The inner city of the capital was rich in the east and noble in the west. The central road that passed through the Imperial Palace was the boundary. The officials and nobles gathered in the west, the government offices and official residences in the north, and large private residences in the south. On the east side of the city was the bustling market and the rich houses of the Shang Dynasty. Very few ordinary people lived in the inner city, and most of them lived in the outer city.
In the greenish-gray official residence, there were a few dark red high walls. Whether it was majestic or simple, no one dared to look down on it. The outstanding height and the same color as the palace walls showed the noble status. These were the royal etiquette of the Prince of the First Rank. Even the prominent Rong Cheng family did not dare to be rude in this aspect.
At this moment, I was inside a red wall. The garden was very big. I ran to a waterside pavilion with familiarity. I didn't see anyone along the way. I knew that the person I wanted to see must have arrived.
Sure enough, as soon as I stepped into the corridor, a green-robed figure walked towards me. When she saw me, she was stunned for a moment before smiling warmly."Luoying."
Li Yuan, the personal disciple who received the most direct inheritance from Tang Jie, was the same as me. He didn't hold any position in Qingcheng City, but in truth, he had been in charge of all sorts of matters for Tang Jie for the past few years.
Many people believed that he would be appointed as the next City Lord by Tang Jie. Even though neither of them denied it, I knew that he wouldn't.
Because he was not only Li Yuan, he was also Shen Lin, Prince Rui Shen Lin, the owner of this red-wall mansion.
The Jingxia Dynasty had been established for 149 years. Emperor Jianyuan had conquered the Jing family's territory. After six emperors, the territory had been stable for generations. There were fertile lands and strong borders. The people lived in peace and harmony.
Of course, this was what the world saw.
Compared to the four emperors of Yuan, Cheng, An, and Ping, who had reigned for twenty-five to forty years, the former Emperor Jiande died young after only ten years, adding to the turmoil of this stability that had lasted for more than a hundred years. Since the day of the sudden national funeral, this faction had already hidden dangers.
When the former emperor died, his only son was only ten years old. The young emperor ascended the throne and the government fell to the side. Even though Empress Dowager Xue was behind the curtain, the Xue family did not have the ability to monopolize power. Instead, it caused the open and secret struggles in the court to intensify.
Among the three major families of the Xia Dynasty, the Rong family was the most powerful. They were important officials of the three dynasties, and two generations of officials were the chief assistants of the cabinet. They had been in the position of prime minister for decades. They were also the family of the emperor's son-in-law. They had great power in internal and external affairs, and their foundation was extremely deep. Logically speaking, the Xue family, which had been illustrious for less than twenty years, had no power to compete with them. When the previous Emperor was still around, the Xue Empress Dowager was not even the Empress. It was only at the last moment that the Xue family unexpectedly obtained the Crown Prince and then went all out. Prince Rui, who had joined forces with the mercenaries and vowed to assist the young master, seized half of the power from the hands of the Cheng family.
Prince Rui's Shen family was not a royal family, but because of his ancestor's achievements in founding the country, he was conferred the title of the only King with a different surname. He had a fief in the south and a residence in the capital. His position was superior and hereditary. The Shen family had followed the ancestral precepts for generations, only wealth and honor were not prominent, the son did not enter the official position and the daughter did not enter the palace. Even after being dominated by the Rong Cheng family for many years, they did not fight for it, which showed how strict their family was.
Therefore, in the last years of Jiande, the Shen family's mercenary suddenly made a stand. Although they did not give a public explanation, everyone guessed that it was Emperor Jiande's instruction. Only the King of Jing Xia could secretly grant military power and make the Shen family break the ancestral rule that they had sworn to abide by for more than a hundred years.
In the sixth year of Jianxuan, Emperor Xuan got married at the age of sixteen. It was said to be a big wedding, but there was no empress. Because of the conflict between Rong Cheng and Xue family, the empress position was empty. Only a dozen concubines were hastily taken in. Most of them were the daughters of famous and powerful families, and the Shen family was not included as usual.
In the 10th year of Jianxuan, Emperor Xuan was in power when he was young. The Chief Assistant of the Cabinet, Rong Chengyao, took the opportunity to ask Emperor Xuan to issue a decree to prevent the mercenaries of the Fan Wang from becoming too big. He asked the Shen family to return the military power according to the ancestral teachings. The old Prince Rui then handed over the power and left the capital. His son, Shen Lin, stayed in the capital for hereditary, but it was already a vacant position. The Shen family, who had worked hard to balance the court for 10 years, disappeared in one day.
I glanced at the person beside the water and smiled at Shen Lin.""Am I late?"
" It's alright." He turned his head to look behind him, his eyes looking at me with a deep gaze." He's waiting for you."”
I nodded and deliberately ignored what Shen Lin wanted to convey. I walked past him and headed towards the figure.
He was dressed in a plain white robe. He stood tall and straight, his sleeves fluttering in the breeze. His back was firm and firm. There was a cold arrogance that he exuded without turning his head, making people respect him and yearn for him. I was silent. Even though I knew that he must have heard me approach, I still didn't speak, as if I was waiting for his instructions, or as if I was just standing behind him for a while.
After a long time, his voice came over coldly."Why did you do that?"
I wasn't surprised. From the moment I was called over, I knew that he would ask this question. It was just that when he really asked this question, my heart unexpectedly ached.
I would rather he asked me why, or he would fly into a rage or scold me with gritted teeth. I knew that I would definitely annoy him by doing that. I would definitely disrupt some of his plans and ruin some of his plans. I didn't think about the price, but I knew that I had to bear the consequences.
