Bai Li’s Dream – Chapter 123

Chapter 123: Night Fades

Zhuang Li stood by the window on the street, watching the tall treasure elephant slowly pass by. The surrounding people cheered, and Zhou Jiuniang was also jumping up and down beside her.

The hustle and bustle seemed to be separated by a layer of gauze.

Zhuang Li leaned against the window railing and let out a soft breath.

She had returned to her dream world.

The dream just now was truly strange, or perhaps the person dreaming was unusual. Otherwise, why would they dream of offering sacrifices to Heaven?

And those repeated calls of “The Emperor, by Mandate of Heaven.”

The Emperor, ah.

Zhuang Li looked towards the street. The treasure elephant had already passed, and the musicians were sitting on the cart, playing as they approached.

She still remembered that when the musicians’ procession came by, she had sensed someone’s gaze upon her.

Zhuang Li narrowed her eyes. In the dream world, she could see details that she would have overlooked in reality. Her gaze swept across the musicians one by one…

The musicians’ procession slowly passed by.

No one looked at her.

Zhuang Li’s hand tightened on the window railing.

Was she mistaken at that time? Or did the owner of that gaze possess the means to conceal themselves from being observed?

“Young Madam, Miss Jiu, come and see, is that Master Zhou coming over?”

Chun Yue’s voice rang in her ears.

Zhou Jiuniang grabbed the window railing and looked out.

Zhuang Li looked up and saw Zhou Jingyun smiling at her amidst the dim yellow light.

Zhuang Li smiled too, raising her hand to wave at him.

She didn’t alter the dream to keep Zhou Jingyun with her, but watched as he withdrew his gaze and continued forward, disappearing from sight.

Princess Jinyu’s carriage arrived.

Zhuang Li glanced at it. At that time, her mind was focused on waiting to see Bai Ying, so she didn’t pay much attention to the Princess. However, she was not entirely unfamiliar with her. She had almost met her when she was invited outside Lingquan Temple, and she had saved Shangguan Yue, the illegitimate son of the Imperial Consort’s Husband, which probably thwarted Princess Jinyu’s plans.

The pearl curtains swayed gently, and countless gazes on the street followed the Princess’s carriage and the Imperial Consort’s Husband riding alongside.

Zhuang Li looked past them, towards the Emperor’s carriage.

It was this Emperor who had ordered the extermination of the Bai family’s three clans.

He had never met Bai Xun, although Bai Xun’s daughter had married him.

Father had never acknowledged this marriage.

Between them, there was only the relationship of ruler and subject.

If the ruler wants his subject to die, the subject can only die.

In reality, at this time, everyone would kneel down. But at this moment, Zhuang Li stood still, watching the Emperor and Empress’s carriage slowly pass by, listening to the grand and distant sound of people kowtowing and shouting “Long Live.”

Until a much smaller carriage appeared before her eyes.

Unlike the Emperor and Empress’s carriage, which allowed the people to clearly see the dragon and phoenix emblems, the curtains of this carriage were tightly drawn, as if to prevent outsiders from seeing the person inside.

This was her dream world, she could see clearly if she wanted to.

The curtain on the carriage lifted with the wind, revealing the person inside.

Bai Ying was wearing a green and white striped jacket and skirt, her hair pulled back in a simple style, her sleeves rolled up high, as if she was about to go to the kitchen…

Bai Li chuckled. This was not Consort Bai Ying, but the Second Miss of the Bai family.

It had been more than ten years since they last met.

She didn’t know what Consort Bai Ying was like, only the Second Miss of the Bai family remained in her memory.

Zhuang Li’s vision blurred for a moment, but she quickly focused, looking past Bai Ying to the opposite side.

Someone was watching Bai Ying.

At this moment, except for the guards, everyone watching was kneeling and kowtowing, shouting “Long Live,” or vying for a glimpse of the Emperor’s dragon countenance.

Even if they were curious about the carriage behind the imperial chariot, they would only glance at it briefly.

Who was it, staring so intently and focused like her?

Zhuang Li saw a young man across the street, kneeling and looking out through the window lattice.

Shangguan Yue.

Shangguan Yue?

Why was he looking at Bai Ying?

She suddenly thought, Shangguan Yue recognized her, could it be that he learned about her from Bai Ying?

What was the relationship between him and Bai Ying?

This time, Shangguan Yue did not cover his face with his sleeve, nor did he turn away. In the dim yellow light, his eyes were dark, like shining stars.

The stars drew closer, flickering brightly and dimly, instantly swallowing her whole.

Zhuang Li abruptly opened her eyes. There was no bustling street, no grand imperial procession, and no Bai Ying’s carriage before her.

Here, it was silent and boundless.

This…

Was that dreamless realm!

Zhuang Li looked around in shock, and sure enough, she saw a young child lying on the ground in the vast emptiness.

She had originally planned to come looking for this dreamless realm tomorrow night, to prepare for future emergencies.

How did she suddenly enter?

She wanted to enter Shangguan Yue’s dream, how did she end up here?

Or could it be, that the dreamless realm belonged to Shangguan Yue?

Zhuang Li slowly approached the child, squatting down to look at him.

Just like last time, he was sleeping soundly, with long eyelashes, a fair and rosy face, dressed in luxurious clothes, adorned with pearls and jade.

