LL 3 - Drown their sorrows away

 

When Xiao Hua arrived at the meeting place, the two beauties were already half sprawled on the round table with wine bottles around them. They had already started drinking without waiting for her!

 

"Xiao Hua!" Long Lian greeted when Xiao Hua stepped into the pavilion. Da Bei, her bodyguard in the form of a snow wolf, waited right outside the pavilion. A butterfly landed on the top of his still head, fluttering its wing lightly but Da Bei did not do anything to make it go away.  

 

"Long Lian, Miss Feng Jiu," Xiao Hua greeted and took an empty seat.

 

"Come, drink!" Long Loan pushed a wine bottle to Xiao Hua, ignoring the prepared empty cup.

 

"Er…" Xiao Hua was reluctant to accept the whole bottle but knew better than to decline it outright and get into an argument with a drunk person.

 

The war with demons had ended a week ago and everyone had more or less gotten back to their normal routine.

 

Except for the heartbroken Feng Jiu and Long Lian. With the war over, their heart once again reminded of their sorrows. Long Lian had noticed Feng Jiu getting depressed and suggested that to soothe their wounded heart, they will have a moonlight viewing accompanied by a sweet wine. For one night, they will drink to their heart's content and drown their sorrows away!

 

Feng Jiu had truly hidden it well about her feelings for Qiang Laohu and only spoke of it to Long Lian once when her guard was down. As the next heir to the throne of their kingdoms, Feng Jiu and Qiang Laohu could never be together. Both of them could not pass the position to their sibling or male relatives because they were the vessels of the celestial beasts.

 

Xiao Hua, the happily married woman among the trio, joined them because she was worried about them. 

 

Feng Jiu still maintained her conduct and drink from her silver cup. She placed her cup down heavily, her cheeks flushed from the wine, looking very charming under the bright moonlight. "I had long known that Long Zhu had the thought of combining the Four Kingdoms."

 

Xiao Hua's eyes widened at what Feng Jiu said. She had known nothing about this. As for Long Lian? Her body was swaying around from the amount of alcohol she had drunk to properly process Feng Jiu's words.

 

Wiping the residual wine from her plump lips, Feng Jiu rested her head on her palm. "I secretly anticipate it, waiting patiently for Long Zhu to achieve his goal."

 

Then she could marry Qiang Laohu without worries. 

 

Feng Jiu stared down at her half-full cup. "But he gave up on his plans." And she could not do anything but accept it. 

 

She also knew that the Four Kingdoms must not be merged, or it will unbalance the four sources of power. Even the celestial beasts had warned them. 

 

"... Sorry," Xiao Hua apologized. She knows that her apology would not change anything, but she just has the strong feeling to apologize for seeing Feng Jiu being this depressed. 

 

Shaking her head like a tired traveler, Feng Jiu gulped down the remaining wine from her cup and refilled it. "I had already prepared my heart for our separation long ago."

 

"But it never makes it easier…" Xiao Hua sighed softly.

 

"He… is very determined to cut it off.” Staring down at the wine that reflected a small part of the moonlight, Feng Jiu continued with a soft voice. “He will be marrying his distant cousin from his maternal side soon."

 

Xiao Hua gaped, not knowing whether to fulfill her duty of sisterhood and help Feng Jiu curse Qiang Laohu until his pants drop or to comfort her that a way better guy will be waiting for her in the future. 

 

Before Xiao Hua could say anything, Feng Jiu smiled sadly and stared up at the crescent moon. "It will help me get over him and end our ties properly."

 

Long Lian snickered, suddenly breaking out of her solo swaying. "Did you at least punch his nose? I want to punch him too… That asshole!"

 

Xiao Hua jerked in fright when Long Lian hammered down a fist onto the table and unbalanced the empty wine bottles until they rolled and fell to the ground. Fortunately, only the empty ones had dropped and it was made of a sturdy material that they had not broken from the fall.

 

Feng Jiu was clearly the better drinker and still maintained her mind. "Why would I do that and turn whatever good relationship between us into sour? I still need to face him in the future as the Zhu Que Kingdom's Empress."

 

Long Lian sniffed, not wanting to cry. "Well, I don't want to see him in the future!"

 

Xiao Hua finally caught on that both of them were conversing on the same topic, but about different people.

 

"I won't give up my pride and comfort just to marry far away to a man I love! He did not even listen to my request and bully me! I will surely be miserable if I marry him!"

