The years I was in the human world

Since ancient times, autumn has been a sad and lonely time. After the dead leaves have fallen, the scenery is always bleak. This has always been the case in the world, but there are few people in Changle Palace, so it seems even more deserted. Xie Yang went to Jiangzhou. Madam Du had a migraine again in the past few days. The attention of the whole palace was focused on the Pepper Palace, and the Fifth Prince had no time to provoke him.

Chu Zhaoli was happy to be alone, so he simply closed the door and refused to see anyone. Lu Zhouxue looked at the boy who was lying on the couch without shoes or socks, and sighed again. He pulled his clothes closer and said helplessly, "The weather is cold, you are not in good health, be careful not to catch a cold."

Chu Zhaoli turned over, and the collar of his shirt that he had just put on was pulled open again, revealing most of his chest. He lay on the recliner as if he didn't notice anything, yawned lazily and said, "It's still hot, how could I catch a cold?"

"Are you sleepy?" Lu Zhouxue pulled his hair.

Chu Zhaoli nodded, grabbed Lu Zhouxue's hand and held it in his arms, rubbing against it like a kitten: "I'm sleepy."

"Will I sleep with you for a while?" Lu Zhouxue let Chu Zhaoli hold her hand and sit on the ground. The latter blinked and smiled: "Okay."

The autumn rain has been continuous these days. Not long after sleeping, the rain started to fall again. Chu Zhaoli touched Lu Zhouxue's head which was resting on his stomach and said casually, "It seems that there is extra rain this year."

"Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from Jiangzhou that the autumn grain was not harvested on time. Due to the continuous rains, most of the rice is still in the fields and has been soaked and rotted. This year's grain harvest may be reduced by half." An official presented the memorial from Jiangzhou to the emperor with great concern.

"What should Xie Yang do? It's a rare good harvest, but the grain was soaked in water!" The emperor took the memorial, glanced at it, and threw it to the ground angrily. However, he was angry, but the problem had to be solved. He tried his best to suppress his anger, "Pass on my order, tell Xie Yang to solve the problems in Jiangzhou and come back to apologize!"

The minister took the order and left. The eunuch Chen Ping picked up the memorial on the ground and put it back on the table, and carefully advised: "Your Majesty, calm down. It is not worth hurting the emperor's body."

"Send Prime Minister Du to see me." The emperor ignored Chen Ping, feeling a surge of anger gathering in his chest that couldn't dissipate.

The halving of the autumn grain harvest was not entirely due to Xie Yang's poor performance, or it was not Xie Yang's fault at all. This year's rainfall was heavier than in previous years, not to mention the obstruction of the Du family, who instigated Jiangzhou officials to refuse to cooperate with the work, causing the grain harvest date to be delayed by several days, which led to the current disaster.

"Your Majesty, Li Xiuyi requests an audience." Chen Ping passed down the emperor's order and saw the palace concubine waiting cautiously and hesitantly outside Chengming Palace. He sighed in his heart and finally informed her.

"Get her out." The emperor was not a wise and capable king. He took over a country with declining imperial power from his father and monarch. The aristocratic families had suffered for a long time. The current situation in Jiangzhou might not be a manifestation of his losing to the aristocratic families in the struggle for power again.

The emperor's heart was burned with a sense of powerlessness and frustration. He was no longer young, but his old ambition to regain imperial power was still so far away. He was in pain and despair, and finally vented his anger towards others: "Chu Zhaowu has done such a thing, and she still has the nerve to come?!"

"Chu Zhaowu messed up things in Jiangzhou. The responsibility for the natural disasters and man-made disasters was not hers. But it will be difficult for her to make a comeback in the future." Chu Zhaoli sat in the corridor with a teacup as usual. Lu Zhouxue lay on his lap, and she also imitated him to lie barefoot, leisurely and relaxed.

Rain fell from the eaves, and looking out from that drop of water, the faces of all living beings were blurred, as if the heaven and earth were blocked by that rain curtain. The tiny raindrops fell on the ground, as if countless obsessions had settled.

"Father is very angry, but he didn't do anything to my second sister. He just blamed Xie Yang." Chu Zhaoli knew that he shouldn't say this, but as he looked at the rain dripping under the eaves, he couldn't help but think, if it was him who went to Jiangzhou, how would his father deal with him?

Lu Zhouxue didn't say anything, but stood up and shrank into Chu Zhaoli's arms. The latter took advantage of the situation and hugged him in his arms. He said helplessly and self-deprecatingly: "Father, in fact, always knows who is at fault, but someone has to take the consequences, and whoever is out of favor will be guilty."

"If you had gone to Jiangzhou, the rain this year would not have come so suddenly." Lu Zhouxue raised his head and kissed the corner of Chu Zhaoli's lips. He looked so serious and didn't seem to be joking at all.

"You are so brave to challenge fate." Chu Zhaoli's depression was swept away. He carefully responded to Lu Zhouxue's kiss and smiled faintly, "Although sometimes, I don't really believe in fate."

"It is God's will. Your Majesty, do not worry." The imperial master in sacrificial robes lightly attributed Jiangzhou's disaster to God's will. The emperor sitting opposite him was anxious: "Jiangzhou's harvest has been reduced by half. It has rained for months. Some people have said that I have angered God and am unfit to be a king. Imperial Master, how do you want me to stay calm?"

