to face her enemy's son calmly, but that should be during the morning court session tomorrow. It shouldn't be so soon!
She retreated in a panic, but her back was pressed against a pole and she couldn't move.
"Are you afraid of me?" Obviously, this was the truth.
Even though she was the ruler of a country, he still did not like people to be afraid of him. He could see her every move, and the panic in her eyes puzzled him.
"Why are you afraid of me?"
"Shouldn't I be afraid?" "Can I speak casually in front of the Emperor?" Jing Xin asked.”
"What do you mean?"
"Word Prison! It was a literary prison that could make innocent people lose their right to life! My emperor."
Her expression was filled with anger, and the irrepressible sarcasm made her tremble all over. Even though he could not see her expression, he could clearly feel her excitement.
Why?
He thought that she was a peaceful person who did not have any emotions or desires, but that was not the case now.
"After Zhen ascended the throne, the ban was abolished. There will be no more literary inquisition.”He didn't need to explain his actions to anyone, but he did it in front of her.
"Won't it? Even if someone wrote an anti-war poem?" she asked, unwilling to believe that he was different from the late emperor.
"Zhen believes that Zhen's Imperial Guards are absolutely capable of protecting Zhen's safety. Anyone can talk on paper, but the most important thing is strength.”he replied conceitedly.
Jing Xin's heart tightened. If the late emperor had thought like this ten years ago, her family would not have been homeless and had no fixed place to live, suffering the pain of life and death.
However, it was too late to remedy the situation. Fortunately, no more people would die.
Her thoughts gradually drifted away, and large tears instantly slid down her cheeks. An irreparable regret filled her face with tears, and the veil covering her face was also wet.
"Are you crying?" Zhu Youtang saw that her eyes were filled with tears and could not help but be slightly stunned. Why was she crying? Why are you crying? Could it be…
"Do you have a relative who died because of the Word Prison?”He guessed.
Jing Xin was shocked by his words and her body shook. She did not expect that there would be such a meticulous man, and he was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
It was precisely because he was the Emperor that she could not tell him the truth.
Perhaps on the surface, he was the emperor who abolished the literary prison, but in secret, he was looking for the people who had defected back then. For the safety of her family, she could not admit it.
"Of course not. I'm a novice monk and have no family.”Such an identity would definitely ensure her safety until she returned to the temple.
"You became a monk?" Knowing her identity, Zhu Youtang's heart suddenly tightened. He forgot about the question just now and was concerned about! She was a nun!
"Emperor, Jingxin is my Dharma name. I am the priest sent by Pingzhen Temple to preside over the ceremony.”
Meditation? Priest?
It was undeniable that she did not look like one at all. She looked like she was only seventeen or eighteen years old. How could she be a priest who could take charge of her own affairs?
His eyes instantly turned dark, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
"Emperor, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave.”She ignored the sudden change in his expression. Tonight, she had revealed too much, almost beyond her control. Right now, the only way to retreat was to maintain a distance from him.
"Wait!" He called out to her, wanting to chat with her for a while longer. That familiar feeling seemed to have been felt a long time ago when he was still ignorant.
"Your face…can't be treated?”He knew that this question might hurt her heart, but he had no choice but to ask.
"So what if it can be cured? This is just the appearance." She didn't know how long her appearance could last, but what she could keep might not be forever.
"There are spirit herbs in the palace.”No one could bear to see a good girl's face destroyed like this! He thought.
"Don't worry, Emperor. We will be prepared for the sacrifice and won't scare the officials.”she replied politely.
"Zhen didn't mean it that way!" She had misunderstood him. He was just regretting her good looks. The perfect left side of her face and the badly damaged right side of her face formed a strong contrast. He could not bear to see it!
"Jingxin thanks the emperor for his concern, there's really no need.”After saying that, Jing Xin disappeared from the other end of the garden along the path she came from.
She must have an embarrassing past that no one could touch. Zhu Youtang looked at her back and sighed deeply for her face.
"T-no, Empress, the Emperor is preparing to leave the palace.”The maid Xiao Yan ran into the Palace of Earthly Tranquility and bowed before Fu Zhenli.
" What did you say?!" Fu Zhenli was shocked." So fast!？The emperor didn't send anyone to inform bengong?”
The emperor leaving the palace was a big matter. Even if he didn't want her to accompany him, he should at least inform her! Did he really ignore her existence to this extent? Such a message exploded in her heart, burning her with fury.
"Where's the emperor? Bengong wants to see him, Bengong must make him speak clearly!”
"Empress, don't go! If you go, won't the emperor know that you have eyes all around him?”
Xiao Yan pulled her back, saying that she couldn't let the Empress be impulsive and ruin the big thing.
"Could it be that bengong is going to remain silent like this?”After Xiao Yan mentioned it, her arrogance dissipated by more than half.
"In the past, bengong was like a silent person. Even when standing beside the emperor, he never noticed.”Her plaintive tone was like that of a woman who had been tortured by loneliness and was waiting for her husband's pity.
