jdhmnovel Chapter 151 Tang Ling, You Don’t Understand
Chapter 151 Tang Ling, You Don’t Understand
"Tang Ling, it hurts so much... It hurts so much..." It hurts when I'm awake, it hurts when I'm unconscious, it hurts when I breathe, it hurts all the time. It's unbearable and I can't get used to it.
"I know," Tang Ling kissed Qi Xiao on the lips, whispering softly, "I know. Qinglan told me it's not your fault, Qi Xiao, it's not your fault."
"Of course not... If I had never returned from the beginning, if I could have refused His Majesty's order, if I had just been fooling around in the Dali Temple... nothing would have happened to Mother!"
Tang Ling lifted Qi Xiao's face, looked into his eyes, wiped away the tears from his eyes, and solemnly repeated, "Qi Xiao, this is not your fault! Even if you were willing to be a useless person for the rest of your life, even if you were not involved in party disputes, not involved in court affairs, and not favored by His Majesty, Concubine Lin's days in the palace would still be like years. You know it in your heart, so you shouldn't blame yourself."
"No, it's not like that... Tang Ling, you don't understand."
Tang Ling pinched Qi Xiao's chin, forcing him to look at her. "Now is not the time to blame yourself or wallow in pain. Since you've returned, since you've intervened in the Ministry of Revenue's case, since you've been caught up in the court situation, since there's no way out, you know what you should do, don't you?"
"...Yes." Qi Xiao knew it, but he was not sure whether he could do it. Hatred would make him lose his mind, and he was afraid that he might make the wrong decision.
Qi Xiao is coming back to investigate the matter of Bai Liu. Now he is ordered to investigate Luo Yu's case and the Ministry of Revenue's case because he has righteous indignation, unwillingness and great ambitions in his heart. But if he wants to disrupt the court and put Concubine Zhao to death because he has a grudge against Concubine Zhao and a hatred against Gongsun family, can he still be Qi Xiao?
"Qi Xiao, do what you want to do, I will be by your side."
"Twelve was here just now." Qi Xiao told Tang Ling what Princess Twelve had said to him. "Tang Ling, I don't know what to do. It's so hard to avenge my mother, but that's not the hardest part. You know, when Twelve told me not to do anything stupid, I wasn't thinking about how difficult it would be to trip up Concubine Zhao, but about what kind of situation Da Chen would face if the Gongsun family lost power and the court fell into chaos. Tang Ling, will you be happy?"
Tang Ling sighed, her fingertips gently caressing Qi Xiao's eyebrows and forehead. He felt so sorry for him. Qi Xiao had always been torn between a state of confusion and clarity. He refused to give in, could not compromise, like a bird entangled in wires. The more it struggled, the more pain it endured. If it didn't struggle, it would be death.
"Do what you think is right, I will be by your side." Tang Ling closed her eyes and kissed Qi Xiao. He didn't care whether Chen State would be in chaos or not. He just hoped that Qi Xiao could break free from his shackles and live the way he wanted.
Tang Ling's kiss was gentle and soft, but Qi Xiao wanted more, greedy and frantic, like strong liquor going down his throat; the higher he went, the more it soothed the pain. Qi Xiao didn't want to sober up, he was afraid of sobering up. He wanted to get completely drunk, preferably forever.
Tang Ling kissed away Qi Xiao's tears: "Qi Xiao, I'm here."
"……Um."
-
Concubine Lin was buried in the imperial mausoleum with the rites for a concubine, as if that was the end of the matter.
Qi Xiao was not able to return to Yangxizhai directly. The day after Concubine Lin's funeral, there was another ritual. The Imperial Master Ning Wanxiao personally presided over the ceremony. His Majesty's favor this time showed his appreciation for Qi Xiao even more than the posthumous title of concubine, and it also made others jealous.
Qi Xiao was busy with Concubine Lin's funeral in the West Palace. The court and the harem had already begun discussing whether Qi Xiao should go or stay.
