On February 10, the 19th year of Yugan in Western Chu, King Chen was captured alive by King Chu.
The old Prince of Chu, Chu Nanshan, re-entered the Golden Throne Hall of the Imperial Palace with the imperial red-lettered iron certificate bestowed by his ancestor, deposed Emperor Dexi, and installed Han Che, the legitimate son of Prince Duan, as the new emperor.
On the same day of the same month of the same year, the new emperor ascended the throne, was named Qing Emperor, and changed the era name to Guangde.
In the first year of Guangde, the Qing Emperor appointed Qu Feiqing, the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Fuguo, as the empress. In the same year, he imprisoned the deposed emperor Jiang Muchen in a temple in the capital.
On May 15th of the first year of Guangde, the capital of Western Chu had a ten-mile-long street filled with red wedding ceremonies. The Green Emperor married Qu Feiqing, the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Fuguo, as his empress. The people stood on both sides of the long street to congratulate the emperor and empress.
At the same time, the two horses stood still outside the gate of the capital for a while, and then the person on one of the horses suddenly turned the horse's head and ran in the opposite direction of the capital.
When the other man saw the person next to him leave resolutely, he turned his horse's head, but before he dropped the whip in his hand, he turned his head again to look at the lively scene inside the city gate. A hint of blessing smiled faintly in his beautiful eyes, and then he followed that person and ran to the outskirts of the city.
Summer is approaching, and the warm breeze blows gently on your face, making you feel comfortable. Now that the world is peaceful and there is no more smoke of war, people feel even more comfortable.
"Whoa." At this moment, the man who was riding his horse in front suddenly tightened the reins and stopped galloping.
He stared indifferently at the spring scenery ahead, and spoke coldly to the woman following closely behind him, "Xiahou An'er, why are you following me?"
"The world is so big, it doesn't belong to you, Hai Chenxi, alone. Why can't I walk on this path?" When Xiahou An'er first heard Hai Chenxi's unchanged rejection of her, a trace of disappointment flashed across his eyes, but a faint smile appeared in an instant, and he asked Hai Chenxi in a clear voice.
Hearing this, Hai Chenxi's eyes flickered slightly as he looked towards the rising sun in front of him, but his surprise was only fleeting. The next second, his indifferent eyes were like an icy snow mountain, making it even more chilling.
But Xiahou An'er wasn't the least bit afraid of Hai Chenxi's increasingly gloomy gaze. With both hands, she gently pulled the reins, letting the horse lead her to Hai Chenxi's side. Her dreamy eyes gazed indifferently at the distant sunlight, a resolute light reflected in her deep pupils. "Hai Chenxi, do you know the saying 'dripping water wears away stone'?"
Hai Chenxi's eyes narrowed as he stared at Xiahou An'er, a dangerous glint flashing in his pupils. He said in a deep voice, "I've only heard of the term 'persistent'."
Hearing this, Xiahou An'er tightened her grip on the reins, a confident smile spread across her beautiful face. A sly glint flashed across her eyes as she softly asked, "Are you scared?"
Looking at Xiahou An'er's stunningly beautiful face, Hai Chenxi's expression remained unchanged. A hint of anger flashed across his deep eyes. "Xiahou An'er, do you think provoking me will work?"
The faint smile on her lips froze slightly, Xiahou An'er's eyebrows furrowed slightly, a bitter bitterness crossed her heart, and the faint smile gradually turned into a bitter smile. Xiahou An'er turned her eyes and stared directly at Hai Chenxi's unchanging gaze, and asked calmly, "Hai Chenxi, am I using provocation or my heart? Don't you know?"
"Your provocations won't work on me." Seeing Xiahou An'er's bitter expression, Hai Chenxi's expression remained unchanged. He simply said in a cold voice, "I don't need your heart."
Even though Xiahou An'er kept encouraging herself, after hearing Hai Chenxi's resolute rejection, a dark light flashed in her eyes, and her pink face gradually turned pale. The hands holding the reins trembled slightly, but she still tried her best to suppress the discomfort in her body.
Hai Chenxi ignored Xiahou An'er's sadness. Instead, she turned around, squinting her eyes as she glanced at the city wall. She continued coldly, "This is the capital. Once you enter the city, you will still be a princess of the Xiahou clan. Your family will definitely welcome you back."
