Chongfei Manual - Chapter 171.1

Chapter 171.1

Chapter: 171 . 1 out of 171

It was slightly hot during noon . A cool breeze passed through the window’s muslin curtains and entered the hot and stuffy room . Zhao Jie was sleeping on an arhat bed that was decoratively carved with dragons for his afternoon nap . One hand was placed over the other and they were both resting on his stomach . Perhaps, he was having an unpleasant dream . His expression was very ugly . His sword-like eyebrows furrowed more and more . In the end, both of his hands clenched into fists and pounded the bed . “Ah Luo!”

The bed made a loud sound and woke Zhao Jie up from his dream .

His forehead was soaked in sweat and his eyes were pitch-black . He slowly sat up from the bed . As he rubbed the area between his eyebrows, he called for a servant .

Hearing Zhao Jie’s voice, a young eunuch wearing a light green uniform hurriedly came into the room and respectfully saluted before saying, “Your Majesty . ”

Zhao Jie said, “Where’s the empress?”

The young eunuch said, “To respond to Your Majesty, the empress is currently in the back garden with the crown prince and little princess . ”

Zhao Jie lowered his eyes and seemed as if he was heavily sighing in relief . A while later, he finally waved his hand and said, “You can withdraw . ”

The young eunuch bowed and left the room . Zhao Jie’s fists clenched tighter before loosening . His black eyes stared at a certain place . He couldn’t help remembering his recent dream .

That dream had undoubtedly been Zhao Jie’s most terrifying nightmare .

In the dream, neither Zhao Xi nor his younger sister existed . Zhao Jie also hadn't appeared in the dream . Zhao Jie had watched as little Ah Luo was sold to slavers by Du-shi, as she desperately fled from the slavers, and finally ended in a place called Long Shou Village . He watched as she was forced by her foster parents to marry a ghost, as she staggered to the capital to find her family… And later on… Zhao Jie clenched his fists so tightly that there was a cracking sound . He wasn’t willing to remember the things that happened after she arrived in the capital . In the dream, he hadn’t been able to will himself into appearing or say any words . He could only watch as Li Song appeared and did the things that he wanted to do . He helped that pitiful and helpless Wei Luo return to her home . He gave her a life of luxury, high rank, and great wealth . In the end, he even married her .

Zhao Jie closed his eyes . That dream had felt too realistic . He couldn’t move past the feeling of rage that he had experienced in the dream .

The helplessness and anger that he had felt in the dream remained fresh in his memory . Watching as his precious treasure fall into someone else’s hand had felt too real . Zhao Jie walked down from the dragon bed, put on a golden robe that was embroidered with dragons and clouds, and called Zhu Geng and Yang Hao over . Standing by the bed, he said, “Find out Li Song’s location . This emperor wants to know where he is right now . ”

Zhu Geng and Yang Hao were Zhao Jie’s imperial bodyguards with high ranks . They would normally stayed close to Zhao Jie . Whenever there was a matter that required confidentiality, Zhao Jie would arrange for the two of them to handle it . When the two of them heard Zhao Jie’s order, their first reaction was surprise . After all, Li Song’s name hadn’t been mentioned by anyone for a long time . Perhaps, most people had already forgotten him . If Zhao Jie hadn’t just brought up his name, they would have almost forgotten his existence too .

Zhu Geng and Yang Hao were diligent and conscientious hidden guards . They quickly overcame that moment of surprise and said, “Understood . ”

After Zhao Jie stipulated a deadline, he waved his hand to indicate for them to withdraw . He stood by the window for a long time by himself . He remembered the young eunuch’s words . Wei Luo and their children were all in the back garden . He didn’t think any further before striding over there . Right now, he urgently wanted to see and hug Wei Luo . He wouldn’t be able to let go of his worries until he confirmed that she was with him and not Li Song .

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The capital was slightly stuffy and hot in August, but this heat only lasted during the afternoon . Once it was evening, the temperature became much cooler . When Wei Luo wasn’t napping in the afternoon, she liked to take her two children to the garden behind Wu Shuang Hall to play . There was a swing and lattice for flowering vines here . There was also a meandering stream . Zhao Xi and Ran Ran liked to come here the most to play .

When Zhao Jie arrived, Wei Luo was sitting beneath the wisteria lattice to enjoy the cool air . She was holding a baby girl that looked as if she was carved from white jade . The baby girl was wearing a pink jacket and skirt that was embroidered with white butterflies and there was a little hair bun on each side of her head . There was a golden chain hairpin with precious stones inserted into each of the hair buns . She was currently raising her head to babble at Wei Luo . The side of her face looked very similar to Wei Luo’s . She had Wei Luo’s large eyes, little nose, red lips, and snow-white skin . It was only that one of them was a beautiful, young married woman and the other was cute, young girl .

There was also another child sitting near Wei Luo’s legs on the beech couch . Zhao Xi was holding a burr puzzle and seriously moving the pieces back and forth . There were also several other burr puzzles with different shapes by his hands: there were ones shaped like plum blossoms, eight-side ones, twenty-four-sided ones, and so on .

This little fellow figure out these puzzles very smoothly . It only took him twenty-four moves to dissemble and put back together the burr puzzle that he was playing with . After he finished assembling it, he raised his elegant and exquisite little face and blinked his large, bright and limpid, black eyes . When he smiled, his dimples would be revealed . He brought the burr puzzle in front of Wei Luo to take credit for his achievement, “Mother, I finished . Aren’t I amazing?”

When Zhao Xi had been born, he had resembled Wei Luo . But, as his face matured, he looked quite similar to Zhao Jie .

As Wei Luo looked at the burr puzzle in his hand, she lightly lowered her long eyelashes . Although she was twenty-year-old now, her exquisite and soft skin was still the same as fourteen-year-old girls’ . It was as soft and delicate as green onions . She stroked Zhao Xi’s face and praised, “Amazing . ”

Zhao Xi’s eyes brightened . His little face gradually revealed a bit of pride . He expectantly asked, “More amazing than imperial father?”

In the eyes of three and a half year old Zhao Xi, imperial father was the most amazing person in the world . Countless court officials and ordinary citizens would obey his words just from him moving his lips . His words were all-powerful and no one dared to voice dissenting opinions . Zhao Xi thought that his imperial father could even call forth the wind and summon the rain without any problems .

Wei Luo chuckled . She coaxed him, “Xi-er’s amazingness is different from your imperial father’s . Xi-er is very amazing . Your imperial father is also very amazing . But, Xi-er is young right now . Wait until you grow up, then compare yourself to your imperial father to see who’s more amazing .

Zhao Xi immediately dropped the burr puzzle and climbed onto Wei Luo’s lap . One hand held his younger sister’s soft and chubby little hand and the other hand held his mother’s hand . He said, “When I grow up and become more amazing than imperial father, can I hold younger sister?”

He was too young and didn’t have sufficient strength to hold Ran Ran properly . Wei Luo was worried that he would accidentally drop her, so she rarely let him hold Ran Ran . But, he constantly thought about it . He whole-heartedly wanted to hold his rosy-cheeked young sister that resembled a rice ball .

Wei Luo said, “Of course . ”

Zhao Xi was overjoyed .