"I have a stomach ache."
The woman's eye twitched slightly as she asked, "What are you going to do now?"
"I need to poop."
Upon hearing this, the woman's expression changed drastically. She grabbed the little girl and tucked her under her arm, then ran frantically towards home. It wasn't that she couldn't relieve herself outside, but rather that she didn't want to smell someone else's scent. In her memory, she had suffered such torment before. But that person was no longer there.
Having solved the big problem, the little girl pulled out an apple from somewhere, munching on it as she leaned closer and said, "Auntie, I heard there's another guy who's pretty handsome."
Who is it?
"Poison King Tang Ye".
"He's not..." As she said this, a sharp pain shot through her heart, and she touched the long flute she always carried with her. It wasn't until last year, when she inadvertently drew the soft sword from the flute and her husband saw it, that she realized the soft sword hidden within was actually the Azure Moon Sword from the Phoenix Azure Moon set. Perhaps their destined marriage was preordained.
The little girl nodded and said, "Yes, it's a pity I won't be able to see it in my lifetime."
"I doubt the idiom 'within one's lifetime' is used like this," the woman asked calmly. "And who told you that?"
The little girl said, "I heard it from my fourth uncle. He said that Tang Ye is the most talented poison master in the Tang Clan of Sichuan, and no one in the world can surpass him. Moreover, he is also very handsome, no less so than my uncle."
"Your fourth uncle is just blindly worshipping," the woman said dismissively.
The little girl suddenly cried out, "Oh dear!" The woman was startled and quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
The little girl pointed at the apple and said, "There are worms in the apple."
The woman said, "Throw it away quickly."
The little girl was about to throw the apple away when she hesitated for a moment and said, "I'll go get it for Ami." Then she happily ran off to the back room.
Fang Ruoxi paused for a moment, then smiled and dismissed it.
Tonight, the moon is bright and the stars are few. She sits alone on the rooftop, gazing at the starry sky, and a familiar feeling washes over her. Many years ago, on a night like this, with the same wind, even the smell of earth in the air is remarkably similar, on the rooftop of the Qinglin Inn in Luoyang, the young man in black sitting before her loved to play the flute on moonlit nights like this.
She took out the long flute from her waist and gently stroked it. This flute belonged to Tang Ye when she was alive. Song Zixing said that when Tang Ye died, she clung tightly to this long flute and wouldn't let go, even when she was unconscious. Afterwards, it stayed by her side.
Several years ago, she accidentally drew the soft sword from the flute and realized that the flute contained the Azure Moon Sword.
Phoenix and Azure Moon, a perfect match for a lifetime. Song Zixing said it was fate; he held the phoenix, she held the azure moon, heaven had ordained that she would marry him. Thinking of Song Zixing, a tender warmth welled up in her heart.
She placed the flute to her lips and began to play slowly.
Originally, she knew nothing about music, but over the years, she gradually learned a tune, the one Tang Ye often played. It was called: Longing.
She had so many longings throughout her life, even though she was alive.
The night was quiet, with only the mournful sound of the xiao flute. Perhaps because the player was not good at music theory, the sound was slightly off-key and not smooth.
At this moment, a very beautiful lady appeared below the house, looked up at the woman on the roof and said, "What are you playing the flute for in the middle of the night? And it sounds so awful. Come down here."
Fang Ruoxi said, "I acted impulsively and forgot that this is the Li residence. I have disturbed my sister and brother-in-law's sweet dreams. I deserve to die."
"Stop being so cheeky, come down here. If you can't sleep, keep your sister company for a while," Fang Ruowei said with a smile.
Fang Ruoxi jumped down from the roof, tucked the long flute into her waistband, and asked, "Sister, do the new clothes you made today fit?"
Fang Ruowei sat down on the stone bench in the courtyard and said, "It's not bad, but the pattern on the cuffs has been slightly altered."
No sooner had this been mentioned than she asked, "Why are there tear stains in the corners of your eyes?"
The past is past; one cannot spend a lifetime trying to cover it up. What must be accepted, what must be faced, must be accepted and faced. They are gone, but she must continue to live, not only to live but to live happily. Hearing her sister's worried question, she said, "It's nothing, I just thought of an old friend. Is Rui'er asleep?"
