Volume Three: A Hundred Things Changed with the Spring Breeze
Thought of Deep Seclusion
Twenty years have all passed, what is there to fear about life and death?
In the past, the wind in the loquat forest always carried a trace of coolness, but today it caresses people’s hearts warmly. Some people are happy, some are worried. Liu Zhu never cared about her own body, with her heart and eyes full of the joy of long-separated reunion. Even though Qingyu did not recognize her, she also realized this life’s greatest wish.
Seeing her one more time, even if just a glance, she is already satisfied.
But Yi Qingyu’s words surprised Liu Qianxun. She always knew her mother’s health was not good, and also knew that for years it was Ling Yu who found divine doctors to help her recuperate. Now her mother’s condition worsens with each passing day, and combined with Yi Qingyu’s words, she suddenly felt panicked.
“Aunt, Shennong Valley has many exotic herbs, and Guiguzi’s miraculous hands can rejuvenate. It is said they have the ability to bring the dead back to life. Is there a way to cure Aunt?” Qin Junlan, also worried, asked what was on Liu Qianxun’s mind.
Yi Qingyu lightly laughed, “Yaner is more worried than other people’s daughters.”
Qin Junlan lowered her brows and smiled slightly, gracefully saying: “Yan’er knows Aunt learned from Guiguzi and already has high medical skills, still hoping Aunt will take action.”
“Senior, I know my mother’s root ailment is hard to heal, but I don’t know if you have detected any other problems?”
“This…” Yi Qingyu didn’t have time to answer as the two asked and sipped, only feeling Liu Zhu herself was calm and collected. She asked with great interest, “Why are you not at all worried about your own body?”
“I know my own body, Xun’er, Emperor, you don’t need to worry. Life and death have fate. These extra twenty years I’ve lived are all earned, and I’ve long already seen through life and death.” Regarding life and death, Liu Zhu was always as light as a breeze and as thin as clouds, now even more composed and fearless.
“Extra twenty years?” Yi Qingyu was very sensitive to the number twenty. Her feelings towards Liu Zhu turned from pity to compassion, and she even wanted to reveal that mysterious veil to glimpse her beautiful face.
“Do you know your internal organs are failing? You may not live past two years.” Yi Qingyu’s words were like a bolt from the blue, shocking Liu Qianxun into terror. She stared with wide eyes, her body stiff with indecision, as she looked heartbrokenly at Liu Zhu, her heart heavy with pain and hard to suppress.
“How can it be?” Liu Qianxun suddenly shook her head, finding it difficult to believe.
“Don’t be like this, Xun’er.” Qin Junlan held her shoulders, her face solemn, “Aunt, why is it like this?”
Qin Junlan and Liu Qianxun both changed their expressions, but Liu Zhu herself just calmly smiled, “The night I gave birth to Xun’er, my throat was damaged by fire, and at the same time, cold entered my body causing a cough illness. Long illness not healed then infected lung disease. These many years, my body has gotten worse by the day. Two years is already the greatest limit.” Liu Zhu’s hoarse voice held not the slightest fear of death, but rather a sort of casualness and composure.
Yi Qingyu originally hesitated whether to say her condition in front of her, but did not expect someone to look so lightly on life and death.
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“Mother, you’ll be fine. I’ll think of a way.” Liu Qianxun held Liu Zhu’s hand, slightly trembling. Liu Zhu could feel her tension and lightly patted her hand back, “It’s fine. Don’t bother Qingyu. I’ll return to the carriage first, and you have a good talk with the Emperor.”
Calling out Qingyu’s name, there was a feeling as if separated by worlds, and the heart’s feelings and strong emotions were no less than back then. It turns out that in the entire twenty years, this love in her heart never decreased by half a bit. No matter how time passed, Qingyu was a unique existence in her heart. That kind of concern and deep affection, embedded in her bones and blood, was the same as it originally was and never changed.