" Empress…" Even if she sympathized with the Empress, Xiao Yan could not help her when she thought of the Emperor's dignity.
"Xiao Yan, bengong asks you, how does the nun who left the palace with the emperor look like?”If that nun was shockingly beautiful, it would be impossible for her to stay put.
"Empress, you can rest assured about this. The nun from the National Guard Temple has a scar on the right side of her face. Even if she wore a veil, she could still vaguely see that scar!”
Xiao Yan had heard from the other palace maids that on the first day of the nun's arrival, the palace maids were almost frightened by her when they brought breakfast. This was how the news had spread.
" Oh?" Fu Zhenli heaved a sigh of relief. This way, even if the emperor was alone with her, she did not have to worry about any feelings between them.
"How old is she?"
"About seventeen or eighteen years old."
"Becoming a monk at such a young age?" she asked in shock.
"Empress, she hasn't officially shaved her hair yet!”Xiao Yan interjected. Although she didn't know what the Empress 'real purpose was, she still told her everything she knew.
"You haven't shaved your hair yet?" That meant that there was a possibility that six of them were not clean?
At the thought of this, she was extremely nervous. Her heart felt as if a huge rock had suddenly pressed down on it, and it was so tight that it made her uncomfortable. "Hurry up! Prepare a sedan chair for bengong, bengong is going to see the emperor.”
"Empress?"
"Hurry up and go!" Fu Zhenli glared at Xiao Yan. This time, there was no reason to stop her from seeing the Emperor.
"Yes, yes, yes. This servant will go now." Xiao Yan secretly blamed herself for talking too much. Who knew what kind of storm the Empress would stir up with this.
Jing Xin endured the pain on his face, his entire body trembling as he curled up by the bed. His pair of dull eyes stared at the red candle on the table. The scene of the house burning down in the past was still vivid in his mind.
Because of her carelessness, the mistake that caused Nanny's death made her lose all feelings. The scar on her face also reminded her of the mistakes she had made, as if she had never forgiven herself in the past ten years.
Suddenly, a tear rolled down.
"Nanny, it's Yun 'er's fault. It's all Yun' er's fault that you died in the fire! You kindly brought Yun 'er to Pingzhen Temple to avoid disaster, but was killed by Yun' er. Is Yun 'er really as big brother said, an ominous person? Nanny, please tell Yun 'er, what should Yun' er do?”
Nanny had hoped that she could enter the palace one day to avenge her father, but now that she was in the palace, no one told her what to do.
She lost control of her emotions and cried at the top of her lungs, hoping that a pair of firm arms could lean on her.
The reason why she missed him so much was because of the candlelight in the palace.
For the past ten years, her master knew that she had an inexplicable fear of fire, so there was no candle in the house she lived in. There was no brazier for her to keep warm on winter nights, and she was told to avoid it when there was a sacrifice in the temple. All these years, she had lived in a world without any fire, and she could be cold and emotionless.
However, in the palace, no one knew about her past, and no one would help her remove the candlelight. The moment she saw the fire, her self-reproach could not be suppressed, and tears flowed out from the cracks in her hands.
"Master Jingxin, open the door!"
Someone was shouting outside the door, but Jing Xin was immersed in his memories and did not hear it.
"Could Master Jingxin not be inside?”
"Then what should we do? The emperor is in a hurry to find her!"
"Let's report to the Emperor first!"
"Alright, let's go!"
The two voices in front of the Abstinence Palace were getting further and further away. Jingxin, who was in the room, was still looking at the burning candlelight, her thoughts lingering for a long time…
Taihe Palace
"What happened? Didn't I ask you to invite Master?”
"Reporting to the emperor, master doesn't seem to be in the palace.”The two eunuchs looked at each other and one of them spoke.
"What do you mean by not in the palace?"
"Emperor, this servant didn't see master last night.”
"Oh?" Zhu Youtang raised his eyebrows. He had clearly seen her last night!
"Follow me to take a look."
"Emperor, this, this isn't very good! You're the most respected person in the world. How can you personally invite a small master?”The Minister of Rites, who was discussing with Zhu Youtang in Taihe Hall, quickly stopped him. "Just ask Eunuch Little Puppy to send a few more people to look for him.”
"Yes, yes!" The ministers said. They still had something to report, how could the Emperor leave?
"I asked Master to come here to discuss the day of worship. Do you think this matter is more important or is etiquette more important?”
Zhu Youtang asked impatiently.
" This…" Everyone was speechless. The matter of worshipping the heavens could not be delayed, especially since they were going back to Nanjing to worship the heavens this time. It could not be ignored.
"Alright, little dog, let's go. I want to go to the Abstinence Palace to see Master personally.”
"Yes."
The little dog received the order and immediately ran out to prepare the imperial carriage, leaving the officials to discuss the matter of the Emperor disregarding his status and going to see his master.#
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