Chapter 116 [VIP]
"Young master, we are about to arrive at the capital," Tengluo said, lifting the curtain of the carriage.
A year has passed in the blink of an eye. The wisteria vines gaze at the withered colors of another season outside the window, lost in thought for a moment.
Ziyan: "Young Master, although it has only been a year... the power in Lidu seems to have been cleansed. One of the forces that now occupies Lidu is the Golden Crow Sect that we mentioned before."
Lu Xuejin: "Well... we've only come to find someone; the power struggles here are none of our concern. Has Wei Ning replied?"
Ziyan: "Miss Wei said... she will come to pick us up, and King Hu will also be coming."
Tengluo: "So...we'll be able to see His Highness soon?"
"I wonder how Your Highness is doing these days... Your Highness's birthday is approaching soon. If Your Highness knew that the young master had made a special trip back... he would surely be happy!?"
As Lu Xuejin listened, he saw the city gates of the capital in the distance. How had he spent the days and nights of this past year...? His Highness had not written to him. He could only imagine what His Highness looked like based on what Wei Ning had written in his letters.
"Your Highness must have grown taller by now, right? You were already about the same height as the young master before. Your Highness is twenty years old this year. I really want to see what Your Highness looks like now!" Tengluo asked curiously.
Ziyan: "Young Master, we have arrived."
They arrived at the city gate leading to the capital. The place was still the same as it had been a year ago, with no changes. They looked at the animal statues on the stained glass windows in the distance... The statues were weathered by wind and rain, and their colors were fading, becoming dull and desolate.
Wei Ning and Yege were waiting for them at the city gate.
"Changyou—" Wei Ning saw him and waved to him.
It had been a year since I last saw her, and Wei Ning's skin had turned a healthy tan. She wore traditional Hu clothing, with a long skirt adorned with sparkling gemstones that jingled as she walked.
When the two met, Wei Ning couldn't hide his smile. He hugged him, pressed his cheek against his, and touched his cheek with his lips.
“It has been a long time since we last met… We have both grown a year older, but why can’t Changyou see any changes? It’s as if we were just outside the palace yesterday… I was still begging you to go and save Xue Yi’s life.”
He couldn't help but fall into his memories and said to Wei Ning, "You can't see any changes either... It seems that you are carefree and have no worries here... It's all thanks to the Hu King's hard work. The Hu King is truly kind-hearted."
Yege said from the side, "Lord Lu, it's been a long time."
"Yue'er is not in the city right now. He took his subordinates to Liancheng a few days ago. He sent word that he will be back tonight."
Wei Ning: "That's right... Changyou will come into the city with us first."
He listened from the side and asked, "Your Highness...? What brings you to Liancheng?"
Wei Ning scratched his face. "Well... let His Highness tell you these things tonight. You two should have a lot to talk about, so let His Highness tell you himself."
He replied, "That's fine... that's good too."
Wei Ning smiled and said to him, "Let's talk about something else. I know you're worried about His Highness, but don't worry about him. He's quite capable now. You haven't seen it, he's become more and more composed, and he hardly causes any trouble. By the way... was your journey from the capital smooth?"
He wouldn't see His Highness until evening, and as he gazed at the sky, wondering when His Highness would return, his mind wandered elsewhere. He answered Wei Ning's question while his attention was elsewhere.
"Nothing went wrong on the way... everything went according to plan."
As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something and looked at Wei Ning seriously, saying, "It's you... you haven't been back for a year, and Lingjie missed you very much. On New Year's Eve, I went out with him, and he told me a lot. In the end... he kept asking when you would return to the capital."
Upon hearing this, Wei Ning subconsciously glanced at the Hu King behind him. Yege did not disturb them, quietly following behind. He noticed the subtle atmosphere between Wei Ning and Yege, taking in their expressions.
“Yeg… I have something to say to Changyou. Why don’t you go back first?” Wei Ning said, turning his head.
He paused slightly when he heard Wei Ning address the King of Hu by his given name, and then looked at Yege, who seemed to be very indulgent towards Wei Ning.
Jaeger said to the two of them, "Then I will not disturb you any longer... I will wait for you in the palace."
After Yege and his maid left, Wei Ning's expression changed.
Wei Ning: "Lingjie... how is he now? I've arranged a courtyard for him and have guards watching over him. But you know his temperament... my father wrote to me again a few days ago. I do want to go back, but I'm still worried about Your Highness. I'm sorry for this matter, Your Highness... you and I have to make a choice between us. Choosing one side will hurt the other. I really don't know what to do."
