Facing it together
Tang Feng was carried back to the inn by Zhou Ziliang. Seeing Tang Feng return, Binghu and Liu Yiwan both breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness for Zhou Ziliang; otherwise, they would have been running around like ants on a hot plate. Zhou Ziliang placed Tang Feng on the bed, covered him with a blanket, and, holding Tang Feng's hand, frowned, saying, "Why are your hands so cold? They didn't even give you a blanket in prison. In this freezing weather, what if you catch a cold and develop a chronic illness?"
Tang Feng felt much more at ease nestled in Zhou Ziliang's arms the whole way. Hearing Zhou Ziliang's words, he couldn't help but laugh. "Did you think I went to prison for a vacation? Giving me a blanket? I'm lucky I'm still alive!" Zhou Ziliang tucked the blanket in a little deeper. "Are you hungry? I'll cook you some porridge. You were complaining about your stomach being cold earlier, so drink something warm before you sleep. Don't sleep yet, understand?"
It wasn't that Tang Feng was being dramatic; prison was truly a place no human being could live. In the dead of winter, it was drafty everywhere. Luckily, the guards were kind enough not to change his clothes; otherwise, he probably would have frozen to death before even seeing Zhou Ziliang. Tang Feng nodded, clutching his blanket. Actually, he didn't want to sleep at all; he hadn't recovered from yesterday's anxiety. As soon as Zhou Ziliang turned and left, Tang Feng sat up, leaned against the headboard, coughed lightly twice, and waited patiently for Zhou Ziliang to return.
In the Qiang and Hu regions, mutton is plentiful, but other meats are incredibly hard to come by. Zhou Ziliang had instructed Liu Yiwan to buy fish, and Liu Yiwan searched all over the city before finally finding a place that sold it. By the time she brought it back, the porridge was already soft and mushy. Fearing that Tang Feng might have fallen asleep, Zhou Ziliang asked Liu Yiwan to wake him up. However, Liu Yiwan returned shortly after leaving, saying that Tang Feng was still sitting there, not asleep. Zhou Ziliang probably guessed that Tang Feng might still be excited from the fright he experienced yesterday. Zhou Ziliang carried the fish and egg porridge inside, saying, "Xiao Feng, come and eat. It's not mutton or chicken blood, so I made fish porridge. Have some!"
Zhou Ziliang fed Tang Feng spoonful by spoonful. Normally, Tang Feng would have grabbed the bowl and eaten by himself, but today he was unusually obedient. Zhou Ziliang sighed, "Xiao Feng, rest well these next few days. Once you've recovered, you'll probably have to go to the palace again." Tang Feng trembled slightly, then nodded, "Yes... Ziliang, I'm sorry." Tang Feng knew this was all his fault. After all, if he hadn't been so eager to prove himself and hadn't brought the princess on the carriage, none of this would have happened. He didn't know what had clouded his judgment at the time; he had forgotten the principle that a clear conscience fears no accusation.
"Alright, alright, stop apologizing. This isn't our Xiaofeng anymore. Come on, eat more. You've gotten so thin these days." Perhaps because he had something in his stomach, Tang Feng's eyelids started to droop, but he still didn't want to fall asleep. Zhou Ziliang put the empty bowl aside, helped Tang Feng lie down, and patted his stomach. "You're full, why don't you go to sleep? You should rest. I'll clean up the dishes."
Just as he was about to leave, Tang Feng grabbed his sleeve. "Ziliang... can you not go?" He even shifted slightly closer to the bed. Zhou Ziliang sat on the bed, holding Tang Feng's hand. "Go ahead and talk to me! I'll always be here for you, don't be afraid." Tang Feng must have been exhausted, because he fell asleep as soon as Zhou Ziliang finished speaking. Zhou Ziliang quietly called Liu Yiwan in, instructing him to put the dishes away and then prepare hot water for Tang Feng to take a bath. Tang Feng was still feeling cold; the food he had just eaten didn't seem to have much effect. Zhou Ziliang also closed his eyes and rested for a while.
Tang Feng woke up in the evening. He had never slept so soundly since arriving in Qianghu. He found Zhou Ziliang still holding his hand, so he gently squeezed Zhou Ziliang's little finger. "Ziliang..." Hearing Tang Feng's voice, Zhou Ziliang immediately woke up. Seeing Tang Feng lying in bed staring at him, he smiled. "Awake? Did you sleep well? Get up and drink some water! Your voice sounds a little hoarse."
Tang Feng nodded. "How long have I been asleep? It's already dark."
"About four or five hours! Go take a shower when you wake up! You've slept for so long, and you haven't warmed up at all. Don't catch a cold; it's always chilly in prison."
Tang Feng propped himself up in bed, smiled, and said, "I'll be right there now."
Liu Yiwan had already boiled the water in the bathroom. Zhou Ziliang stood behind Tang Feng, watching him. Tang Feng took off an outer garment, and seeing that Zhou Ziliang showed no intention of leaving, he asked, "Why...why are you staring at me? Aren't you going to leave? I'm taking off my clothes."
"Alright, alright, I won't look at you. I'll be right outside. Call me if anything happens. You look terrible right now, I'm worried about you." After Zhou Ziliang left, Tang Feng took off his clothes and got into the water. He leaned over the edge of the tub and said to Zhou Ziliang, "Ziliang... are you going to the palace tomorrow?"
"Hmm, it seems so."
"Oh..." Tang Feng pursed his lips. It wasn't that he was afraid, but he really didn't want to get involved in this anymore. He couldn't reason with that Khan at all; even threatening suicide hadn't worked. If Zhou Ziliang went tomorrow, the Khan would only be angrier.
