Чистая вода и прекрасные горы

Глава 68

I know that Lu Xiu has left not just a palace, but everything he has.

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(A fancy dividing line)

The young woman lifted the curtain and walked away without looking back.

The person on the soft couch pondered her half-angry, half-sarcastic remark, paused for a moment while holding the pen, and finally coughed twice with a light laugh.

His hand unconsciously picked up the tea she brought him. It was indeed brewed with care; just smelling its aroma was like falling into a cloud of mist. But in the past, she would idly flip through the household accounts four or five times rather than seriously brew him a cup of tea.

There was really nothing he could do with her. Lu Li shook his head self-deprecatingly, still so easily distracted by her.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Extra Chapter - Lu Li (Part One)

The wind at the ferry crossing was cool, and after standing there for so long, my body had become stiff.

The light boat disappeared at the edge of the sky and sea; it was here that we sent off He Bo back then.

He said, "I am destined to be lonely for the rest of my life."

He treated me like a father.

When someone has been walking for too long, they will want to stop and temporarily escape from the chaos.

Just like me right now, I'm already exhausted.

If I could, I would like to leave with the beautiful woman on the light boat and give her a promise of "holding hands and growing old together".

But I knew perfectly well that the promise was just a pipe dream for me.

Huber said, "No promises should be made."

He said, "I will have many women in my life, but I am destined not to stay for one."

I do not deny this.

Many years have passed. Recalling how Uncle He held my hand and wrote the two characters "天下" (the world) on the paper, I can still feel that chill.

The word "天下" (all under heaven) was in my heart at that moment.

Perhaps one day, I will also hold my child's hand and give him this weighty gift.

Lanruo was the woman whom Herbert chose for me.

This was the first time that Uncle He had brought the young Qin Lanruo. I was puzzled.

He just smiled. He didn't say anything.

He Boyun was my study companion, but in fact I didn't need anyone by my side.

Uncle He gave me an orchid and asked me to personally pin it in her hair. He only said that she would like it, but I don't know what it would mean if she liked it.

Until that year, when the old master uttered the phrase "childhood sweethearts" in the South Study, I suddenly realized what was going on. Seeing Lan Ruo looking at me shyly, I smiled, a careless smile. It was as if I had realized that I had been playing a game all along, a game arranged by someone else, a game about "love".

He Bo said that before I possess all the beauties in the world, I should have a pure and virtuous love.

So he chose Qin Lanruo, a maid from the Southern Study, for me.

He likes women who are elegant and pure, and he is fond of their tenderness.

Lan Ruo is indeed as elegant and pure as an orchid, with gentle words and tender feelings.

I respect Uncle He and don't want him to worry.

If Qin Lanruo can put He Bo at ease, then so be it. And I really do want to know what kind of feelings "love" truly evokes.

To be honest, Lan Ruo is very beautiful, but so what? How much difference is there between being as beautiful as a flower and being as plain as water?

Fourth Brother often said that beautiful women are a source of trouble, but he still married a beautiful young lady from a prestigious family.

So I said, if there were no men in the world, women would not be a source of trouble.

Lanruo is a woman who loves to fantasize, and of course I am in her fantasies.

She wants a lot, but I don't know if I can meet all her needs.

I promised to marry her; she had been with me for many years and deserved a promise of marriage.

So I gave her a promise of marriage.

This is the first time in my life I've made a promise to someone, and it might be the last.

I wonder if the grandeur of a Princess Ningshuo can replace the many unrealistic fantasies in her heart.

A legitimate position, a devoted heart in return, and He Bo's satisfaction—it's all worth it. I hate all those trivial troubles; if everything can be perfect because of this, why not?

Xiwen is the Empress Dowager's adopted daughter. The Emperor once said that Xiwen has the Empress Dowager's willfulness, but she has never inherited any of her other traits.

He Bo didn't like her; he didn't like arrogant and domineering women.

When Herbert said these things, I just smiled calmly.

I know I have no choice. If my mother insists, I can marry Xiwen.

In my heart, what is the difference between her and Lan Ruo?

I can accept both of them without any emotion.

But I understand my mother; she won't give Xiwen to me. Deep down, she has other plans.

I didn't want to try to guess my mother's thoughts, for I was afraid that if I saw too clearly, I would become disgusted.

That time, Xiwen witnessed that scene.

It was my deliberate act of intimacy with Lan Ruo.

I never imagined that Xiwen would be so resentful.

