Chapter 5 The Second Time

Yun Zhi did not know whether he was doing this on purpose or not. He was now walking toward Xiyan Palace which looked deserted.

In Xiyan Palace, the beautiful girl in white dress wanted to have an early rest. However, she could hear the sound of singing and dancing from her courtyard even though her place was far away from the noisy imperial hall. The sound was not loud, it was kind of soft. However, it still sounded a bit noisy in this quiet courtyard.

Little palace maid Yuer had sneaked out to have fun, so the Third Princess Xi was the only one left in this place. She had been used to quiet days, so she felt uncomfortable about the noise. Princess Xi got dressed quickly and then walked to the phoenix tree.

At the age of nine, she lost her parents and homeland. The little princess Shui Yinzhu was then left in this cold palace. An old woman offered her food and clothes. She was so alone and kept crying every day. However, no matter how hard she screamed until her tears dried up and her voice was hoarse, the old woman would never take a look at her. She took Shui Yinzhu as a mad girl. When she refused to eat or drink, the old woman would force her mouth open, just to keep her alive.

The little girl spent all day in this deserted palace. This place was so empty, like an ice house that sunshine would never reach. The little girl could only hug herself, crouching in the corner of the bed. Finally, when she had no tears left to cry, she could no longer make any sounds and she became mute. The clothes she wore were not thin at all, but she still felt very cold. It's a kind of biting cold which could reach the bottom of her heart. Her whole body kept trembling until she ran out of energy. In the end, she was motionless, like a jade doll sculpture without a soul.

No one cared about her. She had lost her father and mother who loved her. She lost all people who loved her and the country which could protect her. In her dreams, all she could see was a bloody battlefield. The bodies of the people of the Kingdom of Shui were piled up like a mountain. On the high tower of the Kingdom of Shui, her parents closed their eyes forever. Their cold bodies were like a nightmare haunting her until her heart was numb.

Having been disappointed for so many times, she began to isolate herself. She stopped crying and she no longer uttered a word. Her eyes became empty. Every day, she only wore white clothes with the color of a shroud. She separated herself from this ruthless world in silence.

She could not remember when the old woman left the palace and Yuer who was a few years older than her came to be her palace maid. Yuer had never treated her sincerely. She always did things carelessly. However, Yun Xi did not care. For her, what she really cared about had gone, including her own life.

For all these years, in this icy cold palace, she got used to the fact that she was about to die. She could slowly waste her life. She liked to stand under the phoenix tree. When she was a child, there was also a similar phoenix tree in the residence of her mother in the palace of the Kingdom of Shui. The direction she had been staring at was the direction of her homeland, the Kingdom of Shui. She was just waiting, waiting for her own death. She was waiting to return to her homeland as soon as possible, waiting for the reunion with her father and mother in another world. For her, being alive was just meaningless.

Yun Zhi walked to Xiyan Palace, but he did not expect that this palace was totally unguarded, like a forgotten and abandoned Cold Palace (the place where exiled concubines lived). In fact, people in Cold Palace might be much better than those in this palace. He sighed. Yun Zhi had no idea about what kind of life she had been living for so many years, which made her a jade doll without a soul. It was not that he had not wanted to see her, but he had been on the battlefield all the time. He had been busy conquering countries and then suppressing rebels everywhere. Now he was finally back.

He gently pushed the door open and walked in. He saw Yun Xi under a phoenix tree. Yun Xi took a look at him with empty eyes, but she soon looked back on her phoenix tree. For her, everything had nothing to do with her. However, even though she was just silent and dull standing under the tree, Yun Zhi thought she was much more attractive than all beauties in the imperial hall. The lively hall for him was a kind of irony. In contrast, such a quiet atmosphere made him comfortable. He took the initiative to stand beside the girl.

"Xier, can I stay here with you? Xier, are you the only one here? Where's your little palace maid? Xier, what are you looking at? Can you tell me?..."

The man kept whispering. His words were warm and gentle, like a warm flow of water. The girl would not answer any questions, and she would not even open her mouth. She was only staring at the phoenix tree.

Yun Zhi didn't care about it. He continued, "Xier, do you know? I saw you when you were young. I really wanted to protect you, but it's a pity that I couldn’t do so at that time. I will always keep you safe in the future...” He really wanted to tell her that he was the prince of the Kingdom of Xuan. Their countries were both ruined and they had the same hatred in their mind. However, he did not want her to worry about it. He only hoped that she would always be happy and carefree in the future. He would save her out of this golden cage, away from the ruthless sacrifice so that she could become Shui Yinzhu again.

These words might seem touching for a nine-year-old girl. But at this time, she dared not believe anyone easily. Yun Xi did not know that Yun Zhi was sincere. She did not answer him. Yun Xi was still staring in the direction of her hometown as if her loved ones were waving to her.

One of them was in a daze, while the other one kept talking while staring at her. Such a strange situation was kind of harmonious. Compared with the pretentious and noisy imperial hall, the silence in this small courtyard was actually enjoyment for Yun Zhi.