A Lonesome Fragrance Waiting to be Appreciated 2

13

The Queen laughed self-deprecatingly, her expression dark. "After all, she is the most beloved woman of the Duke of Zhen-Bei. If I really ordered them to do it, then the brotherhood between King and the Duke of Zhen-Bei will be completely drained away. He...is not only King's own younger brother but also the protector of Dong Lin as the Duke of Zhen-Bei. He is Dong Lin's moat that is unable to be attacked. No matter how ignorant I am, I would not destroy this country's supporting column for my own feelings."

The King of Dong Lin had been married to her for many years and knew she was thinking of their two dead sons. A knife pierced his heart. He grabbed her soft body in his arms, holding tightly. "Don't worry Queen, I know."

How could Chu Beijie, his brother, Dong Lin's greatest general, the Duke of Zhen-Bei that shook the four countries, forgive the woman who poisoned the young Dong Lin princes?

The Queen turned away, holding back her tears. She calmly asked, "He Xia has kept his word and has retreated ten miles away from the border, awaiting further news. Has the King decided yet?"

The King of Dong Lin closed his eyes and thought for a long time. When he finally opened his eyes, he said, "Send out a letter, allowing He Xia and his men towards Brother's secluded residence and take away Bai Pingting. As for the capital, make Brother stay at the Royal Residence at all costs until Bai Pingting is taken away."

The King of Dong Lin's personal letter was then sent to Chu Beijie, who had been deep in love with Bai Pingting, and just like that, made the Chu Beijie, who could not forget the matters of his country, reluctantly leave Bai Pingting's side.

Chu Beijie had already left and arrived at the outskirts of the capital by daytime. He had no idea that every step of the horse he rode danced closer towards the palm of the Royal House who knew everything, closer towards the palm of his only brother, the King of Dong Lin.

In the Royal Residence, the two were unattended.

The Queen looked at the increasingly sickly King of Dong Lin and finally asked the question the officials were afraid to mention before him.

"When the enemy soldiers retreat and the Duke of Zhen-Bei learns that Bai Pingting has been taken away by He Xia's men, how should we explain to him?"

The King of Dong Lin's face was drained of colour. Despite his melancholy, there was a likeness to Chu Beijie's strong determination. With the certainty and pride suitable to a King, he replied, "No need for an explanation. As long as he is my Brother, as long as he is still the Duke of Zhen-Bei, as long as he still has a trace of the fiery blood of Dong Lin's Royal House, then he should understand how to face and choose in the best interests of this country."

The Royal House was one that gave up their own spirit by replacing it with their country and its people.

No matter how beloved the woman, it was not as important as a patch of Dong Lin's barren soil. Just as the King of Dong Lin was upset over losing his sons, the cost of losing Dong Lin's Duke of Zhen-Bei was much too great.

He could never forget that Chu Beijie, his only Brother, was forever the Dong Lin's battlefield's representative, the Duke of Zhen-Bei.

Until then, day and night, Chu Beijie passionately listened to Pingting's leisurely singing in her room.

They had no idea that that a life of seclusion was never one for them to have.

Power, war, strategy, and even affection made up the complicated woven web that now lay before them.

Chu Beijie arrived at the capital in the misty, early hours of the morning.

In the distance, the tall city entrance stood, majestic and yet imposing, seeming both familiar yet distant. Beijie squinted and stared for a long time before finally riding forward to meet his welcoming party and dismounting.