Chapter 81 Two Hearts United: I Will Love Only You Forever
At dawn, as the sun rose in the east, the people of Shengjing City ate their breakfast as usual, as if no fierce battle or power struggle had taken place in Shengjing the night before, and everything remained peaceful and normal.
"Your Highness, Imperial Concubine."
Consort Qiong sat in the hall. Some of the pearls and jade in her hair seemed to have fallen off during the palace coup, turning the original dazzling beauty into a disheveled mess. A few stray hairs were also scattered at her temples, her gorgeous clothes were slightly disheveled, and her shawl was wrinkled.
Consort Qiong was the most favored concubine, and the palace was magnificent and splendid, just like Consort Qiong herself. However, now, sitting amidst the dazzling splendor, she carried an undeniable air of dejection.
Upon hearing Cui Yiluo's voice, Consort Qiong's dark eyes suddenly lit up as she looked at Cui Yiluo.
In fact, the part of Cui Yiluo's face that most resembles Consort Qiong's is her eyes; both are bright and captivating, capable of mesmerizing the heart with a single glance. However, while they resemble each other in appearance, their spirits are completely different. Consort Qiong's eyes are always sharper, full of aggressive intensity, and even now that all hope is lost, they still harbor a hidden edge.
Consort Qiong stepped forward quickly, seemingly wanting to take Cui Yiluo's hand, but was stopped by the guards before she could touch her.
Consort Qiong's phoenix eyes flashed sharply as she rebuked, "How dare you! You dare to stop me!"
The Fifth Prince has been imprisoned. This morning, Princess Hejia and the young Seventh Prince cried and begged in front of the Emperor's bedroom after hearing the news, but the Emperor did not let them in. Instead, they were taken back to the palace and placed under house arrest.
Although Consort Qiong has not yet been punished, the tide has turned. The once high-ranking favored concubine has fallen from grace. The guards sent to watch over her are all people of the newly powerful Third Prince, so they will not be lenient or pay any attention to her.
Seeing that the guards no longer showed fear as before, and instead completely disregarded her, Consort Qiong immediately turned to Cui Yiluo, revealing a vulnerable and pleading expression: "Yiluo..."
Previously, she only addressed her as Mrs. Jiang.
Cui Yiluo remained calm, revealing nothing of her thoughts. Ignoring her request, her tone was completely flat: "Your Highness, His Majesty only granted you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. What brings you here?"
Consort Qiong's breath hitched, a barely perceptible ruthlessness flashing in her eyes, which she quickly suppressed.
She adopted a gentle and helpless expression. "Yi Luo, you must know what happened last night. Your husband has rendered meritorious service in protecting the emperor and will surely become an important minister in the new dynasty in the future."
Although the emperor was poisoned and would not live much longer, he had not yet passed away. Consort Qiong then bluntly stated that the new dynasty seemed to have been a facade, as if the emperor and Consort Qiong had once been deeply in love and inseparable.
Cui Yiluo interrupted her, saying, "Your Majesty, please speak frankly."
Consort Qiong was startled again. She took a deep breath without making a sound. Suddenly, a look of helplessness appeared on her beautiful face. Her eyes, which were as clear as water, turned red. She covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and said, "Yi Luo, I am sorry for what happened in the past, but I believe you can understand."
Cui Yilu frowned slightly, her tone carrying a hint of sarcasm: "Why would Your Majesty think that I would understand you?"
"Because you are the same! Aren't you?" Consort Qiong was very satisfied with Cui Yiluo's slightly stunned reaction, and spoke with more confidence than before: "You and I are no different. Back then, I had to abandon you and find another way out in order to avoid your cowardly and incompetent father. And when you grew up, in a similar situation to me back then, didn't you make the same choice as me back then? You were unwilling to marry an old man, and went to great lengths to get involved with Jiang Yunjin."
Consort Qiong nodded slightly, her expression both resolute and satisfied: "Yi Luo, you truly are my daughter. We are very much alike, aren't we?"
After Consort Qiong finished speaking, she noticed that Cui Yiluo did not show the reaction she had expected. Instead, she stared at the pearl on her cloud-patterned shoes. However, it seemed that Consort Qiong's words had touched a nerve, which was why she remained stunned for so long. Although she had not raised her, the matter of blood ties was the most mysterious, and no one knew a daughter better than her mother.
