Rong Luqing's feet tangled up with the bedsheet as he suddenly tried to get up from the bed, then with a thud he fell on the ground. Pain shot up from his back and straight to his head.
"What?" He mumbled.
His eyes still closed from sleep. As he slowly opened it, he saw soft sunlight coming from the nooks of the door. He untangled his feet from the sheet and got up, then briskly walked towards the door and waited for a few moments before opening it.
Sunlight hit his eyes straight, with a cold breeze hitting his face. Rong Luqing gasped and realised his chest didn't hurt anymore, nor did he feel the bone crushing fatigue. He looked at his hands and fingers, no longer the pale wrinkled colour but the golden hue of his youth had returned.
"Is this afterlife?" He wondered aloud, "How did I….How did I come here…"
As he was deep in thought suddenly the familiar voice broke his trail, "Zhuzi?" A'Tong was standing here, looking so much younger than when he last saw her. Her hair was braided with beautiful flowers. After she became the head maid of the Jing'an Pavillion, she stopped wearing the flowers in his hair to seem more serious.
Rong Luqing felt his head spin at the sudden realisation. Jing'an pavilion was the mansion he was granted by the emperor after he married Langjin Hanwei! This was not that mansion!
He spun around and rushed inside his old room, then flopped in front of his vanity. The golden mirror reflected the face of a teenager, a mere child! It was him when he was fifteen, twenty five years before his demise!
"Zhuzi what's wrong?" A'Tong was standing behind him, her big round eyes were worried as she peered over his shoulder.
"What year is this?" He asked.
A'Tong looked a bit surprised before answering, "This is the twentieth year of Yonging."
Rong Luqing clenched his fist. This was the year of his Wangfu selection. The year when Wei Yuexin and Rong Xuanzhi started studying together in the imperial palace. This was the year when the training of the two suitors started.
Two suitors…Rong Luqing realised.
Wei Yuexin and Langjin Hanwei.
This was the year when Langjin Hanwei arrived from Xiyu.
"A'Tong what day is it?" Rong Luqing scrambled to get up from the chair and rushed inside his study. He recalled his father giving him two portraits of two tianqian. One was Wei Yuexin and another was Langjin Hanwei. If he had it, then it would mean he would soon be summoned by his father to choose one of them privately.
A'Tong followed him, "Today is the tenth day of the fifth month."
Rong Luqing quickly skimmed through the scrolls on his table to look for the portraits. He found the portrait of Wei Yuexin quickly, it was on the top of the scrolls. He opened it and cringed.
In his past life he used to admire this picture everyday but now looking at this he felt nothing but disgust welling up in his stomach. He threw the portrait across the room, "A'Tong get rid of this immediately!" He ordered and then started scrambling for Langjin Hanwei's portrait.
"What..why?" A'Tong was flabbergasted, "Didn't you like Wei Gongzi?"
"No I didn't." Rong Luqing gritted his teeth. "And where the hell is the portrait of Langjin Wang!" He roared, his patience wearing thin after seeing the cursed face of Wei Yuexin.
A'Tong scrambled, "You-You gave it to me the other night and asked me to throw it away!"
"Fuck!" Rong Luqing cursed, he remembered now, he threw the portrait in the garden yesterday! Rong Luqing ran, "It might still be there. I will go and retrieve it." He pointed at the portrait of Wei Yuexin, "Burn this one before I die and call a priest to purify my study!"
"Zhuzi!" A'Tong called behind him but he ignored her.
As he ran out of his palace to the garden the eunuchs and maids that were walking around were flabbergasted. They never saw the Yonghua Wang running around like that. Behind him the other maids and eunuchs were running, "Clear the path for Dianxia!" They yelled.
Rong Luqing entered the garden and immediately started looking for the portrait, he vaguely recalled he had tossed the painting while coming back from visiting the Emperor so it had been near the osmanthus tree. He looked and looked, beside him the palace eunuchs and maids also looked but neither him nor they could find anything of sort.
"Did the cleaner take it when he cleaned the garden this morning…" Rong Luqing wondered out loud. "If this happens, then I will lose the painting even in this lifetime."
"What's going on?" A familiar voice spoke up from behind him. As he looked up his solemn mood was instantly lifted.
Rong Xuanzhi was standing in front of him. Her hair was tied into a knot and she was still wearing her practice armour. She strolled towards him and asked worriedly, "Gege what happened? Why are you sitting under the tree like this?"
Rong Luqing's first instinct after seeing her was to hug her tightly. Her musky woody scent calmed his emotions as she hugged him back. "I missed you." He mumbled.
Rong Xuanzhi laughed, "Miss me? We met last night Gege, remember you were coming back from meeting with Fuhuang."
"Oh.." Rong Luqing suddenly regained his senses, "The portrait, A'Zhi. I am looking for the portrait."
"But didn't you take Wei Yuexin's portrait with you?" Rong Xuanzhi asked, utterly confused.
Rong Luqing shook his head, "No not his, Langjin Wang's portrait. I want his portrait."
He must have seemed way too desperate that Rong Xuanzhi tried to calm him down, "Okay calm down Gege, but why did you need it? Didn't you already decide to marry Wei Yuexin? This is why you tossed the painting last night."
Rong Luqin shook his head, and suddenly a lump formed in his throat, "No no…I was wrong, I was so wrong A'Zhi…" His voice broke, "Please help me find the painting."
"Don't cry Gege." Rong Xuanzhi consoled him, "I knew you will realise your mistake." She said, "That Wei clansman is not good Gege, but you were madly in love with him so I never said anything." She sighed, "This is why I picked up the painting last night from here so I can give it to you when you regain your senses."
A smile broke from Rong Luqing's lips, "Really? You have it!" He hugged her again. "Then let's go retrieve it."
Rong Xuanzhi nodded but then her gaze fixed on something behind him and she mumbled, "Here comes the leach."
Rong Luqing turned around to see it was Wei Yuexin.