Male Lead Is Always That Heartless

Chapter 25

The moon was high in the sky. Four maidservants carrying lamps guided Gu Yi to the terrace behind Xuanyu Pavilion. On the terrace, a long sandalwood table with a pot of peach blossom wine and several dishes was set up. 

The terrace was spacious. Over the railings, one could see the buildings behind the pavilion and at the stars, the sun, and the moon. Dozens of white paper lanterns were placed in order under the railings, and candlesticks tied with red silk pressed on the green tiles. 

Eunuch Gao laughed: “Today is Noble Lady’s birthday. His Majesty has orders to prepare sky lanterns for you. Later, someone will send a brush and ink, and you can make a wish on the sky lanterns and then put it up to the sky. When God hears it, your wishes will come true.” 

Gu Yi looked around, “Where is His Majesty? Where is His Majesty now?” 

Eunuch Gao screamed bitterly in his heart but smiled on his face and said, “His Majesty is busy with government affairs today, so you should not wait; have your dinner first.” 

Gu Yi nodded, “It’s only half past Xushi (*); I’ll just wait. It’ll be fine even if His Majesty is too busy.” 

T/N: 7-9 pm

Eunuch Gao answered and turned to get the palace staff to serve the meal. Gu Yi had eaten half a meter of longevity noodles at noon and had eaten dim sum in advance in the afternoon, so she wasn’t too hungry. 

Tao Jia poured her a Peach Blossom Wine, “Noble Lady, drink a cup to warm your body.” 

Gu Yi drank a cup of wine and looked up at the sky. Thousands of twinkled stars inlaid the black satin-like sky. Indeed, the terrace was an excellent place to watch the stars and the moon. There were sixteen dishes in total, including meat and vegetables. 

Gu Yi lifted her chopstick to eat a few bites and poured herself a glass of wine. But until Gu Yi drank a pot, her neck was sore because she tilted her head back to look at the stars, and the palace staff removed the cups one after another, but Xiao Yan still did not come. 

The moon accompanies the stars, and there is loneliness in all directions. 

T/N: The phrase “疏星伴月，四下寂寥” is from a poem titled “南乡子（咏秋夜）” by the Song dynasty poet Zhou Bangyan (周邦彦).

The palace staff carefully carried a tray and came closer, “Noble Lady, the brush and ink have come.” 

Tao Jia laughed, “Noble Lady, write a wish on the sky lantern.” 

Gu Yi took the brush, dipped it into the ink, got up, and chose a sky lantern in the center. She squatted down and wrote: Happy. Then, she turned over the other side of the lantern and continued to write: Rich woman. When she finished writing, she moved the green tile, and the lantern floated up, gradually rising into the air and flying away. 

When the sky lantern flew until it could no longer be seen, Gu Yi clapped her hands and said, “Let’s go. It’s getting late. Let’s go back to the Xunxie Pavilion.” 

The emperor really didn’t come! 

Tao Jia’s face was slightly stiff. Then, she revealed a smile, which coaxed her. “Noble person, let’s rest early. Let’s go to that hot spring pool tomorrow morning to soak in the bath again!” 

Gu Yi nodded, gave a “hmm,” and walked down the terrace. The red-colored dress draped behind her, slowly sweeping over several stone steps. As she walked away, she removed the white jade mandarin ducks and begonias hairpin from her bun and handed it to Tao Jia, “Put it away.” 

Tao Jia dared not say anything; she only wrapped the jade hairpin in a silk handkerchief and put it into her waist bag. 

Gu Yi walked a few steps. The cold wind blew her head, and the alcohol seemed to dissipate a bit. Suddenly, she felt a bit foolish. It wasn’t her birthday in the first place; what did she have to be disappointed about? Besides, Xiao Yan was the emperor; wasn’t it normal for an emperor to be busy? After all, she wasn’t the female lead! 

Could she have stayed with Doggy Xiao for a long time and had delusions that she shouldn’t have?

Sooner or later, one day, she will happily leave the palace to be a happy, rich woman! 

Gu Yi was deeply introspective. Her footsteps unconsciously followed her habit, walking to the edge of the hot spring pool. She fixed her eyes on the pool; surprisingly, a person was sitting there. 

Xiao Yan, who had an Xuan Crown erected on his head and was dressed in black, was leaning against the edge of the pool with his eyes closed. 

Gu Yi could not help but stare. 

Tao Jia behind her exclaimed, “It’s His Majesty!” 

Gu Yi immediately turned her head and ordered, “Quickly, go find Eunuch Gao!” 

Tao Jia hesitated momentarily, biting her lip slightly, her gaze fixed on Xiao Yan, but she did not move. 

Gu Yi urgently said, “Quickly go!” 

Tao Jia was like returning to her senses, trotting off. 

Gu Yi walked to the pool’s edge and called, “Your Majesty!” 

Xiao Yan opened his eyes and looked up at her, his eyes rippling with light. 

Gu Yi squatted down and looked at him closely, “Your Majesty is drunk?” 

His clothes had long been wet, and Gu Yi saw the dried blood on his shoulder and was shocked, “Your Majesty is injured?” 

Xiao Yan slightly tilted his head to look at her and smiled, “It’s not my blood.” 

Gu Yi’s shoulders loosened, slightly lowering her heart. Xiao Yan was odd tonight. 

“Your Majesty, get up. The wind is cold at night. Don’t soak anymore.” 

Xiao Yan recognized her, “Gu Yi.” Suddenly, he turned around and faced her squarely, reaching out a hand from the water to catch Gu Yi’s right ankle. 

Gu Yi gave a start and alerted, “Your Majesty, what are you doing?” 

