The person did not move.
He walked into the room and quietly looked at her for a moment. He then squatted down to flip her over. Her complexion was as white as paper. Yet, her eyebrows were intricate, as if they were in a painting. Her once cherry red lips were now pale. If this was not Fu Rou, who else would it be?
He gently hugged her in his embrace. With trembling hands, he held her cold face. “Rou’er, I am here. Wake up.”
The person remained lifeless.
“Rou’er, don’t be petty. Didn’t we agree? When the Emperor wakes up and Prince Qin returns to the palace safely, we will beg the Emperor for grace. I know that I don’t understand things well. Whenever it comes to you, my brain does not work well and I would be immature, causing you to be upset. But I promise I will not do it in the future. From now onwards, I will listen to you. If you say let’s go to the east, I will definitely not head west. Okay? Open your eyes. Smile for me. If not…” Tears fell down his face in that instant. He hugged her tightly as he cried aloud, “No! No! No! Heaven cannot be so cruel. We have gone through so much. It was so difficult…so difficult for us…”
Some time passed and the sun was in the west. The golden rays slowly turned to dark blue. A few crisp bird calls broke the deathly silence. Sheng Chumu lifted his head in a daze and saw a pair of green parrots land on a tree in the yard. They were playing with each other, yet they looked so sweet.
The tired bird returns to the nest. As he thought of this, his nose soured. All of a sudden, he felt a pulling sensation by his side. He looked down to see the corner of his shirt being pulled. He was in disbelief. He did not dare to confirm the owner of this hand but his breathing became faster.
“Chumu…” A gentle call, like a drizzle in a forest. His entire body froze as he hugged her even tighter, putting his face against hers. She's warm!
Tears rolled down his face. “Rou’er, you are back...you are back…”
Fu Rou blinked and her consciousness slowly returned. She suddenly hugged him tightly. “Chumu, you are here! You are finally here! I was so afraid. They wanted me to take poison and forcefully shoved it in my mouth. I thought I would never see you again!”
At this moment, for the person she loved, all her strength turned into a pond of spring water.
“Don’t be afraid! Don’t be afraid! Rou’er, we have been separated by death twice, it won’t happen a third time. I swear on my life that there will not be a third time--”
She covered his mouth with her hand, and emotions filled her eyes. “No. Don’t swear on your life. You have to live well. That is the only way for me to live well.”
The two of them hugged for a long time, until the light of dawn shone in, and slowly dyed the entire room.
On this day, the Emperor personally held morning court. Although his voice was slightly weak, he looked a lot better.
Sheng Xiaojing, who seldom appeared, came out looking energetic. “Your Majesty, I have caught Lu Yunji and Lu Qi. Please give me instructions, Your Majesty!”
The Lu father and son pair were pushed into the main hall.
Lu Qi had escaped after the Crown Prince’s rebellion and met up with Lu Yunji, who had been out of the city. Lu Yunji then repeatedly delayed his return trip. He only made a move when he received Concubine Yan’s personal order to shift his troops to protect Chang’an. Unexpectedly, Lu Yunji met with Sheng Xiaojing’s blockage not far from Chang’an. Lu Yunji then found out that the Emperor had already suspected that he killed Du Ning. At the time, the Emperor had secretly instructed Sheng Xiaojing to lead an army to wait for the father and son pair. Seeing that he was on the losing side, Lu Yunji did not struggle and surrendered to Sheng Xiaojing.
The Emperor asked in a low voice, “Lu Yunji, do you know your crime?”
Lu Yunji kneeled and spoke sincerely, “I have committed a huge crime and deserves to be given the death sentence. I am willing to be punished according to the law!”
The Emperor saw that Lu Yunji was asking for the death punishment and this stirred up his emotions. He staggered off his throne and came in front of Lu Yunji. “You were with me when we had wars all over the country and made a lot of contributions. In the ninth year of Wude, you saw Crown Prince Yin’s intention to kill me and pleaded with me to break off the relationship. You were the one that gave me the determination to lead the Xuanwu Gate Coup. Yunji, your picture is still displayed in Lingyan Palace. How can you make me endure this today?”
Tears flowed down Lu Yunji’s face. “I have made so many mistakes and they are all mine to bear. I was lucky to have met a brilliant ruler like Your Majesty but I failed in my later years. Now, I only can die to pay for my crime. All I hope is that Your Majesty will consider the number of years I have served you, along with my contributions, and forgive my son. After I die, I hope that my son is still alive to bury me.”
Sheng Xiaojing froze. He finally understood why Lu Yunji surrendered.
Lu Qi became anxious. “Your Majesty, my father is old. After so many years spent fighting, he has a full body of injuries. Please let him live, Your Majesty. I am willing to bear my father’s crime!”
“Your Majesty, Lu Qi has made mistakes because I led him onto the wrong route. My crime is unforgivable!” Lu Yunji kowtowed repeatedly until his entire face was stained with blood.
Lu Qi cried as he called out, “Father!”
Sheng Xiaojing suddenly fell to a kneel. “Your Majesty, Lu Yunji was in control of an army. If he meant to resist, a lot of blood would have been spilt and we would have suffered severely. But as soon as I took out the Imperial Decree, Lu Yunji did not say anything more and got off his horse to surrender. Please consider the circumstances, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor fell silent for a moment. “Okay, I promise you. Lu Qi will not receive the death punishment. He shall be exiled to the south.”
Lu Yunji sobbed, “Thank you for your grace! Thank you for your grace!”
The Emperor continued, “Lu Yunji. Behead.”
Lu Qi wanted to plead. “Your Majesty…”
Lu Yunji spoke loudly to drown out his son, “I willingly accept my death punishment! The Emperor is benevolent!”
The Emperor held onto the golden railing as he walked towards the throne. He turned back. His voice was filled with pain. “Yunji, for you, in this life and from today onwards, I will not go to Lingyan Palace anymore.”
He will allow the loyal general that protected him with his life to forever remain in the picture without any blemish. In Lingyan Palace, real heroes were hung in it.
Lu Yunji and his son were the last to go down in this massive change.
Soon after, Imperial decrees were sent out. Huge criminals like Yu He, Cao Yangde, Lu Yunji were all to be beheaded. Criminals with smaller crimes like Prince Han and Prince Zhou would be demoted to county lords. Those with contributions like Concubine Qiao would be promoted. Li Baolin would be promoted as well. Xinnan was granted marriage to Sheng Chuling. What Fu Rou did not expect was that Xiao Lu, who had protected Prince Qin, would be conferred the title of Talented Lady.
Fu Rou was summoned by the Emperor. She walked out of the Six Offices only to see Xiao Lu, who had donned on the Talented Lady attire, looking dazedly at Prince Qin’s palace. Fu Rou sighed. How could she not understand the hazy feelings between Xiao Lu and Prince Qin. However, in many people’s eyes, the biggest reward to a palace maid was to be promoted into the harem. Helpless and lamentable, yet there was no turning back.