Vol 1 Chapter 8 (1/2)
Mo Shang Hua Kai Chapter 8
At the present, at Dashao all level of society, the government and the public, there were two pieces of big shocking news ---
The first was, the King of Turpan brought the Turpan’s unrivalled rare and precious national treasure, Turpan Honeydew, coming to Dashao to propose a marriage1, in hope that he could marry and take the Emperor’s youngest brother, the Twelfth Prince, this year just reached sixteenth, Song Shuo, as his wife, to be his Queen. As the result, Song Shuo took that unrivalled rare and precious honeydew then smashed it on the head of the Turpan’s King, saying, You go die! The entire people of the nation if were not clapping their hands while applauding ‘well done’, would raise their thumbs while saying ‘Our little Prince is just too cool!’
The King of Turpan did not give up, worked with perseverance; the more obstructed the more courageous. Now he was still at Dashao chasing the running away Twelfth Prince all day long, annoyed the Twelfth to the point of him almost going crazy.
The other news was more popular. That’s right. Congratulation dear honorable readers, you finally have guessed it right. It was about the Emperor and the a.s.sistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites’ illicit love s.e.x scandal.
Whether it was the Imperial Court’s high officials or the local commoners, the whole nation, up and down, man and woman, old and young, all were talking about these two affairs. They usually used the afternoon idle time to chat, about that rumored Turpan’s Honeydew having what kind of fragrance and sweetness and very juicy, and then used the evening after dinner teatime, to talk in whispers about the series of the Imperial Court’s topmost s.e.x scandal, the adultery between the Monarch and his subject.
Under the sun of the time of peace and prosperity, it had been so long since whatever uncommon news occurred. These two pieces of news were greatly inspiring people’s hearts with enthusiasm! Compared to the event two years ago, the incident of Scholar Lou Chu Yun’s naked painting’s outflow to the public, these events were even more bubbling and gurgling.
What?! The next door’s daughter eloped with her lover? Gee, what is so great about it, news about the Emperor and the a.s.sistant Minister of Ministry of Rites is more important, alright?!
The Emperor’s feeling and livelihood was not limited to one person’s affairs, there were also the Imperial Family, the Imperial Court, Dashao’s numerous people who watched with their eyes opened widely to be considered as the nation’s affairs.
A man together with a man was violating the harmonious heavenly princ.i.p.al of Yin and Yang, but at Dashao this was not such a big crime that couldn’t be defied at all. Flouris.h.i.+ng age prosperous style, to the point that there were men who married a man as his wife. To stand on the Imperial court’s position, this measure of action had violated the upright custom of society, therefore, their marriage was not legally admitted, however, the not affected by the people’s mouth’s quality and quant.i.ty would go ahead with the mentioned topic, as long as you agree and I am willing, they could live happily and merrily, need not to heartlessly break the mandarin ducks2, simply must let them live in harmony.
But before Song Yu, Dashao already had many Emperors who didn’t appoint a Shang Jun. Everyone made a guess, the eighteenth generation, Emperor De Zhi would or would not let Li Cong Qing to sit on this position?
So to say, Li Cong Qing didn’t wish to make known to the public about his romantic relations.h.i.+p with the Emperor, not at all because the Heavenly Princ.i.p.al disagreed with a man to love another man, all the more not at all because he wanted to uphold the upright custom of society, it was simply because of his fondness of laziness and fear of troublesomeness. If he became Shang Jun, he wouldn’t have the freedom to do as he pleased to leisurely pa.s.s the days anymore. Every move and every action of the Shang Jun would become the central focus to be looked at and also become the gossip target of all the people.
So, Li Cong Qing was just as the Emperor had expected, truly ran away, no, to say the truth it should be hiding himself, hiding in Er’he’s Governor’s Mansion, at the back room in a little garden.
Li Cong Qing could be said as the very last person in Dashao who learned about this s.e.x scandal. When he together with Wei Xiao Miao left Chu’nan to visit Er’he, the taciturn Li Cong Xuan upon the sight of him, even a greeting he still hadn’t said, already in a cool manner threw him a line of words first: “Your secret is already out.”
What is out? The awfully leisure Li Cong Qing was at a loss for a while. “What secret?”
“The Emperor and the a.s.sistant Minister of Ministry of Rites’ affair.”
