Chapter 61

After repeatedly failing all his attempts, Shen Nuo slowly withdrew back to his palace. His face looked paler and haggard. He wasn't even in a mood to eat. Twelve days had already passed since the incident at the court. But Shen Nuo had not seen Li Yan even for once.

Shen Nuo would often sit by the window and gaze sorrowfully at the sky with his palms supporting his cheeks. The more he passed time like this, the more he thought about things deeply.

At moments, he would suddenly choke in his breath and burry his face in his palms, sniffing. Tears would seeth down his hands and fall onto the window sill. At other times he looked utterly grave, with a ghostly face and red eyes.

Liyi and Jinyu could only look at Shen Nuo and sigh with a worried expression. They really did not know what to do. At first they tried to cheer him up to change the subject. But they gave up sooner since nothing worked at all.

Another three days passed. Shen Nuo heard that Li Yan had left the palace again. Why was Li Yan behaving strange? What on earth is exactly going on? What else was Li Yan hiding from him? Shen Nuo did not know.

Another two days later, it was Minghe's birthday. Normally the palace should throw a grand feast. But Minghe simply did not have that luck. Because that the former Empress died the day Minghe was born, his birthday was always celebrated poorly, without too much noise. The harem would gather and enjoy. And that was it.

Shen Nuo felt pity. That morning, he changed into a casual dress and went into the gardens where the harem would always gather to enjoy. Minghe was glad. He had been wanting to invite him but Khutulun had decisively stopped Minghe from doing this.

But Khutulun was really happy to see Shen Nuo back, safe and sound. The gardens were beautifully decorated and laden with desks in the open under the snowy white blossoming peach trees.

So while the consorts and the other folk scattered around the garden in gangs, chatting like frogs in a well, Shen Nuo forced a smile taking a seat by a random desk and pulled Minghe onto his lap. "Here's a gift for you." He gave Minghe a beautiful hairpin made of jade and diamonds. "You fine?"

Minghe happily accepted the gift. Then he nodded looking at him. "Daddy Shen, you had cried." He whispered with big eyes.

Shen Nuo was startled. "What?" He quickly wiped away his eyes. "I wasn't. It's just dust got into my eyes."

But Minghe shook his head. "Your eyes are red and wet. Just like imperial father's..."

Shen Nuo's heart stopped beating. "What did you say?"

"Imperial Father also seems to be getting too much dust in his eyes these days. He also says that. But I know he isn't." Minghe said honestly. "He is lying."

Shen Nuo's heart beat was thundering. He couldn't speak for a long time. His eyes moistened again. For fifteen days he hadn't seen Li Yan. But for Shen Nuo, it was like fifteen years...

One thing more or less he realized during Li Yan's absence was that he missed him... He missed that cold and handsome face. He missed that seductive smile. He missed that person's gentle touch. He missed that person's care...

Shen Nuo swallowed, his eyes drawing even red. "You know where he is?" He asked in a hoarse whisper.

But Minghe shook his head again, slowly. "Imperial Father has something to do outside the city. He and uncle Zhangsun would often leave. So when I feel lonely, I would go to his chamber to study scrolls. But sometimes when there are too much memorials to read, imperial father would come in the noon to read them."

"And?"

"And he leaves before the night."

Shen Nuo narrowed his glassy eyes. So he was right. Li Yan was really avoiding him... He did not know what to feel. He tightened his jaws, shutting his eyes. "Minghe..."

"Yes?"

"If you meet him back, can you pass him my words?"

Minghe shook his head. "Father said he is not sure when he would return. I also saw him last just seven days ago."

Shen Nuo did not know what to feel. He only felt a lump in his throat. His throat pained so much. His heart bled. He silently looked down and softly sighed.

Across the garden, Khutulun called Minghe's name. She was calling him to give him a present and play with him for a while. Shen Nuo gently slapped Minghe's shoulders. "Go and play..." His voice was abnormally hoarse.

Minghe grinned broadly and hurried down the garden while Shen Nuo felled back into thought. He only came back to his senses when he saw a sudden flash of black, passing infront of him.

A chill ran down his spine, freezing him to the marrow of his bones. What came to his mind was only one thing.

Minghe's assassination...

Shen Nuo felt as if stabbed. Blood left his face. His attention these days was completely drawn askew because of Li Yan. How did he forget Minghe!!? He gulped. No, even if it was at the cost of his death, he should save Minghe... At least he would be able to pay off a little from a lifetime of debts he owed to that child's father...

He struggled to his feet immediately. But it was too late...

Frightening screams of the horrified consorts echoed through out the gardens, fetching the imperial guards from the outside.

