Tan Hua - Chapter 47

“So you hate me this much.”

 

Jun Qiyu looked at Hu Nuer’s ferocious face, a stark contrast to his usual self.

 

Beneath that submissive and humble exterior lay a deep-seated hatred.

 

Hu Nuer screamed hysterically, “I don’t just hate you! I want to eat your flesh and drink your blood!”

 

“It’s natural that you hate me, so why haven’t you found an opportunity to kill me? You’ve had plenty of chances since entering the capital, haven’t you? The person you should kill the most is me, so why did you harm my father instead?”

 

Jun Qiyu had always been cautious of him, which is why he never fully trusted Hu Nuer for years and even made him wear chains and shackles. But since entering the capital, he had let his guard down, fooled by Hu Nuer’s sweet words.

 

Hu Nuer didn’t respond, instead lowering his head. His dull brown-yellow hair covered his eyes, leaving one to wonder what he was thinking.

 

“Heh—”

 

Hu Nuer suddenly started laughing. Though it was called laughter, it sounded more sorrowful than crying.

 

“Heh heh… hahaha!”

 

Hu Nuer’s shoulders shook, and he laughed uncontrollably until his voice was hoarse.

 

“Yes… why didn’t I kill you?”

 

Hu Nuer then lifted his head, his lake-blue eyes filled with complex emotions: resentment, sorrow, and hatred.

 

“Because I love you.” Hu Nuer seemed incredulous himself. “I actually love you… hahaha! You made my life a living hell, and I ended up loving you… isn’t that ridiculous?”

 

Jun Qiyu watched him calmly.

 

“You’ve been framing Song Liqing and driving a wedge between us, all in the name of love? Then your love is truly malicious and vile.”

 

“Jun Qiyu!” Hu Nuer shouted angrily. “You are the last person qualified to criticize me! Did I ever harm Song Liqing? Not even once! It was all you, you who gave the orders and took action!”

 

Jun Qiyu found himself at a loss for words.

 

Because Hu Nuer was right—when had Hu Nuer ever hurt Song Liqing? Even when he once slapped Song Liqing, it was under Jun Qiyu’s orders.

 

Jun Qiyu felt a chill down his spine, unable to find any excuse.

 

All of Song Liqing’s suffering was caused by him.

 

A tear rolled down Hu Nuer’s face, but he stubbornly showed no weakness.

 

“What? Feeling guilty now that you can’t blame me? Have you cleared things up with Song Liqing?” Hu Nuer mocked.

 

Seeing Hu Nuer’s confident demeanor confirmed Jun Qiyu’s suspicion.

 

“He’s been here…”

 

“Yes, just yesterday.”

 

Hu Nuer no longer feared anything.

 

Jun Qiyu, in a fit of rage, grabbed Hu Nuer by the throat. Only when Hu Nuer was on the brink of suffocation did Jun Qiyu let go.

 

“No wonder… No wonder! What did you tell him?! To make him leave so decisively!”

 

Hu Nuer coughed a few times before catching his breath and said, “I merely told him he’s a Xiao, not a Song… Don’t worry, I didn’t embellish anything.”

 

Jun Qiyu’s fists clenched, veins bulging on the back of his hand, barely restraining himself from killing Hu Nuer on the spot.

 

Jun Qiyu understood. Learning about his true identity was the last straw for Song Liqing. He had no reason to stay by Jun Qiyu’s side anymore.

 

That’s why he left so decisively, without even looking back…

 

“You…”

 

Before Jun Qiyu could speak, Hu Nuer defiantly lifted his head.

 

“Come on! Kill me! You, Jun Qiyu, are ruthless and merciless. Haven’t you killed enough? Since I came to Jing Country, I knew this day would come! Kill me however you want, but don’t show any mercy!”

 

Hu Nuer was like a mad dog on the brink of death. He knew he wouldn’t leave this prison alive, so he was utterly reckless.

 

Jun Qiyu shook his head at him.

 

“You want to die, but I won’t let you. I also won’t kill you myself because I’ve already experienced the consequences of acting on impulse.”

 

Jun Qiyu turned away coldly.

 

“Guards, don’t let him die easily. Cut out his tongue first. He’s good at twisting the truth with his flowery words, and I don’t want to hear another word from him.”

 

Hu Nuer was fearless in the face of death; he provoked Jun Qiyu, hoping for a swift end.

 

However, what awaited him were endless tortures and punishments, and eventually, Hu Nuer became terrified.

 

“Jun Qiyu! If you have even a shred of conscience, kill me with one strike! Don’t let me endure further humiliation at the hands of these servants! Jun Qiyu! Don’t walk away! Do you think you and Song Liqing will have a happy ending? He is just like me, your mortal enemy! His fate will be even worse than mine…”

 

Once the prison door closed, Hu Nuer’s screams were no longer heard. His throat was hoarse, and this was his final struggle.

 

Having dealt with Hu Nuer, Jun Qiyu did not feel relieved. Instead, he felt an intense sense of desolation and dejection.

 

He looked at his own hands, then let them fall.

 

What did he have to be proud of?

 

These hands, which he once thought wielded supreme power, had harmed the person he deeply cared for.

 

He hadn’t truly seen the people around him.

 

Stumbling, Jun Qiyu returned to Qilin Manor. He held onto a sliver of hope, hoping that when he got home, Song Liqing would still be there, smiling gently and welcoming him back. Song Liqing would surely be considerate of his exhaustion, offering homemade fruit pastries, always softly comforting him no matter how troubled he was by court affairs.

