¡Qué ganas de sentir la brisa primaveral!

Capítulo 12

A group of people swarmed around me to help me dress up. The palace robes they brought out were more complicated than the ones I had worn before. I felt depressed looking at them, thinking that if I really encountered any emergency, it would be inconvenient for me to run away.

My elder brother has already left. I wanted to ask him where Ji Feng was, but remembering how eccentric he is, I thought it was better not to remind him, so I gave up the idea.

Tianheng ran in while I was combing my hair. I didn't want to say anything at first, but when I saw him dressed in gold with a small crown on his head, I couldn't help but sigh and pat his head.

"Tianheng, the golden crown is heavy, be careful with your hair, it won't look good if you go bald."

Tianheng was startled after hearing this, and deliberately touched his hair to make sure it was still there before he breathed a sigh of relief.

I sighed even more deeply. It's over. My brother's son is so easy to fool. My family's fine tradition has no successor.

"By the way, did you see the guard next to Auntie?" I took his hand and continued talking to him, very kindly.

Tianheng blinked.

“That handsome older brother,” I prompted him. This child has never liked to talk since he was little, and he’s even more of a silent type when he sees me. There’s nothing I can do but be more patient.

The only remaining maidservant behind me suddenly pierced my hair with a hairpin. The sharp point touched my scalp, causing a slight sting. I couldn't help but shudder. She, however, collapsed to the ground first, trembling even more violently than me, muttering over and over, "This servant deserves to die, this servant deserves to die."

Tianheng was about to speak, but she interrupted him and he shut up. I was furious and wanted to retort, "If you deserve to die, then die." But then I thought that this was my brother's house, and I figured if I really spoke, I would die very quickly. There had been enough deaths in the past two days, so I decided to let it go and say, "Are you done combing your hair? If you're done, then get out of here."

She immediately scrambled out, and I turned my attention back to Tianheng, wondering how to continue asking questions. Unexpectedly, Tianheng climbed onto my knee. My knee wasn't very big, and although he was small, it was still quite dangerous for him. I quickly hugged him, feeling surprised.

Tianheng has never liked being held, especially by me. But today he was unusual. He pressed his chubby little face against my neck, stretched out both arms to hug me, and whispered in my ear. His voice was so soft, like a mosquito's buzz, and he was even a little shaky.

He said, "Grandpa Emperor is dead."

I remained silent for a long time before nodding. I wanted to hug him again, but then I realized that I didn't have any strength in my arms. In fact, he was the one hugging me.

Tianheng trembled for a while and then stopped, climbing down from my knees on his own. I knew he probably didn't know where Jifeng was at all, and with his arms suddenly empty, he felt like everything was empty. There were people standing outside the door, and seeing us hugging like this, they probably couldn't stand it anymore. Finally, someone came in, knelt down and said to Tianheng.

"Your Highness should depart now."

Tianheng's small figure disappeared outside the door. I was covered in clothes and finally managed to stand up. I dragged my skirt to the door, but they were already gone. I leaned against the door frame, panting. There was a guard standing by the door, motionless like a clay or wooden sculpture, with no expression on his face.

I recognized him; he was one of Lu Jian's subordinates. I glared at him and said, "What are you looking at me for? When are we departing?"

His eyes flickered, and he actually spoke. I recognized his voice; it was so cold it could be used as a bullet.

The voice belonged to Chengping. He snorted and said, "I also want to know when you're going to leave."

I was shocked. I didn't care about anything else and grabbed his shirt, demanding, "Where's Ji Feng?"

As soon as he moved, my fingers missed their mark. I heard footsteps in the distance; it was the guard who had returned, accompanied by another person. This person wore a dark purple uniform and had a headdress. He looked at me from afar without any expression, but I felt a warmth wherever his gaze fell.

My heart suddenly felt damp, but it wasn't sadness, just a sense of peace.

Okay, you can go now.

I straightened up, straightened my skirt, and looked at a point in front of me before speaking.

"Let's set off, I'm waiting."

Chapter 34

Chengping is a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person who lives and works in the martial arts world).

As I sat in the carriage, I couldn't help but wonder what he and Ji Feng would do next.

Actually, all my impressions of people in the martial arts world come from the past two or three days. They act strangely, flying around as if they are organized, but most of the time they don't follow any rules. For example, Cheng Ping would suddenly appear or disappear in front of me, and no one could guess what he would do next.

But strangely enough, I believe him.

Just as I believe Jifeng won't abandon me now, I believe Chengping will always find a way to do something unexpected.

The Crown Prince's residence wasn't far from the capital, but the streets were deathly quiet, without a single human voice. The only sounds were the rhythmic footsteps rising and falling on both sides. I gradually became frightened and wanted to see what was outside, but the carriage was completely sealed off, with the curtains on the outside that couldn't be drawn.

