Read Novel Full Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Yaoying did not forget.
Not only because she was a granddaughter of the Xie family, but because she was born in the chaotic world and grew up in the chaotic world. Because, when wandering at the age of five, she saw too many instances of families being separated without warning, parting forever.
The whole country was in a mess, the land full of those who met with disaster.
Yaoying was also a person who struggled to survive in this chaotic world where human lives were regarded as grass. She respected the Zhu clan that tried their hardest to salvage the situation back then, admired the Xie family whose ancestors sacrificed their lives for their country and who were overlooked and disregarded. She respected her uncle Xie Wuliang who was weak but never lost his will to support the ruler.
It was precisely because of the ancestors of the Zhu clan, of the Xie family, of the countless who unhesitantly stepped forward when their country was being lost to enemy hands, who risked their lives to protect the people—heroes whose blood sprinkled on the ground so peace and tranquility were possible—who sacrificed themselves for the coming years of peace for the people.
Some people admired the Xie family.
However, more people could not comprehend the Xie family’s ancestral teachings. They ridiculed the Xie family ancestors’ pedantic and foolish loyalty, ridiculing that the Xie family did not know how to plan for themselves. They only knew how to lead soldiers to battle yet their whole di branch and 100,000 strong Xie army fell, making Xie Wuliang, a noble family gentleman, have no choice but to lower himself and deal with businessmen, covering himself with the stench of copper.
Yaoying once thought that if her uncle Xie Wuliang was still alive, she would have advised him to protect himself and urged that he plan more for the Xie family.
Because she was just an ordinary person who wanted to live well with her loved ones.
Xie Wuliang wouldn’t have listened to her advice; he would have laughed before moving on.
The children of the Xie family were not people who were greedy for life and afraid of death1.
For the sake of their family and their country, they would die a good death.
For their nation, their land, and the people. Just not for themselves.
This Xie family’s lineage had been thoroughly severed.
Evaporating like smoke, dispersing like clouds.
Today, eleven whole years later, Yaoying stood in front of Li De, standing in the grand, bright Liangyi Hall, and said clearly: “Your Majesty, I am not, as a daughter of the Li family, appealing to you for your mercy, but as a granddaughter of the Xie family, I am asking for justice from the emperor to whom the Xie family was loyal!
“My aniang is the last of the Xie family’s bloodline left in this world. My uncle did not ask for anything else, only that you treat my aniang well. You swore to take good care of my aniang, but Your Majesty, have you done so?”
Each word was calling for blood, powerful and resonating.
Li De did not say a word, quietly looking at Yaoying.
The mythical incense burner continued releasing light streams of smoke.
Yaoying’s body trembled as she lost her strength. She forced her body to stand firm, and then said, “I am collecting the third account on my elder brother’s behalf.”
The corners of her mouth tugged: “Ah ye, back then, concerning when the Li family clansmen supported the establishment of my elder brother as shizi, and Empress Tang fought with my aniang over it, this daughter would like to ask you a question.”
Li De’s face was still gloomy, but the scrutiny in his phoenix eyes gradually faded away, replaced by surprise and something else: “What does qiniang want to ask?”
Yaoying’s face was calm: “Ah ye, from beginning to end, did you even think of establishing my elder brother as shizi?”
Li De was startled, and his expression became more and more stunned.
Yaoying laughed coldly, “Indeed.”
Her face turned mocking: “Ah ye is truly calculating. From the moment you were aware that Empress Tang and eldest brother were still alive, you decided that eldest brother was your heir. However, you had not yet recovered your strength at that time and had to rely on the Xie family. You were afraid that the Xie family would harm Empress Tang, and deliberately treated Empress Tang coldly to make my aniang think you had her in your heart.”
This was one of the reasons why Noble Consort Xie later went crazy: she thought Li De had loved her.
“Later on, Ah ye had established yourself and did not need to fear the Xie family any longer. You had already gained the support of the noble families, and there was constant conflict between the noble and humble families under you. My elder brother’s maternal family is the Xie family. You deliberately pretended that you could not choose between my elder brother and my eldest brother, to suppress the noble families, balancing the humble families and the noble families.”
Every little thing Li De did had far-reaching considerations. For the greater good, he could sacrifice everything, even going so far as to drag the young Li Zhongqian and the teenage Li Xuanzhen into the murky waters of the battle for shizi without any scruples.
Yaoying closed her eyes: “My poor elder brother had always thought that Ah ye truly had high hopes for him. To receive a single word of praise from Ah ye, he painstakingly studied books and diligently practiced martial arts every day… It turned out that he shouldered a false reputation for nothing…”
Li Zhongqian had always thought that his and Li Xuanzhen’s battle for shizi led to Tang shi’s death, thus making Li De disgusted with him and Noble Consort Xie. His younger self was sullen and agonized by it, but he didn’t know that this was all just one of Li De’s schemes!
The emperor’s heart was this unfeeling.
The previous dynasty’s Zhu clan fell at the hands of the noble families. Li De2 had always been apprehensive about the noble families, never genuinely trusting them. To suppress the noble families, even Tang shi and Li Xuanzhen have become pawns in his hands.
He had only loved one woman in his life, Tang shi. He loved her, respected her, but also used her.
In the imperial harem, the Concubine Rong of humble origins was also one of Li De’s pawns. Most of the women in his harem were daughters from noble families, so people like Concubine Rong were used to balance the harem.
Yaoying stood in front of the dragon table, her gaze falling on Li De’s graying hair.
“Li De, in this life, being your child is the greatest sorrow for my brother and me.”
Li De smiled slightly, seemingly self-deprecating and seemingly unconcerned.
Yaoying didn’t care about his reaction in the slightest, “To be a ruler, one can be cold-hearted, can be unscrupulous, can be shameless, and can use vicious means to achieve his goals, as long as he has the people’s confidence. If he can maintain long-term peace and stability and keep the people under his rule well-fed, clothed, and warm, he does not have to worry about being overthrown.
“In the previous dynasty, the Zhu clan was eager to be rid of the constraints of the noble families. They tried to suppress them by reforming the governing style, promoting humble families, and vigorously promoting the examination system. The result was that he was made a mere figurehead by the noble families. The last emperor was an incapable ruler who incited conflicts and provoked wars, leading to the people’s unhappiness and uprisings everywhere. However, it was the rebellious noble families that truly destroyed the Zhu clan.”
If it weren’t for the powerful clans and noble families who were revolting one after the other everywhere, how could the last emperor be forced to flee south and finally die at the hands of treasonous ministers?
Yaoying looked at Li De: “Ah ye, the moment you allied with the Xie family, you had already tried to think about how to suppress the Xie family. Even without Empress Tang, my aniang would not have entered your heart, and my brother was destined to be unloved by you.”
Li De put away his smile that wasn’t a smile, not saying anything for a long time.
Yaoying met his unreadable gaze, and she couldn’t make out whether he was angry or happy. Her eyes were like a pool of still water: “Your Majesty, how do you plan to repay these accounts?”
A bright ray of sunlight streamed through the latticed window and entered the dreary hall, enveloping Yaoying’s body.
Like a waning silent night, of hazy mist, full of pear blossoms blooming in the moonlight of the night.
A celestial on Earth, silver-tinted clouds shining through3.
Looking at Yaoying, Li De was suddenly reminded of someone.
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1 Idiom meaning only interested in saving their necks.
2 The raws used Li Xuanzhen but I don’t quite think that makes sense.
3 Lines from the poem “Wu Su Nian” describing a noble, refined person.