Chapter 4 Deep Courtyard

It has been the seventh day of mourning in the mourning hall. Tingsheng has been keeping his head down, seeming to be in deep thought, and Lu Yuan beside him is not willing to disturb him. After an unknown period of time, he heard the sound of striding forward from outside the door. Looking up, he saw the guards stopping a young man with a youthful look between his eyebrows. He looked about the same age as Tingsheng and Lu Yuan, but he was indeed a little stronger. He was wearing a coat that looked like armor, and at first glance, it was quite dazzling. Tingsheng waved his hand, and the guards were willing to give up. The young man strode to Tingsheng and Lu Yuan, knelt down with them, said nothing, and kowtowed heavily.

"Tingsheng, Lu Yuan, I am late. I have been training outside the border before, and the training has been intensified a lot since the war was just settled. I couldn't get away, so I just came back this morning." The young man said with a little urgency.

Tingsheng patted the boy's shoulder gently, smiled slightly, trying to hide the sadness on his face, and slowly said, "Shu Hong, it's okay, Mr. understands, you don't have to blame yourself, not to mention that Lu Yuan has been with me these days, you don't have to worry about us." Lu Yuan on the side also nodded slightly, "That's right, you are not as good as before, you don't have so much free time, everyone knows it. Mr.'s spirit in heaven will also be relieved to see you come." Speaking of Mr., Shu Hong's eyes were slightly red, quite emotional, frowning and said, "If Mr. hadn't designed to rescue the three of us that day, I'm afraid we would still be in Yeyou Court and never see the light of day. Although Mr.'s rescue was accidental, it was a great kindness and I will never forget it in this life." Speaking of deep affection, hot tears flowed down his cheeks. Seeing Shu Hong so uncomfortable, Tingsheng and Lu Yuan were even more emotional. The three of them knelt in the Lin Clan Ancestral Hall without saying a word. On the other side, Concubine Jing, who was already the Empress Dowager, was crushing lotus seeds with tears in her eyes. Even if Xiao Jingyan had been trying to hide the news of Lin Shu's death, how could Concubine Jing, who was as thoughtful as dust, not know what had happened in the past few days? It was just that Xiao Jingyan didn't say it, and she didn't ask.

"Report to the Empress Dowager, His Majesty has arrived." The maid beside Concubine Jing hurried over.

When Xiao Jingyan saw his mother, he bowed and sat next to Concubine Jing. In the past, Xiao Jingyan must have come to pay respects every day, but this time he hadn't come for seven days. He knew in his heart that he couldn't hide it at all.

Concubine Jing looked at her son, the child who was enough to make her proud for a lifetime, and gently soothed his face. When her fingertips touched the corners of her eyes, she felt a little wet. She closed her eyes slightly, and tears flowed down her cheeks. The mother and son supported each other, but they couldn't suppress their sadness.

Concubine Jing said softly, "Jingyan, you must know that the government is the most important thing in everything. This is the result of Xiao Shu's life's hard work. Remember not to delay the government because of excessive longing."

Xiao Jingyan nodded, his thoughts were heavy, and he spoke in a hoarse voice, "Mother is right, but every time I think of the name Lin Shu written prominently on the list of martyred soldiers, my son can't stop being sad. Mother, Xiao Shu will never come back." The night gradually darkened, and the maid came to the front of the courtyard to pay her respects.

"How about it, what does Tingsheng like to eat?" Concubine Jing asked lightly. Knowing that Tingsheng must be tired because of mourning, and the child was young and suffered so much, she naturally loved him in her heart, so Concubine Jing made a few snacks and sent someone to deliver them.

"Reporting to the Queen, His Highness Tingsheng didn't touch any of the snacks. I heard from the servants around His Highness that His Highness only started eating a bowl of porridge every day on the fourth day, and he would not enjoy more. The snacks you sent were the same as when you sent them, and they were not even touched. His Highness has not even touched this month's supply." Jingyan and Concubine Jing listened, thinking and sighing, "Tingsheng is indeed filial. I thought the child was young, and I allowed him to eat some liquid food during the fasting period. Who knew that not only did he not eat, but he also ate less afterwards. He is worthy of Xiaoshu's love and cultivation of him." Concubine Jing patted Jingyan's hand, glanced at him, and signaled to wait until the maid went down before talking. "Anything else, is everything okay with Tingsheng? Ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to take more care of him. After all, he is still a child, and there are many unexpected things. Don't let him suffer." Concubine Jing again instructed the maid. "When I took the food box just now, I saw two young men kneeling with His Highness Tingsheng. The three of them were in a row. They looked about the same age as His Highness." The maid reported what she had seen to Concubine Jing one by one.

