《Song Of Cloud》 Chapter 0: Heavenly Melody Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. What should I do?¡± Xiao yu paced muttered. There was an obvious tremble in his voice and listlessness in his youthful face. Xiao yu made a tight fist and determinedly proceeded down the wooden corridor. From afar, he resembled a veteran soldier off to wage war.. marching unflinchingly through the raging rainstorm. Chapter 1: Whispers from the past Within the red majestic courtyard, the nonstop hustle and bustle from various palace maid had went on from before the first crow. In preparation for the upcoming spring banquet; there were pavilions to be cleaned, lanterns to be hung, various decors to be placed and replaced, even the garden need to be trimmed.. to put it simply there were just too many things to be done! Despite the busy bustle, the biggest room was left undisturbed.. its mistress slumbering still. Inside, the interior had been charmingly furnished to reflect its youthful owner. Various curiosity from all over the land, unique antiques, rare books and things of comforts graced the room. Just behind the book case was a cozy makeshift study room and at its heart stood a table. It was sprawling with various brushes, unfinished calligraphy and paintings. The penmanship on the rice paper was elegant, with masterful decisive strokes but the bottom half was left undone. Instead, it had been covered by a bowl of edible seeds, a pile of empty husks and a pot of blossom tea. Beside the table, a luxurious yet comfortable chaise had been strategically placed. Each of its sides had been decorated with wind chimes of varying sizes. Sunlight peeked in from the window behind it. Supposedly, this spot had been specially commissioned by the ancient emperor himself.. to provide comfortable sunlight for writing yet still remains as a spot for a rest. The designer struggled for many moons until he came up with a brilliant mechanism on the window. A multi layered stained glass, a rare oddity in Xia and was specially brought in just for this project, and they each could be manipulated with a hidden mechanism. The sunlight would create interesting shadow play and each time they would change depending on how the layer interacted with the light. As the filtered sun gently streamed down the study, the figure laying down on the chaise was aroused. Her long and beautiful eyelashes fluttered gently, glimmering playfully under the sunlight. The favoured and Eldest princess of emperor Xia, Princess Qing Yun, slowly rose from the chaise. She had just awakened from her daily nap. Her feminine features was delicate just like her empress mother but underneath it you could see a mix of youthful arrogance, stubborn temper and mischievous smile that was obvious in all of her siblings. A definite signature of the Xia bloodline. Perhaps once older, she will be a renowned beauty. Qing yun wordlessly tugged the tassels on the side, sending the chimes into a symphonic orchestra. Two palace maid that had been guarding her door entered and waited for her command. ¡°It is almost time for me to visit Emperor Father. Tidy up my hair and prepare the newly made spring robe.¡± Her clear voice rung. The two lady bowed and complied. Soon enough a stream of palace maids entered the chamber with various chests. Some filled with precious ornaments whilst others were filled with the latest spring fashion. Out of the seven newly made robe, she chose the one with cloud patterns, a reminiscent of her name. After changing into it, the maids brushed her hair and tied it into a pair of cute buns. She then chose a golden hairpin with a hanging ornamental birds to finish it. ¡°Princess you look beautiful!¡± Huiying, one of her palace maid praised. ¡°Just like a blossoming spring flowers!¡± HuiQing exclaimed as she straightened the ornaments. The rest of the maids nodded and excitedly chattered in agreement. Satisfied, Qing yun twirled infront of the full length bronze mirror. It was an expensive rarity that her brother, the second prince, had gifted to her for her 10th birthday. ¡°Should we prepare the carriage, princess?¡± Hui Ying asked. Qing yun thought for a beat. ¡°No, the weather is wonderful. I shall walk there.¡± The maids bowed their heads and complied. In an instant, a procession of maids, guards and eunuchs accompanied the youthful princess and made their way through the imperial garden. Though the sun was not harsh, they definitely could not let her pearly skin to be sullied by the harsh sunlight.. else Xia emperor might take their head away. So, a young eunuch had been tasked to shade her with an oiled paper umbrella. His tiny legs scampered about, to keep up with the pace of the group. The imperial garden was huge, a mix of wild untamed nature, various plants, landscaping marvel, architecture and the recent addition of waterscape. If one is not familiar, they would quickly lost their way. But, this was her home, every leaf and blade of grass was familiar to her. After crossing multiple uniquely shaped bridges, she saw a heroic figure resting in one of the floating gazebo above the lotus lake. ¡°Brother!¡± Qing yun shouted as she took off, abandoning the loyal procession behind her. Stunned, it took them a while to try to catch up with the princess. The pitiful young eunuch scampered behind her, in his head various visions of him losing his head flashed by, as he desperately tried to shade her against the light.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. She dashed into the embrace of her favourite sibling. Long gone was the feminine figure earlier, replaced by the youthful visage, her true boisterous nature unrevealed in all of its glory. ¡°Princess! That is just.. improper!¡± Her attendants panted as they struggled to catch up with her. Despite their breathlessness, they somehow could still find the breath to chide her. Qing yun pouted as the handsome teen by her side roared in laughter. This year, Xia Tianxi had just turned 18 and Xia Qing yun is turning 15 in summer, just a season away. The distance between the two gender had to be maintained.. even between siblings. After all, they were already of age and hint for marriage proposal had long been flooding into the emperor courtroom. Especially ever since Xia Tianxi had won the capital martial art competition last year and had even managed to snag the post for deputy general.. the proposals had gone through the imperial roofs. Secretly, the image of emperor father being buried by the annoying proposals always tickled the both of them silly. Growing up, He had always been the main influence on her, often playing together.. and pulling pranks on whoever they could lay their hands on. Despite the constant nagging from both of the emperor and the empress, Xia Tianxi carefree nature often led him to secretly leave the palace for months. Travelling incognito, living with the peasants or riding with wild nomads in the north or simply in search for curious adventure and promises of rarities. So, his influence could often be regarded as unfavourable. Qing yun rebelliously tightened her hug. She had not seen him in a while and she missed him. In reply, He effortlessly placed Qing yun into a princess carry. A background noise of protest and criticism from the maids could be heard. ¡°Aaa... My little cloud is all grown up. Soon, this general could no longer carry you! Even now, My poor hand aches from all this weight.¡± Tian xi said teasingly. His eyes sparkled with adoration. ¡°Don¡¯t be annoying, brother! This little cloud is as light as feather!¡± Qing yun smacked his tanned muscular arm whilst smiling. ¡°Now, general, this princess order you to carry me into the Sky Hall!¡± ¡°Understood, my honourable princess!¡± Tian xi replied and he took off, running. The incessant helpless pleading of Qing yun palace maids quickly faded far into the distance. Tian xi steps became lighter the further he ran, slowly showing off the masterful control of his qinggong by stepping into the air and then jumping from roof to roof, courtyard to courtyard, scaring off various palace attendants and alerting many guards along the way with their wicked laughters. ¡°Brother! It¡¯s been a while since I am this happy!