EMPRESS LIU

~SIXTEEN~

The first day of the people's gathering was just everyone mingling with each other. Liu Shenhuan kept checking on his younger brother once in a while. He didn't know what happened to Liu Changsheng while he was missing. But he knew whatever it is, isn't very light. Given the way Liu Changsheng was acting, said something.

Liu Changsheng was thinking the whole time and he didn't want to take part in the festivities at all. So the first thing he did on the second morning was going out of the guest chambers at the crack of dawn. He reached the imperial market in graceful strides.

He found the stalls bustling with people. But he didn't find himself included in the liveliness. He was there to comply a request of his father. He wasn't there to enjoy. How can he? He was in a place where he spent a part of his lifetime and got only pain. Even though there was a time of happiness with the fourth prince but it was so short lived that the days of misery overshadows them all.

While walking aimlessly he found himself in front of a restaurant. Four characters were engraved above the gate. Duan Ming Mu Dan. Short Lived Peony.

A self mocking smile appeared on his face. He wasn't laughing at the name. He was laughing at the irony of it all. This was their place. His and his fourth prince's. This was the restaurant that he used to come often with the forth prince. He loved their braised pork so much. And every time they would come he would always buy it for himself and a plate of fried sweet potatoes for Liu Changsheng.

But he never realised that their love would be short lived too.

Now that he thinks about it he feels like he never saw the signs, did he? The fourth prince moved on too quickly to concubine Duan. And right after eight months of entering the household she became pregnant with his highness's offspring.

But now thinking about it all is meaningless. He wasn't here in the imperial city for that. He was here to fulfil his father's request. And maybe he'll find someone too. Someone who isn't the fourth prince. Someone who won't give up on him. Someone who wouldn't entangle him with court politics.

He was just thinking of leaving the place when a waiter suddenly saw him standing in front of the gate and welcomed him.

"Welcome. Gongzi. Please come in."

Now he had no other option than to enter a place he could have made a lot of beautiful memories but that faded even before they made their stronghold in his mind. The waiter took him to a table on the second floor. He sat on a stool with the window on his left side and thanked the waiter with a low tone.

"A serving of braised pork please and your famous butterfly wine."

The all smiling waiter excused himself quickly to bring his order thinking this person must be a wandering cultivator that he knows what's famous in their restaurant.

Though very mildly but Liu Changsheng remembered how he came to know about butterfly wine that year.

It was the fourteenth month after he wedded into the imperial family. It was his birthday and the fourth prince took him to Duan Ming Mu Dan as a gift. He was shocked to hear the name butterfly wine. Just when he was wondering if the wine had any sort of sacrifice of a butterfly in it, the fourth prince quenched his curiosity.

"It's called butterfly wine because of the container that holds it. Not because it has a butterfly in it."

He has laughed then. But after seeing the pot he was really mesmerized by the beauty. His memory was very blurry about what happened after that. Did the fourth prince give him a Peony after that? Or did he find it on the tree at the side of the garden a few Li away? But he remembered holding a branch of Peony when they were back in their palace. When the emperor's edict came that the fourth prince, his fourth prince, his Lao gong was to take official Duan's daughter as a concubine. And the scariest thing that broke his heart to million pieces was that he saw happiness, genuine happiness in Xiang Wang Hong Daqing's eyes.

He was looking at the container of the butterfly wine, the same mesmerized expression on his face, recounting memories, good and bad, he heard the same voice he didn't want to hear.

"It's called butterfly wine because of the container that holds it. Not because it has a butterfly in it."

He would have laughed the same if he was the same Liu Changsheng all those years ago. But he wasn't. So he only just gave a glaring glance at the intruder sitting right opposite him on the same table. He controlled his expression changing it into an expressionless one and looked back at the newly titled Xiang Wang sitting with all his glory in the overbearing purple and black. Xiang Wang's colour is purple in the court.

Liu Changsheng's eyes slowly moved from the Xiang Wang's outfit to his eyes then to his hair. His ponytail was neatly done with a golden hairpin that has a dragon engraved on the handle.

So this time he met concubine Duan before him? Good! He won't have to think about getting hurt because of that wench anymore. This is what Liu Changsheng was thinking in his head.

He had that night's events engraved solidly in his heart when he found his husband telling him how close he and Duan Jiali were and how this hairpin was a gift for him for being titled the Xiang Wang. He admits he was very jealous. But on his defence, is it appropriate to tell your husband about how close you are with your to-be-concubine? He wasted a whole night's worth tear that night.

He was probably too lost in his head that the Xiang Wang waved a hand in front of him to bring him back to reality. The dazzling smile directed to Liu Changsheng increased his irritation instead of making him happy. None of which showed on his face whatsoever.

"Does Liu Gongzi like braised pork too?" The effortless beauty of a prince said to him in an unnecessary friendly manner.

"No. I hate it."

Was Liu Changsheng's answer which shocked the fourth prince enough to be speechless for a good few instances. Which gave Liu Changsheng enough time to get some nuts out from inside his sleeves and throw them with his spiritual power to the opposite side of the road.

From the window of the restaurant it was visible that a bunch of rogue goons were bullying a young maiden who has a small stall with low priced nick-nacks. Right when the goons were about to touch the scared girl a bunch of well placed nuts with spiritual energy hit them on their vital acupuncture point making them fall down on the concrete road.

The whole crowd that gathered around sniffing entertainment in bullying the poor were given a better show to watch when an elegant looking man in an ocean blue glory effortlessly flew down from the second floor of some shop. No one could see who it was because he had his face covered with a matching blue fan leaving only his sharp but kind eyes along with a flow of black long hair visible.

No one saw what happened when the goons went to attack him instead, but in an instant every single one of the rogues were lying flat on the floor, none unhurt. He didn't even bat an eylash to rush to the side of the young village girl when she was about to faint holding her in his embrace like he would a fragile flower.

Xiang Wang Hong Daqing was looking at the whole exchange with a proud expression which didn't take long to change into a frown seeing the hero of the scene holding the girl so carefully.

The angry prince snatched a pair of chopsticks from on top of the table, shoved a mouthful of braised pork into his own mouth, chewed it like he would the reason of his anger and stomped away from the restaurant.

Hello Pandas! Here's a new chapter as promised.... I felt very happy writing this one because interactions between Liu Changsheng and Hong Daqing is my favourite thing to write.... I think you understand what's going to happen next! So please wait patiently! I'll see you with a new chapter next week.....

I don't know how I'm gonna write the next chapter yet! But I'll figure something out I guess!

So that's it for today... See you next week!

Enjoy
All the love
C 💕

Also please don't forhet to vote! ⭐⭐