 

Jun Qiyu’s heart was in turmoil.

 

He hurried home.

 

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Song Liqing’s maid, Xiao Di, standing in front of a charcoal brazier, lost in thought.

 

Jun Qiyu felt a surge of joy.

 

“You’re back… Liqing must be back too?” Jun Qiyu called out loudly, “Liqing! Liqing… I’m home!”

 

Jun Qiyu pushed open the door, but the room was empty.

 

His smile froze on his face.

 

The furnishings were all familiar, as tidy and clean as always, with a faint scent of elegant pear blossom incense still lingering.

 

Except… Song Liqing was missing.

 

Normally, Song Liqing liked peace and quiet. He didn’t like a crowd of servants in the courtyard, so usually, only one or two maids like Xiao Di were present.

 

Jun Qiyu used to think the courtyard was too quiet and dull. He enjoyed being surrounded and adored by people.

 

Today, with just one less Song Liqing… why did it feel so desolate?

 

So desolate that Jun Qiyu shivered from the cold.

 

He turned to Xiao Di and asked, “Where is your master? Where is he hiding?”

 

Xiao Di, seeing his angry glare, replied timidly.

 

“I escorted the young master back to the General’s residence, then we parted ways.”

 

Tears welled up in Xiao Di’s eyes. She was an orphan, and it had taken her a long time to find someone as kind and gentle as Song Liqing. But their time together was too short. Being a servant of Qilin Manor, she felt immense reluctance to part with him and had cried for a long time.

 

“He… he went back to the Song residence.” Jun Qiyu stood dazed for a moment, then shouted angrily, “What young master? He is the Crown Princess! Appointed by the Emperor… my Crown Princess!”

 

Xiao Di wiped her eyes and said nothing more.

 

“He really left… he went back to the Song family.”

 

Jun Qiyu sat down on the doorstep, forcing a smile.

 

“It’s okay, it’s okay… I’ll wait. He will come back to get his things eventually, and when I see him, I will explain everything. He always listens to me. If I apologize, he will surely change his mind.”

 

Jun Qiyu sat on the doorstep, waiting and waiting. Every minute felt like a year. Today’s sunlight seemed especially long, every second was torture. He waited until the sun set, the last rays of light fading from his face.

 

Jun Qiyu finally came to his senses.

 

“He didn’t come back…”

 

Jun Qiyu stood up and walked into the room.

 

This was their bridal chamber. The red paper cuttings of the “double happiness” character on the windows and walls had never been taken down, symbolizing endless love and good fortune.

 

Counting the days, it had only been two hundred days. Their marriage had lasted from summer to autumn, and even the paper cuttings had not faded.

 

Yet Song Liqing had already left him.

 

Seeing one of the “double happiness” characters starting to peel off, Jun Qiyu quickly used wax drippings as glue to reattach it, smoothing it carefully.

 

If everything in the room remained as it was when Song Liqing was here, he would surely be happier when he returned.

 

Standing in front of the desk, Jun Qiyu suddenly noticed something missing.

 

“Xiao Di,” Jun Qiyu called her in, “where is the book *Records of Mountains and Rivers*? Liqing always read it over and over. He kept it here, within easy reach.”

 

Xiao Di replied, “Master has already burned it.”

 

“Burned it?” Jun Qiyu hadn’t realized, “Why would he burn it? He treasured that book.”

 

Xiao Di lowered her head and said, “Master burned all the books he brought with him.”

 

Jun Qiyu’s eyelid twitched. He didn’t believe Xiao Di, so he opened the bookcase, only to find that not just the books, but even the paper and pens he often used were gone.

 

He then opened the wardrobe, finding that his frequently worn clothes were also missing.

 

Frantically searching everywhere, Jun Qiyu’s heart sank to the bottom. Anything that Song Liqing often used, anything related to him, was completely gone!

 

The room bore no trace of Song Liqing!

 

Jun Qiyu ran to the courtyard. Despite the dirt, he rummaged through the ashes, finding a shattered jade pendant, an item they had worn together with tasseled fringes.

 

The pendant was cracked, and the fringes had turned to dust in the fire.

 

Staring at the broken jade pendant in his hand, Jun Qiyu felt empty.

 

Song Liqing’s departure was not a spur-of-the-moment decision but a long-planned escape.

 

Those meaningful parting words he said in the morning were actually a farewell.

 

Unable to hold back any longer, Jun Qiyu, who had always faced any punishment from the Emperor or any severe wounds on the battlefield with a smile, now felt a lump in his throat and his eyes misting over as he held the broken jade pendant.

 

“Ah!!”

 

Jun Qiyu shouted, tears streaming down his face. It was the first time he cried in his life, unable to suppress the deep, stifled sobs from his chest.

 

“He didn’t leave a single thing… He didn’t give me any chance! Waaa…”

 

“Your Highness,” Xiao Di approached Jun Qiyu, “Master Song left you a note, asking me to give it to you.”

 

Jun Qiyu, feeling a glimmer of hope, eagerly took the note.

 

Opening it, he saw just a short message:

 

“This time I leave, first wishing you peace and health, second wishing we never meet again in this life or the next.”

 

Author’s note:

 

Hahahahaha, why am I so happy? =.=