Chapter 115 [VIP]

"Your Majesty, would you like some of the snacks I made?" Tengluo asked.

The summer sun shone brightly on the lotus pond, reflecting the wisteria's beauty. The wisteria held lotus leaves plucked from its branches to hold pastries. The pastries had soft, flaky crusts, their white flesh revealing the red bean filling inside, and they smelled fragrant and not greasy.

Ziyan helped pick lotus leaves by the pond, and Lu Xuejin stood tall beside her.

The bright sun shone through Lu Xuejin's eyebrows and eyes. Lu Xuejin wore a straw hat and a cool outfit because of the heat. The bright green robe fell from her waist, and her eyebrows and eyes were reflected in the lotus flowers. When she touched the soft lake water, her cheeks were covered with a layer of moisture.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xuejin looked at Tengluo and asked, "Why did you decide to come out today... Have you come to your senses?"

Since her last bout of tears, Tengluo hasn't gone to the library. She spends her days either in her room or writing letters to the Ninth Prince. She doesn't know if the letters will reach the capital, but he has already glimpsed the heavy thoughts in the young girl's heart.

She only comes out to see people when she's almost completely sunburnt in the summer, and her face still looks listless.

Tengluo: "This servant is already well... I just remembered that His Majesty and the young master both like to eat lotus leaf-wrapped pastries, so I came out to take a look."

"Your Majesty, would you like to try some? You didn't seem to eat much this morning," said Tengluo.

Hearing this, he took a pastry. He wasn't particularly picky about food, so he probably didn't care much about it... He watched the young man and the maid's figures, which swayed like willows growing in the wind by the lake. The willow branches stretched out softly, forming a beautiful scene with the lake.

Wisteria: "Your Majesty, how is it?"

He replied, "That's right."

Tengluo was relieved and said to him, "I'm glad Your Majesty likes it. My efforts have not been in vain... The rest is for you and Ziyan."

"Would you like some snacks, young master?" Tengluo asked.

Lu Xuejin: "Let's leave the wisteria for now. I can't bear to leave this pool... Wisteria, come and try it too. It's very cool in this pool."

"Then I'll feed you, young master... I don't want to go into the water."

Tengluo moved over to feed Lu Xuejin some snacks, placing them near Lu Xuejin's lips. Lu Xuejin did as she was told and took a bite.

Lu Xuejin sighed and said, "There are countless men in the world... If you prefer someone else, how about telling me?"

"..." Tengluo, "This servant is not a sentimental person, and I have never liked anyone before. Young master, please rest assured... I will not go to the library again in the future."

"Why not go?" Lu Xuejin asked, then added, "Did Tengluo go to the library to read books or to see him? If you also read the books in the library, why can't you go... It's not his library alone, Tengluo doesn't need to accommodate others too much."

Tengluo: "I can't understand the books in the library... Besides, I am of lowly status and don't want to be treated coldly by Lord Song again. It's better not to see them."

“How can you say I’m lowly… He seems to value knowledge and talent… If Tengluo wants them, it’ll be easy for her. With me by her side, if Tengluo is willing, she won’t be any worse than those young masters and ladies of Zhizhang Palace.”

Tengluo opened her eyes wide, and upon hearing this, tears welled up in her eyes. "Young Master... this servant won't go anywhere! Staying by your side is enough!"

Overwhelmed with emotion, Tengluo threw herself into Lu Xuejin's arms, and Lu Xuejin quickly caught her. The little girl's eyes were brimming with tears and snot, and her snacks were all over her. Lu Xuejin felt a little helpless but also very sorry for her. She hugged Tengluo, patted her back, and wiped away her tears.

"Don't let him shake your resolve... Do whatever you like, we'll back you up. Look at your background, you were raised under the Emperor's watchful eye... If you ask your brother, he might even grant you a title of Princess. Even after your brother ascended the throne, Tengluo never flattered him; such virtue is precious and rare, why can't he see that? Our Tengluo is the true golden branch and jade leaf... He's far inferior in comparison."

Lu Xuejin looked at him and said, "Brother, don't you think so?"

He sat under a locust tree, its lush green leaves casting dappled shadows, listening to Lu Xuejin and Tengluo's conversation. His heart, like the green leaves under the sunlight, was cleansed and purified, both body and mind.

Will this tranquil and long time, in countless moments of reverie in the future, remind us of this present scene?

He then asked, "Would Tengluo like to be a princess?"

Tengluo rubbed her eyes and said, "This servant will not do it... That's not something I earned with my own hands, it was a reward. I don't want what doesn't belong to me."