Fang Ruowei still treated her like her little sister from back then, and patted her head tenderly, saying, "She's already asleep. She said she wanted to sleep with you, but I wouldn't let her, and she tossed and turned for a while before finally falling asleep. I think Rui'er is more clingy than me, and I really want to just leave her with you."
Fang Ruoxi said, "Sister, I know how you feel."
“Sister…” Fang Ruowei’s smile became somewhat forced, her voice filled with pity.
Fang Ruoxi said, "Sister, didn't you say that as long as I'm happy, that's all that matters? Actually, I once asked Zixing why he gave up the empire he could easily have and took me to seek medical treatment when he knew I couldn't have children and might not even survive. He told me that once he stood alone on a high place, looking down at the picturesque landscape below. He really wanted to share such a beautiful view with someone, but when he looked around, there was no one there. When he realized he was all alone, he suddenly felt a little lonely, and the beautiful scenery in front of him was no longer so beautiful."
"Then why did you fight for it in the first place?" Fang Ruowei asked calmly.
“He said that a man should have lofty ambitions, and conquering the country is his heroic ambition as a man. He wants to prove to the world, and also to me, that he can do it without a marriage alliance,” Fang Ruoxi said.
“But…” Fang Ruowei said.
"Yes, no matter how much he loves me, no matter how happy we are, it's not a perfect life without children..."
“The imperfections of life are what make it truly perfect.” Fang Ruoxi’s words were interrupted by a voice. A person strode in from outside the door, the soft moonlight falling on him, making him appear even taller and more elegant, with a refined face. He smiled slightly at her, making her heart flutter.
Overjoyed, she exclaimed, "How come you're back so soon?"
Song Zixing stopped in front of Fang Ruoxi, completely ignoring Fang Ruowei's presence, and pulled her into his arms, ignoring her struggles, saying, "It's been so many days since we last met, I missed you so much that I rushed back day and night." Just as he finished speaking, he added softly, "Don't struggle."
Fang Ruoxi blushed instantly, but stopped struggling.
Seeing Fang Ruowei's eyes twitching as she stood to the side, Song Zixing laughed and said, "Having a child is actually very troublesome. Look at your sister, she has to take a little tail with her wherever she goes. We're better off without one. Isn't it great that we can go wherever we want, free and unburdened?"
"Don't you really feel regret?" she asked softly.
“Compared to you, nothing else matters,” he said.
He was speaking from the heart, and he understood. He stared at him intently, but then he heard his sister stomp her foot and say, "I really can't take it anymore."
Watching his sister's departing figure, the two of them smiled at each other.
He suddenly picked her up and strode into the house. Her face flushed.
He pushed open the door and laid her on the bed. He then sat beside her, letting her lean against him comfortably.
The scent of him brought her a sense of peace. She rubbed against him a few times, but he held her down. He gently kneaded one of her earlobes, making it ticklish, but she held that earlobe down as well.
He said softly, "We need to leave here."
Where to?
"The capital city."
"Why the sudden trip to the capital? Didn't you just come from..."
He wants to see you.
"who?"
"The current emperor."
Six months after Song Yan's death, it was the day of Wu Qian's first birthday celebration, the second son of Empress Song. On that day, after the morning court session, the emperor changed his clothes and went to Empress Song's Fengming Palace.
Upon entering, he saw Empress Song holding her youngest son and playing with him. The room was already filled with various small items, including books and small wooden swords.
Seeing the Emperor's indifferent expression, Empress Song said, "Your Majesty, my elder brother has returned and will likely arrive in the capital in the next few days. He said he wishes to come to the palace to pay his respects to Your Majesty and visit me. I wonder what Your Majesty's opinion is?"
The Emperor seemed not to hear the Empress's words. He walked to the window and looked out. Two tall red alder trees were in full bloom outside the window, and the room was filled with their fragrance when the wind blew.
Empress Song's gaze darkened, and her smile became somewhat forced. After a long while, the Emperor finally asked, "When will you arrive?"
Empress Song replied, "I don't know the exact time either, but it will probably be in the next day or two."
He nodded, turned and left the Phoenix Cry Palace without looking back.
