[R18] The stars are brilliant, so lucky even (The stars are brilliant, the moon rises over the sea) – Chapter 132 of “The Stars Are Brilliant, How Lucky They Are (The Stars Are Brilliant·The Moon Rising Over the Sea)” [English]

Chapter 132

That day, Shaoshang and Yuan Shen rarely quarreled, but politely said goodbye to each other.Later, Shaoshang thought about it and realized that that day was a good start, because she and Yuan Shen never had a “grand occasion” to quarrel upon meeting again.

The palace and the court once again returned to peace and tranquility. The emperor scolded and belittled the middle-level officials who had squeezed the prince that day. In addition to the Shangsi Festival ceremony next month, the emperor also allowed the prince to attend the court to listen to politics.

But according to the prince’s words, he would rather read and write in the East Palace, drink a bottle of sweet wine, paint a picture of a quiet peach blossom, fish by the lake, and enjoy the scenery in the mountains, than listen to the vague or intense reports from the courtiers. As if to prove the reliability of this statement, the prince turned around and handed over all the seals and talismans of the East Palace to Ling Buyi.

The queen said that the prince looked more and more like her father, the late Grand Duke Xuan.

Shaoshang finally met the long-famous Yan Shenxian.He was twenty or thirty years older than the emperor, and his beard and hair were now all white, but his face was still rosy and energetic, and his speech and behavior were all smiley and funny.People at that time generally had a short lifespan, so they naturally had a feeling of admiration for Lao Yan, an old man with an air of immortality at first glance.

It is said that when Mr. Huang was successful in farming, he sold grain to pay for tuition and went to the capital to study in the former capital, where he met Lao Yan.He and the emperor are called classmates and old friends, and they are actually half-teachers.

It was a rare encounter, but the old man Huang still touched Yan Shenxian’s fat belly and begged him to join the court as an official. When Yan Shenxian heard this, he wanted to wash his ears. The old man Huang grabbed him and cursed, “Can you stop imitating the behavior of the sages? People drink river water and eat wild fruits. You don’t have enough wine, meat, silk and bamboo.”

After pleading to no avail, Old Man Huang had no choice but to ask Lao Yan to stay a few more days and have a late night talk. Then Lao Yan pressed his thigh on Old Man Huang’s belly while sleeping.Taishi reported angrily, saying that the guest star had offended the throne, and the emperor had to rub his belly in pain to intercede with Lao Yan. Yan Shenxian took the opportunity to leave again.

The emperor held the old man’s arm and sighed: “Have you seen Zisheng? Brother Huo Chong is the only flesh and blood. You can live here until he gets married next month. Do you remember, that year you and I met bandits. If uncle Zisheng hadn’t rescued him in time, you would have turned into a ghost!”

Yan Shenxian sighed: “Obviously I told you not to go on that road. The mountain pass is low-pressure and the mountains are like haze, which is a very bad sign in Feng Shui. However, Your Majesty said that the road is so close that we have to go… Alas, alas, forget it, just wait until next month.”

The old man Huang started to prepare everything needed for Ling Buyi’s wedding n years ago. All kinds of gold, jade, jade, fragrant wood sacrificial vessels, brocade and embroidery were all available. Since his adopted son got engaged more than half a year ago, he immediately ordered the knitting workshop in the palace to rush to work on the wedding robe, and also asked Da Honglu to hold the wedding ceremony according to the prince’s regulations.

It is not that there are no ministers in the court who have complaints about this, but the old man Huang will wear small shoes for anyone who has objections.Either criticizing someone’s lifestyle, or finding fault with someone’s gender issues, or saying that someone’s picky eaters are extravagant, and then everyone becomes quiet – it’s not a big deal anyway, just open your eyes and close your eyes.

As the wedding day approached, Ling Buyi became increasingly depressed and silent. He was either too busy and disappeared, or he sat quietly aside without speaking for a long time.Several times, Shao Shang took a nap in the palace. When he woke up, he saw Ling Buyi sitting next to him, looking at him blankly, his eyes unclear, as if he was sad, but also seemed to be worried about him.

Shao Shang couldn’t help but ask what happened to him. Ling Buyi said with difficulty: “The people sent to find my uncle’s old team have not returned yet. I can’t tell. It’s all in vain.”

Shao Shang knew that this was his knot, so he advised: “If it is true that he is no longer alive, then the heroic spirit has passed away. Maybe he has been reincarnated into a good family with wealth and peace. Let’s just do our best and obey fate.”

Ling Buyi shook his head and was silent for a while, then said: “My mother’s health is not very good…”

Shao Shang sighed, this is what is really worrying.Huo Junhua was feeling groggy more and more often. Cui Hou cried all day long and wiped away tears. In order to serve the decoction, she now spent almost one day in the palace and two days in Xinghua Villa.As the “nephew’s bride in the autumn breeze”, Shao Shang has been praised by Huo Junhua several times for his diligence and thoughtfulness.

She said: “Spring has begun, and the cold is still a bit severe. When the spring comes next month and the flowers bloom, maybe my wife’s health will be better.”

Ling Buyi nodded.However, the melancholy in he’s eyes is like the mist in the valley in early spring, which cannot be dissolved even if it is too thick.

Here Ling Cheng and the two were worried about Huo Junhua’s health, and over there the Ruyang Palace came to report that the old princess was not looking well.

However, the old princess obviously refused to leave quietly. Even when she was seriously ill, she went to the hospital to beg the emperor for grace.The old princess said, “…I don’t care about the other children, but Nuying is pitiful. She lost her father and mother at a young age. From now on, her uncles and aunts will be in charge of the palace, and there will be another layer between them. Please take pity on Nuying for the sake of her father who died early.”

