《Your Majesty, Please Come In》


 Chapter 1

    I, Prince Xiang, have done three wrong things in my life.


    First, take Emperor Jing to the brothel.


    Second, let Emperor Jing know the little gangsters in  Jianghu.


    Third, as the Buddha said, you can¡¯t mention it casually¡­¡­.


    At night in the late summer, taking advantage of the charming moonlight, I wore a single coat and walked to the pavilion in the inner courtyard to enjoy the coolness. While walking, I looked at the purple flowers and the quiet grass, and I felt a whole lot comfortable. The red apricots in the courtyard were fully ripe, and they were hanging high on the branches, as if they were proud, showing off their fruits.


    I still remember that when Emperor Jing was still the crown prince, all the princes went to Prince Xi¡¯s residence to play. Their small hands held my clothes. Their soft yet  commanding voices shouted happily. I couldn¡¯t reach the red apricots on the tree. I had to pick them up one by one and let them pick the apricots by themselves. Finally, when Emperor Jing arrived, his small body shrank back, his solemn face was quite like that of the previous emperor. He said that he, the crown prince, didn¡¯t need it, but he kept looking at the red apricots in the tree. He could¡¯ve burned two holes through the apricots just by his stare.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. I smiled and took out a chair from the hall. I stepped on the chair and picked a good apricot for the Emperor . When I handed the picked apricots to him, the child reluctantly received the fruit, which made me think I forced him to take it.


    Now, when I think of Emperor Jing¡¯s expression when he was eating apricots, I wanted to laugh, perhaps because the apricots are still a little sour, his small face wrinkled tightly.


    Today¡¯s Prince Xi¡¯s mansion is not as lively as it used to be. If you ask the reason, I don¡¯t know.The military power has been taken back countless times by the former Emperor. Maybe my father, who thinks he is righteous and awe inspiring, has offended anyone or made someone with power perturbed with his high merit. Now he is sent far away at the border, and the large and small affairs in the residence are now controlled by my mother, giving me leisure to do as I please. In recent days,I have become more and more unbridled. My mother felt helpless about my situation. Who told me that this rotten wood can¡¯t be carved?


    My title is not the Prince of Xi, but the Prince of Xiang. I don¡¯t know why I still stay in the mansion and haven¡¯t gone to the fief. I don¡¯t even have a complete memory. I had some memories when I was a child, and then I lost them later. The old servant of the family said that it was because I had a strange disease. I stayed in bed for several days and didn¡¯t remember them when I woke up. According to him, those lost memories were bland, just like at present; as soon as I had nothing to do, I would be pulled by Feng Yin, the Emperor, to see those folk beauties.


    But I don¡¯t think so.


    A breeze came and added some coolness. I tightened my clothes, got up, went to the kitchen and brought back a pot of good wine. Sitting in the pavilion, I drank alone to the moon, which added a little solitude.


    In the past, Si Ran would accompany me, to drink and get drunk.


    After several cups of sake got into my stomach, I was already drunk. Half drunk and half awake, I just remembered, Si Ran¡­ Who is that?


    When I woke up the next day, the birds outside the window were chirping non stop, it was annoying. Because of the hangover, I had a splitting headache and touched my dry throat. I propped up my body. Someone on the side helped me lean against the upholster and carefully poured me a cup of tea. I reluctantly pulled the corners of my mouth and smiled. I took a sip of the tea and got it to moisten my dry throat. My voice felt much better.


    Last night, I was probably drunk in the pavilion, and was carried back to the room by a servant.


    Handing the teacup back to the servant, I said, ¡°Xingyuan, what time is it now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not time yet, Ziqing.¡± An elegant voice sounded which carried a hint of a smile.


    Xing Xing is my servant, he usually calls me master, how dare he be so bold and call me by my name? But this voice, why does it sound a bit wrong?


    ¡°It¡¯s now¡­¡± I pressed my forehead and glanced casually. The bright yellow material was embroidered with dragons and clouds, and the sunlight shining in from the window blinded my eyes.


    I jumped up and hurriedly knelt down to the ground, and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡± This subordinate has no eyes, this subordinate did not know His Majesty had come, this sin deserves death, this subordinate begs His Majesty¡¯s forgiveness!¡±


    Feng Yin sat on the edge of the bed, took a sip of the tea cup in his hand, and looked at me in awe. Wasn¡¯t that the tea I just drank a while ago?


    ¡°Since Ziqing knows he is wrong, then Ziqing should accept this Emperor¡¯s request.¡±


    ¡°That is, that is, His Majesty has the only say. As long as this subordinate can do it, this subordinate can be smashed and be broken to pieces.¡± I wiped the sweat on my forehead. Fortunately, Fengyin didn¡¯t call me Imperial Uncle, otherwise it must be bad.


    ¡°Imperial Uncle¡¯s words are serious, how can I push Imperial Uncle into the fire pit?¡± After drinking two more sips of tea, Feng Yin put the teacup on the side table and smiled deeply.


    After I listened, my heart throbbed. The Emperor called me Imperial Uncle, there must be something wrong.


    ¡°I heard that a beautiful woman has come to Chu mansion recently. She had fallen in love with the city and was always seen with a lovely smile. Ziqing should go with this Emperor to see it.¡±


    The expression on his face when he said this was as if he was asking if you had dinner today, it was so normal!


    I pulled the corners of my mouth while scoffing inside.


    Alas, the Emperor, princes, and the harem beauties, all wanted  to go to those Qin pavilions and Chu mansions. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve lost enough of the royal face. Do you know how the rumors of me in court were?


    I¡¯m the one who indulges in debauchery, teaches the Emperor rotten things, and peeps into the throne.


    I have a great reputation, which is very widespread in court. All good officials want to swallow me alive and scrape me away with thousands of knives.


    I changed into a simple Tsing Yi, took care of myself, followed Feng Yin out of the room one after the other, and when I walked to the inner courtyard, the people in the courtyard were in groups of three or five, making noises, some were even weeping. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, Feng Yin obviously noticed it too, he stopped and raised his eyebrows at me, a little curiosity in Emperor Feng¡¯s eyes.


    I understood and pushed forward slowly. The servants saw and gave way one after another. I saw my mother with a grim expression sitting upright. Standing on her side was a handmaid, holding the kneeling princess on the ground, whose clothes were untidy and choking. Another servant was tied and knelt on her side with his head down.


    I stood there, speechless, like this¡­ I don¡¯t need to think about what happened.


    ¡°Ziqing, you came just in time, this woman, as a concubine of the Palace of Xi, dares to do such shameless things, what do you think should be done?¡± My mother glanced at me and said.


    ¡°¡­ it¡¯s up to my mother.¡± I couldn¡¯t help holding up my forehead. I knew the princess had been scheming something in her heart for some time now, but who expected that she would do such things. I asked myself if I had treated her badly. I gave her what she wanted. She said to the East, I hadn¡¯t been to the West. Now it¡¯s like this. Even if I beg for mercy, nothing can be done. I hate my mother for some reason. How can she disregard my predicament? What¡¯s more, how can such a thing of bad reputation be tolerated by those who are of noble relatives and relatives of the emperor.


    ¡°My lord, please beg your mother for the sake of the child in this concubine¡¯s belly. Please forgive this concubine.¡± Her slender jade hand grabbed the hem of my shirt and touched the slightly protruding abdomen with the other, crying in tears.


    Translator¡¯s Notes


    Rotten wood can¡¯t be carved=Something that is already bad cannot be made better, or prettier. You cannot change the true nature of such things. An English equivalent would be: ¡°You can¡¯t teach an old dog new tricks.¡±


    Tsing Yi=plain green dress


    Chu mansion=brothel


    Imperial Uncle=can either be a title granted to a non-relative by the Emperor, raising their position to royalty, or it refers to the Emperor¡¯s (typically blood-related) brothers


    Qin pavilion=Imperial Garden


    Jianghu=Literally meaning ¡°rivers and lakes¡±, is an unsettling concept/expression/sensation/text in Chinese language and culture open for a myriad of interpretations. It is also applied to societies where there is no law and order.

 Chapter 2

    I was stunned on the spot. It was never the princess¡¯s intention to marry into the mansion, and I would never force others to be difficult. Naturally, I have never done a marriage ceremony with her¡­ so where did this child come from?


    ¡°Hmph! Shameless thing. You and Ziqing haven¡¯t been together. How can you be with a child?¡± My mother said frigidly with a cold expression.


    The princess let go, she was speechless, she was shaking like a leaf in the wind, but I didn¡¯t react much. I knew earlier that my mother had been sending people to watch me in the dark. Is there anything she doesn¡¯t know about?


    Seeing the clearness in Feng Yin¡¯s eyes, who stepped forward, I knelt down with everyone in the mansion to salute, only to know that what little face that I had left was now gone.


    ¡°This lowly one has not known of His Majesty¡¯s arrival, thus disrespected His Majesty for the lack of grand reception. This lowly one hopes for His Majesty¡¯s forgiveness.¡± My mother said respectfully.


    ¡°Be at ease,¡± Feng Yin said, shaking an old folding fan with a smile, ¡°Those who don¡¯t know are innocent.¡±


    ¡°His majesty can laugh upon witnessing this lowly one family¡¯s ugly matter.¡± Mother said.


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s a domestic scandal, this Emperor won¡¯t bother,¡± he closed his fan, raised the corner of his eye, glanced at me, and said, ¡°this Emperor still has business to deal with with the Prince of Xiang. I¡¯ll leave now.¡±


    Then, regardless of my part, I walked away after being stunned. This move relieved me of the siege and reduced the embarrassment of pestling there.


    ¡°This subordinate thanks His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Imperial Uncle is polite. It is the nephew¡¯s duty to help out.¡±


    The new girl from Chu mansion is really good. She dances gracefully.Her jade hands light the room turning it into a painting. As far as the top card in the building is concerned, it is more than enough, and it is not an exaggeration for such praise.


    It¡¯s rare for Feng Yin to commend her to me. But now, she¡¯s really not that interesting and there¡¯s no smile in her words. This day has passed already. When she left, Feng Yin said something specifically to me. Three days later, we¡¯ll get together in the Champs ¨¦lys¨¦es by the lake. His smile contained a deep meaning.


    When I returned to the mansion, I heard from the servants that the princess and the servant had been caned to death, and I felt a little miserable. The feeling of powerlessness oppressed me and I could hardly breathe. The pillow was vacant yet again.


    Time flies, and it is already the third day. I sat in one of the pavilions of Champs ¨¦lys¨¦es in the middle of the lake. The scenery was so beautiful. I gazed at the graceful dancers as I poured my wine, and a faint smile came into my eyes.


    I have known the Emperor for a long time now, but I have never seen him like this before, holding his forehead with a grave face. What the hell is going on?


    ¡°Imperial Uncle, This Emperor is very familiar with you. Don¡¯t be dismal. It¡¯s just a woman. There are many herbs in the world. Uncle, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    Feng Yin, this fifth prince yesterday, was now the Emperor of Jing, pretended to have a heavy face. When Ziqing glanced at the other princes, they seemed to be all the same to him, except for Feng Yin, who was holding a sake in his hand. He did not speak.


    I smiled, raised my cup and drank it, ¡°It¡¯s natural, Xiaoyin doesn¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±


    ¡°If Ziqing has a woman he likes, This Emperor promises to help Uncle.¡± Feng Yin said. The mirth in his eyes could not be hidden.


    ¡­Uh, if it develops like this, it will be troublesome.


    ¡°Nephew¡­¡± I gritted my teeth with a difficult expression on my face, ¡°To tell you the truth, Imperial Uncle actually likes men!¡±


    Everyone stopped their movements, their faces full of astonishment.


    I continued while he was still stupefied: ¡°So, if a girl marries me, will she not miss the great joy of youth just like other girls? Besides¡­ How can you enjoy this *** thing if you don¡¯t like it? You say, am I right?¡±


    This statement seems to be a bit serious. Although I really have no interest in women, it is not to the point of only liking men. However, if I can escape Feng Yin¡¯s invitation to those beautiful women in Qin Pavilion and Chu mansions, I can steal a little leisure for my life. It¡¯s worth it.


    Feng Yin¡¯s face turned black,  white, then red, just like an overturned condiment bottle, with the colors were mixed. The other princes were stunned, as if they had swallowed a dozen flies. The performer was much more calm, but she couldn¡¯t help but also be stunned. Then she proceeded to sing and dance. A person holding a faint smile at the corners of his mouth stopped before it could turn into a laugh.


    The first person to speak was Feng Yin, who stammered: ¡°Imperial¡­. Imperial Uncle, are you¡­ are you kidding?¡±


    I lowered my face and said solemnly, ¡°Do you think Imperial Uncle is joking?¡± Then sighed, ¡°Life is like this, what can I do?¡±


    After a long while, Feng Yi swallowed with difficulty and patted my shoulder with the same face, ¡°Imperial Uncle didn¡¯t like women and this Emperor dragged you here. This Emperor has wronged you!¡±


    Feng Yin put down his cup with a ¡®hiccup¡¯, and coughed uncomfortably.


    ¡°Has His Majesty caught a cold? That¡¯s inappropriate. The dragon¡¯s body is important, His Majesty should go back to the palace to rest early.¡±


    I don¡¯t know whether it was unintentional or if I was feeling impatient, that I said such a thoughtless sentence.


    At this time, a man dressed as a servant rushed up, whispered a few words to Feng Yin¡¯s side, and then went down. Leaving an embarrassed looking Feng Yin, who gave me a somewhat uncomfortable look.


    ¡°What the Imperial Uncle said is true, let the other princes continue to enjoy themselves. This Emperor will now return to the palace.¡±


    Feng Yin said goodbye to the princes and hurried away. The smiling man also said goodbye, followed Feng Yin¡¯s footsteps and left. I drank a few cups absently, said a few words and left.


    The market was bustling and noisy. The hawkers are screaming incessantly, sometimes mixed with the laughter of women. Suddenly, blue veins on Ziqing¡¯s forehead throbbed, and waves of chills came. He hastened his pace and hurried back to the palace. Entering the pavilion, that uncomfortable feeling disappeared, as he thought, it is better to be in a quieter place. For him, there is an inexplicable panic in a place that is too noisy.


    Just after drinking a few sips of tea in the pavilion, Xingyuan stumbled over, unable to catch his breath, and couldn¡¯t even squeeze out the beginning of a sentence. I kindly poured him a cup of tea. After taking three sips, he was able to give me a complete sentence.


    ¡°Master, it¡¯s not good! Lord Xi wouldn¡¯t be capable of doing it. They said he has committed the great crime of killing the nine families! People also say he committed suicide!¡±


    Killing the nine families¡­


    I put down the teacup and raised my eyebrows, ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°Then¡­then His Majesty sent people to raid the house to arrest people! Master, what should I do?¡± Blinking a pair of big watery eyes, tears were swirling around the corners of his eyes. If prompted, the tears would definitely fall.


    ¡°Let them do as they please.¡± I said.


    Sure enough, with this stimulation, the tears in Xingyuan¡¯s eyes fell, and it took a long time for them to disappear.


    At the same time, the noisy sound from outside disturbed the tranquility of the inner courtyard and scared away the idle flying butterflies.


    ¡°If you¡¯re afraid, you can go before the people from the imperial court arrive,¡± I paused, took out a stack of silver notes from my wide sleeve and stuffed them into Xingyuan¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Although these silver taels are not much, save some of it. You¡¯ll have no worries about food and clothing all your life. Don¡¯t be a servant in the future. Don¡¯t force yourself. Live a good life, okay?¡±


    Translator¡¯s Notes


    Champs ¨¦lys¨¦es=is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, 1.9 kilometers long and 70 meters wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe is located. It is known for its theaters, caf¨¦s and luxury shops, as the finish of the Tour de France cycling race, as well as for its annual Bastille Day military parade. It is commonly regarded as the ¡°most beautiful avenue in the world¡±.

 Chapter 3

    I¡¯ve said so many words that I myself was also a little uncomfortable. I coughed lightly. Looking at Xin Xing¡¯s flushed cheeks and at that very visible two lines of tears, I know I had to add something;


    ¡°Xaio Xing, man don¡¯t shed tears easily,¡± I wiped the tears from his cheeks gently.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry in front of people outside your close relatives, that¡¯s a sign of cowardice, understand?¡±


    When Xin Xing heard this, he was bewildered at first, and then burst into tears, like a child. It made me flustered, I really don¡¯t know what this reaction was for.


    ¡°Xiao Xing understands what the master said. The master knows what¡¯s best for Xiao Xing, but Xiao Xing¡­ Xiao Xing will not leave, Xin Xing should not leave the master!¡± Xin Xing choked up. I lifted my sleeve and wiped his tears casually. I was neither happy nor angry with his words. I can only heave a sigh helplessly.


    Alas, my sleeves are soaked.


    ¡°So old, yet still acts like a child, so willful.¡±


    Xin Xing smiled mischievously and stuck out his tongue.


    Really still a child¡­


    It didn¡¯t take long for the officer sent by the imperial court to arrive. The one who took the lead was not Feng Yin, but an official from the Ministry of Justice. The man stood at the door quite arrogantly, and let the other officers swaggered inside to seal up Prince Xi¡¯s mansion and wreck it.


    Destroyed, damaged, and smashed things were everywhere. Many rare treasures that were never seen before were found in the mansion, as well as evidence of so-called colluding with gangs and betraying the country for glory. I saw in the crowd, my mother¡¯s pale and bloodless face, the lines on the corners of her eyes were deeper, and the habitual arrogance in her eyes was now gone, only her teary and desolate, red eyes could be seen.I feared that she cried after hearing the news of father¡¯s death.


    Somehow I wasn¡¯t sad, I just wanted to laugh, laugh out loud. Am I sick? And I think it¡¯s very serious. I really am losing my head. The situation is like this and I¡¯m still in the mood to laugh.


    It¡¯s cold and humid in the prison where the sun hasn¡¯t been seen for many years. Even rats, cockroaches and other inferior things don¡¯t bother to patronize. There were some withered grasses and a half mat. Xin Xing was curled up on the said mat, sleeping very uneasily, tucking his hands on his bosom, I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯s too cold. Individuals who treat each other as brothers, will surely follow each other even in death¡¯s door.


    I smiled and held Xin Xing in my arms. The slightly thin figure was not too heavy. Xin Xing rubbed against my arms, wrapped one arm around my waist, hugged me tightly, and murmured, ¡°Master¡±. During the process, the icy chain on his wrist was pulled, making a ¡®clang¡¯ sound.


    After a while, one of my arms became a little warmer, and I looked down and couldn¡¯t help holding my forehead.


    Saliva¡­ What kind of dream is he having?


    The dense fog obscured my vision, I ran wildly, trying to catch a faint shadow in the depths of the thick fog.  That person turned his head lightly, a faint smile was always on the corner of his mouth, he slightly opened his lips, looked back carelessly, and walked away cheerfully. Still, all in all, it felt so distant to me.


    Tired, so tired, it seems that there are thousands of kilograms of heavy things weighing my shoulders. I can¡¯t even move my legs. I can only watch the thin body and the mist drift away.


    Don¡¯t go!! Si Ran¡­¡­.


    I woke up in vain and covered my face with both hands. Xin Xing stared at me with a pair of big watery eyes, his gaze full of worry.


    ¡°Master, you are crying¡­¡±


    ¡°Tears?¡± I frowned and wiped my face, ¡°It¡¯s just a dream, tsk, what was that dream about anyway?¡±


    Xin Xing was silent, and there was an intense emotion in his eyes.


    ¡°Master, Xiao Xing will still be master¡¯s servant even in the next life.¡±


    I touched Xin Xing¡¯s fairly soft hair and smiled, ¡°Silly. In the next life, you can be my brother, but with a silly brother like you, you would only give me headaches.¡±


    Xin Xing¡¯s cheeks flushed and he didn¡¯t say anything.


    At dawn, all my royal nephews came to say goodbye to me. Prince Yi cried so hard that it looked like he was the one going to be beheaded, instead of me. When the time came, Prince Yi held the prison door with both hands and refused to leave. Finally, he was dragged away by the other royal nephews, and the prison was restored to its previous quietness.


    They all have come, all but Feng Yin, who is the most precious Ninety-five supreme.


    With the attitude of not wanting to be a starving ghost after death, Xin Xing and I easily ate the last meal sent by the jailer, knelt on the execution platform, and endured the scorching sun in the sky.  The blue veins on our foreheads throbbed. Our heads ached for a while, and those people who are purely looking at the bustling scenario are pointing their fingers and saying unbearable words.


    So noisy!


    However, I can bear it. As long as I can bear it for this moment, I can get infinite solitude afterwards. Why not?


    Look, it¡¯s almost five thirty-five, isn¡¯t it?


    Horses hooves galloped down the street where there were not many people. When noon came, I could almost hear the execution happening, and the wooden sign stuck in the back of my neck was thrown to the ground. Waiting for the pain in that moment, the executioner raised his hand, but the knife did not fall.


    I raised my eyes. The embroidered golden dragon roared silently on the bright yellow robe in the hot sun. It still blinded my eyes, but I could not avert my gaze.


