Chapter 50 lingered in his mind day after day, no…
"Madam, Madam! Good news, great news!" Lü Gui shouted excitedly, forgetting all manners and barging into Li's mother's room without even knocking.
Lou Xueying was teaching Li's mother to write when she heard this. She was stunned for a moment, looking at Lü Gui in disbelief. Her lips moved, but no sound came out.
She dared not ask any questions, fearing that what she asked would not be the same as what Lü Gui had said.
Li's mother asked curiously, "What happy occasion is it?"
"The Marquis is coming back! Hahahaha!" Lü Gui clapped his hands and laughed loudly. "This morning, the palace received an urgent report from the Marquis, saying that an auspicious divine stone had appeared in the northwest, with the words 'Heavenly Blessing' written on it. It is said to even emit light! It frightened those barbarians so much that they dared not invade again! With the war over, His Majesty issued an edict ordering the Marquis to escort the divine stone back to the capital!"
"What? Stone is coming back?" Mother Li slapped the table excitedly. "Great! Great! This is truly a joyous occasion!"
She couldn't help but pat Lou Xueying on the back again and laughed, "Susu, why don't you have any reaction? Are you so happy you've gone silly?"
Lou Xueying then seemed to snap out of her daze and hurriedly asked, "Really? Is the news accurate?"
"It couldn't be more accurate!" Lü Gui said. "Now everyone outside is discussing what that divine stone looks like!"
Lou Xueying abruptly threw down her pen, her eyes slightly red, looking as if she were both crying and laughing.
Li Pan... he really kept his word and found a way to come back.
For so many days, she had been living in constant unease, worrying about what would happen if Li Pan didn't come back, and what would happen if Emperor Jinghui wanted to see her again. But thankfully, thankfully, Heaven took pity on her, Li Pan returned, and Emperor Jinghui didn't look for her again.
The imperial edict ordering Li Pan to return to the capital was issued personally by Emperor Jinghui. Does this mean that he has finally been able to give up on her?
"Great, great!" Mother Li smiled so broadly her eyes disappeared. "Susu, you're so clever, let me test you—'Marquis Wu'an escorted the divine stone back to the capital,' what's the next line?"
Lou Xueying smiled and asked, "What is it?"
"You didn't know that? Hahaha!" Li's mother clapped her hands with laughter. "This is called—the stone has come home!"
Lou Xueying was taken aback, then couldn't help but turn her head away, covering her face with her sleeve, laughing so hard that her shoulders were shaking.
Lü Gui chuckled, saying, "The old lady can now use double entendres and create her own witty remarks!"
“That’s right,” Cui Cui added fuel to the fire. “Ever since the old lady started learning to read, her speech has become much more refined. I think it won’t be long before she can speak eloquently!”
"Go away, stop bragging here." Mother Li waved her hand. "I've been influenced by Su Su for so long that I just had a 'sudden inspiration,' and these words just popped out of my mouth!"
Lou Xueying smiled and said, "Mother is a smart person. She just didn't have the opportunity to learn before. Now that she has the opportunity, she learns very quickly!"
Li's mother said smugly, "Right, right? I think I'm pretty amazing now. When Shitou comes back, I'm going to make him look at me with new eyes after just three days!"
Lou Xueying clapped her hands immediately: "Mother is absolutely right!"
Lü Gui and Cuicui also clapped along. Li's mother was a little embarrassed by their applause, scratched her face and said, "Alright, alright, I know you're just trying to make me happy, that's enough."
Lou Xueying then smiled and stopped, saying, "Will Mother continue learning today? On such a happy day, a day off is fine too."
"Oh, no need then. It's fine to be happy, but Shitou isn't coming back right now, and he'll have nothing to do on holiday anyway," said Li's mother, then looked at Lü Gui, "When will Shitou be back?"
Lu Gui hissed, "This... is really hard to say. After all, the Marquis is escorting the divine stone, and the divine stone is so heavy that it will definitely take some time to transport it."
