Luzhou-Mond - Kapitel 171
If there is an afterlife, I only wish for a simple and ordinary life, to love one person wholeheartedly, without hurting so many hearts or owing so many debts of affection.
On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, Shen Haoyu visited the Marquis of Qiyun's residence once again, bringing with him the newly prepared antidote by the Immortal Master. Accompanying him was Mr. Qi, who had not returned to the country with us last time. This time, the Marquis of Qiyun did not arrange for him to stay in a separate residence, but instead found a courtyard for him to stay in the mansion. Mr. Qi and Bu Xi treated me for the poisoning at Tinglan Residence. Although the Immortal Master and Mr. Qi were disciples of the same master, the Immortal Master focused on pharmacology and had never practiced martial arts. Mr. Qi, on the other hand, was multi-talented, and his medical skills were slightly inferior to the Immortal Master's. However, this time the detoxification required someone with profound internal strength to perform the procedure, so Mr. Qi took on this important task.
Thinking of how Zi Nuo had exhausted his inner strength and turned his hair white overnight in order to suppress the toxins in my body, I couldn't help but look at Mr. Qi with some worry. Although Mr. Qi was already middle-aged, I was still a little uneasy if he had turned his hair white because of this.
Noticing my gaze, Mr. Qi turned his head and asked, "What's troubling you?"
"I'm worried that Mr. Qi's hair will turn out like Zinuo's."
Mr. Qi shook his head and smiled, "You're overthinking it."
Mr. Qi had several maids hold me down to prevent me from moving, which made me wonder if he was going to operate on me. It wasn't until he fed me the antidote that I experienced excruciating pain all over my body, and I realized why he had had me held down. The maids held me down tightly, and Mr. Qi moved with lightning speed. Soon, my body was covered with silver needles. The needles quickly turned black, and many small black dots appeared at the needle ends, which then gathered into drops and dripped down.
Black blood kept gushing out, but the pain did not lessen. He gritted his teeth, but eventually, he gradually lost strength in this pain that seemed endless, and fell into a deep sleep.
When I woke up, I was lying in a pool of hot water, the steam filled with a strong medicinal fragrance. Two girls were carefully massaging the acupoints all over my body, causing me to feel a mix of pain and pleasure, and I couldn't help but shed tears.
After repeating this process three times, the toxins in the body were finally completely eliminated, but the damaged organs still needed to be slowly repaired. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
With the poison cured, Shen Haoyu pressed for the wedding date, which was finally set for the third day of the third month. Before that, I waited at the Qiyun Marquis's residence to allow my body to slowly recover, becoming a bride-to-be. My feelings were completely different from when I was at the Qiyun Villa. This time, I was really going to get married, and to the person I wanted to marry.
Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 147
Chapter word count: 4824 Update time: 09-09-25 08:02
On the eighth day of the second lunar month, Pingcheng was bathed in the bright sunshine of spring, with green grass and blooming flowers seemingly sprouting all at once within those few days. A long procession of carriages departed from the Qiyun Marquis's residence, slowly heading north. Everyone knew that on the third day of the third lunar month, the Qiyun Marquis's second daughter, who had miraculously survived, would be married to the young Prince Qing.
After arranging all matters in the south, Shen Tingxuan and Marquis Qiyun accompanied me to the capital. Before departing, Marquis Qiyun said with considerable apology, "Huai'en, the treasury has suffered greatly due to the war these past few years. Your dowry is not as good as Hanyan's." I smiled and shook my head, "With Father and Brother Ting, Huai'en doesn't need that ten-mile-long red bridal procession."
After leaving the city, as we passed a small hill, Shen Haoyu called to me from outside, gesturing for me to get off the carriage. I jumped down, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, Shen Haoyu helped me onto his horse, and we began our ascent up the hill. Because of the wet mud on the hill, the horse slipped, and Shen Haoyu had to abandon it, using his light-footed skills to carry me to the top. A gentle breeze blew, making me feel refreshed and relaxed.
Shen Haoyu pointed towards Pingcheng, the gentle breeze carrying the fragrance of flowers and grass dancing with the sleeves of his bright purple robe. "From afar, Pingcheng's willows and mist are like a painting." A smile graced Shen Haoyu's lips, as captivating as spring blossoms.
"I hear the sound of the East China Sea waves like a song." Recalling his promise, I smiled and looked back.
Shen Haoyu raised his hand and tucked the slightly messy hair behind my ear: "I will definitely take you there."
After descending the mountain, the group continued onward. Along the riverbank, fisherwomen rowed their boats, singing fishermen's songs that echoed between heaven and earth, filling the air with hope.
