inaction
An Daoling could only bow in acknowledgment and watch the three of them leave.
Traveling with Shangguan Yuqi was extremely convenient. The face of the Eastern Palace Flying Phoenix Chief was a pass to the Imperial City and even the Palace City. Although Rong Yuexian, who was following behind them, covered half of her face with a bamboo hat, they rode straight out of the Duanmen and Yingmen gates to the Grand Marshal's Gate. There were no soldiers checking or questioning them along the way. Instead, someone would call out from afar and order them to pass.
Rong Yuexian covered her face because even in men's clothing, her appearance was too unique and stunning. If she went out like this, she would probably attract attention and cause trouble.
Who would have thought that Rong Yu, the most powerful person in the inner palace and the most honored Grand Eunuch before the Emperor, would have to rely on Shangguan Yuqi's prestige after leaving the palace? Of course, this was because, in this situation where everyone was on edge, she didn't want to leave any clues that might expose her identity, lest she be discovered by someone with ulterior motives.
Rong Yuexian lagged behind Shangguan Yuqi and A Qiu by a step or two and said calmly, "If someone questions you two tomorrow about taking people out of the palace without permission, how will you answer?"
The sight of the three of them galloping out of the palace was naturally witnessed by everyone.
A Qiu stuck out her tongue and laughed, "This junior will put all the blame on Miss Shangguan to show that I follow Miss's arrangements in everything and know nothing about it."
Rong Yuexian seemed completely unprepared for this answer and chuckled, "Little Aqiu, you're really loyal." In an instant, the tense atmosphere among the three of them eased.
A Qiu smiled and said to Shangguan Yuqi, "I wonder how Miss Shangguan will answer?"
Shangguan Yuqi said calmly, "Apart from His Majesty, Consort Chen, and the Crown Prince, no one else is qualified to ask me this question, and I disdain to answer it."
Ah Qiu was first surprised, then laughed so hard he almost fell over, saying, "This is the advantage of having power; you don't have to explain to anyone. Compared to the young lady, I'm still inferior."
Shangguan Yuqi rolled her eyes at her and said, "You know how to find a big tree to lean on and push everything onto me. You've already grasped the basics of power dynamics. That's the meaning of 'borrowing power,' also known as 'the fox borrowing the tiger's might.'"
Rong Yuexian watched the two of them teasing each other, and suddenly fell silent.
After a moment, he sighed and said, "It would be best if you could always get along so well without any grudges."
A-Qiu knew that she must have remembered the past of the four of them. And it must have been a past filled with sighs and sorrow.
After a moment, A Qiu finally couldn't help but say, "Since I've known An Gong, I've never seen him so yielding and silent as a cicada in winter."
Rong Yuexian smiled and said, "A Qiu, are you standing up for him?"
A Qiu rolled her eyes and said, "A Qiu wouldn't dare. I just feel that even a dashing figure like An Gong can be subdued and obedient."
Rong Yuexian turned her head away, her calm demeanor beneath her bamboo hat as unfathomable as ever, and said, "Some mistakes require a lifetime to repay."
A Qiu wanted to ask An Daoling what he had done wrong, but knew it was inappropriate to ask directly. After hesitating for a long time, she finally asked, "Senior Yuexian, why did you disagree with Lord An going with us?"
Rong Yuexian said calmly, "You noticed?"
A Qiu cautiously said, "Senior said earlier that he was going and asked An Gong to handle it, but then suddenly said that there was no one in the palace and asked An Gong to stay."
Rong Yuexian remained silent in response, not uttering a single word.
A Qiu's heart stirred, and she suddenly mustered her courage and said, "Senior Yue Xian, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should."
Rong Yuexian said calmly, "Speak."
A-Qiu cautiously said, "A-Qiu feels that Senior Yuexian doesn't seem to have no interest in Lord An either..."
To everyone's surprise, Rong Yuexian suddenly reined in her horse and said in a deep voice, "What did you say?"