Mother Li sighed and said, "Alright." Then she grinned and said, "It's alright, it's good that you're back! We didn't even have to fight a battle this time, and we even picked up a divine stone for nothing. What a great job!"
-
While the Marquis's mansion in the capital was filled with joy, Li Pan was fast asleep in his tent in the distant northwest military camp.
He sent the urgent report when he was almost in the Northwest, and arrived at the military camp several days later. Because he had not yet received a reply from the capital, he could not leave his post for the time being.
Wu Zhao and the others were working hard around the "divine stone" in another large tent.
The so-called "divine stone" is a giant rock taller than a person, shaped like a pear, with a rough and pitted surface that is bluish-gray in color. However, under the heavy stone material, a small piece of oily and full light golden jade is exposed at the top.
In short, it's basically a piece of raw jade that's been cut open a little.
"Where did it come from?" Li Pan asked Hasule.
When Hasule learned that Li Pan wanted jade, he hesitated and was reluctant to give it to him, since it could indeed be exchanged for money. But Li Pan said it didn't need to be too valuable, just large and decent-looking, so Hasule reluctantly took out a piece. Although the rough stone looked large, the amount of jade inside was actually quite small, far from enough to justify its enormous size, and it wasn't worth much money, which perfectly suited Li Pan's requirements.
Under the cover of darkness, the Wusun people dragged the raw stone to the location designated by Li Pan.
Then, on the way, Li Pan received news from the military camp that "the patrol soldiers had unexpectedly discovered a divine stone." He immediately wrote a memorial and sent it to the capital in an urgent manner.
Now, Wu Zhao and the others are nominally guarding the sacred stone, but in reality, they are processing it.
The Wusun people did not understand the script of Dayue, and the two characters "Tianyou" were carved crookedly. But it was precisely this crookedness that made it clear that the Dayue people did not create it themselves, and it seemed more like a miracle.
However, the Wusun craftsmanship was limited, and the engravings were a bit too light. So Li Pan ordered Wu Zhao and others to deepen the engravings along the Wusun people's marks, and to polish the edges to make them more blurred, creating the effect of sun and rain, and wear and tear over the years.
"The Marquis has been sleeping like this for three or four days now, sleeping for six or seven hours or more every day. Is he really alright?" a guard muttered as he typed.
"The Marquis ran tirelessly for several days without sleep in order to catch up with us, and even changed horses several times. If it were you or me, we would probably have collapsed on the way," Wu Zhao said. "Let the Marquis get some rest while we have some free time."
Another guard lowered his voice and quietly asked Wu Zhao, "Brother, tell us the truth, why is His Majesty tormenting the Marquis like this?"
Wu Zhao gave him a cold look: "How would I know? The Marquis didn't tell me either. Go do your work."
Li Pan slept until the afternoon, finally woke up, washed his face and brushed his teeth, slurped down a meal, and then came to check on how Wu Zhao and the others were doing their work.
Wu Zhao: "My lord, is this alright?"
Li Pan looked around the divine stone and said, "It'll do."
Wu Zhao: "My lord, is it really possible to return to the capital like this? What if His Majesty wants the stone but not the people, and sends the divine stone back to the capital while we are left here?"
Li Pan: "Then we'll have to think of another way."
He frowned, clearly unsure whether the method would work.
One of the bolder guards asked, "Is the Marquis in such a hurry to return to the capital because his wife is there?"
After he finished speaking, everyone around him burst into silent laughter.
Li Pan hummed in agreement and said frankly, "Yes."
The guards: "..."
Wu Zhao kicked the guard who had asked the question in the butt: "You talk too much."
After examining the divine stone, Li Pan slowly exhaled and walked out of the tent with his hands behind his back. Wu Zhao wanted to follow, but Li Pan waved his hand and said, "I'll just take a walk by myself."
Wu Zhao then stopped.
Li Pan walked alone onto the city wall, braced his arms on the cold, hard bricks, squinted slightly, and looked out at the vast horizon beyond the border.
