Chapter 50: A Withered Wildflower
Song Jingshu’s tender, fledgling-like voice echoed continuously within the solemn and majestic Taiji Hall.
Her tiny body trembled slightly, and her lips quivered. Every single word seemed to be squeezed out from the depths of her throat with the very last ounce of her strength.
That voice carried a trace of trembling, a hint of fear, yet possessed an inexplicable firmness, striking heavily against everyone's heart like a massive hammer.
The faces of the gathered officials were as pale as paper, and beads of sweat the size of peas rolled down their foreheads continuously, leaving wet trails along their cheeks.
One by one, they turned their stiff necks, staring fixedly at Lu Jingshuo. The shock in their gazes was like a surging tide, as if it were about to swallow Lu Jingshuo whole.
Among them, Zhang Xianhuai flushed crimson, the veins on his neck bulging. Like an enraged bull, he stepped forward directly.
His body trembled slightly like a falling leaf in the autumn wind. His lips quivered with anger, and as they parted and closed, his teeth knocked together, making a faint clicking sound.
Lu Jingshuo knitted his brows tightly, an invisible mountain seemingly wedged between them, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.
His lips were pressed into a thin line, their color slightly pale from the exertion, the corners of his mouth turned down marginally, and his eyes were filled with complex emotions—pain, helplessness, and a shred of steadfastness.
He stood quietly there, his hands clenched into tight fists, his knuckles turning white, the veins on the back of his hands winding like crouching dragons.
He simply stood straight, enduring Zhang Xianhuai's accusations without the slightest intention of rebuttal, save for his shoulders occasionally twitching slightly, betraying the turmoil within his heart.
"Lu Jingshuo, do you know what you are doing?" Zhang Xianhuai roared loudly, his voice echoing in the spacious hall, making people's ears ring.
As he roared, he pointed his finger fiercely at Lu Jingshuo.
"Have you forgotten those miserable days on Anning Street when you begged door-to-door just to afford medicine for your aging mother?"
"Who reached out a helping hand when you were at your most desperate? It was His Majesty!"
His eyes flashed with a mixed light of anger and heartache. He pointed a trembling finger at Lu Jingshuo, his fingertips turning slightly red from the force.
"Have you forgotten that you were once a lonely and destitute vagrant, with tattered clothes and an empty stomach, struggling to survive like an ant in those chaotic times?"
"It was His Majesty's benevolence, pitying your wretched background, that allowed you to study, to learn to read, and to understand the principles of being a human being."
"It allowed you, a vagrant from Xianyang, to grow step by step into someone who can now wear a uniform of the imperial guard and hold the rank of a Commander in the brocade-clad guard!"
Zhang Xianhuai's voice gradually choked up, every word seeming to exhaust his entire strength, as if he were dragging a thousand-jin weight.
At the height of his agitation, his chest heaved violently, and he breathed heavily in large gasps.
"How could you do this? Jingshuo..."
His eyes were filled with utter disappointment—a heartache born of betrayal by someone he had once trusted. His gaze resembled two sharp swords, piercing straight toward Lu Jingshuo.
"How could you, how could you treat His Majesty like this?"
Zhang Xianhuai's voice grew hoarse, sounding like a worn-out bellows being pulled with difficulty. The hand pointing at Lu Jingshuo slowly lost all support and dropped powerlessly, his arm hanging limply at his side.
His gaze carried a profound sorrow, the flames that had originally burned in his eyes gradually extinguishing, leaving only a bleak expanse, as if he were watching their former bond shatter like foam at this very moment.
"You have failed His Majesty, Jingshuo!"
……
"Enough, Xianhuai, stand down!"
Li Chengqian sat high upon the dragon throne with a majestic expression. He slightly lifted his chin, his authoritative gaze sweeping across the court.
His voice was flat yet carried an unquestionable majesty, every word seeming to be squeezed from between his teeth with an irresistible force.
Zhang Xianhuai looked at Li Chengqian, his eyes filled with heartache and reluctance. His lips parted slightly as if he wanted to say more.
"Your Majesty! I..."
His throat seemed choked by something, the words lingering on his lips yet unable to be spoken smoothly.
He tried to shift his feet uneasily, his heels scraping faint sounds against the floor.
"I told you to stand down! It is not your turn to speak here; I will handle it naturally."
Li Chengqian frowned slightly, forming a deep vertical crease between his brows, raising the volume of his speech. The voice exploded in the hall like a thunderclap, causing everyone present to tremble inwardly and involuntarily shiver.
Zhang Xianhuai closed his eyes helplessly, his eyelids twitching violently as if suppressing the pain and anger within his heart.
