CHAPTER 19 The Day When I Change My Mind

Zhang Liang was still locking himself in his room. Tianqi was confused. He didn't know whether Zhang Liang was angry or sad. He tried to send him food to eat but the Prince kept refusing it.

"Leave me alone and don't come to see me if I didn't call you!" Said the Prince.

Inside the room, Zhang Liang sat at his desk with a red face. His breathing fluctuated. occasionally, he held his chest. He took out a small bottle from his clothes and ate the pill inside. He tried to calm himself. He stood up to go to his bed. When he tried to stand, he accidentally dropped his medicine bottle on the floor. Tianqi was still standing outside the Prince's room. When he heard the drop sound, he quickly opened the door to see what happened. Zhang Liang was shocked when he saw Tianqi.

"Didn't I tell you to leave?" He asked.

Tianqi rushed to his master and helped him to his bed.

"I'm sorry but I'm afraid if something serious happens, so I stay outside." He replied.

Tianqi saw the medicine bottle on the floor. He took it and passed it to the Prince. Tianqi knew the medicine. It was a tranquillizer. Zhang Liang panics very easily after he broke up with his lover 3 years ago. 

"Your Highness. Are you okay? You didn't eat from last night" He asked.

Zhang Liang shook his head. Tianqi can see the sweat on his forehead. He grabbed a small towel and tried to wipe it but Zhang Liang pushed his hand away.

"Get me warm water to drink." Ordered Zhang Liang.

Tianqi nodded and got him a cup of warm water. Zhang Liang gulped the warm water and passed the empty cup to Tianqi. 

"Your Highness, did the festival trigger your past?" Tianqi asked.

Zhang Liang massaged his forehead.

"Enough! I need space." He replied.

"O-Oh... I'm sorry. I'll leave now."

Tianqi bowed and left the Prince alone. Zhang Liang held his head as if in pain as his old memories came flooding back.

"Liang, say ahh..."

"Delicious, right?"

The voice of a lady haunted his head.

"Liang, I'm sorry..."

Once this line came to his head, he pressed his head even harder and screamed!

"ARRGHH! GET OUT FROM ME!"

He grabbed the incense next to his bed and threw it away. After that, he tossed his body on his bed and closed his eyes.

Tianqi was in his room. He didn't know more about the Prince's past because he didn't grow up with the Prince. He only knew the Prince when he moved to Changan 3 years ago. Zhang Liang never talked about his family in detail which was why he didn't know much about his family too. Tianqi only knows Zhang Liang has 3 siblings. Zhang Ruyi, Emperor of the Su Empire, and Yuan, the son of the traitor. However, he did know about Zhang Liang's lover when he saw him burning a picture of a young lady inside his room.

"Who's that pretty young lady?" He asked.

"This? She's my stupid ex-lover." Replied the Prince with an expressionless face.

Tianqi didn't ask anymore when he saw Zhang Liang grit his teeth but he believed that his ex-lover must have done something, that caused him to broken heart.

"Humph...I wonder what made him go crazy when he remembers his ex. Are the scars left by his lover too deep until they cannot be healed?" He muttered alone.

"Maybe I should try to have one if I want to know how painful it is being hurt by love. But,... I don't want to be like Prince Liang too! Hmm..." 

* * * * * In Yangzhou * * * * *

Anli came with two bottles of grape wine and some wontons. General Zhao already done cleaning when his son was home. He was boiling water when Anli entered the kitchen to put all the things he bought from the market.

"Wonton? What flavour?" He asked.

"Filled with ground pork," Anli replied.

General Zhao picked a large plate and put it on the dining table. When the water boiled, he took the kettle and put it on the dining table too. 

"Let's prepare for lunch. Put the wine here, take out the wonton and serve it on the plate. After that, bring two cups here." Said General Zhao.

"Alright." Replied Anli.

* * * * * In Changan * * * * *

Tianqi got up from his bed.

"Did His Highness already eat the food? Should I go to his room and check?" He was talking to himself.

He came out of his room and looked at the sky.

"It is already lunchtime. I should go there and check!"

Tianqi walked ahead to Zhang Liang's Chamber. When he arrived at the Prince's room, he put his ear on the door wall to ensure whether Zhang Liang was awake or sleeping. When he didn't hear any sound, he pushed the door slowly. Zhang Liang was sitting at his desk while writing something on a piece of paper. He looked at the door when he saw the door was open. Tianqi was stunned when his eyes met the Prince's eyes.

