Whether was it the Xie Family, Song Lian, or the Second Prince, they were actually just showing their stance; which was that the three of their houses were expressing their support for Chen Chao. As for whether Chen Chao could win the championship or not, it was actually not important.
Regardless of whether Chen Chao won or not, he would definitely become a highly sought-after young man in Great Liang Dynasty. Therefore, the prominent figures did not care about these at all.
Chen Chao was unaware of the large sums of money these prominent figures were using to express their support for him. If he had known, he would have definitely cried for them not to go through the trouble and just give him all the money.
He was preparing for the final martial exam these few days.
After Xie Nandu took first place in the literary exam, he felt a lot of pressure right now. Just as the Empress had said, he could not be inferior to a woman no matter what, right? Especially a girl that he liked.
Song Lian entered that small low-rise courtyard alone today.
A woman was currently washing clothes in the center of the courtyard. Seeing Song Lian carrying a bag of rice, she frowned and said with displeasure, "Why did you buy such a big bag of rice again? Do you really treat me as an outsider?"
Song Lian did not even lift his head and casually said, "The constable office distributed it. I can't finish it all by myself and weevils will grow if I leave it there. I brought it for you to eat so that it won't be a waste."
Some time ago, he had told that woman that he worked as a petty official at some constable office. He was not some big shot, but an ordinary constable. His monthly salary was not much either.
The woman did not doubt his explanation too much. It was just that she felt a bit envious as she said, "What kind of government office keeps giving you things every few days?"
Song Lian did not respond. After pouring the rice bag on his shoulder into the rice bin with familiarity, he went to pour himself a cup of tea. After drinking a large cup, he dragged a long bench to the courtyard and sat down, patting off the dust on his body.
The woman looked up but did not see a second person. She then asked rather curiously, "Where's that kid Chen Chao? Why isn't he here today?"
"That kid has an exam in a couple of days. He's been studying hard lately. He was also craving your food and asked me to bring some back for him later."
Song Lian's face did not turn red nor did his heart rate increase. When it came to telling lies, he had long changed from who he used to be.
Hearing this, the woman quickly stood up, wiped her hands on her clothes, smiling slightly. She grumbled, "If he wanted to eat, why didn't he come in person? Isn't it better to have a warm meal? It doesn't take much time."
As she spoke, she quickly went inside to wash the rice and cook a meal.
Song Lian sat down in front of that wooden tub very naturally and was about to start washing the clothes.
Inside the house, the woman heard the commotion outside and quickly said, "You shouldn't do these things anymore. Last time, you ended up ripping several of the clothes. I had to pay quite a sum of money!"
Hearing her words, Song Lian sheepishly withdrew his hands. As a Great Beyond martial artist, how could he have done these things before? When washing clothes, he naturally lacked finesse.
"If you really can't sit still, then you can chop some firewood."
"Okay."
"By the way, the water in the water jar is running low. Help me to fill it up later."
"Okay."
"There are a few loose roof tiles. it always leaks when it rains. If you have time, can you take a look? It's too high and I can't climb up there."
"Okay."
"Can't you say a few more words? Why do you always respond with just one word?"
"O... right."
"Song Lian, you're not a likable person at all."
"I don't think so."
……
……
When the Myriad Willow Convention was being held, the court sessions of the Great Liang Dynasty never came to a halt. The Great Liang emperor appeared at court every day. Even after the sessions were over, he never went to the lakeside to observe the literary exam. The Great Liang Dynasty had prepared a lot for the Myriad Willow Convention. However, looking at the Emperor's demeanor, it seemed as if the Myriad Willow Convention was not all that important after all.
In reality, there was indeed another matter that was far more important than the Myriad Willow Convention in the Emperor's heart presently.
It was the Empress' health.
The Empress had always been in poor health. Over the years, countless renowned physicians had come to diagnose and treat her, but none of them could find a solution. They could only prescribe some precious spirit medicines to nourish her body, but they were unable to cure her completely.
