The solitary lamp shines brightly for a moment

The cold wind was blowing fiercely in the middle of the night, and the Qianqing Palace was dark and oppressive. Only the faint light from the warm stove could barely illuminate half an inch of the surrounding space.

The door was quietly pushed open and the fire flickered.

"who?!"

Ji Mingxiu grasped the dagger under the pillow and questioned in a sharp voice.

"Your Majesty, it is you who are my subjects."

Su Yuanbai held a solitary lamp in his hand, but it was not lit. The dim fire could only vaguely illuminate a dark shadow.

Hearing the familiar voice, Ji Mingxiu's heart finally settled down. He fumbled to put on his outer robe and got out of bed.

"Why did the Imperial Master come to visit so late at night?"

"I am here to give lectures."

Lecture?

Ji Mingxiu was full of doubts, but he did not express them aloud. He just pointed at the palace lantern in Su Yuanbai's hand.

"Why doesn't the Imperial Master light a lamp?"

"Don't you feel it's dark when you turn on the light?"

Like a question, Su Yuanbai took out a tinder from his pocket and lit the candle.

The soft candlelight fell on his body, and Ji Mingxiu finally saw Su Yuanbai's face clearly, but he was surrounded by their shadows, which were so twisted, huge and terrifying, and they were lurking on the surrounding walls and the ground with their fangs and claws.

"Your Majesty, your mind is in the deepest night and you cannot see the sun or the moon. Why do you rely on candlelight to seek clarity?"

Behind him was a deep shadow, like a man-eating evil spirit. Ji Mingxiu lowered his eyes with coldness, and spoke in a perfunctory tone.

"Where do you think we should seek it?"

"We should ask from your Majesty's heart."

Seeking heart?

“Hehehe…”

What a light sentence.

Ji Mingxiu couldn't help but laugh softly, and his laughter echoed in the silent palace, sounding sad rather than happy.

"How can you be so funny, Imperial Master? It's late at night, please go back."

Su Yuanbai said nothing, but put down the palace lantern in his hand, walked forward and held his wrist tightly.

"What are you doing? Let me go!"

Ji Mingxiu was unable to break free and was dragged to the desk by Su Yuanbai. At a glance, the desk that was once filled with Confucian and Taoist classics was now filled with plans and strategies.

Su Yuanbai pointed at the books and stared into Ji Mingxiu's eyes, with sadness and pain surging in his eyes.

"Is your Majesty happy?"

Ji Mingxiu glanced at the desk, then turned and looked directly at Su Yuanbai, with a smile on his face, as if he was proving himself, or confessing.

"Happiness won't keep you on the throne, teacher."

"What can be protected? Endless calculations! Your Majesty, have you ever calculated how much gain and loss are needed to support a peaceful and prosperous era?"

Su Yuanbai's knuckles turned white from exertion, and he saw himself in Ji Mingxiu's eyes, his brows and eyes, which were opened by the flames of anger and were soaked in sorrow and bitterness.

He heard his own voice, speaking every word very slowly, his voice so low it sounded like begging.

"The mind and nature are so important, how can Your Majesty underestimate them?"

The flickering candlelight illuminated the tears in each other's eyes, like stars twinkling in the night.

"People in this world are bustling about, all for profit."

Ji Mingxiu looked at Su Yuanbai. The illusion he had maintained for so long was finally torn apart. He was like a believer who was struggling to move forward in the dark and deserted night and could not find the direction. He questioned himself again and again with tears in his eyes in the endless torture day and night.

"You want me to seek for my heart? Where can I seek it? Can I find it?"

Ji Mingxiu shook off Su Yuanbai's hand, and the red mark on his wrist was faintly visible as a purple fingerprint.

He questioned Su Yuanbai harshly with a hoarse voice, questioning everything he had learned over the years.

"What did my father get, what did my mother get, and what did you get?"

"In the Daming Palace, you made great efforts to benefit the world, but in the end, it was all just a flash in the pan!"

"And now, what can realize your ambition is not my heart, but my calculations!"

Ji Mingxiu's hoarse sobs echoed in the dead silent air, while Su Yuanbai's long silence seemed to freeze time, weighing heavily on people and making it hard to breathe.

It was not until the flickering candlelight awakened him from his sleep that Su Yuanbai spoke calmly, answering his questions one by one.

Just like the days when I taught in Chaoyue Palace.

"When I was still in Liuming Temple, I had the honor of seeing the heroic figures of the late Empress at the prayer ceremony. Empress Zhaolie grew up in the military camp of Chu. She was decisive in killing and humble, and her character was beyond ordinary people. She went on many expeditions to pacify the north and south, and she was dedicated to the world."

"Although he failed to achieve his great cause, His Highness Mingyu inherited the Empress's will. In times of great suffering, he still went to the front without hesitation and died for the country."

"The late emperor worked hard for twenty years, working day and night without slacking off. Although he acted arbitrarily, he and the empress achieved the same goal."

He walked towards Ji Mingxiu step by step until the two of them had no more room to retreat and fell into the dust tent together.

"And I am your Majesty's teacher."

A dewy kiss fell on the forehead, carrying the scent of plum blossoms that I first saw, and the affectionate eyes were filled with infinite sorrow and pity.

"Your Majesty, this is my ambition."

The flickering candlelight suddenly lit up, illuminating the way we came and the way we returned.

"I only hope that Your Majesty will follow your heart and have no regrets."

*

The lights outside the window were off, a faint fragrance was floating quietly, and Ji Mingxiu was lying alone on the couch.

In the dust and gauze tent, I entered into this extreme dream.

He closed his eyes, standing in a place without day or night, without sound or echo.

The flow of time stops here.

He was chasing an unknown particle at the end of eternity. The particle was so tiny that it disappeared as soon as he lost focus.

He followed the particles and turned into a rabbit in the forest and a fish in the water.

The branches and waves are so abominable.

Until he turned into a flying bird and broke through the end of this land without an end, the soft white clouds whispered in his ears.

The weapons outside the window, the ripples in the deep pool, the flower buds just blooming in the quiet place.

Everything seems to be from the horizon, and yet seems to be right in front of you.

The long aftertaste lingered for a long time until it fell from the clouds with him.

Falling, falling for a long time.

Then silently, he opened his eyes.

It turned out that the sun was already high in the sky, and the heavy curtains could not block out the glaring light.

Inside the tent, beside the bed, Li Qingyun leaned calmly against the light, his slender fingers playing with a strand of his black hair.

"Good morning, your majesty."