Chapter 312 Xiao Yeming in His Past Life
The next two months.
First, several high-ranking mansions that had always maintained close ties with Yunshang Pavilion, as if by prior agreement, all politely cancelled their staggering orders, citing the recent advocacy of frugality in the palace and the need to reduce their own expenses. Their words were tactful, but there was no room for negotiation.
Immediately afterwards, news came from the Quanzhou Textile Bureau that the allocation of the most sought-after Suzhou and Quanzhou silks, which were exclusively supplied to the imperial court, had suddenly become "extremely tight." The previously agreed-upon quotas were repeatedly reduced, and the delivery was delayed.
Soon after, an imperial censor, using his power to report rumors during a court assembly, made a veiled accusation that "it has been heard that some imperial merchants are using the opportunity of procurement to line their own pockets." Although he did not name names directly, the rumors spread precisely throughout the officialdom, pointing directly to Lu Zhaoruo.
Even worse, the ladies who used to chat and laugh with Lu Zhaoruo began to whisper among themselves at various tea parties and banquets, discussing her "unknown origins" and "moral failings".
Soon after, several high-ranking officials jointly submitted a memorial, requesting that Guan Jiaheng remove Lu Zhaoruo's title of "Imperial Merchant" on the grounds of "avoiding suspicion" and "rectifying the atmosphere".
Faced with this attack from all sides, from the court to the people, Lu Zhaoruo remained calm and composed, steadily catching and resolving each hidden arrow amidst the turbulent situation.
certainly.
During this period, Lady Xiao and Lady Di Guogong's wife provided much-needed assistance.
All of this was done by the Grand Princess Linglang.
Marquis Anguo became involved in the affair while working for the eldest princess.
final.
Marquis Anguo took the blame.
Zhan Fujun personally killed her stepmother and stepsister Zhan Lanyang to avenge her mother.
Lu Zhaoruo helped to conceal the truth.
Sitting behind the layers of curtains, Linglang couldn't help but feel an indescribable admiration for Lu Zhaoruo's ability to remain calm and handle any situation with ease.
"What a pity..."
She lightly traced the rim of the teacup with her fingertips, letting out a barely audible sigh.
In the candlelight, her eyes held a complex and unfathomable expression.
Even though she was a rare talent, she caused her beloved daughter to be stripped of her title of Princess and imprisoned in a Buddhist temple, ruining her life.
This grudge must be avenged.
This talent can only be destroyed.
Two weeks ago.
At the foot of the third baluster by the Zhuque Bridge, the snow had been carefully swept away.
Lu Zhaoruo stood quietly in the wind and snow, the half of the copper coin, warmed by being rubbed, lying quietly in her palm.
In the distance, a green-canopied carriage slowly came to a stop.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and a boy who had quietly grown taller leaped down nimbly.
It was Xiao Wuyun.
He was wearing a white cloak, his shoulders covered in fine snow, his gaze calm, and his steps steady as he walked toward the bridge pillar.
He stopped in front of the pillar, took out a small plain brocade pouch from his bosom, poured out the half copper coin, and spread it in his palm.
No further explanation is needed.
Lu Zhaoruo smiled slightly and handed over the copper coin in her palm.
The two halves of the copper coin gently came together in the wind and snow, fitting perfectly and making a very soft yet clear crisp sound.
Xiao Wuyun raised his eyes and looked at her, his eyes showing a calmness and understanding beyond his years. His voice was deep: "Madam Lu, Wuyun... has arrived as promised."
yes.
He survived, fulfilling his promise of the half-coin.
But as Lu Zhaoruo looked at his increasingly resolute yet lonely eyes, she suddenly felt a pang of pain in her heart.
In this life, he escaped death, but his beloved Abao, who still longed for him...
But they can never come back.
Later, every evening, heavy snowfalls blanketed the world in a silent, silvery white.
Xiao Wuyun would always come to the Lu residence through the deep snow.
He brushed the snow off Abao's grave.
Then he sat quietly to the side and told his story over and over again.
He often stood under the eaves with his sword clasped in his arms, watching the snow fall all over his shoulders.
