Li Longji was weak-willed when it came to women. That woman was Yang Yuhuan. Though over fifty, Li Longji believed love knew no age. He had fallen deeply into Yang Yuhuan’s love, ready to do anything for her.
As the emperor, Li Longji always wanted to show his nobility, so he brought the elaborately dressed Yang Yuhuan and sat proudly in the main hall, awaiting An Lushan’s respectful arrival.
Yang Yuhuan waited expectantly.
An Lushan (2)
After kowtowing to Yang Yuhuan, An Lushan then knelt before Li Longji: “This subject pays respects to the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live, long live!”
Li Longji said impatiently: “Rise.”
Li Longji greatly appreciated An Lushan. To reward An Lushan for his years of guarding the frontier and contributing to the country’s stability and unity, and to welcome him, Li Longji hosted a grand reception and specially prepared a lavish banquet in the palace.
During the feast, the world-famous dancer Xie Aman, wearing the gold millet arm ring bestowed by Yang Yuhuan, gracefully appeared and performed a solo dance to melodious music. Xie Aman was skilled in the Lingbo dance, moving like an elegant fairy by the undulating waves, her soft and light dance movements resembling floating clouds or a light touch on water, indescribably beautiful.
After the performance, Xie Aman withdrew with a charming demeanor.
Seated at the banquet, An Lushan, eager to show off, suddenly stood up, walked to Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan, knelt down and said: “This subject knows the Hu Xuan dance and would like to perform for the Emperor and Consort.”
Yang Yuhuan was just lifting her finger to a cup of overflowing nectar, tilting her head to take a sip, when she heard this and involuntarily spat out the wine, pointing at An Lushan and laughing uncontrollably.
Li Longji also couldn’t help but laugh: “What? You’re so fat, and you can dance? Can you even move?”
Yang Yuhuan, barely controlling her laughter, asked: “You’ll do the Hu Xuan dance? You really can?”
An Lushan smiled slightly: “This subject will make a fool of himself.”
Unexpectedly, this super-fat An Lushan not only could dance the Hu Xuan dance but did so excellently, in no way inferior to Yang Yuhuan.
As the music started, An Lushan began spinning, gradually increasing speed until his face was a blur, only his massive belly visible, spinning left and right, countless rotations, dancing like a whirlwind, powerful and mesmerizing.
Yang Yuhuan was astonished. She never expected a man could dance the Hu Xuan dance so beautifully, especially one with such a massive body. She watched, unable to contain her excitement, forgetting her status as a noble consort, and exclaimed: “Wonderful! Brilliantly danced!”
Li Longji, influenced by the atmosphere, also forgot his imperial dignity and followed: “Wonderful!” An Lushan had indeed danced exceptionally well, clearly having practiced extensively.
An Lushan finally stopped, breathing heavily. Li Longji was impressed, admitting he couldn’t dance like that. Curious, he pointed at An Lushan’s large belly and asked: “What’s in your belly? It’s so big and heavy, yet you dance so lightly. How strange.”
An Lushan, a master of flattery, knelt and said: “Reporting to the Emperor, my belly contains nothing but a heart loyal to Your Majesty.” This flattery worked perfectly, immediately pleasing Li Longji. Who doesn’t love good words?
An Lushan appeared honest but was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, adept at reading the room and gauging moods.
With his intelligence, An Lushan could see that Li Longji, usually pragmatic, was now showing signs of decadence, likely influenced by the beautiful Yang Yuhuan. After all, what man doesn’t love a beautiful woman? Especially one as enchanting as Yang Yuhuan.
An Lushan pondered for a moment, then suddenly became serious and said to the cheerful Li Longji: “Your Majesty, this subject has a request and hopes for Your Majesty’s approval.”
Li Longji looked at him strangely: “What is it?”
An Lushan glanced at Yang Yuhuan and said: “This subject has been motherless since childhood and wants to adopt a noble woman as his mother.”
Li Longji couldn’t help but laugh: “You don’t want to adopt my beloved concubine as your mother, do you?”
An Lushan kowtowed respectfully, his voice devout: “That is precisely this subject’s intention, hoping for Your Majesty’s approval.”
Li Longji laughed, looking at Yang Yuhuan, implying: He wants to adopt you as his mother, you decide whether to agree or not.
Yang Yuhuan laughed charmingly.
This An Lushan was truly interesting, full of wild ideas and imagination.
What a ridiculous idea he had come up with.
But An Lu Shan persisted, not giving up until he reached the Yellow River.
An Lu Shan continued kowtowing: “Please, Your Majesty, approve!”
He then kowtowed to Yang Yuhuan: “Please, Your Ladyship, approve!”
Yang Yuhuan’s eyes rolled. She had a cousin, Yang Guozhong, who was a prime minister with overwhelming power. Now, An Lu Shan was a powerful military governor with local authority. Adopting him as her son was like a pie falling from the sky. Although she wasn’t hungry, this unexpected bonus seemed quite good.
Yang Yuhuan smiled and said to Li Longji: “Your Majesty, this concubine will adopt An Lu Shan as her son.”
Li Longji didn’t respond to Yang Yuhuan but shouted at An Lu Shan: “Nonsense, quickly go and pay respects to your adoptive mother!”
An Lu Shan was overjoyed, quickly saying: “Thank you, Your Majesty.” He then turned, and at forty-five years old, knelt before the twenty-seven-year-old Yang Yuhuan, repeatedly kowtowing: “Son pays respects to adoptive mother.”
Mei Fei was lightly made up, shy and demure, standing among the plum flowers carved like jade ice, her beauty blending with the flowers.
Li Longji suddenly thought of Mei Fei.
In the end, Li Longji was not a suave man. In matters of love, he was still connected by a thin thread, unable to completely cut ties. He missed Mei Fei, deeply missed her, wishing he could hold her in his arms and call her “my darling.”
To express this sentiment, Li Longji sent a palace maid to ask Yang Yuhuan for leave, saying he was unwell and wouldn’t come to share the bed with her that night.
Li Longji didn’t realize that Yang Yuhuan’s beauty and wisdom were proportional.
Yang Yuhuan was so familiar with Li Longji. As soon as Li Longji lifted his foot, Yang Yuhuan could guess whether he wanted to use the big or small toilet. How could he hide anything from her?
Perhaps Yang Yuhuan was politically naive, but in matters of love, she was naturally sharp.
Yang Yuhuan thought, she had been completely devoted to Li Longji, so why should he be half-hearted towards her? Men are human, women are human, all born from their mothers, all made of flesh. Why should men be treated specially? Why can they embrace multiple lovers and sail multiple boats? I won’t let you be special! I won’t let you embrace multiple lovers! I won’t let you sail multiple boats!
Mei Fei’s tears welled up, and she gently moved forward, bowing: “This concubine pays respects to Your Majesty.”
Li Longji reached out, embracing Mei Fei in his arms: “My beloved, you’ve grown so thin.”
Mei Fei choked up: “Your Majesty, you’ve lost weight too.”
The two held each other tightly, with countless unspoken words between them.
The candles on the candlestick were tearful, each droplet representing Mei Fei’s heart.
Every woman is greedy; every woman hopes that the man she loves will love only her and no one else. Every woman wants her beloved man entirely, not just a small part.
Mei Fei thought she had a chance to turn things around. Little did she know.
