Luoyang City
The rumbling of two horses racing pierced through the dark quiet night. Both horsemen appeared to try to outrun each other. The fear of being late for the meeting with their lord drove them to keep pushing their horse harder, charging ahead with intense urgency.
Both may seem like two local rich young lords who just came out from the brothel. They were dressed in exquisite clothes, riding their horses from the famous prostitute's area towards the riches' mansions area in Luoyang City. The horses they were riding were not any regular horses but horses meant for the royal family.
The first rider suddenly pulled back the reins. The horse he was riding immediately stopped then dramatically turned around. The second rider behind him was compelled to follow suit.
They went back to one of the aisles they passed in the corner of the city. They were still near the famous prostitution area on the west side of Luoyang city. There were a lot of small dark aisles in this area which was famous for criminal activities. The two horses walked slowly towards a horse-drawn carriage parked at the mouth of a small dark alley.
It seems like it was purposely parked there to cover the aisle. One old horse was still tied to the carriage and it was breathing heavily. The two horses which were twice the size of that regular horse stopped in front of the carriage. The old horse began to move nervously.
"Show yourself or I will tear this carriage apart!" The first man commanded with a sharp tone, pointing a long sword toward the carriage. The other man beside him pulled out his own sword towards the same direction and both waited in silence.
It was obvious there were scuffles in the carriage. The man lost his patience and moved his hand with the sword directed at the link that bound the horse to the carriage. Immediately, the horse that had been moving restlessly was separated from the carriage and the horse broke into a furious gallop away from them. The carriage's front crashed to the ground with a bang.
Two shabbily dressed men and a woman with excessive makeup immediately scurried out of their hiding place. The three kneeled on the ground and began bowing repeatedly to the two men smothering with dangerous vibes.
"We did nothing, sir. Please spare us."
"We are just homeless people. We have no valuables."
The two shabby men begged for forgiveness while banging their heads on the ground. The woman, who was a madam of a prostitute house, only looked down in silence.
"Then, why were you hiding when you heard us past this street?"pressed the first man.
They were both still on their horses, still holding their swords, towering over the three who were still kneeling on the ground. Both of them could see that the two men on the ground were lying. Even though they are dressed like peasants, both have well-built postures. Muscles that are not possible for the homeless to have.
"Open the blinds. Show me what's inside the carriage.", the first man commanded, his voice unusually sharp for a man.
The three exchanged glances. One of them stood up and began to approach the edge of the carriage. His hand was holding the end of the cloth that was covering the weathered carriage, when the other man abruptly jumped from the ground, throwing a deadly dagger towards the men in front.
The first man smiled disdainfully at this low life peasant and deflected the dagger with his sword like he was swapping flies. In a fluid lightning fast movement, he swung his sword for the second time and the peasant fell to the ground. He started to scream hysterically while holding his severed hand. His palm laid on the ground before him. His blood splashed to the woman next to him and made her scream hysterically. The man with severed hands fainted instantly. Meanwhile, the madam prostitute looked pale and covered her mouth with both hands.
The first man turned his head and found his buddy already standing next to the carriage. One hand opened the blinds while the other hand returned his sword to its case behind his back.
"Where is the other scoundrel?", asked the first man.
"I killed him", replied the second one briefly without turning around. "Ge, look."
The first man did not have the intention to get off his horse. He just led his horse closer to see what was inside the carriage. The first thing he saw was a pair of round eyes staring back at him. Obviously, those eyes looked terrified.
A young beautiful girl laid and covered in a thick mat. Her delicate hands were tied above her head. Scars and blood around her wrist indicate that she might have tried many times to escape. A dirty scarf laid not far from her face. Judging from the trace of blood on the edge of her lips, they figured her mouth was covered earlier too. Her legs were also tied up securely.
Stammering voice sounded behind them. The madam prostitute, who was still sitting on the ground, finally opened her mouth.
"These two men tried to sell the girl to me. They forced me to take her out of Luoyang and to work as one of my girls. I tried to refuse before both of you passed this street. Sir, please spare my live." The madam begged fearfully.
"Tell me who is behind this kidnapping?", asked the first man firmly.
The madam gasps then hit her own forehead to the ground. Stammering, she answered that question while crying. "I… s-s-swear I… do not know who had hired these two bastards to kidnap this young girl. They just said this girl's family intended to get rid of her."
It is common for rich families to have family feuds. They have an official wife, second wife, and their concubines, meanwhile all their children compete with each other to inherit their family line. They would do anything within their households in order to win the family war.
Boys got poisoned, girls were thrown away, husbands died, wives returned to their parents' homes. This was not strange anymore if this girl got deliberately dumped by her step mother or relatives to become a prostitute in another city or even sent out to another kingdom.
The first man finally decided to come down from his horse. This time, together with the second man, they released the young girl. They cut all the binding rope but the girl remained motionless. Both of them started to feel strange. Both of them pulled off the thick mat that wrapped around the girl's body only to discover that the girl was paralyzed. Someone must have pressed her acupoint and both men were sure that the person who did it was not one of the men who were now lying on the ground.
