Chapter 157: Ending May we be reincarnated again and again, may we meet again in all our lives...
Xuanye understood Xiuyu. In fact, he had already vaguely understood Xiuyu's thoughts in his heart, but the two of them had never communicated so deeply before, so naturally there was a hint of hesitation. Now that they had talked it out, there was no more speculation or doubt.
This incident directly impacted Xuanye's selection of a successor. He considered himself a wise and valiant emperor. While his health remained strong and he felt he could reign for a long, long time, he could have handled every important matter of state with ease. But lately, he felt increasingly ill, and perhaps, at any moment, the King of Hell would take him. Of course, he forbade the imperial physician to reveal this to anyone, not even Xiu Yu.
Therefore, it becomes urgent to determine the successor.
It was only then that he keenly realized that his principle in choosing a successor, aside from the ability to handle state affairs, was more importantly to not treat Xiu Yu harshly. Even though he knew Xiu Yu didn't care, he couldn't help but consider this aspect.
So, he had to carefully consider the three children he and Xiu Yu had: the fifth, the ninth, and the tenth. The fifth, a scholar, was the type who never courted trouble. A man devoted to the study of sages certainly wouldn't encounter any trouble, but his life was destined to be dull. Life with him, while uneventful, was truly uninteresting. The ninth, on the other hand, was clever, capable of both acting and shouldering responsibilities, and loyal, yet occasionally impulsive and reckless. Life with him was exciting, but also unavoidable. As for the tenth, the youngest, doted on, had its drawbacks. He could be a leisurely prince carrying a birdcage, but he probably needed some skills to take care of his mother.
In the Yangxin Palace, Xuanye was reading memorials, rubbing his solar plexus, and thinking about these things. He was really busy.
Liang Jiugong brought Xuanye a cup of tea at the right time and said, "Your Majesty, take a rest if you are tired."
Xuanye nodded, leaned back in his chair, and said, "Who do you think would make life more comfortable for the Fifth, Ninth, or Tenth Brothers?"
Liang Jiugong had followed Xuanye for so many years, having worked his way up through the Forbidden City. Of course, he had a lot of tricks up his sleeve. He didn't want to know too much about what Xuanye was thinking. "Master, wouldn't it be better to ask Master Yi directly about this?"
Xuanye glanced at Liang Jiugong and said, "Yu'er is from the authorities. She may not even be able to think clearly."
"The master thinks too highly of me." Liang Jiugong remained completely silent. "The three princes each have their own strengths. In my opinion, following any of them will be beneficial."
Xuanye snorted: "You are so smooth!"
Liang Jiugong certainly didn't hide it: "After all, this old slave has been with the master for so many years. If I hadn't been more tactful, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to follow him until now."
Xuanye certainly knew that what Liang Jiugong said was the truth. He frowned and sighed, "Others don't know that you are my confidant. In fact, you know that I may not be able to be the emperor for much longer." As Xuanye spoke, he looked at his slightly trembling right hand. Many times in his dreams at midnight, he was unwilling to admit this fact, but the fact is the fact and he could not deny it.
Liang Jiugong knelt on the ground with a thud: "You are the Supreme Emperor, you are the His Majesty!" There was a tremor in his voice. After all, he had followed his master for so many years, so he had some feelings for him.
Xuanye held his right hand with his left hand and said, "You have been by my side for many years, and I trust you, so I want to hear your opinion on this matter."
Liang Jiugong lowered his eyelids slightly and said, "Since the master has said so, in my opinion, the Ninth Prince is the most astute."
"Yes, Old Nine is the most astute." Xuanye thought so too, but he was not sure, nor did he dare to make up his mind. He was very afraid that the dream would come true. He was very afraid. "Old Nine, living outside the palace is actually far away from the right and wrong of the Forbidden City, right or not?"
Liang Jiugong probably knew what Xuanye was thinking and said, "I feel that the Ninth Prince is not interested in the affairs of the court. Hasn't he been visiting the palace less and less recently?"
