After the prince ascended the throne, Ning Chen took Ye Jun to live in Lingxi Garden.
All the other concubines in the harem became concubines, and none of them were taken with them.
Ning Chen was only in his forties when he abdicated, still in his prime, so although he had retreated to the second line, he did not completely ignore things.
Of course, it’s not that he doesn’t give his son the power, but Ning Yujing always comes to ask for advice when he has many things he can’t make up his mind about.
Unlike Ning Chen who is still worried, Ye Jun is enjoying his retirement life wholeheartedly.
I started to practice flower arrangement and incense burning again, which I had learned when I was in school.
She liked to plant flowers and plants in the yard, and now the house was filled with various vases, making Ning Chen feel like he was living in a flower garden several times.
One time, I couldn't help it, so I said tactfully, "Are there too many flowers in our bedroom?"
"It's just my hobby, do you want to deprive me of it?" Ye Jun saw through his little thoughts and rolled his eyes unceremoniously, "I didn't say you have a yard full of pigeons."
After Ning Chen had some free time, he suddenly became interested in raising birds, especially pigeons. He raised a bunch of gray and white birds, and even gave names to a few of his favorite ones. He also set aside a separate courtyard to keep the pigeon cages.
When the cage was opened in the morning, pigeons flew all over Lingxi Garden.
Especially at the Crescent Bridge where the sunlight is the best, the bridge is always filled with pigeons. It looks beautiful from a distance, but not when you get close.
Everyone knows that birds are straightforward creatures.
But it’s hard for the servants who sweep the house, who have to clean up pigeon droppings every day.
Ning Chen touched his nose awkwardly and chuckled twice.
"You are wrong, my dear. I mean, this room is filled with flowers. They are very pretty and the fragrance is even better than incense."
"Of course, don't you see whose craftsmanship it is?" Ye Jun raised his eyebrows.
Very pleased with someone's tact.
But her passion for flower arranging did not last long. After autumn, the flowers gradually became less and there was nothing left to arrange. Her eyes then turned and she set her sights on the lake in Lingxi Garden.
An old man in a straw raincoat and hat is fishing alone in a boat on the cold river under the snow.
What a beautiful mood! How can retirement life be complete without fishing
This idea was agreed by Ning Chen.
So, early the next morning, the two of them took their fishing rods, boarded the pleasure boat, and went to the center of the lake.
But Ye Yun's skills... are typical of a poor and addicted person.
It would be good if we could catch two fish in half a day.
But Ning Chen is an expert, and he filled a bucket in less than an hour.
At first Ye Jun comforted himself by saying that he would catch up later, but when he found out that he couldn't catch up, he got completely annoyed.
Ning Chen found it very funny in his heart, wondering how this woman could still have a childish temper at her age, and he also started to let her go.
Even though there was clearly a fish on the hook, he didn't pull the rod.
"I think it's hard to catch fish today. There are only a few."
"Yes, yes, maybe it's because the lake is too big and the fish are too scattered." Ye Jun nodded seriously.
Ning Chen held back his smile and stood up, "Why don't we go enjoy the chrysanthemums? There are still two jars of chrysanthemum wine left from the Double Ninth Festival, let's take them out and drink them today."
"Okay, then let's just have lunch in the Chrysanthemum Garden." Ye Jun curled his lips.
So he put down his fishing rod and staggered away.
Such pleasant afternoons are not uncommon nowadays, but they still make people feel happy.
In the sea of flowers, raising our glasses and drinking together, we felt the elegance of picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and leisurely enjoying the southern mountains.
After drinking, he returned to the palace.
When they arrived at Jiaotang Garden, Ye Jun went in to take a look.
It's a place where I used to live, so there are some memories there.
After coming out of Jiaotang Garden, Ye Jun suddenly stopped moving.
"What's wrong?" Ning Chen turned around.
"I was wondering if you can still hold me now."
The woman smiled and tilted her head to look at him.
Ning Chen was stunned for a moment, then he smiled.
"Even if I'm sixty years old, I can still hold you. Come here."