He took a deep breath, his chest swelling high before he slowly exhaled, as if trying to expel the vexation in his heart along with the air.
随后, he slowly retreated to his original position, each step extraordinarily heavy as if his feet were bound with giant boulders.
"You are my Chief Commander! You must keep your composure."
Li Chengqian looked at Zhang Xianhuai, a flash of complex emotion crossing his eyes—discontent at his impulsiveness, mixed with gratification at his loyalty.
He raised his hand slightly, palm facing down, and pressed down gently as if pacifying the emotions of the crowd.
"Remember, you represent my dignity! The dignity of the Son of Heaven. No matter what you encounter, remember this! With me backing you up and giving you courage, there is no need to panic!"
Hearing Li Chengqian's words, Zhang Xianhuai felt a warmth in his chest, and tears welled up in his eyes.
Those tears swirled in his eye sockets, blurring his vision.
The sense of indebtedness in his heart surged endlessly like a roaring tide.
For he knew deeply that this incident occurred because of his own lax supervision, which had led to His Majesty being placed on the fire and made a target of public criticism.
Yet not only did His Majesty not blame him, but instead he protected him so fiercely and gave him such backing.
He vowed silently in his heart to shatter his body and smash his bones for His Majesty to repay this immense grace.
What virtue or ability do I, Zhang Xianhuai, possess to receive such profound grace from His Majesty? I can never repay it!
He thought silently to himself, his lips trembling slightly while his hands involuntarily clenched into fists.
After finishing, Li Chengqian paid no further attention to the people in the court.
His expression shifted; the previously majestic face transformed into a patient and gentle look, the corners of his mouth curving upward into a slight smile. He looked toward Song Jingshu with tender eyes, his gaze like warm sunlight spilling over her.
"Little girl, if you have a grievance, slowly tell me about it. Make things clear, there is no need to rush. I am right here listening beside you."
Song Jingshu’s voice, as gentle as the spring breeze, carried the power to pacify human hearts. Her tone was soft and soothing, resembling someone comforting a frightened child.
He leaned forward slightly, placing his hands on the armrests, a forward-leaning posture that demonstrated his attentiveness to Song Jingshu's words.
Seeing Li Chengqian's slightly angry appearance from moments ago, Song Jingshu felt a bit frightened, her tiny body trembling violently like a winnowing sieve.
Realizing this was inappropriate, she managed to stop.
She looked timidly at Li Chengqian, her eyes full of hesitation, her hands nervously tugging at the corner of her clothes until she had crumpled the fabric into a wrinkled mess.
"Your Majesty, can you please not blame Brother Lu? He is a good person. And His Majesty is also a good person."
Song Jingshu seemed to sense the bizarre, knife-sharp atmosphere in the court.
All the hostility at this moment was directed at Lu Jingshuo standing below the platform, and she did not want to see him harmed.
As she spoke, her eyes darted back and forth between Li Chengqian and Lu Jingshuo, her gaze filled with pleading.
Lu Jingshuo looked at Song Jingshu, a flash of emotion crossing his eyes, the corners of his mouth curving up into a bitter smile.
He shook his head gently at her, a motion very slight yet resolute, signaling her not to plead on his behalf.
Li Chengqian glanced at Song Jingshu, neither agreeing nor refusing, merely letting out a faint sigh.
"This is a matter for adults; you don't understand yet."
A flash of complex emotion crossed his gaze, deep like a fathomless lake, inscrutable.
"Tell me about your grievance. What happened in Taiyuan?"
He straightened his posture once more, readjusting his sitting position, crossing his hands over his abdomen as his expression turned serious.
Hearing Li Chengqian's words, Song Jingshu slowly nodded, as if summoning tremendous courage.
She first took a deep breath, her chest heaving violently, and then slowly began to recount her tragic encounter.
"Your Majesty, my family lived in a small village near Jinyang in Taiyuan, called Laishan Village."
"It is a small place, and the villagers lead simple yet hard lives."
"There are many other villages around us, and every year, many people come door-to-door demanding grain."
"The grain that the villagers painstakingly accumulated was taken away bit by bit."
Song Jingshu's eyes revealed a trace of terror, her eyes wide open and filled with horror, as if those terrifying scenes were replaying before her eyes.
As she spoke, she grabbed her arms tightly with her hands, her fingers digging deeply into her skin and leaving trails of red marks.
"The first people who came did not wear official uniforms; they were members of the Wang family."
"In our region, whenever people hear the name of the Wang family, they say: 'If you encounter a Wang, flee; if you don't flee, expect to be skinned.'"
