Eternal Night

Chapter 178

I gazed silently at the scenery outside the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. Not bewitched by her beauty, but by the eternal night. I knew how to handle state affairs; without her, everything else was utterly meaningless. "I've troubled Father, I simply..."

But what is it? I still think about her, but no other woman can move my heart. I smiled and said, "Even with the imperial palace and its many concubines, it's not like I can't have her alone."

As I finished speaking, Yongye's face suddenly flashed before my eyes. Her sigh as she left was like the swirling wind in the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, chilling my heart to the bone.

My father looked at me without saying anything, and sighed as he left.

The sky was azure, and white clouds were blown away by the wind. The capital city was beneath my feet, and the kingdom of Qi was beneath my feet. My land, and my people are watching me.

I closed my eyes and felt utterly powerless.

"Your Majesty..." Brother Yan appeared at the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion at some unknown time.

The moment I turned around, he smiled and said, "As a subject, one should share the burdens of one's ruler. Your Majesty is feeling troubled, so why not build a villa by Sunset Lake so you can relax there when you have free time?"

Sunset Lake… I recalled rescuing Yongye in the bamboo house by the lake. The wooden plaque around her neck swayed before my eyes. I casually agreed.

The bamboo house remains the same, but there's one more thing.

The purple dress lay on the bed. Yongye had come; she had returned the dress. She... would never appear again.

This thought overwhelmed me with uncontrollable heartache. I picked up the dress and tore it in two. The sound of the silk tearing was like the sound of my heart being ripped apart. I shouted, "Guards! Tear down this bamboo house!"

"Your Majesty, I've heard that there's a mysterious young man in Chen Qiushui's household whose beauty has made Chen Qiushui's concubines flock to him. Would Your Majesty like to ask Chen Qiushui to introduce him?" Yan Di spoke gently.

I stared at him and sneered: "Don't think I don't know that Yongye lives in Qiushui Manor. She doesn't want to enter the palace. Do you expect me to cripple her martial arts and force her to enter the palace?"

Yan Di waved his fan noncommittally: "Why not?"

I sighed, "You don't understand her. Go back to the palace. I don't want to come here again."

"Is that so? For the past six months, Your Majesty has come here every night after leaving the palace. Can you control yourself? With this building, you can at least hide your shadow. If it's demolished, you'll only be able to stand under the moonlight." Yan Di smiled sarcastically.

I retorted angrily, "Is this something a subject should say?"

Even Yan Di rolled his eyes and retorted, "I called you Imperial Brother, not Emperor. What's wrong with showing concern for your own elder brother?"

I was speechless with anger, feeling a bit annoyed that my thoughts had been exposed. Even Yan Di knew that I came here every night, waiting for her across half the lake, but she didn't know? Embarrassed, I turned and left.

My brother Yan is still building his villa by Sunset Lake. I neither stopped him nor asked about it.

Six months later, Yan Di told me that the villa had been completed. I hummed in response and didn't ask any more questions.

"Does Your Majesty not want to travel around and clear your mind?"

He suddenly changed his form of address again, which alerted me. I looked him up and down, but Yan Di still had a gentle smile on his face, and his eyes seemed to be encouraging me.

"Brother Yan, I'm not the kind of person who would lose my mind over a woman. I know what's important," I replied calmly. Yongye would rather gaze at the bamboo house at Qiushui Manor than come to the palace to see me; I hate her.

"Perhaps, no woman in the world would believe that someone would give up their kingdom for them."

Is Yongye really just waiting for my attitude, as Yan Di said?

"Why don't you give it another try, Your Majesty? If she refuses to do anything for you, then you might as well give up."

I pondered for a moment and asked Yan Di, "This play will take a long time to perform. Won't you feel wronged, Yan Di?"

Yan smiled, his smile always gentle and refined: "It is a subject's blessing to share the ruler's burdens."

"I'm sorry to trouble you, Brother Yan." I know that Yan has his own expertise in handling government affairs, after all, he has been sitting on the throne of Crown Prince for more than ten years.

Not long after, Chen Qiushui sent over a painting depicting the carefree life of a wandering swordsman. The painting was superb, vividly capturing the essence of the martial world. It almost transported me back to those carefree days. With state affairs left to my brother Yan, I felt completely at ease. I smiled and asked the eunuch who delivered the painting, "What did Chen Qiushui say?"

He said that someone had invited the emperor to a banquet on the fifteenth.

My eyes lit up: "Where?"

"Chen Duze Ya Yi Shui Ju".

I sat on the roof of the Yishui Residence, waiting for the eternal night to appear.

The moment I saw the ripples on the water, my heart suddenly calmed down. No matter what, I wanted her to come with me. I simply couldn't bear to leave her.

To my surprise, Yongye smiled and said that she was willing to go back with me. She said that she had a big house to live in, so why should she stay here in the wind and get all wet?

She must have believed Chen Qiushui's claim that I abdicated in favor of Yan, hence her exclamation that fighting with the women of the harem was also a pleasure. I also feel the same way, that fighting with Yongye was also a pleasure.

I told her earnestly, "I will make you happy." I meant that I would make her happy regardless of whether she entered the palace or not. She wanted me to be like Prince Duan, marrying only her for the rest of my life, and I agreed.

If she doesn't want to enter the palace and wants to live outside, that's fine too.

But Yongye said, "I originally... originally wanted to enter the palace for you. I planned... um, to play around for another year or two." She said she missed me and decided to follow me for the rest of her life.

I breathed a sigh of relief; the knot in my heart was untied in that instant. I made my decision.

I leisurely teased her, watching her anxious, and then, thinking of how Yan Di would be busy from now on, I couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

Let the false become the true. I won't abandon the State of Qi; it's my responsibility, and I won't let Yongye down. Although, she gave me the answer I wanted.

So I finally told her my choice: "How can an emperor have so much time to spend with you? Yan is meticulous, gentle, and broad-minded. He will definitely treat the people well. However, I promised him that if anything happens to Qi, I will not stand idly by."

Actually, even if I take her back to the palace and continue to be my emperor, Yongye will definitely follow me.

But what I truly desire, and what Yongye truly desires, is a life of carefree joy. I think my brother Yan won't blame me. Perhaps, this is also what Father Emperor intended.

Yongye's smile was as radiant as the sun. There were many things I no longer asked. I don't know when it started, but I understood her thoughts. I knew she must have realized that being with the one she loved, making them happy, was also her own happiness.

Whether it's heaven or hell.