48: Chapter 48 The letter the gentleman left for her

It had never existed in anyone's memory.

Zhuge Jinyu stood where she was.

Her delicate body swayed inevitably.

The last shred of hope was completely shattered.

"Sir... you vanished so thoroughly."

She turned around slowly, no longer looking at those ignorant children and the puzzled matrons.

She walked out of the Nourishing Sanctuary with unsteady steps.

...

The Great Qian recovering its former capital was a major event.

Inside the city, gongs and drums filled the air, and the city walls were crowded with people.

Even inside the imperial palace, it was no exception.

The civil and military officials, and even the young emperor Liu Dou, had all joined in this wild victory celebration.

They were celebrating the current victory and dreaming of the future of the Northern Expedition.

Even Huang Ying, the workhorse who never took a day off, had uncharacteristically received a few days of vacation from Zhuge Jinyu.

But Zhuge Jinyu herself...

In everyone's eyes, she was the greatest contributor to Great Qian.

She merely returned to the newly renovated imperial palace, finished handling the necessary state affairs, and declined all banquets.

Then she dismissed her attendants and walked alone through the vast imperial city.

She went to the Imperial Study; the layout remained the same.

But the flower pot that Su Chen had broken while teasing her, and which she had pieced back together, did not have a single crack on it.

She went to the former site of the military platform, which had been renovated and leveled.

The long scar left by the sword strike when Su Chen borrowed her body to kill Liu Peizhuo had already vanished.

She walked through every path where he might have "appeared."

Or the palace corridors and courtyards where she had merely "discussed" state affairs with him.

She found nothing.

In this world, all evidence of Su Chen's existence seemed to have been quietly erased by an invisible hand.

It was as if he had truly never existed.

Just like those ten years of companionship, that final sacrifice and confession.

They were all just the delusions of her, Zhuge Jinyu, alone.

A long and realistic... mirage.

Zhuge Jinyu, holding onto her last fantasy, continued to walk forward.

She knew that place would give her the final answer.

Unknowingly, she arrived at the location of the Imperial Preceptor Temple in her memory.

However, the plaque that came into view did not say "Imperial Preceptor Temple."

The three large characters were incredibly clear under the glow of the palace lanterns.

"Wuhou Shrine."

Wuhou Shrine?

Zhuge Jinyu was stunned.

It was her title.

Now, very few people knew she even had such a title.

Not long after Liu Xuan died, she inherited the position of Prime Minister.

In order to increase the prestige of his little aunt, the young emperor Liu Dou specifically chose a piece of land and enfeoffed her as a marquis.

The fiefdom was in the Wuxiang Prefecture of Great Qian, so she was also called Marquis Wu.

She stood blankly in front of the temple gate.

Although she had long guessed that this might happen, but...

The temple built for the Sir had actually turned into one built for her?

Zhuge Jinyu tried pushing the heavy gate.

With a creak, the door opened.

Inside the temple, it was brightly lit, and the scent of incense lingered.

In the main hall, a tall jade statue was enshrined.

The statue was dressed in moon-white Prime Minister robes, holding a vermilion bird feather fan, with hair as white as snow, a cold and stunningly beautiful face, and a heroic air between her brows; it was lifelike.

It was exactly the likeness of her, Zhuge Jinyu.

Beneath the statue, fruits were offered on the altar, and the eternal lamp burned quietly.

The prayer mats were arranged neatly, as if commoners often came to worship.

Building a temple for a living person was originally a violation of protocol.

But with her current merit of saving the world from collapse and her high prestige, no one felt it was inappropriate; on the contrary, they thought it was only natural.

"Pfft."

Zhuge Jinyu couldn't help but laugh.

She had already guessed who was behind such a move.

This whole thing was definitely that bad Sir playing tricks.

Back when she first built a temple for the Sir, he seemed to have said that since he was still alive, building a temple for him was very unlucky, yadda yadda.

But...

Why here?

Why specifically here?

This was the last place that could prove Su Chen's existence.

Sir... is this what you wanted?

To pile everything that should have belonged to you onto me?

To let me bear this supreme glory alone, and also bear this bone-aching longing alone?

Zhuge Jinyu did not understand, she really did not understand.

She stumbled to the front of the statue and collapsed onto the prayer mat where she most often sat.

Just when she felt exhausted in body and mind, and her consciousness was blurring.

Beneath the prayer mat, something seemed to poke her hip.

She reached out dazedly.

Her fingertips touched a paper object.

It was a letter.

The envelope was made of the most ordinary material, and there was no signature.

But when her fingertips touched that letter, a strong premonition arose.

This letter was left for her by the Sir.

It must be!

With her heart pounding wildly, she pulled the letter out from under the prayer mat and carefully unfolded it.

Inside was a folded sheet of stationery.

On it was the familiar handwriting that pressed through the paper.

It was the handwriting she had copied countless times.

It was the Sir's.

【Xiao Yu:】

【When you see this letter, everything must have settled.】

【You should have already discovered that I used my last bit of strength to modify everyone's cognition.】

【In their eyes, there is no Imperial Preceptor Su Chen, only Prime Minister Zhuge, who calculates everything without omission and saves the crumbling mansion.】

【Do not blame the Sir for being too heartless.】

【I was originally a lonely soul from another world, and by chance, I met you.】

【These ten years, protecting you and assisting you, was the choice I regret the least.】

【But I know deep down that your personality is sometimes too stubborn, too prone to getting stuck in dead ends.】

【And I, this passerby, carry too much weight in your heart.】

【Therefore, the Sir had no choice but to use this desperate measure.】

【My hometown has a saying: Death is not the true death of a person; being forgotten is.】

【I used a small trick to make everyone in this world forget my existence.】

【Only you remember.】

【Only in this way will you not undervalue your own life after I am gone, and continue to move forward along the established direction.】

【Because as long as you still remember me, the life of your "Sir" Su Chen will continue in another way.】

【Your life is my life, your glory is my glory.】

【Oh, and that temple.】

【I originally wanted to destroy it, but I thought since it was already built, it shouldn't be built in vain.】

【I changed the temple to your name, letting all the incense wishes and all the faith and gratitude belong to you alone.】

【This immense power of wishes gathered from the gratitude of the masses should be able to resist the Heavenly Dao's punishment on the descendants of the Zhuge Family, as well as the influence of your so-called "Heavenly Lone Star" destiny.】

【This is the last thing I can do for you.】

【Don't cry, my Xiao Yu.】

【You are already a powerhouse in the Tribulation Transcendence Realm, the pillar of Great Qian, and the future co-ruler of the world.】

【You must live well and watch over that peaceful and prosperous age with clear seas and calm rivers for me, your Sir.】

【As for me, your Sir... haha.】

【Let me tell you a secret: by acting first and reporting later, building this 'Wuhou Shrine' for you, I've avenged the grudge from back then when you hurriedly built a temple for me before I was even 'thoroughly dead,' right?】

【Does this mean we're even?】

【Live well.】

【If there really is a next life, I, your Sir, will accompany you to find a city where we can watch the snow and the sea together.】

...

(The first 100,000-word debut is over. This book has flopped again. Today's daily income is two yuan and five, but I'll keep writing for the love of it, sigh.)