Luck is far more out of reach when he really needed it the most.
After spending time with Rushan, Lui Xian planned to switch duty with one of the guards serving His Majesty during the night but he was sad to hear that he had been long transferred to work in the military branch starting from tomorrow.
He knew martial arts or to say he was best at it. But living his nightly watch and shift to dealing with hard-headed senile people is a headache.
It's not like he had never gone to battle once or was he afraid to go to war and die. But it is because he was now deprived of his little time with the Emperor.
"I wonder why I have to shift. If I try to ask him to let me stay by his side will he agree? Forget it let me have some rest."
He plopped on his wooden comfortable bed, removing his boots and outer garment. He had missed his bed so much. It wasn't easy sleeping on the floor for all these months.
He started to reminisce about the two months he was away from his home and eventually felt his eyelids getting heavy as sleep took over him.
Early in the morning, Rushan rushed to his door. He slid in taking away his blanket whilst he shook his body to wake him up.
"Xian get up. I have big news to tell you."
".... What is it early at this hour."
"What? It's now seven. Come on get up. ImperialBrotheristakinginanotherconcubinerightnowaswespeak"
Lui Xian was sleepy he struggled to get up and sat on the bed. "Speak each word at a time hey. So what brought you here hah Your Highness don't you want me to rest."
"Call me Rushan! Anyways I was saying, Imperial Brother is taking in another concubine right now as we speak."
Lui Xian felt cold. He really felt very cold.
'Aren't they enough. One more obstacle to conquer among the many...' He thought to himself lowering his head as he clutched at his heart.
'I thought we had gotten a little closer and though I was away you would be thinking of me. But how wrong was I.'
Rushan saw his friend's mood depleting and regretted that he had told him. He just wanted to share it with him. He had known that Lui Xian was in love with the Emperor and that every time he comes from duty his mood would be down but now he had done it. He mentally slapped his talkative mouth before moving to the window and taking a sit there.
He looked down below where he saw palace maids running about with materials for the ceremony to welcome the concubine. He sighed and looked back at his friend who was still sulking now clutching the blankets as if he would tear them.
"Give up. I know it's hard but."
Before he could finish talking Lui Xian lept from the bed and grabbed his sword. He hurried out through the window. He behaved as if he did not hear him speak.
"I can relate to your pain."
After running away from Rushan, Lui Xian continued to sprint towards the Imperial Palace. He wanted to see it himself. He knew he couldn't ask. But.....
"It hurts." He whispered, while a tear threatened to roll out from his eye.
People passing by gave him unsettling looks as if they had seen something they shouldn't see. Lui Xian kept running. He had one thing in his mind that is to confirm everything by himself.
He couldn't believe it.
He reached the palace doors now feeling very nervous. The guards guarding the big doors peered at him with shock then lowered their heads. They looked like they were holding back their laughter whilst clutching their weapons.
As Lui Xian stretched his hands to open the doors, a white sleeve was very visible to his eye but he couldn't remember when he had put on a white robe.
Then it hit him hard on the head. He had run all the way here with only his inner garments. That's why all the maids on the way were giving him weird looks.
All the pain he felt was replaced with sheer embarrassment. 'Oh heavens, what have I done.'
He quickly retracted his hand and turned away taking on a route which was with lesser people and went back to his room.
"You're back?"
Rushan asked as he tried hard not to laugh at his friend. "You! Why didn't you stop me? I had to embarrass myself all the way there." Rushan could not help himself as he laughed harder falling on the bed watching his friend as he approached with a sword unsheathed ready to slice him open.
"It's not my fault I called out for you to stop."
"When you?"
The two kept on fighting forgetting the matter at hand.
Meanwhile, Wu Luan was very busy ordering his eunuch to find an exquisite robe for him to wear at the wedding. He couldn't wait. His concubine-to-be was the most beautiful woman on the continent.
He had met her during the hunt when she was almost attacked by the animal he was hunting. She was so soft and delicate that he wanted to keep her safe away from danger. He wanted to dote on her.
"Not this one. Hurry look for another one." He told off his eunuch who immediately ran off to fix everything.
He has been having a guilty conscience in wedding her whilst one of his man was missing but when he came back he felt so happy to the point that he wanted to bow and kiss his shoes for making it possible to wed his beauty freely. He couldn't live without her.
No! It was impossible.
Just imagining her adorable eyes looking at his face and her cheeks blushing at every joke he shares makes him so happy.
"Mei-mei I can't wait to be with you today."