The night has finally come and the moon shines so bright and is accompanied by the twinkling stars. The gentle moonlight serves as the only illumination for Prince Yin Wenyan, who is getting ready to go wherever destiny brings him on his journey in finding the spirit herb.
"Do you really have to do this?" Princess Yin Xiulan asks with a hint of worry in her voice.
Without looking back at her, he answers while putting a black leather cloak on himself. "I don't want to sit still and do nothing while my dear friend is dying."
Yin Xiulan closes her eyes and breathes deeply before opening her eyes again. "Wenyan, I'm sorry but I think you're being too emotional. Did you even consider the possible risks? You don't have to feel sympathy for him." She added, "To die for their master is their highest honor they can attain."
"It's a warrior's line. 'To die for their leader is their greatest honor,'" Prince Wenyan finally turns around to face his sister. He's standing before a huge circular window in the Lotus Hall and so she can only see his silhouette.
"First princess of the eighth generation, the Princess General, her highness Yin Xiulan. You really are worthy of your title." Prince Yin Wenyan smiles at her, "Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of you. But he's not a soldier, and I am not a general like you. He's a good friend, and I am just a naïve prince without a clear identity."
Yin Xiulan is a chivalrous woman but she is no stranger to the pain of getting her companions sacrificed. She's been into countless wars, and a lot of her subordinates died. However, she knows that they can't afford to get caught.
What if someone sees Yin Wenyan and Yin Renshu at the same time? What if his actions create a double exposure of the emperor? What if the grand empress dowager learns that Yin Wenyan is seeking Yueguang Hua, hoping it would cure someone who got infected by that disease? What if she discovers that they are still working on that incident? What if the small portion of authority and political power they have will be out of their grasp? How would they change the imperial palace's current corrupt system?
What the princess worries about the most is the fact that they are still not stable. The grand empress dowager can still control and threaten them. They can't afford to make mistakes now or else all their past efforts will be all in vain.
She gritted her teeth. Her anxiousness took over her heart. She can't stop her emotions that resulted in her yelling at her brother. "You've only known him for just a couple of weeks! Why are you acting so concerned towards him?"
Yin Wenyan didn't respond immediately as if he's trying to think of a better way to speak his thoughts. After a while, he answers in a low voice, "It's a long story but to make it short, I've known him for a long time now. It's just he doesn't recognize me, and I can't let myself be recognized by him."
The princess thinks about it. The three of them, she, Yin Wenyan, and Yin Renshu have always been together ever since their earliest memories. If Yin Wenyan knows Eunuch Xu for a long time, how come she just met him? Also, she doesn't think Yin Renshu knows him as long as Yin Wenyan. When, where, and how did they meet?
He speaks again in his usual gentle voice, "I know you're worried but there's no need for you to feel this way. I'll be careful. Please cover me up whenever it's needed. Think of it this way, it's not only for Eunuch Xu but also for those innocent victims." The prince faced his back on his sister and steps on the window sill.
"I'll be back before dawn."
Yin Xiulan, "Until when are you planning to do this?"
Yin Wenyan pauses for a while and smiles weakly, "Until I find it."
He didn't waste any more time and leaps outside the Lotus Hall.
The princess opens her holy weapon and fans herself as she whispers in the thin air, "Silly, three months might not be enough for you to find it." She sighs and then laughs bitterly, "I can just hope that the stars are in your favor."
And then a few hours later, the Princess General is again emotional. This time, anger dominated her heart and mind.
Inside the Department of War and Defence, Princess Yin Xiulan massages her left temple while her right hand fans herself as she tries to calm down.
"General, please calm down." Officer Liu Chen, the princess general's most trusted subordinate, said in a low voice. A cup of water is on his hand, offering it to the raging general.
"I'M CALM!" Her voice echoes in the four corners of the hall.
Yes, she actually yelled and it's midnight. Well, this isn't a problem for her. Who would even dare confront her from doing so? The grand empress dowager? Psh... She's not someone she fears, her hall is on the other side of the palace after all. She can't hear the princess no matter how she yells.
The princess general's eyebrows almost meet in the middle. Her breathing becomes heavy and deep, like a beast ready to swallow the prey.
The poor Officer Liu Chen immediately backed off and lowered his head. "The general is truly calm! Please forgive me!"
No matter how fierce the princess is. No matter how valiant she is on the battlefield, she's still a woman. Women's mind works in a different way as men but it's still quite simple to understand. Yes means yes, no means no. Yes means no and no means yes. But in some cases, yes means maybe and maybe means no, given that maybe is maybe. Simple, right?
"Your highness, please let me explain." Eunuch Xu pleaded while kneeling with the sleepy emperor in front of the fierce lady general. He is a little dizzy due to alcohol but he still has a clear mind.
