Chapter 2: Epilogue: The Flowers Bloom Along the Path (Part Three)

Epilogue · The Blooming Flowers on the Path (Part 3)

“Osmanthus candy—honeyed osmanthus candy that clings to the tongue—”

“Three-times-steamed, three-times-sun-dried lingzhi cake—enveloped in a gauze-covered basket—”

On the streets of Guanyi City, people bustled about, the scene still vibrant and lively.

After leaving the Xue residence, Xue Shuangtao walked for a long while before finally stopping, feeling a faint unease in her chest; though the spring scenery before her was beautiful, the crowds lively, the atmosphere of the mortal world rich and warm, she felt a deep sense of melancholy.

She now understood even more clearly what Li Guanyi had said.

Many things are neither good nor evil—they simply exist inherently.

The hidden motives swirling in the hearts of the Xue family, though Xue Shuangtao had suspected them before, still struck her with immense shock when they finally came to light.

There is a world of difference between anticipating something and experiencing it firsthand.

Though she had made her decision, it left her with an indescribable vexation.

“It’s truly suffocating…”

She lifted her gaze and saw the common folk around her going about their own lives, each immersed in their own world.

Today, Guanyi City still basked in spring light, even more lively than usual due to the Emperor’s betrothal rites; people’s faces glowed with joy as they discussed the wedding of the founding emperor of Qin.

Yet Xue Shuangtao felt utterly out of place.

It was as if the matters they discussed had nothing to do with her.

After today’s events, she saw things more clearly.

Yes—the people’s longing and hope centered on the marriage between the founding emperor of Qin and the eldest daughter of the Xue family, a great event, beyond which lay their deeper aspiration—

Such a grand affair could serve as a [symbol].

A symbol of the end of the chaotic past.

A symbol of the dawn of a new era of peace.

Like firecrackers lit during the New Year, carrying similar meaning.

A new age had begun.

Let the marriage of emperor and empress bring joy to all under heaven.

This marriage was no longer merely about two individuals or even two families—it was a matter for the entire realm, a duty.

“A duty?”

Xue Shuangtao clasped her hands behind her back, her slender fingers lightly tapping against her spine.

Peace reigns across the land; the emperor and empress are betrothed.

It is the duty of the Lord of Changfeng Tower and the Emperor of Qin.

To convey to the people a sense of [stability]; in this age, maintaining public sentiment through such means is an essential state affair.

Intellectually, the Lord of Changfeng Tower fully understood the magnitude of this matter, yet her heart still felt a hollow loss—something she had longed for so deeply now seemed reduced to mere bureaucratic duty; yet, despite this, could she truly not wish for it to happen?

Add to this the turmoil caused today by the Xue family.

All these events piled up within her, filling her heart with vexation.

She decided to wander aimlessly, avoiding the bustling crowds, and as she walked, the voices around her gradually faded; Xue Shuangtao savored this solitude until suddenly, laughter caught her ear, causing her to pause.

She looked up and saw a tall, straight tree, its leaves rustling in the wind.

Several children were playing around it, and one mischievous little girl had climbed up the sizable tree, loudly boasting to her friends below.

The children below looked either frightened or awestruck.

“Get down from there!”

Xue Shuangtao stood at a distance, watching this scene, and suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia.

In her youth, Li Guanyi and she had sneaked out, and she, too, had wanted to do something a Xue family heiress never should—she climbed a tree, but that day a light rain had fallen; she slipped, landed awkwardly, and twisted her ankle.

In the end, he had carried her all the way back to the Xue residence.

The expressions on her grandfather’s and younger brother’s faces that day were still vivid in her memory; recalling them now, she couldn’t help but smile faintly.

“Ah, be careful!!!”

A sharp cry rang out from over there.

It was the little girl who had climbed up—she slipped, causing panic among her friends; her face turned pale as she tumbled downward. When she climbed up, it was pure childish courage that drove her, reckless and heedless; but now, descending was entirely different.

Looking down at the distant ground, her vision swam, and fear gripped her.

