Chapter 31 – The Young Emperor and Ye Zhen (1)
When she was young, she had a sweet, and fruity aroma. It made people feel at ease around her, her presence soothed them physically and mentally.
Her voice too was delicate and soft that people couldn’t help but be calm.
“How did you get here?” Who was this? The young emperor of Qin Dynasty who was a crown prince back then was used to being on his guard, but for some reason, he couldn’t help but lower his defenses to the little girl with him, and his voice grew much softer.
But ever since Ye Zhen young, she had taken to heart her father’s teaching. She knew that she should not tell strangers about herself, most importantly, she must not reveal her name. The Ye family is a noble line and people might take advantage once they find a lone child bearing the surname Ye.
She faced the teenager then, she moved her neck in such a way as to slightly tilt her head to the side, she had asked him, “Who are you then? How did you fall into the well?”
“My last name is Mo, and my first name is Rongzhan. I … lost my sight and accidentally fell into this well.” The young prince said in a low voice, but the expression on his face was dreadful, horribly gloomy even.
Young Ye Zhen was surprised by his revelation, she stretched out her hand to him and held his face, “Do your eyes hurt? Don’t worry. I’ll be your voice, and shout for you!”
Mo Rongzhan was surprised by this, he suddenly had a pair of soft palms cradling his cheeks. A body who smelled like fruit fell into his arms. He reached out to hold her. Only then did he know that the little girl was smaller than he had imagined.
How old was she? Was she eight or seven?
Just as he had begun to startle, something gently landed on his eyelids, smoothing out the worry on them. It was her puckering lips. The sweet and honey-like aroma of fruit was quite pronounced. It took him a some time to respond to her touch.
She then sprung out of his arms and smiled, “Brother Mo, you are quite handsome. If only your eyes could see, then you will know that you must be the best-looking person in the capital. No, actually, the second best-looking. My dad said that it is I, Yao Yao, who is the prettiest person here!”
The young emperor chuckled aloud, “Don’t worry, my eyes will be well soon, is your name Yaoyao?”
“Oh, why did I say my nickname?” The young girl covered her mouth.
“Don’t worry, if I keep it a secret, no one will know of your name.” The young emperor of Qin Dynasty laughed.
Young Ye Zhen cast her head down. “I’m so hungry, why hasn’t anyone found us yet?”
“There are fruit trees inside this forest. Let’s find some fruits to appease our hunger. I believe someone will find us soon.”
She became his eyes, his large hands grasped her small ones, their fingers interlocked together, as they walked deeper into the woods.
Alas! they found a pear tree, although Mo Rongzhan couldn’t see, still, he could accurately pick the pears that were hanging, while Ye Zhen held the plucked pears and stuffed her face with loads of it. Juices splattered all over her then plumped face.
The young emperor could not see what the little girl looked like, but he thought she must be a bright and cute girl. They talked in the woods for the remainder of the day.
For most of it, it was Ye Zhen who was talking. She had just lost a front tooth a few days ago. The sisters in the family joked that she had lost the wind.
She also told him that she had painted a pig on her father’s face while he slept yesterday, and told her father that it was her brother’s doing.
And that it was her Brother’s masterpiece, needless to say, the eldest brother was fatally punished by her father.
The young emperor could only imagine the vivid expression on her face. He did not know why, but for the first time in his life, he hoped to see the light again. He wanted to know what the lovely little girl with him looked like.
“Will you come here to meet me again in three months?” Young Mo Rongzhan took the little girl’s soft little hand and asked.
“Why in three months?” Asked the little girl.
The young emperor said lightly, “At that time, maybe I can finally see you.”
Young Ye Zhen laughed, “You don’t even know what I look like, how will you recognize me in the future?”
“Yes, you are right, how can I recognize you?” The young emperor lost his smile at this realization.
But how could he not recognize her? Her voice and laughter impressed him so deeply that he was certain he could not easily forget it.
“If you don’t recognize me in the future, I’ll tell you this, the King of Heaven, the Tiger of Earth, the River Devil of Pagoda Town, that’s my code and yours. You can’t tell anyone this, it’s our secret.” Young Ye Zhen said innocently the secret code of her and her father’s. There would be no third person in the world who knew it, right or wrong.
Now Mo Rongzhan also knew it, making it three people who are knowledgeable of the code.
The Emperor of Qin thought the phrase was weird, but he didn’t say anything. He just took a jade pendant from his waist.
“You keep it. If I don’t come to you in three months, you can come to me with it in the future…Just show it and I will do as you say, for I owe you a favor.”
“Good.” The girl accepted the jade and held it close to her heart.