Chapter 58
The next morning, Yue Mingming did not show up.
Zhao Congyun silently looked at the people who came to see him off, his eyes dimming uncontrollably.
Uncle Dong comforted him, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. My wife has always been like this. After a few days, she will figure it out and understand your painstaking efforts."
Zhao Congyun reluctantly nodded: "Uncle Dong, take good care of her for me... Take care of yourself too!"
Uncle Dong responded heavily, his eyes burning with heat.
He had never left Zhao Congyun's side, but this time because of his eye injury, Zhao Congyun insisted that he stay in Lingzhou.
He understood the real reason why Zhao Congyun kept him - even though the capital was dangerous, Lingzhou might not be peaceful either. Compared to his own safety, what Zhao Congyun cared about most at this moment was whether Yue Mingming could be safe and sound.
"Your Majesty, my wife and I are waiting here for your triumphant return!"
"Okay." Zhao Congyun smiled at him, then took one last look toward the city gate. The morning light was dim, and at the end of the pale blue sky, a bright moon still hung, silently gazing at him.
Today is the fifteenth day of the lunar month, and the moon is almost full.
"Let's go." Zhao Congyun turned his horse. With his command, five thousand light cavalrymen kicked up a cloud of dust and galloped off into the distance.
*
“Sister Su, why didn’t you go to see General Shen off?”
Yue Mingming came out of the room with red eyes and ran into Su Dingrou hanging lanterns in the yard.
"And you're talking about me... didn't you go either?" Su Dingrou pointed at a goldfish-shaped lantern on the stone table and said, "Mingming, hand this to me."
Yue Mingming asked curiously, "What is this?"
"Have you forgotten? Today is the Lantern Festival! I'm new here, and I don't know what the customs are here in Lingzhou. In the capital, people usually hang lanterns all over their homes, so I just randomly drew a few and hung them in the mansion to liven things up."
Su Dingrou carefully adjusted the lamp and clapped her hands in satisfaction: "How is it? Do you like it?"
"It's so beautiful!" Yue Mingming stared at the colorful lanterns all over the courtyard in a trance. After a while, he suddenly said, "Sister Su, did the royal palace celebrate festivals like this in the past?"
Su Dingrou looked at her thoughtfully, then recalled, "The prince disliked crowds, and never hung lanterns in his Shen Garden, though he didn't stop us from doing so. You know Li Pingru's flamboyant nature; she insisted on filling the entire garden with fireworks, wishing she could outdo the Imperial Palace... So, thanks to her, the Lantern Festival lanterns at Prince Jia's mansion became quite famous in the capital."
"Really..." Yue Mingming's eyes were full of envy: "It's a pity I haven't seen it."
She sighed: "Sister Su, you may not believe it... I miss Li Pingru a little bit."
Su Dingrou said, "I understand. Although she was born into a powerful family, she is, after all, just a woman with a miserable life. I heard that she helped you after the prince got into trouble."
"She has always been sincere to the prince. It's a pity that she had the bad luck to meet such an unyielding and icy person!"
Su Dingrou laughed teasingly, "Are you speaking up for Li Pingru, or are you talking about yourself?"
Yue Mingming snorted angrily and said nothing, but his eyes kept glancing towards the mansion gate.
Su Dingrou had seen through her thoughts long ago: "You want to chase them? But I heard from Zong Wu that in order to increase the speed of march, they are all using light cavalry and fast horses this time. I'm afraid it's too late now."
"I'm too lazy to go!" Yue Mingming plopped down on a stone bench and fiddled with the remaining lanterns. "Never mind them, let's have a good holiday! I'll make you some glutinous rice balls later. I've already prepared the ingredients. They're filled with osmanthus, honey, and sesame. Are you looking forward to it?"
"Where do the osmanthus flowers come from in this season?" Su Dingrou was slightly surprised.
"Hey!" Yue Mingming said proudly, "I asked a lot of people in the army and finally got a jar of osmanthus honey. It was actually given to Brother Pei by a distant relative when he was leaving last autumn. I tried my best to persuade him and he finally gave it to me!"
