Ci Jinzhi

Chapter 431 Year-end

 King Xiu lowered his head and stopped moving. A gentle smile was fixed on his handsome face, and the distorted and ferocious look before was no longer there.

From the time he was stabbed to the time he took his last breath, he did not say a word to Emperor Xingyuan, or even look at the man who had been calling "Father Emperor" for twenty years.

 There was silence in the main hall.

Emperor Xingyuan remained motionless, staring at King Xiu.

He tried hard to recall King Xiu's appearance when he was a child, but found that it was just a vague shadow, existing in an inconspicuous corner.

 This discovery made Emperor Xingyuan's heart sink even more.

I don’t know how long it took before he said, “Drag him out.”

Xin You was accompanied by He Qingxiao and left. The smell of blood in the palace seemed to linger in his nose for a long time.

"I can avoid it." She suddenly spoke, her steps a bit chaotic.

He Qingxiao looked at the pale girl quietly and held her damp, cold hand with his warm hand.

“The moment King Xiu made his move, I wanted to see what he was going to do and what he was thinking.” Xin You grabbed He Qingxiao’s hand and stared at the ground, “I know now…”

 “Ayou, don’t think too much. What happens to others is his own choice.”

"I understand." Xin You nodded slowly, "But I still feel a little uncomfortable."

 She has been a fish in the water and a bird in the sky. The red walls and golden tiles and the deep palace door make it increasingly difficult for her to breathe.

 Send Xin You back, and He Qingxiao returns to the palace to deal with follow-up matters.

King Xiu’s death could not be concealed, and it spread quickly.

Hundred officials were shocked.

"Prince Xiu, this is too irrational. Even if you don't become a prince, being a prince will make you rich and noble for a lifetime. Why do you do such a thing in a hot head?"

“Perhaps I couldn’t accept such a big ups and downs, and I got into trouble for a while.”

 “But it’s not a big deal.”

 “Ahem, maybe it’s because of long-term depression...”

 In the harem, Concubine An heard the news of King Xiu's death, screamed and rushed out, and was surrounded by the palace people.

　　"Let me go, let me go, I want to find my Ping'er, you can't let me see my Ping'er..."

The mournful and desperate cries of Concubine An could be heard faintly in each palace.

Princess Xuan quickly walked into Concubine Li's bedroom and hugged Concubine Li.

 “What’s wrong, Xuan’er?” Li Fei was startled.

Princess Xuan buried her head in her biological mother's arms, tears falling down her cheeks: "Concubine, my eldest brother is dead..."

 When she heard the news of King Xiu’s death, Concubine Li felt uncomfortable. This is not because of her feelings for King Xiu or her deep friendship with An Bin, but because of the sadness of the rabbit dying and the fox being in the same situation.

"Mother, I'm afraid..." Princess Xuan's body trembled and her voice choked with sobs.

 She didn't have much interaction with this brother, but she still couldn't control her sadness and fear.

That day Miss Xin was hunted down, and today the eldest brother died. Will bad luck befall her and the mother-in-law one day?

"Don't be afraid." Concubine Li stroked her daughter's back, "Just leave the cabinet, and then you can live your life peacefully..."

 The Queen Mother learned of the death of her eldest grandson and went to Qianqing Palace in person.

 “Why is the Queen Mother here?” Emperor Xingyuan was in a gloomy mood and looked languid.

 “Aijia came to see you.”

Emperor Xingyuan felt a little warmer: "Don't worry, mother, my son has experienced a lot."

"How can it be the same?" The Queen Mother paused and then murmured, "After all, it is her own child, so it will be uncomfortable..."

She thought that since they had never gotten along before, she would not be sad at all, but she was still uncomfortable. It was a piece of meat that fell from her body. She knew clearly that as long as she spoke, he might live, but she still kept silent and let him die.

It is true that I have no regrets, and it is also true that I feel uncomfortable.

 “Son, let’s establish the crown prince as soon as possible, so that everyone will be at peace.”

