Chapter 41 second quarter

After spending two summers and winters in Daming Palace, autumn is Pei Xuanjing's favorite season. Compared with the autumn in the great world, the autumn in the Daming Palace lacks the satisfaction of fruit and abundance, and is replaced by the tranquility and open-mindedness of thinking.In this magnificent palace, the changes of the four seasons are particularly obvious, and the sense of helplessness brought by autumn is even more vivid.It is infinitely melancholy how quickly the raging spring and summer are gone.Fortunately, the chilling winter has not yet come, so even though the general situation is gone, there is still time to look back again and again, and draw courage to face the long night ahead.

She also saw this bleak autumn mood in her uncle. The day after Pei Duying was recalled back to Beijing, he met Pei Xuanjing in Daming Palace. He looked at his niece for a long time before he said the first sentence: "Xuan Jing, uncle should have come to see you earlier." From the tone of barely suppressed emotion, Pei Xuanjing heard her uncle's overtones, but she only responded with a faint smile-everything is fine with her, so there is no need to worry. Pei Du said: "The Holy One just had a long talk with me. He said that he regrets what he did to you." This sentence was unexpected, Pei Xuanjing raised her eyes.

"He also asked me to ask you, do you want to leave Daming Palace?" After a pause, Pei Du said, "Xuan Jing, I have been with the Holy One for so many years, and this is the first time I have heard him express an apology in his words .So I think, let the past be the past. If you want to leave the palace, tell your uncle now, and I will go to ask the Holy One. I believe that we have a chance." For a long time, Pei Du did not wait for Pei Xuanjing's answer.Although she can only be silent now, there is also a difference between rejection and approval in silence, and Pei Du can certainly tell the difference.So, he brought up another topic: "Li Mi is very good with me, I already regard him as my own nephew, you can rest assured."

Pei Xuanjing thanked silently.When he raised his head, his face was still calm. "...Liu Zihou passed away." Finally, there was a ripple in her expression. Pei Du sighed: "The Holy Majesty has already issued an edict to recall Zihou and Mengde. Unfortunately, before the edict arrived in Liuzhou, Zihou died of illness. Fortunately, Mengde is already on his way back to Beijing and will arrive soon. Before his death, Zihou wrote a letter to Mengde and Tuizhi, and left him alone. His two sons will be raised by Mengde and Tuizhi respectively. It's pathetic. He wrote a poem shortly before he died, let me read it to you."

In the autumn wind, the iron horses under the eaves played softly, accompanied by Pei Du's chanting: "The jasper flows in front of the Poe Mountain, and the poets are stationed in the Mulan boat. The spring breeze is boundless, and it is not free to pick apple blossoms." He said: "I have read so many poems and essays by Zihou, and this is the one that makes my heart hurt the most." "Not being able to do anything for Zihou is my lifelong regret, and it is irreparable." Pei Du said again, "But I still want to say that the Holy Majesty's treatment of them is not wrong. If I can do it again, I will I will still support the decision of the Holy Majesty. Some things are indeed cruel and even heinous, but I have to do it. Xuan Jing, I am not defending myself, let alone defending the Holy Majesty. What I said is just the facts, and it is political. The price is the choice and helplessness of the family, the country and the world."

Pei Du gently pushed a stack of paper and a pen in front of Pei Xuanjing: "Xuanjing, if you have anything to say to uncle, just write it down." His voice was trembling, making him look particularly old. Pei Xuanjing stared at the pen and paper in front of her, but what appeared before her eyes was the summer of the tenth year of Yuanhe, when she and Cui Miao saw Liu Zihou in the backyard of the Songqing Medicine Store.She will always remember the vicissitudes and injustices written on that pale face.It was this piercing pain that made her unwilling to understand her uncle's statement at the moment.She even felt that all the regrets and confessions were useless, because it was too late for the deceased.

Pei Xuanjing didn't touch the pen and paper because she really had nothing to say. Pei Du waited for a long time, seeing that Pei Xuanjing remained silent, he felt like a bright mirror in his heart.It's time to clarify some things. "Xuan Jing, there is something I should let you know." Pei Du said in a deep voice, "Cui Miao—is still alive." Pei Xuanjing suddenly raised her eyes and stared straight at Pei Du. Pei Du met her gaze and nodded gently but firmly. Pei Xuanjing couldn't speak, but her rapid breathing and rapidly changing expression were enough for Pei Du to see how excited she was at this moment.

