Chapter 3
Ling Huanchen didn't stay in his room for half a day. He had a quick meal and was then summoned to the study.
At the signal from Fu Changshi, he quietly stepped inside. The emperor, seated at his desk, was concentrating on the memorial in his hands, seemingly unaware of his entrance.
What Yu Xi was wearing was exactly the same as when they first met in their previous life, the crimson court robe with coiled dragons, and the golden dragon spitting pearls on the chest always showed the owner's noble status.
Ling Huanchen collected his thoughts, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
Yu Xi raised her eyes upon hearing the voice and saw that the mermaid beauty who had suddenly revealed her spring beauty last night was now wearing this elegant robe, looking cool and solemn.
"Come here and grind it." Since it was sent to his Youcheng, it naturally cannot be left alone.
"Yes." Ling Huanchen walked slowly to the table and picked up the inkstone in an orderly manner. His movements were as skillful as flowing water.
Seeing this, Yu Xi raised her eyebrows slightly, "Do you do it often?"
"Your Majesty, I have been taught since I was young." Ling Huanchen replied calmly without stopping.
As a member of the royal family, they have been taught all kinds of ways to serve others since childhood. Everything they learned was for the purpose of pleasing the king in the future. It is hard not to sigh when listening to it.
But in troubled times, the winners are kings and the losers are bandits. There are countless pitiful people, so who can sympathize with whom?
Yu Xi did not ask any more questions, and the study fell into silence, with only the sound of turning pages of memorials being heard.
Inadvertently, he caught a glimpse of the aqua-blue figure beside him. The cold beauty lowered her brows and looked submissive, sitting quietly beside him. Her white and slender fingers held the inkstone and gently rotated it in circles in the inkstone.
It's not bad to have a beautiful woman by your side, at least it's much more pleasing to the eye than a palace maid. As a monarch, you should always be good at making the best use of everything and everyone.
After Yu Xi finished dealing with the memorial, he turned to pick up the book at hand, and Ling Huanchen also changed from grinding tea to serving tea.
"Your Majesty." Ling Huanchen held the teacup with both hands and presented it.
Yu Xi took it but didn't drink. "My dear, have you ever heard the story of the Dragon King and the fish?"
Since they have entered Youcheng, they are the citizens of Youcheng. Ling Huanchen calls himself a subject, so Yu Xi also goes with the flow and treats him as a king and a subject.
Ling Huanchen nodded, "No."
Yu Xi set the teacup aside and spoke leisurely, "Legend has it that there was a small fish long ago that was constantly bullied and ostracized by the other larger fish. One day, the Dragon King suddenly issued an order to make fish soup out of all the fish in the sea. To protect themselves, the larger fish pushed the small fish out, claiming it was a rare treasure that could greatly increase one's power. What do you think of the small fish?"
The story remained the same. In Ling Huanchen's memory, Yu Xi often loved to tell all sorts of bizarre stories, each of which actually corresponded to reality. He didn't know if there was a Dragon King who wanted to make fish soup from small fish, but he did have a Phantom City King who always wanted to make mermaid soup.
"I believe that if the little fish stays where it is, it will continue its life as before, or even worse. It is better to take a gamble and follow the Dragon King. I bet that the Dragon King is a wise monarch and would not really trouble a little fish that suffers for its people."
Yu Xi became a little interested after hearing this, "What if I lose the bet?"
"I accept the loss." Anyway, it can't get any worse.
Yu Xi pondered for a moment, "My dear, your words are quite acceptable."
He originally thought she was a frail and beautiful person, but he didn't expect her to have such a personality, which made him look at her differently.
Ling Huanchen understood in his heart that what Yu Xi called "acceptable" was equivalent to "very good".
The thing he lacks the least is patience, but there is one thing that must be confirmed before him, and that is whether the King of Youcheng, Yu Xi, in this life still has the same temperament as before.
Thinking of this, Ling Huanchen's eyes flickered slightly, "Your Majesty, my feet are numb."
Yu Xi took a glance and thought that these feet that appeared could not be used without restraint. They became numb after sitting for a while.
"You can go down now." He really didn't need to make things difficult for a little mermaid.
Ling Huanchen bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
His legs were fine, and being able to walk, sit, and lie down like a normal person was already ingrained in him. He was just waiting, waiting for Yu Xi to give him an answer.
After noon the next day, Ling Huanchen was summoned again. This time, he was not asked to go to the study to grind tea and pour tea, but to go to the martial arts field.
As the name suggests, the martial arts arena is a place for swordplay. Every day, the commander of the guards would gather the palace guards here for training. When the King of Youcheng had some free time, he would occasionally come here to practice swordplay.
Ling Huanchen nodded, "Please lead the way."
The road to the martial arts field would take about a cup of tea at his pace. He knew the road, but Ling Huanchen should not recognize it now.
He followed the palace servant out of the gate of Ziyi Palace. Seeing the sedan chair parked in front of the gate and Yu Xi sitting on it, he was stunned for a moment and took a few steps forward.
"Your Majesty." Ling Huanchen bowed.
Yu Xi opened her eyes and said, "Well, come up."
Seeing Ling Huanchen looking up at her with confusion in his eyes, Yu Xi glanced at his feet intentionally or unintentionally.
The mermaid's legs are too clumsy, and they might break when they reach the training ground.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Ling Huanchen stepped onto the sedan chair respectfully, a fleeting smile on his lips.
