Chapter 145: Deep Affection

Whether was it the Xie Family, Song Lian, or the Second Prince, they were actually just showing their stance; which was that the three of their houses were expressing their support for Chen Chao. As for whether Chen Chao could win the championship or not, it was actually not important.

Regardless of whether Chen Chao won or not, he would definitely become a highly sought-after young man in Great Liang Dynasty. Therefore, the prominent figures did not care about these at all.

Chen Chao was unaware of the large sums of money these prominent figures were using to express their support for him. If he had known, he would have definitely cried for them not to go through the trouble and just give him all the money.

He was preparing for the final martial exam these few days.

After Xie Nandu took first place in the literary exam, he felt a lot of pressure right now. Just as the Empress had said, he could not be inferior to a woman no matter what, right? Especially a girl that he liked.

Song Lian entered that small low-rise courtyard alone today.

A woman was currently washing clothes in the center of the courtyard. Seeing Song Lian carrying a bag of rice, she frowned and said with displeasure, "Why did you buy such a big bag of rice again? Do you really treat me as an outsider?"

Song Lian did not even lift his head and casually said, "The constable office distributed it. I can't finish it all by myself and weevils will grow if I leave it there. I brought it for you to eat so that it won't be a waste."

Some time ago, he had told that woman that he worked as a petty official at some constable office. He was not some big shot, but an ordinary constable. His monthly salary was not much either.

The woman did not doubt his explanation too much. It was just that she felt a bit envious as she said, "What kind of government office keeps giving you things every few days?"

Song Lian did not respond. After pouring the rice bag on his shoulder into the rice bin with familiarity, he went to pour himself a cup of tea. After drinking a large cup, he dragged a long bench to the courtyard and sat down, patting off the dust on his body.

The woman looked up but did not see a second person. She then asked rather curiously, "Where's that kid Chen Chao? Why isn't he here today?"

"That kid has an exam in a couple of days. He's been studying hard lately. He was also craving your food and asked me to bring some back for him later."

Song Lian's face did not turn red nor did his heart rate increase. When it came to telling lies, he had long changed from who he used to be.

Hearing this, the woman quickly stood up, wiped her hands on her clothes, smiling slightly. She grumbled, "If he wanted to eat, why didn't he come in person? Isn't it better to have a warm meal? It doesn't take much time."

As she spoke, she quickly went inside to wash the rice and cook a meal.

Song Lian sat down in front of that wooden tub very naturally and was about to start washing the clothes.

Inside the house, the woman heard the commotion outside and quickly said, "You shouldn't do these things anymore. Last time, you ended up ripping several of the clothes. I had to pay quite a sum of money!"

Hearing her words, Song Lian sheepishly withdrew his hands. As a Great Beyond martial artist, how could he have done these things before? When washing clothes, he naturally lacked finesse.

"If you really can't sit still, then you can chop some firewood."

"Okay."

"By the way, the water in the water jar is running low. Help me to fill it up later."

"Okay."

"There are a few loose roof tiles. it always leaks when it rains. If you have time, can you take a look? It's too high and I can't climb up there."

"Okay."

"Can't you say a few more words? Why do you always respond with just one word?"

"O... right."

"Song Lian, you're not a likable person at all."

"I don't think so."

......

Recalling a distant figure from the past, the expression on the Empress' face became rather nostalgic.

The Great Liang emperor looked at her and said, "Sometimes We wonder, if We hadn't risen in rebellion and waged that war, would you have been spared from these sufferings?"

The Empress shook her head and said with a smile, "If Your Majesty hadn't fought that war, the world wouldn't be better off. It wouldn't have been a favorable outcome for Your Majesty either. Losing your title, being confined for life, perhaps that would have been the best fate for Your Majesty. However, knowing the temperament of that child, it's likely that it wouldn't have stopped there. Your Majesty's life likely would not have been spared. But the most important thing is that the world would have lost Your Majesty. How could Great Liang be how it is today?"

The Great Liang emperor said self-deprecatingly, "How are We so irreplaceable?"

The Empress did not rush to speak. She simply looked at the palace lanterns in the distance that had not been lit yet. She did not know if she would still be able to see those lanterns light up either. Even if she could, how many more days could she see?

She remembered the first time she met His Highness the Prince at the lakeside when they were young. These two people's initial encounter was not considered pleasant, but the subsequent stories could truly be regarded as a model for emperors and empresses throughout the ages. Such a story was likely unprecedented in the past and would be difficult to come by in the future.

"Your Majesty, I've seen that girl and I am very satisfied. Since she also likes that child, there's no need to let her make those meaningless choices again."

The Great Liang emperor looked at her and said, "Of course."

"I gave her the bracelet that the Queen Mother gave me."

The Empress smiled, genuinely quite happy.

The Great Liang emperor jokingly remarked, "When our eldest son got married, We thought you would give her the bracelet, but in the end, you didn't. The same thought crossed Our mind when our second son got married, but again, it didn't happen. We then thought it was meant for our third son's wife, but We didn't expect you to give it to that girl."

The Empress smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you didn't see how panicked he looked when I scared that child. No matter how level-headed he appears, deep down, that child still has a childish side when it comes to things he cares about. But he didn't have much to begin with, and now that he finally has a girl he likes, if she were to be snatched by someone, I can't imagine how heartbroken he would be."

"Yes, that's why you must firmly place that girl in his hands now."

The Empress said, "Our family owes theirs quite a lot, but that's not my reason. I simply don't want him to suffer injustices throughout his life like that girl."

The Great Liang emperor did not speak because he could already tell that the Empress in front of him was extremely tired.

Indeed, the Empress felt her eyelids becoming heavy, unable to keep them open. She closed her eyes slightly and said softly, "Your Majesty, I'll nap for a bit. When the sunset is beautiful later, I will accompany Your Majesty to watch it."

The Great Liang emperor nodded and said with a faint smile, "Sleep, We will wake you later."

He stood up and gently covered the sleeping Empress with a blanket.

Then he slowly got up, walked to the doorway, and looked at the sun that had just reached noon height.

None of the palace attendants here dared to make the slightest sound.

They all knew that the Emperor was the most gentle when he was by the Empress' side. But now, the Empress had already reached this state, it was evident that the Emperor's mood must be extremely poor at the moment.

"Summon the imperial physicians, We want to see them."

The Great Liang emperor looked into the distance, his voice rather weary. "Summon the Dean to the palace."

After saying these two sentences, the Great Liang emperor became somewhat exhausted and directly sat down on the doorstep.

He looked into the distance, lost in thought. But most likely, what he longed for the most was the woman who once sat by his side.

He had this woman accompany him throughout the first half of his life. But it became an unknown for the latter half of his life.

They had known each other since young and accompanied each other for half a lifetime, without ever harboring suspicion or anything else. Their feelings were completely incomprehensible to outsiders, unrelated to status or anything else. It was just the simplest form of love.

He was somewhat saddened, but could not cry.

He was the emperor, he could not cry in front of the world's people.

The Great Liang emperor looked at the stone steps before him and whispered, "If wonderful would it be if we were still young."