¡± Qing yun breathlessly muttered. It was hard to catch her breath when Tian xi was moving this fast. ¡°Really? Then this general have to make you laugh even harder!¡± Tian xi skillfully moved his robust body, changed his stance and jumped even higher.. Qing yun spotted her courtyard and excitedly pointed it out while laughing. Tian xi continued to step upon the air as if they were walking on stairs of clouds. Their lungs were burning from laughing continuously, and it started to hurt from the breathlessness. ¡°..Brother, it hurts....¡± Silhouetted against the sun, Tian xi nimbly continued to go higher.. and higher.. and higher.. till they could looked down upon the vast imperial palace. The setting sun blooms red against his skin. ¡°Brother stop.. I¡¯m scared!¡± Qing yun had been excited but now she was starting to feel fear from the height, her voice had became mere whispers. Slowly the palace became specks of dust in the faraway earth, they were surrounded by sea of cloud and the majestic red of the sun now wholly wrapping them like a fiery fire of heaven. Both of their laughters had long ceased, the oxygen in their lungs had been spent. ¡°...hurt..¡± Yet, Tian xi never stopped. The glow of the sun seemed to never stop growing.. it got even brighter the further they went up. Qing yun could only limply held on to him as her whole mind stopped functioning from the lack of oxygen. The redness had became painful but the redness was all she could witness. ..hurts... It hurts... It burns.. ....Pain.. All I can feel is pain. Why is this so painful.. I...hate pain.. Hate.. Hate.. HATE! I hate you T..i.. NO, I curse you ... Until this bitter resentment fade away.. I will never... Aaaaaaaaaa... IT HURTS.. ITS BURNING..IM BURNING. Save me.. save me.. father emperor.. mother.. brother.. Save this princess...anyone!! Aaa..a... ¡°...a...¡± The youth deliriously moaned as its voice parched and cracked, it¡¯s consciousness faded in and out.. the fever rose and fell. Nightmare seemed to haunt the feverish dream. Xiao yu, full of bruises, carefully wiped the youth¡¯s body with cold water. The youth¡¯s skin had long turned crimson, smouldered by the cycle of fever. After wiping the excess moisture off, he fed the youth some herbal soup. He did it by putting the soup into a small teapot and tilting it drip by drip into the youth¡¯s mouth. It was not the nourishing chicken soup but at least this should be equally helpful! Fortunately, amidst all of the panic and chaos created by heaven¡¯s wrath, he had managed to hide some herbs into the hidden pouch of his robe. Surely, the Jade emperor had been angered when the those scoundrels that inhabit the palace kitchen were beating him up. Xiao yu had almost dropped the herbal soup when he first returned into the room. The bed had been covered in blood and the room filled with foul smell of iron and rust. He then struggled with all the might his little bruised body could muster, and carried the youth into his own bed before busily fussing over the youth like a tiny mother hen. After ensuring that there was no external injury and checking that the pot had been emptied, Xiao yu tucked the youth with blanket and left the room. He sat down on the wooden corridor, exhausted. Unconsciously, tears started to bubble on the corner of his eyes. The salt content in them stinged his bruised face, leaving him with a scowl. ¡°...words to master Yan. Hold on just a little longer!! I am sure all will be fine.. soon this will all be just like a fleeting bad dream.¡± He muttered under his breath. AsXiao Yu looked up, the gloomy sky still had not let up. Chapter 2: Duality ¡°..t......¡± The youth whispered. ¡°..w.....ter...¡± Nobody answered, perhaps a louder voice would help.. but the youth could not muster any strength into its throat. It was burning and crackling, like it had swallowed a fire. For a time, the youth could only coughed weakly.. it sounded more like a wheeze than a cough. Still nobody came.. Outside, only the sound of drizzle and far away thunder rung. The world felt desolate. As if the youth had been abandoned and forgotten by it. Unable to endure the scorching sensation in its throat, the youth sat up. It was a long arduous process.. pushed one hand against the bed and prop the body up..It should be natural.. and yet throughout, something felt off to the youth. But its mind was hazy and the parched throat did not help. The youth tried to walk towards the table, only to stumble upon its own feet and shamefully slammed against the cold floor. The impact from the hard surface brought a rush of scorching bile up.. from deep within the pit of its stomach towards its throat. A second later, the youth started chocking.. it gasped for air, wheezed and coughed.. terribly.. uncontrollably.. until in an instant, it managed to vomit out. The scorching pain continued to assail its throat but it was only an aftertaste. The perpetrator, a bile of crimson mucus with hints of purple, was lying on the floor. It was a size of half a fist. Blood leaked out of from the youth¡¯s nose whilst saliva flowed down from its mouth after every cough. The cough soon turned into a continuous wheezing sounds, its lungs appeased by the burst of sweet air. ¡°..ter..¡± It wheezed. ¡°..wa..ter..¡± The voice croaked again. It looked up, on the table just a step away was a pot of water. Just before the youth could crawl towards it, the door burst open. Xiao yu had fallen asleep outside the room, on the hardwood corridor, and he had just been woken up by the loud sound from inside the room. Noticing the youth on the ground, weakly looking up at him, Xiao yu bruised face turned pale. In an urgent haste, he dashed towards the youth. ¡°Prince!¡± Xiao yu exclaimed as he quickly placed the youth against his body. Xiao yu muscle trembled in exhaustion and pain but he managed to help the youth to return to the bed. ¡°Hold on prince. I will give you water!¡± ¡°Prince..? No, that is not right.. I am.. ... a ...?..¡± it thought. But before it could processed its own thought, Xiao yu had returned. He had poured the water into a small teapot like object, similar to the one he had used to feed the youth. He placed the long narrow protruding muzzle against the youth¡¯s lips and poured the water slowly. The cooling sensation felt soothing against its blistering throat. After gulping weakly a couple of time, it shook its head, signing to Xiao yu that it had had enough. Xiao yu nodded and placed the pot back on the table. When he turned back the youth had closed its eyes. Xiao yu tiny fingers grasped the thin blanket and quickly tucked the youth back inside the blanket. Silently, he winced and used a small clean cloth to gently wipe the blood on the prince face. He then used the cloth to clean the floor before using it to pick up the grotesque bile.. swearing silently to not let his fingers touch the unknown substance. Finished, he left the room and closed the door.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. His footsteps moving away from the room. When the sounds had fully been replaced by the rain shower, the youth silently opened its eyes. ¡°Prince...? Something is not right..prin..ce..s..s...?¡± The youth head started to violently pulsate as its thoughts raced through its mind. It shook its head and weakly sat up. The process was still rough but it was not as bad this time around. Carefully, it judged its limit and pushed itself to stand up. Its muscle felt weak, the bone creaked, the flesh screamed. Its body was rioting against the movement. It almost stumbled again, it felt strange. Its body foreign from its memories. It was like wearing a dress of mismatched size.. but in its case.. skin. The branches of its nerves felt mismanaged, like its fingertips are tingling from unfamiliar sensation. It was.. bizarre. ¡°Slowly..¡±It chanted in its head. ¡°Carefully..