Chapter 49
The chief eunuch kneeled in front of the dragon table, adding a few pieces of green silk tulip to the mythical incense burner. The smoke was dense, producing a faintly bitter fragrance that drifted and flowed.
Li De gazed in the direction Yaoying left, lost in thought for a while, and suddenly asked: “Don’t you think qiniang very much reminds you of someone?”
The eunuch put down the gilt silver spoon and carefully replied, “The Seventh Princess is an outstanding beauty and possesses some of Your Majesty’s elegance when you were young.”
If one looked at her eyes, the Seventh Princess did not look like anyone. Among all the princes and princesses, only she had a pair of large and slender charming eyes.
The corner of Li De’s mouth tugged, “Fu Nian, who do you think is the person who knows zhen best in the world?”
The eunuch deliberated for a moment, “Naturally, it is the late empress.”
Fine wrinkles appeared on his face when he smiled, and his phoenix eyes flashed with melancholy.
He had only loved one woman in his life, but Tang Ying had never understood him. She wanted a single-minded husband, a warm and blissful home, not a monarch.
“The person who understood zhen best in this world was Xie Wuliang.”
There was a flash of surprise on the eunuch’s face.
Li De understood what the eunuch was thinking: since Xie Wuliang understood you best, how come you are so cold to Noble Consort Xie and her children?
Just like Tang Ying asked him time and time again back then: Husband loves me and respects me, so why do you want to marry other women?
Because he was not only Li De, but also the great general of Wei County, to whom countless soldiers swore their loyalty.
After Tang Ying’s death, many people asked Li De: do you regret it?
Li De, who had just lost Tang Ying, of course, regretted it. His hair turned white overnight and he became furious at the littlest things, throwing all his fury on Xie Manyuan and Li Zhongqian.
Only one person never asked Li De if he regretted it.
He calmly organized Xie Manyuan’s things, sending her away to avoid the disaster. He asked Li Zhongqian to give up martial arts and turn to literature, from then on to focus on studying books, never to touch the pair golden hammers again in his life.
After handling everything, he returned to Jingnan, and never took a step out of Jingnan.
In the end, he died in Jingnan.
The only person in this world who understood Li De died.
The only woman he ever truly loved in this world had also turned into dry bones.
The only son he was partial to and loved was fickle, gloomy, and deep-minded. Someday, when he was fully-fledged, he would definitely kill him, his father, to avenge his mother.
Li De knew that his life would be full of pain and guilt because of Tang Ying’s death.
But he did not regret it.
The Wei army had recovered most of the lost territory, and the Wei empire was established. In time, he and his descendants would be able to accomplish the great task of unifying the mountains and rivers and subduing the four seas.
The river was clear, the sea was calm, the country was prosperous, and the people were peaceful1.
This road was destined to be difficult and destined to be lonely.
He could go on alone.
Even if the result was to be isolated and lonely for life.
For an emperor, this was the way it should be.
Li De opened a memorial: “Zhen realized today that the person who understood zhen the most among all my children was actually qiniang.”
A trace of joy swept through the eunuch’s eyes: Your Majesty is going to treat the Seventh Princess well?
Li De caught the expression in his eyes, and his eyes showed mockery.
He was about to issue a decree to let qiniang make peace and marry to the barbarians.
If qiniang was not Xie Manyuan’s daughter, not Li Zhongqian’s biological sister, with her intelligence, he might have kept her by his side.
Unfortunately, she was.
He would not leave any hidden problems for Li Xuanzhen. The more qiniang understood him, the more he could not allow her to remain.
….
Yaoying was asleep for a day and a night.
The next morning, the Eastern Palace sent someone over to ask for news and was driven out by Xu Biao, the spear-wielding general.
Half an hour later, Li Xuanzhen came in person.
The Chief Historian stopped in front of the door and smiled coldly: “Can Your Highness the Crown Prince wait until our Princess can get up from bed?”
Li Xuanzhen’s eyebrows were slightly wrinkled.
Wei Ming stood behind him and asked with a smile, “Is the Seventh Princess’s sickness really that serious? Mou knows a little bit about medicine. Why don’t I take the princess’s pulse?”
