c29 (2/2)

Thankful that he had made the best decision of his life, he could finally fly wherever he wished to, do whatever he wanted to.

“Yun Ge, have you got money?”

Yun Ge was still lost in her beautiful fantasies, shaking her head dumbly at the question, then nodding. “I don’t, but I can make some.” Liu Fu Ling patted her head commendingly. “Looks like I’ve found myself the right wife. I’ll rely on you to provide for me in future.” Yun Ge smiled till her eyes were crescent moons. “That’s right! Someone only knows how to sell official t.i.tles; with none to sell in the future, how pitiful will that person be! Follow me in the future! If you help me make my bed, fold my blankets, warm my fire and serve me well, I’ll reward you with a bowl of rice.” Liu Fu Ling heard her tender girlish voice, saw the smile twinkling in her eyes, his heart stirred and he couldn’t help but press a kiss to her forehead. “I will definitely ‘serve you well [2]’” Yun Ge flushed red, although she scoffed, she was too embarra.s.sed to retort, only sticking her lips out angrily.

Yun Ge had been in his thoughts for so many years, and since meeting again after so many difficulties, she had always kept him at a distance. Now that Yun Ge was by his side, his almost hopeless longing for her was about to be fulfilled, his heart felt choked up with emotion. He took off his shoes, lying by Yun Ge’s side, holding her hand, quietly gazing upon her face, only feeling calm and contentment in his heart.

Yun Ge could feel Liu Fu Ling’s breaths by her ear, she felt like half of her body was tingling all over while the other half was stiffened. She was nervous, unfamiliar to this sensation, and happy. She only wished for him and her to be peaceful and happy, together forever. Liu Fu Ling saw Yun Ge’s nervousness, and was afraid it would affect her internal injuries, so he hooked his finger through hers, then said teasingly. “Once you have recovered, I will definitely dutifully, carefully listen to your love songs, so that you can no longer complain to everyone about it, this complaint of yours has travelled to other tribes.”

When Yun Ge was talking to Aliya, her face was a picture of calm, now when she was reminded that Liu Fu Ling heard her talking nonsense to the crowd, she didn’t know how he felt listening to that, and her face flushed.

“How dare you make fun of me? I was helping you win! I was accurately ‘shooting the target’ when I said those words, they weren’t nonsense. Qiang girls are given a curved knife by either their father or their brothers as a coming of age present. Once they have found someone they liked, they would gift their curved knife to that male, as a token of their attachment. Aliya’s curved knife was still with her, meaning that she wasn’t promised to anyone. Qiang girls are also particular about the colour of their headscarves’, green, pink, yellow, blue meant that males could pursue them, but Aliya’s headscarf was red, red meant that she didn’t want to hear the love songs of males, didn’t welcome male advances. Since she wasn’t attached, why choose red? The only explanation was that she already had someone she fancied, but she had yet to tell him. When I wanted to lure her into agreeing to a civil fight, I first had to make her fear actual fighting, but the girls of the gra.s.slands are rarely fearless, so I could only try my best to make her feel regret for the things she had yet to do. Even with her status as a princess, Aliya still didn’t dare to gift out her curved knife, which only serves to prove that the person she likes has a very special place in her heart. The deeper Aliya’s feelings, the more likely it was that she’d agree to a civil fight.”

This was when Liu Fu Ling truly realized that Yun Ge wasn’t talking nonsense back then. Every move, every word was carefully planned to destabilize Aliya’s thoughts, so that once Yun Ge suggested a civil fight, Aliya would accept very readily.

Liu Fu Ling pinched her nose, his action full of adoration and pride. “Looks like I have to thank the man Aliya likes. He had really helped us Han people unknowingly.” Yun Ge’s smile stiffened just a touch, then laughed awkwardly. “It is better to keep this matter between the two of us. You mustn’t tell anyone about it. If my Third Brother finds out I encouraged a girl to pursue him, I’ll definitely be….” Yun Ge faked a shudder.

Liu Fu Ling was part surprised, part amused. “The man Aliya likes is your Third Brother? So you knew her beforehand.”

“No, no. I only realized it upon taking a closer look at Aliya. Did you see the bangle on her wrist? A tiny silver wolf mask hung from it, the exact same copy of the mask my Third Brother wears. Tell me, if a girl carries my Third Brother’s mask around wherever she goes, what else can it mean?” Yun Ge was practically cackling with glee. “Third Brother is going to be depressed….Ouch!”

Her injuries affected, Yun Ge’s eyes and nose were scrunched together in pain. As expected, people cannot be too happy they get carried away!

