The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Past Life

Wu Yi Alley was on the south bank of the Qinhuai River. Since the Jin Dynasty moved south, it had always been the residence of the two great aristocratic clans, the Wang and Xie families. It was the most prosperous and magnificent scenic spot in Jiankang City. Because countless romantic figures from the Wang and Xie families had emerged from here for two hundred years, it had become a legendary place that people talked about and yearned for.

These two great aristocratic clans have a long history and once became the head of the aristocratic families. High-ranking officials have been in their families for generations, and everyone thought they would last forever. But who would have thought that because of a rejected marriage, these two families would suffer the disaster of extermination, and the Wu Yi disciples would disappear from the world.

And the culprit of all this was her.

As the eldest legitimate daughter of the Chenjun Xie Clan, she had the most noble status and innate pride. Not marrying scholars from humble families, always staying away from imperial power, and preserving the strength and heritage of the aristocratic family were the family precepts she had inherited since childhood, and she also strictly adhered to these precepts.

Therefore, when Hou Jing proposed to Emperor Wu of Liang to marry into the Xie family, she resolutely refused and, based on her ability to roughly predict some future trends, advised Emperor Wu of Liang to drive Hou Jing out of Daliang. But who knew that the old and foolish emperor did not listen to the advice, but instead repeatedly promoted Hou Jing to higher ranks and sent him money and goods to appease him, so that Hou Jing’s military and political power and military supplies gradually grew, until finally he could shout “Eliminate Evil Ministers Around the Emperor” and rebel.

However, even at this point, Emperor Wu of Liang was still not alert and actually rewarded and appeased the foreign guest who raised the banner of rebellion again. But his kindness did not win Hou Jing’s gratitude, but instead gave Hou Jing enough food and grass as capital for rebellion, and he gathered tens of thousands of troops to attack Jiankang Tai City.

The Jiankang aristocracy had always lived a life of luxury and did not care about worldly affairs. Under Hou Jing’s tyrannical attack, they were unable to resist at all. Soon, Jiankang Tai City fell, and her family, along with many aristocratic families in the south, suffered Hou Jing’s cruel revenge.

After taking control of Tai City, Hou Jing deposed the emperor and proclaimed himself emperor. The first edict he issued was to execute both the Wang and Xie families.

At that time, she fled with her younger brother and younger sister under the cover of the elders of the family. She finally escaped from Jiankang and wanted to join another branch of the family in the north, but she was ambushed and attacked by a group of masked men in black.

It was on that day that she died at the hands of that man. However, she didn’t understand until her death that the only thing a man who doted on her to the point of obeying her every word and never complained wanted was her life.

Southern Chen State… So it was Chen!

Xiao Jinyu stood under a big tree, looked at the dilapidated mansions not far away, and laughed silently. Big drops of tears rolled in her eyes.

Father, mother, grandfather, I’m back. Although I’m no longer the former Xie Yuqing, but Xiao Jinyu twenty years later, I will never let the Xie family be buried in the long river of history and disappear without a trace.

This is the last time I allow myself to cry.

“Qing Gege ━ I found out.”

Hearing Fenghuang’s voice, Xiao Jinyu immediately wiped away her tears and turned to nod at the boy.

“Tell me!” She said.

Seeing her slightly red eyes, Fenghuang was stunned for a moment, but he didn’t reveal the pain in her heart, only replied: “I just went to inquire about it. The Lanling Xiao Clan living in Jiankang City is said to be a descendant of Crown Prince Zhao Ming of the previous dynasty…”

“Descendant of Crown Prince Zhao Ming?” Xiao Jinyu was a little surprised.

Crown Prince Zhao Ming, Xiao Tong, was the first biological son of Emperor Wu of Liang, but not the eldest son. The eldest son of Emperor Wu of Liang was Xiao Zhengde, who was adopted from the lineage of his cousin. Later, when Emperor Wu of Liang had a son at the age of forty, he transferred all his fatherly love to his biological son, Xiao Tong, and gave the position of Crown Prince, which should have belonged to Xiao Zhengde, to his biological son, Xiao Tong, without hesitation. He invited many learned and famous scholars in Jiankang City to teach him. Xiao Tong lived up to expectations after he grew up, and cultivated the Confucian nature of “benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and filial piety.” He was not only talented in literature, but also had a wide range of knowledge, a pure nature, diligence in government, and love for the people.

But he did not expect to be suspected by Emperor Wu of Liang because of a wax goose incident, and eventually died in depression.

After the death of the Crown Prince, the princes of the Xiao family played the game of seizing the throne. When Hou Jing attacked Tai City, they stood by and watched, ignoring their father and hundreds of thousands of people trapped in Jiankang Tai City, and watched the fight. Eventually, Emperor Wu of Liang starved to death in Tai City, and 200,000 scholars and civilians in Jiankang either starved to death or died under Hou Jing’s butcher knife.

