Chapter 209

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

"His Majesty has instructed that I must select a Crown Prince's consort as soon as possible……"

Inside Jiaofang Dian, Empress Rui gently pushed a bamboo slip from the desk toward the young woman kneeling at the lower seat.

"This is a preliminary list, with each person's Eight Characters of Birth recorded. I wanted to ask the Tai Puzhe to review it and see if there is anyone suitable, or anyone who must be avoided……"

Empress Rui smiled faintly, her demeanor gentle: "If Cheng Er's destined match happens to be on it, that would be best of all."

Shaowei looked up at the bamboo slip and said: "I am honored by Your Majesty's trust, but this humble official does not practice the art of Eight Characters fate-reading, and has never understood this path. If Your Majesty wishes to find someone to divine it, perhaps it could be entrusted to Xian Tai Gong to discern on your behalf."

Although she truly did not want to help and did not want to get involved, these words were not false either.

Empress Rui seemed to nod lightly with some regret.

But then she spoke in a measured voice: "You may all withdraw. I have something else I wish to consult the Tai Puzhe about alone."

As the palace maids withdrew, the already quiet palace interior became even more silent, a pin-drop stillness.

A soft sound broke the quiet; Empress Rui placed a small ceramic bottle on the desk. This time she did not push it forward, only said softly: "This antidote is Elder Brother's meaning…… He has always wanted to hand it to the Tai Puzhe in person, but unfortunately could never wait for the chance, so he had to entrust me to deliver it on his behalf."

Shaowei's gaze rested quietly on the medicine bottle, then moved from the bottle body, and then looked toward Empress Rui.

Those beautiful eyes held shame, entirely lacking the imposing pressure of a nation's mother, her voice light as the autumn wind at heaven's edge: "The Tai Puzhe's spiritual nature surpasses others; these past days, you must have already noticed……"

The beautiful head bowed slightly, revealing a slender, fragile neck: "Elder Brother acted on impulse, his conduct was improper; I apologize to the Tai Puzhe on his behalf……"

The Empress apologizing — it was undoubtedly terrifying.

But Shaowei neither moved nor spoke, only watched and listened quietly and seriously.

"But please, for the sake that a true grave mistake has not yet been forged……" The Empress raised a pair of eyes that hesitated, wavering in deliberation, gazing earnestly at the kneeling, silent girl: "It would still be best not to walk to that worst step……"

"In this world, in this palace, there are truly too many people who cannot help themselves. You are like this; I, too, am like this at times……" The Empress said softly: "But my fondness for you has never been false, and I have never thought to harm you…… This much, I imagine you should believe by now, no?"

The girl still did not speak; her pitch-black eyes were like a beast lurking in the thicket, observing. Empress Rui could not help but raise a hand resting on her knee, lightly pressing it on the desk, revealing a trace of anxiety.

Shaowei looked at that hand — fair, supple, like carved jade.

That day she was held by this hand, listening to its owner say: 【This Palace will not harm you…… This Palace will not truly harm you.】

Now this hand's owner was saying: "This Palace has no face to ask that you harbor no thorns in your heart…… It does not matter if we cannot be family; I only beg that we do not slaughter each other, mutually destroying ourselves."

Empress Rui was not entirely a person without schemes; precisely because of this, her frank persuasion now appeared all the more sincere.

Finally she asked with near-earnest pleading: "Huali, you say — is that alright?"

Such a high-positioned person, such gentleness and pitiableness, such a lowered posture to seek peace, and between them a space only the two could understand — even the hardest heart seemed like it should waver.

Shaowei finally spoke: "Your Majesty, I understand. In my heart, I see it very clearly."

The girl's voice revealed no joy or anger.

Empress Rui nodded lightly, her eye rims slightly red, and said again: "From the first time I saw you, I felt you were very different. Especially the later Changling Grand Sacrifice, personally witnessing your Wu Dance……"

Before her eyes seemed to reappear that night's heart-shaking sacrifice — natural, lucid, mountain forest, divine birds, heaven and earth……

In a trance, Empress Rui's eyes held a stirring and yearning similar to that night.

In this instant, Shaowei suddenly clearly understood what this Empress yearned for, and why she always said she "liked" her.

"The Autumn Hunt Grand Ceremony is also held in the mountain forest palace gardens……" Empress Rui finally asked the girl before her: "I wonder if, at that time, we might see the Great Wu God personally dance a Wu Dance sacrificing to the mountain forest once more?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The girl's tone was not fast, but very decisive; every word was spoken with utmost clarity.

Golden light bored through the window lattice gaps; the brilliant sunlight passed through the girl's black-and-white distinct pupils, yet was no exception — entirely absorbed by those pupils, swallowed clean, leaving not a trace.

After the girl of few words left, a trusted female official entered, knelt at the desk side in salute, and seeing the Empress seemed lost in thought, asked in a low voice: "……Did she listen to Your Majesty's words?"

"She should have listened……"

The female official was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when she heard the Empress say in a low voice: "But what this child truly thinks, what she will do…… I have no grasp of it."

But today she had already said everything she could say.