There was already a hint of anger in his tone.
A Qiu was taken aback by Rong Yuexian's strong reaction. Shangguan Yuqi, riding a black horse with four white hooves, glanced at her, seemingly annoyed that she was meddling.
The grudges between these elders date back at least forty or fifty years. Given the passage of time and the depth of their resentment, it's not something a junior could easily inquire about.
What she didn't know was that this was probably the first time in Rong Yuexian's life that someone had actually said to her that she wasn't entirely unintentional towards An Shihe.
Although An Shihe never spoke of his feelings for her, it was not a secret.
But her feelings for An Shihe were probably unpredictable even to herself, let alone to others.
The three remained silent for a long while, with only the rapid hoofbeats of three horses galloping forward like rain.
From A-Qiu's perspective, Rong Yuexian's expression, hidden by her bamboo hat, was difficult to discern, except for a hint of annoyance on her lips.
Rong Yuexian noticed that A Qiu was spying on her, and finally said impatiently, "What else? Tell me all at once!"
Seeing that she didn't seem really angry, A Qiu boldly continued, "Lord An has always admired you. If you also have a place for him in your heart, you shouldn't be conflicted because you care about your two junior sisters, and keep him at arm's length for so many years."
Rong Yuexian was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly said, "Why do you think I decided not to let Shihe come with us to see Zhongli?"
A Qiu asked in surprise, "Isn't it because Senior Zhongli is in love with Duke An, and therefore you don't want him to see her?"
Rong Yuexian smiled wryly and said, "Of course not!"
She gazed at the stone bridge and black tiles in front of her, and the moat running through the street, and said in a deep voice, "I do not want Zhongli, who became a nun as a concubine of the late emperor, to see me and Shihe coming together!"
A-Qiu suddenly realized.
One can imagine that if An Daoling were to regain his true appearance, he would undoubtedly be a handsome man of exceptional charm. Standing side by side with Rong Yuexian, they would be a perfect couple. As for Zhongli Wuyan, if she had ever been in love with An Daoling, given her past marriage and subsequent ordination, she would surely be heartbroken to see this scene so suddenly forty years later, caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events.
Because regardless of whether Rong Yuexian and An Daoling had a chance, it was impossible for her.
Ah Qiu couldn't help but say, "That's exactly what I wanted to say. In fact, the most important thing to consider in a relationship is whether the two people are truly in love. As for other people, that's their own business. Senior, you shouldn't put the cart before the horse."
Rong Yuexian stared at A Qiu for a long time before finally laughing and saying, "It's clear you're lucky. Your teacher probably doesn't have these kinds of things to worry about."
Before A Qiu could react, Rong Yuexian continued, "Regardless of whether I have feelings for Junior Brother An or not, I have never considered the possibility of being with him. Do you know why?"
Ah Qiu thought that if An Gong heard these words, he would be greatly shocked, so he could only say, "This junior is all ears."
Rong Yuexian said, "It's not because my two junior sisters are in love with him that I'm so generous in giving up my feelings. In the end, I never thought Shihe was a good man to entrust my life to."
These words were tantamount to sentencing An Daoling to death. Even A Qiu, an outsider, was stunned upon hearing them.
An Shihe was once known as the "Fairy of the Flute" and was one of the most handsome men in the righteous martial arts world. He was elegant and refined. Even now, dressed as an eunuch and disguised as an old man, he could not hide his gentle and refined gentlemanly demeanor. Such a celestial appearance made him the dream lover of many young girls in the capital. However, Rong Yuexian pointed out that he was not a good man, which was really hard to believe.
Rong Yuexian sighed deeply and looked up at the sky, saying, "He really didn't do anything. However, my two junior sisters went mad after becoming nuns, and all of this is more or less related to the vow we made back then: once we entered the palace, we would never see each other again."
