In the second year of Xianqing, the current Emperor designated Luoyang as the Eastern Capital. He wantonly renovated the Luoyang Palace, to the point that the palaces and pavilions within the palace stood in great numbers. It was magnificent and solemn, no less than Chang An.
The river produced pictures, the luo produced books, and the saints followed.
The three generations lived in Heluo. The older the Emperor was, the more he liked to live in the Luoyang Palace. However, it was the first time in many years that he took the Crown Prince on an excursion.
The Crown Prince was more miserable.
His sweetheart was dead, and his palace was burned down. His dear Big Brother Shan, who he had entrusted his life to, now had a straight face. He ordered the Yulin Royal Guards to protect him all day long, so he could not take a single step. He could not help but feel dispirited and suffocated.
Thus, when he came to the luxurious Luoyang Palace, he felt refreshed. Even the intermittent coughing of blood throughout the winter had lessened.
The Emperor was very happy to see this. That night, he held a banquet in Lin Zhi Palace. The Emperor and his officials enjoyed themselves together, happy and harmonious.
However, the officials were not fools. They knew why the Emperor was so happy. Once the Crown Prince recovered, he could abdicate.
The current Emperor could not be said to not be a benevolent ruler, but he was a bit too benevolent.
In the early years, he relied on the Empress's help to clear out the old Guanlong clans. Later, the court was gradually controlled by the Empress and could not be taken back. Later on, he stayed in Luoyang for a long time and ordered the Crown Prince to be in charge of the country. The Crown Prince was weak and often ill, so he did not care about worldly affairs. All the court affairs, big and small, fell into the hands of Dai Zhide, Zhang Wenguan, and other important officials of the Eastern Palace.
Thus, all the political affairs were entangled by the Empress, the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister, and other forces. The efficiency was very slow, and they often made decisions that went south and north.
The Emperor had a headache over this. He wanted to clean up the court, but his head and eye problems were getting worse day by day. In the end, he could only give up. He was waiting for the Crown Prince to recover so he could abdicate and become a noble and leisurely retired Emperor.
The Crown Prince put the wine cup on the table and said, "Reward!"
Shan Chao could not help but pat the Crown Prince's shoulder. "Your Highness, drink less."
The Crown Prince did not drink too much, but it was not the wine that made him drunk. At this point, his face was flushed red. He waved his hand to indicate that he was fine. He then turned to ask the eunuch, "Who was the woman playing the pipa?"
The singers and dancers at the banquet were all offered by Luoyang's local officials and rich families. The pipa woman was dressed in plain clothes and wore a veil over her face. Her eyes seemed to be filled with endless gentleness.
The Crown Prince had already ordered people to reward her twice, but Shan Chao really couldn't tell how exquisite her pipa playing was. He only felt that it couldn't compare to the little tune Xie Yun played when she rolled up the leaves in the desert.
The lute woman's beautiful eyes wandered. She saw the Crown Prince's reward, but she didn't even look at it. She didn't even stand up to thank the Crown Prince.
Shan Chao finally realized why the Crown Prince was drowning his sorrows in alcohol. Her facial features actually resembled Yang Miaorong's!
Shan Chao's heart skipped a beat. He turned to look at Xie Yun.
Not far away, at the banquet, Xie Yun was wearing loose clothes with wide sleeves. She used a pair of pure silver chopsticks to rhythmically tap the edge of the table. She seemed to be singing softly with her eyes closed.
This scene was like a painting in the palace banquet. Immediately after, she seemed to feel a burning gaze on her. She tilted her head to look at Shan Chao.
"…" The two looked at each other for a moment. Xie Yun's lips curled into a provocative smile. She took off the red jade marrow ring on her finger and handed it to the eunuch beside her. She said something.
Shan Chao suddenly had an extremely bad premonition.
Sure enough, a moment later, the eunuch rushed forward and presented the red jade ring on a velvet tray to the pipa woman!
"Commander, this is …" Jinxin said uneasily behind her.
Xie Yun smiled and took a sip of wine. "Jinxin."
"Yes."
"If you were still performing on the streets, who would you be more willing to thank if the Crown Prince and I both rewarded you?"
Jinxin looked at the thin and weak Crown Prince who was drunk not far away. She laughed and said, "It is said that men in the world are greedy for beauty. Who knows that the ones who love beauty the most in the world are actually women?
Commander, do you still need to ask this question? "
Xie Yun said, "That's right."
The eunuch whispered something into the pipa woman's ear. The woman's fingers suddenly stopped. Her beautiful eyes looked at Xie Yun. Then she stood up and curtsied. She actually bowed deeply across half the hall!
Xie Yun smiled and nodded. She was very elegant and completely ignored the strange gazes around her.
Shan Chao's breathing was slightly heavy. He turned his face away without saying a word.
