Chapter 49 A Heart-to-Heart Talk: Pei Qing, you...you shouldn't be so...
That is indeed the case.
The Queen of Xixia Kingdom was surnamed Feng and was a full twelve years older than Chu Yueyuan. However, she was well-maintained and wore a long robe of azure imperial color embroidered with silver vermilion birds. She wore a silver crown, and her prominent brow bones and straight nose made her look heroic and imposing. Her phoenix eyes were slightly upturned, and her gaze was like lightning.
At the banquet, Chu Yueyuan sat at the same table as the King of Feng, with the National Preceptor You to her right and the Regent to her left.
Inside the main hall, singing and dancing were in full swing. Several strong male dancers were performing the unrestrained Hu Xuan dance. After several rounds of the dance, their well-defined pectoral muscles shimmered like honey under the candlelight.
Lord Sun's face darkened even more.
The King of Feng Kingdom warmly poured wine for Chu Yueyuan and said with a smile, "The palace in Linchao City is not as large as the capital. Why don't you stay a little longer, Your Majesty, so I can take you to the capital for a tour? In July, when the flowers of Qiongju and Xianglan are in full bloom, it looks like the sky and sea are reversed from afar. Apart from the palaces in the heavens, this kind of scenery can only be seen in Xixia Kingdom."
Chu Yueyuan drank the local specialty Xifeng wine, but she couldn't stand its pungent taste, and her eyes welled up with tears.
"Hmm, fine wine. The King of Feng is as passionate as this wine. I've only been here for one day, and the King already wants me to stay for the New Year."
"Haha, I don't know why, but I always feel an instant connection with Lady Chu, as if we've known each other for a long time."
"I also feel the same way."
The two monarchs had a very pleasant conversation, and their ministers naturally became close friends as well.
Meng Xun lost the finger-guessing game, and without saying a word, he jumped onto the stage and danced the Hu Xuan dance with the dancers. His clumsy yet bold dance moves drew cheers from the audience, and the cheers were so loud that they almost lifted the roof off the hall.
Unlike the banquets in the Great Qi Palace where men and women sat separately, at the banquets in the Western Xia Kingdom, officials, regardless of gender, sat together according to their rank.
Several intoxicated female officials from Xixia looked openly at the Qi envoy opposite them and began to converse as if no one else was around.
"I never imagined that the men of the Great Qi were all so outstanding. If there were such men in the Legacy Pavilion, I would have no worries about my future offspring!"
Which one do you like?
"Lord Shen, and what about you?"
"When General Meng dances, he twists his waist quite vigorously."
“I say… are you all looking at each other wrong? The most alluring one is clearly that one!” a female official said, turning to look at the Regent of Qi, who was drinking alone on the high platform.
The man had handsome features, calm eyes, and a noble demeanor. No matter how heated the atmosphere was around him, he always had a cool and aloof air about him, like chilled wine. It was not strong when it went down his throat, and even had a slight sweetness. But if you drank too much without realizing it, your internal organs would start to burn.
The female officials looked over, and a hint of intoxication appeared in their eyes.
"Forget it. Such a celestial being is definitely not for us. The eldest princess has already declared that she will ask the king to take him back as her heir..."
Upon hearing this news, the ladies-in-waiting felt a pang of regret and reluctantly turned their gazes away.
"I have long heard of the fame of Lady Chu in Daqi. Seeing is believing, and I am honored to meet you today. I toast you with a cup of wine."
Chu Yueyuan looked up at the sound and saw a beautiful woman standing in front of her.
The woman was dressed in a red military uniform. She was slender, with black braids and fair skin. A magnificent headdress made of red agate and emeralds adorned her full forehead, highlighting her extraordinary status.
As she raised her hand to offer a toast, the pendant hanging from her forehead swayed gently, reflecting in her enchanting eyes.
The King of Feng smiled and introduced her: "Lady Chu, this is my younger sister, named Feng Qi. She usually likes to practice swordsmanship and has won several battles against the Canglang tribe. So I took advantage of my position to bestow upon her the title of Princess."