He looked at the girl's innocent face. These two maids were raised no differently from young ladies from noble families. Although they were spoiled, they were influenced by the young man and their character was deeply rooted. They were upright and kind.

He watched as the figures of Lu Xuejin, Ziyan, and Tengluo appeared on the lake. Their long, light shadows fell on the lake surface, and with the ripples, they displayed a certain divinity in the sunlight.

Perhaps he was too far away to see his own reflection; he seemed like an outsider admiring a beautiful painting.

"Brother, what are you thinking about?" Lu Xuejin asked.

As she spoke, Lu Xuejin walked towards him.

The young man calmed the girl down, then held a large lotus leaf in his hand, its emerald green shadow casting a downward glow. The lotus leaf quickly reached his head, and he smelled the delicate fragrance of summer.

He looked at Lu Xuejin and said, "Look at Changyou and Tengluo... from here, it looks like a painting."

Lu Xuejin: "Let me see... The wisteria and purple mist together really do look like a painting. Not for any other reason than the scenery is so beautiful; the sunlight filters through the trees, falling on people and shimmering like the surface of a lake. Brother, don't just sit here... come with us to the lake. There are many small fish there."

He touched Lu Xuejin's palm, and Lu Xuejin pulled him up.

His soft palms were covered with a fine sheen of sweat. He looked at Lu Xuejin's profile, her summer face shimmering like the light on a lake, veiled in a beautiful, sparkling gauze, elegant and gentle.

They arrived at the lakeside, and his body... he was already twenty-nine years old.

He touched Lu Xuejin's hand, felt her scent, and came to the lakeside with her. His emotions swayed along with her, and he felt as if he had returned to ten years ago.

Ten years... Ten years ago, I was nineteen years old. Time flies by in the blink of an eye and can never be grasped again.

He touched the warm, damp lake water, cool to the touch, and the young man beside him gazed at him, his eyes as beautiful and bright as jewels.

Let time stand still in summer.

...Forever frozen in that moment of gazing into the other person's eyes and brows.

...Forever remaining by the warm and soft pool water.

The long days stretch into the night, yet summer days are exceptionally short. As September arrives, the last rain of summer falls from the sky, dark clouds shroud the entire capital of Wei, and lightning and thunder accompany the chill of early autumn.

"Young master, it's raining!" Tengluo rushed over.

"Did Your Majesty bring an umbrella? I'll go and bring you one..."

As he entered, he overheard Lu Xuejin and Tengluo's conversation.

Lu Xuejin: "...Perhaps I'm just too busy to think straight. My brother has guards with him, so I don't need to worry."

As she was speaking, Lu Xuejin saw him and paused slightly. The two looked at each other and saw each other, both with surprise in their eyes.

He explained, “The morning court session ended early today, so I sent them all home… It rained on the way. I was originally planning to check if Changyou was in Fangze Palace… and then go to the Censorate to pick him up.”

"I was also thinking of going to my brother's place."

"My brother returned at just the right time... The rain had just started, and it looked like a heavy downpour."

Tengluo: "His Majesty has arrived. This servant will go and prepare the dishes and chopsticks."

Lu Xuejin: "How has the court been lately?"

As he passed by Lu Xuejin, she naturally brushed away the raindrops beside him. He glanced at Lu Xuejin's profile and his eyes widened, staring at her for a long time. If those raindrops had landed on the young man's face, they would have looked incredibly beautiful.

"With the Song imperial edict in place... nothing has gone wrong. Shengjing is under the watchful eyes of the court officials, but there is some news outside of Shengjing. It is rumored that the churches in the south are in chaos and have been quite lively lately."

"The Church?" Lu Xuejin asked.

He responded and told the young man, “I heard that a new force has emerged. Someone has founded a new church, also from the south… Perhaps it’s a small border town. The man calls himself the King of Correction, and his church name is Golden Crow. He is embroiled in conflict with other churches in the south.”

"What does Your Majesty intend to do?"

“It’s good that there’s conflict. When the time is right, the court can send troops to wipe them out in one fell swoop,” he said.

"Golden Crow?" Tengluo recalled, "We passed by the Golden Crow River when we traveled south, and I still remember it!"

He then asked, "The Golden Crow River? I've only seen it in books... I've heard that there's a redwood forest there that turns into a blood-red river in winter, is that true?"

Wisteria: "It really is...very beautiful. There's a golden crow statue and lots of little mushrooms. I even had a fight with someone because of the mushrooms."

"Your Majesty should also go and see it if you have the chance."

He looked at the young man beside him and asked, "If there's a chance... how about Changyou going with me?"

