It felt like a handful of sugar melting on her tongue as Li Huaiyu smiled, her eyebrows disappearing beneath her eyes. She reached out and hugged him tightly. “I used to like you a lot, and I still like you now!”
He paused for a moment, then continued walking forward, facing ahead, and said lightly, “I know.”
“No, no, no, you don’t know!” Huaiyu gestured as she spoke. “Remember when you used to teach Huailin at the Longyan Palace? You always ran into me on the way, right? I deliberately blocked you on the palace road once. Remember?”
Jiang Xuanjin’s expression was complicated. “It’s hard not to remember.”
It was a scorching hot summer day. Princess Danyang wore an extremely elaborate and luxurious palace attire, stepped on embroidered shoes adorned with pearls, and pounced straight at him like a fierce tiger descending the mountain.
“Oops, I fell. This palace needs Your Majesty’s help to get up!”
With her loud voice, coupled with the astonished gazes of the palace attendants, it became a nightmare for Jiang Xuanjin that summer that he couldn’t erase.
Walking through the corridor towards Moyu Residence, he adjusted the person on his back and asked expressionlessly, “Do you know why I ignored you back then?”
Li Huaiyu scratched her head. “Because I was too good-looking, and you were afraid of having impure thoughts?”
“No, I was afraid of stupidity being contagious.”
Li Huaiyu bit his shoulder with a “huff.” She was very angry. “Matters of youthful love are precious treasures. You’ve ruined them all!”
“Who told you to put on a wolf’s skin?” Jiang Xuanjin said, “Seeing you made me want to keep my distance, it’s human nature.”
“It’s all for Huailin…” Her expression suddenly dimmed a bit. Huaiyu drooped her head and asked him in a muffled voice, “How is Huailin?”
“Retreated and bestowed the title of Prince Nanyang. His days shouldn’t be too difficult.”
Huaiyu found it very unbelievable that Li Huailin would abdicate. After all, she no longer had royal blood in her veins. For him to use the late Emperor’s edict as an excuse to relinquish the throne seemed like finding an excuse to abdicate.
Did he think that she and Jiang Xuanjin could stabilize the current chaos in Northern Wei?
But, he cherished the throne so much. How could he just give it up like that? With his temper before, sitting for a few more months might have made a difference in the situation.
“He has something for me to pass on to you.” Jiang Xuanjin carried her back to the main building of Moyu Residence, placed her on the soft couch, and then brought the large box over.
Huaiyu opened it and saw five clay figures inside. Four of them were old, depicting her standing, peeking at the door, standing in the court, and sitting with him on the couch at Feiyun Palace, smiling gently.
The last one must have been made recently. It also portrayed her, with her hands folded in front of her, a string of Buddhist beads in her hand, and two children lying on her shoulders, one on each side.
Huaiyu was slightly surprised, pursing her lips. “Imperial Sister, don’t you think that I only know how to carve wood and make clay figurines now? When I become skilled, I’ll make a lifelike clay statue for you!”
“Why make clay statues? There are portraits in the palace.”
“Their portraits don’t look like you. I understand you better!” He smiled, revealing dimples. “When it’s done, even if you’re busy with affairs and not in the palace, there will be a clay statue accompanying me.”
Her throat tightened slightly. Huaiyu reached out and touched the old ones. Before Li Huailin’s father died, he relied heavily on her and was reluctant to be apart from her. But after Li Shan’s death, their meetings became fewer. Although she felt just as close and received various birthday gifts every year, everything was different for Huailin.
She didn’t know at all. She just thought he had grown up and wasn’t clinging to Imperial Sister anymore, and she felt sad for a while.
Her eyes flickered. Huaiyu said, “I want to visit the palace.”
Since he was willing to give her so many years’ worth of gifts, Huailin should also feel relieved. She wanted to see him, even if they argued again.
However, just as they stepped out of Moju’s gate, Cheng Xu rushed over with a panicked expression.
“Master, Madam, something has happened in the palace!”
Her pupils constricted. Li Huaiyu watched his mouth move in front of him, but for a moment, it seemed as if she couldn’t hear anything.
…
“It’s been over half a month. Your Highness, don’t you want to go out for a walk?”
Huaiyu sat on the edge of the bed, wrapped in a cloak, while Jiu Wu and others lined up to comfort her.
However, this discussion was quickly rebutted. Come on, Lord Ziyang only has eyes for the Eldest Princess. How could he care about anything else? Look, when the Eldest Princess fell ill, the atmosphere in the capital became tense. Those attending court straightened their postures, fearing they might be caught in His Highness’s scrutiny, facing an irreversible calamity.
There were rumors among the common folk. Wasn’t the new Emperor the son of the Eldest Princess from Danyang and Lord Ziyang? Was Lord Ziyang trying to use his young son to control the realm?
In the ninth month of Daxing year, the Prince of Nanyang abdicated in favor of the Eldest Princess’s son. In the same month, the Prince of Nanyang set himself on fire in the Hexi Palace. The Eldest Princess knelt in front of the late Emperor’s spirit for a whole day and fell gravely ill. Chaos erupted in the capital. Lord Ziyang led his troops into the city, stabilizing the situation, and enthroned the young Emperor in early October.
Huaiyu shook her head vigorously, crying louder as she watched the billowing smoke, feeling as if her chest was about to suffocate.
