Jinyi Spring

Chapter 209 Three Explanations

The next morning after breakfast, Granny Wang took Banxia and Aunt Wu home. The first two would tend the clinic, while Aunt Wu would return to the palace in a few days to manage her small kitchen.

Generally, concubines, princesses, and princes do not have small kitchens, but Shui Chuchen believes that she will definitely have one in the near future.

The small kitchen was not only for cooking, but also for decocting medicine.

Ostensibly, Du Ruo stayed here to learn etiquette from Granny Li. In reality, someone reliable needed to be on guard at all times in the eastern part of the city.

Tang Jian and Shaoyao served Shui Chuchen as he went out.

After the seven-day mourning period for Empress Xiaoxian ended, the Emperor personally presided over the ceremony, and the Crown Prince personally escorted her coffin to the imperial mausoleum for temporary placement. According to regulations, it was initially placed in a hall next to the mausoleum, and the formal burial would be held on an auspicious day after the private mausoleum was completed.

The hearse slowly drove out of the palace gate. The crown prince, dressed in plain clothes, followed behind the hearse, his face solemn, his eyes slightly red and glistening with tears.

Shui Chuchen knelt there, watching the black lacquered coffin gradually disappear into the distance. Her face remained calm, but she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

This set of formalities was finally completed.

In this deep palace, there was no longer an Empress Xiaoxian, nor the unfortunate Xiao Wan.

All the grudges, debts, resentments, and obsessions were sent out of the palace gates along with that coffin and buried in the imperial mausoleum.

And she and her brother no longer need to kneel here and shed a single tear for the person who has changed his name and identity.

In the Taiji Hall, all the officials withdrew, except for the Duke of Ming, who was left behind.

Emperor Jianzhang sat behind his dragon desk, his gaze deep and unfathomable, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

He looked at the Duke of Ming, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke, "I heard that twenty years ago, Master Yuhui once told the fortune of the Xiao family?"

The Duke of Ming was slightly taken aback, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this is indeed true. Twenty years ago, the master divined Empress Xiaoxian's fate, saying, 'The children born to Lady Xiao will all inherit the destiny of the world and save the people from suffering.'"

Only a few people, including the old Duke and Duchess, Duke Ming, Ming Changqing, Ming Shanyue, and Xiao Henian, knew the exact words the master had spoken back then. Xia Achan knew it was an accident; the man was no longer with her.

They had reached a consensus: the master's predictions would be accepted, including those concerning the crown prince. The emperor's heart was unfathomable, and the crown prince would one day be emperor; some things couldn't be said too explicitly.

Before Master Yuhui entered the pass, the old Duke specifically went to see him and told him about this matter. For the sake of all the people, he begged the Master to help with this favor.

The master only replied with one sentence, "A monk does not lie."

They neither agreed nor explicitly refused.

However, they believed that with the wisdom and compassion of the Foolish Master, he would never reveal the whole truth.

Emperor Jianzhang was taken aback by these words, as they did not match the two previous explanations. It was not "son" or "daughter," but rather "children," encompassing both.

He frowned slightly, his gaze sharpening. "Think carefully, my dear minister. The master's words cannot be ambiguous in the slightest."

Without the slightest hesitation, the Duke of Ming bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I dare not speak recklessly on such an important matter. My father said exactly what he said back then, and I remember it word for word."

Emperor Jianzhang remained silent for a long time, his gaze fixed on a certain point in the void. The master's divination had three different interpretations; surely someone was lying.

After a long pause, he nodded and said, "I understand. You may leave."

The Duke of Ming did not step down, but bowed and said, "I have another matter to report. My son, Shanyue, received a prophecy from the old monk that the person ordained by Heaven has appeared."

Emperor Jianzhang's heart skipped a beat, and his brow furrowed slightly. "Oh? Who is it?"