Her right eyebrow raises, "Explain? Sounds good. Explain it to me. EVERY SINGLE DAMN THING."
The princess' every word in her last sentence is emphasized. How can he explain it all?
"Um... your highness..." Eunuch Xu smiles in an apologetic manner, "Where should I begin?"
"Have you ever tried starting at the end? Of course, you have to start from the beginning!" She yells again.
"General, please calm down---"
"Liu Chen!" The princess yells, "Say it again one more time and you'll be kneeling with them!"
Officer Liu Chen subconsciously glances at the kneeling Emperor who is half-asleep and his nervous eunuch.
Meanwhile, Xu Zhengming tries to recall what happened before the emperor got into this state.
A few hours ago, after Yin Renshu lighted Xu Zhengming's lantern, the eunuch puts the lotus-shaped lantern on the water. The weak current of the water carries the bright little thing away.
"I thought that lantern is the most expensive one. It turns out it's the phoenix lantern." Xu Zhengming smiles weakly as his gaze follows the lantern floating away from them. "My mother always liked lotus."
"Then you should visit her and bring her lotus sometimes." Yin Renshu casually answers.
The silly eunuch stops looking at the lantern and looks at the person beside him. With a straight face, he said, "She died three years ago."
"..."
Xu Zhengming waves his hand, "There's no need to visit her burial mound. I'd be with her soon anyway."
Yin Renshu finds the topic inappropriate and uncomfortable so he decided to change the direction of their conversation. He asks, "Then how about your father?"
"I don't know his whereabouts but I know he's a cultivator. I heard the sect he was in was annihilated. My mother and my child self lost our last bit of hope when he heard nothing from him for many years." Xu Zhengming said casually almost like he's not affected by it anymore.
Hearing this side story of his silly eunuch, he only felt worse. He changed the topic to escape the topic about his mother. Then, it turns out talking about his father will only worsen the mood. He covers his face with his palm saying, "Sorry, I didn't know about that."
"It's fine." He smiles. "I heard his majesty and her highness the first princess got separated from the late emperor and empress as well. Now you know that I also don't have a happy family story. Whenever his majesty would like to talk about it, I'm here to listen. I'm not saying that I'll understand you by then but I think I'll understand you better than others."
Yin Renshu replied, "Nah, it all happened when we're five or six. I don't remember much about them. Not even their faces nor the happy moments we had. Therefore, I have nothing to talk about them." He continues, "But your father's body was never found, right? There's a chance that he's still alive. What's his name? My acquaintances in the cultivation world might know him."
"His name is Xu Lin." He answers.
For some reason, Yin Renshu finds the name familiar but he can't remember when or where exactly did he heard it.
Xu Zhengming follows the floating lantern with his gaze again. He replies without looking at him, "Your majesty, the truth is I saw my father again when I was sixteen."
"Then, what happened?" Yin Renshu asks.
He smiles lazily, "I'm pretty sure it's him but he didn't recognize me. I don't know. Maybe he lost his memories during the downfall of their sect. Then after that encounter, I've never seen him again."
Even though it happened seven years ago, it still hurts him even now. He still feels like crying whenever he remembers how confused his father was. Not once, twice, or thrice did his father denied that Mingming is his son. He lost count of it and he doesn't want to count how many times was that.
Xu Zhengming continues, "I'm happy that he's alive but it's just so sad that he didn't make it back home before mother dies. He doesn't know how happy she was when I told her that."
Yin Renshu subconsciously raised his hand to tap Xu Zhengming's shoulder but stops halfway when he realized what he was doing. He hesitated and argued with himself for some time. His pride won't allow him to comfort his servant but his sympathy for his eunuch is too much for him to bear.
When he noticed that Xu Zhengming was about to look on his way, he immediately put his hand down and acted as if he really didn't argue against himself. In the end, Yin Renshu realized that he, himself, as a friend sucks.
He can't think of anything so he just said, "Are you sad?"
After realizing how dumb his question sounds, he feels like rushing back to the imperial palace and leave this eunuch in here. Yin Renshu doesn't even realize that he's already wearing an unreadable facial expression.
Confused, Xu Zhengming tilted his head slightly. "Well, somehow?" Then this silly eunuch thinks of something and smiles mischievously to the emperor. "Do you know what makes people feel better?"
"What?" Yin Renshu asks.
"A good wine! If a bottle of wine can't, maybe two or three more can."
And just with that, Xu Zhengming manages to bring his "friend", also known as his benefactor, to a well-known Wine House in the town. Of course, bringing the emperor with him is an important thing. Who would pay for the wine if not the temperamental emperor of the eighth generation, Yin Renshu?