    Everyone knelt down and shouted long live to the Emperor on horseback. I was stunned on the spot.


    Is Feng Yin here to personally deliver punishment to me?


    ¡°This Emperor had pondered about some things. Since Prince Xiang had also served the country, fought in the South and North, and Prince Xi¡¯s betrayal of the country, Prince Xiang didn¡¯t know anything about it. It counts as both merits and demerits and offsets Prince Xiang¡¯s verdict. Come and untie!¡±


    Between the words, there was a natural domineering spirit. The slightly squinted phoenix eyes looked at me with a little smile.


    ¡°Yes! As His Majesty commanded¡±


    The guards loosened all the ropes and handcuffs that bound me, and the people on Xingtai cried and complained of great grievance when they saw that the bustling scene was about to come to an end.


    I looked at him in a daze, first confused, then regretful. Later, in gratitude. When I recovered, I kowtowed and thanked him. He turned over and dismounted, offered me his hand, and smiled at the corners of his lips. I was immediately put in a trance.


    As soon as I got up, I remembered Xin Xing, and I knelt down again with a ¡®plop¡¯, which made Feng Yin frown, ¡°Imperial Uncle, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°This subordinate has an unkind request. Xiao Xing has been with me since childhood. He has a simple heart. How can he betray the country like my father? This subordinate begs His Majesty to spare Xiao Xing¡¯s life!¡± I bowed my head and begged respectfully.


    ¡°Imperial Uncle, you are embarrassing This Emperor.¡±


    ¡°This subordinate begs His Majesty to spare Xiao Xing¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Xing, Xiao Xing¡­ what¡¯s so good about him,¡± he muttered in a voice that only I could hear, ¡°Since Imperial Uncle insists on it, I will allow it.¡±


    After instructing the servants, Feng Yin threw the hem of his clothes in a very elegant manner, turned over his horse and galloped away. Everyone¡¯s congratulations to the emperor have not yet been released and I haven¡¯t had the time to thank him yet.


    ¡®Why are you running away so fast?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but mutter in my heart.


    Looking at Xin Xing who had been loosened, I rushed up to him, wiped his tears and snot with my short sleeves. I was sincerely grateful to Feng Yin. It was not my intention to test Feng Yin¡¯s temperament, and I wouldn¡¯t think of crossing that line again, but I didn¡¯t expect him to agree so quickly.


    Translator¡¯s Note


    Prince Yi ( it was originally stated as Feng Yi, but I changed it. I was afraid you might confuse him with Feng Yin)=blood-related brother of the Emperor ( Feng Yin ) (might be?)


    Ninety-five supreme=Nine, it is called Yang Yao; five, the fifth Yao, refers to the fifth position of the hexagram from the bottom to the top. The Nine and Five Dynasties refer to the position of the emperor in ancient my country. The emperor is the son of heaven, that is, Zhongzheng. The language version ¡± Easy to Dry ¡° : ¡°Ninth Five, the flying dragon is in the sky , and it is beneficial to see adults.¡± Kong Yingdashu : ¡°In the ninth five, the yang energy is prosperous in the sky, so it is said that ¡®flying dragon is in the sky¡¯. This natural phenomenon is like The sage has Longde and Fei Teng and occupies the throne.¡± Later, because of the ¡°Nine Five¡± refers to the emperor.


    Xingtai = Xingtai area was formerly known as Shunde Road and Xingtai Special Area, and is now Xingtai City, Hebei Province. Xingtai City is abbreviated as Xing, formerly known as Xingzhou and Shunde House . In modern times, it was named after Xingtai County. It became a prefecture-level city in 1983. Since 1993, it has jurisdiction over 2 districts and 15 counties, and manages 2 county-level cities.

 Chapter 4

    **Quick Note**


    There might be some slight inconsistencies describing what happened during execution on this chapter compared to the previous chapter


    ******************************************


    But his seemingly dissatisfied words were truly intriguing.


    Not to mention, everyone in Prince Xi¡¯s mansion was greatly wronged . Take Prince Xi as an example. How can people who take loyalty and righteousness as their foundation and national security as their life betray their country? But if it is placed on some other ministers in the court, I think it wouldn¡¯t be impossible..


    ***** before the execution*****


    Finally, I took another look at my mother and at my family¡¯s servants. I grabbed the choking Xin Xing and walked away, ignoring the desperate cry behind me and the coming cold execution.


    The imperial family will send someone to clean up the corpse. After all, this is the imperial family¡¯s business.


    From now on, I¡¯ll be at peace, but to be so is what I wish for in my life, isn¡¯t it?


    I don¡¯t know if I can go back to Prince Xi¡¯s mansion, I really wanted to see if the red apricot tree in the backyard was spared.


    With the sound of someone arriving under the execution platform, the knife wielded by the executioner paused in the air. I looked back in amazement. The hand in my sleeve tightened and loosened slowly.


    ¡°The emperor has said that there is still something wrong with the case of Prince Xi, and it will be handed over to Dali Temple for a thorough investigation.  The execution will be suspended!¡±


    The people on Xingtai breathed a sigh of relief, and then we were taken to Dali Temple for a thorough investigation.


    ¡°This is great, master. Everyone doesn¡¯t have to die.¡± Xin Xing was quite excited but I was silent. I don¡¯t think it was as simple as that.


    *****after the execution****


    Walking aimlessly, I was picked up by Prince Yi and his party in the street with a smile. The plaque of Prince Xi¡¯s residence was replaced. The new plaque was inscribed with the three characters of Prince Xiang¡¯s residence, which is said to be written by Feng Yin. Today, when an old prince died, the Emperor will send this long cast plaque to hang on the door of the residence. It was a gift for staying alive, but I didn¡¯t commemorate it. I¡¯m afraid I was too busy with state affairs.


    The house had been cleaned up and was now without any clutter. Prince Yi and his party pushed me into the hall. The delicious food on the table was said to be a set up for me to catch the wind and wash away my bad luck.


    My heart felt warm. At the dinner table, Prince Yi kept pouring wine for me. I didn¡¯t drink it at first, but the big truth he said later made me have to drink all the wine in the cup. Back and forth, I pretended to be drunk, and let my nephews leave unwillingly. Today¡¯s meal was so enjoyable that I had to eat to my heart¡¯s content.


    On another full moon night, I walked slowly to the backyard under the pale moonlight. Fortunately, the things in the yard were not damaged, and the fruit on the apricot tree was still tender.


    I stroked an inch of soil under the apricot tree and raised the corners of my mouth, obsession very evident in my eyes.


    Si Ran


    I thought things would now be calm, but just a few days later, my thoughts became a fantasy¡­


    ¡°Ziqing, this Emperor heard that there is a beautiful person who is famous and charming in Zhao Mu mansion. Let¡¯s have a look together.¡± Emperor Feng has a habitual gentle smile, his voice was slightly raised, and looking very spirited.


    It really does not let people feel decent upon hearing those words early in the morning.


    I twitched the corners of my mouth.


    ¡°Zhao Mu mansion?¡±


    I heard that Zhao Mu mansion is famous for its small shops. How could Feng Yin, who usually only thought of women, think of going there?


    ¡°Since Imperial Uncle said he didn¡¯t like women that day, I asked Xiao Zhu to inquire about it. This Emperor went to see it a few days ago and learned that men can also be with fellow men.¡±


    He said such blushing and heart-pounding words nonchalantly, which made me stunned. In the end, I took a sip of tea indifferently.


    Fortunately, the mausoleum of the late emperor was far away from here, otherwise he would have been so angry that he would turn over in his grave.


    I held back my extreme reluctance, and agreed with a dry smile.


    This Zhao Mu mansion was located in the westernmost part of Kyoto, surrounded by willows and without any unnecessary decoration and noise.  It¡¯s very quiet and elegant. It is really a men¡¯s brothel here, aside from men, there are also boys, boys who lead and accompany men. All the men and boys here are beautiful, delicate, masculine or charming. All looked outstanding¡­.But wandering with Feng Yin all day, I often look at and compare his face. And I thought, all the beauties are not as good as Feng Yin.


    At first, Ziqing, who couldn¡¯t help but lament on the situation, took Feng Yin to Hua mansion to watch some dance. Feng Yin¡¯s appearance made the top girls in the building ashamed, but he wasn¡¯t aware of it.


    The top grade in Zhao Mu mansion was called Muqin, who was excellent in qin, chess, calligraphy and painting. He was dressed in a lilac tulle, and his black hair is half loose and half tied behind his head, adding a touch of elegance.


    Even the Dao would be ashamed. Playing qin, knowing how to play chess, calligraphy and painting? For me, I only know what the four orifices are and I don¡¯t know anything about the rest. I¡¯m better at martial arts and sword than this.


    Feng Yin called Muqin and another man who looked more masculine to the guest room. I only watched, sat and did nothing. There was also a man with a beautiful appearance and elegant temperament who also took me to another guest room.


    I didn¡¯t think much about it, I just drank tea and chatted with him to pass the time. Although I have loved coming to these places to hang out since I was young, I only mingled, watched the beautiful dance, and did nothing else.


    The man¡¯s name was Han Shu. He was originally a famous zither player. Later, he was forced to be a servant for some reason. We were getting along quite well.


    The tea in Zhao Mu mansion tastes good. It was sweet and mixed with light fragrance. It was warm in the stomach and a little hot¡­


    After a while, I felt my stomach was a little too hot and I was burning up. I found out later¡­.There was a problem with this tea!


    ¡°This tea¡­are there aphrodisiacs in it?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Don¡¯t be ridiculous, young master. In the red-light district, who doesn¡¯t know that the drinks and refreshments contain aphrodisiacs?¡± Han Shu, who also drank the tea, had half squinted eyes and a faint blush, then stripped off his clothes without delay. His words clearly contained ridicule.


    But this action, in my opinion, was extremely provocative!


    With a pair of arms placed down on my shoulders, Han Shu smiled lowly, his half naked body was very bewitching.


    I couldn¡¯t help stroking his face and covering his lips with mine. There was the fragrance of the previous tea on his lips and his body radiated some coolness that I couldn¡¯t help but want to caress.


    ¡®Don¡¯t! Si Ran will be angry!¡¯


    ¡®Stop! Si Ran will be sad!¡¯


    It¡¯s really vexing. I came to this men¡¯s brothel for fun, so why should I care about Si Ran¡¯s feelings?


    What¡¯s more, who is Si Ran? I don¡¯t know such a person¡­¡­


    Not a moment later, I paused. Ran out of the men¡¯s brothel all the way back to my house. My hair was disheveled, my clothes were disarray, all in all, I looked like a mess. It made the watchman think he¡¯d seen a ghost.


    I ran to the ancient well in the house, took a bucket of water, and drenched myself from head to toe. Only then did the abnormal dryness and heat in my body dissipate. My clothes were wet and stuck close to my skin. When the breeze blew, bursts of piercing cold were felt.


    As soon as I turned sideways, I saw Xin Xing holding a lantern and staring at me in a daze with sleepy eyes. After a long time, he reacted, rubbed his eyes and shouted at me in amazement.


    I frowned: ¡°What in the ghost¡¯s name¡­Don¡¯t you know that this is your master?¡± I quickly took off my wet clothes. I was a little impatient. ¡°Gee, don¡¯t be silly there. Bring me a dress quickly.¡±


    In a hurry, he replied yes. Not long after Xin Xing brought me a dress, I wrapped it around my body and stared at Xin Xing for a while, and then called him into the room to speak.


    Translator¡¯s Note


    Zhao Mu=morning to night/all day long


    Dali Temple= is a Buddhist temple located on Mount Jizu, in Dali Prefecture, Yunnan, China


    Cast plaque=are long-lasting metal panels used for signage, dedications, trail markers, memorials and works of art.


    Kyoto= ¡®a Japanese city¡¯


    tulle=a soft, fine silk, cotton, or nylon material like net, used for making veils and dresses.

 Chapter 5

    I held the hot tea with my hand and sipped it slowly, ¡°Master will ask you one last time, Si Ran¡­..Who is he?¡±


    Xin Xing contemplated for a long time, before he said, ¡°Master, Xiao Xing also doesn¡¯t know who master is talking about.¡±


    I raised my eyebrows, ¡°You won¡¯t say it?¡±


    Xin Xing became silent. They won¡¯t tell me who Si Ran is.


    ¡°Good, good!¡±


    I was so angry that I smashed the teacup into pieces, letting the shards plunge into my palm to calm my raging heart.


    No one is willing to tell me who Si Ran is, the old servant won¡¯t, and so is Xin Xing!


    After a while, I glanced at Xin Xing with a tightened face due to the sting, I stroked my temples with my good hand and waved at him, ¡°You can go, your master is tired.¡±


    Xin Xing looked at my bloody hand and stammered, ¡°But master¡­master¡¯s hand¡­¡±


    I frowned, pulled out the shards of the teacup stuck on my palm, ¡°It¡¯s okay, you can leave.¡±


    Xin Xing looked at me, and then looked at the wound on my hand. He was lost for a long time before leaving. I rested my head on my uninjured arm, and fell asleep after a while. Even when Xin Xing came back to bandage my wound, I hadn¡¯t known.


    The dream was still the same dream. I ran as fast as I could, delusionally trying to break free from the invisible shackles on my body.


    A little bit, a little bit more.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go!¡± When I caught up to it, I was a little happy. The man slowly turned his head. I finally saw his incredible face, but at the same time, I was flabbergasted on the spot. This eyebrow, this elegant smile, this face, all this, wasn¡¯t this Feng Yin!?


    ¡± Ziqing, I won¡¯t go.¡± The gentle voice sounded deep in the ear, with a faint low smile.


    I awoke with a start, and when I opened my eyes, I saw Feng Yin. I released his sleeve that I unconciously grabbed in my sleep, and fell to the ground with sincerity and fear, ¡± This subordinate has offended His Majesty.  This subordinate asked for His Majesty¡¯s forgiveness!¡±


    ¡°Uncle, if there is no one else, why should you care about such tedious etiquette.¡± The smile on the corner of his lips was no longer seen, and there was a slight anger between his words.


    ¡°This¡­as His Majesty says,¡± Since the emperor has spoken, then I won¡¯t be polite. How can I, a mere subordinate, not listen? I poured a cup of tea and handed it to Feng Yin, ¡°When did His Majesty come to the mansion? I had not known of His Majesty¡¯s arrival.¡±


    Feng Yin seemed to be satisfied with my performance, and with a faint smile, grabbed the tea cup with his hand, removed the tea lid, poked the floating leaves, and took a sip. ¡°Mao Shi  (5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.).¡±  Feng Yin put down the tea cup, raised his eyebrows, ¡± Ziqing, how come your hand appeared like this?¡±


    I glanced out the window and looked at the sun. I was afraid that it was somewhere between 7am to 9 am right now and Feng Yin had been here for a full hour.


    ¡°I accidentally scratched it last night.¡± I said, avoiding Feng Yin¡¯s worried and questioning eyes.


    ¡°Scratched? Why are you so careless, have you been prescribed medicine?¡±


    ¡°I have, it¡¯s fine.¡± I pulled the corner of my mouth and smiled.


    ¡°I was thinking of inviting Ziqing to go hunting after two days, but I wonder if Ziqing¡¯s hand will be healed by then?¡± Although Feng Yin said so, his wishes are not to be disobeyed, otherwise the Emperor¡¯s face will be dissatisfied. That¡¯s not good.


    I remembered before, the favored concubine just had a little hesitation about Feng Yin¡¯s statement, which caused Feng Yin¡¯s extreme dissatisfaction. How can the end not be tragic?


    Feng Yin, who can even get rid of his beloved concubine, as a half-knowing uncle like me, what can¡¯t he do?


    ¡°Hunting?¡± I still have some doubts. Whose proposal was this?


    ¡°Well, what does Ziqing think of Brother Yi¡¯s proposal?¡± Picking up the teacup, Feng Yin took a sip of the tea to moisten his throat.


    ¡°It happens that I¡¯m bored and suffocated inside the house. It¡¯s best to hunt with His Majesty.¡± I said.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± he asked, slightly raising his lips and smiling elegantly. ¡°Ziqing will come to the palace to hunt with this Emperor in two days, right?¡±


    ¡°How dare I disobey His Majesty¡¯s order?¡± I laughed, and so did he.


    When I felt that my mouth was about to twitch from laughter, Feng Yin coughed softly. Then he said again, ¡°Imperial Uncle, was it that the waiter didn¡¯t serve well last night? How can he let Imperial Uncle go back to the house to wash in cold water?¡±


    Looking back on that night, I wiped the sweat on my forehead and became mute.


    ¡°Actually, Uncle, you don¡¯t like men, do you?¡±


    With a ¡®clack¡¯, the teacup lightly knocked on the table, and his fingers tapped the surface.  Without the usual smile on the Emperor¡¯s face, there was no trace of emotion that could be seen.


    My back felt a chill, I glanced to the side with a guilty conscience, and after a while, I murmured, ¡°Your Majesty¡­ Actually, this subordinate already has someone he likes. It¡¯s this subordinate who deceived the Emperor.¡± I knelt to the ground with a sincere expression, ¡°It¡¯s up to His Majesty to execute this subordinate.¡±


    The sound of a finger tapping the desk stopped, as if thinking.


    ¡°In Ziqing¡¯s eyes, is this Emperor such a cruel man?¡± With a sigh, ¡°get up. this Emperor doesn¡¯t know who Imperial Uncle likes?¡±


    In this empty world, I couldn¡¯t help but recall the light shadow. I was obsessed with it and uttered the word ¨C ¡°Si Ran.¡±


    As soon as these two words came out, my mind changed greatly, and I suddenly became a lot more enlightened.


    Yes, the person I like is Si Ran, whether he existed or not.


    After saying that, Feng Yin¡¯s figure was shaken, Feng Yin¡¯s eyes were filled with confusion, and his pale pink lips moved, ¡°Si Ran¡­ You still can¡¯t forget him.¡±


    He took a sip of tea in a panic, ¡°This Emperor just remembered that there is something in the palace, so this Emperor will go, and will come back to disturb Uncle in the future.¡±


    I recovered from my obsession with the person in my dream, and suddenly felt out of tune. I coughed dryly, ¡°I¡¯ll see His Majesty out.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, please remember, the hunting in two days, at the gate of the palace, see you there.¡± Looking back, he gave me a smile that can be said to be dumping all sentient beings, which made my heart skip a beat. I was greatly terrified.


    When it comes to hunting, it¡¯s definitely my forte. Xiao Yi¡¯s proposal is exactly what I was looking for.


    Glancing at the dark shadow next to the door, I couldn¡¯t help holding my forehead. It was full of the meaning of hating iron for not becoming steel.


    ¡°Come out, look at your sneaky appearance, why are you hiding there? Will this master eat you?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­Master,¡± Xin Xing peeked from the door, full of guilt and grievances. I ,on the other hand, had a headache, ¡°Xiao Xing¡­ Can Xiao Xing go with master?¡±


    I raised my eyebrows and said, ¡°did this master ever say he wouldn¡¯t take you with him?¡±


    Xin Xing cheered at the end of my speech.


    ¡­¡­


    Two days later, looking outside the window, it can be said that the birds are singing, the flowers are fragrant and the sun is shining. I sat on the bed pressing my temple, and was little drowsy. Feng Yin and the others must have been waiting for a long time, or they may have already left.


    Translator¡¯s Note


    hating iron for not becoming steel= to feel resentful towards somebody for failing to meet expectations and impatient to see improvements.

 Chapter 6

    Ever since I was very ill, I have suffered from lethargy. I woke up every morning when the sun was three poles high (very late in the morning). After seeing many doctors, each and one of them all shook their heads and sighed. They can¡¯t see anything wrong. Even if they see it, they can¡¯t do anything about it. I can¡¯t help but just let the matter go.


    I summoned Xin Xing to dress and take care of me as I hurriedly ate my meal. I rushed to the imperial palace with Xin Xing and saw Feng Yin, Prince Yi and the others were all ready to go. They didn¡¯t hide their impatience upon seeing my arrival, so I just laughed dryly. Someone turned over the horse that had been prepared for me for a long time, pulled Xin Xing and sat on the back of the horse. Then set off.


    It was silent all the way.


    Outside the forest, Feng Yi suggested with a smile, ¡°Imperial brother, let¡¯s compare and see who hunts more. If you win, Imperial brother will answer the winner¡¯s wish. Imperial brother, what do you say?¡±


    After Feng Yin heard this, he raised his eyebrows,¡±According to what Imperial brother Yi said, wouldn¡¯t this Emperor be at a disadvantage?¡±


    ¡°No loss, no loss, if Imperial brother wins, then let Imperial uncle answer Imperial brother¡¯s wish.¡± Feng Yi was good at tempting someone. But I just clicked my tongue while watching their word play. Why was I involved?


    Feng Yin looked at me with squinting phoenix eyes for a long time, and my back shivered with chills. I wanted to dig a hole and stuff myself in it. He smirked and didn¡¯t turn around in a hurry.


    ¡°Ok.¡± He answered without hesitation.


