Чистая вода и прекрасные горы

Глава 30

I felt a chill run through me again. What's wrong with me? I kindly asked someone to take care of him, and he took it out on me.

I suddenly remembered that the last time he got angry was before he left Beijing on business. That time he was upset that I didn't care about him. So what about this time? I'm thinking of him wholeheartedly, and now I'm seen as meddling. What did I do to deserve this? Is this life unbearable?

Looking again, he had already lifted the curtain and gone into the outer room.

I was seething with anger, so I grabbed a celadon cup and smashed it against the wall in front of me, shattering it with a loud crack. Last time you threw a pot at me, this time you're being unreasonable, so I'm going to throw one back. Lu Li, however, paid no attention to the commotion from inside the bedroom and continued walking.

"Is this any way for anyone to live?" I shouted angrily at his back. He paused for a moment, but quickly stepped over the threshold and went out.

I thought to myself, who's afraid of who? Anyway, you've gone to Jiangbei, and I'll be accompanying you to the sacrificial ceremony in a few days. By the time you come back, it will be ten days to half a month. I'll figure out how to get through that then. Anyway, I won't feel at ease until the fire is extinguished.

After all that commotion, I didn't even show up for breakfast in the main hall. I heard that Lu Li had breakfast and then got into his carriage and left the capital. Anyway, I didn't go to see him off. I didn't care about any etiquette or rules. Who told him to provoke me?

I was packing the servants' luggage in the room when Lu Zhen cautiously slipped into the room and stood by the wall, staring straight at me.

I pulled him close and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you being so cautious today? Did you get into trouble again or get bullied?"

Lu Zhen shook his head, secretly glanced at me, then lowered his head again and said softly, "Shall I sing a little song for Mother?"

Seeing that I nodded, he immediately started singing, until I laughed so hard I covered my stomach.

"Is Mother happy?" A glimmer of light appeared in his eyes.

I stopped laughing and pulled him into my arms. "What's wrong with my good son today? He's almost like a clown on stage."

Lu Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. "Father said that Mother was in a bad mood today and asked me to cheer her up."

I was taken aback. Lu Zhen took out a letter from his pocket, stuffed it into my hand, and ran away in a flash.

I opened the letter; it was Lu Li's handwriting.

"What happened this morning wasn't directed at you. Someone as shrewd as you shouldn't have held onto this anger. I have Xiao Si and the others taking care of me while I'm out, so nothing will go wrong. Don't worry. But regarding the matter of accompanying the emperor to the sacrificial ceremony, I'd like to offer a few words of advice. The bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow against it, so you should be careful."

Just as he was about to smile after putting down the letter, Liu Shang hurriedly came in and reported, "Master, someone outside the manor requests an audience."

I lifted the curtain and walked from the main room to the east hall, where I saw an old woman sitting in a chair.

Upon seeing me enter, the woman hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am Lanruo's mother."

I quickly instructed the servants to serve tea, saying, "It's Madam Qin, my apologies for not recognizing you."

“Not long ago, my daughter sent me a letter saying that everything was fine with you. I kept her whereabouts a secret from her father, but I also wanted to see my daughter.”

"Liu Shang, go to the side room and invite Miss Qin here." I had just finished giving the order when I turned to exchange pleasantries with Madam Qin.

"Lanruo said she's very grateful to have you taking care of her. I'm truly thankful for that."

I laughed, "Lanruo is my adopted sister, and you are practically my mother. We're family, so there's no need for thanks."

Madam Qin nodded hurriedly, "I've long heard my husband say that Princess Ning is extraordinary, and now that I've met her in person, I admire her even more."

I glanced at the fluorescent thread on the old lady's cuff and casually asked, "Does the old lady also use fluorescent thread?"

"It's a good method that I, Lanruo, came up with myself. I soak it in medicine because my eyesight is bad. In previous years, I often sewed and mended for them, father and daughter. My daughter felt sorry for me and thought about it and found a good recipe. She said that I need to see this kind of thread when I sew at night. And it really works."

My smile froze instantly, and I suddenly realized something was wrong. Scenes flashed through my mind: Lu Li handing me the fluorescent light, saying it was taught to me by an old friend. And then… the first time I spoke to Lan Ruo, and her words, “Only Prince Ning is worthy of you.”

Then there was the man she spoke of… and the pale face she showed when she saw Lu Li walking towards her as I led her into the manor. And Lu Li's momentary surprise. And then there was the water-giving incident—Lan Ruo wasn't a servant, so why did she give Lu Li water, and why did Lu Li hold Lan Ruo's hand… Yes, they must know each other, and their relationship must have been quite close.