The clothes worn by this beautiful girl seem expensive. There was not a single piece of jewelry on her. Her hairstyle looked just like the hairstyle of commoners even though her hair had messed up. Judging from her clothing material alone, it indicates that this girl is not part of a noble family. She could be one of the daughters of a concubine from the rich merchant family in that area. Ever since the new dynasty was established, even though merchant is the lowest profession among commoners, some merchant families were quite wealthy.
The first man quickly pressed her acupoint so she could speak and move.
"Which family do you come from?" He asked while watching the girl who started to sit up on her own.
This young lady acted strangely. She looked down at her clothes, appearing to be surprised and confused. Then she moved her hands, flapped like a bird. She began to beat her legs softly but then she howled in surprise at the shape of her foot. It was like this was the first time she saw a pair of binding feet.
"Which family do you come from?" The first man repeated the question, this time more emphatically.
The girl turned her body. From the way she looked at the two men, her bizarre expression stunned the two men.
"Jiang." She answered, almost like a whisper. The girl pointed to the ground. "I heard they mentioned the Jiang family when I regained consciousness. But I cannot remember a thing. I do not remember who my family is. I do not remember who I am."
"Do you mean Duke Jiang?" The first man glared at her.
The second man shakes his head, he could not believe what she said. "It is impossible. Duke Jiang has only one son and one daughter. If Duke Jiang's daughter was kidnapped, this whole city would have known about it."
"But her foot…." Before the first man could finish his sentence, the other man snapped back at him.
"A lot of merchant's daughters bind their feet."
"Please, dà ren, please spare this low life." The madam wailed at them. She kept bowing to the ground until she heard something being thrown to the ground.
She lifted up her head just to find a pouch that contained silvers on the ground, arm length from her face. Confused with the whole situation, she did not dare to touch the pouch and remain still, shivering in fear. The first man carried the beautiful lady with both arms, while the second one was pointing his sword to her nose.
"Just consider we bought this girl from you. Now, scram!" The moment the first man shouted at her, with trembling hands, the madam swapped the pouch into her chest then got up and fled for her life.
The two men did not even have interest to check whether that madam had already gone. They looked at each other while the young girl was still in one of their arms.
"Gē, we need to hurry back. Wáng ye is waiting for us." After he lowered his sword, the second man turned around. With teary eyes, that beautiful young lady watched him while her head was leaning securely on the other's shoulder.
"We bring her along.", said the first man.
"But…." The second man hesitated on that idea. He knew this girl must not be just an ordinary girl and he knew his buddy felt the same way with him.
"Wáng ye is not in a good mood lately. Especially after we report to wáng ye what we found at the capital." The first man gazed at the girl in his arms. "This girl might be able to help calm down our wáng ye for some time."
Noticing the girl leaned weakly with teary eyes and remained silent, the second man asked: "You pressed her acupoints?!"
"Yes. Now, help me get her on the horse." The second man's eyeballs widen. His fellow just nodded firmly and ignored his reaction.
***
The trio entered the back of a residence in the center of Luoyang city. Just right after the sunrise, a two horses carriage with one guard sitting on the saddle's control, came out from the front gate of the same residence. The carriage calmly headed to the east side of the city. The carriage stopped once it reached the back gate behind a huge mansion, bestowed by the current emperor to his first surviving son, Li Fei Long.
Once the carriage was safe inside the backdoor of the mansion, two men dressed in eunuch outfits jumped out from the carriage. The first eunuch gave a signal to the taijian who was standing by waiting for their arrival.
"Take her to the back side of wáng ye's quarter. Inform pό zi to bathe, feed, and dress her up to serve wáng ye tonight."
Once they heard this girl was meant to serve Duān Qīn Wáng, two tài jiàn held her carefully. Both of them carried her up above their shoulders and went to the inner court in a split second.
Both high rank eunuchs now walked side by side towards the same direction slowly and calmly. They have been arranged to serve Duān Qīn Wáng, since the day Li Fei Long was born. They have been devoted to Li Fei Long for many years. Supported Li Fei Long safely entered his adulthood, received the title of Duān Qīn Wáng, and became one of the solid candidates to be crown prince.
For almost a decade in his reign, the current Emperor did not seem to have interest in choosing his next successor. Unlike The Late Emperor who had chosen his first born son to be The Crown Prince the moment he claimed victory over the war, seized the throne and proclaimed himself as emperor of a new dynasty, Xi Dynasty.
Only, the chosen Crown Prince died in the war while he was waging a war to enlarge the realm of the empire. The second son, Li Yuan Tian, was chosen to be The Crown Prince to keep the new dynasty stable and since then the Xi dynasty has grown and prospered. After Li Yuan Tian became Emperor, he changed his temple into Emperor Shang Di, and under him, Xi dynasty even advanced in art, literature, economics, and power.
Sure there were schemes inside hòu gong, but The Empress was not an ordinary character. The Empress's family background has supported The Emperor as well. And thus this royal family grew even stronger until the empress was confirmed to be no longer able to give birth to a dragon son.
