Wishing You Eternal Happiness

Half a month after the Crown Prince's grand wedding, the Wei Emperor enfeoffed his youngest son as the King of the Clouds and ordered the Ministry of Rites to arrange his marriage to Pei Wenjing, daughter of the Duke of Wei.

The following spring, the Wei Emperor passed away from illness, and the Crown Prince ascended the throne. Three months later, the new emperor, citing ancestral customs, sent the King of the Clouds to his fief in Wuding, Yunnan.

Whispers spread through the court that the King of the Clouds had fallen out of favor with the new emperor. On the day of his departure from the capital, aside from Pei Xian and a handful of others, no one came to see him off.

After months of arduous travel, Xiao Lie and his entourage finally entered Yunnan and immediately pressed on toward the fiefdom of Wuding.

At that time, Wuding was still a lawless frontier town in the southwest, having only come under imperial jurisdiction a decade earlier. Far from the prosperity and stability it would enjoy decades later, the roads were broken, the people impoverished, and bandits ran rampant. Within just a day of entering the region, they encountered two robberies on remote paths. The bandits were ruthless, but fortunately, Xiao Lie had heard of such dangers beforehand and stayed close to the carriage carrying Pei Wenjing. Before the bandits could even approach, he and his guards had already cut them down on the road.

News of the King of the Clouds' arrival spread quickly, and the bandits fled in fear. The following days passed peacefully on the road.

As they neared Wuding, heavy rain turned the road treacherous. The carriage carrying the princess consort hit a muddy pit, the axle snapped, and they could go no further.

With no villages ahead or behind and evening approaching, Pei Wenjing switched to the luggage carriage at the rear to avoid spending the night in the wilderness. Squeezed into a corner, she finally entered the city and reached the princely residence just before nightfall.

The princely residence was the former magistrate's office of the city. Though spacious, it had suffered heavy damage during the imperial conquest over a decade ago, with more than half the buildings burned down. Unrepaired in all these years, the estate was a scene of ruin upon entering the gates.

The room Xiao Lie and Pei Wenjing stayed in that night was the best in the residence, but the rain was too heavy. By midnight, the tiled roof began to leak, water seeping down the walls and pooling beneath the bed, flooding the rat holes. Startled rodents scurried out, unable to find an exit in their panic, and climbed up the bed frame onto the canopy, skittering about with shrill squeaks.

The exhaustion of travel, the desolation of the fief, the uncertainty of the future—none of it could cool the hearts of these two young souls pressed close together. The young man's vigor seemed boundless. After one bout of tenderness, he still longed for more, but seeing his delicate wife half-drowsy with exhaustion, he couldn't bring himself to insist and let her sleep.

Just as Pei Wenjing was drifting off, the scurrying rats above jolted her awake with a scream. Sleep fled as she burrowed into the arms of the man beside her, her slender arms clinging tightly to him.

Xiao Lie laughed, kissing and comforting her before wrapping her snugly in the blankets. He got out of bed, drew his sword, and chased the uninvited guests away. When he lifted the canopy to return, he found her still huddled under the covers. Only when she heard him climb back in did she peek out with bright eyes, darting a glance at the canopy before asking, "Are they gone?"

Xiao Lie had half a mind to tease her again, to make her burrow into his arms once more and cling to him as if he were her entire world.

He adored the feeling of her holding him tightly, seeking his protection—as if he were her sheltering sky.

But the moment he met her beautiful gaze, his spirits suddenly sank.She was once the cherished pearl of the Pei household, like a rare and delicate orchid, deserving the most precious care in the world. Yet now, she had followed him, leaving behind the bustling capital to come to this remote southwestern frontier, enduring hardships she had never known before.

He bore the title of a prince, and she was his princess consort. But he couldn’t even provide her with a proper room where she could rest peacefully when weary.

The faint smile at the corner of his lips gradually faded.

"A-Jing, it’s my fault for being so incapable, making you suffer with me…"

He murmured softly.

