Tan Hua - Chapter 53

Late at night, thick clouds covered the crescent moon, making the night even darker, like ink spreading across the sky.

 

On the outskirts of the small town, a night owl flapped its wings, startling a flock of wild birds that scattered in all directions. One sparrow flew into a nearby morgue, perching on a coffin and looking around cautiously.

 

The door of the morgue was blown open by the wind, scaring the sparrow, which then disappeared into the night sky.

 

A few men walked in, one of them carrying a woman’s corpse on his back. The man roughly threw the body into an empty coffin.

 

“Master Liu, are you sure about leaving your wife in this desolate place? Why not show some kindness and take her back to her family? At least she could rest in peace and be buried properly.”

 

The man referred to as Master Liu replied in a coarse voice, “This wench thinks she deserves a proper burial? I’m already being merciful by not leaving her body to rot in the wild for the dogs to eat!”

 

“Ah…” someone else tried to persuade him, “You claim she was unfaithful with another man, but that was just your suspicion. You cursed and beat her, so of course, she couldn’t take it anymore. Her choice to jump into the river shows that she might have been innocent after all.”

 

“Innocent, my ass! She died without ever confessing who that bastard was!” Master Liu cursed. “Who knows whose bastard she was carrying in her belly!”

 

Unable to persuade him, the others could only shake their heads and sigh.

 

“What a pity, two lives lost. Her belly was already so big, she must have been full-term. Now she won’t even have a grave, just a wandering ghost…”

 

Master Liu angrily retorted, “That wench will never be buried in my family’s ancestral tomb! I won’t have her tainting my family’s honor!”

 

Outside, the night owl let out a piercing cry, sending chills down everyone’s spine.

 

“Let’s go, let’s go. This place gives me the creeps…”

 

The group hurried out, afraid of being the last to leave, not even bothering to close the coffin lid.

 

The morgue was dark, and they didn’t notice that another person was lying unconscious inside the coffin.

 

Song Liqing was burning with fever, his face flushed red. In his delirium, he let out faint, pained whimpers. The damp body thrown in next to him had the effect of cooling him down, gradually lowering his fever.

 

…

 

Over half a month later, Jun Qiyu arrived in the Kingdom of Loulan.

 

At that time, the Kingdom of Loulan was in mourning. Pei Xingxu wore plain mourning clothes, keeping vigil for the deceased old king.

 

Jun Qiyu’s arrival was abrupt, and he rushed directly to Pei Xingxu.

 

Though it had been a while since they last met, Pei Xingxu felt that Jun Qiyu had changed. Perhaps it was the result of long days and nights of travel; the once youthful face now bore signs of hardship. Stubble had started to grow, and though he was darker and thinner, he seemed more composed.

 

Pei Xingxu was surprised to see Jun Qiyu in Loulan.

 

“Where is Liqing?”

 

This was the first thing Jun Qiyu said, the question that had been on his mind every day during his journey to the northwest.

 

Pei Xingxu responded with slight hostility, “Jun Qiyu, what madness possessed you to come here looking for him?”

 

At that moment, Jun Qiyu was only concerned about Song Liqing’s safety and ignored Pei Xingxu’s hostility.

 

“Where is Liqing? Let me see him.”

 

“I didn’t bring him back to Loulan!” Pei Xingxu sensed something was wrong. “What do you mean you can’t find him? Liqing should be in Jingguo’s capital. How could he be… missing?”

 

“Not in Loulan?”

 

Jun Qiyu couldn’t believe it. He had clung to the last hope that Song Liqing had safely arrived in Loulan, even if it meant he had eloped with Pei Xingxu. That would have been easier to accept.

 

“If he’s not in Loulan, then where could he be? Pei Xingxu, don’t lie to me. I’m worried about him. Just tell me he’s safe, and I won’t force him to return to Jingguo. I swear.”

 

Jun Qiyu was nearly begging. If Song Liqing hadn’t left with Pei Xingxu, then his fate… was likely grim.

 

Moreover, Jun Qiyu had already spent over half a month traveling to the western regions, wasting precious time!

 

Pei Xingxu also realized that something was amiss, his heart sinking as he grabbed Jun Qiyu.

 

“I’m telling you again: half a month ago, he escorted me to the plum grove outside the city. He refused to come with me to Loulan!”

 

“He disappeared in that plum grove and hasn’t been seen since. I’ve had someone send messages every two hours, but to this day, there’s still no news of him from the capital…”

 

Jun Qiyu clutched his head in despair. His voice was hoarse, no longer carrying the bright energy it once had.

 

“You… you…”

 

Pei Xingxu grabbed Jun Qiyu by the collar, his fist already raised.

 

But when Pei Xingxu saw the bloodshot eyes and the devastated look on Jun Qiyu’s face, he realized that fighting him, or even deciding life and death at this moment, would be meaningless.

 

Pei Xingxu hated Jun Qiyu to the core for being the cause of Song Liqing’s suffering. If it weren’t for him, how would Song Liqing have become blind and crippled? But when it came to blaming someone, Pei Xingxu couldn’t entirely fault Jun Qiyu; he should blame himself for not being more careful.

 

“It was my negligence. I knew he had difficulty moving… How could I agree to let him see me off at the outskirts?”

 

Jun Qiyu didn’t have time to mourn; he turned to leave immediately.

 

“Pass on my condolences to your family,” Jun Qiyu said as he left, “I will find him.”

 

Pei Xingxu watched Jun Qiyu’s retreating figure with a strange feeling.

 

In the past, Jun Qiyu would never have spoken so calmly. He would have likely resorted to violence to force an answer about Song Liqing’s whereabouts.