Liu Fu Ling quickly said. “I forbid you to laugh again.” Yun Ge flashed him a smile. “I couldn’t help it, since I was so happy! Quick, tell me something unhappy. When are we leaving Chang An? The faster the better! I really want to be able to leave with you once I’m all better.”

Liu Fu Ling’s face was solemn and he wanted to appear even more solemn, but he couldn’t mask the happy twinkle in his eyes. “Not so soon, but I think we’ll surely be able to leave in a year.”

“I think Da Ge is very good… umm.. besides being a bit l.u.s.tful, Da Gong Zi doesn’t seem too bad either, pa.s.sing the throne to any one of them will be good. Why do you need such a long time to choose? Are you afraid the court officials will object? Or afraid that the border kings will be unhappy?”

“Yun Ge, I would love to leave Chang An as soon as I can too, but….” Liu Fu Ling grew solemn. “Do you remember those people who sang along with Liu Bing Yi in the great hall? I don’t care for the reactions of court officials, much less of the border kings, but I care about them.” Yun Ge nodded. “Yes.” “What made Ke’er Dada afraid wasn’t Liu Bing Yi, much less the civil officials and generals in the great hall, but the Han people singing proudly behind Liu Bing Yi. They work hard, paying taxes to support the officials and the army, they would join the army to fight, using their own lives to force the other tribes to retreat, but all the want is a full tummy and a peaceful life. As long as I’m Emperor, I must protect them. Now that I selfishly want to run away from my responsibilities, then I must guarantee that this throne pa.s.ses peacefully to someone who can protect them. If because of my negligence, that a war erupts in the fight for the throne, bringing strife to the common folk, I will never forgive myself.”

Yun Ge held Liu Fu Ling’s hand. “I understand, I will wait patiently. Don’t worry, I think that whether it is Da Ge, or Da Gong Zi, they will be good protectors of the common folk.”

Liu Fu Ling smiled. “Liu He, I have a better grasp of, his ambition and talent are not a problem, but he always acts stupid, so much so that I really can’t grasp his style and method of handling matters, I’ll need to take a closer look. Liu Bing Yi’s thoughts are even more complicated, I’ll also need time to take a proper look.”

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Although the accident happened during the New Year banquet, but because of the tacit agreement between Liu Fu Ling and Huo Guang not to publicize it, not many people knew about it. Only, a group of imperial guards quietly disappeared without a trace in the middle of the night.

Yun Ge’s accident was just like countless other court intrigue, happening in the night and then disappearing into the night, not even seeing the first light of dawn, already crushed while everyone was still in dreamland. In actual fact, each party was starting to put their set pieces into play all over again. Each party had developed new plans, not moving carelessly any longer, so because of that everyone spent a very peaceful New Year.

When Yun Ge awoke from her afternoon nap, she saw Liu Fu Ling reading something by the side of the pallet, his brow slightly furrowed. Once he heard movement coming from her, his brow smoothed over, he put aside the doc.u.ment in his hand, helping Yun Ge up. Yun Ge picked up Liu Fu Ling was just reading, it was an imperial edict that an official helped write, summoning the Prince of Chang Yi into Chang An to meet the Emperor, written in grand official language.

Yun Ge smiled, asking. “You plan to bring Liu He to the capital for further observation?”

“Not only to observe him, but I need to slowly start teaching them to do some things from now on. When I was about three or four, my imperial Father had already started teaching me how to read missives, and how to understand the hidden meaning behind the written words.”

Mo Cha reported her presence outside the curtain, and brought Yun Ge’s medicine in, her actions extremely careful and meticulous. Yun Ge knew Mo Cha felt guilty and responsible for the accident that night and it would be some time before she recovered from that, so she could only smile helplessly.

Liu Fu Ling took the edict from her and set it aside, then took the bowl of medicine from Mo Cha, personally feeding Yun Ge her medicine. Once he was done feeding her, he took water and rinsed his mouth with her.

“But I still don’t know whether he’d be willing to come. The Emperor has a very delicate relations.h.i.+p with the princes of the border. On one hand, the princes of the border share the same interests as the Emperor, the heavens belong to the Emperor, but even more so to the Lius. If the throne is s.n.a.t.c.hed away, the whole Liu clan will lose their heavens. The princes of the border exist to instill fear among the civil and military officials, letting everyone know that the imperial clan is full of talents, even if the Emperor is gone, those officials are not going to get the throne; on the other hand, the Emperor would need to be on his guards against the other border princes, preventing them from forming alliances with court officials. Of course, the border princes are always on their guard against the Emperor, those who desire to seize the throne would need to be on their guard, those who don’t would also need to be on their guard because it doesn’t matter what those that don’t desire the throne say, what matters is whether or not the Emperor believes you. History has no lack of examples of loyal border princes who were either killed or forced to revolt because of a suspicious Emperor.”

