Chapter 6: 6

Xie Changgeng arrived in Yuecheng in the afternoon

“Xuanqing…” Lu shi called out worriedly to her husband.

“What A’mei means is what I mean!” Mu Xuanqing said sternly, with no room for negotiation.

He and his wife have always had a good relationship. It was the first time that Mu Xuanqing spoke to his wife in this tone in front of other people.

When the king is angry, the attendants nearby all showed fear and knelt down on the ground, not daring to move.

Lu Shi knew that he should have heard about the Xie family’s intention to take a concubine, which is why he was so angry and came over despite the fact that his leg had not yet healed.

She knows her husband’s temper.

He regretted his own incompetence. At that time he did not have his fathers’ confidence, so A’mei was promised to a Jiangyang thief.

For A’mei, this was a great grievance.

Now that the Xie family dared to treat her like this, how could he bear it?

Intuitively, Lu Shi always felt that this matter was not as simple as what sister-in-law said on the surface, there may be a hidden agenda.

But her husband is the King of Changsha. He has already taken such a stand, how can she object again?

Moreover, my sister-in-law’s attitude was so resolute and she just recently helped save her husband.

At worst, this sudden change will cause the relationship between Changsha State and the now powerful Hexi governor Xie Changgeng to break up, and become enemies. 

But what could be more terrible than the loss of the king of Changsha, and the subsequent removal of the kingdom of Changsha?

If my sister-in-law had not received a dream from the gods and delivered that life-saving letter in time, she would have lost her husband, the king of Changsha, and this country would soon cease to exist.

Lu Shi was also an open-minded person, so when she thought about it, she calmed down.

 She pondered and nodded.

“Alright. If you really decide to separate from the Xie family, Laner, sister-in-law, like your brother, will definitely help you.”

“The country is here and you are the princess of Changsha!”

Mu Xuanqing looked at his wife, his expression softened a little and ordered all the servants around to retreat.

“A’mei, do you remember ten years ago, when you were six years old, when gugu died in the palace? I didn’t tell you before but when father received the news, there was something strange about her death and it is related to the current traitorous Empress. Before my aunt died, she ordered her confidant to bring her last words to father.”

“I was twelve years old but I still remember gugu’s last words clearly.”

“Gugu said life and death have a destiny, all is due to fate and she has no resentment at all. The imperial court intended to completely cut off the vassal kings with different surnames and she did not want any turmoil in Changsha because of her. Gugu told my father to keep a low profile from now on to protect Changsha. Safety is the top priority.”

“A’mei, do you know what gugu means by this? I did not understand at the time. I asked father, but he did not reply. Later when I thought about it myself, it was only in the last two years that I figured it out.”

“A’mei, do you know why the court chose Mu’s daughter as the Empress back then? It seems impressive, but it’s actually a poisonous bait! Gugu died in the palace for no apparent reason. What they were waiting for, perhaps, is the anger and injustice of Changsha. If father made any movements, it will be the best excuse for them to attack our Mu family!”

“Father endured it in order to protect Mu family’s inheritance. He also responded to Xie’s marriage proposal and promised you to him.”

“Father promised you to him and recommended him to serve as an official, hoping to use his strength to keep the four borders of Changsha safe. However, this Xie is now supported by the traitorous Empress and is very close to her. The Empress has been isolating me in Changsha and secretly suppressing me under the pretext of eradicating the rebellious kings.”

“Father can bear it, but I can’t bear it. Sooner or later, I will avenge gugu’s death. My words just now were not just a momentary impulse!”

“This Xie, in order to get rid of his identity as a bandit, asked for marriage with us. Now he is willing to become a traitor’s dog in order to achieve prosperity. It is impossible for him to have the same heart as my Mu family. Not to mention that he is now treating you with such contempt! In the past, you were willing to marry him, but now that you have changed your mind, no matter how incompetent I, Mu Xuanqing, will not force you to commit yourself to such an unworthy person!”

“A’mei, don’t worry. As soon as Xie arrives, I’ll make it clear to him for you!”

“From now on, I will do everything in my power to strengthen my country of Changsha, protect my sister and never let you suffer any grievances!”

The young king looked excited and his eyes were bright. The resounding oath showed his unparalleled determination and the pride and intrinsic courage found in the sons of the royal family.

 There was a warm current in Mu Fulan’s heart.

Xie Changgeng is the same age as her elder brother, but only a few months older than him. How deep his scheming, how tolerant he is of people, and how cunning his nature, in this world, perhaps there is no one more clear about it than her.

Regardless of whether brother can really help her get rid of him, the love and care that brother and her sister-in-law have for her is another precious possession in her life after she her lost flesh and blood (son).

In the future, she will also do her best to protect her most precious possessions.

“Thank you, brother. Thank you, sister-in-law.”

…

Half a month later, on the 12th day of November, the ceremonial officer of Changsha received news again.

Xie Changgeng, the governor of Hexi, also known as the princess’ husband, will arrive in Yuecheng in three days.

When the ceremonial officer began to prepare for the ceremony to welcome the distinguished guest, he received an order from the king.

The king ordered them not to do anything.

He did not stop Xie Changgeng from coming, but he did not make any preparations to welcome him.

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The officers were greatly confused.

Xie Changgeng’s current official position is extremely prominent. Hexi governor to be stationed in Liangzhou and bestowed military power. 