"What?" Asked Zhang Liang.

Tianqi was stuttering.

"Y-Your Highness. Sorry for the sudden coming. I just want to check whether Your Highness already ate the food I prepared just now or not." He explained.

Zhang Liang pointed to the dishes sent by Tianqi in the early morning with his mouth. The bowl and plate are already empty. It made Tianqi relieved. He picked up the empty bowl and plate and cleaned up the table. Before he left, he asked the Prince what he was doing.

"Your Highness, what are you doing?" He asked.

Zhang Liang played with his brush.

"Hmm...Tianqi, let's try our poison." Said Zhang Liang.

Tianqi widened his eyes.

"Huh? What do you mean?" 

Zhang Liang lit a candle and burnt the paper with his writing on it. Tianqi couldn't read the writing clearly but it looked like a flowchart of a plan. He tried to guess.

"Err...Your Highness...Do you plan to rebel?" He asked.

Zhang Liang smirked. He cleaned his hands after burning the paper and leaned back on the chair.

"Am I? I don't think so... I just want to express my dissatisfaction." He replied.

Tianqi gulped. Sometimes, he couldn't understand the Prince at all. The Prince was too random. But, one thing he knows about him is that he was always steadfast in his stance and goals.

"Y-Your Highness...How do you plan to try the poison?" Asked Tianqi again

"I don't know. But I want to try it." Answered Zhang Liang lazily.

Zhang Liang stood from his desk and went to his bed to get a small wooden chest. He opened the chest and showed Tianqi a small bottle with a red tread on it. Zhang Liang took out a dark purple pill and placed it in his palm.

"Is this the Soul Devour Poison?!" Asked Tianqi.

He smiled and rummaged through the pill before putting it back into the small bottle.

"It is. Isn't it beautiful? Purple is a colour of royalty, luxury, nobility, power, and ambition. It also represents creativity, extravagance, dignity, grandeur, independence, pride, peace, mystery, and magic." He described the meaning of the colour in detail.

Zhang Liang returned the small bottle to the wooden chest and put it back into its place. He looked at Tianqi.

"Could you please get me the map of Wu Empire?"

Tianqi startled for a moment.

"W-Wu Empire?! Y-Your Highness! Do you want me to steal it?!" He asked.

Zhang Liang raised his eyebrow.

"Do you think they want to give their government information just like that? Use your brain." Replied the Prince.

Tianqi grinned and scratched his head.

"You are right. Sorry for my stupidity." Said Tianqi.

"Ah, yes! Please list the independent kingdom without the emperor's rule for both the Su and Wu Empire." He added.

Tianqi gulped. What was the Prince planning to do now? First, he created the deadly poison. Secondly, he wanted to try the poison but had no plan. Thirdly, he suddenly wanted him to steal the map of the Wu Empire and list all the independent kingdoms. Realizing that Tianqi was standing still without any response, he called his name.

"Tianqi, are you listening?" Asked the Prince.

Tianqi woke up from his reverie.

"Yes! Yes! I'm sorry!" Said Tianqi.

Tianqi bowed and got ready to leave but before he left, Zhang Liang stopped him.

"Eh! Thank you for the food and don't forget to bring the dishes to the kitchen." He said while pointing at the dishes on the table.

"Oh! Alright. Thank you for the reminder." Replied the manservant.

Zhang Liang nodded. Once Tianqi left, he took the Su Empire map and unscroll it on his desk. During that time, the Su Empire and Wu Empire were equally strong. However, it is said that the Su Empire was stronger during the rule of its first Emperor, Zhang Xuchi. After the death of Zhang Xuchi, the Wu Empire developed rapidly and it became equal to the Su Empire at the end of the second Emperor's reign, Zhang Luo. Even so, the Su Empire was still considered a strong Empire and Zhang Ruyi still defended their sovereignty. Zhang was highly praised by the people of the Su Empire due to her ability to maintain the power of the Empire as a young ruler. It's been three years and the su empire is still in a state of prosperity. The Wu Empire Emperor itself respected and admired the young Emperor of the Su Empire.

"It is just because of your mother."

Zhang Liang mumbled to himself. He marked Suzhou with a red ink circle.

"Not gonna lie,...you are very talented in martial arts compared to the stupid old man. It's just a shame that the stupid old man is also my father." He smirked.

"And 'her'!"

He gripped the ink brush tightly and broke it.