Chapter 52
"Are you awake?"
A crystal-clear voice of a teenager echoed in his ears. Tang Yunxian felt a dryness in his throat, his eyelids weighed down heavily.
He struggled to wake up, and upon opening his eyes, a dazzling starry sky filled his vision. The stars scattered across a deep purple silk blanket like spilled milk.
Such clear stargazing was impossible in the capital.
Confused, Tang Yunxian shifted his gaze to the young man speaking. He only saw a long white robe resembling ancient clothing. This confused him even more. Was he at a period drama set? Why was he here?
Tang Yunxian couldn't help but carefully observe the teenager.
The snow-white robe accentuated his tall and slender figure. The neckline and sleeves were embroidered with rolling clouds made of gold. His black hair was tied up, revealing a face...
Tang Yunxian widened his eyes. He couldn't make out the teenager's face.
No matter how hard he tried, the boy's face remained a blur, which further piqued his curiosity.
"Do you have water?" finally asked Tang Yunxian.
The teenager seemed to be smiling. Tang Yunxian couldn't see his expression but could sense his jovial mood. The teenager walked over to a table nearby and poured a cup of spring tea, serving it respectfully.
It was only then that Tang Yunxian noticed he seemed to be at the top of a pavilion, with the open night sky above him.
The scene, although beautifully unreal, was eerily unsettling to Tang Yunxian.
"Your Majesty, drink slowly," the teenager said, sitting on the edge of the bed, his voice filled with laughter. "You don't need to always come over here. If your ministers find out, they would surely reprimand me again."
Tang Yunxian paused his drinking.
Your Majesty? Ministers?
He couldn't help but question whether this was a dream. But this dream... seemed so very real.
Upon seeing Tang Yunxian remain silent, the teenager thought he was self-blaming. So he continued, "I know that you built Zhaixing Tower for my sake, but after all, this is a wasteful act to the people. There mustn't be a next time."
Zhaixing Tower...
Tang Yunxian glanced around, realizing just how high this pavilion really was. It was tall, just like the ancient poem: 'The tower is hundred feet tall, one can pluck the stars with their hands.'
The teenager rose to his feet, clearing away the empty tea cup, and continued speaking as he walked.
"The same star reading can be done anywhere. When we were young, didn't Your Majesty and I go to the riverbank to read the stars, and still figured out your Imperial destiny?"
"I'm neither an important minister of the court nor a member of an illustrious family, just an astrologer. Your Majesty building such a Zhaixing Tower has really overwhelmed me."
Astrologer? Imperial destiny? What are these...
Before Tang Yunxian had a chance to inquire, his vision suddenly blurred again, and his head became unbearably dizzy. Unable to help himself, he leaned back and lay down on the bed.
"Your Majesty?" The teenager's voice came, filled with deep concern.
The next moment, Tang Yunxian found his body floating in the air, seemingly like an out-of-body experience, as he watched himself drift into the air.
It was then that he saw his bedridden self dressed in a black and gold dragon-patterned robe, majestic and dignified, carrying an imperial authority that made it difficult for others to look at directly.
But the teenager showed no fear. He walked straight to the bedridden "Tang Yunxian" and asked, "Are you feeling dizzy again, Your Majesty?"
The bedridden "Tang Yunxian" surprisingly spoke in a deep, magnetic voice, "I don't know why, but I just had a strange dream. Yuan'er, this Zhaixing Tower was built for you and for our Xing Country. Without you, there wouldn't be the Xing Country today." (Note: The 星 [Xīng] in both Zhaixing Tower and Xing Country means Star)
The teenager hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Your Majesty, doing so will invite criticism."
"Who dare to criticize My decree?" The Emperor's voice was so commanding that it compelled submission, "Raise your head and look at the stars all over the sky."
The teenager slowly looked up at the starry sky, his gaze cutting through the transparent figure of Tang Yunxian hovering in the air.
"You are the closest person to this night sky in Xing Country." The Emperor looked at the young man's profile with tender and affectionate eyes, "I want future generations to know that this Zhaixing Tower is yours, and this starry sky is also yours."
