Chapter 37 Reborn, You Avoid Me, You Actually Avoid Me...
Lou Xueying and Li's mother sat at the table, with open books and clean papers in front of them.
It's time to teach them to read, but right now nobody's in the mood to teach or learn.
Li's mother was already used to her son leaving home at the drop of a hat. Although she was reluctant to let him go, she could still accept it. But when she saw her daughter-in-law's red and swollen eyes and haggard appearance, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her and said, "Susu, why don't you go back and rest for a while?"
"It's alright." Lou Xueying shook her head. "I... I'll continue teaching Mother to read."
"Stop teaching me, you probably didn't sleep well last night, did you?" Li's mother said. "Well, since you married a military general, you can only get used to this kind of life. Whenever there is unrest in the world, he can only sacrifice his small family for the greater good. There's no other way."
Lou Xueying: "I understand..."
"Madam, Madam!" Cui Cui rushed in, flustered. "People from the palace have arrived!"
Lou Xueying's hand trembled as she picked up the pen, and a drop of ink splattered on the paper.
Mother Li was surprised: "People from the palace? What are they here for?"
Cui Cui said, "It's someone from the Empress's side! They said the Empress has an imperial decree summoning the Lady to hear it!"
"An imperial edict from the Empress?" Madam Li asked, puzzled. "How is this related to the Empress?"
Despite her doubts, she still got up to go out and greet the Empress's men.
Lou Xueying put down her pen and slowly stood up.
Now that things had come to this, after a night of calm, she no longer felt desolate and fearful; all that remained was a heart ashen with despair.
How could the Empress possibly summon her? It was merely an excuse to cover for the Emperor.
She followed Li's mother outside the courtyard and saw the head maidservant beside the Empress.
This was the first time Li's mother had seen someone from the palace, and she nervously swallowed, secretly glancing at Lou Xueying.
Lou Xueying bowed expressionlessly: "Aunt."
Mother Li then followed suit and bowed, saying, "Aunt."
The head palace maid was much gentler than the two women, and said politely, "Greetings, Madam, and Lady Hou. I have come to deliver a message from Her Majesty the Empress. Her Majesty said that the Marquis of Wu'an is deeply moved by his dedication to the country and its people, and that he went to the front lines shortly after his marriage. She also felt sorry for Lady Hou, who is newly married, and feared that she might be upset, so she summoned Lady Hou to the palace to have a talk."
Lou Xueying looked at her.
Lou Xueying hadn't seen this aunt treat her with such kindness in a long time. When she was still the Crown Princess before her marriage, every time she entered the palace, this aunt would take her to the Empress's palace, where her aunt would speak to her gently and kindly.
Later, she became a Noble Consort. On the second day after entering the palace, she disregarded the emperor's special exemption from the custom of paying respects to the emperor and stubbornly came to the empress's palace, wanting to explain to the empress and ask for her forgiveness.
The Empress was under house arrest when a head maid, whom she already knew well, came out.
She knelt at the entrance of the main hall. The head palace maid stood before her, looking at her coldly, and said, "Your Highness, there is no need for such a grand ceremony. Her Majesty the Empress is currently unwell and does not wish to see anyone who might interfere with her recovery. Moreover, His Majesty has already exempted Your Highness from the morning and evening greetings, and Her Majesty the Empress has no intention of disobeying the decree. If Your Highness still has any affection for Her Majesty the Empress, please leave quickly, lest the matter reach His Majesty's ears and cause him to misunderstand."
From then on, Lou Xueying never went to the Empress's palace again, living a secluded life and keeping to herself, never interfering with the Empress.
On the day the emperor died, it was this head palace maid who, on the empress's orders, stopped her at the door and asked her to go back.
"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty." Lou Xueying lowered her eyes and said softly, "May I ask, Aunt, did Your Majesty only summon me?"
The head palace maid said, "I heard that the old lady was still ill a few days ago. Her Majesty said that we should not trouble the old lady and let her rest in peace."
Mother Li then repeated in a flustered manner, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."
The head palace maid smiled and said, "The carriage is waiting outside the mansion. If the Lady Marquis has nothing else to do, why don't you go to the palace now?"
Lou Xueying: "Okay." Then she turned to Li's mother and said, "Mother, I'm leaving."
Li's mother nodded in confusion: "Sigh."
Lou Xueying took a few steps, then suddenly turned back, squeezed Li's mother's hand tightly, and said, "There's no need to wait for me to come back for lunch...and perhaps dinner is unnecessary too."
Li's mother was stunned.
Before Li's mother could react, she had already turned around and followed the head maid, boarding the carriage to enter the palace.