Who would have thought that the famous King of Youcheng was actually a good man.
The martial arts arena is located to the east of the Youcheng Palace. It houses an armory, a wooden stake array, and a martial arts arena. There is a small pavilion next to the peach blossom forest, from which one can have a panoramic view of the entire martial arts arena.
Ling Huanchen sat alone in the small pavilion, a pot of tea and several plates of exquisite pastries beside him. But he had no time to enjoy them. His eyes were fixed on the man who was moving freely through the wooden stake formation with a longsword in hand.
The wooden stakes in the formation were all three feet high, each only half the width of a foot. Those with lesser skills would have found it difficult to stay on them for long, let alone practice swordplay. Yet, Yu Xi was treading on them as if they were flat ground. The sword in his hand swam like a dragon, swift as lightning. The sword flower he raised picked up the occasional falling peach petals, which fluttered up and down with his sleeves.
Those who fought against him were all the best masters in the imperial guards. Even if they ignored the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects and fought with all their strength, they would find it difficult to last more than ten moves against Yu Xi.
Ling Huanchen's gaze followed the red figure, and the scenes of the past and the present gradually overlapped, as if reflecting the scene of the past.
Yu Xi retracted his sword, leaped off the wooden stake, and landed in front of the pavilion. Seeing Ling Huanchen's pale face, he frowned slightly, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Ling Huanchen immediately stood up and nodded, saying, "I am in good health." After that, he picked up the freshly brewed tea and offered it to Yu Xi, "Your Majesty, please have some tea."
Yu Xi took the teacup, and her brows finally relaxed. "Huanchen's tea-making skills have become more and more refined."
"If Your Majesty likes to drink, I will do my best every day." Ling Huanchen never raised his head. He looked extremely respectful and there was no fault in his words and actions.
Yu Xi asked, "Does Huanchen know swordsmanship?"
Ling Huanchen's mind faltered for a moment, but then he understood what he meant. He said, "I've only heard a few things, so I don't truly understand. Your Majesty is so heroic, and his moves are so unpredictable. It's beyond the comprehension of mere mortals like me."
Although the listeners might not be overly pleased by this, they should be at least comfortable. However, Yu Xi remained expressionless when she heard and saw this.
There was a pause, and only an almost inaudible sigh could be heard. "Is there any place Huanchen wants to go?"
Ling Huanchen paused. He might never be able to go to the place he wanted to go. If he told others about it, it would only anger the emperor. There was no point in saying more.
"I don't have anywhere I want to go."
Yu Xi took a step closer to the pavilion. Ling Huanchen, sensing the man's approach, inexplicably stepped back. Yu Xi suddenly stopped and walked out of the pavilion.
Only after the person walked away did Ling Huanchen raise his head, and only the person's back remained in his sight.
His thoughts turned back to when he realized that Yu Xi was already standing outside the pavilion. Ling Huanchen went to greet her with a cup of tea.
"Your Majesty, please have some tea."
While Yu Xi was drinking tea, Ling Huanchen couldn't help but continue to look at him. He caught a glimpse of a touch of pink on his shoulder, and without thinking, he raised his hand to wipe it off for him.
Action comes before thought. After he did it, he realized that there was something wrong with this move. After all, this life has just begun.
Ling Huanchen raised his eyes slightly to look at Yu Xi's expression and found that there was nothing unusual about the other party.
Yu Xi wasn't completely oblivious. While practicing swordplay on the wooden stakes, he'd noticed a constant gaze following him. This gaze, unlike the other guards' admiration, seemed to reveal a complex emotion. Ling Huanchen's brushing of the petals from his shoulders had been even more unexpected. What puzzled him most was that he hadn't rejected the other person's advances, as if this was just how they were meant to be.
As Ling Huanchen's visits to the king increased, daily summons became a common occurrence. The palace attendants were tacitly aware of the young prince's status within the palace, and there were many different opinions.
Yu Xi disliked being served closely, not out of indifference, but rather out of habit. Having Fu Changshi follow him around was already a rare sight, but now it was becoming increasingly natural for him to summon Ling Huanchen. The only person in the world who could be even remotely close to him was his younger brother, Yu Zhao, but that boy had been away from home for years since he came of age, returning to the palace only a handful of times.
Now Ling Huanchen had arrived in the palace. Although he was from a different race, he always gave him a sense of déjà vu. Keeping him by his side had slowly become a new habit for Yu Xi.
Sometimes when I feel tired, I look up and see the quiet person beside me, and for a moment I feel that time is peaceful and good.
Maybe it would be a good experience to have someone accompany you.
Every day, Fu Changshi would send someone to summon Ling Huanchen, and the time was mostly fixed, almost never delayed.
Suddenly one day, the palace attendant who had been summoned was nowhere to be seen all day, and there was no news. Three days passed like this, and there was still no news of his summons.
"Master, please don't worry. Your Majesty, you must be busy with state affairs. He will summon you again after he is done with this." Xiao Qi's brows were almost wrinkled into a "川" shape, and he was racking his brains to think of words of comfort.
Ling Huanchen raised his eyes and smiled helplessly, "I'm not worried about that."
Xiao Qi touched the back of his head and asked, "Then why are you worried?"
"I'm..." Ling Huanchen saw Yun He coming in, his mind suddenly turned, and he said, "Ah He."
Yun He lowered his head, "Master, what are your orders?"
"Go and help me find Zhang Qin."
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Continue on Sunday night~
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