When the words left her mouth, a strong force pulled her into the hot spring pool. 

There was a splash of water. The well-dressed Gu Yi was sunken; the cumbersome clothes were sticking to her body like a hundred pounds were pressing down her shoulders. 

She gasped, “Your Majesty, don’t fool around!” 

Xiao Yan laughed and looked into Gu Yi’s slightly annoyed eyes. But Gu Yi felt that his eyes were not smiling. His eyebrows blinked, and there seemed to be a flash of watery light in his eyes. 

Doggy Xiao — 

Crying ……? 

Gu Yi was shocked by this knowledge — 

She opened her mouth and didn’t know what to say, “Your Majesty ……” 

Her mind raced through the book’s plot. 

September, Wu Shan Palace, September! 

So it turns out —

It’s today?  

Surprisingly, it was the same day as the cannon fodder’s birth date in the book! 

The anniversary of Ta Zhu’s death! Xiao Yan’s birth mother, Ta Zhu. 

“Xiao Yan ……” 

Gu Yi’s chest tightened. Her eyes were slightly hot, and she couldn’t help but gently caress his forehead, her fingers running smoothly over the shallow scars on his temples. 

“Xiao Yan ……” Don’t be sad anymore —

Xiao Yan reached out and covered her mouth, “You’re too noisy.“ 

Gu Yi looked at his long brows lightly converging and his pair of peach blossom eyes burning and brimming. 

It was clear that he had cried! He still has to pretend to be cool! 

Gu Yi plucked off the palm covering her mouth, “Your Majesty ……“ 

Just as she was about to speak, Xiao Yan suddenly leaned in and kissed her lips, blocking her mouth. 

Gu Yi was stunned and only felt a light, gentle, and serene touch on her lips. 

Eunuch Gao brought a long line of courtiers and hurriedly came. Seeing this scene, he immediately stopped a few steps away, turned back, and scolded in a low voice: “All lower your head.“ 

The palace staff hurriedly buried their heads and dared not look around. 

Eunuch Gao’s eyes glanced and saw the two silhouettes separate. Secretly relieved, he took a few steps forward and gave a fake cough: “Your Majesty, the old slave brought a cloak to, deeper dew, your majesty and noble person or early return to the temple.“ 

Xiao Yan saw the cloak in Gao Gui’s hand and looked at Gu Yi. 

Eunuch Noble immediately said, “Noble Lady, come up first.“ 

Gu Yi dragged her heavy clothes and was lifted by Xiao Yan before she climbed onto the shore and received the thick cloak handed by Gao Gui. 

Xiao Yan landed sharply on the shore and received the cloak another servant handed. The two of them returned to Xuanyu Pavilion like a chicken in soup. 

Gu Yi took off her wet clothes and took a hot bath before changing into her new clothes. When she returned to the room in the pavilion, Xiao Yan had his regular clothes in order. His dragon-patterned uniform was on his body. He stood in front of the jade steps, his eyes restored to their usual detachment and clarity. 

Gu Yi stood in place, not knowing what to do. In this episode in the book, in one stroke, talking about the anniversary of Xiao Yan’s mother’s death, he went up to Wu Mountain, beheading Prince Heng’s old people. 

Gu Yi thought for a moment, thinking that as a Noble Lady Gu, she shouldn’t know the reason for this, and was about to come up with a bit of ‘Is Your Majesty drinking tea?‘ pleasantries when she heard Xiao Yan say, “Go with me to the terrace to take a look.“ 

She naturally followed. 

Xiao Yan glanced at the several sky lanterns left under the railings and asked, “You’ve already made a wish?“ 

Gu Yi nodded her head and hummed. 

Xiao Yan saw a brush and ink stone still on the desk. He lifted his brush, lightly tapped the ink, and walked to pick a sky lantern. He raised his pen, staring blankly for a moment, but in the end, he wrote nothing and raised the blank lantern into the air. 

The light reflected in his eyes when he looked up at the night sky. 

Gu Yi looked at his clear and cold side face, and her heart slightly tightened: “Your Majesty ……“ But she thought about the words of comfort for a long time and couldn’t say it. 

Xiao Yan did not tell her that today was the anniversary of Ta Zhu’s death, so she naturally could not mention it. 

Gu Yi stayed in place and could only look at Xiao Yan for a while and then at the sky. The night was empty and silent, the breeze was light, and the starry sky was like jewels dotting the brocade. She looked up at the starry sky and finally made up her mind. She opened her mouth slowly to ask, “Your Majesty, look at these sky lanterns. Does it look like the stars when it flies into the night sky?“ 

Xiao Yan looked at her sideways but did not answer. 

Gu Yi smiled and said, “I heard a story when I was a young girl, saying that if one’s heart sincerely longs for someone, it will become a star in the sky. Even if they can’t always accompany you, every time you look up at the starry night sky, the person in your heart also looks at you from afar, hoping you will have a lifetime of peace and joy. ” 

Xiao Yan lowered his eyebrows and said, “Gu Yi ……“ 

Gu Yi hummed and waited for the following but heard Xiao Yan say, “A male does not talk about myth……“ 

Gu Yi: —

When Xiao Yan saw her freeze, he chuckled and leaned over to take another sky lantern. 

Gu Yi probed to see and saw him write with one stroke: Congratulations on Gu Yi’s birthday. 

Turning over one side, he also wrote: Long life.

T/N: 长命百岁 (4 words)

Four big words. 

Gu Yi smiled and said, “Thank you, Your Majesty.“ 

Xiao Yan smiled faintly and moved the green tiles on the silk ribbon. The sky lantern with the words Long Life rose into the air, the candle flame extinguished in the air, rising higher and higher, transforming into a flying star!