Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace: Spring in the Palace

*Late at night, at Zhao Jiuxiao's residence

The season of trumpet creeper blooming has passed, and Ling Yunche feels sad when thinking about it. So he specially brought some wine and food to Zhao Jiuxiao to have a heart-to-heart talk with his brother.

"I'm not saying anything bad about you, Yun Che. When you and Yan Wan were in love, you always thought she was boring."

"Yan Wan cries all the time, and you feel bad for her, but you can't do anything to help her. If you want Yan Wan not to be bullied, then now that she has become Concubine Ling, isn't that what you want?"

"After all, you are Concubine Xian's man now, why do you still care about those things?" Zhao Jiuxiao curled his lips.

Ling Yunche had a bitter face for a long time. He had been looking so miserable ever since Yan Wan came to be favored by the emperor.

No matter how good the relationship was or how many years of acquaintance they had, Zhao Jiuxiao could not remain calm in the face of Ling Yunche's appearance. He had a gloomy face every day and either had a wry smile or a bitter smile.

Didn't you get a promotion and a raise? Didn't your feelings for Concubine Ling fade? Why do you always look like this? As if the whole world owes you something, and then you can feel at ease and degenerate.

Ling Yunche drank a glass of wine and said, "What do you know?"

"Yan Wan has her own difficulties. When I think about how it was my negligence that caused her to bear so much because of these difficulties that I was not aware of, my heart aches." Ling Yunche rubbed his chest.

He looked sad, still recalling Yan Wan's smile to him and the words she always praised him with care. He was such an ordinary person, but it was like the whole world to that little palace maid.

Ling Yunche poured himself another glass of wine, then raised his head and drank it all. When the wine went down his throat, a tear rolled down the corner of his eye.

He was immersed in his own perfect sadness.

The two people knew each other and loved each other for a long time. Ling Yunche felt lazy in his heart. However, it was because of his laziness that Yan Wan left him without saying goodbye.

In the past, he thought that the little maidservant who was a little nagging and always urging him to work hard was clumsy and not as smart as Concubine Xian. It was just because of luck that she had a similar face to Concubine Xian.

Such an ordinary and mediocre Wei Yanwan.

When she suddenly shouldered everything, she resolutely turned around and left without even glancing at Ling Yunche, and without saying a word to him...

Such a story full of tragedy and personal sacrifice for Wei Yanwan.

Wei Yanwan was dyed with a layer of rosy glow in Ling Yunche's heart. She changed from being a sticky rice stick on his lips, a vulgar little palace maid who thought about firewood, rice, oil and salt every day, to becoming the bright moon that he could never reach. She became his white moonlight Yanwan.

Zhao Jiuxiao laughed and said, "Yan Wan is a good girl. Who told you not to cherish her at that time?"

Ling Yunche frowned, feeling a little uncomfortable, and said, "Yanwan Yanwan, why are you calling me Yanwan?"

"Do you like Concubine Ling?" Ling Yunche's face flushed slightly. He was thinking of Yan Wan because she was his lover. Even though she became a concubine, the facts of the past could not be changed.

But where does this intimacy of yours, Zhao Jiuxiao, come from?

When Ling Yunche was reciting it himself, he didn't think there was anything wrong, but as soon as Zhao Jiuxiao recited it, he immediately brought up Yan Wan's identity as the emperor's concubine and told Zhao Jiuxiao not to dream about those impossible things.

This is Lord Ling’s double standard.

Zhao Jiuxiao rolled his eyes at him and said, "You really have a problem with your brain. Concubine Ling is the emperor's concubine. How could I have such inappropriate thoughts?"

"Hmph, as for you, you'd better give up those thoughts as soon as possible." General Zhao Jiuxiao also drank the wine in the glass in one gulp and reminded.

When mentioning Yan Wan, he thought of another person, the one he had been thinking about all the time.

"However, Lan Cui, who was beside Concubine Ling, made me fall in love with her at first sight." Zhao Jiuxiao said with a smile, his beard standing up because of his smile, "Lan Cui is pretty and fierce. When I saw her, I felt hot all over, and I just wanted to watch Lan Cui's glance and smile."

Zhao Jiuxiao sighed happily and said, "How wonderful it would be if I could marry Miss Lan Cui home one day."

Ling Yunche sneered at his wishful thinking, "The people around Concubine Ling will all marry the sons of high-ranking officials in the future, are you?" After saying this, the blush on Ling Yunche's face spread even more. He poured himself a drink and kept muttering, "It's not worthy. How can you and I ever be worthy?"

"Yanwan, Yanwan..." Then Ling Yunche covered his face and started crying.

Zhao Jiuxiao let out a click of his tongue. First of all, he hated Ling Yunche's half-dead and listless appearance. Second, he hated Ling Yunche's weak and helpless crying appearance.

He punched Ling Yunche on the shoulder. Although he didn't use too much force, he didn't hold back. He scolded, "What's the point of crying?"

"Cry, cry, just cry. You've cried away all your blessings." Zhao Jiuxiao tapped Ling Yunche's head heavily.

Ling Yunche wiped his tears with the palms of his hands, and then he said hesitantly, "I am sad because I lost Yanwan."

"Ah." Zhao Jiuxiao sighed again, then smiled and said, "I will definitely work hard. I want to marry Miss Lan Cui and treat her well in the future!"

Ling Yunche's face was still stained with tears. He asked curiously, "Brother, how did you suddenly get to know Lan Cui? She works in Yongshou Palace and you are in the cold palace. You don't have any chance to meet each other."

Zhao Jiuxiao glared at him and said, "What do you know? Miss Lan Cui sometimes passes by the cold palace. It's not like we will never see each other again."

"Oh, what a pity that Concubine Ling did not let Lan Cui pick trumpet creepers this year..." Zhao Jiuxiao stopped talking halfway, realizing that he had said something wrong.

"Tellus trumpetus?" The dizziness in Ling Yunche's head was driven away a little. He suddenly raised his head and stared at Zhao Jiuxiao with wide eyes. There were still red bloodshot in his eyes from crying, and his whole face looked like it was covered with a layer of red gauze.

Zhao Jiuxiao said nothing, just poured wine and drank.

Ling Yunche was anxious. He said, "Brother, if you still consider me a brother, then tell me, what exactly is this trumpet creeper?"

Zhao Jiuxiao was silent for a moment, and suddenly said, "Yun Che, you heard wrong." Then he raised the cup and looked at Ling Yun Che.

Ling Yunche just stared at Zhao Jiuxiao quietly, and the two of them just looked at each other.

After a while, Zhao Jiuxiao took a sip of wine and said, "I made a mistake."

"Yun Che, I didn't want to tell you. You just can't let go of Concubine Ling. If I told you, you would never forget her for the rest of your life."

Zhao Jiuxiao said sadly, "Last year, when the trumpet creepers were at their most blooming, Concubine Ling sent Lan Cui to the cold palace to fetch some. She came every day to fetch them until the trumpet creepers were no longer as beautiful as they could be."