Six thousand funeral flowers
Ordinary people would wake up from a nightmare, but the prince felt that he wanted to wake up, but his consciousness was locked in a certain place and he could not wake up at all.
This instinct to wake up was raging through his body, accompanied by discomfort all over his body. Every inch of pain was gnawing at his body, from the inside out.
The eunuch held down the prince, who was convulsing so badly he was about to fall off the bed, and shouted outside, "Quick! Imperial Physician! The prince has fallen ill! Someone come and take a look!"
The Crown Prince's illness was urgent, and the palace was in chaos. The news spread like wildfire. The Crown Prince had been ill for many days, and no matter how hard they tried to hide it, the court heard the rumors.
In the imperial court, after discussing two trivial political matters, a minister, as expected, subtly inquired about the Crown Prince with the emperor.
"Your Majesty, the sacrificial rites for praying for blessings at the Imperial Ancestral Temple have always been managed by the Crown Prince. Now that the Crown Prince has been on leave for many days and the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, I am afraid that the procedures for handling affairs at all levels may not be checked in time, which may delay the sacrificial rites. I humbly request Your Majesty to clarify the matter of checking."
The emperor glanced at the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices who had spoken, then at Gu Yulin not far away. At some point, he began to suspect which prince each official was speaking for.
"The Crown Prince has been overworked with the household registration matters recently and should rest in the Eastern Palace for a while. As for the sacrificial rites, Second Prince, you will be in charge of supervising and verifying them."
King Mu paused for a moment, then immediately bowed his head and replied, "Yes, Father."
How did they end up dumping this mess on him? Everyone knows the Crown Prince's temper. If he wakes up and finds that someone else has taken over the work he did halfway through, he'll probably start to suspect a lot of people.
However, the emperor is truly biased. The crown prince has been ill for so many days, and no matter how tightly it is kept secret, people outside have already guessed most of it. Yet, the emperor still has to cover for him. Which of the other princes could make him care so much? If he neglected state affairs for a few days, he would probably be dismissed from his post.
When the court session ended, people gathered in small groups, still whispering about the Crown Prince. King Mu and Gu Yulin stood side by side, but neither of them spoke. They understood each other with just a glance.
King Mu patted Gu Yulin on the shoulder and walked past him to leave.
Since King Mu took over the affairs previously handled by the Crown Prince, officials in the court have been making a fuss about the Crown Prince's recuperation every few days, stirring up trouble and making veiled accusations. Meanwhile, another faction, siding with the Emperor, accused these officials of using the Crown Prince to disrupt the court, leading to another war of words. There were also opportunistic officials who remained silent on the surface, but in reality, their hearts were swaying back and forth, just like the Emperor's current mood, weighing the pros and cons.
We can't delay any longer, whether it's the court or the Crown Prince's illness.
Is the only solution... to take out that thing?
Tu Xiao raised her hand, making a circle with her thumb and forefinger. Moonlight shone through the hollow opening, illuminating her eyes.
"What would the emperor's jade look like?"
A gust of wind brushed past her head, and she knew someone was coming, but the person didn't speak.
"Do you think someone like the emperor would be willing to give up the very thing that saved his life to his favorite child?"
A sound seemed to come from a very far place, which should have been carried away by the wind, but it was exceptionally clear to Tu Xiao's ears:
"In your opinion, would he?"
Tu Xiao laughed: "Back then, during the border war, a soldier was assassinated while marching. The doctor tried to save him for three days and three nights, but to no avail. It was at this moment that, like a miracle from heaven, a person on the verge of death suddenly recovered. Not only did he recover, but he also returned to the battlefield and fought even more fiercely. What kind of miracle could support a dying person to live until now?"
"Alright, there's no need to analyze their thoughts anymore. Whether they want to take away their protective charm or continue the dynasty's bloodline, we'll see in the next few days."
"Yes, after all, the position of Crown Prince is not something that can be changed at will."
Tu Xiao's eyes flickered, glancing at the white figure out of the corner of her eye: "Is that so... Your Majesty the Holy Maiden?"
Another voice let out a soft laugh, then vanished completely into the wind.
"I don't know who you are, and perhaps your name isn't Lin Zhu, but I know you are very strong. You approached me but didn't kill me because I have something you want."
Gu Jiuyu turned around and looked at Mi Yun, who was silent: "If you want it, I'm willing to give it to you as long as I can afford it, as long as you can do me a favor."
“Kill Yu Yangxian.”
The two spoke in unison.
This was not a difficult task for Mi Yun. Even though Yu Yangxian was surrounded by experts, when it came to assassination, those experts would probably have to make some preparations to guard against her methods.
But why did she help Gu Jiuyu?
Investigating Gu Jiuyu could lead to clues about the Broken Jade, but does Gu Jiuyu really know about the Broken Jade? She doesn't seem to know anything about her own background, so how could she possibly have any knowledge of relics from the previous dynasty?
