Chapter 125 - 124: I Don’t Want Your Majesty to Suffer, All the Sweet Medicine Goes to Shi Changying
Chapter 125: Chapter 124: I Don’t Want Your Majesty to Suffer, All the Sweet Medicine Goes to Shi Changying
To her, the kindness of Empress Taichu, Shi Yaoguang, was as weighty as a mountain.
She was a person with no grand ambitions, nor was she one for sweet words; all she knew was how to get things done. Still, Ning Liuyu understood the principle of repaying a life-saving favor tenfold. Whoever saved her, she would treat with the utmost devotion.
The Empress’s temperament was indeed eccentric. One could point at her nose and curse, and as long as they made sense, she wouldn’t mind. But if she drank a bowl of bitter medicine, she would summon the Imperial Physician and order them to separate a basket of mung beans and red beans, one by one, before the sun went down.
At first, Ning Liuyu was quite astonished by this. She had once seen the Empress suffer injuries so severe that even the Medical Master, Nie Mingchu, had turned pale with fright, claiming she would have been beyond saving had they been any later. Yet, despite being on the verge of death from those severe injuries, the Empress hadn’t even frowned. A bowl of bitter medicine, however, could leave her looking as wilted as a frostbitten eggplant for the entire day.
Consequently, on the condition of not altering the medicinal properties and without any side effects, Ning Liuyu developed sweet medicines in a variety of flavors. She just wanted to spare Her Majesty from suffering such unnecessary hardship. It was the only way she could repay the Empress.
But then, overnight, a shocking upheaval shattered the realm.
Led by the Hong Clan, the Four Barbarians invaded Jiuzhou, wantonly burning documents. Compounded by a faction of bureaucrats and gentry who were already highly dissatisfied with Empress Taichu’s rule, they collaborated from within and without to completely erase her name.
Today, whether in historical records or on stone steles, the three characters of Shi Yaoguang could not be found anywhere.
The human brain was the most unreliable thing, as old memories would blur with the passage of time. Yet, it was only from her memory that she could find proof that the Empress and her former colleagues had ever vividly existed.
She dared not forget, nor could she forget. Therefore, she had to recount the events of her past life every single day before she dared to fall asleep.
Now, seeing the traces left behind by Qu Xian Qing Yuan resurface in the world, the grievances she had suppressed for years entirely erupted.
Shi Changying helped her up, asking, "Are you alright?"
"I... I..." Ning Liuyu choked up. "I’m perfectly fine. I... I’m weeping from joy. More historical information has been discovered. That’s wonderful."
Shaoyuan also saw the news on the screen. His brow twitched. "Qingyuan? That’s quite a coincidence."
"Forgive me for making a fool of myself. When I was studying abroad in the Western Continent, I visited their national museum. It was entirely filled with artifacts looted from Jiuzhou." Ning Liuyu wiped her tears and said softly, "I always think that if only that war four hundred years ago had never happened, no one would have had to sacrifice their lives, and our treasures wouldn’t have been stolen."
Shi Changying fell silent. She pulled a piece of chocolate from her pocket and pressed it into Ning Liuyu’s hand. "Eat something sweet. It’ll make you feel better."
How could she not share the same sentiment? But mortals could not defy the torrent of time, and history was immutable.
Ning Liuyu broke into a smile, handing the bag in her hand to Shi Changying. "Miss Shi, this is a batch of medicine I recently developed. It’s passed inspection but hasn’t officially gone on sale yet. Most importantly, none of it is bitter."
That last sentence made Shi Changying accept the medicine with decisive swiftness.
"Someone’s coming to pick me up, so I’ll get going." Ning Liuyu waved her hand. "Miss Shi, Mr. Shaoyuan, if there’s ever anything you need my help with, contact me anytime."
Shaoyuan nodded.
A car pulled up in front of Ning Liuyu and drove her away.
Shi Changying’s eyesight was still as exceptional as ever. Spotting the words "Qi Sha" on the rear of the car, she asked, "What exactly is Qi Sha?"
Shaoyuan replied nonchalantly, "No idea. Perhaps some stargazing enthusiast club."
Qi Sha, the sixth star of the Southern Dipper.
"Makes sense." Shi Changying pondered for a moment. "But I think Yaoguang sounds better. Why don’t they call themselves Yaoguang?"
Her name was also derived from a star: the seventh star of the Beidou, Yaoguang Star, also known as "Po Jun."
Shaoyuan clearly hadn’t expected her to ask that. He raised an eyebrow. "Maybe Qi Sha sounds more tyrannical and domineering?"
Shi Changying crossed her arms. "There isn’t a single star more tyrannical and domineering than the Yaoguang Star. If that’s the reason, they should change their name."
She was the most formidable, so the source of her name had to be the most formidable too.
"That also sounds reasonable," Shaoyuan agreed. He tore open a bag of chocolate sticks and offered them to her.
Shi Changying turned her head away. "I’m not eating that."
"You don’t even want your absolute favorite?" Shaoyuan asked.
"You’re feeding me like a cat," Shi Changying said.
Her statement seemed to come entirely out of left field, but Shaoyuan immediately understood what she meant. He looked at her for three seconds before remarking leisurely, "It’s still different."
A cat would nuzzle his hand. Would she?
Shi Changying meant what she said; she fiercely resisted the temptation. True to her character.
Having already learned how to use ride-hailing apps, she successfully booked a car after parting ways with Shaoyuan and instructed the driver to take her to the east of the city.
Xie Qingshi arrived at the agreed location ahead of time, still bundled up tightly.
Footsteps approached, so light they were almost imperceptible, yet Xie Qingshi caught them with ease. Turning around, his eyes first landed on the book in Shi Changying’s hand. "Your Majesty went to a bookstore?"
"Mhm, just bought it." Shi Changying gave the bag a little shake. "I like mythological stories."
Only as she drew closer did Xie Qingshi realize the book she had bought was none other than The Great Wilderness Immortal Journey, the very novel he had discussed with Pei Xuan a mere two hours ago.
Shi Changying noticed the shift in his expression. "What’s wrong with this book? It’s required reading for middle schoolers, so you should have read it."
"It’s an excellent mythological novel," Xie Qingshi said, snapping back to reality with a faint smile. "However, my literary attainments aren’t particularly high. To this day, I still don’t understand the deeper allegories written in this book."
With that, he handed over the sheet music he had prepared.
Shi Changying tucked it away.
"Your Majesty, I just saw the news push notifications." Xie Qingshi’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. "Lord Qingyuan’s wish can finally be fulfilled."
Shi Changying paused briefly. "Yes, leaving her mark on history."
Xie Qingshi smiled softly. "The official archaeological team has already deduced that she is the originator of Meiqu Opera. I suppose history can never truly be completely erased."
The recently excavated ruins in Meizhou Jin’an City indeed caused quite a stir in the historical community, and online discussions were non-stop.
[A female official from Empress Taichu’s era? And of the Third Rank? That rank is nothing ordinary! How come she was never recorded in the history books?]
[If it were any other era, it would be weird for it not to be recorded, but for the Taichu Period, it’s completely normal. Even Empress Taichu’s own name wasn’t passed down.]
[God, the originator of Meiqu Opera! Meiqu Opera has been in decline for far too long now, and there are very few true inheritors left.]
[I suddenly noticed a huge coincidence! The female official Qingyuan and Lu Qingyuan share the exact same name, character for character!]
[Can a mere actor stop trying to clout-chase the ancestor of Meiqu Opera? What the hell is Lu Qingyuan? As if she’s worthy!]