Even if he was an ordinary person, as the princess’ husband, to come to Changsha to pay his respects to the late king, such “courtesy” is not justified.

But the king’s order could not be violated.

The ceremonial officer asked Prime Minister Lu Lin about the situation. Lu Lin himself  was at a loss as to what to do and he could not find out anything from the queen. He tried to advise Mu Xuanqing, but he did not see him, so he suppressed his apprehension and told him to act according to the king’s order.

On the fifteenth day, early in the morning, Lu Lin once again asked to see Mu Xuanqing, advising him that no matter what the reason, since Xie Changgeng claimed to come here to pay his respects to the late king, there was no need to offend people in this way.

But Mu Xuanqing still did not listen to him and walked away.

Lu Lin had no choice but to order people to open the city gates to welcome him, and he himself took the officials to the temple of the late king, where they waited for Xie Changgeng.

Xie Changgeng arrived in Yuecheng in the afternoon.

He was dressed in ordinary clothes. He only had a few attendants, all of them in commoner clothes. When he arrived at the city gate, the city guards did not expect that this young man, who looked so elegant and refined, was the husband of the princess of Changsha. Seeing that his companions seemed to be carrying weapons, they stopped them and questioned them about their origins.

Xie Changgeng’s entourage have been with him since his early years in the Yangtze River waterway. They seemed ordinary and blended in when they were placed in a crowd, but in reality, they were all bandits who murdered without blinking an eye. After entering Changsha, they were surprised by the other party’s hospitality. They saw that there was no minimum greeting at the entrance of the city, but instead stopped by the city guards and questioned rudely they could not bear it any longer and were furious. They were about to draw swords on the spot, but was stopped by Xie Changgeng.

He sat on his horse, looking at the street scene of Changsha, which was in front of him, behind the heavy doorway. He gave his name with a calm expression.

When the city guard heard that he was Xie Changgeng, he was taken aback and hurriedly stepped aside to make way.

When he came to ask for marriage three years ago, he had only been to the palace and not to the temple. He asked the city guard for directions.

He glanced in the direction where he was pointed, squinted slightly, then rode his horse into the city.

While Lu Lin and the other officials were waiting under the sacred steps leading to the temple, Yuan Handing also arrived.

 Yuan Han stood still there, staring straight ahead, like a rock pillar frozen in place.

Lu Lin is a generation above Yuan Handing, and in terms of age, he is his elder, but today, it is not possible to be as stable as him.

He really could not understand why Mu Xuanqing put on such a condescending gesture to his brother-in-law who came from afar.

He was even more worried that if this offended Xie Changgeng, it would not be a good thing to live in Changsha in the future.

While he was looking around, he suddenly saw a little green figure coming from the end of the divine path in the distance.

The green figure was getting closer and bigger.

Lu Lin recognised at a glance that it was Xie Changgeng who he had met three years ago.

After not seeing him for three years, the appearance of this young man has not changed much.

Perhaps, the newly added killings on the official road are just a continuation of when he was a bandit in the past, and it is not enough to add more bloody shadows in his eyes.

His pace is not too fast, and he was walking in this direction alone.

Lu Lin hurriedly led his men to greet him and said with a smile, “After several years of absence, I can only hear about the great reputation of the governor from afar. It is a great honour to finally meet again.”

His tone was extremely respectful.

 Xie Changgeng stopped, returned the salute, and smiled slightly, “The Prime Minister works hard for the country and the people. Because I came late, I’ve kept the prime minister and all of you waiting here for a long time.”

Mu Xuanqing has offended him today. Unexpectedly, as soon as we met, Xie Changgeng acted as if nothing had happened, as if he didn’t care, his words were gentle, and his reply was thoughtful.

Lu Lin breathed a sigh of relief.

The other party didn’t mention Changsha’s disrespect, so naturally he wouldn’t be stupid enough to take the initiative to bring it up, and was busy introducing Yuan Handing to Xie Changgeng.

“General Yuan is the adopted son of the late Yuan Prime Minister. Today, he learned that the governor was coming, so he came here to greet him.” Yuan Handing was only a general in Changsha, which was a great difference from Xie Changgeng’s official position.

Yuan Handing looked solemn, neither humble nor arrogant, he bowed to Xie Changgeng and said, “The general will welcome the governor.”

Xie Changgeng’s two lines of sight fell on Yuan Handing’s face, stared at him for a moment, nodded slightly, and walked away. 

Lu Lin hurriedly followed and led the way to the King’s Temple.

The temple door was already opened.

Xie Changgeng cleaned his hands and held the incense with a solemn expression. He entered the temple of the king and bowed to the many ancestors of the Mu family listed in the temple. He returned to the memorial tablet of the old Changsha wang who died three years ago. He was respectful and meticulous.

After the bow, he got up from the ground, inserted the incense into the incense burner, stepped back, walked a dozen steps, and then turned around to leave the temple. Then his footsteps stopped.

Mu Xuanqing, the king of Changsha, his wife’s brother had entered the ancestral temple at some point and was standing in the middle of the temple, blocking his way.

The servants who had been kneeling on both sides of the threshold were all gone.

Mu Xuanqing wore a white jade crown on his head, dressed in a splendid royal robe, and wore a gold-coloured jade belt around his waist. He looked at him coldly with a face like snow and an expression like ice.

The surroundings were silent.

It seemed like the eyes of the dead were floating on the top of the temple, quietly watching the two people standing opposite each other.

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