CFB Chapter 124

Translator – Xiao He Lian

This is a translation hosted on KnoxT, copies found elsewhere are either stolen or plagiarized. Please support the translator by reading it at KnoxT.

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Chapter 124

 

 

The lights were bright and the breeze was blowing. Sui Yu was stunned. His arms hanging down at his sides kept shaking and his heart was beating wildly…

He had seen this figure countless times in his endless dreams and in the dim night.

But only this time it was real.

He recited a ballad in his mind.

His eyes reddened slightly.

His adams apple slid, and he recited another one…..

The light first shone in the empty valley, as bright as a morning torch. With the voice of “Brother Xiao Yu”, the tense string in their hearts broke with a “ding”. The dusty memories appeared before their eyes like a kaleidoscope, spinning fast.

The twelfth year of Yuanqing.

That year, Shen Yao had just reached the age of marriage, and the daughter of the Shen family was sought after by hundreds of families. One day, Shen Yao accidentally heardMarquis Xuanping joking with his father: “The second young lady has reached the age of marriage, I wonder if she will be paired with that bastard boy in my family?”

Shen Wenqi said seriously: “What are Sui Yu’s thoughts?”

Marquis Xuanping said, “Sui Yu is different from a warrior like me. He is obsessed with the imperial examination next year and has no intention of getting married. But I always think that a man should get married first and then start a career. Brother Shen, how about we become in-laws?”

Shen Yao who was outside the door, curled her lips, turned around and left.

If it’s not his intention, then naturally it won’t work.

At night, the Marquis’s wife was sitting on the couch and whispered in her ear, “Yao Yao, the son of the Marquis Xuanping, Sui Yu, and the eldest grandson of the Luoyang Qu family, Qu Ziyang, the one who came to our house last year, which one do you like better?”

Shen Yao lazily placed her chin on her mother’s shoulder, blinked and said, “If I choose Qu Ziyang, do I have to go to Luoyang?”

Marchioness nodded, “Of course, but the Qu family and our family know each other well, and they won’t let you suffer any injustice.”

Shen Yao raised the corner of her mouth, “But I don’t want to leave Chang’an, I don’t want to marry far away.”

Marchioness sighed, “Then…what do you think of the one from the Sui family? I see that you are quite close to him.”

Shen Yao smiled and said, “How am I close to her? Mother, your daughter is only fourteen, why are you always thinking about my marriage? Are you going to let me get married next year? Can’t you wait a little longer? There is a saying that goes, good food is worth waiting for.”

“Look at what a girl like you is saying!” The Marquis’s wife muttered, “Okay, let’s wait a little longer, there’s no need to rush.”

So, the words of the Marquis’s wife, “Wait a little longer, there’s no need to rush,” floated from Shen Wenqi’s mouth to the Marquis of Xuanping, and finally reached Sui Yu’s ears.

The noble ladies in Chang’an were not in a hurry to get married. After all, no one wanted to go to someone else’s house at the age of fourteen or fifteen. But when it came to getting engaged… no one would delay…

A family like the Yunyang Marquis would never let their daughter marry blindly. “Wait a little longer” was obviously not in line with his wishes.

During the Spring Festival.

During the Lantern Festival again.

The heir apparent of Xuanping Marquis hired many strong men to break Shen Yao away from her maids. He dragged Shen Yao to the corridor of a Buddhist temple and asked with gritted teeth: “Second Miss, why don’t you give me a straightforward answer.”

Shen Yao asked, “What does the heir apparent mean?”

Sui Yu looked into her eyes and said, “Shen Yao!”

Shen Yao closed her eyes and pretended to have a stomachache, then pushed him and said, “I have a stomachache, please let me go.”

Sui Yu didn’t give in and whispered, “Pretending to be sick and falling down is something you are best at.”

Sui Yu’s words were not groundless.

