Chapter Eighteen: After the Prosperity, It All Became a Dream

  On the table quietly placed four celadon warm jade cups, it was that night Tian Quan came to find her to taste tea and brought over, and they have been left here ever since.

  This cup, though not worth a city, is exquisitely carved with four pieces of clear and transparent green jade into elegant floral patterns of "plum blossoms, orchids, chrysanthemums, and bamboos", delicate and intricate, pleasing to the eye, and is one of the most beloved objects in the night sky.

  You were afraid of damaging them and didn't dare put them away randomly, so you carefully washed them clean, packed them up, and planned to find someone to take them away.

  The autumn rain of one day made the sky much darker, and the wind blew clouds to cover the sky. Occasionally, a few leaves that still saw green could not withstand the wind and rain, falling on the purple bamboo oil umbrella, covering the beautiful orchid under the craftsman's pen, but the rain was refreshing.

  She lowered her head and walked slowly through the long corridor, which was originally shaded by flowers and trees. The purple wisteria flowers were scattered all over the ground, their fragrance still faintly visible, but the lush colors had already disappeared. Along this winding nine-turns corridor, the last beauty remained, scattered here and there like stars.

  She stood in the corridor for a moment, looking up at the fine rain threads floating down, and suddenly something tugged at her heart.

  Not far away, at the end of the corridor, someone stood with his hands behind his back on the white jade carved lotus bridge leading to the Cong Cui Pavilion, quietly gazing out at the drizzle-filled sky. That familiar azure blue shirt seemed like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds, yet somehow it carried an inexplicable melancholy in this autumn rain.

  You hesitated for a moment, and just as you were about to turn around, he suddenly turned around from the night sky and looked at her.

  At a distance that was neither far nor near, the two people stood still, gazing silently at each other across the tranquil Xianyu Lake. For a moment, it seemed as though the only sound that could be heard was the faint rustling of the rain, which spread out a veil of subtle mystery over the entire sky and earth.

  Suddenly, a faint sense of sorrow emerged, and the paper umbrella in Qingchen's hand swayed gently, a purple wisteria flower quietly fell off, lightly falling into the rain.

  The first time she saw Li Tang was on a rainy day like this, his smile when he bent down to pick up her notebook for her, stayed in her heart for a long time. She really wanted to find Li Tang now and ask him, what was the reason behind that smile of yours back then, was it just because you met me that you smiled, or was it something else?

  Is this your past life? Then am I me in this life or the past life, am I hateful me or loving me?

  Ye Tianyan stood on the arch bridge, gazing at Qingchen who was slowly approaching from amidst the light mist and drizzle. Under the purple bamboo umbrella, her water-ink complexion seemed as pale as a shallow dawn, with raindrops falling like stars twinkling, and petals fluttering lightly.

  It seems as if, in a distant and unclear place, there was once a woman who walked towards me, so certain yet so illusory. When did this person appear before my eyes, unable to be forgotten, unable to be ignored?

  Was it she who played the zither on the Chu River and raised her eyebrows, startling the four seats?

  Was it she who was weak and weary in her own bosom, and could not help but be sorrowful?

  Is she standing quietly under the moonlight at dusk, thinking of him from afar?

  Was it she who shed tears in Xianyu Lake and drowned her sorrows with wine?

  Was it when she faced Tianwei's sacred majesty with a calm and composed demeanor?

  Or is it seeing her on the white horse with a smile, elegant and refreshing, looking at her beautiful eyes under the lamp in the study, a moment of shallow laughter?

  Among the countless beauties in the world, there is only one person who seems to be destined to make you helpless.

  When you lift your head from under the umbrella, the night sky reveals a smile at the corner of its lips, just like the countless times when the sky is high and the clouds are light, boundless and endless.

  He had no umbrella, and his hair and clothes were already drenched in the rain, but he didn't look disheveled at all. He stood tall with an air of elegance, like a beautiful jade washed clean by the rain, becoming even more radiant and flawless, leaving people in awe and unable to find any imperfections.

  The rain fell more urgently than before, and Qingchen raised the umbrella in his hand to block the rain for him, but felt that such a movement was too ambiguous. A purple bamboo umbrella hovered between them, neither high nor low, its sleek handle almost reflecting their shadows, unable to advance or retreat.

  Ye Tian Zhan smiled at her and said, "Watching the rain in the Cong Cui Pavilion is also a unique scenery." After speaking, he turned around and walked side by side with Qing Chen.

  "These days, there are always some things to attend to. In a few days, the great army of the Fourth Imperial Brother will return to the capital, and the Ministry of Rites will have to start making arrangements for the reception ceremony, which is quite complicated." As usual, Ye Tianzhan seemed to be chatting casually with her about the affairs of the day, as if clarifying his own thoughts, and often listened to her opinions.

  It's been a long time, and I didn't feel anything wrong, but now you suddenly feel something is off. These words, originally spoken by a husband who has been busy outside all day, returning home to relax in the warmth of his house, are only said to his wife. Big or small, difficult or easy, happy or annoying, having someone listen and respond with a gentle smile and a soft word of concern is enough to dispel the fatigue of the whole day, and feel at ease in the joy of being together for a moment.