Unexpectedly, after hearing Hai Chenxi's words to drive her away, Xiahou An'er actually looked up, her beautiful face filled with unwavering tenacity. She replied with a resounding voice, "Since I've left the city with you, there's absolutely no reason for me to go back. Hai Chenxi, even if your heart is as hard as stone, I will warm it."
Hearing this, Hai Chenxi frowned for no reason. He withdrew his gaze from the city wall and stared at Xia Hou An'er in front of him. However, he found that not only did she not leave because of his words, but she became more determined. Hai Chenxi couldn't help but sneer at the corner of his mouth, and said slowly with a hint of arrogance, "Xia Hou An'er, what if I don't have a heart?"
Xiahou An'er's indifferent eyes glanced at the bundle hanging on Hai Chenxi's horseback. Then she looked up at the city wall in the distance. She raised her hand to tuck her hair, which was messed up by the breeze, behind her ear and said calmly, "Hai Chenxi, a heartless person cannot experience sadness or joy. But you are overflowing with sadness right now. You can deceive others, but you can't deceive me."
Xiahou An'er's actions caused Hai Chenxi's expression to darken suddenly. He snorted coldly and said sarcastically, "Hmph, Xiahou An'er, don't pretend to know me so well. You don't even know me halfway!"
Retracting her gaze, Xiahou An'er slowly turned to look at Hai Chenxi, her red lips curled up in a faint smile, and then she said softly, "Yes, I really don't understand you now. But who can predict what will happen in the future?"
Hearing the reluctance in Xiahou An'er's gentle voice, Hai Chenxi frowned slightly for no reason. He pursed his thin lips and did not immediately refute Xiahou An'er. His gloomy eyes stared at her quietly, but a hint of impatience and displeasure gradually appeared in his eyes. After a while, Hai Chenxi spoke coldly, "Xiahou An'er, you really don't understand me. If I hold you hostage now and use you as a hostage to threaten Chu Feiyang, do you think you can still see what will happen in the future?"
In the sunlight, Xiahou An'er's delicate features and skin shone with an almost translucent luster, giving her beauty an air of transcendence. Seeing Hai Chenxi's continued distaste for her, Xiahou An'er smiled grimly, her inner resolve unwavering. She looked at Hai Chenxi calmly, her beautiful eyes filled with unshakable determination, and replied to him with a hint of resoluteness, "If you die, I will not live alone. If I die, there will be no one else in this world who will treat you the way I do."
"Oh, I didn't expect the princess of the Xiahou clan to be so eloquent. I guess she has been with the Princess of Chu for a long time and has learned her sharp tongue." After hearing Xiahou An'er's reply, Hai Chenxi's face did not show any emotion, but suddenly changed the subject and ridiculed her.
Xiahou An'er didn't care. She smiled faintly as Hai Chenxi sneered. The calm expression on her face made Hai Chenxi frown, as if he really hated Xiahou An'er's expression.
"My cousin's wife is extremely intelligent and resourceful, which is something I can never learn. But I don't envy her for these things. The only thing I envy is the relationship between my cousin's wife and my cousin." When mentioning Yun Qianmeng and Chu Feiyang, Xiahou An'er recalled Yun Qianmeng's encouragement to her and Chu Feiyang's nod to her excessive requests, and she couldn't help but smile warmly. How could she be so worthy to have such good relatives.
"Since you envy their relationship, why not find a man who is sincere to you. With Chu Feiyang's status and prestige in Xichu, are you still afraid that you can't find such a man?" Hai Chenxi took the opportunity to reject Xiahou An'er, and his words were extremely cold and hurtful.
Xiahou An'er acted as if she hadn't heard his words. She stared intently at Hai Chenxi, who was anxiously trying to push her out. Ignoring the pain in her heart, she smiled and said cunningly, "That's a good idea. How about we go find my cousin now and ask him to tie up a man named Hai Chenxi for me?"
"You..." Hai Chenxi didn't expect that his cold words couldn't hurt Xiahou An'er at all. He straightened up suddenly. A trace of anger flashed across his eyes that were as quiet as a pool of water. He glared at Xiahou An'er who was smiling sweetly in front of him, and forgot to fight back for a moment.
Having been accustomed to Hai Chenxi's cold remarks and mocking others, Xiahou An'er couldn't help but laugh happily when she saw him suddenly silenced by her argument. She swept away the disappointment and discomfort she had just felt at being rejected by Hai Chenxi and said firmly, "Hai Chenxi, you can't escape."