Throughout their arduous journey, she, who had been raised in luxury since childhood, had not uttered a single complaint.

His heart ached with deepening guilt.

Pei Wenjing met his gaze, and a gentle smile slowly appeared on her lips.

"I don’t feel the slightest bit of hardship. I am your wife. Wherever you go, I will follow. Together, never apart."

Her voice was tender, yet every word carried a resilient strength that resonated deep within his heart.

The young King of the Clouds gazed at the face that had lingered in his dreams since his youth, then leaned closer, pulling her tightly into his embrace. He kissed her with tender affection, as if she were the most precious treasure in the world.

And indeed, she was.

He had nearly lost her—forever. Yet tonight, they lay side by side, sharing warmth. How fortunate he was.

The carefree young prince of his past was gone, never to return.

At this moment, he silently vowed to devote the rest of his life to giving her the very best he could offer.

...

Three years later, the elderly Duke of Wei, who had been stripped of his position and lived in retirement, passed away. Xiao Lie requested permission to return to the capital to mourn, but the Tianxi Emperor refused. Soon after, someone accused Xiao Lie of plotting treason before the emperor. Then, Prince Shun’an further implicated Pei Xian, who had only recently inherited his title, as a co-conspirator in the rebellion. Enraged, the Tianxi Emperor imprisoned Pei Xian, stripped Xiao Lie of his princely rank, and ordered troops to arrest him for questioning. In response, Xiao Lie issued a proclamation to the world, declaring his innocence and claiming he had no choice but to raise an army in self-defense.

According to the Wei Records, when Shizong first rose in rebellion, his forces numbered only a few thousand, while the imperial army boasted hundreds of thousands. Everyone said it was like an ant trying to shake a tree—utterly hopeless. Yet, as if heaven itself lent aid, the following year, just as Shizong’s situation grew dire, news spread from the palace that the Tianxi Emperor had died suddenly of illness. It was said that on his deathbed, he had named Prince Shun’an, long favored by the emperor, as his successor. The court was thrown into chaos, and rumors swirled that Prince Shun’an had staged a coup to seize the throne by murdering the Tianxi Emperor. Seizing the opportunity, Xiao Lie rallied support, turning the tide in his favor. With aid from multiple factions, three years later, he marched his army into the capital and was proclaimed emperor, adopting the era name "Manifest Peace"—thus becoming Shizong.

That year, Xiao Lie was only twenty-five years old, already with a pair of children by Empress Pei, living in happiness and fulfillment.

On the first Lantern Festival Night after his ascension, he took Empress Pei’s hand, and the two stood side by side atop the highest tower of the Star-Gazing Palace, gazing at the glittering lights of the city below. They reminisced about that Lantern Festival Night when they were fifteen, exchanging smiles, their hearts brimming with nostalgia.

That night, the emperor and empress talked late into the night, unable to sleep.

Once again, the emperor’s mind drifted back to that dream within a dream—the one that had startled him awake years ago in a military tent on the frontier.

Even now, the eyes of the young man in that dream, fixed upon him, remained etched deeply in his memory, impossible to forget.

He would never forget them for the rest of his life.The person in his dreams—he was certain there was some unknown connection between them, a bond so deep it was ingrained in his bones, impossible to sever.

The emperor’s intuition convinced him of this.

He wanted to know who this person was, and why fate had woven their dreams together, uniting him with the one who held his heart, altering the course of both their lives.

Even more, he longed to know where this person was now, what they were doing. In this lifetime, would he ever see them again?

...

The year after Xiao Lie ascended the throne, the first year of Manifest Peace, in the coastal city of Quanzhou in the southeast, the wealthy Zhen family was brimming with joy.

The grandfather of the current head of the Zhen family had once done a great favor for an official of the Meng family. In gratitude, the Meng patriarch had married one of his daughters into the Zhen household. The young couple was deeply devoted to each other, and they had already welcomed a son, Zhen Yaoting. On this very day, Meng Shi had given birth to a daughter—a delicate, lovely child with a sweet and gentle nature. They named her Jiafu and cherished her as the apple of their eye.