The stories the boy told the cat eventually drifted into the deeper snow.
And Lu Zhaoruo no longer needs to prepare candied peas for Abao.
Xiao Wuyun always remembered to bring a dish and gently place it in front of the grave.
That's true.
There are never any seats left for Ah Sha whenever he comes.
In her attempt to help Xiao Wuyun break free from the control of the Dowager Consort Chen, Granny An's schemes were exposed, and she was ordered by the Dowager Consort to be beaten to death.
After Shu Shaoshou made the promise, he knelt before the emperor overnight and presented a detailed account of the Empress Dowager Chen's many years of resentment, her repeated insults to the emperor and empress dowager in the palace, her imprisonment of her own son, and her attempts to force her to return to the capital to seize the throne.
Upon hearing the report, Shu Heng was furious. With the evidence irrefutable, he immediately issued an edict: "Consort Chen, of the He clan, harbors treacherous intentions, utters rebellious words, and plots rebellion. Her crimes are unforgivable. She is hereby stripped of her title and ordered to commit suicide by hanging herself with a white silk ribbon."
After the eunuch read out the imperial edict ordering her death, Consort Chen immediately summoned her male favorites to the palace.
The male concubines trembled on their knees, only to see a flash of cold light...
Consort Chen thrust her sword swiftly, and drops of blood splattered onto the mirror.
In a short while, the palace was littered with corpses.
She threw her sword to the ground and put on a golden phoenix hairpin in front of the mirror.
Her blood-stained face was reflected in the mirror. Her fingertips lightly touched the dangling beads of her hairpin, and she murmured to herself with a smile, "The road to the underworld is not so lonely."
On New Year's Eve, snow weighed down the plum branches.
Lu Zhaoruo sat in front of Xiao Yeming's sickbed and recounted their past.
When the third watch gong sounded, Xiao Yeming's fingertips suddenly twitched.
Lu Zhaoruo's words stopped abruptly, and his eyelashes trembled as he slowly opened his eyes.
The moment their eyes met, tears streamed down her face, and she threw herself into his arms.
Xiao Yeming's arms trembled slightly as he carefully wrapped his arms around her back.
He took out a mother-of-pearl inlaid plum blossom hairpin from beside his pillow.
The five-petaled plum blossom is inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and the stamen is adorned with three pearls. It is the "Snow Soul Plum Shadow Hairpin" that he personally crafted back then.
"I have never dared to give it to you."
His voice was hoarse as he gently inserted the hairpin into her hair.
However, he did not announce his awakening. Instead, he ordered his trusted confidants, including Tu Seng, Wang Wu, and Ban Ling, to keep the news strictly confidential, while he remained "in a coma."
What he wants to investigate is "Dark Shrine" and the ultimate mastermind behind its long-standing collusion with Japanese pirates.
The clues eventually pointed clearly to the most prestigious mansion—the Grand Princess's Mansion.
Linglang is the one who truly strategizes and plans.
In the blink of an eye, half a month has passed since the beginning of spring.
The capital city was once again hit by a massive, all-encompassing snowfall.
Snowflakes, as white as goose feathers, fluttered down, completely covering the nascent signs of spring, and the world returned to a somber, silvery-white expanse.
Lu Zhaoruo's carriage struggled through the snowstorm in the suburbs. The purpose of the journey was to personally visit the Daxiangguo Temple to invite a high-ranking monk to perform a ritual for Sun Jing...
However, halfway through the journey, a sudden change occurred!
Thirty dark figures suddenly appeared like ghosts in the snow-covered, withered woods by the roadside!
A chilling murderous aura emanated from it.
It was the elite of the "Dark Brake" that came out in full force, their blades aimed directly at the carriage!
This was expected.
Wang Wu and Ban Ling led their ambush troops out from behind and surrounded them in the center.
In an instant, the sounds of clashing swords, shouts, and howling wind and snow intertwined, and the white snow was stained with dazzling red plum blossoms by the splashed blood.
Despite the meticulous planning, the "Dark Slash" assassins fought fearlessly, resulting in an exceptionally fierce battle.
