Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

The day before Qi Xiao left Yuanjing City, he went to Taihe Temple to pay homage to Concubine Lin. On the way, the carriage passed through an alley and the seventh prince Qi Ting jumped on the carriage.

The Seventh Prince had neither the time nor the mood to exchange pleasantries with Qi Xiao. As soon as he got into the carriage, before even sitting down, he asked, "Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

"Have you checked everything? Have you not alerted anyone else?"

"...Yeah." The Seventh Prince had hardly slept in the past two days. His face was filled with nothing but haggardness and resentment. He never expected that his own brother was so bold. It would be ok if he would use any means necessary, but he was afraid that he would be caught by Qi Xiao if he used such means!

"I told you last time what I want you to do. Stop Lao Liu from bringing his troops back."

"It's that simple?"

Qi Xiao sneered: "This is probably not that simple."

"You don't need to worry about that."

Qi Xiao looked at Old Seven and nodded slightly: "That's right."

"But I still don't understand. What exactly do you want to do? To drive a wedge between me and Sixth Brother?"

Qi Xiao smiled but didn't answer. The Seventh Prince, however, shook his head and continued, "You don't have to worry about that. Although Sixth Brother and I are brothers, we're not close at all."

"Not close" is an understatement. The two brothers loathe each other so much that they feel uncomfortable sitting at the same table for a meal. Didn't Qi Xiao tell him about Lao Liu because he knew about it?

"So, why is it? Just let me die with my eyes closed."

Qi Xiao was silent for a moment, then asked, "If Princess Jinyi told you that you could only be with her forever if you gave up everything, what would you do?"

"Ah?" The Seventh Prince frowned. "Give up everything?"

"Yes, give up everything, give up your status as a prince, give up your power and position, give up your name, leave Yuanjing City, and from then on wander the world, worrying about your livelihood, and living a hard life."

"What are you talking about? I said, don't involve Jin Yi." The Seventh Prince did not answer Qi Xiao's inexplicable question.

"If I hadn't mentioned Princess Jinyi, Seventh Brother wouldn't have been able to find out everything so quickly."

"...You, never thought of giving Jin Yi any evidence, just to lure me into the game?"

Qi Xiao smiled and shrugged lightly.

"You!" The Seventh Prince's heart was burning with nameless anger, and he couldn't help but ask harshly, "What on earth are you planning?!"

The carriage suddenly stopped, and Zong Sheng's voice came from outside the carriage: "Master, we're here."

Qi Xiao lifted the curtain and prepared to get out of the car. He finally said to the Seventh Prince, "I just hope to deal with this matter in the most peaceful way possible before leaving Beijing."

Zong Sheng parked the carriage at the back door of Taihe Temple and followed Qi Xiao inside, ignoring the seventh prince Qi Ting.

Qi Ting sat in the carriage for a while, and after confirming that there was no one in the alley, he quietly left.

After Qi Xiao paid tribute to Concubine Lin at Taihe Temple, he took the two travel passes that Lu Fangjin had stuck underneath the incense table and left.

The next day, Qi Xiao's cavalry left Yuanjing. The Seventh Prince watched them leave the city from afar at the city gate. His heart was in a mess. He felt like he was standing in a burning room with flames everywhere. Qi Xiao opened a window for him and stood outside waiting.

He could escape the flames by jumping out the window, but what would happen to him after he got out? Had Qi Xiao already dug a huge hole in the window, just waiting to bury him alive?

But if you want him dead, wouldn't it be quicker and easier to just burn him alive in the house?

And what did Qi Xiao mean by what he said in the carriage? Giving up everything for Jin Yi?

Qi Ting sighed and turned back.

***

The capital of Zhou State, Shaoyang.

Tang Ling was half lying and half sitting in the warm room, holding a book in his hand, but his eyes were not on the book, but staring blankly out the window.

There is a pond not far from the warm pavilion with lotus flowers in it, clumps of cattail beside the pond, and a patch of night-blooming cereus planted a little closer to the warm pavilion.

Tang Ling looked out from the warm room and saw all of this.

But the person is not here.

Qing Lan tiptoed into the room, not wanting to disturb her, yet unable to avoid it. He was here to deliver medicine to Tang Ling: "Sir, you must drink the medicine while it's hot."

Tang Ling reached out to take the medicine bowl, tilted her head back and drank it in two gulps, then returned the bowl to Qinglan.

"Sir, eat two sweet dates to get rid of the bitterness."

Qinglan handed over a small plate of sweet dates, but Tang Ling didn't even glance at it. She turned her head and looked out the window again, saying softly, "No need."

"Son..."

"According to the date, Princess Xihe should have crossed the Taihua River and reached Chen territory, right?"

"...Yes, the news just arrived this morning, saying that it arrived three days ago."

"We'll be able to enter Yuanjing in a month and a half at the latest, and we'll be able to catch up in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Tang Ling thought of the Mid-Autumn Festival in Yuanjing City. He wanted to laugh. At that time, he was very happy and seemed to have all the good things in the world... But it was only for a moment. The pain in his heart urged hot tears to fall.