Even with the best spirit medicines, the Empress' health continued to deteriorate day by day. At this point, it had worsened even more.
A few days ago, the Empress had already been confined to her bed.
On this day, even before the court sessions were over, the Great Liang emperor anxiously interrupted the session and dismissed the officials, returning to the palace early.
He did not order anyone to prepare a sedan but instead, walked alone towards the Empress' chamber. Along the way, numerous palace maids and eunuchs who saw the Great Liang emperor silently knelt down. The Emperor paid little attention and continued walking alone until he arrived at the Empress' chamber.
Standing outside the palace, he glanced at the palace attendants coming and going. The Great Liang emperor's expression went from grim to gentle. After waiting for a slight smile to appear on his face, he slowly entered.
It was still midsummer, yet there was a sense of heat within the palace. Normally, the usual talismans would not be lacking here. But in reality, they were everywhere because the Empress' body had become extremely weak. She had reached a point where she desperately needed warmth. So the palace was filled with talismans, not to cool the temperature, but to warm it up.
The Great Liang emperor approached the bed and sat down slowly, gazing at the woman who had become much thinner. The pain in his eyes could no longer be concealed.
Sensing the difference in her surroundings, the Empress opened her eyes slightly and discovered that sure enough, it was the Great Liang emperor who had come. She glanced outside and then spoke with some effort, "Your Majesty, it is not yet time for the court session to be dismissed."
There was a slight hint of anger in her voice, but it was not strong. It was mostly a sense of helplessness.
That was the meaning of helplessness.
The Great Liang emperor furrowed his brows and also said with some unhappiness. "You're ill. We said We won't hold the court session and that We would accompany you. You accused Us of neglecting state affairs, so We have never done so. Now, We merely dismissed the session a little earlier, and you still have to say this?"
The Empress said softly, "Your Majesty is the ruler of the world. If you don't want to listen to me, it is your prerogative. I can also apologize to Your Majesty."
Hearing these words, the Great Liang emperor frowned again before saying rather aggrievedly, "Why are you saying such things? We just wanted to spend more time with you. We have so much time to accompany the world, but so little with you. Right now, We only want to reclaim some of that time. If you're not happy, We won't do it anymore."
Upon hearing this, the Empress smiled and replied softly, "I can still say a few words now, but when I'm gone, who will be able to restrain Your Majesty? Nation Teacher has long passed away, and Your Majesty probably won't listen to the words of your sons too. As for those officials, when has Your Majesty ever cared about them?"
The Great Liang emperor shook his head and said, "Empress, you still have many years to accompany Us. Why speak of these things?"
"Stop deceiving yourself as well as others, Your Majesty. Don't you think I know what my health is like? It's just that I really don't want to die yet at this moment. I don't know if I can hold on until that child enters the palace again."
There was some emotion in her eyes, directed towards Chen Chao.
The Great Liang emperor said, "If you want to see that child, then just have him enter the palace. Take another look at him before the martial exam begins?"
"Forget it, I don't want to distract him. Besides, I've already met him before. If I can hold on until he returns from the martial exam, there are some heartfelt words that I really want to say."
The Empress looked at the Great Liang emperor and said softly, "Your Majesty, I know that even now, you're still uncertain about his identity. But I can be certain that he's that child."
"Your Majesty doesn't need to ask why I'm so certain. Some things simply don't have logical explanations."
The Great Liang emperor smiled and said, "Since you've said so, We believe you."
The Empress nodded and reminisced, "That girl was fated to live a tough life. Nobody in the manor liked her much and Mother despised her even more. Because of these matters, Father could only hide in the northern frontier. In the entire manor, I was the only one that she talked to more frequently. Later, I originally thought she had found a good home, but I didn't expect the outcome to be so tragic. Her life was filled with hardships."
The Great Liang emperor did not speak.
He naturally knew about those stories.
The Empress continued, "I still remember the day that girl was brought into the manor, timid and full of fear in her eyes."
