“Oh, I remember. I know that Your Majesty has been hurt by Xi Qi these days and doesn’t want to hear about it, so I’ll wait until you’re ready to listen,” Xi Yaya said, clinging to Wei Linxia’s neck.
Weilinxia, relieved by Wang Ling’s reinstatement, sought to teach Xi Qi a lesson. Taking advantage of the good weather, she used a headache as an excuse to retreat to Qushui Yuntai Garden, located on the outskirts of the capital, to recuperate and avoid the imperial palace.
Qushui Yuntai, a typical Yan-style architecture with pavilions and towers surrounded by green water, felt like a secluded paradise. Weilinxia enjoyed it here but had only visited twice in the past ten years due to heavy court affairs.
As she sat by the water pavilion, watching pairs of mandarin ducks, Xi Linxuan’s face appeared in her mind. “If only you were here…” she thought. Ten years had passed, and she longed to lean into his embrace and sleep peacefully, waking up to his gaze.
“I know Mother wants me, so here I am,” exclaimed a bouncing pink figure that sat beside her, mischievously crushing a pastry and tossing it into the water, attracting vibrant fish that competed to eat it.
“I was just starting to feel better from my headache, and you chose the perfect time to come,” Weilinxia said, tapping her forehead.
“Mother, not just me, but someone else has come too,” Xi Yaya said, glancing into the distance and waving.
A slender figure in dark clothing was reflected on the water surface, head lowered, standing timidly.
“Oh, I remember now, I’m here to get something. Mother, I’ll be back in a moment,” Xi Yaya said, leaving while pinching Xi Qi’s arm hard.
Noticing a small figure kneeling, Weilinxia continued sipping her tea thoughtfully.
“Mother, this child has made a mistake. Please punish me.”
“As the ancients said, the ability to recognize and correct one’s mistakes is commendable,” Weilinxia replied softly.
“Mother…?” Xi Qi looked bewildered, surprised by her words.
“But that’s for ordinary people. With an imperial position vacant, the emperor’s mistake is known to the world. While faults can be concealed from the common people, can the eyes of officials be blinded? If this continues, it will disappoint upright officials and encourage sycophants. How can such an empire endure?” Weilinxia’s voice remained soft.
“Yes, I know my mistake and will never believe rumors again. Please, Mother… forgive me this time. Do not be disappointed in me. I will accept any punishment you deem necessary!” Xi Qi kowtowed.
“Get up.”
I heard you’ve been kneeling in the Fengxian Hall these days. Coming to see me today, I assume you’ve reflected enough. You kneel before me not as an emperor admitting a mistake, but as a son who has hurt his mother’s heart,” Weilinxia said.
“If Mother forgives me, I hope you will continue to guide me,” Xi Qi refused to rise.
Weilinxia looked at him directly: “I’ve announced my retirement in front of officials and cannot go back on my word. You must persist as well. You’ve reinstated Wang Ling’s position, and with him and Left Minister Wei, there won’t be chaos. I want to ask you something. Did you send people to pursue Wang Ling?”
Xi Qi suddenly looked up, his gaze resolute, even raising his right hand: “I swear to heaven that this was not my doing. If I am hiding anything, may I be punished by heaven.”
“Hmm, that’s good. Otherwise, it would have chilled the hearts of loyal officials. Get up. The air is damp; be careful not to hurt your knees,” Weilinxia waved her hand.
Xi Qi carefully rose, still keeping his head lowered: “Thank you, Mother. I… have one more matter…”
“Speak,” Weilinxia thought he might mention Xi Yaya and Wang Ling’s marriage, so she was not particularly attentive.
“Mother, is it true that Father Emperor died in battle?” Xi Qi asked.
Weilinxia’s tea spilled, wetting her skirt. No one had asked about this in years, and she was caught off guard.
“Of course. Otherwise, who do you think is lying in state in the Divine Palace? Who is buried in the imperial tomb? Have you heard something?” Weilinxia recovered.
Xi Qi shook his head. “No, not from anyone. That day when summoning Minister Wang, he asked why he was determined to resign. He said…”
“Said what?” Weilinxia inquired.
“He said he had made a promise to Mother to support me until I took personal rule. He said my actions were unfilial and unjust, and he didn’t want to support such an emperor. When Father Emperor’s edict called for a western expedition, only he and Minister Mu opposed it, nearly resigning because Father Emperor did not heed their advice. It was you who persuaded him to stay. He initially had doubts about Father Emperor’s death but soon understood. He told me that when Father Emperor was sent as a hostage to the Rong Kingdom, it was Mother who told Grandfather ‘life and death together’ and followed.
When the two countries went to war and Father Emperor was hung, it was Mother who, despite being frail, traveled thousands of miles in winter to the Rong Kingdom’s main camp to save him. She believed she was the only one who would protect him.
Xi Qi looked at Weilinxia with doubt. She avoided his gaze, watching the mandarin ducks swim away.
Wei Linxia said, “If Wang Qing knew what injuries your father suffered that night, he wouldn’t have said such things. Your grandfather pierced his chest with a sword. Your father had wounds concealed from everyone, even from me. He only showed me the injury when he declared his intention to go on a western expedition. It was a fatal wound, yet he went on the expedition to avoid showing me his suffering, wishing to leave behind some glory for us.” Her voice choked, and she added, “He never cared about this empire, but it cost him his life. So I hate your grandfather and uncles deeply.”
They made me lose my husband and you and Yaya lose your father. I can’t bring back your father’s life, but I can protect the empire he built and you—don’t disappoint him.”
“It was this son who asked inappropriate questions and made you sad, Mother—” Xi Qi knelt before her. “I swear I will protect Father’s empire and never disappoint you and him.”
“Go now, Mother is tired and needs to rest,” Wei Linxia said, not wanting her son to see her tears.
Wei Linxia did not inquire about how Xi Qi managed matters in the capital, similar to how the empress dowager was advised to “nurture her remaining years” at Qushui Yuntai. She did not attend Yaya’s grand wedding, sending her congratulations through Feng Shou. When the couple came to Yuntai to pay respects, it was the last time Wei Linxia saw Wang Ling.
Facing Wang Ling, she unexpectedly found another person, besides Xi Linxuan, who understood her intentions. Seeing Yaya happily beside Wang Ling reassured her; all parents want their children to live stable lives. Though Yaya was impetuous and not as gentle as others, entrusting her to Wang Ling put her at ease.
She could leave now but still needed to wait. In the evening, as usual, she placed a small wax figure beside her and casually said, “Qiushui, wait for me a little longer.”
I can’t let Xi Qi feel guilty towards me for his entire life… just wait a little longer for me.”
Wei Linxia never returned to the imperial palace and stayed at Yuntai for a year and a half. Hearing Yaya and Wei Fengzhi often speak of Xi Qi’s progress made her increasingly at ease. During this time, she gradually feigned illness, eventually becoming “bedridden,” and passed away around the same time Xi Linxuan died in battle on the western front.
Looking towards the capital, despite her countless reluctances, there was someone she was even more reluctant to leave behind, who had been waiting for her for eleven and a half years. Her heart had long flown to the grasslands.
The Yanxi Huaxi Grasslands.
