Scharlachroter Regen überflutet die Stadt

Kapitel 114

"Not easy. You can even admit you're wrong?!" Lu Li's expression softened slightly, but he still asked in a cold voice, "How long have you been standing there?"

"I just arrived too." I smiled. "No matter what, you're still my master. I have to live my life according to your wishes. If I offend you, how can I sleep soundly?"

Lu Li looked at me. After a long while, he shook his head and said, "Listen to what you're saying. You're clearly showing off your sharpness and being fearless. You don't act like I'm your master at all."

As they spoke, he had already led me into the side hall facing the rising sun. He reached out and took off my outer robe, then gently pressed me down beside the bed in the warm chamber. "Can you sleep peacefully now?"

I got up and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Why do you work so hard?"

"Why are we all making this trouble?" Lu Li said slowly, a hint of melancholy in his expression. That melancholy pierced my heart. He smiled softly, "I was just trying to maintain this superficial peace. Is that so difficult?"

"Difficult, really difficult!" I smiled and slowly closed my eyes. "Following you is just one difficult thing!"

Lu Li leaned against the bed and pulled me into his arms, chuckling softly as he leaned down and whispered, "Are you scared?"

"I don't know," I answered truthfully.

Lu Li remained silent for a long time, then a cold glint flashed in his eyes: "If he dares to touch our child, I will never protect Yao Shuhuan's child, no matter what. He'll settle this score."

Upon hearing this, I stiffened. I had no idea when he and the Emperor Emeritus had come to this. I reached out and tightened my grip on his hand, and my voice became quiet. "How about we make that woman's child the crown prince? Give him what he wants."

Looking back on all the ups and downs of these years, I realize that I've finally become afraid and disgusted with myself. I've long since learned to let things take their course; I can't fight against people, against fate, against heaven, because in the end, I can't fight against myself!

A few days later, the Emperor Emeritus summoned me to the garden again. As soon as I entered the inner chamber, I saw Lu Xiu kneeling behind me, his face extremely pale. The Emperor Emeritus, his expression grim, turned to the window and said in a cold voice, "I heard you're pregnant?!"

I gave a slight bow and said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you."

He walked over in a few steps, met my gaze, and asked with a smile, "Do you like doing business with others?"

"That depends on what you offer me in exchange." I smiled and went to meet him.

"I want to make Yao Shuhuan's son the heir apparent." His gaze remained fixed on my eyes.

“I won’t do a deal that loses me money.” I turned my head away from him. “Look at the price you offered.”

"You'll like it." The Emperor clapped his hands as he spoke, and eunuchs led the children over from behind the curtain. Lu Xiu's expression turned even more unpleasant.

"Mother." Xi'er suddenly darted to my side, and I knelt down with some difficulty and hugged him in my arms.

"In the twenty-fourth year of Tianyou, you gave birth to a child, who seems to be a child whom I ordered to be killed."

My throat tightened, and my gaze turned cold as I looked at him. "What do you want to say?!"

"Before you is the son you gave birth to in the twenty-fifth year of Tianyou."

The pain I had suppressed for so many years surged back, and I could only shake my head in a panic, "No, that child died in the Emperor's urn, he left me."

"Although I didn't want him to live, I still couldn't bring myself to kill him. So, right in front of you, this child you raised for so long, who called you 'Mother,' is him. You've hated me for years because of him, haven't you? Now I'm returning him to you. Please give me peace of mind. I told you you'd like this deal."

My arms around Xi'er froze in mid-air. In disbelief, I cupped the child's face in my hands. Xi'er was smiling, smiling through my tear-filled eyes... Suddenly, Eunuch Chang pulled the child away from my arms. Almost at the same time, the screen was removed by the servants, and Lu Li's stiff body appeared again through my tear-filled eyes.

He walked towards me, his face covered in tears, looking at me, unable to utter a sound.

He gripped my wrist tightly, and the pain was excruciating!

Xi'er, who was being pulled along by Eunuch Chang, suddenly burst into tears, crying piercingly. The Emperor Emeritus kept his eyes tightly closed and refused to look at us; he turned his back, and I could see the turmoil raging within him.

Lu Li grabbed my wrist and knelt down, his voice ringing in my ears, but I couldn't hear him.

"I will make Yao Shuhuan's son the heir apparent."

He finally said it.

The Emperor Emeritus nodded. Eunuch Chang then presented the wristband. Xi'er ran out crying, collapsing to the ground. Lu Li paused, and I rushed towards the small figure. I hugged him, overwhelmed with emotion, tears streaming down my face, speechless. Lu Li slowly walked forward, gently taking Xi'er from my arms. He looked at him, his eyes filled with a deep, unwavering gaze. At that moment, I realized that all the worldly vanities had fallen behind me; what I held in my hands was the most precious treasure, one that no one could take away!