Feng Qi raised an eyebrow and protested with dissatisfaction: "Your Majesty, your words make it seem as if I am playing a game when I lead the troops into battle. If the Queen of Chu hears this, she will laugh at me."
Chu Yueyuan raised her cup with a smile, her demeanor dignified: "Your Majesty is too modest. The people of Great Qi know best the ferocity of the Canglang tribe. Fortunately, Great Qi has the valiant and skilled Futu Army, as well as the brilliant strategist Lord Pei, who has protected the people of this region. Princess, you are a heroine among women, no less than the men of Great Qi. I toast you with a cup of wine."
Feng Qi drank it down in one gulp and smiled broadly, saying, "It is indeed the Lady of Chu who knows how to praise her own ministers, unlike you, Your Majesty, who always belittles me."
The King of Feng was speechless, and could only reach out and tap his sister's forehead, his tone helpless: "With your novice skills, how dare you compare yourself to Lord Pei..."
While the two were joking around, Chu Yueyuan wanted to drink some honey water to relieve the spiciness in her mouth, but when she looked down, she found that the honey water in the bowl had been drunk up long ago.
"This bowl of honey water has not been touched by yours truly."
Pei Muwei handed him his honey water.
Chu Yueyuan didn't care about avoiding suspicion and naturally took the drink.
Feng Qi glanced at the perfectly coordinated ruler and his minister, her eyes flickering slightly, and suddenly spoke:
"Five years have passed, and you are still as gentle and considerate as before. I thought I would never be able to repay your life-saving grace and would regret it for the rest of my life. Fortunately, heaven favors those who are destined to meet. Today we meet again. I also toast you with a bowl of wine."
The young woman, dressed in a flowing red dress, moved gracefully like a leaping flame. Feng Qi smiled and walked up to Pei Muwei with a wine cup in hand.
Chu Yueyuan nearly choked on the smooth nectar. Holding the bowl, she curiously examined the hero and beauty who were rekindling their romance.
Pei Muwei did not accept the wine cup offered by Feng Qi. Instead, he picked up the wine cup on the table and drank it down, his tone indifferent: "What happened in the past was nothing more than a small favor. The Princess need not take it to heart."
Feng Qi was unperturbed by the man's aloof attitude. Her eyes sparkled as she smiled, becoming even more alluring: "How did you know, Young Master Pei, that I, this princess, have always kept you in my heart?"
Pei Muwei was too lazy to answer, so he simply reached out and straightened the wine cup that was about to tip over in the hands of the little empress dowager who was watching the commotion.
Unbeknownst to them, the woman leaned closer with an eager expression and asked, "Pei Qing, you haven't answered the Princess's question yet."
Pei Muwei: ....
Watching the regent leave in a huff, Chu Yueyuan secretly rejoiced.
In fact, there were countless noble ladies in the capital who admired the Regent, but most of them were demure and respectful. Let alone taking the initiative to show their affection, even daring to raise their eyes and look directly at him at a palace banquet would be considered extremely outrageous by them.
Such blatant flirting by Feng Qi would be considered outrageous in the Great Qi Dynasty.
She couldn't help but inquire about their past relationship, taking the opportunity of exchanging drinks to ask about it. Feng Qi, being straightforward, readily told her everything.
Five years ago, on a winter day, the Canglang tribe burned, killed, and looted near Linchao City. Feng Qi led her troops into battle. Although she had the advantage in numbers, she was ambushed by the enemy due to her lack of experience and almost suffered a total annihilation.
At the critical moment, Pei Muwei's Floating Pagoda Army appeared like divine soldiers descending from the sky, stunning the Canglang Army.
"When we were in danger back then, Lord Pei took an arrow for me. The arrowhead pierced my flesh, but he didn't even look at it. He came to my side immediately to make sure I was alright..."
"I still remember the way he looked at me. His eyes were so bright, like the most valiant wolf king on the grasslands, wild and untamed..."
