CROWN PRINCE'S CONCUBINE

Bai Ying sat enjoying his after-lunch snack, looking a bit bored as he wasn’t allowed to leave the villa with his health condition. Yan and Bi accompany him to paint in his room facing the back pond. The two of them looked serious while Bai Ying felt that he had spent a lot of time sitting around doing nothing. While the air outside looks very tempting for him to miss.

“Em, sis, let’s go to the valley, the weather is so pretty today, let’s play kites and run with the rabbits, Ying er is so bored,” said Bai Ying.

Yan raised her head, she and Bi glanced at each other, before replying to Bai Ying who was still looking far ahead, observing the extremely clear sky.

“Um, it’s better not, Your Highness, according to His Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness’ current state of health does not allow Your Highness to leave the villa. How about we just paint and arrange flowers, Your Majesty, this is also fun” said Yan.

Bai Ying took a deep breath. Walking slowly back towards his two maids who were sitting on the couch with so much paper to paint on and ink on. Bai Ying frowned, the two’s paintings looked so good, unlike usual they were.

“Wow, this is great sis, is this a rabbit?” Bai Ying asked. It was obvious his two maids had progressed quite a bit after he had been away for so long.

Yan and Bi smiled sheepishly, Yan nodded.

“Hehe yeah, this is the rabbit in the Pai Hua valley, Your Majesty, it’s pretty isn’t it?”

.....

Bai Ying pursed his lips, his maids were now even better at painting than him.

“Yeah, that’s so good”

Bai Ying saw some flowers that his maid had prepared for him to arrange on the table and impatiently approached them as he had a pleasant thought in his head.

“Come on sis, let’s just make a beautiful flower arrangement, Ying er wants to visit grandma, she must really miss Ying er,” he said and happily sitting at the table, and grabbing some flower stems.

The maids looked at each other again. Their foreheads furrowed upon hearing Bai Ying’s words.

“Your Highness, who do Your Highness means, by ‘grandmother’?” asked Bi.

Bai Ying turned his head, his eyes shining brightly at the thought of going to see his great-grandmother. It was strange that his grandmother didn’t visit him when he was sick. Did she not feel well?

“Well, who else, my great-grandmother, Princess Wu Lan”

His answer made his two maids look at him strangely.

“Princess Wu Lan? Your Highness, you mean Her Highness Princess Wu Lan, the late sister of His Highness the Great King?” she asked.

This time it was Bai Ying who frowned confused, did his maids really not remember Princess Wu Lan, or were they just teasing him?

“Well, who else, indeed, is there another Princess Wu Lan?”

...

The loud and hurried sound of footsteps entering the area of ??Plum Villa. The Crown Prince rushed into the room after hearing news about Bai Ying’s panic attacks.

“My dear, Ying er!” he cried impatiently as he approached the bed where Bai Ying lay trembling with his back on him.

“What happened? Are you okay?” he asked in a panic. He grabbed Bai Ying’s trembling back and turned him. The young man is crying, he opened his arms and hugs the Crown Prince tightly. He cried so loud.

“Your Majesty”

He was crying until his whole body was shaking. His cold hands hugged the Crown Prince’s neck so tight. Luo Xiang looked at the maids who were standing with their heads deeply bowed not far from the bed.

“What happened? Why is Ying er crying like this? Honey, tell me what’s wrong, are you feeling not well?” he asked trying to let go of Bai Ying’s embrace and saw his face. He cried until his eyes were red and cheeks were wet, his lips trembled, and could barely speak.

“Y-Your Highness, grandma, grandma and others, Mister Shin Ya, Elder Yi, where are they? Why they are all not here? What happened? Where are they?” he asked.

Luo Xiang frowned, he didn’t understand what the young man in front of him said in a halting voice.

“Who? Grandmother? Erm, Mister Shin, Elder Yi? Who are they? Ying er, what are you saying?”

Bai Ying struggled to catch his breath to gather his words. Luo Xiang looked at the two maids and asked if they understood Bai Ying’s meaning and what make him so panicked.