-
Lou Xueying entered the palace once again, and once again followed the head maid, taking the route she knew by heart.
The Queen's palace was still as magnificent and beautiful as ever.
Even the Empress remained as graceful, dignified, and majestic as ever.
It seems that only she remembers everything, only she wanders alone in a world she cannot control, while they are all left in the past, completely unaware of her suffering.
In a daze, she bowed gracefully to the Empress: "Your subject... Lou Xueying greets Your Majesty the Empress."
The Empress smiled and said, "Rise, please take a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Lou Xueying sat down on a chair to the side, looking down at the ground.
The Empress said, "I have long heard of the beautiful reputation of the Lady of Wu'an Marquis, and seeing her today, I can confirm that it is indeed well-deserved."
Lou Xueying: "Your Majesty flatters me."
Her face was expressionless; she was just numbly thinking, "When will we get down to business?"
The Empress studied her expression and asked, "Is Madam worried about Marquis Wu'an?"
"Yes," Lou Xueying said softly. "Your Excellency is fighting for the country, and I dare not stop you. I can only pray in my heart that Your Excellency will be safe and well."
The Empress said, "It is a great fortune for Dayue to have a capable general like Marquis Wu'an. It is also a great fortune for Marquis Wu'an to have a virtuous wife like you, who relieves him of worries in the inner quarters."
The Empress rambled on and on, offering Lou Xueying a long string of polite and comforting words. Lou Xueying responded absentmindedly, gradually developing a sense of absurdity as an outsider. She felt like a bystander, her mind wandering, coldly observing her body conversing with the Empress.
She could tell that the Empress was forcing herself to talk to her, because she answered every question without saying a word more, leaving the Empress no room to extend the conversation, making the chat quite difficult.
Where is the Emperor? Is he already hiding in some corner of the Empress's palace, secretly observing her, or is he on his way to the Empress's palace, hoping to have an unexpected encounter with her? Or perhaps, he is merely using the Empress's summons to bring her out of the Marquis's residence, and that she has other places to go after the Empress finishes talking to her?
Whatever it is, it doesn't matter.
How much worse can things get? It's just going down the same old path as in the last life.
With nothing left to talk about, the long audience finally came to an end. The Empress, citing the late hour, instructed a palace maid to see the guest out.
Lou Xueying was then led out of the palace by another palace maid.
As soon as Lou Xueying left, the Empress couldn't help but say to the head maid beside her, "Is the Lady of Wu'an Marquis quite dissatisfied with His Majesty? Judging from her appearance, it looks like she's been crying all day to get to that point."
The head palace maid said, "I'm afraid so."
The Empress sighed, "That's understandable. The couple has only been married for a few days, and her husband has already gone to war. We don't know when he will return. His Majesty is probably worried that the Lady of the Marquis might be dissatisfied and disturb the Marquis of Wu'an's peace of mind, so he asked me to talk to her and calm her down."
The head palace maid said, "Dissatisfaction is one thing, but the Lady of the Marquis is, after all, the eldest daughter of the Lou family. Surely she wouldn't be so narrow-minded as to interfere with the Marquis of Wu'an? Can't she tell which is more important, the country or the family?"
"Who knows?" The Empress rubbed her temples. "By the way, I asked you to investigate why His Majesty suddenly fell ill. Did you find out anything? Could it really be because of the border tribes causing trouble?"
The head palace maid said with shame, "It hasn't been investigated yet. It concerns the Emperor's health, and the people in the Emperor's court are keeping their mouths shut. There's not even a rumor. The young eunuch who used to hang out with us often was reportedly kicked out for breaking something, and now it's even harder for him to get in touch with his acquaintances."
The Empress sighed again: "These are truly troubled times. His Majesty even took his anger out on Ji'er and me. I really don't know what we did to offend him."
"Your Majesty, please don't worry. It's just that the timing wasn't right. His Majesty hasn't lost his temper these past few days, has he? Yesterday, he even sent someone to ask Your Majesty to summon the Lady of Wu'an to the palace for a talk and to comfort her. Keeping the Lady of Wu'an's household stable is also an important matter. Only Your Majesty can share His Majesty's burdens."
The Empress said, "I hope I'm just overthinking it."
Lou Xueying was sent out of the palace and got back into the carriage that had brought her there.
There wasn't even a window in the carriage, and she didn't know where she was. She could only lean against the carriage wall and close her eyes to rest.
After an unknown amount of time, the carriage finally came to a stop.
Lou Xueying lifted the carriage curtain, and in front of her was a completely unfamiliar alley. The carriage stopped in front of a small courtyard, where the plaque was empty and there was nothing there.