Years passed in the blink of an eye. The Zhen family’s business flourished, elevating them to the status of Quanzhou’s wealthiest household. Their daughter, too, grew more beautiful with each passing day. By the age of five or six, she was already a stunning beauty, captivating everyone who saw her. That year, Meng Shi took her two children to Golden Immortal Temple on South Mountain to pray for her husband’s safe voyage—a devout ritual she had observed ever since marrying into the Zhen family, whenever her husband set sail.

Golden Buddha Temple, nestled in the mountains outside the city, was an ancient monastery with a history spanning a thousand years. Legend had it that the monk who had raised funds to build the temple had attained enlightenment here, achieving the state of an arhat, hence the name Golden Buddha. The mountain peaks rose majestically, clear springs murmured through the valleys, and within the temple grounds, verdant pines and cypresses stood tall, birds singing among them—a serene and sacred place, suffused with the essence of Zen.

That day, a Buddhist ceremony was being held. After offering her prayers with utmost devotion, Meng Shi went to listen to the dharma teachings. At noon, they partook of vegetarian meals, but little Jiafu grew drowsy. Meng Shi led her children to a quiet room for their nap, leaving maids to watch over them while she returned to the ceremony.

Jiafu’s older brother, Yao Ting, had always been mischievous. How could he possibly lie still for a nap? After feigning sleep for a short while, once his mother had left and the maids stepped out, he quietly roused his sister and whispered in her ear that he had discovered a fascinating spot in the back of the temple that morning and would take her there to play. Little Jiafu followed her brother to the rear of the temple.

The temple was crowded with worshippers that day, and with spring in full bloom, peach blossoms adorned the paths as visitors came and went. Her brother, nimble as a monkey, darted through the throng, but Jiafu’s short legs couldn’t keep up. In the blink of an eye, she lost sight of him. Fighting back panic, she searched for him but not only failed to find her brother—she soon realized she had wandered into a secluded, desolate area. Not only could she not find her way back, there wasn’t a soul in sight. Fear welled up inside her, and tears began to fall.

Wiping her tears, she called out for her brother, but he was nowhere to be found. The more she walked, the more lost she became, until finally, she stopped on the mountain path, sobbing helplessly. Just as her cries grew most pitiful, a gentle voice spoke beside her:

“What’s wrong?”

Jiafu lifted her eyes. Through her tearful gaze, she saw a strange boy standing beneath a peach blossom tree by the path—one who hadn’t been there a moment before.He looked about the same age as her brother, his clothes washed to a pale hue but spotlessly clean. In his hand was a book, as if he had been studying nearby when her crying drew him over.

Slender as bamboo, he was strikingly handsome with dark, luminous eyes so bright little Jiafu could almost see her own reflection in them.

For some reason, all her earlier panic and fear vanished the moment she saw him.

She felt an inexplicable familiarity, as though she'd met him somewhere before, though she couldn't recall where.

Jiafu stopped crying, staring dumbfounded at the youth before her.

"Don't be afraid. I'll take you back."

The boy set down his book and crouched, using his sleeve to tenderly wipe away her tears and runny nose without the slightest disgust. Then he broke off a peach blossom branch and offered it to her.

Little Jiafu's tears turned to smiles as she accepted the blossom, gazing up at this gentle, handsome youth. "Who are you? Where do you live?"

The young man looked down at the rosy-cheeked girl staring up at him, silent, infinite tenderness in the depths of his eyes.

In their previous lives, she had sought his help in desperate circumstances. After that brief encounter, their paths never crossed again as each completed their separate journeys.

She was ultimately buried alive in the Underground Palace, while he died young in a frontier fortress.

History remembered him as heaven-sent talent - the "Boy Prime Minister" and "Commoner Statesman" who later became the chief architect of an emperor's ascension, reaching the pinnacle of power.

