Half a Story
After the misunderstanding was resolved, Yun Jinglu treated her even better than when she was his sister. His people all addressed her as the master's wife - a girl.
She asked him why he was still so nice to her?
He replied, "I am your future husband, who has signed a contract to sell myself to you. As a husband, I should give you everything I have."
…
After a few months, winter arrived in the Western Regions.
Yun Jinglu had gone out on business and had not returned home yet. She had agreed to come back to him at dinner time. Seeing that it was almost time, she went to his room in advance and lit the trap so that he would not feel cold when he came back to change his clothes.
While waiting, she found an unfinished portrait of two people from behind on his desk.
The people in the painting are wearing clothes in the style of the Central Plains, and their hairstyles and accessories are also in the style of the Central Plains.
On the side, there are four lines of poetry:
The beautiful moon floats in the sky,
He Si was secretly connected to this fairy ritual.
The heart at the bottom of the inkstone remains unchanged.
How can I know that this thought will last until my death?
Because they were arranged vertically, even though she couldn't understand the specific meaning of the poem, the first one, Jiahe Yan'an, was obviously the acrostic poem mentioned in the storybook.
She had read in a history book that the previous emperor of Western Xinjiang was named Xiao Yan'an, and his empress seemed to have the same name, but the ending was not good.
Is this poem written for them?
She was even more curious about why Shiyi and Alu gave her this name.
That night.
Unable to fall asleep, she wore the Tiancan silk nightgown that he had sent someone to buy for her from Liangzhu Kingdom in the Central Plains, and lay on the soft bed reading the handwritten notes on the magic of exorcising demons that he had given her.
Just as she was reading attentively, Yun Jinglu knocked on her door.
Although he did not regard her bedroom as a forbidden place to be entered lightly like when they were siblings, it was rare for him to come here so late at night.
She immediately thought that he had something extremely urgent to do.
"Come in, Alu."
Yun Jinglu had opened the door himself, which showed that Xia Chan and the others waiting outside had been sent away. He seemed to be in a bad mood, and his handsome face was covered with a cloud of worry.
"I've showered and changed."
After that, he sat down beside her bed.
He would always take a shower and change into clean clothes before sitting on her bed.
"I know."
He was wearing too thin clothes, and his arms were cold to the touch. She lifted the quilt at the end of the bed and covered him with it, but he just held her feet and pressed them against his stomach, just like every time she cried out of cold, he would take the initiative to cover her hands, and he would frown every time because of the cold himself.
"I'm worried you're cold, not asking you to cover my feet. Forget it, my feet are warmer than yours, so just hold them like a hot water bottle."
He nodded and asked, "Jiahe, putting aside my hatred, do you want to have a marriage with Lan Zhuochi? Or, do you still like him?"
"If I say I do, will A-Lu send me to Canghua Mountain?"
He was so overcome by his emotions that he didn't even notice the hint of anger in her voice when she spoke.
"I don't know... To be honest, I must have been extremely reluctant. It took me decades to figure out that loving you shouldn't allow my selfish, possessive love to trap you by my side, disregarding your feelings and causing you pain. I know I shouldn't make the same mistake over and over again. I want you to be happy forever, but I... this is the only chance we have to be husband and wife in this mortal world, and I can't be unselfish."
She was furious when she heard this and kicked him lightly, "Hmph! If you're still angry about my change of heart, why don't you cancel the engagement? You're telling me all this in the middle of the night! I've already stuffed my feet into your arms, and you still suspect I'm not sincere?"
"That's not what I meant."
Holding her kicking foot, Yun Jinglu was silent for a moment, then he sighed and said, "Lan Zhuochi is here. He knelt outside the door and begged to see you. He said he wanted to admit his mistakes and explain things to you. I think I shouldn't have hidden this from you."
"Alu, I can't let go of your hatred."
Yun Jinglu understood what she meant, and the gloom on his face disappeared, and he felt relieved.
Not wanting to continue discussing this topic that would make both of them unhappy, she simply asked what the poem on the scroll meant.
"My beloved is a goddess as beautiful as the bright and clear moon floating in the night sky. My thoughts will always be secretly concerned with her. Even the feelings deposited between the pen and ink will never change. This belief and admiration will last until the end of my life. This poem was written by Xiao Yan'an, the emperor of the Western Frontier of the Central Plains, to his late empress Su Jiahe. It is one of many poems that he wrote to miss his first wife. Jiahe, do you want to hear their story?"
"Okay, it's a long night and I can't sleep anyway."
