That day, Nangong Xue and Li Yijie hastily buried Lu Qian. Nangong Xue shed a few tears of grief in front of the grave. After Li Yijie repeatedly persuaded them, the two of them finally returned to the palace.
Li Yijie truthfully explained the cause and effect of the matter. He sighed and said, "Your humble servant is incompetent. In the end, the Seven Malevolent Demons still managed to escape. The Lord Baylor Ling was also taken hostage by them. As for Lu Daren … in order to save Xueer, he heroically sacrificed himself …" As he spoke, he stole a glance at Nangong Xue beside him. Sure enough, when she heard the news of Lu Qian's death, her eyes turned red again.
Shunzhi appeared to be extremely tired. He said, "It's been hard on you, Minister Li. If you want to truly deal with the Seven Malevolent Demons, it will take years of hard work. It's not something that can be done overnight. As for Xuan Shuang, if he is destined to face this calamity, it's actually good that he can face it calmly. Perhaps he can achieve karma in the future … But if he is willing to abandon himself and wallow in the mire with the Seven Malevolent Demons, no one will be able to save him! "When he said the last sentence, his tone was quite severe.
Li Yijie couldn't help but defend himself, "That's not it. Perhaps we have misunderstood the Lord Baylor Ling. Although he sometimes likes to play around and cause trouble, he is not a child who can't distinguish right from wrong. He is not a child who would casually recognize a thief as his father. Just now, when he was with us to save Xueer, he also contributed greatly … "
Shen Shiyun sneered and said, "Ignoring a pile of important matters in the palace, he chose to give small favors to unimportant people. Only he can think of such a thing." Li Yijie was embarrassed. Nangong Xue said in a clear and crisp voice, "Your Majesty, this little girl has a request."
Shunzhi saw that Nangong Xue had been kidnapped for several days and that it was rare for her to return safely, so he treated her with extra leniency. He said, "Miss Nangong, zhen has long heard of your great name. You've been wronged these days. If there's anything you need, as long as it's within my power, feel free to tell me! " He guessed that as a woman, she would at most ask for some gold, silver, jade and silk, or perhaps ask for a scholarly honor for her martial brother.
Unexpectedly, Nangong Xue lightly bowed and said, "Many thanks, Your Majesty. This Little Girl does not dare to have any other improper thoughts. This Little Girl only wishes to reopen the injustice of that year, to clear the names of Cruel Fiend Starfall Young Commander and Lu Qian Daren Lu, and to add on their posthumous titles. This Little Girl will definitely be endlessly grateful. "
Shunzhi did not expect that she would either not mention it, or once she did, it would be such a difficult request. Although he was the Emperor, it was easier said than done to reopen the old case.
Not to mention, there was a group of conservative factions in the imperial court that were stubbornly obstructing him. If things went badly, it would affect the Emperor's reputation and the reputation of the Great Qing Dynasty for solving cases. It was impossible for him to sacrifice so much for Nangong Xue's casual request. He could only reply vaguely, "This matter is indeed difficult, and it will take some time to go through it. If Miss Nangong is patient, please wait a little longer. In the future, We will definitely give you a satisfactory answer. "
Li Yijie, Shen Shiyun, and the others present all knew that 'in the future' would never come. This patience would probably have to be maintained until the end. Only Nangong Xue was beaming with joy and repeatedly nodded in agreement. It was as if Lu Qian and An Yesun were no longer great devils, but heroes praised by everyone.
Shen Shiyun once again returned to the topic, "Regarding the disaster of the Seven Fiends Demons, how should we eliminate them in the future? Official Li, have you thought about it?"
Li Yijie nodded and said, "That's right. This lowly official has an idea, and it just so happens that I'll share it with Noble Consort Yun. Listening to his words, he is unwilling to be mediocre and intends to bring the Lord Baylor Ling to stir up trouble everywhere and stabilize his territory. We will use small forces from each city to meet the attack on the battlefield and fight with brute strength. We will definitely defeat him, but in the end, we will only be defeated by him one by one, and the great country will be given to him for free. If we gather all the generals and form a strong elite troop, we might be able to force him into a panic. However, the rest of the cities will be unguarded. If we can't take them down in one fell swoop, our country will be in danger. Therefore, this lowly official has thought about it and always felt that these two strategies have their pros and cons. I really can't make up my mind. Which one should we choose? "
Shen Shiyun smiled and said, "It's hard for Official Li to still be so considerate of the country. This consort was originally worried that after experiencing several setbacks, you would be even more disheartened and drown your sorrows in wine. However, it turns out that it was all unnecessary. Official Li is clearly the model of bravery after setbacks. Whatever you think, we'll do it according to your method. It will definitely be good. Forgive this consort for asking too much, but now that Miss Nangong has been rescued by you, I wonder when I will be able to drink a cup of wedding wine with the two of you? "
Li Yijie's heart ached. Listening to Shen Shiyun's words, it was obvious that she was exposing Nangong Xue's wound. But since she asked, he could not avoid answering. Dispiritedly he said, "If I say it out loud, I won't be laughed at. Xueer and I … we don't plan to get married for the time being. As for the monetary gifts, we will return them one by one. We have made everyone come here in vain, we are also very apologetic. "
Shunzhi and Shen Shiyun were both startled, but Shen Shiyun was more delighted than startled. She smiled and said, "Marriage is not a child's play. Indeed, we should consider it carefully. What's wrong, Official Li, are you biting off more than you can chew and despise other people's Miss Nangong? Even if the two of them were to be alone for nearly a month, it's not like something must happen. Don't you think so? "
Li Yijie was fully aware that she had deliberately turned to this path, so he was extremely irritated. He said, "This is not a simple question of who despises whom. It's just that the two of us … both of us need time to calm down. "
Shunzhi said, "Logically speaking, persuading a quarrel should be persuading them to stay together, not to separate. But recently, we have felt that living as a married couple for a long time is really a kind of pressure. It's not as good as the intimacy between friends. But, Official Li, if you really want to jump into this cage, you can jump. "
Li Yijie's face burned as he listened. Presumably, Nangong Xue next to him was in an even more awkward situation. He did his best to change the topic. He said, "Actually, when it comes to martial arts, it's not that there is no one who can match the Seven Demons. Has Your Majesty heard of the Four Great Clans? In humble servant's opinion, the martial arts of the Four Manor Lords are on par with his. It's just that … they are experts who live in seclusion and are unwilling to come out easily. I'm afraid it will be difficult to persuade them to lend a hand … "
Shunzhi said, "If experts can be easily invited, then what value do they have? This task, we will leave it to you. No matter what method you use, you must complete it on time. " Li Yijie still didn't know whether or not this task could be 'completed', let alone 'completed on time'.