"Regardless of whether the harvest is good or bad, they demand seven-tenths of our grain as tax."
"We toil hard for a whole year, and almost all the grain we harvest is scraped clean by them."
Song Jingshu's voice trembled slightly, every word carrying a trace of a quiver, and angry tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision.
Her lips quivered slightly, as if she were desperately suppressing the anger and fear within her heart.
"Some people were unwilling to hand it over, or truly could not produce that much grain, and they were beaten to death on the spot."
At this point, she closed her eyes, as if trying to banish those terrifying images from her sight.
"After giving seven-tenths of the tax grain to the Wang family, after some time the yamen would come again to collect taxes, demanding another two-tenths."
"No one was willing to hand it over, because once this grain was given away, it wouldn't even be enough for a family to last until the end of the year, and everyone would starve to death."
"Yet they cared nothing for our lives. Those men in official uniforms brought many others, charged into the village, and snatched away all our food."
"They even claimed that His Majesty was going to war and asked us to support the imperial court, otherwise those foreign tribes would strike. But we could barely keep ourselves alive..."
Song Jingshu clenched her small fists tightly, her knuckles turning white from excessive force. Her arms trembled slightly, revealing her inner anger and grievance.
Hearing these words from Song Jingshu, Li Chengqian involuntarily twitched the corner of his brow, lifting it upward as a flash of anger crossed his eyes.
Under his dragon robe, his hands clenched tightly into fists, his knuckles turning white from the exertion and the veins on the back of his hands bulging like countless little snakes writhing beneath his skin.
"Go on."
Li Chengqian tried his best to keep his tone calm and unruffled, but beneath that calm tone seemed to lie a world-shaking tidal wave capable of destroying everything, threatening to erupt at any moment.
His lips were pressed tightly together, his gaze locked onto Song Jingshu, the majesty in his eyes intensifying.
"Our family had no grain left, so we could only go into the mountains to find something to eat. Then, the Wang family posted a notice."
Song Jingshu wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with a somewhat panicked gesture, as if trying to wipe away all the sorrow and fear.
She continued.
"It said they wanted to select some young women, and those chosen would be given some grain."
"But no one trusted the Wang family; everyone knew it must be a trap."
"However, we were so hungry that some people had no other choice, thinking perhaps... perhaps this was a path to survival."
As she spoke, she tugged at her own hair with her hand, a look of despair flashing through her eyes.
"The ones who went never returned. When it came to our village's turn, none of us were willing."
"Later, the Wang family called many people and surrounded our entire village."
"I watched with my own eyes as my elder sister was taken away by them. She kept crying and calling my name, but I... I could do nothing."
Song Jingshu's tears fell like broken beads, dampening her cheeks.
"When they left, they gave us a small pouch of grain, saying they pitied us. But this tiny pouch of grain couldn't even sustain our family for a single day."
"After my sister was taken away, Father wanted to go to the Wang family the next day to see how she was doing."
"Father said that even if he had to risk his old life, he would bring my sister back."
"However, the next day, before Father could go, the Wang family's people came again. This time, they wanted to take my mother."
"They said that having just my sister wasn't enough, and they needed to take one more."
Song Jingshu's body shook even more violently, her eyes full of terror, blown wide and bloodshot like a frightened beast.
She wrapped her arms around her head, as if trying to hide herself away.
"I had gone out to pick wild vegetables that day. When I came back and saw them seizing people, I hid. I watched as Mother was taken away by them. I... I was so afraid."
Her voice had turned hoarse, every word seemingly torn from the depths of her throat.
"When I got home, Father told me he was going to report it to the authorities. He said the imperial court would surely seek justice for us."
"Worried, I followed Father from a distance. But... but I saw Father never come out again. It was two yamen runners who carried Father's corpse out."
"They said Father overreached himself and dared to accuse the Wang family. As soon as they left the city, they casually tossed Father's body into the potter's field. There were many corpses in that potter's field, and I found my sister and mother among them. They... they were all dead."
Song Jingshu was now weeping uncontrollably.
"I covered them with some leaves because I was afraid the Wang family would catch me too. If I were caught, I wouldn't be able to seek justice for them!"
"My father once told us that all of us have two fathers. One is my biological father, who belongs only to me, and the other is His Majesty."
"My father said that His Majesty, the Emperor Elder Brother, is the father of all commoners across the world, and His Majesty will protect us."
Song Jingshu raised her head, looking tearfully at Li Chengqian, her eyes full of expectation and pleading.
