Chapter 29: Chapter 29

Nobody expected the peace treaty between Qian Jin and Qi Ming would end so quickly.

It wasn’t even a year yet and Qi Ming dared to go against the Emperor on their visit to Qian Jin.

The general public agreed that Qi Ming definitely had some screws loose.

Most people thought Xue Lan would get into trouble because of Qi Ming’s action, but the Emperor’s obsession with him only got worse. If Xue Lan’s name was spoken out of one’s mouth, they should be ready to risk their life to say their next sentence.

The Emperor’s state was worrying the officials and generals, but his performance in the war preparation was impeccable.

To be accurate, he was more merciless than usual in his strategies, clearly itching to annihilate the whole Qi Ming.

The last time they witnessed this bloodlust was when he stole the throne away from his own father.

Xue Lan was moved to another residence. It was the closest place to Tian Chen’s Dragon Palace.

Nobody was allowed in and out of there. Only the guards stationed there knew that Tian Chen wasn’t imprisoning Xue Lan.

Rather, he was protecting him from the war outside.

Inside the study, Xue Lan and Mo Shen had been fiddling with the combination tube with no result.

The tube had 10 combinations with each slot containing 10 possible symbols. Every slot had completely different symbols which made the total number of symbols around the tube was 100.

Another 100.

“There must be a connection between the numbers and the words,” Xue Lan placed the tube back on the table.

“I haven’t found any books or scriptures pertaining the meaning of these symbols,” Mo Shen studied them. “They found it in the palace’s treasury. It was stored inside a metal box without any safety measures at all. Nobody knows what this is basically.”

Xue Lan tapped onto the paper, trying to find any pattern within it. After staring at it for almost half an hour, he finally noticed something.

“Mo Shen, try adding each combination until only a single digit is left.”

Mo Shen nodded and wrote them down on another piece of paper. Meanwhile, Xue Lan picked up the tube and aligned the red-coloured symbols on each slot.

The symbols weren’t carved inwardly into the slot. Instead, it was carved outwardly like how a stamp was made.

Xue Lan went to grab another paper and brush. He smeared the ink over the tube and rolled it on top of the paper starting from the red ones until all the symbols were stamped there into a 10x10 square.

Mo Shen handed him the calculated numbers, “Each row has a complete set of 1 to 10. I thought it has a double 1 until I realized I got a 10 on every row.”

Xue Lan accepted it and told Mo Shen to wash the tube. After it was clean, he started turning the dial following the numbers on the paper from 1 to 10, matching them with the stamped-out symbols on the other paper.

Click!

Xue Lan paused and looked at Mo Shen.

The two of them stood up from their chair as Xue Lan pulled open the tube. The lid needed to be twisted and pulled to take out the container inside it. The outer tube was filled with oil and a trigger was planted on the cylindrical wall that would burn the container down if someone attempted to open it with brute force.

“Thankfully, I stopped a certain someone from forcing it open,” Xue Lan remarked.

“Then what’s the book for?” Mo Shen looked at it doubtfully.

“Maybe it’s not the end of the puzzle yet,” Xue Lan popped open the container and slid out its content onto Mo Shen’s clean hands.

Mo Shen unrolled the parchment, “It’s a floorplan.”

“Of what?” Xue Lan shifted closer.

“Of the Dragon Palace,” Mo Shen raised his eyebrows.

“Honorable Prince Xue!! Honourable Prince Xue!!”

Xue Lan and Mo Shen turned towards the window from the call. When they looked out, they found that it was a familiar face who was being blocked by the guards from coming in.

Mo Shen tidied everything up and wiped Xue Lan’s hands before they headed to the gate.

Seeing them, Tang Zhuo became more excited and managed to slip through the guards. He directly grovelled to Xue Lan’s feet.

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“Honorable Prince Xue, this servant was not in his right mind and has offended you deeply. Please accept my sincere apology and show this pitiful one your vast heart. I am willing to serve you for the rest of my life,” Tang Zhuo frantically said.

