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Throwing Fruits to Fill the Carriage
T/N: Translated by Jen on Broken Jinsei! Please do not repost my translations! All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
After several months of hard battle, Zhennan Wang’s army finally seized Huailu in the seventh month.
Huailu fell, the commoners fleeing in all directions. The few remaining officials surrendered to express their goodwill. Lu Zi Xiang took the remnants of his army and escaped out of the city. He had nowhere to go, getting forced into a mountain. Nearly all the men by his side were either dead or wounded.
There were very few inhabitants in these mountains, the grass on the mountain thick and lush, making it difficult to walk. Lu Zi Xiang had gotten hit by arrow, thus walked with great difficult. With the path covered in thorns, he was unable to keep going, so just collapsed on the ground.
He took the water pouch from his waist, wanting to take a sip of water. Raising his head to drink, he discovered that there was just a pitiful drop of water left in the pouch. Dripping into his mouth, it was simply unable to quench his thirst, instead causing his throat to burn even more.
Lu Zi Xiang’s eyes darkened and couldn’t help but ruffle his hair, his face covered in gloom.
After several days of leading troops in battle, his exhaustion has reached its peak. He hasn’t exhausted himself like this in many years. He felt that he has already reached his limit. Setting aside his body’s fatigue and the injuries, what was more tormenting was the mental anguish——-don’t know when Lu Qi Yang will come up the mountain to cut off his head and present it to Lu Jing Hua, that immoral traitor who has proclaimed himself the emperor.
There was green trees and foliage stretched before his eyes, the sunlight sprinkling down. His vision that was obscured by the drops of blood was somewhat hazy. He rubbed his eyes, yet his mind travelled back to his former days in the capital when it flourished with song and dance——-
At the time, he wasn’t the ruler, but the second prince that everyone in the capital admired.
But now, everything was gone.
He recalled the former drunken pleasures, the dazzling gold, and the towering halls of the palace. He thought of Shen Lan Chi who’d once saved his life, his thoughts becoming increasingly hazy.
He originally thought that he would for sure obtain Shen Lan Chi, but in the end, he couldn’t even hold onto the throne. He’d spent all his life pursuing, yet gained nothing in the end.
Did he regret?
……No, he never once regretted.
What he regretted the most was just never having obtained Shen Lan Chi.
Right at this time, Lu Zi Xiang heard a timid voice by his side, “Your Majesty, drink my water.”
He lifted his head and saw Ji Fei Xia holding up her own water pouch.
After Ji Fei Xia returned to Huailu, Lu Zi Xiang still let her be the empress. Perhaps because of remembering this favor, now that he has escaped deep into the mountains, Ji Fei Xia also changed into light and agile clothes, following him all the way, seemingly preparing to live and die with him.
TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
Seeing Ji Fei Xia’s lips cracked, her eyes bloodshot, Lu Zi Xiang actually had a sense of mockery in his heart.
He never expected that the person by his side in the end wasn’t that Shen Lan Chi who he had no fate with, nor the pretentious and lying Shen Ran who was now supporting Lu Jing Hua as the emperor in the capital, but rather this Ji Fei Xia.
He didn’t willingly marry her and never once treated her genuinely, tricking and deceiving her the entire time. But, she really was this naive and pure, willing to be deceived by him to the end.
Lu Zi Xiang’s eyes swept over the water pouch in her hand, suddenly feeling a sense of loneliness inside. Afterwards, he self-mockingly smiled and said, “Empress, this emperor doesn’t love you. Presumably, after marrying this emperor, you certainly must have regretted.”
The wind brushed over the branches and leaves in the surrounding, making them endlessly sway. There seemingly was faint sounds of horse hooves coming from the bottom of the mountain, rumbling like thunder. The sound of the hooves made the people hiding in the forest fill with fear, feeling both mentally and physically drained, huddling even closer into the haystacks.
When Ji Fei Xia heard, her eyelid slightly twitched. She lowered her hand holding the water pouch and said, “This wife naturally resented before……” Pausing for a moment, she said, “Resented your Majesty who clearly has feelings for older sister Lan Chi, but never voicing it. Resented your Majesty for indiscriminately imprisoning this wife’s older brother….”
Hearing this, the mockery in Lu Zi Xiang’s eyes deepened.
“But even so,” Ji Fei Xia said, “this wife is still unable to completely disregard your Majesty. Not because of love, but simply because your Majesty is my husband.” Her answer was firm and resounding, pausing word by word, causing a flame to ignite in Lu Zi Xiang’s heart.