Thinking of this, Tang Feng lost his desire to soak any longer. He got up, dried himself off, put on his clothes, and went outside. Zhou Ziliang saw that Tang Feng's complexion had improved considerably, and he was relieved. "Let me take you for a walk!"
Tang Feng quickly shook his head, "No, no, no, I won't go out. The whole street smells of mutton, I really can't stand it, I'll really throw up. I won't go out, I'll just walk around in the yard, okay?" Seeing Tang Feng's pleading, Zhou Ziliang couldn't bear it and nodded in agreement. Dinner was light, but Tang Feng was especially happy. Having Zhou Ziliang by her side gave her an inexplicable sense of security.
The next morning, Tang Feng woke up exceptionally early, so early that even Zhou Ziliang hadn't woken up yet. Tang Feng sat up and, without doing anything else, stared at Zhou Ziliang beside him. Zhou Ziliang turned over, opened his eyes, and saw Tang Feng sitting on the bed, just staring straight at him. He couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Your eyes aren't even open yet, what are you staring at me for? Why don't you sleep a little longer?"
"How can I possibly sleep..." Tang Feng rubbed his eyes. "I'm not sleeping anymore, I'm getting up."
Zhou Ziliang roughly knew what Tang Feng was afraid of. "Don't be afraid, I will definitely protect you today!" Zhou Ziliang got up, put on his clothes, and sat on the edge of the bed. Seeing that Tang Feng was still sitting on the bed, he asked, "Aren't you getting up? Don't sit on the bed and your legs will go numb. Do you want to sleep a little longer or get up?"
"Get up, get up, get up now! Why are you like Liu Yiwan, getting out of bed like you're being summoned?" Tang Feng grabbed his clothes and started shooing him away. "Get out, get out! I'm getting dressed, don't come in!" Only after kicking Zhou Ziliang out did Tang Feng realize... he wasn't naked right now, why was he kicking him out?
Liu Yiwan had prepared breakfast early, and Qin Liuliu, following behind, was about to push open Tang Feng's door when Liu Yiwan pulled her back. "Oh, my little darling, don't be so impulsive! Your brother and the young marquis are inside! What would you do if you went in...? Young marquis? What are you doing outside?" Liu Yiwan was shocked to see Zhou Ziliang sitting outside. She had clearly heard Tang Feng tell Zhou Ziliang to go back to his room to sleep last night! How come... one of them came out this morning?
"Xiaofeng was changing clothes, so I came out."
"Tsk, young marquis, that's not right of you. My young master is a bit arrogant, but you should stand firm in your position. A five-year agreement is too long. It's not like my young master can figure it out on his own. You'd better work hard!"
"Liu Yiwan, you bastard, are you talking bad about me?! Why aren't you quieter?" Tang Feng came out of the house, glared at Liu Yiwan, and then told Qin Liuliu to bring the food in before sending Liu Yiwan away. "Get lost, get lost, don't keep hanging around in front of me."
Qin Liuliu wasn't picky about food, and started eating as soon as he picked up his bowl. Tang Feng put a piece of food on his plate and said, "Eat slowly. There's no one in this house to take it from you. Why are you eating so fast? Aren't you afraid of choking? I don't know where you learned to be so reckless."
"Why are you talking about Liu Liu so early in the morning? Hurry up and eat your food, it'll get cold."
Tang Feng scoffed when Zhou Ziliang said this, "You just spoil him! No wonder Qin Liuliu is so close to you now, their bond is really strong!" Tang Feng crossed his arms, somewhat annoyed. Qin Liuliu used to only be close to him, but now Zhou Ziliang dotes on her even more than he does. He worried that Qin Liuliu might become unruly in the future.
"If it weren't for you raising Liu Liu, I wouldn't be able to spoil her like this. Hurry up and eat! Haven't you had enough cold rice in prison yet?" Zhou Ziliang pushed Tang Feng's bowl towards him. "Don't you have to go to the palace after you finish eating?"
Upon hearing that they were going to the palace, Qin Liuliu put down her chopsticks, grabbed Tang Feng's sleeve, and said, "Brother! Are they going to arrest you again? I want to go this time too, I want to go with you!" Tang Feng glared at Zhou Ziliang, then reassured her, "I'm not going. I'll go to the street with Ziliang later. Don't come with us. Pack your luggage at the post station and wait for us to come back." Tang Feng sent Qin Liuliu to wash the dishes, then glared at Zhou Ziliang, "What are you saying in front of the child? Are you afraid this matter isn't big enough?"
"I didn't expect Liu Liu to react so strongly," Zhou Ziliang said apologetically to Tang Feng. "Let's pack up and leave! No matter the outcome today, good or bad, I'll be there for you, and we'll face it together."
Tang Feng followed Zhou Ziliang into the palace. This time, they didn't go to the main hall, but instead followed the old eunuch to a side courtyard at the back. The eunuch explained that it was a private matter concerning the princess and it wasn't convenient to discuss it in the main hall. Upon entering the room, they saw the Khan and Haqiya sitting there. Haqiya looked at Tang Feng somewhat uneasily, wanting to say something but unable to speak. Tang Feng stepped forward, bowed, and remained silent.
"Tang Feng, Haqiya felt sorry for you and released you from prison. So, what have you thought about what happened before?"
"Reporting to the Great Khan, Tang Feng still maintains his word: if he cannot return to Xiling, he is willing to die a violent death in a foreign land." Upon hearing this, Haqiya knew that Tang Feng's decision would remain unchanged, so she told the Great Khan, "Father... the person standing beside you is the one Tang Feng has always cherished. I've talked to him. It's not that I'm inferior to him, but that in Tang Feng's eyes, I cannot compare to him..."
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