Chapter 10 Where is she buried?
When the Prince of Huailing left court, Princess Chong'an's carriage also passed through the Donghua Gate, deliberately blocking his way.
She lifted the curtain and called out, "Royal brother."
"Is something wrong, my royal sister?" Prince Huailing asked calmly.
"According to proper rites, a burial requires a three-day mourning period, but I will not keep Yunxi's body in that position. Therefore, the day after tomorrow will be her burial day." Princess Chong'an curled her lips, her expression utterly mocking. "Your Majesty will come to see Yunxi off on her final journey, won't you?"
Previously, Princess Chong'an didn't exactly dislike her brother, but now she not only disliked him, but also felt an inexplicable fear.
She vaguely felt that this imperial brother was definitely not as indifferent and unambitious as he appeared.
"Let's go." The Prince of Huailing did not agree, but lowered the curtain and said to the coachman.
On the day Yunxi was buried, Princess Chong'an invited the abbot of Daci Temple to perform a ritual.
White banners covered the sky, and all the servants in the princess's residence wore mourning clothes to attend the funeral.
No one pays respects at the Jiangyuan Marquis's residence.
The Prince of Huailing also did not appear, clearly showing that he did not care about Yunxi's funeral at all.
By clearly drawing a line, Princess Yong'an in the palace could feel at ease.
Princess Chong'an sprinkled a pot of autumn dew on the tomb, her expression blank for a long time, tears welling in her eyes. "Yunxi, I was wrong to you back then. I really had no other choice. If I hadn't done that, Father would have sent me to marry a foreign ruler. If I had really gone, I don't know how those rude barbarians of the Turks would have tormented me." As she spoke, she wiped the tears from her cheeks and couldn't help but ramble on about many things she would never normally say. Finally, when the moon hung sadly on the treetops, she sighed, "Yunxi, in the next life, don't ever like a man like Prince Huailing again. He's a cold-hearted bastard, not worthy of wasting your time."
The Prince of Huailing thought that Yunxi was dead and would not cause any more trouble.
But to his surprise, on the seventh day after her death, he dreamed of her.
In her dream, she sat atop a wall, playing with the white-flowered pear blossoms of the tree beside it, and swung her legs, saying, "Your Highness, I had a dream."
He was startled awake by the noise, and with a hint of anger in his phoenix eyes, he waved away the guards.
“Miss Fan, breaking into the Prince’s mansion at night is a serious crime.”
"I'm sorry, it was my fault."
Unexpectedly, she quickly lowered her head and apologized, which surprised the Prince of Huailing for a moment.
Even though she had only been in Kyoto for a short time, she was known for her eccentric and stubborn temperament.
Under the moonlight, Yunxi tilted her head and said, "Your Highness, I dreamt that you married nine hundred and ninety-nine wives."
The Prince of Huailing was speechless for a moment.
"I am angry."
"Miss Fan, aren't you overthinking things?" The Prince of Huailing was almost laughing with anger. Just because she had a nonsensical dream, she came to settle scores with him?
That's incredibly audacious!
"Will you marry many wives?" She swung her legs, the crimson skirt swaying, revealing a small section of her lotus-root-colored legs.
Bright white and dazzling.
"This is a private matter within the household and has nothing to do with Miss Fan." Prince Huailing turned his head. "It's late, so please excuse me from seeing you out."
Suddenly, a fragrant breeze wafted towards me.
When he subconsciously turned around, he was met with a pair of bright and captivating eyes, sparkling and gleaming, as if countless stars had fallen from them.
She even dared to approach him and say, "Xiao Shenjing, I like you."
The Prince of Huailing took a step back.
He was unhappy with his actions, and frowned slightly as he looked at the person in front of him. "Miss Fan, watch your words."
She raised her eyebrows and smiled, "I won't say it out loud, I like you, I like you, I like you."
"You really don't care about your reputation?" The Prince of Huailing frowned, his eyes filled with disapproval.
"Utterly sour and rotten." Yunxi snorted. "Liking someone is feeling good and having your heart flutter; it's a natural behavior. Why hide it like a coward?"
Before he could get angry, Yunxi's smile suddenly vanished, and she said with unprecedented seriousness, "Although I like you, I, Yunxi, will never be a concubine, nor will I share a husband with other women. Alright, I've finished speaking, I'm leaving." Without giving the Prince of Huailing a chance to speak, she turned around, took a step and leaped several feet away, and in the blink of an eye, she stepped on the pear tree and climbed onto the wall.
