In the first year of Xinping, on the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, there was heavy snowfall.
The capital of Chu State, Beigong Gate.
A head was hung on the palace gate.
The snow and wind were blowing hard, and the head was already frozen stiff. The goose feather snowflakes covered it layer by layer, covering up the filth and the true appearance of the person, leaving only a pure white ground.
In such a fierce and cold day, and the New Year is approaching, we should enjoy the joy of the world at home and avoid going out, but this happened, and the new emperor specially ordered the courtiers to come to listen to the instructions today.
The courtiers who are waiting for court here can see the human heads hanging on the gate tower of the Vermilion Palace as long as they raise their heads.
"Xia Yunhe dared to embezzle the former emperor's mausoleum, and was also suspected of collaborating with the enemy and treason. He really deserved to end up like this."
"Then Xia Yunhe relies on himself as the emperor's master, controls the new emperor in every aspect, and holds the power alone. How can Duke Ding tolerate this thorn in his side?"
"It's a pity that the most beautiful woman in Yuanhua's 40th year, Lang Yan, is unique and unparalleled in the world. I heard that she is only twenty-nine years old, so..."
"Hush, stop talking, Duke Dingguo."
Several adults in court uniforms looked at each other, stopped talking, and stood still, but they couldn't help but look back.
A dark sedan was facing the wind and snow, and slowly swayed in front of everyone. The four bearers carrying the sedan were tall and tall, with alert eyes, and a fierce aura rushed towards them.
Without squinting, the four of them passed by the courtiers and walked steadily toward the palace gate, carrying the inconspicuous sedan.
Xia Yunhe's remnant soul looked at everyone coldly in the air. Snowflakes passed through her transparent body. The ministers were shivering from the cold, but she felt nothing.
From Tan Hua Lang in the former dynasty to the emperor's master with one person under ten thousand people, it took her ten years to assist the prince from the age of fifteen to the emperor. She thought that she was conscientious and dedicated, but she didn't know that she was full of enthusiasm and made the wrong payment, but she was framed as a collaborator.
She lowered her head and looked at her hands. Her originally slender fingers were now bone-white, and she laughed at herself helplessly.
She still remembers the night before the execution, the only time the new emperor came to Zhao Prison to see her, "Xia Yunhe, you taught well, I am grateful. But the Xia Mansion found a letter of collaboration with the enemy, teacher, you collaborated with the enemy and treason. I remember our past kindness..."
Collaboration with the enemy and treason?
The man stared at her ulcerated fingers and remained silent for a long time. Then he turned to the jailer and said, "You are a fool, please ask the imperial doctor for a quick examination. Why don't you do your duty in Zhao Prison?"
Some people accepted the order obediently, and Xia Yunhe laughed in his heart. The new emperor was hypocritical, and this was nothing more than pretentiousness.
After ten years of ups and downs in the officialdom, she had seen nothing. Compared with the late emperor's quiet ruthlessness, the prince was a little impetuous and almost too hot.
Snowflakes covered Xia Yunhe's eyelashes, interrupting her memories. She watched coldly as the officials filed in from the palace gate until the palace door closed, blocking the officials' conversations within the palace wall.
She withdrew her gaze and looked up at the sky. Thick clouds were oppressing the earth. Snow fell from the vast sky. The sky and the earth turned white. What fell from her eyes were two lines of blood and tears.
The wind and snow are raging, and time is rapidly turning around in Beigong Gate. The Imperial Palace of Chu State turned into a sea of fire, and the Beirong cavalry galloped past her face, with the thundering sound of horse hooves, sharp cries, broken limbs, and rivers of blood.
The Kingdom of Chu died.
Xia Yunhe's eyes widened and he stared at the purgatory-like scene in front of him in shock. His heart ached so much that he could hardly breathe. Beirong was defeated and their vitality was severely damaged. It took twenty years to recover. How could they conquer the capital of the Chu Kingdom ten years later? How did the new emperor protect the country and lead to the tragic situation ten years later?
In the light of the fire, she saw a general guarding the city fighting alone. The food and grass were exhausted, and the arrows were useless. He was covered in blood and his face was blurred. Only his amber eyes were shining fiercely.
A mountain of corpses and a sea of blood were beneath his feet, and his scarlet cloak rustled. After repelling a group of enemy soldiers, he was finally ordered to be shot by the Beirong Lord.
Xia Yunhe closed his eyes tightly and sobbed in his throat. She disguised herself as a man and served as an official for ten years, hoping only for "the peace of the country and the peace of the people, and the clear sea and rivers". How could she be reconciled to being framed and imprisoned during her lifetime, and seeing her country fall after her death? I only regret that my remaining soul is unable to recover.
