Chapter 78

The butterfly flapped its wings, soaring under the clear, boundless sky.
It was late spring, early summer, the weather was bright and sunny, and all things were about to welcome the most intense heat of summer.
Yun Pianpian fluttered her wings high in the sky.
Towns and houses lay beneath her. She flew over bustling, lively markets, crossed verdant, mist, shrouded mountains, and traversed tranquil streams and lakes.
With all her strength, she raced toward her emperor.
The sun, moon, and stars shifted above her head, beautiful mountains and rivers stretched out beneath her feet.
She traveled tirelessly day and night, stopping to sip sweet nectar from vibrant flowers when hungry and alighting on lakes to drink when thirsty, never resting.
Yun Pianpian knew the route from Qingcheng County to Luojing, as Xiao Changyuan had once taken her along it. But the farther she flew, the more she struggled to recall the way. She got lost in Yongzhou, so she descended from the sky into a county town, listening to the conversations of the common folk to learn the direction to Luojing.
Many caravans from various provinces traveled to Luojing, and Yun Pianpian chose one transporting cloth to celebrate the new emperor’s ascension. She followed behind them, using them as her guide as she flew toward Luojing. When the merchants stopped at a tea stall to drink, they began discussing the new emperor.
“Over the past two years, the crown prince has been away on campaigns. The old emperor imposed heavy taxes and levies to fund the military, plunging the people into misery and despair. Now that the war is finally over, we no longer have to bear such burdens.”
“The crown prince had just returned victorious when the old emperor passed away. What a coincidence.”
“I’ve heard it was the crown prince who killed his father and seized the throne, slaying the old emperor with his own hands…”
“Given how the old emperor treated the Xu clan, slaughtering all seven hundred members of their family overnight, wiping them out, such a deep, seated blood feud makes it only fitting for the crown prince to kill the old emperor and ascend the throne…”
“But wasn’t the Xu clan planning a rebellion back then?”
“The Xu clan was loyal and righteous through and through. If they had intended to rebel, they would have done so long before facing extermination.”
“These royal descendants have a bloodthirsty nature running in their veins, and the crown prince is no exception…”
“The Crown Prince is of a cruel and violent nature, killing as easily as cutting hemp. After ascending the throne, he executed everyone who had ever offended him. Who knows whether Mo Kingdom’s future will be good or bad.”
“Either way, it’s us common folk who suffer.”
Yun Pianpian felt a moment of daze. So, eight years had already passed, and the young Yuan had ascended the throne as emperor.
The merchant convoy traveled day and night, and Butterfly Pian had been following behind them all the way. Finally, on the morning of the seventh day, they arrived smoothly in Luojing. A merchant pointed at Pianpian and remarked strangely, “Has this butterfly been following us the whole way?”
“You’re overthinking it.”
Yun Pianpian fluttered her wings and soared high, leaving the merchant convoy behind. Under the clear blue sky, she flew toward the direction of the imperial palace.
It was just the hour of Chen, and Xiao Changyuan should still be holding the morning court session in the Golden Hall. She would see him soon.
Inside the Golden Hall, the young, cold, faced emperor sat upright on the dragon throne. He was dressed in luxurious black robes embroidered with dark golden dragon patterns and wore a crown adorned with jade beads.
His expression was icy and indifferent.
Those sinister, bloodthirsty cold eyes, as if frozen over, showed no ripple of emotion.
The civil and military officials stood in the resplendent Golden Hall according to their ranks, reporting on state affairs as if treading on thin ice, terrified of offending this murderous tyrant.
Suddenly, a pink butterfly flew in from outside. Fluttering its wings, it broke the solemn atmosphere of the court, passing through the rows of officials and slowly flying toward the emperor.
Its posture was so graceful, the color of its wings as bright as the evening glow, quickly capturing the attention of everyone in the court. They all looked up, startled and uncertain, watching the pink butterfly.
It flew straight toward the emperor’s handsome face.
The moment the pink butterfly alighted on Xiao Changyuan’s nose bridge, the entire court gasped in unison.
Their faces turned pale with fright and the hall fell into utter silence, so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
Xiao Changyuan was cruel and bloodthirsty; no birds, beasts, insects, or fish dared come within three feet of him. Everyone thought this butterfly would not live to see tomorrow’s sun.
Unexpectedly, the emperor on the dragon throne did not crush the fragile butterfly. Instead, he coldly announced,
“Court is dismissed.”
Xiao Changyuan’s voice was bone, chillingly cold.
“All of you, get out of my sight.”
The officials felt as if granted a pardon. They lowered their heads and left the Golden Hall in fear and trepidation, holding their breath and not daring to make a sound as they departed.
Only after everyone had left and the Golden Hall held only him and the butterfly, did Xiao Changyuan slowly raise his hand, gently pinching her’s pink wings, and softly call her name.
“Little tiger.”
