I'm wondering when we reached our most awkward point. It's still the same scene from the first time I saw him, that elegant and refined man standing casually in the horse farm, like a blooming crabapple tree.

it's all over.

The auspicious dragon and phoenix he lit before leaving had not yet completely gone out. I lay on the inside of the bed and whispered to myself, "It's all over."

Longevity appeared high in the vast and empty new house, or perhaps he had always been there, but powerless to help. He stumbled and transformed, landing on the ground, and knelt unsteadily on the bed beside me. Because I was lying on my side with my back to him, I couldn't see his expression, but I could feel a slightly trembling, thin hand covering my bare, scarred left shoulder, as if trying to shield me from all the humiliation and harm I had suffered.

But he was just a spirit, futilely piercing my body again and again, his voice as mournful as it was now. Hoarse as if it didn't even come from his throat, he struggled to speak: "Peace."

Where did the water come from? I strained to turn my head, but all I could see out of the corner of my eye was a desolate, long-lived shadow. He knelt beside me, the back of his hand, gripping my right hand, was slightly contorted from the force of his grip. Tears slowly streamed down his cheeks.

A ghost, a ghost actually shed tears for a complete stranger. And Wu Chengsi, however, would never change his mind for a complete stranger.

I looked up and slowly smiled: "It was originally I who owed him, it was I who wronged him." I turned my head and glanced at Changming, the ghost who had been by my side since I was eight years old. I didn't know where he came from, nor why he cared for me so much. It seemed that everything was beyond explanation. "Changming, I have nothing left."

Changming embraced my body, which trembled slightly from being moved to tears, and said with a forced sob, "You still have me, Taiping. You still have me. I will always be with you, protecting you and ensuring your peace, joy, and long life."

six,

Wu Chengsi's dislike for me is obvious to everyone and doesn't need to be hidden.

The day I returned to the palace was the second time I saw him. I stood far away, my expression cold.

My mother, with a composed smile, watched me slowly enter the hall. Li Dan stood bowing beside her, a hint of worry etched on his young face. I knew my brothers all cared for me silently in their own unique ways, without making a fuss. My mother, following proper etiquette, inquired about the descent, maintaining both dignity and composure. She slowly posed the last question, one that the master of ceremonies hadn't arranged: "Does he treat you well?"

With her ever-present wisdom, my mother easily saw through the turbulent undercurrents hidden beneath the calm and collected facades of Wu Chengsi and me.

I smiled quietly: "Yes, Mother, he treats me very well."

Wu Chengsi paused, turned his head to look at me, and forcefully suppressed the shock and confusion in his expression. His cold indifference was impeccable. I glanced up and saw Changming, who was suspended in mid-air in the hall, looking at me with a gentle warmth.

The night air was cool and still, and being a light drinker, I went outside for some fresh air. In my line of sight, I saw a solitary figure leaning against the railing, like a stalk of green bamboo shrouded in moonlight. The moment he saw me, he smiled and beckoned me over: "Taiping."

I nodded with a smile: "Brother Dan."

As we strolled casually along the long corridor, he inquired about my recent situation, and unsurprisingly, the topic returned to Wu Chengsi. He turned to look at me, his eyes showing concern: "Are you doing well?"

Unable to smile as usual, I lowered my head, avoiding his probing gaze.

Like drinking water, only the drinker knows whether it is hot or cold.

He gripped my shoulders and whispered, "Tell me." Li Dan sighed, "What's so good about Wu Chengsi that makes you so protective?"

What was so good about it? I don't know, I just can't forget it. Was it because the man I met was too young, or was the scenery that day unusually enchanting? That man named Wu Chengsi rode his horse and entered my world in an unexpected way.

I gave a bitter smile: "I don't know either..." Turning my head, I saw the ten-mile-long green embankment of Daming Palace, the scenery lush and green, and Changming, who had quietly followed me out of the palace at some point. He floated in the air, his gaze towards me as warm as ever, yet with an unexpected sadness. I continued to answer my brother's question: "Because it was him I met."

After his long life, there was a tall, slender figure, equally delicate and like a watercolor painting, standing behind him, so I couldn't see the expression on his face.

A palace servant rushed from inside the palace and greeted the figure in a chorus of greetings: "Your Highness, I have been looking for you for a long time."

The man seemed to pause for a moment, then slowly stepped out of the shadows; it was none other than Wu Chengsi.

No one spoke. In the silent space where they looked at each other, it was as if the chill of autumn was rising and falling. Li Dan sighed: "Taiping, seize everything you want, and don't let your mother's mistakes affect you."

Changming floated beside me, unable to bear seeing the despair in my eyes deepen little by little, and gently explained to me, "Wu Chengsi is not doing well."

I forced a smile.

seven,

Little did he know that the parting at Daming Palace would mean eternal life for Li Dan.

Li Dan was an anomaly in the palace. He was gentle and kind, but he repeatedly offended his mother, the king, with her ruthless and unyielding methods, which eventually led to her dissatisfaction and resentment.

But I never imagined he would die, die a bizarre and sudden death.

No one knew the cause of his death, and his mother, who was always as dignified as an emperor, covered her face and wept. I stood blankly beside Li Dan's coffin, and not far away were my other three brothers, their faces pale, feeling a deep sorrow for their kind.

I was so cold I was shivering all over.

Seeing my pale face, my mother covered her face and pulled me to sit beside her, but I turned away and shook my head slightly. My mother was taken aback but didn't stop me, letting me leave on my own.

Looking up, I saw Chang'an's ever-present gloomy sky, as it had been since I could remember. Li Dan once told me that the Tang Dynasty needed this kind of atmosphere, to prepare for a funeral that could come at any moment. I slowly leaned against the cold, rocky wall of Prince Dan's residence, my heart burning like boiling soup, and at this moment I could no longer suppress it.

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!