Though Meng Fuyao wasn"t willing to let both of them indulge in this moment, she could not help but moan softly. As a result, Zhangsun Wuji held her even tighter, and her arms were locked in his arms. It was as though she was experiencing a cool breeze during summer, like a nephrite that provided a shocking but addictive comfort. She was on cloud nine, pampering herself by enjoying the sweet moments of life, and getting whirled into the heavenly life of immortals, unwilling to fall back to earth again. However, it was merely a moment of indulgence. Something tugged at her heartstrings painfully, and she slightly shifted away.
His breath breezed past her lips and sealed his mark on the corner of her lips. Caringly, he mildly pulled away and looked affectionately at her. The blush on her cheeks had spread to her neck, causing it to be stained with an enchanting shade of pink.
As the palanquin wobbled, their bodies continually b.u.mped against each other in the tight s.p.a.ce. The warmth of their body radiated to the other person, and a slight tremble emerged behind the thin layers of clothing… somehow, someone"s breathing quickened.
Then, Zhangsun Wuji hugged Meng Fuyao dotingly. Her hair was wet, and the black strands stuck against her fair skin, like a snow mountain melting under the scorching heat. Extending his finger, he gently picked up a small cl.u.s.ter of hair and twirled it around his finger. After that, he pulled a cl.u.s.ter of his hair over and was about to tie a knot between the two cl.u.s.ters.
At that moment, they were about to bind their hair together.
Suddenly, Meng Fuyao started to struggle violently.
She could see how bright his eyes sparkled, and how deep his feelings were. As the daylight shone in from the window slit, it reflected the nourished and dark cl.u.s.ters of hair between his fingers. She could almost imagine that if they were bound together, it would create the shiniest and most beautiful knot in the world.
However, just as the binding was about to happen, the images of a strand of white hair, a pair of hands, and a worn fairytale book flashed before her eyes.
Instantaneously, she jumped.
It was in such a small s.p.a.ce that was almost impossible to navigate around.
Bang!
The roof of the palanquin was torn open, and Meng Fuyao leaped out of the roof like a rabbit.
The well-trained carriers had previously received instructions to ignore any unusual motion. Hence, when the palanquin shook and wobbled earlier on, they turned a blind eye to it. Yet, how could they counter the strength of Meng Fuyao"s full-force leap? The four carriers felt as though they were hit by a strong force and their hands went weak, letting go of the palanquin. When they turned around, Meng Fuyao had already stepped on top of the wreckage.
Behind her, the "temporary butler" with the calm composure strolled out of the ruins and continued to smile. "The Captain is drunk, and he mistook this for his training s.p.a.ce."
Meng Fuyao looked up and twisted her head forcefully, choosing to stare at the sky. It was an intrepid and resolute pose, but her neck had a suspiciously rosy tint.
Meanwhile, Zhangsun Wuji had already motioned for the guards to bring over two horses. Personally pa.s.sing her the reins, he smiled calmly. "Please get on the horse."
"So there were horses!" Enraged, Meng Fuyao interrogated him with her expression of "then why did you forcefully pull me over to sit in the palanquin?".
"Well, two plans are needed to fulfill my one desire." The Crown Prince beamed as he thought, "The palanquin must be used, and I was 80% percent certain that it would break. Horses should be prepared as well so that after the palanquin is broken, there"s still another mode of transportation."
…
Captain Meng was having a concubine.
As such, a banquet was set up =in the residence, and comrades in the army were invited to drink. During the banquet, some joked at Captain "Dudou", who replied in a state of drunkenness, "I"m truly dumb, really I am."
The whole room roared with laughter, and they sent Meng Fuyao to the bridal room, and she walked away happily as everyone stared admiringly at her - what luck he had! He slept with the Prince"s woman, but the Prince did not deliver any substantial punishment and ended up gifting him the woman. Had they known that this would be the case, they would have gone to seduce some…
In the meantime, Zhan Nancheng heard of the infamous "I"m truly dumb" incident too. Even though his mind was occupied, he could not help but laugh too. However, his brows quickly furrowed afterward - the army which was fighting on the banks of River Qi successively suffered defeats under Zhan Beiye. Worse still, after a portion of his army surrendered to Zhan Beiye, some of the garrison troops stationed at the border had started to reveal signs of wavering. At the moment, he desperately needed a victory to turn the tables, but this seemed impossible to accomplish with Zhan Beiye around.
Zhan Beiye was already a famous general in the Heaven Demon court, and he could even be considered the cream of the crop in the Five Regions Continent. According to the a.n.a.lysis done by idle military experts, other than Wuji"s Crown Prince who had yet to show his true strength, Zhan Beiye was indisputably the best.
This was also one of the reasons why Zhan Nancheng mobilized tens of thousands of his soldiers once he decided to kill Zhan Beiye. If the killing could not be completed speedily, grave consequences would follow. Indeed, the consequences were now here to haunt him.
After several sighs, Zhan Nancheng felt even more depressed - somehow, his Crown Prince kept contracting weird diseases lately. He would often faint for no reason and appear lethargic. The imperial doctor could not figure out what was wrong, and all the famous doctors were also unable to provide a clear explanation.
In such low spirits, Zhan Nancheng felt even lonelier than before. But he then started to wonder why he felt loneliness, though it had usually been this way. After thinking for a long while, he recalled that Meng Fuyao was on marriage leave and had not entered the palace for a long while.
On normal days, he would become quite annoyed by Meng Fuyao"s rattle. Now that it was gone, he felt empty instead. Chuckling, Zhan Nancheng silently scolded, "How absurd of him to take a "marriage leave" when he merely acquired a concubine!"