Just as she was about to strike while the iron was hot, she suddenly heard a soft laugh from inside the hall.
Cui Yiluo looked up at her and gently shook her head, "Your Majesty, I am different from you."
Her voice was soft, yet it carried an unwavering certainty.
"Your Majesty, I have something to ask you." Before Consort Qiong could answer, she went straight to the point: "When I was betrothed to Cheng Feng by my stepmother, I wrote to my aunt asking for her help. Later, I secretly asked my aunt for help several times. My aunt wanted to help me, but she refused me every time. You were the one who prevented her from getting involved, weren't you?"
Although Lan Hui was only her aunt, she was, after all, the second wife of the Jiang family. If she intervened, Madam Yao might not have insisted on marrying her off to Cheng Feng, given the power of the Jiang family. However, Lan Hui always politely declined her advances, and afterwards felt extremely guilty towards her.
Consort Qiong clearly hadn't expected Cui Yiluo to ask her this question, and the usually astute Consort Qiong was momentarily at a loss for words.
Her reaction confirmed Cui Yiluo's suspicions. Cui Yiluo smiled and said, "Your Majesty need not answer."
Only then did Consort Qiong reveal a hint of genuine helplessness.
"Yi Luo, this is not a choice I could make! Xiao Jing wanted to use you for his own purposes. If you were to marry someone of higher status, wouldn't you be even more drawn into the treacherous situation and put your life in danger?"
Cui Yiluo's gaze suddenly turned to disbelief, her eyes sharp and direct, while Consort Qiong struggled to maintain her composure.
"Your Majesty, haven't you and the Fifth Prince been the ones who have been threatening my life all along?"
Consort Qiong quickly denied it: "I didn't. Your aunt talked to me about this, and I warned Zheng'er at the time. I have no idea what he did afterward..."
Cui Yiluo's face was calm, as if she had no energy to make any expression, and her tone was also flat: "My aunt did frequently visit the palace when I first arrived in Shengjing, but Xiao Zheng never had much of a fear of her at the time. Your Majesty, you did not warn him, you tacitly approved of it."
Consort Qiong's voice suddenly caught in her throat, unable to escape. But quickly, she changed her expression and even tried to reach past the guards to take Cui Yiluo's hand, only to be blocked by the guards.
"Yi Luo, all the mistakes I made in the past were due to my momentary lapse of judgment. I feel ashamed towards you, but everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Actually, I did consider taking you with me back then. It was my first child, and it was extremely difficult for me. I was in pain all day before giving birth to you. For the past six months, I've been with you day and night, but at that time, I was barely able to take care of myself and was truly powerless. Yi Luo, you haven't conceived yet, so perhaps you can't truly understand, but in the future..."
Cui Yiluo interrupted directly: "Your Majesty is truly confused. Last time at the imperial palace, I made it clear to Your Majesty, and Your Majesty heard it clearly. My birth mother, Lan Yi, died eighteen years ago in the Ningzhou River."
Consort Qiong had tears welling up in her eyes, as if suppressing her grievances, and helplessly wiped her eyes with a handkerchief.
Cui Yiluo watched, and her throat tightened. A beautiful woman shedding tears is always the most pitiful sight.
“Yi Luo, it’s alright if you don’t acknowledge me, but Zheng’er is your own brother, and there are also Ying’er and Qi’er. Your husband is now highly regarded by His Majesty and the Third Prince. You should at least consider some blood ties and spare their lives, even if you demote them to commoners…”
Cui Yiluo took a deep breath, smiled, and said, "After talking for so long, this is the real reason you came to find me."
At this point, Consort Qiong was also willing to go all out: "Ying'er likes you very much and is very close to you, doesn't she? Can you bear to see her die? And Qi'er, he is so young, still a child... As for Zheng'er, he is indeed unforgivable to you, but I only hope that you can spare his life... Just let him live."
Cui Yiluo saw through her intentions: "Isn't sparing Xiao Zheng's life just so that one day he can make a comeback and make you Empress Dowager, and enjoy all the glory and wealth?"
Consort Qiong shook her head: "No..."
"Your Majesty, the incense stick has burned out. I will not disturb Your Majesty's rest any longer. Farewell."
