Chapter 130

Although that said, at that point of time perhaps even the then King of Yan Bei had not expected such drastic reactions from the empire, that perhaps he had not realized his mistake up till his death.

Sighing ever so lightly, Chu Qiao’s gentle voice gradually faded into the distance. What she did not know, however, was how her whimsical speech just now had forever changed the lives of some people. Sometimes, her existence was like a farmer who had casually laid down some seeds, and these seeds remain under a layer of snow, quietly waiting for spring to come when the snow melts and it could sprout.

“Qiaoqiao,” Li Ce turned to her, slightly frowning, as though he was in deep thought, and asked, “can you please tell me, why do you seem so confident in that outcome? You are different from those brainwashed Da Tong guild members. What made you think that way? Is it because of…Yan Xun?”

“That is not it.” Chu Qiao shook her head slightly and replied, “Because I have seen it with my very own eyes.”

Taken aback by this response, Li Ce uttered, “You what?”

“You will never understand.” Staring off into the aquamarine lake, Chu Qiao suddenly smiled.

No one will ever understand, indeed, she had seen that with her very own eyes. She knew the future of this world, as the old rule would gradually, but surely, die out. Along with that, a new order would rise from the ashes of the ancient empires. And all it took for that to happen was someone to give a slight push in the right direction.

“Li Ce, will you ever understand? This is my faith, my belief.”

A slight drizzle started, as the silvery corners of the waning moon shimmered in the faint layers of clouds, illuminating her serene face.

The crowd of imperial doctors left from Mihe residence, as rows of green umbrellas could be seen, with their loose robes dragging across the roads, and their pale blue footwear stepping into puddles of rainwater, creating a series of small splashes. Their medical apprentices trailed behind them, carrying their large boxes of medicine. The light green fluttered in the rain, like leaves rustling in the wind.

The remaining lotus flowers finally scattered in this rain, as the maidservants rushed around in the corridors. A young girl entered the outer room, her fringe sticking to her forehead from the rain. Qiu Sui called out for her, and the two young girls started whispering in the corridors. Although their voices were soft, it could in fact, still be heard from the inner room.

“The remaining lotus has been scattered by the rain. Aunt Xia said that the Crown Prince loves the lotus, and wants us to hold up umbrellas for the lotus.”

Qiu Sui sighed. “What can we achieve even if we hold up the umbrellas? What is to wither will wither regardless. The people from Jinse palace are trying too hard to please the Crown Prince.”

“Indeed, it is already September, we are already entering autumn.”

Chatting, the maidservants left, and their voices turned inaudible. Outside the window, the cold moonlight remained bright and pristine.

This room had been vacant for ages, and the emptiness gave it an illusion of spaciousness. In the north side of the room, a sandalwood bed was covered in layers of a pale green veil that was embroidered with a golden phoenix. As the wind swept past, the green veils swayed like the lotus leaves that were seen on the lake. The window facing the south was wide open, and beyond the railings, one could see the lake brimming with lotuses. With the raging wind and heavy downpour, the lotus leaves were blown around like a ragdoll; a clear indication that they were about to wither. The servants who wanted to please their master rowed their small boats out into the rain and held up row after row of umbrellas to protect the last patches of lotus that were still holding up in the rain.

Li Ce sat on the chair forlornly, as his finger rubbed on the chair’s arms. The red paint of the chair was already dropping. This chair had been hurriedly brought from the storeroom into this room, so the servants probably had no time to repaint it or bring a nicer looking one. Rubbing the uneven surface of the chair arm, Li Ce paid those minor details no heed. His eyes seemed to be closed, but they were still open, as he squinted them into a thin line, focusing only on the woman who lied on the bed.

Chu Qiao’s condition had deteriorated again. The imperial doctor had just given a long lecture on the technical aspects of the sickness, which completely ticked Li Ce off, as he was initially already irate. The usually calm and peaceful prince had tackled the imperial doctor to the ground before the crowd of doctors started to explain in a simpler manner.

It seemed that during this period of time, the much-needed rest had helped Chu Qiao’s body remove most of the poison already, and her injuries were also mostly healed. The reason why she was still so frail and sickly was because of the prolonged periods of overexertion from which stress had built up deep within her. All that could be eventually cured with rest, but for Chu Qiao, time was her most lacking commodity.

Wearing a cyan robe, with a white undershirt, the patches of chrysanthemum embroidery bloomed beautifully on Chu Qiao’s clothes. But her expression did not show the same blossoming feelings, as her deeply frowning eyebrows decorated her unnaturally pale skin, emitting an aura of desolation and misery.

The imperial doctors had already left, and even though their words of reassurance still echoed within these four walls, the anxious ambiance still loomed.

The silvery moonlight lit up the entire room, making it appear even more spacious than it already seemed. Without any furniture or decorations, the room only had a big bed and a chair. The ebony wood floor felt sturdy when stepped on, despite the age of the building. Such a place was bound to have echoes whenever someone spoke in this room. This made the place seem all the more lonely; tidy, yet desolated.

This was, however, the closest to Li Ce’s Crown Prince Palace. Many years ago, Li Ce grew up here. The Mihe Residence had once seen its glory days, but for some reason, at some point in time, this place was sealed and locked up. The red tape with the royal rose plastered all over the doors. Since then, no one had been in here.

Fast forward to today, in the blink of an eye, six years had passed. Chu Qiao shuffled her posture very slightly. With the night breeze, she was starting to feel cold. Li Ce stood up. His silk shoes stepped on the damp floor. Closing the window, he returned to her bedside. Stretching out his lanky fingers, he swept away the layer of veils, revealing the lady inside. He could see her long eyelashes, her small yet well-defined nose, her crimson lips, her adorable ears, her thin neck….

