Wang Li Xun, the Crown Prince, goes out hunting for the Celestial Flower to save his mother from a terminal illness. When he nearly dies from the attack of a mythical beast, he is saved by a mysterious boy who lives in the mountains.
To repay his ki...
Li Xue was, without a doubt, still scarred by what she saw the other day in the dressing room. Before Long'Er could start apologising all over again, she burst out in tears.
"You lied to me. Do you know how embarrassed I was after I discovered you are a girl?"
She cried and buried her face into her pillows. Seeing this, Long'Er immediately kneed and bowed deeply.
"Your Highness, I'm terribly sorry."
Li Xue sobbed louder, even hiccuping a few times, before she glanced at her with red-rimmed eyes. "Does my brother know? About your gender?"
A shake of Long'Er's head made her face darken. "Are you one of his crazy admirers? Lying to get close to him so that you can seduce him?"
Long'Er's eyes widened. "No! That's not it, Your Highness. I swear on my life I've no ill intentions against the Crown Prince."
However, Li Xue narrowed her eyes, unable to believe her words.
"Tell me the reason for your disguise and entering the palace. Otherwise, I'll spill the beans to everybody in the palace. If the Emperor hears about this, you'll be punished in the harshest way possible."
Hearing the warning, Long'Er lowered her gaze.
Without much of a choice, she revealed her true intentions. How she met the Crown Prince by coincidence and decided to accept the opportunity to enter the palace. How she only had two clues to trace her birth roots; one was that her father worked for the Emperor, and the second was his name – Han Zhi Wen.
Even Li Xue was astonished at her claim. "Are you serious?! Han Zhi Wen is your father? I didn't know he had a daughter."
"I believe he isn't aware of it either."
"How could he not know?" she exclaimed in disbelief. "Everybody knew he had a first wife, one who disappeared suddenly. After several years of futile searching and family pressure, he had to take on a second wife," she shared. "I have known him ever since I was young. Minister Han is a great man and a loyal servant to my father. A benevolent man. Yet, how can such a parent not know of his child's existence?"
In return, Long'Er shook her head. She tried her best to explain carefully in detail, having heard the story many times from her guardian who took her under her wing.
"Yes, my mother was Han Zhi Wen's first wife. When she couldn't give birth to an heir after trying for a few years, she was often criticised for her flaws. When she was at her wits' end, she stumbled upon the legendary tale of the Celestial Flower."
"Let me guess," Li Xue mused. "Your mother searched, crossed the barrier and consumed the flower, which eventually ended up in her having you."
"Correct."
Her answer made the princess shift in her seat excitedly. She picked up a pillow and hugged it to her chest, clinging onto every word Long'Er said in utmost anticipation. Being the book lover that she was, coming across this kind of story intrigued her.
Long'Er carried on. "After consuming the Celestial Flower, it actually took some time for the magic to work. Before my mother found out that she was pregnant with me, Han Zhi Wen's mother had spoken to her privately to beg her to leave his son. If my mother continued to remain by my father's side, she feared there would be no descendants to carry on their family's line."
"That old, selfish hag!" Li Xue raged, but she lowered her voice slightly after realising that she had just bad-mouthed Long'Er's grandmother. "I-I mean that old, wrinkly woman..."
In response, Long'Er simply gave a sad smile.
"At that point of time, my mother was upset and believed that the Celestial Flower had brought no results to her. Even though Han Zhi Wen never showed his disappointment to her once, she knew that he always wanted to have a child. Hence, for him to pursue his happiness, my mother was willing to give up on hers and left the household on her own accord."
"B-b-but..." Confusion swirled in Li Xue's eyes. "You happened."
A lump formed in Long'Er's throat. "Yes, fate was being cruel to her. When she found out she was pregnant with me, it was too late. She couldn't travel back to the capital with a swollen belly."
"How about sending home a message? Surely Minister Han would come to pick her up?"
"She did. She tried sending letters back to the Han manor but she never received any response. We believed that old Lady Han was determined to keep her away, so that her son could remarry without any issues. As time passed, my mother knew she couldn't return to the manor after receiving such hurtful treatment. With the help of my godmother, we led our lives elsewhere in peace."
"Is she doing well now?" Li Xue asked quietly. "Your mother, I mean."
Her question caused a lump in Long'Er's throat. Tears formed in her eyes as she recalled the final moment of her mother, who apologised profusely to her. Even in her deathbed, she blamed herself for not being able to provide everything for her daughter.
"She suffered from immense guilt that no medicine could cure and passed away when I was five."
A tear rolled down Li Xue's cheeks and she sniffed sadly. "So, are you going to tell Minister Han about your real identity?"
"I don't know." Long'Er sighed and ran a hand over her face tiredly. "I really am clueless. He seems pretty happy with his family and I don't wish to ruin any of that. Is there any worth bringing back the unhappy past?"
"What about you? Are you happy?"
Her questions brought nothing but silence and uncertainty to the deeply saddened Long'Er. "I'm content with what I have now, except for one thing which greatly perturbs me. I do wish to inform my father about my mother's passing. I believe he isn't aware of that but he has a right to know."
Silence lapsed between the girls, until Li Xue's eyes suddenly lit up. "I've got an idea! Would you like to see Minister Han at his manor? I can bring you out of the palace and come up with an excuse so that nobody else would know about this matter."
Long'Er blinked her eyes in surprise as she didn't expect the princess to provide aid to her. "You will do that for me instead of reporting me to the Emperor?"
"Yes..." Li Xue mumbled and averted her gaze awkwardly. "But don't read too much into it. I just want you to leave the palace as soon as possible. Besides, you saved my mother's life once, my brother's life twice and mine once. Our family is heavily indebted to you, and this is probably what I can do to return the favour–"
Before she finished speaking, Long'Er was already dropping into a grateful bow.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Embarrassment crawled up Li Xue's face. She cleared her throat awkwardly and stood up. Excitement shone in her eyes as she marvelled at her brilliant idea of leaving the palace.
"Enough with the formalities. Let's get dressed in proper outfits for our little excursion!"
Her eagerness was over-zealous. Long'Er frowned and couldn't help but remember the last time she headed out of the palace with her. "Are you certain that this time we won't simply be going into town for any other ulterior motive? Such as buying your favourite novels–"
But before she could finish her sentence, a pillow was flung at her, one which she dodged in time.
"Can you not be that observant for once, bumpkin?!"
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
