QWTBWASIFOC Chapter 54
by VolareAs summer faded and autumn arrived, the weather gradually cooled.
Deep in the imperial palace late at night, Lu Yunqi, embracing Gu Changli, had his eyes tightly shut and brows furrowed, his consciousness immersed in the vivid dream he was having.
It was a scene of him and Changli getting married again.
The Emperor’s bedroom, lavishly decorated by palace maids and eunuchs, was overwhelmingly red. Lu Yunqi, holding Changli’s hand, strode toward the bridal bed.
His eyes were full of joy, and happiness was unrestrained.
The young emperor, embraced by him, also smiled back at the man.
Both held deep affection for each other, their feelings profound.
An outside observer, Lu Yunqi watched his former self smiling brilliantly at the young Gu Changli, his eyes as bright as the stars in the sky.
But he also watched as that tender scene shattered and disappeared, replaced by the sight of the young Changli suffering immense hardship.
Born to a deceased mother, abandoned by his father like a worn-out shoe.
Granny Yang, harboring ulterior motives, raised the young prince but secretly poisoned him under the orders of the Jiang family.
At the age of five, the young prince was critically poisoned and on the verge of death.
Lu Yunqi watched as the late Emperor’s concubines eliminated Granny Yang to prevent the Jiang family’s second daughter from entering the palace, and watched as Consort Jing, the birth mother of Prince Heng, saved the ninth prince.
He watched the lonely young prince struggle to survive in the cold palace, watched him being falsely accused of harming Consort Rou and being punished.
He watched the thin teenager stagger out of the palace, leave the city, and go up a mountain, finding a scenic clearing and digging a pit.
The teenager lay straight down in it as night fell.
Plunged into a nightmare, Lu Yunqi woke up with a start, his forehead covered in dense sweat.
He looked down, searching for Changli’s figure, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he confirmed that Changli was sleeping beside him, but his heart was still pounding wildly.
“Fortunately, it was a nightmare, fortunately you are alright.”
His beloved was still alive and well, not lying in that cold, dark pit.
Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, Lu Yunqi remembered that thirteen years ago, when he met Changli on that barren mountain, the boy seemed to have traces of soil on him, but at that time, he thought it was from digging the pit.
Perhaps the truth was not what he thought it was.
Perhaps Changli had really laid in that long pit, perhaps Changli had really sought death.
His heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and his heart ached as if it were being torn open by two hands.
Intense pain climbed all over his body.
The arms embracing Changli gradually tightened, even beginning to tremble slightly.
“No, it can’t be…”
“It’s fake! It’s all fake, it’s just a dream…”
Awakened by the commotion in the middle of the night, Changli opened his eyes and lazily glanced at the man beside him.
“Lu Yunqi, what are you up to in the middle of the night?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he was tightly embraced by Lu Yunqi, as if afraid he would disappear.
Changli narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Lu Yunqi, and noticed that his forehead was covered in sweat and his expression was terrified, as if he had been frightened awake by a nightmare.
“What did you dream about? You’re so scared.”
Lu Yunqi’s eyes were red, and his voice was hoarse, “I dreamed about what happened to you before you met me, and I saw you lying in the long pit on the barren mountain…”
“Changli, did you really lie in it?”
Changli was silent for a moment, and finally told the truth about what happened that year, “I did lie in it, but I felt too cold and crawled out to bask in the sun.”
He did indeed wake up from the long pit, and he did indeed feel too cold in the pit, so he crawled onto the clean grass to lie down and bask in the sun.
Later, he met Lu Yunqi.
Based on Changli’s words, Lu Yunqi analyzed what happened before he went to the barren mountain and was immensely grateful that he had gone up the mountain that day for once.
“Fortunately, I met you when I went up the mountain that day.”
Changli raised his hand and patted Lu Yunqi’s back, comforting his lover’s uneasy heart, “Yes, that’s all in the past. Now, I’ve finally come through the bitter times.”
He was no longer the pitiful prince on the barren mountain, but the emperor who governed the world and ruled the Four Seas, with his lifelong love by his side.
Lu Yunqi leaned his head on Changli’s shoulder, and tears flowed uncontrollably.
