[R18] Will drink wine – “About Wine” Chapter 271 [English]

Chapter 259 Rumors

When Li Jianting arrived, the imperial doctors in the palace fell to the ground in fear.Aunt Liuxiang knelt beside the couch, held the Queen Mother’s hand, and called softly: “The Crown Prince is here.”

The Queen Mother breathed slightly, turned her eyes, and saw Li Jianting.She was sweating profusely, and there were some wrinkles on her unpainted face. She finally showed her old look and was very angry: “The Ai family… want to talk to His Highness…”

Aunt Liuxiang stood up and left with her left and right.

The curtains in the hall are hung separately, the Buddhist niches are filled with incense, the delicate smoke obscures the Buddha statues, and the expression of compassion becomes blurred.Li Jianting bent down to pick up the string of Buddhist beads that had fallen between the rafters, and smelled the rich sandalwood fragrance.

“You held a banquet to kill Han Cheng,” the Queen Mother tilted her head, “The Ai family will know… you can’t tolerate… the Ai family.”

“Although I have the intention, I am powerless.” Li Jianting turned the beads, “Fuman is so anxious, which shows that the Queen Mother’s heart is gone and it’s over.”

The Queen Mother’s chest trembled, but she managed to smile.She looked through Li Jianting and said: “You are really…the daughter of Emperor Guangcheng…it’s ridiculous to you Li family…if you were a man…”

“If I were a man, I would not be alive today.” Li Jianting held a string of Buddhist beads and sat on the edge of the bed. “You killed all the men of the Li family.”

The Queen Mother’s soaked hair stuck to her cheeks, and she could see the unparalleled splendor of the past from her eyebrows. She moved her lips: “Who would have thought that he would be so ruthless, I would rather leave a disaster for the Ai family…” She smiled and covered her eyes, “The King of Qin… was forced to death by him…”

Li Jianting looked at the Queen Mother and said: “You killed your husband and your children to get here. You could have become an unprecedented king, but you handed over the power to others. You trusted the eunuchs and allowed the eunuchs to mess up the government. You favored your brothers and encouraged the power of powerful ministers… The country is in danger, and you cannot escape the blame.”

The smile in the Queen Mother’s eyes gradually faded, and she stared at Li Jianting: “It’s so cold at high places… You don’t understand… I’m like a duckweed with no place to rely on…”

“I am like a duckweed with no one to rely on.” Li Jianting repeated this sentence. There was no sadness or smile on her young face.She turned her eyes away, followed the curtains, and saw the Queen Mother’s dressing table. She stared at the clear yellow bronze mirror and said: “Since you don’t have the courage to risk your life, why bother to mess up this storm.”

“You are also a woman,” the Queen Mother said, “why don’t you understand me.”

“I am neither a woman nor a man,” Li Jianting looked at the Queen Mother again, his eyes clear, “I am just Li Jianting.”

The Queen Mother felt disappointed. After a while, she said: “When I see you, I know how handsome King Li is… But you are also controlled by others.”

“The chessboard is not in anyone’s hands, but in the mountains and rivers.” Li Jianting said softly, “Those who think they are playing chess just come in later than others.”

The Queen Mother’s breathing became lighter, and her voice became softer: “…Poor Xue Xiuzhuo has exhausted all his mechanisms…” She opened her eyes slightly and murmured, “…Rivers and mountains…”

The afterglow outside the hall disappeared, and a few birds flew across the sky.The peony, which was not planted firmly, fell off its petals and fell on the dressing table. It was pushed by the wind and left.

***

The news from Qudu was urgently reported to Qidong. Horse hooves broke through the lonely night and arrived at the border county a few days later.Hua Xiangyi hadn’t rested yet. When she saw the mail coming, she smiled and asked, “Has aunt’s letter arrived too?”

Qi Wei looked strange and hesitated at the door.

Hua Xiangyi stood up slowly as if she felt something, and said, “Are you sick?”

Qi Wei avoided her gaze, lowered his head and said, “Reporting to Madam… The Queen Mother has passed away.”

Hua Xiangyi immediately took a step back, and Hongying quickly supported her.She looked at Qi Wei blankly, and after a while, tears started to flow.She held Hongying’s arm, walked a few steps outside, and said in a hoarse voice: “…Don’t lie to me.”

Qi Wei was silent.

Hua Xiangyi hurriedly covered her mouth with a handkerchief and gradually choked up: “How…how could it be…”

Before Qi Wei could reply, Hongying shouted: “Madam!”

Hua Xiangyi slipped and fainted.

***

The tent was lit with incense to soothe the nerves and help sleep. When Hua Xiangyi woke up, Qi Zhuyin was sitting in the chair next to the bed, peeling a fruit. When he realized that she was awake, he put it on the small table aside, wiped his hands, touched her forehead, and said, “I don’t know if she is sick.”

Hua Xiangyi’s lips turned white, she didn’t open her eyes, and her pillow was wet.