He remembered that in one autumn hunt when there was no one around. Shen Yao fell down in the hunting ground and injured her ankle. It was Sui Yu who carried her out.

Another time, during a spring outing last year, she fell again, and he had to carry her again. Unexpectedly, when she was on his back, pulling his ear, she asked, “Will brother Yu carry anyone who falls down?”

Sui Yu’s handsome face flushed slightly, and he clenched his hands into fists, not daring to move at all, and said in a deep voice: “Second Miss did it on purpose.”

It wasn’t intentional. Why do you fall every time you see me?

Thinking about the past, Sui Yu clenched his fist, looked into her eyes and said, “After the imperial examination results are announced, I will come to your house to propose marriage. Are you willing?”

Shen Yao’s heart was as beautiful as the bright lights outside, but she didn’t show it on her face. She just raised her foot and took a step forward, saying, “I should go now.”

Sui Yu’s chest rose and fell, and he thought of the words “wait a little longer”. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into his arms.

The humble and polite Sui Yu had a sultry lust in his eyes.

He lowered his head and kissed her.

Shen Yao was in a daze, and her eyes widened.

Sui Yu held her tightly, but she just patted his shoulder like a cat. After an unknown amount of time, the two separated. Sui Yu smiled softly and said, “Did Second Miss eat candy?”

Shen Yao blushed, put her hand on his shoulder, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in his ear: “I wish Brother Xiaoyu will win the first prize in the imperial examination.”

Sui Yu once said that he had two regrets in his life.

One is when one becomes a successful candidate on the imperial examination and the other is the wedding night.

After Marquis Yunyang was imprisoned, Marquis Xuanping’s Mansion also fell into decline for a while. The Xu family immediately extended an olive branch to the Marquis Xuanping’s Mansion. Even though he had no intention of getting married, it did not stop the Xu family from wanting to form an alliance with the Sui family.

When the situation became stalemate, his teacher’s daughter said to him: “I am aware of the heir apparent’s worries, and there is also a person that I don’t want to marry. Why not…”

Sui Yu nodded in the end.

He sat in the bridal chamber, next to the bride, and the last words Shen Yao said to him flashed in his ears, “Brother Xiaoyu, forget what you said before. Promise me that from now on, don’t miss me anymore.”

You need to get married, have children, and live a happy life.

Sui Yu also wanted to ask how he could stop missing her.

He believed that time was the best medicine and that he could live his life in harmony with his wife.

Today he realized that he was wrong again…

After collecting his thoughts, the person next to Sui Yu repeated, “Brother Xiao Yu, what are you looking at?

Shen Yao’s shoulders stiffened.

Shen Shu held her hand and said softly, “Yao Yao, you and Wu Li have been married for four years, why don’t you have any children?”

Shen Yao was stunned, and her panicked eyes gradually returned to normal. She said, “It’s cold in the north, and I’ve been injured before, so I’ve been using incense.”

Shen Shu asked her, “Does Wu Li know?”

Shen Yao nodded, “He knows, he told me to do so.”

Shen Shu squeezed her palm and said, “Yao Yao, I can see that he treats you very well.”

Shen Yao’s shoulders relaxed instantly. She knew that man treated her well.

Shen Yao’s wildly beating heart gradually calmed down after hearing Shen Shu’s words. She said, “Sister, how is he doing?” This was the question she wanted to ask but didn’t dare to ask since she came to the capital.

What she feared most was that Sui Yu still missed her.

Shen Shu looked into Shen Yao’s eyes and said, “He married his teacher’s daughter and was appointed as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. His future is limitless.”

Hearing this, Shen Yao’s eyes turned red and she smiled with relief.

She looked back—

The man hadn’t moved at all, with a smile on his face, as if he was waiting for her.

After their eyes met, the two sisters went to see the Lantern Festival together.

I wish you peace and happiness.

One glance was enough.

 

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On the other side, Shen Zhen walked towards the highest stage in Chang’an City and saw Lu Yan’s back from afar.

