Blind and Bereft

Chapter 27 | Sky Void of Stars

"Who sent those men in black?" Jingrui asked Yuansong as they walked through the pine forest.

"Who else can it be if it is not Emperor Yihuai?" He snorted.

Jingrui stared at Prince Zhanying's figure in front of her. She knew there was enmity between the brothers, but she didn't think that Yihuai would hate Prince Zhanying as much as to commence an assassination attempt on his trip. "Why does Emperor Yihuai want to kill His Highness this much?"

"Long story. The only fault our Prince ever committed to deserve these never-ending assassination attempts was being born into the royal family." Yuansong sighed as he began mulling over the past. "You see, I grew up with His Highness, and even if he has never told me much, I know well what he has to go through in order to survive these long years.

"I remember when I was a young lad,  Floating Abyss Palace still held life. It was a Palace given to our Prince's mother during her informal matrimony to the former Heavenly Emperor, Yunyin. She was named Consort Chen, and Madam Fu was given to her as her personal maid. I was Madam Fu's adopted child, so naturally, I entered the palace too."

Jingrui listened to Yuansong with great interest. "So, what happened to the Consort? I don't remember seeing her anywhere in the Palace."

Yuansong jolted upright at her words and placed his finger on his lips, shushing her. "Do you wish to die? His Highness forbade speaking of her death."

"She's dead?" Jingrui quickly covered her mouth, and to her luck, Prince Zhanying didn't turn around.

Yuansong nodded as he made a louder shushing sound. "It was a scandalous time, but I shall tell you about it, so you can be a little more sensible around His Highness." He crossed his arms and grumbled under his breath, "Besides, this will be a good test of loyalty. . ."

Jingrui raised her brows, unable to understand the last part, but she nodded at him to go on.

"You should know by now that His Highness is going to the Jade Dragon Mountain in order to regain his eyesight, right? Well, I'll tell you something else, he wasn't born blind. When he was young, he grew up alongside Emperor Yihuai when he was still the infamous Prince Yihuai. Taking the same classes and having the same shifu², Prince Zhanying excelled in every subject: terribly smart, terribly good at fighting, and had a very promising future. And that was his fault. A consort's son should not outshine an empress' son.

"They are both princes, but it was clear that the former Heavenly Emperor Yunyin favoured Prince Zhanying compared to the notorious and spoiled Prince Yihuai. The Empress Dowager Lingyue, couldn't stand it, and since Prince Zhanying was a potential threat to the throne, he must be eliminated."

Jingrui fiddled with her thumbs and looked up. "But what does all this have to do with His Highness becoming blind?"

Yuansong sneered, hatred burning in his dark eyes. "The feud between the Empress and the Consort, the bad blood between the two Princes—it's hard to tell you how deep it ran. Jealousy and greed are the roots that caused him to go blind."

"Oh. . ." was all Jingrui could say. She had always thought princes were drowned in luxury, and gods lived without worldly desires.

"You see, His Highness' blindness happened when the former Emperor Yunyin suddenly fell ill. The Floating Abyss began getting no maids, no guards, and no food supplies; it became a cold palace from mistreatment. But that was not all, one day I woke up, and the Prince was already blinded. From that day forth, he turned into a stern prince who drowned himself in medication, kept a low profile, and rarely left the roof of his home. . ."

Yuansong turned to her, his eyes brimming with sadness. He clenched his fists. "And I turned into a lonely bodyguard. I could never dream of having friends again like in the past because His Highness no longer trusts anyone to serve him but me. I've become a loner whose only companion is a high deity made out of stone!" Yuansong huffed and tilted his head towards the sky. "I wish I could have a lively friend."

Jingrui gave him a weak smile and patted his shoulder. "You have me, Yuansong."

Yuansong scrunched his nose. "You? A little maid? I'd rather have no friend."

Her smile dropped, and she crossed her arms. "I-I was just trying to be nice, seeing as you were sad. Truth is, I don't want to be your friend either!" She turned away from him. "I don't want to hear about you, you're not interesting. Tell me more about His Highness. How did he go blind?"

Yuansong rolled his eyes. "His Highness never tells me how. Even then, I know for certainty that it could be no other than the Empress Dowager Lingyue who blinded him. There's a Heavenly Law stating that a disabled person cannot become the Heavenly Emperor. With Prince Zhanying blinded, there was no longer anyone to threaten Emperor Yihuai's throne. With the sacrifice of the Prince's eyes, we got back our maids, guards, and food, and since then, the Floating Abyss have had peace for centuries. . ."

Yuansong glanced at the God of War in front of him and grimaced. "But fate always has ways to torment us. War raged out between the Celestial Tribe and the Demon Tribe. Prince Zhanying, who strictly trained himself to use his other senses for centuries, was forced to enter the battlefield as the God of War. He brought back a glorious victory, making his name a symbol of worship. That would have been a fitting ending, but. . ." he trailed off, his pupils dilated, and then, he shut his eyes. "The next day, Consort Chen was poisoned to death."

Her heart skipped a beat, and she looked up at the distressed Yuansong. "Who would do that?"

Yuansong shook his head. "We couldn't find any evidence, but His Highness knew with certainty that it must be the Empress Dowager Lingyue. That is why he vowed to devote himself to finding the evidence and lawfully convict the culprit.

"After Consort Chen passed away, the former Heavenly Emperor was drowned in grief. Accompanied by his weak health, he abdicated, and Emperor Yihuai became the ruler today. But our Prince took utmost caution, he convinced his father to write a final decree, the supreme decree: If the culprit who murdered Consort Chen were to be found, no matter their rank and status, this decree would have the power to convict all."

Jingrui stared at Prince Zhanying who seemed so far and distant in the path ahead. And for the first time, Jingrui thought that between her, an Earthly Immortal maid, and him, a Prince of Heaven, there was really no difference.

Every breath they drew was for revenge, every step they took was for justice. And all that they ever wished for was to see the full moon amidst the sky void of stars.

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