Chu Qiao frowned slowly. “How long have you been standing here?”

　　“Just a little while.” Li Ce stumbled over and took his seat beside her. He held a silver wine bottle in his hand and said, “Any for you?”

　　Chu Qiao shook her head and replied, “I don’t drink.”

　　Li Ce shrugged. “Your life is boring.”

　　“Instead of sleeping, are you here just to tease me?”

　　Li Ce took a mouthful of wine. His liquor tolerance was not very good. With a few mouthfuls, his face had turned slightly red. He looked at Chu Qiao, then pointed at a small island at the center of the lake, saying, “Do you know how long that tree has lived?”

　　Chu Qiao was stunned, not expecting him to talk about this suddenly.

　　Li Ce answered his own question and said, “Over 400 years. Bet you didn’t expect it. It has lived longer than the Xia Empire.” Thereafter, he pointed at a small flower beside the wooden bridge and said, “Do you know what flower this is?”

　　The flower was pale purple in color and small in stature. It fluttered about in the wind, looking like it could be dislodged anytime.

　　“This is the Youyan. It blooms in the night and wilts at dawn. It only blooms once in its lifetime for a few hours, but has to wait one year for this.”

　　There were flower patterns on the silver wine flask, similar to that of the Youyan. Li Ce took another mouthful of wine and turned around, saying, “Qiaoqiao, life is short and hard. Before you know it, time will pass and we will turn old. When you can enjoy it, enjoy it. Don’t waste the youthful times.”

　　Chu Qiao shook her head slowly, saying in a low voice, “If I was given a choice, I would rather be like the Youyan flower, instead of that tree, busy its entire life.”

　　“Hurhur.” Li Ce smiled radiantly. “Every living thing has its own way of survival. The Youyan flower mocks the tree for being busy all its life, and for being dull. However, it does not know that existing for a long time amidst the difficulties is an attractive virtue in itself. Being resilient all these years and coming out unscathed is a capability in itself. How can living a short life prove the beauty of time?”

　　Chu Qiao turned around and saw the bright look in Li Ce’s eyes. His smile remained radiant. She asked, “How about you? Would you rather be like the flower or the tree?”

　　“Me?” Li Ce turned around and smiled. “I’m an ambitious person. I aspire to live for a long time like the tree, but with the excitement of the flower, haha.”

　　Chu Qiao shook her head slightly and replied, “One must enjoy the good times, instead of just sitting back to appreciate the moment.”

　　“Good poetry!” Li Ce laughed, looking up to take another mouthful of wine and saying, “Qiaoqiao, I did not expect you to be well-versed in literature.”

　　Chu Qiao smiled, choosing not to rebut him.

　　“Qiaoqiao, I have something to say, but I don’t know if I should.”

　　Chu Qiao smiled and replied, “If you treat me as a friend, go ahead.”

　　The Li Ce tonight was different from his usual self. Although they were in conversation, he was not cheerful. Instead, he appeared solemn while sitting under the moonlight, shrouded by the trees. His tone sounded more serious than usual with more clarity. The wind blew lightly across both of their sleeves, causing the pearl and green colors to entangle. It added a tinge of warmth to the situation.

　　Chu Qiao tidied up her hair which had been messed up. Li Ce looked at her, the look in his eyes becoming more serious.

　　“Although the Xia Empire is in a mess with the various dukes and civilians stirring up rebellions, it is like the tree. Its foundation is stable. Although there is a storm now, as long as the boat is stabilized, it is easy for them to retaliate. However, looking at the situation in Yan Bei, although it is powerful enough to force the Xia Empire into submission, it is politically unstable. The power is unevenly distributed. The Quanrong people are waiting for a chance in the north while the Xia Empire is waiting in the south. Also, it is not acknowledged by the various political powers in the world. It is an uphill task. With a slight mistake, the entire country could collapse.” Finishing his sentence, Li Ce smiled and plucked out the Youyan flower, continuing, “Yan Bei is like the Youyan flower while Xia is like the ancient tree. The night is temporary. When dusk breaks, the winner will be revealed.”

　　A gust of wind blew past, carrying the purple flower with it. After a while, it landed in the lake.

　　Chu Qiao looked at Li Ce. Suddenly, she felt like a layer of fog appeared in front of her eyes. She could not make out what was happening in front of her.

　　A long time later, she would say to Yan Xun what Li Ce said to her. The man would sit on his horse. The winds of Yan Bei would blow across his eyes, while the snow landed on his hair. The man, hearing what she said, would not react the same way as she did, choosing to remain silent. After a long while, he would reply to her in a low voice, “If that’s the case, then let’s make this night last forever.”

　　She did not understand what Yan Xun said. She thought quietly to herself that Li Ce did not understand Yan Xun. The Xia Empire was indeed an ancient tree with strong roots, which stretched across the entire Hongchuan Plains. However, although it reaped the benefits of the tree, the tree had too many branches which needed nutrients, water and sunlight to survive. They were like vampires, sucking the life out of the tree.

　　As for Yan Bei, although it was weak, it demonstrated a stubborn willpower to live, just like the Youyan flower. As long as there was an inch of soil, it was able to bloom. Regardless of the cold winter or the hot summer, it would lie in wait for an opportunity to bloom. As for Yan Xun, how would he just sit back and wait for his own death, watching his empire crumble to dust?

　　However, this was a long time later. Presently, Chu Qiao stared at Li Ce quietly, feeling that she had not seen through him at all. Under his jovial look and unorthodox actions, there was too much hidden underneath. It was like an endless abyss where no one knew what exactly was underneath. It was also just now that this man opened his heart and soul to her ever so slightly, allowing her shadow to creep in and explore.