During the Jin Dynasty, military posts were set up in the corners of Chang’an and at the city gates. Each post had a different number of soldiers, with 100 soldiers at the big city gates, 20 soldiers at the small city gates, 30 soldiers at the big posts, and 10 soldiers at the small posts. During the curfew on normal days, the street messengers led the soldiers to patrol around, and there were also soldiers undercover in various places. If a public security incident occurred, the military posts were responsible for arresting the perpetrators, and the street messengers were responsible for reporting major incidents.

Today was the Lantern Festival. Jingzhao Prefecture and the Jinwu Guards had sent twice as many people to maintain the law and order in Chang’an. But the result was that no one no one was left in the office..

Lu Yan was holding the document submitted by the street envoy in his hand, he became angry and said, “I told you to strictly guard against water leakage and investigate the source of fire tonight. How could you let such a big fire start in Anshan lane!”

The officer bowed his head and said, “Please forgive me, My Lord. forgive me. This is intentional arson by someone in Anshan lane. My Lord, it is not a dereliction of duty by this subordinate.”

Lu Yan’s eyes darkened, and he said sternly, “Let’s not talk about whether you have failed in your duty for now. The fire over at Anshan lane has not subsided yet, but you are still standing here. Are you waiting for me to put out the fire?”

Hearing Lord Lu’s stern tone, the officer shuddered and ran away immediately.

Less than a moment later, Meng Wei came to report, “Lord Lu, Prince Teng flirted with a girl from the Wang family in public, and he was drunk. The Jinwu Guards tried to dissuade him but he refused to listen. What should we do?”

Meng Wei could easily handle solving cases, performing autopsies, and writing reports, but he was really at a loss when it came to dealing with the top dignitaries in Chang’an.

Lu Yan exhaled, rubbed his brows, and threw his badge to him, “Then please go to Jingzhao Mansion to sober him up.”

Meng Wei hesitated and said, “Prince Teng’s status is different from others. If you do this, and there is a commotion tomorrow…”

Lu Yan said coldly, “I will go see the Emperor tomorrow. How many times a year has Prince Teng flirted with girls in the street and caused so many deaths? Does he really think that Jingzhao Prefecture, the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice are all figureheads?”

Meng Wei nodded, “I understand.”

Shen Zhen watched him silently from a distance. Miao Li asked, “Why don’t you go over there, Miss?”

Shen Zhen whispered: “Wait a little longer, he is busy right now.”

But during the Lantern Festival, Governor Lu had no time to rest.

A moment later, Yang Zong came again, “Master, Princess Qingning embarrassed the girl from the Bai family in the street and slapped her a few times. The Bai family came to report to the authorities.”

He sneered and said, “Never mind, let them be.”

Yang Zong added: “But the eldest son of the Bai family is right in front of the gate of Jingzhao Prefecture.”

Lu Yan looked at the dazzling lanterns above his head and lost all his patience.

What’s so beautiful about the Lantern Festival? Why does everyone come out to walk on the street?

Right now, he had only one thought in his mind.

Although this life was very different from my previous life, I did one thing right in my previous life – I entered the central government and took charge of the government.

Governor of Jingzhao, he must hand over this hot potato.

Just as Yang Zong was about to speak, Lu Yan raised his hand and said, “Stop talking, let me have some peace.”

Yang Zong finally spoke, “My Lord, your wife is behind you…”

Hearing this, Lu Yan turned around and saw Shen Zhen wearing a plain white short jacket and a long green skirt that trailed the ground. She was holding a peace lantern in her hand and standing not far away. The tip of her nose was red from the cold.

You can tell at a glance that she has been waiting for quite a while.

Lu Yan strode over, took off his own cloak, and put it on her, saying in a cold tone, “Why are you wearing so little?”

Shen Zhen put the lamp in his hand and said, “Thank you for your hard work, Lord Lu.”

 

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