After saying that, she turned and walked out of the palace. Consort Qiong tried to grab her by getting past the guards, but her fingertips only touched a corner of her pale yellow shawl. The fine silk slipped through her fingertips and, before she could catch it, it flowed away as quickly as water.
Just like the relationship between them.
The bright spring sunlight shone freely on the young woman standing in front of the palace gate, outlining her exquisite figure. The pale yellow shawl added a touch of brightness to her plain clothes, making her look as cheerful and radiant as the first blooming forsythia in early spring.
As Cui Yiluo was about to leave the hall, Consort Qiong trembled slightly. As Cui Yiluo stepped over the threshold, she couldn't help but call out, "Yiluo, may you call my name?"
She was her first child. She didn't like Cui Qi; he was cowardly and incompetent and didn't deserve her at all. But she also felt affection and pity for Cui Yiluo, a piece of her flesh. She had genuinely considered taking her away, knowing what kind of situation she would face if she stayed in the Cui family.
When she first saw Cui Yiluo in Shengjing, she felt a pang of pity for her because Cui Yiluo looked so much like her. Even Xiao Ying didn't resemble her as much, and Cui Yiluo's personality was also very similar to hers.
Over the years, of her three children, she doted on Xiao Ying the most. Even Xiao Qi, who was born later, could not share even a fraction of Xiao Ying's affection. Perhaps she was trying to make amends, giving the love that should have been given to her first daughter to Xiao Ying, which would make her feel much better.
She knew that she might never see Cui Yiluo again.
Lan Yi's usually sharp and arrogant phoenix eyes revealed a hint of longing as she looked at Cui Yiluo's back.
But Cui Yiluo didn't even turn her head and went straight out of the hall.
Before leaving, she heard Cui Yiluo calmly say, "Your Majesty, I understand the choice you made back then, but I will not forgive you."
Throughout the entire conversation, she only addressed her as "Imperial Consort" or "Your Highness," not "Mother."
Lan Yi suddenly felt as if a part of her soul had been ripped out, but in front of the guards, she was still Consort Qiong.
She nodded slightly, took a deep breath to suppress the few tears welling up in her eyes, gave a cold laugh, and resumed her usual arrogant and noble demeanor, showing no trace of the humble pleading she had just displayed.
-
Cui Yiluo walked out of Consort Qiong's palace, the handkerchief in her hand was already deeply wrinkled from being gripped so tightly, her tense shoulders were slightly hunched, and she looked as lonely as a solitary peak.
The palace doors opened for her, then closed again. Cui Yiluo watched as the outermost palace door slowly opened, revealing a familiar crimson-purple robe.
Just like last time when she came out of the side hall where Consort Qiong was, he was waiting for her outside.
Cui Yiluo didn't ask him why he came; she simply stepped forward and took his hand.
Jiang Yunjin also remained silent, tacitly refraining from asking what Consort Qiong had said to her, but instead took her hand in return.
Along the way, the palace servants were all shocked to see that Lord Jiang, who was usually very polite and aloof, was walking in the palace holding his wife's hand in a flamboyant and unashamed manner. They couldn't help but take a few more glances.
Even Cui Yiluo felt a little uncomfortable. When she secretly glanced at Jiang Yunjin, she saw that he was calm and composed, seemingly unaware of the gazes of the passing palace servants. He even held her hand tighter, as if afraid that she would pull away.
The carriage door was also tightly closed, and the incense burning inside the carriage emitted a sweet fragrance, with wisps of incense smoke rising gently.
The silence was broken only when the carriage started moving, by Cui Yiluo's soft voice.
Will she die?
Jiang Yunjin gently shook his head. "His Majesty will not kill her."
Cui Yiluo lowered her eyes, tugging at the silk sash around her waist, her fingers fiddling with it, but the slow, hesitant movements clearly revealed that the owner of her fingers was not focused on it.
She showed neither happiness nor sadness; she remained indifferent and unresponsive, as if the person she was referring to was a complete stranger, someone to whom she had no connection whatsoever.
"Jiang Yunjin, are you still using contraceptives?"
A moment of silence fell over the car. Cui Yiluo felt the man's somewhat nervous gaze on her face. He spoke, his voice carrying an explanation: "The matter in the palace has not yet been resolved, I..."
