Chapter 228

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

　　“I knew that he would rebel”

　　Li Ce talked by himself. Chu Qiao did not reply. She knew that at this moment he did not need any replies, and only wanted her to listen on quietly. “I waited for him many years, and I held onto the hope that he would decide not to rebel in the end.”

　　Smiling in self-mockery, Li Ce downed a cup of wine, before looking at Chu Qiao. “Did you know? Since young, Li Luo was not as smart as me. He was inferior to me both in terms of strategic planning and military strategy. The only thing he was better at than me was poetry. He said that when he grew up, he wanted to become a scholar whose name would be recognized all over the world, and would find a scenic spot to open a school. He dreamed to pen a book about the entire West Meng Continent.”

　　Frowning, Li Ce was illuminated by the moonlight that poured into the room through the curtains. Quietly he continued, “Little did he know, the moment I became the crown prince, I already started to create a library at Anqing for him. Yet, due to Fu’er’s death, I lost the opportunity to tell him about it.” His brows suddenly furrowed together, and in the tone of his voice, one could hear immense hatred. He squeezed out the following words, “Why must he rebel?”

　　The wine cup broke into two. The sharp jade piece pierced into his palm, and the crimson red blood spurted out looking like crabapple blossoms. Chu Qiao suddenly remembered how years ago, in this precise palace, with the backdrop of sycamore trees, a man wearing green was standing there peacefully and gently. He introduced himself, “I am King Luo.”

　　At that moment, in the dust-covered corner of one’s memory, time had reversed, as three young kids ran in this quiet and big palace. Their laughter was like the summer breeze, shattering the thick fog that covered this forbidden palace, and chasing away the darkness of politics in the palace…

　　“Fu’er, didn’t we agree that today you would be my wife? Yesterday, and the day before, it was always him. Today, it is my turn.”

　　“I don’t want to!”

　　“Why? You must keep your promise!”

　　“I don’t want to!”

　　“Hmph! I will tell my father, and marry you now!”

　　“I don’t want to! I don’t want to!”

　　“Ah! You! How can you bite others!”

　　“Enough, the two of you should stop making a fuss. You should head to the study room for lessons.”

　　“Brother Luo, the Crown Prince bullied me.”

　　“What brother? You should address him as the Uncle! Uncle, Fu’er is sick and was biting other people. I am going to look for a doctor, and cannot go for lessons today.”

　　….

　　In the darkness of the night, the glory of the past faded into the deep creases of one’s memories, leaving behind only a soft afterglow. In the cold rays of the moonlight, even with the sweltering heat of summer, one would get goosebumps as chills headed up through the spine, offering relief from the uncomfortable heat.

　　Li Ce had drunk too much, and his frail figure shakily walked out of the main door of the Mihe residence, slowly disappearing into the background of sycamore trees and moonlight. Standing by the window, Chu Qiao looked on at him leaving, with only emptiness in her heart, feeling like an icy lake that had been cracked open. When it came to the struggle for power, history had always been so cruel. If the other party did not die, one would never be at ease. It was akin to the relation between Yan Bei and the Xia empire; it was impossible to reconcile.

　　She suddenly thought about Yan Xun, and was reminded of how she felt when he killed Mister Wu and the others. Perhaps the circumstances were different, but ultimately, both conflicts arose out of a struggle for power. If Li Ce felt sad about King Luo’s death, would Yan Xun feel regret over his actions that day?

　　The roar of despair that Huanhuan gave before her death blended in with the death cries of the Xishuo Army. The piercing sound wreaked havoc in her mind. As the skyscraper of power was constructed, ultimately only one would reach its pinnacle. Before that happened, thousands upon thousands would fall, becoming the stepping stones to that person’s ascension.

　　Beside the desk, there were a few droplets of clear liquid that did not give off any aroma of alcohol. It sparkled in the moon rays.

　　“There was a wind bell that had been covered by the sand and dust. If you are free, lady, you can request for the servants to clean it up. In the autumn wind, the bell sounds crisp and melodic,” a calm voice echoed at the back of her head.

