He was surprised but showed no intention of blaming me. Instead, he let me finish the painting. After our acquaintance, I often sailed the Yan River with him and learned about his disappointments in the imperial court. Despite his difficulties, he never complained, finding solace in landscapes and hoping to break free from the palace. Unexpectedly, a battle sent him far away to Xiliang, and now, having had a chance to return home, he fell from a cliff midway.
Truly, fate is cruel. As a prince, he suffered more than ordinary people and ultimately met such an end. When An Jin was not around, I secretly burned some paper money for him, hoping for a better life in his next reincarnation.
The chariots of Xiliang and Nanrui entered Yanfeng City one after another. The new Xiliang Emperor was friendly; upon entering the city, he switched to horseback, riding upright and smiling subtly at the Yanfeng crowd. His delicate face was adorned with large blue sapphires on his robe, and long tassels hung from his cloak. Twenty-four guards surrounded him, clad in light chain mail and wearing solemn expressions.
The Yanfeng people exclaimed, finding the new emperor unexpectedly young and handsome. The initial hostility towards Xiliang seemed to soften with his approachable smile.
I stood in the crowd, in a daze. The new emperor looked good, but…
The new emperor’s gaze swept over the crowd, precisely landing on me. His smile deepened, his lips moved slightly, and though far away, I could roughly understand his silent words: Are you well?
Yuan Xiao stood on its hind legs, letting out a cheerful bark. “I know you understand. You still like staying with me, right?” It shook its fur, not glancing at me, and ran towards a nearby butcher shop where Que’er was swinging a bone.
Before I could reflect, I saw the lively people of Yan Feng crowding around another group entering the city gate. The leader was a tall, stern-faced young general with an unsheathed long knife at his waist and a yellow-crowned white-feathered macaw perched on his shoulder. Behind him was a luxurious two-horse carriage, with a semi-transparent curtain vaguely revealing a woman inside.
