Chapter 67
Chapter 67: The Deep and Shallow Waters, West and East Towers (Part 2)
In the imperial study, there was a profound silence. Mo Zhiyan stood respectfully to the side, slightly bowing his
head and staring at his toes. The sound of paper rustling occasionally broke the quiet, and he waited for the young
emperor to issue his orders.
"Not bad." Si Cang Qing put down the document in his hand and casually praised.
Upon hearing the words, Mo Zhi's body tensed slightly, and he bowed and said, "Then I shall take my leave."
"Wait a moment."
Si Cang Qing spoke up to stop the person from leaving, and without further explanation, stood up and walked in
front of the other, silently sizing up Mo Zhiyan from head to toe.
"What orders do you have, my lord?" Mo Zhiyan said with a serious expression, feeling a bit anxious. The direct
and sharp scrutiny from Si Cang Qing made one feel inevitably tense.
Seeing the other person's overly serious expression, Si Cang Qing took a moment before casually asking, "Who
proposed the idea of reforming the rewards and punishments for prisoners?"
He was sure that it was definitely not Mo Zhiyan. The idea of the reward and punishment system was much
improved compared to the beginning, but it was different from the idea that Mo Zhiyan had insisted on before. It
was much more merciful than the previous blind punishment. At the same time, there were also measures to urge
the reform of non-death row prisoners. In this world with strict hierarchy and stubborn thinking, it could be
regarded as an innovation and it was also feasible.
Not at all surprised by Si Cang Qing's sharpness, Mo Zhiyan replied in a deep voice, "I was careless for a moment
and did not report it to the master." After a little hesitation, he continued, "A few days ago, I passed by the
Imperial Garden and happened to meet Divine Doctor Mu, and we had a few words. At that time, we were
discussing the reform of the Ministry of Justice. Divine Doctor Mu's idea was surprising but feasible, so after
discussing it with everyone in the Ministry of Justice, I proposed this series of reward and punishment system."
Cheng TianBi? Si Cang Qing raised an eyebrow slightly, then waved his hand and said in a calm voice,
"Retreat!"
Back at his desk, Si Cang Qing picked up the Ministry of Justice memorial again and began to read it carefully.
As Mo Zhiyan said, there are indeed many novel ideas in the reform of the Ministry of Justice proposed by
Cheng TianBi, some of which are even quite feasible.
Si Cang Qing thought to himself, if it weren't for that person's special identity, he could have gathered his
subordinates for his own use. The talent of Young Master Biyue is indeed rare in this world.
Remembering that the man had lived in the palace for some time, Si Cang Qing suddenly stood up and walked
out - he rarely went to Tianluan Palace these days, but now he was eager to go and take a look.
"Qing?"
Seeing Si Cang Qing's sudden visit, Cheng TianBi was obviously a little surprised, and hurriedly greeted him,
a little puzzled, "You, how come you have time to come to this Bishui Pavilion?"
Si Cang Qing strode towards the small pavilion in the water, and saw a guqin placed there from a distance,
"Look at you."
With a hint of understanding in his heart, Cheng TianBi smiled gently, "You like the tunes I play on the guqin,
don't you?"
Si Cang Qing did not respond, as he liked the sound of this person's guqin. However, he came this time purely
on a whim, just to see him. Cheng TianBi took his silence as an affirmation and said, "The autumn air is crisp
and clear, and with nothing else to do, I was also thinking of playing a couple of tunes."
Sitting upright in front of the qin table, Cheng TianBi plucked the strings a couple of times and looked at
Si Cang Qing, "What do you want to hear?"
Silently watching the other person, Si Cang Qing replied nonchalantly, "Do as you wish."
"Well then," Cheng Tian said, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, a faint smile appearing, "I'll play a tune of the
Heart-Purifying Mantra!"
The sound of the jade zither stirs the heart, but worldly matters are hard to settle.
Heart-cleansing mantra, is your heart cleansed? After a song, all thoughts vanish.
The five aggregates are empty, suffering and affliction are empty.
The tune, neither sad nor happy, was elegant and melodious, floating in Si Cang Qing's ears. Is it the
transcendence of being out of the world, or the decadence of being involved in the world? It’s hard for others to
know, and that person probably also finds it hard to understand his own heart.