"Your Majesty..." The teenager looked at him stunned.
The solemnity of the Emperor suddenly lessened. He extended his large palm, gently touched the teenager's fingers, and softly said, "In addition, I gift you another Xian'er. Do you want it?"
Before Tang Yunxian could hear the teenager's answer, he suddenly felt everything going dark before his eyes, and all the scenes turned into nothingness.
________________________
When he opened his eyes again, he was greeted by a white ceiling and an intense smell of disinfectant wafting into his nose.
Cheng Xuyuan was slumped over the edge of the bed, fast asleep. Tang Yunxian looked at him and suddenly felt he looked familiar...
But where had he seen him before? Tang Yunxian couldn't recall.
It seemed like the first time he saw Tai Sui in his dream, he had asked this question. But all Tai Sui said to him was, "Don't believe in feudal superstitions."
He's probably thinking too much. Tang Yunxian exhaled with a sigh.
Upon hearing the sigh, Cheng Xuyuan quickly opened his eyes. Seeing that the person on the sick bed had woken up, he sighed with relief and said to Tang Yunxian, "You've finally woken up. Do you know your dad almost went to buy lingzhi again to make soup for you to drink? Luckily, the doctor said you were merely suffering from overwork."
Tang Yunxian sat up and Cheng Xuyuan handed him a cup of spring tea. He was taken aback for a moment, then quickly dismissed the bizarre thoughts in his mind, and asked," How is the Lu family?"
"After you touched that compass, the resentment in the Lu house disappeared." Cheng Xuyuan revealed a hint of confusion in his eyes," This is really weird, do you have some divine ability?"
Tang Yunxian also thought it was inexplicable. He had never seen that compass.
"Oh, right." Cheng Xuyuan blinked, "There is something a little strange."
Tang Yunxian took a sip of the spring tea, which tasted much worse than in his dream. He looked up at Tai Sui and asked, "What's the matter? Did you find out He Zhen is actually a monk?"
Cheng Xuyuan nearly choked on his laughter, he cleared his throat and said, "Later I asked Lu Qin where the compass was purchased from. He contacted his wife in America, and finally found out, the compass was purchased from Zhao Chao."
"Zhao Chao?" Tang Yunxian evidently didn't remember this name, "Who is that?"
He is your future father-in-law. Cheng Xuyuan couldn't help but want to retort.
"Do you remember Li Heng helping your family purchase medicinal herbs?" Cheng Xuyuan patiently explained, "He bought Tai Sui — me, from the hands of Zhao Chao's daughter, Zhao Xintong."
Tang Yunxian looked suddenly enlightened but soon fell into confusion again, "Is Zhao Chao an antique collector? Why are there so many treasures in his house?"
"The problem lies right here." Cheng Xuyuan furrowed his brow slightly, "The Zhao family is just an ordinary rural family, with their daughter only having recently graduated from college. They sold all these items to cover Zhao Chao's medical expenses... Moreover, Zhao Chao clearly didn't know the value of the compass, selling it for just under 100,000 to Lu Qin's wife."
A 3,000-year-old pure gold compass being sold for under 100,000; either Zhao Chao was a fool or simply had no knowledge of antiques.
After pondering for a moment, Tang Yunxian said, "That compass is indeed mysterious. I had a strange dream after touching it... Shall we go to the Zhao family to inquire?"
Cheng Xuyuan's eyes spun, thinking this might be the opportunity for the male and female protagonists to meet. Thus, wanting to play matchmaker, he said, "I think it's a good idea. We can go to express our gratitude to Zhao Xintong, thanking her for selling Tai Sui to Li Heng. Once you're discharged, we'll head to the Zhao family immediately."
There were no serious problems with Tang Yunxian's health, but since he had fainted suddenly, his condition appeared alarming. After two or three days of observation, he could be discharged from the hospital.
Upon discharge, Lu Qin and Chen Yiyun, carrying a large number of tonics and flowers, visited the Tang family and praised Tang Yunxian to the skies.
"Your son will surely achieve great things in the future!" Chen Yiyun grasped Tang Long's hand, "Besides everything else, with his courage and boldness, your prestigious Tang family will undoubtedly have a successor."
