**
"You cannot leave the Imperial Palace now, Tenth Prince. Should you leave, you will lose the Emperor's favor of you!" Minister Cai remarks as he hurries beside Rong Yi.
"Idiocy.. Yuan Zi Yan needs me right now. I need to-"
"Yuan Zi Yan this, Yuan Zi Yan that. Tenth Prince, listen to me. If you lose the Emperor's interest and become an invisible Prince again, your enemies will make your life a living hell. Imagine what would happen to Miss Yuan Zi Yan."
"I know.. It's just-" Rong Yi exhales a deep breath and reconsiders, "I comply."
Minister Cai, an official who has been secretly working with the Tenth Prince, soon exits the room.
The Tenth Prince wants particularly to speak with Zi Yan, to comfort her. He clenches onto the handkerchief with the word "Yan" written over it again. He watches as rain pours down, hearing the sound of thunder. His heart is grieved for a state which seemed pitiable; a state of irritation of spirits, inconsistency of actions, and inequality of powers.
**
The corpse collectors have entered the Manor to collect the bodies.
Zi Yan directs her gaze at the wooden carriages, "Please don't lay Xiu Ying's body like that!" She cries, "Stop-- Stop throwing bodies on top of Xi Ning!"
"Move out of our way!" The men snaps, exerting force to push Zi Yan away. The Elder Miss collapses on the ground.
"Miss Yuan!" General Li swiftly assists Zi Yan up. She pulls out her sword, pointing it towards the corpse collector, "Watch who you are pushing. She is not someone to trifle with."
The man apologizes to the ladies and quickly continues doing his job, "S-Sorry.. I will be careful next time."
Soon the corpse collectors, who wore straw hats to shield from the rain, all exit the Manor with the carriages containing the corpses. Yuan Zi Yan trails behind the corpse collectors, "W-Where are you taking the bodies?" Yuan Zi Yan questions the corpse collectors. None of them reply to her question; they keep on moving.
General Li runs after Yuan Zi Yan, "You will get sick! Please, Miss Yuan, stop chasing after them!"
Yuan Zi Yan wipes the tears that flows unstoppably from her eyes. None of General Li's words enter her ears. With Yuan Zi Yan's feverish appearance, General Li ponders what she can do in desperation. The Miss Yuan she once knew is no longer present, at least not in this moment. Who can she turn to?
...Him. But she heard he was sent by the Emperor to investigate the Eighth Prince's involvement in a nearby Province. Will he get here on time?
Fleetingly, General Li thought of an idea; however, this would mean she have to leave Miss Yuan's side for the time being. Nonetheless, anything is better than nothing. General Li begins to sprint and exit towards the east.
For several hours, the corpse collectors wander and wander, until they enter a rural area filled with dead grass and weed. They stop and begin throwing the corpses atop of each other.
"H-Hey!" Yuan Zi Yan sights Xiu Ying's body, "Why are you taking her--"
When the corpse collectors all dump the bodies on the ground, they take their carriages and leave the scene. Zi Yan digs for Xiu Ying and the Yuan Family's body again. One by one in the pouring rain, she pulls the lifeless bodies out.
Dragging the bodies, she lay them far away in a more flat and peaceful area. She wipes her tears away with her dirt-filled hands. "I am sorry.. The most..." She hiccups, "..I can do.. is bury your bodies." She digs her nails into the wet ground, past rocks and pebbles.
She digs and digs, until she is able to bury Xiu Ying first. As an hour pasts, her mind diminishes to a point she can only think about digging.
"Yuan Zi Yan!"
A voice she recognizes yells aloud. A man with an umbrella runs towards Yuan Zi Yan. He quickly drops to the ground and tips the umbrella over to Zi Yan.
Her eyes observe the embroidered uniform again; the same group of people who murdered those she care for. "You--"
Her eyes meet that of Xu Kai, who notices how flushed and blue she is. Xu Kai takes a hold of Zi Yan's hands: blistered and blood-filled. "Your hands are bleeding.. I'll help you--"
"..You knew, didn't you?" She upholds a hauntingly melancholic expression, "That this would happen. And yet you didn't do anything..?"
Xu Kai remains silent. "I.." He attempts to start a conversation but comes to a halt.
"You don't have anything to say, do you?" She sniffs pathetically, "Please..."
"..Just let me be."
A subconscious impulse tells Xu Kai to pat Zi Yan by her shoulder, to iterate his grievance. In that lull, he falls to contemplate Zi Yan's reaction. Immediately when he had heard the news that the Emperor sent an edict to execute the Yuan Family, he rushed to get back. General Li led him the way; she had informed him that Yuan Zi Yan could not handle such shock.
A breezy gap open between them. Xu Kai could see that there is no longer a glow in her eyes. Xu Kai notices her obsession with digging, for it is the only way to allow the bodies to rest in peace. He knew that in her heart, this is the only way she can be forgiven, even just a bit.
He drapes his cape over her and drops the umbrella to stay by her side. That evening, they both bury the lifeless bodies.
By the time the rain stops, they have completed the burial. With a bruised and blistered hand, Zi Yan places the mud figure of Xi Ning on top of where she buried Xi Ning. Xu Kai watches as Zi Yan then places a pair of shoes over the place where she buried her maid.
No more tears left to cry. With an expression that is inherently blank, she kowtows on the ground three times to pay her respect. As she attempts to get up, a nauseous feeling overwhelms her, causing her to fall back.
Xu Kai embraces her in his arm before she collapses to the ground, "..You have done your best, Zi Yan."
That night, Yuan Zi Yan had a deep dream.
A dream of memories from the past to the present.
So beautiful, as she knows.
The reality is too painful.
She can distinctly see her parents, who panics and awaits for her to awake.
She can feel herself tremble and cry, as they slowly fade away.
Everything cease to be visible.
YOU ARE READING
The Tale of A Villainess ✔️
Historical Fiction[Completed] Yan Zi, a botanist and author, accidentally transmigrated into her own historical novel as the notorious villainess. She meets Xu Kai, the handsome Co-Commander of the Imperial Military Guards, who is attracted to her during their danger...
