Chapter 685 - A Companion
Chapter 685 – A Companion
Wang Hao after informing Princess Bai Yaling informed the same about the Emperor and the Empress too. When he returned to the same place where he had seen Huo Jin, he found him lost somewhere. Wang Hao was perplexed when Huo Jin asked him a strange question– 'What is Love?'
"General Wang, I conversed with the Empress and I found out that I was selfish," Huo Jin said.
"Selfish for?" Wang Hao asked. Huo Jin shook his head and walked away.
Wang Hao walked after him and asked him to explain. Huo Jin halted at his place and said, "General Wang, I will see you later." Wang Hao confusedly watched him going away and wondered what exactly happened in the Emperor's chamber.
"Take the horse, Huo Jin," Wang Hao said loudly and put his hands on his waist.
Huo Jin stopped the horse near the lake in the capital and got down. He picked a few pebbles and threw them into the water. A few kids could be seen at the other end of the lake.
He recalled everything from the day when Xinyue's truth was revealed.
"If you had not come here, then I would have run away without you."
"Let's run away!"
"Yes, I don't care for you!"
Those thoughts which had been buried, again revived and started to flash in front of his eyes. He sat down beside the lake and lowered his head. He rested his arms on his knees and took a deep breath.
He heard a few giggles and tilted his head to look towards the sound. A man and a woman were conversing with each other. He looked at their hands and sighed. 'Everyone is happy except you, Huo Jin,' his inner voice told him.
"What are you thinking?" He heard a familiar voice and lifted his head to look at the person.
"Prince Nianzu!" He whispered and stood up. Huo Jin bowed before him when Nianzu told him not to do such a thing.
"It's out of respect," Huo Jin replied. Nianzu put his hands behind his back and hummed.
"The scenery is nice," Nianzu asserted and looked at the couple, who were on their left side. "But it's not a good place to vent out your frustration," he stated when the couple's eyes fell on him.
They both left each other's hands and bowed before Nianzu, who passed them a smile. "You can stay here," Nianzu told them and grabbed the arm of Huo Jin.
"Let's go to a place which is much calmer than this," Nianzu replied and took him towards the horse. Huo Jin found that Nianzu had chased him on another horse.
"Your Highness, may I ask something?" Huo Jin asked him.
"No. After we will leave this place, you can surely ask me," Nianzu stated and handed him the reins. Nianzu walked to his horse and hopped onto it. "Follow me. It's an order," Nianzu told him, though his tone was polite.
Huo Jin could not say a No to order and followed Nianzu. They rode through the busy route of the market, astonishing many people in the market. Nianzu hardly used to come on a horse and it was the reason for their bewilderment.
Huo Jin was not able to get where Nianzu was heading to! "Your Highness, where are we going?" He asked him as he brought his horse much closer to Nianzu.
"Be patient," Nianzu replied and pulled the reins more tightly. The horse ran ahead of Huo Jin's. After some time, they both stopped at the shore of a river. They both hopped down from their respective horses.
Nianzu asked him if he could recall something.
"What does His Highness mean?" Huo Jin asked.
"The lecture that you have given me once. Can't you recall it once?" Nianzu asked him and arched his right brow.
"His Highness has already talked to me about it. My confusion is not about walking ahead in life. I am not running away either," Huo Jin answered to Nianzu.
"Was this the only reason that Prince Nianzu brought me here?" Huo Jin asked him.
"No. I want you to calm your mind. This part is restricted to laymen," Nianzu answered.
"His Highness should not have troubled himself for this," Huo Jin stated.
"What does even a Prince do in the Palace? A few paperwork, some court work, and then relaxing the entire day," asserted Nianzu. "I also wanted to come to this part of the Capital." He took out the flute which was tucked on the sash.
He brought the flute near his lips and blew air in it. His fingers moved rhythmically over the holes on the flute as a melodious sound produced from it. This was the first time Huo Jin heard Nianzu playing the flute. During their stay in Xiandong Village, Nianzu never once played the music.
He had heard from Chuntao whenever Nianzu used to be happy, he used to play the flute while whenever he was sad or upset he used to go with the zither.
Hearing the flute played by Nianzu, Huo Jin's mind calmed down. He did not know about this song, but it was pacifying. Nianzu turned to him and smiled as he ended up playing it.
"That was wonderful," Huo Jin admired his music knowledge. "It's my pleasure to hear the legendary flute music of the Fourth Prince," he praised Nianzu again.
Nianzu looked at the flute in his hand. "I learned the flute to deliver my feelings the other way. Since I was bad at expressing them. With time, it felt like a companion to me in my lonely times," he put down his hand and gazed back at Huo Jin.
"You also found a companion for you in Xinyue," Nianzu stated.
"You are right, Prince Nianzu," Huo Jin agreed with him. "A companion, who cannot be with me in any situation. Also, I never wanted to be with her. That's why I had decided to run away.. If, that day she had not come to see me, I wouldn't be standing here– I would have run away long ago," he affirmed.