Her Entire Court Reborn with Her in the Modern World

Chapter 103: Chapter 102: In This Life, He Can Finally See Her

Tears blurred Xie Qingshi’s vision, making her face hazy. Yet he gazed at her unblinkingly, as if trying to commit her appearance to memory forever.

He didn’t know if this face was the same as that of Empress Taichu four hundred years ago. After all, this was the first time he had ever seen her.

He had pictured her in his mind as a dragon, coiling into the sky, its roar powerful enough to shake all of Jiuzhou.

He had also pictured her as a phoenix, whose wings, once spread, could blot out the sun and sky.

But when she finally appeared before him, and he was granted the privilege of seeing her, she was so vibrant, so full of color and warmth.

In fact, she had saved him more than once—and all on the same day.

Empress Taichu herself had come to Linsu, and the news spread through the entire city as if it had wings.

Naturally, the fact that he had been saved by her could not be hidden from his mother. After parting with his friend, he had just returned to his courtyard when he was seized by servants his mother had sent.

A dagger was pressed to his face, its tip seeming to search for the right place to cut.

He fell silent for a moment before asking softly, "You’ve already taken my eyes. Are you going to take my face as well?"

In truth, his blindness was not congenital.

On his sixth birthday, he ate a bowl of birthday noodles his mother served him. The very next morning, he could no longer see the sun.

This was all because every Xie Family descendant, upon turning six, had to go before the Ancestral Elders Association to meet the clan head. If a child’s abilities were outstanding enough to be chosen, they were guaranteed to be heavily cultivated by the family in the future.

But the Xie Family had numerous heirs, and he was not of the direct line. With limited spots available, his mother, unwilling to let him take his older brother’s place, used poison to blind him.

He was only a six-year-old child at the time. He had no proof, and no one.

Whether it was a blessing or a curse, the loss of his vision made his hearing all the more acute.

At the age of fifteen, a single performance of "East Wind Disperses" brought him great renown.

The family’s Ancestral Elders rushed over upon hearing the news, shocked that the Xie family had produced such a genius, but they all lamented what a pity it was that he didn’t have good eyes.

Later, on account of his handsome features, he was also ranked among the Four Great Young Masters.

Seeing that he had no ambition for power and cared only for his music, his mother maintained a superficial relationship of motherly love and filial piety with him over the years.

He knew why his mother had come for him today: because the Empress had saved him.

Indeed, his words sent his mother into a rage, but her voice remained gentle. "Qingshi, don’t blame your mother. That face of yours is too conspicuous. For a man, a scar can even make him look more masculine. I’m only doing this for your own good."

He didn’t struggle. He was perfectly still.

’If I could just die,’ he thought, ’that would be for the best.’

But the pain he anticipated never came. A gust of wind swept past, shattering the dagger to dust and knocking the two guards unconscious.

His mother’s eyes widened in disbelief as she let out a shriek.

A cool voice spoke. "The Xie family. You’ve certainly put on quite a show for me."

He lifted his head. Before him was still only pitch black, devoid of light or shadow.

But he knew. The Empress was standing right in front of him.

"Your... Your Majesty..." His mother, still slumped on the ground, could barely speak.

The Ancestral Elders of the Xie family, who had rushed over at the commotion, turned pale with terror. They immediately moved to kneel. "Your Majesty, please quell your anger!"

"This has nothing to do with you. There’s no need to panic." She didn’t blame the Ancestral Elders, nor did she allow them to kneel.

The Ancestral Elders breathed a sigh of relief, but they were also quite surprised.

’The Empress is so reasonable,’ they thought. ’This doesn’t match her reputation as a tyrant at all!’

"Xie Qingshi, you are handsome indeed." He heard her ask him, "Were you born blind?"

He hesitated for a moment before replying, "Your Majesty, at the age of six, I mistakenly ingested something and have been blind ever since."

Her voice rose. "Mistakenly ingested?"

His mother snapped to her senses. "Yes, Your Majesty! The boy has always been a glutton. I was always telling him not to eat so much, that it would lead to trouble, but who could have known..."

Her voice instantly turned cold, the smile vanishing completely. "I was not asking you."