Her consciousness was hazy, and she heard anxious voices beside her ears, "Mr. Xia, how are you feeling? Hey... there's a brazier, hurry up."
This man's voice was soft, but his words were quite majestic. Xia Yunhe's mind buzzed, and his body seemed to have been punched hard, and his soul suddenly fell.
She managed to open her eyes and saw three big faces of different sizes. She was startled for a moment and subconsciously stepped back. A round and plump chamberlain wearing a blue wrought robe quickly grabbed her elbow. The man bent his eyes, let out a long sigh of relief, and patted her arm with a look of fear on his face.
"Master Xia, we are scared to death. The choice of the prince has not been decided yet, so you must hold on."
Choose a prince? Xia Yunhe was stunned for a moment. One moment, it was the tragic situation of the fall of Xanadu, and the next moment, he was choosing a prince? Even though she is mentally strong, she is still confused now. She can't help but wonder where she is?
She slowly withdrew her arm from the fat eunuch, rubbed her crimson-coloured official uniform, rolled her eyes, and looked around silently. Yishui has newly installed yellow pear wood tables and chairs, and a floor-standing blue and white landscape and pine porcelain vase stands in the corner of the room. A newly cut half-open plum blossom tree is inserted inside, and the fragrance is overflowing.
It is very different from the previous cruel and bloody city destruction scenes.
The warmth in the room made her throat feel itchy. She covered her mouth and coughed violently. The three of them hurriedly rubbed her back to calm her down. The fat eunuch at the head prayed repeatedly, "Your Majesty, please keep Sir Xia in good health."
After working for a while, Xia Yunhe felt relieved. The fat chamberlain sent two young eunuchs, "You go to the cabinet and get the hand stove, and you use the tongs to stir up the charcoal fire."
He turned to Xia Yunhe and smiled: "Your Majesty has profound merit and foresight. He said that Lord Xia was afraid of the cold, so he asked his servants to prepare things in advance. His Majesty also specially allocated silver charcoal from the Salary Cherishing Department."
Xia Yunhe glanced at the hoarfrost smokeless charcoal in the charcoal basin and felt his throat became more itchy, so he covered his mouth and coughed a few more times.
This familiar pain reminded her of her frail and sick life. Why was this feeling coming back now?
She touched her neck and found no scars. Then she opened her palms, stared at the slender and smooth fingers, and frowned slightly.
Lively chambermaids, red official uniforms, healthy fingers, and choosing a prince? Everything seemed familiar, and she seemed to have returned to the day eight years ago that changed her destiny.
She felt happy, she straightened her fingers and then bent them, feeling the new life. Suddenly someone put a hand warmer wrapped in cotton velvet into her hand. She looked up blankly and realized that only the fat eunuch and herself were left in the room. The two young eunuchs were already there. After being sent out, the fat servant frowned and looked at her, "Mr. Xia, are you okay?"
Xia Yunhe was stunned for a moment, then quickly adjusted and greeted him tentatively, "Manager Li?"
Li Fushun noticed something strange after Xia Yunhe woke up. It seemed that he was no longer as sharp as before and was more restrained and peaceful. However, he quickly gave up the idea and secretly speculated that maybe Xia Yunhe had not recovered yet.
He thought about His Majesty's words and put on a smile, "It's cold today. If Mr. Xia is really uncomfortable, I'll report the situation to Your Majesty and ask His Majesty to make a decision."
Xia Yunhe was horrified, and the scenes of how he was framed, imprisoned, tortured, and the destruction of the Chu Kingdom all came to mind one by one.
She placed the hand stove on the table, stood up, shook her clothes, and bowed to Li Fushun, "Mr. Li, Yun He has an old illness and has just rested for a while. This is a violation of the rules for a minister. I dare not miss business again."
In her previous life, it was His Majesty who decided to follow the advice of Duke Ding and assigned her to be the prince's teacher. Under the hands of the "hypocrite" prince, she eventually met a tragic end and became infamous after her death.
After leaving the duty room, Xia Yunhe tightly wrapped himself in his white fox fur cloak, followed Li Fushun's footsteps, and walked through the winding corridor. He saw glazed tiles, high eaves and raised feet all around, giving him a majestic royal appearance.
Halfway through the journey, Li Fushun specifically told her, "Your Majesty cherishes talents, Mr. Xia must not let him down."
This bright hint made Xia Yunhe alert. As the crown prince of a country, the prince has countless people who show his favor.
