CROWN PRINCE'S CONCUBINE

684 Strange Building

Night falls. The sound of owls fills the silence of the night in the Pai Hua valley and its surroundings.

Bai Ying opened his eyes, his back was wet with his own sweat and his body was hot, he really didn’t feel good that time. Don’t know what happened to him, but he felt his body was weak just as when he was younger, before meeting the Crown Prince and the others. The others, he still couldn’t believe that there wasn’t Master Shin Ya, Elder Yi, and Xiao Hong there. Then, what happened to his brother? Was he just dreaming? This dream felt so real.

Bai Ying widened his eyes. He realized there was no one else inside his room, where was the Crown Prince? Why did he leave him alone? Previously the Crown Prince had never left him alone, especially when he was so sick.

He would sleep beside him and hug him so tight all night, even if it will make their bodies wet from it. Did His Highness the Crown Prince have something important that he can’t leave behind? And, for some reason, he felt that his behavior had been very strange recently, unlike the Crown Prince he used to know. He rarely called him Ying Ying, it was a special nickname for him since they were kids.

Bai Ying pushed aside the blanket. It’s strange, his two maids weren’t there either, where are sister Yan and Sister Bi? Normally those two would also serve him non-stop, his two loyal maids never once left him if it wasn’t for him asking them to leave.

Bai Ying woke up. His head hurt unbelievably, his chest was tight as if something was pressing on it. His body seemed to float and see the surroundings as if swaying as if he was on a boat. Now, who can help him? Why did he think that the Crown Prince as well as his two maids were not on his side?

“Eh, Your Highness, Sister Yan, sister Bi, where are you guys?” his voice is hoarse. Not loud enough to be heard through the door, he thought.

Bai Ying fell into deep thought. There was no Shin Ya and Elder Yi, Xiao Hong too, and his brother Chen Ming was a good-for-nothing Prince, he felt, something was very wrong, but, he couldn’t remember what.

He thought of something, Bai Ying held his neck, but there was nothing hanging around there, whether it was his Memory Coin or Er Wang’s scales. That’s right, Er Wang must know what happened to him.

.....

“Old man Er Wang, where are you?” call him.

There was nothing, so silence there, only the sounds of the night around. He also didn’t feel Er Wang’s vibration in his chest as usual, had he lost that dragon too?

“Old man, Er Wang, where are you? I need your help” he cried looking around. Regardless of the extent, Er Wang should appear in front of him, no matter what.

Bai Ying swallowed whole, something must have happened, but, how come he didn’t even know where it went wrong, there was something in his vague memories, something he shouldn’t forget. Bai Ying pushed aside the blankets, staggered out of bed, and grabbed the outer garments that were hanging not far beside him and put them on, also a black long robe complete with a head covering which was not far by the door. He never had that kind of robe in his room before, who put that here? Well, he doesn’t care, it becomes so handy now.

Bai Ying slid towards the door. There’s no one there, where’s everyone? Why weren’t any of the little maids and guards in the villa serving him as usual? But that was good, this was a chance for him to get out of the villa where he had been, he remembered that he hadn’t even set foot outside the villa since he regained consciousness a few days ago.

....

The Xin Hua palace complex was nothing like it had been in his memory. Was it because it was dark that he couldn’t see the surroundings clearly enough, but, the man-made lake that he liked was supposed to be not far from the corner from Plum’s villa’s exit? For a moment Bai Ying stop and stand behind a tree, hiding from the maids who were walking towards him.

“His Majesty the King will be holding a competition next week, so we all have to clean all corners without exception,” said a young maid.

“Usually we always do that. Then, what about the condition of the young Prince? Is he really not going to enter the competition? It’s a pity that His Majesty is always getting sick, since he was little he has hardly ever attended any events,” said one of the other maids.

Bai Ying listened intently as the maids passed by, were they talking about him?

“Well it can’t be helped, his condition is like that, I heard that His Highness will be returning to the capital with His Highness the Crown Prince. So will not be in this palace again”

The other maid nodded.

“Good, at least even though there are many other concubines, His Highness the Crown Prince will surely take good care of our Prince right?” he asked.

“But I heard that Concubine Ye, the foreign minister’s daughter is pregnant now, is it possible that he won’t just be abandoned there?”

The other three maids held their breaths.

“Oh really? What a pity Our Highness Little Prince”

Bai Ying stuck his head out as the four little maids had already passed by. They really love to talk, does the palace allow maids to gossip like that?

Bai Ying pulled his lips. Are they really talking about him? He also heard concubine Ye’s name, who do they mean, sister Ye Mu? Since when did Ye Mu get pregnant? Oh, he must have heard wrong.

After confirming that no one else was there, Bai Ying came out of hiding and skulked towards the exit of the palace. If he’s not mistaken the road leads outside the gate.

While walking carefully, Bai Ying seemed to see someone he knew quite well standing behind a tree along the way.

“Eh, bro....” because of the minimal lighting, he could have seen it wrongly. But no, he was so sure that was someone he knew very well.

Bai Ying was about to approach him when the black-clothed person turned around and walked the other way, away from him.

“Hey, brother Bai! Brother Bai Guang, wait!” he was confused, why did he show himself and just leave without saying a word to him? He headed towards the old palace area. Without thinking, he followed suit, now, Bai Guang was probably the only one who could give answers to his questions.

“That guy”

Bai Ying settles down and hides when he sees the small soldier patrol in front of him. This is ridiculous, this is his palace, why should he walk stealthily and hide? And strangely, he didn’t feel a headache or weakness like when he was in his room. He didn’t even get tired of following where Bai Guang disappeared earlier.

Slowly, walking between the trees, Bai Ying headed towards the old palace. He had to find Bai Guang and ask himself what happened, he could definitely answer all of his questions.

Bai Ying stopped in front of a gate where countless soldiers were standing guard. So many people dressed in black, long robes like the one he is wearing now walk towards the field where the soldiers usually train. Bai Ying looked up, frowning deeply, how could there be such a tall building there? As far as he could remember there was nothing in the field.

Bai Ying’s eyes went wide. A very tall building with a slightly rounded shape resembling Er Wang’s pagoda, only that it was very different. Bai Ying subconsciously walked over to it to take a closer look, what was this? Why did he feel such heavy pressure, as if all the sorrow and screams of pain could be heard just by looking at the tall building looming in front of him? Where did he look on every floor, there was something hanging, a lot, hanging and swaying because of the passing wind, something resembling a human skull, did he not just have a blur eyes?

Bai Ying swallowed his saliva whole. He almost walked towards the gate to check his eyes, were it not for someone bumping into him from behind.

“Akh” is a person who is also the same as himself, dressed in black to cover his head. His eyes looked at Bai Ying sharply as if asking what he was doing standing in the middle of the way like that.

No, Bai Ying thought, this must be wrong. This is not the palace, where is it? Why is there such a terrible building here?

He almost fell when he turned his body, again bumping into several other people, who in a short time had gathered behind him. He rushed to run from there.

“Hey where are you going!” shouted a man at the very back seeing Bai Ying rush past him.

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