Heavy is the Crown (WangXian Omegaverse)

38 (Side Story 1)

The spring breeze was starting to get warm and the children were so excited to go to the town with their little family that consisted of their father, their grandfather, uncle Wen Ning and aunt Feng Yue.

They were wondering if the handsome man who often visited them during the cold and harsh winter - bringing all kinds of food and clothes - also came. He even built a house next to theirs and spent a lot of time playing with them - although they knew that he was a very busy man, according to their father.

Yingyue - the tomboy - had grown quite attached to him, since he taught her how to wield swords and how to fight, while Xingyue - the shy but smart boy - liked it when the man brought him books and gifted him a very nice inkstone on his birthday. He even praised him for his calligraphy and he taught him a lot about it and poems and other stuff too.

The kids wondered, how could someone be so smart and so good with weapons, and he was also very very patient when he taught both kids in their area of expertise.

In fact, they also saw how he treated their father with so much love and care, and even though they were still young, they could see the quiet intimacy between the two men - and it caused them to slowly become attached to the man who became more and more like a father figure to them.

Wei Wuxian saw it too - how Lan Wangji was very patient and loving toward his very bright and difficult children, and how they responded with the same affection - and he was touched by the effort he made to be with them. He guessed that they were still flesh and blood after all.

But he still did not want to have anything to do with the kingdom, for he knew that the second he let Lan Wangji acknowledged the children, they would be imprisoned in a golden cage called the Imperial Palace.

Right now though, he just wanted to focus on the kids' little excursion and birthday present. He wanted the kids to see for themselves the hustling and bustling of the market and how normal people made their living, and the Lunar New Year was the best time for them to see everything and enjoy the festivities at once.

Of course he also promised them to eat at the restaurant that was famous for their variety of seafood dishes for the celebration of their birthday.

The children never ate seafood since they lived on the mountain, and they were so excited by the thought of eating something alien to them - especially since last time Feng Xue and Feng Yue described the appearance and the taste to them.

Hard like-a-rock lobsters and crabs outer shell and soft and buttery inside, transparent jellyfish that would sting anyone who bothered them with poison but taste heavenly, the beautiful fish that would be crispy and spicy - or even fresh and sweet when eaten raw - the octopus that had suckers but very good when grilled, and many many more.

The kids absorbed it all with excitement in their eyes and they asked Wei Wuxian all the time when they could taste those delicacies too - and that was when he decided that it was time for them to go out and see the world for their birthday, which coincided with the Lunar New Year.

They had to get through the marketplace to go to Jade Pavilion - the restaurant where he told Jiang Yanli to book for a reservation - and the children were wide-eyed from all the commotion on the street filled with the street peddlers and people who prepared for the Lunar New Year. They wanted to try the tanghulu and the osmanthus cake while Feng Yue bought a couple of bottles of sweet osmanthus rice wine for the seafood feast later.

Wei Wuxian wore a flowy black robe with red inner and he let his long silky black hair loosely half tied. He also wore a wide straw hat with black gossamer fabric that would cover his face.

Sure, no one knew the face of the supposedly dead Crown Prince, but he just did not want to take any chance, especially that it was known to the public that he was not actually the real Crown Prince.

The Fake Prince, they all called him.

Of course he didn't really care about what others thought about him, but sometimes Feng Yue burst out in anger when she got back from the town and heard someone talking about the fake crown prince.

Well, anyway, he asked Wen Ning to buy some bunny lanterns for the kids, and they continued their exploration toward Jade Pavilion.

The restaurant was full and they even refused the group of people who came without appointment - like the one who was standing in front of the door and yelled at the waiter who refused them entry.

They were obviously rich judging from the quality of the clothes and the jade pendants that they wore. But the waiter was calm as they refused them entry.

"Do you know who I am? I'm the son of the Governor!" The man yelled at the waiter, and one of his friends tried to calm him down.

"Calm down Lin Hu." Then he turned to the waiter. "I see that the second floor is empty. Is there a way that we can use the place? We are sorry we don't have an appointment, but we have important guests here. Help me save face please?" The man handed down a pouch of gold coins to the waiter but the waiter still refused them.

"I'm really sorry, Childe. The second floor has been booked in advance and actually, they are here." The waiter waved to Wei Wuxian's party. "Childe, welcome. We've been expecting you. Please go up to the second floor and we will serve you the food in a moment."

Wei Wuxian nodded and Wen Ning, Feng Yue and his father brought the kids to the second floor.

He was about to follow when the man who gave the waiter money suddenly stood in front of him.

"Hi there, my name is Zhuge Jun and I am here with very important guests from afar." He pointed at the people at the back of the group who wore colorful costumes that Wei Wuxian knew came from the neighboring kingdom of the nomads.

Hmm.

"Yes?" He spoke in a lower tone than usual.

"Would you mind if we use your reservation please? We will compensate you generously." Zhuge Jun smiled and Wei Wuxian couldn't help but feel strangely icky.

"As you can see, our guests have never tasted seafood before and Jade Pavilion is the most famous seafood place in town. Since we have to entertain them so that they feel... satisfied, I will pay you twice the price that you paid for your food and make another reservation for the earliest possible date. Is that okay?"

Wei Wuxian observed Zhuge Jun and the first man who told the waiter that he was the son of the Governor, then he turned his attention to the nomads.

The nomads consisted of three men and one woman, and it was obvious that she was the most important person since the three men guarded her tight.

Unfortunately she wore a veil that covered her face, but Wei Wuxian more or less knew who she was.

The Princess and the newly appointed Saintess of the Ashina Tribe.

And one of the Empress candidates for Lan Wangji.

He wondered though, why the Saintess went out alone discreetly with only three guards and with the son of the Zhuge family of all people.

The Zhuge family was one of the neutral families that did not support either the Empress or the Emperor in the last battle of succession, and they were famous astrologers and exorcists who were on par with Abe no Seimei in Japan.

Unfortunately before he could answer the man, someone took the chance to answer Zhuge Jun.

"The reservation has been made for very important people too, and I suggest if you want to eat some seafood, you better make your own reservation next time."