"That year, the Western Xinjiang delegation came to Liangzhu to pay tribute. When they first met, the eight-year-old Princess Jiahe gave the twelve-year-old Xiao Yan'an a Cuju. She was extremely kind, especially when she spoke to him, her eyes curved like crescent moons. In the cold and ruthless palace of Western Xinjiang, no one had ever been as warm and made people feel like spring breeze as she was. He didn't need to give her any benefits, she would sincerely invite him to play, and the Cuju she gave him was harmless. After just one meeting, he remembered her. The Western Xinjiang Emperor wanted to marry her to stabilize the alliance between the two countries. However, as rumored, Emperor Liangzhu deeply loved the princess and naturally did not want her to marry far away, so he politely declined. The Western Frontier Emperor, however, settled for the next best option, jokingly saying that he knew the princess was of noble status and must be paired with the most noble man in the world. When he returned in ten years, he would bring the crown prince with him to sincerely propose marriage. It's unknown what the princess whispered to Emperor Liangzhu, but he no longer refused, leaving room for maneuver and acquiescing with a smile. From then on, Prince Xiao Yan'an studied day and night, delving into the art of imperial rule, just to ascend to the throne of crown prince.
"Did Xiao Yan'an have a hard time in Western Xinjiang when he was young? He was just given a Cuju."
"For Xiao Yan'an, it was more than just a game of Cuju. She was like the only warm light shining into his dark life. Born as a prince, he seemed to be born with fine clothes and delicious food, surrounded by people, enjoying wealth, power and status, but in reality, there were dangers everywhere. From the moment his mother became pregnant, countless people set out to kill him. Even if he was born by luck, there would still be people plotting and killing him. The struggle for the throne has always been terrifying. Everything obtained has a price secretly marked. The Emperor of Xijiang took him to Liangzhu, but it was only to protect the candidate for the crown prince he truly had his heart set on. He had been exposed to countless poisons and plots since he was a child. Even his mother, in order to consolidate her favor, had made him break out in rashes and sick from the moment he was born, to remind his father from time to time that the queen had caused her to give birth prematurely and have a weak child."
"It's really heartbreaking to hear that. Fortunately, ten years later, he successfully ascended the throne of Crown Prince and married the princess."
Ten years later, the princess married a man named Shen Xuhuai. She loved him deeply and argued with the Liangzhu Emperor to grant her a marriage, bringing countless treasures with her to marry him. However, Shen Xuhuai treated her badly, exploiting her love to hurt her, disregarding her dignity as a wife and princess. They quarreled, divorced, and even got involved with another evil woman. By then, Xiao Yan'an had ascended the throne and become emperor. He felt increasingly distressed about her plight and finally decided to set out for Liangzhu to kill the man who had bewitched her and his mistress. Originally, he was ready at any time: if the princess grew tired of her husband, he would assassinate him and ask for her hand in marriage. However, when he arrived in the Liangzhu capital, he found that she had remarried to Prince Wen, Wen Yici. The capital was bustling with red, a sea of wedding flowers. Even the base of the city walls were covered with wedding characters, and red wedding decorations stretched for ten miles. Wherever he went, wedding money was scattered. The bustle made him, a dusty visitor, feel out of place.
"He's an emperor, and it wasn't his turn for the princess to marry for the second time? He should be the one to marry for the third time, right?"
"But the princess's marriage wasn't about who should be married. It wasn't about how much Xiao Yan'an loved her, and she had to respond to him. Later, he heard that the princess and Prince Wen were very affectionate, and many stories were circulating among the people. He felt fortunate for her, but at the same time, he knew that if he continued like this, it might never be his turn. The young Xiao Yan'an gradually lost himself in the power and throne. Over the years, he annexed many small countries and cities, and unexpectedly became associated with demons. As if with divine help, he became even more bloodthirsty. Like many emperors, he dreamed of unifying the world. So, he made a decision he would regret for the rest of his life. His plans were all smoothly moving towards success. Prince Wen was imprisoned, and she lost her child. He was heartbroken. This was not his original intention. He had originally hoped that the child would be born safely, and he would guarantee him a life of wealth and safety. He slapped himself hard and knelt in the snow all night to confess his sins to her dead child."
"The day after he brought her back to his Xiao Mansion in Liangzhu, Prince Wen came to visit. She pretended to be heartless and said she would choose Xiao Yan'an, but he knew it was against his will. However, he was willing to deceive himself and indulge in the joy. That day, looking at her standing alone by the pond in the courtyard for a long time, Xiao Yan'an began to reflect on whether he had done something wrong. It wasn't until he felt cold that he deliberately exposed himself so that she could return to her room. The imperial edict for marriage had been issued, and she would finally become his empress. The joy of seeing her for so long overwhelmed his hesitation."
