"Luodi, wake up, alright?"
Who"s calling her?
"Luodi, Xiao An and I have come to visit you."
Who"s crying?
"Luodi, you have already slept for two years. If you don"t wake up now, I will break off all relations with you."
"Luodi, we really miss you."
"Luodi, it has been really tough for Uncle and Auntie. Wake up."
A white hospital, a white ward and people clad in white clothes who come and go. Who is that white-haired person? Who is that person with knitted brows and a worried expression with unease tugged at the lips? That bent figure…who is that person?
The surrounding was a cold and apathetic white colour, yet it accompanied those people for so long.
The vivid figures came and went in a flurry. Whose smiling face had descended into a weeping one? Whose optimistic features had turned into tightly furrowed brows?
"Luodi."
Why were they all calling, calling her? Yet, she was still stuck there…slowly losing herself, unable to go back.
The bits and pieces from the 21st century were like picture scrolls spread out before her eyes. The scenes slipped by one by one. It was so familiar, yet so distant.
The street crowded with people and vehicles, l.u.s.trous and dazzling sight, the nightlife, as well as men and women in Western clothes. She had lived in that place for 24 years. That was her previous life…
In the blink of an eye, all the scenes suddenly shattered like a disintegrated mirror, withdrawing bit by bit and dissipating.
An antique place came into view with a tang of tea lingering in the air. There was pavilion in the background and a figure in white robes.
The handsome man was playing the zither. The music as mellifluous as usual, creating an illusion of one growing wings and flying into the sky.
The gentle expression was like the purple wisteria flowers that crept onto the pavilion, not flamboyant, but gorgeous enough to make one reluctant to leave.
The fair skin complexion was like that of an immortal but it didn"t contain the indifference of an immortal. There was forever a smile tugged at the corner of his lips and there was forever a smile dancing in his eyes.
His body was frail and he appeared gaunt. His appearance made people sigh endlessly, yet he was still freely writing with his brush and ink with a serene look on his face. Every time he smiled, a section was done. He was incomparably talented, a peerless genius of his generation. His brilliance and his unparalleled manner and deportment was something that his generation and the generations to come wouldn"t be able to catch up with.
That person once smiled at her in such a gentle manner.
That person once waved at her, his motions gentle.
That person played the zither for her without rest, painted for her and kept them in his personal collection. He prepared tea for her for seemingly what felt like a lifetime, and he recited poetry for her in the hope that time would stop.
He would talk freely about the Xuan Kingdom"s future, about how it would flourish and prosper in the times to come. It would"ve been the fortune of all the citizens, but unfortunately, he was powerless to proceed with his great undertaking.
It was a silhouette again. She was about to run over with a smile, but with every step she took, that person withdrew another step. The short distance between them seemed as if they were separated by a river which ends couldn"t be seen. That person couldn"t come over and she couldn"t go over. She could only look on helplessly as that person vanished into thin air.
That person"s feelings, did she know about it or not?
"Oh no, Miss is running a fever again. Quickly get a doctor to come!"
Feng Luodi found it difficult to open her eyes, her eyelids were very heavy. Scarlet and Jet"s anxious cries and the sound of hurried footsteps leaving the room flowed into her ears.
"What time is it?"
Feng Luodi expended a great deal of effort in opening her eyes but the streams of light that entered her eyes were dazzling, causing tears to subconsciously trickle down her face.
"Miss, what"s the matter?"
Jet hastily helped Feng Luodi sit up and placed a cus.h.i.+on behind her for her to lean back slightly. But her gaze was on Feng Luodi"s pale complexion that was flushed red.
"Miss, you should cherish your body. The doctor said that you originally have an incompletely cured old illness. If your condition persists repeatedly, it will wreck your health."
Feng Luodi forced herself to smile and took the teacup that Jet pa.s.sed to her. She was about to drink but there was no strength in her hand and all the tea spilt on the quilt.
"I"m sorry."
As Feng Luodi stared at the teacup that nearly tumbled onto the ground, she couldn"t help but clench her fists tightly.
The rim of Jet"s eyes immediately turned red when she saw this scene. She was just about to console Feng Luodi when Scarlet fiercely glared at her. Thus, she immediately shut her mouth and went forward to clean up the mess.
"Miss, nothing has happened lately and the situation in Chang"an is also stable now, so you should stay in the residence to rest properly. Don"t go anywhere."
As Feng Luodi looked up slightly, she saw Scarlet and Jet"s worried expressions. She still smiled like usual.
"I won"t recover by staying in the residence all day long. I only caught a little cold. I"ll be fine after recuperating for a few days."
Jet suddenly turned away from her and wiped a few drops of tears before she turned back. She lowered her voice, "Miss, what do you want to eat today? I"ll go instruct the kitchen to prepare your meal."
"Nothing…" Feng Luodi initially wanted to say that didn"t want to eat anything but when she saw Jet"s anxious expression, she rephrased her words. "Something more light, or soft and sticky would do."
"Okay, I"ll immediately get to it!"
Jet turned around and strode off. On the way, she was still wiping at the corner of her eyes with her back facing Feng Luodi and Scarlet.
Scarlet sighed. As maidservants, they were already so grieved about that peerless person, let alone Miss?
Only after Scarlet was done sighing did she realise that Feng Luodi had quietened down again. She quickly turned her head around to look at Feng Luodi and the latter"s chilly and desolate expression fell into her eyes.
Scarlet was startled. It looks like Miss has made some sort of decision.
Should I inform Duke of Anping? Scarlet was instantly at a loss in her heart.
