Chapter 75 [VIP]

Murong Yue: "Brother Changyou, is something on your mind?"

On the way back, Murong Yue leaned closer and stared at him for a long time before asking a question. The boy's eyes were dazzling in the sunlight, radiating a variety of colors, and he was curious to see the emotions in them.

His Highness always believed that the closer one was, the clearer one could see.

Lu Xuejin gazed at the boy for a long time before replying, "I was just thinking about things from my childhood. Perhaps it's because I'm getting old that I keep thinking about the past. When my mother was still alive, my father and I were by her side."

And then there was Xue Yi. His dreams back then were like this garden paradise, a fantasy of being happily together with his family forever. Until his mother passed away, his father died in a fire, and his brother rebelled, all those years were gone. Sometimes he felt a sense of unreality, gradually forgetting his parents' words and actions, leaving only a blurry reflection.

"I won't allow you to say I'm old. I'm still young, in my prime, strong and healthy. If there's a war, my age is perfect for going to the battlefield," Murong Yue said jokingly.

Lu Xuejin was amused by Murong Yue's analogy, and her eyes softened a bit as she replied, "After coming of age, one can clearly feel that the youthful spirit is gone. Youth is only a few years long, and one feels nothing while in it, only realizing it after it has disappeared."

“I don’t feel a sense of unease. My seventeenth year was the best time of my life, with my brother by my side. Brother Changyou is a constant presence in my memory, and I feel genuine happiness every day, every hour, every moment,” Murong Yue said.

As the boy spoke, he leaned over and kissed him on the eyebrows and eyes. Not satisfied with just kissing the eyes, he smacked him twice more on the cheeks, pressing his cheek against him so hard he almost pushed him out of the carriage. He felt the boy's warmth against him and felt somewhat helpless. His eyes were fixed on the boy's eyelashes, their iridescent colors dazzling him.

Murong Yue: "Isn't Brother Changyou happy? With me by your side, you are happy too. I am Brother Changyou's husband, his wife, his brother, and his wife. If you want me to do something else, that's fine too. I am enough for you."

"..." Lu Xuejin did not respond to this series of addresses. The boy came closer and insisted on sticking to him, squeezing him into a corner and hugging him so tightly that they were almost glued together. He was covered in the boy's scent, and the sweet snacks he had eaten that morning had fallen on him.

"Brother, why are you ignoring me? If you think what I said is right, just give me a kiss."

Lu Xuejin obediently replied, "Your Highness is right."

But when asked to utter those sweet words, he naturally couldn't. He looked at the man, and before he could react, the boy, pleased by his words, leaned in and kissed him several times with delight. His lips, as if smeared with candy, landed on his ear, kissed his earlobe, and then on his neck. The prince pressed his skin against his skin, his eyebrows curving upwards, and his canine teeth gleamed as he bit him.

When he wasn't looking, she secretly bit him, leaving a string of teeth marks on the tip of his ear.

Murong Yue: "Brother Changyou, you don't need to think so much. If you keep dwelling on the past, you'll get trapped in it and be affected by it. You should look at what's in front of you. Look at all the flowers and plants we've encountered on the road. There are many that I don't recognize. Do you recognize them, brother? I see that all these plants are beautiful. The shadows of the trees sway in the autumn wind, and the roots of the flowers are blown away. Go and touch them. The vitality of plants is so vibrant, unaffected by the changing seasons. Everything we can see is so beautiful. Why chase after illusory things?"

As the carriage passed the paulownia tree, Murong Yue plucked a large leaf. This tree is evergreen, with leaves larger than a palm, covered in a layer of fuzz, and bearing clusters of fruit. Murong Yue pressed the fuzz from the leaf against his cheek, attracted by the soft texture, but even more so by the young man before him.

His Highness possesses a vigorous vitality that is unaffected by the changing seasons.

“Your Highness always seems to be able to read my mind,” Lu Xuejin said gently as she took the leaf. “Sometimes I feel that these plants are just decorations on a chessboard. Even if I can move forward without any worries, the mistakes made on the chessboard will always be on my mind when I think about them.

"If mistakes cannot be avoided, then we should just accept them. If Brother Changyou had used the world as a chessboard, could he have foreseen the annihilation of my Liang clan? It was merely an inevitable outcome of coincidence. Since it has already happened and cannot be undone, why be greedy and try to correct it?"

Lu Xuejin smiled and ignored it. He let the boy hold his palm tightly, the burning heat like the embers after a fire, scalding him and making him numb to the warmth.

