Chapter 122 [VIP]

“Lord Song, today is a joyous occasion, why the long face? I thought that little palace maid was a perfect match for you… Look at her lively and intelligent nature, a perfect match for the dull Lord Song,” Zhang Lin said.

After the new dynasty was established, Zhang Lin was demoted from the first rank to the third rank, and half of his relatives were stripped of their titles, while the remaining members of the imperial clan remained. Zhang Lin continued to smile every day, sometimes going to Fengming Terrace, sometimes attending court with Elder Wei, just as before.

Time has passed, and when the two meet again, Zhang Lin is all smiles, while Song Zhao remains as indifferent as before.

Zhang Lin: "I see you have too many worries... Now that you have been pardoned and can marry the daughter of a member of the royal family, isn't that a great blessing? Your mood is too heavy, as if countless dark clouds are surrounding you. But you... you are indeed lucky! If I had the same luck as Lord Song, I wouldn't need to work so hard in court every day."

In the first year of the Yunzheng era, Song Zhao married Tengluo. Emperor Liang Yuan bestowed upon Tengluo the title of Princess Yongshou and upon Wei Ning the title of Princess Changning. He then invited the special envoy from the Hu King who had requested a marriage alliance to remonstrate, and the marriage was granted to Princess Yongshou and Princess Changning. Princess Yongshou's relatives were granted royal titles and included in the Murong clan genealogy. All her children were granted the right of succession to the throne, and were registered under the name of the former Princess Liang, Murong Qing.

Princess Changning's name is a tribute to her friendship with the three inspectors who traveled south. During her journey south, she met and fell in love with the King of Hu. The Liang Dynasty formed a marriage alliance with the Hu people, forging a century-long oath.

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, a day of great joy, snow fell in Shengjing City.

Song Zhao changed into a red wedding robe. His face was bright and handsome, his solemn expression was gloomy and cold, and his eyes looked down at people like the bright moon hanging high in the sky, giving off a quiet and lonely glow.

The wedding robe was entirely the color of a bright red lantern, with a brocade robe inlaid with gold thread depicting peonies and clouds. The clouds spread out dazzlingly from the hem of the robe, enveloping the young man's body, which became the prominent red stamen. The peonies were in full bloom, their bright red color symbolizing the peonies of the Central Plains, their beauty exquisite and dazzling.

Red silk hangs from the suspended beams, and above the caisson ceiling is a magnificent palace rendered in gold by the rock strata. Above are the God of Literature and the Lotus-Picking Fairy, their silken robes intertwining to create a reflection in the azure sky, merging with the sunlight filtering through the latticed windows to form an incomparably luxurious and dazzling golden hue.

Surrounded by Zhang Lin and a group of ministers, Song Zhao showed no reaction to Zhang Lin's words. Elsewhere, in the next room, Murong Yue and Tengluo were separated by a screen. His unmarried wife was receiving blessings from the new emperor, who was personally braiding her long hair.

"Congratulations, Lord Song! On this joyous occasion... a smile is the best thing to do!"

"Wait a moment! Let's go together to see off the sedan chair! The farther the lady travels outside... the more blessings she receives! And the more good fortune she brings to the Prince's mansion!"

When Lu Xuejin entered with an umbrella, she witnessed this scene: Song Zhao was surrounded by a group of ministers, many of whom were court officials, some were guards of Murong Yue, and some were distant relatives who had come from Suzhou.

Feng Yu and Feng Chen also came to join in the fun. The two siblings had somehow found wedding candy and were handing it out to the children who came to ask for it.

"Oh my! Lord Lu has arrived! Look... today is truly a day of reunion!"

Lu Xuejin and Song Zhao looked at each other, but Song Zhao quickly looked away, unwilling to look at him.

He then closed his umbrella, glanced at the prince's side, and sat down beside Song Zhao.

"Congratulations," he said to Song Zhao.

Zhang Lin: "Lord Lu...you've come at the right time. I was just saying that we've finally managed to get together today, how about we have a drink later?"