Chen Gu cornered Minghe against the closest peach tree and was just about to slit his throat with a dagger. But unexpectedly, Minghe didn't scream or stay idle. The moment he was grasped by his neck, he knew what was coming. Confronting that tall man who was several feet taller than him, Minghe punched that assassin between his legs at lightning speed. That person was stunned.

Though Minghe was yet five, his arm strength was shocking to his age, for he was personally taught by Li Yan. And needless to say, the man who was attacked, groaned. His hand moved convulsively for a while and Minghe taking chance, gracefully broke free and fled the scene.

Shen Nuo: "..." He came back to his senses immediately.

"ARE YOU DEAF!!?" Shen Nuo groaned in anger to the six imperial guards who poured in. "PROTECT THE CROWN PRINCE!!!" He quickly ran towards Minghe.

Consort Khutulun who stood horror-stricken by the side, immediately pulled Minghe to her and hugged the little kid tightly, shielding the child with her slender and weak body. She was scared too. Tears were welling down her glassy eyes. But her guts were really appreciative when the assassin and the imperial guards were just dueling a few zhangs away.

Shit! Shen Nuo was speechless. Normally this part of the main palace had less guards since it belonged to the harem. Li Yan wasn't at the palace either. And it seems the assassin was well skilled. Just within few moves, all six the three guards dropped down dead.

Chen Gu turned to Khutulun. "Leave out the prince and back off!" His growling murderous voice was frightening. He took several steps closer when he felt that Khutulun in fear, had rooted down her feet onto the grass unable to move.

Taking chance, Xuanying had advanced from behind in secret. She raised a flower pot and dumped it over Chen Gu's head. She was shivering in fright. But still managed to aim properly. Even amid this hell, Shen Nuo couldn't help but praise Xuanying and the Mongolian princess.

They were really better than many flowery butterfly consort women who only knew to quarrel with each other.

Chen Gu did not expect to be attacked like this. For a moment, he was stunned. Blood seethed down his forehead.

He was infuriated and turned towards Xuanying at lightning speed. Looks like he won't be able to get the life of the prince without killing those annoying consorts. In his hand was the dagger, aimed at her chest. Chen Gu was too close. Shen Nuo who came running, pushed Xuanying to the side with all his might. It was too late to dodge.

Shen Nuo shut his eyes furiously. His heart was beating wildly. Also fine. If he die, perhaps he can leave this world forever and return back to where he belonged.

If only he had a regret, he would regret being unable to say goodbye to that person...

He would regret being unable to make that person happy, that person to whom he owed whole his life...

He would regret not loving that person who loved him truly with whole his heart...

He would regret being unable to see that person one last time and say that he would miss him...

Tears seethed down his closed eyes. His face looked really painful and his lips trembled slightly. With each moment of closing death, his shuddering lips subconsciously mumbled the words that came from the bottom of his heart.

Li Yan... I'm sorry....

There was a terrifying sound of a blade cutting through silk and flesh. The watchers screamed horrified. Shen Nuo's breath hitched.

For a split second, Shen Nuo thought that the dagger had stabbed him. But the pain that he expected didn't come. He didn't feel anything. He gulped and slowly lowered his head to look at the dagger that was an inch apart from his chest.

But...

His heart immediately sank. He felt like he had been stabbed with a thousand daggers, right through his heart. His eyes widened in horror. He was shaken to the extreme as he looked at the bare hand that held the sharp blade. Blood dripped down drop by drop, staining that person's golden sleeve.

The Emperor stood beside Shen Nuo, tall and majestic under the rising sun. He held the blade of the dagger in his hand that was aimed at Shen Nuo's heart. That person's face was frosty than ever. He looked at Chen Gu with blazing eyes and a deep inescapable golden tinge flashed across his phoenix eyes.

For a moment, before anyone could clearly see what happened, there was a terrifying surge of spiritual waves. Even the ground beneath their feet slightly shuddered in it's pressure.

Before a second could pass, Chen Gu was thrown with a terrifying force and he slammed onto a pillar which cracked in the pressure. He slid down to the foot of the pillar spitting blood.

Consort Lian pursed her thin lips. Tears left her eyes. No one knew what this moment mean to her. Either it should be the life of Crown Prince, or it should be the life of her son. Since Chen Gu's attempt failed, now everything was in her hands.

No one would know if she use this chance to kill Minghe with one of her hidden weapons. The life of her son would be saved. She would be free and would be able to flee the palace. Then live a normal life in a calm and a peaceful village, watching his son grow up.