    Then, he took the lead and rushed into the woods on horseback¡­


    It was so fast that I was taken aback, and my intuition told me that I should never lose! If Feng Yin wins, he won¡¯t let me go and drag me to those Chu mansion men¡¯s brothels again¡­ I was petrified of that thought for a while!


    So, the second person who rushed into the woods was me.


    No one has ever hunted in this forest. Naturally, the number of birds and beasts was far greater than that of the hunting grounds.


    I drew my bow to aim at a rabbit in the grass, and when I was about to release the arrow, a scream scared me, which made me throw the bow and arrow from my hands.


    I pressed my forehead, looked back helplessly and raised my eyebrow, ¡°Xiao Xing, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ Master, there is a snake!¡± Xin Xing, with big eyes open, pointed to the green snake on one side, terrified.


    ¡°The woods are inaccessible. It¡¯s natural to have snakes. Don¡¯t make a fuss,¡± I added. ¡°If you don¡¯t provoke it, it won¡¯t attack you.¡±


    Another rabbit


    Aim, pull.


    ¡°Master! Snake!!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Xing¡­!¡± Glancing back, I saw a green snake climbing up to Xin Xing¡¯s arm, flicking its tongue at him, which made him pale. But he was clearly holding a dead tree branch in his hand!


    The green veins on my forehead throbbed suddenly. I grabbed the snake¡¯s neck which made it unable to move. With a fierce force, I threw the snake out of the field of vision, and then looked at Xin Xing. It seemed that he was not hurt. When I turned back ahead, the rabbit I had been aiming at had long been gone.


    ¡°Master is so powerful!¡± Xin Xing smiled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that the teacher I hired with so much money hasn¡¯t taught you what it means to hit a snake with a stick!¡±


    What I said was answered with silence in the rear.


    The depths of the woods became more and more difficult to navigate, covered by weeds and branches everywhere. Xin Xing and I both dismounted, and when we were about to move forward, a low roar entered my ears making me startled, this roar was clearly that of a tiger! The alarm bells rang in my heart. When the horse heard the sound, it snorted from its nostrils, raised its head, neighed and ran away. Watching the back of the horse fleeing in a panic, it took me a long time to recover, the bow and arrow were all inside the horse¡¯s back pocket¡­¡­


    I turned my head and stared angrily at the stunned Xin Xing, ¡°Xiao Xing, how did you hold the horse rope and let it run away? How can you and I go back?¡±


    The roar of the tiger was getting closer and closer, and the cracking sound of the tiger¡¯s foot stepping on dead branches could be heard.


    ¡°I¡­¡­¡± Xin Xing¡¯s cheeks were flushed and choked on a word for a long time.


    The approaching danger made me complain to Feng Yi in my heart. He said it¡¯s bad where he originally proposed to go and that it¡¯s better to come to such a remote mountain and old forest for hunting. Great. If we didn¡¯t hunt here, We might as well let the big tiger hunt here instead.


    Xin Xing was terrified at hearing the tiger¡¯s roar, and his face was whiter than when he first saw the snake


    As someone who has no sword, I would deal with the tiger with my bare hands. That¡¯s absolutely right. But before the tiger come and tears us to pieces, the best strategy is to run away at once!


    Thinking like this, I pulled the Xin Xing and ran. Naturally, the tiger followed not far away.


    Running, I realized that there was no place to go, in front was a cliff, also, there was a fierce tiger in the rear. Xin Xing and I were in a dilemma.


    A sharp arrow broke the wind from one side and went straight to the throat of the fierce tiger.


    ¡°Your Majesty, good archery!¡± I admired from the bottom of my heart. Feng Yin raised the corners of his mouth, unable to hide the slightest smugness, but¡­the strength was not enough. He only shot through the skin, and a few drops of blood were shed. Not good. The tiger, who was leisurely just now, was completely irritated, roared angrily, and rushed towards Feng Yin.


    Seeing this, Feng Yin stepped on the horse¡¯s back, looked and dodged. At this time, there were several shadow guards beside the tiger, but the tiger didn¡¯t seem to be interested in them, and only ran after Feng Yin. With an arrow hanging from the tiger¡¯s neck, it swayed and wobbled while running. The picture was rather funny.


    The ropes that the shadow guards took out from nowhere were wrapped around the tiger¡¯s limbs and neck. They all pulled the tiger back.The strength, however, appeared to be a bit less than that of the tiger¡­


    Right now, the picture in my eyes was ¡ª Feng Yin running in front, the tiger chasing behind, and a few shadow guards being hauled by the tiger. I really want to make fun of you, Feng Yin, your appearance is really too much.  Even a tiger can¡¯t hold itself back.


    I reckon that I will be beheaded in front of the main gate of the imperial palace  if I really said this.


    The tiger swooped and waved its paws at Feng Yin¡¯s back. When I saw this, I stretched out my hand and pulled him. However, I had already reached the cliff¡¯s brink. The pull was small, but who¡¯d have realized the rocks beneath my feet were unstable? With this force, I threw myself down the cliff, dragging Feng Yin after me.


    Today, my little fortune has been destined, and it has also towed along Feng Yin.


    In a hurry, Xin Xing¡¯s cry and roar came from the edge of the cliff, ¡°His Majesty! Master!!¡±


    ¡­Was this call for the emperor or for the master?


    There was a muffled sound. I was worried my bones were broken. I passed out before I could think about it.


    On a bright day, the chirping birds were so annoying. When I thought back to that day, I had assumed I fell to my death on such a high cliff, but I was mistaken. Where did the sunshine, the birds chirping, and the soft pillow and mattress come from?


    I was laying on a couch, my eyes squinted open, looking about. I was scared that every bone in my body was shattered. It didn¡¯t follow directions and couldn¡¯t make a single move. I also fell down a high cliff and was crushed beneath by Feng Yin. I¡¯m very fortunate enough to still be alive.


    However, I don¡¯t know how Feng Yin¡¯s injuries were.


    If it¡¯s worse¡­..Then I may just be torn into pieces.

 Chapter 7

    The door squeaked open, and the person approaching walked very lightly. When the visitor came closer, he realized it was a girl, maybe sixteen or seventeen years old. ¡°Ah! Childe, you¡¯re awake!¡± exclaimed the visitor with apricot eyes.


    What is this¡­¡­


    ¡°¡­!¡± I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.


    I blinked at the girl, asked silently, but was extremely anxious inside. Did I become¡ªmute? !


    The girl understood and said, ¡°don¡¯t worry, young master. You fell from the cliff and hurt your neck. You¡¯ll be fine after two days of rest. Now that young master is awake. I¡¯ll go and call my master.¡±


    After saying that, she ran away in a hurry. After a while, footsteps of two people could be heard, and together with them came a faint fragrance of flowers. I suddenly remembered that the fragrance of flowers was not as good as the fragrance of Si Ran¡¯s body. Gentle and elegant, in this way, I also thought that the fragrance on Feng Yin¡¯s body was similar to that of Si Ran.


    After wandering for a moment in my memory, that person had already taken the pulse for me. The hand was similar to Feng Yin¡¯s hand, white as lotus root, very slender without any prominent joints. A trace of black hair hung quietly on his chest, and then looking at that person¡¯s face, I became dumbfounded.


    It¡¯s not that he looks a little better than Feng Yin, but the faint smile. I remembered that I met him before, not at the Champs Elysees, but in the past when I was seriously ill. The picture of toasting and drinking, I had a hunch that our relationship should have been very good then.


    Maybe it¡¯s because I looked at him stupidly, he retracted his hand, gave me a small smile, and turned to untie my clothes. This focused appearance made my old face uncomfortably red. When the clothes were completely loose, I realized that my body was covered with wide white gauze, and some parts of it was red. The gauze was so well-wrapped that the flesh was barely visible.


    The lord is very healthy, and Qingheng believes that the lord¡¯s injury will get better after a while. ¡°Qingheng¡­ good name, so it¡¯s not Si Ran. ¡°


    I looked at him,stared at him without blinking. He was stunned for a long time then as if realizing something. He smiled, ¡°The emperor¡¯s injury is not in the way, it is estimated that it will be healed by tomorrow.¡±


    I pulled the corners of my mouth and wanted to smile back at him, but I had no idea if there¡¯s any connection to the injury because the pain I felt made me want to scream.


    ¡°The lord¡¯s leg injury is so strange, why is the broken leg bone not recent, but last year?¡± Qingheng said.


    There is such a thing¡­


    ¡°Perhaps it was a fall from a horse while fighting in previous years. ¡°I relayed what the old servant said back then. Qingheng nodded half-knowingly and slowly put the medicine. After drinking the medicine the teenage girl boiled, it was another dream in a drowsy state.


    He was gentle, he stretched out his hand to me in the light, his appearance was a bit blurry. I raised my hand and rubbed my eyes, but I still couldn¡¯t see his appearance. He seemed impatient and raised his eyebrows. His voice was elegant, and the light fragrance on his body made people feel like spring breeze, making oneself comfortable.


    ¡°Get up, what are you doing sitting here stupidly? ¡°Why are you looking at me like this? Why? don¡¯t you know me?¡± The voice was slightly raised, with a little hint of a smile.


    I was stunned for a moment. I opened my mouth with some doubts and gently spit out the two words, ¡°Si Ran¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s said that I¡¯m not Si Ran, but Si Juan.¡±


    ¡°Your name is Si Juan¡­ What about Si Ran? Where is Si Ran?¡± I grabbed his outstretched hand and felt anxious.


    ¡°Why are you really stunned? isn¡¯t Si Ran the name you came up with when you couldn¡¯t articulate my name properly when you were a child?¡± He frowned.


    Immediately, I rushed up and hugged him tightly. No matter how much he¡¯ll complain, I would not let go, ¡°Si Ran¡­I miss you so much! You can do whatever you want to do to me, just don¡¯t leave me¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ fool.¡±


    He smiled, and his hazy figure gradually faded, until it disappeared in my arms¡­


    ¡°You are¡­ the foolish one, how can¡­ how can you be so stupid!¡± I choked, then something rushed forward and drowned me.


    That light smile, that figure. I have never forgotten, how can I forget¡­


    As soon as the scene changed, I was drinking with him in the pavilion, and suddenly there was a roar, and a giant dragon descended from the sky with a hideous face.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous! Run!!¡± Si Ran pulled me up, backhandedly pushed me hard, and out of the pavilion. I saw that the giant dragon twisted its body and grabbed Si Ran, who was still in the pavilion. Picked him up and tore him apart. Dripping blood stained my eyes. His half-body slumped in the air and a faint smile hung on the corners of his lips, looking content.


    Idiot¡­


    Who is the fool!


    I woke up in vain and was stunned for a moment, only to realize later that my face was cold. I was afraid that I might cry, my heart was throbbing, bitter and unbearable, but I suddenly forgot what I just dreamed about.


    When I rolled my eyes, I saw the plain and white clothes beside the bed. Feng Yin¡¯s frowning brows loosened, and his body was unstained of any dust. Embarrassed, it should have been him being taken care of. ¡°Ziqing, you are awake, does it hurt?


    Does it hurt? Isn¡¯t this nonsense!


    ¡°Oh,¡± he laughed, ¡°I forgot, Ziqing was injured on his neck, and now that the injury has yet to heal, he can¡¯t speak.¡±


    I blinked, in recognition of what he said.


    In exchange for his ¡®pochi¡¯ smile, I pretended to be angry and glared. He laughed for a while before calming his voice. ¡°Ziqing¡¯s presenting this appearance is not bad, compared to the usual politeness, it is much cuter.¡±


    Cute¡­ I¡¯m like a dumpling in appearance, I can¡¯t move a little bit, Feng Yin actually thinks it¡¯s cute.


    In this way, during the many days when I was laying on the couch and recuperating, apart from that girl and Qingheng coming over to give medicine and feel my pulse, it was Feng Yin who came to see me from time to time, and often said something that would make me half-dead with anger. These days have passed so unsavory, but my heart was very anxious.


    It¡¯s been so many days, and I haven¡¯t seen anyone sent by the imperial court to look for Feng Yin. They all say that a country cannot be without a ruler for a day, but it¡¯s been a few days already? Is it Feng Yi? Did Prince Yi and the others think that Feng Yin and I both died under the cliff? If there is another national mourning, clothes and crowns, etc., that¡¯s fine!


    If the two of us go back again, we¡¯ll just cheat the corpses. Though it¡¯s not right to scare people.


    Even if I think so too, I can¡¯t help it. The only plan for now is to have a comfortable stay, so that I can get better soon, before I can mention the matter of going back to the palace.


    However, looking at Feng Yin, it doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that he is in a hurry. He is quite happy that he is free and unrestrained here, and does not even mention the matter of returning.


    After more than half a month of resting, the injury was more than half healed, at least I don¡¯t have to lie in bed all the time.


    However, when I got out of bed, Feng Yin would come and insist on supporting me and not the other way around. He said that it was a bunch of big truths, what made me so good, and if there were three long and two short ones ( an accident or a bad thing happening), I wouldn¡¯t be able to return to the palace as quickly as possible. It¡¯s fine to repeat it once or twice, but saying it all the time is quite aggravating. I got a headache every time I heard it, and I wanted to respond one sentence at a time, but he¡¯s the Emperor, and the Dragon¡¯s words are irrefutable, so I had to swallow the angry words in my mouth.

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8 Strange Dreams (1)


    I¡¯ve learned a lot while staying below the cliff to recuperate. It turns out that the often cold Feng Yin can also have such a noisy side.


    Being supported by Feng Yin, when you glance up, you can see his cautious appearance. As though he was holding a priceless item that could be shattered if he isn¡¯t careful. He¡¯s making a huge deal out of it.


    As soon as the door is opened, there would be the smell of flowers. The vivid flowers and the green grass on the ground can be seen everywhere. People would want to get on and lie down on it. The beautiful flowers seemed to go on forever, like the sea, as singing birds and butterflies danced beneath the blue sky. This breathtaking scenery was the most peaceful in the world. It¡¯s like a fairyland with the curling zither sound from Qingheng¡¯s room. It has the ability to make individuals forget about their worries at the moment.


    I didn¡¯t expect this fairyland below the cliff, and it¡¯s no wonder that Feng Yin doesn¡¯t want to go back to the palace. Now, even I wouldn¡¯t want to go back. It is a great blessing to be able to avoid the turmoil of the world and spend the rest of my life below the cliff.


    ¡°Ziqing, isn¡¯t the scenery here beautiful?¡± Feng Yin said.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a fairyland.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°It would be great if Ziqing could live in seclusion here with me¡­¡± There was a little melancholy in his words.


    I was startled, ¡°Your Majesty, what did you say?¡±


    Feng Yin smiled and sighed in between, ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Actually, this subordinate just wanted to help His Majesty. After all, the tiger¡¯s claws were less than a grain of rice away from His Majesty¡¯s back. This subordinate did not know that the stones under his feet could not bear the weight. This subordinate did not intend to pull His Majesty off the cliff.¡± I was talking nonsense on the side and explaining it sincerely.


    ¡°I know it myself.¡±


    After listening, I felt relieved. I finally got rid of this serious crime of murdering the emperor.


    ¡°Your Majesty, who is Qingheng? Why haven¡¯t I seen him before in court?¡± After hesitating for a moment, I expressed the doubts in my heart.


    ¡°Qingheng is a national teacher. He has never been to the court, and Ziqing naturally wouldn¡¯t know about it.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s the case.¡± After a while, I said, ¡°Feng Yin, I¡¯m a little thirsty, can you fetch me some water inside the house?¡±


    I asked carefully, after all, this is the first time I called Feng Yin his name, or  asked him to fetch water for me, um¡­ Ninety-five supreme will inevitably have a big temper. I¡¯m ready to bear his anger¡­


    However, I seemed to be mistaken.


    Where¡¯s the anger between Feng Yin¡¯s eyebrows and eyes? Instead he looked a little¡­ flattered?


    Illusion, this must be an illusion.


    ¡°Ziqing, wait, I¡­ I¡¯ll go and get some water now.¡± He slightly hooked the corners of his lips and brought out the habitual elegant smile.


    Is it just me¡­ Er, how do I put it? Why does it seem to have such an inexplicable meaning?


    After Feng Yin left, I walked around, looking for a way to climb the cliff.


    The cliff was very steep, and when I looked up, I could only see the mists and the blue sky above.The sky was full of clouds, and nothing else.


    There was a green shadow in my eyes, going straight to the top of the cliff. I was curious at the moment, I slowly stepped forward, pulled the green vine, and sighed in my heart. Looking at the thorns on the vine, they were small, but were not prickly at all.


    I don¡¯t know if I can climb the cliff by pulling the vine.


    In the spirit of inspecting the weak vine knot, I pulled hard and the vine fell down along the cliff. In order not to cause disaster to my head or skull, I put down the vine from my hand and ran back fast, so as to avoid the embarrassment of being hit by it.


    When I ran away and looked back, all the vines had fallen. I found a flat place to lie down and lay still on the green grass. Listening to the footsteps not far away, Feng Yin was coming, and when I looked up, I was right.


    I got up, took the tea from Feng Yin, drank it slowly, and didn¡¯t forget to thank him when I handed out the empty cup.


    ¡°Ziqing, the master had said that a rumor had spread throughout the palace that both of us had died below the cliff. The ministers in the court were in panic. Moreover, other countries launched an invasion and threatened to swallow up our country. We had to go back to the palace the next day.¡± Feng Yin frowned, with a little impatience in his words.


    I am slightly confused. Although I prefer this plain and arbitrary day, and am extremely reluctant to get close to the noisy world, but¡­ my heart was inexplicably agitated.


    Si Ran was still in the mansion, right? If I don¡¯t accompany him in that remote place, he will be sad according to his temperament.


    I won¡¯t let you feel lonely, and I won¡¯t let you suffer any grievances!


    It was a promise we made together, and I have never forgotten it.


    Anyone who has bullied you or who has been indifferent to you, I¡¯ll let them repay you one by one.


    This is what I should do and the only thing I can do¡­


    Si Ran¡­


    With a straight face, I replied seriously, ¡°in this situation, His Majesty should go back to the palace as soon as possible, so as to stabilize the situation.¡±


    Feng Yin nodded, heavy and unwilling.


    The sun set and the moon rose. When I fell asleep, it was another dream. The dream was the same. I was still unable to see people¡¯s faces, but now it felt extremely real. I saw a thin man stumble and ran out of the market in front of me. His clothes were disheveled and tattered. Looking at a passer-by, he came forward, grabbed the man¡¯s clothes and said something anxiously.


    A beggar?  An idiot? Could it be a lunatic?


    The man being held was clearly irritated, so he kicked the insane man aside, shook his clothing in disdain, spit on the ground, and walked away without looking back. He moaned towards the ground and hurried away, as if the person on the ground was ominous.


    I wanted to help him, but the thin man just passed right through me. I knew I couldn¡¯t do anything but stand there and observe.


    His legs and feet appear to be in poor condition. The man who was kicked to the ground staggered and couldn¡¯t stand up. He crawled on his arms. He still grabbed a person¡¯s hem and asked. Ignored, repeating like this, the injuries on his body increased, but he didn¡¯t feel tired, he was stubborn in his bones. I followed behind, my hands clenched into fists, and every time I couldn¡¯t bear to throw a fist at the person who kicked him, I always passed through that person¡¯s body. I tried to turn around or take another fork of the road, but was blocked by the invisible force behind me. In the end, I could only hold back the anger and follow, continue to watch.


    He was kicked to the ground again, and a kid who ran from nowhere laughed and picked up stones to throw at him and he hit him most of the time. The man curled up helplessly, holding his head in his hands,  weeping and sobbing.


    While weeping, there were vague words in between, but every word entered my mind.


    ¡°Si Ran¡­Si Ran, where are you? Si Ran¡­it hurts¡­ahhh¡­it hurts¡ª¡±


    Si Ran¡­


    My face sank, and the thought arising in my heart startled me.


    This, this¡­ it¡¯s not me¡­


    Looking at the small half of the jade yusui (chalcedony) on him, I knew I was looking at myself.


    Yusui (chalcedony) was a pendant on the jade ornament that the Empress rewarded. There were only two pieces of jade under the heavens. One was in my place, and the other was with¡­ Si Ran?


    Translator¡¯s Note


    chalcedony=mixture of microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline quartz and morganite


    I think (?) the Empress mentioned there was the mother of Feng Yin.

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9 Strange Dreams (Part 2)


    (quick t/n: I¡¯m changing Si Juan to Si Lian)


    ¡°Get up, idiot! What¡¯s the use of screaming, fool! You have disgraced this lord¡¯s old face!¡± I roared, though, I was the only one hearing it.


    ¡°Stop! You can¡¯t hit him! How can you hit him!¡± A gentle voice with a hint of anxiety sounded.


    Who?¡­. Who¡¯s talking?


    The faces of the people around him gradually became clearer. The ¡®Ziqing¡¯ in front of him was kneeling on the ground with his head in his hands and sobbing in a low voice. A child was laughing and throwing stones in front of him while passers-by looked indifferent and disgusted, but there was no figure of the person who had just spoken.