  And he would say such things to her, but his wife and concubine could not see or hear him, they could only watch from afar as he stood tall with an air of elegance and achievement.

  "Yan Tian saw her staring at herself in a daze and said softly: 'Qing Chen?'"

  "Ah?" Qingchen came back to himself and smiled apologetically at him: "The Ministry of Rites is within your jurisdiction, isn't that even busier?"

  He gazed at her with a thoughtful expression: "When the Fifth Imperial Brother returns from his military campaign, I'll have finished my duties as the Metropolitan Governor and can take it easy for a few days."

  "You rarely have free time, so take it easy when you can."

  Yitian Zhandao said, "By the time of late autumn, it will be a good time for horseback riding and hunting. Why don't we go to the Imperial Garden for a few days? Your twelfth brother always says that your horsemanship has made great progress. At that time, don't disappoint him."

  You slightly lowered your eyelids and said to him: "It's possible that he will really be disappointed."

  Yè Tiān Zhàn smiled and said: "Didn't your Cloud Chaser already outrun his Pursuing Dawn?"

  "You shake your head: 'No, I'm afraid there won't be a chance for me to compete with him in horsemanship.'"

  In the dark night, a faint smile appeared in his eyes as he gazed at her intently.

  You dodged his gaze and looked at the increasingly urgent rain curtain. On the surface of Xianyu Lake, the withering of early autumn was already faintly visible, and the once lush flowers had shed their red makeup. The heavy rain hit the remaining lotus leaves, stirring up a layer of pale blue misty rain.

  "I've come to bid you farewell." After a long silence, Qing Chen finally spoke up again: "I think I should leave now."

  After the words fell, the two people fell into silent silence again.

  You lightly turned your head to look at the night sky, but unexpectedly met his gaze. The bottom of his eyes seemed to be reflected by a clear shirt, a piece of clear blue, and all the rain in the sky and on the ground seemed to fall into his eyes, with some inexplicable emotions, warm and gentle, and a hint of hidden helplessness or sorrow.

  And all of this happened in an instant, just when she thought he wouldn't speak again, his gentle voice sounded in her ear: "I was wrong."

  "You shook your head and said, 'Sorry, I didn't mean to disappoint you.'"

  The night sky had already restored its previous tranquility, and he said: "She didn't say the reason clearly, so I thought of coming to find you, but walking here, I felt like I didn't know what to ask."

  Your fingers gently stroked the delicate floral pattern on the purple bamboo umbrella handle, and you sighed softly: "You and I are not people of the same world. What you want, I cannot give; what I want, you also cannot give. It's better not to destroy the remaining beauty."

  "Qing Chen, who are you after all?"

  Qing Chen suddenly burst out laughing as if she was very happy, seemingly mocking something silently. She replied: "I don't know either."

  Ye Tian Yan finally furrowed his brow: "You don't know either? I can't see through you, even Mr. Mo can't see through you, and yet you say you don't know."

  You stretched out your hand and let the raindrops patter on your palm: "Yes, I don't know."

  "What is it that you want?" Yè Tiān Zhàn asked calmly, not giving her any room to evade the question again.

  "What do I want?" Qing Chen's face was expressionless as he stared at the empty space: "Can't you answer that you don't know?"

  No.

  "Or should you tell me what you want to know?"

  "All of it."

  "I just want the days I've been thinking about...". Qing Chen paused for a moment and said very seriously: "And exclusive... feelings."

  "Is it because of this?" Ye Tian Chen's eyes rippled slightly.

  Even so, Qingchen turned her head and asked: "Have you given it to me?" She felt very cruel to herself, asking someone for something he didn't have and couldn't possibly have.

  Ye Tianyan's hand grasped the railing of the Cong Cui Pavilion, which was cool enough to make one feel refreshed. Qing saw clearly the faintly protruding blood vessels and bones under his skin, revealing a hint of emotion. She rarely saw Ye Tianyan frown, but now he was clearly furrowing his brow, probably because no woman had ever made such demands on him or spoken to him in such a tone before. This was a good excuse and approach.

  "I'll go back first." Seeing him not responding, she gave up asking.

  "Qing Chen." Ye Tian Xuan softly called out her name as she turned around.

  The purple bamboo umbrella was half open, and a few raindrops fell slantingly on its surface.

  The dusk was heavy, and Qingchen looked back at him, seeing his gaze far away in the hazy sky: "Do you know, the woman I married should have been Jinghui's sister?" Qingchen didn't know why he suddenly mentioned this, and shook her head in confusion.

  Yè Tiān Zhàn withdrew his gaze from the horizon: "The second daughter of the current dynasty's imperial family, a renowned talented woman among the aristocracy, Jiǎo Huì's sister Jiǎo Fēi. I once admired this woman, her talent was like brocade, her demeanor elegant and refined. At that time, my father the emperor had chosen her to be my queen, we were also well-matched in sentiment and intention, and our engagement became a celebrated tale among the aristocracy. However, two days before our grand wedding, she entered the palace, and after returning to her residence, she took her own life by drinking poison. That night, the Jiǎo family spread the news that their daughter had died of a sudden illness. Later, my wife was replaced with Jiǎo Huì, who as a concubine was granted the title of Imperial Consort."

