Ink Burns

Chapter 279 Good Luck (Part 1)

There was a cup of tea on the side table, but it wasn't new tea; it was old tea that hadn't been replaced yet.

The lid of the teapot rests against the body of the cup. The tea has cooled completely, and the cup is filled to the brim with strong tea liquor.

A full cup of tea is an insult: a full cup of tea is meant to drive away guests.

Just now, it should have been Yuan Wenying who took the initiative to meet the Emperor, but the conversation was not very pleasant, which is why the Emperor poured tea and urged the guest to leave.

The wind blew in through the window, causing the long, red-lacquered wooden mirror with its intricate swastika pattern hanging opposite to it to clang and clatter. The bowl of tea, too, swayed like a small boat, drifting east and west—just like the person Yuan Wenying was drinking.

When Qingfeng was at its peak, he was utterly loyal; when Qingfeng suffered repeated defeats, he sought other opportunities.

Xue Xiao lowered his eyes: "I'm not drinking anymore. I've had enough of the Baihao tea."

Emperor Yongping wearily rubbed the bridge of his nose: "Are you blaming me for not pressing my advantage against Jing'an just now?"

Xue Xiao lowered his eyes further and further: "This humble subject dares not."

"Don't dare, or don't know how?"

Emperor Yongping rose, leaning on the flat rosewood table. The weariness in his eyes and the paleness of his lips caused him to shed his gentle and elegant outer garment, revealing the emperor's haggard state: "The 'Taiji Palace' coup mentioned by Jing'an, even if Princess Taiping's usurpation of power was her own fault, how will posterity judge Emperor Xuanzong of Tang? Fratricide is against human ethics and filial piety; cold-hearted and ungrateful, betraying the kindness of those who have recognized his talent."

Emperor Yongping's voice was as soft as a sigh: "The book is like the withering and flourishing of plants and trees, and a person's life is but a handful of flesh and blood after a hundred years, offered to the yellow earth."

He suddenly chuckled, seemingly self-deprecating, yet also resentful: "In this world, only Sima Qian's pen remains, like an inscription on metal and stone, incorruptible, indestructible, and unforgettable."

Emperor Yongping looked up at the sky and pointed to the heavens: "It hangs over my head now, like a shackle, gripping my throat and restricting my words and actions."

"The origins of my throne are shrouded in mystery. If I make even the slightest mistake, that pen will instantly transform into a sharp blade, tearing away my flesh and bone, nailing my naked body to the river of time, to be whipped and judged by posterity!"

Emperor Yongping's chest trembled, and he let out a few muffled coughs, like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, rippling through the silent palace.

“Of course I can eliminate Jing’an and her cronies at all costs. You have already invaded and taken control of the Xishan Camp, and the Cui family is far away in the northern frontier. Now is a better time than ever before, so of course I can kill her at all costs!”

Emperor Yongping chased after one word after another, each word biting the tail of the previous one, like a sick beast whose tail had been bitten and which had fallen into a lake in haste!

"But I cannot do that! In the eyes of outsiders, and in the eyes of future generations, Jing'an has been kind to me! She can drown, she can fall, she can die of illness, she can die embroiled in scandal—but she cannot die under my decree! She cannot die while the court officials and the people still have a shred of regret and pity for her!"

Emperor Yongping was not as tall as Xue Xiao, and his figure was much thinner and more frail, but when he stood, his shadow, cast by the morning light that resembled incense ash, was longer than a beam.

Xue Xiao lowered his head, his thin lips pressed tightly together, his sharp jaw taut like a bow.

"Even if Jing'an deserves to die?" Xue Xiao asked softly.

Jing'an truly deserves to die. Her crimes are numerous and clear: forming cliques for personal gain, framing loyal officials, indulging her children, and disregarding human life. She deserves to die! She should have been punished as early as when the investigation into the Duzhou dike breach led to the discovery of "Guan'anzhai"! Instead, the matter has been aimlessly delayed until now! Even now, the emperor, still wary of empty titles and the throne, has shown her leniency!
"Even though Jing'an deserves to die!" Emperor Yongping's voice was somber yet resolute.

"Even if we keep her alive for just one more day, could the disaster affect hundreds of people?"

"Even if we spare her for just one more day, it could lead to the deaths of hundreds or thousands of people!"

The question-and-answer session between the emperor and his minister was like the hoarse, withered wood grinding and grinding against each other, and somehow managed to squeeze out a burning spark from the dry texture.

