[R18] Will drink wine – “About Wine” Chapter 99 [English]

Volume 2: Another hero in troubled times

Chapter 97 Pain

The rain that had been falling for several days had subsided and the official roads were muddy.

Qudu fell into a state of total darkness, and the young Emperor Tianchen suddenly died. The news that Xiao Chiye, the Marquis of Dingdu, and Shen Zechuan, a member of Jinyiwei and the governor of the northern town, assassinated the emperor and intended to rebel, spread like wildfire and became a whisper behind the closed doors and windows of Qudu.

Because Emperor Tianchen had no heir, the ministers asked the Queen Mother to take charge of the situation.The Queen Mother repeatedly excused herself on the grounds that she was not allowed to interfere in political affairs in the harem. In the end, Han Cheng, the commander of the Imperial Guards, remonstrated three times before inviting the Queen Mother out.

The Eighth Battalion was heavily patrolling the capital, and patrols were patrolling the streets day and night these days.Ordinary people do not dare to go out, the bars in the wine street are closed, the prosperity is like yesterday, and the red walls and glazed tiles of the capital have been washed away in the drizzle.

Hai Liangyi fainted several times while crying. Now he was lying on the bed, unable to take a sip of medicine.He seemed to have lost all his whiteness overnight, and his eyes that contained divine light became dim and even looked particularly cloudy because of all the tears shed.

“Teacher,” Kong Qiu said, lowering his head and sitting down, “you must take the medicine. Now that the world is in chaos, everyone is still waiting for you to come and settle things… You must take care of yourself!”

The tears in the corners of Hai Liangyi’s eyes were not wiped away. He’s eyes wandered, and after a long time he said: “Resolve the situation? Po Ran, I have no power to save myself.”

The bamboo tubes in the courtyard gently knocked against the creek rocks, revealing cracked patterns.The rain fell silently, but the scars could not be covered up.Hai Liangyi is too old, his energy has been wasted in the ups and downs of officialdom, and now there are signs of illness.

Kong Qiu suddenly felt sad. He sat there, covering his face and crying: “Why…how did we end up in this situation!”

“Han Cheng is a snake-tongued man with a narrow-minded heart. Now that he has gained power, the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty are in panic. He forced Xiao Chiye away, and there will be no more shackles in Libei. From now on…” Hai Liangyi suddenly coughed, heHe held himself up and vomited blood. For a moment, he couldn’t control himself. He held on to the edge of the bed and cried in a hoarse voice, “From now on, the land will collapse, troubled times will arise, and the Li family’s century-old empire will be ruined here! I am guilty, I am guilty! I, Hairenshi, have spent my whole life working as a dog and studying officialdom, but I have made a wedding dress for these people! I…I…”

Hai Liangyi, with pale hair, leaned over and cried.His voice was hoarse and desperate, so desolate.

“Teacher, teacher!” Kong Qiu rushed to help him and turned around and shouted, “Here comes someone!”

The door curtain was lifted, and it was Yao Wenyu who came in.When he saw this, he immediately knelt on the footrest, ignoring the filth, wiping Hai Liangyi’s tears and blood while instructing his attendants to fetch water and soak the handkerchief.Finally, he helped Hai Liangyi lie down, comforted him for a while, and said softly to Kong Qiu: “Shang Shu, please come outside.”

Kong Qiu did not dare to disturb him anymore, so he quickly left and waited outside.

After a long time, Hai Liangyi’s crying gradually became quieter.Yao Wenyu took the bowl and personally fed the teacher medicine, and waited until Hai Liangyi fell asleep before lifting the curtain and going out.

Kong Qiu wanted to say something, but Yao Wenyu signaled him to follow the attendant to the main hall first, then went through the corridor and changed into clean clothes at the back.

“Shang Shu has been waiting for a long time.” Yao Wenyu served tea and sat under Kong Qiu.

Kong Qiu held the tea bowl, was silent for a while, and said, “Teacher, I have no children, and you will take care of me. I feel relieved. I shouldn’t mention these things today… to make him sad.”