Liu Zhu knows she actually can’t live past one year. Two years are merely based on the premise that she has no other symptoms, but her body simply can’t support that long. Now that Qingyu is well, and Xun’er also has someone in her heart, it seems everything can settle. In this world, with her or without her, there’s already no difference.
She suddenly felt a sort of transcendental relief. The people she cared about are all well, so why should she disturb everything for them? Just let life and death go with their nature, come with fate, and scatter with the wind.
“Farewell.” Liu Zhu nodded, lightly tapped her forehead to Yi Qingyu, and then walked towards the carriage direction.
Yi Qingyu’s eyes lightly drifted away, her face seemingly without ripples, yet as Liu Zhu left, she slowly turned her body.
After a long time, she slowly recovered, seeing Liu Qianxun looking deeply at her, that gaze carried an indescribable depth. She avoided her gaze, looked at Qin Junlan, and said, “You two follow me.” After speaking, she walked deeper into the loquat forest.
Two back-facing figures, separated by red and black, were near at the horizon yet far at the end of the world. Liu Zhu’s steps were slow; after a few steps, she couldn’t help but turn back to look at Qingyu’s back. A gentle breeze brushed past, and the veil hanging at the corner of her mouth slowly fell, revealing some pale thin lips.
Qingyu, even if only a back view, made her deeply engraved in bones and heart.
But her back view was desolate and lonely. Liu Zhu’s smile unfolded, yet her nose was filled with sourness, and crystal tears slipped down her eye corner, dropping to her heart, burning her with pain. She left Qingyu for twenty years, and now seeing her again, she still cannot stay with her. She knows Qingyu will live well; she has Yun Jin and Yun Jin’s son… but Qingyu, why does she want to live in this world with the most lonely posture?
Clearly, she is the most heroic person in the world; clearly, she could live out immense brilliance. Yet she hides in this forest, spending her days with plain tea and simple meals, planting loquats, drinking alone, her body wielded gracefully, with heaven and earth as neighbors, the forest as a companion.
Qingyu was once a beam of light, now her brightness faded, abandoning everything, carrying her longing for Liu Zhu. The remainder of her life holds only one person’s fleeting joy.
Liu Zhu’s heartache was unbearable, and she resolutely turned her body, afraid that one more glance would make her sink. She lifted her heavy steps and continued walking forward, while Yi Qingyu happened to turn her head again, looking at her. She felt Liu Zhu’s figure amidst the swaying tree shadows slowly elongating, fragility revealing strength, like a willow facing the wind, harboring an invisible strength.
What is it? What kind of strength supports her? For the first time, Yi Qingyu felt such strange emotions toward a person—was it pity or admiration? The reason was unclear.
Why does it feel so familiar? Yi Qingyu’s thoughts drifted until Liu Zhu boarded the carriage, and only then did she pull back her gaze.
“Please, elder, save my mother.” Liu Qianxun suddenly kneeled.
“Xun’er.” Qin Junlan hurriedly tried to pull her up, but Liu Qianxun kneeled on the ground, not rising, just hopefully looking at Yi Qingyu.
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“You kneeling through the earth is also useless. I’m powerless, even if Guiguzi personally treated her, he could only extend her life by two years. You might as well let her have more happiness and relaxation in her last days, and don’t let her worry about you again.”
“If so, Xun’er won’t force others to do what’s difficult, just unwilling to see her suffer illness and pain day and night.”
“Xun’er, stand up and speak first.” Qin Junlan helped her up, feeling intense heartache.
“Aunt?”
Yi Qingyu glanced at Qin Junlan, sighed slightly, a smile at the corner of her mouth, “Yan’er and I have an important matter to discuss today, and this matter needs your help. If it can succeed, I can promise to regulate your mother’s body, at least ensuring she will not frequently fall ill, reducing her pain.”
