Flowers Bloom from Battlefield

184 Yan Past: The Cold Palace

Inside of the Cold Palace, Yan walked calmly. He goes towards the place where his mother is held. The outline of the palace is not complicated and he had come here a few times before just for a small talk. Because of that, the guards no longer pay any attention to him and let him walk by himself to his mother room.

"Mother, Yan'er is here," Yan greeted.

A woman is inside the room. Her clothes were disheveled, but her face was still as pretty as the other noble consort, not in the slightest bit lacking. The servants by the side moved back and let their Madam walked to the front impatiently.

"Yan'er, you come."

"Yes Mother," Yan smiled. His mother is still looked the same as before, but the times inside the Cold Palace had made her starting to lose her charm. He felt pained that he cannot help his mother, but he will surely take her out of here.

Yan mother, Madam Qin, was still in her thirties. She was one of the emperor concubines before getting thrown into the Cold Palace and stayed here for a decade

"Come, take a seat."

Yan sat on the floor, near his mother. Madam Qin looked at Yan expression carefully.

"Is there anything wrong, my child?"

"I have just lost a friend, mother. He's a good kid and love to play around with us. I, Soujin, and Ming Hui, often play with him once a week. But because he has important identities, he is often targeted by other people. A few days ago, he was killed in a fire because of a woman."

Madam Qin put her hand on Yan head and strokes him. "It must be hard on you."

Yan let his mother stroke his head as he nodded. His mother is still as understanding as ever. Although he's already an adult reaching 22 years old, he would always become a youth in front of his mother.

"Don't dwell on it for long. You still have your own life to live on," Madam Qin smiled tenderly.

Yan nodded. He would not do something that stupid. After a beating from Soujin and a small warning from Jun Hua, he won't do something like that.

"Mother, I will soon take you out from here."

Madam Qin stopped her hands. She shakes her head. "You shouldn't do anything so dangerous. What would happen if your father knows that?"

"He won't," Yan said calmly. "Doesn't mother want to go out?"

Madam Qin nodded.

"Mother, you have known that I will soon take revenge, right? I will still do that," Yan said in reassuring tone. "I'm not a kid anymore."

…

11 years ago.

"Mother, stop it. It's hurt," Little Yan said while wringing his hand. He has just gotten into fight with Soujin again and as always, he lost.

"Come on, be a good boy. It won't hurt that much," Madam Qin sighed. Little Yan was really a playful kid. He would skip his lesson and play around everyday. Even with Soujin as his study partner, it didn't help him to be more diligent.

Little Yan curled up. He hated losing so much, but there was nothing he can do. Gritting his teeth, he said to himself that he will try to beat up that Soujin until the other party gave up.

The next day he went out to train with Soujin again. At that time, Yan was training with Soujin when a news came from the eunuch about his mother.

"I won't lose to you," Little Yan said with loud voice.

Little Soujin just snorted. "Why don't you try it?"

"Prince Yan, your mother! She was sent to the Cold Palace."

Little Yan didn't know what is Cold Palace, but he knew that it's not a good place. Leaving Soujin who was still training, he rushed back home meet with his mother who was being taken away.

"Mother! Where are you taking him?"

"Hold the prince! Don't harm him."

Madam Qin turned to Little Yan. "Yan'er, stay in the Palace and be a good boy, okay?"

"Mother! Mother!"

No matter how many times he called, he can't meet with his mother anymore. That night, he locked himself up in his room, feeling sad and wronged.

TOK!

A stone was thrown to his window. He turned to the window and struggled to open it. A kid was standing before him.

"Soujin, what are you doing in the palace during night?" Little Yan was surprised. More importantly, how did he sneak into the palace with the soldier guarding the place tightly?

Little Soujin rolled his eyes. "What are you doing hiding yourself inside the room? You're not going to get anything from that. If you want to help your mother, why don't you think of doing something?"

"What?"

"Up to you. It is your decision and not mine," Little Soujin said. His voice is calm, but there were traces of ruthlessness. When Yan thought about it in the future, he would come to know that the tragedy that befalls the Nanglong family had happened even before his own. It was what made Soujin become so strong even at young age.

"Can you take me out from the palace?" Little Yan asked.

Little Soujin nodded. "Sure, just don't tell anyone that I'm the one that takes you out."

"Okay," that night Little Yan meets with the shopkeeper and decides that he would become a merchant.

…

A few months after that, the little boy came to the Cold Palace.

"Mother!" Little Yan run towards Madam Qin and hugged the other party.

"Yan'er, how can you get in?" Madam Qin asked with a surprised tone.

Little Yan grinned. "From now on, Yan'er will come here every time I get the chance. Someday, Yan'er will take you out."

Every time he came, he would bring different news.

"Mother, Soujin is going to go to war. Why should he go now? He's only 11, that kid is really cocky!"

"There is an interesting young girl named Ming Hui, she suddenly comes when I'm arguing with Soujin when he's going to go to another war. I have long forgotten that I have a little sister who rarely comes out."

"The business is successful, I have made an alias called Young Noble Han. You should have seen how the nobles are trying to gain favor with him despite not knowing his true identity."

Then, the news becomes even bigger.

"Mother, that Jun Min kid is really interesting, but he's such a bully like Soujin. I can't believe that I got beaten up by him so easily! He's even far younger than me."

…

"Mother, are you ready to leave this place?" Yan smirked.

"You will take me out?"

Yan nodded. "Tonight, I will take you out from here. I have asked Soujin to lend me some of his elites. They can take you out."

"What if the emperor founds out?"

"He won't. There is still wave of trouble for him."

It's incorrect to say wave, it's more like a flood. The number of incidents from all the area within the kingdom is increasing rapidly. And the culprit for this incident is that one person, Jun Min. The people who have been supporting Jun Min cannot accept his death just like that and launched many protest.

They have become even uncontrollable since not even the corpse remaining. The question asked towards the governor kept on increasing to the point the officials felt overwhelmed. Many of them cannot rest and had to work until they collapsed.

Still, they don't feel that it is enough. The people were starting to target the Lan family which caused them to feel the burden even more. Many of their soldiers choose to switch their leader towards the imperial army since they can't bear with the accusation anymore.

Madam Qin smiled. "Mother will wait for you here."

Yan nodded. He had told the people to start after he had left the Cold Palace. To avoid suspicion, they need to wait until the guard had passed the area.

"I will meet you outside the capital."

"Yes, Yan'er."