Qi Zhuyin was not good at comforting people. Seeing that she was crying so sadly, he hurriedly wiped her with a handkerchief. After wiping her, she remembered that it was the same handkerchief that she had just used to wipe her hands.Hua Xiangyi turned her back and curled up her knees, sobbing.She cried until she was tired, so she fell asleep again. When she woke up again, Qi Zhuyin was still sitting in the chair.

“The news is coming slowly,” Qi Zhuyin said, “…the new emperor will ascend the throne soon, and I will take you back.”

“Without my aunt, there is no place I want to go back to.” Hua Xiangyi blinked her red and swollen eyes, “When we parted, my aunt was in good health, but within two months, she died of illness.”

Qi Zhuyin was silent for a while: “…I promised you not to let her die.”

“The commander-in-chief is far away in the border county and is beyond his reach.” Hua Xiangyi said, “The deep palace is not the same as the front court, the sword is invisible, and Yuan Fu is beyond the reach of his whip.”

Qi Zhuyin thought Hua Xiangyi was going to say something, but she stopped there and stood up.

“The commander is busy with military affairs,” Hua Xiangyi said, “leave me alone.”

Hua Xiangyi’s wrists were immersed in the cool moonlight, and she looked very haggard with her eyes downcast.Qi Zhuyin couldn’t sit still anymore, so he took out a small sachet from his sleeve and put it on her knee.

“Hongying is waiting at the door,” Qi Zhuyin stood up, “I’m in the side hall.”

At this time, the night was almost over, and when Hongying Mao heard Hua Xiangyi’s call, he sent someone to the kitchen to get the food, and went in first.

Hua Xiangyi said: “Bring me my box.”

Hongying went to the cabinet and took down Hua Xiangyi’s small box. Hua Xiangyi unlocked it, told Hongying to bring in the copper basin, and then burned the account books in the box.

“What is Madam doing?” Hongying was anxious to stop her, “Madam has worked hard to calculate this.”

“The prince promised the commander-in-chief not to kill my aunt.” Hua Xiangyi loosened her fingers and watched the account books gradually being swallowed up by the fire. “If she didn’t do it, then she is incompetent; if she did it, then she has no faith.”

The breeze flipped the pages open, scattering dust all over the ground with a “clatter” sound.

***

It was a cool night in Duanzhou, the flowers and trees in the courtyard were deep, and there were many mosquitoes. Fei Sheng lit incense in the newly built pergola.Shen Zechuan used a spoon to stir the ice cubes in the bowl slightly, while watching Xiao Chiye lead Xiao Xun to draw the bow, while listening to Fei Sheng’s report on the affairs of the capital.

“Xue Da wants to take charge of the important position of the warehouse, so he has to deal with the eunuchs. The eunuch in the palace likes the seafood in Yongyi Port, so he asked Qingqing to prepare it for him.”

“Qingqing said that preparations have been made. After the new emperor ascends the throne, there will be an amnesty for the whole world. When the time comes, Xue Dazheng will find the opportunity and it is time to step forward.” Fei Sheng said, “The Queen Mother has also passed away, and the family is in danger. However, Marquis Helian sold his land to raise food, and the cabinet may be lenient.”

“Marquis Helian could think of raising food, but he was forced to a dead end. As a last resort, he had to cut off his flesh and become a new man.” Shen Zechuan sipped the soup, “I gave him food, which is considered the most benevolent thing.”

The grain that Marquis Helian bought by selling off his property was all obtained from Youtan, the capital of Liuzhou in Juexi.When Yan Heru said he wanted to build a new port, Shen Zechuan agreed, and Liuzhou Youtan was Juexi’s internal correspondent.This governor has the same name as he, and he is particularly greedy. As long as he is given enough money, he will dare to do any business, otherwise he will not interact with Yan Heru under Jiang Qingshan’s eyes.

“Xue Xiuzhuo is too radical. If the battle in Zhongbo is not over, Kong Qiu and Cen Yu can still agree, but now I have my hands free,” Shen Zechuan looked at Liu Ying sideways, “They naturally don’t want to fight to the death with the aristocratic family anymore. Working together to attack the enemy is the most important thing. As long as the prince is not stupid, Marquis Helian will be pardoned.”

“Then let’s return food to Marquis Helian?”

The grain that Shen Zechuan asked You Tan to give to Marquis Helian was not only reasonably priced, but also full of good rice.

“Of course we have to provide relief food,” Shen Zechuan looked at Fei Sheng, “Just let You Tan tell the truth.”

Fei Sheng then had an epiphany and laughed: “My master is wise!”

Over there, Xiao Chiye released his finger and the sharp arrow hit the bull’s eye. Chen Yang and other guards cheered in unison.

Fei Sheng said with emotion: “Second Master has such strength.”

Shen Zechuan looked at Xiao Chiye for a long time and said to Fei Sheng: “Mr. Yin’s funeral affairs have been taken care of. You are my son and you have the final say on what is left.”