"Because he was worried that the Canglang Army would return, he guarded outside my tent all night. The next day at dawn, I told him that I would write a letter to the Emperor of Daqi to thank him for his righteous help to the Xixia people, but he said it was unnecessary and told me to forget about it completely."
"Later, I made inquiries and learned that your Great Qi emperor had some kind of mental problem, actually punishing Pei Langjun for sending troops without authorization..."
Recalling that night, Feng Qi couldn't help but smile, her eyes filled with tenderness and affection.
Chu Yueyuan looked thoughtful, because she recalled an old story that the Ministry of Rites had mentioned on the day of her investiture ceremony.
Five years ago, Pei Muwei was still Prince Yi, leading troops to guard Beiting.
In those years, the snowstorms in Beiting were so severe that the farmland yielded no harvest. The relief grain and coal from the imperial court were delayed, and people froze to death in the streets. People even resorted to cooking their own bones and exchanging their own children for food, and plagues broke out everywhere.
The northern court had a horse market, where the imperial court exchanged imperial horses with the Abbasid Caliphate for silk, porcelain, and tea.
That year, Pei Muwei was ordered to exchange fifty carts of silk and thirty carts of tea with officials from the Abbasid Caliphate for two hundred Akhal-Teke horses, which were specially provided for the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital to play Cuju (ancient Chinese football).
On one side were starving, emaciated disaster victims, and on the other side were shiny, purebred BMWs.
However, the Great Qi Dynasty has laws prohibiting commoners from killing horses privately. Every horse is branded, and if the Imperial Stud's horse supervisor catches someone killing a horse for food, the lightest punishment is one hundred strokes of the cane, and the heaviest punishment is the execution of the entire family.
On his way to escort the horses to the local Imperial Stud, Pei Muwei happened to encounter the invading Canglang tribe.
Facing the Canglang Army, which numbered less than a thousand men, Pei Muwei suffered his first defeat in his life. Afterwards, he submitted a memorial to the court, reporting that the Canglang people had stolen two hundred Ferghana horses.
When the news reached the capital, officials in the court were in an uproar.
Soon, officials testified that Prince Yi used these two hundred Akhal-Teke horses to exchange for grain, herbs, and coal at the border market in Linchao City, and then sent these supplies to the disaster area.
Pei Muwei already possessed the potential to rise to power, and with the Northern Court in turmoil due to the snow disaster, the cabinet ministers worried that if they pushed too hard, it would provoke Prince Yi to take extreme measures.
Ultimately, the matter ended hastily with Emperor Shang reprimanding Prince Yi for dereliction of duty and imposing a five-year salary deduction to compensate for the loss of the Akhal-Teke horse.
Now, Chu Yueyuan heard the first half of the story from Feng Qi and couldn't help but feel a chill for her.
Based on her understanding of men, Pei Muwei must have intended to kill Feng Qi that night.
No wonder his eyes shone like a wolf's!
Feng Qi was captivated by the man's handsome appearance, only seeing the cold arrogance in his deep black eyes, but failing to see the cold-blooded ruthlessness in his bones.
The welcoming banquet lasted until midnight. The King of Feng walked side by side with Chu Yueyuan and personally escorted her back to her residence.
“I hit it off with Lady Chu at first sight. If I weren’t worried about your tiring journey, I would love to have a long talk with you all night long.”
"Alas... Xixia has been passed down for over three hundred years, isolated from the world for three hundred years simply because a woman sits on the throne. I wander aimlessly every day, like a lonely withered tree in a vast desert, not knowing how long I can last. But now, with the phoenix of Chu, Queen Chu, perching here for a moment, even the withered tree has been touched by the breath of spring..."
Hearing the heartfelt words of the King of Feng, Chu Yueyuan felt both moved and ashamed.
She was moved by the fact that the Xixia people had persevered and multiplied despite the numerous slanders and rejections, and felt guilty that she was a false phoenix.
She was allowed to fly out of the golden cage for a short while, but that was only because the cage keeper opened the cage door and required her to fly symbolically.
