Chapter 9: Missing Her and That Home

Half a month before the Spring Festival, a detachment of the Imperial Guard met Prince Ji one hundred miles outside the capital.

By the time they reached the city gates, the commoners along the way had already heard the news: Prince Ji had returned.

The people were no strangers to Prince Ji. Despite his visual impairment, he had never stayed in his manor to live the life of a pampered prince.

Though he could not see, he was capable of doing things for the Emperor—many things.

Prince Ji was strict with those around him; the staff of his manor never used his influence to bully others.

Therefore, Prince Ji held an excellent reputation in the hearts of the capital’s citizens. Hearing that he had been found and had returned safe and sound, they all surged forward to catch a glimpse. Not daring to make a loud commotion, they simply watched as the carriage, surrounded by the Imperial Guard and a troop of attendants, headed toward the Imperial Palace.

Inside the carriage, He Zexu’s handsome face showed not a hint of joy at returning to the palace.

Now that his sight had been restored, he felt no excitement to view the place where he had grown up. In his heart, the place he most wanted to see was actually that home in the Valley of Broken Souls, thousands of miles away.

That home where he had lived for over nine months—though he couldn't see it back then, he knew it was humble, yet it was the only place in all these years where he had felt warmth.

"Sanniang loved decorating that home the most. 'Huai-ge, I want to plant wisteria by the gate, what do you think? I’ve already found a few on the mountain, but I’m not strong enough to dig them up. Could you help me dig them back?'"

"'Huai-ge, I want to plant flowers all around the fence, what do you think? When they bloom, I can enjoy the view, and you can smell the fragrance.'"

At this moment, her enthusiastic words echoed in his ears over and over again. Sometimes, fearing he would find her annoying and refuse, she would even act spoiled and ingratiating.

Lovely Sanniang—she had no idea that she didn't need to do that at all. He would never refuse anything she asked. It was only after he discovered her little schemes that he would intentionally hesitate for a brief moment whenever she begged for something, and she would foolishly fall for it, beginning to act spoiled and ingratiating.

She clearly knew he couldn't see anything, yet she would still describe every decoration to him—for instance, how the crisscrossing gaps in the fence were better looking than vertical ones.

She would even describe the colors of the feathers of the chicks she brought back from the market outside the valley, and what color they would turn after the elders grew in.

Before meeting her, his daily tasks had all been matters of national importance for his Imperial Father.

After being with her, everything became trivial, mundane matters that had nothing to do with him.

Yet, he never felt bored or annoyed; on the contrary, he loved it dearly.

Those nine months felt like a dream—the warmest, most beautiful dream of his life.

And now, the dream had ended. He was back here, forced to resume the life he had lived before.

During the days with her in the Valley of Broken Souls, although he was blind, because of her, he felt as if he could see everything.

Now, his eyes were healed, yet it felt as if he had returned to the darkness.

"Master, the Crown Prince is at the palace gate. He must be here to welcome you," a subordinate reported in a low voice from outside the carriage.

He Zexu gave a hum but said nothing. He knew that man was always one for such superficial gestures—done for the Emperor to see, and for others to see as well.

The entire court knew they were at odds, yet he still insisted on such a performance; it was truly an unnecessary effort.

He Zexu also knew that his subordinate was actually reminding him; after all, the fact that his vision had been restored still had to be kept secret for the time being.

There was only one reason: to paralyze the other side, making it easier to investigate certain matters and carry out certain plans.

For instance, the cause of his mother’s death back then, and how he had lost his sight in the first place!

He Zexu wasn't sure how long he could keep this secret, but he would do his best to investigate.

Throughout the journey back to the capital, he had been diligently training himself to maintain his old habits from when he was blind, forcing his eyes to remain as they were before—seeing nothing, as if blind.

This was easy in some respects, but difficult in others.

It was easy because he had been blind for over eight years, but the difficulty lay in the fact that he was no longer truly blind.

The carriage stopped. The Crown Prince stepped forward, expressing his surprise and excitement at their long-awaited reunion, his voice choking as he called out, "Fifth Brother, you have suffered."

It was different now compared to before. He could not only hear his Imperial Brother’s hypocrisy, but he could also see it with his own eyes.

He Zexu struggled to control his emotions, trying not to push away the hands reaching out to help him, despite the disgust in his heart.

Compared to his impression of this brother eight years ago, before he lost his sight, his brother now seemed much more seasoned. It was a pity, however, that his cultivation was still lacking; otherwise, how could the malice in his eyes be so clearly visible?

If he didn't want to hide it, why bother with this act of a long-awaited brotherly reunion?

He Zexu despised his brother in his heart, and with his support, he climbed onto the palace palanquin with a feigned clumsiness.

The Crown Prince scolded the palanquin bearers in a low voice, "Slow down, be careful, keep it steady."

He Zexu, sitting on the palanquin, paid no mind to his brother’s posturing. He had only one thought: once things here stabilized, he would return to the Valley of Broken Souls himself to see that home with his own eyes.

He would bring a painter back to ask the people in the valley to describe her appearance.

And her cause of death—he had to get to the bottom of that. The reactions of his cousin, Jiang Yurong, and his subordinates had been strange and abnormal.

And that last meal with Sanniang—her reaction had also been wrong, very unusual.

It was as if she had already foreseen that she would be parted from him by life and death!

Yet, even then, she had still boarded that raft with them!

...

How could He Zexu know that his wife, who had died such a tragic death, was at this very moment leaning on a cane, trudging forward step by step through the wind and snow.

Because of her disguise, she hadn't encountered any danger along the way.

As long as she didn't go out of her way to be a nuisance, no one would bother a disheveled beggar.

No one knew that this was a wealthy beggar; inside that inconspicuous cane she held were gold beads, gold leaves, gold bars, and silver.

When she first left her family, for the sake of caution, she hadn't taken a single piece of jewelry that could identify her.

She had only chosen items that wouldn't lead to her identity being traced if used outside.

On the road, she had found a shrub with a hard shell, cut a branch, hollowed out the core, and stuffed the items inside.

She had never used the contents, as she had never reached a point of desperation.

After marrying Lu Huai, she had several times wanted to use the things in the cane to buy decent items for their home, but she didn't dare. She was terrified that one careless decision would bring trouble and disaster to this happy little home.

Yet, all her extreme caution had been in vain; in the end, she hadn't been able to keep her home with him.

Actually, that day, she could have helped him escape his subordinates, but she had only thought about it in her heart. After all, he hadn't truly lost his memory.

Even if she had told him she was carrying his child and asked him to change his mind and stay, what would it have mattered? She could keep his person, but she couldn't keep his heart!

Although she didn't know his identity or what kind of misfortune he had suffered, Wei Zijun was certain of one thing: he, like her, had his own unavoidable hardships.

If she were to learn his identity in the future and know where he was, could she resist the urge to go find him, to take even one look at him?

As she was thinking, she saw a ruined temple by the side of the road ahead. Even though she desperately wanted to get inside to escape the wind and snow, she didn't dare walk too fast. In her womb was the bloodline of her and him—her only family left besides him—and she had to protect this baby carefully.

Upon getting closer, Wei Zijun discovered that although the temple was ruined, it still had a door. After pushing it open and stepping inside, she sniffed the air, catching a faint, lingering scent of blood.

Having spent nearly a year honing her skills in the outside world, she had already witnessed many dangerous and terrifying things. Subconsciously, she turned to leave, but it was too late. As she turned, a cold blade was already pressed against her neck...

(End of chapter)