White walls and green tiles, the gently flowing pond reflects the lush trees on the bank, creating a secluded and tranquil atmosphere.
A winding corridor, a verdant bamboo grove, dappled shadows of trees, and only this patch of green.
A gentle breeze stirred, yet it still disrupted my thoughts.
After Dingxiang left, Yi Shangyun got up and walked around until she came to a sycamore tree and sat down, lost in thought.
"It turns out that my first acquaintance with King Xuanyuan of Qin was in the palace. So many things happened there, and he protected me in every single one of them."
At this moment, Tuoba Hong brought the pot of peonies he had carefully nurtured to Yi Shangyun.
Silently sitting beside her, he cautiously asked, "Has everything been taken care of? Has Dingxiang agreed?"
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun suddenly came to her senses and replied, "Everything has been arranged. Father is on duty tonight, and when Dingxiang comes over in the evening, we can exchange clothes and leave Changning Palace."
At that moment, Tuoba Hong felt as if a weight had finally been lifted from his heart.
Ultimately, if it weren't for his entanglement, escaping this cage would have been incredibly easy for her.
Finally, he couldn't help but remind her, "This matter is of utmost importance, so please be extremely careful!"
"Yes, I know."
As Yi Shangyun spoke, she suddenly noticed the pot of pink peonies in his hand and happily took it from him.
With a face full of joy, she said, "It's rare to see peonies in this palace. Did you plant these yourself? They are such beautiful flowers!"
Seeing her genuine joy, Tuoba Hong was even happier than she was.
He then said with great relish, "Peony nourishes the blood and soothes the liver, relieves pain, astringes yin and stops sweating, and its flowers are also highly ornamental. It's a pity that they are so rare in this Western Qin palace. I only found this one by chance in an inconspicuous corner of the wall one day. At that time, I saw that it was almost yellow and withered, so I transplanted it here. I thought it wouldn't survive, but now I see that its flowers are very lovely, so I brought them to you."
Yi Shangyun's gaze fell upon the five or six double-petaled pink flowers that bloomed against the backdrop of green leaves.
As the flower buds unfurl from their open petals, layer upon layer, cluster together like an open wine glass, swaying gracefully in the gentle breeze, exuding a delicate and charming beauty that evokes feelings of tenderness and affection.
Tuoba Hong looked at it with him and continued, "Legend has it that peonies are not flowers from the mortal world. One year, a plague broke out in the human world. In order to save the world, the Flower Goddess stole the Queen Mother of the West's elixir and scattered it to the human world. As a result, some of them turned into peonies, which symbolize wealth and good fortune, while others turned into peonies. That is why peonies have the word 'medicine' in their name ever since."
I saw that Yi Shangyun was staring intently at the potted flower.
After a moment's thought, a melancholy expression suddenly appeared on Tuoba Hong's face. He said, "In our Lingkong Continent, the peony is regarded as the flower of love and is revered as the exclusive flower for the Qixi Festival. It is used to express the promise of feelings between men and women..."
"Or... the reluctance to part at the time of separation."
Clearly, when he got to the second half of the sentence, Tuoba Hong only spoke it to himself in a low voice.
And in her heart she thought to herself, "Wu Le, do you know that the peony is also known as 'Jiang Li'? Meeting you in this life is my greatest fortune. I originally thought that even if we couldn't walk hand in hand in this life, I could still silently protect you and keep you safe. I never imagined that one day I would become a burden to you. Now... I really can't continue to be a burden to you!"
Perhaps Yi Shangyun was too enamored with this pot of peonies at this moment, too serious and too excited about it.
After a long pause, she suddenly came to her senses and asked, "What did you just say? Yes, I've heard that legend before. But what do you mean by peonies on your Spirit Void Continent?"
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Hong was stunned, but then quietly said, "It's nothing! As long as you like it."
"like!"
"I love so much!"
"I absolutely love it!"
"I never expected to see such beautiful peonies at this time of year!"
Yi Shangyun repeatedly praised.
Seeing her finally smile, Tuoba Hong looked at her tenderly with doting eyes: "No matter what happens in the future, you must live happily like this..."
And so, the two of them sat together in the courtyard, waiting and waiting.
A pavilion bathed in the glow of the setting sun, from which the melodious sound of Tuoba Hong's flute drifted in the evening breeze.
Until the sun set, accompanied by a "creak" sound.
Dingxiang finally pushed open the door as promised and walked in.
Tuoba Hong stayed in the courtyard to keep watch for him, while Yi Shangyun and Dingxiang quickly entered the hall and soon exchanged clothes with each other.
Upon exiting the door again, Yi Shangyun walked up to Tuoba Hong and said, "I'm leaving!"
Then, Tuoba Hong slowly took out his prized dagger, which was inlaid with the ruby of the grassland light.
He carefully handed it to Yi Shangyun, and once again instructed her, "Be careful! This dagger was left to me by my father before he passed away. If you encounter danger, you can use it to defend yourself. Don't worry about me, go ahead!"
