Chapter 132

Chu Qiao had not asked him why, even though he was really good in martial arts, he had not revealed his abilities during the battle in the jungle. She also had not asked about why even though he was able to play the flute so well, he had asked the old man to help him conceal his talent when he was trying to attract the attention of those girls. She also had not asked him why he had not come to visit her these past few days, and instead indulged in worldly pleasures back at his own residence.

Everyone had their own secrets that they would not want to speak of, especially when it came to the aristocrats and royal families. Under the glorious and majestic facade, they all had secrets and burdens that they carried themselves. Those reasons might be too heavy and complicated, so she did not try to reveal them. Even if she did, she might not have understood.

Along with the night breeze, and the bright silvery moon shining above in the sky, the duo walked silently. This night was bound to be a restless night. That night, Chu Qiao dreamt another dream. She saw once again, on that snowy night, the alleyways of Sheng Jin Palace seemed so long, so quiet, as the music from the front palace could be heard, seemingly so full of life and melody. As if telling every one of the prosperity of the empire, the music filled the entire palace.

The man in her dreams stood in front of her, as fresh crimson blood poured out from the severed finger. Yet, that man clumsily comforted her and said, “Don’t worry, this does not hurt at all.” The smile was like a blooming flower, encapsulating her heart in a warm embrace, giving her the sense of comfort which she had long forgotten.

By the time she woke up, her pillow was soaked with her tears. The light stains of tears looked significantly darker in color than the rest of the pillow, making the crimson pillow look as though it had been stained with blood.

Sitting there motionlessly, Chu Qiao’s thoughts sped in deep thought. She realized that she could no longer continue to wait for something to happen.

Even as the servants tried to shelter the lotus from the rain, with another downpour, and as the temperature dropped another notch with the arrival of autumn, all of the lotuses eventually withered, leaving behind a mess of blackened leaves and branches. Even the lake water seemed to have polluted.

On the other hand, the golden chrysanthemum had entered full bloom too early. With the constant rainfall and the sudden drop in temperature, many had fallen, coloring the ground a messy yellow.

During breakfast, Chu Qiao heard that the new lady that had gained Li Ce’s attention had broken some rules, and had been thrown into the prison. As much as Li Ce had not declared any form of punishment, due to how this lady had acted arrogantly after gaining Li Ce’s attention and had offended many other ladies, it would be natural that others would act against her. In this frigid weather, and considering how the room would be without any warmth, it was almost certain that it was the end of her.

The servants only briefly discussed that, and did not pay that incident much heed. It seemed as though such incidents were taken for granted in this palace. Yet, Chu Qiao felt slightly dejected, as she was once again reminded of how she did not actually know Li Ce very well. What she usually saw, was merely how he always shrugged everything off, and even though she knew that he was not so simple, she could not help but lower her guard. No matter how one put it, he was ultimately still the heir apparent of an empire.

After eating breakfast, Chu Qiao wanted to send someone to request a meeting with Li Ce. But before Qiu Sui could leave, Chan’er dashed into the room. Still panting heavily, she dropped a shocker, “The Xia Princess has come!”

Taken aback, Chu Qiao was lost for words. Qiu Sui had already started shouting questions in the meanwhile, “Wasn’t she supposed to come near the wedding? The wedding is still one month away.”

“Exactly!” Chan’er replied in agreement. “But apparently, she came without the army. Riding a horse alone, the princess is already in the Qin An Palace meeting the Emperor and the Prince.”

“This ninth Princess is really brave. I heard she’s only 13 this year. How could she be so daring?”

“It was not the ninth Princess, it was the eighth Princess, the daughter of Queen Muhe. According to them, the ninth Princess had recently died of illness, and the eighth princess was sent as a replacement.”

Hearing that, it was as though something broke within Chu Qiao’s heart, and she started to tremble uncontrollably. The weak and helpless girl of the past had already become so brave and courageous now? Pain and disaster was indeed the best fertilizer for growth and change.

The soft-spoken and childish girl of the past had already grown to become such a beautiful lady. Her firm and noble expression seemed to exude a radiance that was dazzling to gaze upon.

Yet, who remembered, how many years ago, she was once a pure and innocent young girl, whose smile was pristine and untainted. With a pure white dress, and holding a rabbit tail, she coyly smiled and said, “Brother Xun, thank you. Chun’er is so happy.”

In fleeting time, there will only be fading past. Some things will ultimately only become history, some affections will ultimately only be buried by bones, some blood will ultimately still spill, and some emotions will ultimately be immortalized upon death.

For two entire days, Li Ce had not visited his harem. Due to the early arrival of Zhao Chun’er, the marriage had been jump-started and pushed forward.

Just as Chu Qiao had expected, the bodyguards and emissaries of Xia Empire arrived soon after, being later than Zhao Chun’er by one day. Although the Xia Empire had suddenly changed their mind and sent Zhao Chun’er instead, this princess’ lineage had helped her avoid any hassle. Ultimately, to the Tang Empire, who placed a huge emphasis on blue blood, Zhao Chun’er was given huge attention as she was the only princess born by Queen Muhe.

The officials were surprised by her arrival. The usually cowardly administrative officials started singing huge praises of the historical significance of this alliance by marriage, while completely forgetting the culprit who had destroyed the Tang Empire’s forces and snatched the 18 provinces of Hongchuan from the Tang control, forcing the entire Royal Tang escaping, and losing the entire Northwestern region.