His mother had never witnessed such a display of power. With a THUD, she fell to her knees, her lips trembling. "Your Majesty..."

But then she smiled again and asked slowly, "Do you know the penalty for deceiving the throne?"

His mother began to tremble even more violently. She kept her head down, not daring to speak.

"Since you dare not speak, I shall speak for you." She clasped her hands behind her back, her expression frigid. "You poisoned the noodles he ate on his sixth birthday. You knew that having never received your affection, he would be sure to finish the entire bowl. He went blind, and you were satisfied."

His mother’s pupils dilated to their widest, her face a mask of pure terror.

The Empress continued, "Today, I saved him. You feared I would grant him favor, so you resorted to your old tricks and tried to destroy his face. What a fine mother you are!"

Xie Qingshi had never imagined that the injustice, sorrow, and resentment he had suffered all those years ago would be vindicated twelve years later.

He didn’t even understand how she could have possibly known, let alone how she had verified it.

He understood even less why she would go to the trouble of investigating something that had happened so long ago just for him.

Then he heard her ask his mother with a laugh, "Is your eldest son your own flesh and blood, but your second is not?"

Her words sent a chill down the spines of the Ancestral Elders. Who didn’t know that the current Divine Emperor had killed her own father and brother only after they had driven her into a corner?

With everything exposed, his mother broke down, crying in despair as she repeatedly kowtowed and begged for her life.

She was the monarch with the power to decide life and death, yet she turned to ask for his opinion. "And what do you think?"

This shocked the Ancestral Elders even more.

He snapped out of his daze and said in a low voice, "I ask that Your Majesty permit me to sever all ties with her. We shall never meet again in this life. Let that be considered my repayment for the debt of her raising me."

"Mm. Granted." Her gaze fell upon him. "I hear you are skilled in music. Are you interested in becoming my Minister of the Ministry of Rites?"

These words sent a shockwave through the entire Xie family.

"Your... Your Majesty!" one of the Ancestral Elders gasped. "The boy, Qingshi, is blind. How could he possibly take on such an important position? Besides, he is only eighteen this year, far too young..."

"Far too young? Only eighteen?" She was still smiling. "Are you implying, then, that I am also unfit to sit on my throne?"

"..."

A dead silence fell.

Only then did the Ancestral Elders recall that this very empress had ascended the throne at the age of eighteen.

They realized then that her coming to the Xie family today and appointing Xie Qingshi as Minister of the Ministry of Rites was not a request, but an announcement.

She turned her attention from the Ancestral Elders and asked him again, "So, are you willing?"

Ever since he had gone blind, he had never again dared to dream of building a career or achieving great things, for he knew he was unworthy.

He was a blind man, after all. His movements were hindered. Who would dare to employ him?

But now, an opportunity lay right before his very eyes.

If he agreed, he could realize his ambitions, fulfill his potential, and contribute to the great nation of Da Xuan.

Xie Qingshi’s voice was soft. "I am."

"It wouldn’t have mattered if you weren’t. The people I set my sights on always become mine." She rose to her feet. "Since you are willing, pack your things and come with me."

She was always like this—swift and decisive, acting on her every whim.

Still, Xie Qingshi could not resist asking, "Your Majesty is the supreme ruler, while I... I am a man of empty fame. Why would you come for me in person?"

"Because my master told me that in my Jiuzhou, there are the Four Great Young Masters. Each is exceptionally talented and they are all equals, but none will submit to another, making it difficult to recruit them all." Her tone was languid. "Recruiting one is no great feat, but recruiting all four is as hard as ascending to the heavens. That being the case, I wanted to try and see if it’s truly as hard as they say."

Xie Qingshi was stunned. "I... have never heard such a thing."

"Well, now you have," she said finally. "Xie Qingshi, from this day forward, you are the Minister of the Ministry of Rites. As a man of Da Xuan, do not disappoint me."

He felt a heavy, stinging sensation in his eyes. A tear fell onto the back of his hand, scalding hot.

She frowned and asked him, "What happened to you?"

These four words also traveled across four hundred years to reach him.

Only this time, he could see her face and her expression.

Xie Qingshi said softly, "To be able to see your true face is the greatest gift heaven has given me in this lifetime."