Chapter 270: The flowing water and floating clouds are all passers-by, and everyone returns to their own place

That day, he went with his mother to Huguo Temple to burn incense.

The mother was listening to the abbot chanting in the Zen room, and asked him to go to the main hall to add some incense money.

When passing by a pond for releasing fish, he happened to see her talking to a big fish in her hands.

That fish was more than twice as big as the other fish in the release pond.

She talked a lot, roughly meaning that she really wanted to eat it, but saving the fish's life was better than building a seven-story pagoda.

Just when the fish felt so depressed by her nagging that she finally put it back into the pond reluctantly.

As soon as the fish entered the pond, it swam away with all its might, staying away from her.

But she still stood by the pond and was unwilling to leave, continuing to talk to the fish from a distance.

The general meaning is to let it learn to be smart and not swim to the edge of the pond, otherwise it will definitely be caught and eaten by fish thieves.

Luo Shuxian, who was listening not far away, burst out laughing. Who would be so bold as to run to the temple and steal the fish from the pond to eat?

The second time they met, it was when his mother introduced him to someone else.

A thick stack of drawing papers was placed in front of him. Most of the women in Beijing who were of marriageable age and of equal status to him were included in that stack of drawing papers.

To deal with his mother, he flipped through the pages casually and found her.

Her father had just been promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and his father was Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, which was quite a match.

He couldn't help but think of the scene when she talked to the fish that day.

I'm going to get married anyway, so it seems like it would be nice to find an interesting woman to marry.

So, he pointed to her portrait.

During that time, news of a beauty contest came out from the palace.

Her parents were worried that she would be chosen to enter the palace, so they hurriedly looked for a husband for her.

It was a bit anxious, but he didn't mind.

So, the two of them met alone under the arrangement of their two elders.

He liked her temperament very much, she was gentle and kind, and it was very comfortable to look at her.

He also liked her eyes, which were clean and pure.

When he sent her back home, he asked her if she was willing to marry him.

She nodded shyly and said yes.

At that moment, his heart was like a bunch of flowers trampled by horses, leaving an indelible mark of joy.

He went to the Wen Mansion with his parents to propose marriage, and the Wen Mansion agreed.

The two families quickly exchanged the engagement letter, and after the good news came, they set the date for paying the betrothal gifts and asking for the marriage date.

During this period, they met several more times.

He began to look forward to marrying her home.

But just the day before the betrothal, he went to his good friend's house to celebrate his new home and had a drink.

He drank a little too much that day, and after asking the servant to take him home, he fell asleep.

But when he woke up again, he was lying in the same bed with a woman.

The other party was Liu Zixuan, the eldest daughter of Duke Wen.

His good friends, his parents and Liu Zixuan's parents were all standing by the bed.

Luo Shuxian's head was buzzing at the time, and he only came to his senses after being slapped twice by his mother.

He was drunk, but not stupid.

He was sure he had done nothing that night.

But it is a fact that he and Liu Zixuan were lying in the same bed, and it is a fact that they were caught in bed together.

She knew that nothing had happened between them, but she still cried and told everyone that they were already husband and wife.

Then, everything became out of control.

He negotiated with Liu Zixuan many times but to no avail. He threatened her that even if he married her, he would never touch her in his life.

Liu Zixuan insisted on her own way and successfully used the power of her family to pull him into this loveless and sexless marriage.

Lord and Lady Wen loved their daughter dearly and believed that he had broken off the engagement in order to marry a girl from a wealthy family, so they completely cut off all ties with the Luo family.

He came to her house many times, trying to explain, but he had no way to do it. She didn't want to see him again, so she just asked her brother to hand him a letter.

There are only two sentences above:

——The flowing water and floating clouds are all passers-by, and each finds his own way home.

Mr. Luo, the past is gone, I only wish you to take care of yourself, the mountains are high and the waters are long, there is no need to miss you——

He heard the sound of his own heart breaking at that time and knew what kind of woman he had lost.

She has the ability to see through the world, the mind to accept impermanence, the open-mindedness to not complain or blame, and the determination to never go back to the past.

She is...really nice.

Later, he learned that Wen Li'er had visited several other families.

Later, he heard that she had entered the Eastern Palace.

Now, she is the most favored imperial concubine in the six palaces. She was once within his reach but now he can only look up to her.

Luo Shuxian's heart felt like it was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, causing him so much pain that he could hardly breathe.

Those memories that had been forcibly sealed, the feelings that had never been expressed, and the irreparable regrets, at this moment turned into a turbulent undercurrent, almost breaking through the calm appearance he tried hard to maintain.

However, he is not someone who cannot recognize reality.

He forced himself to suppress the fishy sweetness in his throat and the bitterness in his eyes, and tried to maintain a smile as warm as the spring breeze on his face.

He took a step back and bowed respectfully, his posture impeccable.

"Your humble servant is here to pay his respects to Her Majesty the Imperial Concubine. I just bumped into the phoenix carriage. It was an unintentional mistake. I beg for your forgiveness."

His voice was steady, yet with a barely perceptible dryness.

He paused, and asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time. He knew the answer but still couldn't help wanting to confirm it.

"Your Majesty... have you been well in the palace these years?"

Every word seemed to roll across my heart, carrying with it cautious tentativeness and deep-seated concern.

The smile on Wen Li'er's face remained unchanged, still proper and distant.

"Mr. Lao Luo is concerned. I am doing well. His Majesty treats me very well."

She didn't want to stay here any longer and was more anxious to see the emperor in the front yard, so she nodded slightly, ready to end this unexpected greeting.

"Brother, you are so happy today. Since you are our guest, Mr. Luo, please take your seat in the front hall. This concubine..."

Before she finished her words, her body subconsciously turned towards the front yard.

However, the moment she turned her head, her sight passed over the intricate wood carvings of the hanging flower gate and saw another moon gate not far away, where an inky figure had quietly stood there at some point.

The man stood tall and straight like a pine tree, and was dressed in ordinary clothes, but the imperial aura that looked down on the world could not be concealed no matter what.

It was the emperor she had been thinking about...