The Star Lord Chang Sheng of the Palace of Trials - Chapter 7
Chapter 7: No Need to Meet in This Life, Only Pray to Be Together in the Next
As it turned out, Jufang was remarkably patient.
After the lantern festival, months passed without any movement from her.
Huang Cui, however, gradually grew restless…so much so that he lost his appetite and spent his days inquiring about which families in the city had daughters with the surname Li.
Watching this, Lord Changsheng couldn’t decide whether to call him foolish or pure.
Why not just ask the restaurant who booked the private room that night under the name Li?
Of course, Huang Cui wasn’t actually stupid.
He was worried that if he asked the restaurant directly, rumors might spread that the Li family’s young lady had met a man in private, tarnishing her reputation.
As an unmarried man, asking which families had daughters of marriageable age would, at worst, make him seem eager to wed and nothing scandalous.
Though Jufang remained composed, Lord Changsheng felt it was time to give her a nudge.
Mortal lives were short, after all.
If this dragged on, Li Qianwu would grow old before anything happened.
So, using immortal magic, he sent a note down to the mortal realm for Jufang.
It read: “Mortal lives are fleeting, so do not waste time.”
Little did he know, this was exactly what Jufang had been waiting for! She wasn’t sure how Lord Changsheng would prompt her, but the character of Li Qianwu had been crafted based on what she imagined to be his ideal type.
If he was growing impatient, then the timing was perfect.
[Ah, what is love but a force that turns even the wisest into stupid pig in an instant?]
That day, Huang Cui rode out of the city with a few friends to go hunting.
Before they even left the main road, they spotted a carriage stopped ahead.
As they approached, they saw that the horse had slipped, injuring its leg and leaving it unable to move.
Huang Cui asked the coachman if they needed help and was told that this was the carriage of Li Chungui, a high-ranking official, carrying his family members.
They had been on their way to visit relatives when this mishap occurred, leaving them stranded.
Being the kind and honorable man he was, Huang Cui immediately volunteered to ride back and inform the Li residence, even arranging for a replacement carriage.
“Many thanks for your assistance, young master. The Li family will never forget this kindness,” a soft voice from inside the carriage said.
Huang Cui thought, “I never told you who I am, how will you remember?” But then he realized the voice sounded familiar, and the surname was Li…could this be the one who had haunted his thoughts?
“If it’s really her, and she didn’t ask my name… does that mean she remembers I’m Huang Cui?” he wondered.
Hastily, he said, “The mountain roads have been unsafe lately. May I ask where you’re headed?”
At this point, no matter where the coachman said they were going, Huang Cui would have claimed it was on his way, using the excuse of escorting them to tag along.
Watching this fool, dressed head to toe in hunting gear and boldly lie about traveling far, Lord Changsheng nearly laughed aloud.
Ah, what is love but a force that turns even the wisest into fools in an instant?
The journey was long, and they stopped at an inn for the night.
To avoid impropriety, Huang Cui turned his back as the Li family’s dependents disembarked but only heard a single set of footsteps.
“Is there only one person in the carriage? Where are the maids?” he wondered.
As it turned out, the eldest sister, Li Qianxue, was far away and about to give birth.
But Lady Li had fallen ill with a fever, and many of the household servants were also sick.
Li Qianwu (the fake one) was worried that her sister’s first childbirth would lack the support of family, so despite being unwell herself, she set out alone, planning to borrow a maid upon arrival.
A delicate woman traveling alone had to be cautious.
Throughout the journey, Li Qianwu had disguised herself as a man and hardly proper for a noble lady, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
At dinner, Huang Cui immediately saw through Li Qianwu’s male disguise in the dining hall and was overjoyed.
Sensing she had her reasons for secrecy, he didn’t expose her.
Instead, he chose a seat where he could discreetly keep an eye on her.
Seeing this, Lord Changsheng couldn’t help but curse aloud: “Why not just sit with her?!”
This slow-burning plotline was agonizing, enough to give him a stomachache.
Though Li Qianwu maintained her composure, her eyes betrayed (fake) unease and anxiety, especially whenever someone entered or left.
As the dining hall grew busier, she seemed worried the waiter might ask her to share a table.
Noticing her distress, Huang Cui boldly approached and sat down.
“Forgive my boldness,” he said.
Li Qianwu’s startled expression softened slightly when she saw his face.
Huang Cui whispered, “I won’t say a word. I’ll just wait quietly for you to finish.”
Li Qianwu replied in the faintest voice, “Thank you.”
The two ate in silence, but their gazes lingered on each other’s every move.
Noticing Huang Cui’s wine cup was empty, Li Qianwu moved to refill it, while Huang Cui, seeing her gesture, instinctively shifted his cup toward her.
In this exchange, their fingertips accidentally brushed.
Startled, Li Qianwu spilled the wine, her eyes downcast in flustered embarrassment.
Huang Cui’s cheeks flushed slightly as he murmured, “I’ll pour it myself.”
By all accounts, this was the exact kind of scene Lord Changsheng had been eagerly waiting for.
