Chapter 61 [61]
【61】/First release
The inpatient department of the People's Hospital is bright and clean, the cactus next to the TV cabinet is full of vitality, and the air is filled with the smell of disinfectant.
Lying on the hospital bed, Lu Zhiwan looked at his parents and sister busying around in the room, his head still feeling dizzy.
This was her seventy-second waking hour.
After three days of hospitalization, the doctor confirmed that all her indicators were normal and she could be discharged to recuperate at home.
According to her sister Lu Zhizao, after she fell on the set that day, she was immediately rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, but her brain was hit and she lost consciousness. She became a vegetative state and lay in the hospital for nearly a month.
One month.
In other words, she spent a whole year in the Daxing Dynasty after traveling through the book, but only one month in the real world.
Or maybe there was no Daxing Dynasty at all, and everything about Xiao Jingting was just a ridiculous dream she had when she was unconscious.
But is it really a dream?
How could a dream be so real? It was so real that when she thought of Xiao Jingting holding her and begging her not to die, her heart began to ache.
"Lu Zhiwan, why are you daydreaming again?"
Five slender fingers waved before her eyes. Lu Zhiwan came back to her senses and met her sister Lu Zhizao's delicately made-up face. Her slightly raised, dark eyebrows knitted together as she looked at her questioningly, "Ever since you woke up, you've been like a lost soul? Why not go to a larger hospital in City A for another checkup? Especially your brain... You're not very bright to begin with. If there's any damage left undetected, that would be terrible."
Lu Zhiwan: “…”
She is my biological sister.
Seeing her eldest daughter insulting her younger daughter again, Mother Lu stepped forward and patted Lu Zhizao on the back: "Your sister just woke up, and you're bullying her again."
Lu Zhizao shrugged nonchalantly: "That's what she was like, Mom. Did you see something was wrong after she woke up?"
"It's normal to feel a little uncomfortable after lying down for so many days." Mother Lu looked at her little daughter with concern and said softly, "Don't worry, Wanwan. Go back and get more rest and you'll be fine."
Lu Zhiwan: “…”
She seemed to be treated as an idiot child.
But my mind is a little confused right now, so it would be nice to be taken care of like a child.
That evening, the family of four returned home.
Looking at the familiar house and his cozy bedroom, Lu Zhiwan became more and more dazed, as if he couldn't distinguish between reality and dreams.
After having a quick meal in the evening, she sat on the windowsill, looking at the sunset outside, lost in thought again.
Lu Zhizao had just finished a multinational meeting and had just shut down his computer to get some water. Seeing his usually quirky and restless sister sitting quietly by the window in a daze, he couldn't help but approach her: "Lu Zhiwan, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell somewhere? If you're feeling unwell, be sure to tell me. I'm rich, so don't worry about the medical bills."
As a biological sister born from the womb, Lu Zhizao is the intellectual pillar of the Lu family. Since childhood, she has been the "other people's child" in the eyes of her parents. She was the top scorer in the college entrance examination, graduated from a prestigious university, and became an elite executive of a multinational company at a young age, earning millions a year.
Lu Zhiwan is the most beautiful girl in the family, with outstanding beauty. However, it is not easy to make a name for herself in the entertainment industry based on her looks alone. She does not want to rely on her sister for help, and she refuses all unspoken rules. As a result, she is still a small-time celebrity.
Anyway, there is no shortage of food and drink at home, and her sister also said that if she can't make it in the entertainment industry, she will support her for the rest of her life. Therefore, Lu Zhiwan has always had a Buddhist mentality and has no pressure.
Seeing his sister's concern, Lu Zhiwan smiled faintly: "Sister, I'm fine."
Lu Zhi had already sat down beside her, half believing and half doubting: "Really?"
Lu Zhiwan: “Really.”
Lu Zhizao stared at her for a long time, frowning: "Why do I feel that your eyes have become much more vicissitudes after waking up?"
Lu Zhiwan: “???”
Lu Zhizao said seriously, "There's no longer that clear stupidity from before."
Lu Zhiwan: “……?”
My sister's mouth is really comparable to that bastard Xiao Jingting.
Realizing that he was thinking of Xiao Jingting again, Lu Zhiwan's eyes trembled and his heart became heavy again.
She didn't think everything in Daxing Dynasty was a dream.
So, after her death, what happened to Xiao Jingting? Did he regain his sanity? Was Zhao Wenshao apprehended? Will Xiao Ningning still fall in love? And will that damned plot twist continue to play tricks on her?
A lot of questions and worries lingered in her mind, her brows furrowed, and her expression became solemn.
