After returning from the Xu"s mansion, Xu Linghe did not have a spare moment, though. He hoped to have his Junior Brother to make a trip to the North Desert. Now except Lin Xiaosa, he could have few people to trust at hand. Di Qing was injured. So it was an urge for Xu Linghe to have Lin Xiaosa come as soon as possible. It seemed that his father, Xu Yinchang, was unshakable in his decision.

"Junior Brother, this is the letter for Lin Xiaosa. Please send it to Brother Lin in person."

"Senior Brother, you can count on me. I promise that Lin Xiaosa will reach the capital city within two days."

"Junior Brother, thank you."

Little Lingchong sat alone in the yard. Chengyi stared at his Senior Brother, who knitted his eyebrows, and let out a sigh.

Little Lingchong told Xu Linghe that Jiang Wuyou was a little fox and that the reason why she concealed her ident.i.ty was that she was afraid she would be rejected by him.

Xu Linghe regretted what he had done. In fact, the little woman carried the fate of Teal Hill. If only he had been more careful. If time had flowed backwards, Xu Linghe would not have left her alone, even if he had to go through thick and thin.

In Xu Linghe"s mind, their separation in Jiangnan would not be the farewell for always and Jiang Wuyou would wake up anyhow. To say the least, if Jiang Wuyou fell asleep forever, he would accompany her till the day she would hold his neck, saying, "Linghe, have you been waiting for a long time? Your little fox has come back." The hair between his fingers was smooth and soft. The woman in his arms was so tender as if she just fell asleep. She curved up the corners of her mouth, seemingly having a sweet dream. Her thick and upturned eyelashes reflected the candlelight, which made the b.u.t.terfly soar high again, though it had intended to perch. Shrouded in the shadow, Xu Linghe caressed her little face—so cold her lips were. He desperately missed the days in the courtyard of Jiangnan. Now, she was before him, but he could do nothing.

It was on Holy Mother Empress"s birthday that Lin Xiaosa arrived in the capital city. He went there to celebrate the birthday as Governor of the North Desert. At the sight of Xu Linghe in one yard, Lin Xiaosa could not believe his eyes. "Is he still my brother? How gaunt Xu Linghe has become! He used to be so gentle and courtly, but now is tormented to the lifeless situation because of love." he thought.

Having recuperated half a month, Di Qing, King of Jiangdu, was finally able to throw the crutch away. Today was a special day. So he was dressed in an embroidered robe. Lin Xiaosa gazed at Di Qing and never expected that his brother would look so regal in the robe. It was made of navy blue cloth, embroidered with silver linings in the form of auspicious clouds—quite magnificent and serious.

Di Li stepped out of the Inner Yard. She looked extraordinarily charming today with a lavender mantle enfolding the tenderness and beauty of a sixteen-year-old girl. Looking at the gentle girl in front, Lin Xiaosa felt that she was not the unruly girl any longer. She looked elegant but witty in her sable jacket with her black hair falling down. Looking at her with all his eyes, Lin Xiaosa felt his heart bound wildly again.

Lin Xiaosa"s horse, Lie Huo, kept neighing to remind its master. On the carriage, Lin Xiaosa raised the tulle and popped his head out. If he missed the right time for celebration, it would be regarded as a great offense. And he was reluctant to give grounds for talks.

When he saw Xu Linghe, Xu was also dressed in a robe embroidered with silver-lining auspicious clouds. But his brocade robe was made from wild silk yarn. Xu Linghe approached from far away like a banished immortal stepping on auspicious clouds. At the sight of him, Di Li"s eyes darkened from ardent to gloomy. Seeing Di Li that way, Lin Xiaosa"s pa.s.sion faded away, his heart down to the bottom. He was fully aware that Di Li liked Xu Linghe, but he was jealous to see his beloved girl"s heart belong to another man.

Di Qing could but sigh when seeing his own sister distressed. Love could not be attained by schemes. Xu Linghe would not be at the mercy of others. Even if one day Di Qing could ascend the throne, Xu Linghe would not be at his disposal, since Xu Linghe had both ability and courage to do so. Di Qing looked at his sister, only hoping that she could realize the truth as early as possible and not get too involved in it in case that she might lose her nature, if she could not get out of it.

When watching the carriage drive away, a man in red leapt into the wall. Seeing clearly the black figure, Ni Shang was astounded first and then calmed herself down soon. Wolf King haunted everywhere indeed—he even could spot such a remote place. It seemed that it was impossible for Ni Shang to live a peaceful life. So she had to find someone to get rid of him immediately. At present, only Xu Linghe could make it. However, this young master was rather precautious against her. She had to look for a backer and tried every means to make King of Jiangdu lose his heart to her.

