Legend of Fu Yao

Meng Fuyao grinned and answered with pride . “A reluctant yes . ”

She gave Zong Yue a rea.s.suring pat on her shoulder and "instructed" him, “Be a good emperor . I"ll conduct spot checks . ” After she said her piece, she turned to leave without hesitation . But somehow, the intense gaze from the man behind her seemed to add weight to her steps, making her feel uneasy . She could only turn back . Without nothing else better to say, she tried to make conversation .

“Hey, why did you refuse to take down your mask despite knowing that I was searching for Zong Yue?”

The man donned in ivory white remained silent . Then, he quietly replied, “Ask me again the next time you come to Xuanyuan . ”

The corners of Meng Fuyao"s mouth twitched . Rolling her eyes at him, she turned away .

Behind her, Zong Yue"s eyes were focused on her . Only when her figure completely vanished from his sight did he slowly sit down on that precious throne of his, overlooking the lavish place . The cup of tea in his hands reflected his face . He stared back at his reflection in deep thought as he gently touched the side of his face .

"Fuyao .

"I did not remove my mask for I hoped that…

"You would perhaps fall in love with that me . "

“Where are we going?”

“Up to you . But there is an invite that you"ll definitely be interested in . ”

“Mn?”

“Xuanji has recently chosen a new empress . They have invited the leader of the three states, Nine Heavens, Meng Fuyao to join the ceremony . ”

“Ah?!”

“I demand a red packet 1 !” Her slim white arm stretched over, on the table with a custom made red packet in her hands . That red packet was extremely huge—with a circ.u.mference of three feet .

Beside that arm squatted a ball of white, following suit immediately .

One human and one guinea pig salivated over their potential fortune as they stared at their goldmine with expectations .

The person of attention leaned back in his chair leisurely as his fingers tapped lightly on the table . With a side glance, he commented, “Yuan Bao, I have finally understood the meaning "touch pitch, and you will be defiled" thanks to you . ”

The decadent Lord Yuan Bao squatted in a corner in shame and sulked .

Meanwhile, the intrepid Lord Meng never had the phrases "retreat without a fight" or "feeling ashamed of her inferiority" in her dictionary . Her red packet was still in her hand as she continued to pester him . “I don"t have high expectations . All I want is two thousand dollars worth of notes to fill this packet up . I believe that the ever honorable Crown Prince will not reject this small request of mine . ”

The Crown Prince smirked teasingly as he looked up . “Relax, no one will dare to treat Lord Meng shabbily . ”

“Oh?” Meng Fuyao raised her brow as she rested her chin on her palm .

“Lest your rabbit runs amok . ”

“That sentence coming out from Ji Yu, that ice block"s mouth… It"s too effective…” Meng Fuyao grinned . “… Eh, why was he the one that led my army? Zhan Beiye doesn"t want him anymore?”

“Perhaps,” said the crown prince in an impish manner . “You have to know that with such a circ.u.mstance, Ji Yu cannot become an official . ”

Meng Fuyao glanced at him . “Shameless, shameless . ”

“Thank you for your compliments,” replied Zhangsun Wuji humbly .

Meng Fuyao was exasperated . This Crown Prince had such thick skin and vicious heart that the likelihood of him discovering his conscience was even slimmer than Zhan Beiye dancing nude in public . She could only change the topic . “Hey, so are we going to celebrate the coronation of the next empress? But you haven"t even told me who she is . ”

“I don"t know,” replied Zhangsun Wuji honestly . “They actually didn"t write the name of the new empress . Who knows what tricks Feng Xuan has up his sleeves this time . ”

“He ain"t dead?” Meng Fuyao was confounded . “If he is not dead, then why did they cornate the new ruler?”

“He"ll just abdicate then . There are many examples, such as this . Before this, Taiyuan faced the same issues due to the overwhelming numbers of heirs, and the conflict left the old emperor with no choice but to relinquish his throne . In Xuanji"s case, not only are there many sons, but there are also many daughters, worsening the conflict . ” Zhangsun Wuji laughed . “But in my opinion, this is not as simple as it seems . ”

“How many kids are there? I"ve only seen three . ”

“Eight males, nine females . There were more initially, but they died . ”

“Wow… their reproductive abilities…” Meng Fuyao gasped in amazement . “Like pigs…”

Zhangsun Wuji glanced at her knowingly . After a while, he came to a decision . “Since you have the habit of getting into trouble no matter where you go, let me briefly share with you the information on the piglets . ”

“No need, no need . ” Meng Fuyao knocked her knuckles on the table as her smile reached her eyes . “Or is there anyone else who has been bullied, oppressed, and needs this old lady here to give a helping hand? Ah… Yun Hen, Brother Yun! But he seems to be a little far from the throne, no?”