She came with a purpose, feeling guilty towards the King of Feng, who regarded her as a close friend.
Chu Yueyuan said earnestly, "The world changes like the sea turning into mulberry fields. The Phoenix King need not be troubled. Just keep the spring in your heart. Perhaps one day, more and more countries will become like Xixia."
The King of Feng was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Hahaha, may the day that Lady Chu spoke of come soon."
"It's getting late, so I won't disturb Lady Chu's rest any longer."
The King of Feng bowed and smiled, then winked at her before leaving, a slight smile playing on his lips: "May Your Majesty sleep well tonight..."
Under the corridor, Jin Tong kept looking around. Finally, when Chu Yueyuan and the King of Feng separated, she quickly stepped forward, her face showing a hesitant expression.
Chu Yueyuan asked in confusion, "Didn't I tell you to come back and rest early? Why are you still standing outside?"
Jin Tong's cheeks flushed red. She glanced at the brightly lit pavilion and lowered her voice, saying, "Your Highness, there are... two demons inside."
Finally, she added, "He's a male demon."
The Phoenix King's enthusiasm was even greater than Chu Yueyuan had imagined.
Seeing the two handsome men standing respectfully with their hands at their sides in the room, Chu Yueyuan regretted that she hadn't been able to control her eyes.
The two people sent by the Queen of Feng Kingdom were the very same Transcendent Officials she had caught a glimpse of when she passed by the Transcendent Pavilion.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
The two men bowed respectfully. One was named Zhengyin and the other Zhenglu. Although their appearances were not particularly stunning, they were both handsome and refined, with gentle and elegant manners. Moreover, their features were seven or eight parts similar, clearly indicating that they were twin brothers.
At that moment, Chu Yueyuan suddenly felt a connection with those tyrannical rulers in history who were obsessed with beauty.
Although it's said that one should adapt to local customs, she wasn't prepared to go that far.
Suppressing her drowsiness, Chu Yueyuan drank a bowl of strong tea and listened to the melody of zhengyin and zhenglu playing together for half an hour.
"What a beautiful piece of music! I am deeply grateful for the kindness shown to me by the King of Feng. It is getting late, you two may now take your leave."
Chu Yueyuan sat on the chaise longue, picked up a round fan to cover her face and yawned, intending to be a virtuous and self-disciplined ruler tonight.
The sound of the zither lingered around the instrument, and a pair of clear, bright eyes, like willow leaves, were filled with tenderness. A smile played on his thin lips: "Your Majesty, I have been learning the zither since I was a child, and I have some strength in my hands. I have also studied massage techniques. How about my brother-in-law and I serve Your Majesty tonight so that you may rest in peace?"
Chu Yueyuan was so startled that she closed her mouth, about to politely refuse, when she heard a man's harsh voice coming from the doorway:
"It's so lively in the Empress Dowager's room!"
Chu Yueyuan suddenly sat up straight, all her drowsiness gone.
The man stood under the carved doorway, bathed in the soft moonlight. His tone was cold, his gaze was cold, and he seemed to emanate a chilling aura.
Pei Muwei surveyed the scene inside the room, his narrow phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, and his tightly pursed lips formed a thin line.
The moment Zheng Yin and Zheng Lu saw the man, they were overwhelmed by his fierce aura, making it hard for them to breathe. The killing intent that had been accumulating on the battlefield for many years made them shudder.
Chu Yueyuan was afraid that the two brothers of Yinlu would be splattered with blood on the spot, so she hurriedly picked up her phoenix-head shoes and stumbled over, grabbed the Regent's arm, and followed his muscular forearm all the way to his fist, and secretly pried it open with force.
Fortunately, there were no weapons.
She patted the man's hand and said in a reproachful tone, "Where did Pei Qing go? I was almost falling asleep waiting for you. Luckily, the two musicians sent by the King of Feng played music to pass the time. I'm so glad you're back."
