The cloud guards present lowered their heads, not daring to respond, as if accustomed to Zuo Jing's temper. However, a hint of amusement flickered in their eyes.
She too could be bested by others?
At night, Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing returned to the imperial palace, their affection as boundless as the moonlit sky.
"Brother Xiao is going to Luzhou. You'll miss Shuang'er..." Xiao Qing said with a hint of a sob.
Ever since she met the little sprite Zhuo Xun, Xiao Qing had been practicing fake crying for Liang Xiao as she accompanied Zhuo Xun on her journey for scriptures. Still, she was light-years away from Zhuo Xun's effortless tears.
"How could I not miss you?" Liang Xiao affectionately pinched Xiao Qing's small face, tidying her braid.
This maiden, a majestic emperor before others, showed only her tender side to him. She was even willing to abdicate her throne to him. How could he bear to disappoint her?
Xiao Qing was finally content, nestling in Liang Xiao's arms, gazing at the moon with a sigh, "As Brother Xiao says, people have their joys and sorrows. Life is truly short and bitter..."
Liang Xiao softly replied, "Your husband will accompany you all well."
He insisted on working at night precisely to spend more time with his family.
Xiao Qing giggled and asked again, "Brother Xiao, have you heard the legend of Qin Shi Huang seeking the elixir of immortality?"
"Of course!" Liang Xiao replied without hesitation.
Perhaps due to geographical differences, which created a butterfly effect, this world's history diverged from that of the Qin Dynasty.
The Qin Dynasty still fell after two generations, but it was overthrown by the "Wu Dynasty." Following the Wu Dynasty came the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Great Heng Kingdom, the Great Qian Kingdom...
Consequently, "The Hegemony of Chu and Han" perfectly connected with the Qin Dynasty's history here, offering new inspiration to the populace, who readily accepted the stories of the Chu-Han struggle.
"Attack the unjust, slay the tyrannical Qin!"
"Are kings and generals born noble?"
These were also incorporated by Liang Xiao into "The Hegemony of Chu and Han" as a prologue.
She said softly with a smile, "From the moment I fell for Brother Xiao, Shuang'er seems to understand Qin Shi Huang's desire for immortality."
Liang Xiao pouted, "When did you fall for me?"
"Brother Xiao's focus is always so peculiar!"
Xiao Qing's face flushed, and she stammered, "After I got drunk and fell asleep on your shoulder, when I left your house and heard Eunuch Ding sighing in the carriage, I felt a little bit then... Ah! It was really just a little bit, not a lot at all..."
Liang Xiao chuckled, speechless.
At the time, he had been thinking, why is this little eunuch suddenly fixated on me?
But later, he thought that perhaps it could benefit the people, so he let the little eunuch cause trouble. When he grew up, he would deal with him... But this child was also quite pitiful, forget it, no need for revenge.
It was in this conflicted state of mind that he began to sigh.
Taking advantage of Xiao Qing's shyness, Liang Xiao quickly asked, "Then when did you like me a lot?"
Xiao Qing pouted, "It was that same night, after I heard what Eunuch Ding said and cried..."
Looking at his beloved who had honestly confessed, Liang Xiao burst into laughter and, without warning, kissed her.
"Brother Xiao is being mischievous again! I'm talking about immortality with you~"
Xiao Qing feigned a scolding, but dimples appeared on her face as she smiled.
Then Xiao Qing looked up at the night sky and murmured, "Later, when Brother Xiao accepted me, Shuang'er, as Princess Ning Shuang, the whole world seemed to brighten. At that time, Shuang'er wished Brother Xiao could live a hundred years, even forever. I even prayed to Heaven and our ancestors during sacrifices..."
Liang Xiao softly asked, "And what about yourself, Shuang'er?"
"It doesn't matter. As long as Brother Xiao is well, the Great Qian Kingdom will not lose hope," Xiao Qing said proudly.
