Mei Jiu sighed, “I can only understand bits and pieces. I never seem to fully grasp it.”
Environment shapes a person. As a child, Mei Jiu read all kinds of books. However, years of seclusion made those grand strategies and ambitious plans feel distant. The delicate emotions in poetry resonated more with her inner world. Gradually, she stopped reading books like “The Nine Strategies.”
An Jiu noticed the two engrossed in discussing the book’s content. Hua Rongtian seemed delighted to teach, and Mei Jiu listened happily. An Jiu quietly slipped away from the Hua residence.
The streets were ablaze with lanterns, far more lively than usual. The entire Imperial Road had become an ocean of lights.
An Jiu observed the bustling crowd, noticing many women among the pedestrians. She couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
“Ah Jiu.” The rich voice was soft, yet it cut through the clamor, reaching An Jiu’s ears.
An Jiu turned, following the sound. She saw a tall man in a blue robe wearing a conical hat standing nearby. His imposing figure stood out among the crowd like a crane among chickens. It was Chu Diangjiang.
He always appeared silently by her side like this.
She walked over and asked, “What festival is it today?”
“There’s news of pregnancy from Gushe Palace. The Emperor has ordered nationwide celebrations,” Chu Diangjiang explained.
Given the Emperor’s diligence in “tilling the fields,” as long as the medicines hadn’t harmed him, a concubine’s pregnancy was inevitable. However, the Emperor regarded the lady of Gushe Palace as a celestial being descended to the mortal world. A dragon seed from a celestial would be considered even more precious.
“Come, I’ll take you somewhere,” Chu Diangjiang said, leading her through the crowd.
Many people were releasing flower lanterns by the river, but Chu Diangjiang didn’t stop there. Instead, he took her directly into a house.
An Jiu recognized it as the place where Chu Diangjiang had revealed his identity. “Why are we here?” she asked.
Chu Diangjiang removed his hat. The room was brightly lit with intertwined lanterns adorned with red silk, casting a reddish glow on his face. “Ah Jiu, I can’t offer you a grand wedding procession. I won’t make lofty vows, but in this life, I don’t seek multiple wives or a house full of children. I only wish for one person to grow old with. Will you… Marry me?”
Even the most beautiful vows couldn’t sway An Jiu’s heart, but Chu Diangjiang’s unadorned words made her waver slightly.
The idea of having someone accompany you until death seemed fulfilling.
“If it could truly be as you say, why bother with marriage?” An Jiu didn’t want such binding constraints.
Chu Diangjiang fell silent for a moment before embracing her.
A lifelong companion – sometimes even friends could fulfill that role. She still didn’t understand the difference between spouses and friends.
“Very well,” Chu Diangjiang calmly accepted the rejection without further insistence. He set out a lavish meal for them to share.
After drinking a cup of wine, An Jiu suddenly remembered something. “I told you to kill Wei Yuzhi, but you insisted on sparing him. Now he can dig you out, and one day he might dig a hole to bury you!”
Chu Diangjiang smiled as he refilled her cup. “I’m well aware of what you mentioned. It’s a trivial matter. He won’t expose me publicly for now.”
“Why not?” An Jiu sipped her wine.
“Because the Hua family is useful. He wants to intensify the conflict between the Hua family and the Emperor at the right moment,” Chu Diangjiang said confidently as he drank. “He won’t disregard the bigger picture.”
If the Emperor learned that two sons of the Hua family had personally infiltrated the Konghe Army, he would certainly destroy the Hua family.
An Jiu added, “He might not, but Hua Rongjian might.”
Because of this incident, Hua Rongjian even resented her.
An Jiu could somewhat understand Hua Rongjian’s thoughts. So many people in the world willingly sacrifice their relatives for wealth and status. He had lost a mother but gained a noble position and inexhaustible wealth. His father was his true father, and his brothers were his real brothers. No one in the Hua family had mistreated him. They even let him know about their secret agents in the Konghe Army. Given all this, asking him to kill his father and brothers for the sake of his birth mother would be extremely difficult. Yet, he still couldn’t swallow this grievance.
Whether he could avenge this wrong or not, just having his fate manipulated by others was enough to infuriate him.
“At most, he’ll challenge me. I’ve kept an eye on him over the years. The Prime Minister Hua hasn’t neglected his education. He does have some abilities, but he won’t amount to much,” Chu Diangjiang swirled the wine in his cup. “After all, being intentionally pampered for so many years, his capabilities are far inferior to Hua Rongtian’s.”
Chu Diangjiang continued, “If we want a clean solution, killing him would suffice.”
An Jiu put down her cup. “You don’t kill those who should be killed, yet you want to kill an innocent person! Come to think of it, it’s because of your selfish actions that he’s been pushed to this point.”
Chu Diangjiang paused with his cup at his lips. “Ah Jiu, is this… how you see me?”
An Jiu wasn’t a compassionate woman. Her words suggested that Hua Rongjian held a certain place in her heart, which made Chu Diangjiang feel uneasy.
“Did I say something wrong?” An Jiu frowned.
“No,” Chu Diangjiang’s face showed a bitter smile. “Everything you said is correct.”
But Ah Jiu, everyone has their interests. If your heart truly belonged to me, you wouldn’t say such things about Hua Rongjian.
“What do you want me to do?” Chu Diangjiang asked.
An Jiu was at a loss for words. Things had already progressed to this point; no matter what Chu Diangjiang did, it wouldn’t change anything.
“Regarding his birth mother’s death, I’m the only one who knows. It wouldn’t be difficult to smooth things over,” Chu Diangjiang crossed his arms and looked at her, his calm gaze hiding complex emotions. “Do he and I hold the same position in your heart?”
