NOVEL NEXT Chapter 92 - 092 Cultivation
Chapter 92: Chapter 092 Cultivation
Sang Yan was satisfied and changed the subject to inquire about Qu Zhi’s matter.
He Ying said, “I have assigned the Three Law Departments to jointly review the case. I believe the results will come out soon.”
“That’s good.”
Sang Yan nodded, then asked, “What about Wan Zhang’s funeral?”
He Ying said, “Chu Jun is in charge of the arrangements. The funeral procession will be the day after tomorrow, and he will be buried in the Emperor’s Mausoleum.”
Sang Yan let out a heavy sigh, unsure of what to say.
He Ying knew she mourned Wan Zhang’s death and comforted her, “It was his wish. We should respect it.”
Sang Yan nodded, and the next moment, he pulled her into his arms.
The two cuddled and were intimate with each other.
For the following two days, everyone in the Imperial Palace busied themselves with Wan Zhang’s funeral.
When Sang Yan went to accompany the funeral procession to the Emperor’s Mausoleum, the weather turned unbearably hot halfway.
Fearing she might suffer from the heat, He Ying had her return early.
She hadn’t expected to see Jiang Ke at the palace gates.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Ɲονǥᴑ.ƈο
Not having seen him for nearly a month, Jiang Ke was clad in a black brocade robe, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, with a long sword at his waist, presenting even more the demeanor of a knight.
However, when their eyes met, there was still a gentle warmth in his.
“Are you with the Emperor now?”
He stood in front of her carriage, his gentle eyes gradually cooling, “Time and again I tried to distinguish myself, asking the Emperor to grant us marriage, but he never paid attention. It turns out he—”
He couldn’t continue and instead asked directly, “Sang Yan, tell me the truth, have you really decided to be with him?”
Looking into the eyes of the young man, a mix of love and hate, Sang Yan said slowly, “I’m sorry. Jiang Ke, I was never right for you. I am not what you imagine. Please let go. There are plenty of good women out there.”
“But the one I wanted was always only you.”
Jiang Ke, suppressing his emotions, asked, “Sang Yan, don’t tell me you’re sorry, just tell me, do you really not have any feelings for me at all? Do you truly like the Emperor?”
If she liked him, if she liked… No, how could she possibly like someone else?
Sang Yan knew matters of the heart could not be ambiguous and made things clear to him, “Yes, I do like him.”
“Weren’t you saying you liked my brother? Weren’t you saying your heart only had room for my brother?”
Jiang Ke felt a surge of jealousy, like a raging fire consuming his heart and lungs.
It was too painful.
He felt like he was being burned alive.
“Sang Yan, how could you like someone else?”
She might not like him, but how could she like someone else?
“I’m sorry.”
Sang Yan sincerely apologized, making her stance clear, “I like him, not because he’s the Emperor. On the contrary, if he weren’t the Emperor, I would like him even more. Jiang Ke, I hope you can understand.”
“I don’t understand.”
Jiang Ke looked at her unwillingly, “Sang Yan, you’ve gone back on your word, changing your affections with circumstances.”
That comment was too harsh.
Sang Yan frowned, displeased, “If I don’t like you, this is your attitude? Jiang Ke, if that’s really what you think of me, then you should cut your losses in time. I’m a bad woman, not worthy of your affection.”
With that, she looked to the Guard Commander and ordered, “Let’s go.”
The Guard Commander responded, “Yes.”
The procession continued on its way.
Jiang Ke watched the carriage drive off, gripping his long sword tightly, but did not follow.
He waited until the carriage had entered the Imperial Palace before walking away.
With agile movements, he mounted his horse and charged into the vacant woods.
Swinging his sword wildly, where the blade passed, birds screeched in alarm and leaves fell in disarray.
“Ah—”
He too cried out, like a wounded beast, using roar after roar to vent his agony.
*
Sang Yan returned to the side hall of Qingning Palace.
Thinking of Jiang Ke, her heart was covered with dark clouds.
How did she run into him?
How did she get involved with him?
This debt of love was truly a headache.
And such a headache was something she did not want He Ying to know about.
Thinking this, she instructed Qiuzhi, “Make those people keep their mouths shut. Don’t let the Emperor hear about it.”
Qiuzhi busily complied, “Yes.”
But there are no walls in the world that do not leak.
When He Ying came back, someone still told him about Sang Yan seeing Jiang Ke.
“Just these?”
“Yes.”
The guard restored the conversation between the two people.
If Sang Yan were present, she might have commended his memory.
He Ying returned, travel-weary and exhausted, listened to the entire process, first took a bath, ate something, then went to the side hall.
Sang Yan was still practicing her calligraphy.
The original owner was a lady of a reputable family, versed in qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but after she took over her body, she had not grasped her skills.
Thus, her brush writing was appalling to look at.
“The Emperor arrives——”
Little Guizi loudly reminded.
Sang Yan immediately crumpled the paper she had written on and tossed it into the waste basket, then picked up a book, pretending to flip through it.
Therefore, when He Ying arrived, he only saw her reading a book.
“What are you reading?”
He sat down behind her, stretching his arms, almost enveloping her in his embrace.
Hearing this, Sang Yan picked up the book to show him the title, “It’s a travelogue written by Feng Yicheng.”
He Ying looked at the words “Red Dust Strange Tales” and asked, “Is it interesting?”
Sang Yan nodded, “Yes. It’s interesting.”
He Ying asked again, “What does it talk about?”
Sang Yan then told him, “It talks about an old woodcutter in Min State, who went up the mountain to chop wood and saw two trees with branches and leaves intertwined, inseparable. Until one day, during a thunderstorm, one of the trees was struck by lightning and died. The next day, the other tree also suddenly withered away.”
He Ying listened with surprise, “And then? Why? Could it be the same root? But that’s not right, even with the same root, it wouldn’t wither so quickly.”
Sang Yan said with a smile, “His explanation is, one of the trees is a parasol tree, which is the male tree, and the other is a phoenix tree, which is the female tree. Male and female, one pair, born and die together.”
He Ying was even more surprised, “So even plants are capable of such deep loyalty and devotion? That is interesting!”
“Yes.”
Sang Yan deeply agreed, also recalling a poet’s verse, “The parasol trees support each other as they age, the mandarin ducks die together.”
Could it be that the poet was speaking of these trees?
“This verse is well said.”
He Ying appreciated it, then asked, “Is there any other interesting content?”
Sang Yan nodded and flipped to a part that had left a deep impression on her, continuing, “Mr. Feng also said that he passed by a temple in Min State and encountered a monk. On a whim, he asked the monk what enlightenment he had gained after practicing for half his life. Guess, how did the monk answer?”
He Ying played along, “How did he answer?”
Sang Yan spread her hands, “Nothing at all.”
He Ying was startled, “Is that monk playing a joke on him?”
Sang Yan shook her head, a mysterious smile on her face, “The monk said, I not only gained nothing, but I also lost many things. For example, I lost greed, resentment, selfishness, prejudice, narrow-mindedness, pessimism, superficiality, ignorance…”
He Ying listened, his gaze gradually deepening, “That’s a fresh perspective. What he considers cultivation isn’t about gaining, but letting go.”
“Yes, cultivation is about subtraction, not addition. Emperor, you’re quick-minded.”
Sang Yan truly admired He Ying’s intelligence, he always got straight to the point.
Hearing her praise, thinking about her declaration of love in front of Jiang Ke, He Ying felt a light-hearted pleasure, “So, is this one of the reasons you like me?”