"No, I want you to carry me on your back. I won't hug you today." Ye Jun stretched out his hand.
"good."
Ning Chen walked over and bent down without hesitation.
In the warm afternoon sun and gusts of autumn wind, the emperor carried his queen on his back and walked back step by step, following the fine light and shadows that filtered through the leaves.
Some servants watched from afar and whispered that the emperor and the empress dowager were as close as an ordinary couple.
And for the rest of their lives, the two of them lived such a comfortable and happy life.
This is what it's like to be with the one you love.
But no matter how long they are together, there will come a day when they will end. When Ye Jun, with completely white hair, lay on the couch, Ning Chen felt heartbroken.
"Ning Chen, don't be sad. I am very happy to have met you in this life. We have three children and we will have our old age together. I am content."
Ye Jun reached out and stroked the man's cheek, gently wiping away the moisture from the corners of his eyes.
"But I always feel that I owe you too much. I don't believe in ghosts and gods, but you are the only one I hope for in the next life. You and I will be a pair for the rest of our lives, and that's enough." Ning Chen's voice was hoarse.
Their eyes met, full of reluctance.
Ye Jun nodded with tears in her eyes.
The three children who were watching over the bed were even more reluctant to leave.
He called them up one by one, hugged them, and gave them many instructions.
The children knew that this last time should be left to their parents, so they all went out obediently.
"Ning Chen, hold me." Ye Jun said softly.
When she was young, she entered the palace alone, and now she doesn't want to leave alone again.
Ning Chen nodded and hugged the man in his arms. After a moment, the hand on his shoulder slipped down. He could no longer hold back and cried out heartbreakingly.
The three children outside the palace heard their father crying and realized that their mother had left, and they burst into tears.
Ye Yun's funeral was unprecedentedly grand, and the whole country mourned.
Ning Chen took care of everything personally. He fell ill after the funeral and was ill for half a year.
Fortunately, the three children stayed by his bedside every day to take care of him, which helped him gradually get better.
Ning Yujing originally wanted to bring his father back to the palace to live so that he could take care of him, but Ning Chen refused. He would rather stay in Lingxi Garden where only he and Ye Jun were.
After recovering from his illness, Ning Chen would take a walk every day.
The servants all knew that the Emperor would go to all the places and do all the things that the Empress Dowager had done during her lifetime.
However, this does not actually reduce the grief and longing in Ning Chen's heart.
Two years after Ye Jun's death, Ning Chen finally followed.
The children knew that their father had been in agony for a long time. Although they were heartbroken, they also hoped that their parents could meet in the afterlife, so they completed the funeral as quickly as possible and buried the two together.
Twenty years later.
A university campus.
Ye Jun sat next to the poster at the freshman registration office, spinning a pen out of boredom.
The Department of Archaeology is really deserted. In two days, only eight new students have reported.
If that person hadn't said that he would definitely come, she would not have chosen this department.
As I was daydreaming, I heard the sound of a suitcase rolling on the ground.
When I looked up, it was that familiar face that came into view. Although he was dressed differently, the look in his eyes was the same as before.
Ye Jun was slightly stunned, then tilted his head and smiled, "Hello, junior, please report here and sign."
Looking at the person in front of him, Ning Chen also laughed out loud and raised his eyebrows slightly, "Senior sister made it easy for me to find you."
"Tsk, what do you mean? Did you recognize me before?" Ye Jun said deliberately.
"Well, as soon as I saw you, I already thought of a name for my child." Ning Chen blinked.
Ye Jun snorted, "Don't think too soon. I'm very hard to pursue. This time it won't be easy."
"Then I'll catch up with you slowly. I've waited for twenty years. I'm not in a hurry." Ning Chen raised the corners of his lips and bent down to write his name on the sign-in sheet. "So, how about treating me to a meal first?"
"Well... I'll give you a chance." Ye Jun held back a smile, looked into his eyes and stretched out her hand.
Ning Chen also smiled and took the person's hand without hesitation.
For a moment, the longing in his heart surged out and he almost lost control, but fortunately, he finally found her again.
In this life, he will treat her like a treasure and protect her with his life.