In her previous life, she was assigned to choose the prince, but now, the chess game has been re-arranged, and the injustice of the prison has been revealed, the country has been destroyed, and the people's livelihood has been difficult...
She clenched her fists, cliques were squabbling, undercurrents were surging, and she stepped into the game again. She was determined to redress the grievances of her past life and protect her family and country in this life, and she had to pick the chess pieces in her hand.
Just as she was thinking about it, Li Fushun took her to a pavilion near the water, and on the plaque he personally inscribed three words "Meixiang Pavilion". It was cold winter and the lake was frozen, but only one side of the pavilion could smell the fragrance of plum blossoms. Three princes, tall and low, dressed in plain piping plush cloaks, had been waiting for a long time. Among them, the prince was particularly eye-catching.
Because of the prince's presence, five more charcoal pots were placed in the pavilion, and each one was burning very brightly. Therefore, it was not cold here, but against the background of the red plum trees, it had a special atmosphere.
Li Fushun saluted all the princes and introduced Xia Yunhe to a few people. Xia Yunhe saluted one by one and looked as usual.
The eunuch in charge, Li Fushun, looked around for a moment, then turned to ask the prince for instructions, "Your Highness, isn't His Majesty the Seventh Prince here?"
A person next to him sneered, "He knows that he is of low status and will not join in the fun."
The prince frowned slightly and rebuked softly, "Fifth brother, please don't speak nonsense. The seventh brother has been a hostage to the enemy's country for many years, and he just returned two months ago. Speaking of which, Master Xia welcomed him back as an envoy."
The royal children have good looks, and they are charming when talking and laughing.
Seeing the prince, Xia Yunhe recalled how he was framed and tortured in the past, and he didn't want to joke. He crossed his hands and said seriously, "Your Majesty has blessed the world with kindness and has a kind heart. It would be better for His Majesty the Seventh Prince to send someone to invite him."
Li Fushun answered with a smile, "Master Xia is right. His Majesty has ordered that you just examine the princes in your own way."
Xia Yunhe understood that although the seventh prince was not favored by His Majesty, he was still a prince. Li Fushun served the emperor, even if it was just a formality, he did not dare to leave anyone out and make the emperor lose face.
She had always been weak, and after freezing in the snow for a while, she couldn't stop coughing. Several princes hurriedly moved her to the charcoal basin, and the prince even handed her the stove in his hand, caring for her attentively.
Xia Yunhe smiled at the corner of his mouth and followed the words of several people casually. The three of them appeared to be brothers and sisters, but in reality they had different ideas. The fight for the right to inherit the throne was acrimonious for several people. They were either alive or dead. However, the seventh prince who had been stationed at the border lived safely. After the prince ascended the throne.
While he was talking, Li Fushun brought someone over, but he did not enter the pavilion. He stood far away beside Mei Cong. The princes in the pavilion were silent for a moment. They saw that the person who came was wearing thin clothes, and he seemed to be two different people from the people in the pavilion holding the fire in lavender clothes. world.
Xia Yunhe glanced at the young man whose face was red from the cold, and met the young man's sorrowless eyes. He was slightly startled, with a pair of amber eyes.
There was a bang in her head, and she suddenly remembered the exact same eyes she saw after her death, that of the general who would rather die than surrender.
It turned out to be the seventh prince.
Memories of the past surfaced. In the late autumn of the forty-eighth year of Yuanhua, she was supervising the military frontier. The seventh prince Xie Yi became famous in one battle. He was given a mansion and a beautiful concubine, but he refused. The emperor was furious. The seventh prince left a message, "Beijing army is not destroyed, so guard the border first." He rode back to the border with his bodyguard, which made the emperor angry. Special people were sent to the border to beat him up.
She raised the corners of her mouth, raised her eyes and looked at the young man carefully, and found that the young man was also looking at her. She felt shuddered, looked away, and lowered her eyes to think.
A prince who was not loved by his father, who cared about his family and country, died in battle. She wanted to prevent the tragedy from happening again. The seventh prince might be a good candidate.
With the answer in her mind, she raised her eyes and met the young man's upright gaze.
The fifth prince angrily scolded: "Xie Yi, you are so brave, how dare you stare at Master Xia so rudely!"
Xie Yi lowered his head and shivered. Xia Yunhe stood up and took off her fox fur, walked out of the pavilion, put the clothes on the boy who was half a head shorter than her, resisted the biting cold, and smiled.
"Your Majesty, Seventh Highness, are you willing to accept me as your teacher?"
