Chapter 8: The Emperor’s Secret Order, Sorrow from Heaven

How is a legend born? How is a hero created—through how much hardship, blood and tears, endurance, and self-control? (Gu Long)
……
Counting the days, it was already the seventh day. According to A Jiu, the painting should have been returned by now. Checking the time, it was already noon—why hadn’t A Jiu returned yet?
Liu Yi was deep in thought. He had thought that sending A Jiu away meant this little troublemaker was finally dealt with, but now this girl hadn’t returned? Could it be… that A Jiu had been deceiving him all along?
Uninterested in listening to Bing Er’s music or seeing Qing Er’s dance, Liu Yi just kept drinking cup after cup of wine.
What about Shi Jie Yi? He had been waiting for A Jiu’s return for seven days. Today was the seventh day, and this guy had already rushed to the door to wait.
Just then, Shi Jie Yi hurried over. Seeing Shi Jie Yi return, Liu Yi quickly asked, “How is it? Any news?”
Shi Jie Yi nodded eagerly and said, “Yes, boss.” Then he picked up a cup of wine and drank it in one gulp.
Liu Yi asked, “Where is she? Where is she now?”
“She’s right here!” The voice sounded half-male, half-female, like that of a demon.
Liu Yi turned his head to look sideways. In the direction of the hall, led by Liu Mu Xi, were three people dressed as palace eunuchs. Liu Yi naturally recognized the speaker—it was the same person who had helped the emperor when presenting the painting. He heard that this old demon was also a favorite of the emperor.
Liu Yi quickly stood up and went to greet him, bowing and saying, “Greetings, Eunuch Xie.”
The eunuch called Eunuch Xie waved his hand and said, “All of you, step back.” After that, he also drove away Liu Yi’s father, Liu Mu Xi. In an instant, only Liu Yi, Shi Jie Yi, and Eunuch Xie were left in the back garden.
Liu Yi quickly invited Eunuch Xie to sit and explained, “Eunuch Xie, the person I mentioned just now isn’t an eunuch but… a girl.”
Eunuch Xie smiled and nodded. “A girl? Her name is A Jiu, right?”
“Oh no!” How did Eunuch Xie know A Jiu’s name? Could it be… that the painting had been discovered by the palace people? Liu Yi’s first thought was that Eunuch Xie had found the second “Dragon and Phoenix Auspicious Picture.”
Shi Jie Yi blurted out carelessly, “Eunuch, that girl’s name really is A Jiu. How did you know?”
“Heavens…” Shi Jie Yi, it’s all because of you that Liu Yi’s life is ruined. Liu Yi had originally wanted to find an excuse to cover it up, but he didn’t expect Shi Jie Yi to blurt it out so quickly.
Eunuch Xie’s expression immediately turned serious. “Liu Yi, do you acknowledge your crime?”
Hearing this, Liu Yi was already drenched in cold sweat. If the emperor found A Jiu’s painting, thousands of people in Liu Yi’s family would surely be in danger. Who could bear the crime of deceiving the emperor? Ah… one misstep could lead to eternal regret. Liu Yi’s mind was filled with remorse.
Liu Yi quickly stood up and bowed his head. “Liu Yi acknowledges his crime.” As he said this, sweat dropped from his face.
Eunuch Xie also stood up and said, “It’s good that you acknowledge it. This time, the emperor ordered me to come to the south personally to deliver a secret order to you, hoping you can atone for your crime through merit.”
Hearing this, Liu Yi wondered what kind of merit the emperor wanted him to earn to make amends. What did the emperor want him to do?

Eunuch Xie continued, “This time, the Ninth Princess sneaked out of the palace, which puzzled the Emperor greatly. But… when he learned that the Ninth Princess had taken the ‘Dragon and Phoenix Auspicious Picture’ with her, the Emperor wisely realized that she must have gone to the south to find Young Master Liu.”

Eunuch Xie paused and said, “You should know that both that painting and the Ninth Princess are of utmost importance to the Emperor. Moreover, the Ninth Princess has been gone for half a month with no news at all. Later, spies from the palace reported that she disappeared without reason on her way back from the south.”

“Wait, wait,” Liu Yi grew more and more confused. He had thought Eunuch Xie was here to blame him for drawing a second ‘Dragon and Phoenix Auspicious Picture’ for A’Jiu, but now nothing made sense. Who was this Ninth Princess Eunuch Xie was talking about? Had the Ninth Princess taken the Emperor’s painting to the south to find Liu Yi?

Eunuch Xie looked at the puzzled Liu Yi and asked, “What’s wrong, Young Master Liu?”

Liu Yi replied, “The Ninth Princess you mentioned, Eunuch Xie, is…”

Eunuch Xie answered, “It’s the girl who calls herself ‘A’Jiu’. She even brought many precious jewels to visit Young Master Liu. Don’t you remember her, or have you forgotten…?”