Pei Du patted the back of her hand reassuringly. "As you originally guessed, the fake jade dragon blocked Cui Miao's fatal arrow, but he was still seriously injured and died for a long time. So I first sent him to Luoyang for treatment, and then transferred him to Luoyang. To Taiyuan. Originally, I wanted to tell you after the turmoil subsided. Alas! But what happened later was beyond my expectation and beyond my control. I really feel sorry for you. Very regretful. Xuan Jing..." Pei Du said hoarsely, "Uncle is sorry for you." Pei Xuanjing shook her head again and again, and grabbed Pei Du's arm forcefully.

Pei Du understood what she meant, and sighed: "However, Cui Miao left Taiyuan more than a year ago, and she is still missing." Pei Xuanjing was stunned again. Pei Du said: "This matter is confidential, and I dare not look for him with great fanfare. I think the best way is for you to try to leave Daming Palace and find out his whereabouts by yourself. I believe that you will be able to find him." Pei Xuanjing reached for the pen and paper. Pei Du waited anxiously, but saw that her movements stopped again, and the two blushes that had just appeared on her cheeks quickly faded away.

"What's wrong, Xuan Jing?" Pei Xuanjing simply put down the pen and lowered her head, preventing Pei Du from seeing her expression. Pei Du's heart tightened: "Don't you believe what uncle said?" Pei Xuanjing remained motionless. Yes, she did not believe it.If my uncle had concealed from him that Cui Miao was not dead, why did he suddenly confess today?The life or death of Cui Miao, a quack doctor, is important because of his background.And behind this secret life experience, the cause of the late emperor's death is even more hidden! How much Pei Xuanjing wished that Cui Miao was still alive. In her heart, she desperately wanted to believe what her uncle said, but she didn't believe in him.She wondered whether her uncle mentioned Cui Miao's real intention at this time to confuse her judgment on the death of the first emperor?If Cui Miao really survived and escaped, then his uncle chose to tell Pei Xuanjing at this time, and even reached a consensus with the emperor to let her go out of the palace to look for Cui Miao, which is probably another trap set by her.

Pei Xuanjing has been deceived too many times.With her wisdom, she shouldn't be easily fooled, but it is precisely because the lies always come from the people she respects the most that she falls into the quagmire again and again. Pei Xuanjing will never trust anyone again, because she has already paid too much. Pei Du let out a bitter sigh: "Uncle doesn't blame you, it was uncle who broke his promise first. But Xuan Jing, you must trust uncle this time. I know what you care most about. I don’t have time to go into details now. About Cui Miao’s situation, I only told Han Xiang. He said that if you need him, he can accompany you on the road at any time to find Cui Miao.” Pei Xuanjing still didn't respond. Pei Du felt physically and mentally exhausted, silent for a long time, and said helplessly: "I should go. Xuan Jing, you should think about it carefully, but don't think about it for too long. I just said it, and today the Holy Majesty specifically mentioned it when he summoned me. You have rarely expressed remorse. So I think that as long as you can win the forgiveness of the Holy Majesty, it is entirely possible to leave Daming Palace." After a pause, he said carefully, "I haven't seen you for more than two years. This time I met him, and found that the situation was far worse than I thought—I had a very ominous premonition. I always thought that the great cause of cutting down the feudal clan would be successful, and everything in the Tang Dynasty was in the ascendant .With the age and physique of the Holy One, as long as he is given another ten years, he will be able to complete the great cause of Zhongxing and restore the Tang Dynasty to its former glory. But now... Alas! In short, once you think clearly, you must act decisively. Remember, Time waits for no one." Pei Du glanced at the table for the last time, the white paper was empty, and the tip of the pen was not even stained with ink.In the heart of the prime minister who has stood in the officialdom for many years, he feels an extraordinary loss. He was lost, not because he lost the trust of his most beloved niece, but because he knew that lies were inevitable.Those who didn't want to lie died one after another, but how much he wished that his Xuan Jing could live on. "Xuan Jing, uncle, I'm sorry." After Pei Du said the last words to her, he got up and left. Surrounded by the majestic Daming Palace, an old figure walking alone gradually drifted away in the backlight.For the first time, Pei Xuanjing realized that his uncle was a real old man.