 

Xiao Hua caught a figure outside the pavilion with mixed feelings. "Long Lian-" 

 

Long Lian suddenly exclaimed, cutting Xiao Hua off. "You are right, Xiao Hua!"

 

"Eh? I am? For what?" Xiao Hua was bewildered.

 

Waving her arms around like an image of an entitled princess, Long Lian declared, "I'm the one and only princess of Guilin and everyone in the family loves me! I have the right to demand this much for my future happiness!"

 

With her royal family backing her, she can do whatever she wants!

 

Xiao Hua closed her mouth and then nodded quickly. 

 

Long Lian was not interested in her response and continued her solo monologue. "I'm beautiful, rich and smart, who won't want to be this princess' concubine? With just a wave of my hand, I can summon a crowd of handsome and talented men to serve me willingly!"

 

"As if I will allow it!"

 

Long Lian jumped, her mind felt as if a basin of cold water was poured at her. "...I'm drunk, aren't I?"

 

Or else why would she hear his voice?

 

"You are not dreaming!" 

 

Long Lian whirled around in fright and saw Tian Liang standing closely behind her, looking furious. 

 

Feng Jiu snickered and revealed the truth. "He had been following you around since earlier."

 

The soldiers of the Munzhu Country had not suffered great loss from the war and they were able to recover quicker than other Kingdoms. That was why he had the time to follow Long Lian around, and for the first time, causing the officials of Munzhu country to be hopping madly about his truancy.

 

Xiao Hua had also sensed Tian Liang the moment she arrived but did not say anything about him being a peeping tom. This might be the only chance for him to listen to how Long Lian really feels about their relationship without any filters. 

 

"How could you have the heart not to tell me!" Long Lian complained to her sisters and became fully sobered from the shock.

 

Xiao Hua then fulfilled her duty as a caring sister and gazed at Tian Liang with a fierce look as she said warningly, "If you make her cry again, I will have Long Zhu beat you up!"

 

If not for her husband telling her to let Tian Liang and Long Lian settle the matter between themselves, Xiao Hua will certainly have interfered.

 

"He won't have that chance." Tian Liang bent down and picked Long Lian up, draping her over his shoulder, ignoring Long Lian's protest.

 

Watching them walking away, Xiao Hua offhandedly asked, "Was he not afraid that she would vomit on him…"

 

Blergh!

 

"You-!"

 

"Too late," Feng Jiu snickered, feeling her bad mood dispersed lightly. At least Long Lian's romance was doing well, which was good.

 

Tian Liang brought them to an empty room and settled Long Lian down, giving her something to drink.

 

"Thank you." Long Lian gulped down the honey water to swallow down the taste. She had gurgled her mouth, wanting to remove the smell of her vomit. Her throat was also feeling a little pain from it.

 

Tian Liang's face was spotted with a deep frown as he silently watched her. His anger was still there but not as great as before. 

 

"Why are you here?" Long Lian finally asked. "I appreciate your help and support during the war, but-"

 

"I have no plans to give up on us," Tian Liang cut her off. "I have asked Pei Jin whether she will leave the palace and marry someone. Or to stay at the imperial harem, but far away from our courtyard."

 

Long Lian scoffed. "Let me guess, she wants to stay."

 

"I will make sure you never have the chance to meet her."

 

Irritated, Long Lian smacked the table, and the porcelain cups clanked. "Tian Liang, are you pretending to be dense to mock me? A wife could never stop her husband from meeting his concubine, or she will be scolded for not being virtuous. If the husband wants to meet the concubine, how can the wife stop him?"

 

Tian Liang gritted his teeth in anger. "I can't just heartlessly throw her away!"

 

"Why do you say so in a manner as if she used to be your woman?" Long Lian sneered, her heart felt the stabbing pain she hated to feel. "But I can tolerate her, as long as you tell me the moment you fell for her…"

 

"That won't happen. I have known her for years. I feel nothing for her all these years, and it will remain so in the future?" He sounded confident and his clear gaze was one without guilt.

 

Long Lian was a little happy hearing it. "Okay. I will trust you. But I just can't stand not knowing one thing you refuse to let me know."

 

Tian Liang takes in fresh air to calm himself down before he would say something that will damage both of them permanently. "What is it?"

 

"What will you do with Prince Nu Li?"