Chapter 51 He was in a difficult position when I wasn't around...
At the end of July, Marquis Wu'an escorted the divine stone into the capital.
Unexpectedly, a few months later, the people of the capital once again flocked to the scene, crowding both sides of the street, all to see Marquis Wu'an.
However, this time Marquis Wu'an was just a side project; what the common people really wanted to see was the legendary divine stone.
"I wonder how big that divine stone is, and how bright its light is!" Mother Li sat by the window of the private room, rubbing her hands excitedly as she looked at the street outside. "I heard you can't look at it for too long, or it will hurt your eyes!"
"Is it really that bad? Where in the world would there be such a shiny stone?" Lou Xueying asked suspiciously.
Lu Gui laughed from the side, "It's definitely not that bad. It's just that the common people are making it sound more and more exaggerated. Let's wait and see."
Because of the need to transport the sacred stone, Li Pan's return journey involved half land and half water, which took quite some time. Li's mother had been waiting anxiously for him. Therefore, as soon as Lü Gui found out Li Pan's exact arrival time in the city, he quickly booked a restaurant along the street so that Li's mother and Lou Xueying could see the Marquis as soon as possible—after all, the Marquis had to first deliver the sacred stone to the palace before he could return home.
"So many people!" Cui Cui exclaimed, leaning against the window.
Cai Ling chimed in from the side, "That's right, the last time the Marquis came to the capital, it was about the same setup."
Cui Cui said, "We entered the city after the Marquis had already entered. By then, most of the people on the street had already left, so we didn't get to see him. It's such a pity."
Cai Ling: "Now we've seen it, haven't we?"
Cui Cui exclaimed happily, "Yes, yes! It's so lively!"
Lou Xueying gently waved her fan, gazing at the crowded people outside the window, somewhat dazed.
There are only a few restaurants in good locations. Last time Li Pan came to the city, Yao Biyue booked this restaurant, and even the same private room. However, this time, Yao Biyue was not there; she was with the people from the Marquis's mansion.
Because Li Pan had instructed her to feign illness and avoid seeing anyone before he left, she dared not act rashly even after learning that he was returning to the capital. She didn't go to find Yao Biyue, but secretly sent Cailing to the Yao family to inquire. Cailing returned with the news that Yao Biyue's marriage to the Crown Prince had been completely called off, and that she was currently staying at home to avoid trouble.
Lou Xueying was relieved.
That's great. Yao Biyue and the Crown Prince didn't continue, nor did she and the Emperor. Everything seems to be developing in a positive direction.
"Look, look! Isn't that the Marquis?" Cui Cui exclaimed excitedly, leaning half her body out of the window.
Cailing quickly pulled her back a little and said, "Don't rush, don't rush, let me take a look too."
"Where? Where?" Li's mother, who was drinking tea, quickly wiped her mouth and stood up upon hearing this, looking outside.
Lou Xueying stood next to Li's mother and also looked towards the end of the long street.
At the end of the long street, a group of people slowly appeared.
Because it was the Divine Stone entering the capital, it differed from the army's entry into the capital. Leading the way were the Imperial City Garrison, each with a solemn and dignified expression. Following them was Li Pan, riding a tall horse. Since he wasn't the main character today, his armor wasn't as imposing and flamboyant as before; he wore only a simple, powerful outfit, covered by a light black armor, making him appear neat and upright.
"Hey, is that the divine stone on the carriage behind the Marquis? Why is it covered up?" Cai Ling asked in surprise.
"Huh? It's covered up?" Cui Cui looked closely and was greatly disappointed. "I wanted to see the words on the sacred stone!"
Lu Gui also joined in the fun and took a look. He saw that the sacred stone, which was surrounded by the railing, was about the height of a person. It was big, but unfortunately it was covered with a thick black cloth, so that no one could see its true appearance.
The onlookers on both sides of the street also expressed their disappointment.
“Well, that’s not surprising,” Lü Gui said. “Such a divine stone, having gone through so much trouble to transport it back to the capital, should naturally be shown to His Majesty first. How could we see it before His Majesty has even had a chance to see it?”
“That’s true.” Cui Cui nodded, then smiled with relief, “Anyway, the Marquis will be returning to his residence soon, so let’s just listen to what he has to say!”
"If you can't see it, you can't see it," said Li's mother, her eyes fixed on Li Pan as he slowly approached from the other side. "Looking at it from a different stone is the same."
Cui Cui chuckled and said, "Your Excellency seems to have gotten a bit darker."
Li's mother said with concern, "He's been running around outside in the hottest weather, how could he not get tanned? Let him come back and rest properly."
Lou Xueying remained silent, only gazing at the approaching figure in the distance.
She had been waiting for this day for a long time.