"Qing?" The sound of the piano suddenly stopped. Cheng TianBi looked at Si Cang Qing in surprise, somewhat
puzzled. The other party suddenly put his hand on the back of his hand. What did he mean?
"Play chess with me." Without explaining, Si Cang Qing asked lightly.
Since learning chess on his own, Si Cang Qing has only played chess with himself. This is the first time he has
asked to play against someone else. Glancing at Cheng TianBi's puzzled expression, Si Cang Qing turned around
and asked the palace servants to bring the chessboard and chess pieces. Cheng TianBi quickly relaxed and said
with a smile: "As for playing chess, I'm afraid my chess skills are not good enough, so please go easy on me."
Si Cang Qing nodded slightly. Playing chess was actually secondary; the main issue was... for some reason, he
didn't like this person continuing to play this piece. He liked his playing, but this particular piece made him feel
somewhat uncomfortable. As for why, he didn't know either.
"Snap!" The black stone fell lightly, making a crisp sound. Cheng Tian Bi lightly pursed his lips, his eyes filled
with gentle smiles, quietly gazing at Si Cang Qing, who was focused on the chessboard with his head down.
The two players engrossed in their game had not noticed the red figure standing for a long time by the distant gate
tower. Cheng TianYang gazed at the elegant pavilion, where the two seated opposite each other exchanged
moves. Their expressions were unreadable, yet one could sense the tranquil harmony between them.
After standing for a long time, Cheng TianYang finally turned and left gracefully, saying, "Qingyan, return to
the palace."
"Qing," Cheng TianBi looked up at the darkening sky and began to pack up the chess pieces, his tone full of
admiration, "Your chess skills are really amazing." Although he had said before that his chess skills were not
good, there were probably not many people in this world who could really beat him.
Si Cang Qing made no comment, but he felt very happy in his heart. Cheng TianBi's chess playing method was
not bound by routines. He caught the opponent by surprise and his style of play was as natural as flowing clouds
and water, which was completely different from the sharp edge of his own sword. In this round, they confronted
each other for several hours. Although he won in the end, he took a dangerous approach at the last moment of
stalemate and delivered the final thundering blow, which enabled him to win.
He raised his eyes and gazed at the man's smiling face, which was filled with excitement of meeting a worthy
opponent. It looked even brighter and slightly different from the worldly smile he had when he was playing the
Heart Purifying Mantra.
A little comforted... Si Cang Qing lowered his eyes, he didn't know why he had such emotions.
◇Cang◇Huan◇Seven◇Palace◇
Without further inquiry, Si Cang Qing stood up and was about to leave. "Let's go." He had been in the Bishui
Pavilion for most of the afternoon. He was now burdened with official duties, and there were still many
memorials piled up in the imperial study.
"Qing," Cheng TianBi stood up hurriedly and said hesitantly, "Why don't you have dinner here before leaving!"
Fingertips accidentally touched the warm palm of this person's hand, and the faint warmth made him feel
nostalgic. Although Cheng TianBi is staying in the palace now, he stays in the Bishui Pavilion most of the time,
so... he rarely sees him, and has never been alone like today.
As soon as he said the words to keep her, Cheng TianBi felt a little regretful. This action seemed unreasonable.
Si Cang Qing looked very natural and responded readily, "Okay."
The palace servants quietly set the table and served the dishes one by one in an orderly manner. At this time,
the young eunuch Qing Yan came forward to pass on a message, "Young Master, His Majesty the West Empress
asked me to pass on a message that His Majesty will not be coming for dinner today."
"Got it," Cheng TianBi replied softly. Ever since he moved into Bishui Pavilion, Cheng TianYang would come
every day to have dinner with him. Today... looking at the young emperor sitting across from him, he vaguely
sensed that Cheng TianYang might have some reservations about him!
Dinner was a bit more lavish than usual, but not excessively so.
The palace attendants retreated outside the hall. Cheng TianBi didn't know what to talk about, and Si Cang Qing
was naturally quiet. The two adhered to the principle of "no talking while eating or sleeping," and each quietly
had their meal.
"Are you getting used to living here?"