I stood up abruptly, smashing the teacup down. When I turned around, I was soaked. How come so many cups have been broken in my house these past two days? I quickly smiled apologetically, "Madam, I'll go back to my room to change. Lanruo will be here soon."

I rushed into the house and suddenly felt that everything made perfect sense. He was her ideal man, and she disdained even the position of the sixth prince for him. His inexplicable outburst at me this morning was also because of her. That's right, I suggested that Lan Ruo go with us, and he felt uneasy, so he lost his temper.

My head suddenly started to hurt. No, he said it himself. I'd only heard about it before, I didn't know him.

Lies, yes, he could lie to me, but... I'm not a jealous woman, nor am I unreasonable. Why would he lie to me? We know each other so well, and yet we acted so perfectly right before my eyes. I almost...

Chapter Twenty-Six: Attending to the Emperor

When I stepped out of the main house again, I saw Lanruo walking towards me with a beaming smile.

"Stay for dinner, you've come all this way." I smiled and took her hand.

"No, the journey is long, so I sent her on her way," Qin Lanruo replied with a smile.

I nodded. “I will be accompanying the Emperor starting tomorrow. The entire household will depend on you. Yiling is pregnant, so please take care of her as well. I will thank you properly when I return.” On the eleventh day of the third month of the twenty-first year of Tianyou, the Emperor, along with the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, and the Princess Consort of Ning, offered sacrifices to their ancestors. The Empress remained in the palace due to illness, and Consort Lin took over the management of the inner palace on behalf of the Empress. Grand Secretary Lin and the Prime Minister presided over state affairs.

I couldn't muster any energy the whole way; the feeling of being deceived weighed on my chest and lingered for a long time.

"Zhaozhi," the Emperor called out softly.

I quickly turned around and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

He smiled and said, "Your flustered and confused appearance is exactly like Yue Ran's."

"Aunt?" I asked softly.

He nodded. "Of the three Rong sisters, you resemble your aunt the most. I still remember the first time I saw your aunt in Yangzhou; I was awestruck by her beauty. So when I saw you in Huainan later, I was also deeply moved. At that time, I wanted to bring you into the palace to be adopted as my daughter and made a princess. But your father said that this daughter could not be given away, so that year, I took away Jihe instead. If you had come to the palace with me that year, you probably wouldn't have become my wife, but my daughter."

I smiled and said, "Heaven still brought me to your side."

The Emperor nodded. "Yes. It's all fate. Actually... your aunt is a kind person. It's just that she's endured too much. Time has forced her to protect herself. Over the years, she's been extremely cautious. And every time I look at her, I feel heartache. Including you... child. I feel the same way when I look at you. The women of the Rong family have borne too much. They always live for the family. Looking at such a pitiful yet respectable woman, who wouldn't feel heartache? Especially since she's their own wife. So, Seventh Brother, you must feel the same way when you look at me. It's a helpless heartache."

"Your Majesty... all these years, have you always loved your aunt deeply?"

The Emperor smiled. "What do you think? Over the years... I've watched her all this time. I've grown accustomed to her every smile and frown. Accustomed to her anger, her annoyance, her tyranny. It's become second nature. I can't live without her anymore."

Is it love to the core?

"Hahaha. That's a good way to put it." The emperor raised his eyebrows. "Little girl, it seems you know quite a lot."

"Didn't His Majesty already know this a long time ago?" I joked.

"The daughters of the Rong family are all suited to be empresses..." the emperor paused, "because they can endure what ordinary people cannot, and bear what ordinary people cannot suffer."

Actually, your aunt still holds onto hope for Prince Qin. After all, he's the son she raised herself. No matter what mistakes her son makes, a mother never holds a grudge. It's I who am truly disappointed in Prince Qin. As he's grown up, I've realized I've spoiled him. He's just a hopeless case. That's why I told the Empress that Prince Qin might disappoint us. Your aunt guessed I intended to depose the heir and has been trying to dissuade me, but my mind is made up. Once I've made up my mind, nothing can change it.” The Emperor sighed. “Although your aunt doesn't say it, she still resents my decision. I know she still cares deeply for Prince Qin.”

"Do you... already have someone in mind who you like?"

"You should know that your aunt has also mentioned that the seventh prince has a natural kingly aura. Actually, it was me who said that. The reason I haven't announced it to the world yet is simply to protect the seventh prince. Also, it was my decision to have you marry the seventh prince. In order to appease your aunt, I proposed that the Rong family continue to be the next empress, which is you."

My heart skipped a beat. I had thought about those two words before, but when they actually came out of the Emperor's mouth, I couldn't help but be shocked.

