东宫 Eastern Palace: Not Believing People's Hair Could Turn White (Part 5)

She spoke in Western Liang language in a soft and slow tone, not knowing why but it somehow seemed a little like Li Cheng Yin by the river that night. A long time have passed before Pei Zhao came back to his senses, it was actually a kind of desperate tone.

She said: "You bad people, my husband will kill you all to avenge me."

As she spoke, she was holding onto that kitten. She was clearly shaking in fear, but she spoke with certainty, as if she really believed that there would be a person who was capable of anything, appearing like a god to save her.

Until she saw Li Cheng Yin. When she saw Li Cheng Yin, she became stupefied and unknowingly loosened her grip, not realizing that the kitten had escaped from her hands.

Li Cheng Yin gently caught the kitten. Xiao Xue recognized him and licked his fingers feebly.

She finally understood what was going on, and she used all of her strength to spit on him: "Traitor!"

Meeting each other under these circumstances this time was of course very unpleasant and shameful. The Ninth Princess was cursing at Li Cheng Yin using Western Liang language. Pei Zhao had all kinds of important military affairs to handle, staying there would be very awkward, so he left early. When he was about to leave the tent, he turned around and saw Li Cheng Yin holding the kitten, just standing there.

Pei Zhao's mind was in a mess. After Gu Jian saved the Ninth Princess, Pei Zhao finally was determined to ask Li Cheng Yin: "Mohu people have been very suspicious since the victory, I am afraid that they would change for the worst, so I would ask that your Highness to stay to suppress the current situation, and allow this subject to bring people to chase after the Princess of Western Liang."

Li Cheng Yin did not agree this time, he said: "No." He was very calm: "I'll bring people myself, you'll come with me."

Pei Zhao was fully aware that this Highness has already made up his mind, but he couldn't help but said: "Your Highness, you should make the decision when it's time to decide, or else you will suffer the consequences."

Li Cheng Yin seemed not to care about it, he even smiled: "What is the difference between killing her this way and killing myself? Pei Zhao, I can't kill myself twice."

Pei Zhao was deeply shaken, he couldn't help but take a step back, but then he step forward and called out: "Your Highness."

Li Cheng Yin said: "You don't have to persuade me, since it's my own decision, let me take the blame."
 

His words were said in a plain and unremarkable way, especially the four words 'let me take the blame,' which was spoken very plainly, that made Pei Zhao feel very shocked.

Li Cheng Yin held onto the kitten. When the Ninth Princess escaped, she did not take the kitten with her anymore. Now the cat was being raised in Li Cheng Yin's tent.  He gently rubbed the cat, and said: "Look, she doesn't even want Xiao Xue, I am afraid she doesn't want to live any longer."

Li Cheng Yin personally led three thousand Yu Lin soldiers, chasing until they have reached the Tian Gen mountain.
 

It started to snow within the mountains. When it snows in the Tian Gen mountain, it is impossible to hide. There were several times when the Ninth Princess was almost captured, but every time they would fall short by a little bit.

Pei Zhao finally opened his mouth and tried to persuade Li Cheng Yin: "Your Highness, let's forget about it. If this continues, Yu Lin army will be cold and hungry."
 

The Yu Lin army are all from the Capital, did they ever experienced this kind of bitter coldness? It snowed on the eighth month. The wind here was so cold that it could pierce through the bones, if not careful, one could get frostbites.
 
They were all wearing a light fur cloak, they were still cold and hungry even when they brought dried food. The Ninth Princess ran away with broken shoes, not sure how she survived within the mountains.
 

Li Cheng Yin insisted on not withdrawing his army, he looked at the blurry world and the distant snowy mountain range within the snowfall, he said: "I have already taken everything from her, if I don't allow her to hate, then I'm afraid she won't live any longer."
 

The army searched the mountain very strictly, as if the mountain was a fine toothed comb, but the Princess repeatedly escaped. There were several times when they had almost caught her, but A'Du and her were like gerbils, able to escape with great agility during the critical moments.

Pei Zhao gradually began to hope that she would quickly escape and go to a faraway place with the Jie Shou survivors. Then there would be no communication with the Celestial Empire, and everything would end.
 

However fate would not have it this way. 

Eventually the Princess secretly returned to the Imperial City, but she was taken by the soldiers who were in the palace and sent back again to Li Cheng Yin.

This time, she seemed much more docile. Even when she received the Celestial Empire's decree, she was determined to marry Li Cheng Yin.

Pei Zhao thought that nothing can be worse than this situation, because when he saw Li Cheng Yin privately go to see the Ninth Princess this time and placed the kitten in front of her, she wouldn’t look at that kitten, as if from now on she would not look at Li Cheng Yin.

Li Cheng Yin was holding the kitten in his arms as he came out, the weather was cold with snowflakes falling in the evening. He was walking in the snow for a while, staring in a daze, without knowing where to go, just walking around in circles. Pei Zhao followed him in silence. After a long time, he suddenly said, "Ah Zhao, I heard Gu Jian say that Western Liang people believe that there is a river of forgetfulness within the Tian Gen mountain, drinking the holy water of the river of forgetfulness would allow people to forget all their pain and worries."

