Chapter 1205: Oh my god (Part 2) [Requesting monthly votes]
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As Shen Tang watched the battle about to erupt, a sound like tearing or splitting reached her ears. She knew this bizarre dream was about to end. Turning to leave, she felt a sharp, piercing, tearing sensation in her chest. She stopped, turning back one last time to gaze into the distance.
The whole world has fallen into some kind of distortion.
Only the reincarnation of a deity whose heart has been pierced is clearly visible.
A voice, indistinguishable between male and female, echoed from the void. Even Shen Tang, an intangible being, felt a faint sense of suffocation, and the piercing pain in her heart intensified: "Do you know what the consequences are for betraying a god?"
The young man calmly replied, "I don't know, but I'll give it a shot!"
The voice did not respond, but a strange answer quietly surfaced in Shen Tang's mind: "Life after life, born in the morning and dying at dusk."
As a jet-black lightning bolt that seemed to pierce the heavens and earth crashed down, the young man and the figures still fighting were all swallowed up.
Shen Tang's ears also rang for a moment.
She suddenly opened her eyes and sat up straight.
The bedchamber was silent, the hazy moonlight filtering through the window, revealing the sky indistinctly. Chen Tang, panting, gradually focused her gaze, looking down at the thin silk quilt piled around her waist. Having just emerged from a long, drawn-out dream, everything around her felt somewhat unfamiliar.
I raised my hand to cover my cold forehead, touching the sticky sweat.
I actually sweated so much?
Is the heating in the bedroom set too high?
Shen Tang closed her eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air, asking, "What time is it now?"
Two voices, one male and one female, came from the roof beam.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, it is just past the fourth watch, the first quarter of the hour of Chou."
Shen Tang was taken aback for a moment: "How come it's only the fourth watch of the night?"
The dream I just had seemed to span a thousand years, and I only woke up at the first quarter of the twelfth lunar month? Shen Tang, unconvinced, asked again, somewhat uncertainly, "How long did I sleep? Did I talk in my sleep?"
Shen Tang has always had good sleep quality.
She can fall asleep whenever she wants, and wakes up precisely when her biological clock strikes, even more punctual than an alarm clock. Her sleeping posture is somewhat unconventional; she often falls asleep with her head at the head of the bed and wakes up at the foot of the bed. However, one thing is commendable: she doesn't kill people in her sleep, reacts to the slightest noise faster than the night watchmen, and doesn't talk in her sleep.
The guards need not worry about being punished for overhearing the Lord's sleep-talking.
Just as the elders said, keeping watch for the Lord is a wonderful job.
The guard replied, "There was no delirium."
Occasionally grinding one's teeth is harmless.
Thinking of the dream, Shen Tang rubbed her forehead and said, "That means I only slept for less than two hours tonight..."
Even dreaming is physically demanding; I'm feeling a bit hungry.
She rolled out of bed and slipped into her wooden clogs. Hearing the noise, the night watchman brought her a warm cloak and draped it over her shoulders. Shen Tang rubbed her stomach and said, "I'm hungry. Have the kitchen prepare something simple to eat."
Shen Tang has never been picky about food.
As long as it fills the stomach, a large quantity is fine.
After the establishment of the royal court, Qin Li forcibly corrected this lifestyle. Whether she liked it or not, the lavish lifestyle of a ruler could not be too meager. Shen Tang could only compromise, but the food provided was still meager compared to the previous dynasty, which was already a rare luxury for Shen Tang—she could still eat steaming hot fish soup noodles in the middle of the night. Her appetite was whetted, and she ate eighteen bowls in one go!
The imperial chef making the fish soup noodles was all smiles.
I'm full and satisfied, but lying down now feels uncomfortable.
So she took a walk late at night to aid digestion.
As they strolled along, they reached the outer court and saw a cluster of buildings still lit up in the distance. Even in the darkness, Shen Tang recognized where she was. She raised her hand to signal the night watchman to keep quiet, then quietly opened the door. The people inside didn't even look up as they ushered her out.