With one sentence, both Tang Long and Tang Yunxian were praised, leaving Tang Yunxian grinning from ear to ear.
Lu Qin was even more exaggerated, bringing a silk banner with the words: Tang Yunxian, the Master of the Generation.
Cheng Xuyuan almost burst into laughter when he saw the silk banner, thinking, "What on earth is this?"
After settling matters with Chen Yiyun and Lu Qin, Tang Yunxian secretly drove toward Zhao Village under the guise of going for a leisurely outing.
The mountain road was treacherous, which proved challenging for the lavish sports car. Tang Yunxian drove, feeling lightheaded, until finally arriving at the village in the mountains by evening.
After getting out of the car, Tang Yunxian lamented, "Once I start making my own money, I'll definitely build a better road for this village."
Cheng Xuyuan almost gave a standing ovation, thinking that the emperor's reincarnation was truly different, possessing such benevolence!
Tang Yunxian touched the pattern on his chest, indicating to Cheng Xuyuan that he could transform back into human form. Moments later, the two tall and handsome young men entered Zhao Village together.
Following the address they had found for Zhao Chao's house, the two quickly located the residence.
However, as they reached the entrance, both Tang Yunxian and Cheng Xuyuan froze.
They saw an unexpected person here.
"He Zhen?!" Tang Yunxian stared at the tall, buzz-cut boy in surprise, "What are you doing here?"
He Zhen caught sight of the slender little demon right away and snorted coldly, "I'm just passing by. What brings you two here?"
"We naturally have business here." Cheng Xuyuan said unfriendly, "If you have nothing to do here, go away."
Just as He Zhen was about to say something, Zhao Xintong emerged from the house and addressed him, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Master He. Please come inside and take a look..."
Feigning ignorance, He Zhen stepped through the gates of the Zhao residence.
In haste, Tang Yunxian shouted, "Miss Zhao, may we have a word with you?"
Upon noticing other people at the gate, Zhao Xintong hesitated for a moment before approaching them, asking, "Who might you be?"
"We are from the Tang family," Cheng Xuyuan straightforwardly said, "Do you remember that you sold us the lingzhi last time?"
Zhao Xintong's eyes widened as she quickly replied, "Of course I remember! I'm really grateful for the money that Butler Li gave me. If not for that, my family and I would be starving. Young Master Tang, have you fully recovered now?"
"Thanks for bringing Tai Sui to my side," Tang Yunxian nodded, eying the boy standing next to him briefly. "We came to the Zhao family this time because we have an important matter to discuss."
With a troubled look, Zhao Xintong said, "I'm afraid it might not be convenient today. Our house has been acting strangely recently, so we invited Master He to check the feng shui..."
Tang Yunxian of course didn't miss this opportunity as he hurriedly said, "We also know how to read feng shui. How about inviting us inside to sit for a while?"
Zhao Xintong looked at He Zhen hesitantly, afraid that he might be displeased.
He Zhen gave the beautiful boy next to Tang Yunxian a reluctant nod after his cold eyes swept over Tang Yunxian.
Once inside the Zhao residence, He Zhen questioned, "What exactly is going on with your father?"
"After my father recovered from his illness, he's been plagued with nightmares," Zhao Xintong admitted, a worried look on her face, "And he's been sleeping for prolonged periods too."
Surprisingly, the symptoms sounded a lot like Lu Qin's. Cheng Xuyuan couldn't help but ask, "Do you know what kind of dreams he's having?"
"They're almost the same kind of dream," Zhao Xintong sighed. "My father says that he sees a palace in his dreams, where the emperor asks him to build a high tower."
Tang Yunxian's breath hitched a little.
"Doesn't seem like much of a nightmare," Cheng Xuyuan shrugs off. "Just building a tower for the emperor."
However, Zhao Xintong shook her head, continuing to narrate, "That tower is quite tall, named Zhaixing Tower. Initially, my father just dreamed recurrently about building the Zhaixing Tower. But later..."
She hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"Later, the tower was lit on fire by someone. The craftsmen building it, the people inside, they were all burned to death."
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