Demon Wang's Golden Favorite Fei

by La Mi Tu

  Inside the palace at the capital, Nan Lin wang didn’t go to the morning court. This made the officials surprised. Although this wangye’s body wasn’t good, when he could persist, he would come to the morning court and never missed one unless he was sick.

  Today was an exception. The sun had definitely come out from the west! Yesterday, Nan Lin wang had left with princess Zhen Guo. Today, Feng Cang didn’t appear. There was indeed something worth thinking about inside these actions.

  Wanyan Lie frowned and looked at the place where Feng Cang had usually stood. Now, it’s empty. He was somewhat not used to it.

  “Jing De, sent someone to Nan Lin wangfu to see what has happened.”

  When that person returned and told Wanyan Lie that Feng Cang didn’t return to the wangfu for the whole night and princess Zhen Guo also didn’t return, after hearing this, his face showed a trace of joyful smile. It was with a bit of happiness and also with a bit of loneliness.

  After the court meeting, like usual, Wanyan Lie mightily went to Long Autumn palace with Jing De.

  The Long Autumn palace, now without Yue Lan Zhi’s presence, was usually deserted. The new palace servants had been long warned to not go everywhere. They could only appear in the fixed range.

  After pulling the seal off the door, Wanyan Lie entered the chamber.

  It had been some time since Yue Lan Zhi had died. This chamber still had the original furnishing. Thinking about that woman, Wanyan Lie already had no impression of her. There were too many of that kind of woman around. There also had been too many similar women who’d lived in this place…

  Letting Jing De keep a look out above, Wanyan Lie went underground.

  He came to the heating warm jade bed. Wanyan Lie looked infatuatedly at the sleeping Wanyan Ming Yue. Before, having a woman to be the cover, he could come frequently to this Long Autumn palace. Recently, many things had happened. It was the first time he came here in a long time.

  “Yue er,6 I have come.” Holding Wanyan Ming Yue’s hand, Wanyan Lie sat at her side. “Did you miss me? These days, I keep dreaming about you. You’d certainly missed me; that was why you came in my dreams, right?”

  Wanyan Ming Yue on the warm jade bed only had a serene expression on her face. It seemed that she was listening to Wanyan Lie talking. It also seemed that she didn’t hear anything.

  “I came to tell you good news! Your daughter has been found! Her name is Feng Qi Qi. Do you think this name is pleasing to the ears? She looks almost exactly like you. It was just, that pair of eyes was very much like Feng Xie’s. The moment I saw Qi Qi, my heart almost stopped. She was simply a replica of you before you had married!”

  While Wanyan Lie was talking, his chin shook slightly. Even those thin beards shook as if he was suppressing his excitement.

  “Do you know who she is? She was Murong Qi Qi who’d come for a marriage alliance. That bitch Li Qiu Shui took Qi Qi away and raised her as her daughter. She’d calculated very well! She wanted to humiliate Cang er and Qi Qi. How would she know that after I knew that truth, I was eager for them to be together.”

  “In the past, I didn’t grasp my happiness. In the end, I could only watch you become Feng Xie’s bride. This became the forever pain in my heart. Now, such a pain was also torturing these two children. I don’t want our tragedy to play once again.”

  Recalling the memories of the past, Wanyan Lie’s expression turned painful as if every time he thought about the person he’d missed and the things he’d missed, he would regret and wished time could go back and that everything could be started over.

  “In this palace, consort De’s eyes are like yours. The empress’s smile is like yours. Noble Lady Zhao’s hair is black like yours. Lady of Handsome Fairness Zhou likes to eat sweet and sour plum, just like you. The frowning expression of Talented Lady Sun is exactly like yours…On each of them, there’s your shadow. You live through them and have been in my heart.”

  “I’ve raised so many women in Long Autumn palace. I wanted to let them replace you and let me forget you. However, I’ve discovered that I was wrong. I was outrageously wrong. When Qi Qi stood very alive in front of me, my heart felt like it had met spring and resuscitated. She is so much like you, ah! Every smile, every frown is very much like you.”

  “Seeing the tangling love of her and Cang er, it was like I had seen you and me. It was just, these two children are stronger than us! They obviously know they are siblings, but they continue to love. They’re a lot braver than I!”