Liu Yi quickly nodded and said, “Oh, right, yes.” So this A’Jiu was the Emperor’s most beloved little princess. No wonder she was so arrogant. Liu Yi seemed to have some clues now.

Liu Yi continued, “I wonder what the Emperor’s secret order means?”

Eunuch Xie replied, “Although the disappearance of the Ninth Princess has nothing to do with Young Master Liu, after all… it was because of Young Master Liu that she disappeared. So, the Emperor hopes that Young Master Liu can find her within three months and return her safely to him.”

Liu Yi felt a bit embarrassed. “This… I’m afraid, Eunuch Xie, three months is too tight. I don’t have any clues right now.”

Eunuch Xie replied, “That’s the Emperor’s wish.”

Liu Yi timidly asked, “Eunuch, what if… I can’t find the Ninth Princess within three months? What will happen?”

Eunuch Xie made an easy-to-understand gesture: he stretched out his right hand, moved it near his neck, and said, “Shameful.”

Liu Yi panicked and asked, “Are you saying the Emperor will execute me?”

Eunuch Xie shook his head. “How could he execute you?”

Liu Yi patted his chest. “That’s good, that’s good…”

Eunuch Xie continued, “He will definitely execute your entire family.”

Hearing this, Liu Yi almost fainted. “Eunuch, please speak well of me to the Emperor.”

Eunuch Xie smiled and said, “There’s no problem with that. Maybe we’ll even ask Young Master Liu to draw a painting in the future. But Young Master Liu must hurry up. I can’t delay things for long before the Emperor.”

Hearing this, Liu Yi was already sweating profusely. With such a serious issue arising out of nowhere, he said urgently, “Don’t worry, Eunuch. Liu Yi will definitely deliver the Ninth Princess safely to the Emperor.”

Eunuch Xie smiled and nodded. “Mm, good… Since Young Master Liu understands the Emperor’s wishes now, this old servant will take his leave.”

Liu Yi quickly smiled and said, “Let me see you out, Eunuch…”

Finally, they got rid of that damned woman, but Liu Yi looked worried. He sat with Shi Jieyi in the back garden and quietly drank wine. Shi Jieyi sighed while drinking, “I never expected that Miss Ajiu was actually the Ninth Princess of the emperor.”
Liu Yi nodded and said, “I was careless too. I was deceived by this little girl. Now we’re in trouble. We only have three months. If we can’t find the Ninth Princess within those three months, everyone in Liu Fu will lose their lives.”
Shi Jieyi said, “Then let’s go look for her tomorrow. Maybe we can find Miss A… the Ninth Princess?”
Liu Yi shook his head. “The world is so vast. Searching for one person is like looking for a needle in a haystack. If someone deliberately hides the princess, it will be even harder for us to find her.”
Hearing this, Shi Jieyi also grew anxious. What could they do? Their leader was right—the world was so big, and finding one person was extremely difficult. If she was hidden, it would be impossible to locate her.
Just then, Liu Muxi rushed over from the hall in a hurry. “Yi, what happened? Why has the emperor’s favorite person come to our house?”
Liu Yi stood up and said, “It’s all because of that Ajiu.”
Liu Muxi frowned and asked, “Miss Ajiu?”
Liu Yi waved his fan and explained everything from start to finish, leaving Liu Muxi utterly confused. Finally, Liu Yi told her everything about Ajiu.
Liu Muxi sighed, “Oh… How could such a thing happen? This Ajiu, that princess… She’s doomed to ruin Liu Fu. Why didn’t you stay at home and play? As a girl, why did you come to Jiangnan?”
Seeing Liu Muxi so worried, Liu Yi stood up and said, “Father, don’t worry. I’ve made up my mind. I’ll pack my things tomorrow and go look for news about the princess. There’s still a month left. I believe that as long as I search, I’ll definitely find her.”
Liu Muxi sighed, “The world is so vast. How can we find one person?”
Liu Yi thought for a moment, seemingly already having an answer. “I’ve already remembered what Ajiu looks like. As long as I draw a portrait of her that looks exactly like her, I can secretly investigate.”
Hearing this, Liu Muxi quickly said, “You can’t draw anymore. Drawing a portrait will reduce your lifespan by one year.”
Liu Yi shook his head. “Father, thousands of lives in Liu Fu depend on this now. Would I, Liu Yi, refuse to work hard to save them just because I’m reluctant to lose a year of my life?”
Liu Muxi looked at Liu Yi and nodded. “Yi, you’ve really grown up. Do your best on this. I’ll prepare everything for you. Even if fate wants to destroy our Liu family, I, Liu Muxi, can die in peace.” With that, tears streamed down his face. Faced with this sudden disaster, what could this old man do?
What could a passionate man do when he saw his loved ones so sad?