บท 36: The Uncanny

{...This is exactly how I imagined it...maybe he heard about what I said...but even then, it's not like I gave a descriptive scene...how can it be so similar? even the colors and positions are... It's a coincidence...but it really is too coincidental O_O)'...}

The large painting that was covering the wall between the bookshelves was exactly the depiction of the scene Lei Xing had casually come up with on a whim, two heavenly mountains reaching far above the clouds in the background, a lake between them with two heavenly immortals, a male and a female dancing above the lake, with a mortal family of four swimming in the lake beneath - oblivious that they are heavenly territory. With dragons and phoenixes meandering about in the sky above.

Lei Xing stood there gaping at it for a while.

Unbeknownst to her, the Emperor had come over and was now standing beside her and asked, "It's great, isn't it?" Lei Xing subconsciously nodded.

The Emperor smiled and continued, "I think this is my best work yet. I call it the harbinger of good luck. I dreamt of this scene one night a couple of months ago, and the next morning I received a letter informing of my father's failing health."

Lei Xing still wide-eyed, glanced at him. Seeing her expression, the Emperor laughed and casually said, "I didn't do anything, there were others who were a lot more anxious than I was."

Lei Xing looked back at the painting.

{...Dreamt of it?...}

"Anyway, after I ascended the throne and everything settled down. I decided to paint the scene bit by bit, taking my time to ensure I could fully capture it all. It took a couple of months, but I finally finished it about a week ago." The Emperor smugly explained.

Lei Xing frowned as she tried to make sense of this situation.

{...In that case, doesn't that mean that I was the one who copied it?...maybe I heard about it?... From who? How? Also, it wasn't even complete until last week...even if I heard about the details somehow, how could I imagine pretty much the exact same image?... It doesn't make sense O_o)...it's just a weird a coincidence...but isn't this too much though?... What other explanation could there be?!...}

After a while of admiring the painting, the Emperor suddenly said, "Ah, speaking of paintings...Yong must have mentioned it to you, your piece on it was really good."

Lei Xing blinked and looked at him, pointing to the painting, and asked, perplexed, "This?"

"Not this one." The Emperor took her hand and pulled her along toward the hallway leading to the back of the room, Lei Xing's mind was still focused on the painting, and so she was not paying attention to what was happening.

By the time she snapped back to reality, they had arrived in front of a small room, and she was pulled in.

Lei Xing's eyes went wide again.

{...This...this is too freaky...isn't it?...}

Hanging on the wall in the small room was a scroll with a painting of what seemed to be a battlefield, the ground dyed with blood, bodies littered around, and warriors engaged in battle in the background.

Stretching from the bottom edge of the painting was an armored arm of a fallen warrior, with outstretched fingers, reaching towards the center of the painting where a white petal seemed to have just fallen to the blood-soaked ground, half of it dyed by the blood, with the redness seemingly spreading.

Lei Xing stared at the painting.

{...You can't say this is a coincidence too, right?... This looks exactly as I imagined it when I wrote that poem...this is so weird...}

"I didn't think of it at that time, but it occurred to me a few days later while looking at this. You did quite a good job of capturing the scene, I truly thought I was going to die that time." The Emperor finished with a laugh.

Lei Xing, still in shock, turned to him, "This...this happened to you?"

"Yong didn't mention that? Well, I didn't exactly talk about the details of it with anyone, so it's reasonable he wouldn't have assumed it. You can say it's a scene that resonated with me." The Emperor said with a light chuckle.

Lei Xing wasn't really paying attention to his words after the question as she was considering the possibility of it.

{...Well, no...I don't think so...did he?...could he?...maybe?...I don't know...in the original memories maybe?...but I don't remember anything...subconsciousness maybe?...I think that's too much of a stretch, if she had seen it - then maybe, but heard about it? I don't think so...also he must have had to have given one hell of a description, and then some, for this level of likeness...but then what about the other one?...}

"It was during my first battle...well, it was an ambush actually...and a lot of things happened, and I ended up with a poisoned arrow in my back." Then he sighed, "This painting is a reminder of our reality." The Emperor finished with a smile as he scrutinized the painting.

Lei Xing looked at his face and then back at the painting, feeling very put off by the uncanniness of the situation.

{...This is your reality!... This has nothing to do with me!... This is just some weird set of coincidences...I'm leaving!...}

At that moment, she realized her hand was still in his and quickly pulled her hand back and said, "Ah, I should go...I'm not feeling well."

The Emperor looked at her, "You're unwell? You do look a bit pale. I'll send for an Imperial doctor." The emperor stepped towards her, reaching for her again with the intention to help her back to the front.

Lei Xing immediately took a step back and gave a nervous smile, "I'm - I'm fine, no need, I just need some rest."

"Still -"

"No, really, I'm fine...Ah, I'll be leaving now. Thank you." Lei Xing quickly said and then turned and fled the room, down the hallway, and headed straight for the exit, trying her best not to run and walking as fast as she could.

The Emperor watched her departing form with a confused frown.