Her scarlet skirt fluttered in the wind, like a light butterfly.
The moonlight was lonely as the Prince of Huailing slowly opened his eyes.
The image of that slender figure still seemed to linger in his eyes.
He frowned, his sleepy eyes showing a hint of impatience.
Why would I dream about her?
The Prince of Huailing's mansion was quiet, like a cemetery devoid of any living soul.
He closed his eyes and turned over.
But I couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
If you close your eyes, you can see that figure sitting among the pear blossoms.
She swung her legs, laughing as she called out, "Xiao Shenjing, Xiao Shenjing."
The crimson dress gradually overlapped with the tattered clothes that had been torn apart by wild beasts on Sheqishan Mountain.
The bright and vibrant figure was repeatedly replaced by mud and blood, like a flower that had bloomed to its fullest but quickly withered and died.
She kept calling out "Xiao Shenjing, Xiao Shenjing".
The Prince of Huailing suddenly sat up.
When Dao, who was on night duty, opened the door, he was taken aback when he saw Dao's extremely bad expression.
The Prince of Huailing stood on the jade steps, gazing at the pear tree in the corner with its buds about to bloom for a long time, when he suddenly asked, "Where is that set of clothes?"
"Which set?" Dao Yi was even more confused.
"The set brought back from Sheqi Mountain."
Dao Yi immediately thought of the clothes covered in mud and blood. When he brought them back, he had intended to ask how to dispose of them, but the Prince of Huailing had been busy with affairs in his study since he returned, so he had no chance. As time went by, who would remember them?
"Throw it away?" The Prince of Huailing suddenly looked at him.
Dao Yi felt as if he had been pricked on the forehead with a needle, and immediately said in fright, "Your subordinate will go and investigate right away."
Unfortunately, no matter how hard Dao Yi searched, he couldn't find that set of clothes.
Finally, when the cleaning maid was called over to inquire, it was discovered that the clothes were so dirty that they could not be seen clearly and had already been burned.
"It was burned?" The Prince of Huailing's face was shrouded in the gloom, as if it had been instantly stained with the black of night.
It's better to burn it.
That way she won't bother him anymore.
With a hint of impatience in his eyes, the Prince of Huailing turned and went into the room.
In mid-March, the grass was growing and the birds were singing. On that day, the Crown Prince held a banquet at the estate to enjoy the flowers and the spring scenery.
As soon as the Prince of Huailing was ushered inside, he discovered that the Marquis of Jiangyuan and his family were also behind him.
The steward standing at the door greeted him, "My lord, it's been quite a while since I've seen you."
"As you know, there have been many things going on at home lately," Jiang Yuanhou replied.
The Prince of Huailing turned around and saw Marquis Jiangyuan, as well as the two women behind him.
One was Lady Hou, and the other was dressed in a willow-yellow vest with a moon-white pleated skirt, her face as fair as a peach blossom, but she was a complete stranger.
At this moment, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, who had arrived with him, stroked his beard and asked with a smile, "Marquis Jiangyuan, who is this young lady?"
With a loving smile, Marquis Jiang Yuan said, “My daughter, Fan Qile, was just brought back from outside the estate a few days ago. Come, greet your Uncle Zhang.”
Staring at the smile on Jiang Yuanhou's face, the Prince of Huailing suddenly remembered that they had never brought Yunxi to any banquet.
“I am not the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jiangyuan’s family. The true legitimate daughter of the Marquis’s family has already been found. I, Yunxi, am just a commoner orphan.”
The Prince of Huailing suddenly lowered his eyes.
He left the banquet quickly.
Night. Moonlight bathed the jade steps, and Prince Huailing stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back.
The snow-white robe with gold cloud patterns was lifted by the night wind, as if a fairy's wide sleeves had swept away the stars.
Her figure is graceful and alluring, tempting one to climb and pluck it.
The pear blossoms are already half open.
A night breeze blew by, and the petals fluttered down like a disturbing spring snow.
It sends chills down your spine.
The Prince of Huailing suddenly asked, "What happened at the Jiangyuan Marquis's residence a few days ago?"
