Chapter 29: Past Events Like A Dream

  "Miss, Xiangju is over frightened, her heart is attacked by evil fire, that's why she talks nonsense and can't express herself. The wounds on her face and body are not serious, but if she wants to recover her looks, it will be extremely difficult."

  The hospital's Dean Sun said in a deep voice, his face looking very heavy. Qing Xia wore a pale blue brocade cloud-patterned long robe, standing in the empty Orchid Pavilion Hall, looking somewhat desolate and bleak. She nodded slightly, her voice carrying an inexplicable fatigue, "Thanks for your trouble, Dean Sun."

  "You're being too serious, but it's actually your body that needs more care and nourishment."

  "I understand."

  The elderly elder let out a faint sigh, handed the medicine box to the apprentice beside him, bowed to Qing Xia, and turned around and walked out of the Lan Ting Hall. The sunset cast a long shadow of the old man, with a desolate and decadent scene, just like the Lan Ting Hall, shrouded in a layer of melancholy and sorrowful atmosphere.

  "Miss, go take a rest. You didn't sleep all night and you've been busy all day today." A 16 or 17-year-old girl walked up, held Qing Xia's arm, and gently advised her.

  Qing Xia shook his head and asked in a low voice: "Is Xiang Ju asleep?"

  "Dr. Sun has given her an injection, and she's already fallen asleep." The young girl replied obediently, looking at Qing Xia's solemn expression, and continued: "Our lives are all yours, Your Highness. Xiang Ju sister suffered for you, that's a blessing."

  Qing Xia couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh, thinking to herself that if it weren't happening to her, she could say it was good fortune. But when real trouble comes knocking, who would be willing to take someone else's place? In this world, whose life is born to be someone else's substitute? She shook her head and didn't speak, the empty grand hall now only had a few maidservants who were temporarily summoned by Chu Li to attend to her.

  Last night's riot, the Chu Palace was severely damaged, countless people died, and the old emperor is still unconscious. Chu Li led two million soldiers from the military camp into the palace to quell the riot overnight and also deployed the Green Camp Army outside the city to take on guard duties. The imperial city of Shengdu was in chaos overnight, with people's hearts unstable, and a taste of war and chaos filled everywhere. Ordinary people dared not go out, fearing that they would be affected by the chaos. By today, the situation has become even more chaotic. Qing Xia knew that with Chu Li's current military strength, it would be easy to stabilize the situation, but he didn't do so, instead making the situation even more chaotic, as if intentionally stirring up trouble. The deeper meaning behind this, Qing Xia understood, and the officials of the imperial court understood even better.

  So, with the help of the 13th King's fire, the imperial court that had not followed Chu Li in the past began a major purge. From now on, the power structure of South Chu will have to be reshuffled.

  A painstaking and lonely game, but until the end, who can determine which one is the oriole hiding in the dark? Qing Xia gently closed her eyes, leaning against the beautiful backrest of the bed, the sunset's crimson light casting a strange and beautiful glow on her body.

  Chu Li leaned against the door frame, his arm curled around his helmet, and a hint of fatigue appeared on his face that had not closed its eyes for a day and a night. However, at this moment, he did not want to disturb her, and many past events swirled in his mind, and the young child from the Great Qi Imperial Palace back then once again appeared before his eyes.

  At the age of nine, he was sent to the capital of Qi as a hostage by his father. No one knows how he spent that period of time, alone in a foreign land, watching people's faces and being discriminated against everywhere. For more than ten years, in the eyes of the king and ministers of Qi, he has always been a timid and incompetent weak country prince. He endured all the humiliation and contempt, just to stand tall one day, looking down on those who had trampled him, and trampling them under his feet.

  It was in that year that I got to know Qing Xia.

  Although he had no backing in the capital, as a hostage, he still had the opportunity to enter Taixue for study. Zhuang Dianru was a seated gentleman in Taixue.

  At that time, Qing Xia was only six years old, innocent and young, with a warm smile and delicate features. Qing Xia had no mother, so she often disguised herself as a book boy and followed Mr. Zhuang to the school. When the princes of Qi State attended classes, she would sit on the high threshold, propping up her cheek and waiting for Mr. Zhuang's class to end. He still remembered that the threshold was very high, almost half of Qing Xia's height. She often had to lift her legs hard to step over the threshold. The seat of the princes, of course, would not be too close to Mr. Zhuang, as Qi State was prosperous and had many princes, he was always in the last position, staring at the back of the crown on the hat of the princes in front, secretly getting lost in thought.

  "What's wrong with you?"

  Even now, Chuli can still clearly remember the scene of their first conversation. That day, the sunlight shining on the Qi State's Ronghua Palace seemed to be melting, with bright sunshine everywhere. The cicadas in the trees were chirping loudly, making people feel annoyed as if they were about to burst.

  He walked alone on the long corridor, his clothes tattered and his face covered in bloodstains. His nose was running and tears were streaming down, hanging from his mouth, making him look very dirty. But he didn't wipe them away, his heart was slowly filling with anger, mixed with a sense of injustice and fear.

