Chapter 115: Afterword (Part Six)
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As the night deepened, Xu Chunmu entered the palace just before the gates closed. The snow that had stopped for a while began to fall again, quietly landing on the grayish-blue stone slabs.
Once he arrived at the Qingluan Palace, the palace attendants led him to the kitchen.
The young Crown Prince Jiang Ye, who had just finished shaping the filling, was now carefully rolling the dough.
With flour sticking to his eyelashes and the tip of his nose, sleeves rolled up high, and a slender arm like a lotus root shaking gently, he looked exceptionally cute.
The solemnity in Xu Chunmu’s eyes was diluted.
Recently, Jiang Yanchi had been focusing on re-examining the old cases of the Shen family. The court had been in constant dispute since he entered the capital half a month ago, and Xu Chunmu had hardly had any peace since then.
People outside were still unaware of his true relationship with Chu Xie.
They thought that the Emperor had been bewitched by the Empress, completely disregarding the face of his ancestors.
The Emperor was under considerable pressure, but he seemed happy every day. Xu Chunmu was different; he had thin skin and a straightforward personality. He had received many cold glances for defending the Empress.
The first person to embarrass him was his old friend, Qi Sui, Qi Zongzheng.
Fortunately, Zhao Xuan advocated neutrality, allowing him to have a foothold in the capital.
Regarding the matter of Chu Xie, Xu Chunmu was repeatedly advised by the Marquis Xu that their house should not easily express their stance.
However, Xu Chunmu always believed that right was right and wrong was wrong.
Marquis Xu tried to dissuade him repeatedly.
Now, seeing Jiang Ye playfully making tangyuan, the resentment in his heart was also diluted. He walked to the Crown Prince’s side, picked up a round, powdery tangyuan, and asked, “Who is this one for?”
“It’s for my uncle.” Jiang Ye grinned, showing off his loot like a war trophy. “Just a little sugar in this one. This one is for Father, this one is for Grandmother, and this one, which I haven’t made yet, is for Royal Father.”
Xu Chunmu bent down and lifted the young Crown Prince, watching as the prince rolled the tangyuans in his arms. He wiped the flour off the prince’s face and asked, “It’s impressive that you remember your uncle doesn’t like sweets.”
“It’s Father who remembers clearly. Uncle’s likes and dislikes, he knows them all very well.” Jiang Ye placed the rolled tangyuans into the baskets, counted them one by one, and left a few white handprints on Xu Chunmu’s sleeve. “It’s time to make some for Royal Father. He likes them sweet, so for ten tangyuans, you need to add a few spoons of sugar.”
He looked at his uncle with confusion.
His uncle could only shake his head.
Indeed, his uncle was a victorious general on the battlefield, accustomed to defeating enemies, and he wouldn’t remember these kitchen matters.
Jiang Ye pouted, hesitated for a while, and then said, “Or maybe I should go ask Father.”
“Uncle, wait here, and I’ll be back soon.”
With a small clap to dust off the flour on his hands, he ran out of the kitchen like a streak of smoke.
***
Inside the sleeping quarters, the doors and windows were tightly closed, preventing any breeze from coming in. In the distance, there were sounds of palace maids playing in the snow on the Little New Year’s Eve, along with the crackling sounds of fireworks.
“Later, we still have to have dinner together…”
“No hurry, Ye Er won’t be done so quickly.”
The pitch-black room was illuminated by the bursting fireworks, revealing graceful figures under the gauzy curtain.
Chu Xie was breathing a bit urgently, and his slender wrist grabbed onto Jiang Yanchi’s small arm. “Slow down, go slower…”
His fair neck hung down like a fairy crane, occasionally swaying left and right in impatience. Jiang Yanchi leaned in to kiss away the frown on his forehead, pulling his knees even further apart.
It seemed that he was more restless tonight than usual.
He spoke much less than usual.
“Jiang, Jiang Yanchi…” Chu Xie already had a trembling tone. When he called him like this on other occasions, even if he felt unsatisfied, he would stop after a while. But today, for some reason, that shout seemed even louder, almost unbearable for the person.