Lou Xueying took a deep breath and asked, feigning confusion, "Where is this? I want to go back to the Marquis of Wu'an's residence."
The coachman said, "Please get out of the carriage, madam. There are people waiting for you inside."
Lou Xueying feigned anger and said, "Who exactly are you? I am the wife of the Marquis of Wu'an. I have just returned from meeting with the Empress in the palace. If you dare to harm me, His Majesty, the Empress, and the Marquis of Wu'an will not let you off!"
The coachman simply said, "Please get out of the carriage, madam."
Lou Xueying had no choice but to get out of the car with a gloomy expression and walk into the courtyard.
As soon as she entered, two guards appeared out of nowhere and closed the door. Lou Xueying was about to question them when the two guards vanished in a flash.
"Madam." A smiling voice sounded from behind.
Lou Xueying turned around abruptly and saw Eunuch Zheng standing opposite her with a slight bow.
"Eunuch Zheng?" She looked surprised. "It's you? What are you doing here? I..."
"If Madam has any questions, please come in with me, and all your questions will be answered," said Eunuch Zheng respectfully.
Lou Xueying pursed her lips and followed.
After passing through the hanging flower gate, Eunuch Zheng pushed open the half-closed main hall door and bowed his head, saying, "Please, Madam."
Lou Xueying: "Who's inside?"
Eunuch Zheng: "You'll know once the lady goes inside."
Lou Xueying: "I am the wife of Marquis Wu'an. If I were to have a secret rendezvous with someone of dubious character, both I and the Marquis's mansion would lose face."
"Don't worry, Madam, no one will find out," Eunuch Zheng replied. "You will also be safe, Madam. Everything is perfectly secure."
Lou Xueying looked at the main room in front of her.
The floor is paved with blue bricks, and the beams and pillars are smooth and shiny. A landscape ink painting hangs in the center, below which is a tall lacquered wooden table, on which sits an incense burner quietly burning incense, along with a finely carved long zither.
A century-old piece of paulownia wood, inlaid with turquoise gemstones, is priceless and a masterpiece of craftsmanship.
Lou Xueying's breath hitched.
The courage she had mustered, the composure she had maintained, and the bravado she had put in almost all crumbled in that instant. Even though she had anticipated all of this, she still found it difficult to remain calm when she actually saw the familiar zither.
She stood frozen in place, motionless for a long time.
Eunuch Zheng was still saying, "Please, Madam."
She was gently pushed and stumbled across the threshold. The door closed behind her, shutting out the blazing sunlight outside.
She saw the man sitting on the other side of the main room.
There was no golden crown, no dragon robe, only a simple blue shirt and a wooden hairpin to hold his hair up.
But this did not make him seem approachable. He sat there upright, and his extraordinary demeanor alone made it clear to anyone with eyes that he was someone of great importance.
She took a deep breath, forced a look of surprise, and knelt down: "Your Majesty, this humble woman greets you."
Emperor Jinghui looked at her, his face revealing neither joy nor sorrow, and said softly, "Between you and me, there is no need for such a grand ceremony."
Lou Xueying said, "Your Majesty, why do you say that? I am the wife of the Marquis of Wu'an. I have only met Your Majesty once. I dare not claim kinship with Your Majesty, much less disobey the rules."
"Shujun," Emperor Jinghui said, "must you be so distant from me?"
Lou Xueying: "Su Jun? How does Your Majesty know my name..."
She had already decided that no matter how scared she was, she had to persevere and insist that she knew nothing about him.
She began acting the moment she lifted the carriage curtain. He liked gentleness and tenderness, so she couldn't be gentle and tender. She had to show the majesty of a marquis's wife and make him realize that the real her was not the same as Su Jun in the letter.
If he insisted on getting to the bottom of it, she would just say that she was too busy with other things and had long forgotten about any fellow musicians or confidants.
If he still wouldn't give up, then she would loudly tell him that she and Li Pan were now mutually in love, and her heart belonged only to the Marquis's mansion; how could he separate them? If he insisted on separating them, then she…
She slowly clenched the pointed hairpin hidden in her sleeve.
Ultimately, she was a coward. She had so many family members; she dared not point a weapon at the emperor, only at herself.
Since he was so deeply in love with her, and he didn't force her the night she entered the palace when he saw she was unwilling, could he... let her go now that she's threatened to die? He couldn't possibly prefer to watch her die rather than let her go, could he?
She trembled and gritted her teeth.
But then Emperor Jinghui sighed and said, "Shujun, don't play dumb with me. In this second life, you avoid me like the plague."
She was stunned.
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