“I thought I had forgotten all these things, but now revisiting this old place, I realize I remember them so clearly. Back then outside Xianyang City, perhaps you were right—the person I truly loved wasn’t you, but her. The person who truly loved you should be Prince Xuan.”
Chu Li suddenly stood up, walked to Qing Xia’s side, and said calmly: “Over these years, I’ve thought it through very clearly. You need not feel awkward or pained anymore. Prince Xuan is brilliantly talented and exceptional—he can often turn decay into miracle. If you believe in him, you should calm your heart and take good care of yourself, waiting for his return, rather than repeatedly putting yourself in danger. Otherwise, even if he returns someday, what he’ll see is just your lonely grave. You’ve grown up now—you shouldn’t still be so willful.”
Chu Li’s gaze was calm as water, sweeping lightly over Qing Xia’s form. His eyes finally settled on her injured back, his brow furrowing tightly as he said: “Come back to South Chu with me. He left something for you, saying that if you ever came to South Chu, I should personally give it to you.”
Qing Xia was slightly moved, sitting dejected on the ground, looking so thin and frail. Chu Li reached out his hand, wanting to help her up, but his fingers extended several times, almost touching her shoulder, yet still withdrew. His eyes were like a pitch-black sea, hiding all unfathomable light under the starless, moonless night curtain.
The great door burst open with a whoosh, and the cold wind blew in through the hall entrance. Chu Li’s long robes fluttered and flew, his black hair dancing wildly behind him, his sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes making him appear very handsome and heroic.
“How are you here?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, it was Commander Le Song who came out of the palace to find this minister, saying Your Majesty didn’t want servants attending and went out alone, so this minister entered the palace.” Grand Marshal Mingyuan wore a brilliant blue four-clawed python robe, speaking respectfully with neither servility nor arrogance.
Chu Li’s expression was gloomy as he slowly said: “How long have you been standing here?”
“Quite a while. This minister saw Your Majesty was speaking, so didn’t dare disturb you.”
Chu Li snorted coldly, turned and walked out, saying in a low voice: “Arrange proper lodging for her and summon the imperial physician to examine her.”
“This minister obeys your decree.”
Chu Li, in his ink-black long robe, flashed once and had already disappeared into the thick night.
“Miss, please come with this humble one.” Mingyuan spoke very respectfully and politely. Qing Xia slowly stood up, nodded, and followed behind him.
Ronghua Palace was truly enormous, even several times larger than North Qin’s Taihe Hall. Mingyuan obviously held extremely high status in South Chu—all the palace people they encountered along the way, whether Chu people brought by Chu Li or Qi people remaining from the former palace, all respectfully bowed and stepped back.
After everything was properly arranged, it was already very late. Qing Xia stood in the center of the magnificently decorated hall, seeing octagonal bronze braziers on all four sides, emitting luxurious fragrant incense with thick, warm air. But even in such a warm environment, Qing Xia still felt cold. She unconsciously tightened the cloak on her body, but suddenly caught a familiar scent, involuntarily freezing her movements.
“Lord Ouyang, the imperial physician is already waiting.”
“Understood, you may withdraw first.” Mingyuan said. After the servant withdrew, he turned to Qing Xia and said: “I never expected to see Miss here again. It’s truly this humble one’s honor.”
Qing Xia raised her eyebrows slightly and said in a low voice: “Do I know you?”
“Miss may not have seen this humble one, but back in Ronghua Palace, I saw Miss many times. This humble one is a minister of South Chu. Thanks to His Majesty’s trust, I have today’s grand mansion and wealth, honor and glory, and the opportunity to display what I’ve learned and fulfill my sincere aspirations. As a minister, I should naturally share His Majesty’s worries. Therefore, there are some words this minister truly cannot help but speak.”
Qing Xia looked at him coldly, without any obvious hostility, yet also without the slightest trust. The man didn’t mind at all, raising his head and smiling faintly: “This minister has long known that Miss being imprisoned by Qi’an was not false, but I concealed it from His Majesty. I originally thought, whether Miss escaped by luck or died at Prince Qi’s hands, as long as you didn’t meet, it would be His Majesty’s blessing. However, now that Miss is not only unharmed but has also met His Majesty, this minister must tell Miss certain things.”
“With Miss’s sharpness and alertness, I don’t believe you truly noticed nothing in these five years. A thousand South Chu hermits followed Miss across the great desert, disguised and hiding their identities all along the way, concealing their tracks to protect Miss’s safety. In the end, only fourteen returned. The remaining 986 all died in Miss’s place, their bones buried in the rolling yellow sands beyond the passes.”
