When Zheng Yuanqing woke up, it was still twilight. Dawn was breaking, and it was difficult to make out what was in front of him. He lay there with his eyes open, looking at the patterns on the ceiling, his mind wandering.
I wonder how they are? Have they reached their destination?
Despite his efforts to suppress the indescribable emotions in his heart, the face of a cold and extremely sharp woman appeared in his mind. She was holding a long sword and looking at him coldly.
He was the emperor now.
Zheng Yuanqing looked at the dragon patterns on the quilt and gasped.
He had thought that his goal was to become the most noble person, so that no one would look down on him again, and he would always be able to look up to others. But now, he regretted it.
Zheng Yuanqing didn't want to think about where his regret came from.
While reviewing memorials or facing those old foxes, he still couldn't help but think of Song Huaizhi and Meng Ruyi. They were as cold as ever to him, but they had helped him a lot. Even their schemes were out in the open.
Zheng Yuanqing thought for a long time and suddenly realized that it was longing. In the difficult times, he always thought that if he could be in power in the future, he would surely teach Song Huaizhi a lesson. But now, all his emotions had turned into something else.
When he came to his senses again, the sky had brightened.
Before the maids came to wait on him, Zheng Yuanqing got up and dressed. Then he walked out and saw the eunuch kneeling on the ground, trembling, "It's the servant's fault for not serving you well."
This was power?
Zheng Yuanqing stared at the person kneeling at his feet and the maids and eunuchs who had knelt on the ground after hearing his voice. Suddenly, he felt bored.
"Get up."
He continued walking and went to the study. He took out those old memorials.
Song Huaizhi's life was simple and complex.
He was originally the eldest son of a well - to - do family in the capital. He was extremely intelligent. The family had been in the literary field for generations. Song Huaizhi's grandfather was worried that he was too intelligent and would be hurt. So he announced to the outside world that he was not in good health. He hardly ever attended any banquets.
Song Huaizhi had escaped the great disaster because of this. He was taken away by his servants in a hurry to the border.
Zheng Yuanqing felt sorry for him. If Song Huaizhi's family hadn't fallen, he would have at least guaranteed the family's prosperity for a hundred years. Unfortunately, several families had fought too fiercely at that time, and Song Huaizhi's family had been affected.
Song Huaizhi's name wasn't Song Huaizhi. But Zheng Yuanqing thought that this name suited him better. Huai was water. Song Huaizhi himself was like a calm lake on the surface, but there were undercurrents flowing beneath it, hiding countless secrets.
When he was in a daze, he saw the eunuch looking at him nervously. When he came to his senses, he said, "Your Majesty, there's a letter from Young Master Song."
"Bring it up!"
Zheng Yuanqing showed a rare smile. He opened the letter and saw that Song Huaizhi had written a few words. It was like he was informing him that he was going to marry Meng Ruyi.
The eunuch on the side accidentally caught a glimpse of these perfunctory words and felt his heart pounding. But he didn't expect Zheng Yuanqing to suddenly laugh out loud and say, "There's good news today. Reward them."
After saying that, he realized that he couldn't attend the wedding banquet of the two of them. So Zheng Yuanqing inexplicably lowered his mouth and stared at the letter in his hand.
After a day's work, he saw the sun setting. The eunuch beside Zheng Yuanqing said that someone was visiting.
He nodded. Wen Xiu and Gu Ling entered the palace and bowed to him.
Gu Ling felt a little guilty, but he still forced himself to say, "Your Majesty, this official wants to take a leave of absence..."
Before he could finish, Zheng Yuanqing knew what they meant. So he said, "Sure."
After saying that, Gu Ling was about to leave. Zheng Yuanqing inexplicably felt a little unhappy and said, "Wait. Help me bring some things over. Wen Xiu's daughter should go back first."
As he said that, Zheng Yuanqing motioned for the eunuch to grind the ink.
Song Huaizhi's enemies had been dealt with by him. But Zheng Yuanqing still helped him add another knife. Anyone who had truly participated in this would never be able to turn over in this lifetime.
After writing this, Zheng Yuanqing didn't know what to say. So he frowned as he looked at the open letter paper. After a long time, he said to the eunuch, "Go and get the sword in my private treasury."
When he saw the eunuch standing still, Zheng Yuanqing coldly added, "It's the sword that's a pair with the sword in Prime Minister Wen's family."
"Yes."
When Gu Ling heard this, all the cynicism on his face disappeared. He looked at Zheng Yuanqing and asked, "What does Your Majesty mean?"
His hands tightened. His breathing was a little heavy. His gaze at Zheng Yuanqing was also full of complex silence.
