Chapter 237

Sun Di looked at him and said calmly, “If you want to see the entire Tang Empire crumble to dust, if you want to be an eternal sinner of Tang, you can tell others what I just said to you. We are comrades after all. I won’t blame you for your narrow-mindedness. It’s my fault that my thoughts can’t be understood by everyone.”

“But, do you want General Chu… Aren’t you ruining her happiness?”

Sun Di shook his head and laughed as he patted Tie You’s shoulder. “Although I believe that General Chu has no ambition, I have to guard against her. If Zhuge Yue marries her in future, do I expect the wife of the king of Qinghai to supervise the country’s issues?” The moonlight shone bright in the sky as the man turned around to leave. His resigned voice drifted from afar, carrying a few hints of dreariness. “How can the empire be ruled by a woman who is benevolent? The abyss is deep, no one wants to go there. Let me wander there myself…”

The crescent moon hung high up in the sky as the autumn winds swept across the land, scattering sycamore leaves onto the ground—it was a lonely sight.

Mihe Residence was still as cold as ever. However, it had become the most lively part of all of Jinwu Palace. There were still people walking about. It was rumored that even birds did not want to stop at other places in Jinwu Palace. Jinwu Palace had become a quiet place. There was no longer any festivities, banquets, blue-eyed Donghu dancers, or singing through the night. The palace fell into a state of isolation; even the nightingales deserted the palace. Sounds of one’s own breath could even be heard as one walked across the palace.

Everyone carried on with their lives quietly, seemingly trying not to startle the lingering souls with any loud movements. Pieces of white cloth were draped around the entire palace, covering up the glamor and extravagance that this place used to possess. Every single thing in this place was crying out for that person, including the sycamore trees, clear waters, every single building, courtyard, and man-made mountain.

The emperor had just fallen asleep on Chu Qiao’s bed. That day, he had witnessed his mother, Empress Yuan, commit suicide. From then on, he had not had a good night’s sleep. He frowned tightly as he slept, seemingly in a fearful state, even in his dreams. The king of Rong lay in another crib as he slept soundly, a smile on the edges of his lips. He resembled his father.

Chu Qiao sat in front of the window as she did not feel tired. A white candle burned in the background, providing a dim source of light. A tinge of red was visible under the candlelight. She held a thick pile of unopened letters in her hands. Just like that, she sat there for over four hours.

Sun Di’s words flashed across her mind once again. She turned around and looked at the two familiar faces of the young children, as she felt stunned. “What a cunning fellow,” Chu Qiao mumbled to herself as she smiled. She thought of the man’s expression the last time that he said those words. This person was undeniably intelligent and was able to read anyone’s mind. However, how could he have been unable to read her mind? Was Zhuge Yue going to be angry at her? What was written in those letters? Would he scold her? Resent her? Or nag her? Perhaps, he was going to do all of that. Suddenly, she recalled the words he told her that night. Under the moonlight, as the trees swayed, he turned around, looked at her with his handsome face and asked slowly, “The journey has not ended. There might be changes along the way. Are you afraid?”

Back then, the winds were gentle while the weather was warm. Her sleeves appeared like butterflies flying in the air as it was swept by the winds. She put aside all her feelings of apprehension, laughed at him, and said that she was not afraid. Then, he gave a gentle smile. It was a gesture rarely seen of him—it had no awkwardness, no spitefulness, and no intention of bickering. It was a heartfelt smile. Under the moonlight, he lowered his head and planted a kiss on the side of her lips as he placed his hand on her back, absorbing every ounce of her fragrance and living in this beautiful moment that he had dreamt of for many years.

Time had been an everlasting obstacle that had gotten in their way. However, their relationship withstood the test of time as it remained strong all these years.

She reached out her hand and crumpled the letters, placing them on top of the candlelight. The sparks of fire engulfed the letters as they turned to a pile of ash. There were still too many pairs of eyes in this deserted palace.

When Sun Di arrived the next day, Chu Qiao had dolled herself up. She was dressed in red and gold, adorned by accessories of the same color. She was a picture of radiance. Sun Di looked at Chu Qiao, stunned. After a while, he managed a smile as he said, “Miss, looks like you have sorted out your thoughts.”

The lady was sitting on the main seat of the main hall. The sunlight was blinding as it shone on her body. Despite being dressed in such a flamboyant outfit, the serious look in her eyes did not diminish. She looked at Sun Di firmly, and uttered in a cold tone, “It’s alright. I think I did not disappoint you.”

Sun Di was a little shaken, but maintained his calmness as he lowered his head. “I’m flattered by your remarks, Miss.”

Chu Qiao did not say anything else as she waved her hand. “I think that you already know how to handle the situation. It’s up to you to decide.”

“Yes, I will not disappoint you.”

