Chapter 353 - Re-enactment

Nan Xun thought Jun Huang was feeling sorry for Shangguan Yue. “Don’t pity her. Someone with such a vicious heart doesn’t deserve your sympathy. She only has herself to blame for what happened.”

Jun Huang nodded. “Don’t worry. I feel no sympathy for her. I’m simply lamenting the unpredictability of fate.”

Nan Xun relaxed and let out a sigh. He didn’t want Jun Huang to see the cruel reality. For him, Jun Huang was the only ray of hope in the world. In her aloof eyes was a utopia the ancient scholars had written about.

Someone like her shouldn’t be subjected to human malice.

He pushed aside his thoughts. He didn’t want to talk to Jun Huang about the harsh truth of palace affairs. Oleg Cragfiend happened to arrive with a bowl of medicine, interrupting their conversation. Nan Xun sighed in relief.

Jun Huang took the bowl of medicine and finished it in one go. Oleg Cragfiend reached out to take her pulse. “You’re about recovered.”

After a pause, Jun Huang said, “I’ve been taking the medicine for some time, master, and I’ve recovered more and more memories. However, there are things that remain fuzzy to me. Why is that?”

“You need more potent medicine.” Oleg Cragfiend seemed to have anticipated the question. He didn’t sound at all surprised.

Jun Huang didn’t say anything. Nan Xun, on the other hand, frowned and questioned, “It’s said that all medicine is toxic to some degree. The more effective the medicine, the more toxic it is. Isn’t that going to be counterproductive?”

“I understand your concerns, but you have to trust me,” said Oleg Cragfiend. “I can eliminate the toxicity of the medicine. Besides, that’s what we must do given Jun Huang’s condition.”

Nan Xun frowned deeply. “What went wrong? Has the poison in her body not be cleansed properly?”

Oleg Cragfiend shook his head. “That’s not the case. The change of medicine is to stimulate Jun Huang’s memory. Do you know why there are things she cannot recall? She! The sounds of blades clashing came from outside her room. Jun Huang had always been a light sleeper. The noises jerked her out of her sleep. She listened to the commotion, her heart pounding and her temples throbbing. Her back was covered in cold sweat.

Her face paled. It took some time for her to make sure that this was real. She wasn’t dreaming. The noises weren’t just in her head.

A maid rushed in. “Princess, you have to get up now. We must leave.”

Jun Huang widened her eyes and looked around for Nan Xun. Her face went even paler when she didn’t spot him. Her muscles grew taut when she saw the fire outside through the crack of the door. The fact that the maid had called her princess confused her. She passively let the maid drag her out of the room.

Nan Xun’s heart ached when he saw her expression from where he was hiding. He wanted to hold her, comfort her, but Oleg Cragfiend stopped him.

“Don’t.” Oleg Cragfiend shook his head.

Nan Xun felt a lump in his throat. Jun Huang had told him about her dreams of the destruction of her homeland. The nightmares had been plaguing her for half a month. And here they were, forcing her to relive her worst nightmare. The guilt was a heavy weight over Nan Xun’s conscience.

Oleg Cragfiend didn’t allow him the time to wallow. He dragged him to follow Jun Huang and the maid.

Jun Huang didn’t know where Nan Xun was. Listening to the killings and watching the blazing torches, she wanted nothing but to break out of the maid’s grip, but she didn’t have the strength to do that. She didn’t know what she’d see next. She had no choice but to follow the maid.

Through the winding hallway, they reached an extravagant building. Jun Huang’s pupils contracted as her gaze settled on the man standing in the main hall.

It was her brother, the fifth prince of Western Que.

The prince had hoped that the emperor of Eastern Wu would give him a bright future, but he faded into obscurity after the emperor’s failure. He had lost all his power.

That was when Nan Xun’s men found him. They took him to Northern Qi and promised him reward if he helped them put on the show.

The fortune practically fell into his lap. There was no reason for him to say no. He agreed to play his part.

Within the palace, the fifth prince laughed without restraint, leveling the couple on the throne with a venomous glare.

“Hahaha, you didn’t expect things to turn out this way, did you?”