Hai Chenxi was speechless again, staring at Xiahou An'er with a pair of fierce eyes, who was smiling happily and contentedly. After a long while, he said coldly, "My heart is my own."
"My heart is my own." Xiahou An'er spoke immediately, with a firm look in his eyes.
Seeing this, Hai Chenxi's face darkened. He suddenly whipped his horse and galloped towards the outskirts of the city.
Xiahou An'er did not dare to delay. He turned his head again to look at the towering city walls of the capital in the distance, turned his head resolutely, and ran away from the capital with Hai Chenxi.
The capital city was bustling with activity, and on the city wall stood a man in dark purple prince's robes.
The tall and slender man stood on the city wall with his hands behind his back, but he did not look at the joyous royal wedding procession in the city. Instead, he faced outside the city, looking with a gloomy face at the two figures who left the capital one after another.
"Why are you standing here?" A soft and gentle voice sounded behind the man, accompanied by the sound of a woman's soft footsteps.
Chu Feiyang turned around, the deep expression on his face had turned into a gentle smile. He looked at Yun Qianmeng who was walking up the city wall with a smile on his face, and slowly extended his right hand to Yun Qianmeng.
Seeing this, Yun Qianmeng smiled gently, quickened her pace slightly, and put her left hand into Chu Feiyang's right hand.
As soon as the white little hand touched Chu Feiyang's fingertips, Chu Feiyang suddenly retracted his right hand, held Yun Qianmeng's hand tightly in his hand, and quickly pulled Yun Qianmeng to his side.
After being led by Chu Feiyang to the inner side of the city wall and standing firmly, Yun Qianmeng looked up at her husband who was protecting her and asked in confusion, "Why did Xi Lin bring me to the tower? Don't forget that today is the wedding of the Emperor and my cousin."
"Look." Chu Feiyang put one arm around Yun Qianmeng's slender waist and pointed at the two figures walking away outside the city with the other hand, and spoke in a low voice.
Following Chu Feiyang's movements and looking outside the city, Yun Qianmeng's eyes suddenly widened, filled with shock and surprise, and she couldn't help but say in a lost voice: "That is..."
Yun Qianmeng suddenly held onto the city wall in front of him with both hands, leaned forward slightly, and stared at the two figures, as if wanting to see their faces clearly. However, both of them had their backs to the city wall, and Yun Qianmeng could only judge their identities from their body shapes and backs.
Unable to conceal the excitement on her face, Yun Qianmeng took a long time to look away. She eagerly turned to look at Chu Feiyang beside her and asked in a low voice, "Is that An'er and Hai Chenxi?"
Seeing Yun Qianmeng rarely show such excitement, Chu Feiyang slightly tightened his arms and tucked her into his arms. He lowered his head and looked at Yun Qianmeng, nodded slowly, and said in a low voice, "It's the two of them. Some things are better returned to Hai Chenxi. I just hope he can let go of everything."
Seeing the hidden meaning in Chu Feiyang's words, Yun Qianmeng frowned slightly and couldn't help but lower her eyes in thought. After a moment, she raised her head and asked, "You returned Hai Quan's ashes to Hai Chenxi? By choosing this time to give them to him, do you want An'er to think carefully about whether to come back or leave with him?"
It had been a month or two since the end of the war, but Chu Feiyang had told Hai Chenxi to come to the capital at this time. He probably wanted to use the opportunity of returning Hai Quan's ashes to make Xiahou An'er carefully consider whether to return or continue to follow her heart. Moreover, Xiahou An'er had been following Hai Chenxi for a month or two, and she must have gained a certain understanding of Hai Chenxi's personality and the difficulties between them. Chu Feiyang gave her time to experience and understand these things firsthand before giving her this opportunity.
However, looking at the scene outside the city just now, it was obvious that An'er still chose Haichenxi.
"The one who understands my heart is Meng'er." Chu Feiyang curled his lips into a smile, his eyes full of happiness and relief.
Fortunately, he held her hand at that time and locked her tightly by his side, otherwise he would be in more pain than Jiang Muchen who stayed in Dafan Temple.
Yun Qianmeng's face was filled with worry. She turned her gaze once again to the two figures disappearing outside the city wall and said anxiously, "An'er is going to suffer. Hai Chenxi seems to hate his father Hai Quan because of his mother's affairs, but Hai Quan is his father after all, and he loves him deeply. Now that Hai Quan has been defeated and died, he must have a knot in his heart. This knot in his heart cannot be untied by simply following him. Now, I can only hope that An'er's dream can come true."
