The Lonely City Closed

Chapter 115

Chapter word count: 2204 Update time: 09-07-05 10:45

Heartfelt wishes

From: 1986 words

When I met Li Wei, Cui Bai was with him.

The garden was lush and verdant, with flowers blooming along the fragrant paths. A square stone table stood beside the brocade stone bridge, on which rested an ancient zither, several scrolls of calligraphy and painting. Incense smoke curled from a wood chair adorned with jewels, and a painting depicted Cui Bai in blue robes. It was a scene of elegant gathering of literati, presumably Li Wei had invited Cui Bai to appreciate the flowers and exchange ideas on the occasion of the festival.

Yun Guo'er and Jia Qingzi stood on either side of them, and Wang Wuzi, who brought the imperial wine, and several eunuchs also appeared in the picture.

A young eunuch presented Li Wei with a wine cup, and after bowing, he smiled and picked up the cup, still expressing his gratitude.

I strode over, looked at the wine cup, and called out, "Captain, you mustn't!"

He was taken aback, and lowered the hand holding the wine cup.

When Wang Wuzi saw me, his brows furrowed: "Huaiji!"

I ignored him, walked over to Li Wei, and told him clearly, "This wine is not safe to drink."

Li Wei looked down in astonishment, staring at the jade liquid in the cup, his face gradually darkening.

Wang Wuzi immediately became furious, glaring at me and scolding, "Huaiji, what nonsense are you talking about! This is imperial wine specially bestowed upon the Commandant by the Emperor and Empress, how could he not drink it?"

Then, he smiled and bowed to Li Wei: "Captain, please drink this first cup now so that this old servant can return to the palace in time to report back."

Li Wei glanced at him, then at the imperial wine, and remained silent for a moment. Yun Guo'er, who was observing, had already noticed something amiss and anxiously interjected, "Captain, this wine must not be drunk!"

Jiaqingzi and Cui Bai exchanged a glance, clearly understanding the anomaly. They both stepped forward to call Li Wei, but shook their heads at him.

Li Wei didn't react much to their calls and hints, still keeping his eyes downcast on the wine cup. The wine, exuding a rich, sweet aroma, shimmered slightly in the golden sunlight, making me notice that it was Li Wei's hand trembling slightly.

A moment later, he raised the wine cup, as if to bring it to his lips. Before I could think, I immediately flicked my sleeve and knocked the cup away.

The wine cup fell to the ground and shattered, spilling wine everywhere. Wang Wuzi was furious and ordered his men to take me away, but Li Wei bowed deeply to him at that moment and said, "I have a few words to say to Mr. Liang, and I hope Mr. Wang will be lenient."

His humble demeanor made it difficult for Wang Wuzi to refuse, so he nodded.

Li Wei turned to me and gently gestured for me to follow him: "Huaiji, come here."

I didn't miss the change in how he addressed me. Before, he always called me "Mr. Liang," like a court lady or maid in a princess's residence. Given his higher status, this form of address sounded polite yet distant. Calling me by my name was a first in many years.

He led me to the stone table, selected a scroll, and presented it to me with both hands, saying, "Please trouble Huaiji to give this painting to the princess."

I took it and unfolded it to look at it. It was a silk ink painting depicting a secluded courtyard with multiple gates hidden by a bamboo grove. The front of the gate was covered with lush grass, and a winding path led to the depths of the clouds and mist behind the courtyard. In the hall, a graceful beauty sat in front of a painted screen, with a maidservant doing her makeup behind her. Beside the beauty was a slightly plump man in a loose robe, sitting in a relaxed and natural posture, facing the beauty and smiling as he looked her over.

The bamboo branches are tall, straight, and strong, while the bamboo leaves, depicted with double-outline strokes, are rendered with exquisite detail. Thousands upon thousands of clusters, each displaying its own unique form, are characteristic of Li Wei's ink bamboo paintings. This painting is clearly his work. The courtyard was modeled after the princess's residence in the garden, and the figures in the painting match the characteristics of the princess, Yun Guo'er, and himself. However, such a scene never occurred in their married life; it must have been a scene he longed for in his daily life.

He was a quiet person who wasn't good at communicating with others. When he painted, he often locked himself in his room and wouldn't allow anyone to enter or watch. I rarely saw his works, perhaps because he was afraid I would discover the thoughts he conveyed through his brushstrokes. But this time, he used this method to reveal to me a secret he had kept hidden in his heart for many years.

“Actually, the person next to her should be you.” He pointed to the man in the painting and said to me, “One day I passed by the Princess Pavilion and saw you sitting next to her watching her do her makeup, just like this.”

My gaze shifted from the painting to his face, my heart filled with a myriad of emotions, yet I didn't know where to begin. He now faced me, his expression vastly different from his former calm and composure, a hint of friendly smile on his face. He continued, "I once hated you, feeling that you had usurped my place in the princess's heart and made me a laughingstock. When you left, seeing the princess's anguish, I realized that she sought a partner whose temperament and life resonated with hers. You and she grew up together, you understood each other, your hearts were connected. But to her, I was just a foolish stranger, abruptly entering her life without her permission."

