The rain had stopped. The gray clouds had vanished, and the sun could shine on the earth again. However, the wet earth still had yet not dried out. Raindrops were still left, as stagnant water, or as water droplets which soaked the plants.
Zhu Su was standing in his botanical garden. As far as his eyes could see, a vast scenery of flowers stretched out before him. Red, yellow, white, blue, and pink. Every flower was so beautiful, especially when they were swinging in the wind. Such a wonderful beauty.
The same with Hehuan flower hanging at a Hehuan tree in front of him.
"Hehuan flower..." Zhu Su picked a Hehuan flower, watching it with a vacant stare. "The flower that can give calmness for our mind, as well as have strange myths."
Seeing the Hehuan flower, Zhu Su remembered at the romantic myth Han Sheng ever told him. The myth of a woman who loved her husband and children very much that when she died, she did not want to reborn, so that she could keep looking after her family. Then, bizarrely, Hu Nayin's voice rang in his ears.
"Somehow I can feel Hehuan's grief, as well as her great love for her husband and children."
Zhu Su's eyes went round. Something weird came to her sight.
"Nayin!" Zhu Su soon ran towards "Hu Nayin". Yet, she did not turn her head, and kept walking.
"Nayin, stop! Don't go away!" Zhu Su now gripped the right wrist of "Hu Nayin". In the next second, he was stunned.
"Your Highness... Do you call me..."
Zhu Su blinked. It turned out that she was not Hu Nayin, but instead a senior lady who was even older than him.
"A... err..." Zhu Su released his grip hastily. "I thought, you are Wang Fei..."
The court lady bowed in a respectful manner. "Never mind, Your Highness... it's me who do wrong, because of startling you."
Zhu Su shook his head. His brain seemed to be rambling so badly that he could mistakenly identify the young Hu Nayin with this very old lady.
"You must be very senior, mustn't you?" asked Zhu Su. "You must be very professional in managing the palace?"
"I have been to the palace since I was ten years old. I have been for nearly sixty years taking care of the palace."
"Sixty years?!" Zhu Su got more surprised.
"Yes. I have lived in the palace even since Yuan still ruled this country."
"Really?" But Zhu Su was not supposed to be surprised. This old woman would be around seventy years old, at the same age as his father if the emperor was still alive. "So, you know what the Yuan Dynasty is like?"
The old lady nid-nodded. "Yes. Very clearly."
"Can you tell me, what Yuan Palace looked like?"
"Ah." The lady closed her eyes. As if she was imagining the situation occurring decades ago. "It was an era of beauty. The palace was glistening with gold. The water in the lake was splashing. Beautiful princesses were playing with joy. Prosperity. Jewels. Vivacious party. Nice breeze. Aaahhh..."
"You were happy at that time?"
"Yes..." The lady was still complacent. "I am happy... I always feel happy to live in any palace, even though I am... now old..."
Tears filled her eyelids, then slowly fell down her cheeks.
"You came to the palace when you were young, and keep dedicating yourself until the end of your life..."
"Ah... what's the importance of us, the court ladies? We are just slaves. The servants of our Lord. Coming here when we are young, and staying here until God of Death takes us away, just for one purpose - serving our Lord. That's how we live here. The lives of all of us, belong entirely to The Lord."
"Are you happy with such a kind of life?"
"Happy? Yes, I am happy. I am proud to be useful for Your Highness."
"But, you don't get the freedom of life you want?..."
"Maybe our dream is only, to be of value for Your Highness. To make Your Highness happy. It is all enough for us. About the other, we don't care anymore."
"Be of help for you, is enough for me!..."
It happened again. Hu Nayin's voice echoed in his ears. Zhu Su looked closely at the old lady. Her old face beamed in happiness. Yes, she appeared very happy, even though she only spent her whole life as a servant.
She had to be a servant since she was very young. Unmarried, served in the royal family for all her life. Even though she fell in love, she could not keep it - because her love, could only be devoted to her Lord.
