Illusion (Part 1)
In the twentieth year of the Chunhe era, the Empress gave birth to twins. To save one of their lives, her maternal family kept it a secret and secretly took one of the twins out of the palace to raise separately.
When the Empress gave birth to a prince, Emperor Yuan was overjoyed and established him as the Crown Prince. He then named the prince Lanyu after two characters from the phrase "Zhilan Yushu" (meaning "orchid, jade, and fragrant tree").
The other son was sent to Xiaoxiang. Because the courtyard was planted with Xiangfei bamboo, his uncle named him Xiaozhu.
In the twenty-ninth year of the Chunhe era, Zhong Sanxue, the son of the Prime Minister, the younger brother of the Empress, the top scholar of the court, and an old friend of His Majesty, was appointed as the Crown Prince's tutor and often accompanied the Eastern Palace.
Zhong Sanxue had just finished his coming-of-age ceremony. Although he was exceptionally talented, he had an empress sister and a prime minister father, and he had been promoted directly to the first rank. This was simply disregarding the laws and regulations of officialdom. Was this going to be the Zhong family's world? Although he had only a title and no real power, many officials still advised the emperor to think twice before acting. Even the prime minister wrote a lengthy memorial to the emperor, expressing his fear and saying that his son was not up to the task.
Emperor Yuan said, "Huai is naturally intelligent. Now that he has passed the imperial examination and entered officialdom, we cannot let his talent go to waste."
The spring sun was shining brightly; it was Zhong Sanxue's first day in office. Passing through layers of palace eaves, he saw the child.
Sitting upright in the hall, before class, he was already studying with his book in hand. The warm spring sun shone through the magnolia tree and past the pear blossoms, sprinkling its warmth on his small body. Soft and warm...the child.
"Greetings, Your Highness. I am late, and I beg Your Highness's punishment." Zhong Sanxue knelt and bowed in the Magnolia Courtyard.
"Grand Tutor, please rise quickly. The time is just right; I am an early riser." Zhong Sanxue heard the child's footsteps, and those snow-white little hands helped him up.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Lan Yu was indeed nervous when he first met his teacher. His mother had told him that the teacher was extremely young and had been personally appointed by his father. To make a good impression, he had been studying diligently until Zhong Sanxue arrived. Finally, the man arrived, accompanied by the fragrance of pear blossoms. Lan Yu's grip on his book tightened. His teacher, however, stood below the steps apologizing, his official robes gleaming in the sunlight.
"Grand Tutor, please rise quickly..."
He stood up, blocking out most of the warm sunlight outside the courtyard, his smile as bright as spring sunshine illuminating pear blossoms, his figure as graceful as a magnolia treetop.
Lan Yu thought, "Such a young and beautiful person, is he really the Grand Tutor?"
Lan Yu only caught bits and pieces of the lesson. The only thing she remembered was the Grand Tutor's gentle eyelashes and the vibrant spring-like feeling in his dimples.
Zhong Sanxue bowed to Lan Yu and took his leave: "That's all for today, I'll take my leave now."
Lan Yu nodded: "Please take care, sir."
And so that person walked away, stepping through the pear blossom rain.
In the thirty-second year of the Chunhe era, a border uprising occurred, and Emperor Yuan suddenly fell ill with a chronic disease. He summoned his Grand Tutor for a late-night talk at his sickbed.
"Huaizhi, the border is currently in turmoil, and Prince Yong is suffering from a leg ailment. I am at a loss as to who to choose. The Left General has a distinguished family with a long history of military achievements and has always accompanied Prince Yong on campaigns. Although the Right General's family background is not as illustrious as the Left General's, his ancestors were also loyal and virtuous for generations."
Emperor Yuan grasped Zhong Sanxue's hand: "Huaizhi, who do you think I should choose?"
Zhong Sanxue patted Emperor Yuan's hand and picked up the warmed medicine to serve him: "Your Majesty is righteous and loyal. In my opinion, sending either the Left or Right Generals would be difficult to achieve both goals. The capital needs both generals more than ever. I have heard that both the Left and Right Generals have two valiant generals under their command. Wu Xiao is brave and skilled in battle, and his courage is commendable. When the late Emperor was alive, he helped the Left General break through the enemy lines and behead the enemy. Ming Shi, the Right General's subordinate, is skilled in military strategy and can be considered a genius. Both are capable of handling distant matters. Your Majesty is virtuous and wise; you may send these two to lead the troops."
Emperor Yuan coughed twice, covering his face, and said with satisfaction, "Huai Zhi understands me."
Zhong Sanxue smiled slightly.
Wu and Ming, the two deputy commanders, led troops to provide support and were stationed in the southern border region to quell the rebellion. Emperor Yuan even sent his prime minister to supervise the battle.
In the thirty-fifth year of Chunhe, in the lush summer with flowers blooming everywhere, the Empress passed away. Emperor Yuan was heartbroken, and the whole country was dressed in mourning.
I saw Lan Yu again seven days later. His face was deathly pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He sat alone in the shadows, without any servants by his side, like a lifeless doll. The room was like a gaping maw, ready to devour him.
She only looked up and forced a smile when she saw him arrive.
"Grand Tutor, you've arrived."
The maid outside the door looked worried and anxiously watched Zhong Sanxue.
Zhong Sanxue hurried forward and pulled the child into her arms: "Your Highness... I'm late."
The child in her arms sobbed softly, his shoulders shaking incessantly: "Mother, Mother..." Zhong Sanxue tightened her grip.
Before her death, the Empress summoned Lanyu to her bedside and passed away amidst Lanyu's cries.
A moment later, His Highness the Crown Prince gently pushed the Grand Tutor away, saying, "Grand Tutor, I was rude." His eyes were still filled with tears, but he stubbornly refused to look up.
Zhong Sanxue squatted on the ground, took out a brocade handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe away her remaining tears, and said softly, "Your Highness is still just a child, there is no need to suppress your emotions in front of Huaizhi."
Lan Yu's lips immediately drooped, and like a real child, she buried herself in Zhong Sanxue's arms and burst into tears.
Zhong Sanxue felt a pang of sorrow, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears. She patted the Crown Prince's back and said, "Your Highness, you've worked hard."
In the end, Lan Yu fell asleep in Zhong Sanxue's arms, her little face flushed from crying, murmuring "Mother Empress." Zhong Sanxue's legs were numb from kneeling, so she called to the maid outside the door: "Miss Xiaoju, please fetch some water, His Highness is tired."
Zhong Sanxue wiped away Lan Yu's tears, moistened his lips with tea, picked him up, knelt for a while to improve blood circulation, and then stood up with some difficulty and smiled at the maid Xiaoju: "Your Highness is young, please be careful with your words regarding today's events, Miss Xiaoju."
The bright moon was like a bowstring, the night sky was as clear as if it had been washed, not a single star hung in the sky, Zhong Sanxue's fingers were white from clenching her fists, her face was like ice, completely out of character for her usual good complexion.
Zhong Sanxue left the East Palace and walked alone against the corner of the wall. Most of the patrolling guards bowed their heads, called out "Lord Zhong," and left.
Lord Zhong was favored by the Emperor. After the Emperor fell ill, he was often summoned to the palace in the middle of the night to attend to him. The Emperor allowed him to move around freely in the palace, so no one ever stopped him.
Summer flowers bloom in profusion, and the evening breeze blows through the long palace walls, carrying the fragrance of flowers from afar.
"Ouch!" A figure bumped into Zhong Sanxue's arms. "My lord, spare me! This servant was in a hurry to get back to the palace and didn't see the way!" The voice was childish.
Zhong Sanxue winced and rubbed her chest: "Child? Which concubine's palace eunuch is it?"
He smiled, his eyes softening: "It's alright, just don't run on the palace road. Go back to your post."
The child looked up and smiled brightly, revealing a set of white teeth: "Thank you, sir!"
That one smile was enough to freeze Zhong Sanxue in place. The summer night was still hot, but he broke out in a cold sweat, his hair stood on end, and the night wind made his heart clench so tightly that he dared not breathe.
"Wait." He turned around abruptly and took two steps forward.
But the young eunuch not only didn't stop, he quickened his pace. Zhong Sanxue couldn't care less and ran after him.
The boy, barely a teenager, was more agile on foot than Zhong Sanxue, an adult. Before long, he was led to a bamboo grove.
Zhong Sanxue lost her composure, secretly annoyed that she had been too hasty and fallen into a trap, following him blindly after seeing that face.
He was unaware that such a small bamboo grove existed within the deep palace, let alone this courtyard. He remembered that this direction clearly led to the Cold Palace!
Zhong Sanxue wiped her sweat with her sleeve and slowly walked inside, surveying the small courtyard. Suddenly, a corner of clothing tugged at the foot of the artificial hill, as if trying to hide itself.
Zhong Sanxue frowned, walked to the outside of the artificial hill, and said softly, "Young Master, I mean no harm. Please rest assured."
Although she was still slightly out of breath from walking quickly, her voice was as gentle and clear as water flowing over stones.
The child seemed to have truly taken it to heart, and after hesitating for a couple of steps, he knelt down in front of Zhong Sanxue.
"Sir, spare your life!"
Zhong Sanxue was both annoyed and terrified. He made up his mind to look at the child's face, but his hand froze in mid-air, unable to move. He was filled with fear and anxiety, and could even feel his heart pounding through his skin.
Perhaps seeing that Zhong Sanxue remained silent for a long time, the child raised his head again, looking timid and hesitant: "M-Master?"
Caught off guard by this glance, Zhong Sanxue stumbled two steps. His usually relaxed brows furrowed tightly. He hardened his expression, squatted down, and grabbed the child's cheeks.
Not wanting to make things difficult for him, Zhong Sanxue went straight to the point: "Why are you dressed like this?" Zhong Sanxue's expression remained unchanged, but her tone was already quite sharp.
The child suddenly burst into tears.
The bamboo flowers behind me bloomed fiery red, and the burning bells scattered snow, making my chest feel tight.
Zhong Sanxue shoved his face away: "How long are you going to keep this up?"
The child stopped crying and stared intently at Zhong Sanxue: "Why haven't you come to see me these past two years?"
You Youju grabbed his hand and tried to leave, her face dark: "Xiaozhu, I don't care how you got in over all the restrictions, this is not a place for you. I don't want to say it a second time."
Xiao Zhu initially resisted and tried to back away, but seeing that Zhong Sanxue was truly angry, she obediently followed. She followed behind like a little eunuch.
"You've really grown up. You've been running rampant outside for so long, you've grown wings and think you can fly now."
"No, Master, you haven't come to see me for two years. I miss you terribly."
"I'm too busy with so many things in the palace, how could I possibly have time to go to Xiaoxiang to see you? If you don't listen to me, I'll never go again."
"Disciple knows his mistake." Xiao Zhu nodded, revealing a bright smile.
His face resembled Lan Yu's, and he smiled so brightly, but today was destined not to be a joyous day, and his heart ached with sorrow.
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