716 Weakness (1/2)
Queen Ju stood by the door as she looked out into the night. When she saw the figure walking slowly towards her, she couldn't stop a bitter feeling from blossoming in her heart.
Besides the day the Dragon King had awakened from his coma, this would be the first time the two met.
She quickly dispelled the feelings in her heart because once she became a disgruntled wife, she would be trapped in a vicious cycle. This was war, where no one would surrender voluntarily, and only a continuous attack could guarantee one victory.
'Even women have their own weapons.' Although Xu Yanwei was a woman of humble origins, her words sometimes sounded very reasonable.
Gu Shenwei had to come. The Queen had helped him a great deal, and he needed to thank her in person even if he knew that she was just acting in front of the Second Consort.
Xu Yanwei had carefully prepared a table full of food and wine. Instead of beef and mutton being served as chunks, as was the Norland style, she tried to make them as exquisite as dishes from Jade City. After greeting the Dragon King, she beckoned for the maids to leave with her.
Gu Shenwei caught a glimpse of Shangguan Hong, who disappeared in a flash. Not knowing what to say, he asked, ”Is Shangguan Hong still obedient?”
”Hmm, he's loyal too. Else, he wouldn't have been left here.”
Gu Shenwei nodded. Among all the sons of the Unique King, Shangguan Hong was the least ambitious, but that didn't mean that he would submissively accept the fate of being a eunuch.
He wanted to remind Queen Ju of this, but Shangguan Hong had actually been sent to her by him. It was hard to explain their subtle relationship.
The Queen was a stranger to him, who held even less of a tacit mutual understanding with him than the swordsman of the Big Snow Mountain
The 'stranger' smiled intimately at him and held up a glass of wine as she toasted, ”Congratulations to the Dragon King for uniting the three forces. It was worth the trip.”
In front of Gu Shenwei laid two wine glasses and two jugs; one contained wine while the other was filled with water. Gu Shenwei hesitated for a moment before pouring himself a glass of wine.
Queen Ju's smile grew bigger. It was a good sign that the Dragon King had not immediately expressed his thanks.
Chitchat was a difficult task for Gu Shenwei. He found himself always distracted and had so many things to consider that he couldn't help but wonder whether he was wasting his time here.
Queen Ju tried to empty her mind and find a topic to talk about: the silly words of Xu Yanwei, the empty flattery of the prominent women from the Western Regions in the camp, the situation at Xiaoyao Lake, and so on and so forth.
Gu Shenwei was also trying to cooperate and respond appropriately to each topic but time still crawled at a snail's pace, seemingly impossible to fill up.
”That Xiao Fengchai is really funny. She wanted to see you, but came to me pleading instead,” said Queen Ju flatly. She originally wanted to wait a little longer, but there was really nothing left to talk about, so she had no choice but to throw it out there in a hurry.
The Dragon King's response was impeccable. He looked a bit surprised, which was probably a genuine reaction. Queen Ju began to believe the words of the Jade City courtesan that she had nothing special to do with the Dragon King.
”She wanted to meet me?” Gu Shenwei was indeed a bit surprised but he knew that Xiao Fengchai wasn't funny at all.
”She wanted the Dragon King to send troops to escort her back to the Western Regions. The ladies in the camp held the same hope, but she seemed to think that she could convince the Dragon King first.”
”She's rich.” Gu Shenwei didn't say anything more. From Xiao Fengchai's point of view, the first thing he would think of was always countless piles of gold and silver.
Although the dishes and wine had barely been nibbled at, the requisite time finally passed by. Gu Shenwei stood up and said, ”I'm going back to the camp. Have some rest yourself.”
On this night, Queen Ju had noticed many good omens and her hope had gradually risen, but all her fantasies were immediately extinguished by the Dragon King's words. ”Won't you stay here for the night?”
”This is the Second Consort's camp. It's not very convenient.”
”Does the Dragon King really believe that that's a good reason?” The emotions Queen Ju had deliberately been trying to forget burst out all of a sudden. She could not accept such an ending.
”It's an appropriate reason.” Gu Shenwei kept his composure but felt that the scene in front of him was growing absurd.
Queen Ju's pent-up bitterness broke through the blockade of reason, half turning to tears as the other half turned into questions. ”Why? What did I do wrong? Why are you doing this to me?”
”It's not your fault, but mine.” Gu Shenwei hoped that he could still comfort his queen, but his voice had turned slightly stiff, ”I'm walking on the edge of a saber every day. The enemy is not defeated yet, and I dare not nor am I entitled to enjoy myself.”
”What if you defeat the enemy?” Queen Ju pressed.
”I may have a change of heart.”
Queen Ju wiped her tears away and looked strangely tough. ”But you quite 'enjoyed' the time you had with her.”
”Which her?”
”I never would have thought that the Dragon King would pretend to feign ignorance.”
Gu Shenwei slightly raised his head, ”What do you really want? Frankly speaking, I've never intended to rule the Stone Kingdom. The throne will be reserved for the sole bloodline of the royal Ju family. Or do you want to extend the territory? Unfortunately, that will have to wait until I take Golden Roc Castle.”