It’s ridiculous! Because of Emperor Wu of Liang’s foolishness, the selfishness and cowardice of the descendants of the Xiao family, Hou Jing, who only had a few thousand troops, was able to destroy the entire Southern Liang Dynasty and the prosperity of Jiankang City, causing thousands of people to be slaughtered, corpses everywhere, and the entire Jiankang City deserted for thousands of miles.

And her father, brothers, and sisters were tortured and humiliated to the extreme under Hou Jing’s revenge.

At that time, she thought more than once, if Crown Prince Zhao Ming was still alive… or even if Crown Prince Zhao Ming had ascended the throne one day earlier, would there have been no subsequent struggle for the throne, and would there have been no such tragic Hou Jing Rebellion? Her family would not have…

Thinking of this, Xiao Jinyu shook her head and laughed again. There are no ifs in anything…

However, it is really unexpected that since the Chen family replaced the Liang Dynasty as emperor, did they not learn from Hou Jing to exterminate the Xiao family?

At this time, Fenghuang replied: “It seems that because Crown Prince Zhao Ming was highly respected and learned during his lifetime, and was a model for scholars, Emperor Wu of Chen appreciated his talent and kept this branch of the Xiao family as officials in the Chen Dynasty.”

✿✿✿

This is a good way to win people’s hearts. The founding monarchs of all dynasties have done this in order to show their wisdom and benevolence to everyone, but secretly there are endless assassinations.

“Then who is the head of this generation of the Xiao family?” Xiao Jinyu asked.

Fenghuang replied: “Xiao Jian.”

“Xiao Jian?” Xiao Jinyu frowned.

“Qing Gege, did you remember something, or do you know this person?” Seeing Xiao Jinyu’s slightly surprised expression, Fenghuang asked again.

Xiao Jinyu shook her head. She really didn’t know this person, and in her memory, there was no one named Xiao Jian among the descendants of Crown Prince Zhao Ming.

“How is the Xiao family now? Are there many descendants?” Xiao Jinyu asked again.

Fenghuang thought for a moment, shook his head and replied: “It’s not too many.”

“What do you mean?”

Fenghuang then replied: “It’s like this. I heard that the head of the Xiao family, Xiao Jian, in order to make the Xiao family prosperous, originally married two wives. The two wives developed further, and there seemed to be four or five legitimate young masters, and more than a dozen illegitimate ones. But strangely, a few years ago, the Xiao family seemed to be infected with a plague, and many people died. Now the only surviving legitimate young masters are Xiao Xian and Xiao Yun. As for this Xiao Xian, Qing Gege, you have met him today. I heard that he is also weak and sick, and he will not live past the age of twenty-five.”

“Also… I inquired about it, and no one seems to know that the Xiao family once had an aunt, and no one knows why the aunt left the Xiao family. Do the Xiao family still remember her?”

Speaking of this, the boy’s tone was a little disappointed. If the Xiao family refused to recognize Qing Gege, would those tokens be enough to return to the Xiao family?

“You don’t have to be disappointed, I never intended to depend on others.” Xiao Jinyu added, and then asked, “You just said that Xiao Jian married two wives, did he inherit two families?”

At this time, there was no such thing as a co-wife, especially the sons of aristocratic families did not dare to overstep the etiquette system, attract criticism, ruin their reputation, but if the family had few descendants, an only son could inherit the ancestral temples of two families at the same time.

Fenghuang shook his head and said: “No, the second wife married by the head of the Xiao family seems to have been married by Emperor Wen. She was a princess of the Chen State. Since she was a princess, she must not want to be a concubine, so Emperor Wen imitated Jia Chong in the Jin Dynasty and set up two wives, left and right, for the head of the Xiao family. I heard that this right wife is more than ten years younger than the left wife.”

“Left and right wives?” Xiao Jinyu murmured, and then asked, “What about the left wife? How is she now?”

“I heard that it’s not very good. After the plague in the Xiao family, the left wife lost several children in a row, and she also became seriously ill. She has been paralyzed in bed and unconscious until now. People also said that if the right wife hadn’t invited a famous doctor to take care of her with medicine, the left wife might have died long ago. People have a high opinion of this right wife.” Speaking of this, Fenghuang added, “Oh, yes, this left wife is said to be from the Chenjun Yuan family!”

“Chenjun Yuan family?”

Fenghuang nodded, and Xiao Jinyu’s expression darkened.

Everyone knows that when Hou Jing rebelled, he slaughtered the city, and the four major immigrant surnames, “Wang, Xie, Yuan, and Xiao,” were all slaughtered. It’s no wonder that the emperor of the Chen Dynasty dared to give Xiao Jian a princess as his right wife. Without the protection of the family, no matter how noble the status is, it is just tender meat without a shell, to be slaughtered by others.

“Fenghuang, let’s go to the Xiao family tonight.” After thinking for a moment with a secret smile, Xiao Jinyu suddenly said, “Before that, please send another letter to the Xiao family for me.”