¡± Someone in its memory seemed to answer back. But it was just a phantom echo in its brains. It shook its head, this was not the time to focus on other things. Things seems to be taller than in the dream and the distance felt longer than what it remembered.. Somehow, it felt daunting but.. curiosity won. With countless stumble and unsteady steps, it finally reached the table, the window to outside world laid on its side. It reached out to it..and it stopped. A sudden rush of tingling sensation overwhelmed its spine. A goosebumps stretched from all of its pores.. like little spiders crawling out of their nests. On the tables there were many things.. pot of water, cups, cloths... and half full bronze water basin. The reflection.. on the water .. was not ...right. It was wrong. Impossible. But when it moved, the reflection followed. Loyally. Always. Yet..that could not be it.. it looked different from all of the one in its dream. It had never seen this reflection before. ¡±W..who am I?¡± A question popped into its head. For a moment the room started spinning, it was nauseating but it still was bearable. It trudged on. ¡°I.. I am.. Xi..a........? Xia... Qi... Qing Yun.¡± It croaked softly. The name had appeared in its dream. But then, so was another name. Yet, this one felt the most comfortable. Vision of vivid red seemed to enter its eyes.. like a messy drips of ink. Accompanying it was a constant thumping pulse, drumming its temple. Then, its ears were assaulted with inaudible sharp pitch. ¡°I..am... a.. princ..e..ss.....was..? ¡° It hesitantly whispered. It tried to ponder upon the answer despite the surge of pain that assaulted its head. Amidst all of the chaos, it continuously shook its head in an attempt to keep a clear thought. ¡°Maybe. Perhaps...¡±It hesitated.. it bit its lips before abruptly declaring, ¡°I.. I am... princess..Xia Qing Yun.¡± A blot of redness suddenly soaked the world.. like thick ink drops that smeared onto rice paper, fracturing the porous fabric of its host. Herskin started to singe in pain. ¡°Hot..¡±She wordlessly screamed asher temple burns feverishly, throat parched. The pain progressively slithered outwards, from herhead down to the spine and then to each tips ofher nerves, devouringher flesh more and more.. reminding her of the heavenly fire inher dream. All ofher senses were rapidly overwhelmed by the vivid red blaze. Chaosensued once more in her mind. ¡°It hurts! It hurts! Its burning! I am burning! The fire is burning.. everyone.. anyone.. help...save..¡± In panic, her body trashed around the room and she shrieked horribly. ¡°¡­SAVE ME!¡± ...The world returned to darkness once more. Chapter 3: Whispers from the past (2) ¡±..Yun.. Qing Yun! QING YUN!¡± Tian xi shouted. ¡°Did you hear what I said.¡± ¡°Hmm..? Ah.. my apologies brother. The beautiful sight around emperor father¡¯s courtyard always put me in a daze.¡± Qing yun replied whilst looking around the mesmerising estate. It was a mix of intricate waterscape and lush greenery, but at the center of the courtyard was a chain of architecture that works as the heart of the dynasty. Every single day, inside those buildings, many life and death decision that affect millions of Xia people were made. Underneath it though, were various platforms that kept them afloat, away from the lake that ran throughout the whole imperial castle. Legend said, that if you had been blessed by karmic favour and peer at the lake on an auspicious day, you will be able to witness the majestic ancient palace that hid underneath it. ¡°Hah! Were you searching for the ancient palace again? I don¡¯t know how many times did I have to peel you from underneath the lotus leaves. Let¡¯s see.. 1,2,3.. 16..17...18...¡± Tian xi mockingly replied. ¡°AM NOT! ..and STOP exaggerating it, brother! It can¡¯t be more than 5 times... well maybe 6..if you add that occasion during end of the year..and.. and.. that..¡± Qing yun voice grew increasingly softer as she remembered more and more of her misadventures. Tian xi snickered and Qing Yun increase the strength of her arms, chocking her brother. Their banter went on for a bit longer but soon Tian xi slowed his steps and landed lightly. They had reached the corridor leading towards the towering Skyhall. From here on, they had to walk, else they might accidentally alert the countless hidden guards of the emperors. Each of them could be hiding in any one of the halls that surrounded the sombre tower to form a natural barrier. Playing a prank here might caused your head to roll without you even realising it.. that thought itself always left the two of them shaking with cold sweat.. definitely not because of a certain experience. The security along the corridor was extremely tight, excessive even. A constant group of patrolling guards. A body check from a trusted eunuch or from one of emperor¡¯s maid. No weapon or undeclared item was allowed to be brought in. Food would be poison tested in advance. Even the children and familial members of the emperors had to obey the security measures that had been established. After all, this is where emperor Xia resides in. Other than the son of heaven, the only one that could freely enter and leave were the empress and those with special imperial pass. But none of these two prankster had ever seen those pass before.. Tian xi helped Qing yun to fix her hairpins as they walked past the majestic entrance, it opened up into a luxurious atrium. A festive mood was already flourishing inside as they could hear the booming laughter from emperor Xia, the empress¡¯s chuckle and a couple familiar voices. They continued on until they reached the source. Hidden behind indoor plants was an outdoor floating terrace, man made mini waterfalls ran underneath it. To top it off, a zen inspired waterscape had been constructed as the perfect backdrop.. creating a warm and intimate setting. ¡°Announcing.. Third prince Xia Tianxi! First princess Xia Qing yun!¡± The eunuch announced their arrival, the two quickly knelt and paid respect as was the custom. ¡°Emperor Father, son of heaven. Honourable Empress Mother. May the both of you will live and reign for ten thousand years.. and another ten thousand years of eternal prosperity will shine upon the Xia.¡± They simultaneously chanted.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. At the center of the chamber was the emperor and the empress. Their face beamed upon seeing the newcomers. At prime age of 50, the emperor chiseled features was still handsome and lean. The traces of maturity, a salt and pepper beard and streaks of white hair, only added onto his noble bearing. ¡°Quickly, come here and let father look at the both of you.¡± Emperor Xia beckoned the both of them nearer, his face doting. For a while , only the sharp eyebrows and a long facial scar were the remaining proofs of his conqueror¡¯s past. The two looked at one another before giggling and, quickly shirking off all pretensions for custom, mischievously jumped into the emperor¡¯s embrace. Summoning another bout of laughter from emperor Xia. To his right, the empress elegantly covered her lips with her sleeves. A pleasant chuckle trickled from behind the patterned fabric. She had always been known for her elegant manners, charming grace and her delicate beauty. Years later, she doesn¡¯t seemed to have aged, retaining her radiant complexion. Truly a living phoenix. To his left, were two young men. The first one was the beautiful fourth Prince, Xia Tian Xing. He had inherited the empress¡¯s beauty and elegance. His pale complexion and ruby lips often beget sigh of admiration from both genders. The number of heartbreaks and scandals that he incurred was innumerable. Not to say the amount of marriage proposal that had flooded the palace before he was of age.. supposedly the eunuchs had to carry them in a procession of chests. Today, in contrast to his philandering nature, he looked scholarly and elegant with dark purple robe on. He snapped open the small fan and shook his head. ¡°Tsk tsk tsk.. these two imps never grow up. All of the nutrients that emperor father and empress mother had bestowed upon them must have gone to the pigs.