Empress Song looked at her youngest son, who had not yet undergone the traditional "grasping ceremony" (a traditional Chinese custom of predicting the future through a baby's first birthday celebration), and sighed softly.
In the study, he stood for a long time in front of a blood-stained painting, his fingertips repeatedly touching the person in the painting, still unable to believe that she had returned.
Over the years, whenever he recalled that night by Daming Lake, the scene of them watching the sunrise together and the vows they made, he couldn't help but feel saddened. At that time, he only wanted to help Wu Yi seize the throne, and then he could travel freely and become a divine doctor admired by all the people. He never thought that fate would be so cruel, and that the vows made by Daming Lake would eventually fall on his own shoulders.
Since learning that Song Zixing had fallen off a cliff and died while taking her to find a doctor, there had been no further news of her or Song Zixing. She had assumed that she had died in the end, following Wu Yi. Thinking of how she felt agitated every time she saw the Changling dance at the banquet, she simply banned that dance. Thinking of how she felt increasingly lonely every time she thought of them over the years, she couldn't help but shed tears.
Time has passed, and the world has changed drastically. Everything is different now, yet the memories of them grow ever clearer, and the longing for them intensifies. He truly wishes time could turn back, returning to that night by Daming Lake, so that everything could start anew.
The landscape is like a painting, but what use is it? It can't compare to having any one of them by my side.
Fortunately, she came back.
To reach the capital, they had to pass through Luzhou, where Fang Ruoxi and Song Zixing spent the night at an inn.
Before dawn, Fang Ruoxi had already woken up. Last night, she dreamed of Liu Xiu. She reached up to wipe the corner of her eye, where the remaining tear stains had not yet dried.
The bright moon over Luzhou, the bamboo house in the mountains—these are the places they have so many memories of.
To avoid alerting Song Zixing, she quietly got out of bed, put on her coat, casually tied her long hair, and went out the door, speeding towards the outskirts of the city.
As dawn broke, she arrived at the bamboo forest.
The road I remember is still so familiar, as if I had just been there yesterday.
The bamboo house they built is still there, and although it has been weathered by the years and is now dilapidated, it has not collapsed.
The weeds in front of the house had grown taller than the surrounding fence posts. She walked in step by step, and fell to the ground as soon as she touched the fence. She stopped and reached out to try to help herself up, but fell down again.
Memories flashed before her eyes. He had built this fence post by hand, bit by bit. She had laughed at how rough the fence post was, but she felt a pang of heartache when she saw his hands get cut several times.
The bamboo chair in the courtyard was covered in dust. She tried to wipe it away, but no matter how hard she wiped, she couldn't erase the marks left by time. She remembered how he made the bamboo chair by hand, so carefully, even hurting his fingers several times. After the chair was finished, she even wondered if it would tip over if she sat on it…
He reached out and pushed the door open; with a slight effort, the bamboo door collapsed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
The furnishings inside are exactly the same as they were back then, except for the marks of time.
There are too many of his memories here; his face seems to be right in front of me, but it shatters at the slightest touch.
Time flies, and things change.
She took a deep breath, turned to look at the rising sun, and a new day had begun.
She turned around and drifted away...
As soon as she came down the mountain, she saw Song Zixing standing at the foot of the mountain.
Sensing someone behind him, he turned around and saw her. He smiled gently, and was already in front of her, pulling her into his arms, saying with a smile, "I've been waiting for you for a while."
"You were stalking me?" she said angrily.
"No," he laughed freely, "I'm here to protect my wife."
"Tch..." Even though he knew he was lying, he found it funny because he spoke so confidently. He couldn't stay angry and couldn't help but laugh.
He suddenly picked her up, which made her cry out in surprise. She angrily punched him, and then he laughed and said, "My wife has been running around all morning and must be tired. I'll take the trouble to carry you back."
She pursed her lips, waved her sleeve, and said, "Let's set off."
"Yes, Madam," Song Zixing said with a smile, suddenly tossing her high into the air. Amid her screams, he laughed as he leaped and caught her steadily before soaring into the distance.
She angrily punched him, but he just laughed, his figure getting farther and farther away until he could no longer be seen.
The rising sun shone with a dazzling gold.
The few unremembered tears on the weeds in front of the bamboo house have long since evaporated with the rising sun.