Both scholar and general, his final years saw him pacifying borders, driving northern tribes beyond the frontier while establishing schools and clinics, earning widespread allegiance.

His end came from a bowl of poisoned wine.

He knew drinking it would extinguish all glory and shame in one snowy night at that lonely fortress.

Yet he drank it anyway.

The poison had long been anticipated.

He was prepared for that day.

Not from fear of his executioner.

But from utter detachment.

Nothing remained in that world to bind him.

An unnecessary existence, his departure merely restored nature's order.

He met death peacefully - yet in his final moment, inexplicably, his mind conjured those frightened, grateful eyes from decades past when that cousin had come begging his aid.

After the war, he'd heard this sister-in-law he'd helped had perished in the chaos, her body never recovered, her fate unknown.

He thought he'd forgotten. Only at death's door did he realize that desperate plea had stayed etched in his memory all along. Those beautiful eyes returned to him one final time.After his death, the people built a temple in his honor, offering incense to sustain his lingering spirit. It was only then that he finally learned she had not died back then but had been hidden away in the depths of the palace, eventually buried alive beneath the earth, her beauty and life extinguished. Her fate was so tragic that even the Fate Deity took pity, allowing her to be reborn into a new life.

Fortunately, in that new life, after enduring hardships, she finally found happiness with that world's version of himself. And because of her arrival, that version of him also found fulfillment.

While he felt comforted, deep in his heart, he couldn't help but envy the version of himself who had the fortune of her companionship day and night.

Even if his spirit remained unextinguished after death, even if he lived as long as the heavens—what difference was there between him and a wandering ghost, adrift between the emerald seas and vast skies, with no place to call home?

This life had been filled with too many regrets. Whether it was her, his birth parents who gave him life, or the Pei family who raised him—all had suffered cruel fates.

He told the Fate Deity that he was willing to sacrifice his own undying spirit in exchange for all of them to live lives free of regret.

...

The young man pondered for a moment, then smiled gently. "I live here. You can call me You'an, elder brother."

"You'an, elder brother..."

Jiafu repeated his name carefully, nodding. "I'll remember it."

She liked this young elder brother named You'an and smiled at him, her eyes curving into crescents.

When the boy led her back to the front of the temple, Meng Shi was frantic, having sent family and monks searching everywhere for her daughter. Suddenly seeing Jiafu running toward her, she swept the girl into her arms, weeping with joy.

From her mother's embrace, Jiafu turned back to see the young elder brother smiling and nodding at her before turning away, his figure gradually disappearing into the crowd.

Only after calming down did Meng Shi recall the boy who had brought her daughter back. She looked around but could no longer find him.

Judging by his clothing, the boy seemed to come from humble origins. Grateful for his kindness, Meng Shi described him to the monks. One of them smiled and explained that the boy was an orphan, parentless since infancy, when a wandering monk—his great-uncle—had brought him to the temple and raised him. The child had been exceptionally bright from a young age, reading by age three with a photographic memory. The monk had once intended to take him as a final disciple, but for unknown reasons, abandoned the idea, instead giving him the imperial surname and the secular name You'an. Two years prior, despite his youth, he had topped the prefectural examinations, astonishing the entire academy. The examiner had personally visited the temple to test his knowledge and offered to take him in, but the boy had politely declined. Now, he lived in a simple hut on the back mountain, sustaining himself on plain congee while devoting his days to study, content in his modest way.

Upon returning home, Meng Shi told her husband about the encounter.

Master Zhen had previously heard of the impoverished boy's scholarly reputation from Golden Buddha Temple. Seeing this as a serendipitous connection, he personally visited the temple to meet him. Though young, the boy carried himself with grace and composure, neither subservient nor arrogant. Master Zhen took an immediate liking to him, convinced that despite his humble origins, the boy was destined for greatness. The encounter lingered in his thoughts long after.

