"Elder Brother" is coming
Chapter Thirty-Nine
I haven't figured it out yet. The relationships between several countries and several faces are all tangled up in my mind. Suddenly, drowsiness overwhelmed me, and no matter how hard I tried to stay awake, it was useless.
That old man, the Duke of Zhou, was a man who won the hearts of the people by spitting out his food to welcome guests. There was no way I could resist him, so I naturally submitted to him, nestled under my pillow, and fell into a deep sleep.
This sleep was truly like a dream spanning a thousand years, a deep, hazy sleep where the sun and moon seemed to lose their light. He vaguely awoke midway through the night, but his eyelids were sticking together, and he was in a daze, unaware of where he was. He vaguely recalled returning to the capital, curled up in his own bed, safe and sound. He mumbled something and turned over, continuing to learn the "art of managing one's family and governing the state" from the Duke of Zhou, and dominating the world in this dreamlike world.
When I finally sat up, my head still heavy from a deep sleep, the room was dimly lit, and I could hear birds chirping outside. I was so frightened that I broke out in a cold sweat. I rushed to the window and looked out. I saw that there were already quite a few people coming and going in the courtyard. Looking at the sky, although the sun was still nowhere to be seen and I couldn't tell the time by its direction, I figured it must be the morning of our second day in this little village.
In other words, I slept for a full day and night!
Then, a drumming sound from my stomach told me I wasn't wrong. Hunger made my mouth water. I went to the door and pushed it hard, but it was still locked. In that instant, I was furious and raised my foot to kick it hard. But years of etiquette and the restraint of being a woman from Eastern Chu prevented me from doing anything to survive.
So I started clenching my fist and pounding on the door. At first, I was a little hesitant and didn't hit it hard, only slightly harder than knocking. After ten poundings, I didn't get any response, so I became more and more impatient and hit the door harder. When the door opened, I felt like a drummer in a dragon boat race or a drummer in a battle. Not only did the pounding make a sound, but it was also quite rhythmic. It was as if someone was shouting in unison.
The door suddenly swung open inwards. Luckily, I reacted quickly and dodged to the side, avoiding a bruised and battered face.
The person who entered was Yuanzi. She remained expressionless, but her gaze towards me revealed a hint of impatience: "Zhao Xi, what are you doing!?"
This wasn't a question, but a rebuke. I was momentarily embarrassed, but then I retorted confidently, "You... you treat me like a prisoner, keeping me confined in this room is one thing, but are you planning to starve me to death? If that's your plan... then, then give me a strip of white cloth, and I'll hang myself from the beam, to save myself the torment."
My feigned retreat didn't even twitch Iris's eyebrows. She glanced at me and said calmly, "No one intends to hurt you except yourself. Let's go."
"Leave?" I was taken aback and asked, "Leave to where?"
Iris finally showed an expression—she sighed helplessly: "Go eat something. Didn't you say you were starving?"
"Oh..." My face flushed a little. I followed her out of the room, walked halfway down the corridor, and came to the stairwell. Seeing the crowd downstairs, I stopped and craned my neck to look. Yuanzi said coldly beside me, "Lan Feiyu isn't here."
"Where did she go?" I blurted out, but judging from Iris's expression, I guessed she probably wouldn't tell me.
Sure enough, Iris pursed her lips slightly and ignored my question: "Go down."
I was at my wit's end. I was under their roof and had no choice but to submit. Even if I couldn't stand it and wanted to run away, now was not the time.
If we were to flee into the dense forest at all costs, we would be courting certain death. We should not make a desperate, all-or-nothing gamble unless we are at our wits' end. This is also a principle of warfare, something my uncle taught me.
When we got down to the first floor, everyone bowed to greet Yuanzi. Half of them were secretly glancing at me with eyes that they thought I wouldn't notice. I pretended not to know and followed closely behind Yuanzi until we sat down at an ordinary square table.
A moment later, someone brought out bowls and chopsticks, along with a large bowl of porridge, a small dish of stir-fried meat, and a plate of strangely colored wild vegetables. What I found even more unacceptable was that, along with breakfast, came a bowl of medicine that Yuanzi had forced me to drink yesterday morning.
"Drink your medicine first." Yuanzi pushed the bowl of medicine in front of me. Seeing that my face was all scrunched up, she added, "I've told you before, we have to set off as soon as possible. If nothing unexpected happens, your biological brother will arrive tonight. Are you going to see him looking sickly?"
My biological brother?
When I heard Yuanzi mention this unexpected person, I was a little stunned. It took me a while to realize that she was referring to the descendant of the Xie family that Lan Feiyu had mentioned to me. Why would he come here? What is he doing here? Just to see me?
A chill suddenly ran through me, but I didn't want to show it in front of Yuanzi. So, I took the opportunity of drinking my medicine, holding the bowl and letting the steam with its indescribable smell blur my expression.
The merits and demerits of the Xie family have long been settled in Eastern Chu. Over the years, they have fallen like trees and scattered like monkeys. If it weren't for the fact that the current emperor only has two sons, and that the crown prince, who has Xie family blood, has the support of the emperor and his uncle, my little brother might have already been used as a pretext by those with ulterior motives inside and outside the palace to stir up another storm.
I can't believe that the "elder brother of the Xie family" who appeared out of nowhere is simply here to acknowledge my kinship.
After finishing my medicine, I couldn't help but burp, and I frowned.
Yuanzi had already served the porridge and placed it in front of me, saying simply, "Eat."
"Give me a break." I said somewhat discontentedly, glancing around furtively, but I still couldn't see the girls from the cave, or even a single woman.
Where did they, and Lan Feiyu, go?
"We can't wait. After we finish eating, we have things to do together. If you're not going to eat, let's leave now." Yuanzi raised an eyebrow.
This person was truly unreasonable, yet I was powerless to do anything about her. I had no choice but to grit my teeth, endure the occasional bouts of the medicine rising in my throat, and devour the breakfast in front of me.
When I finished the porridge, I felt water gurgling in my stomach without even shaking it. I wondered where Yuanzi would take me next. I had taken medicine and eaten so much liquid food. I was afraid I would have to pee in an inappropriate place. Wouldn't that be so embarrassing?
While I was lost in my own thoughts, Yuanzi was completely unaware. Perhaps noticing that my expression was off again, she gave a cold smile and asked an unexpected question: "Zhao Xi, is Lan Feiyu that important to you?"
"Huh?" I was taken aback and turned to look at her. Beneath Iris's expressionless face, there was an unusually piercing look in her eyes. I was puzzled and didn't understand if there was any deeper meaning in her question. After thinking about it, I felt there was nothing to hide, so I said directly, "Yes, she and I are sworn sisters. We share happiness and hardship."
Otherwise, what else could make me willingly give up the chance to reunite with my older brother? It could only be loyalty.
The iris curled its lips, offering no response.
It's probably still not a good time to ask about Lan Feiyu's whereabouts.
Fortunately, the rest of the trip wasn't just with Yuanzi and me; our old friend Zhizha was also there. Zhizha treated me like I was to him, and we hugged each other without restraint, completely ignoring Yuanzi's grumbling, "Hugging a monkey like that, don't you have any manners?"
But Yuanzi's purpose was to take me to a quiet place near the village to soak in a hot spring!
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