"Hey, Your Majesty the Queen, where are you going?" the maid behind her couldn't help shouting.
"You go back first!" Ji Feiyu casually gave an order and then went after the figure in cyan. Her current clothes were much easier to run in than the previous ceremonial dress, but it was still a bit difficult for her to catch up with that figure.
"Stop running. Since you dared to come, why are you afraid to show yourself?" When she chased the figure to a remote corner, Ji Feiyu suddenly stopped and shouted.
There was no answer, but she knew he could hear her.
"Come out! What else do you want me to do to beg you?" As Ji Feiyu spoke, her tone had softened a bit.
There was once someone who loved and protected her, but she couldn't respond. Now that he suddenly refused to see her, she suddenly felt afraid. That person had almost touched her heart once, and she was even ready to let him accompany her forever, but unexpectedly, fate played tricks on them...
"Flower Butterfly, come out..."
Ji Feiyu scanned every possible hiding place in the night, but there was still no response.
Ji Feiyu stood stubbornly in the night, and he remained silent. After they confronted each other for a while, a gentle male voice finally spoke, "Why do you have to see me? Isn't it enough for me to know that you're doing well? I came here today because you were crowned queen. I missed it last time, so I had to see it with my own eyes this time to give up..."
"Flower Butterfly..."
"Don't call me in such a voice. You'd better be a bit fiercer. I'm more used to it..." The voice let out a distracted laugh.
"Huahua..." Ji Feiyu looked around pitifully.
He couldn't help laughing out loud, "Alright, Yu'er, stop acting pitiful. It's getting late today. You'd better go back and rest early. I... I'm leaving too..."
"Where are you going?"
"The world is so big. Are you still afraid that I have nowhere to stay? Don't worry. Nothing can stump me."
"Will you come back to see me again?" Ji Feiyu clung to the last shred of hope. Once, she really planned to keep him as a friend forever, so that they could eat and play together until they were old.
"Probably not..." He smiled desolately, and then suddenly raised his voice, "Otherwise, the harem will be in turmoil again. Do you think Yong Yaxuan will be so angry that he'll die if all the beauties in the harem fall in love with me?"
Ji Feiyu couldn't help being amused by him, but said, "There won't be a harem in the future. Where will the beauties come from?"
The voice paused for a second, and finally said with desolation and blessing, "That's good. You've got what you wanted."
Ji Feiyu didn't know why, but her heart felt sour. She also knew that they should say goodbye, but she just wanted to see him one more time. So she pretended to be relaxed and said, "Flower Butterfly, come out and let me see if you've gained or lost weight. Have you become ugly?"
Flower Butterfly's breath immediately became unstable, and he slipped. Ji Feiyu heard some noise and was about to step forward, but the faint sound disappeared again. Flower Butterfly steadied his voice and said helplessly, "Yu'er, you... are still so annoying..."
Only then did Ji Feiyu smile, but after the smile, she felt a bit melancholy. "If one day I'm not like this, then I won't be me anymore."
This was something Flower Butterfly had said to Ji Feiyu a long time ago. Hearing this, he smiled and then suddenly cheered up his voice and said, "Good. You still remember what I said a long time ago. I'm satisfied. You'll have a new life from now on. I think it's better for me not to look for you anymore. Let's just say goodbye here."
"But..." Ji Feiyu was about to say something else, but he interrupted her, "All feasts must end..."
Ji Feiyu suddenly closed her mouth.
A faint sound of footsteps suddenly left the ground. Ji Feiyu only heard the rustling of clothes and the shaking of leaves, and then saw a cyan figure fly onto the roof and disappear into the night.
He... was really like a butterfly, coming gracefully and leaving gracefully. What did he leave behind and what did he take away? And she, after all, couldn't learn his open - mindedness.
When Ji Feiyu returned to Qiwu Palace, all the maids in her palace were so anxious that they were running around in circles because she hadn't come back for a long time. They almost went to inform Yong Yaxuan. Ji Feiyu waved to them, signaling them to all retreat, and then stood in front of the familiar window lattice of Qiwu Palace, looking at the cold and slightly chilly moonlight in the sky from afar.
The moon tonight was not full, making the world a bit dim. She was silent for a while, then lay back on the bed and thought of the men who had appeared in her life. Cheng Xuan, Flower Butterfly, Little White Bird, Lin Zhiran... Now they all had their own destinations, while she still stayed in the years when she indulged in the mountains and rivers, watching them get angry or amused.
The most difficult thing to retain was time. Ji Feiyu closed her eyes slightly, and all the beautiful pictures from her youth emerged in her mind.
It turned out that she had been so happy once, because of everyone and because of Yong Yaxuan.
Then tomorrow she would also paint a picture to seal all the past events. From then on, there would only be Yong Yaxuan in her life.
Ji Feiyu thought for a while and finally was defeated by the tiredness of the day and slowly fell asleep.
...
The next day, Ji Feiyu asked someone to bring writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones and went to the painting studio to paint.
After Yong Yaxuan woke up from his drunkenness, he came to see her. Seeing what she was doing, he was slightly surprised.
But Ji Feiyu drove him away from beside her and said, "Your Majesty, wait a while! Wait until I finish painting and then show it to Your Majesty."
Yong Yaxuan had no choice but to walk out of the painting studio helplessly. He wandered around in her palace for a long time and finally decided to find something to do. He started to fiddle with the decorations in her palace. Ji Feiyu let him do as he pleased without being disturbed at all and concentrated on painting.
...
An hour later, Ji Feiyu called Yong Yaxuan into the painting studio and asked him to go with her to look at the paper full of fragrant ink in the sunlight.
Yong Yaxuan tilted his head in confusion. "What are you painting?" At this time, Yong Yaxuan couldn't see the painting clearly.
"Just take a look for yourself and you'll know?" Ji Feiyu smiled.
On the exquisite scroll, in the ink - dyed mountains and rivers, there was a colorful flying butterfly, a white bird standing in the grass chirping, and a proud orchid standing in the distance.
They respectively represented Flower Butterfly, Little White Bird, and Lin Zhiran.
Yong Yaxuan put his arm around her, got closer and closer, rubbed his eyes, and asked doubtfully, "Where's Cheng Xuan?"
Ji Feiyu pointed to the ink - dyed mountains and rivers and said, "This is Cheng Xuan." Because the mountains and rivers they had now were what he had conquered back then.
He moved a bit away from the painting and then asked a bit sullenly, "What about me?"
Ji Feiyu suddenly swept her hand across the whole painting, pulled him so that his shadow left the scroll, and said softly, "Sunlight."
At this time, the whole scroll was shining brightly because of the sunlight, giving the whole mountains and rivers spiritual energy.
Ji Feiyu gently hugged the person beside her and said, "You are the warmest sunlight in my heart, making me not afraid of the cold all my life. The scroll can be sealed, but the sunlight will always exist. Even if all those old things go far away, you will never fade in my heart; even if we are separated for many years, there will always be a place for you in my heart, which is all the hope that accompanies me!"
The arm around her suddenly tightened. In the floating light and shadow, a crystal - clear teardrop seemed to flash by and then settle with the dust.
A bit of wetness also welled up in the corners of her eyes.
That was... the first time he shed tears because of being touched.
(End of the main text)