Su Xike
When Lu Yunchu woke up, she found Chu Chengchao holding her and grinning foolishly.
"Hehe, you've worked so hard, you've fallen asleep from exhaustion!"
His body wasn't so hot anymore. Lu Yunchu looked around worriedly, but found nothing wrong. Finally, she felt relieved and smiled at him.
Seeing that he was still a little tired, Lu Yunchu took the initiative to bring him porridge and feed him. He leaned against her and nuzzled her shoulder.
"It's been so long since anyone's been this nice to me..."
His eyes were red and glistening with tears; he looked truly moved. Lu Yunchu continued to feed him carefully, afraid of burning him, and two small tears fell from his eyes.
The more Lu Yunchu looked at him, the cuter he became. Although he was still not good-looking, people who shed tears were adorable.
He's been resting these past few days, and Lu Yunchu has been keeping watch over him, listening to him talk about his childhood, the border, and his favorite snacks. His eyes light up whenever he mentions the border.
"The desert is truly desolate, but a campfire can really create a special atmosphere! We even dance around the campfire, and some of the people are really good at it! Lin Chen is usually so quiet, but he gets really wild at times like this! I wish you could come too, they're all so funny, I especially love telling ghost stories to scare everyone..."
As he spoke, he made a funny face and mentioned that his mother also loved to tell these ghost stories, which often scared him so much that he cried like a ghost when he was a child.
"Mother always said she wanted to go back to the Southwest to eat those strange insects, but now that she's in the capital, she'll never have the chance to go back. Mother hates the capital; it's too cold here, and the people are always so pretentious. People in the Southwest are mostly straightforward and don't have all these ulterior motives... She always says she'll take me to see my uncles and sisters, then to the water's edge to pick flowers to wear in my hair, and to the forest to forage for mountain delicacies. When I have some free time, I want to go too..."
His mother was a princess of the southwestern Ze Kingdom, but many years ago, His Majesty conquered the Ze Kingdom, turning her homeland into a vassal state. She was sent to the capital as a hostage and never returned home again, yet she never forgot her hometown. She always longed to go back, but ultimately spent her life in melancholy and was buried in this unfamiliar land.
"The palace was truly terrifying. Those people were so snobbish. My mother had no power, so they bullied her. She was always crying... I always wanted to earn military merit so my mother could have a better life. But when she left, I had just arrived at the northwest border. At that time, I was thinking that once I had a fiefdom, I would take her with me and never come back. But I will never see her again... Fortunately, she will never know that I was injured on the face, otherwise she would definitely be heartbroken..."
As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes again, his fingers tracing the mask on his face. Lu Yunchu gently hugged him, thinking of her aunt, who had also suffered greatly over the years. The Lu family members were quite lazy and accomplished nothing. Her aunt, scheming in the palace, had to rely solely on her own efforts, and sometimes was even implicated by her family. The emperor was also unpredictable and indifferent to her. Her aunt had grown up with the emperor and had feelings for him, but the emperor found even a glance at her repulsive.
She used to think her aunt was mean, but her aunt had a really tough time in the palace all by herself. All those people were incompetent, relying on her aunt yet complaining about her meddling. Now that she thinks about it, she really felt sorry for her…
Chu Chengchao said that Xiao Fei was the best to his mother in the past. She was gentle to everyone and often took care of her, but Xiao Fei also had a hard time.
Looking into his clear eyes, Lu Yunchu couldn't help but think that the princess from the southwest must have been a very kind person; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to raise such a kind child in such a remote and unfortunate place. It's a pity that such a good family probably didn't have a happy ending…
The flower-viewing ceremony was a few days away, and Chu Chengchao was still a bit weak, but he had no choice but to go. He loved to play and have fun, but he hated occasions like this the most, so he could only reluctantly sneak over. Lu Yunchu supported him, listening to his inner turmoil.
In contrast to his somber mood, the garden was ablaze with vibrant colors, and even those who were usually full of scheming now wore smiles as they admired the flowers around the emperor.
Chu Chengchao wasn't familiar with the Emperor and didn't want to get close to him, only occasionally greeting people he knew. He wasn't familiar with most people in the palace, except for the Crown Prince and Chu Cheng'an. He was close to the Crown Prince because they had served together in the Cavalry Camp and guarded the border, although their relationship had faded over time. Chu Cheng'an used to be looked down upon by his brothers for claiming to be a girl, but Chu Chengchao, with his good temper, always played games with him, even braiding his hair, and calling him "Little Princess" without ever getting annoyed. However, recently Chu Cheng'an had become increasingly strange, no longer acting like a little princess, and seemed just as annoying as the Crown Prince.
