A Shocking Dream

When Qin Rongchen first met Lin Bingshuang on the battlefield at the age of sixteen, he was instantly struck by her fierce, piercing gaze and unsightly features. His eyes widened slightly, filled with shock and fear, a fear that lingered like a curse, etched deep within his mind. Later, during a truce and conversation, he was shocked to discover she was actually a woman. In that moment, his eyes etched with disbelief, his mouth slightly open, as if frozen in place. It was also the first time he had seen her eyes up close. They shone like black gemstones, pure and flawless like clear lake water, their beauty and gaze captivating. However, her face was already ravaged, her dark face covered with indelible scars, and the right side, half burned black by fire, was a hideous sight. Qin Rongchen's brow furrowed slightly, his eyes filled with both pity and admiration. He turned his head slightly, as if trying to escape from that terrifying face, but he couldn't help but look at her secretly.

She should have been a lady at home, yet she had already been fighting on the battlefield for years. Qin Rongchen was shocked, his eyes widening again, his face filled with disbelief. He tilted his head slightly, looking at Lin Bingshuang's frail frame, a complex emotion welling up in his heart. His hands clenched unconsciously, shocked by her fearlessness. Back then, he was filled with curiosity about Lin Bingshuang, often secretly watching and peeking at her. He would narrow his eyes slightly, pretending to glance at her casually, then quickly look away, fearing she would notice.

"My appearance was completely ruined back then, didn't you despise me?"

"As long as it's you, I won't mind. But you lied to me back then..."

"Shh." Lin Bingshuang noticed the sound of footsteps and signaled Qin Rongchen to stop talking. Qin Rongchen immediately shut his mouth and his eyes became alert. He listened slightly with his ears tilted, his body slightly tense, and then he saw Qin Ruoyu and Kou Yurou walking towards him one after the other. There were different emotions on each of their faces. Qin Ruoyu's face was full of impatience but helpless, while Kou Yurou blushed and shy, looking at Qin Ruoyu from time to time. Lin Bingshuang looked away. Qin Rongchen's eyes swept over Qin Ruoyu and Kou Yurou, and then quickly returned to Lin Bingshuang, with a hint of concern in his eyes.

"Uncle Emperor," Qin Ruoyu called softly, his eyes involuntarily drawn to Lin Bingshuang's cloak. The Emperor's uncle truly treated her differently; the cloak draped over her seemed to announce a special bond. She couldn't help but wonder, why was the Emperor's uncle so special to her? Could it really be as she suspected?

"Uncle, you are polite." Kou Yurou bowed softly.

"Hmm," Qin Rongchen softly replied, but his eyes never left Lin Bingshuang. Qin Ruoyu followed his gaze and saw that the emperor's uncle's eyes were filled with tenderness and concern, a look unlike any he had seen before. Could it be that the emperor's uncle had finally let go? No longer clinging to the past? Or perhaps the Saint had cast a spell on the emperor's uncle, making him so captivated by her? No, it couldn't be a spell. How could the emperor's uncle, such a man, be so easily captivated by a spell? Why, then? Qin Ruoyu's heart was filled with questions.

"Didn't you go to the garden? Why are you here?" Qin Rongchen retracted his gaze and looked at Qin Ruoyu. When Qin Ruoyu heard this, he instantly felt that his and Kou Yurou's arrival seemed to disturb them. An inexplicable sense of loss surged in his heart. His position in the emperor's uncle's heart seemed to be inferior to that of this suddenly appearing saint.

"Yu Rou, please go back. I have important matters to attend to. I will send someone to bring you to the palace when I am free another day."

"Yes." Although Kou Yurou was reluctant, she still left reluctantly. Who knows when they will meet again. Qin Ruoyu looked at Kou Yurou's departing back, his heart without much emotion. His thoughts were all on the emperor's uncle and the saint.

"Sage King, Your Highness the Crown Prince, I'll take my leave first." Lin Bingshuang didn't want to see Qin Ruoyu, so she took off her cloak and returned it to Qin Rongchen, taking the opportunity to leave.