　　She whispered, “Li Ce, are you my friend?”

　　Li Ce smiled lightly and gave a seemingly unrelated reply, “I am the Crown Prince of Tang.”

　　Chu Qiao was unmoved and continued to probe, “Will you help us attack the Xia Empire?”

　　Li Ce shook his head and replied gently, “No.”

　　“Will you help Xia attack us?”

　　Li Ce was momentarily dazed. Laughing, he replied, “Pei Luo of Zhen Huang took the 18 states of Hongchuan from the Tang Empire that year. Over the next hundreds of years, the two empires have been at war. No matter how shameless or unreasonable I am, I won’t become a sinner of my family.”

　　Chu Qiao raised her eyebrows. “In this case?”

　　“I will not interfere in the war between Xia and Yan Bei. Even if Zhao Zhengde betroths his daughter, no, even his mother to me, it will be useless! Haha!” Li Ce droned on, breaking out in a hearty laugh.

　　Chu Qiao smiled and said, “In that case, you are my friend.” She reached out her hand slowly, a bright look in her eyes and a wide smile on her lips.

　　Li Ce was laughing heartily. Upon seeing her posture, he was dazed. However, in the next instant, the man laughed and mimicked her posture, reaching his hand out slowly and shaking her hand!

　　Chu Qiao smiled lightly, looking brightly at Li Ce. Her smile was radiant. She looked up slightly, the silky moonlight shining on her face, making it appear mesmerizing.

　　Smiling, she continued, “Li Ce, Yan Bei is not like the Youyan nor the epherema. Although the tree of the Xia Empire is big enough, its roots have started to decay. A few ambitious princes cannot support the tree. Have you heard before? Those that have the hearts of the civilians have the entire world at their feet.”

　　At that instant, Li Ce felt confused. He frowned lightly and muttered to himself, “Those that have the hearts of the civilians have the entire world at their feet?”

　　Chu Qiao laughed gently. In this era, topics like this would appear overly incredible and far-fetched. She nodded and looked towards the front, saying slowly, “The country’s ruler presides over his people. The people hold unlimited power. The country’s armies, armory, wealth and food comes from the slaves and civilians which have been trampled upon by the nobles. They are the most magnanimous people. They just need a mouthful of rice and a piece of land to be able to give up most of their food, to feed other people. However, what if they can no longer survive this way?” Chu Qiao turned around and looked at Li Ce with conviction, saying, “No one will sit there and await their own death. Li Ce, if all the civilians were to rebel against you, would you be able to hold on to your throne?”

　　Li Ce was stunned. Frowning, he replied, “How is that possible?”

　　Chu Qiao laughed. “Why not? Just because some things have not happened doesn’t mean they won’t happen. 300 years ago, would all of you have imagined that a minority tribe would have risen? Did you think that they would trample on Yinshan and colonize the 18 states of Hongchuan, waging war on the Tang Empire in the process? Did you think that the leader of the Nalan family would rebel against the royal empire and declare the independence of the Song Empire?”

　　Li Ce was rendered speechless and frowned tightly.

　　Chu Qiao laughed gently. The royal empires currently were probably categorized under the Xia Dynasty in modern Chinese history. As their power had not been questioned by the civilians, they thought that they were invincible. Did they think that the civilians would continue to submit to them over thousands of years?

　　“Li Ce, wait and see. Everything has changed. Harping on past glory is not the way to go. Sooner or later, you will witness how powerful the civilians can be when they are angry. The power they possess will be able to cause chaos. They can move mountains and control the storms. The Xia Empire, Yan Bei, the Tang Empire, the Song Empire, even the minority Quanrong tribe outside the border, all of us will collapse weakly like ants in the face of this power. The party that is able to harness this power will be the ultimate victor.”

　　The smile on Li Ce’s face had been wiped off. He frowned and looked at Chu Qiao, remaining silent.

　　Chu Qiao turned around and looked at Li Ce while smiling. “Li Ce, you’re my friend. I hope that when the day of the big storm arrives, you’re not the first to get involved.”

　　The cold wind raged on. The look in the man’s eyes suddenly turned cold and sharp, like an arrow. He looked on at Chu Qiao, not batting an eyelid nor saying a word. The wind blew across the space separating them, making the atmosphere even colder. After a long while, he warmed up and laughed gently, saying, “Qiaoqiao, I have not heard these words before, but I find it meaningful. I’ll think about it in detail.”

　　Chu Qiao knew that Li Ce harbored murderous intentions towards her at that instant. However, he did not strike. Although they represented different powers and had different stands, as she described, they were friends, or maybe something more. They were unable to discern their relationship clearly. Suddenly, Chu Qiao understood one thing that had been bothering her for many years. Out of all the feudal lords, why did the Xia Emperor attack Yan Bei? Why did he kill Yan Shicheng, who had been the most loyal subject under him? If the Emperor wanted to regulate the balance of power, shouldn’t he have started from the other feudal lords? The King of Ling? The King of Jing? The reckless, untamed, barbaric lords? However, she understood all these now. The reason was simple. As Yan Bei had formed an alliance with the Da Tong Guild, Yan Shicheng had adopted a new ideology. A different type of flower had bloomed on the icy highlands of Yan Bei, causing a different type of fruit to bloom. From a neutral standpoint, Yan Bei no longer thought the same way as the royal capital. This was similar to a situation where a country ran on the idea of capitalism, but a political party from within advocated the idea of communism. It was simply unacceptable. This was a clear intention to oppose the main state, which was an unforgivable action of betrayal.