Yun Pianpian had accompanied the young Yuan for two years, spending more time with him than with the amnesiac Yuan and the tyrant Yuan combined. Now, the tender and aloof child in her memory had shed his youth, transforming into a peerlessly handsome, cold, and detached emperor.
He had grown more mature, more stern.
But his dark, icy eyes were somewhat different from those of the tyrant Yuan.
The young Yuan had never given her a name. Though he knew she was a celestial maiden, he still called her “little tiger,” because he never regarded her as a celestial being but rather as a pet. His feelings toward her were pure, entirely devoid of any improper thoughts.
Seeing that Xiao Changyuan recognized her, Yun Pianpian was overjoyed.
She happily nodded her butterfly head.
I am the little tiger.
Butterflies couldn't make any sound, and their bodies were very delicate. Worried that Xiao Changyuan might not see clearly, Yun Pianpian nodded emphatically again, tilting her head a full 180 degrees in an exaggerated motion.
Xiao Changyuan watched her quietly.
His dark, icy eyes were like deep, tranquil abysses, without the slightest ripple.
“Does your heart hurt?”
The first question he asked upon seeing her was about her heart. It seemed the incident had left a deep scar on him, one he still couldn't forget.
Yun Pianpian shook her head.
Her wings were pinched in Xiao Changyuan's hand, making her uncomfortable. She struggled hard, trying to break free.
Noticing this, Xiao Changyuan released her, simply raising the back of his hand and fixing his dark eyes on Yun Pianpian.
His voice was cool and low.
“Come up.”
Yun Pianpian obediently landed on the back of his hand.
Xiao Changyuan gazed intently at her. “Where have you been all these years? Did you return to the celestial court?”
Yun Pianpian blinked her eyes and nodded emphatically.
Xiao Changyuan asked, “Are you undergoing tribulation again?”
Emperor Zhaoyan had killed Xiao Changyuan's capacity to love. Yun Pianpian wanted to return that love to him, to show him that he was a child who could love and be loved.
She wanted Xiao Changyuan to feel her love.
Yun Pianpian fluttered her wings and flew into the air, using her butterfly trail to write a few words in the sky. This intangible method of writing was easily dizzying, so she wrote very slowly, striving to make it clear for Xiao Changyuan.
“I came down to the mortal realm specifically to play with you.”
After writing these words, the butterfly gently landed back on Xiao Changyuan's hand and looked up at him.
Xiao Changyuan seemed slightly dazed.
“To play with me?”
Yun Pianpian nodded emphatically.
Xiao Changyuan kept his dark eyes on her.
After a long moment, he finally said, “What do you want to play?”
Yun Pianpian felt that writing in the air was too slow and hard to read, so she gestured to Xiao Changyuan for brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
“Brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.”
Xiao Changyuan replied, “Alright.”
Yun Pianpian perched on his shoulder, ceasing to flutter her wings. Xiao Changyuan led the butterfly out of the Golden Hall, where Yun Pianpian saw Liu Shun waiting outside. He was now dressed in the attire of the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, evidently, Xiao Changyuan had promoted him.
The butterfly fluttered her wings in greeting to Liu Shun.
Liu Shun noticed the butterfly perched on Xiao Changyuan's shoulder and froze for a moment. The rule of survival in the palace was to listen and observe more while speaking and asking less. So, Liu Shun lowered his head and followed silently behind Xiao Changyuan.
When they reached the emperor's bedchamber, Xiao Changyuan dismissed all the attendants, leaving only himself and the butterfly. He personally ground the ink for her. Yun Pianpian noticed that Xiao Changyuan had always preferred doing everything himself since childhood, rarely ordering the palace servants around.
Once the ink was ready, Yun Pianpian flew down from his shoulder. She had a pair of antennae, two pairs of wings, and three pairs of legs. Her wings were a delicate pink, though it was unclear what species she was. Yun Pianpian landed on the edge of the inkstone, extended one leg to dip into the ink, then alighted on the rice paper and began writing characters the size of peanut kernels with her ink, dipped leg.
“How did you know I was the little tiger?”
Xiao Changyuan's gaze remained calm as he replied, “Because no one else dares to approach me. Only the little tiger did.”
After the little tiger died, Xiao Changyuan never allowed anyone or any animal to get close to him again. He had completely become an emotionless weapon, consumed only by hatred.
Later, when Xiao Changyuan ascended the throne as emperor, he found the young eunuch who had once given him steamed buns in his childhood. He granted the eunuch a high, ranking position and generous salary, but he never grew close to him. He could also sense that the eunuch only felt fear and trepidation toward him.
No one in this world dared to approach him, but the little tiger did.
It seemed to have been drawn to him from the very beginning, constantly approaching him, touching him, warming him. Whenever he reached out his hand, it would gently burrow into his palm without any hesitation, like an affectionate cat.
