Chapter 50
Mo Yu gave a cryptic smile, then reluctantly turned back several times before leaving this world.
A year after the national mourning period, the second prince remained in Shengjing and was granted the title of Prince of Jin. Among the princes, the Prince of Jin was the most honored, and the fact that he was allowed to stay in the capital demonstrated the emperor's trust and favoritism.
The third prince was sent to the military camp. Although he was young, he was allowed to go in and see the difference between the army and the capital city because of his interests. He was to start as a captain after he made military achievements.
The fourth prince was granted the title of Prince of Qi, but he had no particular interest in it. He only asked for a distant fiefdom and did not want to get close to Consort De.
The Fifth Princess and Lingwu were bestowed the titles of Princess Xiangshan and Princess Fu'an, respectively, and the difference in their relationship is quite obvious upon closer inspection.
One is a place name, while the other embodies expectations.
The Fifth Princess wasn't bitter, only saddened that she couldn't give Ling Wu anything better. Fortunately, whenever she got her hands on the glass candy, which was unique to her, she would immediately give it to Ling Wu.
Before the Third Prince went to the military camp, he followed Ling Wu for a long time. Finally, his ears turned red and he said, "When Third Brother comes back, he will show Jiao Jiao his sword dance."
The fourth prince couldn't resist retorting with a sneer: "Fourth brother is playing the zither for Jiaojiao'er, not waiting for the sword dance that he might not see for who knows how many years!"
After a brief argument, and with the time approaching, the Third Prince reminded Ling Wu to eat less of the foods that were difficult to digest.
This time, the fourth prince softened his tone, a rare occurrence: "Don't worry, I'm here."
After saying this, the Third Prince, unusually calm, added, "You should also go to your fiefdom as soon as possible." After all, in the past, their mothers had all been more or less involved in the struggle for the throne, and who knew whether the future emperor would hold them accountable.
The fourth prince paused for a moment, then lowered his eyes and said, "Hmm."
Lingwu blinked her big eyes, "I'm waiting for my third brother to come home."
At this moment, the word "going home" has a heartwarming quality.
However, they both knew clearly that no matter how big the imperial city was, there would never be a place for them to truly be home.
"Alright, let's wait for Third Brother to come home together." The Fourth Prince replied, watching the Third Prince's retreating figure.
When Lingwu turned eleven, her lifespan reached its limit.
The third prince, covered in frost and snow, rode tirelessly from the border back to the capital.
At that time, the Crown Prince was already dressed in the dragon robe, his face gentle yet with a sharp edge. But now, because of the pain in his heart, he kept turning the jade ring on his finger.
The second prince, dressed in red, had lost all his playful smile; instead, he displayed a seriousness and worry unlike anything he had seen in over a decade.
The Fifth Princess was already wiping away tears with her back to everyone.
The fourth prince and the third prince met briefly at the princess's residence, but both were filled with unease. They hurriedly entered and saw the little girl they had cherished like a treasure for eleven years, smiling and chatting with them.
The young girl was extremely beautiful, and they had long heard that countless young men in the capital would blush upon seeing her and stammer in front of her.
Fortunately, they were still young; otherwise, those boys would either have been punished by the current emperor or beaten up in the street by the current Prince of Jin.
At this moment, those beautiful eyes were staring intently at the Third Prince.
"Third brother hasn't kept his promise to do the sword dance yet," the little girl said sweetly, breaking the sadness in the room.
The third prince curled his lips into a smile, "Alright, third brother will perform a sword dance for Jiaojiao'er."
Amidst the swirling frost and snow, the young general wields his long sword, sending up a flurry of snowflakes.
A young man in red stands beside a refined emperor in a long robe.
The princess, dressed in a magnificent palace gown, popped candies into her mouth.
The idle prince, whose youthful naiveté had faded but whose shadow still lingered, lowered his eyes.
"So beautiful." Ling Wu stood beneath the red plum blossoms in the frost and snow, her beauty standing out as the only unique one amidst the vibrant colors.
Yet it was as if a fairy was returning to her nine-layered palace.
For her, what was truly captivating was not just the sword dance, but the bloodless struggle for the throne and the continuation of a prosperous era that had lasted for many years.
It is the brotherhood that is not blood-related but even stronger than that of blood-related brothers; it is the youthful spirit of the general; it is the prosperity that the princess does not need to marry into a foreign land; it is also the pair of fair hands of the half-white-haired boy who has never been stained with blood.
Lingwu looked away, tilted her head, and smiled sweetly at the two figures in the distance, "Mother! Consort Shu!"
A familiar, dignified figure staggered in; the Empress's temples were already streaked with gray.
"My dearest child."
As soon as she finished speaking, Consort Shu supported the Empress's nearly fainting body, her eyes brimming with tears she could no longer conceal. She murmured:
"Jiaojiao..."
As the snow fell, the whole palace knew that their little prince had returned to the seat of the Goddess Guanyin.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