"Gu Ling." Zheng Yuanqing looked at him. The corner of his mouth hooked up, bringing out a bit of desolation. "I've only been the emperor for a few days, and you think I've changed."
Realizing that the person in front of him didn't address himself as 'I', Gu Ling relaxed a little. But he still frowned and didn't say anything.
"If I walk on the old path of the previous emperor, then at least there's Song Huaizhi who can turn the tide. I don't have to be ashamed of my ancestors like them."
Gu Ling looked at him in shock. He didn't expect Zheng Yuanqing to have such a plan.
"I can't predict the future, so I don't know what kind of person I'll become. So I'll make a plan in advance."
"Your Majesty trusts Song Huaizhi so much?"
"Rather than saying that I trust him, it's better to say that I've seen through him. Song Huaizhi doesn't care about this position, and he won't care about these things in the future. So I'm most relieved to hand it over to him."
Zheng Yuanqing hadn't said it out yet. He had already regarded Song Huaizhi and the others as friends. But the future was unpredictable. He couldn't predict whether he would be eroded by power and influence or whether he would become unrecognizable.
"I'll trouble you. Remember to tell them to have a happy marriage for a hundred years on my behalf."
"Yes."
Gu Ling was silent for a moment. He took the cloth bag from the eunuch whose hands were trembling. He put Zheng Yuanqing's letter in it and then turned around and left.
...
Jingzhe had grown up in the Sword Pavilion. She had stood out from countless children.
The children in the Sword Pavilion would go on their first mission when they reached a certain age. If they failed, they would be abandoned.
So when Jingzhe was subdued by that person, she calmly looked at Song Huaizhi and waited for death to come.
Unexpectedly, she was sent to Meng Ruyi's side and wasn't killed by that person.
This was a good thing. At least, Jingzhe thought so at first. Surviving was everyone's innate desire. Even though Jingzhe was as cold and heartless as the sword in her hand, she still had some desires.
Later, she realized that being sent to Meng Ruyi's side was not only good. It was simply a dream that had fallen from the sky!
Meng Ruyi was a very good person. Jingzhe couldn't find a suitable adjective to describe her at first. But she realized that she liked the person in front of her very much.
She had a kind of indescribable vitality and tolerance. Jingzhe always felt at ease when she looked at her.
As a result, Song Huaizhi, that annoying guy, had actually sent her to Zheng Yuanqing's side.
When this cowardly prince saw her at first, he had a flattering taste. Jingzhe was too lazy to pay attention to him. But due to the situation, she still had to say a few words from time to time.
As time passed, Jingzhe realized that her tolerance for Zheng Yuanqing was getting higher and higher. She could even listen to him complain repeatedly.
Jingzhe returned to Meng Ruyi's side. Finally, she went to the capital and chose to follow her home.
She didn't know why, but she always dreamed of that night when the stars were especially bright. Zheng Yuanqing's eyes also seemed to be twinkling with starlight. After not seeing him for a period of time, his growth surprised Jingzhe. His gaze at her also had some indescribable things.
Occasionally, when she looked up and saw the stars in the sky, Jingzhe would feel as if she could hear Zheng Yuanqing's nagging. So the corner of her mouth hooked up into a smile. When she came to her senses and saw that she was in the Meng family, she suddenly had a kind of down - to - earth wakefulness.
The current life was very good. Jingzhe didn't want to break it. She realized that this might be a regret. She had missed something.
But compared to the capital, compared to the free Meng family, Jingzhe would rather die than return to those small rooms. Occasionally, when she looked up at the starlight, she didn't feel regretful anymore.
This was a choice.
Song Huaizhi and Meng Ruyi's relationship was so good that it made her teeth sour. Fortunately, Jingzhe's martial arts were good. She wasn't afraid of Song Huaizhi's cold eyes.
When Meng Ruyi was eighteen years old, she gave birth to a girl with a pair of eyes like hers.
During the grabbing ceremony, she grabbed the small gold pendant on Jingzhe's sword sheath. It made the people present unable to hide their smiles.
Meng Ruyi gritted her teeth. Song Huaizhi looked at his daughter and couldn't close his mouth with a smile.
Jingzhe looked at the girl's bright eyes and remembered the stars that night. She gently took off the gold and put it in her hand.
The hand that had once held a sword was a little clumsy at this moment. Jingzhe liked this girl very much. She learned how to hug her and watched her grow little by little.
Meng Ruyi had once asked her if she wanted to leave. Jingzhe firmly refused and turned around to continue playing with the girl. As a result, when she returned to her room at night, she saw a box full of land deeds and silver notes.
Thinking of Meng Ruyi's expression when she took out this money, Jingzhe couldn't help but laugh out loud.
This was a family, right?