PRINCESS AGENTS (SEASON 2)-COMPLETED

Chapter 32

“I knew that he would rebel”

Xiao 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, Xiao Ce downed a cup of wine, before looking at Chu Qiao. “Did you know? Since young, Xiao 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, Xiao 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.

Xiao 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 Wei 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 Xiao Ce felt sad about King Luo’s death, would Yan Xun feel regret over his actions that day?