“Eh?!” Li Cong Qing’s face was radically changing. “No way…”
“Do you think you really can wrap it tightly?”
“Have you told Big Brother?”
“I don’t, but he is even sharper than a fox, do you think he won’t be able to find out? Before, there was only a few people who know, now already known by everyone without exception.” Li Cong Xuan added another hurtful note in the end, throwing him a book ent.i.tled < the=”” secret=”” of=”” the=”” world=””>>.
This book was very famous, specialized in reporting miscellaneous news about famous people’s all sort of news and eccentric people as well as odd things, particularly to criticize and to reveal some gossips and news to stir up the situation. It would be published once a month, be on sale throughout the country. However, this time on the front cover a huge headline caption ---- The Secret Relations.h.i.+p of the a.s.sistant Minister is Exposed!
A sudden clap of a thunder, in an instant the explosion caused Li Cong Qing to become muddle headed and blurred vision, on his face was a splendid multicolored.
Be accustomed to always having an affair in a stealthy method, when he had yet to prepare his mentality, suddenly the affair was unexpectedly exposed. Casually exposed under the sunlight, in a split second he had a horrible illusion as if he was caught in the act, then stark-nakedly paraded through the streets. Before, when he was still in the Capital, he often had a secret meeting with the Emperor but nothing had happened. Why once he left, on the contrary, the affair was leaked out instead?
Even if he was about to be beaten to death, he still wouldn’t admit it!
Right, even if I have to die, I will never admit it! After all, the Emperor also wouldn’t admit it. Li Cong Qing decided to vehemently deny this matter until the very end. Yet, afterwards, he heard that the Emperor had personally faced the Empress Dowager to confess and come clean, that between he and the a.s.sistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites indeed had this kind of relations.h.i.+p. Li Cong Qing all the more didn’t know how he should properly react.
AAhhhhh…! Why did he have to admit it? He was the Emperor, who could force him to endure whatever, but he was only a little a.s.sistant Minister, it would be a wonder if he was not skinned alive! Even if it was not concerning a life or death, survive or perish great affair of the nation, but in this life time, this was the very first time for Li Cong Qing to experience what was called as panic-stricken. To think about that year, when he was eaten clean with nothing left by the Emperor, he did not at all feel at a loss of what to do, to the point he nested himself under the quilt and did not dare to meet people for the whole day.
Once he nested himself, he nested for nearly half a month. Except for disposing his basic physiology’s demand, his leg practically didn’t touch the ground. The whole person would be from muddy to sandy3. Didn’t want to face, didn’t want to think, didn’t want whatever, he only wanted to simply sleep to die would be fine.
However, he couldn’t break off from the growing stronger intense longing, longed for the faraway at the other side of the world lover, yearned to the point his heart became hurt. How much he wished that he could return to that person’s side, unfortunately he didn’t have the strength and courage to face the reality, upon the thought that he had to face the query eyes of the people, he would be annoyed to death.
“Li Cong Qing, how long do you intend to nest?” Li Cong Xuan asked without hiding his detest.
“It is good if I can nest until I die, you don’t have to mind me. Leave me alone.” The stuffy teary voice was pa.s.sing out from the cotton quilt. The him who loved to sleep, after hiding himself at there had become more aggravated, dejected to the utmost point.
“Second Brother, if you don’t come out to bask in the sun, you will become a worm.” Song Xi with one hand hugging her little son, the other hand holding her elder son, stepped into the room while teasing him.
“Get up. Someone has come to meet you.” Li Cong Xuan said to him in his cold voice.
“Haven’t I told you, I don’t want to see anyone.”
“You can’t not meet.”
“I said I don’t want to meet.”
“Rong’r, go and ask your second uncle4 to get out of bed.” Said Song Xi while releasing her hold on her elder son.
“Yes.” Three year old5 kid happily pounced, leaped and jumped on the drum-shaped little mountain of quilt. Lively shouted and jumped. “Second Uncle, Second Uncle, get up! Quickly get up!”
From inside the piling up cotton quilt pa.s.sed out a pained groaning sound. Li Cong Qing couldn’t stand the trampling of the little frog, finally stretched out his head to beg for mercy: “Rong’r please don’t jump anymore. You almost flattened your uncle6 with your jumping!”