Chu Xie’s muffled groans gradually became uncontrollable.
The rapid sounds of breathing overlapped in the silent snowy night.
After going crazy twice, they had to continue.
The panting carried a hint of stifling and a strong nasal tone. The eyes showed a faint redness, and Chu Xie bit his lower lip. “You, you really are…”
“What’s wrong?”
Jiang Yanchi chuckled hoarsely, kissed the moist corner of his eye with a teasing touch, “Isn’t it what you said, lying is a big mistake…”
“How many times have you lied to me? It’s time to let me settle the score.”
This reasoning didn’t match.
Chu Xie pinched his arm with fair fingers, unintentionally leaving several red marks.
He just wanted to be unrestrained for a while, and found a casual excuse. Chu Xie, who was in a daze, realized that he was acting as if he was angry. Unfortunately, now that he was at the mercy of others, his fierce gaze seemed even more provocative to Jiang Yanchi.
There was a burning sensation in his throat, dry and hot.
This time, he was much more aggressive than usual.
Chu Xie’s eyes were no longer tinged with red at the corners but covered with a glistening mist. He unusually softened his tone and said, “You, could you stop for a moment… tonight, we can continue later…”
He gently used his fingertip to wipe away the tears forming in Chu Xie’s eyes. Seeing that he seemed to struggle to catch his breath, he stopped for a while.
The person beneath him, as if just finding his breath, breathed several times in succession. “What happened to you tonight?” Before he could finish his sentence, seeing that his breathing had stabilized, the person beneath him began to stir again, preventing him from forming a complete sentence.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knocking sound came from outside the door, along with the restraining voice of Little Xizi: “Your Highness, Your Highness.”
Chu Xie’s voice abruptly stopped.
Jiang Yanchi, however, did not stop, causing Chu Xie to panic.
Jiang Ye returned.
Fortunately, Little Xizi arrived in time, intercepting the little Crown Prince who was about to enter, “Your Highness, His Majesty and the Empress are not in the hall. They went to the Hall of Government to discuss matters and will return later. Your Highness can wait in the side hall.”
“But, but I forgot how much sugar Royal Father’s tangyuans should have…” Jiang Ye was anxious, “I want to find Father, the Hall of Government is not far, take me to find Father, please.”
“But the Empress has important matters. This slave knows His Majesty’s taste. How about this, let the slave accompany you to the kitchen?”
Jiang Ye was finally appeased, and the footsteps of the two outside gradually moved away.
After holding back for a while, Chu Xie released his hand and spoke again, questioning the person in fragments, “What’s wrong with you… are you crazy…”
“Ah Xie.” Jiang Yanchi gently kissed him in response, not addressing his anger but seeming to urgently seek something.
“Tonight, tonight is Little New Year’s Eve… Chunmu will also come, and you, your mother. Jiang Yanchi, we still have to have… mm, a reunion dinner later…”
Chu Xie really ran out of strength, and he softened his struggling. “Even if you want to do it, you should…”
It seemed that Jiang Yanchi was a bit strange today.
Is there something troubling him in the court?
When this round finally ended, Chu Xie felt that the last bit of strength on his body had been exhausted, and he almost fainted from exhaustion.
But Jiang Yanchi still held him tightly.
“Little New Year’s Eve is not a day for reunion.”
Chu Xie’s eyelashes trembled lightly, and he suddenly raised his eyes.
“It’s your death anniversary.”
A hot tear slid down his neck silently, and he heard Jiang Yanchi’s uneasy voice, “The snow on that day was heavy, and that night, there was no starlight at all.”
Chu Xie looked at the pitch-black and silent night, as if he understood something, and hugged Jiang Yanchi back.
“I will clear the name for the Shen family. Ah Xie, I will do everything for you. I won’t make any mistakes again, this time, I will definitely save you.”
After so many years, Jiang Yanchi had never taken the initiative to tell him how he had lived after his death in his past life.
But Chu Xie seemed to glimpse something from this sentence.
“After I died in my past life, did you clear the Shen family’s name?” Chu Xie was bewildered, “How could you…”
Could it be that he is still thinking about clearing the Shen family’s name?
