The Imperial Palace.
Liu Hecai, newly appointed as the director of the Imperial Observatory, hurried into the inner hall.
After performing the ritual greeting, seeing that the Emperor didn’t call for him to rise, his heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.
“A quarter-hour ago, all the bells in the capital mysteriously rang once.”
The awakened Emperor’s face was clearly cold and stern: “Director Liu, what is going on?”
Rushing over in haste, Liu Hecai had a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.
“Your Majesty, this subject doesn’t know why the bells rang, but just now regarding the bells, this subject cast a divination. The hexagram shows it is auspicious.”
“Oh?”
The Emperor’s expression eased a bit. “Director Liu may rise.”
Liu Hecai got up from the ground. “This subject has two more matters to report to Your Majesty.”
“Speak!”
“When the bells rang, this subject immediately observed the heavens at night and discovered a star falling in the southeast.”
“What star fell?”
“This… this subject cannot calculate it.”
“The second matter?”
“The Imperial Observatory observed that above the southeastern corner of the capital, where dark energy had been swirling, at the moment the bells rang, a strong beam of Buddha’s light shot out, and the dark energy scattered at once.”
“Buddha’s light?”
“Yes!”
Liu Hecai glanced at the Emperor: “On the way here, this subject used a compass to deduce that the place where the Buddha’s light emerged and where the star fell are the same location.”
The Emperor’s short, thick fingers tapped on the desk as he frowned in thought for a long time. “Can Director Liu find that location for me?”
Liu Hecai: “This subject can find it using a compass.”
Emperor: “How long will it take?”
Liu Hecai calculated on his fingers: “About two hours.”
The Emperor rubbed his weary face: “Someone come, have the Imperial Guards send out a squad to assist Director Liu.”
“Yes.”
“Director Liu?”
“Does Your Majesty have further instructions?”
The Emperor looked at Liu Hecai. “Don’t make any noise about this yet.”
Liu Hecai: “Your Majesty, rest assured.”
The inner hall emptied.
A moment later, the eunuch Sun Jinzhong returned. Seeing the Emperor still sitting at the desk, he hurried forward to comfort him:
“Your Majesty, please rest on the bed first. Since ancient times, Buddha’s light has been an auspicious sign—a greatly auspicious one. This shows Heaven protects our nation and Your Majesty.”
The Emperor extended his hand, and Sun Jinzhong immediately helped him up.
The master and servant slowly walked to the bedside. After the Emperor sat down: “Are there any eminent monks in the capital?”
“This… this old servant cannot leave the palace, so cannot answer Your Majesty casually.”
The Emperor grunted, then suddenly asked: “Where is the Crown Prince now?”
Sun Jinzhong quickly smiled apologetically: “Your Majesty has forgotten—the Crown Prince is at the Imperial Mausoleum now. This old servant calculated, he’s been there five days already.”
Emperor: “Is the Crown Princess with him?”
Eunuch: “The Crown Prince and Crown Princess are deeply in love, so naturally the Crown Princess is with him.”
The Emperor laughed coldly and slowly lay down.
In an imperial family, where could there be conjugal love?
…
In a person’s life, there are always moments when one is reluctant to close one’s eyes, fearing that when they open them again, the person in their arms will be gone.
Xie Zhifei never liked to prattle on, but now he talked endlessly about everything after becoming Xie Sanye.
How did he get along with the Xie family?
When did feelings develop?
Under what circumstances did he first meet Young Master Pei?
How did he come to know Zhao Huairen?
What had he experienced all these years?
When did he become suspicious of Yan Sanhe’s identity?
When did his heart move?
When did he discover the Zheng family twins were switched…
Great and small matters, he spoke of them with relish.
The night wind carried the coolness of early autumn. The two lay embracing on a bamboo couch.
The bamboo couch was small, so naturally their heads touched and their feet touched. If someone saw them, they would surely say it was improper for an unmarried man and woman.
But with pure hearts, the things they did were naturally upright and open.
When Yan Sanhe heard the three words “Tang Mingyue,” she suddenly lifted her head from Xie Zhifei’s embrace.
“It was actually her?”
“Heaven has eyes—all the Zheng family’s good fortune fell on her alone.”
Xie Zhifei smiled: “Later, after I finish my hundred days of mourning, let’s stay at Muli Mountain for a while. That girl is eagerly waiting for you to come!”
The words “mourning period” pulled Yan Sanhe back to reality. She suddenly thought of that matter before she fell unconscious, and the corners of her upturned mouth slowly fell.
There was no lamp lit in the room.
Darkness was the protective color for emotions. Yan Sanhe’s eyes became somewhat unfocused.
She was hesitating.
“Sanhe.”
Completely unaware, Xie Zhifei said with full joy:
“You cannot stay in the capital with your identity. Wait for me a few months. I’ll sort out the matters in my hands, sort out the Xie family’s affairs, and then we’ll leave the capital.
Whether you return to the Angry River or want to go to Muli Mountain, I’ll accompany you in any case.”
Yan Sanhe’s heart stirred. “Can you bear to leave?”
Xie Zhifei rubbed his chin against her head—not enough, so he rubbed his face against her too. “Besides you, I can bear to leave everything.”
The heart that had just been stormy suddenly calmed because of this one sentence.
Don’t say it then. In any case, the heart demon is already resolved.
Moreover, he had just lost his father, lost his old ancestor, and experienced everything at Haitang Courtyard, his hair turning white overnight…
It would be best to stay far away.
“I want to go to Muli Mountain first to see Mingyue, then accompany Buyan back home, then just wander around and see the sights. When I’m tired of walking, I’ll settle down by the Angry River.”
“Good!”
Xie Zhifei’s voice grew lower and lower. “Anyway… you must take me with you.”
And must take you.
Every morning, you must wake me; every night, you must coax me to sleep.
Just like in the past at Haitang Courtyard.
The only difference is your identity is no longer Huaizuo, but the person in my heart.
The breathing above her head slowed. Yan Sanhe also closed her eyes.
While living, he accompanies her; when dead, Mother will come to receive her, and those who love her are watching over her from below…
Mm.
She was very content!
…
When dawn broke, Liu Hecai stepped into the inner hall again. At this time, the Emperor had changed into his court robes and was preparing to attend court.
“Your Majesty, the location has been found. It’s a separate estate.”
Liu Hecai hadn’t slept all night, his eyes full of bloodshot veins.
“The estate’s owner is Pei Yu’s eldest son Pei Xiao from the Imperial Medical Academy. Currently living there is the goddaughter of the late Xie Daozhi.
Two hours ago, a young monk left the estate carrying an elderly monk on his back. The elderly one appeared to have passed away.”
The young monk walked out of the city gate on foot, heading west. Your Majesty, this subject guesses that the Buddha’s light is related to the elderly monk who passed away.”
“Someone who could emit Buddha’s light should be an enlightened master, shouldn’t he?”
“Your Majesty, such strong Buddha’s light must be from a monk of extremely high cultivation, rarely seen in this world. It should reflect in the celestial phenomena, which is why there was a falling star.”
The Emperor’s brow furrowed at once.
A rarely-seen enlightened master of this world passed away in the Pei family’s small estate—this matter sounded suspicious no matter how one heard it.
“Sun Jinzhong, have the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigate thoroughly.”
“Yes!”
“Wait.”
“Your Majesty?”
“Still don’t make any noise about it.”
“Yes!”
————
At this point in the story, there is one final major reversal and three major plot developments remaining. Roughly estimated, there are about fifty to sixty thousand words left. Just informing you all.