CH 162

The news that someone had died in the fire last night in the crown prince’s residence flew everywhere like it had wings.

It didn’t take long for everyone to know.

Ming Zhu was still taking shelter in the city god temple, staying as a “little beggar”, the little girl sitting next to her, seeing that she was pitiful, stole two buns for her from the bun stand, “Here, eat.”

Ming Zhu was indeed hungry. She did not even dare to go out to buy food. She only realized after eating the two buns and then asked: “If you get caught stealing, it won’t be too good right?”

“It’s okay, the city is busy right now, no one cares about me being a thief.”

“What happened?”

“I’m telling you, the fire last night burned the crown prince’s favorite concubine to death! They’re busy looking for someone.”

“Looking for someone?”

“Yes, but I don’t know who they’re looking for.”

Ming Zhu nodded, “Then we’d better go out less these days.”

While Ming Zhu hid like this in the city god temple for a few more days, everyone in the capital was feeling in danger, for the crown prince’s close guards and personal soldiers were searching door-to-door every day and night, causing a lot of anguish and complaint.

For several days in a row, the weather was sunny and clear. Yet, it was said that the crown prince had fallen ill.

He was having nightmares all night long. It was always, repeatedly, the same picture of her dying in front of him, her red eyes were full of tears, her chest had been stabbed with a dagger. Panicking, he was helping her wipe away the blood from the corner of her mouth, but he could never wipe it clean, he could only watch, with his own eyes, as she fell to the ground and stopped breathing.

These days, Zhao Zhi’s illness made him muddledheaded, it could be seen with the naked eye that he was becoming haggard. His face became thinner and his beautiful features now looked more distinct and sharp. When he woke up every day, the first question he asked was “Has the person been found ?”

No one could answer his question.

Days passed like this for half a month, but the crown prince was still not recovered from his illness. His symptoms of coughing up blood as he woke up in the middle of the night was even intensifying.

When miss Ming Zhu died, the intendant knew that the crown prince would be sad, but he had not expected him to be grief-stricken to such an extent. To this day, he still refused to believe that miss Ming Zhu was already dead.

It was not a good thing to let his personal soldiers and close guards keep on searching.

The intendant hardened his heart and brought the remains he had previously collected, along with the ashes, in front of the crown prince.

He knelt down, “Your Highness, since you feel distressed for miss Ming Zhu, please let her rest in peace.”

Dressed in a aqua-blue long gown, Zhao Zhi was standing quietly by the window, his face was as pale as paper. He turned around. His voice was extremely indifferent: “What did you say?”

The intendant was carrying an ancient wooden box, “Your Highness, this box contains the remains of miss Ming Zhu’s corpse. People can’t come back to life, so you should send her off properly.”

A person’s life was like a lamp going out. It was gone in a just blink.

Zhao Zhi was slow to react, he frowned, then the frostiness on his face cracked inch by inch, as his dark eyes seemed to be invaded with extreme, intense pain. He looked down at the black box, his sore eyes blinked and his lips moved, but not a word came out.

The intendant really couldn’t bear to see him like this, that was why he was risking his life to say these words.

He took out from his sleeve a gold foil that had turned a little black from being burned and gently placed it on the table.

Zhao Zhi stared at this piece of gold foil for a long time, this was the peace talisman he had asked back then from master Liaochen when he brought her to the temple, because his heart was feeling uneasy.

He had asked her to wear it on her, she said yes.

This was like a lifetime ago.

The corners of Zhao Zhi’s mouth twitched, but he found himself unable to smile. That charlatan Taoist priest said she would have a short life, he did not believe it. And he still did not believe it today.

That day, early in the morning, before he went to the palace, with a red face, she was still telling him that she wanted to eat the sweet cakes from the palace.

Zhao Zhi took two steps backward, it was unsure whether it was because he was physically exhausted or whether it was caused by other things, he used his hand to support himself on the edge of the desk. When he was able to stand firm, he softly said, “You go out.”

There was no strength in his voice anymore, it revealed a little of how much his heart was like dead ashes.

The closed door blocked the outside light source. It was dark inside the room. He looked down at the black wooden box on the table, reached out to it with his pale fingers, but the moment his fingers touched it, he quickly pulled away.

It was like his fingers had been burned by a hell fire, the pain was heart-wrenching.

He did not even open the box to take a look. He directly locked the wooden box into a compartment of the cabinet. Perhaps, he would never take it out again to take a look in this life.

TL’s note : he deserved it, but he’s a bit pitiful no ? I kinda feel sad for him T.T