The days went by in a cycle. From then on, Li Yijie continued to inquire about Nangong Xue's whereabouts during the day. At the same time, he was thinking about the Four Great Clans and how to bring up this' presumptuous request '.
At that time, the two of them had an agreement. The greatest concession that the original Manor Lord could make was that he could only help him find Nangong Xue's whereabouts, but he couldn't send reinforcements. He was the grand Wulin Alliance Head. How could he go back on his word and go back on his word after he had won the hand of a beauty? Thus, he set aside his work day by day. He rarely saw Nangong Xue. Even if they did meet, they couldn't exchange more than a few words before they went their separate ways.
Sometimes, Li Yijie's heart chilled. When did the two of them become strangers? But Nangong Xue wasn't willing to give him any chance to redeem himself. She was almost consciously avoiding him.
As for Shen Shiyun's side, Lu Qian's death had removed a big problem from her heart. That very day, she and several of her concubines drafted a memorial to the throne and presented it to the Emperor. The memorial listed Concubine Dong 'e's various crimes, along with her personal signature. In his fury, Shunzhi ordered Concubine Dong 'e to be executed to uphold the rules of the Palace. Afterwards, he regretted his decision and wanted to withdraw the imperial edict. But Concubine Dong' e had already been discovered and died in prison under mysterious circumstances. At that time, there were many suspicions about this case. In the end, it was hastily dealt with, claiming that she committed suicide to escape punishment.
A year's time quickly passed amidst the increasingly fierce struggle. By this time, it was already the seventh year and the ninth month of Shunzhi's reign. By now, most of the rebellious forces had been quelled. Only the Seven Evil Spirits, Jiang Liechen, was dissatisfied with doing everything himself. Leading his disciples, he trampled all over the country north and south. He often recruited troops and bought horses from all over the country. There were countless people who changed sides. In the blink of an eye, he once again established a sect.
This year only made him more ruthless, his thoughts more complicated. Everywhere he went, corpses littered the ground, blood flowed like a river. Such a scene of decay could be seen everywhere. If in the past he was only testing the waters, then this year was a large-scale massacre, a mad act of vengeance. Today's world had already become his possession. Countless righteous path people gnashed their teeth and wrung their wrists, but nobody dared to be the first to step forward and provoke this devil's evil spirit.
It was not that Nangong Xue didn't care about the Wulin world's affairs, but because she had the heart but lacked the strength, over time, her interest gradually faded away. She was seen walking alone, slowly walking up the Wangyang Slope near the capital. With several bunches of small yellow flowers in her hand, she walked toward the two tombs standing side by side. She squatted down and brushed aside the weeds covering the tombs.
This day was not the Qingming Festival, nor was it the anniversary of the two people's death, but Nangong Xue had an inexplicable desire to come here. After Yuan Yi left, he left her a huge Yuan Mansion, but she couldn't get used to it. Especially in the empty and spacious mansion, accompanied by darkness, she had to wait alone until dawn. She always had a kind of desolate feeling of being all alone in the world.
Naturally, she couldn't stay in the Imperial Palace. In the Forbidden City, Shunzhi invited her to stay in a bedroom that was extremely luxurious, but it made her feel that she was out of tune with this environment, forever an outsider. Leaning against the window, she saw that Li Yijie left early and returned late. For ten days or half a month, he didn't come to visit her. She didn't have any other friends in the Imperial Palace, not even a confidante. In the end, she resolutely moved out and rested in a small thatched hut in the corner of the city. This was because a kind-hearted old woman pitied her for being alone and specially exempted her from some miscellaneous expenses.
During the day, she would follow a few ordinary women, weaving and embroidering in the hut. Then she would ask someone to sell the embroidery at the market in exchange for a small amount of money to supplement the family. Her days were very poor. Fortunately, she ate very little every meal and didn't care much about her clothes and accessories. She was barely able to get by. One day, on a whim, she erected two empty graves for Lu Qian and An Yesun at the Wangyang Slope. She faced the two tombstones alone to express her grief.
She divided the bouquet in her hand into two and placed them in front of the two graves. Softly, she said, "I don't like those bright red and gorgeous flowers. They're too tacky. Moreover, the brighter the color, the greater the limelight, and the faster it will wither in the future. When it turns into a dry leaf, who will take a second look at it? Speaking of which, aren't people the same? Therefore, I'd rather be an inconspicuous little flower. Others won't pay much attention to it, but they also won't harm it. It exudes a faint fragrance. It's tranquil, fresh, and distant. Only then can it last for a long time. I don't know if you guys have the same opinion as me? "
She shook her head and pretended to smile playfully. She said, "Big Brother Lu, aren't you the best at catering to me? This time, you're not allowed to refute! No matter what you think, I'll make you listen to me. "
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