Yun Pianpian blinked her butterfly eyes and bent down to write on the rice paper: “You could try getting close to others.”
Xiao Changyuan said, “I don't want to.”
Yun Pianpian wrote, “Is it because of me?”
She worried that it was because she had been killed by Emperor Zhaoyan that he no longer dared to have anything he loved.
Xiao Changyuan pressed his thin lips together and remained silent.
This was tantamount to confirming her words.
Yun Pianpian felt a pang of sadness. She carefully wrote on the rice paper, stroke by stroke: “You can still have love. Even though I died, I will come back to life. You don't need to bury yourself along with me. I want you to be happy.”
Yun Pianpian covered the rice paper with her writing: “When they killed me, I didn't feel any pain because I am a fairy, I don't feel pain. My soul drifted out of the tiger's body, and I watched them slaughter the tiger without any emotion. But when I saw you drink that bowl of meat broth, my heart suddenly ached because I knew you would suffer. I don't want to see you in pain.”
Yun Pianpian began weaving lies: “We fairies have very long lives, but your life is so brief. Such a fleeting existence should be spent in joy and pleasure, not in sacrifice. You are a child worthy of love, deserving of the most passionate affection.”
Xiao Changyuan gazed expressionlessly at her.
“I am no longer a child.”
Yun Pianpian wrote: “In my eyes, all mortals are children. You are the most deserving of love.”
She wished for his life to be enveloped in the most intense love, so that he would never again recall his pain.
Xiao Changyuan slightly furrowed his brows.
“You are the child.”
The two conversed for a long time, like old friends reunited after years apart. Unconsciously, it reached noon, and palace attendants brought in fragrant, delicious dishes. Xiao Changyuan looked at the butterfly on the paper: “What do you eat now?”
Yun Pianpian wrote: “Nectar.”
Xiao Changyuan ordered the attendants without expression: “Go to the imperial garden and pick a few crabapple blossoms.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The palace attendants went to the imperial garden to pick flowers, their hearts trembling with fear: “Who was His Majesty speaking to just now?”
“There was clearly no one in the hall earlier.”
Their faces pale and trembling, they plucked a few vibrant crabapple blossoms and brought them to the bedchamber.
“Dismissed,” Xiao Changyuan said softly.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The attendants cautiously withdrew, none daring to look up. Had they raised their heads, they would have seen the emperor gently stroking a pink butterfly nestled among the crabapple blossoms, its head buried as it sipped the nectar.
And that young, stern emperor, his expression held a tenderness none had ever seen before.
By evening, Xiao Changyuan placed a crabapple blossom by his pillow, allowing her to rest there for the night.
Yun Pianpian obediently flew down and settled into the flower.
The night passed without dreams.
The next morning, Yun Pianpian awoke to find Xiao Changyuan's cold, jade, like handsome face right before her eyes.
For a moment, she thought she had returned to the side of the tyrant Yuan. His thin lips were glossy and alluring, seeming even more enticing than sweet nectar.
Unable to resist, Yun Pianpian fluttered her wings and gracefully landed on his lips, kissing them.
The emperor suddenly let out a low, hoarse voice.
“Are you sucking my life essence?”
Yun Pianpian: “...”
I am kissing you.
She flicked him with her butterfly wing.
Xiao Changyuan opened his dark eyes and looked at her. “Are you angry because I guessed right?”
Yun Pianpian: “...”
You brat.
There's a reason you've been single all these years.
Xiao Changyuan said, “If you want to suck, then go ahead. My life has no meaning anymore.”
Hearing this, Yun Pianpian was startled. She immediately fluttered her wings and hovered above Xiao Changyuan, gazing at his face.
She finally understood what was different between Xiao Changyuan and the tyrant Yuan.
Their eyes were not the same.
The tyrant Yuan's were icy, but Xiao Changyuan's were lifeless.
His eyes were like a stagnant pond, utterly still.
Yun Pianpian grew anxious.
Why would Xiao Changyuan want to die?
As if sensing her distress, Xiao Changyuan spoke without emotion, “The only meaning in my life was to take revenge on that monster. After the monster died, I killed everyone involved in the Xu clan's massacre. There is no one left in the world to kill. I've lost my reason to live. It's better to die by your hand.”
Yun Pianpian slapped his nose bridge hard with her wing.
Xiao Changyuan frowned slightly.
“What are you throwing a tantrum about again?”
Yun Pianpian gazed at him with tears streaming down like rain.
How could you have no reason to live? Your reason for living is me!
Yun Pianpian fluttered her butterfly wings and flew onto the imperial desk. Dipping her feet in ink, she wrote a few characters on the rice paper.
“Live for me.”
Seeing those words, Xiao Changyuan lowered his gaze to Yun Pianpian. “Will you stay with me forever?”
Yun Pianpian nodded vigorously.
Xiao Changyuan gently stroked her butterfly wings.
“Alright, then I'll stay with you forever too.