WAR PRISONER

War Prisoner Chapter 64

Author: 梨花烟雨(Li Hua Yan Yu) /Lê Hoa Yên Vũ

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War Prisoner Chapter 64

A long time passed as everybody stared at Su Yi, to the point where he was wondering if they were trying to devour him with their eyes. As he was getting increasingly uncomfortable, he was relieved when that elegant man finally said: "In that case, thank you for your trouble, please lead the way." He hurried inside the building, heading towards the room where all the laundry had been piled up, with the Prince following behind him silently.

After Su Yi had asked the Prince to describe the distinguishing features of the garment he was searching for, he immediately recalled that when he was sorting out the laundry that very morning, he had taken special note of a garment that matched his description. Although somewhat old-fashioned, it had been exquisitely detailed and meticulously constructed. At that time, Su Yi had thought that it was odd that eunuchs or palace attendants would own such a garment and as it turns out, its owner really wasn't an ordinary person. After searching his memory, Su Yi rummaged around a pile of clothes, and finally found what he was looking for. He handed it over to that man, and said: "Is it this one?"

That Prince received the item of clothing from Su Yi's hands, handling it reverentially. With that, the calm and detached expression he had been wearing on his face relaxed and he could not help but to reveal some happiness. He nodded and said: "That's right, this is the one." He raised his head and looked at Su Yi before continuing: "Thank you very much, this is the only thing left to me by my dear but sadly departed mother. It is important beyond compare to me, if it weren't for your assistance, I would have regret gnawing away at me for the rest of my lifetime."

Su Yi gave a faint smile and said: "Think nothing of it, it did not cost me much effort." With that said, he walked out of the room. The Prince did not say anything more either. With his garment in hand, he left for his own palace without further ado. Here, the gossipy matrons and old women of the laundry service finally recovered their senses, rushing forward towards Su Yi and assailing him from all sides with their chatter: "Humph! You fawned on him because you think that he's an important Prince? You think you can use him to rehabilitate yourself and regain His Majesty's favour? Cease your wishful thinking! To tell you the truth, we called him 'Your Highness' as a favour. The hatred our Emperor bears for him is not less than the hatred he bears for you. From the top to the bottom, everybody in the palace knows that he is a thorn in His Majesty's side and the bane of his existence. If you keep on trying to ingratiate yourself with him, mind that the Emperor does not break the one good leg you have left!"

In his heart, Su Yi thought: It would seem that the competition for the throne has caused yet another inevitable palace tragedy to play out. Only, Wanyan Xu does not seem like such a vicious person. But then again, although he had remained devoted and forgiving to Su Yi after his transgressions, it did not necessarily mean that he would show the same gentleness to a brother that coveted his throne. When he thought of this, he could not help but to feel that Wanyan Xu had been somewhat overly harsh. But he would not allow himself to take to heart the malicious and provocative sarcasm of these women, without making any reply, he simply began to attend to his chores, fetching water and washing clothes.

The days flew by, another month passed, and the weather got colder by the day. On this day, after Su Yi had completed washing the lot of laundry assigned to him, the old woman who was in charge of the palace laundry service ordered him to go to the shore of the North Lake and bring back two large flat stones. The sky was gradually becoming gloomy and overcast, by the looks of it, there would soon be rain. Since the North Lake was an extremely long way from the laundry room, Su Yi did not dare to tarry and immediately went to the shore of the North Lake. He chose two suitable rocks and just as he had them strapped to his back, he heard a clap of thunder overhead and then the clouds burst. Heavy drops of rain beat down upon him; they fell fast and numerous, like a bag of beans being poured out. The wind also picked up its pace. Within moments, the blue dome of heaven had been replaced with a scene of dark sky and black earth and the rain had become a veritable torrent. Su Yi could see nothing beyond ten paces.