Chapter 19

"It seems that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has made little progress in the past eight years."

Jitang looked at his cultivation level and found that he had only reached the initial stage of enlightenment after eight years.

Su Jinzhou pondered for a moment before realizing what she was referring to. He smiled and said nonchalantly, "Now you know how to call me Your Highness. How can cultivation compare to delicious wine and beautiful dancing?"

Jitang looked across at the other side, "Or maybe not as attractive as a beauty?"

Su Jinzhou chuckled when he heard this.

Jitang was too lazy to comment and just lowered his head to eat the osmanthus cake.

Su Jinzhou drank the wine in one gulp, "You have been in Su Jia Country all the time? Why haven't I seen you go to the palace to eat dreams again?"

Ji Tang swallowed it and was about to pour tea when Su Jinzhou placed the teacup in front of her.

She glanced at him and took the tea: "I don't want to see you."

She had been to many places in Chenwuzhou in the past eight years and had just returned recently, but she didn't want to explain too much to Su Jinzhou.

Su Jinzhou raised an eyebrow, "That's quite straightforward."

The beauty is not here, so I have to pour the wine for myself after the boat is fully occupied.

He clinked his wine cup with Jitang's teacup and said, "I was wrong eight years ago. I apologize to you."

Jitang frowned.

Su Jinzhou's changes made her unable to adapt for a while.

Such a high-handed and arrogant prince could now easily and casually say "I was wrong" in front of her.

She didn't feel comfortable, she just felt uncomfortable.

It’s not the apology that’s inappropriate, but the attitude of the apology.

Eight years ago, he would have said "sorry" more seriously and solemnly, instead of admitting his mistake casually without any sincerity and self-respect like now.

Ji Tang simply stopped thinking about it, touched the veil on the side of his face and asked him: "How did you recognize me?"

Su Jinzhou didn't look at Jitang, but at the dancer on the stage. He smiled faintly, "You stand out wherever you are, even with a veil on."

Su Jinzhou looked around.

This place was already full of eyes before he came, and it didn't get any less after he came.

Jitang raised his hand to remove the veil.

After a long sleep, the boat's movements paused slightly.

Almost as soon as the veil was removed, the first floor fell silent.

There was no other sound except the music playing on the stage and the people dancing to it.

Those who came to the dance studio to watch the dance were all looking at Ji Tang without blinking, their eyes burning with passion.

Those noble sons who were used to seeing beautiful women in the past, and the wealthy young men who were doing business, all stared at Ji Tang without exception.

They are no longer graceful and elegant, and they just look stupid and have lost all their image. They don’t look like the young masters of noble families at all.

Su Jinzhou rubbed his forehead in distress, "I didn't mean to ask you to take off your veil."

Ji Tang finally didn't have to lift her veil with every bite. She picked out the nice-looking snacks and ate them without caring about the others' gazes. "Since it's all the same, I might as well be more relaxed."

So many eyes were focused on Ji Tang, but she remained calm, eating and drinking as usual, without showing any fear.

But people's eyes always shifted to Su Jinzhou, but Su Jinzhou was naturally not affected by these things. He drank by himself and was still relaxed.

When Tan Qingyue finished her dance, the music stopped.

The first floor, which should have been filled with thunderous applause in the past, was unusually quiet today, with only the sound of dancers' footsteps leaving the stage.

This kind of silence should never appear in a dance studio.

Tan Qingyue looked down at the audience, and just by looking at everyone's eyes, she knew the reason.

It shouldn't be so quiet, but if it's because of Jitang, then it's understandable.

She slowly walked to Jitang's side, looked at Su Jinzhou calmly, and walked to the other side of Jitang and sat down.

"Where's the veil?"

Jitang's mouth was full of dessert, so he couldn't speak clearly, "It's in the way."

Tan Qingyue said helplessly: "I think so."

Tan Qingyue winked at the steward, who immediately understood.

After a while, the music started and the dancers waiting behind the curtain continued their performance.

The dance hall was filled with singing and dancing, and it finally returned to its former state.

