Chapter 86 - 85: Tit for Tat, Emperor Chengtian Conceals His Merits and Fame
Chapter 86: Chapter 85: Tit for Tat, Emperor Chengtian Conceals His Merits and Fame
"You know the affairs of the major and minor families in Jianghuai better than anyone, so why come ask me?" Xie Qingshi’s tone was flat. "Mr. Chengli is a historical archaeologist who specializes in studying Xuan History. He helped the Xuan’an Archaeological Center determine the origin of the Jiuyin Zither, which is why I thought about meeting with him."
"It seems that the disappointed one is actually you," Pei Xuan scoffed lightly. "Care to make a bet? If Her Majesty is truly here, I will definitely be the one to find her first."
Xie Qingshi looked up to meet his gaze, enunciating every word, "Then I look forward to Young Master Pei’s new discoveries."
Pei Xuan toyed with his teacup with his slender fingers, noticing the poem carved on it. "No wonder you chose to drink tea here. It seems the owner of this teahouse is a fan of yours." Xie Qingshi remained silent.
"Thirty-two years of a young master’s bones, all returning to Jiuzhou and turning into dust." Pei Xuan’s lips curled up. "This poem is written rather averagely, but the sentiment isn’t bad. What a pity. If its literary value were a bit higher, it could have been published in language arts textbooks."
Xie Qingshi suddenly spoke, "It’s not."
Pei Xuan’s smile faded slightly, his eyes gradually darkening. "Not what?"
"The words I wanted to leave behind were not ’turning into dust.’ Hah, turning into dust?" A rare hint of disdain flashed in Xie Qingshi’s eyes. He said flatly, "Who doesn’t know that after death, ashes to ashes, dust to dust?"
"Well, the phrase ’turning into dust’ is indeed a bit too shallow," Pei Xuan raised an eyebrow. "But I figure you were never good at writing poetry to begin with. Being able to use this phrase to make a rhyme is already quite a feat, isn’t it?" Finding an opportunity, he naturally didn’t forget to mock Xie Qingshi, his former rival.
To Pei Xuan’s surprise, this time Xie Qingshi did not even refute him. "My foundation in poetry is indeed not as strong as yours. I could only ensure the rhyme was correct and express my feelings directly. Therefore, the final words of this poem have always been—" Xie Qingshi looked straight into Pei Xuan’s pitch-black eyes, enunciating every syllable, "Return to the Beginning."
"Thirty-two years of a young master’s bones, all returning to Jiuzhou to Return to the Beginning." The Empress had saved his life, allowing him to enter the court as an official and serve Jiuzhou. Even in death, he was a soul of Jiuzhou and a man of Empress Taichu. But the last few words of this line had been tampered with!
Pei Xuan’s expression changed, his voice turning sharp. "Why didn’t you say so earlier?!" The phrase "Return to the Beginning" was incredibly important. Just altering a few words had completely turned the meaning of the entire poem upside down.
"Is this the only thing that’s been tampered with? What’s there to say?" Xie Qingshi said noncommittally. "The ’Letter to Emperor Taichu’ written by Cui Jinghan, and the ’Breaking Formation·Southern Expedition’ written by you, have both been completely lost to history." These literary works only had one thing in common—they all eulogized Empress Taichu.
The light in Pei Xuan’s eyes suddenly went out. He clenched his hands into fists, his voice ice-cold. "I don’t believe they are truly lost. I will wait. She may have had her faults, but she doesn’t deserve to be slandered like this." He let out a breath and turned to leave.
Xie Qingshi sat as unmoving as a mountain. "Remember to pay for the damaged goods, Young Master Pei."
Pei Xuan paused his steps and raised his voice. "Don’t worry yourself. I’ll just buy this entire teahouse." He wasn’t going to give Xie Qingshi any chance to mock or ridicule him.
***
Even at the risk of being discovered by paparazzi, Qingyuan relentlessly sought out Shi Changying.
Shi Changying had found a quiet place to read and do her exercises.
Qingyuan’s gaze fell on the workbook. "Sister Ying, are you really studying math and physics?"
Shi Changying hummed in affirmation. "I want to be first in the grade."
Qingyuan fell silent. Modern subjects were still a bit too daunting for her recently reborn Empress.
Shi Changying rubbed her temples. "If I had known this would happen, I should have asked Hua Hua to explain it to me when she showed me the math and physics sections back then." The "Hua Hua" she spoke of was the Master of Arts, Hua Shao.
Qingyuan maintained her composure and said, "Hua Shao’s way of thinking isn’t something us normal people can understand. If you want to learn, Sister Ying, you’re better off learning from your classmates and teachers."
Shi Changying didn’t argue. She handed her phone to Qingyuan. "A Yuan, help me register a social media account."
"Sister Ying, you’ve only been in the modern era for a few days, while I’ve genuinely lived here for over twenty years," Qingyuan said with a chuckle. "Actually, twenty years ago, Jiuzhou’s technology wasn’t this advanced. It’s only developed rapidly in recent years. Even I feel like I’m about to fall behind the times." Because she rarely logged into her accounts, her fans had nicknamed her a "caveman."
As she operated the phone, Qingyuan explained, "This is currently Jiuzhou’s largest social platform, Qianyu. You can watch short videos, read posts, and there’s even an international version."
After getting her new account, Shi Changying immediately shared it in her class group chat.
[Shi Changying]: Follow me.
[Lu Mi]: Here!
[Song Qingmu]: I must be Senior Sister’s first follower!
[Vice Class President]: Who was it! Who snatched the first spot? My hand speed from being single for eighteen years couldn’t even beat you. How many years have you been single?
[Study Committeeman]: Will the user with the black profile picture please step forward? We promise not to beat you up.
[President]: Beat him up.
The appearance of these three words instantly turned the boiling chat group dead silent. Who else could have the group alias "President" other than Shaoyuan?
The vice class president felt like dying. He had actually mocked Shaoyuan for being single longer than he had—how dare he! The vice class president quickly went offline, fleeing the scene.
Shi Changying watched her follower count jump from "0" to "56" and felt very satisfied. She needed to research how to gain more followers.
Qingyuan said eagerly, "Sister Ying, let’s follow each other too."
Shi Changying ruthlessly rejected her. "No."
Qingyuan felt wronged. "I have a burner account!"
Shi Changying glanced at her. "That’s fine, then."
Qingyuan switched to her burner account and clicked follow.
"RING RING RING—" Her phone started ringing again.
Shi Changying continued working on her exercises and said, "Go over there to answer it. Don’t interfere with my speed of taking first place in the grade."
Looking at the blinking name "Hua Shao" on the screen, Qingyuan walked behind a tree before pressing the answer button.
As soon as the call connected, Hua Shao’s voice rang out. "Miss Lu truly lives up to her status as a big star. You’re so busy you don’t even have time to answer the phone."
Qingyuan replied in a lazy tone, "I’m a patient right now. Don’t you know how to show me a little care?"
"I certainly can’t hear from your voice that you’re a patient," Hua Shao scoffed lightly. "I worked with you for several years; don’t I know your personality?"
Qingyuan smiled. "Then tell me, what kind of person am I?"
"Alright, I’m not going to argue with you. And as for me, unless it’s an emergency, I wouldn’t have contacted you either." Hua Shao cut straight to the chase. "I just want to know—who restored the surveillance footage you released?"
Qingyuan’s heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously looked toward Shi Changying.