Upon seeing his brothers, Chu Chengchao wanted to chat for a while, but they all seemed listless, as if they had lost all their strength at such a young age. Everyone looked so dejected, except for the Third Prince and the Seventh Prince who occasionally smiled genuinely; the others all wore the same fake smiles. Chu Ling and Chu Qin also arrived, but remained silent. Chu Qin pretended to chase butterflies to amuse the emperor, but her smile was forced. The emperor gave a forced smile, but he also seemed bored.
Upon seeing Chu Chengchao, the emperor patted his head, his complexion improving: "Chengchao is much better, unlike those old men. But look how old they've become! These two children seem to get along really well. Little Wu… his second brother has four women, but he has seven. If he works harder, he'll surpass me…"
The emperor looked at Chu Cheng'an and sneered. Chu Chengchao couldn't help but take a step back.
The Emperor came to admire the flowers with only two concubines, his aunt and Consort Xiao. The Emperor kept his arm around Consort Xiao, asking her from time to time if she was cold or hot. Consort Xiao remained gentle, but her smile was somewhat forlorn. His aunt's gaze was always on the two of them, sometimes revealing a hint of anger, sometimes a hint of sarcasm, but she could not forget the dignity of being the Empress and had to put on a show.
She looked around and saw that everyone was bored, but she couldn't take her eyes off the girl in white next to Chu Cheng'an.
This girl didn't resemble Consort Xiao, yet she bore an uncanny resemblance to her—both were as gentle as water and as serene as moonlight. She looked very young, perhaps fourteen or fifteen, but a subtle, unyielding sorrow lingered between her brows, as faint as the wind, arousing one's curiosity.
Chu Cheng'an introduced her as Su Xike, Consort Xiao's niece. Lu Yunchu couldn't help but greet her, "Hello, little sister! You're so beautiful!"
Su Xike looked up somewhat shyly, her voice as soft as a cloud: "Hello, sister-in-law..."
Her gaze lingered on Lu Yunchu's face for a moment, then she suddenly said softly, "Sister-in-law's eyes are so beautiful."
Lu Yunchu was taken aback. Su Xike smiled faintly, a smile that instantly brightened her pale face, revealing a touch of youthful liveliness: "Like the wind in the northwest, like the stars on the vast grassland, bright and free."
That simple sentence revealed her deepest desire; this young girl was no ordinary person…
Su Xike then looked at Chu Chengchao, her eyes revealing genuine concern: "Brother, are you feeling unwell? It's been cold lately, try some calming and invigorating remedies. Brother, you're stationed at the border, it's truly arduous..."
Lu Yunchu quickly thanked her. Su Xike looked at her with gentle eyes, yet with a hint of tears in them: "Brother and sister-in-law standing together look just like a couple in a picture book... Brother is clearly a rare good man, devoted and affectionate."
She spoke so naturally, each sentence seemingly unintentional, yet strangely hitting the nail on the head.
Even after the flower viewing ceremony ended, Lu Yunchu was still thinking about Su Xike's gentle yet empty gaze and those unintentional words.
Chu Chengchao also sighed, "Miss Su... is truly like a celestial being, making one forget the mundane world upon seeing her..."
Lu Yunchu could only sneer. They had revealed their true colors so quickly; it was truly disgusting.
But Chu Chengchao's next words surprised her: "Miss Su's father, Grand Tutor Su, is the leader of the Zhulin Party! Zhulin! That's a place all scholars in the world aspire to, advocating the rule of sages. Grand Tutor Su is the scholar I admire most, upright and outspoken. I heard he possesses the orthodox 'Portraits of Sages' in the Holy Teachings. Miss Su has also been studious since childhood, having mastered the classics and history at a young age. Cheng'an married her to use her for his own purposes. Grand Tutor Su always says his daughter is a rare talent. But since her marriage, she spends her days copying 'Women's Virtues and Admonitions,' what a pity..."
I see…
She has such talent, yet she is confined to a house; she must be feeling very bad... She wanted to chat with Su Xike a little more, but she didn't have the chance, which she regretted.
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