东宫 Eastern Palace: Not Believing People’s Hair Could Turn White (Part 4)

Hearing the horse’s steps slowly fading away during the night, Pei Zhao couldn’t help but sigh with exasperation. 

He and Li Cheng Yin’s relationship is subject and ruler, but also close friends growing up together. Their understanding of each other was rather unusual, one could say that Pei Zhao could always roughly guess his Highness’s thoughts. This evening he defied the world by questioning him twice, that is, his friendship.

It’s just that in the royal family, where can you find any little bit of affection?

Their trip to the west had originally been a comprehensive plan. The Central Plains have always attached great importance to strategy and seek to build a comprehensive plan, using full use of their military forces and would not object to using tricks, so all aspects would be thoroughly considered.

Pei Zhao had always been a cautious person, but this time he doesn’t know why he didn't send a letter to his father who was currently in the Capital or even tell anyone about this matter.

Even he doesn't understand why.

About a few days ago, he was disguising himself as a merchant to meet Li Cheng Yin at the warehouse, but it was very quiet inside as nobody was there. Only the gerbils, A’Ba and A’Xia were eating beans in the cage. When he saw that the ladder was down, he knew there were people on the rooftop, so he went up the ladder. The rooftop was filled with racks of air dried tea leaves, the Ninth Princess was probably tired, sleeping against the rack while hugging the kitten, Li Cheng Yin was sitting on the side helping her block the sunlight with his sleeve. The Princess and the kitten slept soundly, while the person who held out his sleeve was smiling while looking at the person sleeping.

The sun was so big that the shadows of the two people looked short and small, it seemed to be reduced into one round shadow, like two children leaning onto each other.

Pei Zhao did not disturb him, instead quietly climbing down from the ladder. The warehouse was cold, the scent of tea leaves was faint. He boiled his own tea and drank it. However the rooftop was still quiet, as if no one was there. As the sunlight slowly moved from the window panel, Pei Zhao understood how short and long this moment was. At this very moment, there was no need to disturb this daydream.

Particularly, this dream that was easy to wake up from.

The Li Cheng Yin in the dream, does he hope that he really was the tea merchant Gu Xiao Wu? 

Maybe he doesn't even know.

At the Jie Shuo royal camp that was by the riverside, when Gu Xiao Wu caught one hundred fireflies, it was like a wave of stars to the eyes of the Princess.

The two people were standing in the middle of countless fireflies that were flying everywhere, it was as if they were standing in the galaxy, with countless shooting stars gently flying past them.

One must make a wish, whenever a shooting star is seen.

Li Cheng Yin suddenly remembered that she had once said with a naive and genuine expression, and seriously told him that a wish could come true if you quickly tie a knot with your belt.

He couldn’t help but try to tie a knot with his belt, only he couldn’t tie a knot properly, tying it incorrectly every time. She reached out her hand from the side, laughing while scolding him: "Idiot!" Afterwards, she helped him tie a knot with his belt.

He had already forgotten his wish, seeing the bright fireflies fly beside her face. A firefly landed on her hair, shining like the brightest little pearl.

He doesn’t know why he suddenly became bold, leaning forward to give her a kiss on the face. The Ninth Princess was probably shocked, and a moment after, she ran away.

"Hey, you promised that you will marry me!"

He was shouting into the distance behind her.

She was probably very shy, not looking back, running away even faster with her ears covered. After running half an arrow's distance away, she suddenly came back, grabbing Xiao Xue that was sleeping inside his clothes. Xiao Xue was meowing, pushing aside her finger while looking at her with drowsy eyes, as if it couldn’t understand what was going on. He grabbed her hand: "The kitten is mine, what are you taking it away for?"

"Nonsense!" The Princess must have felt guilty, but showed a bold expression, “Xiao Xue is mine, you gave it to me, this is my dowry.”

After she finished talking, she turned around and ran away.

He could feel an extra bit of warmth in the palm of his hand, unsure if it was left behind by Xiao Xue or her.

He didn’t know why, but he used that warm hand to touch his own face.

She had never kissed him, but she promised to marry him.

He knows she had promised wholeheartedly.

Promised Gu Xiao Wu.

Gu Xiao Wu, the tea merchant from the Central Plains.

He stood in the night wind, looking back at the countless fireflies by the riverbank, like a hazy dream that was gradually fading away. A singing voice could be heard from a distance, that was a Jie Shuo person, singing a love song in front of his beloved girl’s tent.

Under the starry sky, the flowing river water was like a clear silver cotton yarn. He sat down by the river for a while, until dew flowed down, the inclining moon had set, the fireflies scattered little by little, no longer able to be seen again.

On the wedding day, when Pei Zhao led the army for the ambush, he felt a bit uneasy.

Behind him, there were hundreds of thousands of soldiers preparing for the coming war.

However he thought, his Highness would not fail to come right?