Now all eyes were closely watching the four Qīn Wáng who have entered adulthood. Each of them has been bestowed the title Qīn Wáng, their own fῠ and cè fei. One by one has joined the royal court and carried political responsibilities. The most appealing were Duān Qīn Wáng and Ruì Qīn Wáng.
Both have equal supporters in the court. Both have high rank birth mothers that came from the most influential noble families. One was Jing Gui Fei and the other one was Shu Gui Fei. Since The Emperor remains neutral to all Qīn Wáng, the people of the Xi dynasty proclaim how wise and illustrious The Emperor was.
Ming He and Qian Chang Xin reached the study room and informed their arrival to Li Fei Long who has been staying there since last night. After dismissing one junior tài jiàn, Li Fei Long takes a sip from the steaming tea cup on the side table.
Both eunuchs bowed down in front of him. Ming He is the first one who gave his report. "Report to wáng ye. Nú cai has informed Jing Gui Fei to rush back to the palace."
"Did you explained the situation?", Li Fei Long asked calmly. He put back his tea on the table and looked at his most trusted people.
"Yes, wáng ye. Jing Gui Fei 's entourage is reaching the palace as we speak right now."
Noble Consort Jing got permission from The Emperor to pay a visit to the royal temple outside the capital city to pray for Empress Dowager's health. Who would have thought on this rare occasion, The Emperor gave an imperial edict for Li Fei Long to do inspection to Luoyang city and at the same time The Emperor also summoned the Minister of Personal, Minister of Rite, and the Head of Department of State Affairs.
The last time The Emperor summoned these high ranked officials privately was for Imperial Gongzhu betrothal to Fuma. Therefore Li Fei Long felt anxious. Jing Gui Fei was not in the palace. While Li Fei Long was carrying out state duties.
It was an open secret that The Grand Chancellor's daughter, Han Yao Ying, was the prime candidate to be betrothed to one of the Qīn Wáng.
Grand chancellor, Han Xiu Wen, is the nephew of Empress Dowager. A very capable man who married The Emperor's royal sister, Grand Princess Li Liang Rong . The Grand Princess Li Liang Rong was widely known as one of the empire heroes, who fought along with The Late Emperor, The Late Crown Prince and, The Emperor during wartime.
Hearing Li Fei Long's deep sigh, Qian Chang Xin did not wait for his lord to ask him again. He quickly continued to report his findings.
"In accordance with wáng ye's prediction, Shu Gui Fei's maiden household has been sending some rare treasures to The Grand Chancellor's mansion."
Of course Shu Gui Fei and Ruì Qīn Wáng did not want to lose the opportunity. Even though Li Fei Long has the bigger chance since he was the oldest Qīn Wáng. Still, he felt anxious.
Li Fei Long has met Han Yao Ying a few times in person and he already decided that she was the one who would be his perfect phoenix companion to sit on the throne. Han Yao Ying's family support and her elegance and beauty has captured Li Fei Long's eyes. The problem was, not only Li Fei Long felt that way. Ruì Qīn Wáng and Shu Gui Fei have made few low profile attempts to connect with The Grand Chancellor and Grand Princess.
Li Fei Long can only cleared his throat. For now, there was nothing he could do. He could only wait and see. He waved his hand to excuse Ming He and Qian Chang Xin. The two eunuchs moved to their post and started to serve Li Fei Long like usual.
***
"What's your name?"
The question from the eunuch was met with her silence. If only she could say her real name, she would answer it right away. The problem was she had time traveled to an era she could not recognize.
Both eunuchs who brought her to this astonishing mansion, were watching her closely while she was sitting at the center of a big bed chamber guarded by one pό zi who gave her a bath earlier.
"Then, let's wait for wáng ye to meet you and decide what will wáng ye do to you." The eunuch smirked at her while his eyes looked at her up and down.
"I am the daughter of Duke Jiang." The beautiful girl glared at him with fierce eyes.
With her clear smooth skin and cheeks red like peaches, Ming He was assured that this young pure girl would be able to please wáng ye. And if this girl has intelligence, Ming He was pretty sure that she could land a great position once wáng ye bring her back to Duan Wang Fu.
"If you really are the daughter of Duke Jiang, then you would have given me your name." Ming He looked at her coldly, his steely eyes made her shivers.
"I told you I could not remember anything. The moment I regained consciousness, I heard one of the kidnappers mentioned Duke Jiang."
From the way the girl interacted with Ming He and Qian Chang Xin, both applauded her for her bravery. Her eyes look scared but at the same time has the courage to defend herself. The pό zi had informed Ming He and Qian Chang Xin that this girl was still as pure as snow, meaning she was still a virgin. Other than having amnesia, the girl was healthy and on top of that, immensely beautiful.
"It is possible that you have heard wrongly," Qian Chang Xin said emphatically to the girl who sat on the chair in front of him. He wanted her to stop dodging the purpose of her being taken to this quarter. "We both saved your life. That makes you owe us your life."
