"Violent lightning hit my fragile glass. Questioning again in this dark chamber with a candle; Is this what I really obtained?"
The man closed the decrepit epistle with a sigh.
↺
"You really have much more to learn, your highness." Guoshi held a hand, eyes in a crescent moon shape indicating that he must be smiling.
Mu Qing puffed out a breath, grabbing the hand and stood up sluggishly. "You've been pushing papers more than pushing blades. How would I learn." He asks rhetorically, arching a brow.
Guoshi laughed, picking up the fallen training sword before carefully putting the shattered pieces in its sheath. "We need to work this-" He taps at his own temple. "Before we work with this." He gestures towards the arm that held his sword.
The silverette simply rolled his eyes, "Sure." Fixing his sleeves and ponytail that had gone crooked in their fight. "I'm go-"
"The king has called for you." Guoshi casts him a side-long glance, eyes empty.
"We had just talked earlier-"
"He found out about your daily runs."
"..."
Mu Qing intakes a sharp breath. Costively nodding as he try to sink the words in his mind. Swallowing a tedious lump in his throat, he nods again. It wasn't that he really didn't want his father to know what he'd been doing for the past years of his life, he wasn't worried about it.
What he was worried more about was if his father was suddenly going to forbid him from doing so any further as his destination was usually off the lands of the kingdom itself.
"I see. I'll - I suppose I do need to have a conversation with him."
⟐
He contemplates whether to continue inside or not. Stopping infront of the entrance to the throne room that had two guards on each side, not daring to glance at the prince who stood like a statue with a frown. The prince took a deep breath, trudging forward only to step back and march back and forth for the fifth time.
It was nearing dark, his daily run forgotten since missing one day of not freely walking around was not his concern for this time. There's more chance of the king closing the gates and not letting him roam around anymore than the chance of just getting a small chiding. The chance of getting slapped with fresh air without responsibility would cease and he was not ready for that yet.
He wasn't sure if he was ever ready for that; the small amount of freedom he was experiencing - he shudders at the thought of not having it. If his father would, he'd have a whole month of detention without release from arguing and raising his voice in the presence of the royals.
Even if he was a royal himself.
Annoyed and muttering incoherent curses to himself, he pushes the doors open before the guards could. Face indecipherable and eyes glazed with nothing but desolation. Strutting closer to the three thrones with one empty, the frown only deepens once he sees his personal attendant close to one more young lad that he hadn't seen. Considering that his royal servant shouldn't be near anyone but him, he felt dread creep inside. "Fu'qin." He calls, clearing his throat.
"Ah, er'zi, I thought that I have to order someone to seek you out." Mu Liu smiles, one that does not meet his eyes. "Would you care for some tea?" He lifts the teacup off its plate momentarily before taking a sip.
The silverette's eye twitched inconspicuously. Forcing a smile of his own, he shakes his head. "Fu'qin, you have called for me?" He asks instead, pointedly ignoring the offer.
Mu Liu drops his smile, leaning forward and realising his son wasn't about to have a father-son heart to heart talk. "Er'zi, you've been disobeying me." Tone was calm yet sharp, punctuating his words with an arch brow.
If Mu Qing says he haven't been disobeying him, he'd only recieve coarse punishment. But if he says he did disobey him, arrogance will burst higher than authority resulting in a petty disagreement. And so, he solely nodded mutely, lips pursed into a flat line. Mu Liu narrowed his eyes, putting his cup of half-drunken tea on the small table beside his chair before resting both his elbows on each side rail and clasping his hands below his chin. "How long has this been going on?"
"A month."
The king arches his brow higher.
"...Years."
"Mu Qing." He shakes his head in sheer disappointment. "I gave you permission to cultivate at an extremely early age and this is what you gi-"
"Before you-!" Mu Qing starts, hesitating as he shoots his mother a distressed glance. "Before you put me into a confinement. Fu'qin, it's not something terrible that can put me into harms way. I don't indulge myself into situations I know that could give both you and I trouble. I know my limits and there was never a law that prohibits anyone from leaving the kingdom nor did Guoshi restricted me from leaving after my prosaic day-to-day cultivation." He belabores, hands clasped behind him as he schools his face.
Mu Liu seemed to be contemplating his decisions. Resting both arms on the side rails and straightening his posture. A moment of deafening silence passed by and Mu Qing almost thought he said the wrong things until the king finally nodded. "Er'zi, I had not intended to put you into confinement. I understand-" The silverette unnoticeably lit up. "-But you also need to apprehend that you still left without our knowledge."
With that, Mu Qing already knew what the king had meant from those words alone. It was words that he was conversant with. How could he forget? He loathed those words whenever it left his father's mouth directly towards him ever since he was young. "Fu'qin, I'm seventeen."
"Er'zi, rules." Mu Liu replies, leaving no room for further arguments with the angry tone he used.
But because Mu Qing was hard-headed and prideful, he wasn't going to back down that easily. Shaking his head with a scowl, he moves back two steps. "I am not going to-"
Mu Liu was clearly not having it. Slamming his hand on the table causing all the glass cups to go smashing on the floor that had some of the tea splashing on the two standing on the side and to Mu Qing's clothes. "I am the king. You. Listen. To me." He censures, voice low but vehement.
The silverette glances once again at his now perturbed mother. He knew the queen was always so distraught whenever his husband or his son gets into a heated disagreement, and Mu Qing hated it.