Recalling a distant figure from the past, the expression on the Empress' face became rather nostalgic.
The Great Liang emperor looked at her and said, "Sometimes We wonder, if We hadn't risen in rebellion and waged that war, would you have been spared from these sufferings?"
The Empress shook her head and said with a smile, "If Your Majesty hadn't fought that war, the world wouldn't be better off. It wouldn't have been a favorable outcome for Your Majesty either. Losing your title, being confined for life, perhaps that would have been the best fate for Your Majesty. However, knowing the temperament of that child, it's likely that it wouldn't have stopped there. Your Majesty's life likely would not have been spared. But the most important thing is that the world would have lost Your Majesty. How could Great Liang be how it is today?"
The Great Liang emperor said self-deprecatingly, "How are We so irreplaceable?"
The Empress did not rush to speak. She simply looked at the palace lanterns in the distance that had not been lit yet. She did not know if she would still be able to see those lanterns light up either. Even if she could, how many more days could she see?
She remembered the first time she met His Highness the Prince at the lakeside when they were young. These two people's initial encounter was not considered pleasant, but the subsequent stories could truly be regarded as a model for emperors and empresses throughout the ages. Such a story was likely unprecedented in the past and would be difficult to come by in the future.
"Your Majesty, I've seen that girl and I am very satisfied. Since she also likes that child, there's no need to let her make those meaningless choices again."
The Great Liang emperor looked at her and said, "Of course."
"I gave her the bracelet that the Queen Mother gave me."
The Empress smiled, genuinely quite happy.
The Great Liang emperor jokingly remarked, "When our eldest son got married, We thought you would give her the bracelet, but in the end, you didn't. The same thought crossed Our mind when our second son got married, but again, it didn't happen. We then thought it was meant for our third son's wife, but We didn't expect you to give it to that girl."
The Empress smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you didn't see how panicked he looked when I scared that child. No matter how level-headed he appears, deep down, that child still has a childish side when it comes to things he cares about. But he didn't have much to begin with, and now that he finally has a girl he likes, if she were to be snatched by someone, I can't imagine how heartbroken he would be."
"Yes, that's why you must firmly place that girl in his hands now."
The Empress said, "Our family owes theirs quite a lot, but that's not my reason. I simply don't want him to suffer injustices throughout his life like that girl."
The Great Liang emperor did not speak because he could already tell that the Empress in front of him was extremely tired.
Indeed, the Empress felt her eyelids becoming heavy, unable to keep them open. She closed her eyes slightly and said softly, "Your Majesty, I'll nap for a bit. When the sunset is beautiful later, I will accompany Your Majesty to watch it."
The Great Liang emperor nodded and said with a faint smile, "Sleep, We will wake you later."
He stood up and gently covered the sleeping Empress with a blanket.
Then he slowly got up, walked to the doorway, and looked at the sun that had just reached noon height.
None of the palace attendants here dared to make the slightest sound.
They all knew that the Emperor was the most gentle when he was by the Empress' side. But now, the Empress had already reached this state, it was evident that the Emperor's mood must be extremely poor at the moment.
"Summon the imperial physicians, We want to see them."
The Great Liang emperor looked into the distance, his voice rather weary. "Summon the Dean to the palace."
After saying these two sentences, the Great Liang emperor became somewhat exhausted and directly sat down on the doorstep.
He looked into the distance, lost in thought. But most likely, what he longed for the most was the woman who once sat by his side.
He had this woman accompany him throughout the first half of his life. But it became an unknown for the latter half of his life.
They had known each other since young and accompanied each other for half a lifetime, without ever harboring suspicion or anything else. Their feelings were completely incomprehensible to outsiders, unrelated to status or anything else. It was just the simplest form of love.
He was somewhat saddened, but could not cry.
He was the emperor, he could not cry in front of the world's people.
The Great Liang emperor looked at the stone steps before him and whispered, "If wonderful would it be if we were still young."
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