Seeing her usually carefree sister looking worried, Lu Zhizao became increasingly puzzled. After a moment's hesitation, she suddenly remembered something and asked, "Are you heartbroken?"
Lu Zhiwan was stunned for a moment, then looked up in surprise: "I don't have a boyfriend, how could I be heartbroken?"
"Yeah, I'm also confused. You don't have a boyfriend, so why do you look like you're in love?" Lu Zhizao touched his chin. "If your demeanor and tone hadn't changed, I would have suspected you were my sister."
Lu Zhiwan pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and decided to tell his sister about Daxing Dynasty.
After all, she was extremely confused at the moment, and her sister was the smartest and most rational person around her.
"Sister, during the month I was in a coma, I wasn't actually in a coma, I was actually traveling through a book..."
She told Lu Zhizao everything about Daxing Dynasty and how she and Xiao Jingting met, knew each other, and fell in love.
The next morning, Lu Zhizao took her on a bus to the most efficacious Cibei Temple in the city.
Lu Zhiwan was speechless: "Sister, I'm not possessed."
Lu Zhizao: "Yeah, I know, don't worry, we'll just worship casually."
Then he opened his schedule again. "After visiting Cibei Temple this morning, I'll go to the nearby Baiyun Temple this afternoon. I asked a friend to help me schedule an appointment with the most authoritative brain specialist in City A. The consultation is next Monday, and I've booked a flight for the day after tomorrow."
Lu Zhiwan: "...Sister, there's nothing wrong with my brain."
Lu Zhizao patted his sister's head and coaxed her gently, "Yes, our Wanwan is the smartest."
Lu Zhiwan: “…”
Don't use the tone of someone coaxing a mentally retarded child!
Although he was reluctant, Lu Zhiwan was dragged into the temple by his sister and worshipped all the Bodhisattvas.
When he arrived at the temple of the Eighteen Arhats and saw the snarling tiger under the knees of the Subduing Tiger Arhat, Lu Zhiwan couldn't help but stop and his eyes wandered.
She thought of Dahua and Erhua in Jinli Garden, Xiao Fugui in Lifeng Palace, and Xiao Jingting who was like a clingy tiger.
Her white and tender fingers gently stroked the tiger statue. The cold and hard touch made her eyes hot and her nose sore.
"Wanwan?"
Lu Zhizao put his arm around her shoulders, looked at her red eyes, and said solemnly, "Are you... okay?"
Lu Zhiwan bit her lip, trying hard to control her emotions, but her voice was still mixed with tears: "Sister, that was not a dream, believe me, he really exists."
He is not just a paper man, but also her lover.
Lu Zhizao rarely saw her sister like this. She frowned for a moment, then slowly relaxed her brows. She took a step forward and hugged her sister's delicate shoulders: "Okay, okay, I believe you. That Xiao... Xiao Jingting, it's real..."
There is no other warmth in a sister's embrace, and nothing can make Lu Zhiwan feel more touched than the family's affirmation of Xiao Jingting's authenticity.
She leaned on her sister's shoulder, tears streaming down her face. She felt longing, confusion, and more of helplessness.
"Sister, I really like him..." She closed her eyes and sobbed softly: "I was ready to be with him for the rest of my life, but why... why did it turn out like this..."
They know each other's feelings, but they are separated by time and space and can never see each other again.
Sisters are connected by heart. Seeing her sister so sad, Lu Zhizao felt heavy in her heart and could only pat her shoulder to comfort her gently - although she still had doubts about the book-traveling and Xiao Jingting, and thought that her sister was confused because she had been sleeping for too long.
However, just as the two sisters were about to leave the Arhat Hall, an old monk in a yellow cassock came in holding scriptures.
It was just an ordinary passing by, but the old monk stopped and said, "Wait a minute, ladies."
Lu Zhizao stamped his feet. The tears on Lu Zhiwan's face had not yet dried. He raised his head with red eyes and looked at the old monk in confusion.
The old monk's eyes flickered back and forth across Lu Zhiwan's face, his expression growing more and more astonished: "This female donor has a special connection."
Lu Zhiwan: “……?”
Lu Zhizao frowned, looking wary of scammers, ready to take his sister away at any time.
The old monk counted on his fingers, a strange light flashing in his eyes, and asked Lu Zhiwan: "Can I borrow your right hand to take a look?"
Lu Zhiwan hesitated, and Lu Zhizao asked, "Do you charge for fortune-telling? If you do, we won't do it. We're students and don't have money."
Lu Zhiwan: “…”
Sister, you are dressed like an elite, you don't look like a student at all.
The old monk smiled and said, "Don't worry, it's free."
