Chapter 7

I don’t know if it was because of that phone call, but Xiao Ziyu tossed and turned all night, and when he finally fell asleep, he had an old dream.

In the 68th year of Daliang, which happened to be midsummer, he disguised himself as the prince of Shu and went to Liang as a hostage. The two hostages who accompanied him were both from border countries of Liang.

Daliang had been entrenched in the Central Plains for many years, competing against the State of Zhao to the north. According to legend, Crown Prince Changfeng of Liang was sinister and vicious. He was originally a deposed prince born to a concubine in the cold palace, but he gained great power in the court. He placed the old emperor under house arrest in Changle Palace and forced him to write an edict to establish a crown prince.

Unlike the cautious and suspicious old emperor, Yuan Heng was proficient in both civil and military affairs and was good at fighting. Daliang gradually became centered around the Eastern Palace. Not long after he was named the crown prince, he annexed several surrounding small countries in succession.

Ancient Shu and Daliang bordered each other from north to south, and the people were good at warding off insects and beasts. The ancient King of Shu was a lewd and dissolute person, and was timid and cowardly. In order to prevent the Crown Prince of Liang from taking advantage of the situation and marching south after ascending the throne, he was forced to resort to this desperate measure.

Xiao Ziyu was ordered by the king to go to Liang as a hostage, but in fact his purpose was to assassinate Crown Prince Yuan Heng. Before leaving, he took the initiative to drink a poisonous insect to show his loyalty. The insect entered his body and would break out at the full moon. If the mission went smoothly, the King of Shu would send messenger crows to deliver the medicine on a monthly basis.

However, Liang State was vast and rich in resources, and there were beauties and treasures sent by various countries. A few hostages were not enough for Yuan Heng to take seriously. He placed them in an abandoned palace next to Yongxiang without even seeing them.

Although the poisonous insect was not fatal, it was extremely torturous when it attacked. It felt like insects were crawling on and gnawing at his internal organs. Xiao Ziyu was tortured to death by it in the first few months, but later he gradually got used to it and was able to endure it by gritting his teeth.

But it was extremely difficult for him to see Yuan Heng while he was staying in this deep palace.

Finally one day, Yuan Heng received envoys from various countries in Yonghe Palace and held a grand banquet. They were also released and had the opportunity to get a glimpse of the prosperity of Daliang.

Yuan Heng was arrogant and extravagant, and his palace was grand and imposing. The palace in Daliang was several times larger than that of ancient Shu. Xiao Ziyu wandered around and got lost. When he passed through a bamboo forest, he heard the chattering of the women.

"Su'e, can you still stand up?"

Through the bamboo forest, Xiao Ziyu vaguely saw a woman in green clothes lying on the ground, holding her ankle and whimpering, "I can't get up, my bones hurt so much."

He had no intention of prying into his daughter's family affairs, and was about to turn around and leave when that person's voice reached his ears:

"What should we do? It takes eight people to dance 'Chu Yao', and we are short of one. If His Highness loses face in front of envoys from various countries on such an important day..."

Everyone knows that the prince is cruel and brutal. Some people began to sob quietly. They thought that beheading would be a small matter, but what would happen if their family members were implicated?

It turned out that she was the actress who was going to perform at the Imperial Banquet. Xiao Ziyu said, "I can dance the Chu Yao dance."

As long as he could show up on the imperial stage, he would have the opportunity to come into contact with Yuan Heng.

Xiao Ziyu frowned slightly in his sleep, deeply immersed in the memories of his past life, unable to get out, still not knowing whether the decision he made at that time was right or wrong.

The actresses saw a man with long hair and plain clothes walking out from behind the bamboo forest. His hair was loose, his face was handsome, his eyes were round and slightly raised, and there were fallen leaves all over the ground under his feet, but his steps were light and silent, and it was obvious that he had solid basic skills.

"Can you really do it?" With less than an hour left before he had to go on stage, the actresses had no time to ask him his name, and just thought he was an actor who came to help out. "Su'e was a Si Ling before, can you do it too?"

The so-called Si Ling is the lead dancer of the whole show, the center of attention, and the requirements for basic skills are even more profound.

Xiao Ziyu waved his sleeves and spun around, his clothes fluttering in the wind, leaving only his toes touching the ground. His whole body was like a spinning green lotus, and he completed the most difficult move in a dazzling moment. When it stopped, there was still no heaviness at all, and it was even silent, like a butterfly landing in the woods.

The actresses nodded repeatedly. They had never seen a man who could train his body to be so agile. Even Su'e, who fell to the ground and injured herself, shed tears of relief.

As time was running out, Xiao Ziyu exchanged clothes with Su'e. The woman had a slim figure, so the clothes didn't seem tight on him. The girls combed his hair into a bun like an actress's and put a veil on his head. Apart from being a little tall, he could blend in perfectly.

Xiao Ziyu acted calm and composed, but he was actually secretly nervous. How should he meet Yuan Heng after the dance? What should he say when they met? He had no answer to anything.

