Volume Two: An Abundance of Blossoms Always Feels Lonely
The Origin of Love
My original name is Liu Qianxun, Hong Yuan is just a stage name, my real name is finally revealed
Although Qin Junlan is already twenty-four, she has not yet experienced human affairs. She has never felt desire for anyone, nor has her body ever reacted so strangely. She has never truly loved anyone, and perhaps until now, she has not realized that her affection for Liu Qianxun was never just a close friendship.
It is a feeling that can be mutually owned, holding hands and accompanying each other. This feeling is purely without any impurities, requiring loyalty, responsibility, and even more, love.
The rationality of a ruler makes her not fully trust Liu Qianxun, because she knows very little about her and cannot control her. She often cannot see clearly into Liu Qianxun’s heart, and this lack of understanding makes her uneasy. She does not live for herself; if she could truly act on impulse, she would not repeatedly test Liu Qianxun.
A gentle touch from a palm comes to her back, as if someone were scratching at her heart’s door, making her heart itch unbearably. Strangely, when Li Yue and Yun Jin helped her apply medicine in the palace, she never had this feeling.
Liu Qianxun is also trying to restrain herself, just purely applying medicine. She must not let her heart give rise to other thoughts that should not exist. Could it be that her body is sensitive because last time Ling Yu teased her?
The atmosphere fell into ambiguity, and the two suddenly stopped communicating verbally, each harboring personal thoughts. Only the touch of hand and back intersected, yet their hearts were in chaos.
“Yuan’er, from now on, can you call me Yan’er?”
Liu Qianxun paused her actions, helping her put on her clothes properly, “It’s just a title, why be so concerned?”
“I like hearing you call me Yan’er. Except for my aunt, no one has ever called me that.” In the palace, people are too respectful to her, and even the Empress Dowager hasn’t called her by name since she ascended the throne.
“Aunt… Could Qin Junlan’s aunt be that woman called Yi Qingyu?” Liu Qianxun thought. No one knows that while she was on a mission in Jidu, she also had another important purpose: to find Yi Qingyu.
“Can you call me by my name?” Qin Junlan seemed to yearn, as if she were expecting.
“Yan’er, Yan’er~ Yan’er~ …” Liu Qianxun’s red lips slightly parted, calling out three times, each time deliberately prolonging the ending sound, accompanied by a gentle smile, making this ordinary title feel warm.
Qin Junlan smiled in relief, her smile like a blooming flower that could embellish everything, making the world’s scenery pale in comparison.
“Yan’er, you are a noble’s daughter, why are you acting so foolish today?” Liu Qianxun suddenly felt a bit of heartache. Is it because she is so lonely and lacking in love that she behaves this way?
“Because it’s you, Yuan’er, who calls me, it naturally feels different. I seldom act out, so consider it making up for my missing childhood happiness.” For Qin Junlan, where was any true happiness? From her childhood, her extraordinary governing strategy was discovered, and from then on, she never experienced human warmth and joyful laughter, replaced only by piles of books as high as mountains.
It turns out that being an emperor can also be unhappy; high places are cold and lonely. If that’s the case, why make oneself work so hard, when clearly already the most supreme person in the world?
“Yan’er, I’m not called Yuan’er.” Liu Qianxun felt it was time to let her know her real name.
“Mm? Oh, I know Hong Yuan is your stage name, but it’s very nice sounding.” Qin Junlan seemed indifferent, but her heart was tense. Would she tell her real name? She had been waiting for this moment for a very long time.
She doesn’t like to press for answers, especially with someone as noble and aloof as Liu Qianxun. If she pursued relentlessly, it would only cause dislike. So she wanted to let things happen naturally. When it’s time to know, she would know.
Liu Qianxun sighed slightly, “My name is Xun’er, Liu Qianxun.”
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“Xun’er?”
“Mm.”
“Xun’er?” Qin Junlan questioned in a different tone.
“Mm?”
“Xun’er.”