Only then did Lu Zhiwan pass his hand to the old monk.
The old monk read it carefully and sighed, "How amazing! I've lived for most of my life, and this is the first time I've encountered someone with a broken soul and six spirits, yet still able to live lucidly and independently."
Lu Zhiwan: "Three souls and six spirits are incomplete?"
The old monk looked at her and smiled. "Yes, you only have two souls and five spirits now. One soul and one spirit are not in your body. This can be called a medical miracle."
Lu Zhiwan's eyes moved slightly, and he asked, "Then do you know where my soul and spirit are?"
The old monk said, "We need to sit down and carefully calculate this. If the female donor is not in a hurry, would you like to come in and chat?"
Lu Zhiwan pursed her lips. Lu Zhizao, standing beside her, whispered to her sister, "It's all a trick! Buddhism isn't pure anymore these days. Once we get in, he'll start talking nonsense. He might even try to sell us some blessed amulets, agate, jade, or red sandalwood Buddhist beads... Don't be fooled."
Hearing this, Lu Zhiwan shook his head at the old monk and politely declined.
The old monk didn't force it, and said in a casual manner: "Since the loss of one soul and one spirit does not hinder life, there is no need for the female donor to delve into it."
After saying this, he muttered "Amitabha" softly and went into the hall with the scriptures in his arms.
Lu Zhiwan was pulled out of the house by Lu Zhizao. Sitting in the car on the way back, he couldn't help but think about the loss of soul that the old monk mentioned.
Could it be that the old monk really has some spiritual power?
"Wanwan, you're not still thinking about what the monk said, are you?" Lu Zhizao frowned and looked at her.
Lu Zhiwan's lips moved: "I..."
Seeing that she was hesitant to speak, Lu Zhizao couldn't help but sigh: "Maybe he is right. Ever since you woke up, you have been in a state of disarray..."
"I...I really can't let him go."
Lu Zhiwan lowered her eyelashes and pressed a hand to her chest. "Whenever I think of him, I feel very uncomfortable. I promised him that I would always be with him. You don't know him. He looks cold and indifferent, but he is actually very thoughtful and stubborn. He will always remember whoever treats him well and treat them twice as well..."
She spoke softly about Xiao Jingting, and Lu Zhizao listened in silence. After a long moment, she asked, "Do you really like him that much?"
Lu Zhiwan raised his eyes, met his sister's serious and bright eyes, and nodded solemnly: "Before him, I never thought about being with a man for the rest of my life. After him..."
She forced a wry smile on her fair and beautiful face: "Sister, I probably won't fall in love with anyone else."
In the past, she didn’t understand why “people are like rainbows, you only know they exist when you meet them”, and she didn’t even believe in love. It was not until she met Xiao Jingting that she realized that there really was such a person in this world who loved her with a warm and sincere heart without any impurities.
Although Lu Zhizao had never experienced this kind of emotion, seeing his sister's sincere expression, his brows couldn't help but soften: "Okay."
Lu Zhiwan was startled: "Huh?"
Lu Zhi had already ordered the driver to turn around, then helplessly patted his silly sister's head. "Let's go back and see what that old monk has to say. If he's really a skilled liar, that would be great. If he's just a fraud... well, at worst, you can just spend some money. As long as you're happy."
Lu Zhiwan was touched and rubbed against Lu Zhizao's arms again: "Sister, you are the best."
"Don't be corny."
Lu Zhizao expressed disdain, but he didn't push her away. He just patted her on the back and sighed, "I wish that old monk was really capable, so you wouldn't be so depressed all day and cause people worry."
***
In the 21st year of Tianfeng, the Daxing Dynasty began.
On an early autumn morning, a nunnery located in the southern suburbs of Beijing was filled with the scent of Buddhist incense, creating a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.
After finishing her morning prayers, Xiao Ningning, the former Princess of Yuzhang and current Bhikkhuni Chunyi, went to the small Buddhist temple enshrining the eternal lamp to pray and chant sutras as usual.
Ever since the massive execution three years ago, when she had collected her parents' remains, she had become a nun and practiced Buddhism in this royal nunnery, fasting and chanting Buddhist scriptures every day, praying for her parents, for the soldiers who died in the Yuzhang Rebellion, and for the Empress who remained unconscious in the palace.
Two years ago, after the policy of reducing the power of the feudal lords was fully implemented, the emperor saw that the situation had stabilized, so he ignored the objections of the court officials, dismissed the harem, and made Concubine Zhao the empress.
Such absurd behavior caused an uproar both inside and outside the court. People said that the current emperor, like the previous emperor, was bewitched by the witch and was causing chaos in the court.