But after all, that is the life a woman should undergo. A woman leaves her parents, her family, her life... abandons everything, to come to the man who becomes her husband. It is a hard decision to do, but the woman still does it.
For the man she loves.
Women, are the creatures who have to endure so many sacrifices. The life of a woman is filled mostly with sacrifice. Physical sacrifice, emotional sacrifice, even sometimes she must sacrifice her life. But women accept it sincerely. Although they have to sacrifice their time, women never demand to get a big name and success, and instead they assisted their husbands to achieve success sincerely. Although they have to sacrifice their feelings, watching their husband making love with other women, taking the young mistresses or concubines, for the sake of her husband's happiness, the women sincerely give an allowance. And women, are willing to pass through nine months pregnant, and during childbirth, she must fight with the God of Death, in order to give birth to her child safely.
The same with what Hu Nayin did.
When he was exiled to Yunnan for the first time, Hu Nayin was always with him, sincerely and without expecting anything in return. The same with the second time he was exiled to Yunnan again and even when he fled to Ava. At that time Hu Nayin owned a bright future, but for him, Hu Nayin was willing to leave all that, Hu Nayin even followed him to Ava. And Hu Nayin still did not expect anything in return. It was he who got impressed by Hu Nayin's loyalty and created her as Wang Fei. And even after becoming Wang Fei, Hu Nayin remained unchanged, she kept accompanying him with all her heart.
Until now.
"Your Highness, are you thinking about something?"
Zhu Su gasped. He was indeed just daydreaming at his desk. Apparently, it caught the attention of Bian Tong, the chief of Zhou Fan Wang Guo's household department.
"Ah... yes. I'm... just thinking about something..."
"It seems very serious." Bian Tong surveyed Zhu Su's half-daydreaming face. "If you keep it buried in your heart, it will instead hurt you. But not when you release it. Not only will the pain subside, it will become a very evocative art."
"Art?..."
"Beautiful art, is made when a person struggles with the hardship of his life. When he feels sadness and suffering. The story of The Butterfly Lovers becomes a touching legend because it is full of sadness and misery. Likewise, the legend of Lady Meng Jiang is famous as a romantic legend, because it is full of sadness and misery. Try to write down the hurt and sadness you feel, pour it all onto the paper. And perhaps you will be surprised when you find the result as an incredible work of art."
Zhu Su was silent. Then, he nodded in agreement. Slowly, he moved his hands, picked up the ink brush and paper, and began to write.
***
Rumilie had not yet got any information about the progress of his strategy of sowing discord. Being curious, he immediately looked for Yu Mu Li La.
"Yu Mu Li La?..." Rumilie called. "Yu Mu Li La?"
No reply.
"Yu Mu Li La?!" Rumilie called once again. He was quite certain, it was impossible that Yu Mu Li La had not returned from her surveillance. Because it was time for Yu Mu Li La to come back and give report. Yet, his call was replied by a gust of wind.
"De Ta?! Do you see Yu Mu Li La?" Rumilie switched to call De Ta. But, the same result was waiting for Rumilie. No response.
"Where the hell does he go?! Uh, wait... can it be... they leave together? Yes, it should be. But how come they didn't tell me? Why..." A speck of premonition landed on Rumilie. A hunch that made him jumped. "Can it be, they cross over to Zhou Wang?!"
Yes, it sounded sensible. Since he punished De Ta with The Maggot Execution, De Ta often locked himself in his room. Only once he saw De Ta came out, that was when he did research in the Shuanghu District, but after that, he never saw him coming out of his room. Yu Mu Li La also appeared weird. One time he saw her hanging around near De Ta's bedchamber. She also looked like a confused person. Before, he thought it was an ordinary thing, but now when he thought more carefully about it, then it made directions to the answer he wanted to know.
"De Ta hates me because I punished him with The Maggot Execution... and Yu Mu Li La, who seems to have feelings for De Ta, allies with him. Shit!" He pouted. "No worries! After all, if De Ta really intends to defect, the Maggots will immediately attack him mercilessly. Just try to defect, De Ta! And you will die right away!"