Pei Wuchen used to treat Feng Wan"er like his true love as she was able to bring him loads of benefits with the Phoenix King Valley standing behind her. He saw her as nothing more than a great tool to be used for an alliance marriage. As for Bai Luochu, he used to look down on her in the past. Now that he lost her for good, a strange feeling welled up in his heart and he ordered many people to kidnap people on the street as long as they resembled her.
He was someone who couldn"t be satisfied no matter what. It could even be said that Pei Wuchen could never be content with what he had.
In Bai Luochu"s opinion, this was the best punishment for people with endless greed. Watching them lose everything they were about to obtain before their very eyes could be considered divine retribution. She felt that they should live out the rest of their life alone without anyone to care for them.
Loneliness… This was the greatest torture the heavens had for anyone.
“Luo Chu, do you think… Do you think that my life would be any different if I had accepted you as my wife in the past?” The rim of Pei Wuchen"s eyes were red as he gazed at Bai Luochu"s face with regret in his eyes. The messy stubble on his face emphasised his desperation as he tried all he could to salvage the situation.
Shaking her head slowly, Bai Luochu ignored Pei Wuchen"s attempted repentance. “It"s impossible for you to turn back time and there isn"t an elixir for regret. There is no point regretting your actions now. Moreover, even if you manage to turn back time, I"m sure you"ll make the same decision as you did before.”
After the words left her mouth, Bai Luochu left without turning back.
Pei Qingfeng felt that she was feeling extremely down when she had left and he decided to bring her around for a stroll before returning to the Palace of Brilliance Resurgence.
“Was I being too cruel? Did I do the right thing by pus.h.i.+ng the matter all the way through?” Bai Luochu felt a tinge of regret when she saw Feng Wan"er"s gruesome end.
“Don"t blame yourself. Her greed knows no bounds and you merely stopped her from going overboard.”
She merely got what she deserved. There is no need for you to feel sad for her…
Despite Pei Qingfeng"s best efforts to rea.s.sure her, Bai Luochu found it impossible to let go of the incident. Before she could continue, someone b.u.mped into the both of them. “Your Second Highness?”
Pei Qingfeng"s body froze up when he heard the voice. After all, no one called him "Your Second HIghness" for a long time now. Someone who could recognize him by looking at his back was definitely someone extremely familiar with him.
Bai Luochu"s reactions were faster than Pei Qingfeng and she turned around to look at the newcomer. When the familiar face entered her sight, Bai Luochu was startled. “Why… why are you here?”
The newcomer was none other than Su Luoqing. Looking at her clothes, Bai Luochu was sure that she was currently an imperial concubine. She found it hard to fathom and question marks started popping up in her mind. Isn"t she trying to gain Pei Qingfeng"s attention? Why is she Pei Rumo"s concubine?!
Su Luoqing"s attention was placed solely on Pei Qingfeng and she didn"t notice Bai Luochu"s presence. When she heard a feminine voice speaking to her, she snapped back to attention and looked at Bai Luochu. A feeling of anger rose in her heart and she snapped, “Why aren"t you dead? Looks like your life is really tough…”
Even though her words were a little jarring to the ears, Bai Luochu couldn"t feel any enmity coming from her. Her expression seemed tranquil and she wasn"t the Su Luoqing of the past.
“What a coincidence, King Yama doesn"t want to claim my life and the heavens insists on bringing me back. Anyway, it seems like you"re here to talk to Pei Qingfeng. Do you need me to leave you two alone?” Bai Luochu"s trust in Pei Qingfeng was already unshakable and she wouldn"t be afraid that he would be seduced by Su Luoqing or anyone else for that matter.
Instead of chasing her away, Su Luoqing shook her head. “I"m just looking for him for a quick chat. If I were to harbor any other intentions, I"m afraid that the elders in the palace would nag at me till my ears start to bleed.”
Thinking about Su Luoqing"s current ident.i.ty, Bai Luochu knew that she wouldn"t be able to go overboard and simply agreed to it.
“Long time no see, are you still doing well?” Su Luoqing"s haughty personality had already disappeared and the way she treated Pei Qingfeng and Bai Luochu was completely different from before.
Seeing as Bai Luochu was standing beside him, Pei Qingfeng didn"t dare to act out of line. “We managed to escape from the Desolate Region and are currently preparing for our wedding. There is nothing noteworthy of our experience.”
When the words left his mouth, Bai Luochu revealed an expression of shock. What is he talking about?! I didn"t even promise to marry him!!! She stared at him like a wooden chicken and her jaws nearly dropped to the ground. Humph! He"s being shameless again!
Of course, seeing as Bai Luochu didn"t unleash her rage on him, Pei Qingfeng knew that his plan had succeeded. There was no way he would take back his words now and she couldn"t do anything about it. She merely nodded her head, silently agreeing with Pei Qingfeng.
When Su Luoqing looked at the two of them, she revealed a desolate smile as a complicated light flashed through her eyes. She was both envious and disappointed at the same time.
“That"s great! At least you"ll be able to conduct a large ceremony, unlike me… I was brought into the palace without any fanfare…”
Bai Luochu looked at Su Luoqing and a look of pity flashed past her eyes. Not only did she fail to marry the person she loved, she didn"t even get to hold a wedding ceremony.
However, Su Luoqing quickly regained her look of indifference. “Luo Chu, don"t get c.o.c.ky. I am an imperial concubine right now and you should be greeting me with respect.”
After being stunned for a second, Bai Luochu knew that Su Luoqing was merely looking for a way to back down without being embarra.s.sed.
Letting out a soft chuckle, Bai Luochu decided to fulfill Su Luoqing"s wish. She felt a little guilty about her actions in the past few days and right now, she only had one last wish.
“This humble servant greets Your Imperial Highness… I wish for your good health.”
“That"s where you"re wrong. You should address yourself as "Lady". Didn"t His Majesty tell you about what happened after he returned from the Desolate Region? You were conferred the t.i.tle of Lady and His Second Highness was conferred the t.i.tle of the Ling King. His Majesty personally gave out the rewards, rewarding you for your bravery and loyalty...”
Seeing the stunned faces before her, Su Luoqing realized that Pei Rumo never told the both of them anything. In the end, she shook her head helplessly.
“Our Emperor is really a cheeky one. He doesn"t like to tell people about the stuff he does for them. The only thing filling the streets are rumors about the bad stuff he did. No one ever learns about the stuff he did for them…”
Bai Luochu"s eyebrows jumped when she saw Su Luoqing"s att.i.tude towards Pei Rumo. A smile finally broke out on her face as she teased, “It seems like your Impression of our then First Prince is really great…”
As the sun started to dip below the horizon, the friendly banter of the three people had to come to an end. Pei Qingfeng couldn"t stand the awkward atmosphere and he quickly grabbed Bai Luochu"s arm as he dragged her away.
“If you really can"t bear to stay, you can take your leave. I have something I need to say to her!” Bai Luochu knew that there were some things Su Luoqing couldn"t say in front of Pei Qingfeng and she quickly chased him away.
Only after seeing that he was gone did the two of them start to chat with each other. Su Luoqing raised her chin up high and pretended to snort, “If you"re here to strut your victory over me, you can save it for yourself!”
“I hope you can cherish the people around you now.” Bai Luochu knew that Su Luoqing wasn"t serious and she gave a piece of sincere advice. She knew that Su Luoqing was definitely moved by Pei Rumo, who used his fierce exterior to hide the pa.s.sionate man that he actually is. She also knew that after Su Luoqing"s meeting with Pei Qingfeng today, the knot in her heart was finally untied and she would be able to live happily ever after with Pei Rumo in the imperial palace.