宮殿 Gōngdiàn×The Palace

CHAPTER 33

The bustling city was alive with energy, adorned with vibrant lights and festive decorations. Puppet shows and stalls lined the streets, attracting visitors from far and wide who had come to witness the grand royal wedding. This celebration would continue for three more days until the wedding reached its conclusion. With the influx of visitors, the city had heightened its security measures.

More guards were stationed at the entrances, ensuring that nothing could pass through that might threaten the safety of the city and its people during this joyous time. Meanwhile, Li Ling, the bride-to-be, was undergoing a purification ritual at the temple. From head to toe, her body was being meticulously cleansed and prepared for the role of empress. The other concubine's in the harem who were tasked with washing and preparing her were not pleased with this arrangement.

They all desired the position that Li Ling had been granted and were now vying to become the king's favorite after the wedding. They hoped that the king would soon grow tired of Li Ling and begin visiting them regularly. In an effort to catch the emperor's attention, they ordered exquisite silk garments to wear during the celebration. These were the thoughts that swirled in their minds as they attended to Li Ling.

Mu Yang:

Mu Yang stood in his quarters with his arms raised, allowing the seamstress to fit him into his royal wedding attire. She moved around him, ensuring that every detail was perfect so that the emperor would look his best in front of the esteemed guests attending the wedding. As she glanced up at her king, she noticed the frown on his face, which seemed out of place for someone about to be wed in a few days.

"Please hurry, I haven't got all night." Mu Yang impatiently urged the seamstress, who bowed her head and worked as quickly as she could, taking note of any alterations that needed to be made.

"Yes, Majesty, I am finished now, I have all the measurements I need." the seamstress replied. "If Your Majesty can remove the clothing, I will wait outside until it is brought to me." she added.

Gathering her belongings while keeping her head down, sensing Mu Yang's discontent, she retreated into the hallway and closed the sliding door behind her. Eunuch Xuian entered the room after her, and Mu Yang turned to him.

"Take this off me." Mu Yang instructed, his voice filled with frustration. "It's so damn heavy." Turning his back to allow Eunuch Xuian to undress him, Mu Yang rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. Ever since the preparations for the wedding had begun, he had been in a foul mood. The servants believed it was merely stress, but Mu Yang knew the real reason. It had been two weeks since he had any contact and he couldn't make a move until he knew the whereabouts of his target.

"Finished, Your Majesty." Eunuch Xuian stated, gathering the garments to bring back to the seamstress.

"Leave me." Mu Yang dismissed him, blowing out the light in the room. He drew back the drapes of the bed and lay down, his naked body resting on the soft silk sheets. With one hand draped over his eyes, he allowed the faint light from the hallway to filter in before Eunuch Xuian left the room. As the doors closed behind him, the room plunged into darkness. Mu Yang's head throbbed, and all he wanted was sleep. He would deal with everything in the morning.

Cai lung:

"I see it." Cai said, standing at the edge of the forest. They had managed to temporarily lose their trackers, but they knew they couldn't stay in one place for long. Cai and Meixiang were cold, wet, and hungry. The sun hung high in the sky, and they could see the village they were heading towards. They quickened their pace and soon reached the entrance, where a bearded man and a small group of armed men awaited them. This man was likely the chieftain.

Cai and Meixiang were exhausted, but they couldn't afford to rest here. Not until they had left the village. The chieftain wasted no time in ushering them inside, providing them with warmer clothing and food. Despite the warmth the house provided, they couldn't stay for long. As soon as they finished their meal, they headed to the stables, where two horses awaited them. The process slowed down slightly as they realized they now had an extra person accompanying them on their escape. While the chieftain's men prepared the horses and loaded them with supplies, Cai turned to the man.

"What is your name?" Cai asked, realizing he hadn't had the chance to ask until now.

"Refer to me as Dark." he declared. Cai observed the man, his curiosity piqued, but he restrained himself from asking further questions. Perhaps Dark was just a code name, he thought.

"Why is she still accompanying us?" Dark inquired as the men brought out the horses for us to mount.

"Because I made a promise to take her with me, not just up until this point." I explained. "Her family is no longer alive, and if the Mongolians find her here, she will meet the same fate as the villagers. Leaving her behind is not an option."

"Not my concern. I brought her this far, but now we need to hasten our return to the capital borders." Dark retorted.

"She." he pointed a finger at Meixiang, "does not possess the necessary papers to enter the capital." he stated.

"Bai, I appreciate that you have brought me this far, and I apologize for complaining. You have helped me escape, and for that, I am grateful. It's alright now." Meixiang expressed her gratitude. "No, you're coming with us." I insisted. Cai contemplated how this would play out, remembering his first time at the border and how the people there were treated with suspicion. It was only because he was with Zing Ah, the General's son, that things went smoothly. However, he was determined not to abandon Meixiang.

"We could use his name." Cai cautiously suggested.

"Are you mad?" Dark hissed at him. "We cannot." he firmly stated.

"Well, we'll see when we get there. I'll speak to them." I replied. "Whatever, but if we can't get through, we leave her." Dark declared, finality in his voice. But I shook off his remark because I knew, no matter what, I would not leave Meixiang outside the border. Night fell once again as we continued on the snow-covered road. It would take approximately a week to reach the capital's border from here, and even longer if we stopped to rest every night. We rode through the first night, not allowing ourselves to relax until we had put a significant distance between us and our pursuers. Tonight, we would rest and continue our journey tomorrow.