freenovelworld Chapter 285 Plot
Chapter 285 Plot
Luo Lingchen was like a sculpture covered in the dust of time, quietly immersed in a darkness that seemed to have no end.
His heart was like the sea ravaged by a violent storm, with turbulent waves that could not be calmed for a long time.
The fragments of the past time spent with Shen Li, some bright and some dim, appeared in my mind like twinkling stars;
The unknown fate that looms ahead, as thick as a fog, is like an invisible net that tightly entangles him, making him struggle and wander between memories and reality, hope and confusion, unable to find a way to escape.
Just when the deathly silence was about to engulf the entire room, a sound of footsteps as subtle as falling leaves came cautiously from outside the door, breaking the suffocating silence in the room.
A thin figure dressed in eunuch's clothes hurried in, and every step he took was accompanied by the caution and humility unique to the palace.
After entering the house, he knelt respectfully on both knees, performing a standard and solemn ceremony. Then, he raised his head, raised his voice, and reported in a shrill, well-trained, flattering tone: "Your Highness, I have come here by order to convey the Empress's oral instructions. The Empress has ordered Your Highness and the Second Prince to go to the palace together tomorrow to attend the flower viewing banquet."
Luo Lingchen's face seemed to be carved by the frost and snow of winter, cold and resolute, without a trace of superfluous expression.
His eyes were as deep as the sea, yet in that depth that was so deep that one could not see the bottom, there was a hint of fatigue honed by the years and a weariness of the palace intrigues.
His lips moved slightly, his voice as flat as a dead lake, without a single ripple. He uttered three words concisely and coldly: "Got it, go down."
The young eunuch felt as if he had been pardoned. He hurriedly bowed again, bending his body into an almost ninety-degree right angle, not daring to be negligent or disrespectful in the slightest.
Then, he carefully backed away and turned around, taking each step very lightly and slowly, as if there was a piece of thin ice under his feet, for fear that any careless movement of his would disturb this prince who was famous in the palace for not showing his emotions.
Only after he retreated to the door did he gently step sideways out and quickly disappear into the corridor outside.
Luo Lingchen took a deep breath, and the breath echoed in his chest, as if carrying an endless heaviness.
Then he slowly closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down.
He knew clearly that this flower-viewing banquet carefully planned by the empress was like an inescapable dark cloud that would sooner or later hang over his head.
In the past, he could always use his wit and the excuse of his youth to cleverly find opportunities to leave early at all the banquets arranged by the empress for various purposes, so as to shirk the empress's obvious attempts to match them up.
However, time passed mercilessly, and now he was almost seventeen years old. In this treacherous and thrilling palace, he had reached the age where he had to face all the complicated and entangled things.
This problem, as difficult as a thorn bush, finally lay before him, waiting for him to find a proper and comprehensive solution.
Not long after, a burst of hurried footsteps came from afar, breaking the tranquility that had just been restored.
Luo Lingyun's childishly angry voice exploded like thunder at the doorway: "Brother, what's the Queen Mother up to? It's only this month, and it's freezing outside. Where are the flowers to admire? It's obvious that they're using the guise of a banquet to force these inexplicable, incomprehensible women on us!"
As he spoke, he rushed into the house in a hurry, stepped to Luo Lingchen's side in a few steps, and sat down angrily.
When her eyes inadvertently swept over the worn bamboo tube in Luo Lingchen's hand, which had been repeatedly rubbed, her curiosity was instantly piqued, and she couldn't help but ask, "Brother, this bamboo tube is so broken, with several cracks, why are you still holding on to it like a treasure? Every time I ask you who gave it to you, you are so secretive and refuse to say anything. What's going on?"
When Luo Lingchen heard his brother's voice, he slowly raised his eyes, with a look of doting and helplessness that was unique to an older brother.
He stared quietly at his twin brother, whose face was a mirror image of his and who was related by blood. In an instant, the long-suppressed desire to talk in his heart surged out like a flood, making him eager to tell his brother all the heavy troubles that had been accumulating in his heart without reservation.
His eyes followed his brother's line of sight, slowly moving down to the lifelike image of a little girl carved on the bamboo tube.
The small nose, lively eyes, and slightly upturned mouth corners seemed to be full of life, instantly bringing his thoughts back to that distant and unforgettable afternoon.
His fingers couldn't help but gently stroke the carved lines, as if this could once again touch those precious yet unattainable memories.
After a long pause, he whispered, "Do you remember that year when I was chased in the mountains? I was seriously injured, my wounds so deep I could see the bone, and blood was gushing out. I lay in the grass, feeling my life slipping away bit by bit with the gurgling blood, and my consciousness grew increasingly hazy.
I thought to myself, I'm really going to die here this time, and I'll never see you again. But just when I was almost in despair and had given up struggling, in the depths of that deserted forest, seemingly forgotten by the world, an ugly girl carrying a bamboo basket miraculously appeared..."
"Ugly girl?" Luo Lingyun's eyes instantly widened as big as copper bells upon hearing this. He became emotional and interrupted without hesitation: "I remember there was such an ugly girl carrying a bamboo basket! When you disappeared, I was extremely worried. I took your portrait and asked around for your whereabouts. I finally found her, but she actually said she had never seen you! Humph!"
Whenever he mentioned this matter, his cheeks puffed up with anger, like a completely enraged pufferfish, his face full of indignation.
Luo Lingchen looked at his brother like this, his lips curled up slightly, a barely perceptible smile flickering in his eyes. He glanced at him with a hint of teasing and said, "You probably forgot that my face was covered in dirt and blood. Even I could hardly recognize myself. It's understandable that she couldn't recognize me either."
After listening to his brother's words, Luo Lingyun carefully recalled the scene when he first met his brother in front of the cave.
My brother's disheveled appearance, his face covered in mud and blood, suddenly appeared in front of me, making it difficult to recognize him.
He couldn't help but lower his head with a guilty conscience, muttering softly, "Okay, I was wrong about that girl. But I felt sorry for her at the time and even gave her some money!"
Luo Lingchen's expression gradually emerged from his memories and returned to his usual seriousness and depth.
He took a deep breath, changed the subject, and said in a firm and steady tone, "Let's not talk about her for now. It seems there's no way to avoid tomorrow's banquet. If the Queen Mother mentions the arranged marriage at the banquet, we should accept it for now and not offend her on the spot, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble. But this is only a temporary measure. We will slowly find a way to deal with it in the future. There will always be a way out."
Although Luo Lingyun was filled with reluctance and unwillingness, he always obeyed his brother's words. Hearing his brother say this, he nodded obediently and replied, "I know, brother, I will listen to you."
Luo Lingchen slowly raised his head and looked out the window at the leaden-gray sky that seemed to be shrouded in haze.
The sky was covered with dark clouds, with not a single ray of sunlight visible, just like his current mood, which was heavy and depressing.
He thought to himself: It’s almost time, everything is going according to my plan in an orderly manner, and all these years of forbearance and planning have not been in vain.
He used the knowledge and strategies brought from his previous life to carefully maneuver in the undercurrents of the court. He finally won over a group of loyal court officials who could be used by him, and quietly cultivated his own power in secret.
The man who once killed the emperor's father and abused his power in the palace has now received the punishment he deserved and died as a result of his carefully planned scheme.
Luo Lingchen subconsciously clenched his fists, feeling the strength coming from his palms. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Power is truly a thing that makes people love and hate, obsessed and intoxicated, yet full of dangers! But in order to reunite with Shen Li, in order to protect everything he cherishes in this alien world, he must resolutely walk on this thorny road to power. Even if there is an abyss ahead, he will never turn back...