Ping Zhao Lu

In the winter of the 15th year of Pingzhao, Empress Xu died.

The whole palace was in mourning and remembering.

The funeral bell on the city wall rang repeatedly, announcing the end of a generation of virtuous queens.

The falling rain and snow wash away the dust of the past.

The raindrops rolling down the eaves dripped down and quietly bloomed under the comfort of the morning light.

……

"Squeak-"

The door with the wedding character on it was gently pushed open.

A maid with a bun-like hairstyle came in carrying a wash basin. "My Second Young Master, it's already Chenshi (the time of the morning), and people have been coming to the palace since the beginning of the morning. If you don't wake up, you'll be held accountable!"

A familiar voice echoed in his ears. Xu Zhouye's eyebrows moved slightly and he opened his eyes hazily.

What caught my eye was a scene that couldn't be more familiar!

The bright red silk stretched on the beams, the wedding gowns neatly arranged on the clothesline, and the phoenix corona and pearl hairpins displayed on the dressing table—isn’t this exactly the scene on his wedding day!

Xu Zhouye was in a trance until the maid called him again, pulling his confused thoughts back to his senses. "Master? Are you feeling unwell?"

Xu Zhouye was stunned for a moment, then he looked up at the person standing in front of him. Suddenly, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Regardless of his usual elegant image, he suddenly jumped up with the corners of his mouth raised in shock, "Qinghe... It's really Qinghe!"

Qing He frowned, put down the wash basin, squatted down with a worried look, raised his hand to test the temperature of his master's forehead, "He doesn't have a fever... Why is he so abnormal today and talking nonsense?"

Xu Zhouye was stunned for a moment, suppressing his excitement. He reached out and pinched Qinghe's chubby face, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he murmured, "It really wasn't a dream..."

"Master, are you... stupid?" Qinghe asked nervously.

Hearing this, Xu Zhouye immediately let go of his hand and flicked the maid's forehead with his finger, "How can you talk like that? Your young master is fine!"

Qing He glanced at his master in disbelief, pouting and muttering, "Who was that person making so much noise just now..."

Her words and actions were so vivid that she must be his personal maid.

Xu Zhouye couldn't help laughing, "Alright, don't think too much, it's just that I didn't sleep well, hurry up and wash up and get ready to go to the palace."

As soon as he finished speaking, an inopportune voice was heard outside the door.

"Brother Jin, are you up? Everyone is waiting for you outside!"

The sound was like a ghost taking life, harsh and unpleasant.

Xu Zhouye paused for breath, and the pain in his heart made him sweat coldly.

Why are you yelling so loudly, as if you are afraid that others will not know that the master is up late!

Qinghe turned her back to Xu Zhouye, pouted her lips, and threw the handkerchief heavily into the basin with a bad temper, splashing a puddle of water.

Then he trotted out the door and stopped Rong Yu'an who was about to enter. "Mr. Yu'an, please stop. The auspicious time is approaching. Let's talk about it later. Don't delay the wedding."

Rong Yu'an's expression changed, and he forced a smile and said, "Miss Qinghe is right. I came here out of kindness to wake up Brother Jin, so as not to keep the people from the palace waiting."

Qing He curled his lips, crossed his arms and said sarcastically, "Mr. Yu An, you've come at the right time. My young master is just about to go out."

What time is it? You just went out.

Rong Yu'an covered her mouth with her hands and smiled, saying kindly, "Of course not. It's just a good opportunity for me to accompany Brother Jin into the palace."

Qing He's expression froze as she warily glanced at the flamboyantly dressed man in front of her. Her dislike for him deepened. "The Master didn't ask you to follow him. Young Master Yu An, you'd better stay in the mansion."

Rong Yu'an's raised lips slowly dropped, "Brother Jin and I grew up together, and now that Brother Jin is married, how can I bear the thought of him being alone and helpless in the deep palace?"

What are you talking about? What are you talking about? You can't stand seeing others doing well, right?

Qing He laughed angrily, "Master Yu'an, be careful with your words. How could you have known that my young master would fall out of favor once he entered the palace?"

Rong Yu'an was stunned. She had never thought that this maid could be so sharp-tongued. The rage suppressed in her heart suddenly rose up. "You are just a servant. How can you stir up trouble between the masters for no reason? What is your intention?"

Master? What kind of master are you?

Qing He secretly spitted at him, but a smile was on his face: "Master Yu'an, the auspicious time has come, please go back."

Rong Yu'an was furious.

She's just a maid, yet she doesn't even take him seriously!

Thinking of this, Rong Yu'an raised his hand and pretended to slap him.

Unexpectedly, his hand was suddenly grabbed by someone and thrown to the side, and he staggered back a few steps due to inertia.

Rong Yu'an quickly steadied himself, looked up blankly, and looked at the newcomer in confusion. There was a hint of grievance in his flustered tone, "Brother Jin, why are you..."