 

But in such a short time, his personality had changed. The light in his eyes was subdued, the former brightness replaced with a deep, quiet intensity. His every movement was now devoid of the reckless arrogance he once had.

 

It was clear that Song Liqing’s departure had dealt him a significant blow.

 

“Jun Qiyu.”

 

Pei Xingxu called out to him.

 

“If you find Liqing, I promise you this: I’ll stop pursuing him, withdraw from his life, and never leave Loulan.”

 

Jun Qiyu turned back and asked firmly, “Are you planning to inherit the throne of Loulan and give up on Liqing?”

 

It’s understandable that he would think this way.

 

Pei Xingxu’s smile turned somber. He shook his head and said, “You are the Crown Prince of Jingguo, far more capable than I am. As long as he is alive, I ask for nothing else. You don’t need to understand why I’m doing this; just promise me that you will spend your life making up for your past mistakes and treating Liqing well. Do you dare to promise that?”

 

“Why wouldn’t I?”

 

Over the past half-month, Jun Qiyu had been free of distractions, and his past mistakes became clearer to him. He was now absolutely certain of one thing: he had long since fallen in love with Song Liqing, and there was no turning back.

 

“Good,” Pei Xingxu said directly. “Likewise, if I find Liqing first, I hope you’ll keep your word and never appear before him again, leaving him in peace.”

 

Jun Qiyu hesitated.

 

To let go of Song Liqing… he might never be able to do that in his lifetime.

 

But this time, he was willing to give it his all—he didn’t believe he would lose.

 

“I promise you.”

 

Jun Qiyu agreed, marking the start of their wager.

 

After Jun Qiyu left, Pei Xingxu felt a mix of emotions.

 

“Liqing, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have used you as a bet. I just feel that the current Jun Qiyu is now somewhat worthy of loving you.”

 

As for why he initiated the bet with Jun Qiyu, only Pei Xingxu himself knew the reason.

 

…

 

The Crown Prince had been missing for a month. When he returned to Jingguo, he made no public announcements—only one order. The Assistant Minister of Rites and the two newly appointed top scholars, the Zhuangyuan (top scorer) and Bangyan (second scorer), were thrown into prison. There was no public notice, nor any punishment carried out.

 

Crown Prince Jun Qiyu personally interrogated them, saying only one thing to the two men.

 

“Where is Song Liqing? Whoever tells the truth will live. If you lie, your entire family will be executed.”

 

The Zhuangyuan’s knees gave way, and he knelt immediately.

 

The Bangyan collapsed to the ground, soiling himself as he broke down in tears.

 

“I knew it! I knew it!” The Bangyan pointed at the Zhuangyuan and cursed, “Following you was bound to end in disaster! I told you not to harm him, that doing evil would only come back to bite us! This is divine retribution! Your Highness, Your Highness! I’ll tell you! That day in the plum grove outside the city, we encountered the unconscious Song Liqing. It was he,” pointing at the Zhuangyuan, “who had malicious thoughts and decided to finish him off, dragging him to a morgue several miles away and throwing him into a coffin…”

 

“You’re lying!” The Zhuangyuan, abandoning all pretense of decorum, shouted back. “Who was it that personally carried him over? It was you, you fool! You were jealous of Song Liqing and did this vile thing, and you wanted me to cover it up!”

 

The Bangyan was so enraged he coughed up blood. “You, you, you! You’re twisting the facts! You were afraid Song Liqing would take your position, so you instructed me to do it!”

 

Their argument escalated to the point where they forgot they were scholars and began physically fighting.

 

From their dispute, Jun Qiyu had already gleaned the truth.

 

The Bangyan was stripped of his title and exiled a thousand miles away.

 

The Zhuangyuan was executed that very day, his body displayed at the city gates. His family was barred from entering the capital and banned from participating in the imperial exams for generations.

 

It had only been a year since he had topped the exams, yet he had strayed into a path of ruin, leading to his own demise—a fate that left people sighing.

 

Jun Qiyu rushed to the morgue and searched through every coffin.

 

Song Liqing… was gone.

 

According to the testimony, Song Liqing should have been in the coffin on the far right. But now, there was no sign of him, dead or alive!

 

Inside was a woman’s corpse instead, with dried bloodstains on her body.

 

Jun Qiyu was devastated.

 

What pained him the most was that he had passed by that morgue before, but hadn’t checked inside. If he had gone in that day, the outcome would certainly have been different.

 

As winter set in, soldiers from Jingguo and Loulan suddenly began sweeping the streets and countryside, tightening security at checkpoints, creating a wave of panic among the people, who feared that the two countries were about to go to war.

 

But it was soon discovered that these soldiers weren’t preparing for battle—they were searching for someone. Posters were plastered everywhere, even in the most remote places, depicting a handsome young man whose beauty rivaled that of Pan An. The reward offered was astonishing.

 

No one knew who this young man was or why he was so important that he had mobilized the armies of two nations.

 

But day after day, the handsome young man remained unfound, while the reward kept increasing.

 

The people discussed the poster in whispers.

 

“A hundred thousand taels of gold… Hiss… Not even the Emperor himself is worth that much!”

 

“If I were this handsome young man, I’d say being hunted with such a high bounty is worth it!”

 

Someone spoke in a hushed tone, “I heard he was once the Crown Princess. My official relative has seen him before.”

 

“Then how did the former Crown Princess go missing?”

 

“Maybe they divorced and he couldn’t take it anymore…”

 

“If they already divorced, why would there still be a reward of ten thousand taels of gold? Our Crown Prince must be truly infatuated…”

 

—

 

Author’s Note: Goodnight~