As for following Elder Brother's meaning, using the Empress's status, the Crown Prince Regent's status, even the future Son of Heaven's status to apply both soft and hard "reminders"…… facing those eyes, she could not utter such words, and was certain such words would only backfire.

"This Palace can only do this much." The Empress lowered her eyes, looking at her own hand placed on the desk: "The rest…… is no longer something this Palace can control……"

And these two hands of hers — what had they ever truly grasped and controlled?

Her gaze slowly lifted; the Empress looked toward the tightly shut great window, imagining the autumn scenery outside.

Yesterday another rain fell; it was late July, the daytime cool and warm just right; the capital's grass and trees were a patchwork of green and yellow.

Since yesterday's announcement that the Crown Prince would act as Regent, the Emperor had moved out of Weiyang Palace.

Outside Chang'an City, in Yunyang County, there was a detached palace named Ganquan Gong, more suited for the Emperor to fully recuperate; but the Emperor said he did not wish to mobilize a grand procession, so he did not go far from the palace city, only moving his carriage to Jianzhang Palace, separated from Weiyang Palace by only a single palace wall.

Jianzhang Palace contained many artificial mountains and waters; the palace garden had Taiye Chi, its waters covering over a hundred qing; in the pool stood three immortal islands, representing Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou respectively.

Besides this, the palace garden also had a Shenming Tai; on the platform stood a several-dozen-zhang tall "Chenglu Pan", a golden-copper cast immortal statue holding it high, receiving heaven and earth's rain and dew; previously the Emperor often used this water to boil medicine and take it.

Shaowei walked along the grass-and-tree path, just turning her head to look at the tall, graceful immortal statue on the Shenming Tai.

The Emperor was recuperating, yet not completely cut off from eyes and ears; a retinue of officials still accompanied him here. And the Emperor had previously spoken: if the Marquis of Ling Shu and his master entered the palace, they could come see him at any time, directly entering Jianzhang Palace, no need for further notification.

Quan Wa led the way ahead, speaking in a low voice about the meanings and uses of the buildings seen along the route; Shaowei listened and listened, only feeling there was no need to painstakingly explain each one — all meanings could be summarized in four characters: seeking immortals, longevity.

The two were about to pass that huge Shenming Tai when they faintly heard footsteps approaching from ahead.

The comer was none other than Crown Prince Cheng, who had come early to inquire after his Sovereign Father's Dragon Body and consult on some policy decisions.

Liu Cheng's mind echoed with his Imperial Father's words just now — "Since you are Regent, you need not ask about everything, nor come pay respects daily; just devote yourself to managing state affairs."

And when his Imperial Father spoke these words to him, Sixth Brother leaned back against the desk at the lower seat, legs crossed and stretched out, a sheet of coarse hemp paper painted with who-knew-what terrain covering his face, seemingly sleeping with arms crossed — so at ease, so composed, so unafraid of his Imperial Father's majesty; and his Imperial Father did not seem to reproach him at all.

After he left the palace gate, an inner attendant under Guo Shi quietly told him that at the end of the zi hour in the night, Your Majesty woke from a nightmare, and just now the Sixth Prince, who had accompanied Your Majesty in conversation at Jianzhang Palace until dawn, had not slept all night.

Liu Cheng nodded silently and left, his thoughts turning over and over along the way until he reached this place, only waiting to pass the Shenming Tai, take the palanquin across the covered walkway, and return to Weiyang Palace.

Yet beside the Shenming Tai he suddenly encountered a divine messenger—a maiden in witchcraft attire appearing in this place of seeking immortals, as if she were one with the plants and trees beside her and the Chenglu Lingtai itself.

Amidst the drifting breeze, the person he longed to see appeared before his eyes just like that, causing Liu Cheng to feel in confusion that this meeting was like fate.

Looking at the maiden before him with clasped hands offering a salute, Liu Cheng thought to himself that she must have already seen Huanghou, but did not know whether Huanghou had persuaded her? Whether she had accepted their apology?

Huanghou seemed to be hiding something; he had asked, but Huanghou would not say, only telling him to do his best to advise against closely watching his uncle's wife, and not to commit any further acts of resentment... He of course knew, he of course would do so, he had always been the person least wanting to bear resentment toward her.

But Liu Cheng almost immediately thought of his uncle's wife's words from the day before yesterday: Hu Li had always been the Sixth Younger Brother's person, Hu Li and her master would surely favor the Sixth Younger Brother before the Sovereign Father...

Some words he did not fully believe, but thinking that the Sixth Younger Brother was right here at this moment... in a place where he could not see or hear, what would Hu Li say to the Emperor, and what would she say to the Sixth Younger Brother?

A thread of unspeakable sourness and anxiety rose from within his heart, seeming like jealousy, extremely strange.

This abnormal emotion made Liu Cheng find it increasingly difficult to suppress the impulse within his heart to seek answers, pour out his thoughts, and strive.

Since he began acting as regent yesterday, holding the Emperor's trust seal, with ministers surrounding him in prostration... at this moment what he held in his hand was the greatest power under heaven; he should not fear gathering the courage to speak up first.

