Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 487 Old Pain
The carriage sped back to Yiyuan, the curtains billowing hot air that blew against my face, thick with the smell of dust.

As soon as the carriage came to a stop, Xue Sui jumped out without waiting for Xiao Zhao to help him and hurried towards the inner courtyard.

Before they even entered the courtyard, they heard cries coming from inside, hoarse and broken, mixed with the flustered attempts of the maids and servants to comfort them.

"...Let me go...I want to go home...Father...My father is still waiting for me...Let me go! Please..."

It's Yukihime's voice.

Unlike his usual dazed and confused state, every word and phrase was startlingly clear.

Xue Sui's heart tightened suddenly, and he pushed open the door and entered.

Inside the room, Yukihime's hair was disheveled, her thin inner garment was torn loose, revealing her slender shoulders and neck, and there was still a trace of blood left at the corner of her mouth, staining her plain nightgown red.

"What happened?" Xue Sui strode forward.

Several old women and maids surrounded Xue Ji, not daring to use force for fear that she would hurt them, and they were sweating profusely with anxiety.

"Your Majesty, the lady was acting strangely when she woke up this morning. She smashed her medicine bowl, kept saying she wanted to go back to Xiz, and in her agitation, she banged her head against the wall... She also bit her tongue and vomited blood..."

“Bad people…you are all bad people.” Xue Ji abruptly pushed away an old woman’s hand, as if she were sinking into immense pain. “This is not my home, it’s a cage…a place that eats people…I want to go back to Xiz, back to Chishui City…back to Ulan Holy Mountain…”

"Mother!" Xue Sui supported her with all her might.

Yuki paused, then looked up.

Suddenly she broke free from the maid and lunged forward to grab Xue Sui's arm.

"Please, Your Majesty, let me go back—please..."

Xue Sui steadied himself and let her hold him.

"Mother, look at me, look at me carefully. Don't you recognize me? I'm Sixth Sister, your daughter..."

Yukihime's eyes were blank. Her gaze lingered on Yukihime's face for a long time before finally focusing, as if she recognized something. Her lips trembled, revealing genuine pain.

"Daughter...Sixth...Sixth Sister?"

Her voice trembled violently, "You're my daughter?"

After her period of madness, she regained her senses; perhaps she didn't want a daughter.

Xue Sui's throat went dry as he thought about Xue Ji's tragic life.

“It’s me, Mother. I’m here, don’t be afraid…”

Xue Ji suddenly hugged her tightly, her withered fingers bursting with astonishing strength, squeezing Xue Sui so tightly that she could hardly breathe.

"Sixth Sister... my poor Sixth Sister... Mother will take you home now... we're going back to Xiz..."

She was incoherent, her emotions running high, and she was trembling with nervousness. "Your grandfather is waiting... waiting for us to go back... Let's go! Let's go now! We can't stay here. They'll all hurt us... they all want to kill us..."

"mother……"

Xue Sui grabbed her, his heart pounding rapidly.

"Have you... remembered everything?"

Xueji didn't answer her, her voice lingering, "The snow on Mount Ulan melts and piles up again, year after year... The jujube flowers in Chishui City bloom and fade... Father said that when the jujube flowers bloom, he will take me horseback riding and archery. Father and Mother are waiting for me, waiting for me to come home..."

Her voice trailed off.

As she was speaking, she suddenly broke down in tears.

"Father...Mother...I want to go home so much..."

"Mother..." Xue Sui smoothed her sweaty hair, holding her mother's light body. She felt that the person in her arms was like a handful of ashes about to be extinguished, and would fall apart if she let go even slightly.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here, I'm here."

Yukihime leaned against her, her back hunched, weeping, her whole body trembling violently...

"I won't live much longer... Let me go back... I want to see Mount Wulan, see Chishui City, see... the place where I grew up... Sixth Sister, I want to die there, I want to die there..."

"Okay. Mother, please take care of yourself first." Xue Sui comforted her softly, patting her back gently as if coaxing a child.

"Once you feel better, I will request permission to take you back to Xiz."

"Do not--"

Yuki grabbed her collar, her eyes filled with a frighteningly stubborn expression.

"Liars, you're all liars..."

"I won't lie to you," Xue Sui repeated, reaching out to wipe away her tears. "Take your medicine and rest well. We'll leave when you're able to withstand the long journey."

Yukihime stared blankly at her, the madness in her eyes gradually subsiding. As if she had exhausted all her strength, she collapsed onto the pillow behind her, tears streaming down her face, muttering to herself.

