Chasing his wife for a thousand miles
Tang Feng leaned against the wall, carefully calculating his current bargaining chips, but a sharp pain shot through his head. It was clear the Khan no longer cared about relations between the two countries. This morning, he'd heard the Khan's intention: to leave him behind while the delegation returned. Tang Feng smiled helplessly. This time, even the Emperor himself couldn't save him. No one in the court knew him, and losing one or two members of the delegation wouldn't make a big difference. The Prince of Duan only cared about the result; he'd gotten what he wanted, so… Tang Feng's life or death shouldn't matter much!
Tang Feng now only hopes that Hachiya will be smart enough to see things clearly and stop being so obsessed with him. Tang Feng is also puzzled. Whether it's the previous owner of this body before he transmigrated, the Tang Feng who was always a little crybaby, or Hachiya who is now clinging to him and refusing to let go, if you can't have her, don't keep holding on. At least try to maintain some dignity.
Tang Feng picked up the bowl of porridge on the ground and swallowed it mouthful by mouthful. He had to survive. The cold porridge slid down his esophagus into his stomach, making him shiver. It was the dead of winter, and the cold wind was biting. Tang Feng huddled in a corner. He had asked Liu Yiwan to send Zhou Ziliang's amulet back, but he didn't know if Ziliang had seen it. Tang Feng buried his head in his elbows, feeling like crying.
Hachia returned to the palace, where her attendant looked at her with concern. "Princess, what's wrong? You look unhappy. Go back inside quickly! It's chilly outside."
"Mother... I feel like the way he looks at me is wrong, he hates me." Hachia returned to her room, sat on the bed hugging a pillow. Accompanying Hachia was the old nanny who had watched her grow up. The old nanny put down her needlework and said, "Princess, you went to the prison to see Young Master Tang, didn't you?"
"Hmm... He said I should just treat him as a passing breeze in my life, something that will blow away and be over, and I shouldn't think about it anymore." The old nanny held Hachiya's hand. "I've lived so long and seen so much, Princess! Don't blame me for being long-winded, but the person you like and the person you'll marry aren't necessarily the same person. You haven't even met Young Master Tang's sweetheart, so why are you trying to break them up like this?"
Hachia lowered her head, pondering the old woman's words. After a long while, she said, "Mother... I want to sleep. I'm tired."
The next morning, while Hachia was still getting ready, a palace servant came to report that someone from the delegation was requesting an audience. Hachia frowned. "Why is the delegation coming to see me instead of my father, Khan?"
They said... someone wants to see you.
"To see me?" Hachia finished putting on her headdress, stood up, and said, "Someone from the delegation? Or...?"
"I don't know, Princess. You should go and see for yourself!"
After Haqiya went outside, she saw Liu Yiwan standing to the side, head held high and chest puffed out. "Liu Yiwan? You were looking for me?"
"Nonsense! You've locked our young master in a cell, preventing him from returning to Yanyun. What are your intentions? Don't curse me yet. I'm not here to argue with you today. This is our young marquis. Just wait to release him!"
"Young Marquis? Who is he?!"
"It's me," Zhou Ziliang said, standing next to Liu Yiwan, raising an eyebrow and slightly downturning his lips. "I heard you put our Xiaofeng in jail."
"Your Xiao Feng? Who do you think you are! Let me tell you, I've spent so many days with Tang Feng, and I've never called him that intimately. Who do you think you are?" Seeing Haqiya's anger, Zhou Ziliang smiled helplessly. "Princess... I am Zhou Ziliang, the one Xiao Feng mentioned. He is my betrothed. Now, can you release him? Can you give him back to me?"
"Zhou... Ziliang, is that you?" Haqiya recalled the old nanny telling her last night that she hadn't even met Tang Feng's sweetheart and wanted to break them up. Now that she had, she had imagined Tang Feng's lover would be a strong and capable female general, a gentle and refined woman, or even a rough, illiterate man. She never expected her to be a man. Haqiya looked at Zhou Ziliang in disbelief. "Tang Feng told me... 'Life is short, what joy is there without someone else...'... and it's actually a man?"
Zhou Ziliang smiled. "Xiao Feng and I have known each other since childhood, become close friends in our youth, were betrothed by His Majesty, and will spend the rest of our lives together. I believe Xiao Feng has already told the princess all of this, so why does the princess still relentlessly pressure him, to the point of committing suicide in front of the palace!" As Zhou Ziliang said this, his face darkened, his brows furrowed, and the oppressive atmosphere made Haqiya feel breathless.
"Yes, Tang Feng told me, so what? I like him, is that wrong?" Haqiya mustered her courage and said through gritted teeth. Zhou Ziliang was a man, and she was also surprised. She could roughly understand what Tang Feng meant when he told her that being with him wouldn't be good. But Haqiya was still a little resentful. She clearly loved him so much, yet he couldn't stand up to a man. "Besides, you are both men, and you won't have any children in the future. Have you considered his feelings?"