"Actually, you should be delighted to know that our lord is actually Duān Qīn Wáng." Ming He gestured respectfully towards the outside as if he was giving it to Li Fei Long himself. Then he turned his face back to the girl who clearly looked angry.
"And why should I feel delighted? I owe my life to both of you, not to your lord." The girl snapped angrily.
She lifted her chin as if she did not want to be looked down by these two eunuchs. Qian Chang Xin still felt that this girl has this elegant aura that bothers his guts. But he has ordered special spies to investigate whether it was true that Duke Jiang's daughter had been kidnapped. And the report he and Ming He received before they stepped their feet here suggested that nothing had happened at Jiang Gong Fu.
"After you serve our wáng ye, your attitude towards us will change significantly." Ming He walked one step closer but his words apparently just triggered her to jump from her seat.
"I will not serve any wáng ye." She asserted in defiance. Meanwhile her balance betrayed her. Probably because of her foot binding, she almost fell backward if she did not hold on to the edge of the round table.
Ming He acted swiftly. He moved like a ghost and restrained her, his hand grabbing her jaw firmly. Qian Chang Xin summoned the yā huan who was standing outside the room with a porcelain bowl on a tray. The girl's eyeballs widened after she saw Qian Chang Xin bringing the bowl towards her.
She could see how dark the liquid was inside the bowl. The smell was too strong for her nose and burned her throat when the duo forced her to swallow it. Ming He pressed her nose as soon he let go of her jaw, making sure that the girl swallowed every single drop. Once done they released her and she fell back on the chair with a burning sensation crawling down her throat into her stomach.
"It is not poison," Ming He said calmly to the girl who was still shocked.
"Guard her until wáng ye come back to rest," Qian Chang Xin gave order to the pό zi who was still standing with her head lowered at the end of the room.
Both of them turned and stepped out of the room. Qian Chang Xin whispered to Ming He: "That girl is no ordinary girl."
"If she is smart enough, she would be extraordinary by sunrise tomorrow." No one saw a drop of sweat rolled down Ming He's forehead. This was the first time he used drugs on a woman to serve his lord.
Ming He and Qian Chang Xin have been taking care of Li Fei Long's need for so long to know that their wáng ye have huge desires for women. Since Duān Qīn Wáng also has a huge imperial reputation that he needs to maintain, Ming He and Qian Chang Xin have been arranging this matter covertly. At least until this moment.
Both went separate ways quietly. One walked towards the kitchen to prepare for their lord's dinner while the other walked to the study room where Li Fei Long was still finishing his work.
***
Li Fei Long has been informed what was waiting for him inside his bedchamber. All this time Ming He and Qian Chang Xin have never let him down, so as usual, Li Fei Long did not really put too much concern about the existence of a young maiden in his bed chamber.
After Ming He helped him with his outfit, Li Fei Long proceeded to his bath which was assisted by Qian Chang Xin. While enjoying his warm bath, he heard the sigh of a passionate voice inside his bed. He glanced at Qian Chang Xin who remained bowed at his post, as if the moan full of lust and the movement on his bed did not happen.
Feeling aroused, Li Fei Long quickly stood up and walked out from the tub. He waved Qian Chang Xin away who was standing behind him holding linen ready to dry his body. He looked intensely towards his bed chamber. He walked calmly toward his bed, ignoring Qian Chang Xin who withdrew himself out of the room.
The moaning and movements on his bed look tempting. A young girl was moving lustfully, hands wandering over her own curves as if trying to calm the heat emanating from her body. The thin fabric she was wearing was almost transparent. Before he unfolds the thin curtain that separated him from the girl, that girl stopped her movement and stared at him.
"Stay where you are!" The girl growled like a hurt animal.
Li Fei Long laughed and unfolded the thin curtain. Stunned by the astonishing yet erotic view before him, Li Fei Long stood there for a moment to admire every details of the beautiful figure before him.
From her eyes, he saw her anger. From her face, he notices her heat and from her lustful restless body language, he knew that this young girl in front of him was as aroused as himself. The way she breathed seemed strange. Li Fei Long turned his head to seek his two trusted eunuchs but realized that they both had left the room.
Shifting his attention to the young girl again, Li Fei Long smirked at her. He mounted the bed and faced the girl with his muscular body, Li Fei Long could not wait to fully savor what was in front of him.
"Stay back….."
Li Fei Long moved forward and faced that beautiful face inches away. He could smell her nice odor. He could feel her hot breath on his face, and the feeling of it was refreshing.
"What's your name?" Li Fei Long whispered. The girl looks confused.
"I will give you a name," said Li Fei Long after he realized the girl might not be able to think properly since she took a potion which made her aroused. Li Fei Long pressed his body onto hers. The moment her sensitive nipples rubbed against him, Li Fei Long heard the betraying moan from her lips.
"How do I stay away from you if you crave me this much?" He whispered to her ear. The girl wriggled restlessly as lust clouded her mind. The more she moved, the more wet she became. She sat on one of his thighs, Li Fei Long could feel the wetness between her legs.
