Chapter 090: Twenty Years Of Turmoil

It’s perfectly normal for a young girl to love cats.

Yan Lin saw this and couldn’t help but smile at her.

Everyone’s attention was drawn to Jiang Xuening, and almost no one noticed Xie Wei’s momentary stiffness. By the time they looked back, Xie Wei was already composed.

Shen Zhiyi curiously asked Xie Wei, “Master Xie, are you going to Chengqing Hall?”

Xie Wei didn’t respond.

The steward bowed to Shen Zhiyi and explained with a smile, “Indeed, it’s rare for such an esteemed guest like Master Xie to visit. The Marquis specifically invited him for a conversation.”

This was understandable.

Everyone in the court knew that Xie Wei was easy to get along with, but it was rare to hear of him being close to anyone. People always wanted to curry favor with him, visiting him, but it was unheard of for him to visit someone voluntarily.

Knowing that the coming-of-age ceremony was about to take place, everyone refrained from delaying him with too much conversation.

After a few polite exchanges, the steward led Xie Wei through the corridor, around the hanging flower gate, and towards Chengqing Hall.

Seeing his figure disappear, Jiang Xuening finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As she relaxed, her grip loosened.

The restless little cat seized the opportunity, kicked its legs, and leapt from her arms, meowing as it darted onto the railing and disappeared among the rockeries by the water.

It was only then that she felt a slight stinging sensation on her wrist.

Looking down, she saw a scratch on her wrist.

It was clear that the cat had scratched her with its claws when she was holding it.

She had been so focused earlier that she hadn’t noticed, but now that she was relaxed, she felt the pain.

Shen Zhiyi, still looking in the direction Xie Wei had gone, nudged Yan Lin with her elbow and teased, “Among all the noble children in the capital, you, Yan Lin, have the greatest honor, having Master Xie name you. Many will be envious.”

Yan Lin finally looked away.

He lowered his eyes slightly and said, “It’s probably because of my father.”

Prince Yanping, however, didn’t care about such details and joined in the fun, saying, “It doesn’t matter. It’s a good thing. We still have some time before the ceremony. Since we’re all guests today and you’re the host, you should entertain us.”

Yan Lin smiled at him, “What do you want to do?”

Prince Yanping, still young, looked around as if afraid of being discovered, then winked and said, “Do you have any wine?”

Everyone laughed.

Although it was Prince Yanping’s suggestion, it was rare for everyone to gather like this, and even Shen Zhiyi agreed.

Yan Lin had no choice but to ask Qing Feng and the servants to bring some wine and set it under the cherry tree. They all sat down to drink and have fun.

The steward stopped in front of Chengqing Hall and gently knocked on the door, “Marquis, Master Xie has arrived.”

A cough came from inside, as if the person had risen hastily, and an old voice, filled with emotions that others couldn’t fathom, said, “Please come in quickly.”

The steward then pushed the door open.

Xie Wei stood at the door for a moment before walking in.

The winter daylight was not as bright as in summer. Most of the windows inside were covered, and no lamps were lit, making the room appear somewhat dim.

The air carried a faint bitter smell of medicine.

On the bed with golden hooks hanging the curtains, Marquis Yongyi, Yan Mu, had aged significantly in a short time. His temples were slightly frosted, but his eyes were still sharp as they fell on the person entering from outside.

His demeanor was restrained, full of a majestic and steady presence, with a touch of heaviness.

Like a sage or a hermit, he exuded an aura of high mountains and vast seas.

His long eyebrows were indifferent, and his eyes were deep and calm.

Yan Mu carefully examined his features, as if trying to find some familiar traces in the unfamiliar contours. But no matter how he searched his memory, twenty years had passed.

Even the clearest faces from back then had been eroded by time.

Moreover, it was just a six or seven-year-old child. To find the outline of that child in the face of a mature young man was almost impossible. Not everyone grows up looking the same as they did in childhood.

It’s just that when the heart feels a resemblance, everything seems to look alike.

Yan Mu coughed twice and gently waved his hand, “Please sit, Master Xie. I have been ill and unable to go out these days. I apologize for the inconvenience. Your visit truly brings honor to my humble abode.”

Xie Wei silently sat on the brocade stool beside him.

Yan Mu said, “My son is mischievous. Thanks to the emperor’s grace, he was selected to study in the Wenyuan Pavilion in the palace. I heard he has been under your care. Has he caused you any trouble?”

Xie Wei replied, “The young master is not mischievous, but very sensible. He rarely causes any concern while studying in the Wenyuan Pavilion. The Marquis’s family has a deep scholarly tradition and strict discipline. I, being of limited talent and learning, have only provided some minor guidance.”

“Limited talent and learning.”

By age, Xie Wei was indeed a junior. But in the court, even the Xiao family had to show him respect, and it was unheard of for him to refer to himself as a junior in front of Duke Xiao Yuan.

