The Peony On Your Crown

Lady Min Ying

When he woke up, it was already afternoon. Someone was requesting him for lunch, since he had skipped breakfast too.

"Your highness, I would like to say something regarding....." The soldier who brought him the meal started.

Xiao zhan looked up from the delicious dishes presented to him. He had no appetite, but the food tasted too good to waste.

"Who are you?" The man didn't look like a common soldier, he must have some rank in the army. Why was he doing a servant's job?

"I am Li Wenhan, your highness. Yibo's friend."

Oh.

"Friend? Are you here to clarify for him, since he thinks he's too important to do so?" Xiao zhan still sounded angry, which he was.

Li Wenhan was a captain in the army, as he had joined much later than others. In terms of power and skills, he was no less than others.

"No, your highness, I am here to just state some facts...... I mean, I am sure you must be curious about Lady Min. She had quite an interesting story, you know. I could —"

"Stop with the blabbering. Just say it." He resumed eating as the other settled down.

He was curious about her all right, but would never admit it, and if anyone asked, Li Wenhan came here himself.

And hence, Li Wenhan began. "She is the daughter of a well known family in the town. Her father was a businessman and quite well off. She had two older brothers who adored her and a very loving mother. An ideal family, to say. Then one day she fell in love with a boy, not as rich as her, but good. Her family wasn't really against them, but they wanted her to marry another guy. "

It sounded like a typical movie storyline, but Li Wenhan sighed heavily just then. Maybe there was another face to it then.

He continued," There was a gangster in the town, Cao Lin. A headache for everyone. He fell in love with her and killed the boy she loved. Her family  didn't want to wait anymore and engaged her to the boy they liked. He was a good man, to be honest. From a rich family too. Then....... Cao Lin murdered him too and....... her whole family."

Xiao zhan shivered. Whole family? Goodness!!!

"The matter was finally handled by the town guards, we helped too. The whole residence was covered in blood. We saw her huddled in a corner, blood all over her clothes and face. She didn't even cry." He could still remember her sitting dumbly in front of the graves. Not shedding a single tear.

Xiao zhan was extremely shocked.
"What happened then? " He asked. The delicious food long forgotten.

"We killed Cao Lin the very next day, but couldn't bring her family back, of course. She was traumatised. Her friends and close relatives tried everything, but she just wouldn't talk for months."

"Then one day Commander Wang found her walking in streets aimlessly. He decided to help her. She had money but no will to live. He actually didn't do much. Just bought her a small place with her own money. He told her that her father's money wouldn't last forever, so she has to earn something of her own from now on. As a matter of fact, her father's money is enough for her to live a good life and she knows it herself, but its better to be doing something with our life than just waste it. So she started doing some artistic jobs, painting, knitting, carving name plates, etc." He took a deep breath again.

"What about their relationship? I mean....... Your commander said he..." Xiao zhan knew everyone heard what the matter was about.

"Yeah, about that...... Min Ying once tried to kill herself. Commander saved her and then kept visiting her out of a sense of responsibility. He didn't want her to die when she was innocent. I think gradually she started to open up, talked with him, shared her problems, started working properly. They became friends. And after some time........ they got close, I think." He didn't know if he was supposed to continue or not, but seeing the prince look at him so expectantly, he continued.

"I mean, a lonely girl, no family, and a commander away from home, on border, so, you know......... maybe things just happened."

Xiao zhan looked away.

Li Wenhan hurried to explain, hands moving comically to get Xiao Zhan's attention again. "I mean, there's nothing serious between them, they are just friends. They just sleep together sometimes, I think. Actually, it's just Min Ying. Our Yibo doesn't refuse her because he doesn't want to hurt her. And it's not like he's committed to someone, so why not?" 

The way he said our Yibo sounded too fond. Xiao zhan knew he was telling the truth. And yes, the commander was committed to no one.

No one at all.

They sat silently for a while.

"Where is he now?"

"Um....... I think he's gone back to the village."

Xiao zhan glared at him. "So the commander hasn't had enough fun yet?"

"No, not like that." He shaked his head furiously.

"He must be gone to that hut of his. This boy, really. I don't understand the point of having that stupid little hut and those little plants!!! He has his own permanent quarters here and still wanted to build that hut when he came back. I am telling you, your highness, this man has completely changed. He's been behaving so weirdly since he came back. I would have thought he was heartbroken if I didn't know any better. He's so cold, keeps running away from pretty girls, barely talks to anyone, who would fall in love with this iceberg, huh??! "

But Xiao zhan knew who had fallen in love with that stupid iceberg. He left Li Wenhan rambling in the tent and went down to the village.

He couldn't control his urge to just bury himself in the commander's strong arms. He wanted to see him right then!! He stopped in front of the hut, only to find it locked again. He looked around it to find Wang Yibo's plants but there was grass everywhere, making it difficult to differentiate between them.

On one end of the hut, he saw a small plant on clear ground. There was no grass nearby. Someone had clearly planted it deliberately.

At the top of it was a flower.

A peony.

A white peony.

Tears started to form behind his eyes. Why did this stupid boy made him cry again and again??

He sat down right there and stared at the flower for a long while.

This time he passed from Lady Min's house deliberately, but the man wasn't there either.

At last, defeated, he went back to the border.

Is the commander back? No, your highness. He does that sometimes. He will be back in the evening for his daily routine checkup.

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