Chapter 298 Despicable
Qi Yuxuan really wanted to walk by herself, but seeing the towering spire, she decided to let Xuan Yuanze take her up.
As she went upstairs, she even counted the floors; there were a full twenty floors.
She had never seen such a tall tower in Qi, and she didn't know how Yue had figured out how to build such a tower. Usually, if buildings and palaces were built tall, it was mostly because the terrain was already high. It was rare to see such a tall building built on flat ground.
There is a small open space at the top of the tower, surrounded by a railing.
Despite carrying someone this high, Xuan Yuanze's breathing remained perfectly steady. Looking at the little girl whose gaze had become somewhat dazed, he smiled and reminded her:
"Want to sit on my shoulders so you can see further?"
Qi Yuxuan suddenly turned around and met his eyes: "Is it okay?"
Xuanyuan Ze nodded: "Of course."
He even extended his other hand for her to step on so she could use it to sit on his shoulders.
Qi Yuxuan didn't stand on ceremony with him and actually stepped on it. With a push of her toes, she grabbed his arm and sat on his shoulder.
Now, I can see much further indeed.
This is a landscape completely different from that of the State of Qi.
To her left, the distant mountains stretched out in undulating waves, their lush green peaks hidden amidst the surging sea of clouds. The terraced paddy fields, with their cascading waters, meandered along the mountainside, their shimmering surface resembling a ladder to heaven.
To the right are glaciers and mountains that remain covered in snow even in the height of summer. The snow-capped mountains are majestic and towering, with red clouds and golden peaks standing alone. The snow and ice gleam with a cold blue light under the sun.
Qi Yuxuan was so stunned by the two distant landscapes that she couldn't speak. She stared at them blankly for a long time without even blinking.
Xuanyuan Ze didn't look at the terraced fields or the snow-capped mountains; his gaze remained fixed on the little girl the entire time.
The servants hadn't prepared shoes and socks for her, so in his haste, he could only hold her and support her like this. But it was precisely because of this that she was able to sit on his shoulders and see clearly this world, which was completely different from the Qi Kingdom.
He saw her hands clenching the fabric of her dress, trembling slightly, before he spoke:
"This is not the State of Qi."
"This is the Kingdom of Yue. I am the son of the Emperor of Yue. Xiao Ye, will you hate me?"
Qi Yuxuan lowered her head, looking at his slightly raised profile, her voice cheerful: "Yue Kingdom? Where is Yue Kingdom? This place is so beautiful. How did you bring me here? Where are my parents and younger brother? Will they come too?"
Xuanyuan Ze retorted, "Didn't your maid tell you?"
Qi Yuxuan shook her head: "No, Bai Shu only told me to call you Your Highness, told me to sit up, wiped my face and hands, and gave me medicine. He didn't say anything else."
Xuanyuan Ze: "Your parents and younger brother are still in Qi. They don't want to come. Only you are willing to come with me, but you fell and hit your head on the way, so you forgot the journey."
"Does your head still hurt?"
Qi Yuxuan carefully examined herself before saying, "It doesn't hurt anymore, so does that mean they won't hit or scold me anymore..."
Xuan Yuanze's eyes flickered slightly. He remembered that when she was in the Ye family, she would be beaten and verbally abused by that family every few days. They would take their anger out on her for the slightest thing, but she never complained or blamed anyone. She would only say that it was because she was immature and had upset her family...
Thinking of the fire that cost his family of three dearly, Xuan Yuanze felt no emotion.
She's just forgotten these things now, and he can lie to her, but she'll eventually remember them. Before that, he needs an answer.
Xuanyuanze: "No, they will never see you again. From now on, you will stay with me forever, okay?"
This time, Qi Yuxuan did not answer immediately.
Xuanyuan Ze looked up, staring at the little girl who was deep in thought, and patiently waited for her to speak.
Qi Yuxuan: "But...but Brother Aze is going to get married and have children, how can I stay with Brother Aze forever?"
Xuanyuanze: "Do you like it here?"
The little girl nodded vigorously and said, "I like it."
The man beneath her breathed deeply and steadily, his voice heavy: "Then, Xiao Ye, would you be my wife?"
As dusk settled from the horizon, a sliver of the setting sun clung to the eaves of the tower. A cool breeze brushed past his fingers and ears, and the clear, crisp sound of golden bells jingled from the eaves, bringing Xuan Yuanze back to his senses.
He didn't stubbornly wait for the little girl's answer, but calmly said, "It's getting cold, I'll take you downstairs."
Qi Yuxuan finally moved her lips, "Okay..."
When Xuan Yuanze asked that question, she felt a wave of panic because she had completely forgotten how she, at thirteen or fourteen, would have responded to such a conversation.
Perhaps it's about escaping and remaining silent.
She worried that Xuan Yuanze would suspect that she had remembered something because of her reaction, but she didn't want to agree to his request.
He knew perfectly well that everything he had promised now was meaningless.
A girl whose memories have regressed to the age of thirteen or fourteen cannot promise him anything. If he dares to ask, he must be prepared to be disappointed.
Xuanyuan Ze, she never knew he was such a despicable person.
Having spent too long barefoot in the autumn wind on the tower, Qi Yuxuan sneezed twice when she entered the inner room again, as expected.
Xuanyuan Ze poured the tea himself, only to find that the teapot contained cold water. A fierce look flashed across his face in an instant.
"Someone come here."
The palace servants rushed in in a panic, with Bai Shu following at the very back, her face bearing red marks from sleeping on her stomach.
"Whoever was in charge of serving tea, go and collect ten lashes themselves."
Surprisingly, when the carefree king punished someone, he didn't take their life!
Several palace servants blinked as if they had seen a ghost. It was an undeniable fact in the palace that the Prince of Xiaoyao was a ruthless killer. Why did he seem like a different person today, only being punished with ten strokes of the cane?
Only Bai Shu collapsed, trembling. "Your Highness, please forgive me! I didn't mean to. The young lady didn't want water, so I didn't boil it in time. I was just about to go change it when you returned. I'll go pour a pot of hot water right away!!!"
The air fell silent for a moment.
This Bai Shu was not from the palace; he had come to the palace with this young lady and was said to have been serving her. He was quite domineering, forbidding anyone else from touching anything in the room, saying he was afraid the young lady would be angry if she found out.
But... this girl has been asleep for so long, and no one has seen her awake. Who knows if she will be angry?
Xuanyuan Ze had a good memory and recognized her as the maid who had been serving Xiao Ye since she returned from the border. He asked, "Your name is Bai Shu?"
Bai Shu nodded hurriedly: "Yes, my name is Bai Shu!"
Xuanyuanze: "Drag him away and beat him to death."
We don't need these self-righteous idiots here.
Bai Shu stared wide-eyed in terror, then looked sharply at the little girl wrapped in the blanket on the bed, pleading for mercy:
"Girl, girl, please save me! I've served you for over a month, and even if I haven't done anything special, I've still put in the effort. All I did was not change the hot water, so why are you going to kill me?!"
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