"Did you become the Noble Consort Shu voluntarily, or did you do it for someone else?"
As these words fell, the Noble Consort Shu froze instantly.
Something flashed like a sudden burst of fire in her memory. She suddenly looked up, only to see Liu Cheng's sorrow - stricken face.
There was a newly - lit fire beside them. Burning in the fire were the letters sent by Chang Zixuan.
"The Emperor is going to arrange a marriage for the Crown Prince. You are the most suitable candidate. The future of the Liu family depends on you!" Liu Cheng shed tears and tightly grabbed Liu Wanyan's hand, earnestly saying, "My daughter, what's so good about that scholar who lost his father? If you enter the Crown Prince's mansion now, you'll be the Empress of the Great Sheng Dynasty in the future. You'll be doing a deed to bring glory to our ancestors!"
Liu Wanyan cried tearfully. She knelt in front of Liu Cheng and kowtowed, saying, "Daughter has already made a private pledge of marriage with Zixuan. I absolutely cannot enter the palace! Father!"
Liu Cheng also squatted down and wept, "Why are you so silly! If you become the Empress, you'll be the mother of the nation. It's not worth it for you to choose that poor scholar!"
"If you become the Empress, you'll not only be famous in history but also make great contributions to the entire Liu family. By then, you'll be the Empress of all the people under heaven and share a bed with the most noble person in the world. How can you ruin your own future for that scholar!"
"My daughter... The Liu family needs you..."
The memory ended abruptly. The Noble Consort Shu felt a pang in her nose, and tears welled up.
She knew that it was she who had listened to her father's endless persuasion and was the first to shut Chang Zixuan out.
She had thought that after she had ignored Chang Zixuan, he would gradually forget about her, and her remorse and self - blame towards him would be a bit lighter. It was not until three years ago, when the late Emperor passed away and Sikong Ting ascended the throne in succession.
After the mourning period, the concubines entered the palace.
Amidst the universal celebration, she and the other concubines from the former Crown Prince's mansion walked through Zhuque Street amidst the cheers and blessings of the common people. In the noisy crowd, she accidentally glanced and saw Chang Zixuan's figure.
He had lost a lot of weight. It seemed that he had cried. He stood at the back of the crowd, quietly looking at her. When their eyes met, he tugged at the corner of his mouth and showed a sad smile.
Not long after, he was summoned into the palace. She scolded him, but he still entered the palace and served in the Empress Dowager's palace. Usually, they hardly ever saw each other.
She had thought that she wouldn't think about him if they didn't meet, but she couldn't bear the torment of the guilt and depression in her heart anymore, so she took the initiative to contact Chang Lin.
After that, things developed smoothly. Sikong Ting rarely came to the harem, so she asked about the Empress Dowager's preferences through Chang Lin and tried to please the Empress Dowager to win the Emperor's favor.
She had thought that sooner or later she would become the Empress, and then Chang Lin would no longer be of any use. But this situation was broken by someone who was now sitting beside her, silently looking at her.
This person opened the box of her memories and poured out all the emotions she had deliberately buried. And then asked her:
Do you really understand?
How could she not understand? How could she not?
She just forced herself not to think about it and not to recall. The passionate love between her and Chang Zixuan in the past had finally been washed away by time, leaving only helplessness and pain.
Qin Huaiqiu let go of her hand and silently sat aside.
The Noble Consort Shu was like a childish girl. Once she started crying, she couldn't stop. Her tears washed away her makeup, and her messy hair was wet with tears and stuck to her jaw.
Qin Huaiqiu didn't comfort her. In fact, he wasn't qualified to do so.
He just sat there, quietly waiting. I don't know how long it took, but the Noble Consort Shu's crying gradually subsided. She grabbed the brocade quilt, gritted her teeth with tears in her eyes, and said, "You... Have you had enough of watching my jokes? Why aren't you leaving yet?"
Qin Huaiqiu shook his head and said, "Sister, in my heart, we were never on opposite sides. It's you who has been deliberately drawing a line."
"I won't forgive you and Chang Lin for plotting to kill me, but I also hope that we can let bygones be bygones." Qin Huaiqiu said, "You know you'll receive the punishment you deserve, but before that, I hope you can understand what you truly want in your heart."
Qin Huaiqiu stood up, nodded slightly to the Noble Consort Shu, and said, "I'll leave now. If nothing unexpected happens, this should be our last meeting. From now on, we'll go our separate ways. I hope you can take good care of yourself."
The Noble Consort Shu paused for a moment and called out to Qin Huaiqiu, "Do you know that Chang Lin... will be beheaded at noon tomorrow?"
Qin Huaiqiu glanced at her and said in a deep voice, "I know."
The Noble Consort Shu gave a bitter smile and said softly, "Then can you do me a favor? I'm begging you."
Qin Huaiqiu was stunned for a moment, stood up straight, and said, "Sister, please speak."
"I want to see him one last time." The Noble Consort Shu said. She looked at Qin Huaiqiu with tears in her eyes, full of pleading and helplessness, "Please help me, okay?"
As night was falling, Qin Huaiqiu, along with Qin Lan and Ziyun, rushed back to the Kunning Palace.
Sitting in the sedan chair, he saw from afar the figure standing and waiting at the entrance of the Kunning Palace.
In the setting sun, Sikong Ting's figure was stretched very long. He stood still in the afterglow of the setting sun, allowing the golden - red light to cover half of his body.
He watched the slowly approaching sedan chair and gave a gentle smile to Qin Huaiqiu, who was poking his head out of the sedan chair to look at him.
For no reason, Qin Huaiqiu's eyes welled up with tears.
He stopped the sedan chair in advance and got off. Standing some distance away from Sikong Ting, he put his hands together in front of his mouth and shouted loudly to Sikong Ting, "Your Majesty!"
Sikong Ting was stunned for a moment and chuckled from afar.
Qin Huaiqiu smiled, tears streaming down his face. He shouted again, "I'm coming over!"
Sikong Ting burst out laughing. Standing in the light of the setting sun, he slowly opened his arms.
Seeing this, Qin Huaiqiu summoned all his strength and ran towards that golden - glowing embrace.
Life is full of uncertainties, and things are constantly changing.
Some people live a passive and helpless life. They clearly love each other but have to be separated by the ends of the earth; they clearly cherish each other but are forced to hurt each other badly.
In this life, people can never escape the shackles of the mortal world. Some people are at the mercy of the world, struggling and floating in the sighs of the mortal world, like drifting duckweeds, rising and falling in the tide of history, and finally disappearing in the vast expanse of the universe.
But fortunately, now he was still by his side. He could rush towards him without restraint. They hugged tightly in the setting sun, expressing their strong and sincere love for each other. They were just a silhouette in the vast universe, just like that scene long ago when Chang Zixuan gave a love poem to Liu Wanyan under the peach tree.
As years passed, the days when the beautiful face and the blooming peach blossoms complemented each other were gone forever. Now, one was imprisoned in the death cell, and the other was confined in the cold palace.
In the end, it was just a sigh -
The beautiful face is nowhere to be found; the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze.