Chapter 32 [VIP]
The young man used harsh words, to which Lu Xuejin replied, "That's not the case. I will not marry him out of pity. It's against reason, and it's simply not allowed."
Murong Yue: "Brother Ke, you still agreed."
“In this way, the development of things is beyond human control. Your Highness will naturally understand in the future.” Lu Xuejin raised her eyebrows slightly.
"I don't understand. All I know is that you compromised and gave in." Murong Yue tightened his grip. "Now that you're here, how about you stay tonight?"
"I just came to see Your Highness. I'm relieved to see you safe and sound," Lu Xuejin said.
Murong Yue understood what he meant, "Brother is worried about me?"
"Is it because of what happened a few days ago?"
A few days ago, Xue Yi humiliated someone in the palace. Lu Xuejin responded, and he saw a fleeting smile in the young man's eyes.
"It seems I was overthinking it. It would be best if Your Highness didn't take it to heart."
Murong Yue said to him, "Of course. I won't take other people's words to heart. If I were to hesitate and lose sleep because of what they say, that would be the act of a fool."
“I have other things on my mind. Brother… if I were to leave this palace, would you come with me?” Murong Yue’s eyes flashed with emotion as he stared intently at him.
He had brought this up before, but the young man hadn't agreed. Hearing this, his expression shifted slightly, and he replied, "I believe that given the current situation, it would be best for Your Highness to leave the palace. Let me think about it carefully. What do you say?"
"I will give Your Highness an answer once I have thought it through," he said, sighing inwardly. This deep palace was like a birdcage, binding him here, and the key was in Xue Yi's hands.
"Why did you suddenly decide to leave the palace?" he asked, glancing at the letters again.
"I was just asking casually... If you're not going, I won't go out either. I want to stay with you," Murong Yue said to him.
Lu Xuejin smiled, touched the boy's head, patted it gently, and said softly, "If possible, I would also like to stay with Your Highness."
"On the day of the wedding banquet, Your Highness will stay by my side... Don't wander off."
"I understand. Changyou-ge... are you really not staying?" The boy grabbed his wrist, his voice lower.
Lu Xuejin hesitated for a moment, stared at the tip of the boy's ear for a while, and then looked away.
"I won't stay any longer. Your Highness, please rest early."
“Then I’ll see you off, brother,” Murong Yue said to him.
He didn't have anyone escort him; Tengluo was already asleep. He came silently and left silently. The boy watched him from the palace gate, his figure becoming a black dot in the night until he disappeared completely.
After he left, Murong Yue took out the letters, which were engraved with gold script of the Hu people. The letters contained only a few words, all written in Hu script.
—The situation is unfavorable; leaving the palace is the best course of action.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. On the morning of the wedding banquet, the wedding dress was still lying on the table. Lu Xuejin changed into a red dress, plain and without patterns, which looked no different from an official's robe.
Many within the palace knew who the Emperor was to marry, but those outside remained unaware. The final word that spread was that the Emperor was to marry his childhood friend. Outside the palace, a magnificent bridal sedan chair, adorned with dragon claw and cloud patterns, was parked, its long red fabric billowing down.
Celebratory fireworks lit up the daytime, and palace servants carried the bridal sedan chair, but the chair was empty. The wind blew up the curtains, revealing only an empty bench with an embroidered ball lying on the ground.
Lu Xuejin stood beside the bridal sedan chair, dressed in red. His features were elegant and handsome, and the bright color made him even more refined, like a red lotus blooming in a lotus pond. His beautiful and delicate color did not appear vulgar. His figure was tall and straight, and the gods and Buddhas on the lotus platform lowered their eyes, showing their compassion.
He was on horseback, holding the reins in his hand, and standing guard beside the bridal sedan chair, looking more like the groom in this marriage.
Xue Yi's group set off first, followed by their group. Their route was to walk a full circle along Changning Street in Shengjing, passing through Zhujiao Lane, Fengmingtai, Wanfo Temple, and finally arriving at Shousui Mountain to complete the ceremony.
He spotted Song Zhao from afar at the palace gate, and Song Zhao also saw him. Song Zhao looked at him, then at the bridal sedan chair, and quickly understood what was going on, and couldn't help but frown.
Lu Xuejin got up early in the morning. His mind was originally calm and undisturbed, but when he saw Song Zhao's expression, he was moved and spoke in a light and indifferent tone.
"Lord Song, please make way. Today is a joyous occasion, and we must not be late."
Song Zhao stood beside his horse and glanced at the palace servants, who all lowered their heads.
"It seems that Lord Lu's wisdom has been put to use today. Your actions... are pitiful for His Majesty. He was overjoyed until midnight the day before, and was still ill. He went through all sorts of difficulties to marry an empty sedan chair."