  “Today, Cang er didn’t come to the morning court. The person who went to the wangfu said that Cang er and Qi Qi didn’t return. What do you think they went to do? Yue er, if, I mean if, if they truly love each other, would you support them? I think, I would certainly support them! I don’t want my tragedy to repeat with the children. They didn’t do anything wrong like how there was no wrong with me loving you…”

  Time went by slowly. Wanyan Lie held Wanyan Ming Yue’s hand and rambled a lot. Before he left, he tidied Wanyan Ming Yue’s hair. Finally, he left a kiss on her forehead. Then, he returned to above.

  After he came out, Wanyan Lie discovered that it was already afternoon. Jing De shut the door and fixed the seal. The two talented ones left Long Autumn palace with one walking in the front and one in the back.

  When they left, a person in black appeared in Long Autumn palace. Just now, he’d followed Wanyan Lie to here. Only after a long time, did Wanyan Lie come out with red eyes.

  What kind of mystery was hidden inside here? Feng Xie in black clothes touched the seal on the door. After thinking for a long time, he looked for a window without a buckle and went inside.

  This chamber…

  After seeing the furnishings in the chamber, Feng Xie was shocked.

  He’d even doubted that he’d come to the wrong place. How could this be the palace? It obviously was Wanyan Ming Yue’s boudoir! He and Wanyan Ming Yue were childhood sweethearts. When Wanyan family didn’t get the world yet, he had been to Wanyan Ming Yue’s boudoir at Wanyan residence. The furnishings there was exactly the same as here.

  Why was it like thus? Feng Xie quickly walked to the bed and looked at everything here. After circling once, Feng Xie was felt even more sure. Right! Everything here, including those white dresses in the closet seemed to be Wanyan Ming Yue’s.

  What happened? Why was it like this? Could it be that Wanyan Ming Yue didn’t die and had been living in this Long Autumn palace? Why would Wanyan Lie hide Wanyan Ming Yue? Why would he do that?

  Feng Xie seemed to have grabbed some clues, but these clues were so vague that he couldn’t get them right. He carefully inspected the area once and didn’t find any problems. However, just now, he saw Wanyan Lie enter and then exit from here. Could it be that he’d only come to sit for a while?

  Not letting Feng Xie think anymore, he’d heard the voice of a little palace maid outside. Feng Xie went to the window and saw that it was two little palace maids. One was in pink and one was in green.

  “Big sister, where do you think consort Yue went to hide? It has been so long, why has she still not captured? Could it be that she grew wings and flew away?” The palace maid in pink looked young, about thirteen to fourteen years.

  “Hush! Lower your voice. Aren’t you afraid that someone would hear?!” The palace maid in green did a gesture of silence. Obviously, they’d sneaked from the busy affairs and got a little freedom to chat.

  “No one would hear! His majesty and eunuch Jing De have just left. Now, no one would come here. Big sister, I heard consort Yue was very beautiful. She got the emperor’s favor very much and was the most favored one out of the six palaces. Why would she cut off her future and attempt to assassinate the emperor?”

  While mentioning Yue Lan Zhi, the palace maid in pink’s expression turned mysterious. Right now, the matter of Yue Lan Zhi was a popular topic. The whole capital had been turned over, but they didn’t find Yue Lan Zhi. This person seemed to have disappeared into thin air and become a mys
tery.

  “I tell you, what you hear in this palace is false. What you see with the eyes is also false. Many imperial noble consorts have died in this Long Autumn palace. Many servants have also died here. It’s said that this Long Autumn palace is haunted! From time to time, you can hear the crying voice of a female ghost…”

  * * *

  Jianghu: world of martial arts

  Wangye: prince of first rank

  Wangfei: main consort/wife of the prince of first rank

  Wangfu: residence of the prince of first rank

  Gongzi: young master

  Er: term of endearment

  Chapter 136: Lover’s Night (2)

  * * *

  “Don’t scare me, ah!” Hearing the palace maid in green say that, the palace maid in pink’s face turned a bit pale. She grasped the clothes around her neckline and looked around.

  “What I said is the truth! From beginning till now, eight imperial noble consorts have died here. After noble consort Yue disappeared, everyone from Long Autumn palace were arrested and killed. It seemed like one of the palace maids serving noble consort Yue had run to the empress dowager and asked for the empress dowager to save her. In the end, a thrashing from the empress dowager beat her to death!”