Tan Qingyue didn't shy away from it. She looked at Su Jinzhou and asked Ji Tang, "Who is this young man?"

Jitang: "Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Tan Qingyue was startled when she heard this, then she stood up, bowed, and whispered, "Greetings, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Although she is not an ordinary person, she opened a dance hall on someone else's territory to make a living, so she still has to follow the proper etiquette.

Su Jinzhou waved his hand, "You don't need to call me that outside."

Tan Qingyue then changed his words and said, "Mr. Su." Everyone knew the royal family's surname.

Jitang had almost finished eating and wanted to find a handkerchief to wipe his hands.

The two people beside her moved.

Su Jinzhou held up the wine glass and wanted to take the handkerchief from his sleeve with one hand.

Tan Qingyue was also about to take it out, but was one step too late for Su Jinzhou.

But the one who was faster than the other two was Jitang.

When she saw Su Jinzhou raise his sleeves, she simply wiped her hands, which were covered with snack crumbs, on his sleeves.

Su Jinzhou: "..."

Tan Qingyue covered her mouth and coughed, then put the handkerchief back, suppressing a smile.

After wiping, Jitang looked up at Su Jinzhou and said, "Thank you, it was just in time."

Su Jinzhou brushed his sleeves and said, "You should put a handkerchief on your body."

Ji Tang seemed to remember something, pulled out his handkerchief and shook it, "I forgot."

Su Jinzhou curled his lips——

She did it on purpose.

His previous apology was useless, Jitang still held a grudge.

Jitang drank tea with a smile.

Her mood had visibly improved, and anyone could see it.

Su Jinzhou couldn't help but say, "It's been eight years, how come you are still so childish?"

Ji Tang snorted, "You are worldly-wise but not worldly-wise. What do you know?"

Tan Qingyue raised his glass to toast Su Jinzhou, "Are Master Su and Jitang old friends?"

"It's just an old meal ticket at best." Su Jinzhou raised his eyebrows, gestured to Tan Qingyue across the air, and then drank the wine.

Tan Qingyue couldn't help but laugh. She hadn't expected Su Jinzhou to be so down-to-earth and sincere in his words and actions. "The palace has always had plenty of delicious food."

Su Jinzhou said nonchalantly, "If you want to go, it won't be easy."

Tan Qingyue shook her head slightly and asked subtly, "I heard that Master Su's master is also in the palace. He is a powerful being in the early Nascent Soul stage. We dare not be presumptuous."

After a night on the boat, his eyes darkened slightly.

Although the dancer's sleeves were fluttering in front of him, he seemed to be unaware of them.

"Maybe he'll leave someday."

Tan Qingyue was far away and didn't hear it, but Jitang heard it clearly.

She could probably guess the reason why Master Wu Shu left. "Will I be disappointed in you, a playboy?"

Su Jinzhou whispered, "Maybe?"

Jitang glanced at him.

Although he was smiling, the smile did not reach his eyes.

"It's not up to you to decide whether Master Wushu will leave or not." Jitang looked away, "You can't stay like this forever."

Su Jinzhou shrugged and laughed, as if he had heard a joke. After he finished laughing, he said lightly, "Of course I will always be like this."

Jitang didn't respond.

*

That night, we stayed in the dance hall's guest room.

Jitang waited until late at night and then quietly moved over.

She pushed the door open quietly, and seeing that Su Jinzhou had not put up the bed curtain, she moved over even more carefully.

Su Jinzhou drank a lot of wine that night, and she didn't know if he would have a dream tonight.

When he approached the bed, Jitang saw him sleeping with his clothes on, his brows furrowed.

Ji Tang circulated the nightmare energy and placed it on Su Jinzhou's forehead. The nightmare energy did not float on his forehead, but went straight into his forehead, which proved that Su Jinzhou had fallen into a dream.

Ji Tang's consciousness immediately fell into a dream.

After spending the entire night on the boat, my dream was filled with endless white.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince stood before the Lingshu, holding a jade disk in his hand to offer sacrifices and perform the ceremony of farewell.

