Tan Hua - Chapter 52

In the plum grove, two men walked side by side. They were the top scholars from the same imperial examination cohort as Song Liqing, holding the positions of *zhuangyuan* (first-ranked scholar) and *bangyan* (second-ranked scholar), both coming from humble backgrounds. Excluding Song Liqing, the *tanhua* (third-ranked scholar), the two shared a close bond.

 

Today, the *zhuangyuan*, who had risen to the rank of Vice Minister of Rites, wore a troubled expression, sighing continuously.

 

The *bangyan* smiled and remarked, “It seems the esteemed Vice Minister has been in low spirits all day. Is it because the plum blossom festival has yet to arrive, and the scenery is not as beautiful as you hoped?”

 

“I’m feeling restless, so I came out for a walk,” the *zhuangyuan* replied after a pause. “I’ve heard that His Majesty intends to transfer me to the south to serve as a local prefect.”

 

“Ah…” the *bangyan* quickly offered his congratulations. “Then, congratulations are in order, my lord!”

 

The *zhuangyuan* was not pleased. “A prefect is a fifth-rank position, while the Vice Minister of Rites is also fifth-rank. This is a demotion—what’s there to celebrate?”

 

The *bangyan* smiled obsequiously.

 

“My lord, though your rank might be lowered, the south is far from the emperor’s watchful eye, and you would wield real power there. Isn’t that better than being in the capital, constantly on edge and watching others’ expressions?”

 

“That may be true, but you and I have studied diligently for years, hoping to soar high and establish ourselves in the capital. Being sent off to some desolate region—aren’t we just moving backward in life?” The *zhuangyuan* huffed in displeasure. “Do you think I don’t know what His Majesty is planning? He just wants to make room for that Song Liqing.”

 

The *bangyan* joined in the indignation. “He’s just a discarded pawn of the royal family. How could he possibly compare to you? Even the Crown Prince said he was dismissed. How can someone so lowly compete with you?”

 

“Shh… Be careful, someone might overhear…” The *zhuangyuan* stopped mid-sentence, his gaze falling on something beneath a plum tree not far away. The *bangyan* noticed it too—there was clearly someone lying there.

 

As they approached, they saw the person sprawled on the ground, their life or death uncertain, with a pool of blood nearby that had not yet dried.

 

The *bangyan* was slightly fearful. “Oh, could there have been a murder here?”

 

The *zhuangyuan* mustered his courage and turned the “corpse” over, and both their expressions changed simultaneously.

 

“Song Liqing!!”

 

“How did he end up dead in this desolate place?” the *bangyan* exclaimed.

 

The *zhuangyuan* checked for breath.

 

“He’s not dead, but his breathing is weak.”

 

“Not dead?” The *bangyan* didn’t think much of it. “No wonder we saw servants from the Song residence searching for someone earlier. This place is remote; we should quickly inform them so they can take him back.”

 

The *zhuangyuan’s* mind raced as he murmured, “If we save the son of General Song, this favor could ensure I stay in the capital!”

 

“My lord is absolutely right! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—I’ll go inform them right away.”

 

The *bangyan* was about to leave when the *zhuangyuan* suddenly called out to him.

 

“Wait!”

 

“What? Song Liqing can’t last long in this condition,” the *bangyan* said urgently.

 

The *zhuangyuan* raised a hand to silence him, his eyes darkening with a sinister gleam.

 

“Rather than placing our hopes on someone else’s gratitude, why not seize the opportunity ourselves…” He steeled himself. “If Song Liqing were to disappear from this world, where would His Majesty find someone to replace me? I could eliminate this threat for good!”

 

The *bangyan’s* heart skipped a beat, thoroughly shocked.

 

“My lord, this…this… If something goes wrong, we’ll be doomed!”

 

The *zhuangyuan* was resolute. “What are you afraid of? It’s just the two of us here—who would know? Song Liqing is already near death. We only need to give him a little push, and he’ll die quietly without a trace!”

 

The *bangyan* was still fearful and hesitant.

 

“No, no, no! There are many of Song’s servants in the forest. What if we run into them…”

 

“If we run into them, we’ll hand Song Liqing over to them and take the credit!” the *zhuangyuan* snapped. “I’ve had enough! Song Liqing is clearly less talented than either of us, yet he has overshadowed us. With him around, when will we ever get our moment in the sun? Fortune favors the bold! Will you help me or not? If I rise to power, I won’t forget you!”

 

The *bangyan* hesitated, weighing his options for a moment, but ultimately nodded firmly.