Concubine Jing thought for a moment and waved her hand, indicating that the maid could go down. Turning back to look at Jingyan, "Do you know who those two children are?"

Xiao Jingyan frowned and said, "They should be the children who came out of Yeyouting with Tingsheng. They were all rescued by Xiaoshu, and Xiaoshu taught them several times. These two children are destined to be with Xiaoshu. Now that Xiaoshu is gone, they can accompany Tingsheng to perform the filial piety ceremony, which shows their deep affection."

Listening to Xiao Jingyan's praise for these children, Concubine Jing nodded in agreement, but seemed worried. Jingyan saw his mother's worry and asked, "Mother, is there anything wrong?"

Concubine Jing smiled faintly, a little perfunctory "There is nothing wrong with that. The three children are loyal and righteous, and they are all good children. They mourn together, which not only shows their filial piety and gratitude to Xiao Shu, but also highlights the feelings between the three of them. These three children grew up in hardship, but they are definitely not mortal blood. They were born in Yeyou Court, and their families must have been prosperous for a time, but they made mistakes later and were demoted to slaves. They are young, but they can survive that unbearable experience, which shows their strong hearts. However, the greater the ability, the easier it is to cause wind and snow..." Concubine Jing stopped talking halfway.

Xiao Jingyan asked hurriedly, "Doesn't it seem inappropriate for me to keep Tingsheng by my side? Mother, the reason why I love Tingsheng so much is not only because he has suffered a lot, but also because among all the children, he is the only one who has a blood relationship with Brother Qi, Xiaoshu, and my son, and I can see the shadows of Brother Qi and Xiaoshu in him. I really don't want to let him leave this palace."

Jing Fei looked at her slightly impatient son, feeling heartbroken for Jingyan's helplessness, but she said gently, "Mother is not worried about Tingsheng, but worried that his life experience will make a big fuss for people with ulterior motives in the future. In addition, the two children around Tingsheng are so determined at a young age, and they will definitely not be ordinary people in the future. If the three of them are instigated by the villain, what can the three of them do? It would be good if the rain didn't change, but Tingsheng's life experience was the beginning of everything, so how can we not worry? This child is resolute, motivated, and loyal. I don't worry that Tingsheng will do something rebellious. I'm just afraid that you and Tingsheng will inevitably have grudges in the future due to complicated things, which will destroy the friendship between you. "Although everything in the future is unpredictable, Xiao Jingyan is Xiao Tingsheng's only support at the moment, and he will not let go no matter what. "Xiao Shu is gone, and my son can't ignore Tingsheng. Even if something irreversible may happen in the future, my son can't abandon Tingsheng because of unknown things. "Although Xiao Jingyan's thoughts are not as agile as Concubine Jing, and his scheming is not as long-term as Mei Changsu, his sincere heart is very deep and warm. In addition, he is already the emperor, and there is a sense of determination in his words. "Since you have made up your mind, mother will support you. However, you must let Tingsheng come to mother more often in the future. Mother will teach him well and make him a pillar of society." Seeing her son's expression, Concubine Jing knew that the overall situation was set, but no matter what, she did not want Tingsheng to become a troublemaker in the future, not only because of Jingyan, but also because Tingsheng was like her own grandson in her heart. How could Concubine Jing watch her son and grandson suffer another tragedy because of past events? Of course, Concubine Jing only told Jingyan half of the story, but she had not said the other half. Even though Tingsheng has a pure heart, there are too many people with ulterior motives in the world. Tingsheng can be loyal, but others may not have bad intentions towards him. If Tingsheng's life experience comes to light, even if Tingsheng does not do anything rebellious in his life, will the people in the palace be able to tolerate him?

In this palace with deep courtyards, the most unpredictable thing is the human heart, and the most precious thing is friendship. However, no matter how precious the friendship is, it cannot withstand the bottomless human heart.

The sky is overcast and the wind is blowing again...