Extra three
When Lu Ling woke up, it was already dark. Nan Rongjing had disappeared somewhere. Lu Ling sat up and suddenly felt a pain in his back, as if he had been in a fight.
There was only one candle lit in the room, and the room looked very dark. Lu Ling got out of bed and lit candles in several other places, and the room immediately became bright.
Lu Ling was only wearing his underwear and felt a little cold. With his clothes draped over him, Lu Ling pushed open the door and looked up, bumping into Nan Rongjing. Nan Rongjing reacted quickly, raising the bowl in his hand and holding it up, so that nothing in the bowl spilled.
Lu Ling touched his forehead and felt that it must have been red from the collision. He didn't know what this man had eaten to make his chest so hard.
Nan Rongjing immediately looked at Lu Ling's forehead and exhaled softly, "A Ling, are you okay?"
My forehead is indeed red.
"I'm sorry, Aling, I didn't mean it." Nan Rongjing apologized immediately.
Lu Ling glared at him, said nothing, and turned back to the room. The north wind was howling outside, it was too cold, Lu Ling thought.
Nan Rongjing followed Lu Ling in, holding the bowl in his hand.
"A Ling, your colorful longevity noodles." Nan Rongjing placed the bowl in front of Lu Ling, and Lu Ling realized that it was a bowl of noodles. It turned out that he was going to make this.
Nan Rongjing took good care of it, not a single drop of soup spilled, and it was still steaming after standing outside for so long.
Ever since the two of them got together, Nan Rongjing has made a bowl of colorful longevity noodles for Lu Ling every year, without interruption.
Lu Ling temporarily forgave Nan Rongjing for his hard work in making noodles.
Nan Rongjing handed the chopsticks to Lu Ling. Lu Ling lowered his head to smell it first, and then began to taste it. It had been almost ten years, and the taste had never changed.
After eating the longevity noodles, Lu Ling thought that everything was fine, so he wanted to continue lying in bed and sleeping. After all, Nan Rongjing had tormented him for a long time during the day.
Just as Lu Ling was about to lie down, Nan Rongjing, who had just come back from washing the dishes, came over and stopped him. Lu Ling was stunned and looked at Nan Rongjing in confusion.
"There's still something to do, my Queen. Please work harder."
Nan Rongjing's words were very tactful and his tone was very gentle. Lu Ling was very pleased and agreed without thinking. When Lu Ling walked out of the room, he regretted it. It was so cold that Lu Ling felt that he had been crazy to agree to let Nan Rongjing go out.
Both of them wore cloaks, one red and one black. Nan Rongjing was hidden in the black, making Lu Ling more conspicuous.
It was freezing and snowy outside, so Nan Rongjing considerately helped Lu Ling gather his cloak to prevent the wind from getting in.
The farm was huge, and after walking for a while, Lu Ling couldn't walk any further. Nan Rongjing stopped, looked back at Lu Ling, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Lu Ling was not squeamish and said naturally, "I can't walk anymore."
Nan Rongjing seemed to remember something at this moment and laughed. Then he walked in front of Lu Ling and squatted down. "Come up."
Lu Ling's heart instantly blossomed, a smile plastered across her face as she happily leaned forward. You have to know that Lu Ling had been busy with government affairs for the past few years and had hardly left the palace. Inside, her every word and action was recorded by the historians. Being carried around like this by Nan Rongjing was something Lu Ling hadn't experienced in a long time.
It snowed today, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of snow. Nan Rongjing carried Lu Ling on his back and walked step by step into the depths of the village. The moonlight shone on the two of them, stretching their shadows very long. The footprints left on the snow were very solid and deep with every step.
Nan Rongjing carried Lu Ling on his back for a long time. Perhaps because the two of them were very warm in this position, Lu Ling almost fell asleep.
Lu Ling felt that this farm was really big, otherwise why would it take him so long to get there?
"Why haven't you arrived yet?" Lu Ling asked Nan Rongjing in a sleepy voice.
“Almost.”
"good."
Lu Ling yawned.
After a while, Nan Rongjing finally talked to Lu Ling. Lu Ling had taken a nap on Nan Rongjing's back. At this time, he became energetic and jumped off Nan Rongjing's back with a "bang".
Lu Ling looked at the scene in front of him and was so shocked that he was speechless.
The ground was covered with flowers. They weren't the plum blossoms at the gate, but flowers that blossomed in spring, red, yellow, white, and pink. Furthermore, these flowers were dotted with "starlight"—fireflies—which shone brightly in the darkness.
It is winter now, and Lu Ling doesn't know how Nan Rongjing grows these flowers.
Lu Ling walked to the flower bed, touched the flowers but didn't pick them, then stood up and asked Nan Rongjing.
"How did you do it?" It must have taken a long time to prepare, Lu Ling thought.
"This village has unique conditions and is warmer than other places." Nan Rongjing's simple words overshadowed all his efforts.
Lu Ling looked at him meaningfully, with distrust in his eyes.
"Is that really all?" Lu Ling was so curious that he put his hands on his hips and said arrogantly, "I command you to confess the truth."
Lu Ling rarely calls himself "I" in front of Nan Rongjing. He usually only says that when he is angry.
Nan Rongjing didn't want to make Lu Ling angry on such a happy day, so he touched his nose and told the truth.