The eighth month was nearing an end, and Chang"an was destined to be chaotic in this period.
The Emperor was already severely ill and was relying on medicine to prolong his life every day. He no longer had the strength to go around tormenting people and reclaiming Situ"s military power.
In court, people were naturally following the new Heir"s lead. The Heir had the power to supervise the nation. On top of that, he had civil officials such as the Minister of the Left, the Minister of the Right, the Minister of the Imperial Clan, the Chamberlain and the Imperial Treasurer a.s.sisting him in governing the nation. He also had military officials such as the Duke of Anping, the Chief of the Imperial Guards and the Imperial City Army Commander under his command. For the time being, no one could waver the Heir"s position.
Of course, there were still one or two unresigned people like the Eighth Prince and the Eleventh Prince creating trouble everywhere.
These two imperial princes naturally wouldn"t allow that supreme position to land into the Heir"s hands just like that. Every day, they would make the officials report a bunch of matters to torment the Heir and planned to pose a major issue while the Heir was still tackling the matters in a hasty and disorderly manner. At that time, if they were to ask the Emperor to present himself again, perhaps this Heir would become useless.
However, the Heir was managing the Kingdom much better than they had thought. This made them even more annoyed and angry, so they constantly looked for new ways to cause trouble.
This day, after the morning court a.s.sembly was dismissed, Gan Qingjia took large strides to catch up with Situ. Gan Qingjia was furious at how the Eighth Prince and the Eleventh Prince had behaved earlier at the court a.s.sembly. After checking that the coast was clear, he started to rant about his indignation.
"Are those two imperial princes three-year-old kids? To think that they even dared to bring up such a problem to court! Did they really think that the current pile of official affairs was not enough?"
Contrary to his expectations, Situ didn"t have much of a reaction.
"They"re merely not resigned to it. Just leave them be. This is, in fact, a good opportunity to toughen the Heir and to let other officials witness the Heir"s ability."
Gan Qingjia was discouraged. "If you say so…sigh, I really feel sorry for His Highness."
"If you feel sorry for him, you can go and help him," Situ said indifferently.
Gan Qingjia"s body trembled slightly. The complaints he had towards the two imperial princes" unruly behaviour these days dissipated a little. But as soon as he thought about other matters, his mood became gloomy again and he had no choice but to change the topic.
"The Eleventh Prince is an airhead who has good look without substantial ability, so it"s fine. But, the Eighth Prince is a scheming person and he has painstakingly plotted for so many years. I don"t believe that he would just let go like that."
"He"s already on the move."
The way Situ said it was as simple as saying that the weather was fine today.
"It won"t be long before Chang"an will sink into turmoil again."
Gan Qingjia looked somewhat perturbed.
"You are always so well-informed. In short, nothing will go wrong by following your arrangements. I a.s.sume that the Eighth Prince"s movements aren"t a big deal. I might as well go back to accompany Jianqiu. She"s about to give birth. Haha."
This pleased laughter caused Situ"s eyebrows to twitch for a moment. Next, he sinisterly said, "He"s trying to do the same thing as the deposed Heir. Would you still claim that it"s not serious?"
Afterwards, he strode away, leaving behind Gan Qingjia rooted to the spot in a daze.
The Eight Prince"s plan was to force His Majesty to abdicate? That couldn"t be the case, right? Gan Qingjia lamented in his heart. Do all the imperial princes possess such a mentality now? How could they possibly think of forcing their own Father to abdicate without a care in the world? How did His Majesty raise his sons?
Situ didn"t bother with the dejected Gan Qingjia. At this moment, he was in a hurry to rush back to the Feng Residence, then discuss with Feng Luodi about their wedding.
Originally, he was supposed to discuss this with her parents, but Situ thought that if he let Feng Luodi take the initiative to propose a date, their marriage would be one they would be contented with. Their wedding must be unique and unrivalled, one that was unforgettable.
After rus.h.i.+ng to the Feng Residence, Situ cheerfully dismounted Whirlwind and happened to see Fei guiding a doctor to the Feng Residence.
Why did Fei look for a doctor?
Situ furrowed. Could it be that Lady Feng has fallen ill…or is it Luodi?
At present, when the people in the Feng Residence see Situ, the future son-in-law, they didn"t even need to announce his arrival. They directly led him towards Feng Luodi"s courtyard.
Situ kept an appropriate distance as he followed behind Fei and the doctor. But, as they neared the all familiar-looking courtyard, his frown became more apparent. Soon after, they stopped in front of Feng Luodi"s room.
Luodi has fallen ill.
Situ"s heart immediately sank at this thought.
Fei was currently waiting at the door outside the room. When he saw Situ, he was about to pay his greetings but Situ hastily waved and stopped him. Without taking a second glance at Fei"s nervous expression, he directly pushed the door open and entered by himself.
When he reached the outer chamber, the doctor"s voice from within the inner chamber also became loud and clear.
"Miss is suffering from emotional stress due to pent-up worries. In addition, due to the change in seasons, you"ve caught the seasonal influenza. For the sake of this body"s health, Miss should think less and worry less so that you can recover faster."
"Miss, I just knew that this was the reason. You can"t even get out of bed, yet you still want us to keep this from Old Master, First Lady, and Duke of Anping." Jet voiced her concerns.
Situ"s expression immediately darkened. He lifted the curtain and walked into the inner chamber, meeting the astonished gaze of his beloved woman. When his gaze landed on her sickly countenance, the anger and heartache in his heart instantly surged forth.