The spring breeze has arrived, and the earth is covered with fresh green.
A little Taoist nun walked hurriedly into the shrine, bowed and said: "Master, Your Majesty is here to see you."
In front of the statue of Sanqing, Duofu dressed in Kun Dao opened his eyes.
She is already half a century old, but her skills are profound and she does not appear to be aging.
The birthmark on the face, after long-term medication, faded to the point where only a shallow mark was left, which was not noticeable anymore.
She ordered: "Your Majesty, please come in."
"yes."
Not long after, Emperor Yongping Jiang Yi stepped in quickly and called: "Auntie!"
Duofu sat on the futon and did not get up. He only motioned to the little Taoist nun to bring another one and said to him: "Your Majesty has come to court? Isn't there a lot of government affairs today?"
Jiang Yi was not as calm as her. It could even be said that he was a little angry.
He shouted: "Auntie, can you not leave? What will I do if you leave?"
Duofu just smiled, pointed at the stool, and motioned for him to sit down.
Jiang Yi wanted to lose his temper with her, but under her smiling eyes, he angrily tossed his sleeves and sat in front of her. He looked angrily, and his face seemed to read "Say it, let me see what you say."
.
Duofu took the tea from the little Taoist nun, just like he did when he was a child, and gently blew it to cool it down before passing it to him.
After Jiang Yi took a few sips of tea and her mood gradually stabilized, she spoke: "There is no such thing as a feast that lasts forever. Your Majesty should understand this. I will leave you one day, not now, but also in the future."
After Jiang Yi heard this, his temper got angry again. He put the tea cup on the ground and said angrily: "So you are going to abandon me now?"
Duofu laughed: "What did you say? How do you call this abandonment?"
"Isn't it?" Jiang Yi blurted out, "Mother is like this, father is like this, and now you have to..."
Duofu looked at him with even more affection and said, "You are indeed thinking about this matter in your heart."
Jiang Yi remained silent, his eyes lowered and his brows furrowed tightly.
"Chang'an." Duofu changed his title. In the whole palace, she was the only one who could call the emperor this way. "They are not willing to leave you, but their fate has come. Do you still remember what your mother said before she died? She lasted for so long, but
I want to spend more time with you and give you more love. Do you feel resentful towards her?"
Jiang Yi lowered his head and said dullly: "What I know is just...just..."
"I just never forget it." Duofu looked at him tenderly, "Auntie understands that you were too young at that time, but you are older now! Didn't the late emperor say that when he left? He finally protected you until you grew up.
You can leave with peace of mind. Parents and children, no one can stay with you forever. Even couples may leave early and leave late. There are reunions in life, and there will naturally be separations. You are strong enough now to face such separations.
Already."
"But..." he finally confided, "I can't bear to leave! My mother is gone, my father is gone, and even my grandmother is gone. Now, are you even going to leave me, aunt?"
Duofu laughed: "You already have a wife and children. Life is constantly losing and gaining. What's more..."
The thirty-year-old emperor still looked at her pleadingly.
In the court, he was a wise emperor with great power, but here, he just wanted to be a child who could do whatever he wanted.
Duofu slowly continued: "Besides, it's not like I won't come back."
Jiang Yi was surprised: "Auntie, will you come back?"
Duofuqi said: "Why do you think I won't come back?"
Only then did Jiang Yi confide: "... When I was a child, I once heard my uncle talking to you. He said that as a scholar, you should travel all over the world instead of staying in the palace for your whole life. Moreover, my uncle is elusive.
It was more than ten years since I last left, and my father didn’t come back until he was on his deathbed. I’m afraid that you, aunt, will also..."
"Silly boy," Duofu's expression became even more affectionate, "Mr. Ning is Mr. Ning, and aunt is aunt. Even if you go out to travel, you have to come back to rest. I can't do it if I don't come back for more than ten years."
Jiang Yi finally smiled: "Auntie, how many months will you come back?"
Duofu pondered: "A few months shouldn't be enough. I want to go to Mangshan first, and then go south back to Dongning. Calculating the distance, it will take a year."
"This is too long!" Jiang Yi complained.
Duofu heard his softened tone and smiled: "You have to give me time to travel, right? Who said the country is so big?"
Jiang Yi also smiled and made an agreement with her: "Auntie, wherever you go, you must write back. I want to know where you are, and I can't leave without any messages or letters."
"Okay." Duofu responded, "Everywhere my feet have stepped and everything I have seen, I will tell you. Let you know what is happening in your world and whether your people are living well."
"
…
A few months later, Duofu left Yunjing with his young apprentice.
After Ming Wei passed away, she stayed in the palace for twenty years, guarding the people she cared about.
Now, she has finally embarked on her own journey.
"Xiaobai." She called in a low voice.
The little white snake emerged from nowhere.
"Sister, are we leaving like this?"
"Well." Duofu stretched out his hand and let it climb up, "Do you still want to see Miss?"
"Think!" Little White Snake said without hesitation, then hesitated, "But sir, hasn't she already..."
Duofu smiled and said: "If you want to, improve your skills. As long as we live long enough, we can wait until she comes back."
After saying that, she flicked her fly whisk and walked forward with her head held high: "Let's go! Let's go see the world." (To be continued)