Axiu looked at the old man, confused and clueless.
While his expression made the ladies quietly red-eyed, he wondered why the old man wanted him to kneel.
"Come here, kneel, kowtow, and offer incense." The old man instructed again.
Axiu subconsciously went to pull Liu Yusheng. Thinking that it was the same as before, then he would be with Shengsheng.
"Brother Axiu, you go. I can't accompany you… here." Liu Yusheng pulled her hand away.
"Why?"
Because inside lay your mother.
For some reason, the sadness that surfaced in the little child's eyes made Axiu resistant.
He didn't know if he was resisting that emotion, or some kind of meaning behind that emotion.
He didn't want to kneel, or even approach the graveyard.
Grandpa Liu, Liu Dalin and Liu Erlin had already cleaned up the overgrown weeds around the grave.
Grandma Liu, on the other hand, along with Chen Xiulan and Du Juan, had placed offerings and lit incense in front of the grave, and were just waiting for Axiu to approach.
Eventually, he lifted his feet and approached step by step, kneeling down slowly in front of the grave.
A taut string in his brain now thrummed, shaking his brain so sharply, it hurt.
His heart felt like it was covered by a heavy dark cloud, so oppressive that he could hardly breathe.
Grandma Liu sighed softly – her hand caressing the wet soil on the grave. It's been three years, Big Sister has found Axiu back.
In the future, the Liu family will be his home, and he will be a child of the Liu's.
Rest in peace in the Nine Springs.
After Axiu kowtowed and offered incense, Liu Yusheng also went forward and lit an incense to pay her respects.
Liu Zhixia and Liu Zhiqiu exchanged glances and kneeled beside Axiu respectively.
The cottage was burned to the ground, leaving nothing behind.
Afterwards, it was Grandma who rummaged through the house for a coat that Aunt Wanrong had left behind and set up this clothes mound.
If Brother Axiu was found, at least he would have a place to pay his respects.
If Brother Axiu didn't return, they would have also come over every year to offer some paper money and incense to the deceased.
She had existed in this world. At least, someone would always remember her.
The sky was gray, and at some point, the rain that had stopped in the morning began to fall again.
It was light and pattering, but there was a tendency that it would gradually turn heavy.
It fell on their faces with a penetrating chill.
"Okay, get up, it's time to go back." Grandpa Liu spoke.
Axiu stood up, his head lowered and quiet. His knees were both stained with mud.
The group packed up and went back to the village. As they left, Chen Xiulan whispered softly to the grave, "Wanrong, don't worry. I'll take care of the child on your behalf. Next year, I'll bring him to see you again. When his condition improves, I'll erect a monument for you with my own hands."
Her voice was very soft and was almost muffled by the drizzle.
Axiu, who was walking behind the group, turned suddenly stiff. His face whitened, and he plunged straight forward.
Before he totally lost his consciousness, a flurry of screams rang in his ears.
At the same time, the capital city thousands of miles away was also experiencing a drizzle.
The entire imperial city was shrouded in gray clouds and rain – depressing and deserted.
A bout of coughing suddenly resonated from the Imperial Palace's Imperial Chamber.
"Your Majesty!" The old eunuch cried out in alarm and strode forward to smooth the air for Emperor Hongyuan who was lying on the imperial bed. "Your Majesty you can't get angry anymore. Take care of your imperial body!"
Emperor Hongyuan waved the eunuch back while panting heavily.
After lingering in bed due to illness for six years, his face was waxy and withered. He was sickly all over, and his hair showed his old age.
Only the Emperor's momentum in those eyes remained undiminished.
"I am the lord of the world, sitting on the entire Nanling. Yet above my own imperial soil, I can not find the person I'm searching for!" The Emperor looked askance at the man kneeling in front of the imperial bed. Even though he was lying down, his majesty taught people not to dare look at him. "Commander Wei, do you think that I am not capable enough, or are my subordinates too incompetent?"
"I deserve a thousand deaths to atone for my crimes! Please punish, Your Majesty!" Wei Qing dropped to his knees, not daring to raise his head – cold sweat dripping down his forehead one by one.
He was the commander of the secret guards by the Emperor's side, yet he had repeatedly failed in his missions. He had long lost his qualification to continue as commander.
"I want to chop you alive!"
Wei Qing's face instantly whitened, and he gritted his teeth. "This humble servant accepts your punishment!"
"As my hidden guard, you're not loyal enough. To say I was betrayed, you didn't betray me thoroughly enough." The Emperor's voice was flat and slow, but it made the man who was kneeling on the floor tremble more and more violently. "I heard that you have a sister who serves by the side of Concubine Shu. She's quite highly valued these years and is a clever one."
"Your Majesty!" Wei Qing looked up suddenly, his face had taken on a deathly gray hue.
"This Imperial Chamber of mine lacks clever lackeys. I will transfer people over tomorrow. I'll give you one last chance. Within three months, I want success reports."
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty! This humble servant will do his best!" Walking out of the gate of the Imperial Chamber and into the rain curtain, the rain showered down on his body but it wasn't as cold as the chill that emerged from Wei Qing's heart.
The Emperor knew everything.
Three years ago, he deliberately found the place one step behind.
Killing all the black-clad men present and cutting off the possibility of them passing back clues, were his last-minute choice of loyalty.
It was just that this one act of disloyalty needn't be repeated a hundred times. This last chance wasn't an opportunity.
The Emperor was asking him to write his own ending.
Once the person was found, he would die to pay for his sins, and the matter would end.
If the person couldn't be found, his betrayal from the onset and the cause of his betrayal would ultimately accompany him to hell!
"Your Majesty, Wei Qing has already betrayed you, so why give him a chance? If he betrays Your Majesty again, wouldn't the 16th Prince be in greater risk?"
Emperor Hongyuan slowly closed his eyes, and a nearly empty sigh escaped from his mouth.
If he had another choice, how could he use someone like him again?
It was just that Wei Qing had been chasing the lead. Compared with abandoning Wei Qing and letting a newcomer take over, he could retrieve the person faster.
He was running out of time.
He couldn't wait.
He owed that mother and child too much. He just wanted to do a last-ditch effort to give that child good protection before he died.
"Send orders to Wei Zi to accompany Wei Qing's as second-in-command. Find him and bring him back to the palace immediately!"
"Yes, I'll carry it out at once!" The old eunuch quickly took the order and retired.
The Emperor looked sideways out of the window. The drizzle continued, like when she was in tears – silent, falling into the innermost being of a man.
In the end, he failed her.
And the child he was most proud of, hated him, right?
Worried and anxious, another hacking cough struck him uncontrollably. He sniffed and blood spilled out of his mouth. His gaze fell out of the window again – his focus drifting far, far away.
After the Qingming Festival, another major event happened in the palace.
Imperial Consort Shu, who has been sailing smoothly in the palace over the years, was demoted to a Concubine by the Emperor because of a bowl of soup.
The Emperor has been sick for several years and has too many taboos about what he ate. The slightest mistake could worsen his condition and injure his imperial body. The bowl of soup contained exactly one ingredient that the Emperor mustn't eat. Thus, Imperial Consort Shu was caught in the cusp of the turmoil without retreat.