The Old Woman Delivering Flatbread
Shu 'er …
Stars twinkled in the silent night sky.
"Shu 'er."
Wei Yi's black pupils were bottomless.
Countless scenes of him and Ji Yunshu flashed through his mind.
When he was tired, she would let him rest on her lap.
When he was afraid, she would pat his head and tell him not to be afraid.
When he was happy, she would be happier than him.
When he was in danger, she would risk her life to save him.
He still remembered that night in Jinjiang, when he carried her injured on his back, singing along the quiet streets.
They released Kongming lanterns together, released river lanterns together, made clay figurines together …
The scenes kept flashing before his eyes.
Then they gradually disappeared.
"Shu 'er …"
No matter how hard he called her name, his voice could not penetrate the mahogany door in front of him. It only echoed in his ears.
Smaller and smaller!
He almost … gave up on the thought of going out in despair.
In the end, he could only hug himself with his trembling arms and curl into a ball again.
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
He raised his head and vaguely saw a person standing at the door.
The person was not tall and had a stooped back. From the shadow of her hair ornaments and clothes, she should be an old nanny from the palace.
"Child? Did you hear me? "
The old woman's voice was weathered by the vicissitudes of life, but her tone was kind and gentle, even a little sad.
Wei Yi propped himself up and approached the door.
"Who are you?"
When the old woman heard the voice, her body tensed up and the lantern in her hand almost fell to the ground.
His wrinkled face was in extreme pain, and his sunken eyes couldn't help but turn red.
Wasn't this the old nanny that Wei Yi met in the courtyard when he was brought to the palace by Jing Xuan?
"Child, you must be hungry, right?"
Wei Yi did not answer.
The old woman stuffed the half-eaten biscuit in her arms through the crack in the door.
"Come, eat something. Don't starve yourself."
The flatbread was passed in, but Wei Yi did not take it.
He asked again, "Who are you?"
"I am …" The old woman suddenly became speechless and swallowed her words.
Just as she was about to speak …
Two young eunuchs from Zhangzhi Hall heard the commotion and rushed over.
The old woman's hand trembled and she withdrew it, causing the piece of cake to fall to the ground.
"Who's there?"
Two eunuchs came over with lanterns in their hands.
The old woman staggered and hurriedly dodged to the side, but she was still caught.
"Nanny Zhang? Why are you here so late at night? "
The old woman lowered her head. "I came out for a walk. I didn't expect to come here."
"Don't wander around so late at night. Her Ladyship has ordered that no one else is allowed to come here."
"Yes, I'll leave now."
The old woman bowed and left.
The two eunuchs whispered a few words to each other and looked at the room where Wei Yi was being held. Only then did they feel reassured and left.
Inside the room, Wei Yi stared at the half-eaten biscuit on the floor. After a long time, he crouched down and picked it up.
There was a thin layer of dust on the cake. He held it in his hand, his fingertips clenching tightly.
He took a bite.
She fought back the tears in her eyes.
The cold and lonely night blew into one's bones.
Pain, pain, pain …
The next day.
The emperor sent two imperial edicts to the General's Mansion.
The eunuchs hurriedly left after delivering the edicts.
There were only two points in the imperial edicts. The first was to remove Ji Li from his position, and the second was to order Ji Huan to dispatch his troops immediately without delay.
The two brothers each held an imperial edict in their hands, fuming with rage.
Ji Huan threw the imperial edict on the table. "All these years, I've risked my life for Great Lin and conquered countless cities. Now, they're sending me to the borders to fight the barbarians. I can't swallow this anger."
Ji Li was much calmer. "Even if you can't swallow it, you still have to."
"Big Brother, are we just going to let it go like this?"
"You want to rebel?"
Ah!
Rebel?
Ji Huan had truly never considered this point. He swallowed, "Although I am not satisfied with His Majesty's decision, if I were to rebel, it would be considered treason, a great crime."
"Since you already know, there's no need to say anything more." Ji Li's tone was gloomy. "Alright, you should hurry and make your preparations. We can't delay the extermination of the barbarians. Be careful and don't ruin things. Although an army of a hundred thousand is enough to defeat the barbarians, don't let your guard down."
"I know, but …"
Ji Huan stammered. He couldn't say anything, so he simply waved his hand and left.
As soon as he left, Ji Shuhan called Ji Li over.
"What's going on? How is it that after a trip to the palace, one was removed from his position and the other was sent to the borders to fight the barbarians? "
Ji Shuhan was furious.
Ji Li answered honestly, "As the War Secretary of the Ministry of War, this child naturally had to stop Prince Rong from returning to the capital. However, I didn't expect that the posthumous edict in Prince Rong's hands was real. This incurred His Majesty's wrath, and he charged me with murdering Prince Rong. That's why I was removed from my position."
"Are you still not going to speak the truth?"
"Everything I said is …"
Bang!
Ji Shuhan slammed the table.
This time, it's a conflict between Prince Yi and Prince Rong. Since Muqing has become Prince Yi's Consort, you should help Prince Yi gain power. However, you have always been careful and never allowed yourself to be used by others. Even if you want to help, you should do it in secret. Now, you've been the first to stand out and have been removed from your position. Huan 'er, a dignified Great General, has also been sent to the borders to fight the barbarians. What face does our Ji family have left in the capital? " He continued angrily, "If Prince Yi becomes the Crown Prince, Muqing will become the Empress in the future. However, now that something has happened, Prince Yi has suffered a setback, and Prince Rong has gained power. The position of Crown Prince is uncertain."
He sighed.
To put it bluntly, what Ji Shuhan cared about the most was whether his daughter could become the Empress.
Ji Li was reprimanded, but he didn't explain much.
He couldn't say that his sister had been sleeping with someone in the palace, and that Jing Yi had information that could be used against him, so he had no choice but to stand out.
In the end, he swallowed those words.
"Father, don't worry. This child has his own plans."
"What plans do you have?"
"We'll see. Now that the imperial edict has been issued, this child has to return to the Ministry of War."
"Go on, go on."
Ji Shuhan's face was filled with defeat. He took a sip of tea to calm himself down.
After Ji Li left, he saw Ji Wanxin in the long corridor.
He called out to her.
"Wanxin."
Ji Wanxin stopped in her tracks, revealing her lovely face.
"Big Brother, what's the matter?"
"It's nothing. It's just that the weather hasn't been good lately, and your body is weak, so I wanted to give you some advice."
"Wanxin understands."
Actually, Ji Li's intention wasn't that. He rolled his eyes and asked, "Big Brother has something to ask you. Tell me honestly."
Ji Wanxin frowned slightly.
"Big Brother, just ask. As long as Wanxin knows, I will naturally tell you."
"Have you been in contact with Yunshu?"
Ah!
Her lowered eyes flinched for a moment, but they couldn't be seen.
"The last time Yunshu went to Yufu and passed by Jinjiang, we met once. After that, we didn't contact each other again."
Indeed!
But …
Ji Li didn't believe it. "Although you haven't met, do you write to each other?"
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