NCCnovel Chapter 406 Their Final Fate
Chapter 406 Their Final Fate
Three days later, Ma Baoguo, Jiang Song, and several senior officials saw off Yang Liuming and his wife in a pavilion in the suburbs.
Looking at the few strands of white hair that had suddenly appeared at Yang Liuming's temples, Ma Baoguo was deeply moved.
"Lord Yang is in his prime, the age to serve the country. I, an old man, am not even thinking about resigning to enjoy my retirement. Lord Yang has beaten me to it."
Yang Liuming bowed deeply to everyone, his words sincere.
"I have served in the same court as you gentlemen for many years, and I am grateful for your continued support. I am indeed tired... In the future, I will rely on you gentlemen to wholeheartedly assist His Majesty. With that, I will have no regrets in this life!"
Everyone hurriedly returned the greeting to Yang Liuming.
"Lord Yang, you flatter us. This is simply our duty."
"Rest assured, Lord Yang, we will do anything, even risk our lives!"
Ma Baoguo picked up the wine jar and filled the empty bowls on the stone table with wine one by one. He picked up one of the bowls, and everyone else picked up their bowls as well, toasting Yang Liuming and Jian Qiu.
"The journey ahead is long and arduous, Lord Yang and his wife, please take care!"
"treasure!"
"treasure!"
Yang Liuming and Jian Qiu also raised their wine bowls.
Yang Liuming was the first to drink it all in one gulp. He tilted the empty bowl, and not a drop of wine remained.
Immediately afterwards, Yang Liuming pulled Jian Qiu to kneel on the ground. He looked towards the direction of the palace, his eyes filled with deep longing and reluctance.
Then, the couple kowtowed three times in the direction of the palace before standing up.
Yang Liuming looked at Ma Baoguo and the others and bid them farewell one by one.
"Lord Ma! Lord Jiang! Gentlemen! We... will meet again!"
After Yang Liuming finished speaking, he and Jian Qiu turned around and walked out of the pavilion. They took the horse reins from the servants and mounted their horses separately.
Finally, Yang Liuming looked towards the palace again before resolutely turning back and galloping away on his horse into the distance.
Ma Baoguo watched Yang Liuming's departing figure and sighed.
"Lord Yang, may you rest in peace..."
Half a month later, the prefect of Xiangzhou City urgently reported to the imperial court that Yang Liuming and his wife had accidentally fallen off a cliff and died while playing on Tianling Mountain. Their remains had been collected and would soon be sent to Liyang.
Inside the imperial study, Emperor Gu Li of Xia was shocked to hear the news of the deaths of Yang Liuming and his wife. Although he was somewhat prepared, he couldn't help but burst into tears when he thought of Yang Liuming's outstanding political achievements and unwavering loyalty over the years.
In a daze, he seemed to see Yang Liuming and Jian Qiu setting off towards the top of Tianling Mountain the afternoon before.
They walked the mountain paths that others had walked, cleared away thorns and weeds, and traversed paths that no one else had walked before...
On the eve of dawn, the two finally reached the mountaintop. They nestled together, sat down on a large rock, and gazed expectantly at the distant horizon...
Nature is like a magician, suddenly unleashing a dazzling and brilliant light from the rising sun on the horizon!
The darkness suddenly receded, and the clouds were bathed in layers of golden light. At that moment, Yang Liuming, holding Jian Qiu's hand, stood up and slowly but firmly walked towards the edge of the cliff...
In a split second, the two leaped off the cliff, leaving a trail of light and shadow that, illuminated by the increasingly brilliant sunlight, scattered into shimmering points of light and vanished without a trace…
Gu Li would never forget that when they were ruler and subject, going to Tianling Mountain to watch the sunrise was Yang Liuming's long-held wish, which he had mentioned to him many times.
However, due to the busyness of official duties, he has not been able to fulfill his wish over the years.
Now, Yang Liuming's wish has been fulfilled. He and Jian Qiu, through their deaths, have finally brought a period to the case of the attack on the mission.
