Red Snow

Chapter 15

"Qian Qian!" 

Ye Hua woke up screaming her name. He found himself back in his chamber at Nine Heavens.

 A part of Ye Hua still thought he was Zhao Ge, crying over the loss of his bride, his wife, his beloved. Zhao Ge who did the most outrageous thing imaginable and jumped after her, killed by the very river he tried to tame. 

After that, thousands of years of memories flooded his mind. Ye Hua remembered his duties, his family and most of all his brother. He recalled his training with Mo Yuan, the excursions they took together, and his death. 

It still felt like it was only yesterday Ye Hua buried him. And then he remembered how his brother had died. Zhao Ge was a fool.

Ye Hua got out of bed, the chill of the freezing river still clung to his skin. He changed into his formal robes. After years of wearing rough clothes, Ye Hua was finally able to touch silk again.

And yet, why was he brushing his hands across his robes looking for patches his wife mended for him? Where was the warm bubbling feeling in his heart every time he saw it? 

Ye Hua clenched his fist, why is he still searching for that feeling? 

"Your Highness, " a voice called out, "You're awake!"

A man stepped out and greeted him, "Welcome back to the Nine Heavens, your Highness, " 

He wore a cream coloured robe with long sleeves. Ye Hua might have seen his face once or twice, but he couldn't recall who he was. 

Ye Hua blinked, and then he remembered what happened after the funeral. His new title in the heavenly court, what his brother's wishes for him. 

"Jia Yun was it?" He asked.

"Yes, my lord, " Jia Yun bowed, "I'm your secretary. While Tian Shu will be here serving as your bodyguard, " 

Behind the door, another man stepped out. He wore the typical uniform of a heavenly guard, with a sword by his belt. 

Ye Hua didn't need a bodyguard, but the Heavenly Lord insisted.

Tian Shu bowed, "It is an honour to serve as the crown prince's guard, "

Ye Hua raised his hand, "I'm not crown prince yet. You two can drop the pretences, " 

Jia Yun bowed, "This is highly unorthodox, your Highness. Surely, after tonight you'll be crowned..." 

Ye Hua raised his hand again, "The Heavenly lord still hasn't passed judgment. He would have to see my performance in the mortal realm, " 

And judging how well it turned out, Ye Hua had no doubt he didn't even have the chance to sit on the throne. 

Ye Hua thought back to his mortal trial. He had a lot of questions in his mind. Questions that no doubt take time to answer. The main one, of course, was, what was she doing there with him. 

"Why was the trial cut short?" Ye Hua asked, "It was supposed to be sixty years, " 

"You were needed back here, Your Highness," Jia Yun explained, "The second Prince had abdicated his throne over a simple snake spirit. The nine heavens are looking for you to fill his gap, " 

Ye Hua examined his statement, "I see, " 

Did that mean that Ye Hua lost thirty years of happiness over his uncle's mistake? And then he straightened himself, there is no happiness with that vixen around. There could never be.

"Anything else?" Ye Hua asked.

"The Heavenly Lord requests your presence immediately, " Jia Yun said, "He said you have delayed your time for long enough, "