Yet, for some reason, watching it now left a strange bitterness in his chest.
“There’s no way this little fox is that good at acting. Is this shy demeanor, this pitifully tender look… actually genuine?”
By now, Huang Cui’s ears had turned red.
He drained his cup in one gulp with an audible “Gulp!” Seeing his foolish expression, Li Qianwu couldn’t help but laugh, which only deepened his blush.
A drop of wine lingered at the corner of Huang Cui’s lips.
Unable to wipe it for him, Li Qianwu pointed subtly at her own lips as a hint.
When Huang Cui only looked confused, she exaggeratedly swiped her thumb along her mouth twice.
“Isn’t that the legendary ‘lip-wiping’ gesture, the one that secretly means ‘I want to devour you’?!” Lord Changsheng, ever the drama enthusiast, nearly vibrated with excitement.
Sure enough, the red thread of fate that invisible to mortal eyes had wrapped around Li Qianwu’s finger now glowed as blindingly as the sun, so bright that even she had to tilt her head slightly away.
“So, for refined scholars like you, the ‘lip-wipe’ is an ultimate move, huh?” Jufang mused to herself.
Unable to hold back any longer, Huang Cui blurted out, “This humble one is untalented and still unmarried. If… if Brother knows of any suitable young ladies… I would be grateful for an introduction. I swear upon my honor to formally propose at once.”
What flowery phrasing! On the surface, he was pretending to ask for a matchmaker’s help, but what he really wanted was to know whether the lady would reveal her identity so he could propose.
Li Qianwu, of course, understood.
Shyly, she replied, “Brother Huang must be drunk. Allow me to think tonight about which family’s daughter might suit you.”
With that, she stood and retreated to her room.
Huang Cui immediately called after her, “If Brother can’t think of anyone, then Huang will remain unmarried!”
Pausing briefly on the stairs to show she’d heard, Li Qianwu then continued up without another word.
Huang Cui, grinning like an idiot, slumped back into his seat.
Lord Changsheng rolled his eyes and thought to himself, “Calling you a fool is too flattering. You are now a mentally retarded person.”
[Wedding Night, Lifting the Bridal Veil]
That night, Jufang slept soundly, knowing her plan was nearing completion.
Huang Cui, buoyed by wine and dreams, also drifted off with a smile.
Only Lord Changsheng remained on edge, ordering Niyan to stay alert in case they needed to descend and rescue someone.
For hours, he agonized over whether Huang Cui, drunk on both alcohol and infatuation, might barge into Li Qianwu’s chambers.
Of course, neither Huang Cui nor Kong Qi were that kind of man.
The next morning, the male-disguised Li Qianwu handed Huang Cui a note labeled “For Brother Huang’s Eyes Only” and instructed him not to open it until he returned home.
Overjoyed, Huang Cui escorted Li Qianwu to her sister’s residence before galloping back to the city at full speed.
Even when torrential rain poured down, he refused to stop, consumed by the desire to read the note as soon as possible.
Alas, the downpour had soaked half of it by the time he reached home.
Still, he could just make out the words: “Daughter of Li Chungui—Li Qian[X].”
The last character of the name was blurred by the rain, and he could only faintly discern it was a character with the “rain” radical (yǔ).
During their journey, Huang Cui had learned that the Li family was visiting their eldest sister, who was due to give birth soon.
Thus, he promptly went to the Li residence to propose to the youngest daughter.
When told her name was Li Qianyun, he naturally assumed she was the one.
By the time the bridal veil was lifted on their wedding night, it was far too late.
When Li Qianwu discovered that Huang Cui had married her younger sister, she (feigned) heartbreak, (falsely) wept until her tears ran dry, and (pretended to) resign herself to a political marriage with a foreign kingdom to ease diplomatic tensions.
Before the bridal procession departed for the distant lands, Huang Cui came to bid her farewell.
Jufang knew that the mortal Li Qianwu was fated to marry into the foreign kingdom, where she would later endure the chaos of war and the devastation of exile.
Pitying Huang Cui, a rare and honorable man.
She deliberately called him forward under the guise of a sister-in-law’s final advice, ensuring he wouldn’t recklessly try to rescue her.
“Though fate denies us a shared life, I beg you to treat my sister kindly, to keep her safe and happy in all things. I, Qianwu, will now belong to a foreign land; living as an outsider, dying as an outsider’s ghost. No matter what storms may come, prioritize your homeland. To spare my sister worry, let us not meet again in this lifetime. I pray only to reunite in the next.”
Her voice was soft, resigned.
Huang Cui could only weep in silence, unable to speak a word.
Li Qianwu grew anxious and pressed further, “They say the Huang family has always honored its promises, valuing a single word as worth a thousand pieces of gold. I beg for just one pledge from you, Young Master.”
With great difficulty, Huang Cui forced out four words: “I promise you.” But anyone who knew love could tell—these were not mere words. They were the sound of a heart breaking.
As the bridal procession’s carriages slowly disappeared into the distance, Jufang, her mission accomplished, returned to the Sili Palace in the heavens.