Stunned for a moment, Cheng TianBi looked up at the person who had suddenly spoken. The other party had
already stopped eating. "Thank you for your concern," he smiled, "there's nothing to get used to, living here is
actually very reassuring."
No longer alone, burdened with worries about family and friends. Moreover, the environment of the Bishui
Pavilion is serene, and the palace attendants behave properly.
"Mm," Si Cang Qing picked up the teacup but didn't drink from it. Instead, he said, "You can stay here at ease."
He slightly lowered his gaze, "Don't pay attention to some troublesome matters."
Worries? Cheng TianBi reacted quickly, thought for a moment, and without beating around the bush, said,
"Are you referring to the discussion on the penal system that Minister Mo and I had previously?"
Somewhat embarrassed, he said softly, "I overstepped my bounds."
Previously, he had met Mo Zhiyan a few times. At that time, the Ministry of Justice was undergoing internal
restructuring, and he was somewhat interested. He intended to discuss it with the other party, thinking... perhaps
he could be of help. He forgot that he was a foreigner, and the relationship between Hongcheng and Canghuan
was hardly harmonious, which seemed suspicious.
Thinking of this, Cheng TianBi's face looked a little annoyed and frustrated.
"Don't worry too much." Si Cang Qing looked at him calmly, his voice cold, "You are not feeling well, don't
worry too much." Although if this person could work for him, he would definitely be able to help a lot, but his
body...
"Oh, so that's it." Cheng TianBi smiled slightly, "No problem, I'm just casually talking about my thoughts, it's
not a big deal." Besides, it's not something that would hurt your body or mind.
Si Cang Qing raised his eyebrows but did not respond.
"Really," Cheng TianBi said with a hint of melancholy and nostalgia in his expression, "Back then, I also worked
in the Criminal Department of Hongcheng for over a year, so I have some personal thoughts on this matter."
In his youth, although he was gentle and not very ambitious, he harbored beautiful thoughts and had various
wonderful plans and ideas, hoping to achieve great things.
However, the world plays tricks on people. After experiencing such a struggle between life and death, his state
of mind was no longer what it used to be; all his thoughts had been completely erased. No matter how beautiful
the wish, it cannot bear fruit if it is uprooted from the soil. That day, by chance, he had a conversation with
Mo Zhiyan, which made him reminisce about his wishes from back then. He no longer expected to become
anything; he was just thinking…
"I originally thought, if I could help a little, it would be a small comfort to my heart." He sincerely hoped that
he could contribute a bit to the person in front of him.
Hearing the person's damaged voice, Si Cang Qing gently turned her gaze away, looking at the swaying shadows
of the trees outside the window, "As long as you're happy!"
Getting up, Si Cang Qing no longer lingered, "I'm going back to Huanao Hall. You should rest early."
Standing in the pavilion, watching the white figure gradually fade into the night, Cheng TianBi's dark eyebrows
slightly raised, carrying a hint of satisfaction and joy.
"Brother, it's getting chilly, why are you outside in the wind?"
In a trance, Cheng TianYang walked in front of him without knowing when. Cheng TianBi was stunned for a
moment, then smiled, "You scared me without making any noise." Then he changed the subject, "Didn't you say
you wouldn't come tonight?"
"I only said I wouldn't come for a meal," Cheng Tian Yang wrapped his arm around the other person's arm,
pulling Cheng Tian Bi towards the house, "I never said I wouldn't come to see you. I just knew that as long as I
didn't watch over him, brother wouldn't know how to take care of himself."
"How could that be!" Cheng Tian Bi protested slightly.
"Isn't it now?" Cheng TianYang glared at him, "It's almost winter now, and you have a weak body, you can't
stand the slightest chill."
"I know." Cheng TianBi couldn't help but laugh and teased softly, "When did Yanger become so nagging?"
Without responding to his teasing, Cheng TianYang waved his hand to signal the palace servants guarding the
hall to leave, his expression showing deep thought. Seeing this, Cheng TianBi asked, "What's on Yang'er's
mind?"
"Brother," Cheng TianYang thought for a long while before speaking slowly, looking into the other's eyes
steadily, "I have something to ask you."
Hmm, why?
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