Liu Cheng used this to encourage and embolden himself, standing in place, not moving his steps.

Subjects cannot bypass the acting regent Crown Prince; his action was equivalent to blocking the road, and he said to the inner attendants behind him: "Retreat."

Then, his gaze fell upon Quan Wa, who stood beside Shaowei with bowed head avoiding him: "You also retreat."

Quan Wa felt a strangeness, bowed her head and slowly retreated a step, yet slightly raised her eyes to look at the witch god, listening to the witch god calmly ask: "What instruction does His Highness the Crown Prince have?"

As these words landed, Quan Wa then bowed and quickly retreated, but stood at a crossroads, one side able to see the situation on the witch god's side, the other able to detour and rush to the palace gardens where the Emperor was, so that if any change occurred, he could report to Your Majesty in time.

"It is not any instruction." Liu Cheng looked at Shaowei: "May I ask Tai Puzhe a question?"

Shaowei raised her eyes, meeting Liu Cheng's slightly flickering gaze; his voice was low and soft: "Was it Tai Puzhe who refused the proposal to be bestowed the title of Crown Princess?"

"The matter of bestowing the title of Crown Princess was never clearly spoken of; how can there be refusal?" Shaowei: "This is the Sovereign's decision."

【80 "Then..." Liu Cheng's flickering eyes again showed a trace of awkwardness; he changed his way of asking: "If the Emperor bestows a marriage, would Tai Puzhe be willing to agree?"

"Then..." Liu Cheng's flickering eyes showed another trace of awkwardness; he changed his way of asking: "If Imperial Uncle bestows a marriage, would Tai Puzhe be willing to agree?"

Their four eyes met; Shaowei had not too much expression: "Replying to Your Highness, unwilling."

Frank and concise, without extra explanation.

In Liu Cheng's eyes, besides flickering, for a moment there was the wounded avoidance of being stabbed; he slightly shifted his gaze, but the next moment, his foot stepped forward.

This was the bravest step he had taken in his life.

His figure was slender, the Crown Prince's robes wide; as he took this step, a huge shadow fell upon Shaowei, and falling along with it was his question that likewise advanced a step: "Is the reason Tai Puzhe is unwilling because of someone else?"

Looking into his eyes, Shaowei, amidst wariness, felt a trace of confusion.

Someone else?

In the moment of thinking subconsciously due to confusion, a shadow of a person holding a three-foot sword flashed through her mind.

Indeed, if she were to become Crown Princess, it would be equivalent to abandoning Liu Qi; she had no reason to abandon him, nor did she want to abandon him.

But, if there were no Liu Qi, would she then be willing?

The answer appeared very clearly: No.

This was first and foremost her own will; it would not change because of whether there was Liu Qi or not.

"Why must it be because of someone else?" Shaowei said in a firm tone: "This is my own matter; unwillingness is simply because I do not wish to be willing, not for anyone."

Still a refusal, a more decisive and clear refusal, but Liu Cheng felt a glimmer of hope rise in his heart: Would her saying this prove that she had no affection for the Sixth Younger Brother as he had imagined?

If so, perhaps he could not necessarily be ruled out from consideration...

He gathered even greater courage, and walked another step closer to her, his eyes pleading and sincere: "I know, I have done very poorly; my uncle's wife did wrong that time... I should not have merely advised with words; afterward I thought, I clearly should have smashed that medicine bowl on the spot!"

"I have regretted it for a long time..." The youth's eye sockets were slightly red; his words held unreserved confession and affection: "But I was not unwilling to do so; it was that at that moment I simply could not think that I could still do that... Shaowei, can you understand? Since childhood I have always obeyed my uncle's wife in everything; I have never tried to defy him..."

Therefore he was not used to this strange defiance, unable to immediately and completely break the long-standing pattern of interaction between him and his uncle's wife.

Shaowei, who had been extremely skilled at defiance since birth, indeed could not understand; she subconsciously retreated a step, distancing herself from the youth whose eyes were slightly red but whose emotions were fervent.

Shaowei retreated a step, but Liu Cheng drew closer again, continuing: "Besides failing to prevent that wrongful act, I have also never been able to do anything for you; therefore you may feel that my attitude now is truly sudden... But I swear, it is all because many times I simply did not know what to do; if you speak and instruct me, I will certainly be willing to comply."

"Just like that time in the Shen Ci... Do you remember? I was at a loss; you told me to eat, to rest, to contemplate, and I could immediately do so with peace of mind..."

Liu Cheng was almost incoherent, but he said one sentence extremely firmly: "As long as you are willing to stand with me, you only need to tell me what I should do, and I will certainly listen to you, I will certainly dare to do it, no matter what it is!"

Shaowei was greatly astonished, and retreated another step.

She saw the urgency in Liu Cheng's eyes; it was even a kind of urgent dependence.

Shaowei, who had lived two lives as a person and had never, and would never, produce such dependence on anyone that nearly pressed all her heart and will upon them, now faced Liu Cheng's such open confession and could not help but feel great shock.

?? Everyone good night (|3【▓▓】