Last time
The emperor laughed until tears streamed down his face, and said, "Then why is it that another woman, whom you have never met, who does not love you, may even hate you to the extreme, has never done anything for you, and may even try every means to oppose you, can be above me and become your empress simply because of her noble family background and her Han Chinese lineage?"
Hulü Guang's expression changed drastically, and he asked patiently, "Where did you hear about this?"
Your Majesty laughed and said, "You tried to scheme against the most beautiful woman in the Southern Dynasty, the young lady of the Shangguan family, through Luoyufang, but in the end you were thrown into the dungeon. I was the one who rescued you. Have you forgotten?"
Hulü Guang looked as if he had been stabbed, his face turning ashen. He finally lost his patience and said in a deep voice, "Time is of the essence. I have no interest in listening to your rambling." He said coldly, "You suddenly sent word that you wanted me to risk coming to see you tonight. I thought it was something important, but it turns out you just wanted to take the opportunity to make demands of me."
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. His face turned extremely ugly. He stood up abruptly and said sternly, "At this moment, the outcome of the battle hangs by a thread, and you are here getting jealous over something as trivial as being named empress or concubine. With such a narrow mind and limited vision, no wonder you can't even get a concubine rank in your elder brother's harem!"
His words were extremely sarcastic, but His Highness remained unmoved and laughed loudly, "Doesn't Your Highness think this is the only opportunity for me to make demands? If I fail in my assassination attempt tonight and die, where will I go to make demands?"
Hulü Guang clenched his fist, repeatedly trying to calm himself down, before saying in a deep voice, "Zhuya, the position of Imperial Concubine is the best I can give you. You should know that if it weren't for our childhood friendship, I could have easily lied to you about this matter, agreed first, and then gone back on my word later, and you wouldn't have been able to do anything about it."
He reached out and grabbed Wan Sui's shoulders, saying fiercely, "I hope you can wake up and see your reality clearly. Your mother was involved with so many men, did she become a concubine or empress? No, every man just played with her and then abandoned her. Zhu Ya, she is your example, you can't be any better than her!"
Wan Sui trembled all over, looking at Huli Guang in disbelief, and said, "So, this is why you never considered me."
Hulü Guang's gaze turned cold as he said, "Yes! The daughter of a woman who sleeps with anyone, a woman whose father isn't even sure if she's his own child, and who has so many half-siblings on the grasslands. No man would formally marry her, let alone an empress. My elder brother isn't stupid, and neither am I."
He picked up the book "The Remnants of Frost and Splendor," and carefully placed it again on the table in front of the Emperor, saying firmly but softly:
"These are the rules of the grasslands, and they won't change when we get to Luoyang."
You can only rely on yourself.
"And tonight is your last chance."
Huli Guang slipped out the door, leaving only Princess Wansui's stiff figure standing by the window.
Gu Yi beckoned A Qiu to come down with a look, and A Qiu obediently flew down. After watching Huli Guang's figure disappear into the distance, the two of them left the place silently together.
Ah Qiu suddenly said, "Should we follow the Empress Dowager and see if she will attempt to assassinate Huli Jin?"
Gu Yi shook his head and said, "This is no longer our concern. Whether her assassination succeeds or fails, it will inevitably cause chaos. What we need to do is ensure that we stay away from their internal strife so that we can win amidst the chaos."
Ah Qiu continued, "Even someone as wicked as Hulü Guang was willing to tell the truth to His Majesty; this is probably one of the few remaining signs of his conscience."
Gu Yi looked at her, his gaze softening, and replied, "No matter what kind of person someone is, there will always be someone who can reach their heart. Since Huli Guang and Wan Sui have known each other since they were young, Huli Guang will always treat her a little differently."
Ah Qiu said casually, "But that doesn't change the fact that he met someone even more amazing later on."
Gu Yi's tone turned serious as he said, "Whether it's the Xiao family, the Mo Yi family, or the Shangguan family, they are all the most prestigious of the Hua people. Hulü Guang's covetousness towards them stems more from ambition and desire than from love."
A Qiu never expected to hear this word from Gu Yi's mouth.
She couldn't help but ask, "Then... what is love?"
Gu Yi looked at her and said softly, "Love is only about that person. If you see a person and only see that person, and don't see anything else, that is love."
A Qiu immediately said, "Then perhaps Hulü Guang doesn't love Wansui, but Wansui must love Hulü Guang very much."
Because she could see the way Princess Wansui looked at Hulü Guang. Although that look was largely concealed and suppressed.
Yet it is still filled with an overwhelming and inescapable sadness.
Gu Yi suddenly said, "Actually, your life from childhood... must have been similar to that of Princess Wansui. Fortunately, you didn't grow up to look like her now."
There was a sense of relief in his tone.
Ah Qiu laughed and said, "Perhaps it's because I've kept my heart closed off from love since I was little, so I won't fall in love with a bad person. Besides, my master and senior brothers in Lanling Hall... they've been very good to me."
Compared to the Emperor, she couldn't help but feel saddened. Although her master, Wan Qiqing, was arrogant, unrestrained, and kept his distance from her, he had never treated her as a tool.
He felt a mix of emotions towards her: estrangement, wariness, admiration, and disappointment. He was amazed by her martial arts genius, yet frustrated by her clumsy calligraphy. But this richness of emotion precisely demonstrates that she was a living, breathing person in his heart, not a commodity to be sold among nations.
