Traveling through the busy farmland of a peasant girl

Chapter 263 Nangong Zhaolie

On the observatory of Nanyue Kingdom, the white-bearded Nangong Heng was like a sculpture, staring motionlessly at the vast sky full of twinkling stars. There seemed to be a faint light flickering in his eyes, as if he wanted to understand all the mysteries of the stars in the sky.

Beside him, a three-year-old child tilted his tender face, blinked his round eyes, and asked in a baby voice, "Uncle, why do you look at the sky every day?" The voice sounded like the chirping of an oriole in spring, crisp and melodious, full of a child's innocence.

Nangong Heng seemed not to hear and was still immersed in his own thoughts. After a moment, he slowly spoke, his voice low and hoarse, as if coming from the depths of time: "The celestial phenomenon has changed... just like the originally orderly chess game, but now it has become a mess..." His gaze became deeper and deeper, as if he could penetrate the endless night sky and see the trajectory of fate hidden behind the stars.

The little boy was ignorant and didn't know the deep meaning of his uncle's words. He just pursed his delicate little lips like flower petals and said nothing more. He was secretly wondering why his uncle was so fascinated by the stars.

Nangong Heng seemed to be caught in some kind of obsession, muttering to himself, as if questioning the vast night sky: "The fate of Tan Lang and Po Jun is entangled. Is this a blessing or a curse? What kind of changes does this portend?"

The sound was blown away by the night wind, as if it had not left any trace in this world, but it seemed to have hit the drum of fate heavily.

In the imperial palace of Xiqi Kingdom, ever since Nangong Qi was shot by an arrow by the emperor, he has been bedridden, recuperating in this gorgeous yet cold palace.

The emperor seemed to be feeling guilty and was extremely caring towards him, calling him "my child" all the time. His tender and affectionate look made it seem as if all the past conflicts had never happened.

Recently, a picture has been repeatedly appearing in Nangong Qi's mind - a woman in gorgeous palace dress and a little girl. The picture is like a dream, but it is becoming clearer and clearer. Gradually, it overlaps with the scenery of the imperial palace in front of him.

Every time he recalled the past, it was as if an invisible hand was gently pulling at a string deep in his heart.

On this day, Xiqi Emperor Nangong Zhaolie once again stepped into his room, his steps steady yet carrying an indescribable heaviness...

Nangong Zhaolie walked slowly into the inner room with heavy steps. What came into view was his son Nangong Qi lying on the sickbed, still emaciated.

In an instant, a heart-wrenching pain surged into his heart like a surging tide, making his breathing stagnate.

His eyes seemed to be filled with warmth as he carefully described Nangong Qi's face, which was so familiar that it couldn't be more familiar, inch by inch. In a trance, Qi'er's big watery eyes perfectly overlapped with Ling'er in the depths of his memory, and the memories of the past instantly drowned him like a flood.

He sighed softly, breaking the silence in the room. His voice was filled with helplessness and pity. He softly said to Nangong Qi, who still turned his head away and ignored him, "Qi'er, father knows that you have resentment in your heart, but as long as you promise father that you will eat well from now on, recuperate and take good care of yourself, father will tell you everything about your mother and sister. You don't take care of yourself like this. Father's heart feels like it is being stabbed by thousands of needles. It hurts..."

As he spoke, Nangong Zhaolie suddenly raised his right hand and pounded his chest hard. He looked as if he was suffering from unspeakable pain there. The pain on his face became more and more intense, and even fine beads of sweat seeped out of his forehead, as if he wanted Nangong Qi to truly feel his inner torment.

Seeing that Nangong Qi didn't respond, he slowly walked to the window, stopped, and his eyes gradually became blurred, as if he could see through the thick palace walls and see the past that had long gone.

After a long moment, a low and hoarse voice slowly rang out, as if gently awakened from the dust of time: "Your mother is the most gentle and kind woman in the world. When your father first saw her, he was deeply attracted to her at first sight. It was as if a butterfly had taken up residence in his heart, and he has been completely bewildered ever since.

But at that time, my father already had a Crown Princess, and he naturally did not want to let her down, so he wanted to find a proper way to settle her.

Unexpectedly, one day, when the emperor was on his way out of the palace, he accidentally saw her being harassed and bullied by some hooligans. The emperor was extremely anxious and rescued her without hesitation.

Perhaps it was fate that she decided to marry her father as a concubine. When her father heard this, he was ecstatic, as if he had obtained the most precious treasure in the world. The Crown Princess was gentle and kind and would definitely not bully her.

After marrying her, my father doted on her. Except for the position of queen which could not be given to her due to ancestral rules, my father gave her the unique position of Imperial Noble Consort in the palace to show his love.

Later, she gave birth to your sister Jin'er and you one after another for your father. At that time, your father felt that he was the happiest person in the world.

However, accidents happen all the time. One day, for unknown reasons, Lingxiu Palace where she lived suddenly caught fire.

After the emperor received the news, he rushed over in a hurry, but saw that the fire was so fierce that no matter how the palace servants put out the fire, it seemed as if it was controlled by a demon and could not be put out.

By the time the fire was extinguished, the entire Lingxiu Palace had been burned to ashes, reduced to ruins. Strangely, apart from you, your sister, and your mother, there were also the maids and servants who served her—not a single one was missing!

"Qi'er, tell me, what happened in the meantime? How did you survive the fire?" Nangong Heng's voice suddenly rose, his eyes full of confusion and anxiety, staring at Nangong Qi closely, as if trying to find the answer from his face.