In an instant, her salutation had changed. She turned around, finding it hard to even give a cold smile.

Sun Di hesitated for a while before he probed, “The ceremony will be in three days.”

“Three days?” Chu Qiao raised her eyebrows. “Will it be too rushed?”

“It’s alright. I will hurry the ceremonial and rites departments.”

“What about the imperial edict and official letter of declaration?”

Sun Di smiled and replied naturally, “Miss, have you forgotten? The letter given by the late emperor to grant you the title of princess has not been filled with a name. With a few edits, everything will be settled. The timeframes are correct too. After all, it’s a letter written personally by the late emperor. The officials will believe its contents. Furthermore, with your current influence, I think that no one will object to this too.”

“Hmm, you have an elaborate plan after all,” Chu Qiao said emotionlessly.

Sun Di felt a chill up his spine as he said with a heavy tone, “I’ll go and prepare for this now.”

“Okay,” Chu Qiao nodded with a fatigued expression on her face.

Sun Di hurriedly turned around to leave. As he stepped out of the door, the lady’s voice echoed after him. “This will be the last time.”

Sun Di stopped in his tracks and turned around, but Chu Qiao had already stepped into the inner palace. Was it a hallucination? He frowned tightly. Sun Di laughed heartily and looked up towards the azure blue sky. In that instant, he seemingly saw the late emperor, who was a friend to him, looking at him with a large grin on his face.

“By doing this, I think you will feel happy. Even if you don’t appear so, I think you must be exploding with joy inside,” Sun Di took a deep breath and shut his eyes quietly.

It’s alright if you hate me. As long as I preserve the lineage of the Li family and the Tang Empire, everything will be worth it.

On the fifth day of the tenth month, according to the late emperor’s imperial decree, the General of Xiuli was announced as the royal imperial concubine of Tang. She swore under the royal seal that if she had any children in future, she would become the empress of Tang.

As the decree had been made three months ago while Li Ce was still alive, Chu Qiao became the only woman who was given the title of imperial concubine despite just being recruited. The entire world knew what kind of marriage this was. This concubine of Xiuli was unable to become pregnant with Li Ce’s child, hence she could only stay as an imperial concubine all her life.

The coronation ceremony was scheduled for three days later. Black curtains were draped all over the city of Tang Jing, while the Department of Rites prepared the first black-colored royal robe in its thousand-year history. Officials of various places scrambled to prepare their gifts; the sight of horses galloping along the passageways of the city towards the capital was prevalent.

Everyone was waiting in anticipation for this posthumous wedding that would occur in three days. The attention of the various empires were fixated on this event as the world was shook by this woman once again. Everyone knew that she would not just be a concubine, but the person who ruled over Tang for the next ten years, at least. This woman, who was born as a slave in Xia, had ascended to the peak of power, becoming known as a living legend with her experiences.

When Yan Xun learnt of the news, he was in the midst of entertaining some important guests in his palace. Feng Zhi walked over to his side and muttered a few sentences in his ear. His expression changed drastically as he spilt his cup of wine onto his black robe.

The boorish guest smiled and asked, “Your Majesty, what’s wrong?”

Yan Xun laughed apologetically, shook his head, and replied, “An eagle which I have kept for many years has just flown away. Sorry to disturb you.”

“Oh, it’s a bird,” the guest laughed heartily and continued, “Yan Bei is a vast place. If Your Majesty conquers Xia in future, you will have the world, and everything else in your hands. However, since you love eagles, I will send someone to capture one for you. Wishing you all the best in your conquest!”

Another round of hearty laughter echoed out from Shuofang Palace, reverberating across the vast plains of the highlands of Yan Bei. The world was big. Fate was really like an arrow. Once it was released, there would be no point of return.

That night, Yan Xun ascended Luori Mountains and reached Nada Palace, along with some subordinates. The palace was still as spectacular as ever. He sat in there for a long time, as the sun set, coloring the landscape a bright red like the Huoyun flowers on Huolei Plains.

As the wine trickled down his throat, his vision became blurry. The look in his eyes was no longer stern, as he started to appear lost. As there was no one by his side, he had the room to allow his mind to take a break.

“AhChu, marry me.”

“Okay…”

“I will always treat you well.”

“I will always believe you.”

“AhChu, once the conflict at the east ends, let’s get married.”

…

“AhChu, all the storms have passed, but we’re still together.”

Everything will change, but us.

We will not change…

A low laughter echoed out from the palace, startling Feng Zhi. He turned around as he detected the fragrance of wine.

Your Majesty did not use to drink wine. Ever since that person left, wine has become a necessity to him.

As Feng Zhi thought of that person, he started to feel sad. Ultimately, they were two sad souls who had been separated from each other. They lived their lives in pain, neither side able to find peace.

The winds of Yan Bei started to feel colder as winter approached once again.