In the distance, the melodious sound of bells could be heard, one after another, endlessly.

These are the bell and drum towers at the four corners of the imperial city. These bells can only be rung simultaneously during true royal ceremonies. This is only the second time in twenty years; the first time was when my mother passed away.

The nanny said that when my mother gave birth to my elder brother, she was only a concubine, and she was made empress when she gave birth to me, but she herself did not know that.

Because the day I was born was the anniversary of my mother's death.

The empress's investiture and funeral were held simultaneously, and the four bell and drum towers tolled for three days, causing unease throughout the capital.

What a coincidence! Father and Mother are indeed deeply in love. Even such things can happen together. Although Father no longer needs anyone to bestow titles on him, he can never escape the title of Emperor Emeritus.

I adjusted the hairpin in my hair, feeling as if its sharp tip was constantly rubbing against me. No matter how I tried, I couldn't find a suitable position to ease the pain.

The palace was indeed well-prepared. As I stepped down from the imperial carriage, I was greeted by civil and military officials standing on both sides of the golden steps. Ji Feng and Cheng Ping stood beside me. The weather was fine. I glanced back. The white jade floor was spotless. The corpses and blood had vanished without a trace. There was even the fragrance of flowers. The entire imperial city was enveloped in a fresh scent, more magnificent than ever before.

I was bewildered and couldn't help but ask Ji Feng, who was standing next to me.

"Monsoon, have I been asleep for a long time?"

He glanced at me, probably wanting to say something, but someone beat him to it.

It was a smiling voice that floated down from above my head.

"Fortunately, it was only a day and a night, so it didn't delay the ceremony."

The voice belonged to my elder brother. I looked up and saw him slowly descending the golden steps. All the civil and military officials, who had been standing, suddenly prostrated themselves in perfect unison. Countless brocade robes and jade belts bowed to the ground, creating a commotion like a tidal wave crashing down.

I sighed, waiting for them to utter those laudatory words of praise, like "May you live a thousand years!" Although I've been used to hearing them since I was a child, they still give me a bit of a psychological barrier these days.

However, amidst the sea of embroidered official robes that seemed to be cascading down, one person stood motionless. This person was not tall and had been completely unnoticed when he was among the officials. Now that everyone else was lying on the ground, his upright posture made him stand out conspicuously.

It was Grand Tutor Zeng, his hair and beard all white, his eyes blazing as he stared in the direction we were standing, pointing one finger at us and shouting.

"How can a son who murders his father and relatives ascend the throne! Without human ethics, how can the court stand? You have received great favors from the late emperor, yet you kneel before a man who murdered his father. You are cowardly and shameless."

Grand Tutor Zeng was a senior official in the court. He taught my elder brother the Four Books and Five Classics when he was a child. I would occasionally join in the fun. He was known as a great Confucian scholar of our time. In my memory, he had always been a gentle and refined person. But now he was all hair and beard. I was a little surprised. But my elder brother had already slowly opened his mouth and gave a very simple greeting.

"Grand Tutor Zeng, I was just thinking of you. You are a great Confucian scholar of our dynasty and once served as the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince. You were highly regarded by the late Emperor. I was just thinking of having you write a eulogy for the late Emperor."

Upon hearing the words "Late Emperor," Zeng Zifu burst into tears, wailing in front of everyone, "You unfilial son! If you truly cared for the Late Emperor, how could you have forced him to his death in the palace, causing the suffering of innocent people? I am incompetent. I failed to see your wolfish ambition when you were young, and now you cannot even protect the Late Emperor. You should have followed him immediately, but I have only survived until now so that I can speak these words to these cowardly scoundrels..."

Someone rushed up to pull him away, and the group of ministers around him became agitated. Some pointed at his nose and cursed him, saying that he was talking nonsense. They also said that the late emperor had only died suddenly from illness, and the new emperor had taken pity on the people. In addition, the country could not be without a ruler for a day. Only after all the officials knelt down and begged did he ascend the throne in mourning. Some people were excited and said that he was being treasonous while trying to physically assault him.

Only my elder brother remained calm. He glanced at the people around him, then turned around, took my hand, and left.

My brother hadn't held my hand in a long time. His fingers were long and slender, and his palms were warm, a world apart from my damp and cold ones. We walked up a few steps, and the man he had looked at stayed where he was, talking as he brushed past me.

It was Lord Li, who had been staring at me intently in the passageway, still with that scholarly face and that scholarly tone.

His first words were addressed to the entire court: “Colleagues, please return to your seats. The Grand Tutor lost his composure because he missed the late Emperor too much.” Then, his tone softened, “Grand Tutor Zeng, when you see the late Emperor later, kowtow a few more times. Such loyalty will surely please the late Emperor.”