“Nothing is certain in this world . ” Zhangsun Wuji smiled . “Perhaps Xuanji might notice the heroic, handsome you and decide to beg you to become the next emperor . ”

“Ho, that sounds about right . ” Meng Fuyao came to a "realization," and she waved her hand carelessly . “Tell me more . ”

“The Empress has two sons and two daughters, giving her the compet.i.tive edge over others . Then, it is followed by n.o.ble Consort Rong with two daughters and one son, with both the eldest princess and son under her name . Next, Concubine Ning comes from a powerful background, and her son, the third prince, has some authority too . Apparently, he is known to be well-versed in literature and martial arts, and hence, very much favored by Feng Xuan . As for the others, while there are still talents, their futures are restricted by the status of the mothers . Just take note of them . ”

“No, wait…” Meng Fuyao bent down and attentively looked through the details of the Xuanji"s royal heirs . “Why is it that the Empress" children are the youngest? And after the Empress, why are there no other concubines or consorts that gave birth? This doesn"t make any sense . According to his age, Feng Xuan should still be able to reproduce? Could it be that they got tired of giving birth?”

“Feng Xuan"s current Empress is a step-empress . She"s a lot younger than Feng Xuan and other concubines . ” Zhangsun Wuji smiled meaningfully . “She is renowned for her jealousy and cruelty among the Five Continent Region . ”

Meng Fuyao chortled . “n.o.ble Consort Wan?”

Zhangsun Wuji watched her suspiciously .

“Nothing much . Just remembered some history about the possessive and jealous Wan n.o.ble Consort who did not allow other women to give birth to princes and princesses . The two probably came out from the same mold . ” Meng Fuyao laughed and brushed him off quickly .

A thought flashed through her mind but vanished in a second . She looked up and noticed Zhangsun Wuji observing her .

“Fuyao, which country and dynasty did this history come from?” he questioned .

"Urgh, I accidentally leaked out information again," Meng Fuyao reprimanded herself .

Zhangsun Wuji added . “Fuyao, this odd history of yours, don"t bring it up in front of anyone else . ”

Meng Fuyao nodded, agreeing with him that she shouldn"t reveal so much . She stood up and stretched . “I"m hungry . Get the waiter to bring up the food . Ah, what a lonely New Year"s Eve dinner . ”

She poked her head out of the window, watching as the heartwarming families celebrated their reunion dinner, listening to the cheers and laughter as they drank the night away . A soft sigh escaped from her lips . “I"ve never had a lively reunion dinner where everyone would gather around a large table and eat…”

“Why did you leave so quickly?” Zhangsun Wuji patted her head . “If you didn"t insist on leaving Kunjing yesterday, Zong Yue would have definitely arranged all the officials to drink the night away with you . ”

“Forget about it . ” Meng Fuyao sighed . “I don"t want to stay in Kunjing and see the fresh blood still stuck to the corners of the wall, the Sky-Welcoming Tower that was half destroyed… I would be reminded of the father and daughter hanging on the fourth floor… Xuanyuan Cheng deserved it, but Xuanyuan Yun was innocent… I… It was all my fault . ”

Her hand gripped the window frame as she watched the tiny city beside Xuanyuan being slowly lit up . A sad smile crept onto her face . “Fallen buildings can be rebuilt, but broken hearts are hard to mend… I hope that Zong Yue can rest with his people and hope that he"ll be a good emperor…”

“Fuyao . ” The man behind her called out gently . As her heart warmed, she had already been pulled into his embrace . Her back leaned against his chest, and she could feel his heartbeat despite the clothes . She stood there, quietly listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat, calming her heavy heart with his soothing warmth . Soon, their hearts danced together to the same rhythm, dancing away the last of loneliness in this cold New Year Eve .

“Regardless, I"m here . ”

Meng Fuyao smiled slightly . Watching Zhangsun Wuji"s shadow being cast onto the wall in front of her, she slowly stretched out her fingers and drew a heart on the shadow .

"Mhm… I know you are here . "

Neither of them said a word as they quietly enjoyed the stillness of the night, listening to the time slowly tick away as a new year welcomed them .

Meng Fuyao"s lips curled . "A cozy and peaceful night is good too," she thought warmly .

All of a sudden, with a "Bam," red fireworks bloomed in the sky, dyeing the sky in vibrant neon lights, illuminating Meng Fuyao"s eyes .

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

The beautiful red sparkled in various parts of the city, scattering across the sky like stars . Those fireworks were not expensive ones used by only the imperial family but normal firecrackers used by the citizens . Every family set off their firecrackers and fireworks as the atmosphere of the city was immediately transformed into a noisy, lively one . Countless of fireworks bloomed extravagantly in the sky like cherry blossoms .

Under the light, doors suddenly creaked open . Kids and their parents carried their lanterns as they walked out excitedly with firecrackers in their hands . The streets resembled the Milky Way, driving away the darkness and gloominess that had previously consumed the city .

In an instant, the city was being lit up .

Meng Fuyao stared at this scene—this coincidental liveness . "No, it wasn"t a coincidence," she thought . The citizens in this city were extremely poor . Even in the best inn, the bed was but a cheap piece of wood that would creak with every movement, barely lined with anything . Not every family could afford fireworks . Then, she remembered that when she pa.s.sed by the magistrates" court, she had seen people queuing for something . She initially thought that it was just the officials giving out money to help the poor to tide over the new year . But now, it seemed like they were probably giving out firecrackers to celebrate this night, to show a bustling and flourishing scene for this new beginning .