Subsequently, Gu Li issued an imperial edict ordering Yang Zilan, the deputy general of Fengcheng, to immediately return to Liyang to hold a funeral for his parents.
Gu Jiancheng went to the Prince Xian's residence immediately to inform Gu Zhanghua and Zhao Xuan about the deaths of Yang Liuming and his wife.
Only now did Gu Zhanghua fully understand his father's decision, and he couldn't help but sigh.
"As expected, Father Emperor still remembered his years of dedication to the Xia Kingdom and ultimately chose to preserve the dignity of the couple."
"Not only that."
Gu Jiancheng explained to Gu Zhanghua and Zhao Xuan.
"Yang Liuming actually knew this day would come, and he had long anticipated that he would have no way out after the truth came out. So that night in the imperial study, he begged his father to let him and his wife end their own lives!"
"They chose to commit suicide because of Zilan, right?"
Zhao Xuan immediately thought of this possibility.
No matter how heinous Yang Liuming was, and no matter how much Jian Qiu aided and abetted evil, as parents, they were qualified strict fathers and loving mothers for their only son, Yang Zilan.
During her childhood, Zhao Xuan often envied Yang Zilan, who had a learned and capable father and a gentle mother.
Gu Jiancheng nodded slightly.
"Yes, the reason why Father Emperor granted Yang Liuming's request was for Zilan's sake. After all, that child knows nothing and is wholeheartedly devoted to serving the country. Therefore, I also earnestly request Fifth Brother and Sister-in-law that you keep everything you know to yourselves and never let Zilan know."
Zhao Xuan said, "Second brother, don't worry. I've thought it through these past few days. Zilan is innocent. He shouldn't have to bear the sins of our parents."
Gu Jiancheng nodded and then continued to talk about another matter.
"There is another matter. The Emperor has already granted permission to exonerate Zhao Cheng from his smuggling case back then, and will issue an edict in the next two days. However, he will not be able to arrest the merchants who conspired with Yang Liuming back then."
Yang Liuming, Jian Qiu, and Li Chongxi have all confessed and accepted their punishment. All leads related to the smuggling case from years ago have been followed to them… We hope your understanding is appreciated.”
Zhao Xuan gave a wry smile.
"Second brother, I understand... All the hardships are over, we must look forward."
"I'm relieved that you think that way."
Gu Jiancheng looked at the two of them with great satisfaction and asked them a question with concern.
"Now that the truth about the attack on the mission has come to light, what are your plans for the future?"
Gu Zhanghua and Zhao Xuan exchanged a knowing glance and spoke in unison.
"We want to go to the State of Song!"
This answer greatly surprised Gu Jiancheng, and he asked the two of them with interest.
Why do you want to go to the State of Song?
In fact, after learning that the Song navy had relieved the siege of Fengcheng, Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua both had the idea of going to the Song Kingdom.
They wanted to go to the State of Song to study for a period of time, in order to prepare for building their own navy for the State of Xia in the future.
Upon hearing this, Gu Jianhua naturally gave his full support, and Emperor Gu Li and Xiao Aiyue also praised their ideas after learning about them.
Taking this opportunity, Gu Li appointed Gu Zhanghua and Zhao Xuan as special envoys to the Song Kingdom to thank the Song Emperor for his assistance to the Xia Kingdom in the war.
Whether Emperor Song would readily agree to teach him the ways of the navy depended on the efforts of Gu Zhanghua and Zhao Xuan.
Xiao Aiyue wrote a heartfelt letter to her family, hoping that her brother could take good care of his nephew, Gu Zhanghua, who had never met his uncle since birth, and his nephew's wife, Zhao Xuan.
Soon, the couple's mission to the Song Dynasty was scheduled for a month later, and they were expected to spend the Spring Festival with the Song Emperor.
Zhao Xuan, who is inherently incompatible with being a homebody and prefers the vastness of the sky and the freedom of the sea, has long since set her sights on the Song Kingdom, a place she has never visited.
In addition, after watching Guan Liushui describe the various "evil" aspects of the Song Emperor to Zhao Xuan, Zhao Xuan became extremely curious about this uncle.
But before that, Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua still had many things to do.