"But I didn't let him suffer any loss. I made him a new sword, and he likes it very much! Hey... Sister Su, why do you look at me like that? Don't you like osmanthus?"
"Of course I like it, but I know there's someone who likes it more... You prepared it for him, right?"
Yue Mingming subconsciously wanted to defend himself, but he was in the wrong after all. Finally, he lowered his eyes and did not look up for a long time.
Su Dingrou patted her shoulder and suddenly raised her voice, "Your Highness, did you hear that? Osmanthus honey is so rare. I wonder if you have prepared a decent gift?"
Yue Mingming was stunned when he heard the voice. He looked up in the direction Su Dingrou was looking and saw a handsome figure standing in front of the mansion gate. Who else could it be but Zhao Congyun!
She was shocked and said, "You... didn't you leave?!"
Zhao Congyun walked in slowly, holding a food box in his hand, and waved it towards her: "I still want to eat a bowl of glutinous rice balls with you before leaving."
He brought out two steaming soup bowls and set the table. "I don't have your good connections, so I can't get osmanthus honey. I can only cook the most ordinary white sugar filling. How about you keep me company?"
Yue Mingming fell back onto the stone bench and looked at him without blinking, still looking as if he had seen a ghost.
Zhao Congyun smiled helplessly and pushed the soup bowl over: "Hurry, try it while it's hot."
He turned to Su Dingrou and said, "Would you like to sit down and eat together?"
Su Dingrou jokingly said, "The prince only prepared two sets of bowls and chopsticks. How can I eat?"
Seeing Zhao Congyun's slightly embarrassed expression, Su Dingrou quickly laughed: "Forget it, I won't be the evil person who ruins the mood. Just talk nicely!"
Zhao Congyun nodded and thanked him: "Is there anything you want me to convey to General Shen?"
Su Dingrou shook her head: "No need." She smiled: "He knows everything I want to say."
*
In the yard, the two of them ate dumplings in silence, and no one spoke.
It wasn't until Yue Mingming's mouth was burned by the scalding hot candy filling and he cried out that Zhao Congyun said nervously, "Spit it out! Eat slowly, why are you in such a hurry?"
Yue Mingming's tears were scalded and she looked at him deeply, feeling wronged and sad.
Why is she in such a hurry?
Her mind was completely occupied by the huge clock. She kept imagining how far the 5,000 cavalry had run and how long it would take Zhao Congyun to catch up.
At this moment, even the time to eat a bowl of glutinous rice balls is a luxury for them.
Zhao Congyun instantly understood her worries. A trace of pity flashed in his eyes, and he reached out to wipe away her tears: "Don't worry, I can catch up."
"How do we catch up?" Yue Mingming asked with a pout. "My injuries haven't healed yet. I'm running non-stop. What if I can't hold on?"
"I thought you would be happy that I came back... but unexpectedly, I made you worry instead." Zhao Congyun put down his chopsticks, and it was hard to tell whether his tone was more sad or more apologetic.
The glutinous rice balls were completely stuck in his throat, and Yue Mingming's cheeks flushed red. "You're always like this! Can I just focus on my present happiness and not care about your future?"
Zhao Congyun seemed to be disturbed by her words. He spoke cautiously, "Are you still willing to...take care of my future?"
Yue Mingming swallowed the glutinous rice balls with great effort and squeezed out a firm answer: "Yes."
Zhao Congyun stared at her blankly: "I know... I shouldn't say anything more, but I have a request..."
He pursed his lips, his voice a little hoarse: "I would like to ask you to wait for me in Lingzhou. If I can return safely this time, I would like to ask you to stay on February 26th..."
"Stay with me forever."
Seeing Yue Mingming stunned and speechless, he quickly added: "I know I'm fickle. I don't want you to get hurt, but I don't want to let you go... I also know that this request is selfish. You can scold me, you can reject me -"
Yue Mingming suddenly said: "Okay!"
"...What?" Zhao Congyun didn't react for a moment.
"I promise you, I'll wait for you." Yue Mingming looked at Zhao Congyun's face, which rarely showed a mixture of surprise and fear, and couldn't help laughing: "But I have one condition, you must promise me."
"What conditions?"
"There's someone you must take away!"
*
Capital city.
