Chapter Forty-Eight: Why Rebel (Part Two)
Tao Ming thought to herself, I wish I knew why—who can give me the answer? She replied helplessly, “I don’t know either. This is how things turned out after the contract.”
“If the Heavenly Emperor learns of this, he will surely keep both of them close to him,” the Seventh Prince said after a moment’s silence.
Tao Ming hummed in acknowledgment, gazing at the two little ones with both worry and guilt.
The Seventh Prince also looked at the two children. “I will find a way to help them.”
Tao Ming turned to him. “Whether you succeed or not, thank you all the same.”
He offered some comfort. “Don’t forget, you have the entire Qin family behind you.”
Just as he finished speaking, Mu Zhong’s voice came from outside the door. “Your Highness, Commander Meng has come to bid you farewell.”
The Seventh Prince looked at Tao Ming and said softly, “I’ll be right back.”
After he left, Tao Ming’s mind lingered on his words: “Don’t forget, you have the entire Qin family behind you.”
So he’s pulling me into this rebellion just to drag the Qin family in as well?
Isn’t that a bit naive?
How could the Qin family possibly wade into these troubled waters for the sake of a stranger?
Even with Ruan Ruan included, the Qin family might not be willing.
...
The Seventh Prince pushed open the carriage door. Meng Sa stood below, bowing in greeting. “I heard Your Highness is leaving Xin Feng, so I came to see you off.”
The Seventh Prince reached out to help him up. “No need for such ceremony. I am merely passing through, with no intention to stay. Perhaps, if fate allows, I will visit you again one day.”
Meng Sa thought to himself, If you’re leaving, just don’t come back! I can’t afford to offend any of you high-born lords.
Out loud he said, “I will always prepare the way for Your Highness.”
The Seventh Prince was eager to return to speak with Tao Ming, so he looked up at the sky and said, “Tonight, I must reach Yunxian City. Another time, we will share a longer conversation. Farewell.”
Meng Sa breathed a sigh of relief. “I respectfully bid Your Highness farewell.”
The Seventh Prince turned and boarded the carriage, heading straight for Tao Ming.
She was lost in thought and didn’t even notice the door opening. Only when the Seventh Prince plopped down beside her did she snap out of her reverie and realize the carriage was already moving.
The Seventh Prince shook his head. “People like you would die without even knowing how it happened.”
Tao Ming simply hummed, beginning to reflect on herself.
Mu Zhong followed the Seventh Prince, hand on the door, ready to enter. The prince glanced over and said, “Wait outside.”
Mu Zhong’s hand changed from pushing to pulling, and he sulkily returned to sit beside the short table.
The Seventh Prince noticed Tao Ming’s distracted look and waved his hand in front of her eyes. “Come back to your senses. What are you thinking about?”
She batted his hand away. “I’m just wondering, how did I get so unlucky? I was at home, living a perfectly good life, happily raising Ruan Ruan every day. Then suddenly, a talking cat shows up on my balcony, tells me Ruan Ruan is a Saintess, and that I have to do this and that to keep her alive. Now I end up in this godforsaken place, and you’re dragging me into a rebellion. Tell me, am I not the unluckiest person on earth?”
The Seventh Prince was momentarily speechless. After a pause, he replied, “Maybe this is the fate you are destined to bear.”
“Have you read too many novels? Fate is something you should hold in your own hands.”
The prince took out a small flask and handed it to her. “Fine wine. Care for a sip?”
Tao Ming unscrewed the cap and downed it in one go, smacking her lips. “And you call this wine? It’s just fermented rice!”
With that, she rummaged through her “Stars Shift” bag and pulled out two cans of beer, popping one open and handing it to the prince. “Try this.”
He took the can, examined it curiously, then brought it to his lips and drank. Immediately, a wave of bitterness filled his mouth, but as he swallowed, a subtle sweetness lingered behind. “What a curious taste.”
Tao Ming had already finished another can. “Now, let’s talk—why are you dragging me into your rebellion?”
He looked at Tao Ming, but in his mind, he saw the face of Qin Siyu. “To be honest, even before you arrived at Weishui, I’d already decided to bring you into this rebellion.”
“What?” Tao Ming opened her second beer.
The prince took a sip as well. “Your father, Qin Siyu, is my thirteenth uncle. We’re about the same age and very close. He was once escorting goods with the Qin family’s caravan when enemies ambushed him. He vanished without a trace. I learned later your mother saved him, and they fled together to another world.”
“It wasn’t until over four hundred years later that I saw him again. He returned to the Qin family with your mother. You truly resemble her, though you’re a bit more free-spirited.”
“Go on,” Tao Ming said, now starting her third beer.
“I learned much about the other world from my thirteenth uncle. I heard that in your world, there are no emperors, ordinary children can study and learn to read, and women can go out and earn money.”
“I begged him to take me there, but he said he couldn’t. The only thing that allows free passage between worlds is in your possession.”
Tao Ming choked, coughing hard. Dad, couldn’t you be more careful? How could you just tell someone something so important? Aren’t you setting me up for trouble?
The prince chuckled. “I have no designs on that thing, don’t worry. But you’ve lived in the other world for many years, so you must know it well. Can you tell me about it?”
Tao Ming glanced at the Seventh Prince. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes dreamy—clearly, he was drunk!
She weighed the can in his hand; it was still half-full.
What a lightweight! The beer is only nine percent alcohol, and he’s already like this after so little!
Thank goodness I didn’t bring out the Erguotou!
She reached over and patted his face. “Buddy, you’re drunk!”
Upon hearing this, the prince formed a spell and pressed it to his forehead. Instantly, his gaze cleared. He laughed wryly, “This drink is surprisingly intoxicating.”
Tao Ming rolled her eyes. It’s your own poor tolerance!
The prince looked at the five empty beer cans lined up before Tao Ming, opened his mouth, but said nothing.
She took the beer from his hand and urged, “Let’s get back to the main point.”
He watched as she finished the rest of his beer, his ears burning slightly as he turned his head to hide his nervousness. “At first, I wasn’t sure whether to believe my thirteenth uncle. How could there be a place without an emperor? But after meeting you and seeing you show no reverence toward the royal family, I realized such a world must exist.”
Tao Ming suddenly remembered what Nuonuo had said the day before—that the prince had harbored murderous intent—and interrupted him. “Wait, did you want to kill me yesterday?”
The Seventh Prince frowned deeply. “How could I? When did I ever have such a thought?”
“Yesterday, when we were standing face to face, Nuonuo sensed that you wanted to kill me.”
He relaxed. “I wanted to kill the three hundred Dragon Guards outside the carriage.”
“The things you said to that woman yesterday—if the Heavenly Emperor hears of it, you will surely die. I was considering whether to kill all three hundred Dragon Guards to cover for you.”
Tao Ming’s eyes widened. “Those are three hundred living people!”
“If you join me in rebellion, it won’t just be three hundred lives.”
A heavy feeling settled in Tao Ming’s chest. “I’ve never even killed a fish before! My hands shake just scaling one!”
The prince saw her pale and tried to reassure her. “You won’t have to do it yourself.”
“Give me a moment.”
It’s not about whether I do it myself!
Each one of them is a living person, with families behind them—maybe parents, wives, and children waiting for them to come home. How can you decide their lives and deaths so lightly?
Tao Ming took a deep breath. “Let me ask you one very important question. You are the Heavenly Emperor’s son. One day, all of Weishui might be yours. Why are you rebelling?”