Tang Ling quickly wiped away her tears and said, "Go down, I want to rest."

"...Young Master..." Qing Lan didn't know how to persuade Tang Ling. He felt so bad for him. Qi Xiao, this evildoer! How could he have hurt him like this?! Qi Xiao shouldn't have provoked the Young Master in the first place!

"go out."

“…” Qinglan silently took the medicine bowl and left, leaving behind the small plate of sweet dates.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew up at night, followed by a rainstorm. Tang Ling was a light sleeper, and he was awakened from his dream by the wind and rain.

Tang Ling pushed open the window, but the strong night wind slammed the window shut for him. In just a moment, the rain that poured in had soaked half of his body. Tang Ling did not open the window again, but just sat quietly by the window, listening to the wind and rain raging outside.

His Epiphyllum will be damaged by the rain.

His Epiphyllum had never bloomed. Ever since he planted the seedling three years ago, he'd waited by the window every year for it to bloom, but it never did. The first year, the Epiphyllum grew beautifully, becoming a small tree in less than a year and producing a few buds, which delighted Tang Ling for a long time. But they were merely buds, never blossoming. The second year was the same. The third year was the same. And this year seemed to be no different.

Tonight's severe storm might destroy the flowers he'd carefully cared for for three years. In the past, when faced with such bad weather, Tang Ling would immediately call for help to put up a canopy to protect the flowers. But this time, he didn't even have the energy to call for help.

The date for Qi Xiao to marry Princess Xihe had been set long ago, in September.

The person he loved, who promised him a lifetime together, actually only lasted for six months. They couldn't stay there.

Can he really wait forever without regrets? Even if Qi Xiao becomes someone else's husband and has three harems and six courtyards in the future, can he still continue to look forward to waiting?

Tang Ling had once thought his greatest fear would be a renewed conflict between Chen and Zhou, a battle where he would face Qi Xiao. Now he realized that he was afraid of being unable to let go, unable to obtain or beg for what he wanted. He was trapped in a fog, willing only to deceive himself.

What he was afraid of was realizing that all of this was just his delusion, his greed, anger, and ignorance, and that he should put an end to it. He was afraid that he would really give up, let go, and no longer wait.

What he feared most was that this was all a dream, he would wake up, the pain in his heart would disappear, and he would forget this relationship. He was afraid that he would not be able to keep his promise to Qi Xiao, and he could not even wait.

Tang Ling sat by the window all night. At dawn, the wind and rain finally stopped. He opened the window. The air was still cold from the wind and rain. Even though it was still late summer, Tang Ling shivered slightly from the cold.

A storm destroyed the flowerbed in front of the window, leaving it in a mess.

His Epiphyllum...

Tang Ling's heart tightened. Just a moment ago, he was still thinking, "Let it be ruined, let it be ruined." Even if he waited alone for the flowers to bloom, what would it matter? It would be better to just let it be ruined...

Tang Ling hurried out of the house and rushed into the flowerbed. She carefully propped up the crooked flower plant and used her hands to level the soil and rebury the flower roots.

The flowers had been tormented by the brutal wind and rain all night, and most of their roots were exposed. Tang Ling wanted to bury them back. The rain-soaked soil was as cold as ice and as sticky as slurry. She couldn't compact it, and she couldn't bury the roots. Tang Ling was anxious and frantic, digging and burying the soil.

"Help!"

Ye Huai heard Tang Ling running out of the house and followed him out. Seeing him rush into the flower garden, Ye Huai hurriedly called for help.

"Young Master, Young Master, let the gardeners take care of this." Ye Huai pulled up Tang Ling, who was covered in mud.

Qinglan said Tang Ling couldn't catch a cold again. Before Princess Xihe left Shaoyang for the State of Chen, there was a grand sacrificial ceremony, and Tang Ling had to go with her. That day, a gust of wind blew from nowhere, and it rained lightly all day. Tang Ling was drenched in the rain all day, and when she returned, she fell ill. She had a high fever for several days, and the Queen Mother sent most of the Imperial Hospital to the Xun'an Marquis's mansion. Tang Ling's illness kept coming back, and she was sometimes lucid and sometimes drowsy. It took nearly a month for her to recover.

If Qinglan saw Tang Ling lying in the mud, she would definitely scold Ye Huai to death.

Tang Ling stared blankly at several gardeners who came with tools to tidy up the flower garden. He couldn't help but look down at his hands. He was shaking, as if he suddenly felt cold.

"Sir, I'm sorry." Ye Huai didn't care about anything else. He picked up Tang Ling and hurried back to the house, while calling for someone to call Qinglan.

Ye Huai took off Tang Ling's muddy outer robe, washed his hands, and tucked him into the quilt to cover him.

"What's going on?!" Qing Lan ran into the house and rushed to Tang Ling's side to feel his pulse. He ordered the servants, "Quickly boil some water and give the young master a bath and change his clothes. Hurry up."

"How about it?"

"How is it?! The young master's illness has been cured! Did he not sleep last night and sit by the window all night?"