¡± He criticised the pair of overgrown children that was busy frolicking around the emperor. He had a distaste for unsophisticated behaviour thus, he had never gotten along with Qing Yun and Tianxi. At his criticism, Qing Yun turned around to glare at him. Only to be caught off guard by the youth next to Tian Xing. He was dressed in emerald green robe with cloud patterns.. similar to the one Qing yun was wearing. Her faced heated up and an obvious blush bloomed upon her complexion. She quickly shifted position to mimic the elegant empress, not forgetting to brush a couple stray hair in the process. Her gaze now fixed onto the carpet. The room fell into silence before emperor Xia and Taiming guffawed once more. Even the empress could not control her amusement. The object of Qing Yun¡¯s adoration shyly grinned in acknowledgment before reverting back to his usual reserved smile. Though, the reddened tips of his ears spoke volume of his embarrassment. Xia TaiYang was the emperor nephew and was also Qing yun¡¯s childhood friend turned sweetheart. Last year, after various hurdles, they were finally betrothed to each other. Unlike her, he had always been quiet and dignified. Strangely they complemented each other. She had been his protector when he was younger and he was the only one that could rein in her untamed nature. ¡° You brat! For him, you quickly forget this old man! Unfilial child.¡± The emperor knocked Qing yun head playfully. She rubbed her head as the rest of them started laughing once again. With an amused smile still on her face, Empress Xia shook her head helplessly and said, ¡°That is enough, your majesty. The sun is setting soon, we should serve the dinner.¡± The emperor nodded and signalled to the eunuch. Quickly enough, a succession of palace ladies entered the terrace, holding onto ornamented black trays. Their colourful long sleeves elegantly trailed behind them, creating an illusions of cascading rainbows. Their swaying hips moved in melodic rhythm as they placed the trays down one after another. On it were various extravagant dishes made from the spring bounties. Qing yun eyes glimmered, the savoury fragrance tickled her nose and she excitedly clapped. When she looked up, she saw her betrothed studying her. A refined smile on his face. She blushed once more and moved her gaze to Tian Xing. She was surprised to notice that his face was flushed in excitement, similar to hers. She turned towards her third brother, seated to her left, and whispered. ¡°I never knew that fourth brother is a glutton just like me.. I guess even a ghost needs to eat.¡± ¡°Yes, but his meals consist of different ingredients from ours.¡± Tianxi snickered. His answer puzzled her and she wanted to lean in to ask for more details. But the procession of maids were leaving the terrace and she had lost all her protection against the empress glare. She quietly resumed the proper sitting position. After all, there would still be time to interrogate him later. Chapter 4: Ambivalence Yes, all the time in the wor- ¡±...ld.¡± The youth sat up. Her body screamed in pain as she raised her fingers to wipe her face. Tears had trickled down her cheek. Her heart throbbed with an unknown sorrow. She stared at the tear drops that lingered on her tiny fingertips. She clenched her fingers, smashing the pearl drops into nothingness.. before relaxing the fingers and studied its features. It was definitely smaller hands than the one in the dream.. prompting her to remember the curious reflection from earlier. Her eyes swiped around the room, searching for a means to see herself once more. It was a different room from earlier, this one was slightly bigger but there was nothing in it except for the bed she was on and a brazier. She could see that this room was not always this way. There were traces of things had been recently moved away perhaps.. by force. Footsteps echoed from outside the room, the wooden vibration trembled to form a soothing symphony.. that was somehow nostalgic. The footsteps halted, shattering the nostalgia, and the door creaked open A youthful silhouette of about 6 years old entered the room. His hands were dyed black with soot and it formed a cradle around pile of twigs and leaves. His eyes were bright and cheerful despite the bruised complexion and the charcoal face paint. His eyes glowed even brighter when he noticed the only room occupants had awakened. ¡°Prince! Your highness!! You.. you are awake!!¡± Instantly, He dropped whatever he was carrying and knelt facing the wet courtyard. ¡°Thank you Heavenly Emperor ah.. Thank you Celestial Moon ah! Also... also..Praise be to the Ancient Sun!! And glory to all one thousand immortals, eight hundred saints, four divine beasts...and all seven of my ancestors!!!¡± The weird mix of religions and beliefs was rather blasphemous, but the one worshipping was so sincere... those tiny hands swiping against each other with fervent gratitude... This..would surely vexed the celestials. The image of all those petty immortals angrily beating their chest, some might even jumped out of heaven¡¯s window out of frustration, brought out a chuckle from her chapped lips. It sounded hoarse, catching the attention of the little boy. ¡°Of course, of course! It¡¯s been three days since you were awake. Let me get you a cup of water, your highness.¡± Only then did he realised that his hands were still covered with soot. In panic, he scampered back and forth. His mind was overwhelmed from wanting to do so many things at once, he secretly wished he would be able to split his body into three. One to stoke the brazier, one to fetch a cup of fresh water.. one to wash his hands.. but then won¡¯t the other two still needs to wash their hands too? His eyes started spiralling from the conflicting thoughts, until the ¡®prince¡¯ clapped her hands. The sudden noise broke the spell and its only victim looked up at his hero. ¡°Calm down. Start with the brazier..the room could do with some warmth.¡± the ¡®prince¡¯ commanded. ¡°Yes..? Yes, yes! Of course, your highness! How could this servant let you fell sick again!¡± He quickly picked up the pile of twigs and went to work. Soon, warmth permeated the room once more. A while later, Xiao Yu cheerfully skipped out of the room and returned with pot of water. His hands were now free of soot and his heart, from burden. His bruised face was radiating. ¡°This servant was so scared when I heard you scream, your majesty. I thought there was an assassin.. I thought off calling the guards but, with their pudgy feet, your highness might get assassinated before hand. So this brave servant decided to teach the assassin with my own hands.¡± He chattered as he poured the pot of water into a cup and handed it to the ¡®prince¡¯. ¡°After all, this servant is in possession of a secret scroll ....though... this servant has yet to learn to read...but.. but maybe I could throw it as a distraction!¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. She smiled at his endearing chatters, it was similar to someone in her dream.. but who? Her heart throbbed again. To distract herself, she sipped the cup and studied the chattering child before her. The unique robe signify his role as apprentice eunuch. It was the same one as in her memory.. so she must still be in Xia empire. His face and hands were bruised, countless small scars ran underneath them. That coupled with the state of all the room.. the eunuch and the prince life might not be good. Perhaps an unfavoured prince from one of the concubine? But she was not sure, that reflection had never appeared in her dream. It definitely was not hers. ¡°.. when I entered the room. Your highness was on the floor. Every object had been flung down and the room was in chaos. This servant was so scared that you might wake up and had another bout of madne..illness. So this servant moved you to concubine¡¯s room.¡± The little eunuch sighed when a thought suddenly entered his mind and he quickly knelt apologetically. ¡°.. Aaaaa... Sorry, Your highness! This bumbling servant had committed a huge error! ¡± He moaned and rapidly rapped his tiny heads against the wooden floor. "I forgot that you commanded the concubine¡¯s room to be sealed." The sudden unreasonable action snapped her back to the present, she quickly made him stand up. She sighed and thought for a beat before forming her words carefully, ¡°..this prince does not mind.