Li Fei Long drew a deep breath next to her head. His hands roamed lustfully all over her, one hand traced her torso down to the source of her wetness, teasing it as the girl sighed and tensed up with pleasure. Li Fei Long was enjoying it and so was the girl.
The girl put her hands on his head and pushes it towards her lower body. Li Fei Long knew what she wanted and traced his tongue from her pink nipples slowly towards her nectar. Soon the moaning amplified multiple folds in his room. He lifted his head to see how wild her expression was. The moment their eyes met, Li Fei Long could not contain his passion of hardness. He moved and pinned her down. The faithful eunuchs outside exchanged knowing glances when they heard the shrilling cries from the girl inside.
***
The moment Li Fei Long walked out from the inner chamber, Ming He and Qian Chang Xin rushed a few taijian in. Under Li Fei Long's orders, two yahuan entered the bedchamber to help the exhausted lady clean herself up.
Purposely using the outer side of the room, Li Fei Long began questioning his people while he freshens up himself.
"Who is she?" Li Fei Long asked calmly.
Sensing the underlying chill of his question, Ming He and Qian Chang Xin quickly kneeled on the floor. They both knew how terrifying wangye could be. Under his calmness, Duan QIn Wang delivers a spine-chilling aura when he became angry.
"Answering wangye's question, nu cai found this young lady in the middle of an illegal human trafficking transaction on the way here. She claimed she had lost her memory after she got kidnapped."
Intentionally skipped the part where the young girl insisted that she was the daughter of Duke Jiang, Ming He bowed even deeper and waited until Li Fei Long waved his hands to give pardon to both of them.
"Stand up", ordered Li Fei Long.
After both of them stood up, Li Fei Long pointed it out: "Her binding feet…."
"Nu cai believes she is one the daughter from a merchant family. Nowadays many merchant families like to follow the noble's conduct. Even though this young miss insisted that she might be one of the daughters of Duke Jiang, nu cai already personally verified that it is not true." Qian Chang Xin answered.
Qian Chang Xin noticed the glare Ming He gave him after he mentioned the Duke of Jiang. But it was too late to retract what he said. The only thing Qian Chang Xin could do was to bowed even deeper and wait for their highness's reaction.
"Duke of Jiang?" Li Fei Long murmured as he tried to recall the person's identity.
The Duke of Jiang used to serve the founder of this dynasty. When The Duke was thirteen years old, he began serving as the secretary to a commander governor. He was described as having a vast knowledge of literature. During the reign of The Late Emperor, he became an officer in the guard corps, but was said to be so poor that, in order to report to the capital Chang'an for duty, he had to walk there.
Then he served successively as the census officer, personal secretary to The Late Emperor, and then became The Deputy Head of The Household at the Emperor's secondary palace at Luoyang. He received a marriage degree and was awarded fields, a mansion and the title of Duke of Jiang.
Li Fei Long met Duke Jiang and his son just a few days ago along with other high ranked Luoyang's magistrates. His personality impressed Li Fei Long. Even though The Duke is one of the figures who was favored by The Late Emperor, the Duke remained humble and has maintained low key for his visit.
"Are you sure? Have both of you investigated that she might be a bait?" Li Fei Long knew how his people work. Even though there were possibilities that Ming He and Qian Chang Xin could have slipped this time, his desire made him want this girl to stay by his side for a while.
He threw a piece of white silk with blood stained on it to the ground. Ming He bent down to pick it up then frowned after he saw what it was.
"Is she as pure as she was?" Li Fei Long looked at his subjects to warn them.
Both bowed one more time. "Yes, Your Highness. We are certain."
A low moan was heard from the inner chamber, making Li Fei Long turned his head around. It was like the tempestuous shadow was calling him back in.
"Whose idea is it to give her evil lush potion?" Li Fei Long was referring to the reaction that poor girl need to bear for the next few hours.
Ming He and Qian Chang Xin glanced at each other before quickly kneeled down on the ground.
"It was me, wang ye…."
"No. It was me, Your Highness…."
Both tried to cover each other up. They have lived like brothers for as long as they could remember.
"Give each of you a pouch of silver as your reward." Li Fei Long chuckles.
He unfolded the curtain that divided the rooms. Two yahuan noticed his mood and they quickly made their way out. The beautiful girl who was half tired, half drowsy, now laying on top of the bed. Her seductive movement was full of lust.
"From now on, her name is Lady Xīng." Li Fei Long grinned with the idea of giving her a lewd meaning name. He waved his hand before walking back to the bed.
By the time he reached the side of the bed and bent down, staring into her eyes. His hand touched the most sensitive part of her body as he lowered his head to give her a long hot kiss. And then their second act of lust began.
***
Two bodies coiled between the sheets. Her leg was on top of his. His arm was around her waist. Leaning on his bended arms, Lei Fei Long was watching her sleeping face with a mysterious smile on his face.
He wanted to caress her smooth skin. He wanted to lower his lips and kiss her again. But he also knew this girl must have been tired with all the action they had the whole night long.