Upon hearing the words "seal off the heart and lock away love," Gu Yi raised an eyebrow and asked, "What did you say?"
Ah Qiu immediately fell silent.
Gu Yi wouldn't allow her to get away with it vaguely. He blocked her way, stared at her, and said, "Say the first half of what you just said again."
A Qiu had no choice but to meet his deep eyes.
For a fleeting moment, A-Qiu's heart fluttered, and she almost blurted out that she had remembered things from her childhood.
She will forget him because someone once whispered in her ear when she was little that she should never fall in love with anyone.
But she stopped herself from speaking, instead looking away and gazing into the distance, saying, "This is the first time I've ever seen the night view of Luoyang."
The two of them are now standing side by side on the most magnificent and towering palace in the inner palace complex.
From here, one can see not only the entire Zichen Palace, but also most of Luoyang.
Gu Yi followed her gaze and finally fell silent.
As the night wind swept through this ancient capital, and the leaves withered, a feeling of being weathered by time yet ever-renewing arose in A Qiu's heart.
Judging from the scene since entering Beijing, Luoyang is still a magnificent ancient capital, but it is no longer the magical capital that people remember and cherish, a place of renewal and prosperity.
At that moment, however, a piece of music came to her mind.
That was the ancient tune that led her to meet Gu Yi again in the deep palace after she grew up.
"Chang'an Wind".
When she first learned "Chang'an Wind," she was still an infant in Gu Yi's arms, and she only felt that the melody was hoarse and out of tune. Later, Wan Qiqing composed the complete piece and taught her to play it on the Qiang flute in preparation for entering the palace for selection. At that time, she only felt a feeling of longing for her homeland after leaving her country.
Only now did she finally understand the contradictory polyphony and emotions in the piece.
Longing for you, in Chang'an. But the Chang'an sung about in the song is no longer the Han capital that has been ravaged by war and left only as bones.
After the Han people left, all the capital cities were devoid of spirits.
The ancient capital, after being occupied by the conquerors, was a huge, desolate empty shell.
The ancient capital was no longer a symbol of prosperity and civilization, but became a symbol of hometown in memories and dreams.
A Qiu heard Gu Yi say, "In the past hundred years, you are the first person to stand shoulder to shoulder with me and watch the night view of Luoyang."
A Qiu then heard him say, "In the future, I will take you to see Chang'an and the area beyond the Great Wall."
It's like a vow, or a promise.
But will there really be a future?
Ah Qiu, however, forced herself not to think about it.
She gently rested her head on Gu Yi's shoulder.
The familiar atmosphere remained, as did the desolate and vast palace. Their acquaintance began in an abandoned palace, and now, they met again in the ancient palace of the ancient capital.
They seemed destined to meet in this deep palace, and to recognize each other again and again.
All of this is like a deep dream in a labyrinth.
But it was the dream she cherished most and least wanted to wake up from.
Before falling asleep again, A Qiu whispered, "Gu Yi."
Before he could answer, she said, "Remember to wake me up before dawn."
Unexpectedly, she didn't sleep very well during the time she was by Gu Yi's side.
"Achoo, Achoo!"
A woman's voice was calling her, her voice so anxious and urging.
Ah Qiu was already very familiar with her voice, and mumbled sleepily, "Don't bother me, Ah Xiu. I'm sleepy."
This may be her last sleep in this world, and her last beautiful dream by Gu Yi's side.
She didn't want anyone to bother her.
Even Ah Xiu is no good.
Although Ah-Xiu was a playmate who had repeatedly appeared in her dreams since childhood.
These dreams only disappeared after she went to Lanling Hall.
But after she entered the palace, these dreams began again.
It's like the deepest call from the depths of one's soul.
"You can't sleep anymore, get up and listen to me."
"This is the last time."
In his sleep, A-Qiu suddenly opened his eyes and immediately looked around.
That figure, so familiar to her, was standing before the exquisitely carved window, quietly gazing at her.
The person before me was like a lady in a painting, elegant and simple, dressed in a long, flowing white silk robe. Her long, smooth, black hair cascaded down naturally without any hairpins or combs.
Her eyebrows were sparse and light, with a bright yellow dot between them, a style that was the latest in the palace.
Her cheeks were tinged with melancholy, her skin as white as ice. Though she had urged him on earlier, a hint of a smile lingered in her slightly curved eyes.
A Qiu was instantly struck by an unnamed, immense force, leaving him utterly shocked.
All the previous impressions of Ah Xiu finally came together, piecing together a complete picture.
She suddenly realized that Ah Xiu was both familiar and unfamiliar to her.
She felt familiar because she had long been a frequent visitor in her dreams, and more like an old friend she had known for many years.
The unfamiliarity stemmed from the fact that, over all these years, she had never seen Ah Xiu's true face even once.
In the past, Ah Xiu only appeared in her dreams as a silhouette, or as if there was always a veil between them.
She finally saw Ah Xiu's true appearance.
With the grace of a celestial being and the demeanor of ice and snow.
It shouldn't belong to this world.
They shouldn't be burdened by those heavy phoenix crowns, pearl hairpins, and gorgeous robes.
A Qiu's lips moved several times before she finally managed to utter a sentence with difficulty: "This junior pays respects to Empress Xining...Your Majesty."
She watched helplessly as the smile on Ah Xiu's lips was tinged with an indescribable bitterness.
Ah Xiu's outstretched hand froze in mid-air.
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