A new house

Next day morning, they set off in the horse carriage. After two days, they have reached jiankang city. They stopped in front of jiankang city inn.

Huixiang took a room. Huixiang and Chun ling both went to the room. He said, “Take this. This is my goblin dagger a gift for you. Be careful it's sharp.” Chun ling unsheathed it and said, “It’s good” She wields it.

Huixiang got ready. Chun ling said, “Brother, from today onwards you can call me as yizhen and change your name as yichang. It is better to hide our real names until we are free from danger. Is it ok for you?”

Huixiang said, “Ok... might be this is the first time the younger one giving a name to elder one.” She smiled and said, “If you didn't like your name just leave it. I thought for a long time for this name."

Huixiang said, “I liked it as my sister has selected it. I am just teasing you. You take a rest.Be safe. I am going to meet Zhang family” He patted her head and left.

Yizhen took a bath and had few fruits and she slept. Yichang asked the inn owner in which direction he need to go to Zhang family's house. When the inn owner informed him, he left from the inn following his directions.

He separated horse from the carriage. He rides it. When he reached the house he got down from the horse. He asked the guard who is standing outside, is this zhang family house. The servant said, yes...young master.

Huixiang said, “I am here to meet master Rongli. Please pass this token to him.” He took the token he went inside a hall and said, “Master, there is a young master waiting for you outside. He gave this token.” Rongli took the token from him and saw it and he said, “Bring him here”

Yichang entered the house it's so big with more than three courtyards. The room in which he entered was arranged well. Yichang cupped his hands and said, “Yichang pays greetings to uncle.”

Yichang handed over the letter to him, which his father gave him. Rongli opened it and read it. Rongli ordered his servants to bring tea and snacks.

Rongli said to him, “I am sorry, I heard about your father. Do you have any trouble traveling here?” He replied, “No, uncle” Yichang and Rongli talked casually while sipping tea.

Later, Rongli called his servant and ordered his servant, “take this young master to the house we bought three months back.” Rongli said to Huixiang, “If you want you can stay in my house for a few days or you can stay in your house.”

Yichang said, “Uncle...thank you for asking me to stay here but I will move to my house today” Rongli said, “Ok...then, I will send few of my servants to clean it. Tomorrow, I will transfer the house under your name and send those papers to your house.”

Yichang said, “Thank you, uncle. You have helped me a lot.” Rongli said, “If you need anything you can ask me. No need to be polite after all, we are relatives. Once you are settled come and meet me. I will take you to meet the emperor.”

Later, Yichang paid his respects and left the house. Servant took him to the new house. It’s so big house than Zhang family's house. Head servant showed him the house and while the remaining servants started cleaning the house.

After entering the house, there is a small open place where a stable can be kept. There is a door straight to the main entrance which is a huge hall with paintings and shelves filled with vases.

At the exit of the hall to the left side, there are small courtyards. To the right there is one small room; beside it was two large rooms, a kitchen, one small courtyard. Straight to the hall exit at the end there is one more courtyard called peach courtyard, which is in between left and right side courtyards.

Beside this peach courtyard, there is a small door which leads to the back yard. In the backyard to the right side, there are two more rooms and the left over space is filled with mud to plant trees.

Yichang is satisfied that Yizhen would like it but I need to modify it, by planting trees. Yichang said to the servant, “I liked this house” He asked the servant, Can you tell me, how long does it take to finish cleaning?

Servant replied, “Young master, within one hour.” Yichang said, “ok then, I will be back after one hour.” servant nodded his head and showed the way out of the house.

Yichang went to the room in the inn and said to yizhen, “little Zhen, we will leave to our new house after one hour.” Yizhen felt excited and said, “Oh... really” She asked, “brother, is Zhang family our family friends or relatives.”

Yichang said to her, “He is our uncle our parents elder brother. I also recently heard from my father that before thirty years, Chen kingdom is weak when compared to northern qi.”

“At that time your mother was bestowed with princess title and sent to the northern qi kingdom to marry current emperor. So, that they can maintain friendly relationship between two kingdoms through political marriage. Therefore, my father left Chen dynasty and got settled in northern qi as a general.”

She said, “Oh” Yichang said, “So, the current emperor of the Chen kingdom promised to my father that he can ask for a favor whenever he needs it.”

Yichang said, “let’s leave. It’s been an hour we will head to our new house.” Yichang paid money to the inn owner and both left in the horse carriage.

Yizhen thought compared to Luoyang city, jiankang city is much livelier. She sat in the carriage for around ten minutes. They have reached the house.

Yizhen entered the house to see. She thought this is the first time entering into a house after coming to this era. So, she felt excited. Yichang asked, “Did you like it?” She replied, “I like it.” Yizhen went inside to see all the rooms and courtyards.

Young master, everything is cleaned, servant said by cupping his hands. Yichang asked him, "Where can I buy groceries?"

Servant answered, "Market is in the next road young master. You can find everything there" Yichang said, "You may leave."All the servants cupped their hands and left from Yi mansion.

Yichang bought the entire luggage from the carriage, and he placed it inside and went near yizhen.

In which courtyard you want to stay yizhen, he said with a small smile on his face.

Um...In the peach courtyard...and where do you want to stay brother? She replied after awhile so excitedly as if stars twinkling in her eyes.

In the bamboo courtyard...So, brother will be staying in the courtyard, which is beside my courtyard.