¡± It was something TianXi often said. Perhaps mimicking his speech would not be a bad idea until she could fully figure out the whole situation.. after all she is now a ¡®prince¡¯. She cleared her throat. ¡°...this prince head hurts and can¡¯t remember many things. Tell me..¡± She narrowed her eyes signalling him to fill in the blanks. It took her a couple of eye blinks and a glare until he finally understood her but once he did he obeyed loyally. ¡°Xiao Yu! This eunuch name is Xiao Yu. Don¡¯t worry prince.. Xiao yu memory is really good! Leave it all to this servant!¡± He smugly answered. ¡°Where should I start? Let¡¯s see..¡± A while later, she massaged her temple, a tad regreful. His constant chatters and barrages of muddled jumbled information was hard to grasp, resulting in her head achingin protest. ¡°..and then..master Yan..¡± He continued. ¡°...So, on that day..¡± She raised her hand abruptly..cutting off his chatters. ¡°Enough... Leave me. I am.. tired.¡± She commanded with a sigh. The little eunuch was stunned and pouted. It had been a while since he had someone to talk to but, his little head understood that all nobles were born weird temperament. Nodding knowingly, he quickly bowed and left the room. He skipped his way down the wooden corridor, his mind and heart were relieved. At least, the prince had became well enough to chat. Now, He just needed to nurse the prince back to health. Perhaps, a bowl of warm millet would do wonders! Behind the door, the ¡®Prince¡¯ sat on the bed and fell into a deep thought. She closed her eyes and filtered the various new information. She slowly rearranged them and combined it with the one she had. Firstly, Her memory as Xia Qing Yun seemed to be spotty. Trying to recall it will always sends her body into a frenzy. If she tried hard enough perhaps, she might be able to endure it but.. her body recoiled when she remembered the vivid red and the accompanying pain. Not to lie, she certainly did not want to be in that situation again. Secondly, this body¡¯s identity. His name was Kangyun. Xian Kangyun. The unfavoured 19th son of the current emperor and a concubine. His mother died during childbirth due to poison. Since he was exposed to poison as a fetus, his body was frail and all of his meridian had been blocked, ensuring that he would never be able to practice martial arts. Since he was born without prospect, many of the servants quickly fled to a different master. On the way out, Some of the vile ones even managed to get their hands on the concubine¡¯s dowry. The remaining loyal servants, mostly those that originated from the concubine estate, stayed. Only to later be implicated in various crime. A couple died and the rest was reshuffled by the palace administration. Now, only Xiao Yu was left. She gazed at the reflection on the cup of water. Haggardly staring back at her was, a set of prominent eyes with double lids, outlined by thick eyebrows. She raised her hand and led her fingers to trail across the morbid pale complexion. A small sharp nose and chapped lips rest on the boyish frame. Although, trace of encounter with King yama was still apparent, it could not hide the noble visage beneath it. Kangyun¡¯s mother must had been an exceptional beauty. Perhaps, that was why she had lost her life. A pity. Lastly, there was one thing that must be confirmed. She sighed, turned her body away from the window and faced the corner wall. A muffled noises quietly rustled. Sometime later.. the youth¡¯s head awkwardly turned up. Another sigh.. Hello, little Kangyun. Chapter 5: Whispers from the past (3) ¡°... stop pushing me, brother.¡± Qing yun whispered. ¡°..you are stepping on this prince feet!¡± Tianxi breathlessly exclaimed, a grimace on his face. ¡°.. what are we doing here anyway! All I wanted to know was what is the delicacy!¡± Qing yun purposefully stomped her feet a couple more times before moving them away. She then mumbled about the heat and sweat as she impatiently scratched her itchy hands. ¡°And I am bringing you to see it!¡± Tianxi hands skillfully killed a few mosquitoes that flew near his sister. ¡°Shhh..¡± Taiyang shushed. ¡°Someone is here.¡± The three of them were hidden behind a stack of hays, peering into the room in front. They heard the door creaked before seeing a silhouette leisurely walked into the room and closed the door. Moonlight shining in from the roof window, outlined a familiar noble bearing. Tian Xing. ¡°It¡¯s fourth bro.. !¡± Qing yun exclaimed but Tian xi¡¯s glare quickly made her cover her own mouth. Basked under the soft moonlight, the famed imperial flower seems more dignified than ever. Qing yun would refuse to say it out loud but it really would make a beautiful scene as a painting. Strangely though, the subject itself seemed disagreeable. Tianxing fussed over his hair knot and kept turning to the door as he shifted left and right. A while later he seemed to be pleased with his position, turned his back against the entrance and snapped open his fan. Tian xi softly snickered to Qing yun¡¯s puzzlement. She wanted to question him but the door creaked open. She made a mental note to ask him later. A young woman, dressed in palace maid attire, hesitated as she stared at Tian Xing¡¯s back. Nevertheless, her eyes were quickly enchanted by the fantastical scene before her. In an instant, the hesitation vanished and she closed the door behind her. Tian xing turned to face her, his face beaming as he spoke of her name. ¡°Zhao er.¡± He quickly walked to her and gently took her hand. ¡°This princemissed you.¡± ¡°Prince. This lady misses you too.¡± Her pair of misty eyes stared lovingly into her lover¡¯s eyes. Seemingly moved by this, Tian xing pulled her into his embrace. On the side, Qing yun can¡¯t help but gasped at each and every of the scandalous action. ¡°This.. this.. this..!!¡± Her whispers was getting louder. Taiyang and Tian xi quickly used their hands to cover her mouth. She blushed shyly at her fianc¨¦e¡¯s soft touch but glared at Tiannxi¡¯s, silently wondering was that the same hand he used on the mosquito? Luckily, the two lovers were too engrossed from re-enacting melodramatic drama to notice the crowds in the shadows. ¡°Zhao er, I thought it was not meant to be when you married into that scoundrel¡¯s household. The thought of your heart turning cold.. reminded me of the frigid winter day when we parted..it broke my heart times and again.. ¡°Tian xing lamented, his hand was now under her chin whilst the other was improperly circled around her waist. Her eyelashes quivered with emotions as she whispered alluringly, of her sorrow, struggle and lastly, of her eternal devotion to him.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°This prince is glad... That Ihad beenmistaken.¡± He whispered and the two lovers, slowly leaned in closer and closer. Their lips joined and their primal instinct quickly took over. Meanwhile, Qing yun was having a hard time focusing on the scene. With her mouth covered, it was not easy to breath .. to top it off, one of the hands belonged to her beloved causing her heart to buzz thunderously. Perhaps, attracted by the similar frequency, a mosquito continuously flew around her.. it soon landed on the tip of her nose. She was frozen as she stared at it. Rustle and tussle sounded across the room. All pretence for decorum had long been forgotten. Thetwo lovebirds''s entanglement spread the surrounding with sounds ofdesperate moans, heightening the room¡¯s temperature. Uncomfortably, Taiyang shifted and used his other hand to cover Qing yun¡¯s eyes. At the same time, so did Tian xi. Unbeknownst to them, it pushed the mosquito to fly erratically all around Qing yun¡¯s nose. Its survival instinct kicked in and it quickly found two caverns and entered one of it. At the same time, Qing yun felt an alien sensation invading her nose.. as realisation dawned on her, she started squirming. She wanted to quietly tap her brother to let him know but she could not see with four hands on her tiny face. To top it all off, both men were stirred and unconsciously started clenching their hands. The odd amalgamation of various circumstances, was cutting off her oxygen supply, leaving her dizzy. In desperation, She flailed her hands aimlessly and it hit against an elastic rod. A groan later and one of the men weakened his hold. Qing yun quickly took the opportunity to stand up, thirstily gasped for air, and blow the rude invader out of her nose. Seething with anger, she turned and started loudly reprimanding them. ¡°Are the two of you crazy? I almost died because...