"Yet the Wang family people told my father that even if he walked all the way to Chang'an, His Majesty wouldn't care. They are the Taiyuan Wang family, and Taiyuan belongs to them."
"They said we are merely pigs and dogs of Taiyuan, to be used at their whim, and no one would ever stand up for a group of pigs and dogs like us."
As she spoke, she wiped her tears again, but they continued to flow unabated.
"I refused to accept this. I secretly left Taiyuan all by myself, asking along the way which direction Chang'an was. I walked and walked, walking for a very, very long time. I didn't dare stop for fear of being caught and dragged back."
"I just kept walking and walking, traveling a terribly long distance."
"And then I met Brother Lu. He is a good person; he gave me a wash, treated me to food, and even brought me to see His Majesty!"
A flash of gratitude crossed Song Jingshu's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by sorrow.
Hearing this, Li Chengqian's eyes were filled with deep pity. Looking at Song Jingshu's frail figure, he clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles popping with crisp sounds under the pressure.
His hatred toward the Taiyuan Wang family deepened further. His body trembled slightly as if he were trying hard to restrain his emotions.
"Your Majesty, I walked for so long, and initially I wanted to come and scold you."
As Song Jingshu uttered these words, her voice grew smaller and smaller, her breath increasingly weak. Tear tracks lined her face, and her complexion had turned as pale as paper, her lips devoid of any color like a scroll sucked dry of life.
Her body swayed unsteadily, as if she might collapse at any moment.
Sensing something was amiss, Li Chengqian felt a shock in his heart. He immediately stood up from the dragon throne with swift and agile movements.
He caught Song Jingshu in his arms, wrapping his arms securely around her as if trying to transmit his own strength to her.
"Imperial Physician Wen, come here!"
Li Chengqian shouted loudly, his voice filled with anxiety and worry.
Imperial Physician Wen hurried over with small, rapid steps.
His footsteps were hurried, his shoes slapping against the floor in a rapid succession of sounds.
Glancing at Song Jingshu's complexion, his expression turned grave. He hurriedly knelt down, reached out, and checked her pulse.
His fingers rested on Song Jingshu's wrist, his brows knitted tightly as he concentrated fully on feeling that faint pulse.
It was barely perceptible. Imperial Physician Wen's face grew even grimmer. He slowly stood up, shook his head gently toward Li Chengqian with a look of helplessness and regret, his lips moving without uttering a sound.
Li Chengqian looked down at Song Jingshu in his arms, his eyes brimming with heartache.
"Go on, I am listening."
He spoke softly, his tone gentle yet sorrowful, as if fearing that a slightly louder voice might disturb this pitiful girl.
He lowered his head, bringing his face close to Song Jingshu, his eyes filled with tender concern.
"Originally... originally I also wanted to ask Your Majesty why you treated us this way. You were clearly the father to all of us. But upon meeting Your Majesty, I... I realized I seemed to have misunderstood Your Majesty."
Song Jingshu's voice was like a flickering candle in the wind, liable to extinguish at any moment, every word seeming to draw upon her very last shred of strength.
Her eyes were half-open, her gaze somewhat hazy.
"My father said that after he dies, Your Majesty will be my father... Emperor Father, I beg you, will you help my father and the others avenge their deaths? You are the best Emperor Father..."
Her lips quivered slightly as she struggled to articulate each word.
After painstakingly finishing these words, Song Jingshu's last breath seemed to be drawn away. Her body suddenly went limp, and she collapsed entirely into Li Chengqian's arms like a withered petal, losing all vitality.
Li Chengqian's arms instinctively tightened, as if trying to pull back the girl's departed life. He held her close, the force so great it seemed as though he wished to melt their two bodies into one.
His lips trembled slightly, his throat choked as if blocked by something, and he said in a choked voice, "Your Emperor Father knows now, and he will surely help you avenge this!"
That declaration, laden with boundless sorrow and anger, echoed in the empty Taiji Hall for a long time, sounding like a vow made to a departed life.
"Guards, take Lu Jingshuo into the imperial prison to await sentencing!" Holding Song Jingshu, Li Chengqian issued an order, his voice echoing coldly and majestically through the Taiji Hall.
The Divine Martial Guards immediately closed in around Lu Jingshuo.
Yet Lu Jingshuo wore a full smile on his face, a smile that appeared exceptionally abrupt amidst this tense and oppressive atmosphere.
He offered no resistance, calmly allowing the Divine Martial Guards to slip the cold shackles onto his person before being led away under escort.
Every step he took was firm and steady, as though he were not walking toward the dark and terrifying imperial prison.
His figure gradually receded into the distance, leaving the assembled officials staring blankly at one another.