"Shuang'er, don't take it away. What if you catch a cold? You're unfamiliar with the palace. I'll take you there." Qin Rongchen said in a stern tone, pulling Lin Bingshuang's loose cloak closer in front of Qin Ruoyu. Shuang'er? Qin Ruoyu suspected he had misheard. Their relationship was so close? But the two of them ignored Qin Ruoyu and turned to leave. Qin Ruoyu was stunned, as if petrified, and the shock in his heart was beyond words. He said, "Uncle, I have something to tell you."

Qin Rongchen paused, his face displeased. He thought to himself, "Why didn't you say it earlier? Why not now?" Lin Bingshuang walked away with lotus steps.

"Shuang'er, don't go too far." Lin Bingshuang didn't respond, but she also slowed down her pace. Qin Ruoyu watched their interaction, and her doubts grew deeper and deeper. The emperor's uncle's concern for her was beyond common sense. What kind of story was there between them?

"If you have something to say, tell me." Qin Rongchen didn't want Lin Bingshuang to leave his sight for a moment.

"Uncle, I don't want to marry Kou Yurou as the Crown Princess." Qin Ruoyu noticed something was amiss with Qin Rongchen, but he didn't dare ask. He knew Qin Rongchen's personality, so it was better not to ask. But he couldn't help but wonder if his uncle's change was related to his own marriage problems.

"Then what?" Qin Rongchen looked at Lin Bingshuang and responded.

"How can I get my father to cancel my engagement with Kou Yurou?"

"As the crown prince, you should know that the Kou family is extremely important to the court."

"I know, but I don't understand why they're using my marriage to strengthen it. I don't love Kou Yurou at all; I don't even have any romantic feelings for her." This scene felt familiar. Qin Rongchen looked at Qin Ruoyu. Over a decade ago, Qin Ronghuan had said the same thing to him, and he'd even resisted, but it was all in vain. Qin Ruoyu recalled his father's actions back then, and a flood of emotion washed over him. He found himself in the same predicament. Was it truly impossible to escape fate's decree?

"Your father, the emperor, also said these words to me before. He resisted, but in the end, he married your mother and had you. Your grandfather once told him that if he didn't want to marry her, he would have to give up his status as crown prince and be demoted to a commoner. Otherwise, it would be impossible."

"So, my father and mother also..." Qin Ruoyu felt bitter. He didn't expect that his father and mother had also experienced such helplessness. How should he choose?

"Ruoyu, let me ask you, are you willing to give up the position of Crown Prince?"

"I..." Qin Ruoyu was speechless. Was he willing to give up his position as crown prince? Qin Ruoyu asked himself. Of course not. He had been a crown prince since birth, and in the future, he would be the supreme ruler. How many people in the world were eyeing this position? How could he give up a position so easily within his grasp for a woman? Qin Ruoyu's heart was filled with contradictions. He didn't want to give up his position as crown prince, but he didn't want to marry Kou Yurou either. What should he do?

"Ruoyu, as the Crown Prince, there are some things you have no choice about. Your future Crown Princess, and even the Empress and Empress Dowager, must all be daughters of the Kou family," Qin Rongchen said, walking towards Lin Bingshuang. He made his point very clear, and Qin Ruoyu heard it clearly. Sitting in that position, power and love cannot coexist. So why would he give it up? "Uncle, I'm not as indifferent to fame and fortune as you are. Being born into the royal family is a status that so many envy but cannot obtain. Since I can't change it, why not just go with the flow?" Qin Ruoyu felt helpless, but he also understood his responsibilities. He couldn't just ignore the overall situation for his own feelings.

The emperor's uncle and the Holy Maiden of the Cloud Country must be old acquaintances. Judging from the tone of his words and his behavior towards her, only a beloved would behave in such a way. Wait, a beloved? The Holy Maiden of the Cloud Country is called Yunshuang, and the emperor's uncle's beloved is called Lin Bingshuang, Shuang'er? No, she can't be Lin Bingshuang. A general from the Snow Country and a Holy Maiden of the Cloud Country, thousands of miles apart, how could they be the same person? Besides, if she was Lin Bingshuang, why would she let him convey those words that day? If she wasn't, the emperor's uncle obviously mistook the Holy Maiden of the Cloud Country for Lin Bingshuang. So, the emperor's uncle must have been bewitched by the Holy Maiden of the Cloud Country. The more Qin Ruoyu thought about it, the more complicated it seemed. He didn't know how to face the emperor's uncle's changes, nor did he know how to deal with his own marriage problems. He fell into deep confusion.