¡± Her voice trailed off as she noticed Tian xi¡¯s alarmed expression. Both siblings turned their head back into the building. Tian Xing, in all of his glory, was staring speechlessly at them. In front of him, was his mistress, kneeling with all of her clothes disheveled.. She was equally stunned but, regained her wit earlier than him. Her high pitched scream pierced into the night sky. ¡°Not good!¡± Tian xi quickly caught his sister waist and carried her on his shoulder like a sack of rice. His other hand grabbed onto Taiyang who was still groaning on the floor. He quickly used his qinggong and ran up the wall of hays. ¡°Get back here!¡± Tian xing uncharacteristically roared while fixing his clothes. Of course, Tian xi did not stop. Instead, he grinned and lightly kicked a few stacks to block the only entrance. The mischievous prince,and his two baggages, continued on until they reach a hill nearby. When he looked down, a group of moving lanterns had filled the palace corridors.. probably a group of patrolling guards who had been alerted by the scream. ¡°Hmm.. let¡¯s split here. Could you walk, Taiyang?¡± Tian xi said as he dropped Taiyang off. Taiyang awkwardly stood up. His face was still flushed but he nodded stiffly before turning to look at Qing Yun. His flushed face was now in a daze when he saw her blushing from his stare. Their silent interaction made Tianxi felt annoyed. Yet, his expression soon transformed into a knowing grin. An idea seemed to have formed in his mind as he said,¡°Let¡¯s meet later at little cloud¡¯s courtyard. I will take her there first.. You can take the time to calm down and be a.. Distraction!¡± Qing yun gasped as she saw Tianxi swiftly kicked Taiyang down the hill and shot a couple of pebbles towards the stream of lanterns. ¡°Don¡¯t get caught!¡± He wickedly laugh and went off his merry way,Qing yun squirming on his shoulder. ¡°Brother! How could you!!!¡± The princess said in dismay. ¡°Why not.. that little scoundrel deserved much more after what he had received.¡± Tian xi grumbled to his sister puzzlement. Chapter 6: Conflict ¡°My brothers were really weird..¡± thought the princess.. prince. It had been a week since Kang yun first woke up. Four days since her.. his.. heavenly revelation. He had had a snippets of the past eversince then but the latest dream was most vivid of them all. He reminisced as he walked around the desolate yard. Other than the few green buds, mother winter was still jealously guarding its domain. Thankfully, with exception to the never ending cloudy sky, the temperature had turned warm enough for a pleasant stroll. Kangyun¡¯s days had been quiet and peaceful. Mostly just him trying to adjust to his new body and recover his health. Today though, His body had finally became well enough for the little eunuch to stop nagging whenever kangyun chose to walk around the courtyard. After a couple of days, he had even grew familiar with the rectangular estate. It was not big, small even if, compared to Qing Yun¡¯s past estate. Just three halls facing a central courtyard, two of the halls had been built closer to each other and they shared a backyard garden.. though its current condition had been left much to be desired. The smaller hall was where he currently stayed. The interior consist of a bedroom, a bathroom, and a small study. The other hall, the late concubine¡¯s room, was slightly narrower but longer in length. Inside, its pillars had been carefully carved with bird motifs and the interior had been split to include a dining and reception area. Of course like everywhere else, it had now been stripped bare. Wooden corridors that linked the two halls were called songbird steps.. They had been installed specially for Kangyun¡¯s mother when she was still favoured. Supposedly, she had been a musical enthusiast and had reared various songbirds as her past time. Of course, these steps had another usage which was the reason why it was often built by those who has the means to afford it.. sadly, in her case, it was not useful since the perpetrator was hiding out in the open. Down the corridor and across the yard was the third hall, It was more run down and most probably had been allocated for the servants. Half of the hall was hidden by a wilted tree and some broken vineyard poles. Beside it was a small kitchen, a well and a storage shack. In the center of these three, was the courtyard. Other than unmaintained shrubs and a small muddied fish pond, there were some broken pole that jutted out from here and there. Kang yun had questioned Xiao Yu about them and apparently the yard was once filled with various songbirds and these poles were used to prop them up. From there on, if you follow along the pebbled path, it will lead to its only entrance. A battered red door guarded by two broken statues. Kang yun sighed. Years ago, this place must had been a sight to behold.. pity he could not see it for himself. Still, he might take the chance to find ways to spruce up this place. Considering he might be here for a while, at least until he found ways to return to his old body...Her body.. he would at least try to live decently. He was deep in thought about the hidden potential of this yard when he heard a ruckus rising from outside the estate. The noise seemed to be traveling towards his direction.. and surely enough, it came barging into his estate. A bunch of servants, led by an extremely wrinkly eunuch, threw a sack at his feet. Kangyun scowled at their brazenness and watched the sack wriggled around unnaturally. The rope tied to its end loosened up, and Xiao yu¡¯s small head popped out of it. ¡°Reporting to prince Kangyun. This little rascal was caught red handed pilfering from the kitchen several times. This servant had taken the matter into my own hands to teach him some palace rules.¡± The eunuch reported smugly. The crowd sneered and none of them even bothered to salute the prince, confident that Kangyun would be too frightened to punish them. Dumbstruck, Kangyun stared at the badly beaten eunuch. Many fresh wounds and gash apparent on his already badly bruised face. His facial condition was so terrible, Kangyun could not tell which was his eyes or his nose. ¡°Impudent!¡± Kangyun roared. For a second, as rage and exasperation replaced his earlier surprise, his old self.. Her persona took over. His sudden outburst frightened the crowd to step backward and they quickly bowed, perhaps out of habit from years of serving the palace. or perhaps from his.. her majestic presence. Though Kangyun was still unsatisfied..But, having been instilled from young on inner palace politics, his little brain quickly churned with various uncertainties which in turn, cooled down his anger. He still wasn¡¯t sure about the whole political climate to react aggressively. On the other side, the sharp eyed old eunuch seemed to swiftly notice the hesitation that had crept into Kangyun¡¯s heart. He knelt down, deepened his bow and eloquently spoke. ¡°This humble old eunuch beseech prince Kangyun. Please redress the many grievances that the kitchen staffs faced. This thief had stolen many times from the kitchen to the detriment of the staffs. May prince Kangyun give us justice by demoting the thief out of the imperial residence.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. As if on cue, the rest of the crowds repeated the plea and started kneeling. Kangyun scowled, suspicions crept up into his mind. He didn¡¯t think the amount of food Xiao Yu managed to filch would warrant such a huge crowd. After all, the food that he had been consuming was barely enough to appease his hunger. He was sure Xiao Yu portion had been smaller than his. There must be another reason for this ruckus.. but now was not the time to think about it. He must quickly escape from this predicament, preferably peacefully. Kangyun was ruminating over the whole situation when his ears picked up a string of weak whispers. He looked down and noticed Xiao yu weakly whispering, ¡°Prince..¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ..angry ..Prince¡­Else, You might fall sick again,¡± Xiao yu coughed, blood dripped from the side of his lips. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.. This eunuch is strong... I will get better soon ...and make you more nourishing soup..herb..there.. chicken...¡± Xiao yu deliriously repeated his words over and over again before he turned silent. Kangyun bit his lips.. his heart had became restless after seeing his loyal servant¡¯s predicament. Kangyun scratched his head with annoyance, he really didn¡¯t want to do this. Nevertheless, he determinedly clasped his hands behind him. Mimicking one of the prince in the dream, he dialled the swagger into a full splendour and let his tiny voice boomed.. ¡°Who are you to punish this prince¡¯s servant! Everything in this Imperial ground belongs to Father Emperor and this prince is his rightful son. Whatever I wish to take, I will take.¡± ¡°P..prince.¡± The old eunuch stunned silly by the unreasonable turn. ¡°Th..that is..¡± ¡°You.. the old wrinkly one. Come here, let this prince looked at you.¡± Kangyun cut off the eunuch and arrogantly beckoned to him. The eunuch was reluctant, but Kangyun had dragged in the emperor¡¯s name so he had no choice but to obey. Else, he might get accused for disrespecting the emperor. He walked a few steps nearer and stopped. Yet, Kangyun once again beckoned him closer. The cycle repeated itself until the eunuch was only half a step away from Kangyun. Still, the prince signed him to get closer. The old man looked lost and then, hesitantly knelt down. Now, they were almost face to face. Somehow Kangyun smug demeanour intimidated the older man. A strange tension stilted the atmosphere.. Smack! A loud impact broke the tension, Kangyun had slapped the wrinkly face. Caught off guard, the impact left the eunuch sitting on his backside. ¡°Y...your hi....highness...?¡± The old man stuttered. ¡°Vile servants! Don¡¯t let this prince repeat himself again, I asked for your name and position.¡± ¡°T..this..This humble eunuch name is Chun Ye. I am in charge of the goods distribution in the inner palace.¡± The eunuch replied in a daze. ¡°Oho...Why are you not on your knees? Are you making light of the descendants of heaven?¡± Kangyun kicked the eunuch feet and stared menacingly, prompting the wrinkly man to quickly kneel once more. The eunuch bowed deeply, hiding his eyes that were filled with hatred behind the sleeves. Though still a little intimidated, Chun Ye questioned himself on the strange behaviour of the child before him. Prince Kangyun was often in stupor from the medical sedation, his health frail and his character weak.. What led him to be so arrogant now..? Could it be he had gained a footing to rely on? His mind quickly ran through a couple possibility and decided on a scheme. But before he could launch it.. a blow landed on his stomach. Kangyun had viciously kicked him. Blow after blow struck the eunuch, as Kangyun continued the assault. ¡°You wretched being. How dare you viciously stare at this prince? Are you thinking to assassinate me under father emperor¡¯s own house? Are you scheming against the royal family? Is that it?¡± Kangyun said with a jeer. The child¡¯s kick was not powerful but being hit in front of his own underlings must surely be shameful. None even tried to plead or save him.. merely watching from a distance. ¡°No.. your highness.. this servant would never schemed against the emperor. Please forgive this humble servant..I am innocent.¡± The eunuch has no choice but to cling onto the leg while requesting for forgiveness. Kangyun reply was only to step on the man¡¯s head, twisting it further down into the rough ground. ¡°Your highness, please give this servant a chance to explain. Please..this servant is innocent.¡± Chun Ye continued pleading. ¡°T.. this servant swear, he would never schemed against the royal family!¡± ¡°Ooh?¡± Kangyun stopped, Amusement obvious in his voice. He let go of his feet and crouched beside eunuch. Softening his voice into a whisper, he murmured. ¡°Say, Chun Ye. If corruption is not scheming against the royal family, that what is?¡± Instantly, the eunuch face turned ashen pale and he looked up at Kangyun. The eunuch heart turned cold as he watched a wolfish smile bloomed on the child¡¯s face. ¡°De..Demon¡± The eunuch can¡¯t help but muttered under his breath. ¡°What did you say?¡± Smack! ¡°Also, Did not this prince told you not to stare?¡± Smack! ¡°..And don¡¯t make me repeat myself.¡± Smack! Kangyun stood up after slapping the eunuch head into the ground.He then pointed at a middle aged man from the silent crowd. ¡°You, bring Xiao Yu into his room and send someone to summon the imperial physician. This prince will personally cut off your head if he dies.¡± The man turned pale and quickly did as what was commanded. Kangyun watched the man carried Xiao Yu off towards the third hall before turninghis stare back at the eunuch. The old man had stayed still after getting slapped around, kneeling with his whole head on the floor. ¡°This prince wants to see my estate furnished, My courtyard cleaned and a bountiful dinner. Also, next time, don¡¯t appropriate the goods allotted to this prince estate. Else, you never knew where this news will travel to.¡± The prince harrumphed and flung his sleeve in disdain as he turned back towards his own room. After the door creaked close. The crowds sighed with relief and quickly dispersed, perhaps shocked and frightened by the series of events or they had to meet their true master to retell this tale. Nobody but themselves will know. Soon, only the old eunuch was left on the desolate courtyard. Chun ye stood up, his old face wrinkled with fury and bitterness.The taste of humiliation had created a deep resentment inside his heart. He was after all a respected figure and had always been for years. Since he controlled the inner palace¡¯s goods distribution,evenconcubines and their descendants had to give way to him. Who was Kangyun to humiliate him so. ¡°Just you wait.. This shame will be repaid ten times its value!¡± He silently hissed. Chapter 7: Whispers from the past (4) ¡°Well.. well I knew of Tianxing¡¯s philandering nature.. But I didn¡¯t know his reach was that far. Hehe.. Even the virtuous lady Zhao had fallen. Can¡¯t wait to see her husband¡¯s face when he found out he is wearing a green hat!¡± Tianxi grinned as he munched on dried melon seeds. ¡°Mmmm! These things are better than I remembered..Can you believe that they don¡¯t have these up north?¡± Qing yun who was sitting and shaking her legs impatiently, slammed the stone table as she stood up. ¡°How could you remain so relaxed, brother!!¡± She huffed angrily and started pacing up and down her personal garden. Located directly behind her room¡¯s terrace, it was not very big but had been furnished intimately with a seating area, flower garden and a shallow fish pond. It has a side exit leading out to her estate¡¯s main courtyard. ¡±Where is he.. where is he..¡± The princess started mumbling to herself continuously. Every once in a while she will craned her head to look towards the entrance. She will pout after a bit and sat back down on the stone chair. Not forgetting to give Tianxi an intense glare the whole time she was seated. ¡°Relax, he will be fine. I was his teacher so I can guarantee his qinggong skills are not too bad.. though still nothing compared to mine. Hahaha!¡± Tianxi guffawed annoyingly. In retaliation, Qing yun tried to snatch the bowl of melon from the table. But, he was more agile and the bowl had been pushed away from her reach. She tapped her palm to the side of the stone table and used her qinggong to force it to rotate to her advantage. Albeit less skilful, she did secretly learned some basic martial arts from him. Unfortunately, the skill gap was too wide as Tianxi skillfuly pushed the bowl up on to the air.. As it was falling, She tried to kick it away from him but with ease he manoeuvred the bowl to circle around her leg before it safely stopped above his palm. Of course, he was sneering the whole time.. which vexed her even more. Again, she tried to kick the bowl. When she saw his hand going to grasp her leg, she suddenly turned her body and used her opposite leg instead. ¡°Ooooh! A feint. Not bad.