bookcurios Chapter 128: Mingzhi
Chapter 128: Mingzhi
"That's not the case. Not only do I have no complaints, I would like to express my gratitude to Your Majesty," Ren Baozhi said. "Master Long is the dream lover of countless young men in the capital. Now that the Emperor wishes to betroth me to Master Long, I am naturally filled with gratitude."
"Well," Li Yaozu nodded with satisfaction, "You are quite sensible."
"Your Majesty, you are too kind," Ren Baozhi said hesitantly, a trace of sadness in her eyes. "My father has just passed away, and his body is still warm. Although Your Highness has graciously petitioned on my behalf and pardoned my mourning obligations, my love for him remains. How can I bear to abandon my grief and perform the ceremony of marriage?"
"I was unfortunate. I lost my father before I even reached adulthood. I was unable to fulfill my filial duties to him. This is already the most unfilial of all. Now should be a period of mourning. If I cannot endure the loneliness, I will only solidify my reputation as an unfilial person. I hope the Emperor will have pity on my filial piety and fulfill my filial duty."
Li Yaozu looked at Ren Baozhi kneeling on the ground and said angrily, "You say you are filial, but in your father's case, you are the biggest suspect."
"How dare I, a humble commoner, deceive the emperor?" Ren Baozhi raised his head, his gaze fixed on Li Yaozu. "If the people of the world still have doubts about this case, I beg the saint to lend me the Thousand Ox Knife."
In an instant, the Qianniu guards lined up in front of the emperor, and the Qianniu swords in their hands were unsheathed. With a "swish" of snow-like light, the tips of the swords pointed directly at Ren Baozhi.
Zheng Kai, the General of the Qianniu Guards, shouted, "You daring and unruly people! How dare you speak so recklessly in front of the Emperor?"
Li Yaozu didn't think a woman like Ren Baozhi would dare to do such a treasonous act. He just felt that Ren Baozhi's behavior was too inappropriate and she didn't know the rules of etiquette. He looked at Ren Baozhi with a look of disgust: "Don't you know that you can't wear a sword in front of the emperor? Are you planning a rebellion?"
"I dare not. I borrowed the knife to prove my innocence."
Li Yaozu's voice was filled with anger: "What kind of self-evident truth do you need to prove with a knife?"
Wu Wencang's face remained kind and gentle as she gently took Li Yaozu's arm. "Your Majesty, aren't we leaving the palace today just to have some fun? Chen Baozhi is planning a show, why don't we just treat it as a bit of fun? What do you think, Your Majesty?"
"She openly offended the Emperor today, which is a serious crime. I, considering that she is a woman and does not understand the law, have shown her special mercy by not sentencing her to death."
"Your Majesty is truly magnanimous," Wu Wencang coaxed Li Yaozu, then said with a lack of interest, "Every year during the Shangsi Festival, the same old routine is repeated. I'm just finding it boring. Could it be that Your Majesty still doesn't trust these Thousand Oxen Guards?"
"Forget it," Li Yaozu shook his head helplessly. "Awu, you are indeed a queen when handling state affairs, but when it comes to these fun things, you act like a little girl."
"Your Majesty is making fun of Takeru again."
The anger on Li Yaozu's face faded, and he ordered, "Let me lend her the Thousand Ox Sword. I want to see how she can prove herself!"
Zheng Kai wanted to say something else, but when he saw Li Yaozu waving his hand, he stopped talking and winked at one of the Qianniu Guards of lower rank.
The man stepped forward and handed his Qianniu Sword to Ren Baozhi, and then returned to the team in a well-trained manner.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace." Ren Baozhi stood up and looked directly at Li Yaozu through the front row of seats.
As everyone held their breath, she slowly untied her fu hat. As her fingers loosened, the fu hat slipped from between her fingers. Then she took off the hairpin, and finally the hair crown. When the hair crown fell to the ground, it collided with the hairpin, making a crisp sound.
This crisp sound became the only sound in Qujiang Lake at this moment. Everyone was startled back to their senses by the crisp sound and realized that they had not been breathing the whole time.
Although they didn't know what Ren Baozhi was going to do, no one made any noise and they all waited tacitly for Ren Baozhi's next move.
Her long black hair cascaded down, covering Ren Baozhi's shoulders.
Her movements were neither hurried nor slow, but her eyes never left Li Yaozu from beginning to end.
Such a look made Li Yaozu tighten his grip on the armrest of the chair for no reason.
Ren Baozhi moved his wrist slightly, and the sword was unsheathed. The Qianniu guards immediately became more alert.
She picked up a strand of hair, and with a flash of cold light in her hand, the strand of black hair was broken in her palm.
The palms of the hands spun lightly, and the hair scattered in the wind.
One ray after another, Ren Baozhi's gaze was still closely following Li Yaozu, never moving away for a moment.
Li Yaozu's slightly surprised face was reflected in her pupils. At this moment, Ren Baozhi felt only pleasure in her heart.
Her long black hair spread all over the ground. Her originally thick and dark hair had turned into neat and refreshing short hair. Although it was messy, it showed her a sense of ease and comfort that she had never experienced since she came to this world.
With a "clang" sound, the Qianniu Sword returned to its sheath.
Ren Baozhi held the knife and clasped his fists, his voice resolute. "The Book of Filial Piety states: 'The body and hair are given by parents; we must not damage them. This is the beginning of filial piety.' However, my father has suffered misfortune, and as the legitimate son, I am powerless to find the culprit. This is truly unfilial, and I am ashamed to continue wearing the long hair my father gave me."
Today, I will shave my head in front of everyone in the world to show my determination. Until the true culprit is revealed, I will not grow my hair long! In this life, there will be no more love between men and women. I only wish to use my full blood to find the true culprit, avenge my father, and let my father know and rest in peace!
Her voice was the only one heard in the entire Qujiang Lake. The voice was not very loud, but every word was sonorous and powerful, leaving everyone speechless for a long time.
The horse is jealous of the spring breeze.
On the way to Xishi, Ren Baozhi rode on Mo Yun in a good mood, shaking his head and humming a song: "I have a little donkey, but I never ride it..."
Seeing this, the pedestrians on the road began to whisper to each other. Ren Baozhi knew that they were discussing her, but what was the harm?
Ren Baozhiduan looked unmoved. She finally did something she had always wanted to do but had not dared to do since she entered the book.
After all, this is an era where you can't even go out with your hair down.
Now she shaved her head in front of the people of the world to show her determination, not only removing the suspicion of patricide from herself, but also no one would say that she violated the law and affected the city's appearance by not keeping long hair.
As the spring breeze blows, every short hair stretches out freely.
She twisted her neck. It had been so long since she felt such relief.
You no longer have to spend a lot of time washing and drying your hair, and you no longer have to style your hair into a bun every day.
She raised her head and felt free and easy.
When looking up at the sky, Wu Wencang's gaze today appeared in Ren Baozhi's mind again.
She knew that Wu Wencang would help her.
"Mother, I don't understand why my father insisted on arranging a marriage between Chen Baozhi and Long Aotian today. This is too hasty." As soon as he returned to the palace, Li Qixi couldn't wait to find Wu Wencang.