Her foot slipped, her limbs went limp, her strength vanished.

She began to fall.

The other children instinctively rushed forward, but they were too far away; just as the girl thought she would crash down hard, she suddenly felt a gentle breeze brush past her.

Then a soft hand caught her.

Her descent halted instantly.

She opened her eyes to see a stunningly beautiful older sister holding her, descending like a bamboo leaf floating through the air, landing gracefully; the girl was still dazed when Xue Shuangtao released her and smiled: “Are you alright?”

The little girl finally came to her senses and stammered: “I-I’m fine!”

Then her eyes sparkled as she asked:

“Big sister, are you a fairy?!”

Xue Shuangtao replied: “I’ve merely trained in martial arts a little. But don’t ever do anything so dangerous again—today I was here to catch you, but if I hadn’t been, you’d have broken bones from that fall.”

Her tone grew stern.

The little girl flushed with embarrassment.

The other children also nodded apologetically; Xue Shuangtao’s expression softened, and she said: “There, there—just remember not to do this again. Go home now, your parents must be worried.”

“Yes, yes! Thank you, heroic big sister!”

The children scattered, but the little ringleader, though brave enough to climb up, was now too shaken and weak to walk far.

“You’re impossible.”

A boy of roughly her age scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed, then crouched down; the girl climbed onto his back, and with effort, he staggered to his feet.

The girl eyed him skeptically: “You won’t be able to carry me, will you?”

The boy’s face turned bright red: “Wh-what?!?”

“I don’t just carry you!”

“I—I can even run with you!”

He summoned his meager internal energy, gritted his teeth, his flushed face proving his determination; the girl turned around and waved to the young woman in blue: “We’re off!”

The Lord of Changfeng Tower was momentarily stunned.

It was as if she saw her younger self being carried by the young herbalist, waving goodbye.

Without thinking, she took half a step forward, then stopped herself.

She smiled gently and raised her hand in a small wave.

“Don’t do that again.”

………………

Xue Shuangtao watched the children disappear into the distance, gazing at the tree; her expression gradually calmed, as if she had finally understood something. She exhaled slowly and murmured: “Emperor and Empress…”

She turned and walked away with steady, swift steps.

Within the Qin palace.

The so-called imperial palace owes much to Jiang Yuan.

During those five years, Jiang Yuan had massively expanded the palace; after the fall of the Hou Kingdom, those palaces stood idle. Following the Emperor’s orders, Master Pan Wanshou of the Mo School and the Grand Master and others dismantled Jiang Yuan’s structures, transported them via his waterways to the south, and reassembled them.

They completed the new palace at an extraordinarily low cost.

Some civil officials petitioned, arguing that such frugality was too shabby—how could the new emperor, upon founding a dynasty, simply reuse the palace of a fallen ruler? Not to mention, using a former tyrant’s palace was an ill omen.

Please, Your Majesty, reconsider!

The Emperor of Qin simply wrote two words in reply.

[Save money].

The official choked on his own blood.

Then the currently sprightly Left Chancellor personally sat down with the official to meticulously calculate the actual costs.

The Emperor’s wedding would be grand.

The Emperor seemed intent on using this occasion to also serve as the annual official appraisal, so all officials regarded it with great importance, and even the Governor Ashina currently on the steppe, Qibí Li guarding the Western Regions, and Duan Qingyu in the southwest all plan to come.

Though they avoided extravagance, the sheer scale of mobilization still radiated an awe-inspiring grandeur.

Even with all the cost-cutting.

This [wedding] itself was essentially a political mission—even the entire Yan Daiqing faction protested any proposal to economize, insisting this event must not be neglected.

The day before the wedding.

All of southern China was already ablaze with excitement.

The Left Chancellor successfully leveraged this event to once again stimulate the entire southern economy and consumer spending.

According to unofficial histories, the boost to food and consumer spending was so tremendous that the Left Chancellor’s smile stretched ear to ear, and he sighed, wishing the Emperor would marry every year—then the Qin economy would flourish.

