Jinting Han people

Chapter 83: The Beauty Enters Sichuan (4k)

It was July, almost a year after the last Golden Valley Garden robbery. Liu Xian figured the hype around the investigation had faded a long time ago, so he took advantage of his day off to see Lu Zhu again.

Early in the morning, he said goodbye to A'Luo and said that he was going to visit his teacher.

A'Luo had no doubts and asked A'chun to get two newly made silk clothes and asked Liu Xian to take them to Chen Shou as gifts.

Liu Xian felt a little guilty for a moment, but he tried his best to keep smiling. After saying goodbye to his wife, he rode away from the house quickly, and the awkward feeling was alleviated.

Walking on the street, Liu Xian felt a little funny for a moment: nothing happened between him and Miss Luzhu in this year. He just hid the news from his partner in order to avoid being investigated. What was there to feel guilty about?

The face of Miss Luzhu appeared in his mind, and he couldn't help but smile bitterly and shook his head.

Liu Xian considered himself a gentleman. Although he could not guarantee that he could remain calm like Liuxia Hui, he was certainly not keen on women.

Before marrying A'luo, Liu Xian had no concubines, and after marrying A'luo, he could be said to be very loyal.

In today's Luoyang society, being self-disciplined is definitely not a compliment. However, in the eyes of others like Shi Chao and Zu Ti, the more appropriate description of Liu Xian would be "old-fashioned and pedantic."

But even a man like him couldn't help feeling a little nervous when standing in front of Miss Luzhu.

Am I being hypocritical, or is Miss Luzhu's charm too attractive?

When Liu Xian arrived at Chen Shou's mansion and saw Lu Zhu's figure from afar, Liu Xian was probably convinced that she was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman in the world.

After leaving Jingu Garden, Lu Zhu always wore a plain face, neither powder nor rouge, and wore a simple black cloth dress, just like an ordinary maid. But even so, it was difficult to conceal her natural charm.

In the Jingu Garden, Shi Chong dressed her up carefully, with gold, silver and jade ornaments in her bun and silk and satin wrapped around her slender waist. She was covered in jewels and gems, which often gave people the illusion that Lu Zhu's dazzling and dazzling temperament did not come entirely from herself, but might be due to the jewels and gems.

Now, without those pearls, Luzhu was no longer vulgar, just like the old saying of later generations: like a lotus flower emerging from the water, naturally without any decoration. Her eyes were as slender as willows, her lips were as red as plums, her skin was as white as snow...

Each one of them would be beautiful enough for an ordinary person, but now they are all gathered together to create a dazzling and peerless beauty, which makes people sigh at the unfairness of fate.

At this time, Lu Zhu was sweeping the courtyard with Liu Xian on her back. She seemed lost in thought and didn't hear Liu Xian dismount. Even after Liu Xian approached, she was still silently waving the broom in her hand.

Liu Xian called her name, she was startled, then turned around, and this turn made her look even more charming.

Luzhu's skin was fair, and the beads of sweat on her face looked like dew on the grass—no, like morning dew soaked in sunlight. Her eyes, gleaming with joy, seemed to be seeking dependence, yet she remained silent, with a stubborn expression...

She probably wanted to conceal her deep loneliness and express her joy at Liu Xian's arrival. The intersection of nature and will made her look exceptionally beautiful.

Liu Xian maintained his courtesy and asked, "Miss Luzhu, how are you doing recently?"

"It's all fine. I'm very happy that you're here."

Liu Xian suddenly looked flustered. "You... Oh, by the way, where's the teacher?" He said helplessly, his cheeks burning. To be honest, he didn't know how to face Lu Zhu, so he looked away, staring into the distance, pretending to speak to her calmly.

This kind of scene seemed to have happened many times. Every time Liu Xian came to Chen Shou's house and talked to Lu Zhu, he was embarrassed to communicate with her. He was obviously the mastermind of the Jingu Garden robbery, and even the prince was used as a pawn. He was recognized by the literati as a second-rank official, but it was still difficult for him to remain calm in front of a commoner woman.

Liu Xian himself had reflected on this, thinking that he might have felt guilty towards Lu Zhu.

When he took Lu Zhu away from Chongqi Tower, he promised her that he would give her freedom.

But in fact, during this year, he had left Luzhu unable to hide in a strange place and was unable to give her a stable and happy life. This was really inappropriate.

Moreover, he spoke so frankly at the time, as if he was completely different from Shi Chong and did not have any distracting thoughts at all.