"We are in love. In Yan Yun, the rule is that as long as there is love, it doesn't matter if it's between a man and a woman. What crime have we committed? Since the princess mentioned considering it, then I want to ask you, have you considered Xiao Feng's feelings? He's far away in the Qiang and Hu tribes, and you're still tormenting him like this. It's better to tear down a temple than to break up a marriage. Surely the princess understands this principle! Have you considered all the grievances Xiao Feng has suffered?" Zhou Ziliang was indeed very angry. He had ridden at breakneck speed all the way from Yan Yun, killing seven or eight horses, just to see Tang Feng as soon as possible. But when he entered the post station, everyone had a mournful face. He learned that Tang Feng had been imprisoned by the Khan. Liu Yiwan had told Zhou Ziliang everything that had happened to Tang Feng over the past few months, leaving Zhou Ziliang terrified. If Tang Feng hadn't been so clever, he probably would have died in the Qiang and Hu tribes long ago.
Haqiya was speechless after Zhou Ziliang's retort, standing there sulking. After a long while, Zhou Ziliang finally spoke, "It seems the princess cares a lot about our love. I've come to tell the princess that if she truly loves Xiaofeng, she should respect his wishes. If Xiaofeng chooses to stay, I will naturally wish you both a long and happy life together. But if Xiaofeng is willing to come with me, then I hope the princess can take a step back and let things be."
"You... really think so?"
A gentleman's word is his bond.
Haqiya took Zhou Ziliang to the prison. On the way, they talked a lot. Zhou Ziliang told her that they studied together at Lishan Academy, worked on flood control in Daze, and even witnessed a wedding together. Although Haqiya had never truly loved anyone before, she believed her love for Tang Feng was genuine. But now, hearing Zhou Ziliang's words, Haqiya gradually felt that her love for Tang Feng was so insignificant. The year she spent with Tang Feng felt like stolen time, utterly worthless.
Haqiya dismissed the jailers and led Zhou Ziliang to Tang Feng's prison. She stopped and whispered, "Go in! The bars aren't locked, so I won't go over. That day... my father arrested him. The look in his eyes when he looked at me was one of disappointment and helplessness. He said he hated me, and he probably doesn't want to see me again!"
Zhou Ziliang sighed and shook his head. He went inside and saw Tang Feng curled up in the corner, seemingly asleep. Zhou Ziliang gently squatted down and touched Tang Feng's slightly messy hair. "Xiao Feng..."
Hearing the voice, Tang Feng slowly opened his eyes. He hadn't heard "Xiao Feng" in a long time. He reflexively responded with "Zi Liang," thinking he was hallucinating. But then he saw Zhou Zi Liang in front of him. Tang Feng propped himself up with his hands and sat up, tentatively calling out, "Zi Liang?"
Seeing Tang Feng like this, Zhou Ziliang felt a pang of heartache. Tang Feng, who was always treated like royalty in Xiling, was now imprisoned.
Tang Feng's eyes stung with tears, and he threw himself into Zhou Ziliang's arms, bursting into sobs. He told him, gasping for breath, about the grievances he had suffered these past few days: "Ziliang, I almost didn't make it back. The Qiang and Hu generals bullied me, the Qiang and Hu Khan oppressed me. I ate mutton for a year, and now the smell of mutton makes me nauseous. I even pretended to be sick by drinking chicken blood, holding it in my mouth all afternoon; the bloody taste made me choke. They surrounded my delegation, and I was afraid that if I said the wrong thing, I would lose the lives of the entire delegation. Liu Liu is so young, how could she die so young? Ziliang! I'm so tired. Every single moment of this year I've been strategizing and planning carefully. If you hadn't come, I really wouldn't have been able to hold on any longer."
Seeing Tang Feng like this, Zhou Ziliang gently patted his back and said, "Our little Feng has suffered. Look, when we left Xiling, there was still some soft flesh on your waist, but now it's hard to hug you! When we get back to Xiling, let's go to Liufuji, and I'll buy you some sweet buns, okay?" Tang Feng shook his head, nestled against Zhou Ziliang's chest, clutched his clothes, and said pitifully, "I want to eat Auntie's cooking."
"Alright, alright, eat whatever you want. How about I take you back to the inn now? Let's rest for a bit. You're freezing cold. You haven't been eating properly in prison, have you?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Feng became aggrieved again, and the tears he had finally managed to hold back were about to flow again. "Why do you have to bring up something so painful! How could I eat this! When it was brought over, I had no appetite at all. By the time I wanted to eat, the porridge was like ice porridge, and my stomach hurt afterward. What could I do?"
Haqiya watched the two of them embracing tenderly and felt so out of place standing there. Tang Feng could cry and make a fuss without worry next to Zhou Ziliang, but he had to pretend to be calm in front of her. She had been misunderstanding all along. Tang Feng was only happy when he was with Zhou Ziliang, while she only made Tang Feng angry and disappointed. Haqiya called over the jailer and said, "Let Young Master Tang and the others go back to the post station first!"
"But Princess! What about the Khan..."
"This is none of your concern. Just take care of your own business," Hachia said to Tang Feng and the others after the jailer left, taking a deep breath. "You can go back now! As for Father Khan... I'll explain, but Father Khan... he's incredibly stubborn, and he might still try to sabotage you."
"Thank you," Zhou Ziliang said, picking Tang Feng up before turning to leave.
Hachia turned around and called out to Tang Feng, "Tang Feng, I'm sorry, I didn't expect it to turn out like this."
"...Princess, once you enter the gates of a noble family, it's like entering a deep sea; from then on, you and I are strangers. After this matter, I hope we will never meet again."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com