The fire burned silently, and the morning light streaming through the straight window cast shifting shadows on Xue Xiao's profile. After a long while, he slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with a serene calm after the embers had burned out.
"Is posthumous fame really that important? More important than those who are still alive, those who died unjustly, all the people of the world, and justice?"

He suddenly chuckled softly.

"If future historians were to use their pens like knives to carve this: Xue Xiao of the Great Wei Dynasty, courtesy name Qishu, a second-class Jinshi in the second year of Yongping, was unrestrained and disrespectful, wild and unruly; he disrespected the emperor, murdered his own father, and indulged in sensual pleasures, truly a disgrace to the nation, a beast in human clothing..."

He paused, his gaze meeting the trembling morning light, and spoke slowly and deliberately:
"But I have a clear conscience! This record of history, though only a hundred words long, I gladly accept!"

Emperor Yongping suddenly raised his eyes: "You have overstepped your bounds with this book!" Xue Xiao lowered his eyes and replied: "Your subject accepts punishment."

Emperor Yongping called out: "Wu Min!"

Supervisor Wu, holding a whisk, bowed and stepped forward.

"Xue Xiao, the Right Battalion Commandant of the Xishan Camp, has disrespected the Grand Princess. He is hereby suspended from duty for thirty days, fined three months' salary, and confined to his residence to reflect on his mistakes." Emperor Yongping issued an imperial edict.

Wu Dajian looked up at Xue Xiao, then looked down again, busy playing with his whisk.

Xue Xiao bowed and agreed, then with a flick of his wide sleeves, he turned and left!

Xue Xiao had just reached the porch when Emperor Yongping suddenly called out to him, "His book—"

"Having gone through so much hardship to get to this point, we should be even more cautious, as if we were walking on a narrow bridge."

"I still have a few doubts to clarify—please be patient, okay?"

Xue Xiao lowered his head and agreed again, this time in a much more tactful tone than before.

The morning breeze blew through the straight window, and the long, red-lacquered wooden mirror with its intricate swastika pattern vigorously struck the gold-threaded wall. The dense patterns rippled in the wind, and looking at it for too long made one feel dizzy. When Emperor Yongping looked up again, the morning breeze turned into the evening bell, and there were already a few small stars outside the window.

Emperor Yongping took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Just as he was about to get up and return to the palace, he heard hurried footsteps in the corridor.

Wu Dajian slipped and stopped, his voice a mix of amusement and urgency: "My lord, my lord, something terrible has happened!"

What's wrong with it?!

Emperor Yongping immediately straightened his posture.

Could it be that Xue Xiao, that mad thief, turned around and stormed the Grand Princess's residence as soon as he left the palace?!

Or has Xue Xiao tasted blood and gone on a killing spree, demanding that everyone involved in the Duzhou dike breach pay with their blood and massacre the capital?

He's capable of doing it!
He's capable of doing it!
If he really did these things, how could the emperor protect him?!

Emperor Yongping was filled with a thousand thoughts. In an instant, he came up with a thousand ways to save Xue Xiao, but his face remained calm and composed: "Why are you in such a hurry? If the fire hadn't reached Linde Hall, there would be no need to panic like this."

Although it didn't catch fire, it was almost done! My saint!

"The Imperial Medical Academy, Physician He, has come to Linde Hall to see a Grand Eunuch named Fang Mingguan, saying he has important matters to discuss!"

Supervisor Wu had a mournful face!

What kind of official is Fang Mingguan!

If he hadn't known that damned girl He Shuiguang, the emperor's role would have been exposed long ago when He Shuiguang sent someone to Linde Hall to find Grand Eunuch Fang!
He could only try to keep He Shuiguang calm while simultaneously stumbling and running in to inform the emperor that "He Shuiguang has come to attack!"
Emperor Yongping was startled. A white light flashed in his mind and before his eyes, the white light trailing the afterglow of the sunset as it swept over his mind.

Emperor Yongping was momentarily speechless.

After a long pause, Fang pursed his lips and immediately got up and walked into the inner room: "Someone, prepare clothes—" He then instructed Wu, the Grand Eunuch, "Go and comfort Physician He. Tell her that Grand Eunuch Fang is on duty and will come out to look for her later. If she is hungry, tell the kitchen to prepare a bowl of easy-to-digest vegetarian soup noodles and treat her well. Don't let her leave."

Wu Min watched as Emperor Yongping hurriedly went into the inner room to change his clothes.

Change into eunuch clothes.

A sense of bewilderment about the actions of top-tier humans flashed through his mind: This is quite interesting. When the emperor is so keen on playing the role of a eunuch... how could he, a real eunuch, have such complicated feelings?