But what was the reality? Faced with such a beauty, and one who fulfilled his childhood dream of being a knight-errant, how could Liu Xian possibly say that he didn't have the slightest admiration for Lu Zhu?
This made him feel like he was sitting in a cage of knives every time he faced Lu Zhu. He felt ashamed even to breathe, ashamed that he was a hypocrite who had misled people's lives.

But this time he came with determination.

No matter how embarrassing it was, he had to talk things through with Luzhu and finalize his plans for her future.

After entering and exchanging greetings with Chen Shou for a while, Liu Xian gave his wife's gift to the teacher, and then knocked on Lu Zhu's door.

Luzhu was making tea in the room. After she opened the door, she hurriedly asked Liu Xian to sit down and served him a bowl of tea.

When their hands touched, Luzhu's hair fell down. She quickly lifted it up, revealing her white jade earlobes. Liu Xian glanced at her and then quickly retracted his eyes.

Both of their faces flushed slightly.

Liu Xian asked awkwardly, "Miss Luzhu, how are you doing recently?"

Luzhu chuckled, covered her mouth and laughed, "Young Master asked this question when he first came here."

"Really?" Liu Xian rubbed the back of his head and chuckled to himself, but still said seriously, "That's probably because I asked too hastily, and the girl's answer wasn't sincere."

"Insincere?"

"Girl, are you really okay lately? Are you dissatisfied with anything?"

"dissatisfied?"

Liu Xian said, "I've had Miss Luzhu hide here for a year. She lives in seclusion, rarely going out, and can't afford to live in luxury, or to speak or act as she pleases. She also doesn't have any acquaintances around her."

"Such a life would be boring even for me. Doesn't Miss Luzhu feel wronged?"

Seeing that Liu Xian showed an expression that wanted to have a long conversation, Lu Zhu also straightened her posture, but the expression on her face was still a smile. She said seriously: "Thank you for your concern, sir. I thought that you had thought about this a long time ago..."

Without waiting for Liu Xian to apologize, she smiled and said, "But it's actually different from what you think, sir. I really like it here."

Liu Xian was surprised. He asked, "Really?"

"Really?" Lu Zhu nodded slightly and said softly, "I was born in a peasant family and was sold to the Shi family as a slave in my early years. Do you think that I will be favored by Shi Chong as soon as I enter the mansion?"

"When I first entered the mansion, I was just an ordinary maid, entertaining people with my charm every day and enduring humiliation. I was insulted and whipped. When you came to the Golden Valley Garden, you saw that I was deeply favored by Shi Chong, but you didn't know how cautious I was all along."

"Now, in Lord Chen's mansion, although it's not as extravagant as the Golden Valley Garden, I have enough food and clothing, and I don't have to serve others. What can I ask for?" "Besides, although I can't go out, Lord Chen has many books to read in my spare time. I am actually very comfortable. Don't worry, young master."

Liu Xian couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief when Lu Zhu said this. These were actually the reasons why he went to rob Lu Zhu. He was afraid that it would become his wishful thinking, so he nodded and said, "That's good, that's good."

But this is not the end of the conversation. The next topic to be discussed is the most important one.

Liu Xian continued to ask: "Has the girl ever thought about the future?"

"Later?" Luzhu lowered her eyebrows, trying to hide the panic and confusion in her eyes. As a woman, how could she not have thought about it?

However, she was unsure how the Prince of Anle actually viewed her, so she kept waiting and observing, hoping Liu Xian would reveal something first: "What do you think, Master?"

Liu Xian said slowly, "Although you haven't been discovered yet, you can't hide forever, so you can't stay in the capital."

Luzhu widened her eyes slightly.

"I plan to take you back to Dongwu first, to meet your relatives, and then send your family to Bashu."

"My teacher is there. You can go there and start a new life. Whether you want to get married or have other plans, I can arrange it for you..."

When he said this, Liu Xian was actually quite embarrassed. His behavior during the Jin Gu Garden robbery could be described as a complete impulsive act.
Because he was too keen on being a hero, he forgot that his own identity was also very sensitive. In fact, he could not arrange a good escape route for Lu Zhu. Compared with the Jingu Garden, the things he could show off were just so-so.

A woman like her, no matter how much suffering she had endured, was still a princess in Shi Chong's mansion. After ten years, she had learned to read and write, dance, music and poetry. Her flute skills were even higher than hers. The daughters of ordinary families were probably far inferior to her.

If I rescued her myself, I wouldn't ask her to put down her poetry, books, and bamboo flute and just wash clothes and serve tea, right?
But after Luzhu looked for a while, all the sorrow and confusion disappeared, and she revealed a relieved smile.