    ¡°Stop, how can you hit him!¡± Then one person stepped forward to help ¡®Ziqing¡¯ up who was on his knees and drove away the evil child. I could clearly see his face. Isn¡¯t this¡­ Qingheng? ¡°


    Qingheng didn¡¯t despise the dirty ¡®Ziqing¡¯, he reached out and took off his jacket (robe), then also took off ¡®Ziqing¡¯s¡¯ jacket (robe), which could only be called a strip of cloth, and put his jacket (robe) on the dumbfounded ¡®Ziqing¡¯. He gently wiped away the tears and dirt from ¡®Ziqing¡¯s¡¯ cheeks, and asked softly, ¡°Your Highness, are you alright?¡±


    Without answering, ¡®Ziqing¡¯ rushed up, hugged him tightly, never letting go while chanting someone¡¯s name, smirking with a happy face. ¡°Si Ran¡­Si Ran¡­I finally found you. Don¡¯t ever leave me again, never again¡­¡±


    Let go, he is not Si Ran, he just looks similar to Si Ran¡­ Don¡¯t be deceived.


    Perhaps¡­.don¡¯t lie to yourself.


    ¡°Fool¡­ How can I be willing to leave you.¡± said an elegant voice with infinite loneliness.


    My head hurts a little. I pressed my brow together. Just now, who¡¯s talking?


    ¡°Okay, okay, what His Highness says goes. As long as His Highness takes the medicine obediently, I will not leave.¡± Qingheng treated ¡®Ziqing¡¯ like a child just now.


    ¡°As long as Si Ran doesn¡¯t leave, I can do whatever I want.¡±


    After that, he picked up ¡®Ziqing,¡¯ turned around, and walked away, as ¡®Ziqing¡¯ smirked and hugged him back.


    The few face that was left, it turned out to have been thrown away by myself a long time ago.


    Ziqing¡­I¡¯m here, why don¡¯t you want to look back at me¡­


    My pupils dilated as I swiftly twisted my head to gaze at the person behind me. The pain of suffocation hit me overwhelmingly, a face with tears on it, a little bright red on the forehead sliding down, sliding through my heart, empty eyes looking at the faraway ¡®Ziqing¡¯, with unwillingness.


    I woke up startled, sat up dumbfounded, and the dreams of the past gradually emerged in my mind, and realized I couldn¡¯t do without Si Ran.


    Si Ran¡­


    Tsk, what¡¯s going on, that dream was too real, and it seemed to be linked to that previous dream. Is it possible that this is what I¡¯ve lost?


    Ah, it¡¯s too absurd, so unbelievable.


    I pulled two handfuls of hair, got up and lit a candle, poured a cup of tea for myself, sipped it slowly, and thought about it carefully.


    Could it be that master Qingheng is Si Ran? But intuition tells me that he is not.


    He once said that his real name was Si Lian, but I¡¯d never heard of Si Lian, and when I questioned who Si Ran was, Xin Xing and the elderly servant acted so strangely that they were unwilling to speak openly. The foreword does not correspond to the backstory; someone should be worrying about this individual. This isn¡¯t a dream at all!


    Outside the window, insects were chirping, but I didn¡¯t know it was bothersome. The sky was foggy, the dazzling moon was hanging high in the sky, the sun had not yet risen, and it had not yet reached three poles when I looked out the window. It appeared that I had been waking up too early lately.


    Heh, I seem to have grasped the crux¡­


    A whisper left my lips as I set down the tea in my fingers. This tea isn¡¯t quite as fragrant as the tea I used to drink every day in the palace. To quench my parched mouth, I simply took a few sips.


    ¡®Knock knock¡­¡¯ Unhurried knocks on the door came to my ears, and I replied naturally, ¡°Who?¡±


    After a while, Qingheng¡¯s voice came from outside the door, ¡°Is the lord awake? Qingheng is just passing by without incident. Seeing the candlelight in the lord¡¯s room, it must be that the lord who woke up and came to take a look. If there is any disturbance, please forgive me.¡±


    I got up to open the door and smiled at Qingheng outside. ¡°It just so happens that this lord also has something to ask the National teacher.¡±


    I turned around and walked into the house. I poured a cup of tea and handed it to Qingheng who followed me inside.


    ¡°This mountain wild tea is extremely rough, not as good as the good tea in the palace. I hope the lord will forgive me.¡±   Qingheng merely said after he took a leisurely sip.


    ¡°National teacher, although this tea is not comparable to that of the palace, it also has its benefits.¡± I smiled lightly.


    ¡°The lord flatters me. I don¡¯t know what the lord wants to ask Qingheng. Qingheng should know everything and say everything.¡± Qingheng smiled gracefully, and looked much more serious than usual.


    I took a sip of tea, smacking my lips, staring at Qingheng for a long time, until I felt uneasy, and then I said slowly. ¡°Qingheng, you are actually Si Ran, right?¡±


    ¡°How can Qingheng be as noble as Si Ran in the mouth of the lord?¡± He lowered his eyes slightly, hiding the color in his eyes.


    ¡°Oh, so¡­ Qingheng, do you know Si Ran?¡± I said.


    Qingheng raised his eyes and looked at me, ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Then before¡­¡± I raised my eyebrows, and continued to speak.


    Qingheng cut off my words and replied seriously. ¡°I was just guessing before and the lord must not be wrong. Qingheng thought that people who can be mentioned from such a noble mouth as the lord should be very honorable.¡±


    I was drinking tea and coughed violently when I heard this. After a long while, I wiped the tea from my mouth with the corner of my sleeve. What logic is this? I laughed dryly. ¡°What is Qingheng saying, Qingheng is also the most honorable person in the country.¡±


    ¡°The lord is polite.¡± With a smile, Qingheng changed the conversation and continued, ¡°I haven¡¯t shown the lord today how his injuries are recovering. Whether it is time to take medicine, since Qingheng is here with the lord now, then let¡¯s take a look.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ No need?¡± I twitched the corners of my mouth, trying to squeeze out a smile. It was rare for me to stammer.


    Checking the wound means being stripped off. It feels inappropriate for me to be frank and open, although we are both men. Looking at Qingheng¡¯s appearance¡­ it was more serious than Feng Yin.


    Naturally, opposition is invalid. With a sharp look from Qingheng,  I obediently lay on the bed¡­ ¡°


    No way, rabbits can bite people when they are in a hurry, let alone humans.


    ¡°Si Ran, an immortal character~ To be honest with Qingheng, I actually like such a person who doesn¡¯t eat human fireworks. If there is such a person,  I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t look at me, let alone talk about feelings.¡± I laughed at my own delusion.


    Qingheng didn¡¯t reply to my words, he carefully checked my injury, and said that it was not a big problem. He would change the dressing for me tomorrow, and then he left.


    I looked at his distant back, and with the fragment of memory in my head, a meaningful smile formed on the corners of my lips, and mocked in a low voice, ¡°Qingheng¡­ Gu Qingheng, you think I don¡¯t know you. What? Heh¡­ One day, I will be able to recall you without fail.¡±


    Alas, now all the sorrows are out, a drink can relieve it, but there is no wine¡­


    Note


    Do not eat human fireworks, Chinese idiom, pinyin is b¨´ sh¨ª r¨¦n ji¨¡n y¨¡n hu¨¯, which means that Taoism says that immortals or cultivators do not eat cooked food.

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10 Strange Dreams (Part 3)


    I poured a cup of tea, sipped it slowly and carefully, and the time went by without me realizing it. The dazzling moon faded, the insects stopped after a while, and the sky became white fish belly after a while. I fell asleep at my desk and had a nap.


    After some time, a girl¡¯s not too gentle shaking woke me up, and I went to the living room to eat. My eyelids were struggling as I sat outside the house on a small wooden bench, watching the warbler fly and the butterfly dance in the distance.


    I should be grateful for Feng Yin¡¯s presence. I closed my eyes and laid my head on Feng Yin¡¯s shoulder, tilting my head. I would have leaned on the ground with some little rocks if Feng Yin hadn¡¯t arrived. I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going to happen to my head.


    Feng Yin was not angry when I leaned on his shoulder; instead, he elicited a habit of smiling and allowed me to rest on him, after which I slipped into a deep sleep. It was weird this time, because the person in the dream was Qingheng, but¡­ looking at him in front of me sparked a fire in my heart.


    I saw one person grabbing the hem of Qingheng¡¯s sleeve, and he followed Qingheng wherever he went, screaming with joy.


    A basin of cold water extinguished the nameless fire in my heart, I pressed my forehead , who is this fellow, I absolutely do not know, and it is definitely not me¡­


    The scene shifted, the sun shone brightly, and the furnishings in this room seemed like they belonged in the Emperor¡¯s palace. The ¡®Ziqing¡¯ in front of me was holding Qingheng¡¯s hand with a smirk.


    ¡°Si Ran, I like you so much, stay with me, I will hide you in a place where only I can find it, Daddy and the others won¡¯t be able find it, and they won¡¯t hit us!¡± After he finished speaking, he hugged Qingheng¡¯s waist with both hands, and rubbed his head on Qingheng¡¯s waist like a cat, to please him.


    Five thunders at the top, I was stunned, unable to move.


    This innocent smile, this coquettish tone, this¡­ this fellow is still a child, right?


    It¡¯s unreasonable, you dare to hold my face, use my body, say such stupid things, do such childish actions, this is definitely not me!


    What surprised me even more was that Qingheng smiled and touched my head, nodding in agreement!


    Then, I became utterly stupefied.


    ¡®Ziqing¡¯ covered his lips with excitement, and Qingheng¡¯s arms also wrapped around ¡®Ziqing¡¯s¡¯ neck. ¡®Ziqing¡¯ hugged his slightly thin body, easily picked him up, and gently put him on the ground. He gently untied his clothes like a treasure, pecked and kissed him.


    His slender legs climbed up to his waist, fine sweat covered his whole body, fingernails sank into his back that blood flowed out. The expression on his face couldn¡¯t be determined if it was pain or joy, even though he bit his lip, he couldn¡¯t restrain the overflowing groan.  The place that was closely connected made people blush.


    This¡­ Well, I didn¡¯t expect Qingheng, who is warm-hearted and cold, to be so provocative.


    Stop! What am I thinking?


    The picture changed again. Qingheng stroked the Qin under the cliff, and ¡®Ziqing¡¯ stood behind him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. ¡°Si Ran Si Ran, you see, I¡¯m the only one who can find you. I¡¯ve been looking for this place for a long time.¡±


    Qingheng narrowed his eyes and smiled faintly.


    Looking at the door and the scenery, the scenario has shifted back to the palace. When I saw the picture in front of me, I sighed and pressed my painful forehead.


    What¡¯s the trouble with this extreme grip, clinging to the hem of Qingheng¡¯s clothes, playing coquettish and refusing to let people go?


    ¡°Let go, I¡¯ve had enough. In your eyes, there¡¯s only Childe Si Ran in your heart, and there¡¯s no place for me at all.¡± He said, with inexplicable grief, he pulled out the hem of his clothes, picked up the package and hurried away, ignoring the thunderous cry behind him.


    ¡°Si Ran, don¡¯t go! Si Ran¡­Si Ran¡­don¡¯t go¡­¡± It seemed that ¡®Ziqing¡¯ was tired from crying, and laid on the ground, sobbing in a low voice. ¡°Qingheng¡­.¡±


    Ah, only after he left did I understand that there was another person in my heart. (t/n don¡¯t know if he¡¯s referring to ¡®Ziqing¡¯ or himself at present)


    This day passed in my half dreaming and half awake state. As soon as it was dark, there was a slow knock outside the door. I didn¡¯t want to know who was coming.


    Sure enough, it was Qingheng. He came to change the dressing for me. I consciously took off my clothes and lay down and let him change it. After the dressing was changed, he got up and was about to leave. I immediately grabbed his wrist and exerted a little force.  He could not stand under his feet and fell on top of me. I reached out and raised his chin, and kissed his reddish lips without saying a word, stuck my tongue in, and he obeyed. In response, I kissed him until he was almost out of breath before I stopped. He glared at me fiercely. Without thinking about it, he slapped me. I didn¡¯t hide. I faced his powerful palm and immediately felt a burning pain.


    ¡°My lord, self-respect!¡± Qingheng became so enraged that he turned around and attempted to flee, but I refused to release his wrist, so he was unable to do so.


    I raised my eyebrows and didn¡¯t take it seriously, ¡°I¡¯ve already kissed you, so what¡¯s the bother?¡±


    ¡°¡­you!¡± He gasped.


    ¡°I¡­?¡± I smiled, pretending to be innocent, and said seriously after a while. ¡°Qingheng, don¡¯t make trouble, maybe I was wrong before, but I really like you, come back to me, okay¡­¡±


    Come back to me, maybe for you, I will let go of my hatred.


    ¡°You¡­ remember?¡± I nodded in response, he just believed it, and whispered, ¡°Go back to your side?¡± He bleakly smiled, ¡°My lord, it¡¯s me who should say no to trouble, right?  Do you dare to say that you don¡¯t have Si Ran in your heart? Do you dare to say that you know who I am now and have not regarded me as Si Ran? ¡°


    ¡°I¡­although I have Si Ran in my heart, I like you, and I also know who you are, you are¡­¡± I hurriedly defended myself, but Qingheng interrupted my words with an angry roar.


    ¡°Enough! Feng Ziqing, you¡¯re too selfish! I already have someone I like, Qinglian, you¡¯ve met her too. She¡¯s a good girl. I like her. I¡¯ll marry her one day.¡±


    My hands loosened, my eyes filled with disbelief.


    Qinglian, I have seen her, his disciple.


    ¡°That¡¯s immorality!¡± Struggling in vain, but I forgot that a relationship between two men was also intolerable.


    ¡°Indecent? Heh¡­ isn¡¯t it better than two men being together, right?¡± he said, with ridicule in his words, I was powerless to let go, and watched him leave.


    ¡°Qingheng! I really¡­ like you.¡± Watching him disappear at the door, this relationship can¡¯t be saved or made up.


    He¡¯s getting married¡­


    At the prospect of a woman standing next to such a gentle person to steal the space I previously occupied in his heart, my heart is full of anger.


    Only knowing how to cherish it after you lose it, isn¡¯t that someone me?


    After I poured a cup of tea, I drank the tea instead of the wine for a while, and I didn¡¯t seem to be myself anymore. I always felt empty somewhere in my heart.


    Selfish? Selfish ah¡­ it turns out that I am actually a selfish person.


    It is even more worrying to use wine to relieve sorrow. It turns out to be the same with tea also.


    Fortunately, I will be leaving tomorrow, but tomorrow, how should I face Qingheng and his fiancee?


    Note


    Five thunders=Wu Lei Bang Ding is a Chinese idiom. Chinese people often use the sky to beat the five thunder bangs to describe that people will be punished by God in various forms after they have done a very bad deed that hurts the world.

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11 Jealousy


    Looking outside the window, the sky was full of stars and the bright moon was hanging high. It¡¯s getting late. better go to sleep now, think about tomorrow¡¯s things the next day.


    I got up and walked to the front of the bed, placed my outer coat at the bottom part, and took a rest.


    It¡¯s fine to sleep or think of whatever, as long as you don¡¯t think about the troublesome things, everything is fine.


    As the moon sets and the sun rises, the inescapable second day has come. After tidying up myself, I went to the living room to eat.


    Looking at the vegetarian food at the table, Feng Yin was smiling again, and Qingheng, who seemed to have nothing happened, and the girl named Qinglian who was sitting beside Qingheng. What do I think about this girl?


    I rubbed my forehead, feeling a little helpless, could it be¡­ I¡¯m jealous?


    Feng Yin looked worried. ¡°Ziqing, are you feeling unwell? Why is your face pale?¡±


    I sat down, raised the corners of my mouth and gave Feng Yin a reassuring smile. ¡°Feng Yin has been thinking too much, I just didn¡¯t sleep well last night. It seems that I woke up earlier this morning, it¡¯s just a headache, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡±


    Since he was not angry when I called his name, I didn¡¯t bother to call him emperor again. Anyways, he has few people here, it saves the tiredness of the mouth.


    Feng Yin knew and put some of my favorite dishes in my bowl. Looking at the other side, Qingheng never raised his eyes. If it were in the past, I don¡¯t know how delighted I would be, but alas. When Qinglian served him vegetables, he smiled back with a frown, and then served Qinglian in return.


    What a pair of lovers, looking at this sweetheart¡¯s virtue of I serve you, you serve me. It¡¯s really annoying.


    I was eating vinegar here, and Feng Yin¡¯s face turned gloomy and dark, and the vegetables were long forgotten. He was fiddling with the rice grains silently, like a child.


    This meal has no taste, and after thinking about it, it becomes even more suffocating. The result¡ªI brought it upon myself.


    After Qingheng and Qinglian finished packing, they can now take us up the cliff. Feng Yin and I came down with barely anything. Without anything important, we naturally would go up with nothing.


    I looked up from the bottom of the cliff, and the scenery I saw was not much different. It was still a blue sky hanging high above the mist. The blue sky was full of white clouds, and the wind was sparse, but the green vines were missing. A picture flashed in my mind and my heart throbbed. I raised my sleeves and wiped the cold sweat on my forehead¡ªI seem to have done something I shouldn¡¯t have done¡­


    Feng Yin looked at my inexplicable movement, raised his eyebrows, but ignored it.


    Impatiently waiting, when I looked back this was the scene I saw¨C


    Qinglian¡¯s delicate face was slightly red and shy, and her jade hand was holding the square scarf carefully wiping the fine sweat on Qingheng¡¯s forehead.


    Qingheng seemed to inadvertently raise his eyes and glance at me. He raised the corners of his lips, took the square scarf in Qinglian¡¯s hand, and used the wet side to help Qinglian wipe her sweat, making Qinglian¡¯s delicate face even redder.


    My hands under the wide sleeves were clenched and unclenched, and I didn¡¯t get angry at all. He did it on purpose! He definitely did it on purpose!


    However, what can I do? What right do I have to interfere?


    I loosened the clenched fist under my sleeve. I let out a cold snort from my nostrils, and turned my head reluctantly. As the saying goes ¨C out of sight, out of mind, right?


    ¡°Imperial Uncle¡­¡± Feng Yin whispered, his face unclear.


    This long-lost word of ¡®Imperial Uncle¡¯ made me agitated, and without even thinking about it, I respectfully answered a word that I haven¡¯t used for a while as a subordinate. I raised my eyes, and asked cautiously with some doubts, ¡°Your Majesty summons this subordinate¡­what¡¯s the matter? ¡±


    Feng Yin looked at me, his deep eyes stayed on my face for a long time, and then he sighed inexplicably, mixed with helplessness, and slightly opened his peach lips. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    I twitched the corners of my mouth and pulled out a smile that wasn¡¯t really a smile. ¡°Really¡­¡±


    ¡­What day is it today? Why do I feel like God was always making fun of me?


    The two on the other side walked forward slowly, sweetly holding hands, and they didn¡¯t feel anything wrong. Together, they came out to play, rescued Feng Yin and me who fell off the cliff along the way and nothing else.


    ¡°This is the way to go up the cliff. Speaking of which, this can¡¯t be called a road. You can go up by climbing on a vine.¡± Qingheng smiled elegantly and explained to Feng Yin. But when he turned around, there was no smile at all. With a frigid face, he said coldly to himself, ¡°Where¡¯s the vine?¡±


    I¡¯m in trouble¡­


    I was wondering where the feeling in my heart that I was doing something that I shouldn¡¯t have done came from, it turned out to be this.


    I pulled out the green vine hidden in the deep grass under my feet, laughed dryly, and asked cautiously, ¡°Qing¡­ National teacher, I wonder if the vine you mentioned was this one¡­¡±


    The three of them looked at the vine in my hand that was close to the thickness of a human wrist, and then looked at me. Their surprised expression was a wonderful thing¡­ for a while. Qingheng glared at me, and the most calm Feng Yin pursed the corners of his lips. With a smile that wasn¡¯t really a smile, and was slightly snickering? Compared to him, Qinglian was the exact opposite. Those eyes that stared at me as if they were about to come out were extremely hideous, as if they were going to devour me alive, slashed me with a thousand knives, and turned my bones into ashes.


    ¡°This vine was destroyed by the lord?¡± Qing Heng said coldly.


    It was the first time he had spoken to me in such a tone, and I was a little agitated. ¡°It¡¯s not ruined! This lord just¡­ just tried a little bit to see if it was firm or not. I didn¡¯t think that it would come down after pulling it. This lord remembered that it was not intentional. ¡°


    ¡°Just like that?¡± He doubted.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s intentional!¡± Qinglian said softly, her tone was extremely slow, and she didn¡¯t forget to poach my eyes.


    Ignoring Qinglian, I nodded my head like pounding garlic and said sincerely, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Since the vines are broken, how should we go up?¡± Feng Yin said slowly, not showing the slightest anxiety he should have.


    ¡°There is still a way, but it is too dangerous, and there are many tests. I don¡¯t know what His Majesty wants?¡± Qingheng bowed his hands and asked.