He listened quietly and replied, "After I met him on New Year's Eve, I sent Ziyan to visit him. Later, I also sent Ziyan to visit him every month. There's no need to worry about his food and clothing. It's just that he's never been one to care about material things... I don't need to say that. Even if you have your reasons... I'm the same way. I shouldn't say anything to you, but... but in the end, you still have to make a choice."
They fell silent. His eyes were fixed on the bracelet on Wei Ning's wrist, which she unconsciously rubbed. The bracelet clashed with the Hu ethnic jewelry she was wearing, making a crisp sound.
"You... what exactly is going on between you and the King of Hu?"
Wei Ning: "I may never be able to go back... Let's not talk about this, it's better not to talk about it. But you... you only said a few words in your letter and couldn't explain clearly, how could Xue Yi let you come here? How is he now?"
"..." He told the truth, "His health is very good now. A year ago, I came here to find Doctor Qiu and asked him to search for the skull-cutting surgery in the ancient books... This surgery can make people lose their memory, drastically change their personality, and lose their previous personality."
The surroundings quieted down, and people brushed past them. Wei Ning looked at him from the side, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Wei Ning: "You...you did it?"
"...did it."
Wei Ning: "Such a fantastical tale... If someone else had told me this, I would have absolutely no belief. But I believe you... If it's you, then this matter might be true. Even if he has lost his original memories, given his personality... even if he doesn't remember the Ninth Prince, he might still be able to guess why you left the capital. He's so shrewd... how could he not know?"
He said to Wei Ning, "Meng Chang... if you blame me, just say so. I've been so selfish... I'm afraid I'll have failed my brother in this life."
“Sometimes I don’t know what to do. I can’t abandon my brother. Even though I have chosen His Highness, I still find it hard to let go in my mind. As long as my brother is sick because of me, I cannot abandon him... I cannot abandon the responsibility of taking care of him.”
“This…” Wei Ning, “How can I have the right to blame you… Throughout this year, seeing His Highness's distressed state always filled me with remorse, wondering if I had done something wrong… Perhaps I shouldn’t have gone to beg you. If I hadn’t gone, perhaps Xue Yi wouldn’t have survived the winter, and His Highness wouldn’t have suffered as a result. When I sided with Xue Yi, I would always hear Qing’er questioning me in my dreams. I have failed His Highness… I have failed Qing’er, and I will have to repay this sin for the rest of my life.”
"But...but even so, from Yanli's perspective, what did Yanli do wrong? Yanli was sickly in his youth...you and I took care of him as he grew up. Even if he did many wrong things later, if his parents hadn't rebelled, perhaps he wouldn't have been sent to the Prime Minister's residence; if he hadn't been suspected by Emperor Liang...perhaps he wouldn't have contacted the Shadow Guard; if he hadn't resisted, perhaps he wouldn't be alive today. All of this was a series of coincidences...to trace the root cause, we need to go back several generations...no matter how you look at it, you can't blame Yanli."
"You and I were merely playing the role of making choices, choosing one side and having to give up the other. It is because we are all so greedy... that we suffer such punishment. This sin will follow us for the rest of our lives, and it may be impossible to atone for it."
"..." Hearing this, he said to Wei Ning, "That's how things are... It's not something our choices can change. Although I regret it, I also understand something... Our hypotheticals are all rooted in ourselves. If my brother hadn't suffered because of our interference, our torn ending might have been even more tragic. We've now chosen a gentler path, so there's no need to wallow in excessive self-blame. We just need to see what we can still do... Do our best."
Wei Ning asked him, "So what do you plan to do? Now that you've come to Lidu, do you intend to return to the capital?"
He replied, "I will return to Lidu after my brother gets married. I shouldn't have come at this time... I didn't celebrate His Highness's birthday last year, which is something I'm concerned about... I've come to see him and celebrate his birthday before I leave."
Wei Ning: "...Your Highness would be pleased if you knew."
"But Xue Yi is getting married... Are you really sure about this? What if he doesn't want to get married?"
He replied, "There is no past between my brother and me. There will be no more overstepping of boundaries between us."
"Thus...we are restored to the roles we should have played."
Wei Ning: "I understand... Everything will be as you wish."
"If you need any help from me, Changyou, please contact me again."
He and Wei Ning returned to the Hu King's palace. A charcoal fire burned in the warm room, and the stained-glass windows, adorned with beautiful gemstones, reflected the winter sunlight with halos. His pupils gazed at the light through the stained-glass windows, and he seemed to recall a day in the past when he had looked directly at the sun in the same way.