"A good wine starts a friendship
Attachments deepen the more we sip
The feelings we have in common
May it be caused with exult or mourn
All the things that we truly regret
Problems we all wish to forget
The wine enters through the lip
My friend, let's drink 'til we trip."
Xu Zhengming is so proud of himself for making a poem on the spot. Truly a masterpiece! This beau is a formidable poet!... or so he thought.
This wine house is bustling as usual especially now that it's evening. The laughter and loud chatters can be heard everywhere in the entire place.
Xu Zhengming and Yin Renshu found their place in the corner most part of the wine house's second floor. One sprouting endless nonsense, and one blinking his eyes, trying to stay awake. Both finished several jars of plum blossom wine.
"AHAHAHAHA Renshu, my friend, don't sleep! You still have a jar of wine to finish after that jar in your hand!" Xu Zhengming exclaims then drinks his wine.
Yin Renshu is in his fourth jar and is now dizzy. His mind is all hazy and can't think straight. His eyes are heavy and he feels like he wants to lay down. But then again, even he's drunk, his pride is still as high as Baishi Mountain. "I'm not asleep, are you an idiot or just stupid? Your poem is so boring, it makes me sleepy."
"Idiot, stupid... Isn't it the same thing?"
Yin Renshu covers his mouth with his palm. His eyes are teary as he says, "I feel like throwing up."
"Aiyah! Don't! It's a good wine! Very expensive! Swallow it back!" Xu Zhengming hurried to his side and rubs his back. He knows it's expensive because he's the one who ordered wine for them and specifically asked for the most expensive liquor that the wine house could offer to be delivered to their table.
"Eunuch Xu..." Yin Renshu whimpers. "I'm dying."
Xu Zhengming sighs. This eunuch just got tipsy but his drinking buddy is already woozy. He said as he shakes his head, "No, you're not, you're just drunk."
The silly eunuch just realized, isn't he the one who's dying? Why is the one whimpering isn't him but this temperamental emperor?
The truth is, Yin Renshu had never been this drunk ever since. In fact, he never even drank liquor as much as a whole jar of wine. The triplets grew in Wan MoliHua Palace and took care of Zhao Yangguang after all. The sect leader is addicted to jasmine tea. It wouldn't surprise anyone if the children he raised would prefer tea over wine.
Completely ignoring his eunuch, the emperor continues, "I am seeing a light. I see... I see my grandmother extending her hand to me. Eunuch Xu, should I take her hand?"
"What are you talking about?" Eunuch Xu looks at him with disbelief, "Your grandmother is still alive! Didn't you just hold a banquet for her?"
"Oh." It seems he just realized it himself. Then just a few seconds after, he whimpers again, "It's actually my mother."
Xu Zhengming clicks his tongue, "Who are you kidding? You said you forgot what your parents looked like!"
The emperor gags and it seems he really is going to vomit soon.
"Ah? No, no, no. Don't throw up!" Xu Zhengming tries to distract him by pointing at the moon above through the widely opened window. "Look, the moon's exceptionally beautiful tonight!"
The emperor looks at where Mingming's finger points. Confused, he said to his eunuch, "It's exceptionally beautiful tonight? It's the same moon every night though. Urrghh!"
Yin Renshu feels like vomiting again and covers his mouth with his palm.
With a wide grin, Xu Zhengming asks, "But do you know what's more beautiful than the moon?"
Yin Renshu, "What?"
Xu Zhengming, "Me."
"Urrgghhh..." And the emperor indeed vomited the good wine in the end.
"Aiyah. You just wasted it." Xu Zhengming regrets seeing the most expensive wine in town go to waste.
"Eunuch Xu..." The emperor called out.
"Hmm?" Xu Zhengming looks at him.
Mingming isn't sure if it's because of the other's tears forming on his eyelids or the moonlight reflected in those pair of phoenix eyes. Whatever the reason is, the emperor's eyes seem to have a glimmer.
Just remembering what happened next makes Xu Zhengming want to die earlier than his deadline.
"Are you speaking or not?"
Xu Zhengming got dragged back to reality from the depths of his memories when the princess asked with a hint of warning.
"Actually, your highness..." Xu Zhengming thinks for while but he can't come up with a good excuse all thanks to the pressure that the princess general gives to him. "It's his majesty's idea to sneak out because he's bored to death. Please spare this lowly one's short life!"
***
Author's note:
Hello, dear readers! This is MingYan at your service! XD
I'd like to hear from you. What do you think of the story so far? Let me know in the comments! Your thoughts will be greatly appreciated. And I'd be very glad if you'll give this book a review.
Sending virtual hugs to everyone!