089
Carrying a bundle, the woman walked down the streets of Luoyang, looking left and right.
"Knock knock knock—"
On the wall of the street, a soldier was banging a gong, while another person was posting a notice.
"What are they doing?" Lin Xiaomei leaned closer, her eyes filled with curiosity.
The woman was extremely excited: "This is a conscription notice! His Majesty is benevolent and loves his people. He has specially set up a women's military camp. After serving for five years, women can establish their own households. We can also go to the front lines to fight the enemy and protect our home and country!"
"Who knows, I might be assigned to General Lin's army."
The woman ran over excitedly, "I want to sign up!"
Lin Xiaomei squeezed forward and looked at the notice.
"The military camp..."
For some reason, these two words echoed so clearly in her heart. Could it be that she was once a soldier?
"Miss, are you interested in enlisting? Please fill in your information here."
The soldier was very polite. Seeing that Lin Xiaomei was in a daze, he did not urge her, assuming that she was not familiar with the procedure.
"No... I'll think about it some more..."
Lin Xiaomei hurriedly squeezed out of the crowd, her mind a complete blank.
"girl……"
It was as if she had heard this name countless times, which made her, who had no memory of it at all, feel flustered.
-
Unbeknownst to Lin Xiaomei, her hurried departure was clearly reflected in the eyes of the man not far away.
"Lord Wei?" The official beside him followed his gaze and saw the bustling scene of conscription registration. "Is there something amiss?"
“No,” Wei Yan smiled gently. “Lord Wu, please go ahead with your work. I’ll just take a walk by myself.”
"Yes." The man bowed and withdrew.
He didn't notice the solemnity and melancholy in Wei Yan's eyes.
Wandering aimlessly through the streets, the vendors' calls filled the air, creating a thriving scene.
"Please wait, young lady."
Lin Xiaomei subconsciously turned around and saw a man who looked to be about thirty or forty years old. Even though there were a few fine lines at the corners of his eyes, they could not erase his refined and elegant demeanor.
Seeing that he was dressed in official robes, she wondered why he had called her back. She instinctively bowed, but did not notice that the man opposite her subtly moved aside.
"I know it's a bit presumptuous, but I'd still like to ask your name, young lady."
"This humble woman, Lin Xiaomei," she looked at him with wariness and doubt in her eyes, "what are your orders, sir?"
"No..."
Why does the name Lin Xiaomei sound so familiar?
Wei Yan stared at her face, shocked. It was so similar, like they were made from the same mold. She looked exactly the same as she did a few years ago, except that her face had a rosy glow and was no longer so pale.
"The young lady resembles an old acquaintance so much that I have been abrupt..."
"An old friend?" Lin Xiaomei was a little puzzled. Given this person's current age, the old friend must be much older than her.
“Your Excellency may have mistaken you for someone else,” she shook her head slightly. “This humble subject has never seen Your Excellency before.”
"girl……"
It was that title again. Lin Xiaomei felt a little depressed. Why did that title feel so familiar?
"May I ask you for a favor, young lady? I will reward you handsomely if you do."
Lin Xiaomei should have been wary, but she couldn't refuse him at all. A voice in her heart kept calling out to her to say yes.
"Please speak." Perhaps she can find out about her origins through this.
Wei Yan looked at her, his thoughts swirling, his eyes filled with sorrow. "I have a friend who is seriously ill and longs to see an old friend I haven't seen for several years. Could you, young lady, impersonate her... and let him see her?"
"Can."
She couldn't help but feel a pang of melancholy and sympathy; the old friend she hadn't seen for so many years might already be gone forever.
*
The palace gates were covered with fallen petals, like a dream woven by a goddess, which startled Lin Xiaomei.
"Is His Majesty a friend of yours, sir?" Her tone was calm, as always as confident of victory.
She is intelligent, always has been.
"yes."
Lin Xiaomei fell silent. What kind of woman could make a saint who had pacified the world yearn for her for so many years? She couldn't understand it.
After the announcement was made, Wei Yan did not accompany them. "I will wait outside the hall. Will you be going alone, young lady?"
His expression remained as gentle as ever, as if he would stand firm even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, making one wonder what could have caused such a person to change his expression.
"Thank you for your help," he instructed the eunuch who was leading the way.
Wei Yan watched the woman's retreating figure and sighed. He was poisoned but didn't rest properly. Their emperor was so stubborn that he only listened to Miss Song.
The hall was filled with a faint scent of ink and medicine, a fragrance that was neither pleasant nor unpleasant, but certainly not unpleasant.
"Cough cough cough..."
The eunuch who had led the way withdrew, leaving only her and the person on the dragon throne in the hall—their Majesty, the ruler of the world.
There are many folk tales about him, and Lin Xiaomei has heard quite a few. They say His Majesty possesses extraordinary beauty and is incredibly brave and strong, capable of taking on a hundred men single-handedly; they say His Majesty is skilled in both literature and martial arts, governs with strict discipline, and cares deeply for the people; they say His Majesty is diligent in his duties, loves his people, and works tirelessly day and night…
The man before me was so different from the rumors. He was still tall and imposing, and even sitting on that dragon throne, he seemed somewhat confined.
But his face and lips were so pale, and his cheeks were thin, making him look like he was terminally ill.
Lin Xiaomei stood there in a daze, forgetting to speak and even to bow.
By the time she realized what was happening, she had already looked straight into his eyes, and naturally did not miss the fleeting surprise and sorrow in them.
She thought that His Majesty must miss that old friend terribly.
"You're back..."