She deliberately emphasized the word "Phoenix King" to maintain her image as a wise ruler.
Pei Muwei lowered his eyes, gazing at the little empress dowager's slightly flushed face and watery eyes.
He knew that the smile on her face was fake, that her words were false, and that everything she did for him was a lie.
However, the fierceness in his body subsided by a third.
Pei Muwei grasped her hand in return, his five fingers sliding into her soft gaps, squeezing tightly until there was no space left.
"Your Highness, I was discussing matters at the border with the Imperial Preceptor You, which took a little longer than expected. I apologize for keeping you waiting."
"It's alright, it's alright. It's good that Pei Qing is here. Otherwise, the night would be so long, and I don't even want to think about how lonely I would be."
Chu Yueyuan, suppressing the goosebumps on her body, smiled at Zheng Yin and Zheng Lü, who looked tense:
“Pei Qing’s strength is greater than the two of you combined. When you tell the Queen of Feng that I am grateful for her kindness, I am sentimental and would prefer to be served by someone I am familiar with.”
Zheng Yin and Zheng Lü both wore expressions of regret. Since ancient times, men have loved beautiful women. Even a low-ranking heir would hope to serve a beautiful woman.
Chu Nujun was a beauty among beauties, but unfortunately, the legendary man beside her was too terrifying, especially his eyes that gleamed with cold light, which were no different from those of a ferocious jackal.
There are many opportunities to serve a beautiful woman, but one must be alive, right?
Zhengyin and Zhengzheng wisely withdrew.
As soon as the lattice door of the warm pavilion closed, Chu Yueyuan breathed a sigh of relief. She naturally released the man's hand, walked a few steps to the chaise lounge, and collapsed wearily.
"What business does Minister Pei have with me?"
Pei Muwei sat down beside the couch, removed the hairpin from her temple, and said in a nonchalant tone, "Hasn't Your Highness been waiting for this humble subject to serve you?"
The man had just come in from outside, still carrying a chill. When he removed the tourmaline and glass crystal earring from Chu Yueyuan's earlobe, his icy fingertips brushed against her earlobe, causing her to shiver slightly.
Chu Yueyuan's thick eyelashes trembled slightly.
"It's late at night, so I suppose the King of Feng won't send any more random people. You can rest now."
Pei Muwei picked up an exquisite ivory comb from the dressing table. The comb was soaked in rose water. He gently combed her hair with his movements and said in a calm voice, "Since the Empress Dowager said in public that I am here to serve Your Highness, then I cannot leave so soon."
Chu Yueyuan blinked, puzzled. "Why?"
Pei Muwei looked at her intently with his clear, dark eyes and said calmly, "Because this humble subject will not be so quick."
After pondering for a while and understanding the hidden meaning in his words, Chu Yueyuan's cheeks flushed even more.
She wanted to ask the Regent how long it would take to be considered fast, but felt that the question was too inappropriate, so she simply changed the subject and brought up the story that the Princess had told at the banquet.
After wiping her face clean with a handkerchief soaked in floral dew to refresh herself, Chu Yueyuan hooked her finger and picked out jasmine balm from an exquisite porcelain box. As she applied the balm to her face, she asked:
"Just now, Princess Fengqi was talking to me about the 'story' of how you met. Cough... Pei Qing insisted on staying to protect Princess Fengqi that night. Could it be that you were looking for a suitable opportunity to kill her and all the Xixia soldiers?"
The fragrant, white jasmine ointment slowly melted on the woman's delicate, flawless cheeks, and her smooth skin glowed with a pearly, rosy luster in the candlelight.
Pei Muwei's eyes flickered slightly. He both admired the woman's intelligence and resented it.
Because of reason, one is intelligent.
He wished she would be less clever or more irrational just once.
Pei Muwei gazed at her rosy, delicate face and said calmly, "Your Highness is right, this humble subject does indeed have this thought."
Chu Yueyuan crossed her legs and asked curiously, "Then why... did Pei Qing change his mind in the end?"