Shen Tang asked, "Why hasn't Wu Hui gone back yet?"
He's stopped writing for the New Year.
Chu Yao recognized Shen Tang's voice and then looked up at her.
Seeing Shen Tang's casual attire, he quickly rose to welcome her inside, and instructed someone to turn up the heat to prevent her from getting cold. He was also puzzled as to why his lord had appeared at this hour. Shen Tang tried to remove her cloak, but Chu Yao stopped her, his eyes full of disapproval. Shen Tang chuckled and shook her head: "Is Wu Hui worried I'll catch a cold?"
Chu Yao said, "It's freezing cold outside..."
Just as Shen Tang was about to say that she was protected by both literary and martial arts, and that no one else would catch a cold, Chu Yao added, "That won't work either."
"How did Wu Hui know what I was going to say?"
She could only continue to wear that heavy cloak.
The cloak was large and fluffy, and wrapped around Shen Tang, she felt as if she were sinking into a ball of soft fur. Combined with the magical atmosphere created by the candlelight, it made her look even more delicate and petite. Shen Tang chose an empty seat and sat down. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the tall stack of documents on Chu Yao's desk: "It's not important content. We can save it for after the New Year."
There's no need to work overtime late into the night.
This makes Shen Tang, the ruler of the country, seem too capitalist.
Chu Yao said, "There's nothing else to do."
He lives alone, and most of his relatives and friends have their own families to take care of. During the New Year, they are all with their families, so how could they have time to pay attention to an old man like him? Chu Jie is sensible and won't bother him during the New Year; Wei Shou is busy with his reunion with Jin Rui after a short separation, and he also has to worry about the education and marriage of his children; his students Lin Feng and Tu Rong are also busy. The former has to take care of the elderly in the family and represent the Lin family in social interactions with various relatives, while the latter has returned to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors and sweep the tombs... It is estimated that they will all wait until after the New Year to come and wish him a Happy New Year.
Chu Yao didn't feel that life was lonely or desolate...
There was simply nowhere else for him to visit, so he had to stay at the office.
Shen Tang looked at the cold late-night snack next to her and said, "We can't waste time on work even when we have nothing to do. Wu Hui could sign up for a holiday tour and travel around... After fighting for so many years, it's time to relax and enjoy yourself."
Chu Yao was not interested in this.
I casually changed the subject.
"Why isn't Your Majesty asleep at this hour?" When Shen Tang appeared, Chu Yao noticed that she seemed preoccupied and asked, "Are you still worrying about state affairs and planning for next year?"
Shen Tang coughed twice awkwardly.
He mumbled, "It's not a matter of state."
Chu Yao understood: "Then it's a private matter?"
Shen Tang's reaction confirmed his guess.
Chu Yao couldn't be happy. He had known his mistress for over ten years, and when had he ever seen her so troubled by personal matters? Alarm bells rang in his mind instantly, and he subtly inquired about the personal matter troubling Shen Tang.
"...Yao might be able to answer the master's questions."
Shen Tang didn't say it explicitly, but asked a strange question.
"Wu Hui, what do you mean by 'born in the morning and dying at dusk'?"
“The crane lives for a thousand years, thus enjoying its freedom; the mayfly is born in the morning and dies at night, yet it lives out its joy.” Chu Yao answered while guessing the reason why his lord asked the question. “Literally, it means that it is born in the daytime and dies at night, its life is short.”
Shen Tang murmured, "Is that so..."
Chu Yao looked at his master, who was behaving somewhat strangely, and felt worried.
Shen Tang met his concerned gaze and smiled reassuringly, "...I'm fine. I just had a strange dream, and the things in the dream disturbed my peace of mind...I'll be fine in a little while."
