Ink Burns

Chapter 282 Jumping Up
"This...this is a decree of succession?"

Shui Guang's tongue was tied in knots, and she stammered out a "ma?".

Did she see the living edict of succession?
In the play, the legendary edict of succession?!

This piece of silk, thin and bright yellow, was folded in two and placed perfectly in the middle of the portrait.

"Yes."

A low hum seemed to escape Xu Quyan's throat, a buzzing sound mixed with extremely complex emotions:
"Yes."

He repeated it again.

why?
Xu Quyan was puzzled.

Too many questions.

Why was there a will? Why was it hidden inside a portrait of Emperor Zhaode? Who else knows about this?
The biggest question remains: why did the late emperor choose him?
A thought that had never crossed his mind before slowly and humbly crept into his heart: Perhaps, his father had always been silently watching over him? And approving of him?
"It's widely rumored in the palace that the late emperor didn't leave a will; it was Empress Ji who forced the current emperor onto the throne."

Shui Guang clutched the thin imperial edict tightly in her hand, saying, "It seems that old man Zhaode quite liked this son."

like?

Do you like it?

Was he made emperor because you liked him?
Xu Quyan's throat trembled, his gaze still fixed on the thin silk in Shui Guang's hand.

Was it because his father knew that he had been studying every morning at dawn since he was four years old? Was it because his father knew that in the monthly examinations at the Wenhua Hall, he always surpassed his older cousins ​​and study companions? Was it because his father knew that he would become a good emperor praised by everyone?!

The young emperor was instantly filled with panic, a thin mist welling up in the depths of his eyes, the sour taste making him almost think that his nasal cavity was drowning in the deep sea waves.

Xu Quyan's chest heaved violently, the well-tailored clothes clinging to his body unable to conceal his loss of composure and excitement.

Shui Guang, puzzled, tilted her head to look at him: No wonder he was able to rise to the emperor's side. The emperor isn't worried, but the eunuch is. He worries about the worries of the previous emperor and rejoices in the joys of the next emperor. Just look at that face, cough cough, plus that sincere loyalty! If he doesn't succeed, who will?

"A wise official... a wise official?" Shui Guang exclaimed: "Don't get excited! Hurry up and take this thing to get promoted and make a fortune! -- Wait, can eunuchs be granted titles? Wu Min's crisp whistle seems to be the ceiling?"
Some of the writing on the will was illegible, partially obscured by the back of the little girl's slender, albeit not fair, hand.

"Can I take a look?" Xu Quyan asked softly.

He wanted to see the whole thing.

He never spoke much to his father, the emperor, except for a few words each year. These were nothing more than "Long live the emperor!" and "Fourth brother is doing well, he's grown taller!" at the Empress Ji's birthday celebration, or "Fourth brother is doing well, he's grown stronger!" at the Spring Festival. Since his elder brother, the crown prince, passed away when he was fifteen, his lung disease had become severe, and he had never grown taller since.

Perhaps the Emperor's words in his will would not have been so perfunctory.

Shui Guang generously handed the will to Xu Quyan: "Here, be careful. Your fortune and my promotion depend on this thing."

Xu Quyan took it and looked at it intently, finally noticing the missing piece.

After recounting Emperor Zhaode's merits over the decades, it was mentioned that "his four sons, Qu Yan, were humble and obedient, good at listening to advice, and wholeheartedly adhered to the principles of governance established by the late emperor, without having the slightest thought of changing them."
Xu Quyan skimmed through the text, his gaze like a sharp blade cutting through thin silk, as if his eyes were tearing it apart.

He froze in place.

Aside from the surging anger, let go of all other emotions.

He was chosen because he was humble and obedient, easily influenced, and easily manipulated. He would not arbitrarily overturn the Zhaode Dynasty's political program, nor would he have any intention of changing course. Emperor Zhaode intended to revitalize the aristocratic clans. If he followed this edict, he would be at the mercy of Jing'an and would have to hand over power to those unproductive aristocratic families in Jiangnan!

It's not about acknowledging him!
It's not that I like him!
It's not that we have high hopes for him!
He was chosen simply because, in the eyes of his father, Emperor Zhaode, he was a weak and easily manipulated puppet!
Xu Quyan clutched the silk edict tightly in his hand, the thin silk almost tearing into shreds. He lowered his head, the mist in his eyes gradually dissipating, and all his expressions quickly solidified into a silent gloom and hidden anger.

His anger wasn't fire, but a bucket of ice water poured over his head, chilling him to the bone, making his heart clench. The dripping of the water clock hanging in the hall suddenly amplified, the dull thuds striking his eardrums, each drop seeming to be a death knell.

Shui Guang possessed the keen senses of a small animal; she could perceive Xiao Fang's excitement just now, and she could also sense his silent anger now.

What's wrong?
The shimmering water remained unresolved.

But she didn't ask.

If Xiao Fang wanted to say something, she did.

All she needed to do was help him pull himself out of his emotions.

"Finding this edict is good enough." Shui Guang muttered to herself, her voice clear and crisp. "My sister found it—she went to the palace to paint portraits for the Empress Dowager and the imperial concubines. The eunuchs took her to see the late emperor's portrait. She told me that in all the portraits, the left hand was hanging down, except for the old man Zhao De's right hand. When the light came in through the window, the light and shadow under the old man Zhao De's right hand were different from the rest! The Xuan paper was stacked in layers, so it wasn't difficult to slip some paper inside. She then asked me to come and see. Anything that can be hidden in an emperor's portrait is either extremely valuable or extremely dangerous; it would be useful to have it in your hands."