"..." Ye Huai couldn't answer. The wind and rain were so strong last night that he couldn't tell whether Tang Ling was sitting or lying down, awake or asleep. But even if he knew, he couldn't do anything about it.

Qing Lan didn't have time to blame Ye Huai any more. She quickly wrote a prescription: "Hurry up and get the medicine. Boil three bowls of water into one bowl. Hurry up."

Tang Ling felt very cold, so cold that he was shivering, and his forehead was covered with sweat.

"Young Master, come, eat this first." Qinglan had some prepared pills beside him. He fed one to Tang Ling first, washed it down with warm tea, and wiped the sweat off Tang Ling's forehead.

"...Young Master, please stop. You weren't like this before..." Qinglan's voice was tinged with tears. He felt truly distressed seeing Tang Ling's distraught state. Since returning to the Great Zhou, Qinglan hadn't seen Tang Ling smile. He was like a ruined Epiphyllum in a flower garden, not dead, but unable to keep himself alive.

Tang Ling raised her hand and gently touched Qinglan's head, whispering, "I'll be fine. Don't worry."

Qing Lan looked at Tang Ling and almost burst into tears: "Master... let's go back to the Marquis' Mansion. You said you wanted to come here to recuperate, but you... why are you getting sicker and sicker!"

This small courtyard is located in the bamboo forest on the outskirts of Shaoyang City. It is very secluded. A lot of effort was spent on making the courtyard look presentable. Lotuses are grown in the pond and night-blooming cereus are planted. Tang Ling said she likes all of these. Every year from the beginning of autumn, Tang Ling must stay here, saying that she wants to see the flowers bloom.

But even the slow-witted Qinglan could see that Tang Ling was not happy here at all. He always sat in the warm room looking out the window all day and all night, with a sad expression on his face.

Qinglan bit his lips tightly to hold back his tears. He didn't know how to cure Tang Ling's lovesickness. He was useless!

"Qinglan, I'm fine." Tang Ling gently wiped Qinglan's tears with her sleeve and said, "I will be fine."

"Wuwu... Master, it's Qinglan who is useless. Instead, I need you to comfort me..."

"Silly Qinglan, stop crying. I promise I will take the medicine and take good care of myself."

Qinglan nodded repeatedly: "Young Master will be fine."

It will be fine. Tang Ling smiled slightly. He should learn how to get along with this heartache and regret. He couldn't control the wind and rain, but he could protect his own flower garden.

He couldn't take Qi Xiao for himself, he just wished him peace and happiness, and he would quietly guard his flower garden for the rest of his life.

***

Qi Xiao and his entourage set out from Yuanjing City, traveling south along the Qin River to meet the Zhou Kingdom's Princess Xihe at the Taihua River in Shun'an Prefecture. Everyone in the world knew Qi Xiao was going to meet her. His Highness the Crown Prince's journey of a thousand miles to meet her was a true honor for the Zhou Kingdom.

In the past, during the Eight Kingdoms War, intermarriages were very frequent, but by the time of the Chen, Zhou, and Qi dynasties, they were no longer common. Qi Xiao was no longer an unknown prince, but the Crown Prince of the Great Chen. His procession was a grand spectacle. This Chen-Zhou marriage was truly a once-in-a-century event, with many commoners watching along the way. Even the boats on the Qin River were eager to stop to watch the Crown Prince's royal ship sail by.

Qi Xiao's fleet consisted of three large ships, escorted by five smaller official vessels. Even these smaller ships were larger than the average official ship. When Qi Xiao boarded the ship at Qihuai, he felt like he had moved a palace to the ship. He chuckled. After three years as crown prince, all the extravagance and debauchery were no problem.

It was common knowledge that Qi Xiao was seasick. Once aboard, he couldn't even stand, lying in his room the entire time. He couldn't eat, but he drank a lot. The guards on board had seen Qi Xiao lying on the stern vomiting several times, and for the Crown Prince's sake, they were driven away.

After sailing for more than ten days, the boat was getting closer and closer to Shunan Prefecture.

The weather has not been very good these days. There have been winds and rains, with intervals of thunderstorms and then clear skies. The river was not calm and the boat was shaking violently. Qi Xiao vomited several times.

The rain stopped at night, and Qi Xiao, supported by Zong Sheng, sat at the stern of the boat to enjoy the breeze.

"How far are we from Shunan Prefecture?"

"It should arrive in five days. But if the weather is bad, it might be delayed by a day or two."

"Yeah." Qi Xiao leaned against the stern, his eyes unfocused, and said to Zong Sheng in a very soft voice, "I guess Concubine Zhao is about to take action."

"Didn't Master warn the Seventh Prince? Doesn't Concubine Zhao know how to restrain herself?"

"Conserve yourself? They went to so much trouble to get me to come out and get married, isn't it just to take my life? She killed my mother back then, and who knows how many people she has killed over the years. How could such a person conserve themselves?"

"Master, I'm still a little worried about the Seventh Prince. Should I let Chi Yue know?"