Ban Ling and Wang Wu received Xiao Yeming's orders to protect Lu Zhaoruo, one in front and one behind.
Lu Zhaoruo also wielded a short blade to meet the enemy, her figure moving nimbly and resolutely in the wind and snow.
Suddenly, a ghostly black shadow darted out from the forest, its speed far surpassing that of the others!
Neither Wang Wu nor Ban Ling were his match; they were both severely injured and fell unconscious on the ground.
The man in black's gaze turned icy as he looked directly at Lu Zhaoruo.
The blade in his hand was sharp and fierce, aimed straight at his face!
Lu Zhaoruo never expected that the master of 'Dark Sha' would personally take action to kill her.
At the critical moment.
Amidst the howling wind and snow, a golden figure sped towards them!
The horse's hooves trampled the jade-like snow, kicking up a cloud of snow dust, and crashed down in front of the battle!
The newcomer was clad in gilded fish-scale armor, which reflected a dazzling, cold light against the gloomy snow curtain. A purple brocade cloak draped over his shoulders fluttered wildly in the gale.
Before he could even draw his sword, he swiftly raised his armored left arm and fiercely parried the blade aimed at Lu Zhaoruo!
"clang--!"
A piercing clang of metal rang out, sparks flying!
The blade, imbued with deadly power, was deflected by this bare-handed punch!
The man in black staggered several steps from the force of the impact, his hand split open, and his pupils, hidden beneath his mask, suddenly contracted in horror.
He endured the excruciating pain, feinted an attack, and used the momentum to escape into the snowy forest, disappearing without a trace in an instant.
The gilded, fish-scale armored general did not pursue; he merely swept his gaze across the entire area with lightning speed…
Seeing their leader retreat, the surviving assassins all bit into the poison sacs in their mouths and died instantly, leaving no survivors.
Lu Zhaoruo's face was pale as she stared blankly at the unfamiliar yet incredibly familiar back, her heart pounding wildly.
That figure that frequently appears in my dreams.
The general whose face I never saw clearly.
Her voice trembled, as if she had murmured countless times in her dreams, as she softly asked, "Who...are you?"
The general slowly turned around, the scales of his armor making a heavy, cold scraping sound with his movement.
He removed his helmet, revealing a face with sharp features, weathered yet still bearing a seven-tenths resemblance to Xiao Yeming, but clearly more than ten years older. His eyes were deep as the sea, containing an unspeakable weariness and vicissitude.
He gazed at her, his eyes filled with complex emotions—gratification, reminiscence, and a lingering sense of eternal regret—and slowly said, "Xiao Yeming."
Before Lu Zhaoruo could recover, he looked at her deeply, as if trying to etch her image into his soul, and said in a low voice, "Don't be alarmed. You are a reborn person, having been married into the Shen family for three years before you realized it; I, on the other hand, am a transmigrator, from your previous life."
“In that world,” he said calmly, yet with sorrow, “I loved you deeply all my life, but I could never forgive you until my death, never stand before you openly to confess my feelings, and never taste a single meal cooked by your own hands…”
"Even more capable..."
He glanced at the Snow Soul Plum Blossom Hairpin on Lu Zhaoruo's head: "I will personally put this Snow Soul Plum Blossom Hairpin on your head."
"Now that I see you in this life, you and I, who were once young, have reconciled and are now living in perfect harmony... I... I am so comforted."
The words fell.
His figure gradually became transparent and blurred amidst the swirling snow, like a mirage.
Lu Zhaoruo silently shed tears.
As the general's figure was about to disappear, a deep, bone-piercing pain flashed in his eyes one last time. "In that life, I ultimately... was unable to express all my feelings. I could only guard your lonely grave from your previous life and spend the rest of my days there."
"Take good care of our child, Abao."
After speaking, his figure vanished completely into the wind and snow, as if he had never appeared.
Lu Zhaoruo collapsed to the ground, staring at the direction where the figure disappeared, tears blurring her vision.
From then on.
The dream of the great general kneeling with every step amidst the swirling snow never came again.
Of course, she never told Xiao Yeming in this life.
only.
Abao's spirit suddenly appeared.
She can continue to hear her voice.
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