He finally kept his promise and returned to her safe and sound. All the anxiety that had been weighing on her heart seemed to vanish instantly, and she finally felt a sense of relief, a slight sourness rising in her nose.
Just as he was overwhelmed with mixed feelings, the person on horseback suddenly raised his head and looked straight at him.
Lou Xueying was taken aback.
"Oh dear, he saw us!" Mother Li exclaimed joyfully. "Stone saw us!"
She excitedly waved to Li Pan, then realized she had lost her composure and quickly withdrew her hand, though her smile remained bright.
Thump, thump, thump-thump. Lou Xueying felt her heart pounding faster and faster. Under his gaze, her blood seemed to boil, and she wanted to rush out of this place, throw herself at his side, and tell him that during the days he was gone, she…
What was she going to say to him? Lou Xueying suddenly froze.
She just really wanted Li Pan to come back, really wanted to see Li Pan, but she never thought about what she would say to him when he came back and saw her.
Li Pan pursed his lips, his expression unchanged, but his gaze was fixed on her, as if he had a thousand words to say to her.
...Should he say it to her? Or is the person he's actually looking at actually his mother?
Lou Xueying hesitated and glanced at Li's mother.
He got closer and closer, raising his head higher and higher. Many passersby noticed Li Pan's gaze and followed it.
Lou Xueying didn't want to receive so much attention, and suddenly felt timid, so she took two steps back.
He disappeared from sight in an instant.
Li's mother and the others did not notice her abnormality and were still staring at Li Pan. Several heads unconsciously followed his route, slowly turning from left to right.
Lou Xueying pressed her pounding heart and let out a long breath.
After a while, when Li Pan's figure was finally out of sight, Li's mother looked away and said happily, "Let's go home and cook Shi Tou's favorite dishes, and wait for him to come back!"
Lou Xueying snapped out of her daze and smiled, saying "Okay."
-
Li Pan entered the palace together with Shen Shi.
Because the wooden carts carrying the sacred stones could not enter the Ganyang Hall, all the officials stood in the square in front of the hall, eagerly awaiting their arrival.
Emperor Jinghui stood with his hands behind his back on the steps, facing the sunlight, and squinted slightly.
Li Pan bowed respectfully and said loudly, "Your subject Li Pan was ordered to escort the divine stone back to the capital. We traveled day and night without daring to slacken for a moment, and we have fulfilled our mission. We present this auspicious omen to Your Majesty and ask Your Majesty to take a look."
The black cloth was removed, revealing the rough outer skin of the divine stone and the jade-like surface at the top, where a halo of light flowed. Of course, the most eye-catching feature was the large "Heavenly Blessing" characters on the divine stone. Although severely worn, the marks were still deep, and the shape of these characters, crafted by divine hands, was still visible.
Li Pan said, “This is no ordinary thing from the mountains and fields. When the Rong and Di barbarians see this divine stone, they are routed. When the soldiers and civilians of the Great Yue see this divine stone, they all bow down. Your Majesty, I congratulate you on obtaining this divine stone. May your country be forever secure and may the world be at peace.”
As soon as he began, the square was filled with endless praise.
Emperor Jinghui looked at Li Pan quietly.
He didn't believe for a second that such a divine stone truly existed, but he also didn't think it was Su Jun who gave Li Pan the idea. Leaving aside the lack of time, Su Jun certainly wouldn't dare tell Li Pan about her premarital affair with the emperor.
Most likely, Li Pan himself didn't want to fight, and when he arrived in the Northwest, he found that there was no war going on, so he used this trick to get me to summon him back to the capital.
But this is for the best. He temporarily transferred Li Pan away just to find an opportunity to see Su Jun alone. But now Su Jun is resisting him fiercely, and if he continues to force her, she might really commit suicide. Rather than letting her go to the Northwest with Li Pan, it's better to recall Li Pan. At least, as long as she is still in the capital, he will still have a chance to contact her.
Moreover, if Li Pan really went on a killing spree in the Northwest and completely wiped out the foreign tribes, wouldn't his prestige completely overshadow that of the emperor? Besides, the Ministry of Revenue has been arguing for a long time that they don't have enough silver to fight such a long war. Now that Li Pan has been summoned back, the people in the Ministry of Revenue can finally shut up.
"Crown Prince," Emperor Jinghui addressed him, "what do you think of this divine stone?"
The Crown Prince stepped forward and answered solemnly, “Your Majesty, the divine stone descended to earth not through carving, but through the wonder of creation, and a sign that Your Majesty’s virtuous character has moved heaven and earth. Your son will certainly be vigilant at all times, cultivate his character and establish his virtue, so as not to fail Your Majesty’s exemplary conduct and earnest teachings.”
Emperor Jinghui asked, "How are the preparations for the auspicious offering ceremony that I asked you to prepare coming along?"