  “Wow, really?! Didn’t the empress dowager always abstain from eating meat, prayed to the Buddha and had a very good heart?! Why was it like this?!” The palace maid covered her mouth with a disbelieving look on her face.

  “You, ah!” The fingers of the palace maid in green poked the forehead of the person opposite her. “To be able to survive in this palace, who is really kindhearted?! How many times have I told you, if you want to survive in this palace, you need to pretend to be blind, deaf and mute! You must remember!”

  “Mm! Big sister, I’ll listen to you!”

  It turned out that these two palace maids were a pair of sisters. When they left, Feng Xie immediately sprung out and left Long Autumn palace.

  The words of the two sisters continued to echo in Feng Xie’s ears. What kind of secret was there in Long Autumn palace? Why was everything in the chamber the same as Wanyan Ming Yue’s boudoir? What kind of secret was there inside this?

  All the problems were stacked up together, making Feng Xie unable to find the door inside this. It was just, thinking about what the little palace maid had said just now, once someone had begged the empress dowager for help. Feng Xie quietly went to Jinxuan palace, wanting to find some clues from there.

  Inside Jinxuan palace, the old empress dowager was just having a lunch break. She was a bit happy because of yesterday’s birthday banquet and played for a while more. Today, it was difficult for her to manage.

  After drinking tea, Dongfang Lan comfortably let out a sigh. She held Little Snow and gently combed her hairs.

  “Qing Gu, how’s Chun Xing?”

  “The injuries on her body are almost healed. Chun Xing is grateful that miss saved her and also let this slave bring her kowtow for miss.”

  “Forget the kowtow. Let her take good care of the injuries and then come see aijia.1 Recently, aijia’s eyelids have been jumping badly and aijia doesn’t know what it means. It’s just the right time to let Chun Xing come and explain the matter of Long Autumn palace to aijia, so that aijia has an understanding about what kind of things have happened inside that palace in recent years.”

  Speaking till here, Dongfang Lan thought about Murong Qi Qi and Feng Cang.

  “Ay, when aijia saw Cang er’s2 expression, he didn’t get his heart back from Qi Qi. Qing Gu, ah, what should be done?! Cang er likes Qi Qi so much. Now, they happened to have the relation of siblings. These two children really let people’s hearts ache for them. It was just, in the end, blood relations shouldn’t be mixed. If they go on like this, aijia is worried, ah…”

  Hearing Dongfang Lan’s voice once again, Feng Xie’s eyes got warm. He couldn’t forget how mother-in-law treated him and Wanyan Ming Yue in the past. If he said that in this palace, there was still someone he trusts, then that person would only be Dongfang Lan.

  After all, a tiger, though cruel, will not devour its cubs. Dongfang Lan only has a daughter Wanyan Ming Yue. Naturally, she would love her.

  A tiger, though cruel, will not devour its cubs: even wild beasts look after their young

  Thinking till here, Feng Xie took advantage of the fact that no one was around and entered the chamber. He found some ink and wrote a few words. He folded it and put it in an envelope. After he came out, Feng Xie quietly whistled.

  “Woof!” Little Snow’s ears were more sensitive compared to humans. The whistle that humans couldn’t hear, she could hear.

  Immediately, Little Snow jumped down from Dongfang Lan’s arms. She spread her four legs and ran out.

  “Little Snow!” Seeing that the small dog had run away, Dongfang Lan stood up. “Qing Gu, quickly, go find Little Snow quickly!”

  When Qing Gu found Little Snow, Little Snow was returning. Something was dangling from her mouth. Looking at it closely, it turned out to be a letter. Qing Gu quickly looked around, but she didn’t see anyone. In the end, she took the envelope out of Little Snow’s mouth. She put Little Snow in her arms and went back inside Jinxuan palace.

  “What is this?” Seeing the letter in Qing Gu’s hand, Dongfang Lan frowned.

  “When this slave saw Little Snow, this thing was dangling from Little Snow’s mouth. From this slave’s point of view, someone must’ve take advantage of this opportunity to tell you something.”

  Dongfang Lan took the letter from Qing Gu. She opened it. Only a few words were on it.

  “Wanyan Ming Yue had died unjustly.”

  ‘Bang…’ Dongfang Lan knocked over the tea cup in her hand. The tea spread on the table. In the end, it dropped on Dongfang Lan.

