Chapter 1255 Have You Fallen in Love With Anyone?
“Everyone thinks the Emperor and I dote on this child too much, but they have never thought of the reason behind it. If it hadn’t been for us, he would have lost his desire to live. Fortunately, he met you later.” The Empress Dowager said in a deep voice, “He is lucky to have you. Because of you, he is willing to live healthily and happily.”
The Empress Dowager just said a few simple sentences. She seemed to have said something important. However, all of this sounded to be her feelings and nothing practical. Somehow, the rims of Shao Wanru’s eyes also turned red. She only felt a sharp pain in her heart, which was almost bone-deep and very painful.
She knew he had always been listless. In the past, he never took medicine in time. But later, he told Shao Wanru that he would live well.
“Imperial Grandmother, please rest assured. He will be fine.” Shao Wanru tried hard to suppress the sadness in her heart and said, biting her lips with determination.
“Yes, he lives in contentment now and enjoys a good life. The Emperor and I feel very happy for him.” The Empress Dowager Queen nodded and gently wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. She looked up at Shao Wanru and said, “You are the one who will accompany him for the rest of his life. Even if the Emperor and I are gone in the future, he will not give up on himself with you accompanying him.”
“No, he won’t. Imperial Grandmother, he is fine now.” Shao Wanru nodded vigorously, saying, “You will live to a ripe old age. You and His Majesty will be alright.”
Shao Wanru could feel the Empress Dowager’s love and care for Chu Liuchen from the few short sentences. Deeply touched, she also firmly held the Empress Dowager’s hands, trying to let her feel her kindly feelings.
The Empress Dowager smiled. She let go of Shao Wanru’s hands and leaned back. “You are also a considerate child. With you around, Prince Chen will no longer feel lonely or do anything bad to himself. Go back now. I didn’t sleep well last night. I will have a good sleep now.”
The Empress Dowager closed her eyes. A relieved smile emerged on her face.
“Yes, Imperial Grandmother.” Shao Wanru stood up and bowed respectfully to Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager waved her hand kindly and motioned for her to leave with an amiable smile.
Watching Shao Wanru walking away slowly, the Empress Dowager secretly nodded in approval in her heart. Though Shao Wanru was young, she was steady, bold, and responsible. If the Empress Dowager had asked others this question, they might have wept and wailed piteously, saying they did not dare to talk recklessly.
This girl was not bad. Finally, she chose a wife worthy of her grandson.
It was not because Shao Wanru was Rui’an Great Elder Princess’s granddaughter but because she deserved it…
Shao Wanru walked outside and told Nanny Wei, “Her Majesty is tired and needs to rest. You are asked to bring some people to serve her!”
“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll go right away!” Nanny Wei nodded and bowed respectfully to Shao Wanru. Then, she picked a few palace maids to go in with her.
Shao Wanru went out. Qing’er and Yujie were waiting outside. Seeing her come out, they hurriedly followed her.
Standing before the red imperial building, Shao Wanru looked down at the soft sedan chair there and ordered, “Qing’er, let the soft sedan chair go to the gate of the Palace. I’d like to walk around!”
Qing’er answered and said to the two eunuchs waiting beside the sedan chair. As ordered, the two eunuchs carried the sedan chair and left.
The imperial garden was tranquil. Along the way, they didn’t see any imperial consort. In the past, they would always meet one or two consorts. But now, there was no one else around. After all, the Emperor was not feeling well. No imperial consort would wander around at this time. They would rather wait in their places.
As Shao Wanru walked, she thought about what Empress Dowager had said. She didn’t think Empress Dowager said those words on a whim. The little chat sounded more like a test for her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have asked Shao Wanru such questions.
At that time, she just thought for a moment. Without too much hesitation, she decided what to say next. But now, she felt a cold sweat on her back.
“My Lady, it’s Prince Xin!” Qing’er suddenly lowered her voice and said to Shao Wanru.
Shao Wanru stopped. As she raised her head, she saw Chu Liuxin standing not far from her. It was the first time she had seen Chu Liuxin in such a long time.
He used to be a lively young man. He seemed to have grown up a lot and become a steady fellow. However, he looked a little gloomy and cold, no longer the young man full of vigor and vitality he used to be.
They happened to run into each other on this path.
“Greetings, Your Highness.” The two servant girls bowed in unison.
Chu Liuxin came to his senses and waved his hand to motion for them to stand up. Then he stepped forward and said to Shao Wanru, “Greetings, Third Sister-in-law!”
“Your Highness, you don’t have to do that!” Shao Wanru said, bowing sideways.
“Are you going to see Third Brother? He was here just now and must have gone there now.” Chu Liuxin pointed in a direction and gently said with a less gloomy look.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Shao Wanru replied softly.
They passed each other, one walking to the east and one moving toward the west. With her two servant girls, Shao Wanru turned a corner and walked in the direction Chu Liuxin had pointed out just now. She was not in a hurry to return to the mansion. It was better to go and see Chu Liuchen first.
However, Chu Liuxin did not leave. Instead, he turned around and looked at Shao Wanru’s receding figure. For some reason, he felt bitter and a mixture of feelings. After a long time, he turned around and wore his usual cold look again before walking forward.
“Hey, Fourth Brother, wait for me!” Chu Liuyue came over in a hurry from another path. When he saw Chu Liuxin, he breathed a sigh of relief and hurried forward. “Fourth Brother, don’t be angry. I just mentioned it casually. You might not be happy to hear that, but how could you get angry?”
“Eldest Brother, but I don’t want to get married for the time being.” Chu Liuxin said unhappily.
