In Dongling Kingdom, there is a mansion called "Xuyuan" in the capital city. At this moment, everyone in the garden is busy preparing for a wedding banquet in half a month.
The couple who are about to get married are not from Kyoto, but the blacksmith Sun family in Chongzhou and the scholarly Liu family. The two families are very different in status and family background, so it is a miracle that they can become in-laws. What is even more puzzling is that "Xuyuan" is not the residence of the Sun family, nor is it the property of the Liu family. Why do the Sun and Liu families have to hold their wedding in their outer residence far away in Kyoto
However, most of those who are suspicious are from other places, and the people of Dongling have long been accustomed to this.
Liu Zhun is the most experienced steward of the Liu Mansion. He is in charge of all matters of the Liu Mansion, no matter how big or small. Because a distinguished guest is coming today, Liu Zhun temporarily put aside the preparations for the wedding. He is now making tea while introducing the distinguished guest: "This is a unique custom in Dongling. On the 15th of every month, a wedding will be held in Jingdu Xuyuan to thank the great kindness of the State Master in protecting Dongling."
The distinguished guest seemed to be interested when he heard this: "What do you mean?"
This distinguished guest was gifted with a rare good-looking appearance. He wore a ginkgo-colored loose-waisted gown, and his speech and behavior revealed his pride and elegance.
A few days ago, Mrs. Liu went to a temple outside the city to burn incense and pray for blessings. On the way, she was targeted by bandits and almost lost both her life and property. Fortunately, the distinguished guest rescued her and she escaped. To express gratitude, the Liu family sincerely invited the benefactor to stay at the house for a while, and Liu Zhun personally received and served her.
Liu Jun felt proud to be able to talk to such an extraordinary young man.
"My benefactor, you know that our Dongling's national teacher has a strange hobby, which is..." Liu Zhun sighed, "matchmaking for people."
The distinguished guest showed some surprise on his face: "There is such a thing."
Dongling Imperial Master's hobby is matchmaking, but to be honest, it is just random matchmaking. Every month, the Imperial Master will randomly select two people and tie the "red string" for them personally.
Dongling State Master is good at making poisonous insects, and "Red Line" is his masterpiece. "Red Line" is made of a pair of male and female insects. A thin red line will appear on the wrist of the person who is poisoned, hence the name.
The male and female Gu are born as a pair, and will die if separated. A person infected with the Gu must have sex with another infected person on the full moon night of each month, otherwise the poison will cause death.
Therefore, the two people chosen by the imperial teacher, no matter whether they are male or female, of different ages, married or not, must marry each other as long as they do not want to die, and the marriage must take place in Xuyuan, Kyoto.
No one knows the meaning of the Imperial Master's actions. He seems to have just randomly selected two people to stage a wedding in Xuyuan based on his mood. It's like a god who is high above, overlooking the world, and wantonly controlling the marriage fate of mortals.
This month, the ones chosen were the blacksmith's son and the young lady of the Liu family.
"Poor young lady of our family, she is as beautiful as a flower, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. She should have married a nobleman and enjoyed a life of wealth and glory, but the national teacher arranged for her to marry a poor family that has been engaged in iron making for generations. The Liu family is absolutely unwilling, and the lady and the young lady are in tears all day long. But in Dongling, who dares to disobey the orders of the national teacher..." Liu Zhun's eyes turned red as he spoke.
After hearing the whole story, the distinguished guest kindly comforted Liu Zhun. Liu Zhun realized that he had lost his composure and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, benefactor."
"It's okay. I understand." The distinguished guest waited for Liu Zhun to finish wiping his tears, then asked, "Will the Imperial Master come on the wedding day?"
Liu Zhun nodded and said, "On the fifteenth day of every month, the Imperial Master will personally come to Xu Garden to watch the ceremony."
The distinguished guest seemed to have asked what he wanted to know, and said politely: "The Liu family's wedding is coming soon, and I think Manager Liu has something important to do."
Liu Zhun naturally understood the guest's order to leave, "Then I will leave first. If you have any other requests, please tell me."
Liu Zhun retreated respectfully. What he didn't know was that as soon as the door closed, the warm smile on the lips of his distinguished guest, Zhao Mian, disappeared completely.
"Dongling is a small country, but it plays fancy games." Zhao Mian sneered, "If you like matchmaking so much, why do you want to be a national teacher? Wan Huameng might as well just open a shop and be a matchmaker for the rest of your life."
Wan Hua Meng was the name of the Dongling Imperial Master. In Dongling, the only person who dared to address him by name was the Empress Dowager.
"But Your Highness, I heard that Wan Huameng is a vicious person without any humanity. If he wants, he can poison anyone quietly and no one will find out." The speaker was Zhao Mian's childhood companion, Zhou Huairang. "Are you really planning to meet him in Xuyuan? As Your Highness, you really shouldn't put yourself in danger."
Zhao Mian didn't care and said calmly: "This is what my father meant."
After the fall of Western Xia, the world is now divided into three parts: Nanjing, Beiyuan and Dongling, which are in a three-way balance, restraining each other and achieving a delicate balance.
Zhao Mian is the crown prince of Nanjing.
Half a year ago, Zhao Mian had just celebrated his eighteenth birthday when his father said to him, "Mian Mian, you are eighteen today and you are an adult now. I can pack up and prepare to abdicate. However, when you become the emperor, I am afraid you will have few opportunities to leave the capital, or even the palace. So, while you are still the crown prince, you should go out more often, see different scenery, and meet different people."
Zhao Mian replied, "Please don't call me 'Mian Mian' anymore, Father."
So, Zhao Mian set out with a few trusted men, starting from the capital of Nanjing, heading eastward, crossing the border between Nanjing and Dongling, and setting foot on the territory of Dongling.
After arriving at Dongling, Zhao Mian decided to meet the "world-famous" Dongling State Master and get something from him that would be useful to Nanjing. Zhao Mian had already investigated Wan Huameng's strange hobbies that Liu Zhun mentioned, and it was for this reason that Madam Liu was in danger when she left the city.
He was the "bandit" and also the "benefactor", otherwise how could he be treated as an honored guest by the Liu family and be invited to watch the ceremony at Xuyuan as a matter of course.
At this moment, there was a knock on the door from outside, followed by a deep male voice: "It's me."
The man was dressed in black, with a sword at his waist, walking steadily, and with handsome features - he was the Eastern Palace guard, Shen Buci.
Shen Buci walked up to Zhao Mian without looking away and said, "Your Highness, Miss Liu has hanged herself."
Zhao Mian frowned slightly: "When did it happen?"
Shen Buci said: "Just now."
Zhao Mian stood up: "Go and take a look."
When Miss Liu knew she was going to marry a blacksmith, she refused to eat or drink and became completely hopeless. Today, she took advantage of the maids around her not noticing and hung a beam in an abandoned woodshed.
When Zhao Mian arrived, everyone in the Liu residence was crying. Liu Zhun was in tears, and Madam Liu had fainted. The shouts of "Miss" and "Madam" mixed with the crying were heard one after another. Among them, the one who cried the most was a girl of fifteen or sixteen years old. Judging from her clothes, she should be Miss Liu's personal maid. The girl knelt on the ground, hugging Miss Liu's legs that were dangling in the air, and her crying and shouting drowned out everyone else.
Zhao Mian and others were outsiders, so it was inconvenient for them to go forward and they could only watch from the outside.
The girl cried so miserably that Zhou Huairang could not help but say, "Wan Huameng did such a sin, and the emperor and the empress dowager didn't even care!"
In the chaos, someone shouted, "The Saint is here!"
The Saint was obviously Wan Huameng's person. She must have learned about Miss Liu's death and came to check on the situation.