Despite this, Yun Qianmeng felt sorry for Xiahou An'er. How could Yun Qianmeng not feel heartbroken when a pampered princess of the Xiahou clan gave up everything for love, traveling to the ends of the earth just to be with her beloved?
Seeing Yun Qianmeng's thoughts, Chu Feiyang held her hand with a little force, as if to give her strength and understanding, and echoed softly: "An'er has chosen the path herself, and we can only wish her the best."
After he finished speaking, Chu Feiyang turned around and glanced at Xi Lin who was standing by. His thick brows furrowed in thought, and a bad premonition flashed through his mind. He then lowered his head to look at Yun Qianmeng and asked, "Where's Youyou?"
Seeing Chu Feiyang asking about his daughter's whereabouts, Yun Qianmeng suppressed her inner feelings, smiled, and said, "Grandpa saw Xi Lin and the wedding procession looking for me, so he volunteered to look after Youyou for me."
Hearing this, the wrinkles between Chu Feiyang's brows became more obvious. Chu Nanshan was not looking after Chu You for them out of kindness. He was worried that he would take advantage of the Emperor and Empress's wedding today to take Meng'er and Youyou away from the capital and far away to a place where he could not find them. This was a precautionary measure to bring Chu You with him.
How could Yun Qianmeng not know about the tricks being played between this grandparents and grandchildren? She looked up at Chu Feiyang's handsome features, which were about to frown, and shook her head. She raised her right hand and touched Chu Feiyang's furrowed brows. Her index finger gently rubbed the wrinkles between his brows, gradually smoothing out his frown. Yun Qianmeng chuckled and said, "Let's go back. I believe the wedding procession has already entered the palace. If you're any later, you'll miss the fun."
Chu Feiyang nodded and walked down the city wall with Yun Qianmeng.
The city was bustling with activity. After a great war, all parts of Western Chu suffered from the chaos of war. Only the capital city escaped the invasion of war and retained its original prosperity to the greatest extent.
At the wedding of the emperor and empress, the people in the city stood on both sides of the long street and applauded and cheered, sweeping away the previous gloomy and murderous atmosphere.
Seeing such a joyful scene, Yun Qianmeng and Chu Feiyang smiled at each other, then boarded the carriage together, with Xi Lin driving to the palace.
The palace was extremely lively. The musicians began playing music at the hour of Yin, and festive music could be heard in every corner of the palace.
When Chu Feiyang and Yun Qianmeng arrived at the palace, they happened to see the Empress Dowager receiving greetings from all officials.
Led by Prince Duan and Yun Xuanzhi, all the officials stood on the left and right sides of the Golden Palace, respectfully welcoming the Emperor and Empress as they walked hand in hand slowly towards the Nine Dragon Throne.
Han Che held Qu Feiqing's hand and led her towards the throne step by step. The two walked across the red carpet together, walked up the jade steps together, stood in front of all the officials together, and accepted the congratulations of all the officials together.
"Your humble servant pays homage to the Emperor, wishing long live the Emperor. I pay homage to the Empress, wishing her a thousand years and a thousand years of long live." The Emperor and Empress stood still, and all the officials knelt and kowtowed vigorously. The voices of congratulations were so loud and powerful that they were heard even at the palace gate.
As all the officials knelt, the imperial guards in the palace knelt at the same time, shouting loudly, "Your Majesty, long live the emperor! I pay my respects to the Empress! May the Empress live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years."
"Gentlemen, please stand." A steady and dignified voice emanated from Han Che. Shedding his youthful immaturity, now clad in a yellow robe, Han Che possessed the authority of an emperor. His every gesture exuded the majesty of an emperor, commanding the respect of all officials, the support of the people, and reassuring Chu Feiyang, who had handed over the throne to him.
Yun Qianmeng stood outside the Golden Throne Hall, gazing at Concubine Qu, now adorned in phoenix robes and the mother of the nation, and couldn't help but smile deeply. But her gaze shifted to the red dragon-shaped pillar that had once given her life, and she couldn't help but sigh inwardly. A marriage, a war, had made her feel like she'd been through a lifetime, but she was thankful to always have someone by her side, so she didn't have to be alone in this strange world.