The Ministry of Rites meant to let Qi Xiao return to Fuzhou. After all, he originally came back to Yuanjing City to attend to Concubine Lin's illness. Now Concubine Lin has passed away, and Qi Xiao was granted a title several years ago, so there is no reason for him to stay in Yuanjing.
Unexpectedly, Pei Hao, who was usually taciturn in court, actually stood up and refuted the Minister of Rites Chu You: "Your Highness the Prince of Chu is helping the Dali Temple investigate a case. How can you just walk away without completing the investigation?"
Minister of Rites Chu You chuckled: "Investigating cases is the duty of the Dali Temple. Without the help of His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu, does that mean Lord Pei has no idea how to investigate the case?"
Pei Hao, unwilling to be outdone, spoke bluntly, "Everyone in the court knows that His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu is assisting the Dali Temple with the case under His Majesty's order. Could it be that Lord Chu is forgetful? Or is he deliberately disobeying the order?"
"Master Pei, you..."
"Alright," His Majesty said. "The matter concerning the King of Chu is not urgent and can be discussed later. Do you have any other important matters to report?"
His Majesty suppressed the matter of Qi Xiao, and no one in the court dared to speak again. However, the wisest of the court members had already realized that His Majesty intended to keep Qi Xiao in Yuanjing City, and they all quietly glanced at Qin Guojiu and Zhongshu Ling Gongsun Yang. The two of them also exchanged a subtle glance, neither saying a word, as if they had dozed off in the court and had not heard anything.
After the court was dismissed, Minister of Rites Chu You and Qin Guojiu got together and walked slowly out of the palace while talking.
"Although Your Majesty didn't say it explicitly just now, it seems that you intend to keep the King of Chu. Do you need me to submit another memorial?"
Uncle Qin was silent for a moment before he said, "Don't be impatient. Since His Majesty said we can discuss this later, let's wait a few days."
"What the uncle said is true. Let's wait a few days. Maybe the Empress will get some information from somewhere." Chu You asked in confusion, "Your Majesty, what is your intention in keeping the Prince of Chu? Is it really because of the Ministry of Revenue case? But hasn't the Ministry of Revenue's case been investigated yet?"
Uncle Qin glanced at Chu You and said, "Investigating the case is the job of the Dali Temple. You should focus on negotiating peace."
"Yes, I understand."
The issue of peace talks was very complicated, and the conditions offered by the Zhou State were simply exorbitant. The memorial was handed to His Majesty, who actually laughed after reading it. He said that peace talks with the Zhou State were a matter of national importance and must be handled with caution, but they could not be delayed too long. The implication was that Chu You was not doing his job well. Chu You immediately broke out in a cold sweat. His Majesty put down the memorial and issued an edict, ordering Feng Yaotang, Marquis of Chengping, to assist in the peace talks.
Feng Yaotang, Marquis of Chengping, had made numerous military achievements and suffered a leg disability due to fighting, so he was granted the title of marquis. Although Feng Yaotang was no longer able to lead troops, his eldest son also died in battle. It can be said that his family was full of loyal heroes. His Majesty felt sorry for the Feng family and did not allow Feng Yaotang's youngest son Feng Xu to join the army.
The Feng family has a strong military background and has been friends with the Gongsun clan for generations. Feng Xu also married a daughter of the Gongsun clan. Your Majesty's inclusion of Feng Yaotang in the Chen-Zhou peace talks was clearly a sign of distrust for Chu You and a warning to the Qin clan.
But Chu You was puzzled. Negotiations between the two countries were never easy, and a stalemate was inevitable. Moreover, the peace talks had only just begun. Why was His Majesty so dissatisfied with him? And he immediately selected the Marquis of Chengping as assistant without even discussing it. It was as if he had planned it all along.
Chu You couldn't figure it out, but Uncle Qin was not completely clueless. Qi Xiao dragged Pei Hao and Cao Weishan to search everywhere in Yuanjing City like plowing the fields. Wang Tangyi and Qian Chong were arrested. Although they barely saved Longtaixing Money House, His Majesty was obviously very dissatisfied with Qin. However, His Majesty did not scold her in person, and did not even give her a chance to defend herself.
In this case, it is better to wait and see and be cautious.