“Although the teacher returned home sick, he is still worried about political affairs. Even if the minister does not mention it, he can’t let it go. It’s better to cry than to keep it in his heart.” Yao Wenyu also held a tea bowl, moved it a few times, and said, “The situation is unstable now, and the teacher can’t rest for a few days.”

Kong Qiu knew that Hai Liangyi treated him like his own son, so he didn’t hide it at the moment. He sighed and said: “The emperor passed away so suddenly, we are already at a disadvantage, and the Han family has taken control of the military power in Qandu. Now that the Queen Mother is in power, it is an irreversible situation. Li Beijing… what should we do in the future?”

Yao Wenyu was born white, and the tea bowl he held in his hands seemed to be the same as porcelain.He said: “The matter has come to this, and the most important thing is to discuss countermeasures. Han Cheng was originally the commander of the Jinyi Guards. If he wants to overstep his authority and become the cabinet chief, he can only ask the Queen Mother to issue an order, so he is not without a handle. Wei Huaigu committed suicide due to the military ration case, and the temporary vacancy in the cabinet has to be replaced by the Minister. In this way, major affairs in the DPRK still have to be considered and signed by the adults headed by the teacher.”

After hearing this, Kong Qiu put down his tea cup and asked humbly: “But the Queen Mother is in charge, and the cabinet can be changed at her whim. If she makes an excuse to change people, what should we do?”

Yao Wenyu smiled slightly and said: “The Queen Mother is in charge of the government out of necessity. She is not surnamed Li, and she cannot accept the power of the emperor on behalf of the people. It doesn’t matter anything else. What matters is the Qi family. Although Qi Zhuyin is lazy and does not care about government affairs, she has the loyalty of the Qi family and will never let the Queen Mother and Han Cheng do whatever they want. Since the Queen Mother wants to win over her, then Shangshu will not lose his sense of proportion at this time.Instead of worrying about the Queen Mother’s replacement, it is better to worry about Han Cheng’s follow-up arrangements.”

Kong Qiu said: “Han Cheng is determined to cling to the Queen Mother, and he has succeeded.”

“In my humble opinion, it’s just the opposite.” Yao Wenyu raised his eyes and looked at the rain and fog at the door. “At this moment, it seems that Han Cheng is indeed clinging to the Queen Mother, but in the long run, it is the Queen Mother who is clinging to Han Cheng. The Queen Mother can rise because the emperor has no heirs, and the court cannot be without a master. Everyone will give in due to helplessness. But there will definitely be a new emperor in the Zhou Dynasty, and the military power held by Han Cheng is real, heSince he dares to surround Xiao Chiye and attack Minglitang, it shows that he is confident.”

“You mean…” Kong Qiu was shocked, “Does Han Cheng still have the emperor’s heir?”

Yao Wenyu ate tea and said: “Emperor Guangcheng often stays outside the palace. It’s hard to say whether he has an emperor’s heir. But the situation has reached this point. Even if Han Cheng doesn’t have an emperor’s heir, he will try his best to introduce someone.”

Kong Qiu was half-hearted, and he said: “Han Cheng has soldiers and horses, and royal guards. All the officials are the ones who take care of their families. If we really fight, they may not be willing to conflict with him. If he forcibly recommends someone to sit in the Dragon Court, we…”

Yao Wenyu changed the topic and asked, “Have the Imperial Army passed through Dan City?”

* * *

The imperial army has passed through Dan City, but has not yet reached the territory of Zhongbo.Xiao Chiye was running fast all the way. The soldiers and horses had to rest, and they stopped in the middle.

Shen Zechuan was very ill, and his heartache and old illness broke out at the same time.He seemed to be awake but not awake, as if he was lying in a pool of dreams, swallowed up again by rain and dirty blood.