Upon hearing this, he said, "In that case, I cannot spoil Lord Zhang's enjoyment. I am willing to accompany you."

Zhang Lin laughed and said, "I shouldn't let Lord Lu call me Lord Zhang anymore... I'll just call him Zaimin."

“In that case… let the people call me Changyou,” he said.

Zhang Lin paused slightly, looked at him, and then smiled, "Changyou... I will always accept defeat wholeheartedly. Lord Song, you see, Lord Lu always treats people as superior, and even my worldly nature... can't help but be moved by it."

Song Zhao frowned slightly, clenched the tea in his hand, and drank it all in one gulp.

Looking at Song Zhao's expression, he asked in a low voice, "Song Zhao, is there anything you're unhappy about? Are you unhappy about marrying my maid... or unhappy about your compromise?"

“I have no complaints,” Song Zhao said to him, “but I am deeply saddened by the loss of my lord. Today, I am unable to atone for my sins as a guilty subject, and I am not able to go to this worldly place of joy and pleasure, but there is no one to go to my lord’s tomb to express my grievances.”

“In that case,” Lu Xuejin said, “if my brother knew how much you cared for him, he would be able to rest in peace.”

As he spoke, he looked at Song Zhao, his eyes reflecting Song Zhao's sorrowful expression, and said to the others, "If you really miss him... the Prime Minister's residence is not far from here. Talk to Tengluo tonight, and if Tengluo is willing, we can go together to see your brother, how about it?"

Song Zhao: "..."

“I share the same dilemma as you. Although my elder brother is dead, I feel that he still appears often, by my side. Sometimes he asks me to cook medicine for him, sometimes he asks me to help him look at official documents… Now that I think about it, if I were my elder brother, I would have made the same choice as him. If we could choose death, those of us who survived would always remember him for the rest of our lives.”

"Even though history records it only briefly, these six years represent half of my brother's life... and half of ours as well. Whoever goes to the underworld first leaves behind a painful mark, leaving future generations to spend the rest of their lives trying to heal the wound."

"Lord Song always seems to think that I am different from you. I love my brother just like you, and our feelings ebb and flow equally. Is it better to live a muddled life or to look at what we still have...? If we do not cherish the precious things that remain, they will lead to the same kind of painful and unbearable suffering as before."

Lu Xuejin was speaking when she was interrupted by a voice calling out, "Brother Changyou—".

Murong Yue finished braiding Tengluo's hair and noticed him there. Her beautiful fan-shaped eyes locked onto him.

“Brother…when did you arrive? What are you doing sitting here? This is a gathering place for second-class subjects, brother, you shouldn’t be sitting here,” Murong Yue said.

Feng Chen: "Lord Song, a second-class subject!"

Feng Yu: "Lord Zhang, a third-class subject!"

"..." Lu Xuejin, "Your Highness, you just arrived. Have you finished your business there?"

“I’m done with my work,” Murong Yue said without blinking. “I really like Tengluo. Brother, don’t talk to them anymore. It’s snowing outside. Let’s go take a look.”

He was pulled up by Murong Yue, and responded to his words. As he was about to leave, he glanced at Song Zhao, who was staring at him, so he looked away.

As soon as you step outside, you are greeted by a chilling cold. The entire palace is covered in snow, and the world has become a folding fan eroded by silver snow, with only a few scattered ink dots on it, a place where people can live.

As he went out, he heard a cry from the inner room, a cry of "Your Highness!" that seemed to pierce the entire palace.

He couldn't help but glance at the person beside him. He'd sensed something was amiss when His Highness had so confidently declared he'd styling the wisteria hair ornaments. His Highness was so clumsy; when had he learned such a skill…? Now it seemed, perhaps it was a failure.

Murong Yue laughed and said, "Brother Changyou, let's go quickly... If Tengluo sees us, she might start arguing with me again."

His Highness pulled him to the courtyard gate, bent down and looked at him sideways, "The snow is slippery, Brother Changyou, I'll carry you."

He couldn't help but say, "...Your Highness, the ministers are still in the hall; they can see us."