“My son knows that he will be crown prince as soon as spring comes.”

 The result of King Xiu's treatment was that he was deprived of his princely title and buried as a commoner.

 Threatening to use a knife in front of the emperor, no matter what Emperor Xingyuan thought, punishment was necessary. This is not only a punishment for King Xiu’s wrongdoing, but also a warning and deterrent to others.

On the last day of the year, the New Year's Eve palace banquet went on as usual, except that there were fewer people attending, including King Xiu and An Bin.

 An Bin went crazy. Everyone in the harem heard the news, and no one dared to discuss it. Empress Zhou sent reliable and honest palace officials to take care of her, and the news was not spread outside the palace for the time being.

Xinyou didn’t come either.

As someone who was held hostage by King Xiu and saw King Xiu die with a knife, Emperor Xingyuan had nothing to say about her absence.

The Queen Mother seemed to have forgotten about this matter, and she hardly spoke at the palace banquet.

This was probably the quietest New Year's Eve family dinner ever. Even the youngest prince was careful not to make any loud noises while eating.

Xinyou’s place is much more lively.

Shopkeeper Hu of Qingsong Bookstore and others, Kou Qingqing’s nanny Fang, and some brothers from Wuyun Village headed by Xiaoba were all invited to Xinzhai.

There is still a painting to be done here for Zhao and his son. As for other colleagues who get along well with each other, they naturally cannot come because they have families and families.

There are seven or eight tables in the hall, and there is a table separated by a row of screens. Shopkeeper Hu, Liu Zhou, Aunt Fang, Xiaoba and others are all at this table, as well as He Qingxiao and Aunt Gui.

Xin You first greeted Aunt Gui: "In the past, I had to take care of Aunt Xia and the others, and now that I have come to the capital, I have to take care of Aunt Gui. I would like to take this opportunity to offer a toast to Aunt Gui today."

There were tears in Aunt Gui's eyes, but her smile came from the bottom of her heart: "It is a slave's blessing to be close to a girl."

Xin You paid tribute to Shopkeeper Hu, Liu Zhou and Zhu Xiaoyue: "Thanks to your support, our bookstore is prosperous and I have achieved what I wanted to do."

Shopkeeper Hu wiped the corners of his eyes: "I didn't do anything. The bookstore was half-dead when the owner didn't take over. It's all up to the owner."

At first he was worried that his boss would get married and have children, which would delay his business, but he never expected that his boss would still be alone now.

The old shopkeeper sometimes felt guilty. Could it be that he had talked about it a lot in the past and did not want his boss to marry, and Yue Lao had remembered it?

Liu Zhou opened his mouth and said a string of auspicious words, and Zhu Xiaoyue said: "It is only right that I respect my employer. If I didn't have my employer, I would have long ago -"

Xin You touched the wine glass in Zhu Xiaoyue's hand and stopped her from talking.

More than a month ago, Censor He asked shopkeeper Hu to propose marriage to Zhu Xiaoyue as Baoshan. When the spring comes, the wedding day will come, and there are still many good days ahead.

"Mother Fang, I wish you all the best." At this time, Xin You didn't mention Kou Qingqing.

With tears in her eyes, Grandma Fang said, "Thank you very much, girl, and I wish her all the best."

“Xiaoba, thank you for taking care of the farm.”

Xiaoba now also has the title of military officer, but he still looked at ease in front of Xinyou: "It's not hard at all to work for a girl. Oh, it would be great if Sixth Brother and the others were here."

 The Sixth Master and Xiaolian are still in Guangcheng and have not returned.

“Since I entered the Hanlin Academy, I have received a lot of attention from Brother Painter. Brother Painter has superb painting skills and is enthusiastic. I am very lucky to be a colleague with you.”

 I feel like crying when I draw the imperial edict.

It was obviously because of Miss Xin's favor that he had a better life, whether in the Hanlin Academy or at home.

After everyone had finished paying their respects, Xin You looked at He Qingxiao.