Without realizing it, his palm shifted and had stopped right on her hips. His hand moved slowly tracing the contour of her hips. He only stopped when she murmured between her sleep and moved her body after she felt disturbed. Li Fei Long did not have the heart to wake her up. But she had awakened and found Li Fei Long smiling slyly at her.
Li Fei Long pulls the bed sheet up to her chin after she made a funny noise annoyingly. She tried to close her eyes again and turned her body away from him to avoid his hands on her body.
"From now on, you are Duan Wang Fu's tong fang. Your name will be Lady Xīng." Li Fei Long announced it happily. "We will be back to the fu tomorrow morning. For the rest of the day today, you could get plenty of time to rest. I will be back to join you in the afternoon."
She never forgot her modern name. It was just because she completely did not know anything about her current body's life that made her wary. She was sure she heard two men discussing which family she belonged to while she was captured. But it seems nobody believed her.
"You could call me Lady Xīng but I will never be your tong fang and I will not follow you back to your fu."
Xing stared at Li Fei Long firmly with her big round eyes. Li Fei Long frowned, obviously very angry with her statement. Xing pulled the blanket over to cover her chest. She sat on the bed after Li Fei Long jumped out from there and stood up angrily.
"Ben wang will assume ben wang has never heard that. From now on, do not test my patience. Know where you stand, ben wang is Lóng zi, dragon son."
Li Fei Long sat himself on the round chair at the center of the room. His eyes stared at her. His demeanor changed suddenly and became intimidating. As if hypnotized by his aura, Xing became more polite and fixed her way of sitting.
"Refer to yourself as qiè everytime you speak to ben wang." Li Fei Long rebukes her and waited until she knows that she was just one of his subjects from now on.
He knew she was frightened from the look of her eyes. With her long hair messed around her tired face, she can hardly stand up. She tried to keep herself covered under the sheet. Honestly, this view of her made Li Fei Long wants to pin her down to the bed again but he understood he needed to control himself. He needed to be firm with her to make her realize now she belongs to him. He knew she would be too tired to have another round of his punishment after their long night.
Li Fei Long still wants this girl to serve him in future. If he follows his instinct, he would just be killing her with his enormous sexual prowess.
Xing stood in front of him looking fragile and pale while her cheeks blushed. Surprisingly, she suddenly knelt before him. With her chin raised and pleading eyes, she opened her delicious lips. "Qiè… qiè is requesting for wáng ye to release… qiè."
Usually, other women will beg to stay. He was Duan Qin Wang. He was Lóng zi, dragon son. Just right below The Emperor himself. A very close position to hold the throne. This woman who was staring at him with her teary but brave eyes, was requesting him to release her.
Li Fei Long remained silent until he knew the person before him was starting to get anxious. It was his way to intimidate people. He enjoyed the long pause before he decided on another person's fate, their life within his hands.
"Qiè wants to find out about qiè's family." Xing begged once more, realizing that Li Fei Long might end up killing her on the spot if she remained silent.
"Ben wang will help you with that. In fact, ben wang can make those who harm you suffer." Li Fei Long replied.
"But I would not be able to get back to my family once I become tong fang." She completely forgot that she needed to use the formalities but was too late to realize it.
Li Fei Long's eyes squint angrily at her. "You think you would bring shame to your family once your family knew that you would only be a tong fang?"
He snorted at her. "You really think you are the daughter of Duke Jiang?" Blatantly laughing at her, Li Fei Long stood up and pointed his finger towards her.
"We will soon find out where you came from. Until that day, you are Duan Wang Fu's special guest. After we know which family you come from, you will be formally transfer to hou yuan."
Li Fei Long called Ming He and Qian Chang Xin in. A group of people rushed in with a bathtub full of warm water, new outfit, and some refreshment for Li Fei Long. Noticing how quick this group of people reacted, Xing realized they must have waited all along outside the main chamber. This group of servants must have heard their conversation earlier.
Before the servants put down the tub, Li Fei Long ordered his bathtub to be put on the outer side of the bedchamber. Xing noticed how weird that order sounded because she caught a glimpse of Ming He and Qian Chang Xin's stunned face before they carried out his order.
Li Fei Long also ordered some yahuan to tuck her back inside the bed, prepare her new clothes, and to prepare her bath after he finished with his bath. Xing appeared to accept her fate which made Li Fei Long feel a sense of relief. If this woman still insisted in front of all the servants, it would be embarrassing for him.
Back on her bed, Xing started to wonder whether this Duan Qin Wang has any feelings towards her or he just considered her as his new toy. Feeling drowsy and exhausted, she really wanted to rest as much as she could. But the noise this bunch of people made, especially the fact that Li Fei Long was enjoying his bath on the outer side of the room, made Xing blushed. She remembered every little detail of what happened between the two of them last night.
The potion that has been forced inside her mouth made her transformed into a promiscuous sex starved creature. She cannot let herself stay in this autocrat house. Her sleepy eyes were getting heavier while planning her escape. She decided to rest before she conjured up how to escape from Duan Qin Wang's hands.