They returned to Li Yunhuo's residence, and all three of them spent a sleepless night. The entire mansion was lit with red candles. Lu Xuejin and Murong Yue, naturally, couldn't sleep, spending the entire night staring at the candlelight. Red candle wax accumulated on the candlesticks, glistening like frost. The candlelight gradually dimmed as the sky brightened. Li Yunhuo, preparing for the wedding ceremony, also stayed up all night, wiping the skeleton in the courtyard repeatedly, and personally dressing it in a wedding gown.

The wedding attire was still in the style popular in the previous dynasty, adorned with a magpie carrying a branch, and featuring wide sleeves and a continuous front. Such patterns were fashionable in the past but are rarely used now. Judging from the silk and the craftsmanship of the attire, it was clearly made several years ago. Wearing it now, the two seemed to have stepped out of a microcosm of the previous dynasty, completely out of place in this modern world.

Lu Xuejin witnessed the entire absurd marriage. Murong Yue, meanwhile, wore a half-smile, his eyes seemingly filled with mockery and yet also with tolerance. Li Yunhuo, however, was completely absorbed in it, treating them as if they were the masters of heaven and earth, imbuing such a ridiculous and laughable act with a sacred meaning.

The man cradled the withered, skeletal remains. The deathly aura emanating from his wedding robes perfectly complemented the mansion, blurring the lines between the mortal realm and a dreamlike landscape. Red magpies, gold thread embroidered on the robes, and flickering candle wax—all these elements created a striking contrast. As Li Yunhuo lifted the skeleton, the candlestick accidentally overturned.

The shattered candlestick was straightened again, the flame dissipated and then flared up once more, and the portrait of the woman in the garden gradually became clear. With willow-leaf eyebrows and phoenix eyes, her graceful figure was framed by the ink, and the edges of the ink in the painting were blurred, as if affected by the atmosphere and becoming indistinct.

The guards led Ziyan and Tengluo in. The two women were stunned by the colorful flowers and stood there for a while before they reacted. Tengluo came to their side and, after not seeing them for several days, snuggled up to Lu Xuejin.

"Young Master!"

"This... We originally thought that the young master and the prince were trapped here. Is he really willing to let us leave?" Tengluo asked curiously.

Ziyan: "We have already contacted Miss Song, and her people will be entering the city soon."

“Don’t worry, let’s get in the car,” Lu Xuejin said.

They boarded the carriage together. Tengluo leaned close to the window to look at the vast expanse of blooming morning glories, yuccas, hibiscus, and double-petaled roses, along with pure white camellias and marigolds, all intertwined like a traditional Chinese ink painting. The natural colors blended with the spring water, gathering beneath the statue of the goddess. Tengluo gazed at it all with curiosity, and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"This place is so beautiful! It's like a garden from a storybook. I've never seen such a beautiful courtyard before."

Ziyan also looked around for a while, clearly attracted by the plants in the courtyard in all four seasons, staring at the clematis for a long time.

Murong Yue replied, "The statues in that golden cave were built by his men. His family has amassed all the wealth of the south; what is this small garden compared to that? If they wanted, they could probably build a Wei Palace."

Tengluo couldn't help but say, "This is what the imperial palace should look like. When I was a child, I read stories where the crown prince lived in a place like this, surrounded by countless peonies. The crown prince was also incredibly handsome. Living in such a beautiful place, one's character must be incredibly pure."

As she spoke, Tengluo glanced at the young prince. The one before her was the true crown prince. The palace was far less handsome, even lifeless, and the prince's character was nothing like the innocent figures depicted in stories; on the contrary, he was a wicked scoundrel, full of evil intentions. The moment those tiger teeth were revealed, someone was in for trouble.

Murong Yue chuckled upon hearing this, "Brother Changyou, you should let Tengluo meet Li Yunhuo. If he goes there to deceive people, I'm afraid all the women in the world will fall for it. Tengluo, you haven't seen the master of this courtyard, but he is exactly like the one described in the storybooks. He is as handsome as a celestial being, unforgettable at first sight. After his sisters saw him, they were willing to defy their godmother for him and give him countless sums of money to build this beautiful sky pavilion according to his preferences. If you see him and fall in love with him, you will probably be like him when you go back, unable to eat or drink, and only thinking about the young man in the storybooks every day."

"This servant would never do such a thing!" Tengluo said, but she became curious about Li Yunhuo, whom Murong Yue had mentioned.

Escorted by guards, they soon met their host. As they exited the city gate, their carriage changed direction, and their movements remained undetected due to their stealth. However, Li Yunhuo's escort of them out of the city was discovered, and he was stopped at the city gate. The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing Li Miaosuo's face.