Pei Zhao replied: "If your Highness does not speak about strange powers and deities, then this subject would not believe."

"I do not believe it either." Li Cheng Yin said, "How could there be such an advantageous thing, if you want to forget, then you can forget."

He lowered his head to caress Xiao Xue's fluffy white fur, Xiao Xue softly meowed, its head entered his sleeve, curled up.

Now that he was the person who would bring Xiao Xue around everyday, he would always hide it in his sleeve, or in the lapel of his clothes.

He cherished this kitten like cherishing his own eyes, until the Princess of Western Liang had fled and climbed the high cliff, he never forgot to give Xiao Xue to Pei Zhao before he climbed up the cliff to persuade the Princess.

The area on top of the cliff was small, not a lot of people could fit there, so Pei Zhao and the two people were a distance apart.
 

When the Princess jumped into the river of forgetfulness, Li Cheng Yin grabbed her sleeve and jumped into the river of forgetfulness as well. Pei Zhao couldn't stop it, but could only watch the two people jump into the bottomless abyss. Suddenly, his mind and feet were in a mess.
 
After a long time have passed, only did he quickly brought people to search along the downstream of the river valley, hoping that the so-called river of forgetfulness was really water, a deep river.

He led the people to search in the river valley for several days and nights.

In the end, everyone had lost hope. The Yu Lin army was dejected, and everyone was quiet as they were convinced that something bad had happened.

Only Pei Zhao had refused to give up, leading people through the river valley, along the upstream of the river. The valley was deep, hidden, and rugged. Some of the horses slipped into the water and were swept away by the current.
 

Even Pei Zhao himself was unclear what belief had kept him going, but he wanted to see the people if they were alive, or corpses if they were dead. There were thousands of people in the valley, but more than half of the army was gone. In the end, they had finally found Li Cheng Yin, Pei Zhao could hardly believe that there would be this kind of luck.

Li Cheng Yin and the Princess were pushed onto the huge rocks by the current, most of their body were submerged in the water, but Li Cheng Yin had tightly tied his hand and the Princess’s hand together with a belt, a tight knot that can’t be undone, so Pei Zhao could only pull out his sword and cut the belt.

Both of their wrists were bruised as a result of the tight knot. Pei Zhao could not separate the two people because Li Cheng Yin held onto the Princess’s hand tightly, his fingers were already cold and stiff, Pei Zhao was unable to pull their hands apart. Maybe when he fell from the cliff, he thought there was no way of surviving so he tightly held onto her hand, never to separate again.

Pei Zhao could only carefully carry the two people onto the horse’s back, and take turns changing the horse.

It took more than half a month to get out of that valley.

During that period of time, Li Cheng Yin and the Ninth Princess still did not wake up, they were still in a deep sleep, breathing weakly. Every day, Pei Zhao would worry that they would die.

 
But eventually both of them survived. The army had been moving slowly, already heading east for several miles, but then headed south because Pei Zhao wanted to quickly enter the city to find a better doctor.

When Li Cheng Yin woke up, it was dusk. Hearing this news, he quickly went to the tent. When he arrived, Li Cheng Yin was being served with porridge, maybe because he haven't ate anything in a long time, his complexion did not look good, but he smiled weakly at him and called him: "Ah Zhao."

"Your Highness!" Pei Zhao almost had teary eyes, he took a step forward and held onto Li Cheng Yin's hand, "You are finally awake."

Li Cheng Yin glanced at him with some thought, and then gently waved his hand. The rest of the people in the tent retreated, leaving only Pei Zhao behind.

Li Cheng Yin's expression was as if he still had some thoughts running through his head. He looked at the Ninth Princess who was sleeping on a felt carpet at the corner of the tent, and asked: "Who is that woman?"

Pei Zhao was speechless.

Li Cheng Yin said: "Why is it so windy and dusty here? Isn't the army going back to the Capital?"

Pei Zhao was secretly frightened, asked: "Your Highness, you don't remember?"

Li Cheng Yin looked at him, feeling a bit unexpected, said: "Didn't we just killed Qi Qi Ya, and the army is about to return to the Capital?" He paused before saying, "I've been sick for a long time, did I become muddleheaded?"

Pei Zhao didn't know what to say, but after thinking about it, Pei Zhao told Li Cheng Yin little by little such as Qi Qi Ya being killed, that this time they are coming from the West because the Emperor have issued a political marriage decree. He led the Yu Lin army out of the Western Regions to welcome the Ninth Princess of Western Liang.

Pei Zhao didn't know why he spoke up to here and then paused.

After hearing him say this, Li Cheng Yin looked at the Ninth Princess who was asleep on the felt carpet. The sky was already dark, although a fire was already lit within the tent, but the flame was flickering. The Ninth Princess was still unconscious, curled up like a baby.

Li Cheng Yin got up and slowly approached, Pei Zhao didn't know whether to stop him. Li Cheng Yin stretched out his fingers, but suddenly retracting them, as if he was afraid of disturbing something. However eventually, he hesitated before reaching out his hand to gently turn around the Princess's face.

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