As long as Ji Tang didn't interfere with the dream, her actions wouldn't affect it. Although she knew this, she still slowed down her pace and slowly walked to Su Jinzhou's side.

Su Jinzhou's face looked as pale as the mourning clothes he was wearing, as if covered with frost and snow.

His eyes were red and bloodshot, but there were no tears.

Jitang looked at his appearance, and it didn't look like he was a grown man, but more like when they first met.

He was already more than half a head taller than her, and his figure was also taller and more upright.

She guessed that Su Jinzhou was about sixteen or seventeen years old at that time.

The dream that followed was vague and hazy.

Jitang saw the officials in plain clothes and heard crying and bowing, and then everything was blurry, and all the images and sounds gradually faded away.

This was Su Jinzhou's dream, which means that what he saw at that time was also so vague.

Ji Tang looked at Su Jinzhou and saw that his back, which had been straight with gritted teeth, had bent down at some point and was about to collapse.

At the end of the dream, Jitang heard the anxious voices of "Your Highness the Crown Prince" one after another, followed by the sound of running footsteps coming from far away.

Ji Tang woke up from the dream and saw that Su Jinzhou's brows were still furrowed.

She was sure that the grand ceremony in her dream was the queen's funeral ceremony.

Jitang didn’t know what happened during this period, but Su Jinzhou in the dream looked extremely haggard.

Compared to that time, he seems more energetic now despite his annoying look.

Ji Tang was lost in thought for a moment, and turned to leave when he suddenly heard Su Jinzhou's hoarse voice behind him: "Ji Tang."

"Awake?" Ji Tang turned around.

Su Jinzhou squinted his eyes tiredly and looked at the ceiling. "Is my dream delicious?"

Ji Tang clenched his hands, his voice dry and hard, "You know what delicious dreams mean to me."

Su Jinzhou seemed to smile faintly, but it happened too quickly, so Ji Tang was not quite sure.

Su Jinzhou: "What did I look like in my dream?"

Ji Tang frowned and walked closer, wanting to see his expression clearly, "Why would you know what he looked like back then?"

Su Jinzhou: "Just curious."

Jitang: "You're lying."

She saw the look in Su Jinzhou's eyes, and it wasn't curiosity at all.

Su Jinzhou threw back the quilt and sat up. "I still can't quite remember what happened back then. No matter how hard I try, I can't recall the details. Can you see?"

Ji Tang took a chair and sat in front of the bed. "What I can see is what you dreamed about. You were in a state of mental confusion at the time, so your memory is fuzzy, and your dream is naturally fuzzy too."

She asked, "You haven't answered me yet, why do you have to think about that time?"

The boat remained silent throughout the night.

"Some people have nightmares because they've done something wrong, some because they're afraid, and some people keep thinking about past scars while awake, and then they dream about them naturally when they fall asleep. Which one are you?"

Su Jinzhou raised his eyes and said, "Neither of those."

Ji Tang said to himself, "You definitely didn't do anything wrong, and you're not afraid. That's the third possibility. When you're awake, you often recall what happened back then, so you dream about it again and again at night."

"Your Highness, you haven't come out of it yet."

Jitang's voice was not loud, but it was particularly clear in the quiet room late at night.

Su Jinzhou's grip on the quilt suddenly tightened.

Ji Tang stopped asking questions. She poured two cups of tea and handed one to Su Jinzhou.

"Would you like some tea, Your Highness? It's cold."

Su Jinzhou stared at the teacup, slowly took it, and drank it all in one gulp.

Ji Tang: "With the way you are now, how can you be a wise ruler who cares about the people?"

Su Jinzhou stared at her, thinking she was going to say something profound, and then he saw her come closer, her eyes shining, exactly the same as they were eight years ago.

Eight years is enough to change a person completely, but Jitang seemed to have been away for only a short while, as if the eight years had never existed.

After staying at the boat for a while, I felt a little dazed.

Then I heard her say: "You might as well stop being an emperor and cultivate immortality!"