Chapter 31: Chapter 31: The Ninth Prince Part I

Horror filled Xu Haoran's face. He dismounted and stopped them.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help overhearing. Is Li Yingshan really dead?"

The martial artists glanced at him. "Aren't you the man she was married to?"

"Y- yes."

"You're lucky you survived her then. Whatever spell or blackmail she had over you must be long gone now. You should be glad she's dead. At least you don't have any children with that foxfox spirits are cunning, manipulative, and usually evil creatures in traditional Chinese mythology!"

They walked on, leaving Xu Haoran to choke back a sob. He swallowed, wiped his eyes, grabbed the reins of his horse, and walked all the way back to Xu manor. As he pushed open the doors and crossed the threshold, Zhang Fangong and Qiu Ling ran towards him.

"Have you heard anything?" he inquired.

Qiu Ling cried, "Where's my Lady? Did she really go to Dream House?"

Both men gaped at her. She hung her head and wrung her hands nervously. "My Lady threatened to marry me off if I said anything. But now she's still missing, and Qiu Ling is already married!"

Xu Haoran hung his head. "She's dead."

Zhang Fangong's face changed in an instant. Tears welled in Qiu Ling's eyes as she began to cry into his chest, soaking his clothes. He wrapped his arms around her and looked at his Young Master.

"Madam is smart. How could she die so easily?"

"She tried to assassinate the Crown Prince in the Imperial Palace."

Qiu Ling sniffled and turned her head. "No, there's no way my Lady would be so brazen. She was going to the capital to gather intel and overthrow the Crown Prince with one of his brothers. Assassinating the Crown Prince wouldn't be her plan.""

"All I know is what I heard. And I heard that she died at the Crown Prince's hand," Xu Haoran muttered as he clenched his fists.

The newlyweds knew he loved Li Yingshan greatly. Of course this news would be hard on him. He looked up at the sky with watery eyes.

Xu Yingshan, even if you didn't love me, how could you bear to leave Qiu Ling behind? Was this your plan all along? You didn't wish to live, but Qiu Ling stopped you from going to King Yama's Kingdom. Without Qiu Ling, and knowing Zhang Fangong would take care of her, did you see a way out? Did you even give me a second thought?

∇

One week ago, in a mass grave somewhere outside of Luoyang...

An middle-aged man walked carefully through the bodies. Some were rotting terribly with flies hovering over them while others were still fresh. Still, some were just bones being pecked on by crows. Hour upon hour passed. Finally, his eyes caught on someone. He rushed over to the body and squatted down. Brushing some hair aside, he sat back on his heels and sighed. Digging the young woman out of the pile, he picked her up in his arms and started away from the horrid site.

The man took her back to his small cottage outside Luoyang and set her down in the bathtub first. After carefully removing her clothes, he took a wet cloth and began wiping the grim, dried blood, and mud off of her pearly white skin. Once he cleaned her, he lifted her body out of the tub and set her down on a table reserved for medical uses. He checked the wound on her chest and applied a paste to it. Then, he wrapped her chest up with bandages before dressing her in a simple slate grey Daoist robe.

The man moved her to the bed and brought the covers up to cover her shoulders. He sat down on the edge of the bed and took her pulse. It was very, very faint but there. A sigh of relief relaxed his shoulders.

"Ms. Li," he murmured. "This time, you're really cutting it close!"

Over the next few days, he tended to her wound and kept it from getting infected further. Two weeks later, she stirred but didn't wake up. After a month had passed, her wound site was healing nicely and was just a scar now. But Li Yingshan still hadn't woken up. The man wondered how long it would be until she did.

∇

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Sunlight filtered into the cottage. A groan came from the bed. Eyelids fluttered before they opened. A head turned, eyes questioning the surroundings. A few minutes later, the sound of footsteps approaching caused the eyes to close.

The man entered the cottage with a bowl and spoon in hand. He walked over to the bed and sat down at the edge. Peeking through the eyelashes, the eyes recognized him. They flew open, and he smiled.

"You're finally awake. You were a cun from King Yama's Kingdom."

Li Yingshan opened her mouth to speak, but only a hoarse rasp came out, "Ren Shengfu?"

"Careful. You've been unconscious for three months. Your voice needs some time to recover."

Ren Shengfu held up the bowl. "I have some medicine here. Why don't you drink it first?"

Li Yingshan nodded, and he helped her to a sitting position. She drank all of the medicine and watched him the whole time.

"You must be wondering why I saved you?"

She nodded.

"Because I became disillusioned with the Crown Prince, same as you. If you want to fix this, then when you fully recover, go to meet Chen Chengxian陈澄鲜 chén chéngxiān - given name meaning "Clear and Fresh" ; given name taken from Ouyang Xiu's poem "A Painted Boat Carrying Wine", the Ninth Prince."

She gaped at him incredulously. The Ninth Prince? Really? The Third Prince would be better!

He chuckled, "I can see your thoughts in your eyes. Hear me out: the Ninth Prince was tied with the Third Prince before. And now, he's growing his men to revolt against the Crown Prince. The Third Prince has caved and supports the Crown Prince now. The Ninth Prince is your only option."

Finally, she nodded in acceptance. Ren Shengfu smiled.

"You know, that maid of yours came to Luoyang with her husband and another man, looking for you. They went home without any results."

Sadness filled her eyes, and Li Yingshan shook her head.

"Why don't you want them to know? Because you're scared you'll die? Ms. Li, you've nearly died, what, three times now?"

She nodded slowly.

"I know you've been hurt and betrayed by others. But these three seem to truly care about you. Why don't you let them into your heart?"

Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at Ren Shengfu. He rested a hand on her shoulder before standing.

"I'll let you get some rest. Think about it, will you? They could be your saving grave."

He exited the cottage, leaving her to mull things over.

I know Qiu Ling is loyal. But I can't be her whole life. Zhang Fangong now has a wife to take care of, and Hero Xu belongs in the Jianghu dealing with martial arts problems. Not being in Luoyang. Not dealing with political strife. And especially not fixing my mistakes.

Determination set in her eyes. 

Whatever I've done, it's up to me to make amends. No one else can do it for me. Hero Xu can't protect me from my sins. I must repent on my own.

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