"So Lord Song can actually have compassion," Lu Xuejin said coldly. "If you feel sorry for your brother, you can sit in the sedan chair today, and I'll escort you there. How about that?"
"This can achieve both goals."
His brown eyes shimmered and sparkled. It was rare for him to joke, and seeing that Song Zhao's expression remained unchanged, he lost interest and pulled on the reins to walk away from the man.
"Song Zhao, return to see you."
This was a wedding witnessed by the people of the Great Wei.
As they arrived at Zhujiao Lane, the people from all four directions lined both sides of the street in dense crowds. Lu Xuejin saw a large number of people. Guards stood watch on both sides to prevent overcrowding. The people had prepared plenty of longevity herbs and lilies, and bouquets of flowers rained down with the fireworks, their refreshing scent filling the entire street. From bright red lanterns to red embroidered balls in the hands of the people, everything shoved and jostled towards them, and words of blessing filled their ears.
"May His Majesty and Empress enjoy a long and happy marriage."
May our great Wei Kingdom enjoy peace and prosperity, and be free from worries.
The common people were unaware of the emperor's intentions, and no word had been spread about who he had married; they only assumed the emperor was his surname. Lu Xuejin glanced sideways and spotted a small figure behind the ceremonial guard. Murong Yue, following behind the guards, also saw him and struggled through the crowd towards him.
Watching the child pass by several guards, he stared at him for a while, when suddenly he heard a voice from the crowd call out "Lord Lu." He hadn't heard the people call him that in a long time. He looked in the direction of the voice but couldn't find anyone.
People came and went, their faces flashing by—some smiling, some whispering, some indifferent, and others weary. He stared at the tired faces, then suddenly noticed white paper flowers among them. Because it was a joyous occasion, the paper bouquets weren't displayed outside, but rather placed in the courtyard. White silk cloths hanging from the beams cascaded down.
He seemed to be hallucinating, and could vaguely see the bodies of the couple who had hanged themselves there.
The white silk ribbon flashed by, quickly obscured by the crowd. The vibrant paper flowers contrasted sharply with the festive colors of the day, one red and one white, the intertwining of red and white events creating a sense of bewilderment.
Lu Xuejin was on horseback when he suddenly felt a buzzing sound in his ears. He looked in the direction he had been looking before, but he could not see the white silk. It seemed to have disappeared into thin air.
“Brother Chang… Brother Changyou.” He saw a hand.
The young man finally managed to get past the layers of guards to reach his side. The guards beside him stared nervously, and the surrounding commoners were even more anxious. The commoners' attention was all on the bridal sedan chair, eager to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds' faces; only a few people occasionally cast glances at them.
Lu Xuejin took his hand. Murong Yue, panting, had come all the way here, his face flushed, and for some reason, his eyes were shining as he looked at him. Looking at him, he couldn't help but ask, "So happy to be leaving the palace?"
“Of course not. Brother… Brother always…” Murong Yue’s dark eyes shone as he whispered, “Brother always surprises us.”
"Brother is here, so who's in the sedan chair?"
"In the sedan chair? I'm right here," Lu Xuejin replied.
Murong Yue peeked through the curtain and saw inside. The room was empty except for a single embroidered ball. All his previous gloom and jealousy vanished inexplicably at that moment. He looked up and saw the young man's profile. The young man was high up, looking down at the people with his eyes lowered. His brown eyes had a frosty quality, reminiscent of a deity with closed eyes.
The other party always has this ability to easily plunge people into a dark and hopeless state of mind, and can also instantly bestow light and hope upon them.
He stared at the man, wishing he had more eyes to see every part of him. From his eyebrows and eyes to the tip of his nose, down to his lips, and then to his long neck, which was covered by a red collar. Noticing his gaze, the young man looked at him and smiled.
With that laugh, his chest heaved with surging emotions, the venom of jealousy boiling over. He concealed the greed in his eyes, his clear, black-and-white gaze fixed on the man, etching the youth's smile and expression into his mind. Such a smile, only he could possess… that sickly man, of course, couldn't see it.
The thought that Xue Yi might not live for more than a few years ignited his negative emotions like a fire. His face, covered in sores, was carved with the features of his former clansmen. Every face was laughing wildly, wantonly trying to burn down and destroy the entire Wei Palace.
"Your Highness?" A gentle voice came from beside him.
He snapped out of his daze, passed by a shop selling dowries, and saw his face in the mirror. His canine teeth were showing, his earlobes were red, and when he smiled, he looked incredibly bright, but not at all intelligent. He only had this one weakness, thankfully.
Fortunately, I like this weakness.
They passed by the Wanfo Temple. This place was surrounded by a ten-thousand-foot-high vermilion wall, within which were cast tens of thousands of Buddha statues of all sizes. Some statues were hidden in grottoes, some stood atop bricks and tiles, and some were concealed in the crevices of niches. He saw ministers worshipping here, with ancient inscriptions carved upon the walls. This Wanfo Temple was built by his ancestors, and beneath it lay the tomb of the Liang King's ancestors.