———–Not because of love, merely bounded by etiquette, the husband and wife as one, unable to be divided.
Lu Zi Xiang blanked for a moment and actually raised his head, loudly laughing for a while. The sky that met his gaze when lifting his eyes was slightly dark. A few gray clouds floated over in stacks, seemingly brewing a heavy rainstorm.
Ji Fei Xia clearly had him in her heart.
Otherwise, why would she give up the perfect opportunity to escape, and instead follow him into the mountains?
Perhaps, this was just the way of the world. Who he loved never liked him——-like Shen Lan Chi, who always kept her distance from him, or like Shen Ran, who constantly say words of love, yet in her bones, she viewed him as nothing, immediately turning to side with Lu Jing Hua——and who he didn’t love was instead infatuated with him.
When he finished laughing, he touched his dry throat and said, “Empress, cut down this emperor’s head and take it to Zhennan Wang. Perhaps Zhennan Wang will even spare your life.”
When Ji Fei Xia heard, her complexion turned deathly pale. She shook her head and said in a trembling voice, “Your Majesty, don’t say such nonsense.”
That appearance was like as if extremely scared that Lu Zi Xiang will die before her.
Seeing this, Lu Zi Xiang couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty and regretful——-
He owed her a lot.
At this time, he finally had a bit of regret. He wanted to take a closer look at this wife of his who is said by the commoners to be in loving harmony with him, but it was too late. The two of them were both in a sorry state, without any of their former elegance and grace.
He thought to himself in the bottom of his heart: If only he’d discovered Ji Fei Xia’s good qualities sooner, then perhaps he wouldn’t have suffered so much.
“……Forget it.” Lu Zi Xiang got up and gazed towards a worn-out temple in the forest, saying, “This emperor will go to that temple to rest. Empress wait outside for a while.” After saying this, he took a few subordinates with him and headed towards that worn-out temple.
This worn-out temple was quite old, the walls peeling and filled with cracks. The doorway also had two large holes that leaked air in, the faded red paint appearing extremely dull. After Lu Zi Xiang stepped into this worn-out temple, gloomy rain started falling from the sky, the fine autumn rain soaking the clothes.
Seeing the rain getting heavier and heavier, and how Ji Fei Xia’s clothes also got thoroughly drenched, her little face deathly pale, a wounded general said to Ji Fei Xia, “There’s no time to worry about too many things, let’s go inside to avoid the rain first. In such troubled times, his Majesty surely will forgive us.” In his voice, there already wasn’t much respect for Lu Zi Xiang.
When they entered the worn-out temple, there was a heavy scent of blood. The generals were startled, hurriedly opening the door and looking around. Turns out, inside this worn-out temple, there were corpses all over the ground, all generals who have slit their own throat.
In the center was Lu Zi Xiang’s corpse. His two eyes were closed as he sat before the dilapidated statue of the earth god. His handsome face didn’t get stained with any blood, having gotten wiped clean, as if asleep, resembling a god.
Carefully looking again, a rolled up cloak was wrapped around his neck. That cloak already got dyed dark red by the splattered blood.
Lu Zi Xiang had also drawn the sword and slit his throat.
Ji Fei Xia blankly stood at the doorway of the temple, her face deathly pale, shaking all over. A sudden clap of thunder rolled across the sky, a streak of lightning illuminating her stiff face.
“Your Majesty——–”
Carrying a sobbing tone, a hysterical scream echoed through the entire forest.
The generals by Ji Fei Xia’s side were also horrified, promptly going forward collect his Majesty’s remains. They propped up Lu Zi Xiang’s body. A thin piece of paper tucked between Lu Zi Xiang’s clothes gently fell out.
The paper was folded three times, with a few lines of hastily written words——–
Regardless of who is the one to find this, please have this letter delivered to Lan Chi of the Shen family in the capital for this emperor……….This emperor knows that one’s days are numbered, the mandate of heaven flawed, so wish to leave this world. Now, lingering in this temple in the forest, my thoughts and memories weigh heavily upon me. Yet, what lingers the most in my memory is the favor of your selfless sacrifice…….
This letter landed on the ground, getting trampled under the soles of the generals, sinking into the dirt. Not long after, the rain water poured in through the hole in the ceiling of the temple, seeping into the uneven ground. The ink on the letter got soaked in the water, gradually blurring, no longer legible.
The falling rain had yet to stop; the sky filled with dark clouds.