“If I hadn’t deposed the crown prince, you wouldn’t have entered the palace. You were meant to sit in the empress’s seat. But your aunt still holds onto a sliver of hope for the king’s succession; she doesn’t want to lose this son. I have no choice but to do this, because I’m handing over the entire empire. I’m not entrusting it to my most beloved son, but to the one I trust most and who is most capable…”

At the Xiling Palace, I was putting on my makeup in front of the mirror when the Crown Princess walked slowly towards me.

"Sister." I turned around to greet her.

"You can sit here." Rong Jihe smiled and served the lotus seed soup. "This was a gift from the Emperor. Here's a bowl for you."

I smiled and took a few sips.

Rong Jihe smiled, "Slow down, it's hot. Still so impatient."

I downed the drink in three gulps, wiped my mouth, and said, "Thank you, sister."

"What did you talk about with the Emperor in the imperial carriage today?" Rong Jihe asked casually.

"It was nothing more than some trivial matters, talking about things with my aunt."

"Oh, was the Crown Prince mentioned?"

"No." I looked at her calmly and smiled.

"oh."

She stopped talking about my conversation with the Emperor and only made some trivial jokes.

Watching her departing figure, I couldn't help but sigh. My sister, Rong Jihe, is getting further and further away from me...

On the day of the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven, the sun shone brightly, a rare occurrence.

The emperor held incense sticks and first paid homage to his ancestors. Later that day, I looked at the colorful silk embroidered with oil-paper umbrellas on the offering plate and couldn't help but feel secretly pleased.

"Zhaozhi," the emperor called to me as he turned around, and I hurried over.

He turned around and told the Crown Prince and the others to stay behind, then led me into the mausoleum hall.

He led me gently into the solemn and quiet mausoleum.

As I looked at the memorial tablets and the portraits of the former emperors and empresses hanging all over the walls, I was deeply moved.

“Zhaozhi…” he said, pointing to the empty space on his right, “There, soon, will be the memorial tablets and portraits of me and your aunt. You and Lao Qi should come here often to talk to us. After a hundred years, you and Lao Qi will also come here to reunite with us.”

"Your Majesty..." I called out softly.

"If it weren't for your father, I wouldn't be able to sit on this throne. People say that I stole the throne from my elder brother, Crown Prince Yanlun, and that my claim to the throne is illegitimate. But my son was able to rightfully succeed to the throne and unify the world. I... am satisfied."

I stopped speaking. The Emperor had already pulled me out of the hall. His voice was faint in the wind, “Zhaozhi, in the future, I want to be buried with your aunt… I’ve gotten used to her in this life, and I can’t change that habit even in several lifetimes.”

Stepping out of the mausoleum, the emperor insisted on praying for rain under the bright sunshine.

All the officials knelt before the palace, repeatedly shouting, "Your Majesty, please take care of your health..."

The Emperor smiled slightly and said to me, "Seventh Prince is still busy with the disaster relief efforts in Jiangbei, isn't he?"

"Yes," I replied softly.

"As a father, all I can do is pray to heaven for rain to help my son."

I said no more, but simply watched as the Emperor stood under the bright sun, holding a long incense stick for worshipping the heavens, and repeatedly knelt and bowed to the sky.

The palace steward whispered in my ear once again, "It's been four hours... His Majesty hasn't had his morning meal yet..."

I waved him away, and looking at the stubborn old man beside me, I sighed helplessly.

As dusk approached, a sudden bolt of lightning flashed across the western sky, startling everyone, followed by a deafening roar of thunder. I rushed to help the Emperor, who looked up at the sky with great emotion. As raindrops fell into his palm, I suddenly saw a hot tear slide down his furrowed brow, mingled with the rain.

"It's raining..." he trembled, his voice unusually excited, "I am the true Son of Heaven, Heaven has heeded my plea. So what if my brother Shi usurped the throne? Heaven has heard my request, acknowledged me, and sent rain... sent rain..."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty." I held him tightly, feeling his body growing heavier and heavier, as if he were about to collapse. Sure enough, when the officials rushed to offer their congratulations, the emperor, overwhelmed with joy after excessive anxiety, collapsed into my arms.

Inside the imperial palace, the imperial physicians had just left. I sat by the bedside and placed a cold towel on the emperor's forehead.

"Go to sleep..." the emperor sighed and said softly.

"My wife isn't tired," I smiled. "Are you feeling any better?"

He nodded. "Is it still raining?"

"Yes, the rain has finally come. The water channels that Lu Li built in Jiangbei will definitely come in handy. The people will not lack water for planting. We have survived this drought."

The emperor on the bed smiled slightly, gently closed his eyes, and then fell into a deep sleep.

I kept changing the cold compresses for him until someone called me outside.