“It’s the former Miss Feng, now Princess Yong’an.” Duke Ming said unhurriedly, “The master said that both Shan Yue and Princess Yong’an have extraordinary destinies, rarely seen in the world. One is extremely Yang, and the other is extremely Yin. Their destinies are compatible, and their fates are intertwined. Missing each other is missing out on a marriage.”

Emperor Jianzhang's face darkened. "So mysterious?"

"How dare I speak recklessly on such an important matter?"

Emperor Jianzhang's brow furrowed even more, his tone tinged with displeasure, "That brat Ming Shanyue didn't mention a single word to me from beginning to end. Is his dedication to this case solely because of Yong'an?"

The Duke of Ming bowed and said, “Your Majesty is wise, I dare not. Master Yu Hui’s commentary was obtained the day before he saw the map. The reason I did not dare to report it beforehand is that I thought the affairs of state were of utmost importance. I wanted to help Your Majesty investigate the injustice done to Empress Xiaoxian and Princess Yong’an before discussing personal matters.”

"If we're talking about working hard, that's my son's duty as a subject; if we're talking about Princess Yong'an, that's also the will of Heaven, and he's just following the will of Heaven."

These words were neither humble nor arrogant, and Emperor Jianzhang could not find any fault with them at the moment.

He gave the Duke of Ming a deep look, and after a long while said, "I understand, you may leave."

The Duke of Ming bowed and withdrew. Emperor Jianzhang leaned back on the dragon throne, closed his eyes, but the vertical lines between his brows remained furrowed.

Yong'an had barely been recognized as a relative when someone started arranging his marriage, and it was this "gentleman" who only spoke up after everything was settled. Was he just being overly suspicious, or had the Ming family already planned everything out?

He opened his eyes, looked at the ceiling, and felt increasingly uneasy.

He recalled the divination: the crown prince was a calm, self-disciplined, and patient child. He wondered if he was "inheriting the destiny of the world."

There's also Yong'an. Having escaped death, he wandered among the common people for sixteen years, becoming the successor of the "Mother of a Thousand Infants," and even surpassing his master. With his medical skills, he saved many people, including the Sixth Prince, Shangguan Ruyu, and Xiao Henian.

That child was no ordinary person; to say that she "bears the destiny of the world and saves the people from suffering" is absolutely true.

The word "woman" seems to have come true. We should cherish her even more in the future and let her bring benefits to the Great Yan Dynasty and its people.

But the meaning of "子" is uncertain.

Emperor Jianzhang leaned back on the dragon throne, remaining motionless for a long time.

He bears responsibility for Xiao's tragic death. He also feels indebted for Yong'an's displacement.

If all of this was predetermined in the master's divination, then what about his actions over the past twenty years? Was he being used, or did he bring it upon himself?

He dared not think any further.

After a long while, he said to He Quan beside him, "Make a note of both of these things for me. When Master Yuhui comes out of seclusion at the end of next month, you should go to the Jokhang Temple in person and ask him about it for me."

He Quan bowed, "This servant obeys."

On the east side of the princess's residence, Shui Chuchen took off her hempen clothes, changed into a white plain dress, and went to Cining Palace with Xiaotangzi and Shaoyao.

Logically, Shui Chuchen was in deep mourning at this time and should not go to pay her respects to her grandmother, as it would be considered unlucky. However, since it was her first time returning to the palace, she had to kowtow.

She was extremely unwilling, but she had no choice but to go.

Before leaving, the Crown Prince quietly instructed her: "You must go to pay your respects to the Empress Dowager immediately. No matter how resentful you may be, you must appear filial on the surface and not give others any reason to criticize you."

The Crown Prince will stay at the Imperial Mausoleum for 42 days (six times seven), plus the previous seven days, for a total of 49 days. He will spend the Lunar New Year at the Imperial Mausoleum.

The Eastern Palace still needs repairs, and he and the Crown Princess won't be able to move in from the Prince Qin's Residence until the end of February. (End of Chapter)