***
After ordering the head of kitchen and servants to serve dinner for Duan Qin Wang and his guest, Lady Xing, Qian Chang Xin half-heartedly walked to the main living quarter to invite Lady Xing to join dinner with wang ye. Practically being locked up inside Duan Qin Wang's main quarter, Qian Chang Xin felt it was not even proper to formally invite this so-called special guest. But that was his lao ye's specific order, therefore he has to do it.
Ming He had gotten the order to start looking up Lady Xing's background, thus from there both of them can conclude how Lady Xing's status has escalated in Li Fei Long's mind.
Qian Chang Xin did not know whether he should feel relieved or regret. Lady Xing's identity was still a mystery. Ming He and Qian Chang Xin brought her here and technically they forced her with potion to serve wang ye. When Lady Xing learned how lucky she was if this affection goes on, Qian Chang Xin was not able to predict how Lady Xing would treat him and Ming He.
The moment he lifted his head after he half bowed to Lady Xing, he was stunned momentarily. The lady in front of him has dramatically changed since last night.
She was dressed in silky soft material that accentuates her curves, along with some jewelries chosen for her. The neat hairstyle with bu yao above her dark black hair matched her lip color. Lady Xing sat upright on a chair with several yahuan standing behind her as if she was waiting for his arrival. Seeing the scene before him, Qian Chang Xin began to believe that Lady Xing might indeed be one of the nobles.
"Nu cai comes to invite Lady Xing to join wang ye for dinner." Qian Chang Xin still refused to give full bow against his own feelings towards this lady.
"Where?" Just one word and it was not what Qian Chang Xin expected to hear. Just like a picture, Lady Xing still sat there without a single movement with her strong aura.
"The dinner will soon be served here." Qian Chang Xin did not even get the chance to lower his eyes, Lady Xin gave him a sarcastic laugh.
"Whatever my response is, we all know that all of this is just a joke." Lady Xin continued her fake laugh.
"Any particular request for dinner tonight?"
As soon as Li Fei Long stepped his foot inside the room, Qian Chang Xin and all the servants bowed their heads deeply.
Leaving Lady Xin to feel awkward to be left alone without giving any respect to the dragon son. No matter how hard her heart was, the person in front of her was still part of the royal family. Her life depended on his mercy for now.
After watching the servants on her right and left, Lady Xing stood up and tried to bow to Li Fei Long. Her feet were giving her problems. She was not used to the shape of her feet so she lost balance as soon she bowed her head, furthermore her whole body was still weak. She felt like she did not have any more energy left.
Li Fei Long moved forward and caught Lady Xing in his arms. He seemed happy to know that the women in his arms tried to give him respect even though she failed. This act showed how Lady Xing actually knew her position.
"You are as weak as a leaf", Li Fei Long enjoying the moment.
Both did not realize that all the servants in the room had to bow even deeper because they did not dare to witness how intimate the scene was in front of them.
"Qiè is not accustomed to give proper respect." Lady Xing tried to break off from his arms but she could not do it.
Their strengths were at a different level. Her face started to blush because she was embarrassed. It was difficult. With all the formalities she needs to follow, Lady Xing just wanted to be back to her original state.
"You will learn." His words were full of confidence. Lady Xing stopped struggling and turned her eyes and looked at him directly.
"After wang ye find out qiè's family, wáng ye does not need to feel hampered anymore by my clumsiness." Lady Xing just wanted him to understand that she does not want to be tangled in his life.
"When you started to address yourself as qiè in front of me, you already became part of my fῠ." Li Fei Long tightened his arms around her waist. This action was meant to show her that she now belongs to him.
"I have a request before we start dinner." Lady Xing said it courageously.
She stopped addressing herself as qiè, and ignored how Li Fei Long's face turned sour by quickly adding, "As your guest, I should stay at the guest area, not in your main living quarter. It is not proper for a single maiden with no clear status to stay…."
The moment Li Fei Long let go of his hands, her heart felt a tint of longing. She could not finish what she was saying because she was too fixated. The noble men before her looked especially annoyed.
Li Fei Long turned his back towards her and harshly said, "Prepare a guest room for Lady Xing."
She then realized that they were surrounded by a number of servants after Qian Chang Xin answered that order politely. "Yes, wang ye."
Li Fei Long kept his mouth shut the whole time. He sat down and let the servants serve dinner. Awkwardly sitting next to Li Fei Long, Lady Xing glanced a few times to check Li Fei Long who pouted and not even once glanced at her back.
After the entire menu of food was served, Lady Xing just waited for Li Fei Long to move his chopstick first. She just copied his movement. What kind of food Li Fei Long picked for himself, she also picked up the same thing to her own bowl.
All the food was very delicious and very suitable for her taste. One of the few things Lady Xing did not regret having time traveled to this era was this type of food. Every time she savored the taste, she nodded a little. She even gave a glance to one of the yahuan who was stationed close to her. She was curious how to ask for another bowl of rice. In her mind, she wondered whether it was a proper act since she was sitting with the direct descendant of The Emperor.
"One more bowl."
His order sounds very casual until Lady Xing turned her head spontaneously to watch Li Fei Long accepted another bowl of rice from Qian Chang Xin.
