Chapter 22 How Helpless Yue Was

After the Spring Festival, it's spring when everything came back to life. Warm sunshine made people feel so energetic. However, Yue felt the temperature was not as warm as that in the winter. He hated the Kingdom of Yun so deeply. However, he still put off the task again and again for her. He only wanted to stay with her peacefully for more days. However, it was a new year, and he couldn't find any excuse. The phoenix tree in Xiyan Palace had put on new green clothes, looking more vibrant than before. A girl in white with only a simple hairpin on her hair was standing under the tree and staring at it. The only difference was that now there was a naive smile on the girl's face, which was the look of girls of her age. She was pure and lovely. People could not help but get closer to her. Yue was so used to hugging the girls now. He saw Yun Xi under the tree and hugged her from behind. His head leaned on her right shoulder as usual. His eyes were sharper and more mature than his peers’. Yue stared at her with affection. He smelled the pure girl scent which was natural but not because of perfume. The girl was the only one whom Yue cared about. "Yinzhu... actually... I always want to ask you a question." "Well, Yue, you can ask me any question." "What are you looking at under the phoenix tree? "I'm looking in that direction." "Oh?" "That was the direction of the Kingdom of Shui." Yun Xi pointed to the place she had been looking at with his right index finger. Yue was touched. He leaned on the girl's shoulder without a word. Yun Xi still looked very peaceful. She seemed to have forgotten her sufferings and regained a new life. Actually, Yue also had suffered losses similar to what Yun Xi had been through. On the surface, his father was still alive. In fact, his father only cared about himself. Yue was his only surviving son but he treated him as a tool to restore his kingdom. Yue's father was the only surviving royal immediate family member of the Kingdom of Kong. He had been an idle Lord who had no relationship with the throne. However, now he was hoping to get that position. In the name of the restoration of his kingdom, his father was crazy to take the world from the Kingdom of Yun. The only person who loved Yue was his mother, one of his father's concubines. Yue's father had many wives, concubines, and children. His mother was weak and soft. She was beautiful but unremarkable among all the ladies. Yue had been versed in literature, military affairs, music, and painting. However, he was still the son born of a concubine, out of favor with the Lord. For so many years, he and his mother had to depend on each other for survival in that big family. Wives and concubines intrigued against each other. They had to be very careful. His mother didn't want to make any trouble. She had always been tolerant and weak. As time went by, even some servant girls and pageboys looked down on them. This was also the reason why Yue was so capable. When he was a child, he had learned how to cook, do the laundry, cut firewood, and collect water himself. Otherwise, they would have starved to death in that luxury but cold cage. Yue didn't recall his home and country with nostalgia. His memory was filled with coldness, and his father also had never brought him warmth. When he was a child, he tried hard to acquire knowledge and practice martial arts. He did everything better than his brothers just for his father to visit him and his mother. However, he became more disappointed as he grew elder. No matter how good he was, his father never wanted to visit them. In the end, he did not have too much love for his father, not to mention that now he was just his father's tool. Yue felt helpless about such a desperate relationship. During the final war, his mother hid him under her bed. He was the only one in the family who survived. That day, through the cracks under the bed, Yue witnessed her mother bullied by brutes of the Kingdom of Yun when he was 13 years old. His gentle and beautiful mother had been submissive. She didn't shed a tear and didn’t utter a word. She was so strong. Her eyes looked at his eyes under the bed. Those brutes of the Kingdom of Yun bullied her with dirty words, but her mother only said to him with the shape of her mouth, "Hide... don’t come out... cover your ears... close your eyes..." The 13-year-old boy obediently closed his eyes and then he saw nothing. He covered his ears with his hands and then he heard nothing. However, he still could feel the pain and struggle in his mind. After a long time, the soldiers of the Kingdom of Yun left. He put down his hands covering his ears. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the open eyes of his dead mother, still looking in his direction. Her eyes were filled with her love for him, as peaceful as she was whenever she tucked him in at night. Time passed second by second. Yue finally came out when his father returned home. His father glanced at his dead mother on the ground and dodged her as if she were the plague. Yue cried and wanted to get closer to his mother, but his father did not allow it. He took him to leave their house covered with bodies indifferently. His mother was banished from the family. His father thought she was raped and it was a humiliation to the family. Over the years, Yue always felt regret in the middle of the night. He hated himself being so young at that time so he couldn't bury his mother decently. He was willing to restore their kingdom for his father. For one reason, the Kingdom of Yun had killed and destroyed his mother. For another reason, he hoped that his father could treat his mother as a family member again. In this way, at least his mother could rest in peace. Yun Xi felt very strange that Yue was motionless without a word when hugging her. She moved in his arms and saw his sad look. Yun Xi raised her small hand to touch his frown. "Yue, what's the matter?" "Nothing, just thinking of my mother." "Yue’s mother must be as gentle as Yue." "Yes, mother was really gentle." "I hope I have a chance to meet Yue's mother." "She's gone." "Yue, don't be sad. Yinzhu will always be with you." "Well, I have Yinzhu now." Yue smiled bitterly. He was a 13-year-old boy, but he could hardly handle that situation. She was only 9 years old when she had to experience the separation between loved ones. Her country was conquered and her family was ruined. Now she was alone. Thinking of this, Yue hugged her more tightly. Feeling the girl's temperature in his arms, he still did not know what to say. However, such a genuine feeling was the greatest comfort for him. Yun Xi stayed in his arms, feeling the temperature of his chest. The scene that two people hugging each other was so harmonious and beautiful. It would be best if time stopped at this moment. The girl's stomach grumbled untimely. It sounded particularly loud in such a quiet situation. Yun Xi blushed. She buried her face more deeply in Yue’s fake bosoms. Yue looked at the girl in his arms and couldn't help but laugh. The girl’s face became redder. She was annoyed and wanted to leave him. Yue pulled her back with a smile. "Yinzhu, I'll get you some snacks." "Well. But, don't laugh." "I won't laugh." "You are still laughing!" "My face is out of my control." "I don't want to talk with you!" The girl turned around angrily and walked to the phoenix tree in front of them. She no longer looked at Yue. Behind her, Yue was trying his best not to laugh out. He soon brought some snacks for her. The girl still did not look back. Yue then put a snack in Yun Xi’s mouth. The girl didn't want to torture her own stomach. She opened her mouth and bit Yue's big hand. Yun Xi didn't use much strength, only leaving him a few small teeth marks. She peeked and saw Yue touching the teeth marks on his right hand with his left hand. Yue was still smiling. The girl was still ignoring Yue. Yun Xi chewed the snack in her mouth and tasted it—she felt so sweet. A voice interrupted this comfortable scene, "Sister Xi, it will be my birthday early next month. You can come to get together." Crown Prince Yun Su was gentle and elegant. From a distance, he looked so harmless. Yun Su pushed open the door of Xiyan Palace and then walked in. He approached Yun Xi naturally. Seeing the man, Yue couldn't help but frown. The door of Xiyan Palace performed practically no functions. Everyone could come and go freely. He must come up with a solution to deal with it. Indeed, Xiyan Palace had a big hidden danger. However, he soon forgot this matter. Yun Xi saw Crown Prince. She was still not willing to speak. These days, the girl thought only Yue and Yuer knew she could talk. In fact, Yun Su had already known Yun Xi could speak. He did not mind that she did not want to talk with him. Yun Su felt satisfied enough when he looked at the girl in front of him. He looked more and more gentle. When his personal bodyguard Qi Yuan whispered something in his ear, he had to leave to continue his business. After seeing Crown Prince off, Yun Xi finally relaxed. Yue approached the girl and let her lean on his fake bosoms. "Yinzhu, will you go to Crown Prince's birthday party?" "I don't want to." "You should go, Yinzhu. It won't hurt if you know more people." "Does Yue want me to go? "Yes." "Would you like to go?" "Yes." "Then I'll go." 'You don't want to know my reason?" "You are mine, Yue!" The girl did not answer him directly, but she trusted Yue wholeheartedly. Yue felt so complex. He needed this opportunity. It was the birthday of Crown Prince Yun Su. King Yun liked this son best, so he would definitely show up. However, Yue also did not want to lie to the girl in front of him. Fortunately, Yun Xi did not ask any questions. Yue stretched out his arms to hug the girl. He hugged her more tightly than before, hoping such a peaceful moment could last forever. However, it's impossible. At the back of a small door, Yuer was gnashing her teeth as she saw the scene. Every girl wanted to be loved. In the past, she wanted the princess to take her to attend various activities to be noticed by noblemen. However, the princess had always ignored her request. On the contrary, the princess always fulfilled Yue's requirements immediately. Besides, now Yuer totally fell in love with the Crown Prince Yun Su. She wanted to be his woman, but she was not qualified to attend his birthday party. Princess Xi would only take the bitch Yue with her. Yuer was jealous and sad. She tore the handkerchief in her hand, and silk cut her hand. She bled, but she did not feel pain at all. Yuer was still staring at Yue and Yun Xi hugging each other under the phoenix tree. She became more and more vicious.