Arc 1 – Chapter 2
757 6 39
X
Reading Options
Font Size
A- 15px A+
Width
Reset
X
Table of Contents
Loading... please wait.

1.2

 

The evening of the banquet came upon Liu Yue quickly without giving him any time to make any real decisions. All day he had been thinking and the only thing he could come up was to, hug a golden thigh.

 

Since Song LingLing and the Second Prince were the evental victors of the storyline and the Empress defeated, then he had better get on their side right? Not to mention the Empress was going to kill him eventually so there was no point working together with that wicked woman. Meanwhile he needed to find that Celestial Master working for the Empress. Probably he was the only one who could help him avoid turning into a monster when the full moon rose in three weeks. 

 

Perhaps I’ve died in the real world and I have to live here forever? That was only if he managed to survive past the next full moon!

 

As Liu Yue came into the banquet hall he was filled with these kind of stressful, morose thoughts. As his palanquin was lowered onto the ground and he stepped out he was only vaguely aware of the kind of entrance he was making.

 

It seemed the Crown Prince only owned very flashy, glamorous clothing. Liu Yue had already picked out what he thought was the least ostentatious one but which was still appropriate for the important affair. It was a deep red silk outer robe with a small train. His waistband and the sleeves were lined in gold. And his hair was done up in a knot above his head with a small gold crown and a gold hairpin pushed horizontally through it. Upon his forehead there was a bright red dot, this was a birthmark that the Prince had had since birth.

 

The effect of the clothing perfectly offset the Liu Yue’s pale, ivory complexion and his delicate features, the most stunning of which were his dark long phoenix eyes, framed with long eyelashes. His graceful movements too were accented by the movement of his robe and as Liu Yue made his entrance into the banquet hall, there was a hush that fell over the crowd as they all froze, staring at him.

 

Liu Yue strode forward and knelt to the high dais where the Emperor and Empress were sitting. He could clearly see his “mother’s” thin face but the Emperor’s face was hidden by the fall of jewelled beads hanging from his crown. “Father Emperor, Mother Empress, your son wishes you health and joy.”

 

“Ah… Yue’er, you have come…” The words were drowned out by loud coughing. There was a rush of servants and eunuchs to help him. In the meantime the Empress said, “Be seated, Yue’er. It is almost time for the Beixia Envoy to come.”

 

Liu Yue took his seat. The seats, which were really just cushions in front of a low tables, were arranged on either side of the hall, leaving the middle open for performances. Only the Emperor and Empress sat at the end in the middle on a raised platform so they could have the best view. 

 

As the Crown Prince, his seat at the side closest to the platform. Around him were other royal children and important ministers.

 

The Crown Prince is really too beautiful, there were whispers as Liu Yue swung back his billowing sleeves and sat down gracefully. A maid hurried over to pour him tea. It’s really too bad that he’s such a useless wastrel. Why did the Heavens chose him and not the Second Prince?

 

Speaking of the Second Prince, Liu Yue darted a look to his right where the man who was sitting there, back very straight and not looking at him at all. This must be him.

 

Just like the Empress, the appearance of the Second Prince exactly matched the description he had been given.

 

Extremely handsome with an unmistakable masculine, noble air. Liu Yue recalled the words in the script clearly. To that he could now add: wide shoulders; large, deep set black eyes and a high, arrogant nose. The Second Prince was seated but Liu Yue could already tell his upper body was long and appeared well muscled. In the flesh, the Second Prince was even better looking than the young Chinese actor who had played him. The air around him was much more mature and commanding than the actor could have mustered.

 

As if feeling his gaze, the Second Prince Wei YunXiao turned and met his eyes. Surprised, Liu Yue smiled automatically. After all in real life he was a polite, nice person! But Wei YunXiao looked surprised. The next moment his lips pressed together in a disapproving line and he looked away.

 

What have I done to offend him? Liu Yue thought. It was a genuine rather than sarcastic question. There was a long list of things the Crown Prince had done that would have pissed off his high minded “brother”: from his treatment of Consort Ming to his misappropriation of public funds.

 

But if he searched his memory Liu Yue thought that at this point in the timeline he hadn’t done anything too damning yet except be exceptionally lazy, disinterested in running the country and have a lot of love affairs. That would all change at the next full moon of course. Liu Yue sighed and took a swig of his wine, not noticing the Empress watching him with mocking, glimmering eyes from above.

 

At this time the Lord of Beixia made his grand entrance. He also matched his description perfectly: a large, thick-set warrior looking man. The people of Beixia typically had this appearance. The Lord bowed to the Emperor and Empress with stilted, formal prose that Liu Yue mentally skipped over, and presented them with a large bevy of dancing girls from Beixia that whirled into motion.

 

Tonight was for celebration and revelry. The Lord had come bearing gifts and the tribute he was supposed to give annually to the Chang. According to the script Liu Yue was supposed to call the sum paltry, despite the fact that the region of Beixia had just gone through a famine. The Lord of Beixia would begin to hate and fear the day he would become Emperor. This led to him taking a gamble on the will of Heaven and throwing his men behind his grandson, the Second Prince, in an eventual successful confrontation with the Empress and Crown Prince.

 

This plot sucks… Liu Yue took another drink. 

 

In front of him the Lord of Beixia was addressing the Emperor loudly, “I have heard the Second Prince has yet had another victory in pushing the borders forward of the Western Provinces! Those nomadic Ayam are notoriously difficult to control and yet he was able to conquer them! Truly, do you not think it is the combination of his Chang and Beixia heritage that allows him to be such a wonderful ruler! The people are singing his praises on the street!”

 

The Emperor said something but the Empress was glaring down at him. 

 

Oh yes, Liu Yue thought. According to the script I’m supposed to make some kind of snide comment here about the Second Prince being half a barbarian and piss off the whole Beixia contingent.

 

He opted instead to drink another mouthful of wine. His jug was empty so a servant quickly filled it. 

 

Based on the Tang Dynasty, the Chang was a relatively free and open-minded dynasty. It was reflected in the way now that under the light of the lamps, the dancing women (and some men) pressed close to the courtiers and their laughter and whispers mingled with the sound of the loud music and dancing. 

 

Soon Liu Yue knew that a pivotal moment was coming.

 

The scene at the banquet was the first meeting between the female and male protagonist. It was the first time they met. Beauty Chai was supposed to be performing Dancing Flower, but the Empress had arranged a curse to be put on the sword. At the end of the performance the sword would start moving by itself and force Beauty Chai to assassinate the Second Prince!

 

However things didn’t work out that way. Instead of Beauty Chai, the female protagonist Song LingLing was the one performing the dance. In actual fact Beauty Chai had broken her foot a few days ago - the work of the female protagonist. She had only intended to use the sword dance to gain the attention of the Emperor as she wanted an audience with him. Beauty Yu had indeed written to her parents about the dead infant and where the baby had been buried and Song LingLing had was in possession of the letter! She felt that if she was able to uncover the dead baby then the Empress’ evil doings could be discovered. 

 

Imagine her shock and horror when she was forced to stab the Second Prince! But both the Empress and her Celestial Master had underestimated the Second Prince. He was able to deflect and then shatter the sword with his martial art prowess. This led to his interest in Song LingLing and after she confided into him they were able to join forces.

 

Thinking about it, Liu Yue realized his time was running short. Really he was a shy person but the alcohol had given him somewhat a boost of liquid courage. So he pushed himself away from his tale and went to the Second Prince.

 

Wei YunXiao, who was sitting alone without a servant, was surveying the crowd with an expressionless face. His face quickly changed to one of shock as Liu Yue settled down next to him.

 

“Second Brother, are you enjoying yourself?”

 

Wei Yunxiao could probably count on one hand the number of times his older brother had voluntarily talked to him. Raised apart, they avoided each other as much as possible and were pretty much strangers.

 

He doesn’t even look anything like me, Wei YunXiao thought. In fact there was no one at Court - or that he had seen in the Empire for that matter - that looked like his older brother.

 

“I’m well enough.” Wei YunXiao replied. His voice did not give away his discomfort. “I must say, brother, it’s rare to see you behaving so well. Usually you’d have three of those girls with you right now, making a scene.”

 

Liu Yue stifled a burst of laughter at the thought. In real life, Liu Yue had not had any serious relationships but the two casual ones he had had were both with men. So he guessed he was probably gay. He looked at the dancing girls, their beautiful hairdos and flowing robes. They were beautiful but they didn’t do much for him.

 

“That does sound like me,” He was talking about his former self. “But second brother, you’re not like that are you? Mother Empress tells me the Emperor has been talking about finding you you a official consort, but you rejected it.”

 

“I didn’t reject it.” Wei YunXiao responded calmly. “Your mother rejected it for me. Oh she made it sound as though it can from me, but everyone knows the decisions in this Empire are made by her.”

 

“What?” Liu Yue didn’t know that. The Second Prince gave him a disdainful look. “Why?”

 

“Because you don’t have an official wife yet of course.” Wei YunXiao replied. “Apparently I was too conscious of tradition and wish to wait until the Crown Prince chooses a consort first.”

 

Of course, Liu Yue thought. She doesn’t want either of us to make a good marriage or anything that will increase our power in court. If one of us were to marry the daughter of an important minister or general, that would loosen her control over us. 

 

“Is there…. Someone that younger brother likes?” Liu Yue suddenly thought of a way to ingratiate himself to the male lead. “Perhaps I could speak to Mother Empress for you.”

 

Wei YunXiao’s expression became surprised again. “You… why are you talking to me like this?”

 

Liu Yue was seated leaning against his ‘brother’s’ table, his elbows resting on it and staring up at him with his long, dark eyes. His cheeks were slightly reddened with the effects of the wine. Wei YunXiao was suddenly aware that he had never been quite so close to his brother before, close enough to see gold flecks in his dark pupils.

 

I’ve never seen eyes like that before, he thought. Not in my travels through all of the Empire.

 

“Oh but of course, you haven’t met her yet. But soon…”

 

Wei YunXiao frowned. What on earth is that imbecile talking about? But it was at this time that the female lead chose to make her entrance.

 

She was veiled so that people did not know she was not Beauty Chai. But Liu Yue knew she was the female lead immediately from the jewelled sword she carried in her hands.

 

The cursed sword! His eyes flashed.

 

Song LingLing had practiced this dance alongside Beauty Chai for months and she moved with remarkable fluidity. Attracted by the halo the female lead always had, all eyes were on her. All except for Liu Yue who was only watching the sword. And also the Second Prince who was watching Liu Yue…

 

In fact the Second Prince had started off by watching the female lead. But as Liu Yue moved next to him, unconsciously settling into a more comfortable position, he felt a waft of the scent of osthmanthus. Frowning and slightly discomforted by the strange closeness of the brother he mostly viewed as an enemy he was thrown off balance. And hence he was not watching when on the stage Song LingLing gave a gasp of surprise as the sword started moving beyond her control. She tried to stop it, even went to the extent of grasping the blade with her other hand but it was beyond her strength. It spun out of her hands and then hurtled towards…

 

The movement of the sword was incredibly fast. If one hadn’t been watching, it would have been impossible to stop it. Thankfully one of them had been watching and moved to block it.

 

Liu Yue gaped with surprise, all traces of his intoxication disappearing as he stared at the sword grasped suddenly in his bleeding palm. The tip was it was poking out between his fingers, an inch away from Wei YunXiao who was staring at him stupidly.

 

“What are you staring at, idiot?! Aren’t you supposed to be the one who stops it?!” Liu Yue yelled at him over the sudden hush of the room. “Hey, I can’t hold it much-!”

 

But the words hadn’t finished leaving his mouth when Wei YunXiao grabbed the sword from him, turned his wrist and the blade shattered. On the stage the Emperor seemed to having a seizure and the guards were swarming the room as people, suddenly finding their voice, yelled; “Assassins! Assassins!”

 

As Song LingLing was dragged screaming away, the male lead didn’t seem to notice her at all. Instead he was staring down in dismay at Liu Yue, at the way the blood dripped between his long, pretty fingers and onto his lap.

 

“A doctor! Send for a doctor!” He was on his feet, dragging Liu Yue up with him. “What the hell are you doing?!”

 

“What the hell am I doing!?” Now that the shock was gone, pain shot through Liu Yue’s body. He was just a young actor. He might have been through hardships as a child but he couldn’t remember the last time he was sliced by something so sharp and deep! “Trying to save your life, you gigantic idiot!”

 

The Second Prince stepped back, eyes wide and expression shocked. His whole calm and collected demeanor was completely gone. In actual fact, he had never been called an idiot so many times in his life!

 


 

Thanks for all those who left a message on my last chapter!! I don't even know how you guys found the story haha. I'm surprised (and super happy!) that people are reading it.

Will be aiming to update every single day. 

39