  You felt a pang in your heart, having never heard of such a story between him and Jing Hui before, and couldn't help but ask: "Why her?"

  Ye Tian's mouth slightly curled up, seemingly smiling yet not: "I only found out the reason a year later, it was because she suffered from infertility, after Empress Dowager knew about it, she summoned her into the palace and said something to her, then she took poison and died."

  You were still reeling from the absurdity of the situation when Ye Tian Chen suddenly turned around and stared at her: "If it were you, would you do something so foolish?"

  She was almost stunned by this sentence, and immediately shook her head without hesitation: "Me? How is that possible?"

  "So I said, what I want from you, you can give me. All the women around me, they have something in common that makes me tired of them, it's as if there is always a great distance between us, so far that people don't even want to approach. But you don't have this, from the moment I saw you, I felt like you were right next to me, but ironically, in reality, you're always taking steps back, and getting further and further away from me."

  You chose silence.

  Ye Tian Yan looked at her for a while, then suddenly reached out and gently touched her face with his hand, asking in a low, warm voice: "If I am willing to give you everything you want with all my might, will you promise me?"

  A tiny drop of rain on his palm left a faint coolness on Qingchen's face, and for that instant she seemed to hear only the sound of the rain falling all over the world, soft and quiet, like the gentleness in his tone that could contain everything. She was shocked by what he said, and for a moment she couldn't estimate what those few words meant, her mind almost going blank as she took a step back, a drizzle of rain bringing her back to consciousness.

  She raised her eyes and revealed a calm smile that could be called ruthless in the rain: "I won't, neither will you. I won't go harm others, nor can you."

  "How did you know I couldn't do it?"

  "You're not just Ye Tian Xuan, but also the prince of the Heavenly Dynasty, and to many people, you are His Highness, King Xuan."

  The night sky was stunned for a moment, suddenly sighed, and then raised the corner of his mouth: "You are indeed different from each of them."

  "You may consider this as your praise."

  "You can stay." The Wind God's expression was as calm as jade, his demeanor elegant and refined. After a slight emotional fluctuation, he once again became the King of Zhān in front of the crowd at court.

  "You have your own things to attend to."

  "Is it important?"

  "Perhaps," replied Qing Chen after some thought.

  "Do you want me to help?"

  You shook your head again.

  "You said you had nowhere to go, where are you going now?"

  "I've also said that the world is big, haven't I?" Qing Chen furrowed her brow, every time Night Tian's gentle and elegant back appeared sharp and fierce, she needed to use all her strength to defend herself. Even though this sharpness was rarely seen for a long time, she believed that anyone would not want to deal with the current Night Tian.

  "Looks like I can't stay here anymore." He took out the small jade box containing the ice blue crystal from his bosom and handed it to her, saying: "A gift given cannot be taken back."

  You dust looked at him gently placing the jade box in his palm, she needed that string of ice blue crystal very much, but remembering Jing Hui's words, she shook her head and said: "This is for..."

  "This is not prepared for any princess," Ye Tian Chen interrupted her: "It's just sent to you."

  You furrowed your brow and looked up at the night sky with a determined expression. From what you've learned about him in these days, whenever his eyes slightly raised, it meant that he had made up his mind and wouldn't change it again, and this was exactly the expression on his face now.

  She opened her palm and let him put the jade box in her hand. The slight coolness of the jade still held the warmth of his palm.

  "Whenever you want, you can use this ice-blue crystal to withdraw enough silver from any Yin's money house as a gift I gave you." Ye Tian Zhan said. His mother, Yin Gui Fei, came from the wealthy and influential Yin family, more than half of the silver circulating in the Tian Dynasty was related to the Yin family, and almost all the money houses in Yi Ge City were under the name of the Yin family.

  You didn't need to say no, but you thought that even if you didn't go get it yourself, why bother refusing his kind intentions face-to-face, so you said: "Thank you."

  He gazed at her for a long time under the deep night sky, then walked out of the pavilion into the rain. When he reached her side, he slowed his pace and sighed softly: "Qing Chen, I don't care who you are, but in this world there is only one you. I hope that someday this ice-blue crystal can become a decoration exclusive to Queen Zhan." His tone was filled with endless emotion as he stepped into the rain.

  You gazed blankly at the White Jade Bridge, where Yitian's figure was getting farther and farther away under the rainy sky. The gradually blurred silhouette seemed to be his eyes, faint, unreasonably melancholic.

  Sometimes refusing someone's love is almost harder than loving someone.

  Affection is not heavy, it's not born. In the red dust, there are many who are infatuated and do not awaken. Everyone transcends but cannot escape a single word "affection". The entanglement of life after life, for thousands of years, is ultimately hard to resolve.

  ;