Chapter 85
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Chapter 85:
Li Chunzhou looked around and realized she was sitting on a tree. She recognized it was an ancient oak tree by its purple-red flowers. She couldn’t see Li Zhexuan and looked at her translucent hands.
Li Chunzhou was a bit puzzled and whispered, "A’xuan…?"
A line of silent words appeared in her mind, "Lady Chun, I am inside your body. Don’t worry, we’re in a spiritual form now, without a physical body, it’s normal."
Li Chunzhou gently touched her stomach and asked, "Okay, but where are we now? No, what year is it…?"
"Daliang, six hundred and eight years… before I was born," appeared, ending with a hint of silence.
Li Chunzhou realized belatedly that the "I" referred to part of Liang Changfeng. He seemed reluctant to remember the palace like a prison, saying, "Reversing time took too much energy, Lady Chun, we might have to stay here for a while… But don’t worry, I’ll gather consciousness as soon as possible and we’ll go back together."
His words carried a sense of calm decisiveness. Li Chunzhou could almost imagine Liang Changfeng’s lazy expression despite being one person now. She couldn’t help but assess the different aspects of each person.
Like Liang Changfeng, he had a polite yet impolite nature. Politeness was just a formality for him. His past identity and abilities determined he was used to making decisions that others followed.
Li Chunzhou blinked and looked at the magnificent palace standing between crimson walls, and calmly asked, "Yes, but is Jian Hou dead?"
[I just took its thoughts, its memories have been copied in space, but I haven’t had time to break down its thoughts. It ran away, and now it must be in the palace… But the energy left on it is not enough to project its consciousness onto another human again.]
This sounds more like Mi Hongbao again, speaking with a certain smugness but trying to appear modest. However, the feeling is undeniable, it seems like he’s trying to act humble but can’t hide his true self. He might be speaking with a slight smirk, then walking around Li Chunzhou, waiting for her to praise him.
"So, it’s likely now in a kitten, puppy, or insect?" Li Chunzhou smiled slightly, looked up at the deep red palace walls, and asked, "Can he escape from the palace?"
[He doesn’t have the ability to collect consciousness. If he wants to leave this time period, he can only follow us, or endure these forty years slowly.]
"I see… Let him slowly experience the life of the lower species in his eyes." Li Chunzhou’s voice was drawn out and light in the evening breeze, the smile on her face lingered for a moment before gradually dissipating with the gentle breeze, finally disappearing completely.
Li Zhexuan still needs to slowly digest and understand the memories from Jian Hou’s consciousness in his mind. Although the information is complex and obscure, with Liang Changfeng’s consciousness merging in, handling these things is not difficult. Li Chunzhou gazed blankly at the almost setting sun.
These past ten years of constant scheming and turmoil had drained her completely. Li Chunzhou had lost too much, when she sat down and thought about it, she felt empty. Now, all she wanted was to sit on this vibrant and intense tree, watching the sunset.
However, the silence around the elm tree was shattered by several young but bold voices before even a stick of incense’s worth of time had passed.
Li Chunzhou leaned against the tree trunk and looked towards the source of the voices. In a dim corner of a larger palace, a frail figure was quietly huddled against the wall, not saying a word. He appeared to be about six or seven years old, dressed as a prince but lacking any royal demeanor. Instead, he exuded weakness and helplessness, looking unusually thin and small, as though he had never had a full meal before compared to children of the same age.
The children around him all looked like princes, with the one in front wearing a golden crown, standing tall and proud. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on him, making the other skinny child seem insignificant and dull like a thin leaf.
The child with the golden crown glanced down at him with eyes full of scorn and mockery, saying, "Look at this useless one, doesn’t even understand basic manners."
As his words fell, a wave of mocking laughter echoed in the courtyard.
However, the skinny child didn’t dare argue back. Instead, he tried to please them by joining in their laughter, using obedience to appease his older brother.
The current emperor in Daliang’s palace had plenty of concubines and children, with over twenty sons. The first few princes were already adults, competing fiercely for the position of crown prince. A prince like this, with a lowly background and no favor, was simply ignored.