“But I still feel so sorry for you…”
“What was the late Emperor thinking? How could he bear to treat his own son like that!”
As he spoke, he began to get angry again.
Angry that the late Emperor was unworthy as a father, unworthy as a ruler, in short, he didn’t have a single good word to say about the late Emperor.
Even though Changli had everything now, including the support and submission of the court officials, the respect and admiration of the people, the admiration and respect of the imperial relatives, and the wealth and power that could rival a country, he would still feel injustice for Changli.
Why did his Changli have to suffer so much?
It was as if all the suffering and hardships in the world were falling on the love of his heart.
Changli said softly, “Maybe I wasn’t even considered his son in the late Emperor’s eyes.”
“Forget it, let’s not talk about him, it’s unlucky!”
He wiped away Lu Yunqi’s tears and, taking his large hand, flipped over and got out of the dragon bed.
“Yunqi, let’s go unwrap the gifts.”
“Yesterday was my birthday, and the civil and military officials and imperial relatives presented birthday gifts one after another. I might as well see what they sent me.”
Lu Yunqi wiped away his tears heroically and followed the young emperor, who had changed the subject, away.
“Okay, I’ll be responsible for unwrapping, and you’ll be responsible for collecting.”
The emperor and empress woke up in the middle of the night and excitedly ran to the palace chamber where the birthday gifts were stored to unwrap them, just like when they unwrapped gifts at their first wedding.
The palace maids and eunuchs serving at night followed the two most noble masters in the world.
The head eunuch also specifically asked someone to invite the imperial physician to avoid the two masters catching a cold.
The imperial physician, surnamed Li, who arrived late at night was the grandson of the old doctor who had treated Changli thirteen years ago, and also the child who had given Changli osmanthus candy to get rid of the bitterness.
The young Imperial Physician Li had entered the Imperial Hospital half a year ago and, unexpectedly, was deeply trusted by His Majesty.
Perhaps their Majesty recognized an old friend!
Summoned, the young Imperial Physician Li stood outside the hall, watching Lu Yunqi unwrapping gifts and Changli collecting them inside, and smiled.
The person saved by his grandfather in the past had become the ruler of the world, bestowing blessings on the common people, and ultimately became the emperor he wanted to be loyal to all his life.
Your Majesty, Liang is fortunate to have you.
Inside the hall, Changli, who was collecting the gifts, looked down at the longevity lock given to him by Prime Minister Lin, a look of emotion on his face.
“The gifts I didn’t receive when I was young, I’ve now received as if I were an ordinary child.”
“Prime Minister Lin treats me with genuine sincerity.”
This Prime Minister Lin, who had experienced three dynasties and was still shining in the court, truly had the integrity of a scholar.
‘The ruler treats me as a national scholar, and I will repay him as a national scholar’ was the integrity he saw in Prime Minister Lin, with the unique loyalty and righteousness of a feudal dynasty.
Lu Yunqi said with a smile, “That’s for sure. I think Prime Minister Lin is treating you like his own child. Prime Minister Lin will make up for what you lacked.”
“Changli, take a look at the jade carving given by Prince Heng.”
Hearing this, the young emperor took the exquisite jade carving carved by his third elder brother, “This jade carving has a good meaning, ‘Brothers united, their strength can break metal.'”
He then looked at the gifts from the other imperial brothers, each and every one of them made with care.
“The country is peaceful and prosperous, and the world is always peaceful.”
“This is their prayer, and it is also the common wish of me and the people of the world.”
Lu Yunqi suddenly stopped unwrapping the gifts, moved to Changli’s side, and put his arm around his shoulder, his strong chest pressed against Changli’s back.
“A magnificent chapter of prosperity begins with you.”
“Changli, you are worthy of yourself and the ministers and people of Daliang, and you are even more worthy of the heavy responsibility of the throne.”
“The past suffering is no more, and today’s prosperity will last forever.”
Hearing this, Changli’s lips curled up slightly, and his eyes smiled as he looked at the man in front of him.
At this moment, time seemed to stand still.
However, time would eventually flow slowly, but they would always stand by each other’s side, firmly holding each other’s hands and walking forward.
Life is boring, but it is interesting with you.