Chapter 959

Long Xuan'en nodded and said, "Chu Fufeng is truly cunning, actually hiding the Creation of Heaven and Earth so secretly that we have spent nearly forty years of effort searching and still found nothing."

Hong Beimo said, "I originally thought the Creation of Heaven and Earth was hidden in Tianlong Temple, so I sent several capable men to search there, but I never expected Hu Xiaotian to interfere and ruin the matter."

Long Xuan'en said, "Hu Xiaotian is indeed a trouble!"

Hong Beimo said, "Your Majesty, since you already know the Xu clan of Jinling refuses to serve Dakang, why are you still being so lenient toward the Hu family and even betrothing the Princess to Hu Xiaotian?"

Long Xuan'en said, "I have my reasons for doing these things." He rose and put on his clothes.

Hong Beimo gazed at his back, his eyes showing a hint of confusion.

Long Xuan'en asked, "Have you found the whereabouts of my imperial son?"

Hong Beimo nodded and said, "Already investigated!"

Long Xuan'en said, "The Xichuan affair cannot afford any loss. Although Li Tianheng has raised troops and declared himself independent, most of his followers are not truly loyal to him. I sent Hu Xiaotian to invest him as king merely to confuse him, so he would think I harbor no harmful intent. Your task is to eliminate Li Tianheng; only by retaking Xichuan can Dakang survive. Once Li Tianheng is dead, we can recover Xichuan without losing a single soldier, and its grain and resources will naturally belong to our Dakang."

Hong Beimo said, "What about the Prince of Zhou, Your Highness?"

A faint sorrow flickered in Long Xuan'en's eyes as he softly sighed, "Fang'er is alive today only because Li Tianheng wants to use him. If I were to suffer any misfortune, Li Tianheng would surely support him as emperor, and Dakang would then have another puppet ruler."

Hong Beimo said, "Your Majesty means……"

Long Xuan'en's expression suddenly turned firm and resolute: "We must not let him be used by anyone; if we cannot rescue him from trouble, it is better to let him die for the country, which would also be worthy of our ancestors."

Hong Beimo said, "Yes!"

Long Xuan'en, hands clasped behind his back, said in a low voice, "Only you know my true thoughts; the only person I truly trust is you. Although Qiqi is clever, after all she is just a child—how could she govern such a great nation?"

Hong Beimo said, "Hu Xiaotian's trip to Xichuan is surely a dead end!"

Long Xuan'en said, "I have treated the Hu family with kindness as weighty as a mountain. Yet they think nothing of repaying it; I have repeatedly spared the Xu clan merely because of the old oath I swore with Xu Lingkong, do they really think I have any scruples? Do they really think I dare not act against them? Heh, I will first cut off their incense, leaving the Hu family without heirs."

The Emperor's decree of marriage spread throughout the capital in a short time; even the Minister's residence heard of it, buzzing everywhere. Even Murong Feiyan already knows.

Hu Xiaotian finished all his affairs, left his parents, and went straight to the courtyard where Murong Feiyan was temporarily staying. Before he even reached the gate, he heard the rustling of sword sounds; arriving at the gate, he found the door ajar and saw Murong Feiyan practicing her sword in the courtyard. The long sword in her hand moved so swiftly that wind and rain could not penetrate; under the moonlight, the sword's light and shadow flowed like liquid mercury, as if a flood dragon coiled around her delicate form.

Hu Xiaotian walked into the courtyard with a smiling squint, clapped his hands and praised, "Excellent swordsmanship!"

Hearing his voice, Murong Feiyan suddenly stopped. In an instant, the sword light vanished without trace, and her graceful figure appeared before Hu Xiaotian. Her pretty face was slightly flushed, her full bosom rising and falling, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, a faint worry shadowing her brow. She glared at Hu Xiaotian and said, "You're the despicable one!"

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "I was praising the swordsmanship, not calling you despicable!" He stepped toward Murong Feiyan, arms open for a warm embrace, but before he could get close, she raised her long sword, point aimed at his chest, preventing him from approaching, and said coldly, "Prince Consort, shouldn't you show a little more respect?"

Hu Xiaotian furrowed his brows, no wonder Murong Feiyan put on an aloof attitude; after a while he realized she already knew about this matter, and he couldn't help but wryly smile, "I never expected this news to reach your ears so quickly."

Murong Feiyan said, "If you want something to stay unknown, you must not do it; apparently someone had long planned to become a prince consort, and the most hateful part is pretending innocence before others, claiming the Yongyang Princess is merely an immature little girl."

Hu Xiaotian sighed, his gaze falling on the icy blade; he reached out and lightly flicked the sword's edge, speaking gently, "Could you please move this sword aside?"

Murong Feiyan shifted the sword point from Hu Xiaotian's chest; he took a step forward, and she again pointed the long sword at his throat.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Feiyan, the imperial edict cannot be defied; in my heart I merely regard Qiqi as a little girl, my feelings for her are completely different from those for you—even if others don't understand, you surely will."

Murong Feiyan said, "How could I understand your affairs?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "The Emperor's initiative in proposing this marriage is fundamentally to have our father and son serve Dakang, thereby binding the Jinling Xu clan to the same boat through this means; this marriage is purely political, with absolutely no personal feelings involved."

