Yang Ruoning and Luo Yuan lay side by side on the grass.
It was still the cool late summer midnight of their first meeting, with a sky like blue velvet dotted with countless stars. Cicadas chirped, and by the stream not far away, the glow of fireflies occasionally flickered. For Yang Ruoning, the little boy who had once snuggled in her arms had, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a handsome man with peerless martial arts, so tall that Yang Ruoning, now lying in his embrace, felt quite petite. In this scene, Yang Ruoning couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion.
At this moment, Luo Yuan suddenly asked, "Do you remember that day we had a huge fight, and you said I wasn't fit to inherit the throne?"
Hearing Luo Yuan bring this up, Yang Ruoning sighed. She knew she had been angry then and had spoken impulsively. She shouldn't have told him. She had always felt guilty about it. "Darling, it was my fault, I shouldn't have..."
Luo Yuan heard the guilt in her voice. He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes earnestly, "You did nothing wrong. Actually, after you were sold away, Jiang Qi came to see me when I was alone in the manor. He said I wasn't of the Emperor's bloodline."
"So he knew too?"
"How did you know?"
"Actually, I lied to you. At that time, I wasn't going home to get my wedding dress. I took your DNA back to get it tested."
"Oh, DNA? What is that? Can you determine blood relations with it?"
"It's your hair, especially the follicles. They contain something called DNA, which we use to determine kinship."
"So you took my hair, but how did you get the Emperor's hair?"
"That day at the book exhibition, Qingye took me to tour the palace. In the ancestral temple, he told me that the small boxes beneath the ancestors contained things like hair and nails."
"And you discovered that the Emperor and I are not blood-related?"
"Yes, the DNA showed you are not blood-related. Luo Yuan, he is not your biological father. But I thought, whether one can be emperor has nothing to do with bloodline. Throughout Chinese history, dynasties have always changed, so you don't need that blood connection. You are entirely capable of becoming an emperor. Moreover, in the future I saw..." Before she could finish, Luo Yuan placed a finger on her lips, shaking his head gently, signaling her not to continue.
"Hush, the future you see has nothing to do with me. That future, I chose. I chose you, I chose to be by your side. Do you remember, right here, you told me what true courage is. If I hadn't met you, I might still be a puppet controlled by my uncle. It was you who told me what true strength is, making me the Luo Yuan of today. If I hadn't met you, I might have reclaimed that throne; but you came, and you became the sole meaning of my life."
Hearing him say this, Yang Ruoning's nose pricked. She felt so foolish, so cruel, to have made him wait for her for so long; yet she was also self-reproaching, fearing her selfishness would become a cage for him. He was meant to be an emperor, a dazzling, extraordinary figure. Thinking this, she buried her head in his broad chest. The steady beat of his heart was the most pleasant sound in the world. "You really remember every word I said," she murmured.
"Yes, I remember everything you say," he tightened his arms around her waist. "I also remember the story you told me about that star."
"Ah, it's about constellations." She pointed to Orion, "It's the story of Orion."
"That's a very sad story. I didn't really understand it then."
"It's a story about the son of the sea god and the moon goddess. The moon goddess was deceived and accidentally shot and killed her lover. The god Zeus, to fulfill their love, turned the sea god's son into three stars to accompany the moon goddess forever."
"I don't like this story," Luo Yuan said, "It's too sad."
"Most Western myths end in tragedy. I suppose that's a cultural difference. I, on the other hand, quite like tragedies. Compared to comedies, tragedies leave a more profound and unforgettable emotional impact."
*************
Luo Yuan left before dawn that day. Although separation is always deeply sorrowful, Yang Ruoning told herself that separation is only temporary, that it is for a better reunion. Thus, she poured all her energy into building the wooden house, trying to distract herself from missing Luo Yuan.
Another week passed. Tomorrow was the day of Luo Yuan and Luo Qianqiu's engagement. Yang Ruoning had been feeling inexplicably anxious for the past two days. Although Luo Yuan had told her the engagement was merely a trap to eliminate her uncle, he hadn't had time to explain in detail how he planned to do it. Given the immense risks involved, Yang Ruoning was still worried.
That night, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. As soon as dawn broke the next day, she got up early. The master at the temple had finished morning prayers and gone to fetch water from the mountain. As she passed through the empty prayer hall, she knelt before the Buddha statue, hands clasped in prayer, asking the gods to grant success to Luo Yuan's plan today.
In the morning, she was working in the small wooden house when she saw Han Dan Chun returning from Youzhou City, where he had gone to buy stones.
She ran over, helping him push the cart up the gentle slope, and asked for any recent news from the city.
"Luo Yuan is truly blessed. Heaven itself is helping him seize the throne."
"Why do you say that?"
"I heard someone say yesterday that the Emperor of Da Song fell into a mountain valley during a funeral procession and is now missing, presumed dead."
"What?! What?" Hearing this news, Yang Ruoning felt her head explode. She grabbed Han Dan Chun, "Are you sure about this news?"
Han Dan Chun cried out in pain, "It hurts! Let go!" He added, "I just heard two people talking while buying stones. How would I know if it's true?"
"No, I have to go to Youzhou City. I must know if this news is true." With that, she turned to run down the slope towards the small temple.
Han Dan Chun grabbed her arm, looking utterly bewildered. "Why are you going to Youzhou City? How will you verify the truth of this news? Today is your engagement day. Luo Yuan wants you to stay here and behave."
"I know, but this matter cannot be delayed. I must go into the city."
Han Dan Chun saw Yang Ruoning's urgency and knew she was determined to go to Youzhou City. He said, "I'll go with you to Youzhou City, but I'll go look for Luo Yuan, and you must wait for me in a safe place."