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墨書 Inktalez
Xuan Li and Hibiscus exchanged a glance before shaking their fans and following Jinse. Hibiscus thoughtfully approached Fengyin.
"This world is truly strange; with He Huan's death, Brother Mei's affliction has seemingly vanished on its own."
"I can't shake the feeling that it's not that simple," Fengyin's voice echoed in her mind. "Life is like a game of chess, and we are all mere pieces." There was a hint of melancholy in Fengyin's tone.
"How could that be?" Hibiscus disagreed, his expression showing disbelief. How could his life be dictated by others like a chess piece? Yet, he still offered warm words of comfort.
"Life is like a game of chess; life is like a game of chess. In the midnight hour, dreams come to rest," Fengyin sighed ethereally.
Hibiscus pressed his hand to his forehead. "I know some things are indeed bizarre, but the world is full of wonders; we just need to find our place and live. Wake up quickly."
"Falling into the game, lost in confusion," Fengyin seemed to ponder.
"Game? What game?" Hibiscus furrowed his beautiful brows.
"Life is like a game of chess," the lingering sound echoed, filled with meaning.
"Ah," Jinse placed her small hand on her heart and let out a gentle sigh of relief. "Your Majesty, I pay my respects." Hadn't he returned to the capital?
"I'm thirsty," Xuan Dynasty slowly waved his folding fan, slightly tilting his head to look at Jinse.
"Ah?" Jinse nodded and bowed respectfully to Xuan Dynasty. Lowering her head, her thoughts raced—what was going on?
"Your Majesty? What about Princess Lingxiang?" Jinse gracefully raised her delicate hand and poured tea into the cup in front of Xuan Dynasty.
"I have sent Mel to escort her back to the capital," Xuan Dynasty sighed, a deep frown creasing his brow. "I don't know; perhaps her temperament has changed from what it once was."
"Alas," Xuan Dynasty sighed again. "The twists and turns in this matter need not be mentioned further."
Jinse had always been cautious and never impulsively asked questions, keeping her doubts buried deep within her heart.
“Oh.” Jinse nodded, “Then why hasn’t Your Majesty returned to the capital?”
“I have come to take you away.”
He came to take her away?!
“Zhong Cheng sent word, saying that he is looking for you to bring you back, as it is unsettling for you to be outside. Come back to the capital with me.” Xuan Dynasty looked at Jinse with determination, indicating that it was better not to get involved in the affairs of the martial world.
“What about my father?”
“My word is the imperial decree.”
“Is Your Majesty returning for the Consort Selection?” Jinse asked lightly.
“Indeed.” Xuan Dynasty nodded, his expression unpredictable.
Jinse lowered her head, secretly contemplating.
Was it for the Consort Selection? Or was it to flee far away?
“Mei Er, where are you? I’m so scared.” The voice of Spiritual Incense, tinged with tears, came from the carriage. Mel frowned, remaining silent.
“Don’t be afraid.” Unable to hold back any longer, she pushed open the carriage door and entered. It had only been a few days since they left Mountain Pavilion, just three days, yet Spiritual Incense had not eaten or drunk anything and had visibly lost weight.
It turned out that sometimes human hearts could be scarier than ghosts.
What exactly happened remained unspoken by Spiritual Incense, and no one knew.
All that was clear was that her eyes were red from crying and she was growing increasingly frail.
“Mel, I want to keep a male pet.”
Seeing Mel appear, Spiritual Incense finally quieted down and said seriously.
Mel frowned, his mind in disarray, longing for peace.
“As long as the princess is happy.” With that, he bowed and withdrew.
“My name is He Huan, and the handsome guy is mine; you are mine too.”
“Mei Er, let’s go. Who bullied you this time?”
Recalling various scenes, there were too many contradictions, unrelated to right or wrong.
“Mei Er, my guard is not bad, right? Haha. He is the male pet given to me by my royal brother, my first male pet.”
Mel still remembered that guard from years ago, fair-skinned and delicate, like a fresh piece of tofu. Even he, who was weak and powerless, was stronger than that guard.
Spiritual Incense always liked new things. For several days, she brought her male pet everywhere, inseparable and overly affectionate. With the princess's favor, that pretty boy never looked where he was going and even bumped into Mel. Back then, Second Young Master Mei could be bullied by anyone; he looked easy to bully but was truly easy to bully.
“Young Master Mei II, the prince consort is not something a mere illegitimate son like you can covet.” That fair-skinned guard left Mel with only this sentence in his memory.
As the saying goes, those who are despicable will eventually face retribution.
After Spiritual Incense's excitement faded, she spent her days wandering around with her little follower Mei Er, forgetting that there was a delicate little pretty boy in Lingxiang Palace. The young girl was carefree and oblivious to romance; at that time, the princess had food, drink, and followers, without worries about love.
Eventually, after an unknown amount of time passed, Xuan Li flew into a rage because a lamp oil dropped on an official document due to a careless Concubine.
Though Xuan Li’s anger subsided, the idle steward wanted to achieve something. Upon investigation, it turned out that the Concubine was having an affair with a guard from Lingxiang Palace. Thus distracted and absent-minded, this woman would go to great lengths when it came to romance.
Xuan Li, not wanting to deal with trivial matters, said, "Since this is a matter for the princess's palace, let the princess handle it. Don't bother me before dark."
Lingxiang Princess was playing hide and seek with Second Young Master Mei, waving her hand.
"Do as you see fit. If you don't handle it well, I'll come looking for you."
The steward looked troubled; if something went wrong, and the princess was unhappy, he would be powerless to fix it.
It's difficult to achieve results when everything is peaceful. The only downside of a tranquil world is that people have too much free time. In the previous dynasty, when there was nothing to do, the masters of various palaces would still check in occasionally to show their faces before the emperor.
This emperor has no consorts or heirs, and the princess spends all her time idly. When will the deep palace see a return to its former intrigue and splendor?
"Forget it, let them sort it out themselves."
Having nothing to do is fine; the Chief Eunuch strutted around the palace like a willow swaying in the wind.
In the end, the emperor didn't care, the princess didn't ask, and the steward ignored it.
That pretty-faced guard was suffocating in his cell.
It wasn't until they learned that the guard had died that Spiritual Incense finally remembered.
Then she lowered her head, looking pale.
"What's wrong with you?"
"I missed out. That amusing guard said he would give me an unforgettable surprise when I turned sixteen."
After hearing this, Mel also looked pale.
The matter of the male favorite had ended just like that, but today, after wiping away her tears, she unexpectedly brought up something that had already gathered dust.
Is she still expecting the unforgettable surprise of being sixteen?
Inside the carriage, Spiritual Incense gritted her teeth.
Mel is no longer the Mel from before; she doesn't want him anymore.
Among the men in the world, aside from her royal brother and Brother Mugen, they are all playthings.
The so-called male favorites can actually be understood as similar to the concubines in the harem, except that they are male. Throughout history, many monarchs and queens have had male favorites. These men were often very attractive, charming, and looked strikingly like delicate women, sometimes even more beautiful than women themselves. Thus, many emperors and empresses in ancient times had some more feminine men by their side, serving them in the capacity of concubines. Of course, some of this is just rumor; whether it is true or not would have to be asked of them directly.
So, as a princess, having a few male favorites by her side is quite normal.
The night was very quiet as Mel sat outside the carriage, the sound of hooves clopping.
When did Spiritual Incense stop sharing her innermost thoughts with him?
How could he ignore and forget about the Spiritual Incense he had been watching over?
Why did He Huan's death bring not pain but a light sense of relief, and why was that light relief followed by deep melancholy?
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