78: Chapter 78 Four Women Are Jealous, Chen Xuan Soothes Them

The moon hung high in the sky, and the palace gates slowly closed. The moment Chen Xuan stepped out of the Zichen Palace, the wind was blowing through the high walls of the Imperial City, causing the hem of his clothes to flutter lightly.

He raised a hand to wipe the tip of his nose, the smile from the banquet still lingering on his lips, yet his heart felt as if it were pressed down by a stone. Empress Murong Wan's final glance was not that of an emperor looking at a meritorious official, but rather like a woman looking at her lover.

He did not linger, nor did he return to his residence to rest, heading straight for his small courtyard. The night road was quiet, his footsteps tapping out a rhythm on the bluestone slabs.

He knew that some things could not be avoided, especially when there were four sharp-eyed women by his side.

Just as he entered the courtyard gate, he saw them.

Leng Shuang stood under the plum tree on the east side, her back to him, one hand resting on her sword, while the other gently stroked the hilt, as if counting the patterns on it.

She was not wearing her battle armor, but only a plain white outer robe. The moonlight fell upon her shoulders, making her look as cold and clear as a layer of frost.

Zhao Hongling sat on a stone stool on the west side, swinging her legs, her long red dress trailing on the ground, and one of her boots was almost falling off.

She had an osmanthus leaf in her mouth, and upon hearing his footsteps, she did not turn her head, merely letting out a hum.

Dugu Xue was brewing tea in the southern pavilion, her movements slow and deliberate; the rising steam obscured half of her Face. She kept her head down, her fingers circling the tea lid, saying nothing.

Liu Ruyan was the furthest away, fanning herself at the end of the northern corridor. She was wearing the pink gauze dress from last night, and the fan was painted with butterflies among flowers, but she was fanning so hurriedly that the flowers were almost blown away by the wind.

Four people, four directions, no one spoke, and no one looked at him.

Chen Xuan stood still and sighed, "Are you all setting up a Formation? Do you need a Sect Head to hold down the fort?"

No one paid him any mind.

He was not annoyed, walking slowly to the stone table in the center, sitting down, and reaching out to grab the teapot.

Just as he touched the handle, Dugu Xue flicked her fingertip, and the tea lid snapped shut with a 'clack', burning him and making him pull his hand back.

"Yo, this water is quite hot." He shook his fingers, "Are your hearts even hotter?"

Zhao Hongling finally turned her head, glaring at him, "You still remember how to come back? I thought you were going to stay in the palace tonight to be the Empress Consort."

"If I really wanted to be the Empress Consort, I would have knelt down to accept the decree long ago." Chen Xuan grinned, "Besides, Your Majesty didn't propose, so what are you anxious about?"

"We are not anxious." Leng Shuang suddenly spoke, her voice colder than the moonlight, "It was you who had light in your eyes when you toasted last night, but when you returned this morning, there was no shadow in them."

Chen Xuan was stunned.

These words sounded simple, but they hit the mark.

He stood up and walked step by step toward Leng Shuang. She was standing under the tree, her breathing so light it was almost inaudible.

"You say I had light in my eyes?" He asked.

"Mm."

"That was the light that only appears when I see you all."

He stared at her profile, "Last night, when I was drinking in the palace, what I was thinking was: once this matter is settled, I can come back to see you all sooner. Are you tired from practicing your sword, did Hongling sneak snacks from the kitchen, is Xue sulking and drinking tea alone again, and will Ruyan play a new song for me to hear?"

Leng Shuang's eyelashes fluttered.

He reached out and gently gripped her wrist, "I am not afraid of drinking with the Empress, but I am afraid of you all ignoring me. The former is just for show, the latter is life itself. What I want is to live a life with you all."

Zhao Hongling stood up abruptly, complaining, "Then why didn't you refuse? She raised her cup and you drank? If I did that to you, you would have jumped up long ago!"

"Because you wouldn't treat me like that."

Chen Xuan turned to look at her, his tone softening, "You are Zhao Hongling, with a fiery temper; you scold when you want to scold, and hug when you want to hug. She is different; she is the Great Zhou Empress. If I were to slight her Face in public, it would cause turmoil in the imperial court. One cup of wine in exchange for peace in the world is worth drinking."

Zhao Hongling's mouth moved as if she wanted to argue, but she was interrupted by Liu Ruyan.

"But among men in this world, nine out of ten will change." She fanned herself, her voice light, "Today you can reject power for love, but tomorrow you might not be able to hold onto your original intentions."

Chen Xuan looked at her without a word, then turned and walked toward the pavilion.

He picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup, and drank it in one gulp.

Then he stood up, walked to the center of the courtyard, and looked up at the moon.

"I, Chen Xuan, am twenty-two, originally a lazybones who only wanted to lie down and bask in the sun. But ever since I met you, I have been willing to run, willing to struggle, and willing to climb out of bed in the middle of the night to practice martial arts."

He paused, his voice deepening, "The night Leng Shuang was poisoned, I carried her out of the forest, and I even lost a shoe running; when Hongling was being hunted by her Family, I carried my blade and blocked the bridgehead, not closing my eyes for three days; when Xue was trapped in the snow of the Northern Territory, I walked seventy miles across the frozen river; when Ruyan was investigating her father's injustice, I combed through the old archives of three cities."

He looked at each of them in turn, "Which one of you have I not risked everything for? If I coveted power, I would have defected to the powerful long ago."

"But I chose you all—one as cold as ice, one with a temper louder than thunder, one with a heart thicker than city walls, and one whose life is as fragile as paper."

He smiled, "You say men change? I insist on not changing. What I want is not to be above ten thousand people and below one; I want the four of you by my side. You can argue, you can make a fuss, as long as when I come home at night, I can still hear someone calling my name."

After speaking, he walked back to Leng Shuang and took her hand, "I understand your silence, so I won't make you wait too long."

He walked to Zhao Hongling and rubbed her head, "Your temper is the most genuine, so I never use lies to coax you."

He looked at Dugu Xue, "Your perseverance is what I admire most, so I must be worthy of your strength."

Finally, he stopped in front of Liu Ruyan, took the fan from her hand, and gently closed it, "Your gentleness is the warmest, so I cannot bear to let it go cold."

The four of them did not speak.

The wind fell still.

After a long while, Zhao Hongling suddenly chuckled, "Are all these lines of yours something you've been memorizing for a long time?"

"I didn't memorize them." Chen Xuan spread his hands, "I made them up on the spot; my mouth is faster than my brain."

Leng Shuang lowered her head, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly; though she did not speak, she gently squeezed his hand back.

Dugu Xue picked up the teapot and poured him another cup, "Finish this cup; we still have to practice sword tomorrow morning."

Liu Ruyan took back the fan, fanned it twice, and smiled, "Then I will play a new song tomorrow called 'Five People Walking Together', how about that?"

"Sure." Chen Xuan sat down and picked up the tea, "But don't write it too sentimentally; I'm afraid that as I listen, I might cry."

Everyone chuckled.

Moonlight spilled over the courtyard, the lamp shadows flickered, and the sound of the zither began.

Chen Xuan leaned back against the chair, listening to Liu Ruyan plucking the strings, watching them all relax, and the stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.

The sound of the watch drum came from afar; it was the third watch.

He squinted at the sky, thinking: Li Qingge is coming tomorrow, and I don't know what harsh words she will say this time.

The sound of the zither tinkled, falling upon his eyelids like raindrops.