A woman in a red shirt walked through the crowd and walked towards Miss Liu's body. When everyone saw her, they stopped crying and consciously made way for her. Their expressions were either awed, vigilant, or resentful, but no one dared to say a word.
The Saint seemed to be only there to confirm Miss Liu's death. She only glanced at the body briefly, then turned around and accused, "Why did you let her die?"
The girl cried out, "Our lady would rather die than marry, what else do you want! What else do you want!"
The woman at the side covered the girl's mouth and whispered, "Shut up! If you want to die, don't bring trouble to the Liu family!"
The girl whimpered, tears welling up in her eyes. The Saint glanced at her expressionlessly, without further questioning, and said, "Of course you can't get married when you're dead. The Imperial Master will reselect a new bride for the wedding next month. Tomorrow morning, whoever has a red line on their wrist will be the one chosen by the Imperial Master, and they must go to Kyoto's Xiyuan to complete the wedding ceremony on the 15th of next month."
"Re-election?!" Zhou Huairang's expression changed from grief and anger to nervousness. "How do they choose? Do they really choose randomly?"
The wedding turned into a funeral, the red silk was replaced by white cloth, and the Liu Mansion was in chaos. Liu Zhun seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, and couldn't even force a smile in front of the distinguished guests: "Why is the young lady so stupid? If she leaves, how can the lady survive..."
Zhao Mian asked: "What are your plans for the future?"
Liu Zhun wept sadly, "That's the Imperial Master. We are thankful that he is willing not to pursue the matter of Miss disobeying orders and to let the Liu family go. What else can we plan?"
Zhao Mian nodded and said, "My condolences."
After Miss Liu died, Zhao Mian's plan to meet Wan Huameng through Liu Mansion also failed. Liu Mansion lost its value and he had no reason to stay. He left Liu Mansion with Zhou Huairang and Shen Buci and stayed in an inn called Qinghui Tower in the city.
That night, Shen Buci held the sword in both hands and stood guard at the door of the guest room, always paying attention to the movements around him to ensure the safety of his master.
Inside the house, Zhao Mian was planning what he was going to do next in Dongling and couldn't fall asleep for a long time. Fortunately, Zhou Huairang was also awake, so he asked Zhou Huairang to play chess with him to calm his mind.
Zhou Huairang's mind was obviously not on the chess game. He would check his wrist from time to time, and then steal a glance at Zhao Mian's wrist. Being so absent-minded, he was naturally defeated by Zhao Mian.
This kind of disparity in chess is a waste of time.
"Don't play if you don't want to," Zhao Mian threw the chess piece in his hand into the chess box, "No one is forcing you."
"No, Your Highness, I am just worried." Zhou Huairang said worriedly, "Do you think I am so unlucky that I was chosen by Wan Huameng and tied with a red string?"
Zhao Mian glanced at Zhou Huairang and said, "Isn't it good to be chosen? You have reached the age of marriage and you are not engaged. If Wan Huameng finds you a beautiful bride, it will be a happy event. You can also bring her back to Nanjing."
Zhou Huairang didn't know whether to cry or laugh: "Your Highness, please don't make fun of me! My parents' orders and the matchmaker's words, how can I get married quietly? Besides, I have no interest in the girls from Dongling!"
Zhao Mian raised his eyebrows: "So you like Beiyuan?"
Zhou Huairang said loudly: "I only like girls from Nanjing!"
Zhao Mian had teased people enough and felt better. "Don't worry, you won't be chosen from among hundreds of thousands of people. Besides, you think Shen Buci is eating free meals in the East Palace." He looked out the door. "With him here, it will be difficult to get Wanhua Meng."
Although Shen Buci is young, he is very steady and his skills are among the best among the young masters in Nanjing. With him guarding outside the house, even mosquitoes can't fly in. Wan Huameng should not be able to fly faster than a mosquito.
A dreamless night.
The next day, as soon as the sky began to brighten, Zhao Mian opened his eyes.