However, he didn't even turn his head and coldly asked me why. Although he was slightly angry, he didn't have any emotions. It was as if he was talking about an extremely ordinary matter. He was waiting for me to give him an explanation. This suddenly made me feel disappointed.
In the silence, I stared at his back. I gradually lost the restraint and forbearance I had for a long time, allowing the disappointment to spread bit by bit.
So I decided to give him an answer, whether he really didn't know or whether he knew the answer.
I slowly took two steps forward, took a deep breath, and hugged him from behind.
" You have to know why." I closed my eyes and said in a hollow voice," Because I love you.”
There were some things that felt heavy when they were hidden, but when they came true, it was inevitable that they would be illusory. Soon, my head began to go blank. I thought I was crazy.
This body was my dream for many years. I pressed my face against his back, and my heart filled with sadness and joy. I couldn't believe that I had really taken this step. I thanked him for not turning around and pushing me away. Otherwise, I wouldn't have the courage to say it.
However, my joy didn't last for a moment. My many years of martial arts experience told me that although the body in my arms was tall and warm, it was stiff and hard. Whether it was my actions or words, it was as if I had crashed into the void. In contrast to my slight trembling, his breathing and heartbeat were stable without any disorder.
At the same time, his voice was very faint."Let go."
It was a simple word. There was no surprise or hesitation, no pandering or rejection. There was nothing. Even though I couldn't see it, I thought that when he spoke, he probably didn't even frown.
I stubbornly wanted to persevere. I didn't believe that he would be so heartless. However, his voice soon lost the last bit of warmth."Don't force me to hurt you."
When I was pulled away from his body, I didn't resist. I just stared blankly into his dark eyes that turned around. I looked at those bottomless pupils that reflected the sparkling waves. The courage that I had mustered with great difficulty was on the verge of collapse. My ancestors gave him a handsome appearance and also gave him the temperament of a king. When he was laughing and laughing, he was like a warm spring breeze. When he was fierce and ruthless, he was like a bone-chilling ice.
He looked at me for a while and sighed."Luoying, you've been by my side for four years, right?”
Without waiting for me to answer, he stared at me and said,"Long enough."
When I heard this, I was stunned. I couldn't feel my body trembling. I suddenly woke up. Who was he? Long before I followed him, he was already surrounded by flowers. Every day, countless women would place their thoughts on him, whether openly or secretly. Many beauties would wait for him to stop and take a look. With his identity and experience, how could he not understand my thoughts?
I didn't give myself any room to deny it. I thought that from the moment I raised my sword to kill Rong Chengxiao, I had already caused trouble. Now that he asked me why, he didn't want to hear my explanation. He wanted to give me a chance to cover up, a chance to continue staying by his side.
I thought I was smart enough to find a grand excuse for my loss of control, but little did I know that he was the one who was disappointed.
Just as I started to feel uneasy and wanted to say something, he said,"Luoying, from today onwards, you don't have to follow me anymore.”
My heart tightened, and I was suddenly frightened.”
He narrowed his eyes and didn't say anything. He knew that he was a man of his word. Fear occupied me and I hurriedly took a step forward."No!"
He frowned." I'll get Shen Lin to explain this to Lanshan. Go back to Qingcheng. With your abilities and skills, you'll be able to achieve great things in Jianghu."”
"Pugilistic world?" I was stunned for a moment, and my voice suddenly trembled a little."Why would I go to the martial world? I spent six years just to be by your side, and four years trying to catch up to you. You don't know what I gave up. Because of you, I am Luoying. Otherwise, what does it have to do with me?”
" Why are you treating me like this?" I bit my lip, thinking about how to salvage the situation, but I didn't know what to say." Ten years have passed. Am I not as good as Rong Chengxiao?" You know she-"
" Luoying," he interrupted me, his expression indifferent." Don't make me say something embarrassing.”
"What kind of embarrassing words?" Despair welled up in my heart. I whispered," I'm not qualified to compete with her? You already knew what I was thinking. You chased me away just because I said it. There are so many women around you, which one of them doesn't say that they love you? You can see one and dote on one, why can't you tolerate me?”
" Since you know that you'll spoil everyone you see, don't talk about love. Whether it's ten or twenty years, that's your business." His tone was as calm as clear water, but every word was clear." I don't love people.”
"She doesn't love you either!" I trembled and blurted out," Her heart is full of other people, not you at all! Why should she be able to stand by your side when I've waited for ten years and still haven't been able to? I just want her to die a more ugly death!”
He listened to me expressionlessly. After a moment of silence, he said,"Since you insist on asking, don't blame me for not reminding you.”
"Do you think I don't know that you killed a man when you killed Rong Chengxiao? I know their matter very well from the beginning to the end. I didn't interfere, so who allowed you to cause trouble!”
As if he was worried that I wouldn't believe him, he stared at me as he said this."The loss of Rong Chengxiao has ruined my plan for at least two years. Don't force me to pursue this matter. This isn't something you can bear. I've already doted on you a lot by being tolerant to this extent after all these years.”
His gaze became increasingly faint, so faint that it was as if he was no longer looking at me."I don't know what identity you have to ask for more, and what kind of family background you have to compare yourself to the woman beside me.”
I no longer had the strength to say anything. I stared blankly at the white figure as she turned around and left. She gradually walked away, leaving behind only the sadness of asking for humiliation.
Ten years later, he told me that he didn't love anyone, and I didn't even have the right to love him.
He said,'Don't force me to hurt you.' So it was this kind of injury.
The one who left me with this cold back view was Jing Yi, the young emperor of this dynasty.# Daguan Review Passed: Daguan Time:111420184: 12PM #Cancel Review All: wdd201302 Time:111420185: 54PM #
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