A Flower Without Rain

Chapter 29

With word spread amongst the heirs of the Three Great Noble Clans, they've gathered at the Vermillion Palace. Standing at the head of the table they sat at, was Crown Prince Xin Hua.

"What is your purpose for gathering us in one place?" questioned Commander Lian Zhong. He would rather continue the search of his wife, Lady Yuan Li.

"We will get to it. However, I need to get something out of my system before we should go on." His eyes wandered amongst the other men. "I apologize for my unjust actions towards your sister, Lian Yu." He lowered his head before coming back up.

This for one, shocked everyone. They never would have thought that the Crown Prince who's life they deemed filled with everything he ever wanted, would ever apologize for anything. It felt unreal to witness such a scene.

"I should've known better than to throw my anguish towards her....... From now on, I will look after her as a companion."

Somewhat taken aback by his answer, Lian Zhong settled with ease and simply shut his eyes for a brief moment as to accept his proposal. However, that word he said raised a brow on everyone present, especially the Commander.

"Companion?"

Pulling out the maps he brought along, Yuan Shan laid them out for everyone to see. They were of the Four Kingdoms and the other nations that surrounded them. On it, were marks he had made prior to the meeting as he already knew what it was going to be about.

Pointing to the main harbor of the Sui Kingdom, Xin Hua began. "Here, Ru Mingyu reported seeing quite a number of ships. We only trade with six other nations and yet most of them were of the Ra Nation........" he hesitated for a second before continuing. "There's usually only one or at most three ships they send along their way; however, there were least well over five ships. After going through scrolls on our recent trade, the only things we've exchanged were the hides of white wolves, salt, silk, gold, and tea."

Eyes casted to the floor, Xin Hua then looked to the others before him. "Whatever it is that they are doing, only makes our suspicions grow....... Prince Ren Huiliang's arrival only adds more." He hated how he had to list a dear friend as a suspect, but at the same time he was also confused. Would they truly go as far as to even hurt their own prince? Even to the point of possibly resulting him to no longer walk?

Remembering something, Commander Lian Zhong also gave his input. "About that man I had captured," mentioning him. "Right before he was silenced, he spoke of how they were going to take her."

This caught Yuan Shan's attention. "Does her, have anything to do with why we're meeting?"

"It is,"

Turning around, the Crown Prince picked up that journal. Those eyes of his, were shaking just thinking about what he read. Facing the men again, he first handed it to Lian Zhong. Ru Mingyu could see the hurt behind that reserved expression of the Crown Prince.

Just looking at the cover of this journal, the Commander knew who it belonged to. "Where did you get this?" He bought this journal for his older sister before she left to the palace so she could write in it if there was no one to listen. It truly served its purpose.

"It was your sister, Lian Yu. After I finished, I asked where she found it and told me it was in a hidden opening within one of the chambers of my Vermillion Palace. That chamber, was Lian Yu's." And how or when that opening was made, no one knew. "She kept record of her stay within the palace and how those who lurked the palace grounds would visit her. However, it wasn't just others that she found, but what they were looking for."

Unable to even look beyond the cover, Lian Zhong passed it to Ru Mingyu, who skimmed through it as the Crown Prince continued with his talk.

"By claiming that she was the Crown Princess, she was able to lure these men out to her. Each man that came by asked her to leave with them and when they didn't answer where it is they were taking her, she killed them herself."

This sent shock through the Three Great Noble Clan heirs. Not even in their darkest depictions, would they think Lian Song had the will to kill, and not only that, how many lives did she claim? And how did she get rid of the bodies?!

Reaching near the end of the journal, Ru Mingyu closed it. But before he did, noticed a faint tear between two pages.

The journal now in the hands of Yuan Shan, Xin Hua continued telling them what he read. "On the day she died....." his words trailed. "She wrote about how she would enter the Peach Palace grounds and come before the divine tree. She asked, more like begged, the divine tree and Her Divine Goddess Xifeng to protect Lian Yu." his voice dimmed saying her name. It was like he realized something that very moment.

Lian Zhong turned away with watered eyes. He knew she was doing it for Lian Yu and just remembering it made him sentimental. Lian Song entered the Peach Palace to show Her Divine Goddess Xifeng that she wasn't the true Crown Princess and accepted death as she begged her to protect her sister.

Gaze casted down, no one said a word as a string of silence filled them.

A sorrowful frown, the Crown Prince turned around so he couldn't be seen by the others. Welling eyes, slowly a tear slipped without his knowledge. These words did in fact hurt him but not his heart. He never truly loved Lian Song but was instead in love with the thought of her.

"If I didn't love Lian Song, then what is this feeling I have when I see her?"
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