Liang Xiao hugged Xiao Qing tightly, feeling a pang of tenderness. He chided, "Silly girl! What's so good about eternal life? In the end, you watch all your loved ones depart one by one, leaving you alone to walk the river of time. How lonely! Immortality is precisely a torture for a person."
"Why do you say that..." Xiao Qing asked weakly.
Liang Xiao couldn't help but sigh.
"Shuang'er's idea is that she truly wishes your Brother Xiao could live forever, so that eternal peace could be achieved. Then, even if you are all gone, Brother Xiao could find new loves, remaining young forever. Isn't that right?"
"Ah, you can't hide anything from me~" Xiao Qing admitted with a flushed face.
This was indeed her thought: How could someone like Brother Xiao die young? He should at least live a hundred years!
Liang Xiao explained, "To lose the love of your life, to watch friends and family depart, to be alone forever – what meaning does eternal life hold? Perhaps you could meet new friends, start a new family, but that would no longer be your life. You would essentially be another person, with another social identity. I will only be your Liang Xiao."
"History is for future generations to strive for. We just need to do our best in our own time, to be worthy of the heavens. Centuries later, the world will undergo earth-shattering changes, but different eras have their own splendor and their own helplessness!"
Ning Xuejun, who stood behind them, secretly sighed, gazing at the devoted couple with envy.
In fact, she had once harbored such fantasies, wishing the late emperor, Emperor Wen, could live forever and remain healthy, instead of toiling away daily, often losing sleep.
Xiao Qing looked deeply at Liang Xiao, and after a long while, managed to utter, "Aow~"
"Aow?" Liang Xiao then burst into laughter.
Even she had learned from the female Bodhisattva!
Xiao Qing couldn't help but ask again, "Then, what if Shuang'er and Sister Qingxue, and the others, could all be immortal with Brother Xiao?"
"That would be reluctantly acceptable..." Liang Xiao grinned.
"Then Shuang'er will pray together with you next time during the sacrifices," Xiao Qing hummed.
Liang Xiao pouted, his hypocritical facade finally cracking, "Little girls fantasizing about useless things all day. The continuation of the royal lineage is the pressing matter. Can you be more serious? Look at the time, it's already here!"
Hearing Ning Xuejun's suppressed laughter from behind her, Xiao Qing touched her flushed face and cast a resentful glance at Liang Xiao.
...
At night, Xiao Qing suddenly woke up and found Liang Xiao not beside her. Alarmed, she quickly dressed and went to look for him, only to find him sitting in a corner, writing.
"Brother Xiao can already sleep, why does he still have the energy to write..." Xiao Qing's voice was a mere whisper, her face flushed.
Liang Xiao, who was writing, heard Xiao Qing's voice with his extraordinary hearing and smiled, "This way, we'll have more time to spend with you, day and night. It's good. You should go back to sleep."
Xiao Qing and Jian Qinwan already knew that his energy, hearing, and vision were unusual. There was no need to hide it.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qing couldn't help but weep. She walked over, embraced Liang Xiao from behind, and sobbed uncontrollably.
Why did he have to bear so much alone!
Hearing Xiao Qing's cries, Liang Xiao's heart ached. He quickly turned and held her in his arms to comfort her.
"When our child grows up and becomes a benevolent ruler who can stand on his own, Shuang'er will retire with Brother Xiao, okay? Then, Brother Xiao won't have to write at night and can always be with everyone!" Xiao Qing choked out.
"Alright, alright, as you wish," Liang Xiao quickly wiped her tears and replied without hesitation.
With the promotion of white sugar from the Anguo Sugar Refinery, Duanmu Family's maltose began to sell poorly due to inflated prices.
To the west of the Great Qian Kingdom, in the Guishuang Dynasty.
The King of Guishuang, adorned with gold embroidery on his imperial robe, was dozing. He suddenly opened his eyes, "Thurston, what is the situation in the western borders of the Great Qian Kingdom and with the Kingdom of Qiuci? Can we raise an army and occupy them?"