One day, while holding his daughter on his lap, a sudden idea struck him—what if they betrothed the boy to Jiafu?He was an impatient man. Once the idea struck him, he immediately discussed it with Meng Shi, who naturally agreed. Master Zhen then hurriedly went to inform his mother before rushing off to the Golden Buddha Temple. There, he found the elder monk who had taken in the boy years ago and explained his intentions.

Anxiously, he watched the monk, fearing refusal. To his surprise, the monk neither agreed nor disagreed but simply led him to the thatched cottage where the boy lived and asked if he would be willing to become the Zhen family's son-in-law.

The boy had been sitting behind a table with a book in hand. Setting it aside, he stepped outside and, without hesitation, knelt properly before Master Zhen, kowtowing and addressing him as "Father-in-law."

Overjoyed, Master Zhen immediately drew up the betrothal agreement. From then on, he frequently visited, sending rice and clothing, treating the boy as his own.

Thus, time flew like an arrow. From the year Jiafu was six and met him on the back hill of the Golden Buddha Temple, thousands of days flowed quietly through their fingers like water.

She and her You'an brother grew up together, carefree and happy.

By the thirteenth year of Manifest Peace, Jiafu had turned thirteen, blossoming into a stunning beauty, while he, now sixteen, had matured into a handsome and refined young scholar.

She remembered how, as a child, she loved following him around whenever her father brought her to visit. "You'an brother," she'd call, trailing after him wherever he went. Even if she did nothing but watch him read or write by the window for hours, she never grew tired or wanted to leave.

As she grew older and understood he was her future husband, shyness replaced her childhood boldness. She no longer sought him out as before, though her heart never forgot him. When he visited the Zhen household, she'd hide in the shadows, stealing glances. Even the faintest glimpse of his figure filled her heart with sweetness and sent it racing like a startled deer.

Her father said that once she came of age, they would marry, becoming husband and wife.

That year, at sixteen, he was to take the autumn examinations. Given their importance, Jiafu's father canceled his planned sea voyage, deciding to stay home until the exams concluded.

Master Zhen never imagined this last-minute change would save his life.

Months later, the fleet of another family he'd originally planned to sail with encountered an unforeseeable storm in open waters. The ships capsized, and except for one sailor who clung to a drifting mast and was miraculously rescued, none survived.

Upon hearing the news, Master Zhen mourned but also felt profound relief at his narrow escape. Had he joined that voyage, whether he'd have returned was anyone's guess.

Having cheated death, Master Zhen awaited You'an's exam results. In November, good news arrived.

He had passed the autumn exams, becoming the youngest provincial graduate in Quanzhou's history.

Congratulations poured in from all directions, and the Zhen household brimmed with joy day after day.

By the next spring's metropolitan exams, Xiao You'an traveled to the capital to participate. Coincidentally, after over a decade of stability, unrest began brewing in the north. The emperor thus ordered all candidates to address this issue in their policy essays. You'an's response was incisive, well-reasoned, and strategically brilliant, stunning the examiners who marked it as the top submission for imperial review. The emperor, delighted after reading it and learning its author was merely seventeen that spring, grew even more astonished. Eagerly, he summoned the young man for an immediate audience.By this year, Xiao Lie had already been emperor for over a decade and was approaching forty.

When he first laid eyes on the young scholar named Xiao You'an, the emperor was stunned.

He recognized immediately that this seventeen-year-old youth before him was the same young man who had appeared in his dreams years ago to offer guidance.

Though the boy had not yet fully grown into the young man from his dreams, his facial features were strikingly similar.

Especially those bright, unforgettable eyes—they were exactly the same. There was no mistaking it!

Utterly astonished, Xiao Lie summoned the youth alone to the Imperial Study after court adjourned. After learning in detail about his life as an orphan raised in a temple, the emperor sighed deeply and sent for Empress Pei.

Empress Pei had long known about the strange dream her husband experienced years ago.

Over the years, she too often dreamed—of herself and another child. She tried to see the child clearly, but a thick mist always obscured her vision. Upon waking, she felt an inexplicable emptiness in her heart, a lingering regret she could never shake.