The emperor thought of his cousin who died fighting for him and sighed, so he gave Princess Yuchang two more counties to Tang Mu, and also granted her future son-in-law, Ling Buyi’s stepbrother, the noble official position of a Sanqi doctor.

The prince was very sympathetic: “Sister Nuying has been quiet and virtuous since she was a child. I hope that her future life will be smooth and worry-free. She is like a young seed blown away by the wind. Although it has been exposed to wind and rain early, it will eventually take root and sprout on its own and start a family.”

These words were both affectionate and artistic. Just when the emperor felt moved, the third prince said coldly: “Father, the emperor should wait until the old princess passes away before conferring the title. Now she is just seriously ill and has not passed away yet.”

The emperor’s emotion was immediately suppressed. He rolled his eyes at his third son, but Yan Shenxian laughed loudly, pointed at the third prince and said, “This son looks very much like your majesty.”

The emperor’s face turned green when he heard this, and after driving everyone out, he cursed: “Nonsense, you are too old! I was so generous when I was young, and I didn’t care about those who had bullied my brothers and sisters who were orphaned and fatherless!”

Yan Shenxian weighed his fat belly and smiled broadly: “It’s good that your Majesty is happy.”

I don’t know if the third prince’s crow’s mouth is too clever, but the old princess of Ruyang is still alive after being “dying” for seven or eight days. Not only is the emperor a little unhappy, but the Prince of Ruyang is also very embarrassed – not because he hopes that the old princess will die soon, but in case she survives and lives for another three years, five years, ten or eight years, what is the emperor’s “hospice care” about, and whether she will need “care” next time when she is “dying”.

However, an urgent report came from Cui Hou from Xinghua Villa. Huo Junhua was really critically ill.

When the news came, the emperor was in high spirits. He sat in the Changqiu Palace and wrote the Sijie Fu sentence by sentence with the queen. After hearing this, he trembled his fingers, and a large cloud of thick black appeared on the snow-white silk. After sighing with regret, he immediately asked Ling Buyi to stop everything he was doing and rush to the Xinghua Courtyard. The young Shang also quickly packed his baggage and went to serve.

When they arrived, the Xinghua Villa was already between the realms of yin and yang. Outside the house was singing and dancing witchcraft day and night, and inside the house was a strong medicinal atmosphere, with seven or eight doctors crowded in, as well as precious medicinal materials and blessing objects continuously sent from the capital.

Cui Hou’s eyes were black and blue, and his expression was sad. He sat beside Huo Junhua’s couch and wept silently. Grandma’s eyes were dry and her voice was hoarse from crying. Ling Buyi was like a towering mountain covered with snow that has not melted for thousands of years. He knelt down beside him, silent and cold.

“Little Junhua, little Junhua, wake up…” Cui Hou held Mrs. Huo’s hand and kept calling softly, but the person on the bed was still unconscious.

Everyone had been staying inside the house. When darkness enveloped the apricot forest, Shaoshang heard heavy rain falling outside.

Until midnight, Cui Hou felt his hand tightening, and immediately straightened up and called repeatedly. Sure enough, Huo Junhua woke up without warning and held his hand tightly.

In the past few months, Shaoshang has been accompanying Huo Junhua for a long time, but she has never seen such a look on Huo Junhua’s face – Huo Junhua is no longer the coquettish and unruly girl of the past, but an adult woman who has suffered from pain and years of hard work.

She looked at Cui Hou intently and murmured, “A Yuan, A Yuan…are you here to pick mulberries…”

“You…you…” Cui Hou was at a loss, wondering whether Huo Junhua had remembered the past.

“…I want the highest bunch of mulberries, black and purple, they must be very sweet…Brother, please don’t scold me, I wasn’t the one who asked A Yuan to climb so high. If you don’t believe me, just ask him…” Huo Junhua lay quietly on the couch, with big tears flowing down his cheeks to both sides.

“If you want to eat mulberries, I’ll pick them. I’ll pick them. Don’t worry…” Cui Hou said repeatedly.

“A Yuan, A Yuan, it would be great if I married you!” – Huo Junhua suddenly shouted sadly. It was raining heavily outside, and a thrilling spring thunder suddenly sounded.

“Junhua!” Cui Hou waited for a moment, then immediately rushed forward and hugged Huo Junhua tightly.

Huo Junhua stretched out his pale and thin arms and circled Cui You’s neck——

“I wish I had married you. I am blind and stupid. I should have married you a long time ago… A Yuan, I wish I had married you. I wish I had married you… A Yuan, I can’t help you. I can only repay your kindness to me in my next life…” She had tears all over her face and cried heartbreakingly, as if she wanted to express all her regrets and suffering in her life.

After crying until he was hoarse, Huo Junhua slowly let go of his arms, tried to prop up his body, and looked around with dull eyes.

Cui You understood and said loudly: “Zisheng, come here quickly, come here quickly!”

Ling Buyi walked to the collapse and knelt down, stretching out his hands with slight trembling.

Huo Junhua grabbed hold of him and looked directly at he. What erupted in his eyes was not the deep affection and regret for Cui Houshi, but a fiery, strong, and exciting emotion – “Ali…my Ali, my mother has always been thinking about you…you, you can’t forget…”

These were the last words Huo Junhua said, and then she slumped back on the couch, breathless.

Cui Houyou couldn’t believe it. He probed again and again, and finally cried loudly while holding the body of his beloved, who was getting colder. The slaves inside and outside the house also cried together.

It rained heavily all night, and the newly bloomed apricot flowers were beaten and scattered. When the sun shone and the mountain breeze blew, the tiny pink and white petals were like reeds and snow fell, covering the mountain with pure white.