Since the last epidemic, Xiao Chiye had suspected that Shen Zechuan’s body had not recovered at all, and the drugs he had taken in his early years had become a hidden danger.Xiao Chiye didn’t dare to ask for help, so he immediately went to find the doctor when he stopped.

Shen Zechuan was dizzy and his ears were ringing.he heard Xiao Chiye’s voice, but seemed to hear Mr.’s call.He lay on the pillow and woke up several times, feeling that he was still in Duanzhou.he Smelling the aroma of the food, it seemed that the person standing outside the door was the master’s wife Hua Pingting.

But he didn’t dare to move or look.

He seems to have everything, but he still has nothing.He thought that if he killed himself, his skin would no longer shed tears, but he was too frivolous – it was just because the pain hadn’t ended yet.When he got here, he felt that he was just being harassed.

Xiao Chiye hugged Shen Zechuan.

The back of Shen Zechuan’s neck, which was once full of temptation, also turned pale, like a cloud hanging across the night. Xiao Chiye was so close to him that it hurt.

“Is it cold?” Xiao Chiye asked in a low voice.

Shen Zechuan nodded dully, tilted his head, and pressed his cheek against Xiao Chiye’s, feeling slightly invigorated by the heat.He reached out and touched Xiao Chiye’s arm in the darkness, feebly and slowly.

Xiao Chiye held Shen Zechuan with his backhand and held hands with Shen Zechuan tightly.He gave all the warmth to Shen Zechuan, and his heart was the hottest. He pressed against Shen Zechuan’s back, as if he could burn Shen Zechuan in front of him.He seemed to be holding Shen Zechuan in his arms and no longer allowed anyone to get close.He awkwardly licked Shen Zechuan’s wound. This was his way of healing. He didn’t want this person to suffer any more pain.

“Qiao Tianya went to find the master,” Shen Zechuan’s eyes darkened, “When will he come back.”

“Soon,” Xiao Chiye squeezed Shen Zechuan’s hand and repeated, “Soon.”

Shen Zechuan said: “I can’t wipe away the blood.”

Xiao Chiye said: “We have entered the Shura Dao together and are next to each other. We don’t want to be clean.”

Shen Zechuan pursed his thin lips and said, “I——”

He seemed to have forgotten what to say, and stopped here in a daze, listening to the sound of rain, and closed his mouth again.Xiao Chiye pinched He’s clenched lips and teeth and asked, “What do you want to tell me?”

Shen Zechuan turned his head hastily, refusing to let Xiao Chiye look directly, but Xiao Chiye pinched him to prevent him from dodge, and asked again in a low voice: “What do you want to tell me?”

Shen Zechuan’s face looked pale in that gaze. He spoke several times, but no sound came out.Xiao Chiye looked at he, and finally after a long while, he heard Shen Zechuan choke and say: “I hurt so much.”

Xiao Chiye held Shen Zechuan’s cheek. Shen Zechuan seemed to have returned to his childhood, with his lips trembling and tears streaming down his face as he said “I hurt so much” over and over again.

Xiao Chiye touched Shen Zechuan’s hair, wiped his tears with his thumb, and said, “Where does it hurt? Tell me.”

Shen Zechuan cried uncontrollably, even his shoulders were shaking.He cried so heartbrokenly, as if he had vented all his pain over the years on this night.But he is so stupid, he doesn’t know where he is hurting, and he obviously can no longer bear the pain.He let Xiao Chiye wipe his cheeks dejectedly, his eyes full of tears, not a trace of those overly mature calculations were left, only naked pain.

Xiao Chiye turned over and hugged Shen Zechuan, taking Shen Zechuan into his arms, allowing Shen Zechuan to find a place where he could take off his disguise.They hugged each other tightly, Xiao Chiye listened to Shen Zechuan cry until his voice became hoarse, like an abandoned animal, or like a child whose head was bruised and bloody.Xiao Chiye’s chest gradually became soaked, he rubbed Shen Zechuan’s hair and answered over and over again.

“It won’t hurt anymore, I promise, Lan Zhou will never hurt again.”