She dug her shivering fingers into her sleeve and pulled a small star kylie. But when she looked at the little kid hidden in the snuggle of Khutulun, her heart tightened.

The death of Empress Xi Jiu flashed into her mind. She poisoned that innocent woman who did not owe her anything, and took that person's life just because her father asked her to.

Reluctantly or not, in the end she still killed her with her own hands. She regretted it. She regretted it for a life time. She knew the blood that stained her hands for commiting this sinful crime would never be able to be washed for a lifetime.

And that cold night the day Xi Jiu was burried, standing alone infront of the cold white jade stone of her grave with eyes filled with tears of guilt, what did she promise Xi Jiu?

She promised that no matter what, she will protect Minghe as long as she was alive.

That kid once squeezed loftily into her arms and looked at her with bright glassy eyes, calling her mother...

Why? Because he did not have a mother to love him truly to begin with. He could only run around in the harem, begging for love and care that he would never get honestly. Because the only person who could satisfy this need was already dead... Dead because she killed her... She killed her just to quench the never ending blood thirst of her father...

Consort Lian's fingertips were trembling. They tightened onto the blade that cut through the soft skin and blood oozed, dripping down. She shut her eyes tightly, more and more tears welling down. Her heart bled furiously.

Then after several tentative seconds, she finally reached her decision, gritting her teeth and tightening her jaws and stroke her arm, with her long pink sleeve, flashing in the winds. The hidden weapon flew across the garden in the strong force drawn off by her cultivation and slitted Chen Gu's throat, taking his life.

Chen Gu... I'm sorry...

The moment she made this choice, she knew she would loose her child instead. Nevermind. She will repay Xi Jiu this way. Then she will go with her son too. She lost everything in her life. She didn't want to give that pain to Li Yan too. She wouldn't endure it to do sinful crimes as this anymore. She shut her eyes again, her lashes trembling slightly.

It was when Grand Martial Shendu returned to the scene. He immediately pulled Minghe from Khutulun's grasp and nestled him in his strong arms, looking darkly at Chen Gu.

Shen Nuo quickly came back to his senses and grasped from Li Yan's arm, that was dripping with blood.

For a second, under that peach tree, a pair of long phoenix eyes and a pair of deep beautiful and sad eyes met. Their gazes locked with each other. Shen Nuo's heart was thundering.

Fifteen days...

But-

Li Yan did not smile... Shen Nuo wanted to open his mouth. His eyes were already tearing. He wanted to talk but when he opened his mouth, he did not know what to say. He couldn't speak at all.

But by the next second, Li Yan silently pulled back his hand. The dagger that had cut into his palm felled down onto the grass.

And Li Yan walked away, towards Consort Lian who was shivering with a bleeding palm. He silently swept his strong arms around her shoulders and knees, pulled her into a bridal carry and strode out of the garden towards the imperial residence.

"Martial Shen, take Minghe away!"

Shi Lianhua, meanwhile was pale as a ghost. "Your Majesty..." She said in a weak voice. Her voice was slightly hoarse and shuddering.

"You don't have to speak." Li Yan said coldly narrowing his eyes. "Zhen don't wish to hear anything right now, Consort Lian, or should Zhen call you by your true name, Shen Zhaosheng? The beloved daughter of Ruoyun Shen?"

Consort Lian gasped. Blood left her face. How does Li Yan know? What else does Li Yan know... She did not know...

But Shen Nuo who saw the Emperor huddle Consort Lian into his arms, gulped raising his chin, revealing his neck and his adam's apple slid down his fair supple throat. The ends of his eyes were a bit red and wet. His lips were trembling slightly.

He slowly half knelt on the grass with a lowered head and picked up the dagger that was stained with Li Yan's blood. He looked at that blade with blurry eyes and gently wrapped his supple palm around the sharp end. This dagger should have stained with his blood, not Li Yan's... This blade should have pierced his heart, not Li Yan's...

Shen Nuo's pale face twisted in pain but he did not cry aloud. Because this kind of feeling can be at least forcefully controlled by him, without bursting in tears infront of people. But Shen Nuo couldn't control the tide in his heart. It broke in the storm like a dam amid the pain of a thousand needles piercing his heart. It was so much pain that was hard to sustain.

And for the first time in his life, he wondered if Li Yan had felt this same pain for more than a lifetime...

He silently lowered his head. The hand that grasped the blade of the dagger tightened convulsively. Blood seethed down through his fingers, mingled with Li Yan's blood and dripped down drop by drop, staining the white petals and greeny grass beneath him. But the pain he felt from the cut in his hand was no where to match the pain he felt in the depths of his heart...

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(Three more chapters😅).