The Crown Prince replied, "Everything is ready. We are just waiting for an auspicious day three days from now, when the purple aura will arrive from the east, making it the perfect time for the temple ceremony."
"Very well then." Emperor Jinghui chuckled, his meaning ambiguous.
The crown prince lowered his eyes, his expression calm.
-
"The Marquis is back!" Cui Cui announced as she ran in, beaming with joy.
Li's mother, who was sitting in the shade of a tree, quickly stood up. Lou Xueying wanted to help her, but she didn't need it and walked quickly toward the door at a pace much faster than usual.
"Shitou!" She grinned as she looked at her son, who was traveling a long way towards her. "You're finally back!"
Li Pan stopped in front of her, smiled, and called out, "Mother."
Li's mother held his arm, looked him over, and said, "You've gotten darker and thinner."
“That’s an exaggeration. Every time I come back from outside, you say the same thing,” Li Pan said. “According to you, I should have turned into dried charcoal long ago.”
Li's mother hit him.
Li Pan remained motionless, his gaze passing over his mother and looking at Lou Xueying, who was slowly walking towards him from behind her.
Lou Xueying took a deep breath and smiled, "My Lord."
Li Pan nodded and said to his mother, "Mother, I'll go back to my room to take a shower and change my clothes."
"Okay, okay." Li's mother nodded. "No rush, we'll eat after you're better."
Li Pan then strode quickly into his own courtyard.
Lou Xueying followed silently behind him.
The servants busily carried hot water into the washroom. Li Pan glanced at Lou Xueying and whispered, "Let's go inside and talk."
Upon entering the inner chamber, the curtains were drawn, blocking out the figures of the servants coming and going outside.
Lou Xueying looked at Li Pan, at his dark eyes, and the impulse she felt when she saw him in the restaurant seemed to resurface. She pinched herself hard to suppress the urge to throw herself into his arms.
She lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him again, opened her mouth, and squeezed out a low voice: "My lord... it's good that you're back."
Li Pan stared at her, his Adam's apple bobbing, and asked, "When I wasn't around, did he make things difficult for you?"
Lou Xueying quickly shook her head: "No, nothing's wrong."
"really?"
“Really?” Lou Xueying said. “If you don’t believe me, you can ask Lü Gui. I spend every day with the old lady.”
Li Pan: "Then why did you seem a little aggrieved when I saw you on the street today? And why did you even avoid looking me in the eye later?"
He walked down that street again, and suddenly remembered that he had first met Lou Xueying on this very street. The thought had barely formed in his mind when he couldn't help but look up at the second-floor window—and there she was!
She wasn't the only one; there was also his mother and others in the Marquis's mansion.
Everyone else was all smiles, their eyes filled with joy, but she alone had a complex expression, neither quite laughing nor quite crying. Only her eyes were fixed on him, as if they held endless unspoken thoughts.
His heart skipped a beat. He wondered if he had returned too late.
But he was afraid he was seeing things, so he tried to get closer to see her more clearly, but she had already disappeared from the window.
On the way to the palace, he was in a state of turmoil. During his audience with the emperor, he had to suppress his agitation to successfully complete the formalities.
"I...I'm not wronged..." Lou Xueying said hesitantly and somewhat awkwardly, "I'm just...I've been worried about the Marquis, and only when I saw him with my own eyes did I dare to believe that the Marquis has indeed returned..."
Li Pan carefully examined her and saw that her complexion was still good and her figure had not diminished, so she did not seem to be overwhelmed with worries. He finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.
He sighed, reached out as if to touch her head, but withdrew his hand halfway, saying only, "It's good that you're alright. Susu, you should know that I'm not afraid of trouble, but I'm afraid that you're hiding something from me."
Lou Xueying bit her lip.
"My lord, the water is ready!" a servant called out from outside.
Li Pan: "Understood, you may leave."
The servants quickly left, closing the door behind them.
Lou Xueying looked at the dust on his armor and said softly, "Let me help you change, Lord Marquis."
"No need, I can do it myself, it'll be quick." Li Pan walked to the side and began to quickly remove his armor and clothes, then entered the washroom wearing only his sweat-soaked undergarments.
Lou Xueying had no choice but to sit inside and wait for him.
He waited and waited, but Li Pan didn't come out for a long time, much longer than usual.
Lou Xueying couldn't help but wonder, could it be that he hadn't taken a bath at all these days, and that's why he was so dirty?
Just as I was wondering, I heard a soft rustling sound coming from the washroom.
Lou Xueying quickly got up and walked to the door of the washroom: "My lord, what's wrong?"
Li Pan paused for a moment inside, then said, "I forgot to bring a bath towel and some clean clothes. Could you please get them for me?"
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Author's Note: I've been updating twice a day for the past few days (but recently...).
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