Lu Li's 27th birthday celebration was a grand affair.

Neighboring countries sent envoys one after another to offer their congratulations, bringing life back to the once lifeless palace. Lu Li and I sat in the hall, hosting a banquet for the envoys. Below, a group of people in splendid T-shirts casually smiled, their arms around Rui'er.

Consort Lan sat to Lu Li's right, chatting and laughing with those around her from time to time. This exotic beauty truly had the ability to bring joy to others.

"Mother—" Rui'er tugged at me, and I moved closer to him.

"Mother, when will my brother Zhenhuang attend classes with us?"

Lu Zhen has been kept in confinement by Lu Li these past few days, and I haven't even been allowed to see him. I glanced at Lu Li with some resentment, then came back to my senses and comforted Rui'er, "Your brother is unwell and will have to wait until these days are over."

Rui'er pouted, "Last time you said you would read Zuo Zhuan to me."

"When we get back to the room, your mother will read it to you."

After I finished speaking, I felt unwell, but I couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the discomfort. My abdomen ached for a while, and I realized there were still about ten days until my due date. Liu Shang noticed my discomfort and came over to ask me what was wrong.

Lu Li turned to look at me and put a hand on my arm. "What's wrong? You look terrible."

"I'd like to retreat to the inner sanctuary and rest for a while," I said calmly.

He nodded hurriedly and ordered someone to help me leave. I stood up with Liu Shang's help. Liu Shang called out, and I looked at her in confusion. I saw that she was staring intently at the soft spot where I had just stood up. I then noticed that it was wet, and a warm, wet sensation flowed between my legs. Only then did I realize what had happened.

Lu Li was now standing beside me, his hand gripping mine tightly. He was frowning nervously, his breathing rapid.

I smiled slightly, "What should we do? This child seems eager to come out."

Lu Li stared at me intently. "Don't move."

As soon as he finished speaking, I felt a lightness in my body as he swept me up in his arms. I could imagine him carrying my heavily pregnant belly down the main hall under the stares of everyone, completely unconcerned about their gazes. Along the way, all that was happening was frantically summoning the imperial physician and checking on my condition. Meanwhile, I had to keep comforting him, saying, "Don't worry, it's not like this is my first time. Stop staring at me and watch where you're going, okay?"

As I watched the chaotic scene unfold, I became oblivious to the pain within my body. All I could see was the women, and the sight of Lu Li, a grown man, standing awkwardly in the middle of them.

"Your Majesty, please leave quickly. You cannot enter this blood-shedding room," the midwife urged incessantly.

Lu Li wrapped his arms around my exhausted body, ignoring the nanny's urging. He simply placed one of his hands near my lips, letting me bite it whenever the pain became unbearable.

"Does it hurt a lot?" His forehead was shiny, seemingly sweating more than I did.

"Nonsense, why don't you try having one yourself?" I looked at him, both amused and exasperated.

"Okay, when you come back, give me a chance to try." He said half-jokingly, trying to help me pay less attention to the pain.

I wanted to laugh, but I didn't have the strength; I was just panting.

Liu Shang rolled his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, you still dote on the Empress no matter what. Look at all the maids in this room; they don't dare to speak or move in front of you. How can they help the Empress?!"

I quickly moved the hand he was holding and said, "Did you hear me? Don't make things worse."

“When I was born, I was always watching over you like this… You never give me a moment’s peace. This time you absolutely cannot lose consciousness, you know?” He kept muttering to himself, and I suddenly realized when he had become so talkative.

The old woman came over and pressed on my stomach. A tearing pain shot through me, and I couldn't help but cry out involuntarily, making her tremble with panic. With that cry, I mustered all my strength and thrust my hips forward. A loud cry rang in my ears, and I lost consciousness. The world seemed to darken, and Lu Li, who was closest to me, turned into a white dot. The smell of blood in the air faded, and Lu Li's cries and the baby's sobs grew weaker and weaker…

I was choked awake by the fact that my mouth had been stuffed with an unknown amount of bitter herbs. Lu Li was still holding my hand, guarding the bedside. When he saw that I had opened my eyes, he breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared me to death. Now you can have some peace and quiet."

I reached out and wiped away the cool droplet on his cheek. "That's strange, you can even drop this stuff."

He snorted, not minding my teasing, "Some people are deliberately trying to scare me into sitting here and having fun."

I rolled my eyes at him, my gaze darting around the bed, searching for that red silk ribbon.