• • •
The first year of Baojia, autumn, the muddle ruler Lu Zi Xiang ended his own life outside of Huailu.
Zhennan Wang Lu Qi Yang reclaimed Huailu, sweeping away the miasma from the mountains and rivers, restoring the rightful rule.
• • •
After the dust settled, the State of Chu that has been suffering from the flames of war gradually regained its vigor. The capital city also gradually returned to its prosperous and bustling state. Zhennan Wang, Lu Qi Yang, led the troops back in triumph, returning to the capital at the end of autumn.
Because Zhennan Wang was the meritorious hero who had driven out the Mujin tribe and secured the state internally, when the commoners heard that he has returned to the capital in triumph, they all went out early to welcome him in the streets. The sky had just begun to light up, yet the gate of the capital city was already crowded. Countless men and women, young and old, all gathered around to watch.
When the city gates opened and Zhennan Wang’s men rode into the city on horseback, the cheers of the people were as resounding as thunder, not once getting interrupted, rolling back and forth like a tide.
Amidst the cheers, Lu Qi Yang rode in on horseback. He had already changed out of his armor, wearing a scholarly long gown. Having shaved clean his face, he was just like a top scorer of the imperial exam basking in glory.
“Wangye——-”
“Wangye!”
There were quite a few young women waving their handkerchief at him, loudly shouting, their voice filled with admiration. A while later, a few fruits got thrown over, forcing Lu Qi Yang to dodge left and right.
“Hey, wai-wait!” Lu Qi Yang suddenly got hit in the head by a pomegranate, feeling completely shocked. He rubbed his forehead and said, “What are these people doing?”
A deputy general answered: “Wangye never heard of the classical anecdote of ‘throwing fruit to fill the carriage[1]‘? This is because wangye is handsome and charming, winning the affection of the women. That’s why, the women would specially throw fruit over.”
Splat.
The deputy general turned his head, just happening to see Lu Qi Yang’s face covered in splattered fruit juice, completely in a sorry state.
“Oh.” He replied.
“Zhennan Wangfei has arrived——”
Precisely at the worst possible moment, Zhennan Wang Manor’s carriage arrived.
A beauty holding a child in her arms slowly and gracefully stepped down from the carriage.
The baby girl in the beauty’s arms was less than a year old, precisely the age where she would make babbling sounds. Suddenly seeing the man, whose face was covered in fruit juice, on the tall horse, the child got startled and loudly started crying.
“Wahh———-”
This was Zhennan Junzhu Lu Guan Rong’s first meeting with her father, Lu Qi Yang.
When the later generations spoke of Mi Gao, girl, less than a year old, prone to crying, sweet by nature, and feared her father.
Lu Qi Yang had thought of countless ways he would meet his daughter, the great majority warm and touching. But, no matter how he anticipated, he never once expected that his daughter would burst into tears the moment she saw him.
Shen Lan Chi also blanked for a moment.
She looked at the endlessly crying infant in her arms and hurriedly started coaxing, not caring whether she understood or not, “This is your royal father, don’t cry. If you cry now, what will you do in the future?”
Lu Qi Yang: ……
How come he felt Shen Lan Chi’s meaning was that he, Lu Qi Yang, was a demon lord, and Lu Guan Rong needs to hold herself together and not shed tears now, so as to preserve her face.
Shen Lan Chi coaxed her daughter for a while, the lifted her head to look at her husband among the crowd.
She originally had thousands of words she wanted to say, but every time her line of sight landed on the fruit juice that covered his face, she just couldn’t help but want to burst out laughing. She could only hurriedly turn around and squeeze out, “Quick, some-someone come……take wangye……back, hahaha…..back to the manor…..to wipe….ahahahaha…….”
Lu Qi Yang was expressionless.
Confirmed, this was indeed his wife.
Still that familiar feeling, still the Lan Lan who has been annoying since childhood.
[1] This anecdote was brought up before in an earlier chapter, so I’ll just paste my footnotes from that chapter. It’s an anecdote about Pan An, a very renowned handsome man in ancient times. Pan An’s real name was Pan Yue, but his courtesy name was An Ren. He was a poet during the Western Jin dynasty. One day, when he was going out to play, all the young girls were so taken by his looks, they surrounded him. Some of the older girls started throwing fruits at him to express their admiration towards him.
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Even if she didn’t care about you, do you think it’s easy to cut off a dude’s head and carry it around ಠ_ಠ