The Northwest and the capital are indeed quite different.
Even though it's already summer, the wind here is still rough and wild, just not as cold as in winter. If Lou Xueying came, her face would be so dry it would hurt within two days.
Is she alright in the capital? Has the Emperor... offended her again?
He had not received any news from Lü Gui. Was she really safe and sound, or had she simply not told Lü Gui?
Li Pan slowly bit his cheek.
Even now, when he recalls his conversation with her that night, his emotions remain complex and difficult to describe.
She was so wronged and so timid, but how could she let him know that he really just wanted to hear her tell the truth and solve her problem?
The emperor's covetousness certainly angered him, but this anger, in addition to the struggle between men, also contained a sense of resentment at being unable to exert his strength and the helplessness of being a subject.
He already knew that Lou Xueying had chosen to marry him because she thought he had military merits and power, and that the emperor wouldn't dare touch his wife. But as it turned out, the emperor was bolder than she thought. Although the emperor didn't dare to openly seize her, he was able to separate the couple and act covertly. He was far away and couldn't help in the immediate crisis.
But what could he do? He could certainly further enhance his power and let the emperor know that Li Pan was truly willing to risk everything for a woman, but doing so would be tantamount to completely breaking ties with the emperor and becoming a major threat to him. Even without the emperor's direct intervention, other officials kept in the dark would already impeach him for being autocratic and lawless. At that point, the Marquis's mansion would be in an even more awkward position, and the Lou family would also face criticism.
He has now given the emperor a way out. The appearance of the divine stone can provide an explanation for the inexplicable "foreign invasion," preventing people from feeling that the emperor is changing his mind at will. It can also give the emperor a reason to legitimately summon him back to the capital.
But what if the emperor refuses to back down...
When pushed to the limit, he could only join forces with the Lou family to incite public opinion, arguing that the border was peaceful, so why send troops out? It was clearly a waste of resources and manpower. If public resentment was strong enough, coupled with opposition from court officials, the emperor would have no choice but to give up.
However, Li Pan did not want to go to that point unless absolutely necessary. Again, he did not want to directly challenge the emperor's authority and become a major threat to the emperor.
However, on the other hand, his offering of the divine stone was merely a temporary measure. Although it gave the emperor face, what if the emperor misunderstood and thought that Li Pan was exchanging goods for a wife? What if the emperor asked him for something else next time?
Ultimately, how can we completely dispel Emperor Jinghui's feelings for Lou Xueying? How can we make Lou Xueying believe that she can truly tell him the truth? Emperor Jinghui is just one of the hidden dangers; how many other dangers await him behind her? If he continues to be kept in the dark, how can he find a proper solution?
These questions lingered in his mind day after day, unanswered.
Li Pan once thought he hated troublesome rich girls the most. He thought that marrying Lou Xueying was a good deal for him. But in the end, all the troubles of other rich girls combined were not as big as the troubles she caused.
But now Li Pan realizes that he doesn't actually mind helping her solve her problems; what bothers him is the thick defenses she's built around him. How can she give him her body without reservation while refusing to have deep conversations with him about her feelings?
Yes, he admitted that he was indeed somewhat infatuated with her body, but in her eyes, did he really only care about that kind of thing? Was it because he had never had any deep, soul-searching conversations with her that she felt he wasn't worthy of entrusting her with her whole heart?
But he didn't know what to talk about! His past was laid bare; he had no particular troubles in his life, nor any profound insights into life, so he couldn't think of asking her anything deep. The only things they talked about daily were eating, drinking, and having fun, maybe with a few words about politics. Besides, she always put on such a good act; how could he know how much she actually carried in her heart!
Li Pan sighed heavily.
Is it really true that only well-educated, cultured people know how to solve this kind of problem? Are these uncouth people, who can't say anything nice, just supposed to suffocate like this?
Rustling, rustling.
He faced the wind, his low voice carried away by the wind and scattered across the vast天地 (heaven and earth).
If I manage to return to the capital this time, what should I do to make you believe me?
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