Dao Er immediately replied, "Before the Lady Hou gave birth, the midwife saved a woman who was six months pregnant. However, she was about to give birth at the same time as the Lady Hou. The woman even had malicious intentions and switched her child with the Lady Hou's, using this to threaten the midwife. The midwife had no choice but to leave with the real Miss Fan and work in a wealthy family's house until she fell ill and was about to die, at which point she revealed the whole story."
The study remained quiet for a long time.
After finishing his report, Dao Er couldn't help but look up at the person behind the desk.
The Prince of Huailing said calmly, "Continue."
Dao Er paused, then racked his brains to continue, "The midwife was carrying the Lady Hou's personal jade pendant, and the woman bore a striking resemblance to the Lady Hou."
"What else?" This time, the Prince of Huailing interrupted him directly.
Dao Er felt he hadn't missed anything, and even racking his brains, he couldn't think of anything to say.
What was her reaction at the time?
she?
Dao Er paused for a moment, then quickly recovered and said, "Miss Fan was discovered eavesdropping from the roof beam. She was about to leave, but then Marquis Jiang Yuan burned her adoptive parents' memorial tablets. Enraged, she attacked Marquis Jiang Yuan, but was eventually subdued by his guards."
Dao Eryi reported this.
The courtyard was completely silent.
Just as he couldn't help but look up, the Prince of Huailing finally spoke, "Go down."
He suddenly remembered the night she begged for the inkstone back; she rushed into Jiuge Workshop and said she wanted to speak with him alone.
What was she trying to say?
That night, the Prince of Huailing had another dream.
This time, Yunxi sat among the blooming roses and said, "Your Highness, do not believe those rumors."
"There's no need to explain Miss Fan's matter to me; we have no connection whatsoever." Prince Huailing glanced at her indifferently.
Yunxi immediately explained, "How could that be? I like you, so I can't let you misunderstand."
"Miss Fan, please have some self-respect." The Prince of Huailing's expression was cold, and his tone was distant.
"Have some self-respect," Yunxi said dismissively as she jumped down from the wall, her hands behind her back. "I went to Daci Temple to pick out some peonies to give you, but instead I saw a beautiful young woman being abducted by two shifty-eyed men."
Upon hearing this, the Prince of Huailing ultimately refrained from further attempts to expel the man.
After all, this matter concerns the reputation of the royal family.
"You know, we江湖人 (jianghu people) naturally help those in need, but I never expected that the thieves had accomplices who took advantage of my unpreparedness and used underhanded methods. The princess and I were tied up, but on the way, taking advantage of the rain, I deliberately led them to a dilapidated temple." She walked towards him with great enthusiasm, continuing, "I took the opportunity to slip some sleeping potion into their wine bags, but unfortunately, it only knocked out three thieves. So, I fought five Japanese pirates all by myself. The scene was absolutely spectacular, with flashing swords and awe-inspiring atmosphere."
The Prince of Huailing stared at her and raised an eyebrow.
Yunxi grinned and quickly got back to the point, "In the end, I fought my way out and escaped with the princess. So, neither the princess nor I were molested. Don't believe the rumors."
Prince of Huailing: "Whether I believe it or not, it doesn't exist."
"Wrong." Yunxi interrupted him directly. "Your belief is more important than anyone else's. After all, intimacy is something that only happens with someone you like."
"Miss Fan!" The Prince of Huailing was stunned for a moment, realizing he had been "teased" – he hadn't expected her to be so bold.
Yunxi, who had already reached him, suddenly brushed past his temple, saying, "Yunxi has nothing to offer, but a sprig of spring is enough, hahahahaha."
After saying that, he laughed and ran away.
The Prince of Huailing raised his hand to touch his hair bun, only to find that she had actually placed a rose in his hair.
"The Prince of Huailing held a bright flower in his hand, and after a while, he threw the flower on the ground and said, 'Fan Yi and Fan Er, strengthen the guard. If she climbs over the wall again, I will hold you responsible.'"
Upon hearing this, Yunxi, who had already jumped onto the wall, immediately turned around and said with a smile, "Your Highness, I will definitely come to see you again next time, and let you witness my unparalleled lightness skill!"
She said with a smile, and then jumped.
But he jumped into an abyss.
The Prince of Huailing suddenly opened his eyes.
He sat there in the darkness for a long time, lost in thought.
The spring breeze leaves no trace, yet it seeps into the body completely.
In the chill of the night, he suddenly asked, "Where is she buried?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