However, the Crown Prince couldn't tolerate Xie Yun's blatant provocation. The Crown Prince was originally a bit drunk. Now, new and old grudges surged together. However, he couldn't fall out with the Emperor and Empress in the hall. He could only throw down his chopsticks with a bang. He stood up and left the banquet without looking back.
Shan Chao shouted, "Your Highness!"
"It's … it's fine." The Crown Prince gritted his teeth and forced out, "I'll go back to my bedroom to sober up. I'll come back later."
Why was the Crown Prince unable to control himself?
Helplessness rose in Shan Chao's heart.
The current situation was very sensitive. He was hesitating whether to chase after the Crown Prince and follow him closely when he suddenly paused.
At this time, the singing and dancing in the hall stopped. A new round of dancers in red came. The pipa woman and her sisters thanked the Emperor and Empress. They bowed and left the hall.
Xie Yun gave Shan Chao a seemingly careless and deep look. She also stood up and left her seat, walking towards the exit on the other side of the hall!
Shan Chao didn't hesitate at all. He immediately ordered the deputy general of the Yulin Royal Guards to follow the Crown Prince. He then quietly left the banquet.
Outside the main hall was a winding corridor that led to a distant side hall and a warm room.
Shan Chao chased after her for a few steps, but Xie Yun's figure had already disappeared into the depths of the corridor. He opened door after door. After searching for half an hour, his footsteps suddenly stopped.
Through the gap in the paper window of the carved wooden door, he saw Xie Yun sitting in an armchair with her side facing him. The pipa woman was kneeling on the ground, half of her fragrant shoulder exposed.
Shan Chao took a deep breath and pushed open the door with a bang. He heard Xie Yun ask with a careless smile, "Jiangnan?
Your family is from Yangzhou? "
Shan Chao strode into the warm room. The pipa woman turned her head and saw his ashen face. "Ah!" She cried out in surprise!
Not waiting for that sweet and melodious cry to fall to the ground, Dan Chao had already dragged the singer out of the room like he was carrying a chicken. Casually he took out a piece of gold from his pocket and gave it to her. He politely said, "Miss, your Ma is looking for you. You should go back."
After he finished speaking, he did not wait for the flustered singer to reply and slammed the door shut.
"You've rebelled," Xie Yun reclined on the spacious bench. She supported her chin with her slender hand and smiled lazily, "You even dare to interrupt your master's pleasure. What a traitorous disciple. Aren't you afraid of being dragged out and whipped 50 times?"
Shan Chao suddenly picked up Xie Yun from the bench and pressed her against the wall. He pinched her chin.
The two of them were only inches apart. Shan Chao was taller and his expression was gloomy. He looked down at Xie Yun's eyes and said, "You call this a traitorous disciple?"
Xie Yun sneered, "What do you want to do?"
"There's something even more traitorous," Shan Chao whispered in her ear. Suddenly, he pushed Xie Yun against the wall!
Xie Yun let out a muffled groan. Her thin back was pressed against the wall and Shan Chao was pressing down on her. There was almost no space for her to struggle. Then, she was blocked by the young man's hot lips and tongue.
This was a ferocious, passionate, and possessive kiss. Because it was too eager, it even had a hint of pain. It was as if he wanted to devour the other person's flesh and blood.
Xie Yun's eyebrows furrowed. Between kisses, she let out intermittent and uncomfortable gasps. Her voice was full of depression. Because of the repeated kisses, her lips were tender and red. It was enough to make one's blood boil.
"You can't wait?"
Shan Chao forced Xie Yun's thighs apart with his knees. He was full of deterrence. It was unknown whether he was mocking him just now or now, "You can't even wait for a moment. Do you want to do it here?"
Xie Yun turned his head, but Shan Chao reached out and grabbed the back of his hair. He kissed the side of his neck with infatuation.
The skin behind his ear was delicate and slightly cool. There seemed to be a faint fragrance of flowers in his lapel. As Shan Chao's kisses extended downwards, it suddenly slid down his arm, revealing a large area of his smooth and tight back.
Xie Yun raised his neck and laughed hoarsely, "Who is the one who can't wait, huh?"
Shan Chao lifted him up and walked a few steps to the soft bed in the warm room. He then put one leg on the ground and pressed the other knee on the side of Xie Yun's body.
This position allowed Shan Chao to look down on Xie Yun. He pressed Xie Yun into his arms and looked down at him gently.
"It's me."
Xie Yun narrowed his eyes and did not show any signs of struggling. There seemed to be a seductive and evil nature in his docility.
He was really too seductive. Shan Chao inched closer and closer as if he was possessed. However, as his breathing intertwined, he subconsciously felt that something was wrong.
The singer who looked like an old friend, Xie Yun who suddenly provoked him, and the Crown Prince who angrily left the banquet …
Shan Chao's muscles tensed up and he stopped moving.