 

The *bangyan* then carried Song Liqing on his back, while the *zhuangyuan* kept watch at the front, and they managed to evade the Song family’s servants, traveling to a town several miles away.

 

This town was on the main road leading to the Western Regions, a resting place for traveling merchants. Outside the town was a charitable burial ground where many unclaimed bodies of those who had died in the capital were temporarily stored.

 

The two avoided detection and dragged Song Liqing into the burial ground, tossing him aside carelessly.

 

The *bangyan* was still nervous.

 

“Are you sure no one will find out?”

 

“This godforsaken place is deserted. By the time anyone finds him, he’ll have died of his injuries, and only bones will be left! Besides, we didn’t kill him ourselves. Our hands are clean—what are you afraid of?”

 

The two threw Song Liqing into a coffin and left hastily.

 

…

 

Jun Qiyu had spent the entire night drinking. Though he could hold his liquor, he had intentionally gotten himself drunk, only managing to fall into a hazy sleep after a day and a night.

 

His heart felt hollow. Without the alcohol, he didn’t know how he would survive such a long night.

 

Otherwise, whenever he closed his eyes, Song Liqing’s image would haunt him—his cold demeanor, his gentle manner, his obedient side, his stubborn streak—all becoming increasingly vivid.

 

Jun Qiyu didn’t even know when he had fallen in love with him. While Song Liqing was around, Jun Qiyu hadn’t noticed, but once he was gone, Jun Qiyu realized how much he meant to him.

 

“Your Highness, aren’t you attending court this morning?” Xiao Di came to wake him.

 

Jun Qiyu stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in his emptiness, not wanting anyone to disturb him.

 

Xiao Di usually didn’t bother with him—he was, after all, the Crown Prince of Jingguo, beyond her reproach. But seeing Jun Qiyu so despondent, she felt that Song Liqing’s efforts had been in vain.

 

“Young Master said he hoped you would become a wise ruler in the future. Are you going to betray his trust?”

 

Hearing this, a glimmer of light returned to Jun Qiyu’s eyes.

 

“But he’s gone… He doesn’t want me anymore. What good is it even if I do well?”

 

A tear hung from the corner of Jun Qiyu’s eye. When he closed his eyes, it slipped down his cheek.

 

“He said… he wants to be with Pei Xingxu. He must have been lying to me, right? He just didn’t want me to cling to him, so he said that. But when I saw him reach out to hold someone else’s hand, do you know how much that hurt? No, I won’t allow it…”

 

Jun Qiyu sat up abruptly, hurriedly putting on his boots, not even bothering to fix his disheveled hair, and rushed out to the General’s Mansion.

 

He had made up his mind—until Song Liqing forgave him, he wouldn’t give up.

 

No matter if he was scolded or despised.

 

When Jun Qiyu arrived at the General’s Mansion, he found that only a few people remained there. A single gatekeeper stood by, while others rushed in and out, as if something serious had happened.

 

Jun Qiyu grabbed the gatekeeper and asked, “Where are the people of the General’s Mansion?”

 

The gatekeeper recognized Jun Qiyu and replied, “My young master is missing.”

 

Jun Qiyu immediately grew anxious.

 

“Missing? How could he be missing? When did this happen?”

 

The gatekeeper answered, “He has been missing for a day. He left early in the morning to escort the Prince of Loulan out of the city. It wasn’t until noon that someone reported he had disappeared in the plum grove on the outskirts of the city, leaving only a pool of blood behind, with no sign of him.”

 

“Blood…”

 

Jun Qiyu could barely bear to hear that word. His condition was such that any bleeding was a severe threat.

 

“He has difficulty moving—did no one accompany him?” Jun Qiyu asked, both anxious and angry.

 

“The young master said he was going to take a walk with the Prince of Loulan deep in the plum grove and told everyone else to wait outside. It was only half an hour before they realized he was missing. The general sent everyone to search within a ten-mile radius, but they couldn’t find him.”

 

A thunderous shock exploded in Jun Qiyu’s mind.

 

He immediately brushed past the others, mounted his horse, and whipped it towards the plum grove on the outskirts.

 

On the way, countless thoughts raced through Jun Qiyu’s mind. Where could Song Liqing have gone? Perhaps he had gotten lost in the plum grove, given his blindness. But that pool of blood—was it from him being injured, or had he encountered some other danger? The more Jun Qiyu thought about it, the worse it seemed. Whatever the case, Song Liqing wouldn’t be able to face it alone!

 

And the consequences—Jun Qiyu couldn’t bear to imagine them.