{...Is she really okay?...}

After Lei Xing exited the royal study, Eunuch Li watched her with confusion as she hurried off and then went in to see the Emperor who was standing there looking at the doors with a frown. Eunuch Li approached the Emperor and bowed, "Your majes- "

"Send an Imperial doctor to her palace, she seems unwell." The Emperor casually said and then turned to return to his throne chair and sat down, then glanced at the chair at the end of the table and sighed.

{...Why did I even mention that?...}

He sighed again and then picked up a memorial to read. Eunuch Li looked at the Emperor for a while and then turned and went to do as he was bid.

After Eunuch Li left, the Emperor sighed again and dropped the memorial, got up and went back to the small room and stood there looking at the painting, frowning.

{...Is it really okay to leave things like this?... There are some things that cannot be salvaged no matter how one tries...In the end, if it's all pointless, then what?...}

The day depicted in the painting was a very important day in his life. It was the day he learned many truths.

At that time, the war against Han country had been going well, and they were steadily claiming enemy territory.

His father had decided to send reinforcements to speed up the victory, and the current emperor, who was the fourth prince at the time, had requested to follow the reinforcements and join the war and to everyone's surprise, his father agreed to his request.

The officials were quite shocked by this turn of events because a little over a year ago, when the emperor wanted to start this campaign, the crown prince had asked to lead the war, but the Emperor had refused his request. Yet, now he agreed for the young fourth prince to go, even though he will not be leading the war, but a prince will still hold considerable power.

Some officials speculated that it must be because the crown prince was in an important indisposable position, but then the fact that the Emperor led campaigns himself when he was a crown prince discredited that theory.

Although the fourth prince was young, the officials were not particularly worried about him joining the war because despite being the youngest, he had proven himself to be a genius who could compete with the crown prince, and may even be better given time to age. Rather they were worried about the aftermath and implications of this development.

The Emperor often had the princes competing with each other since they were young. Regardless of the age difference between them, the princes were expected to strive to outperform each other constantly.

In terms of learning and skills, everyone had nothing but praise for the fourth prince, who seemed to excel in all aspects naturally. Therefore, some speculated that this was a sign from the Emperor; if the fourth prince could come back from the war victorious and alive, the crown prince may be changed.

There was also the fact that the fourth prince already had a considerable power base in court, as the current Empress's adopted son, he had the prime minister's power. And although the Defense minister Lei has always appeared neutral and followed along with the Emperor's wishes, the fourth prince's close friendship with his son may serve as leverage to win his support.

If the fourth prince could gain the Lei family's full support then his position was set, as to gain the Defense minister's support was the same as gaining the Emperor's support.

When the defense minister's son was chosen as the fourth prince's playmate, many already suspected that perhaps the fourth prince was the Emperor's favored son for the throne, considering he allowed him to build a relationship with the Lei family.

However, many dismissed the idea and considered it a bid to reign in the Empress, considering the Emperor had just appointed the first prince as crown prince.

But now, with this development, that theory seemed more likely to be true.

The officials understood that the battle for the throne was about to go into full throttle. This development had shaken the crown prince's sense of security.

Even though the crown prince still held considerable support from the officials as the appointed crown prince, the first son of the Emperor and the only child of the deceased first Empress. He had already lost his main source of power in court with the death of his grandfather, the previous defense minister who died two years ago at the time.

The deceased empress was an only child, so the closest kin he had available in court for support was his grandfather's younger brother, who was the current minister of finance.

From the onset, it was clear to everyone that the fourth prince was his biggest competition. The second prince lacked skills and was fickle, the third prince lacked standing and was aloof, and also had a good relationship with the crown prince's side. Then there was the fourth prince who had everything since birth, a mother with standing and more importantly one who the emperor seemed to care for greatly or at least held deep sentiments for.

After all, she was once his crown princess and was almost the Empress on his ascension. According to rumors, she had refused to assume the position herself. Still, most dismissed the idea considering it didn't seem at all profitable for the Emperor to want to take the princess of the country he had just destroyed as Empress.

But still, when you add that background on with his natural talents, he was indeed the greatest threat. With the confinement of his mother, most had thought that was the end of the road for the fourth prince.

Unexpectedly, he rose up again and ended up on the side of the childless Empress. This greatly confused the officials as to the Emperor's intentions, was he supporting the crown prince or raising the fourth prince?

Some speculated that perhaps the emperor saw himself in the fourth prince. The Emperor was also someone who was gifted and exceptional from childhood, and the idea of the fourth prince going into battle with defense minister Lei's son may be reminiscent of the past when he and defense minister Lei fought battles together.

The crown prince aside, the Emperor having this idea was dangerous in itself. While it may be advantageous for him to admire the fourth prince's potential which reminds him of himself in his younger years, if he sees too much similarity, then it will be more of a disadvantage, and the fourth prince may really not live long.

Considering the Emperor had killed his father and taken the throne. If the fourth prince truly resembled his father, then wouldn't he too come to kill him for the throne?

This was starting on the path of a thin line, one where a single misstep will mark the end.

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NOTE: The NEXT chapter is a SIDE STORY for fun, so SKIP if you will~ Thank you...