If it were just a fabricated myth, Shen Tang could easily laugh it off. But these past events seemed inextricably linked to her... no, perhaps they had actually happened. Even though reason told Shen Tang that these trivial matters had nothing to do with her, at least not with "Shen Youli"!
What is relevant is "myself" who has no memory of "Shen Youli".
She doesn't need to care at all!
The more you tell yourself this, the more your emotions are affected.
An unprecedented feeling of loneliness washed over her—an emotion that should have been completely foreign to her. Since coming into this world, she had always had people she could trust wholeheartedly; loneliness should have been something that Shen Youli could never experience. Shen Tang suspected that this emotion did not originate from herself, but from the woman in green in her dream. It seemed that she was the one tormented by loneliness.
Chu Yao said, "Dreams are always the opposite of reality."
This reassurance is rather unconvincing.
Shen Tang rubbed his temples, looking at the gray-haired youth in the dim candlelight: "I also hope it's the opposite... Wu Hui—"
"My lord?"
Will you always be there?
Chu Yao's expression suddenly changed. He couldn't understand why his lord would ask such a strange question. His lord was acting very strangely today!
Something is definitely amiss!
Shen Tang seemed oblivious to his expression and continued to murmur, "A hundred years, a thousand years, ten thousand years from now, will you still be there?"
Chu Yao: "..."
He was both amused and exasperated: "My lord, Yao can accompany you for a hundred years. If nothing unexpected happens, Wenxin and Wenshi should also live to be a hundred years old. But a thousand or ten thousand years... that's really a bit difficult for Yao."
"A person can't live that long."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Tang's eyes suddenly reddened.
She said, "What if I could? What if?"
That dream seemed to open a hidden gap, and intense emotions that didn't belong to Shen Tang almost overwhelmed her. The warm cloak wrapped around her couldn't dispel the overwhelming chill, and she tried her best to fight against these emotions with reason.
Chu Yao knelt down in front of Shen Tang.
With a serious look in his eyes, he said to Shen Tang, "It may be a good thing for all the people, but it will inevitably cause suffering for the Lord."
The Lord will surely bring eternal peace and tranquility.
Shen Tang stubbornly asked, "What about you?"
Chu Yao said, "I will enjoy the Lord's grace for all eternity, and I will strive to be by your side for all eternity..."
After he finished speaking, he noticed that Shen Tang was covering her forehead in pain.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
This scene nearly gave Chu Yao a heart attack.
The usually composed and mature Chu Shangjun, in the eyes of the officials, was actually flustered, his face showing a mixture of anxiety, shock, and horror, with a hint of murderous intent. This murderous intent was directed at Chen Tang's dream! What kind of lousy dream could disturb the emperor's mind like this? Unfortunately, he couldn't help him.
Shen Tang took several deep breaths to suppress the inexplicable pain.
Like the receding tide, the unfamiliar feelings gradually fade away.
She touched her chest, still shaken.
Turning to look at Chu Yao, his face was deathly pale, a color Chu Yao had never seen before, and his expression was completely different from usual. It was less a sign of his master and more a reflection of the fleeting malice of years past: "Life after life... Ha, Wu Hui, don't make promises lightly to others, especially not to me. You cannot control your next life either..."
It's not that I don't believe in this promise.
Rather, it was because "she" knew how difficult it was to keep this promise.
Chu Yao asked cautiously, "My lord?"
Upon closer inspection, he saw that Shen Tang was breathing evenly and had fallen asleep sometime earlier. Worried, he quickly sent someone to the medical office to fetch a physician. After a while, the physician arrived.
He asked in surprise, "It's you?"
Imperial Physician Dong Dao had invited this person to join the Medical Bureau several times, but to no avail. Therefore, no matter how close Ji Moqiu became to the Medical Bureau, he was still not a royal physician and remained a commoner. Shouldn't the person invited be the on-duty royal physician?
Chu Yao watched as Ji Moqiu took the master's pulse.