Both Ni Shang and Wolf King never thought that they had been already observed by someone else, a naga named Mingzhu. Through a small window, Mingzhu noticed a black figure flash by. Although she did not know Wolf King, she a.s.sumed that the person who climbed over the wall could not be a good one. Therefore, she followed along the way until the woman peeked her head out, and then Mingzhu could see clearly that the woman was Ni Shang. Although they had no more communication, Ni Shang was rather gorgeous-looking. For inherently jealous women, appearance was much more precious than life. Ni Shang was not so pure as Wuyou, but she still had an ability to enchant men.

At the gate of the palace, Xu Linghe saw his father and his brothers, Xu Yin and Xu Xi. Xu Linghe got off the carriage and headed to his father. No matter how resentful he was, his father was still his father.

"He"er, come here to pay respect to your Uncle Han."

Han Qianyi was the last one to get off, and he came over with a little girl.

"Uncle Han, what a coincidence! We meet again!"

Han Qianyi watched Xu Linghe"s face wreathed in smiles. He was impressed a lot by the lad, though they had just met once. Han Qianyi waved at his youngest daughter behind.

"Chiyou, come here. This is Brother Xu."

"Pay my respect to Brother Xu."

Han Chiyou bent down slightly and extended greetings to him with her hands clinging to her slim waist. Xu Linghe gave a gentle smile, thinking that the little girl of Han"s seemed naughty but courteous, utterly different from what she had been in Jiangnan.

"Father, the door is open. We should go in."

Xu Yinchang nodded and went with Han Qianyi. Looking at his father"s fading figure, Xu Linghe suddenly remembered Lin Xiaosa and Di Qing, who were waiting for him on the side.

It was the second time that Xu Linghe had entered the palace. When he was very young, he had been sent by his father to the palace, so he had a grudge against the Emperor and his father, but he was too weak at that time. And now, Xu Linghe stood in front of the palace again. The hatred inside him never lessened but was concealed under his smile. He was not frightened and helpless as he used to be, and instead, he became strong enough to face everything with ease.

"Linghe, do you know the two Martial Generals?"

Looking at the direction that Di Qing pointed, Xu Linghe sized up for a long while and suddenly realized that they were the Martial Generals whom he had come across on the way. Today they wore the brocade robes, which enabled them to look more refined than valiant.

"Brother Xu, it seems that it will be uneasy this year. Fortunately, I live outside the Imperial City, far away from the Emperor."

"Brother Lin, you"re right. Unlike you, I was born in the Imperial City and have to mind everything I do all the time."

"Brother Xu, let"s come in quickly, or it will be late. I am afraid of death."

Lin Xiaosa patted Xu Linghe"s shoulder and quickened his pace. A group of people entered the gate of the palace unhurriedly.

Although Xu Linghe"s father was the Prime Minister, he could not compare to Di Qing"s and Lin Xiaosa"s—one was a King and the other was a Governor, each of whom was dominant in one region. Xu Linghe leaned on the soft couch, dozing off. As for everything happening in the royal court, he would sense with the heart, since the eyes would lie sometimes.

How dared Xu Linghe was to doze right in front of the Emperor! Was he not scared of any blame? Lin Xiaosa tapped him on the shoulder.

"Linghe, you"re good at finding places. Wake up and take a look! The beauties of the imperial court are just different. Look at their three-inch feet and four-inch waist! How can common dancing girls compare to them! Brother Xiaosa, are girls in North Desert fascinating like them?"

Di Qing just needed one second to think it about—the girls in North Desert were so frighteningly doughty and st.u.r.dy that they were utterly different from the girls in Jiangnan, as the mud was from the clouds. How glamourous these dancing girls in front were! How lucky the Emperor was to be favored by a lot of beauties.

Di Qing could not help revealing his romantic nature but kept peeping at the Emperor on his Dragon Throne.

Among the seats, it was much more cheerless than the previous years, and there were occasionally several talks with the Emperor. Han Qianyi and his youngest daughter sat in the corner. Although he was the wealthiest in the south, he still could not rank his name in the capital city. If it had not been for the opportunity to pay tribute annually, no matter how rich Han Qianyi had been, he would have been nothing in the Emperor"s eyes.

"Her Majesty Holy Mother Empress is here!"