"You can continue using it."
The man's breath caught in his throat, and after several breaths, his voice was hoarse and stammering: "Why, don't you want to have children with me?"
Cui Yiluo rested her hand on her cheek, her beautiful face expressionless, and said calmly, "Promise me one thing, and I'll tell you."
"What?"
Cui Yiluo spoke clearly, word by word, slowly saying, "You said that you could only have me in your life, and that you would always trust me."
A slight smile appeared in Jiang Yunjin's dark eyes as he stared into her gaze and solemnly repeated, "I will always love only you and always trust you."
He spoke with utmost sincerity, and Cui Yiluo, stared at by his direct gaze, instinctively wanted to look away.
She clearly said that she was the only one for him in this life, but he deliberately changed it, making her uncomfortable. Moreover, this was the first time he had used the word "love," and the words "forever" and "love" were extremely solemn in Cui Yiluo's eyes.
It was clearly her condition that he refused to let her go; she had just turned her face away when he grabbed her chin and turned her back.
His gaze fell on her red lips, which were about to open, and he said firmly, "It's your turn."
Cui Yiluo's heart began to race again, but she maintained a calm expression. "What did I say?"
Jiang Yunjin's thumb, which was resting on her chin, moved upwards and rubbed against her soft red lips, his eyes deep as if he wanted to devour her.
"You have me in your heart, don't you?"
Outside the carriage window, the sounds of carriages, horses, conversations, and shouts were incessant, but they were blocked by the window, creating a natural barrier inside the carriage that prevented anything from getting in.
However, Cui Yiluo still recognized that this road was the same route that Jiang Yunjin had taken when they were under the spell of the Bewitching Immortal and Jiang Yunjin said he wanted to return to the Jiang residence.
The carriage passed the first corner.
Cui Yiluo suddenly smiled, like a peach blossom in early spring, "Yes, me too."
The man's eyes deepened as he gently touched her red lips, as if he were about to take them into his mouth at any moment.
He pressed further, "Also what?"
Cui Yiluo pulled his wrist away and said angrily, "Jiang Yunjin, don't push your luck."
Why did you make me continue taking the medicine?
Cui Yiluo didn't answer, but leaned in slightly and kissed his thin lips. Even as she raised her face, the man lowered his as well, their unspoken understanding as if they had done it a thousand times before.
Amidst their intertwined lips and the murmuring of water, Cui Yiluo's indistinct voice finally broke through the silence.
"Because I want to spend more years alone with you."
A low chuckle, tinged with boundless satisfaction, came from inside the car.
Then, for some reason, the originally very steady male voice became breathless: "To Qingchi Alley?"
"What, is my husband really going to completely break the rules?"
Jiang Yunjin's voice was hoarse: "Isn't this what you wanted to see me like this?"
Cui Yiluo was about to retort, but her words were once again blocked between her lips and teeth, leaving only a muffled sob.
The carriage changed course, and on a day when the winter snow was just melting and the spring sunshine was in full bloom, the horses' hooves shattered the brilliant sunlight, carrying a room full of fragrance and harmony, and drove freely toward the mansion that resembled the Jiangnan region.
The apricot blossom rain threatens to dampen my clothes, while the willow breeze is gentle on my face.
-End of text-
The author writes: "The apricot blossom rain threatens to dampen my clothes, the willow breeze is gentle on my face." This is from the poem "Quatrain: A Small Boat Moored in the Shade of Ancient Trees."
That concludes the main text. The biggest challenge in writing this book was shaping A-Luo's character. Although there have been negative comments about A-Luo, I personally really like her character and she's the most unique female lead I've ever written. Both A-Luo and her cousin appear tough on the outside but actually crave love deep down, making them the most compatible and suitable couple.
There will be more side stories coming up. These won't be updated daily; updates will depend on the rankings. I'll try to mention the update schedule in the author's notes. The side stories will mainly focus on post-marriage [heart emoji], raising children, and "what if" scenarios. The cousin's perspective will be included in the bonus side stories. Besides these, there will probably be one or two more bonus stories. Thank you to everyone who supports the official release.
There will be a giveaway. Thank you to all the fans who have supported us along the way! [heart emoji]
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