This child’s mother, a low-ranking concubine, died shortly after giving birth to him. He was left alone in the palace, with no one trustworthy by his side. The palace maids and serving women responsible for caring for him were always looking for opportunities to serve someone else in a more promising place. They hardly spoke to him at all.
Over time, the child became less skilled at communicating with people. Whenever he appeared in Liang Yonghan’s sight, his brother who was more favored and bullied him mercilessly.
At the age when most kids lack a sense of right and wrong, this child – Liang Yonghan’s same mother brother – was in no position to argue with Liang Yonghan, the most likely heir to the throne in Daliang. No one would bother with an unnamed prince who could barely speak.
Li Chunzhou glanced for a moment then turned away, uninterested. She faced the sky without the setting sun, not bothering with the nonsense behind her. Even if she could physically intervene, what good would it do?
If a person can’t stand on their own, no amount of help will work.
Li Chunzhou didn’t feel like eating, so she sat in a tree to watch the sun for three whole days.
Even though she didn’t want to care, the palace’s gossip and troubles still caught her attention. During these three days, Liang Yonghan, using his high position, mocked the little mute boy (Li Chunzhou’s nickname for him) for his humble background, and even openly embarrassed him.
Because of Liang Yonghan’s status and favor, the little mute boy could only silently endure. Li Chunzhou wondered if this situation made the boy feel lonely and helpless, or if he was too young to understand concepts like dignity and suffering. Maybe it would be better if he didn’t understand at all?
Li Chunzhou observed closely that even though he was constantly excluded and mistreated unfairly, the little mute boy showed no resentment towards his fate or jealousy towards his older brother, neither did he nurture any hope for the future or make any effort to change his fate.
He was very calm, but indeed very weak.
Li Chunzhou couldn’t understand such a person, because she belonged to those who had a fiercely strong sense of competition and ability from a young age. Part of it was her innate character, and part of it was shaped by her environment.
Growing up, Li Chunzhou had seen all kinds of girls making a living in brothels. She knew she was beautiful and had learned early on how to use her beauty to attract attention. She knew how to use eye contact, smiles, and gestures to appeal to the opposite sex, as well as how to please people with her words and actions.
But even before growing into a bright peony flower, Li Chunzhou already had the character of a wild weed, proud and resilient. With strong vitality, she aggressively seized all resources beneficial to her growth. Li Chunzhou was the kind of child who wasn’t afraid to compete with others because her appearance gave her confidence and leverage. This confidence, accompanying her growth, gradually evolved into an invisible force.
As time passed, Li Chunzhou’s beauty and skills shone brighter. As she grew older, she learned how to use her beauty to charm others, how to attract attention in a crowd, how to captivate many admirers while keeping control, and how to gracefully handle love, flattery, and envy.
No matter what part of her life was missing, it could never change who Li Chunzhou was today.
On the fifth day of Li Chunzhou sitting in the tree lost in thought, a young palace lady died. Rumors had it that she was involved with a prince in a complicated relationship, so the aging emperor, with three thousand concubines, decreed her death by hanging.
She was found hanging from the very tree Li Chunzhou sat in.
Li Chunzhou tried to intervene, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t leave the tree.
Li Zhexuan explained that since Li Chunzhou’s physical form wasn’t yet born in the world, her consciousness was too weak without an anchor. So, he placed her consciousness in the tree until her consciousness density was strong enough to manifest a body.
The prince, who was once a strong contender for the throne and involved in rumors with the deceased lady, was quickly stripped of his title and put under house arrest.
The day after the palace lady’s death, the atmosphere in the court grew more oppressive. Beneath the grand facade of the palace, strict rules governed the court; the palace residents tread cautiously, fearful of breaking any taboos. The opulent red walls and yellow tiles hinted at luxury but also exuded a heavy sense of oppressive power that suffocated those within.
Suddenly, Li Chunzhou understood why Liang Changfeng detested this place so much. People living here possessed the appearance of humans but lacked human dignity; they were all prisoners of the dynasty.
On the seventh day in this time period, Li Chunzhou talked quietly to the mute boy who cried under the tree every night for the first time.
In the moonlight, the purple sea of flowers seemed to want to cascade down like a waterfall. Li Chunzhou’s long black hair shone softly in the moonlight as she tilted her head and asked softly, "Hey, what’s your name?"