"If Your Majesty is really worried, you are just looking for an excuse to divert the blame. The Xie family or the Du family are both involved." Xiao Ling still had a calm expression. He slowly placed a piece on the chessboard. "At worst, it is possible that the crown prince will bring disaster to the world with a comet."

"But the prince has never even been to Jiangzhou, how can he win the trust of the people?" The emperor skipped the first two options without a second thought, but hesitated because it was too far-fetched to put the blame on the prince, and his moves became a mess.

"Has Your Majesty never been to Jiangzhou? The people are ignorant and foolish, and there are continuous torrential rains. They do not blame the natural disasters or man-made disasters, but think it is the fault of your majesty. As for your majesty, whether you are the current emperor or the crown prince, what difference does it make?" Xiao Ling killed the emperor with one move.

"Isn't this too unfair to the prince..." The emperor threw the remaining chess pieces back onto the board, unconsciously recalling Chu Zhaoli's thin back when he left him two months ago. For the first time in his life, he felt guilty towards this child whom he had never liked.

"It's a little late for Your Majesty to feel the injustice now." Xiao Ling said in a light tone. Seeing that the emperor was not going to get off the bed, he stood up, lit the eternal lamp and lit a stick of incense in front of the shrine behind him. His face was compassionate and pious, and he no longer cared about the emperor behind him.

Although Xiao Ling was so rude, the emperor did not bother with him. He just sat quietly for a while, and then seemed to have figured something out, so he stood up and left in a hurry.

The sound of the emperor leaving faded away, and the imperial teacher, who had been praying with his eyes closed, finally opened his eyes, a hint of hesitation on his face: The prince... didn't go to Jiangzhou?

Things seemed to be a little off, but it didn't matter. The incense in front of the shrine slowly dropped its ashes into the incense burner, just like the declining fortunes of the Western Dynasty. It wouldn't be long before Chu Zhaoli was almost killed by his king and father, and his luck would be exhausted sooner or later, Xiao Ling thought.

Xiao Ling quickly returned to his original calm state. He twirled the Buddhist beads on his wrist and thought expressionlessly that it had been six years since the prince was released from the cold palace, and it was time for him to go and take a look.

For the first time, the Imperial Master remembered the prince he had predicted as "a comet that would bring disaster to the world and disrupt the fate of the country", so he simply went to Changle Palace. At that time, Chu Zhaoli was playing barefoot in the puddles in the front yard without any image. When he heard the knock on the palace door, he joked to Lu Zhouxue, "Who is so polite that he even knows to knock on the door."

"Go change your clothes quickly. Look at yourself, are you sixteen or six?" Lu Zhouxue said as he walked over to open the door, and Chu Zhaoli went to change his clothes as he was told.

As the vermilion palace gate opened, a gorgeous man stood there. He had a face that looked like both a man and a woman, his hair was tied up with a green hairpin, and his black clothes dragged on the ground. He looked quite elegant. Lu Zhouxue still remembered this man, Xuan Dujun Xiao Yueheng. He did not change his appearance when he came to the human world.

The two people inside and outside were both stunned when they saw each other. Lu Zhouxue had been busy planning for Chu Zhaoli these days, and had forgotten about the old events of the Western Dynasty. Xiao Yueheng was also involved in it. Only when he saw them now did he remember it.

"Years later." Xiao Ling was only surprised for a moment, then calmed down, as if he had instantly guessed the countless years that would pass. "No, that's not right. You are Qing Jun. Since you are here, it seems that you have obtained the Samsara Mirror. Then I should have gotten what I wanted."

Lu Zhouxue looked at Xiao Ling in silence. Until now, neither he nor Xiao Jin could figure out what Xiao Ling wanted to do, but it didn't matter anymore. That was something for others to consider. "Did you get what you wanted? That's not necessarily the case. After all, Xiao Jin won't let you do whatever you want."

"Axue is back?" Xiao Ling finally showed some real emotions from under his calm mask. As if relieved, he said to Lu Zhouxue sincerely, "Sui Mo, thank you."

Hearing his nonsensical thanks, Lu Zhouxue was stunned at first, but then quickly realized that this guy had been brooding over his brother's death for ten thousand years. Now that he heard the news of Xiao Jin's return from him, he should be happy. However, Xiao Ling was happy, but he was not. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see the prince," Xiao Ling said calmly. Chu Zhaoli, who had just changed his clothes, came over. Seeing that it was Xiao Ling, he frowned slightly, and took Lu Zhouxue behind him without leaving a trace. He asked with a vigilant look in his eyes, "Why did the Imperial Master suddenly remember to visit my Changle Palace?"

"I heard about it from your majesty today, so I came to take a look." Xiao Ling ignored Chu Zhaoli's vigilance, and explained his purpose in a good-tempered manner, and said with a gentle look, "Won't you invite me in to sit down?"

"The Imperial Master is a close minister of the imperial court. How dare I, a notorious prince, refuse to let you in? Don't you agree?" Chu Zhaoli said mockingly, but he had no intention of giving way. "But my Changle Palace is small after all, and I am afraid that I will neglect you. You should go find my third brother."

Chu Zhaoli had always been trying to compromise, but this was the first time he had expressed his refusal so bluntly. Xiao Ling smiled and didn't care about his attitude. He seemed amiable, but in fact he was arbitrary: "What if I insist on coming in?"