Unable to deal with her, Jiang Xuanjin hurriedly embraced her, slowing down his tone. “I won’t scold you any more, okay? You’ll have trouble breathing if you keep crying like this. Can you calm down first?”
Huaiyu choked, staring blankly at him, and her tears burst out instantly. “You still scold me…”
He felt so sorry for her. Jiang Xuanjin wiped her face with his sleeve, but the more he wiped, the more tears flowed, making his heart a mess. Unable to control himself, he raised his voice. “Stop crying!”
“I… I didn’t even blame him. Why did he have to die?” Sniffling, she spoke in fragments, “I’m still alive… I’m still alive…”
Furrowing his brows, Jiang Xuanjin patted her back gently, coaxing, “Stop crying.”
Grabbing Jiang Xuanjin’s lapel, Huaiyu cried even harder, her eyes swollen and red, tears streaming down profusely. “I have no more little brother. No one will ever call me elder sister again…”
Jiu Wu panicked, shaking his head vigorously. “It wasn’t me!”
Jiang Xuanjin caught up from behind, seeing her struggling to breathe from her sobbing, his brows furrowed tightly. He approached and lifted her off the horse, then cast a cold glance at Jiu Wu.
His nose was blocked, and his throat felt choked as if he had swallowed cold air.
“What kind of person… how could there be such a person?” Huaiyu choked on her words, “Pathetic! Utterly pathetic!”
“Your Highness…”
After wiping her eyes, they blurred again, and she couldn’t make out the words on the paper. Holding onto the letter, Li Huaiyu sat on the horse and finally burst into loud sobs, her grief-stricken cries echoing, making Jiu Wu’s throat tighten in sympathy.
“She was born with me, and I’ll die with her. Even if I have to be shameless, I want to be with her. Sister, do you think it will be hard to console her when I catch up to her?”
“Wanwei never knew I loved her until death, so I have to catch up to tell her. Sister will surely scold me for being spineless, but… the rest of my life is so long, I can’t bear to live alone.”
The oil-soaked flames leaped quickly. Li Huailin slowly lifted the coffin lid and lay down beside Ning Wanwei, completely unafraid. He reached out and hugged her tightly, smiling gently, forming two dimples.
“Sister is right. I haven’t done anything good in my life. Every step was a mistake. If there’s another life… Forget it, maybe you wouldn’t want to be my sister then. In the next life, you can kill me, and I’ll be responsible for pampering and cherishing you, alright?”
As the fire blazed in the palace, he seemed oblivious, meticulously adjusting his attire.
” I do have regrets. I regretted it before Sister’s passing, but it was too late. Liuyun Lie said, once you step onto this path, there’s no turning back. If it’s not Sister’s death, it will be my demise.”
“I couldn’t learn what Sister taught me well, nor did I listen to Lord Ziyang’s words properly. I couldn’t even keep the person I loved the most.” Li Huailin walked into Hexi Palace with a smile, dismissed the palace attendants, and sat beside Ning Wanwei’s coffin.
…
The clear voice seemed to echo nearby. Huaiyu choked up, clutching the letter tightly, her vision blurred.
“Sister, your words are as if you were in front of me.”
Her fingertips trembled. Huaiyu wiped her eyes and took the letter.
“Your Highness.” Hangu approached, her eyes red, handing over a letter, “This is left by Prince of Nanyang for you.”
That rascal… How dare he do such a thing!
The fire raged, crackling loudly. Palace servants hurriedly worked to contain the fire, preventing it from spreading. A gust of wind blew, and the smoke stung their eyes, making Li Huaiyu’s eyes tear up. She covered her eyes with her hand and tightened the reins.
Although she thought so in her heart, Jiu Wu didn’t dare to say it aloud. Everyone knew how much the Eldest Princess cherished this person. Even though there was deep-seated enmity between them, she would never want to see Li Huailin end like this.
It was a meticulously planned suicide. Since they returned to the capital, Li Huailin had been waiting for this day, waiting to return to Hexi Palace, waiting to forgive Li Huaiyu, and then follow Ning Guifei together. Otherwise, he would have let Ning Guifei rest in peace long ago. Why bother bringing her back to the palace from afar?
Jiu Wu bowed his head in silence.
Her hand holding the reins trembled, and her eyes reddened. “He hasn’t come out yet?”
Her sudden raised voice startled Jiu Wu, who dared not hide anymore. He bowed and said, “At the first quarter-hour of the hour of the Rabbit, Prince of Nanyang entered Hexi Palace, dispersing all palace attendants and forbidding anyone to approach. In the third quarter-hour, I found Hexi Palace flooded, but it was too late. The fire spread quickly, both inside and outside the palace were doused in oil, and even bringing water was futile.”
Jiu Wu glanced at her, looking somewhat embarrassed. Li Huaiyu shouted, “What’s going on? Tell me!”
“What’s going on?” She asked softly.
The billowing smoke enveloped Hexi Palace, and the broken beams fell, making a loud “bang” sound. Li Huaiyu pulled the reins, staring blankly at the flames soaring into the sky, feeling as if her blood had frozen.
“Your Highness!” Seeing Li Huaiyu galloping from afar, Jiu Wu raised his hand and shouted, “Don’t go any further, the fire is too big!”
The palace was in chaos, and the closer they got to Hexi Palace, the more people fled in all directions.
“Go!” The steed raced, charging straight through the palace gate. Huaiyu gripped the reins, her face pale.