“If you call again, I won’t respond.” Liu Qianxun lightly glared at her, with a hint of shyness in her eyes. She moved the medicine box to a distant place; indeed, Qin Junlan’s demeanor when not being the emperor is quite likable. But having interacted with this side of Qin Junlan for so long, she couldn’t imagine what she would be like standing on the court, or what her expression would be when ordering an execution, or her feelings when massacring the people of the Yu Kingdom.
Liu Qianxun couldn’t imagine it, nor did she want to. If she could, she wished Qin Junlan could always be like she is now.
The scenery at Jingyuan was splendid, and Liu Qianxun brought Qin Junlan there. It was a grand courtyard, not inferior to the private residences of high-ranking officials and nobility.
“Recently, you’ve been appearing less and less, and at Suyuan Tower, guests occasionally complain. Has He Xi troubled you?” Qin Junlan worried that Liu Qianxun was always bound by worldly matters.
The two walked together, leisurely strolling in the garden.
“Even if he has opinions, he can’t do anything to me. Recently, I’m not in the mood to entertain guests, so I come to this garden to walk and avoid the worldly matters of Suyuan Tower.” Liu Qianxun felt uncertain; if Qin Junlan truly wanted to travel south incognito, would she invite her along? This could be a great opportunity to get close to her.
Opportunities outside the palace are always more than now. Currently, she’s always tied by court affairs, but if they could travel together, there might be more chances to enter the palace upon return.
“Xun’er, do you want to leave Jidu and go out for a walk?” Qin Junlan originally wanted to find a chance to express her intention to head south, but she never knew how to bring it up.
“Go out? I don’t know where else to go; the ends of the earth, isn’t it the same everywhere?” Liu Qianxun pretended to be surprised, remaining as calm as ever, unmoved by worldly matters.
“It’s not the same. If Xun’er is willing, would you go south with me?” Qin Junlan stopped walking, her gaze full of expectation, glimmering with a subtle light.
Liu Qianxun didn’t dare make eye contact with her and continued walking forward, “What’s in the south?”
“The south has beautiful scenery, the south…” Qin Junlan paused, her lips lightly curving into a smile. “The south also has me.”
As dusk approached, the afterglow settled on the corners of Qin Junlan’s lips, and her smile was truly beautiful. The sunset glow illuminated her surroundings, making everything so bright.
“You’ve just recovered and shouldn’t be entertaining guests. The other entertainers at Suyuan Tower won’t disrupt He Xi’s business, so it’s better to go out and relax. We can see mountains surrounded by water and go deep among the people; it will definitely be a worthwhile trip.”
“Allow me… to consider.” Liu Qianxun couldn’t agree immediately; using a strategy of wanting to refuse yet welcoming was just right to achieve the result she desired.
Step forward one step, pause for a moment; progress must not be too fast, otherwise, everything will seem deliberate and may arouse Qin Junlan’s suspicion. Even though she was inclined to travel with Qin Junlan, she still pretended to be hesitant.
“Think about it carefully. Three days from now, at the hour of Mao (5 AM to 7 AM), I will wait for you at the Xuan Gate. If Xun’er can come, I will be very happy.” Qin Junlan’s eyes were sincere, her smile genuine, with no pretense, only true emotions revealed.
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Qin Junlan, do you know what kind of thoughts you have for me? Liu Qianxun thought, as she raised the corners of her lips and nodded slightly.
Qin Junlan’s gaze paused; Liu Qianxun’s smile was so beautiful, no longer like a cold iceberg, but a real, flesh-and-blood person. What experiences led to her indifference and apathy toward people, Qin Junlan must carefully understand this woman in the future.
“Xun’er’s smile, I’m afraid, would make all the women in Ji country pale in comparison.” She couldn’t help but praise.
“You only know how to say nice things.” Liu Qianxun’s smile was not arrogant, not ostentatious, always perfectly unfolding the corners of her eyebrows. That world-toppling beauty, once it blooms, is truly radiant.
She wasn’t born without laughter; it’s just that the only person who could make her smile was Ling Yu, and now there was another, Qin Junlan.
Unconsciously, the two walked to the edge of the hot spring, and Liu Qianxun’s smile instantly vanished. This pool of clear water had been cleaned thoroughly, as if no one had ever been here. The entire Jingyuan felt like an empty house, as if no one had ever come.