"Don't worry, there are people gathered around the outer hall looking at our child right now." He smiled, turned around, and instructed, "Go, Your Majesty is awake, bring the little prince here."

I struggled to my feet, and he let me lean against him. I took the child from his arms, somewhat at a loss. "Is this our child?"

“The real deal.” He smiled faintly, filled with immeasurable satisfaction and relief. “Yes, our son. A true and legitimate prince.”

I shook my head. "As long as it's mine, I don't care if it's legitimate or illegitimate..."

Lu Li named the child "Han", Jinghan.

Once again, I saw that long-lost joy in Lu Li's eyes, along with the moisture that had lingered in his eyes years ago when Zhi'er was born.

“This child is always very well-behaved when he comes into my arms; he must recognize me.” He sat on the edge of the bed, holding the swaddled baby. Even though he had been a father for many years, his movements were still clumsy. I guessed that the only child he had ever held besides this one was Zhi’er. The last time he held him, he was trembling. This time, he was much calmer, but he still couldn’t hide his excitement.

"Nonsense, my son has become a god?" I chuckled, gently holding the tiny hand in the swaddling clothes.

Lu Li glared at me. "In the whole world, only you dare to say I'm talking nonsense. But my son is probably a god."

I quickly followed up with a teasing remark, "You're the emperor, the son of a god. Now you're saying our son is a god. Tell me, which of you two is the real father?"

"You have such a sharp tongue, don't you know how to save some good karma for your son?" I wasn't as cheerful as I used to be.

Liu Shang brought the medicine to my bedside, and Lu Li reached out to take it, but smiled gently.

"You're gloating over me taking my medicine?!"

“I suddenly remembered the bowl of headache medicine you brought me when you married into the family.”

"Oh?!" I tried hard to think, and it seemed like I had some vague memories.

He exhaled slowly, "That was the best herbal soup I've ever drunk."

"I added sugar," I told the truth.

He shook his head, gently stirring the spoon. "No... it's because you brought it to me. I thought you wouldn't care... so when you brought it, I was really surprised, and then I was overjoyed."

I grinned. "It's just a bowl of herbal medicine."

"But... that was also the day you annoyed me the most."

I looked at him, puzzled. "Why?"

Chapter Thirty-One: Farewell to the Warriors

She smiled faintly, "Because... you clearly brought the medicine, but you still..." That's why I'm so annoyed.

I was taken aback and was about to say that I was being magnanimous when he continued, "Back then, I really didn't understand why you had to be so tolerant. You were the legitimate wife, you didn't need to do that. Even if you were domineering and arrogant, no one would dare to say anything."

He looked at me thoughtfully, his eyes filled with a deep stillness. "Why...why did we have to go through so much hardship back then..."

My heart trembled. He had asked me this very question, the question I had always wanted to ask him. If he didn't know either, then who could?

"Why..." He gently touched my cheek with one hand, "We clearly care about each other... but we still can't be together... why is it like this."

I reached out and took his hand, took a deep breath, and saw that Liu Shang and the old woman behind me had already retreated and closed the door to the inner chamber.

In the dim candlelight, his face was half-hidden in shadow, his nose straight. My gaze lingered on his face until… tears fell drop by drop onto the back of his hand.

"In this world, there are some people who would rather die than love, but once they fall in love... it's an eternal damnation. We are such people—" When I said these words, even I felt myself trembling. How could I not love?

"It's not that I don't love you..." He gently sealed my lips with his fingers, finally letting out a long sigh, and pulled me into his arms. We... were immersed in that moment of tranquility, neither of us wanting to break the subtle happiness.

Jinghan's 100th birthday was celebrated peacefully. The days that followed were uneventful, and the harem was unusually quiet for a while. Even Fu Jing stopped causing trouble, Yao Shuhuan focused on her pregnancy, and the Princess of Dali quietly did her embroidery and needlework. However, she felt uneasy, as if something unsettling was hidden behind this tranquility.

As dusk settled, a commotion arose outside the palace, and I knew the children had returned. Seeing Xi'er and Jing walking hand-in-hand towards me, I was filled with a mix of emotions.

"Mother, I want my cousin to study in the South Study, just like me." At the dinner table, Jing said matter-of-factly.

I smiled and gestured to him that a grain of rice had fallen from his mouth. "It's an ancestral rule. Children of uncles and aunts cannot attend the study of the legitimate sons. That's why Xi'er can't go to the South Study. Otherwise, if the rules are broken, the court officials will gossip."

“What’s so difficult about that? It’s just a decree from Father. Father always dotes on my cousin.”