“He doesn’t have anything decent… Throw away all the tattered mats and quilts and burn them for him. I’m afraid he will scold me.” Fei Sheng raised his hand and held down the knife at his waist. “I’ll just keep this. This knife has no name, and he has no name either.”

Shen Zechuan said: “Mr. Yin is a hero, this sword should have a name.”

“He and I are following the master,” Fei Sheng held the knife, “and I asked the master for a name.”

Shen Zechuan turned the porcelain bowl and watched the moonlight slice across the side of the bowl, making it all bright, and said: “One hundred thousand flags will kill Yama, so let’s use the last three characters.”

Fei Sheng lifted his robe and knelt on the ground, saying loudly: “This sword will definitely live up to its name!”

***

After the death of the Queen Mother, the crown prince’s enthronement could no longer be postponed. The cabinet drafted the charter and set the date for early August. Immediately after the funeral, the reign title was chosen to be “Sheng Yin”.

When Xiao Chiye heard this, he said: “The prince is very energetic.”

In early August, Kong Qiu led hundreds of officials to kowtow to the new emperor in front of Mingli Hall, and Li Jianting became the true emperor of the Zhou Dynasty.

“Guess what the new emperor wants to do to make him commander-in-chief,” Shen Zechuan teased Xiao Xun all day long in the room. Now Xiao Chiye was around, so he teased Xiao Chiye, “There will be a prize for guessing correctly.”

“What’s the prize?” Xiao Chiye looked at the military affairs and let Lan Zhou press on his back, “The prize must be enough.”

Shen Zechuan used a folding fan to draw wherever he saw. He felt that it was quite comfortable to press Xiao Chiye like this, and said, “Anything will do.”

“Marquis,” Xiao Chiye grabbed Shen Zechuan’s hand and turned it over in his palm to look at the scars, “With King Libei Huxiaoshanhe in front of me, I will never make another King of Qidong.”

Lu Pingyan from the border county was both a Bianbohou, and Qi Zhuyin was the commander-in-chief of the five counties. It would be aggrieved to be on the same level as Lu Pingyan.However, since the year of Yongyi, there are only two kings with different surnames in Da Zhou, one is Xiao Fangxu, king of Libei, and the other is Shenwei, king of Jianxing.Qi Zhuyin’s military achievements were not as good as Qi Shiyu’s, and he was not favored by officials, so it was very difficult to seal him up.To balance the two aspects, it is more appropriate to be granted the title of Marquis.

“Then I’ll guess the title of king,” Shen Zechuan whispered, “If I win, you have to give me a reward.”

***

Fuman put on a new robe and walked to Mingli Hall. All the eunuchs Gong’e along the way had to salute.He is full of ambition, but he does not lose his sense of proportion here. He will retreat when he sees the ministers of the court, which makes him look more humble.

Fuman patted his sleeves, stepped through the door, took the tea from the palace maid, presented it to Li Jianting, and said: “Your Majesty.”

Li Jianting often couldn’t sleep well. He pinched his eyebrows, took a sip from Fuman’s tea, and said, “What did Yuan Fu say?”

“This is Yuan Fu’s ticket. Take a look.” Fuman took out the cabinet ticket from his sleeve and presented it to the imperial cabinet. “If the emperor agrees, it can be sent out tonight.”

Li Jianting read the note drawn by Kong Qiu, thought about it for a long time, and said: “Lu Pingyan in front of me is also a marquis. If I make Qi Zhuyin a marquis, I’m afraid it will make Qidong unhappy.”

“You are right,” Li Jianting put the ticket on the table, “Then-”

Li Jianting hadn’t finished speaking, and Fuman was about to grind, when someone outside the hall suddenly reported that Kong Qiu was here.Distracted by this, Li Jianting put the matter aside and let Kong Qiu come in first.

Kong Qiu’s face was ashen. He raised his robe and knelt down. After kowtowing in greeting, he said in a deep voice: “Your Majesty, there is something wrong with the relief food sent to Yongcheng. The people from Juexi have just come in. I dare not delay!”

Fuman immediately came to pick up the book and forwarded it to Li Jianting’s case.

Li Jianting opened it and his heart suddenly sank.

“Rumors are spreading all over Yongcheng now. They say that the relief food was secretly assisted by Shen Zechuan of Zhongbo. The rumors are very conclusive and are spreading.” Kong Qiu said, “If we let it go, I’m afraid…”

“If the distribution of relief food is stopped at this moment, it will be confirmed that this food has something to do with Shen Zechuan.”

There is no food in the capital, and this is the only food that can relieve the drought in Yongcheng. Li Jianting cannot let the people of Yongcheng starve to death.But as Kong Qiu said, if he left things alone, three people would become tigers, and Shen Zechuan took advantage of the court and became Yongcheng’s benefactor.

This hand was both sinister and cruel.

Li Jianting finally learned the lesson.