Xu Zhouye flicked his sleeves, a trace of barely perceptible disgust flashing across his usually cold expression. "She's my personal maid, and you beat her up whenever you want. Do you really take me seriously?"

"no……"

Rong Yu'an's face turned stiff. Why did Xu Jin become such a different person?

No matter how presumptuous he was in the past, Xu Jin always turned a blind eye and never contradicted him. But now, for the sake of a maid, he lost face in front of everyone in the yard. How should the people in the Duke's Mansion treat him in the future?

Rong Yu'an pursed his lips, his expression filled with dejection. "Brother Jin, it was Qinghe who spoke rudely first. How could you criticize me without knowing the truth? Yu'an is really heartbroken." After a pause, he continued, "I'm not blaming Brother Jin. It's just that Qinghe is deliberately trying to alienate you and me. How dare Brother Jin keep such a sinister maid by his side!"

Before Xu Zhouye could respond, Nanny Li from the palace walked towards them in small steps.

Rong Yu'an's eyes flickered slightly, and he spoke in a gentle voice, "Today is Brother Jin's wedding, and Yu'an is really reluctant to let you go. I can't bear to see you enter the palace alone. If Brother Jin doesn't mind, can you take me with you to the palace as a companion?"

When he spoke, the onlookers had different expressions on their faces, and they all looked at Rong Yu'an, who looked like a weak scholar.

People who are not familiar with Rong Yu'an are all attracted by his temperament and appearance, and they are generous in giving him praise.

Those who were familiar with Rong Yu'an were full of contempt and wanted to crush him to pieces.

"Why is he so annoying? He always sticks to the Second Young Master and wants to share everything with him!"

"That's right. If the Second Young Master hadn't been kind-hearted and asked the Master to adopt him as his adopted son, how could he have a say in this mansion?"

"He's the one who usually orders us around, yet he pretends to be weak and coaxes our young master into obeying him and doing whatever he says!"

"I wanted to hook up with our young master before, but he didn't even bother to look at me, haha..."

The discussions around them were getting louder and louder, and most of them were words that embarrassed Rong Yu'an.

Xu Zhouye and Qinghe stood quietly in front of the door. The master and servant tacitly kept silent, allowing the gossip to drown out Rong Yu'an's reason, and they also experienced the feeling of watching with cold eyes.

Rong Yu'an's face turned green with anger, but he dared not say anything in front of so many people.

Nanny Li ignored his cries for help and calmly walked past him. She bowed and said respectfully to Xu Zhouye, "This old servant has been specially sent by His Majesty to welcome Master Xu into the palace. If you have packed everything, please come with me and get into the sedan chair."

Xu Zhouye nodded gently and said, "Everything is ready. Thank you for your help, Madam."

Nanny Li smiled kindly, glancing at the sulking Rong Yu'an nearby. She said pointedly, "My lord, you are too polite. After this formality, you will be the most honorable Empress of the Great Wei. We have no right to comment on what the Empress says or does, and can only obey."

After hearing this, Rong Yu'an, who was about to explode, had no choice but to hold back. She could only hold back her anger, raised the corners of her lips, and returned to her usual friendly demeanor. "Madame Li is right. We must follow the Empress's lead and will never dare to act rashly."

Xu Zhouye smiled with satisfaction, and followed Qinghe down the stairs with steady steps. "Then let's set off." He turned to look at Rong Yu'an, the smile in his eyes was unfathomable. "Yu'an, follow too."

Everyone sighed when they heard this.

"Master, please forgive me for being so nosy. This Master Yu'an is not someone to be trifled with."

Qinghe said earnestly.

"I know."

Xu Zhouye's expression was indifferent. "Because of this, I have to keep it by my side and look after it personally to feel at ease."

It would be most dangerous if he was left in the mansion.

When he thought of the fate of his father and brother in his previous life, he wished he could cut them into pieces!

If I could live my life over again, I would never make the same mistake again.

Only by tying the person to your side can you better avenge your revenge!

Seeing that the person hadn't caught up yet, Xu Zhouye paused, turned around and raised his eyebrows and asked, "Why? Yu'an doesn't want to?"

Rong Yu'an was stunned for a long time before reacting. Then he ran to Xu Zhouye with a beaming face, "Of course I am willing. I knew that Brother Jin would be the one who couldn't bear to leave me!"

Seeing this person walking unruly beside the newlyweds, Nanny Li frowned in displeasure and said bluntly, "Master Yu'an, according to the rules, you should walk with this servant. Only His Majesty can stand beside His Highness. If His Majesty blames you for being so willful, even His Highness won't be able to protect you."

Upon hearing this, Rong Yu'an's face suddenly changed. He clenched his hands into fists under his sleeves and reluctantly retreated into the group of palace servants.

Qinghe's originally serious expression collapsed in an instant. When he glanced at Rong Yu'an, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise, and he secretly rejoiced in his heart: Let you show off.