Chu Feiyang kept watching Yun Qianmeng's expression. Seeing her eyes fall on the red pillar with coiled dragons, and then she sighed slightly, he knew that she must be thinking about the cancellation of the engagement in the Golden Palace.
Although time has passed, the past events are still vivid in my mind. Even Chu Feiyang himself is filled with regrets.
"Let's go and see Youyou." Chu Feiyang suppressed the sigh in his heart, held Yun Qianmeng's hand tightly, and took her out of the Golden Palace and walked towards the Imperial Garden.
Before the two of them stepped into the imperial garden, they heard laughter and joy coming from inside.
Chu Nanshan, who was supposed to be holding Chu You, was standing at the archway of the Imperial Garden with a complaining look on his face, kicking the wall.
"Grandpa." Yun Qianmeng was the first to speak and called out to Chu Nanshan softly, but there was a hint of confusion in her eyes as she looked at him.
"Where's Youyou?" Chu Feiyang was not as polite as Yun Qianmeng. He asked Chu Nanshan for his daughter right away. His cold eyes shot straight at Chu Nanshan without any emotion.
Hearing Yun Qianmeng's gentle call, Chu Nanshan turned around. The smile on his face hadn't yet bloomed, but when he saw Chu Feiyang beside Yun Qianmeng, his face immediately darkened. He glared at Chu Feiyang, who always clung to Yun Qianmeng, and said angrily, "What are you doing here? Don't you have to go to court?"
Seeing that Chu Nanshan was deliberately making things difficult for him, Chu Feiyang let out a cold smile and retorted, "Grandpa, you must be getting old and confused. I have already resigned."
Hearing Chu Feiyang's insinuation about his old age, Chu Nanshan jumped up and down, his white beard trembling. He pointed his finger at this unworthy descendant and cursed, "Resign? Resign and still wear the prince's clothes? Do you think I'm an old man who is terminally ill? You can't even see through your skin?"
However, Chu Feiyang was calmly enjoying Chu Nanshan's personal show, and then he said leisurely, "If I even lose the title of King of Chu, won't you scold me for being unfilial and ashamed of my ancestors? However, I don't know that grandpa is old and has become addicted to peeping. He even hid outside the imperial garden to peek. I wonder which young lady made grandpa so angry?"
"You..." Chu Feiyang's series of counterattacks made Chu Nanshan cover his heart and stare at him hatefully. After a while, he cursed with trembling lips, "You unfilial son."
"Meng'er, look, no matter what I do or say, grandpa always says the four words 'unfilial descendant'. It's not easy to be a descendant of a human being." Chu Feiyang shrugged slightly and spoke to Yun Qianmeng with a hint of helplessness.
Chu Nanshan's white eyebrows trembled after hearing Chu Feiyang's complaints. Yun Qianmeng couldn't bear to see Chu Nanshan always being bullied. She glared at Chu Feiyang, then smiled faintly at Chu Nanshan and asked, "Grandpa, where is Youyou? Didn't you just carry her into the palace?"
Yun Qianmeng originally wanted to divert Chu Nanshan's attention, but she didn't expect that after these words came out, Chu Nanshan's resentment became even stronger.
He glared fiercely at the imperial garden behind him and said angrily, "It was taken away by a few old women."
Upon hearing Chu Nanshan's answer, Yun Qianmeng almost burst out laughing. What did she mean by 'a few old ladies'? It seemed that those people must be her grandmother, Old Lady Chen, and the others.
"You deserve it. Who told you to steal someone else's daughter?" Unexpectedly, Chu Feiyang actually added insult to injury and rubbed salt into Chu Nanshan's wounded heart.
"You...if you hadn't always been planning to take Meng'er Youyou away, why would I take Youyou away?" Listening to Chu Feiyang's gloating words, Chu Nanshan looked aggrieved and accused Chu Feiyang pitifully.
Chu Feiyang suddenly frowned and asked, "Why would I plan to take Meng'er and Youyou away?"
"Really?" Chu Nanshan suddenly raised his head, looking at Chu Feiyang with hope in his eyes. However, when he saw Chu Feiyang frowning, he suddenly put away the innocent expression in his eyes and demanded seriously: "No, you are so cunning, I can't trust you. You have to write a letter of guarantee to this old man. If you leave this old man and secretly take Meng'er away from the capital in the future, this old man will go to the government office to sue you for being unfilial and post your portrait all over Xichu to arrest you."
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