"Yes." Xuanye clenched his right fist and said in a deep voice, "Go and invite Yu'er to the Yangxin Palace."
Xiu Yu had already finished washing up and was ready to go to bed, when she was taken to the Yangxin Palace in a warm sedan chair. Her hair was really disheveled, and she was wearing a thick outer coat over her nightgown.
Seeing Xiu Yu like this, Xuanye scolded her but also felt distressed: "Why don't you wear something thicker before coming over? Same with Liang Jiugong!"
Xiu Yu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, are you urgently summoning me? Who knows what important matters you have to order?"
Xuanye used his own hands to warm Xiuyu's hands and said, "It's late at night, what could be the big deal? I just miss you and want to see you."
Xiu Yu nodded and sat on the couch with Xuan Ye. "I can't say what you said is true, but it's not entirely true. Are you really okay?"
Xuanye did not hesitate and said bluntly: "Yu'er, I want to send you to live with Lao Jiu for a while."
"Hmm?" Xiu Yu was genuinely confused by Xuanye's suggestion. She smiled and said, "Why are you suddenly sending me out? Are you sending me to the house outside Yin'er Palace?"
"Hasn't he built more than just a house in the capital? North, south, wherever you want to go, you can go there." Xuanye said seriously, "Stay for a while, and I will take you back."
Xiu Yu simply asked, "Is there something important going on in the palace?"
"It's not a big deal, but it's something I, as the emperor, must do." Xuanye held Xiu Yu in his arms. "With you by my side, I'm worried and distracted. Let Lao Jiu go with you to where you want to stay for a while. When this is over, I'll take you back."
Xiu Yu often met with Xuan Ye. She wasn't completely clueless about some things Xuan Ye didn't say, but she didn't want to embarrass him, so she just went along with his wishes. "If Yu Er really leaves with Lao Jiu, I'll definitely see you again, right?" She was actually a little scared, afraid that if she really left, she would never see him again. She didn't know where this fear came from.
Xuanye stroked Xiuyu's hair again and again, looking into her eyes intently, as if he wanted to carve her into his heart. "Yu'er, I will take you back. I promise that we will meet again, definitely." How could he be reluctant to see her? It was obvious that he couldn't bear to see her even once less.
Xiu Yu hugged Xuanye's waist tightly, but her brows were furrowed and she sighed in her heart.
After seeing Yinzhen driving Xiuyu out of the Forbidden City in a carriage, Xuanye felt both relieved and a little sad. He was reluctant to let Xiuyu go, but he had to let her go. Only if she left would the things he saw in his dream be unlikely to happen. However, if what he saw in his dream happened, it would mean that he had broken his promise to Xiuyu. But there was no time to dwell on such things. Xuanye clenched his slightly trembling right hand. He had to clear the obstacles for his successor as quickly as possible. This was what he should and must do as an emperor.
Xiu Yu was actually not at ease after leaving the capital. She finally had her freedom, but she knew in her heart that she missed the Forbidden City and the person in it every moment. Until...
"Mother!" Although Yinzhen had a quick temper, he never panicked. Something that could make him so panic was obviously not a small matter. "Father... They said that Father passed away!"
"What!" Xiu Yu was shocked. She had been feeling a little panicky these past two days. She didn't know what it was, but she never thought it would be like this.
After all, Yinzhen had been through a lot and was no longer a child. He held Xiuyu's arm and said, "I have sent someone to the capital, and the carriage is ready. But, does Mother want to go?"
"I have to go!" Xiu Yu's eyes were firm. "Your father said that he would see him again. I don't believe it if I don't see him." As she spoke, she walked out with Yinzhen.
"I will not go back on my word."
That was Xuanye's voice. Xuanye's voice sounded outside the door, but this was Jiangnan, not the Forbidden City. Xiu Yu stopped and waited for the owner of the voice to appear in front of him.
It was Xuanye, the man who had just made her blood run cold.
Xuanye's face didn't look good. He walked slowly into the room, staring into Xiuyu's eyes as he walked. He said, "I was afraid that I wouldn't be there by the time the news got through. I hurried as fast as I could. Fortunately, I made it in time and didn't miss it."