She arranged the things in the kitchen, which they bought. They just need to buy a few groceries. Yichang said, "Tomorrow we will go to the market to purchase a few plants and groceries."

Yizhen said, "Brother, shall we place ancestral tablets in one of the rooms in the backyard."

Hmm...Yichang placed them.

Yizhen went to her courtyard; it is a big room with small dining table, study table, and bed. She opened the window so she can have a view of the back yard.

Next day they went to the market and bought all the groceries and plants. Yichang felt someone is following them. They returned home.

Yizhen went inside the house; suddenly a masked person dressed in black knelt down and said, "Yan pays greetings to young master" Yichang said, "You may rise." Yan said, "Young master, can I meet princess."

Yichang took him inside the house. Yizhen saw Yan, with a worried expression she said, "Yan, why are you here?"

Yan knelt down and bowed his head, he said, "Princess, her highness has passed away."

Yizhen was shocked, she thought her mother's health was not good but she did not expect she would pass away so quickly. She fell on her knees and cried. Yichang consoled her. He hugged her and patted her on her back.

However, she spent only a couple of hours with her but she took care of her, protected her as if her real parents.

"In this world only your closed ones will support you and protect you, even if you are facing a worst situation"

After sometime, she went into her room. She knew Yan was guarding her room. Yizhen said, "Yan, come inside." Yan came inside, cupped his hands, and bowed.

Yizhen asked, "Do you know who tried to poison me and my mother?" Yan said, "After princess got weak, her highness called a doctor to check you and her highness. Doctor has confirmed it as poison.

Later her highness has told me to find out. Then I have found out that the empress gave a poison to a person who sends food to our courtyard to poison princess and her highness. She bribed him."

She felt annoyed by these royal family brutal schemes. No wonder her mother told her that empress is trying to kill us.

Your highness passed away as she heard that emperor has ordered to kill you. He stared at her with brooding eyes.

Yizhen thought what kind of father he is, trying to kill his own daughter. I do not know what an eleven years girl can do to him. He is so vicious.

When she was in a trance Yan said, "Her Highness ordered me to protect you from now onwards." He took out two boxes from his robe and gave it to her.

What is this? She asked Yan with an astonished tone. She opened it and saw both of the boxes is of gold coins.

Yan said, "Her Highness told me to sell all her property in the northern qi kingdom. After selling them, she told me to give them to you."

Yizhen nodded her head. She said, "Do you know why empress tried to kill us." Yan said, "This servant doesn't know princess."

Yan said, "Her Highness told you to stay safe and be happy."

She pours water in a cup and drank it. Yizhen hesitantly asked him, "How do you know that we are here?" Yan said, "Princess, I have come to the Chen kingdom two days back. I am searching for your whereabouts. Today I have seen general in the market but I do not know, you are the one beside him. So I followed your carriage and reached here."

Yizhen said, "Oh..." She took out a pouch from her sleeve. She gives him money. Yizhen said to him, "Purchase paper money, paper clothes, and an ancestral tablet."

She asked him, "Did you have food?" Yan did not speak he bent his head down. Yizhen said, "There are dumplings in the kitchen go and eat them later you can go and purchase them." He nodded his head and left.

Later, Yizhen went to the bamboo courtyard. Yizhen knocked on the door and said "Brother" Yichang said, "Come in" She saw the room and thought it is similarly decorated as her own courtyard.

Yizhen asked, "Brother do you know why empress tried to kill me and my mother." Yichang said, "I know a bit, but I want to find out complete information. Once I am done with my investigation I will inform you."

I will make her pay for what she has done to us. I have learned from Yan that emperor ordered his people to kill us. Yichang can see her resentment from her words.

Yichang nodded his head. Therefore, yizhen thought it was true. She asked, "Brother is Yan trustworthy person?"

Yichang said, "He worked for your mother for the past five years. He is a trustworthy person." She said, "Oh…good then..."

Yizhen dressed herself in female attire, got ready then she took all the things to the ancestral room. She named the ancestral tablet, lit the incense, kowtowed thrice then she burns the paper money, clothes and placed the food on the table.

She said, "Her highness, hope you have met your daughter. As I am alive, I will take revenge for you and your daughter. Thank you for treating me well."

She came out,she turned her head and she saw back of her house was with only trees. She called out yan. Yizhen said, "let's go out" Yizhen used her martial arts and Yan followed her. Yan thought when did princess learned martial arts.

After moving for an incense stick burning time, she saw a small house, which is deserted. There are only mountains, nearby that house; she reached to the end of the mountain.

This place is deserted so most of them will not visit. She ordered yan, "dig a small pit." He took his sword and made a hole. She saw a plum tree nearby, plucked a few flowers, and placed them in the pit with her mother's jade hairpin.

Then she told Yan to close the pit. Yan closed it. She thought " Her highness, I am not the rightful owner to carry this hairpin."He placed small flat wooden stick on it.

Yizhen said, "Yan you go and check if anyone is living in that house and how much time does it take to reach to our house by going on the regular way. Find out these and report to me in my courtyard." He nodded and left.

Then she moved to the other side of the cliff stood at the end of the cliff. She saw the bright sky, and the jiankang city's view with dazzling lanterns.

She turned to the left side and broke a small branch of the peach blossom tree. She plucked each petal of the flower and threw them one by one. She remembered her parents and thought father and mother I miss you.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***