This matter involves the secrets of Emperor Xuanhe’s ascension to the throne and the face and dignity of the two ancestral emperors. Sacrificing the Shen family is the only way to protect the majestic imperial power. It would be extremely difficult to pry open this case, and anyone attempting to do so would be deemed disloyal and unjust, facing criticism from all sides.
He’s already dead, why bother to clear the name?
Chu Xie raised his hand and gently rubbed Jiang Yanchi’s head to comfort him without questioning him in this way.
Only silence persisted for a long time. Suppressing the deep fatigue and pervasive dismantling-like pain, Chu Xie, with a hoarse voice, said, “Ah Yu.”
“Little New Year’s Eve is a day for family reunion.”
***
Jiang Ye personally carried the steaming tangyuans and stepped into the hall, happily calling out, “Father, Father!”
The snow-covered road was slippery, and he almost fell to the ground.
Looking at Chu Xie, he had changed into a new set of clothes and was wrapped in a thick white fur cloak, tightly wound around his neck.
Father is afraid of the cold; he must think the snowy night wind is too chilly. Jiang Ye first presented the steaming tangyuans to Chu Xie. For some reason, Father didn’t seem to like moving, just nestling in front of the desk without moving. Instead, Royal Father, being attentive, received them and blew on one before placing it in front of Father.
Maybe it was his illusion, but he felt that Father’s eyes and nose were a bit red.
The complexion also seemed a bit more haggard than before.
It must be too cold at night.
After a while, the table was filled with steaming dishes. Uncle and Grandmother also arrived, but Royal Father just focused on supporting Father, even instructing people to arrange fox fur cushions on the chairs, afraid of him catching a cold.
It seems that what Uncle Qi said makes sense. Indeed, in this world, it seems that everything is surnamed Chu.
After Jiang Ye picked up some food for his grandmother, he looked at Uncle and Father sitting together, propped his face and said, “Dad and Uncle look really alike.” As soon as this was said, laughter filled the table.
“Yes, they do.” The first to respond was Royal Father.
But he heard his father leisurely picking up a chopstick of meat for him, “Your uncle is a valiant general who defends the country. Dad can’t compare to him.”
“Not at all,” Jiang Ye spoke without reservation, blushing and anxious to refute, “The whole world belongs to Dad. Uncle defends the country to protect Dad.”
This time, Marquis Xu’s face darkened slightly, and even the action of picking up food paused. Jiang Ye’s unintentional words inevitably made him associate with the many rumors in the court about the Shen family’s harm to the country, which seemed to have tainted the young Crown Prince’s ears. Those vehement condemnations could even reach the Eastern Palace.
Teaching him to say things like “the whole world belongs to Dad.”
Marquis Xu suddenly became anxious, and Jiang Yanchi was also stunned.
They exchanged a glance, thinking of something.
Chu Xie’s brows furrowed.
Only Duan Se couldn’t discern the intricacies in the conversation. He continued to feed the little Crown Prince without stopping, and served a bowl of hot soup for Chu Xie. “This soup has been stewing for three hours; it’s very fragrant.”
“It is very fragrant; you should try it.” Jiang Yanchi thought that he might have become overly zealous recently, eager to overturn the Shen family’s case. Wanting to avoid causing too much concern to Chu Xie, he tried to play down the situation.
However, this sentence indeed touched Chu Xie’s bottom line.
Chu Xie looked at the Crown Prince and asked, “What did you say? The whole world is who’s?”
“Dad’s…” Jiang Ye stammered, feeling that the atmosphere was a bit strange.
Xu Chunmu cleared his throat and glanced at Chu Xie out of the corner of his eye. “Kids.”
The young Crown Prince shrank for a moment, then quickly turned his pleading eyes to the Emperor. The Emperor shook his head at him. He looked at his uncle, and his uncle blinked at him.
Finally, he could only hide behind the Empress Dowager timidly and said, “It was Royal Father who told me.”
This time, Marquis Xu was shocked, and two bewildered gazes were cast towards the Emperor.
Jiang Yanchi was almost speechless.