The previous emperor suppressed these criticisms and oppositions with force, but the current emperor turned a deaf ear to them and continued to do as he pleased.
As time went on, the civil and military officials could no longer curse. After all, apart from his abnormal behavior on the harem issue, the emperor was wise, decisive, diligent and dedicated in state affairs, worthy of being called a wise ruler.
All the officials gradually accepted their fate like Empress Dowager Gu. They decided to dismiss the harem and let the living dead become the queen. If all else failed, they could wait a few years and choose a smart and upright child from the royal family and train him well, and he could still inherit the throne.
Thus the matter of the queen was settled.
Everyone knows that the emperor loves the queen deeply. Even though she has been seriously ill and bedridden for years, the emperor still takes good care of her and never leaves her side.
This matter, which was originally strongly opposed by all officials, gradually evolved into a good story among the people as time went by.
Xiao Ningning was also grateful for the Queen's advice that allowed her to spend the rest of her life in this nunnery.
She offered a perpetual lamp to the queen, hoping day and night that God would bless her and wake the queen up soon.
This lamp has been burning for almost three years and never goes out.
However, today, even though the doors and windows were closed and there was no wind or rain, the lamp belonging to the queen was flickering and swaying constantly.
Xiao Ningning's eyelids were twitching and she felt very nervous.
After consulting the abbot of the nunnery, he immediately sent someone to report the matter to the palace and inform the emperor.
The emperor was always extremely concerned about everything related to the empress. When he heard about the strange thing about the ever-burning lamp in the nunnery, he didn't even have time to change his court clothes and rode his horse directly from the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
"This poor nun pays homage to His Majesty—"
Xiao Ningning, wearing a gray nun's robe, bowed and greeted the visitor.
"No need to be polite."
The man's deep and rich voice sounded, revealing a rare hint of urgency: "Where is her light?"
Xiao Ningning did not dare to delay and quickly led the emperor into the small Buddhist hall: "Your Majesty, please come this way."
In the small and simple Buddhist temple, yellow curtains hang down lightly and the eternally burning lamps shine brightly.
Xiao Ningning carefully looked at the tall and straight figure in front of the thousands of lights. After not seeing him for three years, he was still handsome and extraordinary, but his deep eyebrows and eyes added a sense of majesty and stability of a superior. A few silver threads were faintly visible on his black temples, which showed that this emperor who was rich and powerful had not been happy in the past few years.
At this moment, he stared solemnly at the flickering eternal lamp, his thin lips tightly pursed, but a bright light ignited in his narrow eyes.
"Wanwan, is that you..."
The man's voice was hoarse, and he raised his slender palm, trying to touch the flame.
Seeing this, Xiao Ningning quickly advised: "Your Majesty, be careful!"
This shout woke the emperor up as if from a dream, and his finger stopped half an inch away from the flame.
He missed her so much.
Even though he knew the flames would burn his fingers, he still hoped that this was her incarnation and that he could touch her again.
Xiao Jingting frowned and looked at Xiao Ningning with some displeasure, as if blaming her for disturbing him.
The sharp, cold gaze made Xiao Ningning's neck stiffen. She lowered her head and said angrily, "Your Majesty, if the Empress still has a spirit, she would definitely not want to see Your Majesty burned by the flames."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingting pursed his lips and remained silent. He simply stared at the still oddly flickering light for a long time before turning his head to look at Xiao Ningning: "What explains this ever-burning light flickering?"
Xiao Ningning was stunned by the question and looked embarrassed: "I am still a novice in Taoism and don't know what this means. That's why I asked Your Majesty to come and take a look..."
Xiao Jingting: “…”
Xiao Ningning: “…”
The small Buddhist temple was plunged into a mysterious awkwardness for a moment.
Just when Xiao Ningning was about to ask the host for help, the flickering eternal lamp suddenly "clicked" and went out.
Xiao Jingting's expression suddenly darkened.
Xiao Ningning was also shocked and at a loss.
The eternal lamp went out, which was not a good sign.
Could it be that the one in the palace...
The atmosphere around him suddenly became solemn. Xiao Jingting also realized that something was wrong. He did not stay any longer, but ran out with a dark face.
Seeing that figure flash by like the wind, Xiao Ningning stood there in shock, her heart pounding wildly. She felt that she had been courting disaster by calling the Emperor today. What if something really happened to the Empress...
Thinking of this, she shuddered suddenly and raised her eyes again, only to see that the eternal lamp that had just been extinguished was lit again.
Xiao Ningning rubbed her eyes and stared at the quietly burning light in amazement for a long time.
This...what is going on?
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