This question stumped An Jiu. She had never thought about it before.
Before An Jiu said “Let’s go to sleep,” Chu Diangjiang couldn’t be certain. After she said it, he took a step forward. Now he understood that his pace differed from An Jiu’s. He had stepped too far, beyond the boundaries she had set.
Now it seemed everything had returned to the starting point.
An Jiu pondered with a troubled expression for a while. She found it difficult to clearly distinguish the difference between Chu Diangjiang and Hua Rongjian in her heart, but she was certain, “You’re a bit more important to me.”
If Chu Diangjiang and Hua Rongjian were in danger simultaneously, she would help Chu Diangjiang first. Based on this, she judged that she considered him more important.
“Let me take you back now,” Chu Diangjiang said. He wasn’t particularly adept at pleasing women. Today’s arrangements, though seemingly simple, were the result of much effort. Even with his broad-mindedness, he couldn’t help feeling dejected at this moment.
“You go ahead with your business. I’ll return on my own,” An Jiu stood up. “Don’t worry, Wei Yuzhi is barely alive now. No one else will trouble me.”
“Alright,” Chu Diangjiang nodded.
An Jiu immediately pushed open the door and left. Although Chu Diangjiang’s behavior appeared normal, she felt an inexplicable heaviness in the atmosphere.
Chu Diangjiang looked at the red silk wrapped around the intertwined lanterns. After a moment, he still got up and followed her out.
An Jiu walked alone through the bustling streets. As she neared the end, she sensed a faint familiar presence nearby.
Hua Rongjian and Chu Diangjiang’s internal energy was very similar, but the difference in strength was vast.
An Jiu passed through a small alley and arrived in front of a tavern. She stood there for a while.
Just as she was about to leave, a group of drunken young men in fancy clothes poured out of the shop. Hua Rongjian was among them.
He saw An Jiu and froze for a moment, sobering up considerably.
“Rongjian, your tastes have changed quite a bit lately!” one of the half-drunk youths eyed An Jiu.
She wore a young man’s human skin mask, but her figure was that of a woman.
“You all go ahead,” Hua Rongjian said.
The group of young men whooped and hollered, but eventually left under the care of their respective servants.
The two stood silently for a while before Hua Rongjian spoke, “I apologize for today. I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you.”
“It’s nothing,” An Jiu replied.
Often, friendships form inexplicably. For instance, she initially disliked Mo Sigui, but at some point, he became a close friend who shared life-and-death experiences with her. Similarly, she remembered clashing fiercely with Hua Rongjian at first, but somehow, they had become friends who could confide in each other.
Under the red lanterns, Hua Rongjian’s handsome face appeared somewhat hazy. “Walk with me for a bit,” he said.
An Jiu nodded.
They emerged from the alley and merged into the crowd, making their way to the riverbank. Watching groups of young women frolicking by the water, Hua Rongjian’s face finally showed a hint of a smile. He bought two water lanterns from a nearby stall and handed one to An Jiu. “Let’s release lanterns too!”
One was shaped like a lotus, the other like a peony.
An Jiu took the peony and was about to put it in the water when Hua Rongjian grabbed her hand and pulled her to the lantern stall. “We need to write something,” he said.
Hua Rongjian handed her a brush and pointed to the rolled-up paper in the center of the flower. “Write down your wish.”
An Jiu didn’t know what to write. She looked around for a while, thinking hard before finally writing: “May there be peace throughout the land.”
“Ha!” Hua Rongjian peeked at the content and laughed heartily. “If the handwriting weren’t so ugly, I’d think the Prime Minister himself had come out to release lanterns!”
An Jiu had originally wanted to write “World Peace” but had deliberated for a long time before settling on this more “profound” wish. “Let me see yours,” she said.
“No way,” Hua Rongjian hugged the lantern and ran towards the water.
An Jiu grabbed his collar. “Let me see!”
“Which young lady acts like you? Let go!” Hua Rongjian struggled awkwardly.
“I want to see it,” An Jiu forcefully pulled him back and snatched the lantern.
She saw a few bold characters: “May all affairs go smoothly.”
An Jiu snorted, “I thought you’d write something fancy. This is no better than mine!”
“What do you know, you shrew,” Hua Rongjian took back the lantern, straightened his clothes, and carefully placed it on the water’s edge.
An Jiu followed behind and carelessly tossed her lantern into the river. Water splashed, not only sinking her lantern but also affecting nearby ones, which swayed precariously but managed to stay afloat.
“Why did you throw it like that? The water lanterns need to float to the Queen Mother of the West for the wishes to come true!” Hua Rongjian glared at her in exasperation.
An Jiu stood on the bank with her arms crossed, looking down at him. “Even if my wish floated to the heavens, it wouldn’t come true. I advise you not to be so devout; your wish is impossible to realize too.”
Where there are people, there will be war. Even in that relatively peaceful era far in the future, conflicts were unavoidable. Similarly, in life, hardships far outnumber moments of luck.
Hua Rongjian stood up abruptly, angry. “Is this how you discourage people?”
An Jiu told him solemnly, “I’m telling the truth.”
Hua Rongjian gestured wildly, threatening to throw her into the water.
Across the noisy crowd, in the distance, a tall man in blue robes holding a peony water lantern stood quietly at the corner, gazing at the boisterous pair.
After a moment, he turned and entered a dark alley. The lantern in his hand shattered into powder, the light flared briefly before vanishing completely. The blue-robed figure flashed and disappeared as if into thin air, leaving only dust settling in the empty alley.