As the sun set, the candles were lit up. Eunuch Hua instructed the junior eunuchs to hang the palace lanterns properly, while he beamed and chatted. Slowly, Zhan Nancheng walked over to eavesdrop, and he realized that Eunuch Hua was gossiping about the poetic and pa.s.sionate happenings in Captain Meng"s residence.
"Captain Meng started a dance party at home, and the bride wore a backless garment, tsk tsk…" a bunch of eunuchs gawked at the story, but when they turned their heads and spotted Zhan Nancheng, their expressions changed.
However, Zhan Nancheng was suddenly in the mood. "Sigh, has this lad become a bit more mature after getting himself a woman? I"ll go take a look! Just treat this as a form of relaxation."
Ever since he was almost a.s.sa.s.sinated the previous time, he rarely stepped out of the palace, and this time round, a huge crowd of attendants followed him. As he had expected, it was very chaotic in the residence. Meng Fuyao had led a group of servants to invite the military comrades and their spouses to gather for a masquerade mask dance party.
When Meng Fuyao saw Zhan Nancheng, she was quite elated, and after the greetings, she pulled him to wear a mask too. Though Zhan Nancheng was curious, he adamantly refused. What a joke, mix in a huge crowd while wearing a mask? If someone struck, he would be dead meat.
Meng Fuyao did not impose her will on him and accompanied him while calling over her new concubine to greet the Emperor. Zhan Nancheng had seen this woman in Zhan Beiheng"s residence, and she was very cheerful, though she seemed to be dolled up strangely. Nevertheless, he smiled and tactfully instructed her a few lines, before letting her leave.
The ninth fairy left like a fluttering b.u.t.terfly and mingled excitedly in the crowd. Meanwhile, Meng Fuyao kept inviting Zhan Nancheng to rest in the inner room, saying that the garden was too chaotic.
Waving his hands, Zhan Nancheng rejected and sat remotely. The troubles on his mind constantly bothered him, keeping him in low spirits, and he wanted to observe the joys of humanity to relief some of that pressure.
Leaning on a pillar, he let Meng Fuyao join the dance while he sipped on tea. As he thought of the Crown Prince"s strange illness, his eyebrows locked together in frustration.
Suddenly, he overheard a conversation between two women that took place behind a bunch of bushes.
One said, "Lady Meng, how lucky you are. Look at how gorgeous your Captain has dolled you up to be. This string of rubies must be worth no less than a thousand gold."
"Right." It was the complacent voice of the tactless ninth fairy. "My master has said that good women need to be accompanied with jewels. Diamonds are long-lasting, and any one of them can be pa.s.sed down eternally."
She seemed to be showing off the jade bracelet on her wrist, and her silvery laugh rang through their eyes. "Sister, let me tell you, you have to spot the right man. I was lucky to hit the jackpot with my master, but if it was back then… hmph."
Zhan Nancheng was thinking of leaving as he listened since it did not make sense for someone of his status to eavesdrop on women"s conversation like that. However, when he heard what the ninth fairy said, he silently chuckled and felt that she was brazen and shameless. It was obviously not an incident to be proud of, and if he hadn"t hinted at Zhan Beiheng to release Meng Fuyao during the two days that they were locked up, they would have been sold to a brothel or demoted, respectively. Others would have tried all methods to cover this story, but there she was, actively bringing it out on her own.
One of the women fell silent, probably because she did not expect the ninth fairy to be so simple-minded. Moments later, she crammed out a reply. "I heard that Prince Heng treated you quite well back then…"
"Nonsense." The ninth fairy smirked. "He always claimed that he gave me the most precious treasures and asked me to keep them properly, but those were just rotten pieces of paper locked up in a box. That mysterious thing, which doesn"t look like land deeds, took up so much s.p.a.ce in my room. And I"m illiterate, but he wouldn"t allow me to ask. Prince… is honestly just a taciturn person…"
The sound of their conversation faded into the distance. Zhan Nancheng quietly placed his teacup down, and after a few moments of silence, he got onto his feet and headed out.
Meng Fuyao, who perspired a great deal, hurriedly came over. Seeing that he was leaving, she was taken aback. "Your Majesty, you"re leaving now? It"s my fault, I shouldn"t have played by myself."
"It"s not your issue, I should return," said Zhan Nancheng as he dismissed her. "The sky is too dark, and accidents would easily occur if I walked on the streets."
"Yes." Immediately, Meng Fuyao bowed perceptively. "I"ll send a team of soldiers from the Flying Leopard Camp to escort you."
"Good." Zhan Nancheng smiled at her. "Change it to your subordinates from Flying Fox. Flying Leopard Camp has frequently been operating in the city, and it"s time to change a group of people. Sometimes, the people closest to you might not be good."
Meng Fuyao grinned and sent him out of the door. As she witnessed his figure fading quickly into the darkness, a fleeting smile appeared on her face.
That smiled resembled the venomous Madara flower that bloomed at night.
Three days later, a piece of news shook the entire city.
Zhan Beiheng, the n.o.blest Prince of the Heaven Demon royal family; the official guarding crucial internal and external affairs; the Emperor"s younger brother who was the most trusted confidante; the "Aristocrat of the steel guardian lion doors", and the undefeatable Prince, was suddenly sent into jail!
On August 19, soldiers silently encircled Prince Heng"s residence and quickly subdued all the guards. High-ranking officials personally led a team to seal the Prince"s residence and dug three feet into the residence of Prince Heng"s most favored former concubine, the ninth fairy. Symbolism for husband and wife by the first marriage.