What Gu Jiuyu could offer her now was of no interest to Mi Yun, but she couldn't let him become suspicious. After all, not many people knew about the broken jade, and if she wanted to continue her investigation, she could only keep Gu Jiuyu calm for now.
As for assassinating Yu Yangxian? A little pretense and they won't be discovered.
Mi Yun didn't rush to agree, but said to Gu Jiuyu, "The reward I want is something you might not be able to afford. I'm very expensive."
"It doesn't matter."
Gu Jiuyu turned around and looked at the memorial tablets of her uncle's family: "I'll give anything as long as you can kill her."
With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, the martial arts tournament is also on the agenda. Su Yuanshan has recently been receiving many representatives from various sects who have come from afar, keeping him extremely busy. He also has to deal with some villains who want to cause trouble. He doesn't know how they managed to sneak into the capital, but he has to keep them under control in advance, otherwise the imperial court will hold him accountable if something happens in his territory.
As the intermediary between the martial arts world and the imperial court, Su Yuanshan dared not relax for a moment. On the surface, everything seemed to be under control, but he always felt that there were still important people who had not yet appeared, such as the person who threw the poison needle that day. He couldn't help but think more about the person who could use such methods.
If it's that sect, and there's still no news about them, that would be the worst news for them.
"Yu'er, do you have any ideas about the dance performance on the day of the martial arts tournament?"
Su Yuanshan came to discuss the matter of performing a dance with Yu Yangxian the other day. For martial arts practitioners, Yu Yangxian's dance would be an opportunity to showcase the skills of the Central Plains, especially for a dancer like Yu Yangxian who had mastered some lightness skills.
"Please rest assured, Young Master Su, Yu'er has already made a plan. She will definitely present the most exquisite dance to welcome the martial arts practitioners who have traveled thousands of miles to visit us."
A smile appeared on Yu Yangxian's usually serene face, which surprised Su Yuanshan. He couldn't help but laugh and say, "It seems that Fairy Yu has a plan in mind. Then I, Su, will have to wait and see."
Yu Yangxian gave a shallow blessing.
Su Yuanshan looked at a corner of Qingzhu Pavilion, then suddenly remembered something and said to Yu Yangxian, "I have important matters to attend to today, so I won't ask you any more questions. Yu'er, please rest well."
Yu Yangxian watched his departing figure, and her smile slowly faded.
That night, she dreamed of the same place again.
That place is far from here, with clear skies and green waters. In the summer, the pond in the courtyard is full of lotus flowers. Originally, there was nothing there, but someone planted these flowers. From then on, every summer, she would call her name and ask her to come and see the flowers.
Nevertheless, she didn't actually like her. Her kindness could be extended to everyone, so she didn't plant those flowers entirely for her, but rather to fulfill her own needs. There was always a veil separating them, preventing them from getting close.
Everyone likes her, and she certainly deserves everyone's liking, but she still doesn't like her.
There were no lotus flowers in her yard, but she had everything else: crabapple, gardenia, hibiscus, and wintersweet. Her family would give her the best things, and she loved these flowers. All year round, the flowers in her yard would bloom continuously, and she would stand in the middle of the flowers, finding a tune to dance gracefully.
She didn't like her, especially when she saw her dance. It was a beauty and grace that she could never replicate, no matter how much she secretly practiced.
She told herself that the teacher would spend time adjusting her movements, while she only had time to attend classes. But even so, she was determined to surpass her and be even better than her.
But she was still kind-hearted. She persuaded her family to take her to dance practice every time. The teacher corrected her more often than she did, and her pride wouldn't allow it. So after two times, she stopped going.
She can dance just as well without them.
After she stopped going, she practiced diligently for a very long time. One day, the lotus flowers in the yard moved, and she seemed to suddenly have an epiphany. As the lotus flowers swayed, she danced her own unique dance steps.
She was excited and wanted to show her that she could do it too, even better than her. For the first time ever, she didn't even sleep and went to find her.
She knew that, given her kindness, she would willingly let her up to watch her dance, and she would applaud and cheer for her. But what would she think when she saw that she could also do those moves, or even do them better?
She couldn't wait any longer and went to her yard.
At first glance, she saw her dancing, but not on flat ground, but on water.
Rippling water, lotus patterns unfolding, under the moon, long ribbons fluttering, immortals flying in the sky.
She had never seen a dance like this before; every moment left her breathless and unable to catch her breath.
While she stayed indoors, she also found her own style.
That was a dance step she could never master in her entire life.
Yu Yangxian opened her eyes, expressionless, and wiped away the tears that had just fallen from her eyes with her hand.
She dreamed of her again. At first, it was a painful dream for her, but the longer she was gone, the more blurred her memories of her became. However, this dream became clearer and clearer, and it became the most important memory for her. Only in her dreams could she fully recall her dance.
“Yu Yuanjing…”
Yu Yangxian looked at the roof, her mind still replaying the water she had stepped through and the moon she had trodden underfoot.
Why did you leave?
After she left, she never saw the same ripples on the water or the same moon shadow again.
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