Truly, things change while people change, and flowers are like dreams. Ling Yu came and went willfully in her world, yet never truly stayed. Liu Qianxun’s gaze instantly dimmed, and Qin Junlan, seeing her sudden melancholy, reached out a hand and pointed towards her brow.
She lifted her head in surprise, looking at Qin Junlan in puzzlement.
“Remember to relax your brows and eyes, Xun’er; you certainly don’t know how beautiful you are when you smile.”
“Yan’er is equally beautiful when she smiles.” Liu Qianxun’s mood gradually improved, with Qin Junlan’s smile like the late spring sun, able to penetrate her heart, warm and comfortable.
“Then, do you like it?”
Liu Qianxun was slightly stunned, not expecting Qin Junlan to suddenly ask such a direct question; she suddenly didn’t know how to respond.
“You praise my beauty but don’t say you like it; it seems Yan’er’s charm isn’t enough?”
“No, it’s just…” Liu Qianxun was about to comfort Qin Junlan when she suddenly heard the sound of xun1 music coming from Suyuan Tower.
The sound was low and repressed, long and continuous, as if carrying a crying sorrow that made one’s heart ache.
“Who is playing such a mournful tune?” Qin Junlan slightly furrowed her brow, as the xun sound seemed to have the power to evoke sadness in the heart, pressing down so one could hardly breathe.
Only Liu Qianxun knew that in this world, the only one capable of playing the xun so masterfully was Ling Yu.
“Yan’er, your whip injury hasn’t healed, so go back and rest early.” Liu Qianxun issued an order to leave, unsure why Ling Yu had left and returned, but she suddenly became very afraid of something happening.
Ling Yu hated Qin Junlan so much that she might suddenly have the intent to kill. One must know that at this moment, assassinating Qin Junlan in Suyuan Tower would be as easy as lifting a finger.
“Alright then, don’t forget to carefully consider what you promised me. I’ll wait for you at the entrance of Xuan Gate in three days.”
Seeing Liu Qianxun unusually urging her to leave, Qin Junlan also had her own thoughts and did not stay long.
From Suyuan Tower to the palace, Qin Junlan remained sullen. She no longer had her previous joy; one moment she was the morning glory before Liu Qianxun, the next she had to return to being Emperor Qin Junlan. She couldn’t let emotions cloud her judgment and had to set aside her natural vigilance.
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Moreover, her intuition told her that the xun player must be someone familiar to Liu Qianxun; otherwise, she wouldn’t have reacted so unusually upon hearing the xun sound. Despite Liu Qianxun’s efforts to control herself, Qin Junlan still caught these subtle changes.
“Your Majesty, why do you seem unhappy?” Yuan Xi brought the tea and glanced at Li Yue, “Why did you return so downcast after going out with Her Majesty? Could it be that you didn’t take good care of the master?”
“If that’s the case, I willingly accept punishment.”
“Yuan Xi, Li Yue, do you know what ‘when full, it must lack; when extreme, it must reverse’ means?” Qin Junlan sighed slightly, knowing she must always return to reason after emotion and do what she should do.
“Master, I haven’t read much, so I don’t… quite understand…” Clearly, she had never seen the Emperor smile so happily; why did she become melancholic after leaving Jing Garden?
“This servant guesses that things in the world should not be done to the extreme, emotions should not be too deep, goodness should not lose its measure, and evil should not reach sin.” Yuan Xi understood the literal meaning.
“Emotions should not be too deep… especially for an emperor.” Qin Junlan’s eyes gradually became covered with a layer of frost as she sharply said, “Issue an order for the spies hidden in Yu Kingdom to quickly investigate a woman named Liu Qianxun. I want to hear news within three days.”
“Yes, I will handle it immediately,” Li Yue quickly went to deliver the order. Yuan Xi shook her head helplessly, seeing that Qin Junlan’s imperial majesty was still present, yet she seemed to have lost her composure.
Hopefully, there will be no news, and Yu Kingdom won’t find such a person. For the first time, Qin Junlan hopes her subordinates might be a little incompetent and not find out anything…