"Those two?... Never heard of them bef—"Once again, Ye Zai Shan's voice shatters the chain."You'd better find them then, your royal highness. They could use some help, and so do you, correct?"
"AGH-Will you stop popping out of nowhere?! It's till midnight you know! You're going to give me a heart attack..."Feng observes the night sky, not realizing that it's still midnight."Huh? Midnight, and yet there are still people out in the streets? Everything happened too fast."
"Wu City never sleeps, General Feng. Even the emperor himself is awake until midnight, but way past that and silence begins to fill through the gaps. It's indeed amazing how these people manage their time, being able to continue working as early as 4 am even after getting only several hours of sleep."
"Even the neighboring cities are mesmerized. Speaking of neighbors, you'd better head to Qin City. Although, it's not exactly what you're expecting to see—"
"Xiao Chen, dear brother! You're leaving tomorrow morning, correct? Please, be careful! You'd better come back unscathed!"Xiao Chen only laughed it off, claiming he'll be completely fine."Ahahaha, don't worry too much sister! I'll be completely fine, you need not put so much pressure on yourself, especially with General Feng around."
"Your royal highness, greetings."She smiled at him, but not for long. She didn't take too much of a liking to him, but she tried to show some respect."Greetings, General Feng."Xiao Chen tries to put his hand on his shoulder, but Feng only slaps it away."Right, what's that you're hiding? Is it for me??"
"Mhm! Here, take this packet of medicine! Make sure to take it when you feel ill or anything!"
Xiao Chen takes her and pretends to put it in his pocket, but he handed it to Zai Shan."Thank you, sister! We'll be back really soon, I promise."
"Alright, have a safe trip! Oh, and...please visit mother when you've got time."She leaves shortly, with a smirk pasted on her face right after turning her back on them. They bow a bit, as Ye Zai Shan opens the packet and smells it."Not very visible, but there are subtle traces of poison."
"Poison?...I thought it was just regular medicine. Did she just try to poison her brother?"
Feng raised his eyebrow at her, trying to make sense of the situation."No matter. We're not taking that pack with us, get rid of it."
"As you wish, your royal highness."Feng begins to wonder what the empress is like after what the princess had said."Is the empress ill? We haven't encountered her just yet."Xiao Chen responds with a simple nod, but he does respond once again.
"I've met her, didn't I already tell you? However, she's in a horrendous state. Beautiful, but close to death. I only realized that when that brat told us just now. Maybe she was the cause of her illness, who knows? We just can't assume that easily. However, depending on the poison, she really may have dared herself throughout."
"Should I get rid of her, your royal highness? No one will know."Ye Zai Shan offered him this, but Xiao Chen refuses and only responds with a simple sentence."She will serve as a tool for us later. Setting that aside, it's time for bed."
Feng felt pity and rage, but naturally, he couldn't do anything. Xiao turned to face Feng."You'd better get back to your assigned chamber. Make sure to get some sleep, you must be tired after all that running around. We depart tomorrow, so make sure you get enough sleep."
Feng nods and bows before leaving."Have a good night's rest, your royal highness."He leaves without another word.
The following morning, Xiao Chen and Feng are preparing to depart, just off to greet his majesty one last time. They come across the empress along the way, surprisingly. She looks completely fine, but in reality, her health had been deteriorating for a decade now."Xiao Chen, my darling son...how have you been?"
"I have been doing well, mother. Oh, and I am departing with General Feng today."Feng greets her and bows, questioning her condition."Do not fret, General Feng. I've been doing well; in fact, I feel a little better. But, this lady has indeed seen better days..."
"Your majesty, please. Do not insult yourself like so, you've remained the same lotus flower in bloom I'd once seen, atop the lake of gaze and grace, resting on thy fields of green."The empress was fairly pleased, she saw what she had never seen in Feng before."My my, General Feng. Perhaps I should send you a gift before you leave. Take this, it's all I had brought with me."Her attendants remained still, but Feng knew they had a lot to say.
"But, your majesty..."She did not hesitate and grabbed Feng's hand, leaving a small pocket on it."(It looks the same as hers..that crown princess.)"The empress stared in worry, hoping that Feng likes it when he opens it. Xiao Chen snatches it from his hand, cutting off their conversation."Not to worry mother, it won't be a surprise if he opens it here. I'll have him open it later, yes?"
