Hua Hua You Long - Volume SS - Chapter 7

Darkness descended upon Tong'an and the lights of the capital flickered in the wind as the moon rose to its zenith.

A white figure cut through the calm night in the Forbidden City. Jing flew across the rooftops of the court, finally coming to a stop at the Marquis's residence. He stepped into the empty mansion and climbed the stairs. The handrail was dusty with neglect and the oil in the lanterns had long been dry and inignitable. 

The night was calm and the only sound in the building was of his fluttering robes and light footsteps. Even as the winter was slowly melting into spring, Jing's heart had long turned cold. It felt as if a hole had been punched through his chest. It didn't hurt, but the feeling was tight, and often he'd find his heart quaking with grief. 

It had been eight months since Lu Cang went missing without a trace and Jing still visited the Marquis's residence regularly with the irrational hope that one day, he'd climb the stairs and be greeted by a warmly lit room and Lu Cang's smiling face, handsome but ever so sweet. The memory brought a sad smile to his face. He ran the tips of his fingers along the wooden desk, drinking in the quiet of the room and trying to feel the residual warmth of Lu Cang's presence. 

.......

Lu Cang lay unconscious after the painful rounds of love making. The house by the bridge was dimly lit by the moonlight and a few surviving lanterns -- Jing had laid there for a few hours, staring at the ceiling and resting his body. He looked over at the sleeping Lu Cang and stopped short. The feisty bandit looked so different in his sleep, peaceful and quiet for once -- his profile was set perfectly against white silk sheets and his hair was messy from sex. And when his mouth parted ever so slightly to take in some air, Jing's heart stalled. A strange warmth filled his heart and flooded his body, causing a beautiful smile to float onto his face. He moved closer to the slumbering Lu Cang but stopped himself halfway through the motion. Bewildered at this new development, Jing quickly dressed and left the house, leaving the bruised Lu Cang behind and pushing the strange new emotion to the back of his head.
.........

"Brother Jing!"

Jing knew Xizhen was running towards him even without turning around. Now was really not the best time -- her father had recently passed away and just that morning, the prison guards reported that the bandit brothers had broken that filth out of the dungeons. He was beyond enraged. He had ordered General Mu to prepare a hundred troops to set out by dawn -- given Lu Cang's badly injured state, they couldn't have made it far. The order was to slaughter anyone who dared to resist. His heart was filled with malice.

"Brother Jing!" Xizhen called out again. She was clad in white mourning robes but her face was still bright and pretty against her plain clothes.

"Why are the troops moving out of the training grounds? What is going on?

" What else? Haven't you heard? Your father's killer got away."

Of course she knew, she was the one who rescued Brother Lu. She paid and instructed the guards to only relay the news a few days after their stunt, buying him enough time to get a safe distance away from the capital. But he was all alone and couldn't even stand. Needless to say, he wouldn't be able to hold off one soldier, let alone a hundred with the Emperor himself at the helm. Brother Lu traveling alone would be much more difficult to find than the whole group of noisy bandits Brother Jing was expecting, but given his tenacity, Xizhen was sure he'd find Brother Lu, and then it would be all over. She knew she was the only thing standing between Jing's cruelty and Lu Cang's life. She tried to plead with Jing to stay at least until the funeral was over as a form of respect, but he was adamant.

"Brother Lu is badly injured...you shouldn't--"

"Brother?"

Xizhen's eyes widened at the realization of her folly. She instinctively retreated a few steps, but the motion in itself was a dead giveaway. In a flash, Jing grabbed her neck and flung her down the stairs -- if not for her experience in martial arts, the force would have rendered her a pile of broken bones. Jing stalked down the stairs, surrounded by a thick veil of fury. Lu Cang killed her father, and she still addressed him like a friend, still tried to save him from Jing. Jing would never let this get past.

"I will capture him and lock him up and torture him slowly until he dies. I have ordered the soldiers to kill every last brother and flatten the stronghold."

The atmosphere was charged with his potent Qi and Xizhen could almost hear the snapping and cracking of the flooring as he walked towards her.

"Dear Royal Cousin, tell me."

Xizhen trembled uncontrollably and forced her Qi out in a thin protective layer around herslef -- the most she could manage amidst Jing's terrifying might. She was prepared for the worst. 

"TELL ME!"

The pressure increased tenfold and a curtain tore and fell in shreds on the parquet floor. Xizhen struggled to her feet against the crushing force of the Emperor's power. 

"I will not let you find Brother Lu."

"He killed your father."

Jing was indirectly trying to force a confession out of her but Xizhen was focused on uncovering something else.

"Your majesty, do not use my grief to justify your wrath."

