Even though he had so much he wanted to say to the woman in front of him, in the end, all that came out was a sigh.
He couldn't very well tell her that he couldn't bear to part with her and didn't want to leave. So, for him, perhaps leaving was the only way out.
Dongfang Yi simply nodded and said, "Leaving is a good thing. The sky is vast enough for birds to soar, and the sea is wide enough for fish to swim. You're just meant to be free."
As she spoke, she reached out and patted the man's shoulder. In her heart, this man was like a younger brother. So if he could be happy and free, she would be as glad as Helian Qi.
After walking for a while, they found themselves at the small garden where they had first met. But now it was no longer a dilapidated garden; it was in good order.
"Hey? Is someone living here now?!" Dongfang Yi couldn't help but ask.
Helian Rong just smiled and said, "This was originally Aunt's old courtyard. Now that she's back, of course she'd tidy it up."
She never would have thought that this was the place where the princess had once lived.
Just then, they heard the clear laughter of a boy coming from the palace. It was obvious that it was Yi'er, the princess's son, playing.
"Didn't Aunt go to the banquet?" she asked again.
"She doesn't like the hustle and bustle, so she wouldn't go to such a place. And there are too many people at the banquet. So far, only a few people know that Aunt is back. She's probably afraid that something might go wrong," Helian Rong said in a low voice, with a hint of helplessness in his tone.
Then he added, "Let's go in and have a chat with her."
Just as Dongfang Yi was about to agree, Donghua hesitated and said, "But Your Majesty, the Emperor is still waiting for you to go back."
Dongfang Yi hesitated for a moment too. But when she thought of the smoky atmosphere at the banquet, she didn't want to go back at all. Then she said to Donghua, "You go back first and tell him that I'm here with Aunt. With the Prince of Nanping here, tell him not to worry."
After saying that, she followed Helian Rong inside.
Even though Donghua was still a bit worried, she obeyed the order and returned to the banquet.
Inside the princess's garden, Princess Shangyang was playing with her son.
"Yi'er, do you like it here?" she asked, holding the little boy in her arms.
The little boy scratched his head and hesitated, saying, "It's nice here. The food is good, the clothes are good, and the maids take good care of me. But if I could, I'd still like to go back to the forest to catch wild rabbits."
When Princess Shangyang heard his words, her smile froze for a moment, and her heart skipped a beat. She didn't expect that her son still wanted to go back.
But what could she do now? She would never go back. That place was just like a dream from her first half of life. Now that the dream was over, it was time to wake up. Yi'er was still young and shouldn't have to bear the pain that she had endured.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but shed a few tears. When Yi'er saw this, he quickly wiped his mother's tears and frowned like a little adult, saying, "Mommy, don't cry, okay? Yi'er was wrong. Yi'er shouldn't have said he wanted to go back to the forest. It's nice here. As long as Mommy is happy, Yi'er will be fine."
Princess Shangyang looked at her so sensible son and felt a sharp pain in her heart. She hugged him tightly and began to cry silently.
It was the Chinese New Year's Eve again. Back then, on such a day, the young her had met him. He was so talented and knowledgeable, and his every frown and smile had captured her heart. But later, things didn't turn out as she had hoped...
Before she could finish her thoughts, there were some noises outside the palace, along with the sound of footsteps. She quickly wiped the tears from her face, held her child, and went out to greet them. As soon as she looked up, she saw the two people walking towards her.
"Happy New Year, Aunt," Helian Rong said with a smile, clasping his fists.
Princess Shangyang just laughed and said, "You're such a grown - up prince, yet you're still so childish."
Helian Rong rushed over and hugged the woman in front of him, acting coquettishly, "Aunt, no matter how big a prince I am, I'm still your nephew. What's wrong with a nephew wishing his aunt a happy New Year?"
Dongfang Yi had never seen him act so playfully before. Seeing this, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Look, even the Empress is laughing at you!" Princess Shangyang said, patting the man's back.
Then the three of them walked into the bedroom amidst laughter.
But as soon as Dongfang Yi entered, she noticed something strange. After thinking for a while, she realized that there were no New Year decorations here. After all, it was New Year's Eve, and every palace should be decorated festively. This place was just too quiet.
Thinking of this, she frowned and asked, "Aunt, didn't the people in the palace help you decorate your bedroom?!"
What she really meant was whether the servants had not shown enough respect to her because there were no New Year decorations.
But Princess Shangyang just gave a bitter smile and said, "Today is the anniversary of the death of the eldest prince, Bintian."
When Dongfang Yi heard this, her expression froze. What a stupid question she had asked! The eldest prince was Aunt's husband! She never thought that he had passed away on New Year's Eve. So, of course, there couldn't be any New Year decorations. How could she bring up Aunt's painful memory today?
Realizing her mistake, she immediately apologized, "Aunt, I didn't mean it. I really didn't know..."
She didn't say the rest of the words but just looked at the woman in front of her with guilty, shiny eyes.
Princess Shangyang didn't seem to care at all. She waved her hand to show that it was okay and then said with a desolate look, "I've long since stopped caring. He's been gone for so long. Why should the living still be so sad?"
Dongfang Yi clearly heard a hint of unusual emotion in her seemingly non - caring tone. So she felt even more ashamed of her thoughtless words.
Seeing that the woman was feeling guilty, Helian Rong immediately stood up and said, "Yi'er, come here. See what I have here."
As he spoke, he took out a rattle from his bosom.
"Wow, a rattle!" Yi'er ran over excitedly, but Helian Rong teased him by holding it high so that he couldn't reach it.
For a moment, everyone in the room was amused by these two. The awkward atmosphere disappeared completely.
After Yi'er finally got the rattle, he said, "Uncle Rong, can I learn martial arts from you in the future?"
Helian Rong raised his eyebrows and asked, "Oh? Why is that?"