All the influential and powerful persons in the royal court knelt on the ground in succession. Xu Linghe stared at his humble father, thinking that this was the imperial authority. No matter how high the position was, no one could escape his lowly fate. Xu Linghe bended knees to his enemy with a smile. Di Qing and Di Li looked at their holy grandmother who sat up high. Although there were just several meters apart, it separated family love. Xu Linghe scorned such imperial authority, but the imperial family had to pay the blood debt that they had owed, and his father also had to pay the debt owed for his mother. Among the various means of vengeance, the most ruthless was to take away the most valuable things in their lives, such as the Emperor"s throne and the power that his father bucked for through the whole life. Xu Linghe thought, "My father, I will never let you get the things you want. You like power so much. So I will make you lose it on the edge of obtaining it with hands down."

"He"er, come here and pay your respect to Uncle You."

An exotic scent blew on Ding Qing"s face directly, which reminded him of the masked man in the prison. Was Xu Linghe"s father the one who had captured him? Di Qing studied him carefully and thought that Uncle Xu looked so easy-going, and there was no trace of imposing force in the prison on him. Clearly, everyone had his own scheme in the royal court. Di Qing felt a cold chill ran down his back. How desperate his Uncle Xu was! Even at the birthday banquet of Holy Mother Empress, Uncle Xu was still unwilling to waste any opportunity to seek a good match for his son. It was unbelievable that Brother Xu"s father was so hasty to lose no chance to secure his personal gain and solidify his authority. He even did not ask what his son thought. There were both advantages and disadvantages to marry the daughter of the a.s.sistant minister of the Ministry of War. Didn"t Uncle Xu understand his son?

"Brother Xu, Uncle Xu is claiming a good match for you. What do you think, Brother Xu?"

Di Qing"s probing tone did not arouse Xu Linghe"s suspicion. In Xu Linghe"s mind, a friend was a friend. He thought that Di Qing"s desire had no conflict of interest with him. He did not like political trickery. On the contrary, he wished that one day, Di Qing could replace him. What would the Emperor of the Qi Kingdom and his father do at that time? And now, did they plan to arrange marriage? Di Qing was the ready-made choice. It seemed that the red line which had been meant to be given to him came into the hands of King of Jiangdu.

"Brother Di, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Will you ask me to be a proud son-in-law of the You family?"

"Brother Di, you"re clever, so I will not beat about the bush. You know the a.s.sistant minister is in charge of the gateway of the royal court, serving as a riding attendant for the Emperor. He is more well-suited than Minister."

"Brother Xu, I still want to live more days and cannot afford such a good thing."

"Brother Di, can you still remember what happened on our way back to the capital city? We almost lost our lives. Due to our weak force, they unscrupulously took you and Di Li and held us back. If we continue to bear and forbear, and our influence circle is diminished, we will be put on the road to ruin. At present, there is no powerful and influential family in the capital city to show respect to you, King of Jiangdu. Why? It is merely because you have a spa.r.s.e connection. But it will be more convenient if you can build up a relationship with the You family. It controls the gateway of the royal court. The people longing to contact with this family are lining up."

"Linghe, to be honest, will you really set yourself against your father? It will lead to serious consequences."

Xu Linghe ignored it, tugged Di Qing, and walked to his father. If there must be someone to accept the arranged marriage with the You family, he would definitely not be the one, and Di Qing, King of Jiangdu, would be the best choice.

"Father, this is Di Qing, King of Jiangdu."

Xu Linghe took a look at his father and Di Qing"s bitter smile and felt delighted inwardly.

"King of Jiangdu, young and promising, casual and elegant, overshadows the old men like us."

"Thanks, I"m flattered. Uncle Xu, you"re in the prime of life. I should learn more from you."

"Linghe, this is Uncle You. You used to go to his house in your childhood."

"Uncle You, you"re vigorous and strong-bodied as ever. I never neglect the swordsmanship that Uncle You taught me in my childhood. Even now, I can perform some moves!"

"My good nephew, so many years have flashed. Your father and I both have white hair at the temples. It"s time for you, the young generation, to build up establishments."

"Uncle You, this is Di Qing, King of Jiangdu. He is my good brother."

"I know the Di family in Jiangnan, where it is the fief of Di Zhan"s, the Holy Mother Empress"s youngest son. When I was young, I once went nesting with him in the palace."

"My father pa.s.sed away several years ago. I did not expect that he had such an episode with Uncle You."

"Qingcheng, come here and pay your regards to Brother Di and Brother Xu."