The Emperor is truly valuable!

Another unofficial tale recounts that one day, the Left Chancellor stepped out with his left foot first and was beaten black and blue by a white-haired fisherman, remaining bruised for three days.

On this day, lanterns blazed across southern China—veterans from the western campaigns, returning officers, common folk from nearby villages granted the rare chance to attend…

And old comrades-in-arms who had scattered after the peace.

Now reunited, they were overjoyed beyond words.

Even the usually stern General Fan Qing could not resist drinking.

So General Fan Qing was drunk under the table by countless veterans before the Emperor’s wedding had even begun.

Yue Qianfeng burst into loud laughter: “Hahahaha, Brother Fan Qing, you’re out of it! Come on, Ling Pingyang, over here!”

“Carry Fan Qing!”

Thus Ling Pingyang and Yue Qianfeng flanked Fan Qing between them, dragging him off to drink with his comrades; Yue Qianfeng roared with laughter, his voice like an ancient dragon’s bellow—he had vomited blood countless times over his decade-plus years on the battlefield.

But now he was vigorous and robust, with the best drinking capacity and physique among them all.

Yue Pengwu’s expression was solemn, yet a faint smile graced his face; at this open-air banquet outside the city, his gaze lifted slightly, sweeping over Changfeng, gazing at the bustling red dust of the city, then he drank with Xiao Wuliang beside him.

Xiao Wuliang said: “The Emperor’s wedding is tomorrow.”

“Have the rituals been finalized?”

Yue Pengwu replied: “Master Nan Hanwen is in charge. Tomorrow, the Emperor’s aunt will personally go to welcome the Empress, with golden scrolls, jade tablets, and numerous ceremonial vessels—after the wedding wine, ancestral rites, and offerings to the state deities, the ceremony will be complete.”

“But since His Majesty is the founding emperor, these rites need not be overly elaborate.”

Xiao Wuliang nodded.

Yue Pengwu asked: “Has Wenmian still no plans to marry?”

Xiao Wuliang merely said: “Given the Young Master’s experiences, it’s unlikely any woman could enter his heart.”

He added: “Now that the realm is at peace, the Young Master intends to resign his post and become a wandering swordsman, traveling the four corners.”

Yue Pengwu nodded; he and Xiao Wuliang raised their cups, the clink of their goblets crisp, as if old friends were still present—the entire Jiangnan was lit up in brilliance, and all these veteran soldiers, heroes, warriors, and renowned scholars were gathered here.

They seized this chance to reminisce, to chat, to tell their fallen comrades of their present lives, of this peaceful age.

The best way to honor the dead is to live better, to strive harder.

Replace firecrackers with fine wine, replace wailing with song.

We, of this generation, should be just so.

The red dust was blazing—today was the most lively day in over a decade, yet Li Guanyi was still “trapped” in the palace, handling scrolls with civil officials; he had barely finished one batch.

Yan Daiqing, Wen Qingyu, and others withdrew.

Li Guanyi sat alone on his chair, a scroll spread open on his knees, reading its text: it recorded the eradication of remnants from previous eras—mostly human traffickers, and some usurious lenders.

And new unstable elements in this age, scheming to exploit loopholes for personal gain.

The Emperor picked up his brush and marked the text.

With his legendary martial cultivation, he could easily hear the entire city’s revelry—more vibrant than New Year’s—but before his wedding, he still had to attend to state affairs.

These matters were harder to settle than that old man Jiang Su!

What kind of business is this?

The Emperor sighed.

Suddenly, he heard a crisp sound.

Li Guanyi lifted his head slightly and saw, beneath the night sky on the palace steps, a golden bean slowly rolling forward, emitting a faint glow—he froze.

The Emperor rose and walked over, picking up the golden bean.

As he stepped out, he saw a woman in a blue robe, her hair tied with a wooden pin, smiling at the doorway, still preparing to toss another golden bean.