She continued, "The reason everyone swore to enter the palace was because they were tormented and resentful by this sentiment. Can anyone tell me why he brought so much suffering to everyone when he did nothing wrong?"
Ah Qiu finally understood.
An Daoling did nothing, and the biggest problem among the four was probably precisely because he did nothing.
He never openly expressed his feelings to Rong Yuexian, but only secretly harbored his love for her. Therefore, Rong Yuexian had neither the opportunity to openly express her opinion of him nor the opportunity to clearly reject him.
He never clearly rejected Zhongli and Chu Yuanyi's advances and advances, so Zhongli and Chu Yuanyi would only let their emotions run wild and become more and more deeply involved, without ever thinking of extricating themselves.
The entanglement and cause and effect between the four people were thus sown.
One can imagine how awkward Rong Yuexian felt facing her two junior sisters. And once the situation turned so that her two junior sisters became more and more infatuated, it would become inappropriate for her to accept An Shihe, no matter how much she wanted to.
As the senior disciple, she competes with her junior sister for a man, who is also a junior brother. This is tantamount to instigating conflict among fellow disciples. Where is her authority and fairness then?
Rong Yuexian said very slowly, "Back then, when the Emperor asked the martial arts world for a hidden bodyguard, I immediately agreed and resolved to leave the sect and never appear again, which can be considered as breaking this difficult situation. Moreover, since I am no longer here, the position of the number one person in the sect will naturally be inherited by Shihe. If he wants to marry Zhongli or Yuanyi," she took a deep breath and said, "or even both of them at the same time, it doesn't matter."
Shangguan Yuqi said as if she had witnessed it herself, "Presumably, the choice that Duke An made was to follow you into the palace."
Rong Yuexian smiled bitterly and said, "Yes. To be honest with you two juniors, when he made this choice, I did feel a little secretly pleased. That is because it shows that he would rather give up fame, status, and... other people, and be willing to live a lonely and unknown life, as long as I am still in that life."
A Qiu wondered what Rong Yuexian's state of mind had been like at that time.
Her decision to leave her sect and enter the palace was no easy one. Rong Yuexian, the "elegant scholar," was once a leading figure in the righteous path, a prodigy of the most prestigious sect in the martial arts world, and the leader of her branch. At the height of her glory, in the prime of her life, she chose to abandon all her promising future and enter the palace to spend her remaining years in obscurity. Even by the standards of a young girl's nature, this was certainly not her preferred choice.
Some things in A Qiu's heart gradually became clear.
The reason Rong Yuexian made such a choice was that she was not experiencing calm and tranquility, but rather a chilling and devastating experience.
The reason she always dressed as a man and presented herself in a relaxed and vigorous style, never revealing any feminine traits, is probably related to this.
It wasn't that she didn't care, but she could only swallow her bitterness and pretend nothing was wrong.
She thought that if she could enter the palace, the deadly predicament among the four would finally be resolved. At the very least, she could escape and live a carefree life.
Sticky and messy is not her style.
Although the price was her entire life.
She was not unharmed, nor was she lightly injured.
But when An Shihe stood up at the sect council meeting, looked at Rong Yuexian with his usual clear eyes, and said clearly, "Junior brother is willing to follow in senior sister's footsteps and enter the palace," her heart was instantly filled with sunshine, and the ice and snow suddenly shattered.
At that moment, she clearly understood An Shihe's feelings; it was the first time those feelings had been presented to her so clearly and resolutely.
The moment he heard that she was leaving, he stood up without hesitation and, in front of everyone, made the decision to follow her.
She knew very well what he had given up. It was everything she had given up.
No one could remain unmoved by such a situation.
However, the joy, anticipation, and disbelief that she felt for the first time in her life were shattered in the next instant.
Zhongli Wuyan and Chu Yuanyi stood up, clasped their hands in a fist salute to their elders, and said resolutely, "Wuyan and Yuanyi are also willing to follow our second senior brother and senior sister into the palace."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