That thought flashed through his mind like a flash of lightning, but just like lightning it quickly disappeared. He thought, if he really did not come, then his Highness would probably really just be a tea merchant in Western Liang. Thinking up to here, he didn’t know why but even though knowing that it would be a horrible thing to happen, he felt a bit of hope and expectation.

However if such a nonsense matter happened, then it would be a great disaster. When the Emperor is angry, he will lay down a million of corpses in which the blood would flow for thousands of miles. If his Highness really thought so, then the Emperor would send an army to flatten the entire Western Regions.

Eventually, when Li Cheng Yin led the Jie Shuo elite troops to the tight encirclement accordingly, Pei Zhao did not know whether he felt relieved or not.

This bloody war was the most ruthless war Pei Zhao has ever experienced, Jie Shuo people were naturally very fierce and ferocious. An army of four hundred thousand soldiers surrounded the Jie Shuo clan, and the war lasted for several days. In the end, the Great Chanyu had died in the chaos, putting the disposition of the Jie Shuo troops into a state of disorder, but they were still quite capable of fighting. They fought until the last moment to allow the old, weak, women, and children to escape.

The Ninth Princess went missing in the chaos, the Yu Lin army had reported that the Princess was killed amidst the chaos. When Pei Zhao heard this news, he felt that this was good. It was just that there were corpses everywhere that were badly mutilated, so it was impossible to determine whether this news was true or not. They did not know which corpse was the Ninth Princess of Western Liang.

After a big win, at night the Mohu people set up their camp. Pei Zhao was a cautious person, so he set up the camp by the upstream of the river.

The sky was completely dark, and the fireflies by the riverside slowly appeared.

Li Cheng Yin was sitting by the river, watching the fireflies fly quietly, like shooting stars.

Pei Zhao approached slowly and called out: "Your Highness."

Li Cheng Yin did not speak, he reached out his hand and caught a glowing firefly. That bright firefly in his hand was flickering, like a small lantern that was about to be extinguished, but also resembling a beating heart that was dying.

Pei Zhao said: "Your Highness did not have dinner, tomorrow we will be marching......"

Li Cheng Yin opened his hand, and that firefly struggled to fly away, swaying as it tried to fly. Finally it flew a little higher, gradually merging with the fireflies along the river. The river water reflected the scattered brightness of the stars from the sky, making it hard to tell whether the brightness is from the fireflies or the stars.

"Ah Zhao......" He finally spoke, his voice sounded light like a firefly, as if it could be blown away by the wind, he said, "Am I a coward? She's already dead, but I don't dare to go and take a look."

Pei Zhao didn't know what to say, he was holding a sesame pancake. Li Cheng Yin didn't eat anything the whole day. Apparently he wanted to persuade him to eat, but at this moment he felt like he was unable to speak.

Li Cheng Yin's voice sounded even lighter: "Xiao Feng and Xiao Xue would not be separated. She clearly meant that Xiao Feng and Xiao Wu would not be separated. I was cowardly, pretending to not know. Ah Zhao, apparently I am such a cowardly person."

Pei Zhao said: "Your Highness......" He wanted to persuade him, but suddenly a loud voice could be heard, one of the soldiers rushed forward, calling out from a distance, "General!" The soldier had dismounted, and said, "The Princess of Western Liang has fled! Our men have been chasing after her for hundreds of miles, almost catching up to her! They sent me to report back!"

Pei Zhao was shocked, he turned around to look at Li Cheng Yin, who seemed as though he did not hear what the soldier had said. The soldier repeated his words, Li Cheng Yin then said, "If that's the case, then chase after her." He even smiled, "Bring my horse here, I'll chase after her."

"Your Highness!" Pei Zhao remained calm while trying to stop him, "Your Highness must be tired, let this subject bring people to chase after her."

Li Cheng Yin looked at him for a while as if he did not recognize him, before nodding: "Then go."

As Pei Zhao cupped his hands at him and turned around to leave, he heard Li Cheng Yin's voice softly and slowly, said: "Don't kill her."

Pei Zhao originally had this intention in mind, but after hearing him expose his intention, he could only agree.

Pei Zhao led a group of soldiers to chase after her for six days and six nights. The group of soldiers split up going separate ways, surrounding the Princess. In the end, the Ninth Princess who had no way out, was finally captured alive and sent back to the military camp.

She had fled for several days, her body was covered with blood, her hair was disheveled, but she was as alert as a small animal. Her eyes were wide open, her hands were tied with a rope, but she raised her hands to her chest, seemingly protecting something. Pei Zhao observed for a while, only to discover that she was protecting that kitten. The snow white kitten was so hungry that it did not have any strength to make a sound.

Not sure how she had managed to escape from the chaos, being in a panic but still brought the kitten with her.

The kitten’s ears were covered with blood, it was not known whether it was injured or if it was someone else’s blood. At this moment, she was holding the kitten while glaring at Pei Zhao.   

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