“Second Brother, hurry up and get up. This person you absolutely may not refuse to meet.” Added Song Xi.
Looks like if he didn’t get up from the bed, they wouldn’t let him off. Li Cong Qing heaved a heavy sigh, undertook the difficulty to raise his body and out of the bed, dilly-dally to wear all of his clothing. “Who wants to see me?”
“Second Uncle, it is maternal grandfather7!” Li You Rong answered in place of his parents.
Little nephew’s maternal grandfather, is the father of Song Xi… Ee, isn’t he the father of the current Emperor --- the Retired Emperor8?!
Li Cong Qing was dumbfounded.
“Quickly go.” Li Cong Xuan yanked him to go.
Unwilling and grudgingly, he strode out from the room. The hadn’t seen for a long time bright sunlight caused him to be dazzled for a spell, hurt his eyes and made his tears almost flow out. Half-pulled half-dragged, he arrived at the inner side of the manor’s courtyard. Seen in the wayside pavilion, seated was a man about fifty years old, elegantly with an impressive and dignified bearing. Wei Xiao Miao was standing by his side and talking with him.
They were talking about that year, when the Third Prince Song Yu turned seventeen, Emperor Wen Zhi announced that he abdicated and handed over the throne to him. Successfully managed the grand ceremony to abdicate the throne, --- the new reigning Emperor was given the t.i.tle De Zhi, conveniently, hand in hand with the Empress they went to visit both sides of Yangtze River9, very rarely they went back to the Palace. Because of this, Li Cong Qing had never met the retired Emperor before, even so, without much thinking one also could find out that the man in the pavilion was a man of an honorable status.
“Grandfather! Grandfather!” The little kid pounced at him and act spoiled.
Li Cong Qing got a headache as if struggling. Hesitating and not moving forward. Li Cong Xuan simply shoved him to enter the pavilion. He had no choice but to bend his knees and make a bow with clasped hands for courtesy sake: “Humble subject meet…”
“We are family, need not much formality.” The retired Emperor stopped him, supported him to rise while smiling and scrutinizing him.
A big drop of cold sweat rolled down from Li Cong Qing’s forehead. That… actually was the expression of a father-in-law checking on his daughter-in-law… The retired Emperor must have purposely come to see what kind of appearance his son’s secret lover had.
“Come, come to sit and talk.” The retired Emperor asked everyone to sit, holding Song You Rong10 and put him on his knee. With the manner of an elderly he lightly chatted about the daily life of the family. Regarding the s.e.x scandal, he hadn’t raised this phrase. His eyes were watching Li Cong Qing closely.
Even if Li Cong Qing had not appeared to be alarmed and all in fl.u.s.ter, his face also appeared to be carefree and leisurely as he used to be, but the fact was he wasn’t comfortable at all to be looked at from head to toe, he couldn’t find any excuses to leave his seat too, could only silently sit and listen to their idle chat.
“Xi’r you, amongst your brothers and sisters, you are the most willful. Having your brother to approve your marriage won’t do, you only wanted your brother to abolish your Princess’ t.i.tle, demoted you to a commoner, and ultimately, you actually left the palace secretly without permission. Say, is there such a bold and reckless Princess like this?” The retired Emperor smilingly criticized, there was not a tiny bit of fury in his face.
“Father, this is what’s called, go to the ends of the world for love.” Song Xi completely didn’t admit that she was at fault. “Cong Xuan said he would rather be a monk than to be the Emperor’s bother-in-law. That’s why your daughter better not be a princess anymore.”
“Stubborn girl!”
“We Song family, which one is not stubborn? Once set our mind, for the rest of our life we will never leave each other. It couldn’t change until we die.” Said Song Xi, all of a sudden she looked at Li Cong Qing, asked: “Second Brother, what do you think? Isn’t it right?”
“Huh? Yes…” Li Cong Qing absent-mindedly agreed, his surname was not Song, she shouldn’t have asked him.
“Alas, my Third Brother is truly pitiful. He had set on someone, but that person doubtfully set on him. His tolerance is truly higher than me.” Song Xi made a heartfelt sigh. “He is the Emperor, if he was being wronged, he couldn’t say it to people. If there is a problem, he couldn’t escape nor hide. Sadness could only be swallowed. That’s why, what is so good to be an Emperor. He doesn’t have the freedom of living like the commoners.”