After leaving the hospital, two tall men came towards me.

The man walking in front was old, with a gray beard and a slightly aged face, yet his face remained resolute.

The man following behind him was handsome and tall, and he was at the age of high spirits.

When they met Xu Zhouye's eyes, they were both relieved and reluctant.

Xu Zhouye stood there in a daze, as if he had just woken up from a dream.

It had been a lifetime since I saw my father and brother again.

The taste is like eating Coptis chinensis, extremely bitter.

"Greetings to Duke Dingguo, Major General."

The group bowed in unison.

General Xu waved his hand, signaling them to stand up.

Xu Zhouye's eyes moistened slightly. He tried hard not to let the tears fall. He jokingly said in a hoarse voice, "Didn't you say you wouldn't come to see me? Why did you come anyway..."

"This is the Duke's Mansion. My father and I come whenever we want and see whatever we want. Do you have any objections?" Xu Jianglin crossed his arms and said in a leisurely voice, "Even if you have any objections, you have to keep them to yourself."

Sure enough, no matter what time, his good brother still likes to contradict him verbally as always.

Xu Zhouye pursed his lips and chuckled softly, "How dare I? Everyone in the mansion knows that I listen to my eldest brother the most."

"..."

Isn't that the opposite? Isn't he the most disobedient?

Xu Jianglin shook his head, holding his forehead with his hand and smiling bitterly, "I have nothing to say, brother."

"That's enough. If you keep making such a fuss, you'll miss the auspicious time!" General Xu, who had been silent for a long time, finally couldn't hold back any longer and spoke. "If you have anything to say, we can talk later. It's not like we're separated by the Yin and Yang, so why are you talking so much nonsense?"

"..."

Each one of them is more poisonous than the other.

It's truly a tradition passed down from generation to generation.

"Father is right. If we delay the wedding, we'll all be held accountable." After holding it in for a long time, Rong Yu'an couldn't help but speak out. His kind tone was filled with blame. "Yesterday, I reminded Brother Jin to get up early... I think Brother Jin was too happy and forgot that today is a big day, so he slept in like usual."

"..."

What he said was just as if he was openly spreading the words "Xu Zhouye deliberately got up late".

Qinghe couldn't help but roll his eyes.

General Xu and Xu Jianglin's faces darkened.

For a moment, the scene fell into an eerie silence.

Rong Yu'an thought his exaggerated words had worked, so he continued excitedly, "And Qinghe, that girl, has such an impatient temper. If she follows Brother Jin into the palace, I'm afraid she'll cause a lot of trouble!"

What a heartfelt remark! Who wouldn’t be confused after hearing it?

Qing He glared at him angrily and was about to step forward to argue but was stopped by Xu Zhouye, "Master..."

Xu Zhouye patted her shoulder gently to show his comfort, and turned his gaze to Rong Yu'an calmly, "Qinghe has been by my side since she was a child. Everyone has seen her character. She is calm and reliable. She will never lose her composure unless it is absolutely necessary. Yu'an said she is impatient. What is your proof?"

Rong Yu'an was speechless for a moment.

Xu Zhouye once again used words to stop him for the sake of this maid!

The rage that had been suppressed flared up again. "I came here with good intentions to ask Brother Jin to stand up, but Qinghe stopped me at the door and repeatedly spoke rudely to me. Is this the right attitude to treat a master? Other things are fine, but I was only thinking about Brother Jin and was just overthinking it. Could it be that Brother Jin would think Yu'an was being unreasonable?"

Bringing this up again.

Qinghe took a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm. He couldn't ruin his master's marriage.

General Xu pinched his brows irritably, "That's enough. Are you trying to delay Jin'er's marriage?"

This low scolding frightened Rong Yu'an so much that he trembled. He lowered his head and dared not look directly at General Xu. He could only reply pitifully, "What my foster father taught me is..."

General Xu was too lazy to pay attention to him and gave Xu Zhouye a few instructions.

"Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. You must be extremely cautious in the palace and don't worry too much about your family. As long as you stay within the rules, you can do whatever you want. The Duke's Mansion will always be your support."

"I understand, Father."

Xu Zhouye shook his clothes, knelt down in front of his father and brother, and bowed solemnly to say goodbye.

General Xu opened his lips, but he had so much to say that it was difficult to express it all at once, and his eyes gradually became moist.

Xu Jianglin suppressed his previous ruffian attitude and nodded seriously to his brother, "Go ahead. My father and I will ask His Majesty for permission to visit you in the palace when we have time."

"Yeah." Xu Zhouye stood up reluctantly, bowed, turned around and followed the accompanying team.

After they left, General Xu wiped away the tears from his eyes, cleared his throat, and said to Xu Jianglin, "Your younger brother is married. When will you, the eldest brother, get married too?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Jianglin instantly broke away from the sadness of parting and put on an indescribable expression, "Father, you really are..." He brought up something irrelevant.