Li Guanyi seized Xue Shuangtao’s wrist, his expression unchanged as he shoved her palm into his pocket: “If you’re going to throw golden beans, just toss them straight into my pocket.”

Xue Shuangtao laughed aloud: “You’re so lazy.”

Li Guanyi smiled: “Better to avoid the trouble.”

“Miss Xue, why are you here today? According to protocol, you should be at the Xue family’s residence.”

Xue Shuangtao’s eyes flickered: “Waiting there is dreadfully dull.”

Li Guanyi raised an eyebrow: “Miss Xue, what are you thinking?”

Xue Shuangtao touched her eyes and smiled: “So obvious?”

Li Guanyi said: “How long have we known each other?”

Xue Shuangtao let out a soft chuckle: “True.”

Leaning against the palace pavilion, her hand still held by the Emperor, she did not withdraw it, merely gently clasping it back, gazing at the distant sky: “Over a decade has passed. Tomorrow’s wedding still feels strange—I just can’t shake the feeling that my identity will change…”

Memories of the Xue family’s transformation flashed through her mind.

Xue Shuangtao fell silent, then smiled mischievously:

“So, my guest minister, would you care to do something different?”

Li Guanyi blinked: “What?”

Xue Shuangtao pulled the Emperor, suddenly tugging hard—he made no resistance, only stepped forward, watching her hair flutter slightly as it settled, her almond-shaped eyes clear and bright.

Master Wen Qingyu had just come to find Li Guanyi, to summon the Emperor for another small meeting with civil officials, but he saw the Changfeng Lady dragging the Emperor away—he froze.

Li Guanyi said: “Master Wen Qingyu.”

The Changfeng Lady exhaled, as if making a decision:

“Master Wen Qingyu.”

“Please lend me your Emperor for half a day.”

Master Wen Qingyu assessed the situation in less than a third of a breath, instantly judged the situation, and without hesitation betrayed Yan Daiqing’s faction:

“My lady, go ahead.”

“I’ll handle the rest.”

Li Guanyi was pulled forward, turning to Xue Shuangtao in confusion:

“Miss Xue?”

The Changfeng Lady faced away from him: “Tomorrow, we shall be Emperor and Empress—but today, can we just be Xue Shuangtao and Li Guanyi?”

She turned back, the Changfeng Lady who had overseen the realm’s intelligence archives now lowering her gaze, her expression once again the quiet gentleness and resolve of a young girl.

She tugged harder, pulling the Emperor forward—the Emperor, whose martial prowess was peerless, seemed powerless against her pull, as if replaying the scene from over a decade ago, when he had pulled her away from the scholarly gatherings of noble families.

Before, it was he who pulled her away from the noble ladies’ literary gatherings.

Now, it was she who pulled him away from the palace, away from his imperial identity.

Master Wen Qingyu watched the woman drag the Emperor out of the palace.

It was a celebration for all under heaven—heroes from every corner had gathered again, just as in the days of conquering the realm, Jiangnan’s lights blazed to the heavens. Retired soldiers clutched wine jugs and sang “The Charge,” while common folk laughed and chatted.

Bronze bells tinkled at the eaves.

Tomorrow’s wedding.

The Emperor had been dragged away by the Changfeng Lady—“escaping the palace.”

Leaving behind worldly status, temporarily stepping away from the glory of history, all awaited a grand ceremony—yet in the gap between these monumental rites recorded in the annals, in places unknown to history, the little girl pulled the young herbalist.

On this final day, they embarked on a grand, romantic “escape.”

Before becoming Emperor and Empress of the realm.

This should be the wedding of Xue Shuangtao and Li Guanyi.

Master Wen Qingyu stroked his chin, unconsciously smiling:

“Elopement? Another kind of elopement.”

“Truly exquisite.”

At that moment, a clear voice rang out.

Yan Daiqing approached, holding scrolls:

“Where is His Majesty?”

Master Wen Qingyu’s smile froze.

Trouble.

?? Keep writing~

? If possible, I hope to deliver this final electronic side dish for everyone during the Spring Festival (rolling up sleeves)