    Here, Feng Yin looked at me and said leisurely, ¡°What do you think, Ziqing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all up to His Majesty¡¯s wishes.¡± I resisted the thought of holding my forehead and replied respectfully.


    After the words fell, Feng Yin thought about it for a while and said, ¡°Then take the road that the National teacher mentioned.¡±


    Qingheng nodded and led the way with Qinglian.


    Our road to the cliff turned into a road to the deep cave and found that, unlike the previous residence, where the fragrance of birds and flowers was clear and quiet, like a fairyland, this place was like a yellow spring in hell. The grass was not deep, there were no birds or butterflies. It was desolate and quiet.


    Qingheng seems to have been here before, and his expression was flat. Feng Yin and I were bold as a man, and we didn¡¯t think there was anything scary, but Qinglian, in a way, was a girl, a young girl of sixteen or seventeen. She swallowed her saliva and shivered. Her jade slender hand hugged Qingheng¡¯s arm, unable to complete a sentence, ¡°Master¡­ Master¡­ Really¡­do you really want to go in? Can you¡­not go in?¡±

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12 Illusion (1)


    ¡°Naturally, otherwise, there is no other way,¡± Qingheng replied indifferently, after a pause, ¡°Lian¡¯er, don¡¯t be afraid, master is here. I won¡¯t let Lian¡¯er suffer any harm.¡±


    The latter gave a relieved smile, blushed, took Qingheng¡¯s arm and leaned on it, her head resting on Qingheng¡¯s shoulder, just like a picture of a bird leaning on a man. It hurt his eyes.


    Feng Yin seemed to be unable to bear it any longer. He stepped forward with his rather slender legs calmly. He was the first to step into the dark and secluded cave that looked like a huge mouth. When I saw this, I took out a flame stick from my sleeve, blew on it and walked into the cave without any thought.


    Ironic, can¡¯t you keep up? If Feng Yin has three long and two short (unexpected disaster or accident, and is also a euphemism for human death), even if I got out alive, I may not be able to live safely to my old age. The serious crime of pulling Feng Yin down the cliff, decapitating me would not be enough.


    The inside of the cave was dark and cold, and the road was very long, as if there was no end. Feng Yin, who was in front of me, tightened his thin coat, which seemed to be cold. I took off my moderately thick coat and put it on him. Feng Yin smiled back at me with gratitude. I was stunned, and then I remembered that Feng Yin seemed to have not smiled at me as usual for a few hours.


    A gust of cold wind blew, and I put my hands around my chest, clenching my teeth desperately without trembling.


    It¡¯s lucky that my physique was still excellent, it would take me a while to be chilled.  Otherwise, the moment I took off my coat, it would definitely be cold to the bones.


    After walking for about an hour, there was a bright light ahead. There was a small round mirror that was as tall as a person, and that light came from the mirror.


    Feng Yin stretched out his five fingers and lightly touched the mirror¡¯s surface. The mirror surface glowed with waves of light following his light touch. It was like the surface of water. Feng Yin raised his eyebrows and was full of doubts. ¡°¡­This is?¡±


    ¡°This is Kunlun¡¯s treasure. His Majesty does not need to be surprised,¡± Qingheng said, explaining the confusion for the two of us, ¡°As long as you walk out of this spiritual mirror and without being trapped by your inner demons, you will be able to return to the cliff safely.¡±


    ¡°Then what happens if you are trapped by your inner demon?¡± I said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be obsessed with greed, you will resolve it yourself, otherwise the consequences will be unpredictable.¡± Qingheng glanced at me and answered quietly.


    It¡¯s no wonder that he is a National teacher, a worldly expert with such an immortal demeanor, I am in awe at the moment.


    When the words fell, he stepped into the round mirror-like thing first, until the hem of the clothes disappeared, Qinglian followed closely. Feng Yin looked at me, I also looked back. I don¡¯t know why, seeing this mirror, I felt uneasy for no reason.  I frowned, and said to Feng Yin, ¡°I hope His Majesty is safe and sound. Don¡¯t be disturbed by your thoughts.¡±


    Feng Yin nodded and smiled back, ¡°Ziqing is the same.¡±


    After a while, the corner of his clothes disappeared into the mirror.


    I looked at this spiritual mirror and as if there was a faint fairy sound coming out of it, it bewildered me to step inside. It was this confusing voice that made waves in my heart.  I was restless, and after hesitating for a long time, with the mentality that whether it was good or bad, it was better to give it a shot, I gritted my teeth and stepped into the mirror.


    As soon as I entered the mirror, my head was a little drowsy, I forgot everything in my heart, and looked at the children surrounding me in the backyard of the palace. I was puzzled for a moment.


    ¡°Imperial Uncle is in a daze again¡­¡± The five-year-old Xiao Feng Yi ( t/n brother of Feng Yin) sighed softly, imitating his elders, and slapped me hard with his short, fat little hands, although it was not much different from being scratched.


    I stared back, and the little princes around me were frightened by my stare and ran away, keeping a distance from me, only Feng Yi was not afraid, still standing in front of me and pulling on the corners of my clothes, smiling hilariously. Holding the paper fan, he gently waved his little chubby hand that was pulling at the corner of my clothes, without concealing the irritability in his eyes.


    Tsk, what just occurred to me? Being interrupted like this, I forgot.


    I don¡¯t know when the chubby little hand tugged the corner of my clothes again, and the big round eyes stared straight at the red apricot on the apricot tree behind me, stretched out a finger, and said vaguely with a slightly open mouth. ¡°Imperial Uncle, I want apricots! I want that big red apricot!¡±


    I glanced at the red apricots on the tree, opened the paper fan with a ¡®pop¡¯, and replied without thinking, ¡°The apricots are too high, I can¡¯t reach them. Want to eat it, pluck them yourself.¡±


    Although the apricots on the tree are red, it does not mean that they can be eaten. If they are too sour, Feng Yi will cry and provoke his mother, and the one who will be punished will be myself.


    Thinking about this, I don¡¯t want to pay any attention to Feng Yi anymore. I shook the paper fan in my hand and continued to ponder about what I just thought¡­ But what did I just thought of? I can¡¯t remember at all, it¡¯s annoying.


    ¡°Imperial Uncle, I want it, I want it¡­¡± Feng Yi, who doesn¡¯t know whether to live or die, tugged at the corner of my clothes and acted coquettishly. Being shaken for some time made me feel a little bored and even more annoyed.


    ¡°Little boy go play, If you want to eat apricots, just pick them yourself. Don¡¯t you see I¡¯m thinking big things? Don¡¯t bother me. ¡± I frowned.


    Not knowing what to say, I turned around and walked into the pavilion. Behind me, I heard Feng Yi¡¯s call of ¡®Uncle Huang¡¯, followed by a loud cry. I was so frightened that I hurriedly turned around and covered Feng Yi¡¯s mouth so as not to mess with his mother. Looking at the wet eyes with teardrops and the grievances and flattery in them, I sighed.


    ¡°Forget it, I lost to you, let¡¯s talk about not crying first, and also, even if you eat red apricots, you are not allowed to cry,¡± Feng Yi nodded in agreement , I then let him go, got up and looked at the red apricot Feng Yi pointed out earlier¡ªit was actually growing on a branch in the middle. My face sank. ¡°It¡¯s too high for me to reach. ¡± ¡°


    Looking at Feng Yi¡¯s big eyes that seemed to be able to cry the next moment, I hurriedly said, ¡°In this way, I will hold you and you will pick it, if you can¡¯t pick that apricot, you can choose another one, okay?¡±


    Feng Yi nodded as if pounding garlic, stretched out his fat little short arms, and happily shouted ¡°Imperial Uncle hold, Imperial Uncle hold¡±. I resisted knocking on his little head with the paper fan in my hand, and picked him up. Put him down when he¡¯s done plucking.


    ¡°Have you picked it now? Don¡¯t eat it yet, take the red apricots into the kitchen and let the cook wash them. Eat them after washing them.¡± I said.


    Feng Yi reluctantly stopped feeding the red apricots into his mouth, and ran to the kitchen with the red apricots in his hand.


    I breathed a sigh of relief and finally got rid of this clingy child.


    However, the other princes were naturally not reconciled, but they were afraid of me staring at people, so they didn¡¯t dare to go forward, and I was happy to get some peace and quiet.


    Unwilling to recall what I was thinking about before, I really couldn¡¯t think of it. I had no choice. As soon as I turned around, I saw a person picking apricots holding a prince. When the prince was done picking, he put them down. The other princes who disappeared from the inner courtyard must have run to the kitchen with the apricot picked with the help of the person.


    Seeing the man turn around, his face was much prettier than that of the girl. I smiled. ¡°Si Ran, I haven¡¯t seen you for two years, you¡¯ve become much prettier.¡±


    ¡°Imperial Uncle is also a lot more beautiful! I haven¡¯t seen you for two years. Whom did Uncle learn from?¡± Si Ran raised his eyebrows and deliberately accentuated the words ¡°beautiful¡±.


    I pouted and stopped making trouble.


    Translator¡¯s Note


    The flame stick is ubiquitous in wuxia novels. Called huo zhe zi (»ðÕÛ×Ó or »ðß¡×Ó) in Chinese, it¡¯s the olden days equivalent of the cigarette lighter or flashlight, a convenient, portable, easy to use source of quick light and a means to start other fires (such as lighting a lamp)


    Kunlun Mountains (located in western China)

 Chapter 13

    ¡°Si Ran, I haven¡¯t seen you back at your place for two years. How are you doing?¡± I asked.


    ¡°This Palace is a prince. Even if I am not around, no one would dare to neglect his place,¡± he frowned, ¡°but I¡¯ll remind the Imperial Uncle again that the name of this prince is Feng Si Lian. It is Si Lian, not Si Ran.¡±


    (t/n This Palace-a self-proclaimed title of the Lord of the House in ancient times.)


    I pouted disapprovingly, ¡°I¡¯ll still call you Si Ran. Si Lian doesn¡¯t sound good. I haven¡¯t seen your rigid temper in the past two years, but I have learned ten percent from His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Si Ran gasped, getting angry.


    ¡°I¡¯m calling this an answer based on facts,¡± I smiled but came to a halt when we noticed his mother¡¯s maidservant. I straightened my face and said to the sullen Si Ran, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. Your mother sent someone to get you. I¡¯m envious. I don¡¯t see my mother care about me as much as your mother cares about you.¡±


    ¡°Every mother would be the same, but not the Empress Dowager,¡± Si Ran sighed, like a teacher who¡¯d been teaching for years. It was amusing that it made my stomach ache. Si Ran gave me a look before following the maidservant.


    I had intended to follow Si Ran, who had just walked away, but I accidently caught sight of a lonely figure huddled up in a corner, as if abandoned by the world. He appeared depressed. I stopped and peered at the slender, little figure visible from the corner.


    I exhaled a sigh. This was the first time I thought about making a kid happy. I chose a red apricot and went to the kitchen to rinse it. I went back to the back garden once it was all taken care of. The child remained in the corner. I approached him, handed him the apricot in front of his slightly shocked and cautious eyes, and pulled out a smile that I thought was harmless to humans and animals. ¡°Eat this. I just washed it. It¡¯s not dirty.¡±


    He stared at me for a long time before tentatively reaching out his hand to grab the apricot, and as he slid the red fruit into his mouth, I remembered something crucial, ¡°Wait, maybe the apricot is a little¡­uh¡­ sour¡ª¡±


    I said it too late. Just look at his little wrinkled face.


    He bit down hard on the fruit in his mouth. I expected him to spat it in front of myself, but he didn¡¯t. He swallowed the apricot after chewing it. After swallowing, he retreated back to his own world ,becoming indifferent and silent once more.


    I coughed twice trying to relieve myself of the discomfort and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    The child raised his eyes, opened his lips, and the word Feng Yin came out. I was stunned. His surname was Feng! A royal? Why haven¡¯t I heard this name?


    Out of courtesy, I told him mine, ¡°My name is Feng Ziqing. You have the same surname as me, which is Feng. You must be a prince, then you should call me Imperial Uncle.¡±


    ¡°Imperial Uncle¡­Feng Ziqing¡­¡± Feng Yin opened his mouth and muttered.


    I lightly touched his head with my paper fan, and said solemnly, ¡°Imperial Nephew, remember that it should be Imperial Uncle. Don¡¯t say it incorrectly.¡±


    Feng Yin¡¯s little hand touched his head where I touched it with my paper fan. He stared at me for a long time without blinking, and then called out with two words, ¡°Imperial Uncle.¡±


    I smiled, nodded and rubbed his soft looking black hair.


    The melancholy mood surrounding Feng Yin seemed too conspicuous. Either it makes people afraid and disgusted, or it makes people sorrowful, or it makes people curious about where this really forlorn atmosphere originates from. I appear to fall into the latter category.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Without thinking, I grabbed Feng Yin and said with a smile, ¡°Imperial Uncle will take you to see the treasures collected by my mother.¡±


    ¡°It hurts¡­¡± Feng Yin looked at the arm I was holding, and frowned.


    ¡°It hurts?¡±I wondered, following what he pointed out. I was astonished when I lifted the sleeves that covered his arms! What¡¯s up with all these blue marks that seem like whip wounds?!


    I frowned. ¡°Your mother punished you?¡±


    He shook his head before saying anything.


    ¡°Someone bullied you?¡± I guessed, but this guess¡­ was a bit unrealistic. Who would dare bully a dignified prince? Feng Yin was silent, and I gasped, ¡°Who is so bold?¡± Maybe I could tell Si Ran¡¯s mother, the Empress Dowager who is currently in charge of the harem.


    Looking at the silent Feng Yin, I sighed, ¡°Forget it. You don¡¯t have to say it if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    I cautiously lifted up Feng Yin, who didn¡¯t respond much, because of his arm, and my heart was startled. He was incredibly light! Instead of seeking Si Ran, we headed straight to the location where my mother kept her treasures.


    Feng Yin was about six or seven years old and I reckon I¡¯m five or six years older than him. He was not as naughty and noisy as Feng Yi, nor was he like the other princes who talked, laughed and played with their peers. No matter what you do, he¡¯ll remain quiet, cold and cautious. Was he afraid of being bullied?


    Mother¡¯s treasures were really precious. Everything here was very valuable, not like ordinary things, but I feel that my mother who collects these things was unbearable.


    I noticed Feng Yin¡¯s ink eyes flicker twice when he saw the items in the room. He felt very envious, but such a look should not be seen on a prince. Feng Yin pretended to examine these items casually before coming to a halt on a little but exceptionally exquisite Step (Buyao), and the gaze that was so intent on obtaining this thing astonished me.


    (t/n Buyao is a kind of jewelry (usually hairpins, headdress) for Han women in ancient China. Its production is mostly made of gold flexed into dragon and phoenix and other shapes, and it is decorated with pearls and jade)


    I frowned, surprised and there was contempt in my words. ¡°Do you like this Step ?¡± This is something that girls wear! Although Feng Yin looks like a little girl¡­


    After I finished speaking, he turned his black pupils towards me and stared at me. His slightly narrowed eyes flashed with an emotion I couldn¡¯t understand. After a little while, he raised his eyes and remarked softly. ¡°If mother concubine wears this, she will look beautiful.¡±


    It turned out to be for his mother. He should¡¯ve said earlier, my heart almost trembled with fright.


    I took the Step without any scruples and smiled as I handed it to Feng Yin, ¡°Since you like it, then I¡¯ll give it to you.¡±


    Anyway, Mother has countless headdresses. It wouldn¡¯t make a difference if I take one or two.


    Feng Yin received the Step and was so moved that he couldn¡¯t even say his thanks.


    I finally saw the cold and indifferent prince smile after all this time. This effort was not wasted in vain. Feng Yin smiled sweetly, albeit a little shyly.


    Not much later, I overheard the maid from the outside window announce that the princes were all going back to the palace, but Feng Yin was still here. I was nervous, so I rushed out of the room, clutching Feng Yin in my arms. Because I was in a hurry, I accidentally knocked down a few bottles of porcelain while running. My heart cried when I heard the shattering noises behind my ears ¨C it was all over!


    After seeing Feng Yin off, the door of the main hall was opened wide, and my angry mother was sitting at the main seat. Under the cold eyes of others, I consciously went to take the family law and knelt on the ground, holding it above my head. My heart was dissatisfied but I was nonetheless resigned. ¡°This child knows his mistakes, please punish me mother,¡± paused, ¡°I hope mother¡¯s anger will subside.¡±


    The maid took the family law that I held high above my head at the signal of my mother, and walked behind me. A great number of strikes were dealt upon me. I bit my lips in pain, and endured the whipping behind my back. I couldn¡¯t stop complaining, but I didn¡¯t have the slightest regret.


    Aren¡¯t you going overboard. For what? Isn¡¯t it just a few broken jars?


    In the end, I was knocked unconscious by my ruthless mother, and I don¡¯t know when I was placed in the bed.


    Once I twisted my body, I felt a burning pain and a complaint immediately sounded from the top of my head, ¡°Don¡¯t move! ¡°


    Translator¡¯s Note


    Family law refers to a norm that regulates the personal and property relations of family members or members of the family . However, from the perspective of the normative level, that is, the comprehensive sense of morality, religion, law, customs, art, etc., family law, as a norm of family autonomy, has the same origin as the law. Both originate from primitive social customs and norms, and it was not until the emergence of ¡°everyone¡±, that is, the state, that the two began to gradually separate and develop independently. In the course of the development of human society, the form of family has gone through a process of continuous evolution. Strictly speaking, the family in the current sense is very different from the family before the founding of New China, or it is more accurate to call the family in history as a family. It is undeniable that small families existed in ancient China, but such small families were attached to clans or families.

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14 Illusion (3)


    This lovely voice-


    My heart was overjoyed. It¡¯s Si Ran!


    When I sat up, I inadvertently knocked over the medicine bottle Si Ran was holding in his hand, and I noticed his brows furrow slightly. I was both embarrassed and amused. He stood up and sighed helplessly.


    I got nervous and thought he was going to leave, so I grabbed his sleeve and said, ¡°Where are you going, Si Ran?¡±


    ¡°To get the medicine,¡± he lightly pulled out his sleeves, and helplessly raised the corners of his lips, ¡°Lie down. Don¡¯t sit up while you¡¯re injured. Don¡¯t you feel pain?¡±


    Hearing what he said, I indeed felt an ache. I lay on the bed obediently and observed him leave elegantly to get the medication. My heart became very warm.


    I¡¯ve always wanted to marry Si Ran as a concubine since I was a child, but it¡¯s now unrealistic to even consider it. How can a man and a man coexist? However, I have always kept my wish close to my heart and had never considered discarding it.


    Under Si Ran¡¯s care, the wounds on my back got better day by day, and I gradually forgot about Feng Yin.


    Time passes, two years have gone in the twinkling of an eye, and Si Ran and I have both entered the year of aspiration and wisdom, and our feelings, hey, naturally have also grown!


    Since it was summertime, the golden sun hung in the sky as soon as I awoke. I was astonished as quickly as I lifted my sleeve to block the blinding brightness. Then I realized I had an appointment with Si Ran in the palace today. I had reached an agreement with Si Ran several days prior and he would undoubtedly be upset if I didn¡¯t show up.


    I quickly got up, changed my clothes, and washed myself. I left for the palace without having eaten anything. The emperor and queen granted me authority to enter the palace during any time due to a special edict as well as the fact that I am also a prince. As a result, my path into the palace was unobstructed.


    As I walked, I saw many people watching outside the imperial study. With the attitude of looking at the liveliness. I slowly squeezed forward, and what I saw made me dumbfounded¡­.


    A blood-stained boy in a prince¡¯s yellow robes collapsed alongside a cold female corpse.  The female body was clothed like an Imperial Concubine, and the blood on her temple had already congealed. She must¡¯ve been murdered, based on the wound. The boy¡¯s head was resting on the woman¡¯s arm, and his neck was obviously purple, as if he¡¯d been strangled. He twitched his quivering lips, but he could not really make a sound. I could tell he was calling for his mother concubine by the shape of his mouth. The tears on his cheeks had long since dried up, leaving blood and tangled hair sticking to his face. His black eyes were staring into the distant, blankly. He appeared miserable¡­.


    The palace maids and eunuchs all around were talking at length. Telling the story, with sighs and sarcasms. I listened, and then I understood.


    The prince lying beside the body was named Feng Yin, and the female corpse lying down was his mother concubine, called Ning Fei. Feng Yi¡¯s mother was originally a servant of Concubine Xi Fei. However, the emperor, who was naturally a romantic, fell in love with this maid for some reason, took her as a concubine, thus giving birth to Feng Yin, which irritated Concubine Xi, who was naturally jealous, to the point where she would hunt for trouble for these two every day. The Emperor didn¡¯t bother to take care of the beating and quarreling, so Concubine Ning had to endure it. Feng Yin was talented and intelligent, and was naturally favored by the Emperor, compared to Feng Yi. Concubine Xi, on the other hand, was enraged as a result of this. She chastised and battered the weak Concubine Ning, but Feng Yin refused to give up. Because the Emperor had recently neglected Concubine Xie, she went after Concubine Ning , beat and reprimanded her to vent her rage. She even strangled Feng Yin¡¯s throat and attempted to kill the child, making it impossible for Concubine Ning, who was struggling, to choose between life and death. How could she allow Concubine Xie to strangle her son? She became enraged and quickly removed the hairpin from her hair and stabbed it into the nape of Concubine Xi. Concubine Xi was taken aback and collapsed without even shrieking.


