Chapter 47 - 46: It Was Your Majesty Who Saved Me
Chapter 47: Chapter 46: It Was Your Majesty Who Saved Me
The exact same words made the present and past converge in an instant.
It was as if the sound of horse hooves echoed in his ears, rolling in like thunder.
Someone had once said the very same thing to him, word for word.
And he still remembered what came after those words—
"Not watching where you’re going? Are you trying to die in front of me?"
This had happened four hundred years ago. It was a small, insignificant event, not even worthy of a mention in the history books.
But Xie Qingshi remembered it very clearly.
In his past life, he could not see, but he had developed excellent hearing as a result. Not the slightest disturbance escaped his ears.
But that day, his mind was heavy with worry, and he paid no attention to his surroundings.
He was in the middle of the main street and did not notice a horse-drawn carriage charging straight towards him.
Until a long whip cut through the air, wrapped around his waist, and pulled him to the side, saving him from being trampled by horse hooves.
He had not yet thanked his rescuer when his friend, who had rushed over, hurriedly pulled him away.
Only when they reached a secluded spot nearby did his friend lower his voice and say, "Qingshi, that was the current Divine Emperor! You brat, do you have a death wish? How dare you block her path? She even dared to kill her own brothers and father, let alone you."
Xie Qingshi had a sudden realization. His rescuer was the new monarch who had just ascended the throne a year ago, the one who had been denounced by the masses.
The reason for the denunciations was also very simple: she had ascended the throne by killing her father and brothers.
Even if her father was a fatuous ruler and her brothers had plundered the common people’s wealth, the order of seniority and status still existed. In the end, her claim to the throne was illegitimate.
Since ancient times, the heir had always been the eldest or the one born to the principal wife. She was ranked seventh in her generation and had three older brothers; no matter what, it should never have been her turn.
Furthermore, they said that for her, a woman, to be emperor was like a hen crowing at dawn—unnatural and against the rules.
Since ancient times, when has a woman ever been emperor?
But in this past year, the empire under her rule had not been shaken in the slightest.
The voices of condemnation among the common people gradually faded, and more and more people came to believe in her.
Xie Qingshi shook his head and said gently, "No, a carriage was about to hit me just now. It was Your Majesty who acted in time to save me."
"Really?" His friend was taken aback. Only then did he notice the wheel tracks on the ground and couldn’t help but murmur, "From the looks of it, the Divine Emperor doesn’t seem to be the vicious person the rumors make her out to be."
Xie Qingshi didn’t speak. His vacant eyes stared in the direction where the sound of hooves was fading away.
He couldn’t see a thing, yet in his mind, he could picture her as she rode off. She must have looked magnificent, full of spirit and at the height of her splendor.
That was the first time Xie Qingshi ’saw’ the young Empress who had chosen the incredibly arrogant word "Taichu" as her reign title.
But to be precise, one couldn’t use the word "saw."
Because he was blind.
Even though he had heard many times of the glorious military achievements the Empress had accomplished back when she was still Prince Jing.
He heard how she took an enemy’s head from amidst a crowd of ten thousand, and how she pierced the Galuo Commander’s tent with a single arrow.
He also heard how she defeated 80,000 Galuo troops with only 4,000 of her own, a natural-born War God.
All these tales were awe-inspiring.
But he... had never once seen what she looked like.
’And now, she’s personally come to Linsu. But why?’
His friend had clearly thought of this too and voiced his concern, "Linsu is in Jiang Province, hundreds of miles from Mingjing in Ningzhou. For the Divine Emperor to suddenly come here... I’m afraid it’s for you."
"Me?" Xie Qingshi found it laughable. He stated a simple fact, "I’m a blind man."
’Who would come all this way for him?’
Everyone who had ever met him lamented that he lacked a good pair of eyes.
"What’s wrong with being blind? Who can compare to your mastery of music?" his friend said urgently. "You composed ’East Wind Disperses’ when you were only fifteen! It made you famous overnight. In all of Jiuzhou, who doesn’t know the name of Young Master Qing Shi?"
Xie Qingshi was unconcerned. "It’s just an empty title."
"If your fame is empty, then what does that make everyone else?" His friend was both exasperated and amused. "Believe it or not, with ’East Wind Disperses’ alone, your name could be remembered for a thousand years!"
Xie Qingshi suddenly stiffened. "It will?" he whispered.
"Of course! Qingshi, you carry the title of one of the ’Four Great Young Masters,’ which is far too conspicuous. It attracts attention, but it also attracts envy." His friend hesitated. "I heard that last year, after the Divine Emperor ascended the throne, that Young Master from the Jianghuai Pei Family, Pei Xuan, rushed to Mingjing. He apparently stayed in the palace that very night... no one knows what happened. And you, with your handsome features—"
Xie Qingshi’s tone instantly became severe. "Watch your words. Is Her Majesty’s character for the likes of us to speculate about? You weren’t in the palace that night, so how could you possibly know what happened?"
His friend immediately fell silent.
If anyone else had heard those words, it would have cost them their heads.
After a moment of silence, Xie Qingshi suddenly asked, "You saw Her Majesty just now. What does she look like?"
"I only caught a quick glimpse. I didn’t dare to look up. I just saw that she was wearing red clothes and silver armor, and holding a long whip." His friend rubbed his nose, abashed. "Her Majesty’s aura is just too powerful. It’s no wonder she could beat the Four Barbarians into full retreat. Which of her brothers could ever compare to her?"
Xie Qingshi’s eyelashes lowered, and his voice was very soft. "Hearing you describe her, I really wish I could see Her Majesty, to know if she’s as I imagined."
His friend sounded a little sad. "Qingshi, you could have had such a bright future, but your eyes..."
Xie Qingshi raised his hand and touched the white silk ribbon covering his eyes.
’Yes, his eyes had become the obstacle of his entire life.’
’If only he could have the gift of sight...’
’If only he could see Empress Taichu with his own eyes...’
ROAR!
A car roared past him, abruptly pulling Xie Qingshi from his memories of the past. A cold sweat broke out on his back.
If not for the hand that had pulled him back a step just in time, he would have been hit by the car—it missed him by a mere inch.
After driving a short distance away, the driver opened his window, looked back, and cursed at him, "Are you blind? Not watching where you’re going at night! Are you trying to get yourself killed? What bad luck!"
Xie Qingshi didn’t argue.
He blinked. Before him were modern skyscrapers, not the ancient pavilions and terraces of the past.
His wish had come true. In this life, he was no longer a blind man.
He could see the colors of the world, but the one person he wanted to see was the one he could never meet again.
Because a full four hundred years separated them, and time was an irreversible torrent.
’Were the heavens taking pity on him, or were they toying with him?’
A bitter smile touched Xie Qingshi’s lips.
He turned, about to thank the owner of the hand, but only caught a glimpse of a retreating figure.
Clearly, she had only saved him in passing. She didn’t know him, and she certainly wasn’t looking for a reward.
She was a tall, slender girl, wearing a baseball jacket that was faded from washing.
Her hands were in her pockets as she ambled toward the nearby night market, showing no intention of looking back at him.