His eyes were in excruciating pain.
He stepped onto the soft carpet, which looked like animal fur and felt incredibly soft to the touch. Upon closer inspection, he saw dense, intricate threads, which turned out to be imitations... Those jewel-like eyes were so beautiful and captivating.
Perhaps their human race originally lived in an environment of utter darkness... They spent thousands of years adapting to walking in the sunlight, but no matter how they adapted... they could not abandon their instincts. They harbored a primal longing for the sun, but once they looked directly at it, they would suffer punishment from the light.
Your Highness... This is where Your Highness lives.
He touched his eye sockets, perhaps touching his pupils... so that he could see a little more clearly.
...Would Your Highness be like him?
Like his feelings... missing him?
rustle--
rustling sound—
He heard a sound, the sound of the night wind rustling through the stained-glass window.
He gazed at the stained-glass window, from day to night, the garden falling into stillness. All was quiet; he did not light a candle, but continued to look out the window by the moonlight.
At night, a figure appeared outside the palace.
The tall, slender figure entered the Hu palace, revealing a fair and handsome face beneath the hooded robe. The young man's red tassel earrings fluttered on either side, and his eyes, set with the sharpest and purest gems in the world, gazed at people with a gloomy look as he looked up, the lower half of his face hidden in shadow, appearing both beautiful and dangerous.
Beautiful as a phantom, like a trumpet creeper growing proudly towards the sun in this border city, its bloom reflected in the stained-glass window. But if you get too close, you'll be pierced by its sharp point and die in the southern sun.
Two figures, a man and a woman, were hanging upside down on the city wall, with only their eyes visible in the night.
Feng Chen: "I heard that a great man has arrived from Lidu... That's what the king told us. He's in the palace now... Would Your Highness like to go?"
Feng Yu: "Is it the person Your Highness misses every day?"
Feng Chen: "Yes...it is the nobleman who writes letters to Your Highness every day! He is the sweetheart whose keepsakes Your Highness cherishes! He is the villain who causes Your Highness's heart ailment day and night! Now he has come to the Hu Palace...Does Your Highness wish to see him?"
Feng Yu: "We just overthrew Liancheng the day before yesterday... As the saying goes, 'The sun and moon follow each other, overthrowing Liang and Wei,' but the great cause is not yet accomplished, and the Golden Crow Sect still has a long way to go! Does Your Highness wish to go?"
Feng Chen: "Ahem, Feng Yu... how's my Chinese character learning going? Did I say anything wrong?"
Feng Yu: "What are Chinese characters! Didn't His Highness teach us? We were saved by His Highness, so we are no longer barbarians, we are Han Chinese. If His Highness is a barbarian, then we are; if His Highness is Han Chinese, then we are Han Chinese. If His Highness wants to become Burmese in the future... then we will go to Burma and adopt a different identity!"
“…Shut up.” The boy spoke, his voice like the sound of a flute being struck with white jade, deep and melodious, silencing the two chattering figures.
"Go back," Murong Yue ordered.
"yes!"
He went to where the young man was.
As he got closer... through the cold stained-glass window, he seemed to sense a familiar presence, and through the window he saw a figure.
The person he misses day and night.
...It's right before my eyes.
With just a gentle knock on the door, the young man has traveled all the way from the capital. Is he here for his birthday?
All you need to do is call me "brother".
...Brother Changyou.
……elder brother.
He gently rested his head against the door.
The other person is always like this... always so tolerant and indulgent towards him. He always bears the consequences of everything that happens between them and never wants him to know.
...a person like a god or Buddha.
She saved him time and time again, taking on everything for him.
Now, when he sees a Buddha statue, he thinks he has seen the Buddha himself.
He glanced sideways at the reflection refracted through the stained glass window and saw his own image. His eyes transformed into flames of ghostly fire, yearning and greedily wanting to burn down the stained glass window and pierce through the young man's body inside.
...I must get him.
I absolutely must have it.
If Heaven's will were to defy his will... he would burn and tear the world apart.
From darkness to dawn.
Murong Yue left at dawn.
Lu Xuejin waited all night, from dawn till dusk, and then from dusk till dawn again. He didn't close his eyes all night, just staring at the latticed window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the boy's figure.
At daybreak, the king's maid brought the news.
"His Highness returned the day before yesterday... and then left again, sending me to deliver a message. His Highness said you don't need to wait any longer, he won't see you... please go back."
Does he still remember his expression?
The maid's light, airy voice brushed past his ear like an invisible needle, piercing his heart as well.
...Your Highness, are you blaming him?
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