Farewell Flower Festival

As the night deepened, the lights in the room were still on. After the butler came out with the bowl of medicine, a servant guarding the door closed the door and left with the butler.

The yard was unusually quiet. The shadows of the branches reflected on the ground moved slowly in the moonlight. A figure walked over from the darkness. When the moonlight illuminated the face, the person stopped where he was, looked at the house in front, and fell into a dilemma of making a decision.

There was a coughing sound in the room.

Liu Lei looked at the empty sky and murmured to himself, "I am sorry for you and your son, Hui Niang, please wait a little longer, I will come to apologize to you soon... cough... cough..."

The coughing sound was heard again, and the door was pushed open. Liu Lei did not notice anyone coming in. When the person was almost walking to the bed, he realized that when he saw the person coming, he got excited and started coughing again.

Liu Hua turned and walked to the table, poured a cup of tea, and when he came over to hand it to him, Liu Lei struggled to sit up and raised his hand to take the teacup. Liu Hua's gaze paused on the slightly trembling hands. Liu Lei picked up the teacup and slowly took a sip. This sip of tea was more effective than the medicine soup. It relieved the depression in his heart a little and made him feel a little better.

Liu Hua took the teacup and put it aside without saying anything.

Liu Lei didn't know what to say for a moment. He stammered twice and said, "Sit down. Don't stand." There was a hint of caution in his concerned tone, for fear of saying something wrong and causing the meeting to end in a bad mood.

Liu Hua also felt this cautiousness, and his heart was slightly moved. He sat down on the stool silently and still did not speak.

The atmosphere in the room was unusually silent, with only the flickering sound of the candlelight.

After an unknown amount of time, Liu Lei took the initiative to speak again, "Dad is sorry for you and your mother." Liu Hua clenched his hands and said coldly, "I didn't come here to listen to your useless words. Do you think you can write it off with a few high-sounding words? If you really felt guilty, you wouldn't have ignored us over the past ten years. Let me ask you, have you ever come back to see us once in the past ten years?"

Liu Lei lowered his head sadly, feeling extremely sad.

Seeing that his father did not make any excuses, Liu Hua's anger was ignited in an instant. Even if he made up a lie and said that his father had come back to see him and his mother, just to comfort him, maybe he would feel relieved. Maybe not, but he would not say anything. It was probably because his son was not important enough in his heart, so he naturally did not bother to spend more time making up a lie.

"From now on, I won't come again, and you don't have to bother pretending to be sick."

Liu Hua said this coldly, stood up and prepared to leave. He had just taken two steps when he heard a noise behind him. Realizing that someone had fallen off the bed, he stopped and after two seconds of stalemate, he turned around and walked over to help the person up.

Liu Lei tightly grasped the hand he extended to him, his voice trembling with excitement, "Hua'er, Dad is sorry for you, Dad is useless, I didn't protect you and your mother well, Dad is sorry for you, Dad doesn't ask for your forgiveness, I only hope that I can be buried with your mother after I die. When I get to the underworld, Dad will make amends to your mother... cough cough cough..."

The violent coughing made him breathless. Liu Hua showed a trace of nervousness on his face and began to panic. He raised his other hand and patted him on the back.

After taking a breath, those old and turbid eyes suddenly stared in one direction, a strange light burst out from the pupils, he raised his hand as if to hold another person's hand, and a long-lost smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, "Hui Niang, you are here to pick me up." The raised hand suddenly fell, and at this moment he closed his eyes with a smile, carrying more than ten years of guilt and self-blame.

At this moment, all the anger, grievances, and unwillingness... raged out like a flood and a beast. Liu Hua roared that he would not let him die. He had not forgiven him yet, and he had not finished telling him about the resentment and pain over the past ten years. Why should he just leave like this!

He clearly hated this person in his heart, and had never stopped resenting him for abandoning him. Until this moment, he still could not forgive this person, but in his heart he still hoped that this person could live until he could convince himself to forgive him.

When Xu Ming, Xu Ru and Xu Hao rushed over, they saw Liu Lei lying motionless in Liu Hua's arms. The three of them were shocked. Xu Ru ran over crying and called her adoptive father over and over again, hoping to wake him up.