The empress only nodded and left as they both bowed before she left."The prince's mother does look young."Xiao Chen scoffed:"Why would you call her that? Father would mistake you for hitting on mother! Shame on you!"He walked a few steps away before looking back and grabbing Feng.
"Hmph, you wouldn't follow, huh?! Fine, I'll do it myself!"He tugged Feng as hard as he could and dragged him to the emperor's chambers."Oi, Wu Xiao Chen—Let go of me, I can walk just fine!"Xiao Chen let go of him and threw the packet at his face, and it seemed to have made a crunching sound.
"AGH!—...WU XIAO CHEN, IF I OPEN THIS AND ITS BROKEN I'LL SLICE YOU TO BITS!"
The guards had overheard this, and they could only laugh as far they cared. They hadn't realized that they called each other as such even in public."Feng Luo Xi, are you crazy?! If the emperor hears that we're in trouble—!"The doors behind them creaked just as loudly."What did I not have to hear?"Both of them looked at the emperor in horror, unable to continue their sentence.
"..."
"Shen Muo...darling, do you think that your brother Xiao Chen and General Feng will do just fine? Even after Zhang Xie's unfortunate passing?"Shen Xie holds her mother's hand and tries to reassure her everything will go smoothly.
"(Ye Zai Shan, you're always around that sneaky brat...always ruining my plans...however, that poison was but a decoy. You'll find it where you least expect it, all you have to do is be patient.")The empress is somehow relieved by this, unaware of all the schemes the young lass had up her long, bloody sleeves.
"Ah, the tea is getting cold mother! Go ahead and have a drink, it's very chilly in the morning. You should drink up, it should help you with your temperature."
The empress doesn't answer, however. She seems rather bothered by her daughter's attitude towards her, and it always feels as if she's giving off a distinct aura. An aura ready to pounce at its prey at any moment."...No need, my dear. I shall be leaving now."She lifted her crimson red dress as her attendants followed her out of her daughter's chambers.
As soon as she stepped out, she felt an excruciating pain in her liver. Her mouth began to leak of blood; her attendants immediately rushed to aid her and call for help.
Shen Muo steps out upon hearing a loud thud, pretending to care about her mother's state. However, she was reaching for her robes, looking for a certain packet...
"..."
"Feng Luo Xi, I don't blame you for any of this. However, to call the crown prince by his full name in public is rather disrespectful, don't you think? The entire row of guards outside heard you loud and clear."
"Father, I—"Before Xiao Chen could open his mouth, Lan Yao had already raised his tone."XIAO CHEN, DON'T INTERRUPT ME AGAIN."He did not speak further."Feng, you have two choices. You either explain what happened for you to lash out at the crown prince like that, or you apologize to him publicly. What do you say—"
"His royal highness threw a gift that I previously received from someone special. I heard a crackling noise, and I assumed he must have broken it."
"Ah, I see. What kind of gift is it? I'll be certain to reimburse you for it."Feng hands him the packet, and he opens it up to take a look inside. He takes out the bracelet; it's in very well condition, with no cracks noticeable so far.
"Oh, it's not damaged at all. But I suppose it is indeed unruly of my son to throw this directly at your face. It must have hurt, but this looks very familiar. I shall entrust it back to you, as it gives off a familiar feeling. Please be careful with it."
Feng grips the packet as the emperor's hands it back to him."Xiao Chen, apologize to General Feng. You need not kneel, just apologize properly."Xiao Chen doesn't seem to have a problem with this, but hesitates..."Xiao Chen?"
"Ah! Yes, of course, Father. I—um...apologize sincerely."You could see Feng trying to hide his laughter as Xiao Chen turns his back on him just right after apologizing."(These kids, really...)"
"Alright, since that matter has been settled, it's time both of you depart. Do pay your condolences when you arrive at General Sui Zhang Xie's memorial."
Both of them bowed and agreed to everything else, before stepping out into the sun. It was especially chilly, even during the morning...well, as per usual, Ye Zai Shan suddenly appeared from nearby."Shall we go now, your majesty? General Feng?"
Feng nodded, as Xiao Chen grinned as wide as he could in agreement. This was the start of an investigation towards a bloody mystery.
[To be continued in the next chapter, please be patient for the next one. Thank you for reading.]