Therefore, he decided to speak up for me. Thinking of the matter of returning to the capital, I said sadly, "The Commandant pleaded for Huaiji before the Emperor, but Huaiji has not thanked him in person. It is extremely rude."

Li Wei shook his head: "No need to thank me. I wasn't doing this to help you, but because I didn't want to see the princess take her own life."

I said, "At the time, there was a great deal of public opinion. In any case, it was extremely difficult for the Commandant to make this decision. The gratitude Huaiji has received cannot be repaid with a single word of thanks."

“I know that asking you back will make me lose face, but my face is insignificant compared to the princess’s life,” Li Wei said, then gave a bitter smile. “Unfortunately, I still lack self-awareness and always clung to the hope that the difficulties in our marriage could be resolved with time and my efforts… I tried everything, everything I could think of and everything others suggested, even when faced with her cold stares and disdain time and time again, I still wouldn’t give up. Later, I didn’t even understand what I was persisting in, and the results were worse and worse, until now, I’ve ruined her life again.”

I struggled to find the right words, and feared that I might say something wrong, so I simply remained silent and listened to his story.

"Compared to you, I am ashamed, both in terms of calligraphy and painting and in terms of her." He sighed deeply. "To appreciate and cherish without constantly thinking about how to possess is the true essence of loving people and things."

He helped me roll up the scroll and solemnly handed the painting to me, ending our earnest conversation with a final instruction: "Please give the painting to the princess and tell her that if we are destined to meet again in the next life, I hope I will no longer be a stranger who has suddenly intruded into her territory."

Then, he walked up to the eunuch who was standing there holding a pitcher, lifted the pitcher, opened the lid, raised his hand, tilted his head back, and resolutely drank the remaining wine.

The Lonely City (The Princess Who Fell in Love with a Eunuch) Long smoke and setting sun, the lonely city closed, the main house

Chapter word count: 3975 Update time: 09-07-05 10:45

Zhengjia

From: 3708 words

Yun Guo'er cried out in surprise and rushed to Li Wei, trying to snatch the wine from his hand. But by the time she got it, Li Wei had already drunk it all. Li Wei wiped the few drops of wine that had splashed on his face with his sleeve, let out a long sigh of relief, and then stood there blankly, his gaze aimlessly fixed on the distant clouds, unresponsive to the calls of those around him.

Yun Guo'er collapsed to her knees beside him, exhausted. Jia Qingzi rushed forward to help her up, and she embraced him with both hands and burst into tears. Jia Qingzi comforted her, but he couldn't help but shed tears himself. The other servants and maids also knelt down and covered their faces as they wept.

Cui Bai followed me over to help Li Wei up, calling out to him with concern. When he did not answer, Cui Bai's eyes welled up with tears, and his face showed a look of sorrow.

Lady Yang, who was unwell, had likely been resting in her room when the deafening cries from the garden startled her. She staggered out, leaning on her cane, and grabbed a maid to inquire. Learning that Li Wei had drunk the imperial wine brought by Wang Wuzi, she immediately understood the reason. Tears streamed down her face. She first embraced Li Wei, calling out "My son!" several times, then flew into a rage, grabbing her cane and striking Wang Wuzi, crying out, "You killed my son! I'll fight you to the death!"

The eunuchs hurriedly pulled her back, but she struggled, crying and cursing. Wang Wuzi took two steps back, steadying his turban which had been knocked askew when he dodged her blows, before giving a cold laugh.

"What are you crying about!" He looked around at everyone and shouted, "This wine isn't poisoned!"

Those who heard this were shocked, and the crying subsided slightly. Wang Wuzi continued, "The wine that the Commandant drank was a fine wine brewed by the Empress herself, named 'Yingyu'. There was not a trace of poison in it!" Then, he slowly walked up to Li Wei and said with a smile, "Commander, this wine tastes good, doesn't it? The Empress doesn't easily give her wine to others. Even if the Emperor asks for it, she might not give it to him."

Li Wei stared at him blankly. After a while, she took two or three deep breaths. Probably not feeling anything unusual in her body, she turned her head to Madam Yang and Yun Guo'er and said, "I'm fine."

Madam Yang pulled him aside to look him over carefully, making sure he was alright, before she felt relieved. She clasped her hands together and thanked Heaven. Yun Guo'er also stopped crying and smiled, shyly retreating behind Li Wei while holding Jia Qingzi's arm. Cui Bai looked at Li Wei and smiled with relief.

Li Wei snapped out of his daze and immediately bowed to Wang Wuzi, saying that his mother had offended him earlier and asking for his forgiveness. Wang Wuzi smiled noncommittally, ignoring him, and turned to call me, "Huaiji, let's go."