He stretched his hand in front of the lady, as though he wanted to lift up her blanket for her, but the rainstorm outside suddenly got heavier, as the rain pitter-pattered on the window sills noisily. The moonlight, shining faintly through the windows, lit up Chu Qiao’s silky hair, giving off an illustrious yet frigid reflection. It vaguely exuded an aura of loneliness. His fingers stopped one inch before her body before they gradually slowed down, and eventually froze. The moonlight created a long shadow of him on the empty floor, looking ever so lanky, with a tinge of solitude.

A drum roll could be heard, indicating the progression of time. Within this picturesque Tang Capital, even the clock chimes were in the form of a beautiful melody, sounding so crisp, easily blending into the wind.

After an unknown duration, the moon rose and eventually fell again. The man finally withdrew his frozen gaze and slowly turned around, stepping out of that forbidden door. Opening the door, he saw Sun Di leaning on a pillar along the corridor. Seeing that he came out, Sun Di lifted his head and smiled brightly.

Li Ce pretended as though he could not see him, and only walked straight ahead.

“Your Highness, Lady Yushu from Yu Shang Pavillion has come twice upon hearing that Your Highness had been soaked by the rain. She specially prepared ginger soup and is waiting for you in the palace.”

Still silent, Li Ce continued to walk, as though he had not heard those words.

Sun Di’s tempo increased, as he smiled and said, “Lady Liuliu from the Liu Fu Pavillion also sent her servant to bring us many precious medicines for Miss Chu to use for her treatment. Lady Bai from Tang Ran palace supposedly went to the Temple of the Northern Buddha to pray for the well being of Your Highness and Miss Chu. Ladies from a few other palaces joined her as well. Now those elder monks in the temples are probably at a loss as the temple is now flooded by all the ladies. And what’s more…”

As the night breeze caressed the two men, the drizzle finally came to a standstill. Far behind the two of them, a crowd of maidservants followed, taking extra care not to be so close that they would get involved in the conversation.

As though he had just forgotten something, Sun Di slapped his forehead while exclaiming, “Oh right, Master He’s daughter is also in the palace now. After hearing about what happened, she insisted on remaining in the residences of the fourth princess, and insisted that she would wait for Your Highness to visit when you are free.”

“What exactly do you want to say?” the forlorn voice finally replied, lacking the usual laze and carefreeness.

Slightly taken aback, Sun Di immediately smiled, and replied, “This servant is trying to say, there are so many interesting things going on. Is Your Highness not interested in taking a look?”

Li Ce did not reply. Sun Di flicked an eyebrow in response. “Your Highness, you are different from your normal self.”

“My normal self?” Li Ce chuckled in self-mockery, without a single tinge of happiness. “I myself could hardly remember what I was like.”

Sun Di laughed, as though he had just heard the most hilarious joke of the century, “Such defeatism, is definitely not something Your Highness would say. To have criticized even Buddhas, and living frivolously all your life, Your Highness, since when had you been so absent-minded and abject?”

In the light wind, the patches of fallen crabapple flowers swayed very slightly on the ground. Standing under the tree, Li Ce gazed into the distance. There were occasionally tinges of struggling in his eyes, and occasional moments of peace. Finally, he turned around, the feeling of abjection was completely devoid from his face, and he had returned to being the frivolous Tang Prince he was known for. With a hearty laugh, he declared, “Indeed, while living, one must fully enjoy his life without regret. Sun Di, inform all the ladies to head to the Crown Prince Palace in waiting to serve me. Those who went to pray are to be there as well! Some other day, we are going to demolish that temple, and rebuild one in tribute for…for a of enjoyment! Hahaha!”

“Living one’s life fully without hesitation, the Prince is truly wise,” Sun Di repeated a part of Li Ce’s monologue before singing his praises.

Casually smiling in response, Li Ce took the praise completely unabashed.

Before long, the Crown Prince Palace showed signs of life as sounds of music and dancing, along with shy laughter of women was heard. The aroma of wine and food could also be smelled from the inside.

It seemed like another night of celebration and enjoyment.

Within a small room in the Mihe Residence, two elder imperial doctors were on their standby shift. One of them stood by the window as he stared in the direction of the Crown Prince Palace. He sighed. “I originally thought that the Prince must have truly cared for this Miss Chu, seeing how he reopened the Mihe Residence and summoned the entire team of imperial doctor to care for her. But now it seems like it was just a whim!”

The other elder was holding a hand warmer, and could be seen wearing thick layers of clothes. With his eyes closed, he did not even lift his head upon hearing the remark from his companion. He calmly replied, “Are you still hoping that he will do that? Stop dreaming. Ever since Princess Fu passed away, sigh..”

The doctor at the side of the window seemed to sigh as well upon hearing the other doctor’s comment.

The night winds ruffled layers upon layers of silk and fluffy decorations. But in this beautiful and prosperous palace, how many people’s deep worries and troubles had been buried?

The rain resumed, and Chu Qiao’s plan to move out had been hindered yet again by her sickness. On this day, Chu Qiao had been lifted out to the backyard to get some sun. Her injuries had long been healed, but she was still frail and weak, unable to muster strength in her muscles. Her servants, like Qiu Sui, were partly to blame, as they made a big fuss whenever she seemed to exert herself, and they did not allow her to even walk by herself. As a result, she felt sleepy the entire day and had put on a lot of weight as well.