Xiu Yu's tears fell uncontrollably. She also looked into Xuanye's eyes and said, "I really thought that I would never see you again..."
"No." Xuanye finally walked to Xiuyu and hugged her tightly in his arms, "How can I bear to never see you again? I can't bear to leave you for even a moment. But..." Xuanye started coughing before he finished speaking.
Xiu Yu helped Xuan Ye sit down on the couch and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
"I..." Xuanye was ready to hide it no longer, "Yu'er, I'm not feeling well. So, I sent you out and passed the throne to the Fourth Prince. In this way, those things in the dream will not happen." He held Xiu Yu's hand tightly, without blinking, "But, the statement that the old emperor is going to die may not be too false." He said these words with a smile, but his eyes were full of reluctance and helplessness.
Xiu Yu held Xuanye's hand and said, "The imperial physician is not necessarily the best doctor in the world. There are also good doctors in Jiangnan. We can find a doctor and medicine. There will always be a way."
"There must be a way." Xuanye was actually quite satisfied that he could still see Xiuyu again. "It's okay. It doesn't matter if there is a way or not. We are together now. I will always remember it. That's enough."
Xiu Yu knew that Xuanye was very tired after the journey and was also sick, so he coaxed Xuanye to sleep and then instructed Lao Jiu to invite all the famous doctors nearby.
Perhaps it was because he had finally unloaded the burden of his country and family, perhaps it was because he finally saw the person he had always wanted to see, or perhaps it was because the famous doctors in Jiangnan were indeed very skilled. In short, after Xuanye arrived in Jiangnan, he did not die as he had imagined. Instead, he actually spent a very long time with Xiu Yu, a good life that he could only live in his dreams.
But man cannot defeat nature after all. Xuanye is much older than Xiuyu after all.
It was a full-moon night. Xuanye looked at the white hair on his head in the peep show, and then looked at his wife sitting on the bed, making it. Suddenly, a sense of separation arose in his heart.
"Yu'er, if I'm gone, you will, you will..." For a moment he didn't know what he wanted to say.
Xiu Yu's hand rested on the quilt. She didn't look up, but whispered, "Third brother, Yu'er said that if you were gone, Yu'er would be as dead as a withered tree in this matter, and there would be nothing worth lingering on."
Xuanye stood up, slowly walked over to Xiuyu, and pulled her into his arms. "I really don't want to leave you, but I can't help it." He spoke helplessly, "Yu'er, we'll see each other again. It won't be long. We'll see each other again soon..."
That night, Xuanye held Xiuyu's hand the whole time. However, the next morning, he failed to get up and comb Xiuyu's hair as usual.
Xiu Yu touched Xuan Ye's cheek, tears welling up in her eyes. She had actually felt it last night. They might be separated very soon... Then let her carve this face into her heart, carve it into her heart with her own eyes, bit by bit. Then the next time they meet, she will recognize him at a glance. There will be no need for so much time together. Only then will they understand each other, enter each other's hearts, and there will be no separation again...
…
It was the year the Three Feudatories War was about to be won. Xiu Yu of the Guoluo clan bid farewell to her father and mother and arrived in the capital. With the Lunar New Year approaching, the capital was bustling with activity, with vendors selling melon seeds, candied melons, and making candy figurines. Xiu Yu, dressed in men's clothing, waited for the candy figurine maker to finish blowing her "Sun Wukong Riding the Clouds."
"Master, you have great skills. Please play the music of Tang Monk riding a white horse for me." A clear male voice sounded in my ears.
Xiu Yu pursed her cherry lips, raised the corner of her mouth slightly, turned sideways, looked at the young man with a few pockmarks on his face, opened her cherry lips slightly, and said softly, "Third Master, long time no see."
The young man stiffened slightly, his left hand behind his back, pinching the end of his hair. His right hand, which had been clenched into a fist, opened and stretched out towards Xiu Yu, smiling, "Yu'er, long time no see."
【Grand Finale】
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