At this hour, most people were still asleep, but the princes of Nanjing had already started to study. Even though he was not in the palace now, Zhao Mian could not change his habit of getting up early.
He sat beside the bed, watching Zhou Huairang bring him breakfast with a happy face, and Shen Buci followed closely behind.
Zhao Mian asked Zhou Huairang: "What are you so happy about?"
Zhou Huairang said happily: "Your Highness, I have just checked and there is not a single red line on my body - I was not selected!"
Zhao Mian said calmly: "Congratulations."
"I have been unlucky since I was a child. I am most afraid of encountering things like this that rely on luck." Zhou Huairang felt relieved. "I just wanted to check on Old Shen, but unfortunately he didn't let me."
Shen Buci said succinctly: "I have not been poisoned."
Zhao Mian said lazily, "If you don't have any, come and change my clothes."
Shen Buci followed his instructions and stepped forward to help Zhao Mian change his clothes. Zhao Mian raised his head slightly to make it easier for him to button up her clothes.
Zhou Huairang stood aside and watched the two of them. Shen Buci was tall and strong, a head taller than his Highness, but when the two stood together, even without looking at their clothes, one could tell at a glance who was the master and who was the servant.
Zhou Huairang couldn't help but sigh that the dignity of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, which was built up through power, was something they could never fake.
When he saw His Highness raise his hand and let Shen Buci tie the jade belt around his waist, Zhou Huairang seemed to see something red flash before his eyes.
Strange, take a closer look.
After seeing clearly what the red color was, Zhou Huairang's face suddenly changed, his eyes widened, and he shouted, "Help!"
Zhao Mian didn't like Zhou Huairang's easily startled personality, and said impatiently: "What's wrong again?"
Zhou Huairang pointed at Zhao Mian's left hand, almost stuttering in shock: "Your Highness, your hand..."
Zhao Mian lowered his eyes and saw a thin red line on his left wrist.
Zhao Mian: “…?”
Zhao Mian was silent for a moment, thinking about the meaning of this red line, and then calmly said: "Zhou Huairang, did you draw this red line? Are you kidding me?"
Zhou Huairang relied on the fact that he and he were childhood sweethearts, and his words and actions were always unrestrained. When they were young, he often made some uncultured jokes with him. Zhou Huairang was capable of doing such things.
Zhou Huairang cried out in injustice: "Your Highness, even if you give me ten thousand guts, I would not dare to play such a joke with you!"
Zhao Mian continued to remain calm: "Oh, then I was bewitched by Wan Hua Meng?"
Shen Buci's expressionless face showed a trace of solemnity: "Last night, I stayed in front of Your Highness's room all night, and did not see anything unusual."
Zhao Mian remained calm: "Very good."
Wan Huameng was a legendary figure, and he was more than ten years older than Shen Buci. It was normal that Shen Buci was not his opponent. But Zhao Mian did not expect that Wan Huameng could attack him without alarming Shen Buci at all.
Zhou Huairen was so frightened that he muttered to himself, "It turned out that the one who got hit was His Highness, my God..."
Shen Buci probably had a guess: "I suspect that Wan Huameng had hidden his identity and mixed in with the crowd when he was at Liu's house yesterday."
Zhao Mian didn't want to lose his composure, so he picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea. He tried to suppress the humiliation and anger in his heart, but then he thought, there are no outsiders here, who would he show his princely manners to
He couldn't keep calm.
There was only a crisp sound, and the teacup shattered to the ground.
"presumptuous!"
Shen Buci knelt down decisively and quickly: "This subordinate deserves to die."
"You really deserve to die." Zhao Mian turned around suddenly, looked down at Shen Buci, and said in a stern voice, "You actually let Wan Huameng cast a curse on me right under your nose. What use do I have to you? I said yesterday that you didn't eat for free in the East Palace. Are you worthy of the food of the East Palace, and are you worthy of me?!"
Shen Buci lowered his head and said, "I'll leave it to your Highness to deal with."