  The wet nurse from the Chu State had just exchanged her jewelry for new clothes, which were torn apart by Qi State's Third Prince Qi Yu and his attendants. At that time, he had just arrived in Qi State and did not know how to hide his strength. He was furious and fought with them, but was surrounded by over ten people, his nose was broken, and he was bleeding profusely. The group of people shouted and tore his clothes, then kicked him out of the garden.

  Just when he was at his most disheveled, he met Qing Xia sitting in the corridor of the pavilion. She wore a pink jacket, with her small head piled high with hair, and the sunlight shining on her pale skin had a golden glow. Seeing him approach, the girl suddenly jumped down, pointing to her nose and shouting: "Ah! What's wrong with you?"

  That was their first meeting, he, still a down-and-out foreign prince, and she, still an innocent little child who didn't understand sorrow.

  From then on, she became his only friend in the vast Ronghua Palace. The state of Chu was weak, and as a hostage, he naturally would not be treated with courtesy. As time gradually accumulated, he clearly recognized his situation. He began to hide himself, no longer speaking much, no longer refuting others, no longer showing off, he could even smile fawningly at the many princes of Qi, and even personally bribe those old eunuchs in the palace, his weakness successfully bewildered the entire Ronghua Palace's nobles, even King Qi ridiculed him, saying "Son of a deer, how can you fight against wolves?"

  Except for the wise Mr. Zhuang, he saw through the unfathomable mind of this ten-year-old child amidst everyone's cold disdain. Finally, under pressure from the state of Qi, Chu Li, who was still a hostage in Qi, ascended to the throne of the crown prince of Chu. That night, Mr. Zhuang came to his small bedchamber and asked him in a deserted grand hall, "You have deceived everyone, are you happy?"

  Can he be happy? Can he be happy? No! He has never been happy. He is moving cautiously in the dark, but no one can help him. He knows that Qi Guo needs to grasp a puppet prince to complete its control over Chu Guo, so he tries his best to make himself fit this standard, just for the future return to Chu and continue to fight with those brothers on the court for power. He is too familiar with the importance of power, he wants to firmly grasp his own destiny.

  There will always be such a day, there will be.

  One year later, his reputation had already spread outside. The King of Qi sent many beautiful women to him, this child who was not yet eleven years old. Thus, he followed their intentions and perfectly acted out the role of a dissolute and shameless, depraved and unprincipled prince.

  That day was Qing Xia's ninth birthday. In the west of Ronghua Palace, by the Xī Yuè Lake, several princes including Qi Yu, Qi Yang and Qi Xiao arrived at the pavilion to exchange two songstresses for a small companion reader after Chu Li's departure.

  For two years, the entire imperial palace had taken Qing Xia as Chu Li's study companion. As she grew older, nine-year-old Qing Xia already showed astonishing beauty. Even now, he could still feel Qing Xia's small hands tightly grasping his sleeve, taking him as her great reliance. She even poked her head out from behind him, making faces at Qi Yu and the others, because she believed that he would always protect her. She was so wholeheartedly trusting of him, mischievously sticking out her tongue at Qi Yu and the others, stubbornly saying: "I'll grow up, I guarantee I'll be more beautiful than your Song Ji."

  But what could he do? He was only eleven years old, in the state of Qi, without any friends, family, power or status. He was isolated like a tree in the ocean, with no place to take root. Just like that, he carelessly smiled at Qi Yu and waved his hand, "Your Highness likes it, I'll give it to you."

  I will never forget the look in his eyes, I will never forget how tightly the child grasped my small hand, I will never forget how scorching hot the weather was that day. He sprinted down the long, bright corridor like a desperate leopard. He told himself, I will take back everything I've lost, I will trample all those who have bullied me underfoot, I will bring Qing Xia back to my side, I will...

  But he couldn't after all. Time just passed like that, and he had tried to run back into the pavilion, but when facing Qi Yu and others, he could only say one sentence: "Don't forget to send Song Ji to my palace."

  He told himself it was just some kids, just a prank.

  But he also knew that it was not just a child's prank, on that day, what he lost was the most precious trust.

  That day, Qing Xia's eyes were so bright, her face was covered with black mud smeared by the naughty boys, tightly tied to a big tree, mouth wide open, crying loudly. While crying, she also shouted at herself, saying "Brother, brother, help Xia'er..."

  In the end, it wasn't him who went to help her. Qi An was already the crown prince of Da Qi at that time. He took his place and pulled the little girl into his arms, shouting at his brothers who were covering their heads and fleeing: "From now on, no one is allowed to bully her again!"

  After that day, Mr. Zhuang began to truly decide to help him escape from Qi State and return to Chu State to ascend the throne. They spent ten years preparing for this decision.

  When Mr. Zhuang left his palace, he turned back and had a deep sea-like light in his eyes. He nodded slightly, his voice was heavy but also ethereal, "A person who can give up everything must be able to obtain the whole world."

  That's why Zhuang Dianru was willing to help himself, and it was also the biggest turning point in his life. It was just because he was ruthless enough to let go.

  Chu Li leaned against the door frame, immersed in his own memories, all the time whizzing past his ears, whose heart was left behind in distant years.