But there was one thing, that other people did not know. Chu Qiao frowned, with her jade-like fingers lightly clenching the curtain. With the golden decoration between her brows, this frown added a tinge of beauty. After being humiliated by those soldiers, Chun’er was no longer a virgin. As the Xia Princess, she may not be tested for her purity, but once she slept with Li Ce, given his experience, he would be able to tell immediately.

Of course, even if Li Ce did realize it, he could not possibly look for the Xia Empire. Ultimately, as long as the Xia Princess slept atop his bed, even if he went out claiming that she was not a virgin, no one would believe such a frivolous prince. In the first place, Li Ce had fully been against this marriage, so any attempts to unveil the truth by him would be seen as a nonsensical effort to ruin this marriage. Given his intelligence, Li Ce would not embarrass himself by claiming such a thing anyway.

Perhaps with that, Zhao Chun’er would successfully be married. But as a princess who was no longer deemed pure, her future was clear as day. Considering her personality, could she really withstand such humiliation?

Chu Qiao noted that in the bottom of her heart, but ultimately, this worry was something she could never speak out.

The inner workings of the Tang Empire were beginning to turn messy. On the contrary, Chu Qiao began to take even more care, as she decided to delay her leave from the palace. With that, Chu Qiao stayed another two more days within the Tang Palace. With her body recovering, her mental acuity also returned to its peak.

Li Ce had found a lot of good herbs for her, and Chu Qiao’s wounds were completely healed. Even the old injuries had been mostly healed. With those days of conditioning, her complexion looked a lot better than before and was no longer so frail and weak.

In the night, Chu Qiao, wearing a soft robe, leaned on the window. The night wind gently billowed on the corners of her clothes. From the corridors, footsteps could be heard. It was one person. As expected, Li Ce appeared shortly after. Wearing a green blouse. His face was flushed slightly red, and smelled like alcohol. Standing at the door, he merely looked at her and did not come in.

Looking at him, Chu Qiao saw that his footsteps were clumsy and heavy, and he was on the verge of tipping over. Quickly, she rushed over, wanting to support him. But the moment she stretched out her hands to help, Li Ce suddenly pulled on her and with that, the two of them sat on the door sill. Lowering his head, he leaned his forehead onto Chu Qiao’s shoulder, while muttering tiredly, “Qiaoqiao, I am so tired.”

Chu Qiao was lost for words. With her hand stretched out in the air, she actually had no idea what to do.

The night breeze carried the smell of flowers. Upon closer inspection, one could see that Li Ce’s blouse had golden threads embroidered within the silk with such complexity that could only be done by a master. Chu Qiao sighed. She whispered, “Li Ce, what happened?”

Li Ce shook his head and did not reply.

Chu Qiao tested the waters and asked, “Is it because of the marriage? Do you not like Chun’er?”

Li Ce still did not speak. Chu Qiao sighed helplessly and let him rest his head however long he wanted without further conversation.

The new moon shone faintly through the window and dyed the ground silver. The lights were violet in color, flickering; the brightness was uneven. Molten candle wax dripped down the silver candle holder, slowly flowing down. The cries of insects made it obvious how this place was desolate. After all, this palace had been vacated for years.

“Qiaoqiao, you sent people to look for me?” Li Ce suddenly asked. His voice was deep, but lacking the tiredness he had exuded just now. Sitting upright, his eyes were dark, as though the weak man just now was another man. Chu Qiao knew his gentle side was gone, and now he was once again that infallible Prince of Tang.

“Yes,” Chu Qiao nodded her head, “I want to leave.”

“Sure. I will immediately get people to send you to Yan Bei.” Li Ce did not even hesitate.

“No, I do not want to return to Yan Bei now. I still have something I want to do here.”

Li Ce frowned upon hearing that. He stared at Chu Qiao. His gaze had traces of questioning and thinking.

Chu Qiao elaborated without him asking, “You do not need to guess. I am waiting for someone. As for who this person is, you need not ask.”

Smiling cunningly, Li Ce teased, “Are you going to cheat on Yan Xun? Zhuge Yue is arriving soon. You are going to find him?”

Chu Qiao irately rolled her eyes. “You can keep guessing.”

“You should still take care.” Leaning on the door, Li Ce cautioned, “When within my influence, I can still protect you. But once you step out, I cannot do much. The Xia Empire heard about your existence here. How much they hate you is something that you should know more than I do.”

Chu Qiao nodded, and suddenly remembered Zhao Song’s broken arm. Her face sank even deeper, and she lightly replied, “I understand.”

Looking at her from the corner of his eyes, Li Ce saw that she intended to talk no more. Suddenly, he stood up, and pulled on her hand, loudly declaring, “Come, let me show you a place!”

With the night fog, the dim lights of the palace seemed like bonfires in the distance. With nothing more than his blouse, Li Ce dragged Chu Qiao behind him and ran with great strides. In the night wind, their hair fluttered like top quality silk.

The duo came to a courtyard that Chu Qiao had never seen before. Stepping onto the dewy grass, and passing through a few small doors, a clear, green lake appeared in front of them. The lake was brimming with lotuses, completely laying out a carpet of flowers. The pristine flowers, under the silvery moonlight, seemed like snow statues. With their faint fragrance, it was like a scene straight out of a dream.