Li Yaoying had just discussed the deal and then became sick. How did this illness come so oddly?
The Chief Historian’s hands clenched into fists. Full of indignation, he was about to curse, when the sound of the door opening came from behind him.
Xie Qing pulled open the door, his eyes signaling to not obstruct them.
The Chief Historian gritted his teeth and gave way.
Li Xuanzhen stepped into the inner room and heard the sound of Wei Ming raising his nose and sniffing lightly.
There was no smell of medicine in the room.
Wei Ming softly remarked: “It is truly strange! The Seventh Princess must be faking her illness….”
He said with complete certainty.
But when his eyes fell on Li Yaoying, who was half leaning against her bed, his tone immediately became uncertain and his words slowly trailed off.
Yaoying’s complexion was pale, her lips slightly blue. Without a trace of blood on her face, it indeed looked like she was plagued by a serious illness.
Wei Ming muttered in his heart: the Seventh Princess was really sick?
Li Xuanzhen stood in front of the footrest, far away from the bed, and his eyes lingered on Yaoying’s face for a moment.
The sunlight freely filled the room. The large, inlaid and embroidered, landscape screen blocked some sunlight. Covering his shoulders, the faint golden light, submerged his handsome face half in the light and half in the shadow.
Revealing a pair of long, narrow phoenix eyes, cold and dark.
Yaoying was in a trance, face to face with Li Xuanzhen for a moment, she suddenly called softly: “Brother….”
The people in the room were stunned for a moment.
Yaoying gasped slightly, her eyes falling on Li Xuanzhen’s face, and murmured in a low voice: “Elder brother is back.”
The Chief Historian bowed his head to wipe his tears.
Li Xuanzhen did not make a sound.
Xie Qing stepped forward and bowed, “Princess, this is His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Yaoying looked a little confused and looked blank for a while, but the confused and dazed look faded little by little in her beautiful dark eyes brimming with autumn water.
She looked at Li Xuanzhen and slowly recognized him. Her expression gradually became cold.
“Brother Changsheng, why have you become like this?”
These words were almost like a sigh, as if it was just Li Xuanzhen’s illusion.
He lifted his eyes. It felt as if a stone had been gently cast at the bottom of his heart, sending out rippling waves.
When he came back to his senses, Yaoying had already sobered up and resumed her usual demeanor, saying indifferently, “I have already reported to His Majesty about my intention to marry in Zhu Luyun’s stead. The imperial edict will be issued in a few days, so Your Highness the Crown Prince need not worry about me going back on my word.”
She spoke weakly, her voice delicate and soft, but it conveyed a sense of detachment.
Li Xuanzhen looked at her in silence.
Wei Ming couldn’t help but say, “Mou will be presumptuous and ask the princess to give a token that can be used as proof, otherwise the flying cavalry will not set foot in Huangzhou.”
The corners of Yaoying’s mouth curled slightly as she scorned, “This token must be sent to Chief Yelu, right?”
They were afraid that she would back out.
Wei Ming said with an insincere smile, “The princess is exceptionally intelligent.”
If it were up to him, the Eastern Palace should not save Li Zhongqian. However, Li Xuanzhen was determined to save Zhu Luyun. He weighed the situation and thought it was as well. The Seventh Princess married far away, Li Zhongqian lost his arm, and there would be nothing to worry about.
Maybe Li Zhongqian would be angry at the time and dig his own grave…. that would be even better.
Wei Ming came to the wangfu just to ask Li Yaoying for a token so that she had no room to renege.
The Chief Historian was so angry that his body shook: The princess was so sick, yet they actually came to pressure her!
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Happy Fourth of July to my fellow Americans! I hope you’re keeping safe as you celebrate!
Also, thank you to everyone who commented last chapter assuring me it wasn’t repetitive. Perhaps I found it especially repetitive since I had already read the novel twice, then translated it, then went back to edit again. I woke up on Friday and those comments were a really great start to my day!
1 These are two idioms that both mean peace and prosperity.