I'm Jiang Zhuo, and I've held the position of Supreme Court Justice since I was seventeen. Throughout the capital, rumors abound of my ruthlessness and cruelty, and everyone keeps their distance.
Murong Sheng, the almighty monarch, felt guilty towards me, so he indulged me in every way. Even when I acted arrogantly and domineeringly, he didn't bother with me.
I used to think that I would be alone in this life and spend half my life running around for what I wanted.
But unexpectedly, I met her.
That day, my bodyguard Changfeng and I followed a group of suspicious men in black and came to a dilapidated temple on the north mountain.
As I stepped over the shabby threshold, my mind was full of speculations about the conspiracy of the man in black, but I didn't expect to meet a unique woman in this desolate place.
She stood before a broken Buddha statue, clasped her hands together, and said devoutly, "Lord Buddha, I only wish you a life of wealth and glory."
The crisp sound was particularly clear in this quiet and dilapidated temple.
I couldn't help but burst out laughing. In this world, most women wish for good health, everything going their way, or a perfect husband. But she only wanted a life of wealth and glory. How naive and endearing!
She heard my laughter, turned her head, and her eyes fell directly on me. The undisguised admiration in her eyes was ardent and direct, but it did not make me feel uncomfortable at all.
"A beauty in a deserted temple."
That's what she called me.
"Your wish is really simple and unpretentious."
She raised her head slightly and said, "Isn't wealth and glory good?"
I came up with a plan and wanted to use the legend of Qingshan Temple to scare her, but she was not afraid at all.
I learned that her name was Chen Qing, and that her greatest wish was to support herself and her donkey.
The greatest reward for me during that trip to Beishan was meeting her. This unique woman had inadvertently entered my sight and remained in my heart.
Later, I sent Changfeng to keep an eye on her, just to learn more about this interesting woman. Unexpectedly, I received news from her not long afterward: she had come to the capital, and she had brought her donkey with her.
The moment I got the news, I couldn't wait to go see her. I met her in the largest restaurant in the capital.
She seemed to have not changed, yet she seemed to have changed a lot.
"Your sister is not that easy to get along with. You need to be careful in your actions."
I kindly reminded her and told her that she could come to me if she had any problems.
But she never came to see me once.
That was my second time meeting her, and she was still as special as ever. Her words and actions were all just what I liked.
If you really have to spend your life with someone, and that person is her, it wouldn't be considered settling.
I just thought she was smart, brave and careful. But I didn't expect that I would be ambushed on my way to Qingzhou.
She saved my life.
She also wanted to go to Qingzhou, and then I remembered that the Cheng family in Qingzhou was her maternal grandparents' home.
I was originally going to investigate the Qin family, but ended up being involved in a missing child case. Unexpectedly, she was also looking for a missing child.
In order to find out the inside story of Yilan School, we pretended to be a couple whose child was studying.
She called me, "Husband."
At that moment, I made up my mind that I must marry her no matter what.
But I noticed that she seemed very tired those days, and her aura was different. I hinted that I could help her, but she refused.
We found the abducted child, but she fainted in my arms from exhaustion. That day, I once again felt what it meant to be deeply anxious.
She told me that she had a grudge against the prince.
During the trip to Qingzhou, I clearly felt that my relationship with her had made great progress.
very nice.
My relationship with Murong Zhi is not good either. He is hypocritical, selfish, and full of conspiracies and tricks. I simply don't want to associate with him.
When I was a child, he relied on his status as a prince and insisted on having me enter the palace to play with him.
It was also on that day that my mother was home alone and was killed by an assassin at the gate of the house.
She was just one step away from going out to get help. When I heard the devastating news, my world collapsed.
Since then, I've felt unhappy with Murong Zhi. If he hadn't insisted on me entering the palace, perhaps everything would have changed.
I knew Chen Qing liked to go to the restaurant, so I often went back to try my luck. Perhaps it was fate that I met her several times.
I also knew the General's wife wasn't very kind to her, even harsh. So, from time to time, I'd give her small gifts, hoping to cheer her up. But I didn't dare give her the hairpin I'd carved with my heart, fearing it would be too much of a gesture.
Days passed, and I hadn't planned to attend the "Qin Nian" (Good Harvest) festival. It was just a gathering of the rich and powerful, and I never liked such occasions. But for some reason, I wanted to get a helmet and show it off to her.
What makes me regret is that I later heard from others that she said at the banquet that she liked me.
Regardless of whether it is true or false, I am very happy.
Even if it was just a casual remark or she was just using me as a shield, I was happy because she thought of me first instead of other men.
On the first snowy day, I drank two jars of plum blossom wine. Looking out the window at the falling snowflakes, my mind was filled with her. I felt that this fine wine should be shared with her.
I'm not a dreamer, so I went.
That day she was standing in the attic admiring the snow, and I was watching her in the yard.
I heard that wishes made during the first snowfall are very effective, it’s true.
I finally mustered up the courage to give her the carefully carved hairpin. Originally, I just wanted to give it as an ordinary gift, not wanting her to feel overly burdened.
However, Bai Runyi was talkative and told her the meaning behind the hairpin.
At that moment, my heart instantly rose to my throat, and my hands unconsciously clenched the corners of my clothes with nervousness. I thought she would refuse, after all, my feelings were too straightforward and passionate, and she might feel overwhelmed or have some concerns.
But she actually said she liked it!
When these words came out of her mouth, I really can't describe my mood at that time. It was as if thousands of words were surging in my heart, but I didn't know where to start.
I felt a warm current surging from the bottom of my heart and instantly spread throughout my body, making me immersed in an indescribable joy.
New Year's Eve came in a blink of an eye. Every New Year's Eve, the mansion was not very lively.
Dad always stays in the ancestral hall all night. He stays with Mom and tells her about his longing and concern for her over the past year.
As usual, I wandered aimlessly through the streets, watching the children, dressed in new clothes and holding fireworks, playing and frolicking in the streets and alleys, their faces filled with carefree smiles, and I was filled with envy.
I walked slowly, alone, the laughter and chatter around me seeming to be separated from me by an invisible barrier. The cold wind blew my clothes fluttering, but it couldn't blow away the loneliness in my heart.
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