Gritting his teeth and resisting the impulse to roll his eyes, he got to both his knees. Unclenching his fists and placing his palms on the carpeted floor, making sure not accidentally bash his hands to it from the bubbling rage inside him, he lowers his body. Kowtowing twice before standing up again, not even bothering to dust himself off, he looks dead on his father's eyes. "I'll give insights of everything in the further segments." He compels, forcing to soften his glare not infuriate him any further lest he asks for something worse.
The king somewhat looked pleased, leaning back on his throne he nods. "For your safety-" He beckons the man beside Chin Wei. The man - seemingly of only at his teens - came marching forward infront of the both of them. "I'll give you an imperial guard."
To this, Mu Qing furrows his eyebrows in complete annoyance. "Your majesty, I don't think I'll be needing a guard following me around."
"You're leaving our domain. We don't know what's out there - this is Lan Wuxiu, brother of Lan Wexian." He gestures at the man beside his own personal attendant. "Been perfectly trained and is well-mannered." He smiles, observing the teenager as if it was his working invention.
However, Mu Qing was even more outraged. "Am I not perfectly trained as well?" He points at his armoured robes and the sword sitting on his waist. "I can handle myself just fine."
"My son, it's for your own safety." Mu Xiang finally spoke for the first time since their meeting. Worried gaze falling on to the silverette as she sighed. "We don't know what you do or what's happening outside of our kingdom, it's best to follow precautions and have someone to aid you when in need."
A deep breath. Mu Qing stiffly nods, sparing the said guard a long glance and saw the golden symbol on his outer robes indicating that he was indeed born of nobility. His brother was acquainted as the king's own personal guard at a similarly young age. Unlike Lan Wexian that is in complete red; Lan Wuxiu wore royal blue vestments - a symbolic hue that he was under the crowned prince's order - with black boots and and a lighter shade of blue as a belt to lock the robes around, with silver shoulder plates and black varbraces wrapped around his arms.
He carries a sword with a black sheath and a silver hilt, resting on his waist and hair tied into a neat bun, bangs on each sides of his face and a long similar blue ribbon used to tie it. A sharp jaw, sage-coloured eyes, and a beige skin tone that definitely compliments his person. With this appearance, he looks more like a veteran soldier rather than a teenage imperial guard. Another deep breath. "How old are you?"
Lan Wuxiu straightens his stand, pressing a clenched fist on his chest and lowering his head. "Seventeen, your highness." He responds with a gravelly voice. It was rough and low, highly contrasting with how silvery the silverette's voice was.
Oh great, another so called friend. Mu Qing thought as he remembers when Guoshi once called Chin Wei as his friend and he didn't deny it. He sighed helplessly. "Your majesties." He throws his attention back on his parents. "I will be going back. Pleasant to converse with you once again." He gives a small courtesy before swiveling on his heel, not bothering to check if the two were following as he marches towards the exit with a foul mood radiating off of his person.
He strolls towards where he tied his horse, noticing how dark the sky had gotten from his short visit. Jumping adroitly on the back of his horse and pulling its rein, he casts the two a look, furrowinv his eyebrows even more when he sees one on a horse as well. "I'm dismissing you two."
Chin Wei nods understandably and starts to leave only to pause when he notices the other still riding the horse. Nervously, his eyes flickers between to the two.
With an exasperated sigh, Lan Wuxiu stares at the silverette with an unreadable expression. "One of the some orders you cannot request; You can never dismiss me if it doesn't involve your cultivation or the majesties themselves."
Somehow, the foul mood turned even more bitter as Mu Qing narrowed his eyes. He can't correct the latter, since he only recieved an imperial guard as the result of his parents knowing about his everyday free runs after years and was just worried about his well-being. "Fine. Just don't get in the way. Chin Wei, you may go." He spat as the two of them went down the palace.
Mu Qing tugged on his mantle, throwing a spare one to the latter and shooting him a pointed look. Pulling the hoods over their heads, they quietly and inconspicuously rode at the side of the town where less people were housed. Hastily exiting the kingdom as the silverette puffed a breath of content and mere joy once he saw there was night lights hanging on the taller trees to lighten their way.
Uncertain if it was Chin Wei who tied it, hd didn't think much of it and pushed his horse further into the dense forest before eventually entering a clearing where he leaps off his horse, pulling the rein to tie it on a branch, he glances at the latter who did the same. "You have a mask?" He asks, fixing his own on his face and pushing his silver hair behind his hood.
Lan Wuxiu eyed him warily before taking out a full-face mask from his robes and covering his face with it without questions as he follows the prince to a nearby small village. Inviting themselves in, Mu Qing quickly kneels once he saw a familiar child run towards him. "Weizi'xiansheng! Weizi'xiansheng!"
"Child, hush." Mu Qing lifts his finger to his lips, rolling his eyes when the other giggled. "You are not supposed to be outside at this time. The market is closed, your baba buying is not an excuse anymore." He picks up the child, not minding if his robes got smeared with dirt and grime.
The child giggles again. "Baba is asleep and I saw a good gege giving free cherries and so I followed him!"
Mu Qing frowns, glancing again at the latter behind him who shot him a perplexed look. "You should not be following random strangers who gives foods. You're not sure if it's poison."
"No, weizi'xiansheng!" He shakes his head frantically Mu Qing thought his neck was going to snap. "The good gege was your friend who came with you last time! Is it not?"
"Came with me last time..?" Mu Qing trails off, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. The last time he came was alone - always have been - and so he thought the child had mistaken someone. "I came with no-" He paused, face falling into realisation that it must be the man clad as a cultivator he hadn't noticed following him around the village.
Then they hear floaty and soft footsteps as if the person was just casually strolling around with no destination. "Your highness, I've missed you."