  Dongfang Lan was familiar with the handwriting of the letter. It’s Feng Xie’s handwriting. Could it be that Feng Xie didn’t die? Could it be that he’s still alive? Then what about her Ming Yue? Since Feng Xie is alive, why didn’t he come see her? Why did he say that Ming Yue had died unjustly? What happened fifteen years ago? What let Feng Xie not dare to show up?

  Dongfang Lan’s lips trembled slightly. She didn’t dare believe the contents of this letter. If the contents of this letter were true and Wanyan Ming Yue had truly died unjustly, then what had happened at Yandang mountain that year?

  “Miss, miss, what’s the matter?” Sensing Dongfang Lan’s strangeness, Qing Gu quickly went forward to support Dongfang Lan. When she saw the words on the letter in Dongfang Lan’s hand, Qing Gu was surprised.

  “Why is it like this? Who wrote this?”

  “It’s Feng Xie.” Dongfang Lan held back her tears and once again looked at that sentence on the letter. That’s right, this was Feng Xie’s handwriting. In the past, it was Feng Xie who’d used such beautiful handwriting to write letters to her Wanyan Ming Yue.

  At that time, her Ming Yue was still a girl and not yet married. Every day, they would correspond by letter. One time, the two had a fallout. Wanyan Ming Yue burned these letters. It was her, this mother, who pulled these letters out of the brazier. It was that time that she saw Feng Xie’s letters and also remembered Feng Xie’s handwriting. The handwriting was handsome and beautiful like him.

  “What? Great general is still alive?” This news was truly too shocking. Qing Gu covered her mouth. She then carefully read the contents of the letter. “Miss, since great general is alive, why didn’t he show up and would use such a way to tell you?”

  What Qing Gu said was what Dongfang Lan had been thinking about. Only a little while later, did Dongfang Lan recover her reason from grief.

  It was too shocking that Feng Xie was still alive. However, he was alive, but he didn’t come to see her. This only meant one thing. That is, it was like what was written in the letter, that Ming Yue felt injustice, and he also felt injustice. And the person who didn’t pass the judgement on the war at Yandang mountain until the lid was on the coffin, was Wanyan Lie. It�
�s not that Feng Xie didn’t show up. It was that he didn’t dare to show up!

  “Qing Gu, burn Feng Xie’s letter.” At this time, on Dongfang Lan’s face appeared an unprecedented killing intent, making Qing Gu feel startled. It seemed as if this empress dowager was amiable looking for a very long time. She hadn’t seen such a Dongfang Lan for many years.

  However, talking about it, born from a general’s family, then accompanying Wanyan Zhi to the battle at the south, how could this empress dowager be someone mediocre?!

  After Qing Gu burned the letter, she returned to Dongfang Lan’s side, “Miss, what should we do?”

  “Investigate…”

  “However, miss, that year when it happened, didn’t our people already investigate and didn’t find anything, ah!”

  “Investigate Li Qiu Shui! Before, Li Qiu Shui said that Ming Yue had given her Qi Qi. Why would Li Qiu Shui be at Yandang mountain? What did she have to do at Yandang Mountain? Aijia wants to know all of this. Aijia wants to know everything about Li Qiu Shui!”

  Although Dongfang Lan had tried to keep herself sober-minded, but everything had muddled in front of her and she couldn’t see the end of it. She didn’t know what to do. The only thing that Dongfang could grab on to was the matter of Li Qiu Shui.

  She vaguely felt that this Li Qiu Shui wasn’t a simple person. Then, did Li Qiu Shui also participate in the matter of that year? Since Feng Xie felt injustice, naturally this matter wasn’t that simple. Li Qiu Shui, a woman, what kind of perilous situation could she cause? There was definitely someone behind her who’d supported her. It was just, who was this supporting person? Could it be him…That was why Feng Xie didn’t dare to show up?

  Inside the palace, an undercurrent was quietly surging. This didn’t seem to affect the lovers at Lion Ridge.

  When Murong Qi Qi woke up from hunger, she had already left the bed and was sitting in Feng Cang’s embrace. In front of her was a table full of food.

  “Awake?” Feng Cang kissed Murong Qi Qi’s forehead. In his eyes was a pampering love, “Hungry? I’ll feed you!”