Lu Xuejin agreed, "Of course... My brother's health has improved a lot. When the time is right, let's go and see him together."

He looked out the window at the rain, the sound of rain pattering down. Incense burned in the hall, its fragrance rising gently. The patterns on the caisson ceiling were layered upon each other. He felt sleepy as he listened to the rain.

He was looking at memorials at his desk, while Lu Xuejin wrote replies beside him. Many letters from the common people were submitted, and Lu Xuejin personally wrote replies to each one that could be answered.

"...Changyou."

He stared at the document, and before he knew it, the words inside had become strangely shaped, making it unbearable to read. His attention shifted to the young man beside him.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xuejin turned to look at him, a hint of doubt in her eyes.

"……I."

Raindrops dripped down.

He gazed at the rain outside the window, feeling as if his own face was blurred within it. What could he say to the young man beside him...? He felt that no matter what he said, the emotions surging within him would be difficult to express. A certain untouchable impulse... one that could not be overstepped.

"...I'm a little sleepy." After a long pause, he uttered a useless, meaningless statement.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xuejin paused for a moment, then laughed.

"Autumn makes one sleepy... There's nothing else to do, brother, you can go to sleep. I'll wake you up tonight."

He did as instructed, put down the folded document, and leaned over to see what Lu Xuejin was writing. Looking at the handwriting... it was as if he were seeing the heavenly book that had been held high in his childhood.

"Changyou, don't you find it troublesome to do these things all day?" he asked.

He knew the answer, but he still wanted to hear Lu Xuejin say it herself. He liked the way Lu Xuejin answered questions seriously. She wouldn't look down on anyone or any letter, and therefore she wouldn't look down on him either.

Lu Xuejin replied earnestly, "Do you find it troublesome...? In my opinion, you also do troublesome things every day. As long as it's something you enjoy doing, you won't find it troublesome. Just like it's closer from the Golden Palace to the Xiyuan Palace... you'll get rained on when you come here. Do you find that troublesome?"

He replied, “I certainly don’t find it troublesome… Changyou, I would be very happy to be here with you.”

“Xiyuan Hall is too dark, and you can never see any light. Where Changyou is, it is always warm and bright.”

As he spoke, he leaned against Lu Xuejin's shoulder. Lu Xuejin smiled and turned to look at him.

“That’s natural… My brother and I are family. Where there is family, there is always a sense of warmth.”

Lu Xuejin: "Speaking of which, there is something else I want to tell my brother."

"It's too early to talk about it now, but I have a decision to make and I need to discuss it with my brother. It's already autumn, and when winter comes... I want to make a trip to the capital."

"...I will be back within a month."

...heading to the capital.

...What are you going to do when you leave the capital?

Looking at Lu Xuejin's face, he felt as if he had returned to the day he was carried up the mountain, a gaping hole in his heart letting in a blast of cold air.

He asked, "Changyou told me this... does he intend to go himself? May I ask... what is Changyou going there for?"

“Even if Changyou doesn’t tell me, I have ways to find out… but I want to hear Changyou tell me himself.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Xuejin said, "I'm going to visit the church that's springing up in the south, so that my brother can rest assured. Secondly, Wei Ning hasn't been home for a long time, and I need to go see what's going on. My purpose in going is to bring her back."

He was always unclear about his past. Sometimes he wondered if he had never cared about anything in the first place... so he was willing to erase the unimportant things.

"If Changyou leaves... what will I do?"

Lu Xuejin: "No matter where I go... as long as my brother is still here, I will always return to Weidu. My brother's place is my home."

"If you want me to write to you, then just do so... We're not children anymore, and we can't always be holding hands and going together. Don't you think so, brother?"

When Ziyan came in, she overheard their conversation. Upon hearing this, she brought out a chubby rag doll from somewhere. Ziyan had sewn the doll herself. She didn't know where she learned to sew dolls, but she was becoming more and more skilled at it. Fangze Palace had quite a few miniature versions of Lu Xuejin.

"If Your Majesty misses the young master, just look at the doll... This doll can be seen as the young master keeping Your Majesty company."

He stared at the dolls, their heads large, their dark brown eyes made of gemstones, all with smiling faces, looking at them blankly.

Ziyan was probably teasing him... How could he be easily fooled with just a doll?

The rain stopped, and he was holding a big-headed doll in his arms. Lu Xuejin kept looking at him as he left.

In a daze, he felt as if he were holding a real person instead of a doll. He looked at the rain-soaked eaves and felt his heart become damp and decaying in the rain.

A note from the author: