"Hun'ang's town lord is now getting old, and I heard his only heir does not have the necessary qualifications to manage the hub town's many merchants," Chao HuiBo shifted the conversation away.
He felt sorry for his sister, but duties always came first. Besides, Chao MeiHua herself had decided to come with them to Hun'ang, to check on Hun'ang finances, as well as evaluate future prospects.
She even decided to be self-sufficient and refused to take some maids or servants along for the long trip.
Nevertheless, her personal feelings should be an entirely separate matter, and Chao HuiBo was confident she was perfectly capable of doing so.
"Hn~.," Second Prince JunLi nodded, glancing wryly at the dejected young woman, but quickly also joined in the conversation,
"The security of the town will be under the new Dragon troops, based on SongLi's proposal."
Ji SongLi smiled.
It was precisely as he had intended, ever since he found out Hun'ang was protected under Wolf army's jurisdiction in security, and the Minister of Finance in governance. Old Qian had to report to Minister Chao, and his town would always be protected by the Zhen clan.
As soon as Ji SongLi returned from his last visit from the north, he approached Chao HuiBo, who obviously would not refuse an influential offer of friendship.
With a stroke of luck, Zhen YongWen soon passed his Generalship to Zhen BuFeng, making the young man - whom SongLi had already treated like his own brother - the penultimate power of the wolf clan.
SongLi wanted his own Ji clan's authority to be in Hun'ang as well, but he could not overturn Zhen's family authority there. Even if Zhen BuFeng would hand over the power to him on a silver platter, it was not in SongLi's conscience to cause trouble to Zhen BuFeng. Zheng YongWen would not be happy with his son, the Imperial Family would probably also say a thing or two.
So he could only do things properly - too slow to his own liking. The new Dragon troops was a good outcome, especially when one of the Princes would also be part of the new power.
"Do you know why the Crown Prince withdrew his involvement, JunLi?" - Zhen BuFeng asked.
When there were only them around, they already tossed honorifics out of the window. Chao MeiHua took some time to get used to these young men conversing like there was no difference in titles between them, but somehow, she got used to it in the end. She even liked it and wished she could do the same. Although she had not had such courage so far.
Zhang JunLi shrugged, "I think it was around the time when we decided to send the new Dragon troops to Hun'ang."
"When eldest brother heard that we will need to go to Hun'ang, he decided he does not want to be involved. One of his reasons being the place is too far."
"Eldest brother may have a point though," Zhang GuoFu quipped in, "Eldest brother is always busy with the capital city's many matters, he probably won't have time to travel that far."
"Still," Zhang JunLi pondered as he crossed his arms across his chest, "Usually eldest brother would not let go such an opportunity to travel... ."
"But JunLi," Ji SongLi let out an amused laugh, "It is actually very good that you managed to learn everything in just a matter of months."
He had to admit, he initially thought there would be further delay to their departure to Hun'ang. The Crown Prince's capability was not to be questioned and if he was the one who foresaw all paperwork and necessary arrangements for the new troop, along with him and Zhen BuFeng, they probably would have left much earlier.
But regardless, Zhang JunLi was actually quite capable as well.
The bearing of a leader - it was truly in their bloodline.
Second Prince JunLi groaned in his response,
"Eldest brother may look careless and lively, but why don't you try being tutored directly by him." he shuddered slightly, "I had to cram all I could in this brain of mine because I didn't want to prolong the time I had to spend with him."
"He's a demon!", he added.
Everyone laughed, and Chao HuiBo and Chao MeiHua could only glance awkwardly at each other.
These people casually spoke of the Crown Prince in such a away. Truly... refreshing... .
After everyone chatted further and ate their fill, Ji SongLi, Zhen BuFeng, and Zhang JunLi stood as they cupped their fists loosely towards their companions,
"Well, we shall leave first as we have to bring a small number of troops to Hun'ang, hence we will probably be slower," SongLi nodded towards Chao HuiBo and Chai MeiHua,
"See you in Hun'ang!"
The Chao siblings bowed and curtsied as well,
"See you in Hun'ang!"
The Third Prince Zhang GuoFu walked outside the room, to see his second brother and his two General friends to their hoses.
"The troops?" - Zhang GuoFu asked, tightening the thick grey cloak around his own neck, as he was suddenly hit by the cold wind, the ice cold sensation causing his face to feel numb.
"We will pass by the barrack now," Zhen BuFeng mounted his horse swiftly, followed by Ji SongLi and the Second Prince to their own horses,
"Then we will start marching north."
Upon noticing Zhang GuoFu still standing there, SongLi smiled,
"Is there anything you need to say, GuoFu?"
Zhang GuoFu looked up at the Young General - his friend and his future brother-in-law. By now, it was not a secret that Ji SongLi definitely loved Bai YuLan, to the point where no one else could imagine that everything he was doing, was for her. They were not stupid, all of them liked the young woman at different degrees of affection, for different reasons. Therefore, all of them had their own resources to find out Bai YuLan's whereabouts, even when SongLi never implicitly told them himself.
However, Ji SongLi definitely beat everyone by a long mile.
In his every calculative step, he always put YuLan's safety in mind.
Even the new Dragon troops, was to protect YuLan with his own share of authoritative power in the northern part of the Empire.
Zhang GuoFu also had an inkling that his eldest brother - the Crown Prince - had most probably withdrawn his authority because Bai YuLan was residing close to Hun'ang. However, he had not been able to really read the Crown Prince's mind, and his eldest brother had alienated himself from the rest of them over time.
Still, Zhang GuoFu still had not told anyone about YuLan's Jing lineage. He still was not sure if he should tell SongLi. Would it not be just another piece of information? Would it do any good?
Ji SongLi smiled at the young man from the top of his horse. He lightly pulled on the rein to urge the horse to turn. Chuckling as the horse started to walk slowly, he said,
"Don't worry. We will be back in time for your wedding... brother!"
Zhang GuoFu was startled for a while, before also laughing as the three figures on the horses gradually disappeared in the midst of the hazy light snowfall.
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As Chao HuiBo handed some taels to the overly-polite servant, he smiled towards his sister,
"Mei-mei. We should also leave."
Both exited their private room, only to see a familiar figure already waiting outside.
The figure was cloaked in white, and her straight figure was graceful, but her expression was impatient and cold. The Princess tilted her head slightly as she sharply looked at the pair of siblings,
"Hun'ang?"
Chao HuiBo and Chao MeiHua felt a foreboding in their hearts,
"This Princess is very much interested to make a trip as well."
Before Chao MeiHua could protest, the Princess glared at her,
"Miss Chao. This Princess has always been polite to you because of our friendship. But this Princess need not remind you that this Princess belongs to the Imperial Family and that this Princess' wish must not be undermined by a mere Minister's children."
Chao HuiBo frowned at the hostile implication of threat behind the Princess' seemingly soft voice,
"Then, as the Princess wishes... ."
"The journey will be traitorous and the weather is much colder in the northern part. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience the Princess will have to endure."
He had at least warned this very hard-headed woman.
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"... ."
"I can no longer go back to the immortal planes."
"This vessel has trapped me."
"I can no longer see my beautiful flower."
"I wonder if she's blooming, by the water of my domain. I wonder if she at least has started to bloom... "
"... for me? Or for that deity again?"
"I have always been waiting for her to bloom for me, but instead she had always looked up to the sky. Only for her soul to be half-destroyed by his power."
"Still, in every lifetime, she still blooms for him."
"Although I was the one who always watched her grow. For every passing second of my eternity."
"Although he was the one who first brought her spirit to the immortal planes, I was the one who always watched her grow."
"Vexing. Vexing. Vexing."
"I want to dye her whites with red. I want to dye her whites with rot."
"This vessel... who is this vessel? What is this vessel? Is he really a mortal?"
The pair of brown eyes abruptly opened, the man suddenly jerked upwards, his body drenching in cold sweat.
The elegantly decorated room had several lit braziers, warming the room considerably. The night outside - cloaked in darkness - was only slightly illuminated by the hazy moon, reflecting the faintest of sparkles on some frozen icicles that had been formed by some melted snow at the tree branches.
The room was warm, however, the man was shivering. He felt that he had dreamed of something terrible, but he could no longer remember.
In slight trepidation, he got off his bed while clutching his robe in a futile effort to ease his rapidly beating heart. Then he walked slowly towards the copper mirror inside his room.
He closed his eyes for a second, before willing himself to open them, to see his reflection in the mirror.
When he looked into the familiar pair of deep brown eyes that was staring back at him, he finally sighed in relief.
"That's alright. I am still myself.... . I am still myself."
He repeated the line again and again, until his heartbeat steadied and he started to feel the warmth inside his room.
Donning a thick fur cloak, he opened his room's door, causing the several maids and eunuchs standing guard outside to be startled.
Although there were always some servants and maids in his courtyard inside his fief around the clock everyday, the time was already past midnight after all. The servants were slightly perturbed as their master suddenly came out of his personal bed chamber.
"At ease. I do not need anything," he waved his hand, noticing the servants and maids already kneeling, awaiting for his order.
He beckoned for one of the eunuchs to step forward,
"Have they left?", he asked, not quite looking at the eunuch.
The eunuch was one of his closest attendants, having followed the Empress, and subsequently this man, when finally had his own fief a number of years ago. He was the first amongst the Dragon's sons to leave the cocoon of the Imperial Palace, to manage his own estate when he came of age.
"Reporting to Crown Prince. The two Generals and the Second Prince have left to Hun'ang this afternoon."
The man let out a sigh of relief.
"JunLi will be alright. He will be better than me. Hun'ang... is too close to where she is... . I ... cannot lose to this demon inside of me."
The man closed his eyes, his thick brows furrowing as if in pain. The maids and the servants who noticed their master's unusual disposition were concerned, but they could not do anything without their master's command.
He walked towards the front door, that was separating his bed chamber and the small area where the servants were.
The guards outside was also startled as the door was opened suddenly, and their lord went outside. They wanted to suggest for him to return inside the room where it was warm, lest he might get sick. However their words were caught in their throat as their lord walked steadily, passing them, and gazed towards the sky.
Under the hazy moon, all the light seemed to be absorbed by his straight and proud figure, illuminating him. Even for an instance, his dark flowing hair turned as light as the moon.
The servants and the guards could not help but be in awe, kneeling at their spot. They believed this man - their lord - was the man who would become their future Emperor, and rightly so.
"The demon is still yearning for her... ."
"I cannot become the demon."
"But still, the demon is yearning for her... I am yearning for her... ."
"I am the Crown Prince. I will be the Emperor. No woman is worth my kingdom and my people."
"I am Zhang KongJing."
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