“Nonsense. A man should get married on coming of age, and so should a girl. How could they refuse to get married?” Chu Liuyue rebuked gently, “Even if you are not satisfied with the people Consort Ming chose for you this time, you can’t say that you don’t want to get married. Consort Ming has started looking for some people suitable to marry you early. Then, you don’t have to be too hasty when considering your marriage.”
Chu Liuxin pressed against his forehead with a headache. He didn’t want to talk about this topic now. It wasn’t very pleasant to mention it. He was fond of someone; her slender figure had always stuck in his mind. This made him feel distressed and uneasy. There was a mixed feeling of unspeakable discomfort and anger. Now that the beauty was married, what else could he do?
“Don’t worry about my marriage like my mother, Eldest Brother. If I want to get married, I will tell her,” Chu Liuxin said with a troubled mind and distorted thoughts.
As he spoke, he hurried forward to get rid of him.
Chu Liuyue anxiously took a few steps to catch up with him. “This time, the woman is indeed beautiful. There are only a few beauties like her in the world. Spending your life with such a stunning beauty will be a pleasure.”
Chu Liuyue didn’t understand why Chu Liuxin refused his offer so resolutely. Marrying a Miss from an aristocratic family was good for him. Shouldn’t his kind offer be a good thing?
“I don’t want to get married at present, Eldest Brother. If you like such a beauty, she can marry into your mansion as long as sister-in-law agrees.”
Since Chu Liuyue kept bugging him, Chu Liuxin was finally annoyed and retorted, unconsciously raising his voice.
“Fourth Brother, what are you talking about? I’m doing this for your good. But look at you. How could you treat me like this? What do you mean by saying that I like the beauty? Am I the kind of person who likes my sister-in-law?” Chu Liuyue was exasperated at Chu Liuxin’s failure to meet his expectations. He stepped forward and pulled him. “Since Consort Ming asked me to look after you, I won’t give up halfway.”
“Eldest Brother, take care of yourself.” Chu Liuxin irritably broke free from Chu Liuyue’s hands. At this moment, disturbing thoughts were crowding into his mind. He was not in the vein for talking about his marriage. “You are going to get married soon. I heard the Miss from the Prime Minister Zhang’s Mansion is not well-behaved either. Will your mansion be in chaos at that time?”
Chu Liuxin had thought that Prime Minister Zhang’s daughter was a decent lady, but now he detested her. He had inquired about what had happened in the two foreign princesses’ courtyard and learned about the truth.
“Prime Minister Zhang has been praised for his fairness and high integrity. Like father, like daughter. His daughter is equally good. Don’t talk nonsense!” Chu Liuyue rebuked.
Chu Liuxin stopped and looked at Chu Liuyue. He wanted to say something but stopped on second thought. Yet, he still felt it necessary to remind him. However, Chu Liuyue’s expression stiffened. It seemed that he was very satisfied with Zhang Qilan. Then, Chu Liuxin couldn’t help but shake his head. “Why must I say these unpleasant things to him? It is a good marriage as long as Eldest Brother thinks so.
“It doesn’t really matter whether I think she is good or not.”
“Here you are. Pray before the Buddha and draw divination sticks for Consort Ming and yourself at a temple. After that, take the explanations of the sticks to Consort Ming.” Chu Liuxin was in a disturbed state of mind but Chu Liuyue did not care about it. He showed a small pouch and said, “Consort Ming asked me to give you this. Just now, you walked away so fast that the people sent by Consort Ming failed to catch up with you.”
They had just come out of Consort Ming’s place. Chu Liuxin had been there early in the morning and was nagged by Consort Ming. It happened that Chu Liuyue came there to look for him. Then, he found an excuse and ran away, leaving Chu Liuyue behind.
“What’s the use of this thing?” Chu Liuxin said with an air of disapproval. Yet, he still reached out and took it. He had seen such a thing at his mother’s place and was told this was an offering to the Buddha.
“Don’t make Consort Ming angry. Just go to the Buddha hall and casually say a few words to draw a divination stick. If you get one, it will at least prove you are obedient to her. In that case, Consort Ming won’t get so angry,” Chu Liuyue advised with a smile. He handed the pouch to Chu Liuxin, smiling even more amiably.
“Thank you, Eldest Brother. I’ll go!” Chu Liuxin made an uncommitted reply, not taking it seriously. He reached out and casually put the pouch in the pocket before his chest.
He hadn’t yet decided if he would go there. Anyway, he didn’t want to go there. The Emperor, his father, had such an accident yesterday. How could he be in the mood to visit such a place? Besides, he didn’t believe praying could make all wishes come true. In the past, he had spent much time praying. But why didn’t any god help and send that person to him?
The more he thought about it, the sadder he became. Pursing his delicate lips, he felt weak.
“Fourth Brother, have you fallen in love with someone?” Seeing his sad look, Chu Liuyue suddenly approached him and asked in a low voice.
Chu Liuxin was startled and stepped back in a hurry. He retreated so fast that he almost fell. Finally, he managed to stand still by holding a tree. Then, he said seriously, “Don’t talk rot! If you say so, my mother will be more unwilling to let me go.”
“Really?” Chu Liuyue looked suspicious.
“No!” Chu Liuxin shook his head decisively.
Chu Liuyue didn’t believe it. He knew his character well since he had been close to Chu Liuxin. At the moment, Chu Liuxin looked very guilty and uneasy. How could he be fine?
He looked around. Then, these eunuchs around them took two steps back, knowing their masters had something secretive to say.
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