Zhou Huairang said anxiously: "Your Highness, Old Shen should be dealt with, but the most urgent thing is to think about what to do!"
"What should we do?" Zhao Mian sneered. "It's simple. Go to the Dongling Palace to meet their queen mother and tell her that she must either hand over the antidote or the country will be destroyed."
Shen Buci said without hesitation: "I will go now."
"… Come back." Zhao Mian was disappointed, "Stupid, can't you tell that I was just speaking in anger?"
Shen Buci: “…”
For a moment, no one dared to speak. In silence, Zhao Mian took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.
He was careless and underestimated the enemy. The Dongling State Master, who could even practice the secret medicine for men to have children, was indeed very powerful. Why did he think that Shen Buci could defend against him? Why did he have such a fluke mentality that he thought that bad luck would not happen to him
However, it has already happened, and there is no point in regretting it. He will remember this lesson and will not do it again.
I just don't know if Wan Huameng chose him just by coincidence or for some other purpose. Has his identity, which he thought he had hidden well, been exposed
Zhao Mian quickly denied this speculation. Beiyuan has been coveting Dongling for a long time and may send troops to Dongling at any time. For Dongling at present, it is not a wise choice to anger another neighboring country, Nanjing, and make itself attacked from all sides.
If Wan Huameng knew that he was the crown prince of Nanjing, he would be even less likely to attack him.
So... Is it really just because he's unlucky? Is he really that unlucky, even more unlucky than Zhou Huairang
When Zhao Mian opened his eyes again, his face had returned to its usual calmness. Zhou Huairang and Shen Buci looked at each other and understood: Great, their Highness has finished his temper and is going to get down to business.
This is the usual style of their highness, he has to get angry and get things done.
"Do three things right away." Zhao Mian said methodically, "First, call Bai Yu back to me."
Bai Yu is a miracle doctor who works for the Eastern Palace. She has superb medical skills and can cure any disease. She also accompanied Zhao Mian on this trip to the east, but she had other important matters to attend to and needed to leave for a few days.
Zhou Huairang woke up as if from a dream: "Yes, there is also Divine Doctor Bai. Divine Doctor Bai once studied in Dongling for several years and was appreciated by Wan Huameng himself. She can definitely help His Highness get rid of the poison!"
"It would be best if she could." Zhao Mian paused, his tone extremely cold, "But just in case, we still have to find the other person who was poisoned. This is the second thing."
"I don't know who the other person tied with the red string will be." Zhou Huairang was worried, "If it's a stunning beauty, it's fine, but if it's a rough blacksmith, then..."
Zhao Mian's eyes were cold. Besides his nature, there was another important reason why Zhou Huairang dared to talk too much in front of him.
One day when he was five years old, his father suddenly felt sorry for him because he had no friends to play with. He then brought Zhou Huairang, who was the same age as him, to him and said, "Mianmian, how about being friends with him?"
The young and ignorant boy said yes, and then asked his father how to treat friends. His father said to treat friends with sincerity.
It must be said that he regretted being friends with Zhou Huairang. If they were just ordinary monarchs and ministers, Zhou Huairang would not dare to be so mean.
Seeing that His Highness looked unhappy, Zhou Huairang quickly swallowed his words and asked, "What is the third thing Your Highness wants me to do?"
Zhao Mian decided not to argue with Zhou Huairang for now: "Prepare the pen, ink, paper and inkstone. I want to write a letter to my father."
It would be best if he could solve the poisoning problem by himself without revealing his identity. If not, Nan Jing would always be his strongest support.
Zhou Huairang, who was outspoken, did not learn his lesson even after being punished by his master a thousand times. He blurted out: "Your Highness is writing a letter to the Emperor to complain." This reminded him of his childhood, when he would be the first to complain to his parents if he was bullied.
Zhao Mian's face became even uglier, and he was displeased as if he had been exposed: "Zhou Huairang."
"I am here!"
"Get out."
(End of this chapter)