Just one imperial edict contained so many things? Yun Ge’s feelings sunk. “Do you think Liu He will trust you? Will he find an excuse to reject the imperial edict, not coming into Chang An? Or even start to be suspicious because of this edict?” Liu Fu Ling nodded. “No one would believe the Emperor, much less a person in his position. In this whole world, only you believe in me.”

“So what should we do?”

Liu Fu Ling smiled. “I don’t need to you fret about such matters. I’ll find a way to settle it. What you need to fret about it how to recover fully.”

Liu Fu Ling didn’t want to talk about court matters, choosing to talk about how the Lantern festival was coming, the festivities in and outside the palace, asking her what kind of lantern she liked.

Yun Ge suddenly said. “I’d like to leave the palace for a while during the lantern festival. First to look at the lanterns, second to….second, if you don’t mind, I’d like to meet Meng Jue to thank him for saving my life.”

“I never once minded you seeing him, I was only nervous.” Liu Fu Ling’s hand brushed across Yun Ge’s temple, tenderly saying. “For there to be someone like me who recognizes a gem when he sees one, what I felt was probably admiration for him, and furthermore, he is really someone worthy of respect.”

Yun Ge became embarra.s.sed at Liu Fu Ling’s words, turned away from his hand, her face burning.

Joy abounded in her heart, mixing with sadness. Liu Ge Ge treated her like a precious treasure, valuing her more than anything else; a.s.suming someone else would think the same way as he did. Meng Jue never thought of her as some gem, but just a pearl among the few that caught his eye at most.

Liu Fu Ling said. “Yun Ge, Meng Jue is a smart person, when you talk to him, please try to be careful. Abdicating is a serious matter, if I have yet to make my final choice, you cannot tell him anything, if not the repercussions would be unthinkable.” Yun Ge nodded. “I understand.”

The whole situation now was hanging on a delicate balance; maybe even one drop of water would be enough to destabilize the whole situation, let alone the power to control the heavens that could be wielded by someone sitting on the throne?

Court officials aside, just Liu He and Liu Bing Yi, they were both not thinking about other things right now, one only wanted to be a muddleheaded prince, the other wanted to a.s.sist his majesty to the best of his abilities, so that his name would one day be restored. Once they knew they stood a chance in rightfully gaining the throne, would they still be able to sit back quietly? Maybe their fight with each other would be even more intense than princes fighting for the throne.

In Chang An, his last stretch of the road, might be the most difficult one his life yet.

Liu Fu Ling stared at Yun Ge. “Yun Ge, why don’t you go home first? Once I have settled this, I’ll go find you.”

Yun Ge’s brows knit as she glared at him. “Don’t even think about it! I am going to remain here!” Liu Fu Ling patiently explained. “It is not that I don’t want you by my side, but I’m afraid that a storm might brew….” Yun Ge pouted. “Ling Ge Ge, how many years pa.s.sed before we could meet again after our first parting? I don’t want to be waiting and counting down the days, whether or not the storm brews, I just don’t want to be separated from you. If you dare chase me away, I’ll ignore you for the rest of my life!”

Liu Fu Ling remained silent.

Yun Ge swung his hand back and forth, still pouting, making herself look very pitiful, but determination s.h.i.+ning forth from the depths of her dark eyes. Liu Fu Ling sighed. “Why are you still like this? You’re injured. Quick, stop swinging. I’ll just agree with whatever you say.”

Yun Ge’s face changed faster than the pages of a book could turn, breaking into a brilliant smile in an instant. “Thank goodness you treat me slightly better now as compared to when we were younger. If not, I would be really pitiful.”

“Only slightly better?” Liu Fu Ling lightly asked, his face expressionless.

Yun Ge laughed and sidled up to him. “This is me encouraging you to work even harder, telling Liu Fu Ling that he still has a long, long road to improvement in the way to treat the beautiful, cute and smart Yun Ge well. You must treat me even better each day, and each day you must reflect on the areas you can improve on, whether or not you made the cute Yun Ge unhappy. Every day……”

Liu Fu Ling wordlessly picked up the imperial edict, turned and left the hall, leaving Yun Ge shouting “Hey! I’m not done yet!”

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[1] Her camel in Chapter 1.

[2] The word 服侍means to wait upon, to care for. It is also a double entendre, and can take on a s.e.xual connotation.

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