These usurpers now dare to worship their ancestors; the gods and Buddhas will naturally not protect them. He hopes that all these traitors will die with a curse on their heads.
Upon arriving at Wanfo Temple, Lu Xuejin dismounted. She did not enter with the court officials to pay homage, but stood outside for a moment, seemingly reminiscing, and said to him, "When the late emperor was alive, he loved to stay here the most."
"Your Highness, let's go."
As he was leaving, he turned his head to look at them. The Buddha heads of all sizes were hidden in the wall, looking down at them as they disappeared into the mist.
...
The journey was smooth.
Lu Xuejin, on horseback, counted the time in his mind. When Ziyan from Shousui Mountain didn't arrive, it meant Wei Ning's operation had failed. He sighed inwardly and asked the guard beside him, "Has His Majesty arrived at Shousui Mountain?"
Guard: "I heard there was an accident on the road that caused some delay. Lord Song just sent word that he wants us to take Lord Lu there first."
The final ceremony took place at Shousui Mountain. The mountain was lush and verdant, the mountain paths and steps damp with green mud, and spring colors sprouted from the cracks in the rocks, with spring leaves swirling around him. They arrived before a massive altar, a spacious place perfectly suited for the handover ceremony. Upon reaching this spot, all the guards withdrew, and Murong Yue could only wait for him at the foot of the mountain.
Xue Yi arrived half an hour late. It was unclear what had happened on the way, but he had changed out of his wedding robes and was wearing his usual black robe, the corners of which were dusty.
Upon seeing him, Xue Yi rushed over, his prepared explanations halting mid-air. His pale face, accentuated by the green hues, resembled a fragile pomegranate blossom, its petals scattering at the slightest breeze. His dark eyes reflected his image, and after a moment, Xue Yi spoke, "I was going to explain to Chang You, but it seems we're quite in sync today. That wedding attire is simply not meant for us."
Xue Yi: "Fortunately, heaven and earth are still my witnesses. We have all made it here safely... It seems that fate still favors me and has allowed me to arrive here."
"..." Lu Xuejin remained silent, looking at the old congratulatory inscription on the mountain wall. Someone had left these words on the wall, all words of beautiful blessings. It was said that someone had gotten married here before and carved these blessings, ensuring their marriage would last a hundred years, their love would not fade in reincarnation, and they would coexist with heaven and earth.
"Does Changyou have something to say to me?" Xue Yi asked him quietly.
Lu Xuejin: "Brother, it must have been difficult for you to get here. I was very worried on the way. I'm relieved to see that you're alright."
He stared at the small mole under Xue Yi's eye, which had been blackened by the smoke and blended with the blessing on the back, turning into patches of ink that corroded down the wall.
"I have always caused Changyou worry, which is my fault. There is no need to worry about this matter. I encountered assassins on the way, but I have already dealt with them. Today I finally managed to leave the palace, and those who wanted to harm me... naturally chose today to make their move. Unfortunately, I gave them the opportunity, and it seems they cannot do it." Xue Yi glanced at him, his eyes revealing a deep and mysterious look.
Lu Xuejin nodded as if she understood, "In that case, brother is lucky to be alive, this is a blessing for Great Wei."
“I’ve been thinking about Changyou the whole way here. I have so much to tell you, from when we first met until now… Changyou has always been by my side. But I never feel it’s enough. When you were young, your mind was on your studies; in your adolescence, you were captivated by those obscure ancient books; and as you grew up, you listened to court affairs. I’m by your side, but I can never get your attention. Even that cat… Changyou has to put so much more effort into it,” Xue Yi recalled.
"My intention to marry you seems to have offended the entire world, and countless people have come to stop me. This has been the case since I was young, and it has been difficult enough for me to survive. Now I am increasingly convinced that this is destiny. Despite all the twists and turns, I have still come here. Perhaps I will not be able to fulfill Changyou's wishes. But I am still happy in my heart."
Xue Yi looked at him as if he had been drenched in rain, his voice low and slow, his face growing paler and his features appearing as if they had been painted with ink several times, the colors becoming even darker.
Their words drifted off-topic, yet they understood each other perfectly. Xue Yi guessed that it was he who had ordered the assassins, and his words were full of sarcasm.
He listened quietly without saying a word, ignoring the person beside him, when his chin was suddenly gripped. Xue Yi pinched his face, then sighed as he exerted force in his palm.
"Look, you're ignoring me now too. Changyou... On this joyous day, you should pay more attention to me. Or are you waiting for something else? Your late husband, Xue Yanli, has passed away. How about inscribing something like this then?"
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