Yet at this moment, upon seeing this young man, an indescribable emotion—both sorrowful and joyous—slowly welled up within her. It was as if he were the long-lost son from her dreams. Tears spilled uncontrollably from her eyes as she stepped forward and personally helped him rise.

Without any dispute, this seventeen-year-old youth was declared the top scholar in the imperial examinations, his name announced in the golden hall.

Once the results were published, the news spread across the land. Word that the Zhen family’s once-mocked son-in-law—the one people had sneered at for "marrying into the family"—had achieved the highest honor in the exams soon reached Quanzhou. The Zhen household erupted in celebration as if it were New Year’s. The eldest master of the Zhen family set off firecrackers outside the gate and hung festive couplets. Visitors came from morning till night, offering congratulations until the threshold was nearly worn down.

A wife’s status rises with her husband’s, and overnight, Jiafu became the envy of all, the luckiest woman in everyone’s eyes.

But as she waited day after day for his return, whispers began to circulate in Quanzhou.

It was said the emperor held him in the highest esteem, entrusting him with great responsibilities. Young and ambitious, he had soared to prominence, his future boundless.

It was also said that in the capital, officials with marriageable daughters—whether through intermediaries or in person—were all vying to make him their son-in-law.

So some began to murmur that the young man was no longer the same. Having ascended to the dragon’s gate, how could he still stoop to the merchant-class Zhen family? Surely, he would never return.

These rumors grew louder and louder until even the Zhen family caught wind of them.

Her parents were furious, fearing their daughter’s heart would break. But Jiafu merely laughed it off, even comforting them instead.

From the very first moment he appeared before her, Jiafu had placed her deepest trust in him.

She believed in him completely, convinced that even if mountains and rivers stood between them, fate had bound them together with an unbreakable red thread.

When she was six years old, that red thread had brought him to her side.

Her You’an—whether the impoverished scholar in the Golden Buddha Temple or the now-celebrated top scholar—would surely return to marry her. Of this, Jiafu had not a single doubt.

Her unwavering faith was rewarded.

That autumn, the once-destitute youth who had dwelled in an ancient temple returned in glory, his success the talk of the town. Crowds thronged the streets just to catch a glimpse of the illustrious young scholar. That day, he rode into the city on horseback but dismounted an arrow’s flight away from the Zhen residence, proceeding on foot. At the gate, he bowed respectfully to the eldest master of the Zhen family, who had come out to greet him, fulfilling the duties of a son-in-law. The rumors crumbled instantly. Everyone marveled at how the Zhen patriarch not only excelled in business, with his ships seemingly blessed by the heavens, but also possessed an unmatched eye for sons-in-law—securing the betrothal when the boy was still poor. Otherwise, given his current status, how could the Zhen family ever hope to match with him?

The following year, after her coming-of-age ceremony at fifteen, Jiafu finally realized her dream—she married her beloved You’an.Amidst the brocade curtains of hibiscus, fragrant and enchanting, before the hall of jade, love flowed like water. The flickering candlelight cast the silhouettes of two figures nestled together within the embroidered canopy.

"Brother You'an, the first time I saw you as a child, I felt you looked familiar. Had I met you somewhere before?"

The young bride stretched out a delicate arm, wrapping it around the waist of her beloved husband. She opened her eyes and gazed at him with curiosity.

This feeling had haunted her for so long, and tonight, she finally found the courage to ask.

He looked down at her lovely cheeks still flushed with a rosy hue, and a smile gradually welled up in his eyes. Without answering, he simply pulled her into his embrace, silencing her persistent questions with a kiss.

He had severed all ties to his past, coming here alone to watch her grow, all for this very moment.

He wanted to marry her, grow old with her, protect her, and ensure she lived a life free from sorrow and fear—a life of peace and happiness.

In another world, another version of them was already living blissfully together. In this lifetime, he and she would do the same.

(The End)