One Life, One Incarnation, Beautiful Bones

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Epilogue 1 - If There Should be a Next Life

It was said, when the late emperor was still alive, it was rare that a prince within the palace could live a long life, for out of every ten princes, seven would not escape the fate of dying before adulthood.

Fortunately, she was a princess.

Fortunately, the elder brother she loved most was the crown prince.

She was the only daughter of her consort-mother. Out of all the imperial consorts and concubines, the empress trusted her mother the most, and hence, when the crown prince was still merely an ordinary prince, he had stayed, along with her, in Consort-Mother's palace. At the time, this elder brother's body had been frail from sickness, and the medicines he consumed were more numerous than the food he partook. Often, while Consort-Mother was coaxing him to take his medicines, she would sprawl at her elder brother's bedside and play with his sleeve. Round and round in circles her finger would move, wrapping his sleeve around it.

With just a gentle tug on his sleeve, Elder Brother would not be able to hold his bowl of medicine steady, and some of the brown concoction would splatter onto the brocade quilt, bringing about Consort-Mother's laughing reproach. Only in such moments would a smile come into her elder brother's eyes, which were so beautiful, as if dabbed with ink.

The late emperor had passed away, and the prince became the crown prince. And since then, she never again saw her elder brother.

Except for that one time. She heard Consort-Mother mention how the crown prince had stood for one full day and night before the palace gates with a bowl of medicine cupped in his hands, not allowed to move and not daring to move. She had been extremely afraid and had secretly slipped out to the palace gates to stare at that figure, dressed in white and holding a medicine bowl, which had the value of a thousand gold pieces.

That night, there had been no moon.

Crown Prince Elder Brother had been seven years old, and she, six years old.

Many years later, when she recalled that night, it would still be clear in her mind, as if it had only been yesterday. From that moment on, she, the Princess Xinghua, had grown up and matured.

Each day, the one thing she most cared about was simply her crown prince elder brother. Whether the crown prince had been reprimanded by the empress dowager, whether he had received praises from the imperial tutor, whether his each meal had been eaten without any difficulties, whether his sleep had been restful...

Later, she learned of the news that the crown prince had a crown princess.

Someone brought to her a scroll painting of her portrait - an ordinary girl, besides that inconcealable, gentle smile on her face that carried a hint of innocence and a hint of stubbornness. Those were traits she had never had. Since that moment, when she was six years old and had seen the silhouette of Elder Brother standing there, alone, those things had gradually faded from her.

From that point on, she was no longer the only girl Elder Brother knew and was no longer his little sister whom he had once relied upon for support.

Perhaps, the crown prince had already forgotten he had this younger sister.

From when he had assumed the position of crown prince, the sole time she had physically come close to him again was the night Consort-Mother left this world. As her sobs left her light-headed, she seemed to hear someone call out, "Your Imperial Highness, Crown Prince..."

She turned and saw that man, wan in complexion but whose eyes seemed as if they had been dabbed with ink, standing outside her palace's doors with a cloak of fox fur around his shoulders. He did not speak, only staring wordlessly into the palace hall, the palace where, when they were young, he had once laughed and played with her. As she gazed at him, her mind pulled up many memories from their childhood: when the weather was fine, she would accompany Elder Brother to read beside the lotus pond; when rain fell, she would accompany Elder Brother and they would watch the rain together beside the lotus pond...