In an instant Li Cong Qing felt like being stabbed by her words. His heart was throbbing in pain, depressed to the utmost point.
Always in the past, he usually only thought about his own self, very rarely considered about what Song Yu had in mind and his feelings. Always thought that because he was the Emperor, he should not have anything he couldn’t do, stood upright unshakeable, he had overlooked that the Emperor was also human, also has his weakness. To stand on high place couldn’t bear the cold, also to the extent that compared to the ordinary people, he was more isolated without any help.
--- When the flowers on the path bloom, you may slowly return.
When leaving the Capital, he steadily gazed as well as gently said the words on his ears.
Song Yu had predicted from earlier that this kind of thing would happen? The so called blooming flowers, was referred to their exposed secret?
Hide for a while, couldn’t hide for a lifetime. Two people eventually would have to face this problem. He had put him out from the center of the storm beforehand, not causing him to have any chance to suffer the harm, bearing alone the enormous pressure of spreading embroidered stories and malicious gossip.
How could Li Cong Qing not understand. His lover the Emperor always extremely doted on him, protected him, and also understood too much about his character. Knowing if he was in the Capital, surely he wouldn’t have any way to calmly think it over, perhaps he might have run away without even considered to think about it. He had always been indecisive and a cowardly kind of person, hadn’t he?
Carefully thinking back, he had always been the kind of person who enjoyed himself on the expense of his lover, freely spent the gentleness and consideration that his lover bestowed on him thus he had become a spoiled rotten person… Aii Aii, the Emperor at the moment is all alone in the Capital to shoulder this enormous’ pressure, will he be suffering? Will he blame my tardy return, blame me for not standing by his side, to share the responsibility with him?
Thinking again, he couldn’t help but have a detest feeling for his own self. He felt that he was truly selfish to the extremity.
--- Just come back when you feel like it.
Silently considered for quite some time, Li Cong Qing finally made up his mind, his heart had told him that he should go home.
“I…” He lifted his head to look at the retired Emperor.
“How is it?” The retired Emperor warmly gazed at him.
Didn’t know how to properly say it, Li Cong Qing simply raised his body, made a bow with his hands clasped. “Truly apologize, humble subject Cong Qing would have to retreat first.”
“Second Brother, where do you want to go?”
“I want to go home.” Said Li Cong Qing, with a very rare to occur speed, he left with a quick steps.
Wei Xiao Miao also busily paid respect to the retired Emperor, then hurriedly followed behind.
The remaining three people inside the pavilion shrugged their shoulders, some of them smiling, but none of them stopped the steps of the suddenly seen the light person.
Li Cong Qing walked very quickly. His state of mind gradually cleared up and calmed down.
He always thought that he was actually not particularly persistent about this unwilling to make known feelings. Often a.s.sumed it in his heart, if one day the Emperor didn’t love him anymore, he shouldn’t be too sad and too heartbroken, also he wouldn’t be too embarra.s.sed, since there was not many people who knew the facts of the case.
Today he could clearly think it over, so he suddenly became aware, basically he cared more than what he had imagined, cared to the point… unwilling to let go, must not let go!
He thought, he was destined to be unable to leave that person for this lifetime. Just like the fish couldn’t be separated from water, once separated, he thought, he probably would wither and die.
Back to his room, he hurriedly packed his luggage. Before Li Cong Qing sat in the carriage, he said to Wei Xiao Miao: “Xiao Miao, although I don’t know much regarding the matter between you and Seventh Prince, however I still want to stick in my mouth to encourage you. Don’t be like me, escape and shrink to avoid.”
“Sir Li…”
“What you should hold, you ought to properly hold onto it. What do you want to pursue, just bravely go and pursue. Don’t because you are afraid and feel that you are inferior thus make you hesitate to move forward.” Li Cong Qing patted him, sincerely told him: “Xiao Miao, you are the same with everyone else, you deserve to have your dignity, even more deserve to obtain happiness.”
Wei Xiao Miao fell silent for a while, his eyes flashed through a line of radiant light of determination. “Sir Li, please return to the Capital by yourself. Humble me wants to go towards Chu’nan.”
“Mm. Go.”
“Please be careful on your way. Be sure to take good care of yourself.”