Xing felt like crying hearing Lin Mubai"s answer. My Prince! What were you thinking telling your men that? Did you know I"d end up here always?Xing remembered about the dream she had repeatedly. She told Shengli about that dream after that fight they had and after he told her about his past.
Xing was leaning on his firm chest as usual and he had his arm wrapped around her waist. She really found his heart beat a soothing and pleasant sound to hear. That beautiful sound that let her know he is right beside her!
That dream had repeated thrice till then and she told him that dream as she ways did. It was more of a nightmare than a dream for her. She always dumped everything to him - trivial or important, it was not her place to decide. He always listed to her and would always respond to her.
That particular dream was in a nice spring day. Xing wanted to take a walk and she was walilking through a pathway. There was a fork right up front and Xing could see the left side led to a forest with tall trees with a trickling stream running through it. She has a feeling Shengli would be in there. The other side let to a flower garden with beautiful flowers and fragrance with many rich looking people admiring the flowers. There was even a queue to get in.
Xing didn"t have to think much as to which road to take and she took the road to the left for entering the forest. But to her surprise she was inside the flower garden. She tried to take various paths to find the forest but she cannot and there were people in the flower garden who were bowing to her.
No matter how many times the dream repeated, she"d always take the left and end up in the garden and won"t be able to find the forest throughout the dream no matter how hard she tried to get back.
Xing told this dream to him and she could feel his grip on her waist tightening. She tried to look at his face but he held her close and she could hear his heart beat rising and that was the only sound she could heat .
Is he scared? Or worried?
Xing wondered but he didn"t let her see his face and hugged her close and took a deep breath.
"Xing", his deep voice was heard from above her head, "Next time when you have the dream, just take the right and pa.s.s through the garden without trying to find the forest"
"But I want to walk in the forest... not the garden!", she said in a pouty tone.
"May be you"ll find the forest after you pa.s.s the garden. Aren"t gardens fun to walk through? "he said rubbing her back.
" But I felt like you were in the forest and so I only want to walk through the forest, not the garden. And gardens suck! I will somehow find the forest no matter how many times I try! ", she said confidently. She definitely will choose the path she wants to go.
" Hmm, is that so?", he said in a sultry voice and was still holding her tightly and kissed the top of her head. There was silence for some time and Xing thought that they were done with that topic.
"Xing! You should walk through the garden without resistance. I Can wait in the forest at the end of the garden. Didn"t you wait for me for ten years? I can wait for you too!", he said.
Xing could feel that he was forcing out his words. Why is he trying to answer me this seriously about a dream? Xing laughed secretly on her heart.
Xing pried away from his grip and looked at him. He looked a bit sad and his emerald eyes were looking at her with his usual gentleness. He cupped her cheeks and kissed her,
"Xing! I"ll wait for you!"
He said it again and Xing broke out in laughter. At that time she could not believe these things will happen and she might end up here. It was a long time ago even before she left for the Southern Province.
So did he know there is a possibility for these things to happen? And yet he loved me! He chose to love me knowing I am more trouble than I"m worth. Just how much does he love me? How hurt was he knowing about me?
My Prince! Please, return back to me soon! I want to see you, hold you, kiss you and tell you that I only love you !
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The next day a soldier from the Zhong Manor Xing had seen previously gave her a Eunuch uniform and asked her to wear it and follow him.
Xing touched the uniform made of cotton and she felt creeped out trying to imagine herself wearing cotton.
But isn"t freedom worth more than pride?
Xing reluctantly got that uniform and when she opened it, she saw a note :
" Lined it with fine silk! No need to thank me - Seiren"
Xing was overjoyed to wear the cotton Eunuch uniform with an inner-lining of fine silk and covered her hair with the Eunuch hat and followed the soldier and he brought her to Lord Zhong who was in a pavilion where a stove and other necessities for making tea were set.
" Brat!", he slapped her back as usual making Xing lose her balance for a moment, " How dare you forgot me for a month? From now on you"ll make me tea daily", he ordered.
Xing agreed and made him tea. It"s not like he"ll listen to her if she disagreed. Old people really cannot hear well!
Xing looked at the Oldman who looked a bit thin now but his eyes had the usual sharpness. The fact that he"d leave this world soon made her heart ache.
I have to prepare myself from now itself! She decided.
The Oldman talked to her about a lot of things and he told her how he made Huojin chose between the t.i.tle of the Zhong family and Huang MingXue and he chose the latter.
So Lord Zhong had agreed to the marriage and made necessary arrangements to make Zhong Seiren as the head of the Zhong family next to him.
But apparently Huang MingXue had created a scene so big and complained how Lord Zhong was partial but Zhong Huojin stopped her as it was his choice and not because of some partiality.
Also Huang WanRou was sent to the tribes as the wife of Chief Batukhan. Xing listened to his gossips and she could see her father hiding at a distance and tried to hide and Xing could not help but laugh.