Mingyuan’s smile carried a trace of desolation as he said lightly: “In these five years, whether during the precarious Rebellion of the Nine Princes or in the complex, treacherous jungle battles of Nanjiang, whether under the sharp arrows of both armies facing Yan Hui or amidst Prince Qi’an’s endless assassinations and poisonings, His Majesty has always personally handled correspondence from beyond the passes, arranging step-by-step protection plans for the hermits. Miss’s seemingly casual movements often affected the hearts of all South Chu’s court and countryside. Miss’s whereabouts were unpredictable—every place you went, we couldn’t know your next destination and could only make advance arrangements on all possible routes, consuming countless national resources, finances, manpower, and energy. Many times, when there were no inns or taverns within a hundred li in the barren desert, His Majesty ordered people to build them in advance, making them look old to prevent your discovery, all just to make you live a bit more comfortably.”
“It can be said that in these five years, every inch of land Miss walked was trampling on the white bones of South Chu warriors, trampling on His Majesty’s sleepless devotion. The inns you stayed in, the meals you ate, the water you drank, the passersby you asked for directions, the merchant caravans you traveled with, the horse stations you used—all were arranged by us in advance. Besides this, we had to clear all obstacles ahead—bandits, Xiongnu, horse thieves, rebellions. Otherwise, crossing the vast ten-thousand-li desert straight to the Western Region’s seaside, using only five years for a round trip—doesn’t Miss think that was a bit too smooth?”
Qing Xia’s complexion gradually turned pale, and even her breathing became somewhat difficult. Mingyuan smiled and said: “I have no personal relationship with Miss, nor do I admire you like Le Song and Xu Quan. In my eyes, Miss is nothing but an irresponsible, willful, selfish disaster star who brings calamity wherever she goes, and also a woman who deceives herself and others and is ungrateful. He Shun was a Qi spy hidden in the Chu palace for many years. When he was caught and executed by His Majesty while stealing intelligence about Miss’s route, Qi’an couldn’t possibly not know that His Majesty was secretly protecting you. Even if you truly noticed no abnormalities, didn’t you learn anything from his mouth? Yet you never once inquired of His Majesty—is it because you dare not face the truth, fearing that if it were real, you couldn’t repay His Majesty’s feelings?”
“Miss has spent her life devoted to her heart, persisting in her heart’s love—this would be good. Unfortunately, since you cannot respond to His Majesty, why not cut off his hopes early? Knowing he’s lived a lonely life and is persistent by nature, why not be more decisive in hurting his heart, letting him abandon these worldly concerns? Miss traveled the world for one man, walked across all four seas, alone went to foreign lands, searching bitterly for five years. Yet you don’t know that behind you, someone also exhausted his efforts, bitterly protecting you for five years. Prince Xuan’s love you cannot repay—will you also ignore His Majesty’s righteousness?”
Qing Xia’s complexion was ghastly pale, yet she still stood straight. Ouyang Mingyuan’s words pierced her heart like sharp thorns.
“I originally thought that if Miss died somewhere and never returned, that would be best. Without you, His Majesty wouldn’t be sad or grieved, and would have energy to face many things, and wouldn’t be controlled by others or have fatal weaknesses. But now that Miss has returned, Mingyuan must change all previous thoughts and boldly request that Miss at least be fair in your actions. Miss even pities someone like Qi’an—why have you never been willing to pity His Majesty?”
“Emperors are also human. He has endured too long. Just now, he still had to lie and hide himself for your feelings. Don’t you truly understand all this?”
Mingyuan slowly sighed and said: “Miss, perhaps this minister spoke out of turn today, but I hope you can carefully consider what I’ve said. Even Prince Qin Xuan knew to see His Majesty at the final moment—how is it that Miss just doesn’t understand?”
After Mingyuan finished speaking, he withdrew. Qing Xia stood for a long time in the spacious hall like a statue, not knowing what expression to make.
Three days later, Qing Xia’s injuries had largely healed, and her complexion was much more ruddy. This was the first time in five years she had rested so peacefully, quietly, thinking of nothing.
In these three days, she hadn’t seen Chu Li once. The palace maids said Chu Li had been busy handling southern rebellions recently, often holding court meetings late into the night, and hadn’t closed his eyes for several days.
This afternoon, with fine sunshine outside, there was suddenly a commotion outside. Qing Xia raised her eyebrows, listened carefully for a while, then suddenly threw off the brocade quilt from her soft chair, jumped down, put on her shoes and rushed out the hall door. She saw Erik and his three companions chattering with the soldiers nearby while slowly approaching the great hall.
Qing Xia was immediately overjoyed and called loudly: “John, Erik!”
Hearing her voice, the four turned around. Galipha rubbed his eyes foolishly, then shouted loudly: “Oh my God, God has manifested, God heard our voices and guided us to Axia, bringing us the gospel.”
“How enviable—God gave Axia infinite wisdom and good fortune, always able to resolve crises.” Peter murmured.
The four immediately ran forward, surrounding Qing Xia and shouting joyfully, repeatedly making the sign of the cross on their chests, thanking God for His grace.
Qing Xia looked up and just saw a corner of black robe hem flutter past the vermillion door, then disappear from sight.