A Lonesome Fragrance Waiting to be Appreciated 2

21

When the final drop of blood fell from his sword, Chu Beijie looked up at his brother. With a pained and almost haunted look in his eyes, he finally asked, "Why?"

His voice was soft, yet no one could mistake the threat it carried.

Covered in blood but stubbornly refusing to give in to pain lied the captain of the guards, tasked with stopping Chu Beijie earlier.

The Queen was shaken by his sharp gaze. She opened her mouth to answer but felt the King grasp her wrist. She lowered her eyes, standing silently beside the King.

"I was careless." The King stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at his only younger brother and sighed, "After commanding the army for so many years, you have always kept the command flag on you at all times. Of course you wouldn't need to go back to your quarters to retrieve it. Beijie, must you really waste all that I have done for you?"

Chu Beijie simply stared at him and asked once more, "Why?"

It was long past the point of no return.

"Because you are my only brother. You are Dong Lin's Duke of Zhen-Bei." The King's voice rose as he spoke, becoming more assured, "It is unlikely that I will have a son. One day all of this will be yours. This country will be yours along with its countless people and the brave soldiers who guard our borders. Everything will be yours."

The words resounded.

Chu Beijie was unmoved. Standing tall, he stared at the King. The monarch's eyes were momentarily full of regret before becoming stricken with torment and sorrow.

"In the face of a war, as a member of the Royal House, the safety of our nation should be our priority. Brother, you tried absolutely everything to delay my departure. Are you not concerned about the situation at the frontlines?" Chu Beijie speculated before shaking his head, "No, that's not it." His expression darkened, "You wanted to stop me from returning to the residence."

A small isolated residence, why did the King and Queen care so much of it?

Chu Beijie noticed the almost undetectable expression on the Queen's face and felt his heart skip a beat. With a slight tremor, he asked already knowing the answer, "Was it for Pingting?"

Pingting was away from his protection. If the King participated, then even with Moran's help, there was little hope for her continued wellbeing.

Seeing that the King was unwilling to answer, Chu Beijie felt his heart grow cold.

"Brother?" Chu Beijie quietly called out, suppressing the swelling rage within.

His voice was very quiet with a slight tremor. If the sword hilt were not made of iron, it would have long been crushed.

Pingting.

They lured him back to get Pingting.

Could there have been a major upheaval during his delay in the Royal Residence?

Perhaps when he returned, he would no longer be able to see that familiar figure sitting beneath the tree?

Chu Beijie looked at the King, the feeling of betrayal evident in his eyes yet he could not help but feel the faintest flicker of hope.

He hoped that his brother would at least, on the account of their brotherly affection, leave Pingting a chance for survival.

Even the hardened hearted King of Dong Lin refused to meet his gaze, choosing instead to look away.

Noticing that his brother refused to meet his gaze, Chu Beijie froze.

His heart sank. He felt as if darkness was swallowing up his entire being.

The sixth.

"On the Duke's birthday, could we be together?"

The sound of birds chirping surrounded him. He could see Pingting's every smile and gesture imprinted on his very soul.

He made a promise for the sixth.

He felt numb.

As his fears began to overwhelm him, he felt his heart grow cold.

A moment later, a look of decisiveness swept across Chu Beijie's face. Tightly grasping his sword, he turned to leave.

The guards surrounded Chu Beijie, pikes poised warily. However, as he walked towards the exit, power exuded with every step. The guards were shocked and unsure of whether to stop him or not. Chu Beijie's sword remained pointed towards the ground. Seemingly unaffected by the steel pointed at him, the Duke pressed closer with his every step as if nothing could stop him, not even a blade to his heart.

His gaze was dark like the vast oceans, unfathomable. At this moment, anyone could feel a cold terrifying storm was gathering.

No one dared to meet his gaze just as no one dared to cross his sword.

Who has not heard of the mighty Duke of Zhen-Bei?

The guards were forced to step back in the face of his pressing aura.

"Let him go." The King solemnly said.

The guards parted, making way for Chu Beijie to pass.

The Queen's phoenix headpiece swayed as she called out, "King!"

"Does my Queen wish for me to kill him, or let him kill every single one of our guards?" The King stood stiffly. He stared at Chu Beijie's figure until he finally left the courtyard and sighed heavily, "Let him go. It should be nearly over by now. Even if he reaches the residence, it will be too late for him to do anything."

Even after Chu Beijie was long gone, the heavy atmosphere remained present. No one dared to move. Even the baby princess who seemed to sene the danger and gloom remained silent.

The King of Dong Lin looked at the slowly darkening sky, his eyes unreadable. Deep down was the slightest tinge of sorrow and regret.

The sound of footsteps finally broke the silence as the old Senior Offical Chu Zairan clambered up the stairs and fell to his knees before the King, "King, after departing the palace, the Duke of Zhen-Bei directly appointed twelve young army officials, mustered a three thousand man cavalry unit with the command flag and left from the west gate."

"Let him go." The King of Dong Lin turned his eyes away from the distance and recovered his composure, walking down the stairs he gently said, "Without knowing the pain of loss, how could he grow to become the future King of Dong Lin?"

Beijie, go and see with your own eyes, the ruins of your home.

I hope that as you see the burning fire, see it swallowing the last shreds of your selfish desires.

As a King, to rule a nation, you may not have final reservations.

The guards were vigilant while the maids were silenced. The huge secluded residence's atmosphere became silent in just a day. Rather than simply the lacking of the coo pigeon sounds, it was more like the quietness of death.

No one coughed or talked loudly. Even walking was done on tiptoes. It seemed that at just a slight sound would instantly attract a storm of enemies from every direction.

Pingting was sitting in Chu Beijie's office for the first time.

She methodically opened and read the scrolls of the related data in the pile on the desk. Several documents had Chu Beijie's comments of approval. In regards to military affairs and errors, his tone was cold and harsh but those pertaining to the livelihood of people, the statements were more simple and good-natured.

Occasionally there'd be one or two separate documents which appeareded to be poems Chu Beijie wrote. His familar handwriting was just like him, calm yet wild at the same time.

There was a white corner showing at the bottom of a scroll which may have been carefully hidden by its owner. Pingting's sharp eyes sought it out. It appeared to be a neat, well-structured drawing.

The picture was lifelike, the strokes with proper depth.

It had trees, a lake, snow, qin and the person holding the qin, in a pale green dress. The wind swept wisps of her silky black hair as she smiled and talked.