As he spoke, he embraced Murong Yue from behind. In the snow, he seemed to see a group of people: his father, his mother, Xue Yi, and the Murong family; the late Emperor Murong Liang, Consort Li Xin, Princess Murong Qing, and the Second Prince Murong Xi. They were all watching them.

The hope for the continuation of the entire dynasty rests on his and His Highness's shoulders.

When His Highness carried him on his back, he vaguely realized that he had become a plant clinging to His Highness, and the withered heart he inherited from his brother barely managed to grow with the nourishment provided by His Highness.

...Is death more cruel, or is it more cruel to the living?

He still doesn't know.

He and His Highness could only rely on the long, cold winds of the entire dynasty, blowing through life and death, penetrating the snow-covered palace, and exhausting their lives to leave behind a few beautiful traces on this land that would eventually disappear.

Outside the palace.

The monk who had just left home and received the title of "Galing" had just received the inheritance from his senior brother and was responsible for transporting a scroll from the palace to a temple in the south.

Amidst the heavy snowfall, he uttered "Amitabha" and couldn't help but glance at the sky.

Two days ago, he rescued a scholar named Cui Lingjie, who had cried himself blind for some unknown reason and collapsed by the Haori River.

After escorting Cui Lingjie to the inn, he left. He had discerned, through a few calculations, that this man possessed extraordinary talent and still had a glimmer of hope.

The scroll obtained from the palace was from the hand of Lord Lu, the Supervising Historian. It was said to have been obtained from his master, and was a blank book from heaven. Because it was a gift from a high-ranking monk, Lord Lu donated it to Lingyin Temple in the south. He was the twelfth-generation "Jialing" of Lingyin Temple, who had come specifically to retrieve the scroll.

As he sought shelter from the snow at the city gate, the scroll rolled down with a clatter—

All prophecies are visible only to those who glimpse the will of Heaven. He glanced at the scroll, which revealed curse-like writing in the snow.

What is written on it:

During the reign of Emperor Yunwu, the Emperor proclaimed the sun and moon, his virtue illuminating the world! This emperor was named Murong Liang. This majestic emperor ruled over the nine provinces, conquering one hundred and twenty cities, large and small, in the southwest. From Dingzhou City west of Yanguan, the people were relocated to Lijingguan! The emperor's virtue and integrity were high, and he undertook grand construction projects, building green tiles! He appointed the Xie Wang clan as the Southwest King to subdue the invaders! The Xie Wang clan was named Xue Bi, whose achievements overshadowed his lord—

They established the Shadow Guard, their achievements shaking the land! A celebratory banquet rang out! They drew their swords and seized the emperor! Soldiers gathered in the capital! Their rebellious intentions were blatantly obvious!

As dusk settles and the sun rises in blood! The planet Mars appears! An infant begins to cry! Galing sees this strange phenomenon and heads to Shengjing City!

He then advised the emperor!

The son of Prince Xie is now in the netherworld, his birth chart showing a distorted destiny! A spirit of an infant destined for death! He should have died in the womb! He is here only because of his lingering attachment! He is a calamity for the Great Liang!

They must not be allowed to stay! They must not be allowed to stay!

Those born of lowly birth! Those born of hatred! Those born of illness and weakness! Those born from the mire of life! Will ultimately face death!

Inform Emperor Liang Xu! This infant is a scourge to the Great Liang!

Emperor Liangxu said: "The infant is still young, like a snow-white lamb appearing in the world among the high mountains, with an endless abyss beneath its feet. What crime have the parents committed? A general amnesty is hereby granted."

The name was bestowed upon the child in the hope that the sick and frail infant would shine as brightly as the stars and gleam as infinitely as a pearl.

Send him back to Prince Xie's residence!

Looking into the tumultuous and unpredictable changes in his life, one can only marvel at how he overcame numerous obstacles and setbacks!

A thousand words can be conveyed, yet the lines on your palm are already visible!

In short, it all boils down to one sentence—

Do not become obsessed!