"Going home... going back to Chishui City... Father, Mother... I'm coming back..."

Xue Sui's throat felt sore from choking.

She sat by the bed, stroking Xueji's bony back again and again, listening to her cry out her pent-up grievances, repression, and fear...

Xue Ji cried until she was exhausted, her breathing gradually became steady, and she fell into a deep sleep... Only then did Xue Sui get up quietly, gently tuck the blanket around her, and turn to leave the room.

"Who's on duty today?" she asked those around her, her voice turning cold.

"Your Majesty, it is we, your humble servants." The two maids knelt down with a thud, their faces pale.

“Tell me, what happened?” she asked.

The maidservant said in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, Madam has been taking the medicine prescribed by Doctor Shu, decocting it every day without fail. But... but last night after Madam went to sleep, it seemed... Doctor Shu came by, but I didn't see clearly..."

In the past, every so often, Tian Shu would use silver needles to unblock Xue Ji's meridians...

I never expected that he would still come after the Zichen Palace incident...

Xue Sui nodded and glanced at the tightly closed window.

“Keep a close eye on the lady. If anything goes wrong, you will be held responsible.”

"Yes," the two maids replied quickly.

She turned and walked out of the room.

Under the blazing sun, the pomegranate flowers in the courtyard were in full bloom.

She narrowed her eyes. "Xiao Zhao."

"Your Majesty." Xiao Zhao immediately stepped forward, her face full of worry.

"Prepare the car, let's go to Sangliuyuan."
-
The Sangliu Courtyard remained as tranquil as ever.

Moss climbs the stone steps, and the door is half-closed, as if all the hustle and bustle of the capital city has nothing to do with this place.

Xue Sui pushed open that familiar wooden door—

The courtyard was empty, with only the rustling of the wind through the willow trees, accompanied by the mournful sound of a flute, like weeping and lamenting.

It was an ancient tune, carrying an unyielding loneliness and desolation, making one's heart sink in the quiet afternoon.

She walked along the bluestone path.

In the dappled shadows of the trees, a man stood with his back to her under the old willow tree...

He wore a plain white robe, his black hair unbound. Ling Qiongxiao was held to his lips, producing mournful melodies. His tall, slender profile seemed to blend into the desolation of the courtyard.

Xue Sui stopped three feet behind him.

The sound of the flute gradually faded away.

Tian Shu did not turn around; his voice was as faint as a breeze.

"You came."

"Didn't Senior Brother expect me to come?" Xue Sui walked over, sat down on the stone bench under the old willow tree, and looked at the Lingqiong flute in Tian Shu's hand.

"Have all the arrangements been made for the master's funeral?"

Tian Shu slowly put down the jade flute and looked up at her.

"I was buried in the same place as my fourth master. We chose a quiet spot by the mountains and water."

Xue Sui remained silent, gently stroking the patterns on the stone table. Recalling the day her master sat here and scolded her, a layer of mist welled up in her eyes.

"You came here today not just to ask this, right?" Tian Shu's voice was devoid of emotion, his dark eyes were deep and unfathomable, like an ancient well from which no one could see the bottom, all his emotions were suppressed to the extreme.

Xue Sui took matters into his own hands, picked up the earthenware pot on the stone table, poured two cups of coarse tea, and pushed one of them to the opposite side.

Tian Shu sat down in front of her, looking at the tea stems floating in the cup.

"If it weren't for your mother, would you have never come looking for me?"

Xue Sui lowered his head and took a sip of wine, gazing at the drooping willow branches. The sound of the flute stirred a dull ache in his heart.

“Senior brother knows. From the day the Zichen Palace turned against each other, I became a traitor to our sect. The former Thirteenth was a knife honed in the old mausoleum, a pawn in the hands of our masters. Now, Xue Sui is the emperor's woman, the wife of my enemy. What face do I have to see you?”

Tian Shu met her gaze, his tone calm.

"You've never changed. What's changed is your stance."

Xue Sui gave a bitter smile.

"I have never changed, not even in my stance. What has changed is you—"

Tian Shu stared into her eyes, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Xue Sui said, "I came here today not only to thank my senior brother for taking care of my mother, but also to ask him for a definite answer about something."

"what's up?"

"The Love Silk Gu." Xue Sui's eyes were clear and sharp as he spoke each word clearly: "Before my master died, he said that if he didn't die, I would die. Senior Sister Yuheng also said that there was no cure for this Gu. But I always felt that Senior Brother might know something else? Just like when he planted the Gu, he kept it from me alone?"

(End of this chapter)