I twitched my finger, wanting to turn around again, but my elder brother didn't let go of me. He just looked down and smiled at me, as warm as spring sunshine.

This is one of the smiles I've been most used to for over a decade, but at this moment I feel inexplicably afraid. My heart is shivering with cold, and I dare not show it in front of my brother. My teeth are aching from clenching them.

As I reached the end of the golden steps, a magnificent hall appeared before me. This was the place I had fled in disarray a few days ago, and also the last place I saw my father.

I suddenly felt weak, and I couldn't climb the last step no matter what I did.

A hand reached out from behind and helped me up. I turned around and saw Ji Feng's face, and of course, the Cheng Ping who wasn't Cheng Ping. But the glance was too fleeting because my brother's fingers also exerted some force, pulling me to his side and speaking into my ear.

"Ping An, come and see an old friend."

I hastily looked up and saw a dark face with eyelashes so long they almost covered his eyes.

Good heavens, the emperor of our dynasty has changed, but the crown prince of the Mo Kingdom is still here.

...

Hai: Bottled up, bottle-shaped survival

Narrator: So, are we still going to write it or not?

Hai: Write! I'll keep writing even if I have to crawl.

Chapter 35

The Crown Prince of Mo was not surprised at all when he saw me. He didn't say anything, but smiled. His curled eyelashes fluttered above his deep-set eyes, and his dark eyes shone with a layer of light.

It turns out that this person wasn't bad-looking, except for being a bit dark-skinned. However, the expression he gave me was very strange. It was the first time he had ever seen me so interesting. His gaze lingered on me and wouldn't leave me.

I was a little confused by his gaze, but my brother lifted his wrist and sent my hand over.

"Mo Fei, Ping An is a little tired. Help her into the palace."

I jerked my fingers back and looked back at my brother's face in surprise, but he didn't look at me and held my hand tightly.

Mo Fei didn't stand on ceremony at all, reaching out to support my wrist. I wasn't originally the kind of person with a dazzlingly fair complexion, but compared to him, I looked like I had crawled out of a snow pit, deathly pale and devoid of any color.

He wasn't far from me, within arm's reach. I wanted to step back, but my brother held on tightly, and I couldn't break free. Suddenly, a commotion arose beside me, and someone lunged out from the side, landing at my brother's feet, crying and wailing.

It turned out to be Consort Rui, crying uncontrollably and looking utterly disheveled. Her usual glamorous and charming demeanor was nowhere to be seen. Her voice was shrill and mournful. I finally managed to understand that she was begging my brother not to let her be buried alive with him.

I've never liked Consort Rui, but at this moment I was extremely grateful to her. Taking this opportunity, I took a big step back and almost fell on Ji Feng. Of course, his reaction was much faster than mine, and he caught me with just a light touch. But I was startled because even through the thick palace robes, I could feel his whole body tense.

The pale-faced eunuchs dragged Consort Rui away. The former emperor's concubines, who were lying on the ground next to her, were all trembling. I didn't want to look at them anymore, so I turned and headed towards the side hall. I was walking too fast, and my first step was on my own skirt, and I almost fell to the ground.

Mo Fei was about to move when someone picked me up first. It was Ji Feng. He silently exchanged a glance with Mo Fei.

Consort Rui had already been dragged away. My brother turned to look at us. I was terrified at that moment and almost screamed, but my brother smiled and spoke to Ji Feng in a gentle voice.

"You are so loyal, never abandoning me, that's wonderful."

It wasn't until I entered the side hall that I realized I was drenched in cold sweat. Eunuchs and maids stood at the door, and the water dripping from the copper water clock made a monotonous sound by the window. Cheng Ping looked at me with a strange expression.

I sighed, knowing in my heart what he wanted to say.

He must be thinking, "I knew your family members were weird, but I never imagined they were this weird."

Ji Feng has never let go of me, and I have no intention of leaving him. His embrace is warm, and it is the place I crave most in this world. I still can't understand why he came back with me, but just now my brother used a word—never leaving or forsaking me.

How wonderful! Although my elder brother is a freak, he has always been better than me at choosing words and phrases.

I have a bad habit: once I feel something touching, I like to caress the thing in front of me. Now, all I have in front of me is Ji Feng, so of course I'm touching him all over. There's a wide bandage under his clothes, which must be for those wounds. As I touch him, I feel a pang of tenderness in my heart. Afraid of losing control, I just let out a soft hum and asked a question. I was also afraid that others would hear me, so I pressed my lips to his shoulder and kept my voice as low as possible.

I asked, "When are you leaving?"

Neither of them reacted. After a while, Ji Feng replied to me very softly with a few words.

"Of course we'll go together."