Her fierce act of ramming her head against the lacquered pillar reminded me of Consort Yuan, Lu Xiu's mother. That woman also expressed her hatred with such ruthlessness back then. The difference is, my father didn't save Consort Yuan, but I saved Xi Wen.

My father wanted to sever our feelings with the death of Consort Yuan, but I didn't want to bear that sin.

Lan Ruo's name quickly spread throughout the palace.

My mother will not allow Xiwen to marry me, and she will not tolerate Lanruo's existence.

So my sixth brother hastily agreed to the marriage, and I silently acquiesced in my heart.

I thought what Lan Ruo sought was that glory and that prestige.

If I can't give it to her, it would be good if Sixth Brother could.

And I... I misjudged Lan Ruo.

She truly shocked me. It turns out that all these years, in her eyes, there was no such thing as illustriousness or nobility, only me.

I never imagined that I held such a high place in someone's heart.

My heart ached for this woman who risked her life to resist the arranged marriage, yet smiled through her tears in front of me. It was the first time I'd discovered such a fierce spirit beneath her gentle exterior. At that moment, I felt ashamed of my own selfishness. I was powerless to face her.

He Bo said he would give me a truly pure and sincere feeling, and Lan Ruo truly delivered on that promise.

But how can I repay her? All I can give her is the word "wait".

Given He Bo's influence in the shadows, marrying Qin Lanruo wouldn't be difficult for me. That's why I allowed her to wait.

From that time on, I began to pamper Lanruo, doing my best to satisfy whatever she wanted. In my mind, this was what pampering meant.

Even the women I brought with me when I left the palace to establish my own residence were chosen by Lan Ruo.

Yi Ling isn't pretty. I think Lan Ruo was attracted to her because of her unassuming appearance. This shows that Lan Ruo is just an ordinary woman. She even said that because of me, she has learned to be jealous. I don't care if my women are jealous; in fact, I hope they can adapt.

He Bo didn't care about my decision to lead Yi Ling out of the palace to establish her own residence.

Perhaps what He Bo cares about is not the kind of women around me, but whether those women will hinder my future.

That's where Lan Ruo's cleverness lies: Yi Ling is a woman who has no influence over me whatsoever.

Lan Ruo still couldn't accept Lu Zhen's birth. She questioned me about why I had touched Yi Ling, and I didn't know how to answer her. Her question was ridiculous.

My woman, why can't I touch her?

I think it's fairest to leave the legitimate position to Lanruo and Yiling's child.

Lan Ruo was deeply hurt; perhaps she was truly in pain.

But I want her to know that being my woman means enduring all of this.

My marriage cannot have only one woman. If I decide to follow the path that Herbert has laid out for me, I am destined to have many more women, and she will inevitably have to endure so much. If she cannot do it, I will not stop her from leaving. She has the right to pursue her fantasy of unwavering loyalty and single-minded devotion, just not to me.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Extra Chapter - Lu Li (Part Two)

Herbert's death did not change my original intention.

From the moment I left the palace, He Bo could no longer serve as my personal bodyguard.

Soon, the Emperor's father also discovered that He Bo's origins were unknown and his whereabouts were mysterious.

The Emperor's father was shocked and furious, and He Bo kept it a secret from him for more than ten years.

He Bo died right before my eyes; it was the Emperor's will.

My father said he was a traitor, but I know better than anyone who He Bo is.

I watched as He Bo drank the poisoned wine and died. My father, the emperor, was trembling in the palace, not from anger, but from fear.

I calmly walked out of the Chaoyang Hall without turning back to look at the corpse, even though it was Uncle He who had been with me for seventeen years.

While Heber was alive, he waited for my promise, a promise to take the path of seizing the throne.

Even after Huber died, his followers still risked their lives to come and beg me.

What I care about is the world, not the throne.

He Bo wrote the words "Tianxia" (天下, meaning "all under heaven") for me back then. But I didn't interpret it as something to be taken away. I only wanted to protect it.

I don't care who's in that position. I only care whether the person in that position is doing their best and being loyal.

My father, the Emperor, did indeed do it. Therefore, I don't care that he murdered his brother to seize the throne.

I respect him. I respect his concern for the world. I respect his dedication to the people. I respect how his hair turned white for the sake of the nation and its people.

Even though he killed my biological father, I have never harbored any resentment.

My biological father. He's just a figure who lives on in He Bo's stories. That Crown Prince Yan Lun.

He Bo was not a rebel, but he was plotting to seize power.