“Aunt, you haven’t even gotten Xun’er’s consent, how can you force her like this?” Qin Junlan reluctantly helped Liu Qianxun up. They had clearly agreed to first gain Liu Qianxun’s consent to enter the palace before informing her of the plan to eliminate the Grand Chancellor at the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet.
“I am a person of the martial world; I won’t go round and round like you all do. Like is like, don’t like is don’t like. Since you like each other, why not be together?” Yi Qingyu, accustomed to straightforwardness, does not like beating around the bush. She can see the ambiguity and feelings between Liu Qianxun and Qin Junlan.
“What matter is the elder speaking of?”
“The matter of you two facing difficulties together in Yuzhou I know, your high martial arts skill rescued Yan’er, I also know. I ask you, from whom did you learn these martial arts?” Yi Qingyu does not want any safety hazards left around Qin Junlan, and this is also the question that has always puzzled Qin Junlan’s heart.
“My mother and I were swept out by my father at thirteen years old, and in our desperate situation, we were saved by a benefactor. She taught me martial arts, and I once promised her not to easily display them, always hiding my skills. That day, my actions were forced.” Liu Qianxun responded calmly, having anticipated this day since she first revealed her martial arts.
“So…” Yi Qingyu still had doubts, but Qin Junlan interrupted her questioning, “Aunt, Xun’er might not be in the mood to think about these things today, why not another day…”
“Another day? Do you even have time? Three days later is your Empress Mother’s grand birthday.” Yi Qingyu lightly glared at Qin Junlan, considering Liu Qianxun’s feelings even at this critical point.
Yi Qingyu wouldn’t care so much, her mind focused solely on lending Qin Junlan a hand.
“Empress Mother’s grand birthday…” So time has passed so quickly; does this mean the Grand Chancellor is already secretly in action? Recently, Liu Qianxun was busy accompanying her mother and nearly forgot Qin Junlan still has a big trouble here.
“Liu Qianxun, I ask you, do you like Yan’er?” Yi Qingyu cut straight to the point and directly asked.
“Aunt~” Qin Junlan helplessly smiled a bit. Although her aunt is from a prominent family, she’s thick with martial world atmosphere, asking such a direct question, surely not afraid of her own awkwardness.
Liu Qianxun didn’t speak, raised her eyes to meet Qin Junlan’s gaze, hesitating and undecided.
“Is this question very hard to answer?” Yi Qingyu’s face slightly changed, thinking if one doesn’t even have the courage to admit their feelings, how can they talk about staying together?
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Qin Junlan, afraid Yi Qingyu would again say words to make things difficult for Liu Qianxun, quickly stepped forward and asked, “Xun’er, are you willing to enter the palace?”
“Enter the palace?” Liu Qianxun had waited for this opportunity for a very long time, and not only she, but Ling Yu also waited for the opportunity for long. She always waited for Qin Junlan to speak, and finally, this moment came, but she still slowly asked, “Enter the palace for what? I am a woman of the dust; how can I enter the palace? No one will tolerate me.”
“You just need to say whether you’re willing or not, and you don’t need to worry about the rest.” Yi Qingyu’s dominance mingled with an elder’s gentleness, making Liu Qianxun unable to resist her authority, so she could only nod, “I am willing, not for imperial power or wealth, only to be able to stay by Yan’er’s side.”
“Xun’er~” Qin Junlan excitedly held her hand, joy beyond words, “I won’t let you suffer the slightest grievance, believe me.”
“I believe you.” Liu Qianxun raised a smile, happiness mixed with helplessness, melancholy with some loss. Too many things filled her heart, her mother’s illness, Ling Yu’s mission, the palace intrigue and changes.
“Hahaha~ young people, dare to love, dare to hate, and must also dare to act. Aunt will help you a hand; you must be well together.” She spoke while waving her sleeve and walked forward, “Three days later, I guarantee you can rightfully enter the palace, and no one in the world will dare to stop you.”
The empty loquat forest echoed her voice, distant and clear.