"What's the point of such repentance? Can a miscarried child be resurrected and born? If I were Princess Jiahe, I would never forgive Xiao Yan'an for this reason alone. Furthermore, he destroyed her country, poisoned her father, and slaughtered her people and her beloved husband. His crimes are too numerous to count on one hand. Even if he later renovated the astonishingly extravagant shrine to the emperor and empress, issued a decree that the island would never be renamed the Western Frontier, and never appointed a new empress, for Princess Jiahe, these efforts were futile and could not offset even a fraction of her resentment and pain."
"All the charges are true, but Xiao Yan'an did not poison her father."
"As outsiders, we have no way of knowing the truth, but her father, the king, ultimately perished along with the Liangzhu Kingdom. It's undeniable that historical records show that he governed Liangzhu well. He may have been a good monarch, but he wasn't a good husband."
She shook her head and sighed, "Fortunately, the princess didn't go through with the wedding ceremony with him. How painful would it have been to marry the enemy who destroyed her country? Sigh, I can probably guess the unfinished story. I don't want to hear it anymore. It's so infuriating."
"Then I won't tell you."
"Are the two figures from behind in your painting also them?"
"Well, it's a copy. Would you be mad if I named you after this poem?"
He looked a little absent-minded.
She was afraid he thought she would be angry, so she quickly explained, "I don't mind it being a memorial to my late wife. I think in A-lu's heart, I am to you, just like the meaning of this line: 'The beautiful moon floats in the sky, its jade-like figure, while He's thoughts are secretly connected to this fairy ceremony.' The emphasis is on the poetry, not the story behind it. Of course, I'm not angry."
"Just don't be angry."
She patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry. Even though we have the same name, our destinies are different. I am not Princess Jiahe, and you are not Emperor Xiao Yan'an. I will definitely live a long life and grow old with you."
He placed his hand on the back of her hand on his shoulder and said solemnly as if praying, "Well, Jiahe will surely live a long life."
"Okay, it's late, brother, go back to sleep."
"Okay. Jiahe, don't you wonder why I know Xiao Yan'an's perspective so clearly?"
"What's there to be suspicious about? Do I really suspect that you are Xiao Yan'an? That's too outrageous. Besides, my Ah Lu is so powerful that she seems to know everything and can do everything."
She lay down, covered herself with the quilt, and wrapped herself like a silkworm chrysalis. She smiled sweetly and said, "Alu, good night."
"Good night, sweet dreams."
Exit her room and close the door gently.
He went to see Bai Yan and asked Bai Yan to seal his memory as Xiao Yan'an again.
Just as he had learned from Bai Yan that she was a god who had come to the mortal world for three lifetimes to experience tribulations, he decided to seal his memories of his past as Xiao Yan'an in this last artificial encounter in this life, and meet her again as Yun Jinglu.
…
She extinguished the candle and fell asleep after a long time. In a state of half-sleep and half-wakefulness, she felt warmth in her chest again. She opened her eyes and the emerald green light penetrated the wall and entered her heart.
A deep sleepiness came over me, making it impossible to resist.
Whether it was a dream or an illusion, she returned to the dark place where she had first met Ah Ci. The other end of the light was hidden in the darkness. His wooden lantern with intricate patterns was now held in her hand.
Since returning to the Western Regions, she had never found a way to retrieve the jade hairpin that had transformed into a warm current that melted into her heart. The thoughts in her heart made her afraid to ask Yun Jinglu for help.
Holding the lantern, she took the initiative to follow the light to see if she could use this method to meet Ah Chi, who was related to Yuzhi, again and ask him for advice.
But it seemed to stretch endlessly. After an unknown amount of time, the candle in the lantern had dimmed slightly, but still no results. She gradually began to feel cold, exhausted, and weak. After only a few steps, she was completely exhausted and could not even hold the lantern in her hand.
The lantern fell to the ground, and the candle flame inside rolled and lit the lantern.
She wanted to put out the fire, but she didn't have the strength to raise her hand, so she could only watch the fire grow bigger and bigger.
The lantern was burned to ashes. In the blink of an eye, the scenery before her eyes changed drastically. Under the starry night sky, she lay on the grass. Even the grass felt real to the touch, and she could even smell the rich fragrance of peach blossoms.
Beside her sat a handsome man with a jade face, wearing a white robe with red edges, waving a flowing fan and looking at her with a gentle smile.
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