Chapter 859 - 859: Restore History, Search for the Truth!
Chapter 859: Chapter 859: Restore History, Search for the Truth!
When Di Yelei returned home after his exercise, what he saw was the whole family happily enjoying their breakfast together.
“Ye Lei, you’re back? Wash up first, and I’ll get you some more food.”
Liu Sisi said and stood up herself to serve him some more, leaving the maid beside her in a dilemma.
Di Yelei glanced at the dishes on the table, and his eyes immediately lit up! But he didn’t say much, “Alright, remember to add a little more for me.” Saying this, he entered the bathroom.
He soon came out, all freshened up, “Today’s dishes were personally made by Sisi, right? Seeing this food makes me feel like I’m back in Macheng County.” He said while picking up his bowl, casually grabbed a chopstick-full of chive pies and put them in his mouth.
“Delicious, the taste of Sisi’s cooking is as good as ever.”
…
“If it’s delicious, eat more then.”
Liu Sisi said with a smile and grabbed a chopstick-full of bean sprouts, placing them into Di Yelei’s sweet potato porridge.
Di Yelei mimicked her actions, picking up a chopstick-full of asparagus, “Sisi, you eat too, you’re too thin, it’d be better if you put on more meat.”
The little children looked at each other in confusion, not understanding what the two were up to.
Wasn’t it said that mom cried a lot last night after a big fight with him?
But they had forgotten that from the beginning to the end, Ms. Gao had only said that Liu Sisi cried last night, and she didn’t say that they had a fight.
Not until she put down her bowl did Liu Sisi’s expression turn somewhat despondent, “I miss the days in Macheng County; even though we were poor, the family was happy and content…”
Maybe the children couldn’t understand what Liu Sisi was talking about, but Di Yelei understood very well. Sisi was talking about YingEr and XiaoXiao, who couldn’t enjoy a family reunion.
“But back then I wasn’t there with you, and now, aren’t I right here by your side?”
Di Yelei patted her shoulder gently.
After a while, Liu Sisi finally dropped the smile from her face and fell silent, “Yes, I understand. Shall we go? Don’t we have to go to the Ministry of Personnel today?”
They had agreed to visit the Ministry of Personnel today; this was personally approved by His Majesty.
“Great! Let’s head to the Ministry of Personnel today.”
Understanding Liu Sisi’s emotional struggles, Di Yelei didn’t say much more; he trusted that Sisi would manage to adjust her feelings on her own.
When they went to the Ministry of Personnel, the two were not met with any difficulty.
Lord Bai from the department managing the historical records courteously assisted them in finding the documents from that year.
“The records from that year’s historical materials are all here. What information would the Princess and Old Master Marquis like to look up? Do you need my assistance?”
Lord Bai had a fawning expression on his face.
Di Yelei looked at Liu Sisi, who had already started searching through historical materials, and then shook his head, “We won’t be needing your assistance here. We’ve come today by Imperial Edict, and you may take your leave. We’ll make our exit once we find what we need.”
Lord Bai appeared slightly surprised but quickly made a fist greeting, “If that’s the case, I’m being presumptuous. I will be in a small hut not far from here. If the Princess and Old Master Marquis have any instructions, just call out to me.”
“That would be excellent, Lord Bai. You are considerate.”
It wasn’t until Lord Bai left the house that Di Yelei sat down next to Liu Sisi. Watching her swiftly flip through the historical materials in her hands, he also picked up a book and started browsing. The surrounding was unusually quiet, with only the light sound of flipping pages echoing.
How much time had passed was unclear when Liu Sisi suddenly exclaimed softly, “Found it!”
Di Yelei quickly looked up, and indeed, they had found the information about Empress Yang. The records in the Ministry of Personnel were very succinct, with almost nothing useful. The movement of Liu Sisi’s page-turning didn’t cease; she continued to search closely, moving down the dates.
Tea was refilled cup after cup, and it wasn’t until Di Yelei had downed an entire bellyful of tea that Liu Sisi finally looked up from the pile of books.
“Can we take these historical materials home?”
“You want to take all of these away?” Di Yelei pointed to the pile of books in front of Liu Sisi.
“Exactly! These are the ones.”
Liu Sisi nodded affirmatively.
A frown appeared on Di Yelei’s brow, as he wondered whether Lord Bai would be accommodating with so many historical records. He didn’t say much but instead called out softly, “Lord Bai!”
Lord Bai had been anxiously waiting; it had been a long time since the two entered, and yet there was still no sign of them coming out. Hearing Di Yelei’s summon, he immediately rose and hurried over.
“Old Master Marquis, do you need something from your subordinate?”
With his hands clasped behind his back, Di Yelei puffed out his chest, asserting dominantly, “Lord Bai, we would like to take these historical materials back to the mansion for review. Is there any issue with that from your side?”
All these historical materials to be taken back to the mansion?
Lord Bai was clearly not expecting such a request from Di Yelei and was shocked. He looked up at him and quickly lowered his head again.
“Old Master Marquis, it’s not that your subordinate is unwilling to be flexible, but truly…”
“Lord Bai, we are here by Imperial Edict! If there really is an issue, you’ll not bear the responsibility alone,” Di Yelei interjected before Lord Bai could finish his sentence.
Lord Bai’s reply got stuck in his throat; he gave Liu Sisi a troubled look. Liu Sisi was still sitting expressionlessly, not saying a word. Reluctantly, Lord Bai finally clenched his teeth, forced a smile, and said, “Since the two of you are here by Imperial Edict, naturally there is no problem in taking these historical materials.”
If he couldn’t stop them anyway, he might as well do them a favor.
“The two of you, please wait a moment; your subordinate will immediately have a carriage prepared to transport these historical materials.”
Di Yelei was very satisfied with Lord Bai’s compliance.
“In that case, we are much obliged to you, Lord Bai.”
“No problem at all, no problem!”
Lord Bai promptly went to make the arrangements.
After all the books had been moved to the outside of the small mansion, Di Yelei bid farewell to Lord Bai and then turned to Liu Sisi with curiosity.
“So many volumes, do they all record the events of that year?”
“Not all.”
Liu Sisi casually glanced at Di Yelei and said, “The historical materials here start from when my mother appeared and cover up to the most recent events, mostly from these past few years.”
“So much information—do you just want to clarify your Concubine Princess Mother’s identity?”
Not only others, but Di Yelei himself found it hard to believe.
At the corner of her mouth, Liu Sisi raised a cold smile, “What I’m investigating is not only my Concubine Princess Mother’s identity but also who Empress Yang has sent to Gongzhou over these years.”
A look of understanding flashed across Di Yelei’s eyes; this was the Liu Sisi he knew.
“That’s fine, take your time searching. After all, we were dispatched under Imperial Decree, and nobody can fault us for anything,” he said with assurance.
Liu Sisi also showed a satisfied smile, “That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”
Then, for the next two days, Liu Sisi was nearly inseparable from the historical records. Any officials who had been dispatched to Gongzhou, Chengdu, and the adjacent areas, particularly those recently ousted from their positions, were the focus of her thorough investigation. It didn’t take long for her to uncover some clues.