　　Chu Qiao walked over and stretched out her hand to touch the bell, only to hear a whoosh as the line that held the bell up snapped, and the ornament fell into the pond below, creating a splash, followed by waves of ripples.

　　Year 780, August 20th, Mei Mountain’s Li Luo was defeated and died by Hanshui River. In the same year, on the first of September, the three sons and two daughters of Li Luo were decapitated in Mei Mountain, and Li Luo’s 21 generals were killed. General Xu Su personally supervised the execution, and with his order, dozens of lives were lost in an instant.

　　On that day, Mei Xiang entered, and on her clothes, there were a few pristine white flower petals. Qiu Sui called out to her several times before she responded, and muttered, “I heard that King Luo’s concubine Lady Xu has been found.”

　　Lady Xu? Xu Su’s sister, Xu Peining?

　　Qiu Sui patted her own chest in relief. “They finally found her. I heard that General Xu Su lost both of his parents when young, and was extremely doting on this sister of his. Now, after achieving such a great accomplishment for His Majesty, it would be such a pity if Lady Xu was to be embroiled within as well.”

　　Mei Xiang frowned very slightly, and her gaze was like a lantern covered by a thick layer of fog. Light from the candle about as thick as one’s forearm shone on her face, revealing her pale complexion. Lowering her volume, her voice was tiny, “I heard, she was found in Luofu Mountain. She was hanging by a dead tree, and both of her legs had already been eaten by wild wolves.” Hearing that, Qiu Sui shrieked and turned white as a sheet.

　　Chu Qiao’s heart also sank, as a coldness rose within her heart. Like smoke rising from incense, the strands of coldness coiled around, lingering.

　　In the coldness of the night, the dance began yet again in Rou Fu Palace. Lady Zi Ming was already named the Rou Concubine, and became the most powerful woman in Li Ce’s harem. A few days ago, she had been confirmed by the doctor to be pregnant, and in a few days time, she would head to the imperial villa for an environment best suited for the baby.

　　In such a long night, the bustling was filled with a certain dread that seemed to be never-ending.

　　With that, another half a month passed as autumn came. After some rain, the atmosphere became cold and clammy. The lotuses started to wither. The lake was full of blackened lotus leaves. Now, in Jinwu Palace, there was no one left who had the mood to especially channel water a hot spring just to make the lotus blossoms last longer.

　　After the upheaval, as the Xuefu City was rather close to Mei Mountain, Chu Qiao’s inn was also destroyed in the flames of war. Mei Xiang, Jingjing, and the others could not help but feel disappointed. Li Ce said that it was possible to rebuild everything, but Chu Qiao had already lost her interest. After all, she would not stay in West Meng for too long.

　　Just like that, Chu Qiao stayed in Jinwu Palace. Looking at the sun setting on the other side of the window, she patiently waited for the arrival of every new day. She had rarely seen Li Ce. Since the incident involving King Luo, although the Tang Empire had suffered many losses in terms of military strength, with the destruction of opposition, and after adsorbing the Southwestern tribes’ wealth, the treasury was richer than ever. Li Ce suddenly seemed to have changed his personality, and became busy. He became a rare sight in the banquets in the harem.

　　In the autumn wind, time passed quickly. Two months later, Chu Qiao woke up and opened the windows, only to see a thin layer of snow, and the sycamore tree outside seemed to have turned white. It had been long since they had seen any snow; Mei Xiang and the others were rather happy, and Jingjing even brought a few maidservants to play outside. Wearing a crimson cape, they looked so adorable.

　　Zhuge Yue’s letter had arrived. In the past few months, due to the civil war in the Tang Empire, the pressure that the Tang Empire had applied to the Xia Empire had been greatly reduced, and allowed Zhao Yang to take a breather. Just last month, Zhao Yang took the opportunity, and under the excuse of having a military exercise, brought the South Army to garrison the Western encampment that was only 15 kilometers away from Zhen Huang City. Zhao Che had been out, and was not in the capital. Zhuge Yue quickly responded by bringing 5,000 of his bodyguards from Qinghai, and stood before Zhao Yang. The stalemate lasted for six hours as the two camps stared down at each other. If Wei Shuye had not arrived, it would have been likely that a battle would happen.