Xizhen was an intelligent girl -- they had grown up together, after all. 

"Brother Lu is innocent." 

The tension in the air wavered, but Jing's expression was still frigid. Xizhen watched him closely -- for any subtle change in his always stoic face or any small movement in his hands. It was almost invisible but she caught it. Her terrified gaze turned accusatory,

"You love him."

"You killed Royal Uncle."

Jing did not falter in his own accusation. Xizhen was just a teenager -- she had no chance against the Emperor's will. Barely holding on to her tears, she spilled everything to an enraged Jing.

The next morning, Jing stepped into the courtyard. His eyes were red from the lack of sleep and were laden with dark circles. He ordered General Mu to send the soldiers back to the training grounds and instructed Ding Peng to prepare a team of bodyguards to escort the now former Empress across the border.

Enough.

Xizhen had saved her own life when she saved Lu Cang. 

........

"His Majesty arrives!"

The Emperor stepped out of the palanquin, towering proudly above the group of bowing eunuchs and servants despite the huge bandage on his head.

"Welcome Your Majesty. Concubine Yan is humbled."

A sweet voice echoed across the room and without bothering to address anyone, Jing flicked his wrist and dismissed the guards and servants.

Royal visits to the harem had decreased drastically since Lord Lu showed up at the palace, but news of his alleged attempted regicide and imprisonment was music to the concubines' ears. Finally, they had a chance to gain the Emperor's favor and help their brothers and fathers in court. 

Concubine Yan eagerly led the stone faced Jing to the bedchamber. She had been in the royal harem for a large majority of Emperor Jing Zong's rule, but she could count the number of times he visited on one hand. The sheer number of women in the harem and the competitiveness amongst the concubines automatically meant that there was a very slim chance of being chosen. Combine that with the fact that the Emperor only went to the Marquis's household almost every night, most of the concubines were left unvisited for more than a few years. She was determined not to disappoint. 

In a moment of extreme thrill, Concubine Yan's sharp fingernail grazed a red spot on Jing's shoulder -- the spot Lu Cang had bitten a few days prior which had not completely healed. The Lu Cang who was now sitting in the dungeon for attempted treason. Jing recoiled sharply -- his eyes were filled with fury.

"SHAMELESS!"

The concubine was slapped across the face so hard that she fell out of the bed and landed on the floor with an undignified yelp. Jing sneered at her prone figure and left a storm in his wake. The eunuchs and attendants fumbled to prepare the palanquin in such short notice and Concubine Yan's servants rushed into the chambers to console their weeping mistress while Jing threw a horrible tantrum in the back court.

.......

"Xiaocang, do you know..."

But Lu Cang had already fallen asleep. 

Jing pulled the blanket over his lover's bare figure and gathered him into his arms. He slowly drifted off to sleep this way, holding the the one person he loved most. 

Do you know?
I think about you everyday, even when you are right by my side.
.......

Xiao Guizi knew the Emperor's chambers would be empty the moment he stepped into the Imperial Manor. Ever since His Majesty returned to the palace just before the new year after a frenzied search for the missing Lord Lu that lasted two long seasons, the atmosphere had been taut with trepidation and even as the blooming flowers in the beautiful Lotus Garden marked the arrival of spring, the inhabitants of the Forbidden City found themselves chilled to the bone on a regular basis, living in constant fear of the Emperor's horrible temper. Without noticing it himself, Xiao Guizi's feet were taking him to the other side of the inner court.

His Majesty was still the perfect ruler, firm and unfaltering in the decisions he made for the empire. Other than the exponentially increased rate of death sentences and the always tense courtiers, the kingdom was running smoothly with no significant disruptions. Xiao Guizi had served His Majesty for more than ten years and had learnt to read Jing's icy cold face with considerable skill -- the way his eyes shone playfully when he first returned from that reckless sojourn to Jiangnan, his well concealed rage at any foolish minister who dared to take a jab at his beloved, or how his scholarly face shone with mirth behind the beaded crown when he caught a glimpse of Lord Lu walking around the palace grounds during the morning court. But now, his eyes were dull with a deep set melancholy that not even the liveliest of banquets could brighten. His majesty was heartbroken.

But Xiao Guizi was just an insignificant servant who was unconditionally loyal to the empire. He could only hope for the Emperor's health and Lord Lu's return.

The first traces of sunlight fell in beams through the foggy courtyard and created pale dapples on the stone floor. Xiao Guizi knelt solemnly at the closed door of the Marquis's quarters for a few moments. He closed his eyes and breathed in the cold morning air.

"Your majesty, it is dawn..."

-End-