Yu Baizhou stopped her from bowing, stood up with some difficulty, and led her to sit down.
He was really tall, but she suddenly felt that he was carrying too much on his back, and his broad back was about to be bent over.
"His Majesty……"
In that moment of stunned silence, Lin Xiaomei suddenly realized that she might have misspoke. Since they were old friends, perhaps she shouldn't address them that way.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty..."
He smiled gently, as if he hadn't noticed anything, and asked her, "Would you like to go see the palace? You mentioned it before..."
She met his eyes again. Their emperor seemed to enjoy looking into her eyes when he spoke, which made her subconsciously feel that he was a very sincere and easy-going person.
Lin Xiaomei could clearly see that look in her eyes... rather than looking through her at that old friend.
But he had clearly seen through her disguise.
She was truly infatuated; that was the only answer in her mind. Their Emperor was truly infatuated…
"good."
She strolled along the palace path with him. Their emperor seemed to be ill, which made her very nervous. If he suddenly fainted and collapsed beside her, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to explain herself.
But clearly, he was in high spirits and in a good mood at the moment, and even had the interest to introduce those unknown flowers and plants to her.
Several women suddenly walked up to us. The one in the lead looked to be only seven or eight years old, dressed in a red outfit and with a long whip at her waist.
His face still had baby fat, but he looked like a little adult.
The child stopped in front of the man and bowed, but when he looked up and saw the face of the woman beside the emperor, his expression froze, and his eyes instantly reddened.
Lin Xiaomei was somewhat taken aback, and a dense, sharp pain welled up in her heart, as if needles were piercing her heart, but she only smiled gently on the surface.
"My daughter," His Majesty introduced her.
As everyone knows, His Majesty has been on the throne for more than five years and has only one daughter, Princess Changrong.
"Greetings, Princess," Lin Xiaomei said, but was suddenly stopped by the two women at the same time.
"gentlemen……"
Upon hearing this address, Lin Xiaomei understood immediately; perhaps the princess also recognized that old friend.
"Go do your work," Yu Baizhou said, noticing the woman's helplessness, and instructed Changrong to leave.
The two figures gradually disappeared down the palace path, unaware that the little princess, who should have left, stood there stunned, watching the woman's back disappear into the distance, tears streaming down her face.
-
When she returned to the palace, it was getting dark, and she took the initiative to say goodbye.
"Your Majesty, I must go."
“It is indeed getting late,” Yu Baizhou said, concealing the melancholy in his eyes. His hand trembled slightly as he pulled a somewhat old brocade pouch from his sleeve.
He handed it to her and instructed, "Open it only if you encounter danger in the future."
Upon seeing the brocade pouch in her palm, for some reason, her pupils constricted slightly, and her heart seemed to skip a beat.
"Go out and see more of the world, don't just linger in Kyoto." This approachable emperor seemed to be giving advice to a friend who was about to embark on a long journey.
"Since I pacified the realm, I have never had the chance to leave the capital. Please go and see for me... see how the people of our Great Zhao are doing these days..."
“Okay,” she said, her voice unusually hoarse.
-
"puff--"
After the woman left for a while, Yu Baizhou coughed up the blood that he had been suppressing. Then, as if all his strength had been drained, he collapsed onto the chair.
"His Majesty!"
"Your Majesty! Quickly summon the imperial physician!"
Inside, chaos reigned. Song Ling, standing at the corner by the door, listened silently to everything, clutching the brocade pouch tightly in her hand, her eyes red-rimmed.
He had clearly sensed it just now, and his memory returned the moment she took the brocade pouch. Yet he acted as if he hadn't noticed at all.
Do you really think you've forgotten him?
With trembling hands, she opened the familiar brocade pouch.
There was only a token and a note inside.
"I will create a special bodyguard team just for you in the future, one that will listen to you and protect you alone."
The token protected her, ensuring her peace and happiness.
The note contained his unspoken love.
"My heart rejoices in the cold, life after life."
But he wouldn't even sign his name.
Tears soaked the note, blurring the handwriting filled with love and bittersweetness.
-
Yu Baizhou waved his hand to dismiss the eunuchs and closed his eyes to calm himself down.
Nearly a thousand days and nights seemed to have worn away even his last bit of confidence. He thought countless times that perhaps A-Ling no longer needed him, or perhaps she didn't want to be trapped in this city of Luoyang.
Perhaps he should let her go further away.
But when they met again, he couldn't bear to let go. His heart ached terribly, and tears blurred his vision.
Suddenly, I felt a shadow appear in front of me.
When he opened his eyes, he saw the person he had been longing for, the one who should have already left.
Yu Baizhou forced a smile, sat up straight, and tried to stand up, but she suddenly grabbed his hand.
Song Ling knelt down in front of him, placing the brocade pouch into his palm. Her eyes were as red as if rouge had been applied, and her voice was hoarse as she pleaded, "Why don't you tell me yourself?"
Yu Baizhou froze, his lips moved but he couldn't say anything.
Song Ling waited quietly with tears in her eyes, waiting for his response.
“Ah Ling…”
Hearing this name again after several years feels like a lifetime ago.
Yu Baizhou smiled, his eyes red-rimmed.
He wasn't a stern, unsmiling emperor, but rather a simple, taciturn young general.
His dazed expression seemed to transport him back to their first encounter in the Southwest Army camp.
Song Ling smiled gently and covered his lips with hers, saying, "A-Zhou, for the rest of my life, I will fulfill our unfinished promise."
Let's get married.
"good."
………
Love is the greatest emotion, and we are fortunate to grow old together.
(End of text)
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