CHAPTER 5
Gan Xin found himself laying on the dirty floor of dirt and dead leaves.
"Mother!" He woke up with a headache.
" I'm sorry"
He tried standing, low key trembling in fear. He scanned the environment. It wasn't dark neither was it bright but it was quite cold, he started hugging his body. It was all tall trees and the scary sound of crows made his hair stand. Hugging his arm, he shivered in anxiety.
The sun was falling where the night comes. Gan Xin has not yet known the new surroundings. He fell asleep against a large unknown tree.
"Grrr" a creature reached his leg and began to bite. Gan Xin was dragged around, on the ground.
"ARGH!" He shouted in panic, getting slammed on the floor of dirt. "LET ME GO YOU DIRTY WOLF!"
He assumed by a glance.
The silver wolf ignored the order, continue dragging him faster. He was getting hit by the sharp branches and rocks. His face was full of scars as he started bleeding.
Trying to stop the wolf acceleration, Gan Xin placed the foxglove flower he instantly grew on the silver wolf's wet cheeks that he was able to reach.
The wolf started licking the poison as it slowed down and slowly fell, moaning in pain.
"You sound like a puppy" Gan Xin tried standing even with his injured leg. By the wolf's sharp teeth, his foot was punctured through his muscle. Out of pity, he dragged the wolf by its tail, templing as he walked back to his original position. He intended to save the silver wolf. "Don't worry, I will try to treat you"
Gan Xin, dragging the silver wolf arrived at the land, beside a long crystal clear stream.
"Wolfie, let me clean my leg that you bite okay" he let go of the tail and hurried to the stream as soon as wolfie the silver wolf went silent.
Gan Xin tried drinking the stream water and it was cold and refreshing. He reached for a leaf and folded it into a cup to give to wolfie.
"I think we need to build a castle. Don't you think so, wolfie?" He placed his hand at his waist, looking at wolfie still laying in pain, drinking the water provided. "Yup, you agreed"
He convinced himself, smiling. Brown dust followed his fingers as he draws a large mighty castle he wished for. He pulled the drawing to the land and a cottage was built instead of a castle.
The small cottage was made up of poisonous woods and plants. The roof was full of foxglove plants to protect from the heat of the sun and the coldness of the night.
"We shall call this a castle, wolfie" Gan Xin tried to regain his confidence, laughing at himself.
--
Wei An Ge has been asleep for a week. Thanks to Jing Nu's effort making the crown princess eat porridges throughout her comma.
The blue scar on her forehead and cheeks has not faded at all. It didn't get worse either. The King didn't have the opportunity to visit her at all after returning from Wei Zhuang. He didn't even get to have a proper rest. Instead, he went to the Imperial City to have a tour of the people well being.
It was a peaceful morning at the crown princess manner labeled Chang Ge. The same old maid, Jing Nu was giving the crown Princess porridge for breakfast. She was leaning on Jing Nu's left side as she try to get each spoon of food into the crown princess's mouth.
"Crown princess, I know you feel lonely in this dark kingdom but this lowly servant dare to guarantee you that we have the best food"
the maid laughed, recalling the memories where Wei An Ge used to steal sweet treats in the Imperial kitchen and always ended up getting caught and whipped by the generals.
"So, you need to wake up quickly so that I can make you a lot of dishes." Jing Nu wiped her mouth, smiling.
"Doesn't that sound good?" Her glance fell to the floor, blankly thinking.
"Hmm." Wei An Ge replied, mumbling. "Jing Nu, you said we have the best meals but why do you keep giving me bland porridge these past few days?"
Jing Nu laughed in joy, hugging the crown princess tight in relief and excitement.
"So that you know if you leave me here, I will eat all of the scrumptious meals my own"
"That's not fair," Wei An Ge replied with a low tone of voice. "Has anyone visited me? The generals?"
Jing Nu slowly shakes her head in denial.
"My friends? Sun Ai er? Li Hua Rong? Wang Xuan?"
Jing Nu shook her head again with the same intention.
"Not even the king?"
"Come here," Jing Nu pat her head sharing the same feeling of loneliness, as she cried in disbelief.
"I would have been better dead right, Jing Nu?"
"No, never"
They giggled together, still with tears coming out.
"CROWN PRINCESS!" Li Hua Rong suddenly appeared, rushing into the room, panicked. She fell on both of her knees with her palms on each other, she bowed to the ground.
"Please save my grandfather,"
"Li Zhi Jian?" Wei An Ge wiped her tears as she tried sitting on her own with the help of Jing Nu. Her eyebrows were furrowed in worry "What's wrong with him?"
She knew something must be wrong. The Imperial Palace had always been merciless and cruel especially in torturing.
"The King is going to kill my grandfather for giving you the foxglove poison cure" Hua Rong deathly stared at Wei An Ge, showing off her round brown eyes. "Wei An Ge, please save my grandfather! He treated your wounds countless times before,"
Li Hua Rong cried, smashing her head on the floor repeatedly.