¡± Tian xi blocked her leg with the back of his palm whilst pushing the bowl to fly to his other hand. His free hand suddenly snaked around her leg and pulled her whole body. Qing yun felt her whole center of gravity had been forcefully shifted leaving her dizzy and frightened by it. Expecting a collision, Her instinct prompted her to wince but nothing happened except for sweet and salty taste spreading inside her mouth. Surprised, she bit down upon them. It was melon seeds. ¡°Have some melon seeds, they are good for your temper. Hahahhha!¡± Tianxi bellowed in laughter which led her to widely glare at him again. It was hers in the first place! She knew she had been defeated and had no chance to fight back, so she could only vent her frustration by stomping her feet multiple times as she glared and bitterly munched down on the seeds. They were good though. ¡°Oh he is here..¡± Tianxi exclaimed. The princess immediately reacted by standing up and rushing towards the garden entrance, but there were only her maids and guards standing outside the entrance. She gritted her teeth and turned in anger. Trickle.. trickle.. A white figure stood behind her, drenched from up to bottom. Disheveled long hairs covering the face. Her heart instantly dropped and she almost scream for help when she felt a hand covering her mouth. ¡°G..Ghost arh!¡± Qing yun muffledly mumbled, her eyes tightly closed. Although it was cold but they were emitting some warmth, surprised by it she reopened her eyes. ¡°Shhh, it¡¯s me.¡± He leaned and shushed her. The long hairs had been parted to reveal her fiancee¡¯s face. Different from his usual noble bearing, he looked so feeble and lost just like when she first met him. She calmed down upon recognising him, her worry replaced the initial surprise. ¡°T.. Taiyang..Where did you come from anyway? You look so pale.. Are you okay?¡± She used her sleeves to wipe his wet face. ¡°Mmm.. I am okay. I was chased by the guards and fell into the imperial lake. They were patrolling around the lakeshore so I had to swim underneath the lake. Thankfully one of them led here.¡± He sneezed.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Hey, takethe drenched dog here.¡± Tian xi waved amicably from the seating area. He had ignited the stone brazier next to the table. Qingyun scowled but obediently led her fianceeto sit on the chair and called out to her maids to prepare for towels and warm drinks. A while later, once, he had been warmed and dried enough, he started torecount his earlier misadventure to the curious siblings. Apparently, after getting kicked down from the hill, Taiyang life had been miserable. It started with his outer robe gettingtorn by the shrubs and as he was being chased down, he had to use his shoes as distractions. Pathetically, he was then cornered so badly he had to jump into the cold imperial lake and hid from underneath one lotus leaves to another. Later once the patrol guard started swarming around the shore, he had to swim deeper. At times, holding onto the platforms to rest. It took him many wrong turns before he finally figure out his way into her courtyard. But there were also patrols here. Luckily the water for the pond originated from the lake so he managed to force himself to pass through the narrow opening until he reached here. At hearing about his constant misfortune, Tianxi seemed to be thrilled and heeven roared with laughter. Each time he did, Qing yun pinched him or kicked him under the table but he did not even flinch. ¡°...oof my poor stomach. Its hurting from laughing so much. Well, it is rather late. We should turn in.¡± Tianxi stood up but paused when he noticed the two lovers seemed reluctant to leave. He tapped on Taiyang shoulder a few times. ¡°As a gratitude for the amusement, I will leave you two lovebirds alone for half a shichen. Do as what you two wills.. but remember, this big brother will be watching!¡± Taiyang felt a shudder rising from his shoulder but it instantly dissolved as Tianxi walked towards the entrance. But instead of exiting, he jumped into one of the nearby trees and blended into the shadows. After a while, only sounds of night critters filled the silence. Qingyun stole a peek at her beloved, his hairs was still glistening with the lake water and his handsome features was being outlined by the moonlight. After a moment of hesitation, he took her hand and leaned closer..causing her heart to start throbbing from their close proximity. ¡°Yun, do you remember when I first moved into the imperial palace?¡± He deep voice tickled her ears. She nodded, a natural blush bloomed on her cheek. He smiled in return. ¡°Mmm, you were so quiet then... and afraid.¡± She added. ¡°Haha, and you were as majestic as ever. You came to save me when the royal cousins were picking on me. I still remembered your beautiful tackle...¡± ¡°Aa..aaaa! Don¡¯t remember that part!¡± She quickly squirmed and pouted. Amused by her behaviour, he could not help but chuckle and kissed her beautiful fingertips. She was furiously blushing from the inappropriate intimacy and refused to look at him. ¡°Growing up, you had always been my protector and friend. I really could not imagine my life without you..¡± He tilted her face to look at him. ¡°I was glad when you requested emperor uncle to betroth us.¡± ¡°Though it was only expected that His majesty disapproved, you are the most noble princess of xia and I... am only a prince in title. I have nothing but the clothes on my back.." Hearing his words Qingyun shook her head. "Yet, you fought for us. When brother Tianxi came to let me knowthat you starved for days in protest againstHis majesty''s decision..my heart broke..but I was also elated. That was when I knew...¡±Taiyang lovingly caressed her cheek. Qingyun eyes were misty, her hearts moved by his sweet whispering. ¡°I love you..¡± He whispered and leaned his head closer to her. She replied by wordlessly closing her eyes, fully trusting him. Whoosh.. A tree branch was swung between the two lover¡¯s head. The sweet atmosphere blasted away by the wind pressure. ¡°That¡¯s half a shichen.¡± Tianxi said, the side of his mouth twitching with irritation. Obvious veins were showing throughout his face and muscled hands. He swept the branch back and forth, pushing the two lovers farther and farther away from each other. ¡°Party¡¯s over.. party¡¯s over. Go home. Go home.¡± ¡°B..brother! Its only been a few minutes.¡± She stammered. ¡°Wa..wa..wa.. this prince can¡¯t hear you. Party¡¯s over! Go home! Go home!¡± He repeated. The branch on his hand was slowly pushing Taiyang towards the entrance. It was even turning violent, as the sweep was becomingmore of a smack the more he swung it against Taiyang. ¡°Brother! Stop it!¡± She sulkily hit her brother¡¯s arm. ¡°Don¡¯t bully him!¡± Tianxi grumbled about the lack of sibling loyalty as he was pushed by his sister towards the entrance. Just before they neared the exit, Taiyang suddenly grasped her hands from behind and pulled her close to him. His face was unnaturally pale and filled with apprehension. ¡°Qi..Qing Yun. Will you marry me? Against all odds... will you really marry me?¡± He whispered. Taken aback, her jaw dropped open at the sudden proposal but she still nodded her head. ¡°Mm..¡± was the only thing she managed to utter. Her mind was in a chaotic mess whilst her heart was throbbing loudly, bursting at its seams from joy and passion. Taiyang face beamed at her reply. His face was so flushed with happiness that even his ears were dyed red. Crack.. A loud cracking sound burst out from behind her. Followed by a heavy pressureof killing intention. Qingyun turned in surprise only to see her brother had crushed the branch into splinters and blasted a crater in her garden with his feet. His hostile eyes were locked onto her fianc¨¦e. ¡°I said... GO HOME!¡± Tianxi roared as he jumped onto the smaller man.