If he had silenced all those people back then, the officials of the Great Qi would not have been able to find evidence that he sold imperial horses in exchange for grain at the border market, thus saving them a lot of trouble later.
After all, selling the imperial horse in private, whether for personal gain or to save the common people, is a capital offense of deceiving the emperor and could cost one's head.
Five years ago, Prince Yi was not yet powerful enough to contend with the King of Shu.
The woman leaned slightly forward, the delicate fragrance of jasmine emanating from her body and a strand of her dark hair falling onto Pei Muwei's hand, a double stimulation of the senses of smell and touch.
His fingertips pressed down on the ivory comb, his dark eyes deep and restrained as he said slowly, "This humble subject will not coerce a woman."
Chu Yueyuan was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing. She laughed so hard that she leaned back and forth, as if she had heard something funny, and slumped onto the chaise lounge.
After laughing enough, she said, "Pei Qing seems to have forgotten how you threatened me on my wedding night to go to the Hall of Supreme Harmony and read out the late Emperor's edict..."
Chu Yueyuan could never forget how he had acted like a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, first taking advantage of the King of Shu's greed and fratricide, then reaping the benefits and ending the other's life with a single sword strike.
She rested her head on her hand, glanced at the man beside the couch, and teased, "Could it be that Pei Qing has only ever bullied me, the only woman?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the man's towering, mountain-like body slumped heavily to the ground.
Chu Yueyuan dared not laugh anymore and hurriedly raised her leg to kick, but he grabbed her ankle with his large hand, easily twisted it to his waist, and drove straight in.
Her cloud-like satin skirt slid down, revealing her slender, straight, and snow-white calves. From an outsider's perspective, it looked as if she was deliberately hooking her arm around his narrow waist.
The jade pendant at the man's waist was hard and carried his body heat, burning like fire against the inside of her thigh.
Pei Muwei lowered his head, his eyes fixed on her, and said in a deep voice, "This humble subject has only ever bullied Your Highness."
In the days that followed, all he wanted to do was bully her.
As he spoke, the man's breath brushed against her neck, the warmth of which made Chu Yueyuan's ears turn red. She turned her head away and casually replied, "Alright, I believe Pei Qing. Let's talk properly. Why...why did you pounce on me like that..."
She paused, then lowered her eyelashes and muttered softly, "It's almost time. Pei Qing should go back and rest."
Pei Muwei glanced at the water clock, raising a slight brow: "Only an incense stick has burned in the past. Is this humble subject so useless in Your Highness's eyes?"
Chu Yueyuan: ....
Men always have a strange and terrifying sense of pride when it comes to matters of the heart. In order to protect the Regent's reputation for being invincible, she patiently asked, "Then... how long does Pei Qing intend to stay?"
"All night long."
"All night long!"
Chu Yueyuan raised her head, her nose brushing against his chin, and blurted out, "Pei Qing, you...you shouldn't be so arrogant!"
The woman tilted her head slightly back, her long, black hair cascading over her fair shoulders. Her eyes, naturally filled with water, seemed to overflow with a hint of spring passion even when she glared at someone, alluring them without their awareness.
Pei Muwei felt a surge of heat coursing through his body. For a fleeting moment, he wanted to show the young empress dowager what true arrogance was.
If he could be unrestrained, he would disregard morality and bully her ruthlessly, possessing her deeply. He would rather she cry and beat him beneath him than see her smiling and deceiving him again.
The crimson satin skirt with gold hibiscus flowers, piled haphazardly around the woman's slender waist, was like a fig leaf; if pulled down forcefully, there would be no more barriers between her and him.
His eyes bulged with desire, almost bursting forth, but he suppressed it with reason.
Because he knew the young empress dowager's temperament.
On the surface, the woman is a docile sparrow, but deep down she is a fierce kite. If pushed too far, she will spread her wings and soar into the sky, never to be found again.
He must remain calm and patient; one day, he will tie a chain inlaid with precious stones around her delicate white ankles.
She spread her magnificent wings and smiled only at him.
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