CHAPTER 246: CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-THREE

Lingyun had always been by the emperor’s side. Zhao Yao guessed that Lingyun should know who Qin Xiulian resembled.

Lingyun said, "This morning during the hunt, the master encountered a pack of wolves, and then Qin Xiulian suddenly appeared and helped the master deal with the wolves. Then, a wolf suddenly attacked the master, and Qin Xiulian stood in front of the master and was bitten by the wolf."

It was more or less as Zhao Yao had guessed because that was how it was written in storybooks.

"Who does Qin Xiulian resemble?"

Lingyun replied, "Si Youying."

"Si Youying?" Zhao Yao had never heard of this name, "Was this person father’s old lover?"

Lingyun nodded and said, "Yes, she was the master’s old lover."

"So that’s how it is." Zhao Yao’s expression suddenly became very excited, his eyes sparkling with interest, "Quickly tell me the story of Si Youying and my father."

"Si Youying was the master’s lifesaver."

"Lifesaver?" The moment Zhao Yao heard these four words, he smelled the scent of an affair. "Let me guess."

"You guess."

"I guess my father was seriously injured during a battle and was saved by Si Youying. Then the two of them spent time together day and night, developed feelings for each other, and pledged their lives to each other."

"Roughly like that. The master’s injuries were very severe back then, and he almost died, but fortunately, he was saved by Si Youying."

"What was Si Youying’s status, and how did she die?"

"Si Youying was a bandit."

Zhao Yao exclaimed, "A bandit, a female bandit?" This was different from what he had imagined.

"Yes, she was the bandit leader, but she became a bandit to protect the villagers." Lingyun said, "You know the times were chaotic back then, with bandits and rebel armies everywhere, burning, killing, and looting. Si Youying had no choice but to become a bandit and establish a stronghold."

"Not only did she protect the villagers, but she also took in many people fleeing disaster. She was a good person. Later, following the master’s suggestion, she turned her people in the stronghold into soldiers and joined the master’s forces. From then on, she led her soldiers to quell rebellions."

"Then she was a formidable female general."

"Yes, she was a very formidable female general. She was exceptionally good at leading troops into battle and almost never lost." Lingyun said, "She fought alongside the master and quelled many disturbances. Everyone said she and the master were a good match. The master even took her home to meet the master’s parents and the late empress, saying he wanted to marry her."

"At that time, father had already married the late empress?" Zhao Yao thought the emperor and Si Youying met before marrying the late empress.

"Yes, but at that time, the master had not yet married the Noble Princess Consort Rong." Lingyun sighed softly, "Back then, the master’s family and Si Youying’s family had planned everything, but no one expected Si Youying to die on the battlefield."

"Wait, are you saying father was already engaged to Si Youying and they had agreed on a wedding date?"

"The master and Si Youying were not yet engaged. They planned to get engaged in half a year, but three months later, Si Youying died in battle while quelling a rebellion." Lingyun continued, "When Si Youying died, the master was very sad."

Zhao Yao asked, "Did father really like Si Youying?"

"He really liked her. The master and Si Youying always had endless things to talk about, and they were very in tune with each other." Lingyun said, "Everyone said they were a match made in heaven. Si Youying was also very nice to me and even went out of her way to catch prey for me to eat."

"That’s odd. There are no ministers with the surname Si in court, nor generals. What happened to Si Youying’s family after she died?" Zhao Yao asked with a puzzled expression.

"They all died."

"All died?"

"Yes, some died in battle, some were killed by bandits or rebels."

Zhao Yao fell silent for a moment. Although he had not experienced that tumultuous and chaotic era, listening to Lingyun’s words, he could imagine how cruel the situation must have been back then.

"Si Youying almost got engaged to father. After father ascended to the throne, why didn’t he posthumously honor her?" After the emperor ascended the throne, he conferred posthumous titles on many old friends, but among the honored, he never heard of anyone with the surname Si.

"After all, Si Youying did not marry the master, so the master could not posthumously honor her as a concubine."

"But as a female general, shouldn’t she have been posthumously honored?"

"She was honored by the master’s father, like some kind of Great General, I think."

Zhao Yao nodded slightly, then asked, "Has father never forgotten her?"

"I don’t know; I haven’t heard the master mention her these years."

"Really? Does father go to pay respects to her every year?"

"No, Si Youying is buried far from the capital, and the master cannot go to pay respects."

"Even if he can’t go to her grave, shouldn’t he set up a spirit tablet in a temple for her, to pay respects regularly? Does father do that?"

"No."

"That’s strange." Zhao Yao said, "According to the storybooks, father should have set up a spirit tablet for her and go to pay respects every year. Why didn’t he do anything?"

"That, I don’t know."

"Did father really love her?"

"Probably, he did."

Zhao Yao, still young, couldn’t understand matters of love and wasn’t interested in asking more about such things.

"Does Qin Xiulian really look exactly like Si Youying?"

"Yes, I even thought Si Youying had come back to life."

"Was Qin Xiulian arranged by Duke Zhen?"

"That’s what the master and others said." Lingyun had been in the discussion tent when the emperor discussed matters with Shen Hu and others. "The master said he would bring her into the palace and said he would favor her."

Zhao Yao, upon hearing this, had an instinctive feeling that the emperor was up to something mischievous.