Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Disbelief

Leng Yue quickly diverted his gaze, resuming his icy demeanor. Leng Jiu couldn't help but wonder if what she thought she saw in his eyes earlier was just an illusion.

The banquet's atmosphere changed with Leng Yue's arrival, turning from merely superficial to even more so. Emperor Long Yi occasionally raised his glass to Leng Yue in a show of admiration, but the conversation was often interrupted by other ministers. While the gathering seemed joyful and harmonious, to Leng Jiu, it was laughably fake.

Losing interest in their manipulations, Leng Jiu left early. Halfway through, she suddenly paused and laughed.

Zi Yu, puzzled, asked Leng Jiu, "Is the Empress Dowager pleased because of the General's return?"

Leng Jiu stopped smiling and turned to her: "Do I look happy?"

The two maids nodded, but Leng Jiu shook her head: "Who said one can only laugh when happy?"

She left with long strides, leaving the maids bewildered. Her laughter wasn't due to happiness; nothing that evening had pleased her. She laughed at herself – every banquet and social engagement she'd ever attended was filled with pretense. Once, she had navigated these events with ease, even enjoying the deceit. But now, reborn, she found it all absurd, laughing at the irony of being just like those she ridiculed.

Returning to her palace, she bathed with Karno. It was nearly midnight, and after her bath, she felt tired and ready for bed. The full moon of August 15th held no interest for her; it was the same moon, after all. She might have been intrigued by a duel or a weapon, but such refined elegance wasn't to her taste.

As she was about to undress for bed, Lu Chang entered: "Empress Dowager! The General requests an audience."

Leng Jiu buttoned up her robe: "Leng Yue?"

Lu Chang nodded: "Yes."

Leng Jiu thought for a moment: "Let him in." Then she regretted it, feeling something odd about inviting him in after their exchange at the banquet. But Lu Chang had already gone to fetch him, so she put on her robe, and Zi Yu draped a fox fur over her shoulders to ward off the evening chill.

Soon, Lu Chang returned with Leng Yue, who had shed his armor for a dark cyan robe embroidered with eagles. The silver turned to a deep, almost black hue, still striking and tall, but his aura was more restrained and even more captivating. Leng Jiu squinted at his dark attire, eerily reminded of someone else, save for his face.

"Leng Yue greets the Empress Dowager!" He bowed without pretense or extra emotion, straightforward and decisive.

Leng Jiu raised an eyebrow and waved her hand: "You may leave us."

Lu Chang glanced at Leng Yue, still kneeling, and then bowed out.

Leng Jiu, seeing Leng Yue still kneeling, paused before saying, “Rise!”

“Thank you, Empress Dowager!”

After thanking her and standing up, Leng Yue remained stoically silent. Leng Jiu couldn’t help but feel speechless: “Did you come here in the middle of the night just to stand like a wooden statue?”

Leng Yue looked up in disbelief, then quickly suppressed his joy, asking in a deep voice, “How have these years been for the Empress Dowager?”

“Nothing particularly bad, but nothing particularly good either,” Leng Jiu replied, eyeing him. “If the General has come just to ask this, you needn’t have bothered. It’s late; you may leave.”

“Jing Hua!” Leng Yue suddenly called out but then checked himself, lowering his gaze: “I’ve disturbed the Empress Dowager, I shall take my leave.”

With that, he turned and left, his posture erect yet exuding a profound sense of loneliness.

Leng Jiu frowned: “Lu Chang!”

“Your servant is here!”

Leng Jiu looked towards the empty doorway: “What was my attitude towards General Leng in the past?”

After pondering, Lu Chang replied, “Empress Dowager, you never mentioned the General before. When Qing Ling was around, she would bring him up, but each time she did, you’d get angry. We’d be sent far away, so we don’t know what Qing Ling said to you. In general, you seemed very displeased whenever he was mentioned. Seeing the General today was surprising to us, but then we thought maybe because you’ve forgotten many things and your temperament has changed, you no longer dislike him as much.”

Leng Jiu waved her hand dismissively: “Enough, you may go.”

After the door closed, Leng Jiu lay on her bed, unable to sleep after Leng Yue’s visit. She wasn’t one to dwell on things, but she felt unusually conflicted. Sighing in resignation, she thought, ‘Let it be. Jing Hua is Jing Hua, and I am me. I don’t want to deal with her past entanglements. The days ahead are mine to live, not tied to Jing Hua’s past. Besides, even if Leng Yue is appealing, he’s not my type. Why bother with such complications?’

She pulled the blanket over her head, ready to sleep. Suddenly, someone pulled the blanket away and slid into bed, unceremoniously wrapping their arms around her, their hands roving over her body.

Leng Jiu caught his hands, exasperated: “Can’t you be a bit more decent?”

Long Yue Li wrapped her hands in his, gently kneading: “Do I need to be decent in your bed?”

"Enough! I'm not in the mood for flirting tonight. If you're going to sleep, just sleep!"

Long Yue Li propped himself up, his devilishly charming face even more captivating under the dim light. His lips curved slightly: "Is it because of Leng Yue?"

Leng Jiu also sat up to face him: "What do you know?"

Long Yue Li played with her hair, his eyes narrowing: "Leng Yue was famously devoted to you, his sister. Yet, he couldn’t protect you. I heard you stabbed him the day you entered the palace. Although he suppressed that incident, I still heard about it. Later, he was stationed at the frontier, unable to return, and you pined for my imperial nephew. These past three years saw no contact between you two. It all seems clear, yet somewhat unclear. Would you care to enlighten me, Jiu'er, and clear my confusion?"

Leng Jiu played with his hair in return, her smile enigmatic: "I’ve been in the palace for so long and never had any interaction with you, King Xuan. You don't seem like someone easily swayed by beauty. So, tell me, why did you choose to come to Wei Yang Palace upon your return? Why bother me and not others? What do you hope to gain from me? I’m curious."

Long Yue Li’s fox-like eyes narrowed, his tone turning serious: "Why can’t you believe that I genuinely like you?"

Leng Jiu’s slender fingers slid into his robe, gliding over his smooth chest, finally resting on his left chest: "There are men who hide their true hearts behind a facade of flirtation, deceiving everyone into thinking it's their nature. But in reality, they are the ones who guard their hearts the most fiercely, void of any genuine emotion. You, Long Yue Li, we’ve known each other for so long, yet I’ve never truly understood you. What makes you think I’d believe you?"