    A maid arrived in time just to witness the spectacle. She screamed and hurried to the imperial study room where she informed the Emperor of the situation. The Emperor then sent someone to apprehend Concubine Ning, who was still in a stunned state, while Feng Yin just cried. He wept as he followed Concubine Ning.


    Concubine Ning, who came to the imperial study, explained the whole story of the incident one by one under the Emperor¡¯s stern questioning, cried and begged for the Emperor¡¯s forgiveness.


    How easily could the regulations of this border nation be changed? The Emperor ignored her prayers and ordered that Concubine Ning be dragged out and executed.. Concubine Ning, who was dragged by two people, was naturally full of grievances. Somehow, with a momentary burst of strength, she broke free from the arms that were pulling her. She dashed outside the imperial study and rammed her skull into the large scarlet pillar, broke her head upon impact and immediately died.


    Feng Yin, on the other hand, was just behind Concubine Ning. When he saw this scene, he took a step forward, held his mother¡¯s corpse, and trembled for a while, and he stayed that way for a long time. When he awoke from his trance, tears streamed down his cheeks, and he sobbed uncontrollably whilst lying on the slowly freezing corpse. He called out to his mother, hoping she would wake up and look at him.


    When I came, what I saw was the picture after that.


    His mother did not have it easy. After all, she was not favored. She was also a good person that anyone can just deceive.


    Naturally, Feng Yin¡¯s status was humbled by the fact that his mother was a palace maid. Although many palace servants were respectful to Feng Yin and to his mother on the surface, they actually looked down on them in secret. I¡¯m afraid that the only person who was ever kind to Feng Yin was just his mother.


    Alas¡­ It¡¯s really pitiful that a child who is only eight or nine years old has to face such a big change.


    After a while, someone came and carried the cold body down. The maids and eunuchs scattered in a hurry, each doing their own thing. Although Feng Yin refused to let it go, he was too weak to do anything, so he could only follow it with his empty eyes in a dazed and sad manner.


    I stared blankly, and eventually took a step forward and squatted down. Without disgust, I reached out to wipe the tears and blood from his cheeks. It was a little difficult, but I still pulled the corners of my mouth and forced a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Imperial Uncle is here. I will take care of you from now on!¡±


    He stared at me with vacant eyes and with a lifeless expression. After a while, my shadow was reflected on his black eyes, and he gradually opened his pale lips. ¡°¡­Imperial Uncle.¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is Uncle.¡± Before I finished speaking, he hugged me, buried his head in my chest, whimpered and cried, silently without tears.


    Just when I was overwhelmed by the hug, there was a faint shadow in the corner of my eyes. I was taken aback by the furrowed brows and angry expression on his face. I pushed Feng Yin away, stood up, and explained in a bewildered tone. ¡°Si Ran, that¡¯s not the case. I just passed by, I didn¡¯t arrive late on purpose!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± He furrowed his brows indifferently, narrowed his peach blossom eyes slightly, and stared at Feng Yin, who was confused. Si Ran approached Feng Yin, squatted, and said, ¡°If This Palace remembers correctly, you should be Concubine Ning¡¯s son, Feng Yi¡¯s younger brother.¡±


    (t/n This Palace-a self-proclaimed title of the Lord of the House in ancient times.)


    Feng Yin nodded, confirming Si Ran¡¯s words. He contemplated for a while, then knelt down and bowed respectfully.

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15 Illusion (4)


    Si Ran smiled as he helped Feng Yin stand up. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be courteous. Come, you¡¯re all dirty. Let Imperial brother take you to the washroom.¡± Turning around, he lifted his brows and stared straight at me, ¡°What are you doing?Come on.¡±


    In a rush, I followed Si Ran to the East Palace¡¯s mansion. Si Ran assigned a maid to look after Feng Yin, and when he emerged, I was taken aback. His meekness was given a touch of grace by his white clothing. His phoenix eyes were half-dropping from nervousness, his peach lips were pursed slightly, and a set of petite hands were clumsily squeezing together. I can¡¯t help but laugh out loud when I see this. This was certainly the behavior of someone who had just left his house for the first time to interact with strangers. Like a timid lady.  Where is he a prince?  At the very least, he doesn¡¯t have that domineering personality that a royal should have.


    No, I can¡¯t stand it anymore¡­


    I grabbed a cup of tea and drank it hastily, choked up, and was kindly offered a square towel by Si Ran. I grabbed the square towel to wipe the tea smears from the corner of my lips away, but in my haste, I knocked over the teacup.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Si Ran asked, his face sinking.


    ¡°Uh¡­ drinking tea,¡± I coughed gently, masking my discomfort. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll clean it up now.¡±


    I knelt down, but the broken cup sliced my finger. Si Ran¡¯s face sunk even lower, frowning and telling the maid to fetch some wound medicine and he personally applied it to me carefully. It touched my heart to see Si Ran¡¯s focused expression.


    A ridiculous notion occurred to me- if Si Ran could always look after me like this, it would be worth it even if I perish!


    ¡°Has this turned you into a fool, Imperial Uncle?¡± Si Ran raised his lips slightly, a little amused, ¡°This is not right. If the Uncle became truly stupid, who would be willing to marry into the prince¡¯s residence? If that¡¯s the case, wouldn¡¯t the incense be cut off?¡±


    (t/n incense be cut off- have no descendents)


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­er¡­then you can just marry me.¡± Without thinking, I uttered such a sentence from my head.


    ¡°Okay.¡± He smiled and responded without hesitation.


    I was taken aback and couldn¡¯t reply quickly enough¡ª had Si Ran just agreed?  Did he also like me in his heart?


    I couldn¡¯t stop myself from hugging Si Ran. I was overjoyed, yet I had the impression that I was neglecting someone. Then I recalled  and grew agitated. ¡°Where is Feng Yin?¡± I inquired, my countenance solemn.


    It would be inappropriate for others to find out he was here. First of all, because his royal face was a bit sad.


    ¡°Feng Yin was picked up by a guard while you were still dazed, and I¡¯m afraid he had already returned to his place at this moment,¡± he said, his peach blossom eyes narrowing slightly.  ¡°Why? Do you miss him already if you don¡¯t see him for a moment?¡±


    Is Si Ran¡­jealous? Yes, he must be.


    I straightened up and responded in an instant. ¡°That¡¯s correct, but you shouldn¡¯t bother.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±With a cold snort, Si Ran turned his back on me and issued an order for me to depart, ¡°It¡¯s getting late, Imperial Uncle, go back to the mansion; I still have urgent  matters to do inside the palace, so I won¡¯t be seeing you off.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡± I sat on the mahogany chair, poured myself a cup of tea, and poked the floating leaves in the cup casually. ¡°Hadn¡¯t the emperor read the memorial already? I¡¯m not sure what else is urgent for Si Ran.¡±


    After a brief period of thought, he returned his gaze to me. He sat next to me, seemingly unconvinced. He poured himself a cup of tea and held it in his hand. Perhaps he wasn¡¯t thirsty after all. He was simply holding it, did not drink it, did not taste it, and did not say anything.


    I drank tea without a tea cup. It¡¯s a complete waste of time. I sipped straight from the pot, it was a delicious cup of tea, so I got another towards the end. The sun in the beautiful sky outside seemed bored, and had just fallen into the west.


    ¡°Imperial Uncle, it¡¯s getting late. You should return to the mansion,¡± Si Ran said, opening his lips while looking at the sunset.


    ¡°Why do you still call me Imperial Uncle? Call me Ziqing, Ziqing is much sweeter than Imperial Uncle, you know, Imperial Uncle sounds more distant.¡± I sat upright with a serious expression on my face.


    ¡°Ziqing¡­¡± Si Ran stumbled. Fortunately, he still calls me like that when there are no outsiders around.


    ¡°Si Ran,¡± I said bitterly, looking at the lowering sun and gray sky outside, ¡°see, it¡¯s getting late, and if I walk back now, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be dark before I¡¯m halfway there. When it¡¯s already dark, what if I run into a robber, thief, demon, ghost, or something, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll lose my life.¡±


    ¡°Rogues and robbers? You¡¯re still terrified despite your martial arts?¡± Si Ran lifted his eyebrows with a cold snort and said, ¡°Monsters and ghosts? I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s because Ziqing has heard many folk tales. How can there be monsters in this world? .¡±


    Demons, ghosts, and the like¡­ I don¡¯t believe that either. Wasn¡¯t I just looking for excuses to stay? How can you, Si Ran¡­


    I coughed gently and continued to hunt for a justification to stay. ¡°Actually, Si Ran, I was terrified of the night when I was younger, and now that it¡¯s getting late, I don¡¯t dare to walk back right now.¡±


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t I heard that Ziqing is afraid of the dark as a child? I don¡¯t know, but when he was still a child, he took this Palace everywhere to hunt for crickets.¡± Si Ran glanced at me, who looked very lost of being exposed, and sighed, ¡°Forget it. Servant, go to Prince Xi¡¯s mansion and report that because it¡¯s already too late, Imperial Uncle will rest here for the night.¡±


    (t/n this Palace-The self-proclaimed title of the Lord of the House in ancient times)


    ¡°Yes.¡± The servant replied respectfully, turned and trotted out of the East Palace.


    ¡°Someone, prepare a room for Uncle.¡±


    A maidservant said yes and was about to step down when I hurriedly intervened, ¡°There is no need to prepare a room. Si Ran, can¡¯t I just squeeze in with you?¡±


    It took a little while before Si Ran nodded and my extremely nervous mind was finally stabled.


    ¡°Prepare water, this Palace needs to bathe,¡± he paused, ¡°as well as Uncle Huang.¡±


    After the two of us took a bath, I walked to the bedroom quite comfortably, and threw myself at the tall **** embroidered with golden dragons, fully satisfied.


    Si Ran¡¯s unique fragrance was everywhere¡­


    There was a corner of a page of a book peeking under the pillow that reflected in my eyes. Si Ran worked so hard that he even read books at bedtime, I thought to myself.


    Full of curiosity, I pulled out the book under the pillow, the pages were opened, and I froze. The hands and shoulders holding the book trembled uncontrollably.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What are you doing..¡± What is this¡­.


    Si Ran stretched out his hand behind me and patted my shoulder. I finally put down the book ¡°The Legend of Hong Ye Sword ¡± wrapped in the cover of the Four Books and Five Classics. Although I covered my lips, I couldn¡¯t stop the laughter that had come out. Si Ran¡¯s countenance darkened as a result of my laughter, and he snatched the martial arts book from my grasp, snorted harshly, and laid down on the bed with his backside to me, ignoring me.


    (t/n Four Books and Five Classics- The Four Books and the Five Classics occupy a very important position in many literary works of Chinese traditional culture, and they are the core classics studied by Confucian scholars in all dynasties. The Four Books and Five Classics record in detail the historical facts of politics, military affairs, diplomacy, culture and other aspects in the history of early ideological and cultural development in my country, as well as the important thoughts of thinkers such as Confucius and Mencius.)


    ¡°Si Ran, you can do it. As a prince, I actually read these folk martial arts legends. I don¡¯t know how angry the emperor will be once he finds out.¡± I joked, but Si Ran didn¡¯t seem to have heard what I said. He was still lying on his side, not moving at all.


    I sat up, patted his back, yet he only waved his hand back, as if impatiently chasing flies away.

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16 Illusion (5)


    ¡°I¡¯m joking. How long are you going to be angry?¡± I raised my eyebrows and stopped joking.


    And the response to my remarks was silence, which may even suffocate individuals.


    There was no other option, so I had to use a trick ¨C poking at Si Ran¡¯s ticklish spot, tickling him till he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, he abruptly turned over and sat up with a grin on the corner of his lips. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh dryly. I lied down and pretended nothing had occurred, covering my head with a quilt.


    I had the impression that the look from above was searing and that it wanted to kick me out of bed. After a long pause, I sighed helplessly.


    Si Ran laid down gently after blowing off the light. I raised the quilt covering my head and embraced him sideways. Si Ran strained awkwardly before coming to a halt. He let me toss and groped for a while, then I sighed softly, ¡°Si Ran, you are too thin. It¡¯s a little strange to hold¡­¡­¡±


    I held back the words that followed at the tip of my tongue. Si Ran snorted and rolled over. After a while, I could only hear soft breathing near me. I hugged him again, softly moving my hand. I put my forehead against his back and breathed his pleasant scent until I fell asleep. That night, I slept well.


    Si Ran woke me up early the next morning. I was drowsy and bewildered from being half conscious, so I requested Si Ran to dress me. He was dissatisfied at first, then powerless, and finally just treated me like a child, tolerated my silliness, and dressed me.


    After being taken care of  properly and having eaten a meal, Si Ran and I played together for a while, and it was not until Xu Shi that I reluctantly returned to Prince Xi¡¯s mansion.


    (t/n xu shi-the period of the day from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m;  )


    I didn¡¯t return last night and I didn¡¯t want to go back. Even if Si Ran asked the servant to inform me, it¡¯d still be easy to argue back. I should have not listened to Si Ran¡¯s urging to return to Prince Xi¡¯s mansion just now, even if I lost this little face, it¡¯s better to rub against Si Ran¡¯s than to go back home and be beaten.


    Sure enough, when I returned, my mother was sitting high inside the hall, her face was gloomy, and she was angry. The maid that stood beside her was holding the family law in hand. After being with my mother for a long time, the maid¡¯s eyes more or less carried my mother¡¯s usual arrogance.


    I knelt down and listened to my mother. ¡°Last night, you didn¡¯t return. Although the prince sent someone to inform me, you still shouldn¡¯t have stayed in the East Palace. It had caused a great delay in the prince¡¯s study. Ziqing should know this. ¡°


    ¡°The child knows.¡± These words again. Mother really is¡­.


    ¡°I¡¯ll punish you by kneeling in front of the Avalokitesvara statue for a whole night to reflect upon your mistakes and you are not allowed to eat a meal.¡±


    (t/n Avalokitesvara statue(Guanyin Statue)- Goddess of Mercy)


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡± I responded reluctantly, went to the small room dedicated to Guanyin, and knelt down in front of the statue.


    Want me to repent? What a joke! I haven¡¯t done anything wrong.


    Alas, I can¡¯t even eat a meal. My mother is really¡­..how can she be so cruel. Sometimes I really wonder whether she¡¯s my mother.


    I knelt until the next morning and watched a ray of sunshine sneak into the small room. I¡¯m afraid my mother has already eaten at this time. I massaged my already numb legs, and it took me a long time to stand up. After patting off the little dust on my knees with my sleeves, I limped to the kitchen to ask the cook to make me some food. After eating, I went back to the East Palace without feeling any remorse.


    I cast a weird glance at Si Ran, who sat high in the hall, frowning. Despite the fact that he was gripping a scroll, his gaze was clearly not on it. I took a step forward, poured a cup of tea for myself, and drank it to relieve my thirst.


    ¡°Why do you look so unhappy? What happened?¡±


    After a brief moment, he cast a leisurely gaze at me, dropped the scroll in his fingers, and sighed. ¡°The neighboring kingdom sent envoys to propose a marriage with one of our princes,¡± he explained after a little pause, ¡°and father approved.¡±


    ¡°Marriage? Who was picked?¡± I inquired casually. I couldn¡¯t understand why Si Ran was so irritated by this. It wasn¡¯t even¡­¡­a marriage for him?!


    Thinking like this, I was shocked. It wouldn¡¯t be so coincidental, would it?


    ¡°Me.¡± As soon as he opened and closed his lips, his expression became more and more annoyed as the words came out.


    You agreed?¡± I questioned warily, my heart skipping a beat. If he agreed, wouldn¡¯t what he told me the day before become a joke?


    Si Ran put his hand on his forehead and sighed, ¡°The emperor¡¯s order is hard to disobey.¡±


    ¡°Si Ran, you¡­ don¡¯t you like me?¡± I was nervous. If he didn¡¯t like me then why did he agree the other day.


    ¡°I like you,¡± Si Ran said, flushing, and immediately poured himself a cup of tea to mask his embarrassment.


    My dangling heart eventually collapsed to the ground as a result of these remarks.


    ¡°The emperor¡¯s edict is difficult to ignore. I have no choice,¡± Putting down the teacup, his annoyance was evident.


    ¡°Si Ran, do you like the rivers and lakes in ¡°The Legend of Hong Ye Jianqing?¡± I thought, recalling the piece of the page under Si Ran¡¯s pillow.  I suddenly had an idea.


    ¡°Well, I like it,¡± Si Ran paused, and then expressed doubts, ¡°What does Ziqing mean by this?¡±


    I smiled, leaned over and whispered, ¡°It means ¨C let¡¯s run away! We can still venture into the rivers and lakes that Si Ran yearns for.¡±


    Si Ran was stunned for a moment at my words, his peach blossom eyes narrowed slightly and a good word came out.


    My idea was immature and frivolous. It¡¯s made just to avoid the immediate troubles but also to put aside the many problems that will come later. Making this promise, I have no regrets in my heart.


    ¡°Si Ran, is there a way to leave the palace without being noticed?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ziqing, I have a way to get out of the palace without being recognized.¡± Si Ran smiled, with 100% confidence in his words.


    ¡°Si Ran, it¡¯s too late to regret now.¡± I looked straight into his eyes with a rare seriousness.


    ¡°Why should I regret?¡± Si Ran smiled, so calmly.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve decided to kidnap you, the prince. I won¡¯t give you a chance to retreat if something happens.¡± I laughed.


    ¡°I, Feng Si Lian, never regret anything I do.¡±


    A burst of laughter dissipated the initial anxiety and nervousness.  I made a decision with Si Ran to meet outside the Imperial City, and then returned to Prince Xi¡¯s residence, changed into ordinary white clothes, took more silver coins and hurried outside the Imperial City. At a corner, hidden in the shadows, I waited for him.


    An hour passed yet Si Ran was still nowhere to be seen. Could it be that he regretted it? Or was he recognized¡­ The more I think about it, the more agitated I become, and the angrier I get. If something happens to Si Ran, what¡¯s the point of my life?


    When I couldn¡¯t help but want to rush in to find Si Ran, a person stretched out his hand from behind and patted my shoulder, and a familiar and elegant voice came into my ears.


    ¡°What are you about to do?¡± A voice sounded with a hint of laughter.


    ¡°Enter the Imperial City to find you,¡± I smiled, ¡°but I don¡¯t think I need to now.¡±


    ¡°Why are you still here? The three of us should go and explore now.¡± Si Ran raised his eyebrows with a little dissatisfaction.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, don¡¯t be angry. It¡¯s not good to expose yourself~¡± I laughed, then hesitated, ¡°Three?¡±


    ¡°Feng Yin!¡± Feng Yin, who was in a little palace maid¡¯s attire suddenly appeared before my eyes. He pursed his pink lips tightly, his fingers clasped together uneasily and was obviously nervous. I held back a laugh and instead asked in doubt, ¡°Why is Feng Yin here? ¡°

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17 Illusion (6)


    ¡°Feng Yin will be bullied if I leave him so I just brought him together with me.¡± Si Ran¡¯s lips curled slightly in a delicate smile.


    ¡°Si Ran, you are really kind¡­¡± Do you think we are going on a stroll here¡­


    I twitched the corners of my mouth and laughed dryly. That¡¯s it, it¡¯s over, it¡¯s useless to mention it any more.


    I opened my mouth wanting to say something, but Si Ran lightly touched his pink lips, made a silent gesture, and opened his lips slightly, ¡°If you have something to say, say it later. We have to leave here first.¡±


    I nodded and left the foot of the Imperial City walls with Si Ran and Feng Yin. We went all the way south and we didn¡¯t stop until we left the capital in January. Only stopping at an inn intermittently to rest.


    Throughout the journey, I noticed many officers and troops patrolling. As I sat drinking tea in the teahouse, I heard that the recent high increase in the number of officers and soldiers was due to certain individuals going missing from the palace, according to various travelers. They have no idea who went missing, but they believe it was a powerful person, possibly the emperor¡¯s concubine.


    Hearing this, I just smiled and drank tea, not saying anything else.


    Now that summer has come to an end, the beginning of fall is approaching. When we arrived in a little town, we went to a cloth and fabric store to buy clothes because our clothes were a little thinner then found an inn to stay. It¡¯s a good thing I read a lot of biographies of renowned individuals as a kid. Although I had never run away from home before, it was not wholly foreign to me. At the very least, I had enough money before I went out.


    In the past month, Feng Yin had still not spoken much, like a shy little girl. Perhaps because it was not long ago that he lost his mother concubine, or because I and Si Ran were not familiar enough with him. Si Ran, on the other hand, was in good spirits the entire journey, and his smile never faded.