The little girl's voice was like a radish pulled from the ground in winter, crisp and clear. She chattered on and on, abruptly cutting off the agonizing "tick-tock" sound.

Xu Quyan snapped out of his daze, the stinging in his eyes gradually fading. He unconsciously repeated Shui Guang's words: "Your sister." Shui Guang nodded vigorously: "Yes! My sister is a very smart person!"

Shui Guang smiled, her round face revealing deep dimples: "Sister is right. This edict of succession guarantees our future. If I take this edict to the emperor, I can at least become the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, right?"

The Imperial Medical Academy's verdict?
Don't you want to be a concubine anymore?
Xu Quyan slowly raised his eyes.

Shui Guang changed the subject, looking rather wistful: "But my sister didn't tell me how to make an offering. If we're going to make a tribute, we have to make it clear that we tore up the portrait of Zhao De. The emperor might be understanding, but if word gets out, all the civil and military officials will definitely hold us accountable! In that case, I'll have no choice but to become a judge in the underworld."

wrong.

There are no judges in the underworld.

Even the King of Hell doesn't suffer from colds.

Xu Quyan remained silent for a moment. After a long while, he turned his gaze to the ancestral tablets placed not far away. Beneath the tablets, the longevity lamps and incense were burning brightly, and the blazing flames illuminated the entire palace in a warm yet gloomy light.

Xu Quyan said softly, "Doctor He, could you please get me a candle?"

Shui Guang tiptoed and reached in front of the memorial tablet to retrieve an incense stick, which she then handed to Xu Quyan.

The gentle smile on Xu Quyan's lips never faded, as if this smile, if left unseen for too long, had become a mask he used to act in his interactions with others.

He picked up the candlestick with one hand, and the flame instantly stained the silk!

"Supervisor Fang!" Shui Guang exclaimed in surprise.

Xu Quyan waved his hand and quickly fanned out the flames that had started to burn.

The silk scroll bearing the will was burned, leaving two or three small holes.

The three lines of text, "Humble and obedient, good at listening to advice, and wholeheartedly adhering to the principles of governance established by the late emperor, without having a single thought of changing them," were burned completely, leaving only the following words: "The fourth son of the Prince of Shou, Qu Yan, is of noble character and closely resembles me. He will surely be able to inherit the great lineage. He is hereby appointed to succeed me and ascend the throne as emperor."

After Xu Quyan looked clearly in the light, the gloom in his eyes deepened. He took a step forward, holding a candlestick in one hand and taking down two memorial tablets, "Empress Zhaode Wenxian Xiaogong Ji" and "Emperor Taizu Sheng of the Great Wei Xu Jingyuan," and held them in his arms.

In the dim candlelight, he raised the candlestick and lit the memorial tablets and portraits. The flames suddenly leaped up and slowly and forcefully devoured the portraits and memorial tablets of the emperors and empresses of the Great Wei Dynasty.

"Bang!"

Xu Quyan threw the candlestick on the ground, stood still, turned to the side and looked back: "The ancestral temple caught fire, the palace servants put out the fire, and after the fire was extinguished, they found the edict hidden in the portrait of Emperor Zhaode - there is no need for you or me to explain, this edict will see the light of day on its own."

He was worried when he came that the little girl would burn down his ancestral graves;
I never imagined that he himself had burned down this ancestral hall.

After a moment of stunned silence, Shui Guang's mind cleared, and she suddenly grabbed Xu Quyan's arm excitedly: "You're such a clever little Fang! We've already come up with a reason for the emperor to find the imperial edict! He just needs to secretly reward us!"

In the flickering firelight, the young emperor, his wide sleeves hanging limply at his waist, stiffened as if struck by lightning when the little girl grabbed his arm.

Xu Quyan turned his head back.

The fire is still small.

It slowly spreads from the southeast corner towards the center.

The firelight shone on the little girl's cheeks, making them look like they were covered with a layer of shimmering gold dust.

"What do you think of the current emperor?" Xu Quyan asked softly.

Shui Guang was still immersed in the joy of being promoted and making money: "Huh?" After a moment of reaction, she turned her head and thought for a while, and said without hesitation: "Now it seems that he is a good emperor."

Xu Quyan's gaze shifted from the fiery gold dust on Shui Guang's face to the little girl's bright, sparkling eyes, and his pale, thin lips unconsciously pursed.

He didn't ask any more questions, but Shuiguang continued to explain.

"Just because he reopened Xinglintang and forced the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds to pharmacies, and Jimin Medical Hall continued to treat commoners, I think he was a pretty good emperor."

Shui Guang smiled and said, "As for thoroughly investigating the Duzhou dike breach case, cleaning up the exiled palace servants, and purging the Jiangnan officialdom, it only proves that he has the means to compete with those officials, but it doesn't prove that he is good. To put it bluntly, the emperor spends his whole life fighting. Officials want to take some power from the emperor, and servants want to climb up the social ladder by sucking up to him. In this situation, the fact that the current emperor can still see the common people who can't afford to get sick proves that he is good."

Xu Quyan couldn't help but slightly raise his head.

His throat bobbed slightly, his eyes flickered, and for a moment he didn't know how to answer.

The firelight seemed to burn his shadow.

It was so hot that he was practically jumping up and down in his heart.