Leaving Pingcheng for the first time, I was excited but uncertain about the future.
The second time, he was on guard against assassination and lived in constant fear.
This time, however, she was filled with sweet anticipation for the future, and her expression was shy and hesitant.
I arrived in the capital at the end of the month. As usual, the streets of Suzaku were bustling with people. However, I had transformed from an observer in the corner into the main character, listening quietly to the commotion outside from behind the heavy curtains of the carriage.
My bumpy and somewhat legendary experiences, from Hanyue City to Shengjing, have been told in countless versions. Fortunately, no one has called me a femme fatale yet, probably because I am not a stunning beauty and do not have the capital to bring disaster to the country.
Instead of staying at Qiyun Villa as usual, Shen Haoyu had us stay at the former Prince Qing's Mansion. Now that Prince Qing resides in the palace, the mansion is mostly empty.
After getting off the carriage, I saw many familiar faces from Qiufeng Garden standing outside the gate. The first woman, dressed in fine clothes, was already in tears when she saw me. Upon closer inspection, I recognized her as Yin Yan. She was a bit plumper than she had been five years ago.
"Huai'en! Is it really you?" Yin Yan lifted her skirt, about to run over, but then stopped.
He walked up to Yin Yan, pressed her hand against his face, and grinned, "How can it not be me? But I might look a bit older, no wonder you didn't recognize me."
Yin Yan withdrew her hand, tears streaming down her face, but still chuckled and pushed me away: "You still prefer glib talk."
The group returned to Qiufeng Garden, which had been decorated festively with red silk everywhere. They couldn't help but touch their faces, feeling a bit hot.
After a long separation, Yin Yan and I had a lot to talk about. Since we wouldn't see anyone for the next few days, we stayed in Qiufeng Garden all day long.
"You're such a fool. The prince just said a few words and left like that. You have no idea how angry the prince was that day. He even had a fight with the prince." Yin Yan complained to me while drying my hair. I could only chuckle stupidly.
"Fortunately, we've finally made it through." Yin Yan sighed softly, as if offering a word of relief.
Before dawn on the third day of the third month, Yin Yan led a group of maids and nannies to help me with my makeup. Looking at myself in the mirror, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, I felt a sense of unreality.
Lost in thought, I heard a commotion outside. My heart clenched suddenly; the scene was all too familiar.
A maid's voice came from outside: "Your Highness, you cannot go in." However, it seemed to be useless to stop them, and the door was still pushed open.
Seeing the three people enter from outside, I covered my mouth in surprise.
"Huai'en, I brought you a gift. I must give it to you before you get married." Huangfu Xuan raised a small, bright red package in his hand, his smile enigmatic.
"What good stuff?" I couldn't contain my curiosity. "If it's not good, I'll make trouble for you."
Huangfu Xuan opened the small package, took out another piece of red brocade, and unfolded it. Inside was a bridal handkerchief embroidered with a five-colored golden phoenix. The phoenix, with its outstretched wings, was so lifelike it seemed about to fly off. Although the embroidery was exquisite, wasn't it somewhat inappropriate for Huangfu Xuan to give me this?
“This was brought to me by an elder,” Huangfu Xuan said, looking at me with a rather envious gaze. “Because of the tight schedule, she worked day and night while heavily pregnant, and finally finished embroidering it for you before I left.”
She thought of someone, but wasn't quite sure what her relationship was with Huangfu Xuan and the others, so she hesitated before asking, "Who is it?"
"Mo Yun." Seeing my puzzled expression, Huangfu Xuan quickly added, "Don't ask yet, I'll tell you later. Today is a very precious day."
I couldn't help but blush again.
Seeing that Huangfu Xuan had already presented the gifts, Shen Zexuan stepped forward. His bright red clothes, as always, were no less stunning than my wedding dress. If you didn't know better, you might think he was the groom.
Shen Zexuan smiled, looking at his much thinner face, and I murmured, "Your Highness, it's been a long time." It was his usual opening line.
Shen Zexuan leaned down and placed a warm, hard object into my hand, breathing softly into my ear as if to take the ambiguity to the extreme: "A gift for Huai En."
I opened my palm, and there lay the purple jade butterfly pendant he had given me when I came of age. Back then, it was only half a pendant; now it was a pair. Looking at that still alluring face, the breathtaking kiss under the red plum tree, the deception at the Third Prince's residence, the fireworks of New Year's Eve, the fireflies twinkling outside Qingzhou City… those dreamlike, beautiful scenes unfolded one by one, leaving only a slight sense of melancholy.
"Thank you, Your Highness. I will wear it with the young prince." The past is the past. What I want to hold onto now is Shen Haoyu's hand.