Yan Mu’s heart tightened a bit.

But then he felt a sense of desolation and sighed, “If Master Xie is of limited talent and learning, then there are no truly learned scholars in the world. If you find Yan Lin’s playful and mischievous behavior acceptable, then you haven’t seen a truly well-behaved child. Yan Lin used to have a cousin who was very intelligent and likable, excelling in his studies. He wasn’t good at playing the qin, but he practiced diligently. Such a young child knew how to endure hardship, which was rare. My sister often brought him back from the Xiao family to play. Seeing him, I hoped my child would be like that. But unfortunately, during the rebellion of Prince Pingnan and the Heavenly Sect, before Yan Lin was born, that child was lost…”

“……”

Xie Wei lowered his gaze, his fingers on his lap trembling slightly before slowly clenching into a fist to steady himself.

Yan Mu’s eyes reddened, and he lay back on the bed, his gaze somewhat vacant. His voice, filled with the bitterness and pain of the harsh world, said, “Such a small child, not even seven years old. In the cold weather, the snow covered everything. His mother, in a frenzy, stumbled out of the palace, pushing past those who tried to stop her, and reached the high snow-covered palace gates. She dug with her hands, and when she couldn’t, she grabbed the soldiers’ swords and iron rods, striking the hard, thick ice and snow. The ice was so hard and thick that the blood froze together. The iron rod struck, numbing her hands, and her skin bled. She dug out a child, five or six years old, but the ice had stuck to the flesh, making it impossible to tell who it was. It was only when the family cried that they pulled her back…”

Xie Wei sat motionless, like a statue.

Yan Mu looked at him again, tears in his eyes, his voice filled with uncontrollable sorrow, “He was so young, never even left the capital. That winter was so cold. I don’t know if there were any lights or fires in the palace, if anyone covered him with a blanket at night. How heartless must one be to push him out? If heaven had mercy and let him live, what would he have grown up to be?”

Xie Wei finally closed his eyes slowly, his throat moving. After a long time, he seemed to suppress something and reopened his eyes.

He wanted to smile at Yan Mu.

But his lips were too heavy to lift, and he could only say in a low voice, “If heaven has mercy, he will endure the hardships and become a fine person.”

“Good, good…” Yan Mu laughed, though tears flowed. He felt that the accumulated grief of twenty years was pouring out, turning into a surge of heroism.

“He should endure the hardships and become a fine person!”

His sister had angrily divorced and returned home, never willing to believe that the child was buried among the three hundred righteous children. She endured the pain and humiliation, searching everywhere. But the world is vast, and there was no news. After all, he was just a small child. No matter how smart, how could he escape the siege?

In the end, he couldn’t be found.

Everyone thought it was just a mother’s refusal to believe her child was gone until half a year ago, when a captured remnant of Prince Pingnan’s party claimed that the young master was not among the three hundred righteous children but was taken by the leader of the Heavenly Sect.

Yan Mu dared not think that if this were true, a child of noble blood, falling into the hands of such cruel rebels, what kind of life he would have led, what unknown sufferings he would have endured…

Just thinking about it made his heart burn with pain, unable to find peace! At this moment, he reached out tremblingly to the young man before him.

Xie Wei stood up, walked to his bedside, and when he extended his hand, Yan Mu grasped it tightly, the force so strong it hurt.

Looking up, he met Yan Mu’s bloodshot eyes!

They were filled with overwhelming hatred and deep sorrow.

His hoarse voice said, “When you came, there should have been a cherry tree in front of Qingyu Hall, planted twenty-two or twenty-three years ago. When it was first planted, it didn’t bear much fruit. That child would sit on the steps under the eaves, reading and looking at the tree, day by day waiting for the cherries to ripen. Now it has grown tall and lush, with red fruits hanging under the green leaves in summer. Next summer solstice, Master Xie, you should come and taste them. They are much sweeter than many years ago…”

Xie Wei’s throat choked, and after a long time, he barely whispered, “Alright.”

Yan Mu, having finished speaking, seemed tired.

He didn’t ask why, if the child were still alive, he hadn’t come to reunite with his family earlier.

Xie Wei left the room.

The light in the corridor was too bright, piercing his eyes and heart. The burning pain in his chest made him press his hand hard against his heart, stumbling a few steps, and he had to support himself on a pillar, leaving marks with his nails, barely keeping himself from falling.

His brows furrowed, his face pale.

The steward nearby was startled and hurried over to support him.

Xie Wei steadied himself.

The steward, worried, asked, “Are you alright?”

Xie Wei slowly released his hand, his eyes filled with anger but deeply suppressed under layers of masks. When he looked up again, he was calm, as still as dead water, “It’s nothing, just a bit of cold and palpitations.”