Yi Shangyun looked steadily at Tuoba Hong and said, "Don't worry, I know you hate this place even more than I do. After I settle this matter, I will take you away from this cage. You will definitely return to your vast grassland and ride your horse to the ends of the earth! No one can hold us back."
Tuoba Hong smiled tenderly at her and nodded.
Looking back on my short life, I can only silently say in my heart: "For me, having the beautiful memories of these days with you is enough. Everything else is no longer important. Helping you leave and setting you free is the last thing I can do for you in this life!"
Finally, she suddenly spoke to Yi Shangyun and said, "Wu Le, can I hug you?"
Yi Shangyun thought for a moment, and although she didn't know why he was like this, she still stepped forward and threw herself into Tuoba Hong's broad embrace.
Tuoba Hong bid her a reluctant farewell.
Looking at Tuoba Hong's face, which was quieter than usual, Yi Shangyun had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"Trust me, wait for me to come back..."
So, he left behind only these seven words and turned to leave Changning Palace.
Tuoba Hong watched Yi Shangyun's retreating figure until he left.
As soon as it left his sight, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
It landed right on the stone table next to me, on the blooming pink peony petals.
Immediately afterwards, with a "thud," Tuoba Hong fell heavily to the ground.
"Second Prince..."
"Second Prince..."
"Second Prince, what's wrong with you?"
Upon seeing this, Dingxiang called out and hurriedly ran over to kneel on the ground.
They tried to help him up, but saw that Tuoba Hong was already breathing heavily with great difficulty.
"Second Prince... what happened to you?" A glance revealed the shocking bloodstains on the peony beside him.
In a moment of panic, he raised his voice, trying to call for help: "Someone...come..."
Before he could finish speaking, Tuoba Hong stopped him: "No...no..."
All that could be heard was Tuoba Hong saying, with almost all his might, "Whatever you do, do not attract outsiders. Otherwise, if it is discovered that the person in Changning Palace is not Wu Le, Wu Le will be in danger!"
Dingxiang thought about it and realized that what he said was indeed true, so she quickly asked, "Then... what are you going to do?"
Tuoba Hong said with difficulty, "I...I'm fine. Help me up, I'll be alright after resting for a while!"
"Okay, I'll help you..." Dingxiang agreed, and with great effort, she slowly helped him up and sat him on the stone bench.
But she still asked with extreme concern, "Are you really alright?"
Tuoba Hong waved his hand laboriously, indicating that he was alright.
"Then you rest here for a while. I'll go boil some water and make some hot tea for the Second Prince."
Dingxiang then hurriedly went inside the palace to brew tea.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
Xuanyuan Han and Emperor Jing had just finished their discussion and were preparing to leave the palace.
He and his deputy, Cheng Liang, happened to pass by outside the walls of Changning Palace.
Upon hearing the sound, Cheng Liang stopped and asked, "Your Highness, did you hear anything?"
Xuanyuan Han also stopped and asked, "What was that sound?"
"It seems to be coming from Changning Palace, like... a woman's cry for help..."
Cheng Liang looked around for a moment, then muttered to himself in confusion, "Strange, why can't I hear anything again now!"
Seeing this, Xuanyuan Han glared at him fiercely, then turned around and continued walking.
As Cheng Liang started moving again, he seemed to be deep in thought when he was suddenly nearly tripped by a large tree that appeared in front of him, and he crashed into it.
Startled, she looked closer and discovered something unexpected, so she called out to Xuan Yuanhan again, "Your Highness, Your Highness..."
As Xuanyuan Han walked, he was also thinking about some things, and he couldn't help but get a little impatient. So he said, "If you really don't want to go back to the manor tonight, then stay in the palace!"
Originally, he thought that if he was scared a little, Cheng Liang would behave and follow him out of the palace.
But only a moment later, his voice rang out again behind them: "Your Highness, Your Highness..."
Xuanyuan Han was getting impatient, so he had no choice but to stop and turn around again.
But Cheng Liang could no longer be found.
"Your Highness, over here..."
Following the sound, Xuan Yuanhan found Cheng Liang's figure in the tall tree.
He immediately shouted angrily, "What...what are you doing?"
As Cheng Liang looked around, he said, "Your Highness... I never really noticed before, but you can actually see the entire courtyard of the main hall of Changning Palace from this tree."
Xuanyuan Han also asked in surprise, "What did you say?"
Cheng Liang added, "It's currently the time for the guards to change shifts. Your Highness might as well come up and take a look. See what the Emperor's new advisor looks like?"
Just then, illuminated by the candlelight burning in Changning Palace, Cheng Liang spotted Tuoba Hong and Ding Xiang in the courtyard.
So he said, "Those two men sitting in the courtyard, could they be the Emperor's new advisor and that prisoner? They look sickly and not very well, do they?"
Xuanyuan Han glanced around and then ordered Cheng Liang, "Get down quickly, or we'll be discovered..."
"There's nothing much to see."
Finally, Cheng Liang jumped down from the tree.
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