Xie Yun raised his head and moved closer. The ends of his long eyelashes were almost touching his cheeks. As long as he moved down slightly, he could easily kiss those moist and soft lips.
Those thin lips that always spat out all kinds of harsh and cruel words were slightly opened at this moment. Because of excessive biting, there was a slight glint of water.
Shan Chao breathed heavily and suddenly stood up. He stared at Xie Yun and asked, "What are you planning?"
Xie Yun was startled and then laughed. He leisurely leaned back on the soft pillow.
"Are you finally afraid, evil disciple?"
The uncontrollable male instinct made Shan Chao's head burn. The impulse to conquer and invade roared through every inch of his blood vessels. However, the keen intuition that had been tempered by many years of experience on the battlefield made him faintly smell an extremely uneasy atmosphere.
It was as if there was a large web of conspiracy in the unseen world, gradually forming a sinister shadow.
"… Xie Yun …" He muttered. As if he had thought of something, the expression in his eyes suddenly changed. He flipped over and rushed towards the door.
However, Xie Yun's movements were faster than his. In a flash, she put on her clothes and got off the bed. Her sleeves fluttered as she chased after him and rushed out of the warm room.
·
Hebi Palace
The Crown Prince had been sighing in the hall for a long time when he suddenly heard that the Prince of Yong had come to visit. He hurriedly rose to personally welcome him.
The Crown Prince and the Prince of Yong were close in age and had both been oppressed by their mother. During their trials and tribulations, they had cultivated deep feelings for each other.
When the Crown Prince flicked his sleeves and left the banquet, the Prince of Yong knew that he must have been angered by the Empress' faction. As a result, it wasn't long before the Prince, under the persuasion of an eunuch, hurried over. When the brothers met, they would naturally resolve the matter.
A moment later, outside Hebi Palace, a palace servant carrying a bowl of soup quickly ascended the steps. However, he was stopped by Zhao Daosheng, who was guarding the entrance.
"What are you doing?"
The palace servant recognized the eunuch by the Prince of Yong's side and did not dare say anything. Smiling apologetically, he said, "The Empress saw that the Crown Prince was provoked by Commander Xie and angrily left the banquet. As a result, she felt deeply uneasy and specially apologized to His Imperial Majesty. In addition, she bestowed a bowl of lotus seed lily soup in hopes that the Crown Prince would calm his anger."
Zhao Daosheng took the tray and indifferently stated, "His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince is currently negotiating with the Prince of Yong. Wait for me to deliver this."
The palace servant mumbled and did not dare to argue, lowering his head and leaving obediently.
Only after the palace servant had turned and left did Zhao Daosheng take out a celadon bottle from his sleeve. After opening it, he sprinkled a bit of bright red powder into the soup.
The powder dissolved upon contact with water. Astonishingly, this was the item that Xie Yun had personally handed to Jinxin that day in the Xie Estate's study.
Zhao Daosheng's eyes flashed with coldness. He turned and pushed open the door. Carrying the bowl of soup, he bowed and entered the main hall. Bowing respectfully, he said, "Your Imperial Highness the Crown Prince."
·
At the same time, outside Hebi Palace.
In his entire life, Shan Chao's qinggong had never been so fast. As he flew past the pavilions, he could only hear the sharp whistling of the wind and the sound of his heart beating violently in his chest.
In the blink of an eye, the vermilion gates of the palace were right in front of him. However, Shan Chao abruptly stopped in his tracks, only to see a sword flash across his face.
"… Xie Yun."
The blade of the sword reflected the elegant and callous side profile of the Commander of the Imperial Guard. Like the crescent moon reflecting the limpid autumn waters, a single glance was enough to cause one's mind to tremble.
"Audacious." He smiled and said, "Who allowed you to call your master by his name?"
Shan Chao panted slightly as he looked at the tightly shut palace doors. His voice was hoarse and filled with despair, "Xie Yun, let me pass.
No matter what happens next, I swear to keep all your secrets. If the Empress blames you, you can push all the blame onto me … "
Xie Yun asked back, "What if I don't let you pass?"
The two of them confronted each other for a long time. The wind rustling the leaves and the faint sounds of people in the distance gradually became a blur in the background.
Shan Chao's hand was as heavy as a thousand pounds. Finally, it moved slowly.
When the Long Yuan Sword was unsheathed, a turbulent surge of energy immediately spread in all directions.
"Xie Yun …" Shan Chao trembled as he spoke.
He was clearly the one who was at the peak of his condition. He was also the one who had the upper hand. However, the man's tough and handsome face was filled with an expression that could be called pleading.
Xie Yun used the Tai Ah Sword to lightly draw a line on the ground in front of her.
"Unless you step over my dead body, you won't be able to cross this line today," Xie Yun brushed her hair behind her ear and calmly said, "Come and try."