Ivan slowed down. "I'll take my sister to see him. Whether or not he becomes emperor will only require my sister's word."
Qiu Su tightened her grip on the reins, staring at Ivan in disbelief. "You rescued him? Why didn't you tell me?"
“It wasn’t me, it was Dad. I don’t know when they came back.” Ivan looked at Qiu Su and smiled. “I’ll take you to meet your parents.”
Qiu Su looked at Ivan in shock, "General Ji, is he... is he still alive?"
Ivan shrugged. "Sister, don't be angry with me. It's Father who won't let me get involved. You know, in the Ji family, once you reach that position, it's very difficult to step down. Sister is different. You and your husband have a good relationship, so you can leave at any time. Father's health isn't good either. He lost an arm and was seriously injured back then. Now he just accompanies Mother around. If he really went to the battlefield again, he'd probably just be sending himself to his death."
"They're still alive, and yet they've left me..." Qiu Su wanted to say, they're still alive, and yet they've left her all alone on Qingyuan Mountain for a full eighteen years. Even though both her parents are alive, she's always believed she's an orphan. If only they could go back, even just send someone to inquire and take her away from there, none of this would have happened. She wouldn't have married Pei Yuan, and she wouldn't have had to endure all this that she simply couldn't bear.
“When I was little, my parents were always looking for my sister, but they didn’t dare to go to the Central Plains themselves. You know, that thief has never let his guard down and has killed countless people over the years. The people around you have deliberately changed their names and concealed their identities, and they have always thought that you are gone too.”
"Pei Yuan is still alive?"
“He’s half-dead.” Ivan raised an eyebrow. “When Father carried him back on horseback, he was covered in blood, but thankfully there were no fatal wounds, and he can eat now.”
"Your name is Ji Fan, right?"
Ivan touched his forehead and smiled, "Father wants me to be a mortal."
Qiu Su turned her horse around and headed back. Ivan quickly followed and asked, "Sister, aren't you going to see Father and Mother?"
Qiu Su remained silent.
"Where's my brother-in-law? He's not doing very well."
Qiu Su reined in her horse and looked at Ivan, saying, "I entrust Pei Yuan to you. Send him to the capital when he is feeling better. As for the others, we'll see them again when the opportunity arises."
I really don't know how to face this.
After nearly twenty years of separation, would they embrace and weep? She didn't even know how or how she should face others who said her parents were dead, when in fact they were still alive and well. And Pei Yuan? How should she face him? If their relationship was merely one of exploitation, it would be easy to resolve, but she knew it wasn't.
"Sister hates Father and Mother?" Ivan scratched his forehead. "They were always worried that you wouldn't acknowledge them, and they told me not to tell you yet. But I think they are still our parents, and they love you too. When Father found out that Brother-in-law had fallen into Una's hands, he sneaked in alone, just because he was afraid that something would happen to him and make Sister sad."
Qiu Su shook her head. "I don't hate, I've never hated anyone." When she was very young, before she understood what parents or death meant, she only felt sad when she saw He Zhuo's family. Now that she thinks about it, she has never truly hated anyone. At first, she thought she should hate Pei Yuan, but looking back now, it was just an excuse to escape.
The Northern and Southern Camps began preparations to enter the capital. Qiu Su never went to see her parents, nor Pei Yuan, who was said to be seriously injured and who was said to be madly in love with her. Ah, madly in love with her.
Ivan travels between the two places every day, and when he comes back, he talks about Pei Yuan's situation. Occasionally, he will take Mo Mo with him and run over there to play for a day before returning.
Qiu Su did not tell General Qin about Pei Yuan's whereabouts. Since Ji Yue did not want to show his face again, it would be fine for him to go to the capital himself after Pei Yuan recovered.
In late October, a devastating flood struck the north, and a massive influx of refugees broke through the city gates and flooded into the capital, filling several key roads leading to the palace. The people of the capital, however, were incredibly astute; they all remained indoors. In an instant, these tens of thousands of refugees formed an army, surrounding the palace and the regent's residence from all sides.
Qiu Su stood on the high platform, holding up the tiger tally in her hand, and said only one sentence, "We are all citizens of the same city, why are we killing each other?"
Perhaps out of personal motives, Qiu Su gave the tiger tally to Xiao Luzi, who was close to the emperor, and then disappeared into the still chaotic capital.
No one was left in the Prince Regent's residence. In the end, people found the emperor in the palace, holding a long knife and covered in blood, with the Prince Regent standing on his feet, his eyes wide with rage.
58
58. The Final Chapter...
When Pei Yuan finally arrived in the capital, it was already after the war. General Qin led a team to personally search the Regent Prince's residence for evidence. The so-called search for evidence was nothing more than confiscating property, taking away inanimate objects, killing or selling the living things that needed to be killed, and arresting the rest.
Pei Yuan went straight to the palace to ask Sun Qi for the person, but Sun Qi grabbed him and said, "I don't have the person, but you're finally back." Then he shouted to Xiao Luzi, "Quickly, invite the prime ministers to court. The new emperor has ascended the throne, so let's talk about this today."
Xiao Luzi stared in disbelief, while Pei Yuan's eyes rolled back and he collapsed. This wasn't an act; his wounds hadn't fully healed, and back in the Southern Frontier, Ji Yue and his wife, for reasons unknown, had kept him locked up in his room for a month. They had promised to help him find Qiu Su, but he hadn't been able to see her even after hearing that Qiu Su was leading troops into the capital. He had finally managed to escape with Ivan's help, and the journey back had left him feeling utterly exhausted. The two puncture wounds in his body seemed to have reopened, the pain making his vision blur.