In the spring, Nan Rongjing had already been planning this matter. He bought many flower seeds from flower farmers in the capital, and then asked people to inquire about where there were hot springs and places with good climates, preferably not far from the capital.
He soon found out about the farm and bought it. Whenever he had free time, he would come to the farm to plant flowers and learn from the flower farmers how to grow flowers and how to make them survive in winter.
The problem of flowers was quickly solved, but the most troublesome thing was the fireflies. Fireflies are almost only found in summer, and their lifespan is very short. They die within a few days.
At first, Nan Rongjing went to the wild to catch a lot of fireflies, but soon all the fireflies were gone, so Nan Rongjing had no choice but to catch a second wave, a third wave...
Later on, there were fewer fireflies, and summer was almost over, but there were still no fireflies in Nan Rongjing.
Later, he looked through ancient books to learn how to make fireflies live longer.
Nan Rongjing tried for a long time, and in the end, the fireflies died one after another, but they continued to reproduce endlessly, which resulted in the fireflies that Lu Ling saw now.
After listening to this, Lu Ling finally understood why Nan Rongjing had been leaving the palace so often this year. At that time, Nan Rongjing still smelled of mud, and Lu Ling even teased him, asking if he had fallen into the mud. He didn't expect it to be the case.
Lu Ling's eyes moistened, and he hugged Nan Rongjing: "It doesn't have to be like this, it's just an ordinary birthday."
Nan Rongjing hugged Lu Ling with both hands and said gently, "Not ordinary. Every birthday of A Ling is not ordinary. I want to make every birthday of A Ling different and leave you with beautiful memories."
Lu Ling thought about it and realized that every year on his birthday, Nan Rongjing would celebrate his birthday in different ways, making every year unforgettable for him.
Lu Ling came out of Nan Rongjing's arms, stared at him for a while, and then couldn't help but kiss him.
With his hands hooked around Nan Rongjing's neck, Lu Ling stood on tiptoe and carefully traced Nan Rongjing's lips.
Nan Rongjing also responded to her enthusiastically.
The moonlight shone on the two of them, covering them with a thin layer of white light. The flowers bloomed vigorously, and fireflies circled around them, as if sending them blessings.
Since that birthday, Lu Ling has always paid attention to Nan Rongjing's movements, always feeling that everything he does is in preparation for his next birthday.
In this way, several years passed without any joy or sorrow, and the State of Chu lived in peace with its neighboring countries for several years.
In the 19th year of Jinghe, the people of Baipu rioted. Nan Rongjing, as the former king of Baipu, volunteered to go to Baipu to quell the rebellion.
Although Nan Rongjing has been in the capital for many years, he still has a very important status in Baipu. After all, he was the heir appointed by the old King Baipu.
After Nan Rongjing left, Lu Ling corresponded with him every day, but it still couldn't relieve the pain of missing him. The two hadn't been apart for such a long time in many years.
The two wrote letters every day, until one day, Lu Ling sent a letter but did not receive a reply. Lu Ling's heart suddenly fell to the bottom.
Lu Ling immediately sent someone to check on Bai Pu's current situation, but the news was blocked and no one knew what happened there. Lu Ling did not receive a reply.
Finally, five days later, Lu Ling received a reply from Nan Rongjing. The letter contained only four words:
Be well and don’t worry.
It was these four words that calmed Lu Ling's heart.
A month later, the Baipu Rebellion subsided and Nan Rongjing returned to the capital. When Lu Ling saw him, he hugged him regardless of the gazes of the court ministers.
Nan Rongjing had lost a lot of weight and his face was pale, so Lu Ling immediately called the imperial physician to diagnose him.
Fortunately, the imperial physician said that there were no vital injuries and that all he needed to do was rest.
When Lu Ling heard this, he didn't let Nan Rongjing do anything. He even supported him when he walked. Even though Nan Rongjing told him several times that he was fine, Lu Ling was still worried and followed him all the time, which made Nan Rongjing smile bitterly.
The king of a country actually looked at him like this.
Nan Rongjing smiled, kissed Lu Ling on the forehead, and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
Lu Ling shook her head. She didn't feel hardship. Only after she separated from Nan Rongjing did she realize how much she depended on Nan Rongjing. She didn't want to be separated from Nan Rongjing again.
In the 39th year of Jinghe reign, Prince Yong died.
The words of the imperial physician echoed in Lu Ling's mind. "His Royal Highness Prince Yong was injured in the riot twenty years ago and has been kept alive with medication ever since. He's lucky to have lived this long."
Lu Ling was puzzled and asked the doctor in frustration: "Didn't you say at the beginning that there was no injury to the vital organs? Why are you saying that now..."
The imperial physician knelt on the ground and said that these were all Prince Yong's intentions, and Prince Yong was unwilling to tell His Majesty the truth.
That day, Lu Ling stood in front of Nan Rongjing's coffin all night, her hair turning gray overnight. At dawn, she finally spoke to the person inside the coffin, "You lied to me again. You promised me you would never lie to me again in this life. I will never forgive you."
After Prince Yong passed away, Lu Ling's health deteriorated. Within a year, he gave his position to the Crown Princess Lu Yi and became the emperor emeritus.
Two years later, Lu Ling died in Changle Palace and was buried in the same coffin with Nan Rongjing.
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