The banquet hall of Prince Qi's palace was brightly lit tonight, and almost all the high-ranking officials and dignitaries of the dynasty gathered there.
The most conspicuous person in the hall full of people wearing purple quilts is tonight's host Xie Changgeng.
He was going to leave the capital to return to Hexi tomorrow morning, and the prestigious King Qi specially arranged this night banquet for him. During the feast, everyone toasted to Xie Changgeng, laughed and flattered him.
After three rounds of drinks, Xie Changgeng stood up and left the table. When he came back through a curved corridor leading to the banquet hall, he saw a man at the empty steps. He was wearing a golden crown and gorgeous clothes. The moonlight shone on his snow-white face. His eyes were staring at him dimly. It was Zhao Xitai, the prince of Qi.
Xie Changgeng walked over.
"Xie Changgeng, there are so many people in there, they toast you, serve you, and flatter you. But who do you think you are? You are just a big bandit. In their eyes, you are just a running dog in front of the Queen Mother. When the Queen Mother doesn't need you anymore, I will see what will happen to you."
Zhao Xitai said behind him.
Princes and sons of the royal family are often romantic.
Xie Changgeng knew very well why the Prince of Qi, whom he had never met before, hated him so much.
Such verbal provocations were not acceptable to Xie Changgeng at the age of fourteen, so there was no need to care about them.
But tonight, perhaps because of the wine, he remembered that the woman had already had a lover when she told him she was engaged, and he suddenly felt hot when he remembered the name she called out in her dream that night. The youth's spirit was so strong that he could no longer suppress it.
He slowly stopped, turned his head, looked at Zhao Xitai for a moment, then walked back and stopped in front of him.
"So what? Doesn't your father treat me, a big bandit and a running dog, as a guest of honor?" he said.
"Prince Zhao, you may not be able to see my future fate. But you don't seem to be in a good condition right now."
"The woman you want is a rare beauty, right? Unfortunately, she is mine. All you can do is hide in a shameful corner and think about her. Even to send her a letter, you have to pretend to be your mother."
He looked at Zhao Xitai, whose face was stiff in the moonlight, and a smile with deliberate malice appeared on his face.
"I will treat her very well. Don't worry."
He patted Zhao Xitai on the shoulder, turned around and walked away.
…
Xie Changgeng came back very late that night, smelling of alcohol from the banquet, he must have drunk a lot. He went into the bathroom, changed into his undergarments, and as usual, he went straight to the bed, closed his eyes and fell asleep.
After being busy for most of the night, their luggage had already been packed. Mu Fulan had been waiting for him to come back, but she let it go when she saw that he was drunk.
The night was very deep, and the sound of the midnight drum could be heard faintly in the alley. Mu Fulan was awake, looking through the tent at the faint moonlight coming in through the window. Suddenly, she heard a slight rustling sound from the couch opposite. She looked over and saw that the quilt that Xie Changgeng was covering himself with had fallen to the ground.
The two of them were not in harmony, and slept in separate beds. This was no secret to the people who served Mu Fulan. Mu's mother knew that the couch was too short for Xie Changgeng, so she had already put another couch at the end of the couch. It was long enough, but still narrow. At this moment, he turned over, and the quilt slid off.
The winter night air was chilly, and the figure on the couch was fast asleep, unaware and motionless.
Mu Fulan looked for a long time, finally climbed down from the bed, walked closer, and picked up the quilt that had fallen on the ground.
The man lay on his back, eyes closed, face slightly turned inward, mostly hidden in the darkness. The hazy night outlined the outline of his young and handsome face.
Mu Fulan leaned over the couch and put the quilt back before she touched his body. He suddenly opened his eyes and woke up.
It was as fast as lightning. Before Mu Fulan could react, she felt her wrist tighten and he grabbed it.
His grip was so strong that it caused her excruciating pain.
She was surprised, but endured the pain and said, "It's me. Your quilt fell off, and I covered it back for you."
The hand holding her wrist slowly loosened its grip and let her go.
Mu Fulan immediately took a step back.
He soon woke up completely, slowly sat up and said, "Is there any water?" His voice was low and dry.
Mu Fulan lit the candle, poured some water, and handed it to him.
He drank it and lay back down. After a moment, he closed his eyes and asked her who was still standing nearby, "What else do you want?"
Mu Fulan said: "Thank you for helping me, I am very grateful."
He didn't respond, his eyes still closed, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep again.
Mu Fulan stood for a moment, returned to the table and blew out the candle.
The light in the room dimmed again, leaving only the moonlight shining in through the window.
She turned around and was about to go back to bed when she heard a voice behind her: "Mu, send a message to your brother, telling him to be honest and not to have any wrong thoughts, lest he really get into trouble. If he seeks death, then no one can save him."
Mu Fulan's heart skipped a beat and she slowly turned back to the hazy figure on the couch.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"People who are not smart enough but make big plans, and who are not strong enough but have heavy responsibilities, usually die quickly. If they are in a high position, the harm will be even worse. I am not demoting your brother, but he is far inferior to your father in both ability and kingship. If he keeps the status quo honestly, your Mu family can still be king. If he does not know himself and thinks of relying on himself to rebel against Empress Liu, the country will be destroyed in no time."
He pushed aside the quilt and sat up.
"When he first met me, he expressed his dissatisfaction. Now four years have passed, and apart from his growing dissatisfaction and resentment towards me, I don't think he has made any progress at all."
Mu Fulan understood that he was only speaking in general terms and did not know what Changsha was doing secretly.
She said: "So where should Changsha go from now on?"
Xie Changgeng said nothing.
"You also know that Empress Liu regards my Mu family as a thorn in her side. Even if my brother has no intention of rebelling, she can always find a pretext to accuse him. Am I going to sit there and wait for death?"
"Last time, I was lucky enough to avoid the war because of Zhang Ban's connections. Do I have to rely on him to persuade Empress Liu? I'm afraid Zhang Ban doesn't have that much ability."
She said again.
Xie Changgeng snorted: "Zhang Ban can protect you from a war disaster. Am I, Xie Changgeng, not as good as Zhang Ban?"
"You mean, you are still willing to protect my Changsha Kingdom?" she asked.
"How difficult is it for me to protect your mere country of Changsha?" he answered her.
Perhaps it was because he was still drunk, but in the quiet late night, his tone when he spoke to her revealed an arrogance that was rarely seen in normal times.
Mu Fulan was silent for a moment and asked him, "So, what does my Mu family need to do for you?"
Exchange, it’s all exchange.
It was as if in the past, his father had recommended him to the government in exchange for a few years of peace in the four borders of Changsha State, and that marriage contract was the tool used to make the exchange a decent one.
He was silent, his eyes fixed on her.
She climbed down from the bed, her shirt neatly draped but thin, with the dress loosely draped over her shoulders. The moonlight shone in from the window beside her, and the curves of her body hidden under her shirt were hazy and vague.
The night seemed to freeze, and the cold became more severe. Mu Fulan stood in the darkness beside the table for a long time, gradually feeling cold and her pores tingling.
"I'll tell you when I need you."
He withdrew his gaze and lay back down again.
The author has something to say: I have been busy these past two days, so I’ve only written this much today and I’m posting it here.