Pei Yuan was taken to Xing Le Palace by the Empress Dowager. Consort Li's Changqing Palace, which had been burned down by Qiu Su, was never rebuilt. Consort Li had also been stripped of her title and sent to the so-called Cold Palace. In reality, the Cold Palace in the palace was no different from any other palace, and Sun Qi had never visited any of them. Those he had favored and loved upon reaching adulthood had generally been killed or disappeared by Sun Hu or Consort Li through various means. He consistently avoided intimacy with those arranged by Sun Hu, secretly taking drugs to prevent this. He was also afraid that a single mishap might result in another child, which would end his life.
Pei Yuan lay in bed for a month without getting up. Sun Qi temporarily took charge of the court affairs and praised Pei Yuan's talents to the skies. The Empress Dowager was very concerned about Pei Yuan; during his coma, he stayed in Xing Le Palace, and she took care of all his needs, from food and clothing to daily necessities.
The Pei family had been imprisoned in the palace by Sun Qi long ago. While it was called imprisonment, it was actually a form of protection; now they've been released and returned to the Pei residence. The eldest son of the Pei family has also been brought back to the capital. He's a very aloof person; perhaps due to living in the mountains for so long, he possesses an detached, otherworldly air. Lingling, knowing all this, didn't become much closer to him, preferring to stay by Pei Yuan's side instead.
A month later, Pei Yuan got out of bed. Sun Qi smiled and carried a stack of memorials over, saying in a great mood, "Your Majesty, you have survived a great calamity and are sure to have good fortune. Considering that your younger brother risked his life to protect your nephew, hurry up and ascend the throne. I haven't touched a woman for many years. If I keep holding back, I'll really be ruined."
Pei Yuan patted Sun Qi on the shoulder, "Give me two more months, or I'll die in the court if I don't die on the battlefield."
The son had never been by his side, but the Empress Dowager always granted his requests. She reprimanded Sun Qi and told Pei Yuan to rest and recuperate.
Two months passed quickly. Pei Yuan continued to feign illness in bed, while Sun Qi's eyes grew brighter and brighter, his excitement barely concealed. Finally, on a snowy night, he secretly took Lingling out of the palace and boarded a carriage. Pei Yuan then rode out of the palace on horseback.
Inside the carriage, Sun Qi's mouth remained agape with excitement. Holding Lingling close, he whispered, "Let's go to Jiangnan. Tsk tsk, the courtyard has already been built, right next to West Lake. Once things are settled, we'll bring your family over."
Lingling said sullenly, "My older brother isn't well yet."
“He was fine a long time ago, he was just faking it.” Sun Qi snorted and said, “I don’t know what he’s up to, but I tremble when I see his eyes. Do you think he’ll hold a grudge and secretly kill me?”
“My older brother isn’t that kind of person; he values relationships very much. But the older brother I have now is always expressionless, so I don’t dare to say much.”
"He's been in the Taoist temple for too long; he's probably become detached from worldly affairs."
Lingling glanced sideways at him, "I haven't seen Momo yet."
"I haven't seen her either. We'll go find Qiu Su another time."
Xiao Luzi, standing outside the carriage curtain, said with a sob in her voice, "Master, I'm afraid there's no chance."
Sun Qi's heart skipped a beat. He lifted the curtain and saw more than a dozen ministers kneeling in the white snow in front of him. When they saw him peeking out, they shouted in unison, "Please return to the palace, Your Majesty."
Sun Qi bowed and stepped out, standing before the carriage, about to deliver a grand speech about abdication, when he saw Pei Yuan riding by, glancing at him coldly. Pei Yuan unfurled the imperial edict, then looked at Sun Qi and slowly said, "The late emperor decreed that since ancient times, emperors have relied on the strength of their military officials to pacify the land. Now that the land is at peace, General Ji guards the border, suppressing the rebellious intentions of Prince Hu. I am powerless to protect the country and its people, and I have failed the late emperor and the generations of military generals of the Ji family. I knew my time was running out when I wrote this edict. Last night, I received a dream from the gods, and now I obey Heaven's will and pass the throne to the fifth prince, Sun Qi. Qi means 'great and strong.' I hope my son, Sun Qi, can shoulder this great responsibility, help the Ji family redress their grievances, and bring peace to the land from turmoil. My heart will be comforted."
Pei Yuan raised his hand, closed the imperial edict, and tossed it to the stunned Sun Qi. He glanced at him again before preparing to ride away. Sun Qi hurriedly tried to throw the edict away, but Xiao Luzi grabbed his arm.
Sun Qi jumped off the carriage. "Brother, where did you find this fake imperial edict? Father's throne has always been reserved for Third Brother."
Pei Yuan curled the corners of his lips. "The Third Prince has died suddenly. What are you ministers standing there for? Why aren't you respectfully inviting the Emperor back to the palace! If the Emperor were to accidentally go missing, could you bear the consequences?"
After speaking, he spurred his horse and galloped away. Sun Qi trotted after him and, seeing Pei Yuan had already run far away, angrily cursed, "Pei Yuan, you bastard! You broke your promise! Believe me or not, I'll wipe out Qingyuan Mountain's old nest!"
"Take it, and it's best to have Ling'er watch over it." Pei Yuan waved his hand dismissively. "Until we meet again."