Yan lowered his knees before answering.

“Report, Your Highness, His Highness the Young King, just asked about the late Princess Wu Lan, and he suddenly asked about the others as well, Servants, also not knowing who those people are”

Luo Xiang looked back at Bai Ying, stroking his back trying to calm him down.

“Princess Wu Lan, do you mean, your great-grandmother?”

Bai Ying nodded, his heart aching so much thinking about how sad he is now, how can he lose his great-grandmother who he just meets not long ago? is this just a dream? What happened? he grab The Crown Prince’s hand so tight.

“This child, have you forgotten? As far as I can remember Her Highness Princess Wu Lan passed away long before you were born, how can you suddenly ask about her? She was fifteen years old when her illness struck and the Princess died overnight, did you hear something that made you think about her?” asked Luo Xiang.

Bai Ying raised his head, holding Luo Xiang’s hand.

“This can’t be Your Highness, a while ago we still met grandma right? The grandmother who gathered all the survivors of Wah Ye and built the village of Lo Hua, couldn’t be absent. Then, where is Mr. Shin Ya? Elder Yi, um, what about Xiao Hong, why aren’t they all around? Your Highness, what exactly happened?”

“What survivors? There was nothing wrong at Wah Ye why there are survivors? Do you just have a bad dream about that?”

“T-then, what about Mister Shin, em, Elder Yi, and Xiao Hong, where are they now? how come they’re not here?”

Luo Xiang holds Bai Ying’s cold hands and looks into his eyes to try to calm him down. He just has delirium because of his high fever.

“Ying er, you’re just confused now, let’s calm down and take a deep breath, it’s fine”

Bai Ying saw the Crown Prince with his eyes big.

“Y-Your Majesty, what’s wrong with me?”

Luo Xiang looked at Bai Ying’s panicked face and raised his hand to touch Bai Ying’s forehead.

“Heh, there is nothing wrong with you, you’re just feeling unwell and have a fever again, brother told you not to sit outside for too long, why don’t you obey? Miss Yan, please call the healer to come here immediately” he said turning to Yan. The young maid nodded.

“Ready, Your Majesty”

Bai Ying holds Luo Xiang’s hand.

“Your Highness, I want to go out, I want to see brother Ming Ming, where is brother Chen Ming now?” he asked.

Luo Xiang looked back at Bai Ying with a deep frown.

“Prince Chen Ming? What do you want to see him for? Is he still worth seeing you? That prince didn’t do anything well, sitting all day in the bedroom and roaming around the city at night, getting drunk, playing with women, and gambling. I told you didn’t I, you shouldn’t have to see him again. Do you want to give him more money this time?” he asked.

Luo Xiang’s answer made Bai Ying even more confused, he wiped away his tears looking at Luo Xiang with big eyes. Didn’t he hear wrong?

“Your Highness, what, Your Highness mean? How can Brother Ming Ming, be like that? My brother Ming Ming is a very smart Prince, dedicated, and always manages all his time very well, he can’t possibly do anything in vain all his life. Your Highness, where is my brother now?”

Luo Xiang pulled his lips, held Bai Ying’s two shoulders, and helped him to lie down.

“Alright, this is it, you got to lie down now, calm down, and wait for the Physician to come to check on you, and when you’re feeling better, I’ll take you to meet your brother, Ying’er just listen to me for now, okay”

Bai Ying couldn’t refuse as the Crown Prince helped him to lower his body down. His eyes were suddenly drowsy, and the heat in his body also made his chest tight so it was difficult to breathe. He may be so sick that all his thoughts overlap and fall apart, who knows what’s going on in his head now? Bai Ying held the Crown Prince’s hand tightly.

“Your Highness, don’t leave me, please stay here, don’t go”

Luo Xiang smiled. He caressed Bai Ying’s hair gently and kissed his forehead.

“Of course my sweet child. I will always be here, just take a rest, okay?”

#######