　　Yet, in his letter, this skirmish was not in the least bit mentioned. Chu Qiao only heard of this incident from the guards that followed around Tie You. Thinking about the risk of facing 30,000 troops with merely 5,000, she could only feel chills go down her spine.

　　The Xia Emperor did not have much time left, and for two whole months, he had been absent from the court. The struggle for power in the Xia Empire had started to reach a climax. Once one was not careful, one would face a risk of total destruction. In Chu Qiao’s free time, she started to head to the temple, and started to copy Pinganjing and Lanzhijing. Firstly, she could kill time, secondly, by copying these scriptures, she could calm her heart, and thirdly, she had someone in her heart that she wished to be blessed with protection.

　　With the smoke from the incense rising and dissipating into the air as a thin veil of fog, Chu Qiao suddenly remembered the Empress of Tang that she only had one encounter with. After waking up from her nap that day, she could see the gentle lady looking at her, and peacefully, Chu Qiao was instructed to advise Li Ce not to tear down the temple.

　　That time, the Tang Princes was still the Crown Prince who did things based on his whims, yet now he was the Emperor of Tang who could order the deaths of many or start an entire war with his casual comments. Qui Sui was now also appointed the supervisor of the Mihe residence, and this young girl who had grown up in the palace and seen all of its glory and darkness, looked on at Chu Qiao in puzzlement, as she frowned and asked, “After seeing Lady Chu this time, I feel that you feel different from last time, as if you have something more.”

　　Chu Qiao lifted an eyebrow and asked, “Oh? What do I have now?”

　　Qui Sui smiled, and with the comb that was made using cow horn, she tidied up Chu Qiao’s hair, and quietly explained, “The last time when Lady came back from Yan Bei, you were like a withered lotus at the end of summer. Now, you seem like the lotus that has just passed through winter.”

　　“Really?” Chu Qiao tilted her head, and her porcelain fingers passed through her dense hair. Her expression was like trees that stood alongside the river after winter had just passed. The sharpness in her eyes had been lost, as though the decade of soldiers had just been a dream. Living in Jinwu Palace, she was merely waiting patiently, and the flowing time had finally given her a chance to be at peace.

　　Near the end of the year, she met He Xiao. In the coldness of the winter, she donned a silvery white fur cape, and just as she was strolling at Baizhe Pavilion with Mei Xiang, she chanced upon He Xiao who had just exited from Yixin Palace.

　　He was already an appointed major in the South Camp of the Tang Empire, and was a rank three official that had been especially noted by Li Ce. Even though this was the harem, He Xiao could still enter and leave freely.

　　Since parting with Chu Qiao in that battle, this was the first time that they had met. The duo was definitely quite awkward. He Xiao’s lips were trembling, as he wished to address her as “Master”, but the words eventually halted at his mouth, and he called out, “Lady Chu.” Waving, Chu Qiao dismissed the servants, and with only Mei Xiang, she headed up the Baizhe Pavilion.

　　Wearing a green official uniform, He Xiao was firm and handsome, and had a certain aura that could only be developed after going through many ups and downs in life. Mei Xiang stood outside the pavilion, and as the wind blew, Chu Qiao’s cape swayed, like a waft of smoke. She did not speak much, and merely stood to face the wind. The pavilion was tall, and beneath it was water flowing out from the Tai Qing Pond. The water flowed down, producing sounds of splashes. He Xiao’s calm and firm voice resounded from behind, quietly and calmly.

　　“The wind is rather wild here, it may be rather bad for Lady’s health. It would be good to head back to rest.”

　　“Weren’t the winds in Yan Bei even bigger?” Chu Qiao turned back with a perfectly calm face, yet her eyes seemed to be veiled by something, causing others to be unable to read her emotions. She continued to ask, “He Xiao, are you blaming me?”