Li Yunhuo walked behind them, concealing their whereabouts. Their carriage was far away near the city gate, where they had a clear view of the gate.

The torchlight reflected Li Miaosuo's face, making her appear kind and benevolent like a deity, yet also cold and aloof. When Li Miaosuo met her son, the guards remained silent. A slap landed on Li Yunhuo's cheek, and Li Miaosuo drew her longsword from the guard's side. The cold glint of the sword was aimed at Li Yunhuo.

Li Miaosuo: "I spared your life, but you are ungrateful and ruined my plans today. Do you know who you sent away? If that former crown prince leaves Dingzhou City today, we will all suffer, whether it's the Emperor or General Xiao. I have worked so hard to get to where I am today, and you have ruined it all!"

The longsword gleamed with a cold light, reflecting the face of the man in the blue robe. His face was incomparably beautiful, inheriting all of his mother's features, but lacking her mother's sanctity, instead possessing a captivating allure. His sisters were all heartbroken at the sight of him being struck.

“I gave you money and you were still not satisfied… Now you’re going to rebel against heaven.”

Seeing that the long sword was about to touch Li Yunhuo, Li Mu'e stepped forward and knelt down in front of Li Miaosuo.

"Mother. No."

Seeing this, Changdi and Feixin followed Li Mu'e to her side, kneeling down to block Li Yunhuo. Only Mingli watched her sisters make their stance from afar, remaining steadfastly on her mother's side.

Seeing this, Li Miaosuo coldly looked at her daughters. Mu E was the one who led the way. Usually, her daughter was the most stupid and slow to react, and her kindness was something Li Miaosuo despised.

"Mu'e, even if you don't follow the rules of the church, you should still know propriety and shame. He is my own son, my wicked child. I have always allowed you to give alms to him, and yet you have all been bewitched by his pretense. Today, you will make the choice. I will kill him with my own hands. If you want to stop me, you can either kill me first for murdering your mother, or kill him with your own hands for me. If you have the courage to defy me, I will admire you for a bit, and it will not have been in vain that I carried you for ten months and raised you."

Li Miaosuo threw the sword in front of Li Mu'e.

Li Mu'e knelt on the ground, a layer of cold sweat breaking out on her forehead upon hearing this, her eyes reflecting the face of Li Yunhuo beside her. She watched her younger brother, who seemed to have lost his soul in front of their mother, his demeanor completely different from usual, as if he had fallen into a state of fear. Thinking of her marriage and her brother's attentive attitude towards them, tears welled up in her eyes.

If her mother hadn't neglected Huo'er so much, Huo'er wouldn't have had to live according to their whims, and wouldn't have developed such a stubborn and obsessive personality. That stubbornness came from her mother... If her mother hadn't been like that, she wouldn't have been tempted by Huo'er and succumbed to the allure of forbidden fruit, feeling pity for Huo'er at the mere sight of her.

The mother couldn't see that Huo'er's talents lay elsewhere—those portraits, those carefully cultivated plants, those composed melodies—all went unnoticed. Money without love had given birth to an empty shell, a shell that could only mimic human form, but had no soul within.

Li Mu'e's eyes reflected her mother's cold, hard expression. Everyone said her mother was a bodhisattva, and she deeply admired her, yet she couldn't meet her mother's expectations. She couldn't be completely independent of her mother's beauty, nor could she fully conform to her mother's expectations. She was caught in a difficult choice, unable to give up either her mother or her younger brother.

Even now, she couldn't respond to her mother. Only the tears welling in her eyes fervently expressed her resentment. She took the long sword, and in Li Yunhuo's lifeless gaze, a gaze reflecting her sinful self, tearing at her and revealing her true thoughts.

The longsword gleamed coldly from the girl's neck, and blood spurted out instantly. The intensely hot blood obscured her freckled cheeks, and tears were hidden by the crimson color. Like a moth drawn to a flame, her body transformed into a blood-red inferno, burning in the night, her wings splitting in two in the pool of blood.

"Mu'e—"

Blood splattered on the guard's face, the torch in his hand fell to the ground, and the city gate burst into flames in an instant. The silver mask on the girl's cheek fell to the ground, her snow-white lotus dress was stained crimson, and large patches of blood flowed from her body, staining Li Yunhuo's palm.

Lu Xuejin and his group saw this scene from afar in the carriage. He couldn't see Li Miaosuo's expression, but he could see Li Yunhu kneeling on the ground. The girl, who was not good with words, was using this as a form of resistance, as if she had already seen the shadow of tragedy growing larger and larger under the eaves, eroding the two of them and turning their figures into ashes.

A note from the author: