Chapter 252 How Cruel Heaven Is
"Xian'er!"
An Linglong said urgently.
“Aunt,” Gu Xian slowly straightened up, looking in the direction of the garden with an almost stubborn tenderness, “I promised her… I can’t let her… wait in vain.”
Seeing his resolute expression, An Linglong knew that further persuasion was useless. With tears welling up in her eyes, she gritted her teeth and instructed Erzhong, "Lay down several layers of soft blankets, and make sure the carriage is stable! Take good care of him!"
Erzhong nodded firmly and carefully helped Gu Xian up.
Gu Xian leaned almost all his weight on Er Zhong, taking one step at a time with great difficulty as he walked toward the carriage that had been prepared outside the door.
Every step I took was agonizing, bringing excruciating pain.
But his eyes were unusually clear, even carrying a hint of expectation.
He wanted to see with his own eyes the radiant young girl, as bright as the rising sun, riding a horse at full gallop.
The Xishan Garden was bustling with activity, with people and horses making a great commotion.
Princess Yongfu, however, seemed somewhat distracted, her gaze repeatedly sweeping across the garden gate, searching for that slender figure.
As time went by, the light in her eyes gradually dimmed.
“Brother Gu…it’s windy today, and he’s so heavy-set, it’s better that he didn’t come.”
She muttered to herself, a wave of disappointment washing over her, mixed with a sense of relief and regret, "I was being willful; I shouldn't have insisted that he come."
She shook her head, trying to cheer herself up, and turned to Lu Zhaoruo beside her, raising her little face: "Sister Lu, let's continue learning to ride horses!"
Even though she had worries in her heart, she was unwilling to waste her time.
She remembered Gu Xian saying that his favorite thing was riding a horse.
She wanted to learn it, as if that would bring her closer to the world he once knew.
It didn't go smoothly at first.
Yongfu, being pampered and spoiled, struggled to mount the horse several times and nearly fell off, causing the palace maids to gasp in alarm.
But she bit her lip, her eyes shining with a stubborn light, and silently vowed, "I can definitely learn what Brother Gu likes."
With Lu Zhaoruo's careful guidance and Xiao Yeming's secret protection, she was finally able to sit shakily on horseback, with a guard holding the reins, and jog a short distance along the sidelines.
With each lap, her gaze would involuntarily drift off the track, hoping for a miracle.
During a brief rest, she had just been helped off her horse and was wiping the fine sweat from her brow with a handkerchief when her gaze inadvertently drifted once more towards the secluded garden gate—
Just then, a simple horse-drawn carriage quietly came to a stop.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and Erzhong jumped out of the carriage first. Then, he turned around very carefully and helped a figure.
Gu Xian leaned almost his entire weight on Er Zhong, staggering along, each step accompanied by a suppressed cough.
Yongfu was overjoyed.
It's my older brother.
He's here!
She immediately ran over, but stopped abruptly a few steps away from him.
The warm autumn sun clearly illuminated his appearance.
He wore a heavy scarlet robe, but it looked empty on him, as if he were just a bare skeleton.
Her face was as pale as paper, except for two unnatural, burning red blushes on her cheekbones, like the last glimmer of a candle flame about to burn out.
When Gu Xian saw her, he tried to force a smile, but a more violent cough came over him first.
He turned to the side, his shoulders trembling violently. After catching his breath for a while, he whispered in a hoarse, almost inaudible voice, "Your Highness, I... have arrived."
yes.
Brother Gu is here.
He is the most trustworthy person when it comes to keeping his promises.
Yongfu was very happy.
But.
This was followed by deep regret and self-blame.
"I was so stupid... I was so stupid!"
She cursed herself inwardly, "I knew he was so sick, why was I so stubborn? Why did I insist on him coming? The wind is so strong, and I'm still feeling down because he didn't come... I'm just hurting him!"
She was afraid that her recklessness would disturb him, and even more afraid that her outburst of emotion would add to his burden.
Her fingers gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, transforming all her emotions into feigned composure and extreme tenderness.
She forced herself to put on her brightest smile, even though her eyes were already uncontrollably reddening.
She walked forward cautiously, almost holding her breath, and stopped a step away from him, her voice very soft: "Brother Gu...you, you really came."
Gu Xian forced a relaxed smile onto his pale face and said, "Your Highness invited me...of course...I will come."
Xiao Yeming had approached without anyone noticing. He and Wang Wu carried a pear wood armchair covered with thick cushions and quickly and gently placed it behind Gu Xian.
With Erzhong's help, Gu Xian weakly sat down in the chair.
However, fearing that Yongfu would worry and blame himself, he tried to sit up straighter so that he wouldn't look so much like a terminally ill patient.
His hands, hidden under the heavy blanket, clenched tightly to barely suppress the metallic taste rising in his throat.
Yongfu saw his forced composure, blinked hard to suppress the rising moisture, and her smile widened, even carrying a hint of exaggerated joy. Following his words, she said in a light tone, "Of course! Brother Gu is the most trustworthy of his promises!"
She turned to the side, pointed to the horse farm not far away, and tried to make her voice as energetic as possible: "Look! I just learned to ride a horse! Although... although I'm not very fast yet, Sister Lu said I have a lot of talent!"
She quickly added, "I'll ride it for you right now."
Just then, Lu Zhaoruo led her horse over.
Yongfu turned around and nimbly mounted his horse. Although his movements were still a little awkward, they revealed an unprecedented determination.
She gripped the reins tightly, turned to look at Gu Xian, flashed a bright smile, and exclaimed, "Brother Gu, watch closely!"
Having said that, she gave a soft shout and spurred her horse to gallop slowly.
At first, she trotted slowly, but gradually, she seemed to find her rhythm and courage, and the horse's speed gradually increased.
The autumn wind ruffled her hair and clothes, and in the sunlight, her scarlet riding outfit resembled a leaping flame.
Princess Yongfu, who was usually naive, innocent, and even a little timid, seemed to have disappeared.
At this moment, her brows were filled with a focused and bright light, her back was straight, and she was riding her horse across the field, looking quite heroic.
She knew Gu Xian was watching her.
She wanted to etch her best and bravest side into his eyes and heart.
Gu Xian leaned quietly against the soft couch, his gaze always following the dazzling figure on the field.
He was still having difficulty breathing, his chest was tight and painful, and he coughed frequently, but he forced himself to suppress it.
He couldn't bear to miss a single moment with her.
Watching her go from unfamiliar to skilled, from timid to brave... watching her smile, brighter than the sun, bloom with success.
Suddenly, an unprecedented, sharp, and clear emotion, like the dawn breaking, pierced his long-dormant heart without warning.
He realized that he had fallen in love with this woman.
It was not reverence for the princess, nor pity for her innocence, but a man's passionate and profound love for a woman.
He loved her purity, her courage, and all the radiance she shone for him at that moment.
However, this epiphany brought not joy, but utter desolation.
A faint, bitter self-mockery silently spread across his pale lips.
How cruel is fate.
It was only when he was on his last legs that he truly understood what it meant to be moved.
That's how he met someone he wanted to protect for the rest of his life, but unfortunately... he no longer had the rest of his life.
He closed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the sweltering heat that threatened to spill from his eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, all that remained was an unyielding tenderness and pain as she gazed deeply and greedily at the agile figure galloping across the field.
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