Chapter 72 – She is Alive!
“Your Highness, shall we head back to the residence?” The captain of his personal bodyguards asked as he bowed towards Ji Yunhuang, inviting him to get on the carriage.
Ji Yunhuang looked at that horse carriage. He had brought Ning Xuemo to his residence in this very carriage, only yesterday.
The carriage was still there, unchanged, but the person was no longer there,never to be seen again.
Ji Yunhuang waved his hand. “Burn this carriage.” He’ll burn this carriage for her to use in the netherworld.[1]
He leaped up and straddled the horse. With a flick of the reins, he galloped down the street.
Those bodyguards looked at each other. Even though this carriage did not look too extraordinary, all the materials used to make it were not ordinary with a total value of more than 10,000 taels of gold. It could be said to be the crown prince’s favourite carriage. He usually did not allow for even the slightest bump or scratch on it, but now he actually ordered it to be burned?!
No one dared to disobey the crown prince’s orders, hence the captain of the bodyguards quickly arranged for a group of people to burn the carriage while the others chased after the crown prince to protect him…
……
Outside the recently re-painted Marquis’ Mansion hung a white banner, while sounds of mournful wailing could be heard from inside.
Ji Yunhuang reined the horse in before the gates to the mansion. He looked inside and lightly sighed before turning to leave.
He knew that all the people who entered the Ministry of Justice Prison did not survive, so he did not harbour any doubts about Ning Xuemo’s death.
He did not want to go in to look at her coffin. At most there would only be a pile of ashes; it wouldn’t be her. Even if he went in it would just be inviting sadness…
Ji Yunhuang had not slept for the whole night so he was rather tired, hence he headed back to his own residence for a good rest.
He ruthlessly and mindlessly pushed open the door to his sleeping quarters, but suddenly he noticed something. A flash of light came from his palm and immediately a long sword appeared. He then proceeded to use it to part his bed’s curtain to one side. He, who was always as calm and steady as a mountain, became dumbfounded at the sight before him!
There was someone sleeping on his bed. Her dark hair spread out softly on the pillow, and her little face appeared rosy. Sound asleep on his bed was Ning Xuemo who had been reported to be dead.
Ji Yunhuang could not believe his eyes. He rubbed them to make sure he was not dreaming before slowly approaching her.
The little brat must be too tired; her alertness was actually rather low. He was already right next to the bed yet she was still dead to the world.
His finger lightly stroked her cheek. It was warm and soft…
She was real! She was really alive!
Ji Yunhuang almost thought he was dreaming. The person who had supposedly died and had been cremated was actually still alive and slept on his bed.
No matter if it was Lord Lu or those four jailers, they could not have lied to him, because they would not have dared to!
‘What could have happened in the end?’
Ji Yunhuang stood there lost in his thoughts, but no matter how hard he thought about it, he could not come up with an explanation.
A sudden movement occurred, and the blanket suddenly flew at him, covering his vision.
Although Ji Yunhuang was caught unprepared, he was a genuine expert. His movements looked like flowing water. He retreated a step and waved his hand, causing the blanket to fly past him.
The person who had originally been lying down on the bed had already gotten up and was now pointing a short sword at him.
Seeing that it was Ji Yunhuang, Ning Xuemo sighed in relief before lowering her sword. She smiled slightly with small dimples appearing while flushing slightly. “It scared me. Your Highness you finally came back!”
This little girl held such a high level of caution!
Praise could be seen in Ji Yunhuang’s eyes. His lips lifted into a smile. “You’re the one who gave me a scare! Come and tell me. How did you escape from the Ministry of Justice Prison?” His curiosity was killing him.
Hearing his words, Ning Xuemo understood that he knew most of what happened.
[1] This is a Chinese custom of burning items for the dead to use in the afterlife. However, usually only paper replicas (a.k.a. Joss paper) of those items are used. For more informations, click here.