Chongfei Manual [I]

Chapter 23

When they arrived at the lake shore, there were already many people there – high officials from the imperial court, nobles from influential families, and also palace servants who had rushed to the rescue... Wei Luo noticed a person lying on the ground in the distance, soaked through and motionless. Wei Kun was crouching beside him, continuously pressing his acupoints, but the person had no reaction.

Wei Luo paled. She crawled down from Madam Qin and bolted towards them on her short legs, "Changhong!"

It was early summer and the lake wasn't too cold, but it was deep. If he had sunk to the bottom, it would've been difficult to save him quickly enough. If he wasn't rescued in time... Only just thinking of it frightened Wei Luo. Not daring to dwell on it, she grabbed Changhong's arm tightly and called his name, "Changhong, wake up..."

She was afraid. Though she was perfectly aware that Changhong couldn't possibly die today, she didn't feel reassured. What if her own rebirth had influenced fixed events and made them deviate?

She had promised she'd protect Changhong, yet she hadn't watched over him well enough, and had let him have such an accident.

With these thoughts, Wei Luo raised her head and looked maliciously at the young boy across from her, who was wearing a sapphire robe. The boy was seven or eight years old. His appearance was pretty, yet his pair of eyes were arrogant, giving him a wild look. Right now, he was pursing his rosy lips. As he glanced over, he caught Wei Luo's line of sight. At first he gawked at her, but scoffed soon after and turned his head, no longer looking at her.

That was Prince Ruyang's son, Li Song. Even if he didn't look quite the same as to when he grew up, Wei Luo could still recognize him. Because there was an obvious feature on his face. That was a small birthmark under his left eye, light pink in a swallow tail shape. It made his face very eye-catching. Standing next to him was the tall and sturdy Prince Ruyang. Prince Ruyang was in the middle of lecturing him with a serious face, his voice so loud, almost half the palace could hear.

Prince Ruyang was devoted to the military. His body was robust, his martial skill was out of the ordinary. He had once followed Emperor Chong Zhen through fire and water, taking over the world together. When Emperor Chong Zhen gained power, he conferred him the rank of Prince, regarding him as a close brother (in arms). Prince Ruyang married Emperor Chong Zhen's younger sister, the Princess Gaoyang, Zhao Xuan. Zhao Xuan had been a famous beauty in the capital several years ago, her body was delicate, her face bright like the moon, her temper pure. One was a pampered and fragile princess, the other was a rough fellow from an army camp. No matter how one looked, they weren't a suitable match. At the time, none of the people in the capital were optimistic about the marriage, including princess Gaoyang. She wasn't fond of these types of military men. The type she liked was the mild and gentle, scholarly youths. Rumors said she had rebelled against Emperor Chong Zhen once, but it was unfortunately useless. In the end, she had to marry according to her brother's decision.

Fortunately, after getting married, Li Zhiliang didn't treat her badly, he favored her. Soon after, they gave birth to a son and a daughter. Li Song was eight this year, the daughter Li Xiang was five.

Why did the past Li Song make life difficult for Changhong? For what reason did he both destroy his future, and ruin his reputation?

Wei Luo knew the reason.

At that time, Duke Ying's house and Prince Ruyang's palace were discussing a marriage between Changhong and Li Xiang. The 14 year old Li Xiang already had someone in mind, and didn't like Changhong. She liked the heroic bearing of the champion in the Imperial military exam. In order to get rid of this marriage without destroying her own reputation, Li Xiang begged her big brother Li Song to find a way to ruin Changhong's reputation, so when the time came, she wouldn't need to do a thing and let her parents refuse the marriage themselves. Thus, Li Song tricked Changhong into taking , causing him to be muddleheaded all day, dazed, passing his days unproductively. Recalling the despicable thing this pair of brother and sister had done, Wei Luo gnashed her teeth in hatred.