Xu Hao grabbed Liu Hua's collar angrily, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes, asking him what he had done. Liu Hua also glared at him coldly. Seeing that the two were about to fight, Xu Ming came over to separate them, scolding them not to shout and kill here, but to fight outside if they wanted to fight, and then ordered the housekeeper to call a doctor.

When the doctor came, the four of them stood by the bed, and no one spoke. Xu Ru's eyes were red from crying, and Liu Hua turned his back to the bed, not wanting to look at the face shrouded in the aura of death.

Xu Ming made way for the doctor, Xu Ru and Xu Hao also made way, and Liu Hua walked two steps to the side.

After the doctor sat down on the stool, he first observed Liu Lei's complexion, then reached out to feel his breath, and carefully felt his pulse again. Then he took out a quill pen from the medicine box and put it under Liu Lei's nose. After taking it away, he sighed and shook his head, and asked the four people to express their condolences.

Xu Ru's tears welled up again. She couldn't believe it and couldn't accept it. She begged the doctor to take another look, maybe it was a mistake. Xu Hao wanted to find another doctor, even if it was the imperial physician in the palace, but Xu Ming stopped him. Just in case, the doctor checked again. After confirming it again and again, he asked the four people to mourn and prepare for the funeral as soon as possible.

After Xu Ming asked the housekeeper to send the doctor out, he glanced at Liu Hua and called Xu Ru and Xu Hao to leave first.

When the father and son were the only ones left in the room, Liu Hua looked at the person lying on the bed who would never wake up again. He clenched his palms tightly, his bones creaking, but he still couldn't hold back a tear from sliding down the corner of his eyes.

At the court the next morning, Mu Tianyuan learned that General Liu Lei had died the night before. Thinking that his father also passed away at night, he couldn't help but feel moved.

Prime Minister Shang suggested that this loyal and courageous General of the Cavalry be given a grand funeral and posthumously conferred the title of marquis.

Mu Tianyuan agreed.

After the court session, Mu Tianyuan summoned Xu Ming and Xu Hao to the imperial study and persuaded them not to be too sad. After they thanked him and left, Eunuch De mentioned something to Mu Tianyuan, "Your Majesty, Miss Yin is not young anymore, and it's time for her to get married. It may not be appropriate for her to stay in the palace."

Mu Tianyuan showed a trace of hesitation, looking a little embarrassed. Eunuch De held up the teacup and offered it to him, saying, "The Queen is pregnant now. The Emperor loves her and doesn't let her work too hard on weekdays. I think the two concubines will be able to handle the second young lady's marriage, so I won't bother the Queen."

After thinking for a while, Mu Tianyuan asked Eunuch De what candidates he had. Eunuch De said that the second young lady was the second prince's cousin after all, so it would be a good idea to ask the second prince's opinion first.

Afterwards, Mu Tianyuan summoned Mu Tianqi alone, mentioned Yin Lin's marriage to him, and asked him if he had any candidates. Mu Tianqi's eyes slightly turned towards Eunuch De, and replied that it was all up to Mu Tianyuan.

Mu Tianyuan pondered for another two days and turned his attention to Han Lie. He summoned him alone in the imperial study and said that he was not young anymore and it was time for him to get married.

When Han Lie heard that this meant to arrange a marriage for him, he replied that he already had a lover. Although she was already married, he vowed not to marry anyone else in his life.

Mu Tianyuan probably guessed who the sweetheart he was talking about was, so he didn't force it.

Afterwards, Mu Tianyuan turned his attention to Shang Ye, Xu Ming and Xu Hao. Eunuch De suggested that Yin Lin meet all three of them to see which one she likes. Mu Tianyuan thought this was a good idea.

That night after Eunuch De came to Heng Garden to announce the good news to Yin Lin, Yin Lin broke into the imperial study and knelt in front of Mu Tianyuan, telling him about how she was saved by the priest Yu Chen when she was a child. She vowed at that time to serve this master all her life and asked Mu Tianyuan to fulfill her wish. If she was forced to get married, she would rather become a nun or die than go against the oath she made.