The area around his ears were covered by gauzes. There were rumors going around that Tang Zhuo became deaf, but it seemed like his hearing was only partially impaled.

Xue Lan stopped the guards from throwing Tang Zhuo out, “Consort Tang, I believe I am not the one you should grovel yourself to.”

“His Majesty has ordered this pitiful one to be executed and refused to see me. Honorable Prince Xue, I beg you to lend this fellow townsman your help.”

Tang Zhuo reached out to grab Xue Lan’s robe, but his wrist was stepped on by Mo Shen.

“Aghh!!”

“Touching my lord is unnecessary for your pleading, no?”

Tang Zhuo shook in fear from Mo Shen’s smile and hurriedly apologized, banging his head to the ground, “Honorable Prince Xue, please save me. I promise I will be of help if you wish to take revenge on Qi Ming for disgracing your noble self.”

“What is this unsightly display?”

Seeing the dragon robe entering the gate, the guards promptly knelt down.

Tian Chen went to Xue Lan’s side but the other refused to look at him. He immediately turned and silently walked away.

“Honorable Prince Xue! Honorable Prince– No! Let me go!! Your Majesty, I beg you to reconsider!”

With a look from Tian Chen, the guards roughly pulled Tang Zhuo up from the ground and dragged him away, turning a deaf ear to his cries.

At an unhurried pace, Xue Lan walked to his courtyard.

It was three times bigger than his previous courtyard with its own bench and pavilion. There was also a small koi pond at the side, filling the area with the relaxing noise of water stream from its small decorative waterfall.

Tian Chen followed behind him wordlessly. Only heaven knew how much he wanted to hold Xue Lan’s hand and turn him around to look at him.

He once preferred delicate beauties with bright, clean robes who were the embodiment of flowers. It hadn’t changed until now though something was slightly different.

He loved flowers which reminded him of Xue Lan.

The flare of roses, the nobleness of wisteria, the beauty of jasmine, the pureness of lotus, even the toxicity of peony. Xue Lan’s favourite flowers seemed to be plum blossoms with most of his robes embroidered with them.

It was now his favourite as well.

Xue Lan stopped by the pond, “Your Majesty, is there something you need from this subject? Are you going to drag me away for execution as well?”

Tian Chen frowned, “Why would you even come to that conclusion, Prince Xue? Do We give any impression that We are going to hurt you?”

“This subject is aware of the news circulating around Qian Jin, Your Majesty. Once you conquer Qi Ming, this subject will no longer be of any use to you though I doubt holding me hostage right now is of any assistance to the war.”

“I know you’re doing this on purpose, Xue Lan,” Tian Chen dropped his emperor persona and turned Xue Lan to face him. “You know for what I am doing this for. For whom I am doing this for.”

“No, I do not,” Xue Lan’s eyes were fixed on the pond. “Your Majesty, this subject believes you are being confused by your misunderstanding.”

“And I believe you are being imprisoned by your denial,” Tian Chen caressed Xue Lan’s eyes. “I know you love me. And I know you are aware and scared of that as well.”

He saw Xue Lan’s pupils faintly shook. He thought Xue Lan would finally admit it when the other suddenly slapped his hand away.

“I was sent here to seduce you and muddle your heart,” Xue Lan laughed. “It is truly grateful that you are so easily deceived. I didn’t even have to utter nauseous praises and sweet nothings. This war is exactly what Qi Ming wants.”

“Whatever phrases you think can hurt me won’t work,” Tian Chen calmly said. “You should’ve at least spared Consort Tang from impaling his ears that night for your lies to be slightly believable.”

“…”

“If this war is what Qi Ming wants, then so be it,” Tian Chen grabbed Xue Lan’s wrist. He tugged him closer and closed their gap, “We shall gladly deliver their destruction to their doorstep and offer their blood to you.”

He inched slightly towards Xue Lan’s lips but stopped himself with only a breath of distance left between them.

With much difficulty, he let Xue Lan go and left with heavy steps.

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