“Royal Father said it.”
The young Crown Prince nestled into the Empress Dowager’s arms. “The whole world belongs to Royal Father, and Royal Father belongs to Dad. Isn’t that right?”
Xu Chunmu never expected such an interpretation. He cleared his throat and coughed.
Chu Xie also felt a bit uncomfortable and took a few sips of soup without saying a word.
Duan Se, still unable to grasp the intricacies of the conversation, continued to feed the little Crown Prince, putting a piece of food into his mouth. She said, “That’s right; what’s wrong with that? It’s very accurate. There is an ancient saying in Great Wei, ‘A harmonious family leads to prosperity in all things.’ That is very reasonable.”
The young Crown Prince laughed with his mouth wide open, almost burning his mouth with the hot tangyuans.
Sweet and delicious.
Chu Xie reached out, pulled him over, and wiped the black sesame stains from the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief.
“Just you, talking so much.”
Seeing the situation, the young Crown Prince crawled into Chu Xie’s embrace, forming a ball and sitting on his lap. For some reason, although Chu Xie usually scolded him, he was like a sticky rice dumpling, clinging tightly to him. “Dad, hug me, can Dad hug me?”
In the first year after their marriage, when Jiang Yanchi accompanied him to the Yubei County government to adopt this little son, Jiang Yanchi clearly said, “This child will be stable, introverted, honest, and generous in the future, just like his biological father, Jiang Xilin. He will be a suitable heir to the throne in the future.”
Where is the stability and introversion? Where is the honesty and generosity?
How did he end up like this?
Could it be his own problem?
Chu Xie pressed his brow and could only endure the soreness in his body as he held him securely, indulging him, “Okay, Dad will hug you. Ye Er, eat more; you’ll need to take medicine later.”
As soon as he heard taking medicine, Jiang Ye’s face immediately wrinkled, almost wiping his snot and tears on Chu Xie. His small hands waved, grabbing onto Chu Xie’s arm.
“No making a fuss. If you’re sick, you must take your medicine.”
Hearing the uncompromising tone, he calmed down a bit.
Jiang Ye sat there fidgeting all the time, causing Chu Xie some discomfort, but he couldn’t say anything. Jiang Yanchi noticed and took the Crown Prince over, but the Crown Prince refused to be held and insisted on sticking to Chu Xie.
The night grew late, yet she tightly held onto Chu Xie’s sleeve, whispering, “Daddy, Daddy, stay with me to sleep.”
Upon hearing this, the emperor’s eyelids twitched, sensing trouble. He immediately instructed Little Xizi to take him away.
Unexpectedly, the empress held the little prince, his tone cool as he said, “He’s exhausted and even sick. How can you take him away now?”
“…”
“Tao Li, tidy up. I’ll stay with the little prince these days.”
“…”
Jiang Yanchi’s expression suddenly changed. He caught up in three or four steps, lowered his voice in Chu Xie’s ear, and said, “Just now, you didn’t say that. You said if you wanted to do it tonight—”
Chu Xie handed the child to Tao Li, enduring the unbearable soreness in his body. He didn’t want to stay with Jiang Yanchi any longer. He glanced at him, straightforwardly saying, “It doesn’t count.”
Jiang Yanchi pulled him aside to the side hall, seeming a bit anxious. He lowered his voice even more, threateningly and gritting his teeth, “Think carefully. If you break your word like this, next time, I might not hold back—”
“I won’t stop no matter what you say.”
Whether it was Jiang Ye’s illusion or not, looking at the backs of the two from a distance, before royal father could react, father’s ears suddenly turned red.
After hesitating for a while, he called himself over and said, “Ye Er has grown up and should sleep on his own.”
Jiang Ye burst into tears, glanced at his father, and then looked at royal father with a seemingly calm but actually cunning smile. Wiping away tears reluctantly, he was led away by Little Xizi, sobbing.
After the commotion, silence returned, and the moon emerged from behind the clouds.
Another year was about to pass. Outside the sleeping quarters, the red silk hung six years ago still swayed in the branches.
The night was cold, and the vastness seemed endless.
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