"Is Your Majesty unwell?"
"It's nothing, just a physical effect. I'll be fine tomorrow."
Chu Yao hesitated for a moment: "This body..."
The Lord's body is not normal after all.
This abnormality is definitely due to physical reasons.
Ji Moqiu said, "Nothing will happen."
Chu Yao breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly remembered something: "What exactly happened to this body of yours before?"
Ji Moqiu comes from the Gongxi clan, so he must know some inside information.
He said, "I can't reveal too much. I can only say that Your Highness used to be very lonely, and your personality wasn't like this before... Initially, you were just as cheerful and optimistic as you are now. It was the long period of loneliness that made you become aloof and taciturn... You just wanted to be less lonely, you didn't do anything else, and even this selfish desire is not allowed..."
Chu Yao was quite puzzled by what he heard.
Ji Moqiu knew he wouldn't understand: "It's roughly equivalent to—Qi Zhongshu had no relatives or friends, and was all alone. As time went on, he felt endless loneliness, so he hired Su Shang, whom he cherished like a treasure. He also kept many cats because of his love for Su Shang. The Censorate disapproved of this and felt that it was not conducive to the great plan of Kangguo, so they forced Qi Zhongshu to fight with him."
Chu Yao: "...The Censorate is not so ill as to have this problem."
A family was wiped out because of a pet.
This would be incredibly explosive in any dynasty or era.
Ji Moqiu sneered: "The Censorate has this problem."
As soon as he finished speaking, a thunderclap suddenly exploded in the sky.
A thunderclap pierced the sky, brightening the daylight and illuminating half of Ji Moqiu's face. The noise did not drown out his voice: "The Censorate is the most just place in the land; surely it wouldn't treat a cat's life so lightly..."
Chu Yao was almost speechless.
"Even if the Censorate has this disease, Qi Yuanliang is no pushover. If someone harms his cat, he could wipe out the entire family of his enemies."
Don't doubt it, Qi Yuanliang is really capable of doing it.
Ji Moqiu neither confirmed nor denied this.
A thunderclap on a snowy night was followed by clear skies the next day, a rare and fine day. The capital city of Fengluo was adorned with red lanterns.
Every household puts up couplets and hangs the character "福" (fortune/blessing).
It was rare for Shen Tang to sleep until late morning.
She opened the window and was greeted by a world of pure white snow. The cool air soothed her and instantly jolted her awake, banishing all her drowsiness.
"Sizzle—Hot hot hot—"
A day full of energy starts with piping hot soup dumplings.
After quickly disguising and grooming himself, Shen Tang scaled the wall and ran out of the palace gates, disappearing into the crowd in the blink of an eye. His guards could only follow him, laughing and shouting. They watched helplessly as their lord entered the residence of Lord Chu.
Shen Tang found Chu Yao in the East Kitchen.
The gray-haired youth, dressed in plain clothes, said without looking up, "The kitchen is very smoky, so please wait in the main hall, Master. It will be ready soon."
Shen Tang's memory of last night was somewhat hazy.
However, she vaguely remembered that Chu Yao was still working at four o'clock in the morning.
Now I'm busy in the East Kitchen, this is too exhausting.
Shen Tang's tongue was almost numbed by the heat, and it took Siha several attempts to suppress the burning sensation: "Wu Hui, here, this year's money for warding off evil spirits!"
He pulled out a small red envelope, still warm from his body, from his pocket.
Chu Yao smiled as he watched Shen Tang gesticulate wildly, full of energy, and said that this year's curse money was a monogram pendant made of pure gold!
Hmm, pure gold?
They've gone all out.
It seems that the master did indeed make a fortune last year.
|ω`)
P.S.: My dear Tanzi has started a new book too! Time flies.
"The Head of the Red Mansion": She accidentally enters the Red Mansion, and thus, a woman like a female eagle quietly spreads her wings from the back courtyard.
(End of this chapter)
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