    I pulled back my thoughts as soon as I placed the luggage on the dining table, ordered a few famous side dishes of the inn, poured myself a cup of tea, drank it, and waited for the food to be served. Si Ran followed suit. Feng Yin was the only one who lowered his head and twisted the bottom corners of his robes together. I sighed as it became clear that he was once again uneasy.


    After the waiter had served the food, I held up my chopsticks and was about to soothe my rumbling tummy when the front door was kicked open. An idiotic individual entered the inn as soon as it was kicked open, surrounded by a few servants. His greedy eyes examined the occupants inside the inn for a time before stopping at our table. The person waved his hand, and the servants immediately understood, shouted, and drove the other guests out, except for the three of us. The shopkeeper noticed it and crouched down, terrified.


    I remained smiling and put some side dishes in Si Ran¡¯s bowl, while Si Ran put some vegetables in Feng Yin¡¯s bowl, and Feng Yin¡­well he was silently eating, as if nothing happened.


    The man came to our table, placed a pair of hands on both sides of Feng Yin¡¯s shoulders, and said some threatening words. Feng Yin shook and looked at me helplessly.


    I pulled out a chopstick and knocked it hard at the thief¡¯s hands. The man took his hands back with a cry.  A servant shouted to use force and he immediately attempted to grab Si Ran. When I saw this, I promptly waved my hand stopping him. I became angry, stood up and twisted the man¡¯s hand, dislocating it. I frowned and warned him heavily,  ¡°How can you touch my man?! Hmph! Don¡¯t let me see you again, or you won¡¯t be so lucky next time. ¡°


    The man¡¯s teeth trembled in pain when he felt his dislocated hand. He told the servant to move the wooden table and fight me, but these servants, who couldn¡¯t even do three-legged cat kung fu, were obviously not my opponents. I beat them to the ground quickly and neatly. If I couldn¡¯t even beat them, wouldn¡¯t my 10 years of hard work learning kung fu be in vain?


    (t/n three-legged cat-a metaphor for a person who has a little knowledge of various skills, described as the level is not high; shallow.)


    The man was terrified by my actions and shouted, ¡°Spare my life, great hero,¡± as I pulled over his collar. I ignored him, looked at the destroyed food, and raised my eyebrows, ¡°You shattered our meals, you must compensate us!¡±


    Because of my remark, Si Ran, who was watching the good show, laughed out loud, Feng Yin was stunned on the spot, and even the guy I was holding by the collar was dumbfounded.


    ¡°Did you hear me? Hurry up and compensate, I don¡¯t want to waste money because of you.¡± I raised my eyebrows, very impatient.


    When the words fell, the man shivered and took out a piece of silver from his sleeve and held it with both hands and handed it to me. I let go of the hand holding his collar and took the silver with satisfaction. We changed tables and ordered the original meal to the shopkeeper who had poked his head out from under the counter at some point, while the man and his servant got up and ran. As they ran out of the inn, the man didn¡¯t forget to turn around and shout- ¡°My father is the county magistrate, you wait! I will definitely come to take revenge!¡±


    Wait? I¡¯m not a fool, whoever waits for you is asking for trouble.


    ¡°Son of a little magistrate, how dare he be so arrogant.¡± Si Ran frowned slightly, and there was extreme dissatisfaction in his words.


    ¡°Calm down, don¡¯t care so much about it.¡± I smiled, not taking it seriously.


    Si Ran nodded and calmed his anger. After all, we were here to elope, not to make a private visit.


    On the other hand, Feng Yin, who was quietly eating the food served by the waiter, glanced at me from time to time, unable to hide his admiration. The people outside the store also looked at me with a little admiration. I felt a little proud. This is the so-called being a hero!


    Si Ran chuckled and knocked me on the head with chopsticks, ¡°Looking at your grinning expression, what strange things are you thinking again.¡±


    I put aside my pride, shook my head and giggled, then buried my head to eat.


    Since we¡¯ve provoked people, we don¡¯t need to stay in this town for too long. After eating the food and settling the bill, the three of us set off for a leisurely stroll around the so-called rivers and lakes.


    Before I knew it, it was already autumn. Si Ran was dressed in white, with his long black hair casually placed behind his back. Occasionally, a trace of black hair hangs playfully on the side of his face, floating like an immortal without losing elegance.


    On the side, Feng Yin stared at the sugar gourd in the hawker¡¯s hand. He didn¡¯t say whether he wanted it or not. He stared so hard that I became embarrassed. I patted his shoulder, he turned his head and looked at me with a pair of ink eyes. I looked back and laughed harmlessly, ¡°Nephew, if you call me uncle, I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡±


    Feng Yin just turned his head after, his childish face looked at Si Ran, then his pink mouth opened, ¡°Brother Si Lian.¡±


    Si Ran curled his lips into a smile and raised his eyebrows at me proudly. He took a bunch of candied haws and handed them to Feng Yin. Looking at Feng Yin who was content with eating candied haws, I was stunned. I gritted my teeth and paid the money.


    Shouldn¡¯t you just call me uncle? Is it that difficult¡­


    On the way, we learned that a martial arts conference will be held in a nearby town in a few days to nominate a new martial arts leader. Some martial artists with reputation and capability will take part. Naturally, how could Si Ran, who is full of martial arts thoughts, pass up such a wonderful opportunity? He dragged Feng Yin and me down the road, and we rushed to town, ending up here on the way.


    Just as I turned around and continued to follow Si Ran¡¯s footsteps, I was bumped by a girl who jumped out of nowhere. The girl was knocked to the ground. She rubbed her forehead, and her pretty face was full of anger.

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18 Illusion (7)


    I hurriedly apologized again and again, extended out my hand and grabbed her arm to help her up, only to recall that casually holding a female¡¯s hand is inappropriate, so I hurriedly let go of her arm. Because of my actions, the girl sank to the ground once more, her squinting eyes filled with rage.


    This female, on the other hand, was not normal. Her chest was flat, and there was an Adam¡¯s apple protruding slightly¡­


    This female turned out to be a man! I knelt and reached into his shirt, disregarding his screams and Si Ran¡¯s dark eyes. I took out my purse and brought it up to his face. His face visibly changed from red to white, as expected.


    ¡°What are you doing with my money, little brother?¡± I raised my eyebrows, looking at those eyes full of bewilderment with interest.


    Under the guidance of others, he abruptly stood up and pointed at me. His face flushed red, having yet to say a word..


    Finally, he arrogantly raised his chin and said, ¡°You know, this is called robbing the rich in order to help the needy!¡±


    ¡°You should rob the corrupt officials who rob the rich in order for you to help the poor,¡± I scoffed, ¡°not just anyone with a small bit of money.¡±


    He was taken aback. He crouched down and pleaded as I took a step, ¡°Big brother, let me follow you!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I coughed violently before I could respond.


    ¡­


    Murong Xing was the name of this person. He was the youngest son of a powerful official. He appeared to be eleven or twelve years old. He decided to sneak out because he wanted to learn martial arts and was tired of enjoying a carefree life. He studied under a prominent master, Yi Rong, and aspired to be a famous rogue, and his  first victim was me.


    As a result of Murong Xing¡¯s pestering, Si Ran couldn¡¯t handle it any longer, so he let him in and joined the 3 of us together.


    So when I heard the news at the inn, my face went black. I just wanted to live a wanton life with Si Ran. When  Feng Yin first came along, he already destroyed half of my plan, and now with the arrival of Murong Xing, it was totally ruined.


    Today was  a good day, the sun was just right, the market was lively, and Si Ran was still asleep beside me. I got out of bed lightly, dressed, and walked out the door, wondering  if I could find the sequel to ¡°The Legend of Hong Ye Jianqing¡±. I¡¯m sure it will make Si Ran happy. We¡¯ll be closer together than ever before.


    ¡°Big brother, good morning.¡±


    As soon as I walked out of the room, I saw Murong Xing. I answered back and walked out of the inn, with Murong Xing following behind me. Lest he would make a fuss and throw a temper, which would be annoying, so I let him follow me.


    We came to the shop specializing in calligraphy, paintings and books. I rummaged for a while. Murong Xing curiously stretched out his head beside me, ¡°Big brother, what are you looking for? This little brother will help you find it.¡±


    ¡°The sequel to ¡°The Legend of Hong Ye Jianqing,¡± I remarked without looking up, ¡°there¡¯s none here, go look for it elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°It turns out that big brother enjoys reading it as well!¡±


    ¡± Murong Xing squinted his eyes and followed me for a while.


    Sure enough, the Emperor pays off. I eventually found it after a morning of searching. I was overjoyed and paid the money. I carried the book in my arms and returned to the inn. Murong Xing smiled mysteriously as he purchased another book. He promised to show me something wonderful later, and after a while, he walked to the street and bought a bundle of candied haws, then returned to the inn with me. Si Ran was still teaching Feng Yin how to play chess in his room when I placed the book by the bed, in a more conspicuous place. I intended to surprise Si Ran later. I happened to bump into Murong Xing carrying a string of candied haws, which he bought to harass Feng Yin, and sure enough, he predicted right. Murong Xing stepped in from outside the house and held it, asking Feng Yin to worship him as a teacher, and that he will teach Feng Yin how to improve his appearance. I chuckled for a while as I watched Feng Yin stare at the tanghulu without blinking, then dragged Si Ran, who was also smiling, back to our shared room.


    (t/n the emperor pays off-It is a metaphor that God will not disappoint those who have perseverance. You have to persevere and strive towards your goals , and your goals will definitely become reality.)


    ¡°What are you doing? Why are you in such a hurry?¡± he asked, clearly confused.


    ¡°A surprise for you, you¡¯ll find out in a minute,¡± I smiled, pushed open the door, and pointed at the *** with my head, with great joy, ¡°Go and see.¡±


    Si Ran took a leisurely stride forward. He picked up the book by the bed with curiosity and interest. He couldn¡¯t stop shivering when he flipped it over. I couldn¡¯t see his expression since his long hair on the side of the face obscured his eyes. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s overjoyed. I guess.


    Si Ran turned around, still holding the book. His eyes were as dark as stars and somewhat astringent. His small lips were clenched and pallid.


    ¡°Shameless!¡± He abruptly raised his hand and hurled the book to me, accompanied by a slap that made me dizzy for no apparent reason.


    What happened?


    I bent over and picked up the book on the ground, flipped it over and over again, and blushed all of a sudden. This, this¡­ this is not ¡°The Continuation of Hongye Jianqing¡± at all! This¡­ these two men, a room in a spring scene, is clearly¡­


    Suddenly I remembered the good thing that Murong Xing said mysteriously. My thoughts became clear, and I burst into anger. That bastard Murong Xing!


    Leaving the book behind, I dashed out to chase after Si Ran, only to see him enter another room. Just as I was about to go in as well, I was knocked back. My forehead just made skin-to-skin contact with the door. I rubbed my painful forehead and howled.


    ¡°Si Ran, listen to my explanation! I didn¡¯t want to show you that book, Si Ran! No, I didn¡¯t buy that book at all! Si Ran, open the door¡­¡±


    ¡­


    After begging to open the door for an entire day, the few fellow guests who passed by gazed at me with knowing eyes, and some with sympathy. Saying that the young couple fought momentarily and that it was nothing serious. When I heard it, I twitched the corners of my mouth and laughed dryly. Even so, Si Ran didn¡¯t open the door, didn¡¯t say anything, and didn¡¯t return to the room to sleep. In a moment of rage, I kicked open Murong Xing¡¯s room door and viciously beat him. Only then did I calm down.


    The next day after I settled the payment, I smiled cordially and stayed by Si Ran¡¯s side, despite the fact that Si Ran considered me as air, but Murong Xing changed his face and put on a lifeless dead face, covering the face injury last night. He bought a bunch of candied haws and pestered Feng Yin to worship him as his teacher.


    In another small county, Si Ran noticed people running in a hurry and became suspicious, so he stopped a passer-by and inquired, ¡°Brother, why are you in such a hurry, did something happen?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ uh, are you a girl from another country? I knew at a glance that you were a woman disguised as a man. You don¡¯t know, today is a great day, because the daughter of Lord Chen will throw hydrangea and choose a husband. Not to mention Lord Chen¡¯s wealth and power, her daughter is also as gorgeous as a fairy. If you can grab the hydrangea, you will enjoy endless wealth and riches, you will also get a beauty for yourself. Who wouldn¡¯t want to do it? It¡¯s the best of both worlds!¡± The passerby said with a sullen face, and ran to grab the hydrangea, completely ignoring Si Ran¡¯s face when he heard the words ¡°women disguise as men¡±.


    I held back my laughter, my shoulders trembling. Feng Yin tugged at the corner of my sleeve, and said with concern. ¡°Ziqing, are you alright?¡±


    I coughed dryly, scratched my hair, and avoided Si Ran¡¯s eyes as he turned his head with a bitter expression.


    ¡°Hehe¡­The weather is nice today¡­¡±

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19 Illusion (8)


    ¡°Brother, it has become cloudy now¡­¡± Murong Xing looked inexplicably, ¡°Where did this come from?¡±


    I heard Si Ran¡¯s sneer, I gritted my teeth and glared fiercely at Murong Xing, ¡°Even if you don¡¯t speak, no one will take you for a mute.¡±


    What I said successfully silenced Murong Xing, and then I returned my gaze back to Feng Yin, I opened my mouth and said quite seriously, ¡°Nephew, just call uncle! Uncle! Do you understand? Is it a taboo for Nephew to call me Uncle?¡±


    ¡°Uncle.¡± Si Ran arched his eyebrows, his elegant voice came out and my back instantly stiffened. I turned my head to look at him, who was still in a bad mood, and then slowly moved my head to face Feng Yin again, this time with a pained expression.


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s just a title, it doesn¡¯t matter, you can call me by my name¡­¡±


    ¡°Ziqing.¡± Feng Yin hooked his lips, and the word ¡®Ziqing¡¯ flowed naturally from his mouth. This naughty child¡­I¡¯ll definitely remember this! Anyways, I can¡¯t bully Feng Yin in this situation because Si Ran was still upset.


    ¡°Throwing Hydrangea to choose a husband seems quite interesting.¡±Si Ran thought, his voice full of curiosity.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t we go have a look, Si Ran. Anyway, there¡¯s still some time before the martial arts conference starts.¡± I put forward the suggestion, dispelling the discomfort I was feeling. Murong Xing echoed with a loud voice, even Feng Yin¡¯s eyes were tinged with interest.


    After a while, Si Ran¡¯s pink lips twitched, he nodded lightly, and agreed. The four of us followed the direction everyone went to the front of the colorful building outside the Chen residence.


    It looked like everyone in the county was here, and maybe even some from neighboring counties. It can be described as a sea of people. It was so crowded that veins on people¡¯s forehead couldn¡¯t stop jumping. I wanted to kick some that were next to us. Leaving a big gap for Si Ran. However Si Ran was not bothered and patiently waited for the play with the corner of his lips hooked. He doesn¡¯t look angry at all.


    Following a burst of cheers from the crowd, the girl in a bright red dress holding a hydrangea in her hand stepped forward. Seeing the crowd downstairs, she seemed timid. She covered her face with one hand and turned to hide in the arms of a woman. The people downstairs teased, and it took some moment for the girl to stand upstairs again, holding a hydrangea in her hand, she then threw it as soon as she closed her eyes. I saw her face clearly and at first I was stunned. Then I felt slandered afterwards¡ª How was she a beauty like a fairy? Lovely enough to cause the fall of a city or a state? It was all nonsense! All I saw were just a pair of eyebrows, a pair of eyes, a nose and a mouth, it¡¯s so ordinary that it can¡¯t be more ordinary!


    She¡¯s not as good as my Si Ran!


    ¡°Si Ran, there¡¯s nothing to see here, let¡¯s go.¡± I said, with no interest in staying anymore.


    Si Ran nodded in agreement. As I turned around, I suddenly sensed something. Before my thoughts could process what it was, I instinctively blocked it and swatted the flying object behind me. Only to realize that Si Ran was still at the back of me¡­


    With a low hum, some were amazed and some were disappointed, I turned around and widened my eyes ¨C the thing just now turned out to be a hydrangea, and now Si Ran was holding it against his chest with one hand¡­


    This¡­ throwing hydrangeas to choose a candidate¡­ hydrangea¡­ choose a husband¡­..


    ¡°Si Ran, I¡­you¡­what to do?!¡± I stuttered in a panic, unable to utter a proper sentence.


    Without thinking, he threw the hydrangea in his hand to the ground and raised his eyebrow. ¡°What should I do?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­that¡­ball, that hydrangea, but you caught it?¡±


    ¡°It was obviously thrown by you,¡± after a pause, he frowned, ¡°I have no intention of picking it up, let¡¯s go.¡±


    As soon as he turned around, Si Ran was stopped by the servants of the Chen family, ¡°This Young Master, please.¡±


    Although the words were respectful, they were firm. The road way back was blocked as evidence.


    ¡°No, get out of the way.¡± His lips only parted slightly, yet the words spoken were cold.


    Just as I was about to step forward, a sword still in its scabbard was swiftly pointed at Si Ran, and a girl in pink sullenly said, ¡°Since you caught the hydrangea, why would you leave? Could it be that you want to be regarded as a heartless man!¡±


    ¡°This lady is joking. I didn¡¯t intentionally capture the hydrangea, and I¡¯ve never met the girl in the attic before. Please don¡¯t slander me,¡± Si Ran curled his lips, and continued, ¡°Besides¡­ I already have someone. If I marry that girl, wouldn¡¯t I just break their heart?¡±


    The girl became silent. She nodded after a while and agreed with Si Ran¡¯s statement. Her pair of almond eyes looked at Si Ran for a long time, and suddenly her gaze turned hideous. ¡°You are¡­ Feng Si Lian!!¡±


    A flash of white light dazzled my eyes, a sharp sword in the girl¡¯s hand was unsheathed, and its body glowed with a cold light. Those who were purely onlookers fled like birds and beasts, for fear of getting themselves hurt. I hurriedly squeezed forward and went in front of Si Ran, ¡°This lady¡­Isn¡¯t it inappropriate to point a sword at people when coming here?¡±


    ¡°Hmph! He was originally going to be married to me! But because he ran away, all fell through and I lost my freedom. I specifically came to the border county just to take his life and vent my anger! If you want to live, get out of the way.¡± The girl was staring at Si Ran behind me, fire seemed to burst out from her eyes.


    ¡°Tsk, who cares about that stupid marriage. Aren¡¯t you both just being forced to do so, besides, didn¡¯t you hear Si Ran say that he already has someone. What¡¯s the matter with you? Are you deaf?!¡± I exclaimed sharply, with an unreasonable rage in my heart which made the girl¡¯s face turn black and white for a while. How wonderful.


    ¡°Ziqing¡­¡± Si Ran looked at me, hesitant to say anything. I thought he was scared, so I turned around and said ¡®It¡¯s okay¡¯ with a smile.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then don¡¯t blame me for being rude!¡± The girl remarked coldly and raised her sword. I sneered and evaded her attack several times. With quick steps, I counter-attacked, kicked her sword and finally immobilized her by placing the edge of it around her throat.


    ¡°Brother Si Lian!¡± Murong Xing pulled Feng Yin¡¯s arm, his eyes widened while looking behind me with worry. I was startled, I turned my head, and my pupils shrank involuntarily.


    ¡°Let go of my master, otherwise don¡¯t blame the sword in my hand for not having eyes.¡± A woman dressed as a servant, who appeared out of nowhere, raised her sword around Si Ran¡¯s neck, and threatened in a female voice. I didn¡¯t find it weird. However the threat was extremely effective.


    ¡°Despicable,¡± I secretly whispered and said with a sullen face , ¡°If you let Si Ran go, I will let your master go.¡±


    ¡­


    Outside the realm of illusions, white smoke billows from the top of the stove, encircling  the whole body.


    ¡°Master, you can¡¯t do it! If you do this, what if you will lose your life!¡± Qinglian can¡¯t believe it. Her master usually smiles at everything, but the master who cares for her decided to lose his old smile for a man, regardless of his own life, and even regardless of her own feelings.


    ¡°You go down. Don¡¯t make trouble.¡± He opened his lips beside the bed. His eyes were full of fondness but not towards her.


    ¡°Master, why¡­why do you still like him? He doesn¡¯t have you in his heart! I love Master, Lian¡¯er only has Master in her heart and no one else. Why do you still want to save him? He is not worth it Master! You should sober up! Only I am worthy of Master!¡± Tears welled up in her eyes, her almond eyes staring fiercely at the person lying down, wishing to cut him thousands of pieces.

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20 Departure


    ¡°Presumptuous! You go out.¡± With a low reprimand, the tears in her eyes finally fell, and she dashed out the door.


    After a short while, the house regained its tranquility. The slightest white smoke slowly encircled the body, and his face gradually turned pale. The mood in his eyes was inexplicable. He reached his hand and touched his own cheek, exhibiting the elegant smile he usually liked to show. Although it was bitter, he still felt content.


    Since it was the aspiration of the heart and the thing he¡¯s infatuated with before, how can he ignore it?


    Besides¡ªhe had never regretted anything.