"This won't do" Wei An Ge stood up on her feet, weak. "Jing Nu, get my court dress"
Even when standing, she felt slight dizziness but Li Hua Rong wouldn't stop hurting herself if she did nothing.
She walked to the court even though she knew how weak and fragile she was.
"Crown princess, stop it" Jing Nu advised, worried. "Your face is getting pale. Even your body refuses to cooperate"
"Hahaha" Wei An Ge laughed, "That's exactly why we have to save Li Zhi Jian. Poor Li Hua Rong, if the only person that cares about her died,"
"But no one has even defended the one you cared," Jing Nu mumbled to herself. "Your heart is really made of gold"
Meanwhile, the court was in an intense atmosphere as the King was only staring deathly at the one and only Li Zhi Jian. That old man was begging for his own survival.
"YOUR MAJESTY! I HAVE SERVED YOU FOR YEARS, PLEASE FORGIVE THIS OLD SERVANT OF YOURS!"
Li Zhi Jian begged with his torned and full of blood white cloth. Before being in the court that day, the old man was tortured by the King himself via the famous torturing devices sent by the secretive Forest's Shadows Clan.
The King remains muted for a second and when Li Zhi Jian turned to the generals at his back the king shouted
"I WANT HIM TO BE DRAGGED FROM 10 OF OUR FASTEST HORSES FROM WEI ZHUANG BACK TO HEI AN GUANG UNTIL ALL THAT LEFT IS HIS SKULL AND BONES!"
The King burst out of anger, shouting. He couldn't care less about his saliva spraying or his wrinkles displaying.
"HAVE MERCY, YOUR MAJESTY!" Li Zhi Jian shouted, crying
The generals and ministers start bowing together with him, joining for his survival.
"THOSE WHO PROTECT THIS FILTHY SERVANT LI ZHI JIAN WILL BE THE ONE ON THE HORSE DRAGGING HIM EVERY ROUND!"
The King almost lost his breath. His face was painted red and his eyes were just searching for the rebellions.
"WEI AN GE BEGS HIS MAJESTY TO TAKE BACK THE PUNISHMENT!" The crown princess showed up all of sudden, rushing to the King.
She was walking furiously through the ministers and generals bowing to her. As usual, her face was still covered and her lip was pale this time. The court members were shocked that the crown princess had reached realization after being poisoned.
"WEI AN GE! HE ALMOST KILLED YOU!"
She kneeled. With her palms on each other, she bowed.
"LI Zhi Jian didn't tell me about the poison. Wei An Ge guessed it myself. I am the one to be punished." She explained. "Your Majesty please serve justice"
"HE SHOULDN'T HAVE GIVEN YOU THE CURE!"
"Then your majesty shouldn't have given me the poison yourself" she didn't dare to look at him, instead she focused on the floor. "Wei An Ge failed training and causes the generals to beat me. It was my fault from the start,"
Her teachers and generals at the back looked down in shame.
"I ask for nothing else but to have Your Majesty punish me and let go of Li Zhi Jian!"
Li Zhi Jian, the old man was speechless by Wei An Ge's courage. He had only been exchanging looks between the King and the Crown Princess to ensure his survival.
"THEN WE WILL DO IT THAT WAY! GENERALS OF HEI AN GUANG!" the king called, shouting again.
"READY!" The generals replied, shaking the whole court with their aloud and deep voices.
"THE CROWN PRINCESS, WEI AN GE!"
"I'M HERE!" Full of confidence, she replied as loud as she can but didn't defeat the general's roar.
"LI ZHI JIAN WILL BE FREE OF THE CHARGES AND FROM TODAY NOW ON, THE CROWN PRINCESS WEI AN GE WILL BE WHIPPED TWICE HARDER EVERY TIME SHE FAILS HER TRAINING!"
The generals were hesitating to accept the order. They knew how hard they will be hitting their Crown Princess afterward. They were scanning at such others for confidence.
"YOUR MAJESTY IS INDEED WISE!" Wei An Ge accepts the order herself, bowing to the King.
The generals followed.
--
Li Zhi Jian was laying on his bed, tired. He didn't even get to change his clothes yet.
"Uhk" he coughed for the 10th time. Li Hua Rong was crying at his side as if he was on his deathbed.
"Grandfather, don't leave Hua Rong alone"
Li Zhi Jian laughed, looking at Hua Rong, the little girl he raised himself.
"This is how things work with the royals, my dear" he wiped her non-stop tears, putting on a mask of a convenient smile. "The Crown Princess has something that we needed since she was forced,"
"But Wei An He is not even The King's relative. How can she be a royal?" Hua Rong rolled her eyes in dissatisfaction."Royals or not, I'll get you revenge
She vowed.