The Ageless Dream

5.5 After Two Years (21)

After two years, Dong Li Hua had burrowed that dream-like experience of time travelling. She hid the bracelet back to her closet and no longer touched it.

"Grandfather, welcome home." she greeted her grandfather. He rarely visits their family since he spent most of his time in the outskirt of Xi'an. Her grandfather, Dong Xiang Lei  is one of the professors and archeologist studying Qin Shi Huang's tomb. He participated too during the discovery of Terracotta Warriors in 1974 while in his youth and until now that he is old. The interesting thing he is doing is discovering more about Qin Shi Huang's life as the young King Zheng back then by trying to enter Ying Zheng's tomb. Unfortunately, it wasn't opened since it needs a careful process or with only one small mistake, Ying Zheng's Underground Palace might collapse.

"Ah, my Xiao Hua!" Dong Xiang Lei tightly embraced his granddaughter. After letting go, he reached out to his pocket. "Im sorry for not attending your 17th birthday last week. This is a precious gift for you, an only copy of an ancient huaben."

"Hm? Thousand Plums of Muted Fragrance?" Dong Li Hua held the pocket book Dong Xiang Lei gave. On its cover is an emperor with his back turned, both his side have a dark branch of plum adorned blooming red flowers. "How is this ancient?" she gave a brief look at Dong Xiang Lei in wonder.

"Well, this book is aging more than two-thousand-years-old. There are guesses it was created during the Han Dynasty Period for criticizing Qin Shi Huang. Sima Qian and other grand historians in Han Dynasty's era have written many records about Qin Shi Huang and it carried some negative insults to the Dragon Emperor." he opened the booklet and showed a certain page, the c****x of the story.

Within the page were the main characters fighting. There is a girl called Yan Ah Xian arguing with Ying Zheng. She confessed her pregnancy to him but the man didn't believe it was his for he suspected Yan Ah Xian and her old lover had done the deed.

"Was it mine? Is it my child? Weren't you with Jing Ke the whole time?"

"Y-Ying Zheng, how could you? Jing Ke is not my real brother, true. But I have no courage to do such things with him! Have you forgotten I only have you in my heart?" Yan Ah Xian tearfully said. She covered her quivering red lips with her hand, directing her gaze at him in both hatred and disbelief. With a beauty of a fragile charm, she immediately softened Ying Zheng's heart but recalling her intimacy with Jing Ke made him furious.

"Ah Xian, I have been honest with the both of us. Did I ever lie to you?" he stepped forward in an unfettered manner. Yan Ah Xian noticed his change and staggered back but Ying Zheng grabbed her arm forcefully. "Is it because of my status? Were you using this to cover your infidelity? Ah Xian, you are no different from Zhao Ji. I thought you aren't like her."

Ying Zheng's words were full of hatred indeed, even Dong Li Hua closed the book because of its intensity. Will that sweet and cute little bun say such things? It was not like the Ying Zheng she took care of.

"Who wrote it?"

"The author call himself Chu Ren but there are no records about him. We found the original copy inside a broken general Terracotta Warrior in the third pit of Qin Shi Huang's tomb. Ah, thinking about it, its such a shame we cant open the Underground Palace where Qin Shi Huang is buried. Sima Qian wrote that its mesmerizing inside." he heaved a deep sigh as they walked inside the manor. "Where is your father and siblings? Ai, they didn't welcome me  ah."

"Dad went to the university. Sister Zhenzhen went to Hunan with Brother Chun Wu for a meeting with the second young master of the Zhao Family." Dong Li Hua answered while she skimmed through the start of the huaben. "This is very descriptive. It might be a scholar who wrote this story."

"Its amusing too with many emotions you can feel as you further read. However, the ending is quite heartbreaking. If this huaben is proven a real history, it should have explained one point of Qin Shi Huang's life. The first emperor of Qin appeared to have not named an empress-"

"Grandfather, you're being a spoiler." Dong Li Hua closed the book and pouted. "But I like this. Its even from the era of Han Dynasty! I not only like this but I also love it. Thank you, Grandpa."

"Anything for my Xiao Hua, of course. Now let's go and have a lunch, Im hungry." Dong Xiang Lei chuckled. They proceeded to the dining hall and had a hearty meal. Dong Xiang Lei left afterwards to find his son. As for Dong Li Hua, she was left all alone in the manor and hid in her room to read the huaben from the ancient times.

"The late winter finally arrived. Every perfectly blooming plum blossom engraved in her heart for she met him that day. After Qin State conquered Hann and Wei, a young general rode on a steed to patrol around the City of Daliang. Yan Ah Xian's veil was blown off because of the steed's fast pace. She furiously glared at the two people riding the steed. One is a young man in silver tiger clad while the other person is wearing a red-striped fox mask but from its figure, it can be seen it belongs to a woman."

"Hmm?" Dong Li Hua paused when she heard a familiar tinkling sound. She had finished the female lead's background then the sound interrupted her. Inside her walk-in-closet, there is something glowing in a faint way. Extreme curiosity washed over her that she forgot something important about that place.

Dong Li Hua furrowed her brows. The more she steps closer to her walk-in-closet, the greater her eagerness she felt to uncover what is inside. Her eyesight started to turn into a blur when she entered. It was bright but as if her hand was attracted in front, she grabbed an object. It was cold with few miniscule dangles. Without a chance to realize her mistake, she passed out.