    The somewhat constrained gaze revealed no regret. He knew from the start that there was only Feng Si Lian in the man¡¯s heart and no one else, but he had already fallen, and he had no remorse or complaints in the end.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to wake up, why are you still clinging to the past?¡± His long hair dangled in front of his eyes, covering everything in front of him as he leaned his head lightly on the lying person¡¯s chest. His smile was so bitter and lost, ¡°Are you the stupid one or am I just crazy¡­¡±


    Closing his eyes, the smoke became more intense.


    ¡­..


    The woman dressed as a servant boy and I just stood in a stalemate like this, perhaps because I was afraid of being deceived. What if the hostages in the hands of both parties were injured in the slightest.


    Damn, how could I be so careless!


    ¡°My lord, are you still not willing to let go of the past?¡± The person who came was wearing white clothes and was dragging it to the ground. His eyebrows were like a distant mountain and his hair was ink black. His lips were light, and his voice was just as elegant, but¡ª¡±Who are you?¡± Why does he look a bit like Si Ran? But Si Ran is not as tall as him¡­ Er.. this person is even taller than me, and, ah¡­ No. Si Ran is right in front of me.


    ¡°Gu Qingheng.¡± He said.


    Gu Qingheng¡­Qingheng. His name sounds familiar, but I don¡¯t remember him at all.


    The man who claimed to be Gu Qingheng frowned slightly, stretched out his hand and pressed his chest, as if trying to restrain something. Finally, he grabbed my hand. I wanted to break free, however I couldn¡¯t, so I had no choice but to let him pull me¡­.pull me out of my own body?! What¡¯s going on¡­¡­


    Looking at the people again, it seemed that they hadn¡¯t noticed anything when I was dragged out in thin air. Or, perhaps, there was really no presence of me in their eyes, only the boy who held the sword in his hand frowning tightly.


    ¡°My lord, the old friend is already deceased. The old things are hard to catch up with, why should you be so persistent.¡± Qingheng said, as if I was a child who did something wrong, it was annoying.


    ¡°Enough!¡± I stopped him, frowned and growled, spitting out all the dissatisfaction in my heart, ¡°Gu Qingheng, who are you to this Lord? Are you even qualified!¡±


    The things around us continued. He opened his mouth yet no words were said and finally lowered his eyes, staying silent.


    ¡°You are Gu Qingheng, Qinglian¡¯s future husband! I don¡¯t care about your affairs, and on the contrary, you have no right to intervene in mine! What old friend¡¯s past is hard to catch up with, and what morals and ethics have nothing to do with me. What about persistence? I just want to meet Si Ran¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s illusory! I just want to look at him every day just like this¡­ What¡¯s wrong with that!¡± I said coldly, expressing my long-suppressed feelings, ¡°It¡¯s you who made me forget the person I should have never forgotten in my life!¡±


    ¡°Ziqing¡­¡± He pursed his lips, opened his mouth yet was still a little hesitant. After a long while, he finally said, ¡°I have been ordered by His Majesty to take you out of the virtual realm, and also ask me to accompany you out. Please don¡¯t be difficult.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still so stubborn, nothing has changed¡­¡± I looked at him and let go of this excessive and impulsive temper. I glanced at the already rescued Si Ran and sighed, ¡°I¡¯m Feng Ziqing and I¡¯ve never begged anyone in my life. However I am begging you now, let me stay, okay?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Without thinking, he answered sternly.


    Before his words fell, my face already turned sullen. Since he¡¯s being difficult, I¡¯ll just use force. However, I was immediately restrained by Qingheng¡¯s mantra. I thought of ways to get rid of it  however I couldn¡¯t move an inch and even speak. I was anxious. I couldn¡¯t do anything but glare at him.  I could only watch the illusion slowly fade away as he held me. I stared at the pale shadow with great reluctance, and only smiled faintly until it disappeared in my eyes.


    Si Ran¡­


    As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw a snow gauze curtain hanging above, a vermilion wooden window and door frames, and smoke exuding sandalwood aroma. I massaged my forehead, feeling somewhat weary and was about to get up when I realized that someone was pressing on me. I looked up and saw that Qingheng had fallen asleep on my chest, my old face turned red unconsciously, and my mind was full of thoughts.


    Qingheng was holding my hand with a faint smile hanging on his lips looking very satisfied, but his sleeping position was making things tough for me. I wanted to get up but couldn¡¯t. I decided not to bother him and simply waited for him to wake up. I gazed at his face subconsciously and rather became perplexed. I always felt that I was neglecting something important.


    Maybe because it was too quiet or I am just a little tired, I actually fell asleep. When I woke up again, all I saw was Qingheng approaching from outside the door. He was dressed in white and held a bowl in his hand, his small lips pursed. He didn¡¯t have a smile on his face, his eyes were squinting as if he was thinking about something, and he was clearly distracted. When he raised his gaze and saw me, he was stunned at first, but quickly returned to his former indifference.


    ¡°Qingheng.¡± I smiled and called his name, but was only answered with a faint hum.


    ¡°My lord, you can go home after drinking this medicine.¡± He then handed the bowl of medicine in his hand to me.


    I was stunned, looked at the pitch-black concoction with a bitter face, swallowed my saliva and pushed the medicine aside. ¡°Qingheng, look, I¡¯m fine. Nothing¡¯s wrong with me. This medicine¡­¡­shouldn¡¯t be necessary, right?¡±


    I, Prince of Xiang, am not afraid of anything. But I am only afraid of suffering alone, especially suffering alone from drinking this bitter medicine.


    Qingheng thought for a while, and put the medicine on the side table. ¡°Since the Lord is no longer in serious trouble, please go back.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± I was stunned, ¡°Then if I drink this medicine, can I stay?¡±


    ¡°Since the lord is no longer in grave danger, then go back to the mansion. Qingheng¡¯s place is too small to accommodate the Lord.¡± Qingheng remarked, his words thorny.


    Strange, when did I provoke Qingheng again? This was a completely different person from the one who was just resting on my chest. Could that have been a dream and this was the reality?


    Alas, the gap between the dream and the reality was too big. I was unable to accept it for a while¡­


    ¡°So heartless¡­¡± I sighed sincerely, full of disappointment.


    However Qingheng only snorted. ¡°The lord flatters me.¡±


    Qingheng, it wasn¡¯t a compliment.


    I got up, put on the coat placed at the head of the bed, smiled and said goodbye.


    ¡°Qingheng, if you have time, come to my house, don¡¯t you like clean places? My place is much cleaner than yours.¡±


    After all, only I and Xiao Xing resided in the huge Prince Xiang palace.


    ¡°My Lord,¡± Qingheng stopped me, took out a wedding invitation from his sleeve and handed it over. It was pure red and very dazzling. Although I knew this would happen sooner or later, I couldn¡¯t help but tremble, and the smile on my lips was difficult to maintain, ¡°The day after tomorrow is a rare and auspicious day. I will be married to Lian¡¯er. I hope that the Lord can come and congratulate us.¡±

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21 Heartbroken


    Suppressing the thoughts in my head, I took the wedding invitation that was so hot that I couldn¡¯t help but want to let go, and immediately put it inside my sleeve, ¡°Certainly.¡±


    After saying that, I just left with a difficult feeling, leaving Qingheng alone in the house. The smile on my face faded and eyes inexplicably intertwined with emotions.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even ask why I am here. Don¡¯t you remember? Or you¡¯re just feigning it¡­¡± Qingheng hooked his lips slightly and hung a self-deprecating smile. Even if he raised his hand to cover his lips, he still couldn¡¯t restrain the hint of overflowing red from his lips, ¡°Think of me as a person leisurely living his days. The spell would also probably wear out its effectiveness gradually¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Everything became clear. I remember what I should and shouldn¡¯t remember. Naturally, my anxiety towards noisy places was also cured. I walked into the bustling and lively Kyoto street market and heard the cheers and whispers of everyone. Without the usual throbbing pain in my temple when there was excessive noise, it made me feel a lot more relaxed. Should I be grateful to the Kunlun Treasure Mirror for this, or what?


    After thinking about it, I was a little annoyed. Doing so many things yet it turned out to be absurd and laughable at the end.


    Alas, Si Ran¡­ What should I do?


    As soon as I entered the palace door with my forefoot, someone immediately threw themselves on me, accompanied by the familiar sound sobbing and the word ¡®master¡¯. I held back the urge to hold my forehead and steadied Xiao Xing, who was clinging to me. I saw his big watery eyes and the tears swirling in their sockets,  I became helpless beyond words.


    ¡°Why are you crying when your master is already back? What, you thought your master won¡¯t return and instead go to the West.¡± I looked at Xiao Xing, not forgetting to joke.


    Hearing this, Xiao Xing not only did not burst into laughter, but cried even louder. I couldn¡¯t help but eventually hold my forehead. I was already in a bad mood. Being disturbed by Xiao Xing made it even worse. I left him by the door and entered the mansion. He must have finally noticed that I was in a bad mood, he stopped crying and followed me quietly.


    Upon entering the mansion, I stopped. I noticed that the servants were all familiar faces. It was only then that I came to realize, my mother was already sitting in the hall.


    This was the end of my father¡¯s case. Officials of Dali Temple must have already learned that all of the servants including my mother are innocent, so they let them go back and return to the mansion. However, I didn¡¯t know when they came back.


    It¡¯s ridiculous, who was the unlucky one and became the scapegoat.


    I slowly stepped forward and bowed respectfully to my mother. My mother who was seated just held the teacup and poked the floating leaves indifferently. She only replied with a light hum, and didn¡¯t even look at me. She¡¯s still as proud as when father was still alive.


    I was annoyed yet smiled nonetheless. I slowly straightened my body, and went back to my room.


    It was the night of the full moon again, the pale moon light illuminated the ground. There was a little silence around. I had brought a pot of good wine from the kitchen yet I just remembered that he didn¡¯t like the smell of wine and was unable to drink it. I put the pot of good wine back where it was and changed it to a good pot of tea. With a silly smile, I carried the tea to the backyard.


    These days, the apricots on the tree have disappeared. It must have been that long ago when they fell to the ground and were cleaned by the servants. I lifted the hem of my clothes and sat down on a stone nearby while stroking the empty space beside me, imagining that he¡¯s seated right beside me.


    ¡°Si Ran, I came to see you. I wanted to bring some good wine here. However, knowing that you are incapable of drinking, I replaced the wine with tea, and used tea instead of wine. Is it feasible?¡± I raised my hand and poured the tea on the soil while smiling, ¡°If you don¡¯t speak, I will take it as your acquiescence. Come, have a drink with me, and listen to my nagging.¡±


    ¡°Recently, I have been very tired. I seem to not recall the days in the past where I used to just relax and be without trouble. As I thought, it was already time to forget you¡­¡±


    A gust of breeze blew past, brushing the hairs on my cheeks, and crept inside my clothes. It was bone-chilling cold.


    In my mind, I imagined Si Ran sulking because of what I said. I smiled and took a sip of tea, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m joking, don¡¯t take it seriously.¡±


    I took out the big red wedding invitation with golden writings from my wide sleeves, and opened it. Two drawings of men side by side were a little dazzling. I closed my eyes, closed the wedding invitation, and put it aside.


    ¡°Si Ran, why is my chest tight?¡± I raised my hand and drank the tea in my hand. Just like drinking wine, I downed it in one go until its last drop into my stomach. Although it was tea and not wine, I still choked. After coughing loudly, I covered my mouth and nose, sneered and became inexplicably irritated.


    ¡°The current state of mind is really ridiculously heavy¡­¡± With a sigh, I leaned against the tree trunk, raised my head, looked at the faint twinkling stars in the dark blue night sky, and poured another cup of tea.¡± Si Ran, say, shouldn¡¯t I be¡­¡­¡­..in love with him?¡±


    If Si Ran heard this, he would be angry. Thinking about how angry he would be was interesting, and he won¡¯t certainly be annoyed by my coaxing.


    Alas, this wedding invitation¡­


    Well, if you don¡¯t know what will happen tomorrow, why bother yourself? For someone like me, I¡¯ll just muddle along.


    Putting down the emptied teacup in my hand, I closed my eyes. Tonight, the bright moonlight is perfect. Maybe, it can also fulfill my thoughts of seeing Si Ran in my dream.


    When I woke up again, I was lying on the bed in my own room, and the wedding invitation was now neatly placed on the table. I closed my eyes again. The sun was already three poles high outside the window. What had I dreamed about last night? I can¡¯t remember clearly. As I thought, I shouldn¡¯t have drank tea last night.


    I got up slowly, put on my socks and shoes slowly, put on the outer robe that was put aside, and looked outside my window again. Xiao Xing should be waiting outside.


    ¡°Xiao Xing, what time is it¡­?¡±


    Before I could continue, the door opened with a squeak. When I caught a glimpse of a purple robe, I was stunned. When I came back to my senses, my legs were already halfway bent and I was about to kneel when a pair of hands stopped my movement.


    The usual smile hung on Feng Yin¡¯s lips. He narrowed his phoenix eyes, and said calmly with a slightly annoyed tone, ¡°Uncle, you are still so polite.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty is wrong.¡± I laughed dryly and replied with a thick face.


    Feng Yin usually likes to wear yellow or white, but it is rare to change to a purple one today. Compared to the usual, he looked much better.


    But Feng Yin should be really busy. When did he arrive in the mansion? He didn¡¯t even leave me any time to take care of myself. My hair was still hanging haphazardly behind my back and I am not properly dressed. Although it¡¯s not yet to the point of being shameful, it¡¯s still very disrespectful!


    Alas, isn¡¯t the country¡¯s situation urgent? Could it be that everything was already settled?


    Looking at Feng Yin, his phoenix eyes were slightly narrowed and the smile on the corners of his lips seemed so unnatural.


    I¡¯m afraid the matters in the Imperial Court might have been very difficult.

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22 Combing the hair


    Feng Yin stopped talking and only hummed. He caught a glimpse of the wedding invitation on the table and became curious and interested.


    ¡°This is¡­?¡± Feng Yin raised his eyebrows, stepped forward and grabbed the wedding invitation.


    ¡°As what His Majesty is seeing, it is a wedding invitation from Master Qingheng.¡±


    Taking advantage of the opportunity, I waved at Xiao Xing who was standing outside the door. He immediately understood and brought a basin of hot water into the room.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually a wedding invitation from the Master, why didn¡¯t he invite me?¡± After flipping through the wedding invitation, the smile that had always been on the corner of his mouth dropped.


    This scene reminded me of a sentence my father said to me when I was a child. In the eyes of the elders, the younger generation is a child who does not grow up at all.


    Although I don¡¯t care how old Feng Yin is, the generation is still there. In my eyes, Feng Yin is not much different from when he was still a child, and the small actions of his childhood have not been completely erased.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be annoyed, Your Majesty, I¡¯m afraid that the servants in Master Qingheng¡¯s Mansion made a careless omission. Anyway, the wedding invitation should be sent to the palace anytime today. Maybe His Majesty will be able to see it when he returns to the Imperial Palace.¡± Will Qingheng deliver it himself? After all, it was His Majesty he was going to invite.


    I smiled and started to wash up. In any case, the word ¡°courtesy¡± was completely lost in front of Feng Yin, and I am not afraid of losing another one again.


    Feng Yin¡¯s face was relieved. He put down the wedding invitation, sat down on the wooden stool beside him, poured a cup of tea to moisten his throat, and smiled. ¡°Mm, as Ziqing said.¡±


    After washing up, I sat in front of the bronze mirror and asked Xiao Xing to help me take care of my hair. I wondered if the waist-length hair was just too long, and when should Xiao Xing be able to cut it.


    As I was still pondering about it, I noticed  Xiao Xing retreated silently. I was confused, then a sound of teacup touching the table top came from the back of my head followed by footsteps that were neither light nor heavy.


    What does this Feng Yin want to do?


    His jade white hand picked up the wooden comb that Xiao Xing just put down, and then his hands caressed my hair slowly.


    Feng Yin¡¯s action made my back stiff and my whole body shivered. I was stunned for a long time before I regained my senses. This, this¡­ this is the most precious person! The Emperor! How can he do such a thing? If news spread that the current Emperor would comb the hair of such a treacherous minister, it would be an absolute disgrace! I don¡¯t know how the common people who love to talk about imperial affairs will pass it on. It¡¯s okay if the only one implicated was me, but I absolutely cannot let Feng Yin be ruined.


    I was about to turn around, Feng Yin seemed to have sensed what I was thinking, and applied some force on his hands, pressing them hard on my shoulder, preventing my movement.


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­ this kind of thing should be done by a servant, or this subordinate can just do it himself. Your Majesty, the dragon¡¯s body is precious!¡± I said, my voice shaking.


    ¡°Ziqing¡¯s words are too serious. This trivial matter can¡¯t hurt the dragon¡¯s body. Besides,¡± Feng Yin rested his chin on my shoulder, ¡°There is no one around, Ziqing has no need to worry.¡±  The slight breath that I felt as he still combed my hair earlier made my ears itch, and now it¡¯s even more so that he¡¯s breathing right next to my ear. Goosebumps rose all over my body. Feng Yin looked at the two people reflected in the mirror, his brows and eyes crooked with a smile, and he seemed very happy. His words seemed to see through my mind and made me all the more uncomfortable.


    How do you know there was no one? There are so many people inside this mansion, and my mother likes to put a spy around me the most. Maybe there were now people listening in some corner!


    Such presumptuous words, it¡¯s better to just say it in your heart.


    I relaxed my body and tried my best to put on a smile in adherence to his words. I sat upright in front of the mirror while worrying about the outcome of my hair being fiddled by Feng Yin, who had never tried it ever since he was a child.


    Looking at his very serious face in the mirror, I closed my eyes. As the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind.


    It was estimated that half an hour had passed, and Fengyin finally got my hair to his satisfaction. At this moment, the sun outside the window was hanging high in the sky. At this hour, the shadow of a standing pole might not be visible anymore.


    I decided to grab the paper fan that was lying aside idly to fan myself, yet I accidentally caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror. I was speechless¡ª a piece of jade ornament tied my long hair yet it was not tied up as high as the usual. It even looked somewhat askew. Strands of hair on each side of the face were left behind, draped over the chest and golden threads were hung in front of the forehead preventing the strands of hair from covering the eyes or face.


    This¡­ is very unfamiliar. I looked like someone not from here.


    ¡°Ziqing¡­¡± Feng Yin called out with a bit of hesitation. I turned my head to face him, he smiled, something flashed in his phoenix eyes yet I didn¡¯t see it clearly. I only noticed his red lips opened and heard him utter these two words, ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    Uh¡­I didn¡¯t hear anything, just pretend to not hear anything.


    Shaking the folding fan in my hand, I changed the subject, ¡°Your Majesty, has the recent problem in court been resolved already?¡±


    After I said that, I just remembered that I once said that unless in court, we won¡¯t mention things regarding the affairs of the country. It seems that¡­I broke my own words. How could I forget such a thing? It¡¯s very upsetting.


    Feng Yin¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change much after hearing this. He walked over to the table leisurely, poured a cup of tea and took two sips, his face becoming solemn. ¡°To tell Ziqing the truth, the affairs of the court are very difficult. Although the civil strife has been reluctantly quelled, other countries have invaded our borders, and all the high ranking military officials are guarding one side. It is already difficult to send some support. Relying on General Xu alone, I¡¯m afraid the border will be breached in a few days.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± It is really tricky. Our borders lie between ours and the neighboring countries. If a nearby general is sent to lead an army for support, there is no guarantee that others will not take advantage of the opportunity to launch an attack. There might just be a danger of overthrowing the country. This is bad.


    ¡°If His Majesty doesn¡¯t mind, I would like to ask His Majesty¡¯s approval to let me lead the army to go there.¡± I respectfully knelt down and sincerely asked.


    Feng Yin¡¯s movement of poking the floating leaves stopped. The brilliance in his eyes faded a little, and he put the teacup back on the table with a ¡®clack¡¯, ¡°Let¡¯s discuss this matter later. Since we are in Uncle¡¯s mansion, then we don¡¯t have to talk about the affairs of the court.¡± He then changed the conversation, ¡°I suddenly felt bored. Imperial Uncle, have a drink with me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I replied quickly, since he said that we will discuss it later, then we will surely discuss it later.


    Coincidentally, I was hungry too. I turned around and ordered Xiao Xing to prepare drinks and meals, who was standing outside the door. Xiao Xing responded in a low voice. As he looked up, he was stunned. He opened his mouth wide as if he saw something extraordinary. I glared at him furiously in return until he stepped down and went away.


    Feng Yin and I stayed in the room, chatting about some things. After a while, Xing Xing and some servants arrived and put the food and drink on the table, then respectfully retreated.


    Feng Yin noticed the wine. Without saying a word, he lifted the lid and filled a cup for himself and me. He raised his hand and drank it all in one go.


    No matter where he was, he¡¯d always be interested in drinking. I, on the other hand, only took a sip, grabbed the chopsticks and started to fill my stomach that I had neglected in the morning.


    Some time had passed and my stomach was already full. There were a lot of empty wine jars on the table, but the cup of wine that Feng Yin poured for me remained untouched except for that little sip I took earlier.