Did he look like Shangguan Yue?

Zhuang Li tried to recall Shangguan Yue’s appearance, not really.

But she couldn’t conclude that it wasn’t him.

Firstly, there were inherent differences between childhood and adult appearances, and secondly, the appearance Shangguan Yue presented might not be his true self.

Just like herself.

Zhuang Li was thinking about whether it was him or not, and decided to ask his name.

As the thought crossed her mind, the child before her opened his eyes.

“Bai—”

The child’s innocent voice rang in her ears, and Zhuang Li, who was squatting and hugging her knees, crumbled like earth and stone.

……

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Shangguan Yue abruptly sat up.

“…Li.” he heard himself utter a faint whisper.

He looked up to see a pale blue light, the night was fading.

Shangguan Yue was dazed for a moment, then frantically looked around, calling softly, “Bai Li.”

The room was silent, there was no response, and no one else was there.

Was it a dream?

It was right to see her in a dream!

He had first seen her in a dream!

She came, she must have come.

Shangguan Yue sniffed hard again, although the fragrance was dissipating, he still caught the familiar lingering scent.

It was Bai Li’s scent.

But why did he wake up as soon as he dreamed of her? Without even saying a word.

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The morning light was dim. Chun Yue gently pulled back the bed curtains and saw Zhuang Li lying on the bed, smiling at her with her eyes open.

“Young Madam, did you sleep well last night?” Chun Yue asked, handing her a cup of warm water.

This was something Master Zhou had specifically instructed her to do before he left.

The Young Madam liked to have a cup of warm water when she woke up.

Don’t let her pour it herself, lest she get burned.

Zhuang Li sat up halfway, reaching out to take the cup and taking a sip.

“I slept well last night, but not so well.” she said.

She had successfully reached the traveling palace, and there was no Imperial Bell there. She had approached Bai Ying again, but the bad news was that Bai Ying was wearing a Three Purities Bell, and getting close would break the illusion, causing Bai Ying to regain consciousness.

Then she was pulled into someone else’s dream, but fortunately, she managed to escape.

Then she stumbled into the dreamless realm, but the bad news was that before she could say anything or ask any questions, the person woke up and the dream world disappeared.

The dreamless realm.

Could it be Shangguan Yue’s dream?

Zhuang Li’s fingers tapped lightly on the table as she pondered last night’s experiences once again.

Chun Yue, who was outside the window, saw this and felt a little worried.

As usual, the Young Madam woke up, washed up, ate, and then prepared to write. According to her usual habits, she would finish writing in the morning, and after lunch, she would either look through incense or read for a while.

But today, the Young Madam had been sitting at her desk for a long time, either resting her chin on the brush stand or tapping her fingers on the table, her expression alternating between relaxed and serious.

The Young Madam hadn’t shown any unusual behavior after sleeping alone last night, but now she seemed a bit off.

“She’s feeling unwell,” Chun Hong whispered from the side.

Chun Yue looked at her quickly: “Really?” she said nervously, “Should we ask Doctor Zhang to come and have a look?”

Chun Hong chuckled: “I’m just teasing you.”

Chun Yue glared at her.

“But, I’m not wrong, the Young Madam is feeling unwell.” Chun Hong lowered her voice, “She’s probably missing Master Zhou.”

Chun Xiang, who was behind them, also nodded in agreement: “Yes, it’s the first day Master Zhou is away from home.”

Chun Yue wanted to say that Master Zhou had been away from home many times before, but then she thought, the newlyweds used to be somewhat distant, but now they were very familiar with each other. It was indeed a bit of an adjustment to be suddenly separated.

She thought for a moment and brought tea inside.

“Young Madam, write a piece of calligraphy today, and tomorrow when Master Zhou comes back, let him see if it’s good or not.” she said with a smile.

Reminding the Young Madam that Master Zhou would be back tomorrow.

Yes, Zhou Jingyun would be back tomorrow. She would explore the dreamless realm again tonight to confirm whether it belonged to Shangguan Yue. Once this matter was resolved, she would no longer practice dream walking when she was with Zhou Jingyun, lest she scare him again. Zhuang Li smiled softly.

“Okay, I’ll write two pieces and see how he praises me.”

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Although the traveling palace had been bustling with searches and reinforced guards for almost the entire night.

The grand ceremony of offering sacrifices to Heaven still proceeded smoothly today.

Zhou Jingyun stood in the ranks, looking down at his toes. Although he was wearing thick layers under his official robe, the bitter winter cold still made his feet numb.

He didn’t sleep very well last night.

It wasn’t because of the searches. After Zhang Ze left, he went straight to bed.

Perhaps it was because the traveling palace was too cold, he couldn’t sleep soundly.

However, over the years, he had slept in quiet academies, bustling post stations, and dilapidated temples in the wilderness while he was away serving as an educational inspector, and he had never felt unable to sleep…

It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality, he couldn’t help but recall this saying.

Then he thought, what was Zhuang Li doing at this time? She was probably writing or reading.

As he lost himself in his thoughts, the cold seemed to be ignored.

He would be home tomorrow.

From the beginning of the procession to its end, this day and night had passed.

Actually, I wrote over four thousand words today, but I kept half of it as a draft. It’s important to have a draft, otherwise there won’t be anything to delete next time.