Different from the lively atmosphere of the Lantern Festival in the streets and alleys, the Prince's Mansion is shrouded in a solemn white.
It has been some time since Empress Li's sudden death, but the people in the mansion have still not removed the mourning items. Sorrowful incense, candles, and paper money can be seen everywhere. I don't know if this is intentional or the owner has no time to care about anything else.
Outside the gate, at this time of year in previous years, people bringing gifts would have already broken through the doorway, but now there is not even a single person paying their respects, which is really sad.
Li Pingru sat in the room, staring blankly at a white lantern in front of the porch that was blowing in the wind, and waves of sadness welled up in her heart.
She missed Prince Jia's Mansion so much. She missed every blade of grass, every brick and tile she had personally arranged there, and even more she missed the aloof and noble man in the mansion.
I wonder how people in Lingzhou celebrate the Lantern Festival?
He has never been one to adapt to local customs, and he always looks on with a cold and indifferent attitude wherever he goes. But this time is different, he has Yue Mingming by his side...
Li Pingru thought bitterly that the little bitch was obviously a troublemaker who loved to join in the fun. She would definitely find ways to do stupid things to him, causing trouble for him and making him angry.
But he was still willing to indulge her, cooperate with her, and give her all the tenderness that he had never received from him.
Thinking of this, Li Pingru suddenly stood up: "Go prepare the carriage, I want to go out!"
The maid noticed her unfriendly expression and whispered to dissuade her, "The uncle of the emperor specifically told me this morning that a distinguished guest is coming today and needs your presence... What if the guest doesn't see you when he arrives later?"
Li Pingru sneered, "Everyone in the capital is a playboy. Who would come to the Prince's Mansion to seek trouble and see us, a father and daughter who have lost our power?"
The maid didn't know how to answer, so she had to remain silent. She knew she couldn't stop this domineering ancestor, so she secretly winked at the servant, asking him to go and invite the king's uncle as soon as possible.
So as soon as Li Pingru walked out of the yard, he was caught by his father who was coming towards him.
"Stop right there!" Li Guojiu shouted angrily, "I told you to stay home to meet the guests, where are you going?"
Li Pingru glared at the maidservant fiercely and replied, "I want to go back to the palace!"
Uncle Li knew that the "Prince's Mansion" she was referring to was naturally the residence of Prince Jia, and his face immediately darkened: "Nonsense! Do you think our family isn't unlucky enough?
"Don't you know what the current situation in the capital is like? Countless officials were in the court one day, and their bodies were lying in the streets the next. Everyone wants to live in seclusion, but you are so blind that you insist on jumping into the fire pit that is so obvious! Do you think that palace is still the same as when you married into it? Do you think our Li family is still royal family?"
"I'm just going to take a look. Who am I bothering? Even the Emperor has lifted the ban on this place, so why can't I go?"
Uncle Li raised his hand, wishing he could slap his foolish daughter, but seeing her red eyes from crying, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He could only lower his voice and curse, "Are you the emperor... or the same emperor as before?
"Listen carefully, Zhao Congyun is no longer Prince Jia. Everyone in the court knows this. Lord Fan hates him to the core, and we absolutely cannot have anything to do with him! He still has a conscience and divorced you early, and Lord Fan, out of respect for your deceased aunt, didn't bother with our family. Now, before you and I can even put our positions straight, you're still trying to cling to him. Don't you want to die?"
"Haha," Li Pingru sneered, "Father, you're afraid of him, and all the officials in the capital are afraid of him. Does he think he can cover the sky with one hand? There must be someone in this world who isn't afraid! I believe Zhao Congyun will come back! When that happens, let's see how he can still be so proud."
Uncle Li was so frightened that he quickly covered his daughter's mouth and said, "Ancestor! My dear ancestor! Please be careful with your words and leave a way out for our Li family!"
"Father, are you afraid he'll hear it? Things are different now than when Aunt was alive. Back then, he'd come to our house every few days and was so attentive... but now he hasn't even burned a stick of incense for Aunt!"
As the father and daughter were arguing, a doorman rushed in in a panic: "Sir... a visitor has arrived! Sir Fan is here to visit you!"
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