"Give one more to Lady Xing." Li Fei Long added after Qian Chang Xin retreated.
Her rice bowl was swiftly exchanged. Lady Xing observed Li Fei Long still enjoying his dinner calmly. She wondered, was this man able to read her mind? But seeing how Li Fei Long casually enjoyed his dinner, she quickly soaked in her own thoughts.
Her stomach felt bloated by the time she put down her chopstick. Once again she glanced at her side and continued to mimic whatever Li Fei Long did. One yahuan was carrying a basin and the other one was standing by with a clean towel.
When Li Fei Long washed his hands, she did the same thing. When Li Fei Long dried his hands, she followed. When Li Fei Long rinsed his mouth, she followed suit. The difference was only she accidentally spat at the wrong spot and spurted a little on the yahuan who was carrying the basin.
"Oh… pardon me. I did not intend to spat on you." Lady Xing stood up and was about to wipe with her long sleeves but that yahuan immediately kneeled on the floor in fear.
"Spare my life, wang ye, Lady Xing. Spare my carelessness." That yahun began to kong tow in panic.
"Stand up. It was me who accidentally spat on you." Lady Xing frowned. She disliked this situation where it seems like she was a tyrant.
That yahuan did not listen to her and was still kneeling on the floor.
"This yahuan is called Ru Qing, the other one is called Ru Ming. In particular, they were both chosen to serve Lady Xing. If Your Highness feels they both lack experience, nu cai will discipline them." After Qian Chang Xin finished his sentence, another yahuan took a knee in front of Lady Xing and Li Fei Long.
Lady Xing was unable to see this high profile personal eunuch of Duan Qin Wang because he kept bowing down full body in front of them. She can only sigh irritably at him. These two young servants did nothing wrong. The two of them served her very well during her stay here.
"I prefer both of them to serve me. I was quite satisfied with their performance. They did nothing wrong." She panicked.
"If that is the case, continue serving Lady Xing well. Follow Qian Chang Xin to receive gifts for Lady Xing and prepare for Lady Xing's needs for tomorrow's trip back to Duan Wang Fu." LiFei Long quickly closed the case.
The way Li Fei Long commanded nonchalantly was disturbing to Lady Xing. She could only stare at all parties involved in confusion. She felt trapped but everything happened quickly back to normal like nothing had happened, she just stood there and let the servants express their gratitude towards her as Li Fei Long left the scene like a shadow.
One senior pό zi who she recognized for giving her bath last night already held her hand with full respect. She led her to follow Li Fei Long from behind. Lady Xing walked gingerly with extra care since she worried she could lose her balance again.
Li Fei Long headed to the beautiful courtyard decorated with beautiful greeneries. The crescent moon just added a touch of romantic aura in the garden. There was no clouds in the sky and the temperature was suitable for sitting outside to enjoy the moonlight.
Their small group stopped once they reached a stone table in the center of the courtyard. A board of xiàngqí was already prepared on the table along with some delicious looking pastries and a tea set.
"If wang ye expected me…" Before Lady Xing could finish her sentence, Li Fei Long already glared at her. Lady Xing frowned then tilted her head as she was trying to figure out how to fix her sentence. "…..expected…. qiè?!"
Then Li Fei Long nodded his head and sat down on the stone chair.
She harbored her frustration inside and continued what she wanted to say. "Qiè has to let down wang ye once again since qiè does not know how to play xiàngqí. Qiè remembers how to play chess with black and white stone but not this one."
She forgot what was the name of that board game that was easier than this traditional chess. Even though she does not master that game either, it might be impossible for these people to get rid of this game and look for another thing to play. She just wanted to be alone and wanted this Duan Qin Wang to be gone.
"Bring wéiqí." Li Fei Long ordered and the servants moved fast to switch the board on the table leaving Lady Xing's eyes widened with their efficiency.
She sat down on the opposite chair facing Li Fei Long. Tonight would be a very long night, she thought.
"Ben wang let you choose your stone and make a move first." Li Fei Long lifted his hand with a cocky face while the servants were preparing the board. It was like he was sure that he would win no matter what advantages she gets.
Stiffly sat in front of this annoying Qīn Wáng, Lady Xing took one black colored stone and put the stone randomly on top of the board. She knew her face must be completely bored. She even purposely yawned but Li Fei Long just grinned like a fox at her.
"If lady Xing feels sleepy, perhaps we could move this board to the bedchamber instead." Li Fei Long teasingly suggested.
Lady Xing's face blushed at his masked sexual advance. Quickly she shook her head and moved the small bowl containing white stones closer to Li Fei Long's hand. She pointed to the stones and said, "Wang ye's turn now."
Li Fei Long chuckled, then he picked one of white stones. He put down the stone with his eyes fixed on Lady Xing. "What will happen if Lady Xing loses?"
Trying to avoid those invasive stares, Lady Xing sat straight as a wall and her chin stayed up high. Confidently she put her stone randomly at an empty place on the board, she answered: "Qiè would happily go back inside and let wáng ye enjoy this beautiful night alone."