As she had said before, after experiencing the wealth and glory of this world, she really no longer cared about material things.

After experiencing that night in the rain, she thought for a long time during this time of solitude. She had figured it out clearly: perhaps the least valuable thing in life is sincerity, but for her, sincerity is also the most precious thing.

The ups and downs of her past lives often made her understand the value of softness, so at this moment she listened to Liu Xian's words and looked at his expression.

It wasn't hard to see that the Prince of Anle was a man of unbridled courage, one who took life and death lightly, yet in front of him, he was clumsy and endearing. The reason for this, he thought, was simply that he truly wanted to take responsibility for the lives of others.

Responsibility is an extremely luxurious word. It not only means giving, but also means not caring about the return.

What kind of feelings did Prince Anle have for her? By now she could guess: he probably wanted to use her to realize his dream of becoming a knight-errant. He was very willful, but also very straightforward.

After her childhood, Luzhu had not met such a person for a long time, so she did not feel that she was treated unfairly, but instead cherished him very much.

When she was in Jingu Garden, she once thought that it didn't matter if the world was destroyed, but now, she seems to have regained some feelings of love: because there is someone in the world, she hopes that he can live better and better, more and more freely, even if she has nothing, she will be happy.

So she didn't embarrass Liu Xian, but nodded and said, "Then I'll listen to you, Master."

Liu Xian breathed a sigh of relief at Lu Zhu's obedience, but unexpectedly, Lu Zhu said, "Sir, I have a question."

"Girl, please tell me."

"Young Master, you risked your life to save me. Have you ever loved me?"

Faced with Lu Zhu's sudden question, Liu Xian was stunned, but after struggling for a while, he replied: "It is true that I like her a little, but my wife and I have a good relationship, and I don't want to make her sad because of you."

Lu Zhu sighed deeply and said, "My lord, listen to my advice. In the future, even if you encounter a woman with a miserable life, do not risk your life to save her. Because even if you save her, you are actually harming her."

Liu Xian didn't understand why she suddenly said this: "Why?"

Lu Zhu slowly approached Liu Xian, looked into his eyes and said, "Because in this world, women have no freedom."

"There is only one meaning for a woman's life, and that is to support her husband and raise her children. To put it more simply, it is love."

"Young Master, you risked your life to save this woman. She can only love you in return. But you are not willing to accept this love. Then her existence becomes meaningless. Do you understand, Young Master?"

"Ah?!" This sentence was almost a confession, and faced with such a heavy confession, Liu Xian had no idea how to respond.

Seeing Liu Xian's expression of shock and helplessness because of her words, Luzhu couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

Liu Xian finally recovered from his shock and said to Lu Zhu in a deep voice, "Miss, are you saying that? Did I harm you?"

Lu Zhu suppressed her smile, shook her head slightly, and continued, "I'm not saying these words to complain about anything, but over the past six months, I've read Buddhist scriptures and have understood a new truth."

"Love is also a kind of suffering. Life is always imperfect, and love is also imperfect. Perhaps the liberation of having nothing is the true freedom of human beings."

"There's nothing wrong with going to Rushu. I also want to see the scenery along the way. I just hope you remember that I'm still a woman."

Having said this, she turned around and took out a pipa from the cupboard. She sat down leisurely, gazing at the road outside the window, playing the pipa while singing leisurely. She sang a recently popular song "Nixingxing Chongxingxing", which goes like this:
"As I walk far and long, I am filled with sorrow and deep longing. What is this longing for? I am thinking of your emblem and your voice.

The sound of the emblem drifts away day and night, and the memory is as far away as if it were flying and sinking. Wang Yu longs for the river valley, and thinks of the northern forest in the morning breeze.

The wanderer is at the end of the sky, and his return date is impossible to find. The startled wind blows back the letter, and the returning clouds make it difficult to send a message.

Standing here, I think of the distant future, and my heart is filled with worries. I gather my clothes and there are too many belts, but they are not enough to cover my collar.

"Leave behind the burden of love, and play the zither in peace."

After the song, Lu Zhu finally revealed her reluctance to leave Liu Xian and asked him, "Sir, after entering Shu, will I ever see you again?"

Liu Xian hesitated for a long time before replying, "We'll definitely meet again."

Hearing this, Lu Zhu did not stop and said with a smile: "It's getting late. I should cook for Mr. Chen."

After Luzhu walked away, Liu Xian sat at the table in a daze, his body still trembling with fear over Luzhu's words. Had he saved Luzhu, or harmed her? He couldn't figure it out. Perhaps he was a complete fool when it came to women.

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(End of this chapter)