Murong Feiyan said, "So you're saying they're forcing you to marry the princess?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Do you think being a prince consort is a good thing? If I truly married her, everything I did would be restricted everywhere, I would lose freedom and self-respect, and might even lose my life at any moment; if I could refuse, I would surely tell the world, 'Old man refuses to be a prince consort'; I, Hu Xiaotian, actually like—not the Yongyang Princess—but you." Having said that, Hu Xiaotian used the back of his hand to gently push aside the sword, and taking advantage of Murong Feiyan's momentary distraction, he swept her into his arms.

Murong Feiyan, embraced by him, went limp; she gave a token twist but ultimately could not push him away, and she pouted, "Let go!"

Hu Xiaotian not only did not let go, he held her even tighter.

Murong Feiyan said, "You are already the future prince consort, the fiancé of the Yongyang Princess, yet you embrace another woman—if the court finds out, aren't you afraid of losing your head?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "The court is using us father and son; my father is about to be sent to Luosong to pioneer trade routes and seek grain sources for Dakang, while I have been ordered by the Emperor to go to Xichuan on a mission—whether it is blessing or disaster remains uncertain."

Upon hearing that Hu Xiaotian was to go to Xichuan again, Murong Feiyan couldn't help but feel anxious and asked concernedly, "You barely escaped from Xichuan with difficulty; why are they sending you back there?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Because I am the future prince consort, going to confer the title of king on Li Tianheng under that identity is not disgraceful to him, and I can also pay a visit to the Prince of Zhou on the side—superficially it seems reasonable and proper."

Murong Feiyan said, "You were previously engaged to Li Tianheng's daughter Li Wuyou, but after the Li clan raised troops and declared independence you broke off the engagement; will going to Xichuan this time provoke retaliation from the Li clan? Or……"

Hu Xiaotian smiled, "Are you worried I might go and not return?"

Murong Feiyan bit her cherry lips, her beautiful eyes filled with worry; the anger she had felt moments ago over Hu Xiaotian's engagement to the Yongyang Princess had long been blown to the clouds. In fact, Murong Feiyan also understood deep down that the Emperor's marriage edict could not be refused by Hu Xiaotian; she had originally thought Hu Xiaotian was taking advantage, but hearing his words she realized this bestowal of marriage was actually a plot—the Emperor gave Hu Xiaotian the identity of future prince consort and immediately sent him to Xichuan, whether blessing or disaster unknown, and she couldn't help but worry for his fate. She whispered, "Can't you just not go?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "The Emperor's words are golden; once spoken they cannot be changed. No matter how dangerous Xichuan may be, it cannot compare to Da Yong; since I returned safely from Da Yong, I am confident I can withdraw unscathed from Xichuan this time as well."

Murong Feiyan said, "I'll go with you." She had originally intended to say she would protect Hu Xiaotian's safety, but recalling how he had rescued her from the siege at the imperial mausoleum, she knew his martial prowess now surpassed hers, so in fact she did not need to protect him.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Feiyan, I want you to protect my father on a trip to Luosong."

Upon hearing this, Murong Feiyan blinked her beautiful eyes and asked, "Why should I go?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "The disturbance at the imperial tombs has caused a great uproar; according to the information I have so far, some of the tomb guards still escaped from the turmoil, and someone saw me rescuing you. The Emperor will most likely investigate your responsibility, and besides, your father already knows you escaped with your life and will not let up on searching for you. If you accompany my father to Luosong, you can both avoid the limelight and protect my father. You once said your greatest wish in life was to roam the four seas and wander the world—this is an excellent opportunity."

Murong Feiyan gazed at Hu Xiaotian; she indeed once harbored such a wish, but now she finds it hard to let go of Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "What? You're reluctant to part with me?"

Murong Feiyan whispered, "Are you in such a hurry to drive me away because you want to spend nights together with that Yongyang Princess?"

Hu Xiaotian really felt both amused and exasperated: "Feiyan, I merely gained the empty title of prince consort, with not a shred of its actual benefits—I haven't even touched a finger of the Yongyang Princess. Moreover, the Emperor didn't order me to marry her immediately, only to become engaged, a nominal union without substance. If you feel jealous, why not let me let you enjoy this body first, so others don't get the advantage?"

Murong Feiyan's cheeks flushed crimson, and she spat, "Hu Xiaotian, you are truly shameless to the extreme—do you think I, this young lady, would value such a thing?"

Seeing her expression that was half-pleased, half-frowning, Hu Xiaotian felt his heart warm; he was about to enjoy a good bout of intimacy when his sworn brothers Zhou Mo and Xiao Tianmu arrived. Knowing they had come late at night surely for important matters, he told Murong Feiyan a word, then went to the Xiuwen Hall to meet them. As he left Murong Feiyan's residence, he unexpectedly ran into his mother coming toward him; he was about to ask what she was doing there, but Xu Fengyi smiled and waved at him, saying, "Your two elder brothers are waiting—hurry over; I'll have a chat with Feiyan."

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but worry: "Mother, you must absolutely not speak nonsense."

Xu Fengyi laughed and said, "Mother understands a girl's heart even better than you do." (To be continued~^~)