The grand banquet on the imperial stage brought together envoys from all directions. Countries collected treasures from all over the world to show their courtesy to Prince Liang. The noisy voices could be heard from afar.

After the body search, Xiao Ziyu and the other female actors walked onto the stage. When they raised their eyes, they saw the man sitting in the main seat in the north of the stage. He had sword-like eyebrows and deep eyes, and his brows were as sharp as iron and silver. He was wearing a dark robe with gold edges. Just the sight of him sitting there made the tall Tibetan envoy in front of him tremble with fear and dare not raise his head.

One month after entering Liang, he finally met the cruel and ruthless Prince of Liang, Yuan Heng, as described by the King of Shu.

As the music started, Xiao Ziyu leaned back and made a gesture with his hands folded in the air. His wide sleeves fluttered, his arms were slender and graceful, and his wide skirt was tied around his waist, making him look like a floating cloud.

The chaotic voices suddenly quieted down from the center of the stage, and all eyes were glued to the person on the stage. It was not surprising to see beautiful women who were good at dancing, but it was rare to see someone with such charm. Xiao Ziyu tapped his toes lightly and slid in a big step. The dancing girls began to move gracefully and everyone's held breath gradually eased.

"The curtains of the magnificent hall are filled with fragrance, and the waist of a beautiful lady is lightly tied with white silk." The Zhao envoy said with a hearty laugh, "It is said that there are many beauties in Liang State. Seeing them today really opened our eyes. With such beauties, the treasures we presented to you from all over the world are eclipsed."

Yuan Heng didn't show any reaction to the flattery, but his expression relaxed a little. He stared lazily at the lead dancer Si Ling on the stage, with a slight smile on his lips.

Halfway through the dance, the people on the stage naturally noticed that the prince was looking at them. It was not known whether it was because Prince Liang was too majestic, but Xiao Ziyu, who had been performing on stage in opera theaters since he was a child and was used to being in the spotlight, actually felt his breathing tighten.

One cannot be distracted while dancing, Xiao Ziyu moved to the edge of the imperial platform, and when he raised his eyes, he met Prince Liang's gaze. Too close! His steps became disordered and he missed a beat. The dancer behind him didn't have time to dodge and bumped into him. Xiao Ziyu staggered and lost his balance and fell onto the stage!

The imperial platform was originally used for sacrifices and was built very high. However, Yuan Heng did not believe in ghosts and gods, so it has gradually been abandoned in recent years. The spectators were suddenly in an uproar. Xiao Ziyu instinctively wanted to use his kung fu to fly up, but the dark robe flashed by in his peripheral vision, and he stopped his impulse. He could not show off his martial arts in front of the prince.

Xiao Ziyu gritted his teeth secretly, even if he became disabled, he would not let Yuan Heng become suspicious.

There were more cries of surprise, and his falling momentum came to a sudden halt. His slender waist was firmly supported by a pair of large hands.

Xiao Ziyu saw the familiar golden cloud pattern and the scent of ambergris rushed into his nose. He didn't have time to think about whether he was injured. He had already made a plan in the blink of an eye.

When she opened her eyes again, they were filled with tears and the corners of her light red eyes trembled slightly. She looked so pitiful, like a frightened rabbit caught by the scruff of the neck.

He did not dare to touch Yuan Heng. He rolled on the ground in a panic and knelt at the prince's feet. His wide-sleeved skirt dragged on the ground. He was trembling with fear and his voice was trembling: "The guilty minister Xiao Ziyu deserves to die."

Yuan Heng twisted his fingertips lightly, as if recalling the touch of the slender waist just now. He half squatted down and raised Xiao Ziyu's chin: "Man?"

The dancers had already knelt on the ground and the musicians had also stopped. Xiao Ziyu managed to calm himself down: "Miss Si Ling was accidentally injured, and Ziyu took the initiative to replace her. Please punish me, Your Highness."

It was true that he had followed his master in traveling among the common people, but this was his first time facing the royal nobles. When Yuan Heng lowered his eyes and pondered, it would be a lie to say that he was not afraid.

Fortunately, Yuan Heng was in a good mood that day and asked about his background. "It's a pity for such a good figure to live in Yongxiang. If you like dancing, you can go to Guanwa Palace to teach."

Guanwa Palace is where dancers rehearse. Xiao Ziyu thanked him, his underwear already soaked with cold sweat.

Later, when Yuan Heng was forcing the tutor to be intimate with him, he confessed to him that he couldn't bear to see his pitiful look of kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy, but at the same time he wanted to hurt him so as to force out the frightening red eyes.

Xiao Ziyu was teased by Yuan Heng in his dream and mumbled incoherently. When he woke up, he found himself in a cold sweat. The feeling of weightlessness after falling from the imperial platform lingered for a long time.

That was the first time he deceived Yuan Heng. He was clearly a fox with sharp fangs and claws, but he retracted his claws and fangs and pretended to be a rabbit with red eyes. The first time they met, he was fake.