 

When Jun Qiyu saw the bloodstains beneath the trees, his mind, which he had barely managed to steady, became a tangled mess once more.

 

The small patches of blood looked strikingly like red wintersweet blossoms.

 

“Liqing…”

 

Jun Qiyu felt his knees weaken, and he couldn’t even stand; he collapsed straight to the ground.

 

He couldn’t bear to look directly at the bloodstains before him—they stung his eyes and made his heart ache as if it were being torn apart.

 

Song Qing had already been searching the plum grove all day. His eyes were bloodshot, and when he saw Jun Qiyu kneeling on the ground, he chose to ignore him.

 

Jun Qiyu, however, rushed over, his voice trembling with anxiety. “General Song! Have you… found him?”

 

Song Qing remained silent.

 

Naturally, they hadn’t found him.

 

“Where could he have gone… He couldn’t have gone far on his own, unless he encountered danger. Could he have gone with Pei Xingxu to the Western Regions?”

 

At this point, Jun Qiyu would rather believe that Song Liqing had gone to the Western Regions—it was better than thinking something worse had happened.

 

“Impossible!” Song Qing sharply denied it. “With Liqing’s character, he would have informed me before leaving. He would never have left everything behind and disappeared!”

 

“Then where could he have gone? Could he have returned to the city on his own? Or did someone take him away? There’s no one else around here…”

 

Hearing Jun Qiyu’s words, Song Qing had a thought.

 

“The servant who was with him said that no one else entered the grove, except for the two Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Rites.”

 

“Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Rites…” Jun Qiyu tried to recall. “They’re from the same examination year as Liqing, but they don’t seem to like him… I’ll go find them!”

 

Jun Qiyu was unwilling to let any clue slip by.

 

The *zhuangyuan* was at his own residence. Seeing that Song Qing had deployed a considerable force and had started searching within the city, the *zhuangyuan* felt relieved.

 

“He’s hidden well… Even if they find him, Song Liqing is barely clinging to life. He probably won’t survive…”

 

*Bang bang bang!*

 

A knock on the door startled him—it was an unexpected visitor.

 

The moment Jun Qiyu entered, he drew his sword and placed it against the *zhuangyuan’s* neck.

 

“You have only one chance to live—where is Song Liqing?”

 

Jun Qiyu’s face was as cold as frost, and just meeting his gaze sent shivers down the *zhuangyuan’s* spine.

 

He had no doubt that if he showed any sign of weakness, Jun Qiyu would have his head rolling!

 

The *zhuangyuan* had originally thought that if someone came asking, he could make some excuse to brush them off. But Jun Qiyu didn’t give him the chance to say anything unnecessary as soon as he walked in.

 

Not knowing how much Jun Qiyu already knew, the *zhuangyuan* didn’t dare to make up lies.

 

“Crown Prince… I’ll tell you everything. Even if you hadn’t come to find me, I was planning to see you. Today, I went to the plum grove on the outskirts of the city to clear my mind, and I happened to see the Crown Princess—uh, I mean Song Liqing—bidding farewell to Pei Xingxu. They were deeply emotional, and before I knew it, Song Liqing coughed up blood. Pei Xingxu held him and cried for a long time, saying he couldn’t bear to leave him behind and would take him away. Somehow, Song Liqing agreed and got on Pei Xingxu’s horse. I swear, every word I’ve said is true!”

 

The *zhuangyuan* spoke smoothly. As the Vice Minister of Rites, he could easily find out that Pei Xingxu had left for Loulan that day, so he had already prepared a mixture of truth and lies to make it hard for anyone to tell the difference.

 

Even Jun Qiyu, overwhelmed by this new blow, had no mind to distinguish whether what the *zhuangyuan* said was true or not.

 

“So he really left… He still left with Pei Xingxu!”

 

Jun Qiyu gripped his sword tightly, terrifying the *zhuangyuan* to the point where his legs were shaking.

 

But in the end, Jun Qiyu withdrew his sword.

 

He mounted his blood-sweat horse, exited the city gates, and headed northwest.

 

“Liqing… I won’t allow you to leave me. Even if it’s the Western Regions or the ends of the earth, I will find you and bring you back!”

 

Under the moonlight, man and horse sped down the official road, passing the nearest town to the capital. Jun Qiyu paused briefly at a burial ground, where he pushed open the door and fetched some hay and well water to feed his horse.

 

Glancing at the rows of coffins, Jun Qiyu decided to press on, determined to recover Song Liqing no matter how long it took.