Chinese terms in this chapter:

　　Fu: mansion/resident Gongzi: unmarried young man. Mostly used to call people from the noble classes or someone famous. Fuhuang: imperial father. What children of the emperor calls the emperor Huangguifei: noble imperial consort. Only a rank below the empress Muhou: imperial mother, only used to call the empress by the children of the emperor. Zhen:I, used by the emperor Er: form of endearment

　　Chapter 60 Cohabiting before marriage (2)

　　“Your highness, your highness!”

　　Outside, Fu Er heard the movement inside and quickly came in. Seeing that inside the study there’s one more man in red, Fu Er was surprised.

　　“Who are you? Why did you trespass into the hostage fu?”

　　“Ah, crown prince has good skills!”

　　The man in red turned around.

　　Heavens! When he saw this man, Fu Er couldn’t help but admire him in his heart. His own crown prince is already like a celestial being, he didn’t think that in this world there’s still such a refined man. Not only Fu Er, when Ming Yue Cheng saw that man, his heart also escalated. But the other party didn’t look old. He can only be referred as a boy.

　　This boy is about fifteen or sixteen years old. From far, he looked like an immortal; refined and elegant. From close, standard eyebrows, phoenix eyes, handsome nose and cherry lips. The skin is like cream. The face is peach shaped. He looked clever and quick-witted without any trace of dust.

　　Although his clothes are hot red color, but it didn’t erase anything from him. Instead this eye-catching red made him appear more outstanding. And between the eyebrows of this boy, there’s a rose color mole, which made him have a hint of the aura of an immortal. He also has a hint of earthly obsession with made him look like a half human half deity.

　　Presumably, deities must look like this! Inside Ming Yue Cheng’s heart gave birth to such thoughts.

　　‘Ceng……’

　　Ming Yue Cheng was lost in thoughts. The boy appeared in front of him in a gust of wind. A feather fan is held against Ming Yue Cheng’s neck artery.

　　“Crown prince, if your thoughts are elsewhere, your life will be lost!”

　　“Presumptuous!

　　Seeing that the boy is being so rude, Fu Er shouted. His hands turned into fists and headed toward the boy.

　　“I didn’t expect that old uncle is a high skilled master!”

　　The boy smiled very dreamlike. His body disappeared. When Fu Er noticed, the feather fan is already at his neck. A few centimeters closer and his head will fall on the ground.

　　Cold……Fu Er has never seen such charm and ghost like skill. Immediately his back turned cold full of cold sweat till his bones. Although scared, but Fu Er soon calmed down.

　　“Hero, if you want money, go ahead. If you want life, please spare crown prince. Take my life!”

　　Daxia (hero): is something used to call people who roam the jianghu. They are not real heroes.  As there were many complains that I use too many Chinese terms, I’ll use hero for daxia in the future chapters.

　　“No!”

　　Ming Yue Cheng came out of daze. Cold eye stared at the boy in red. His body burst of coldness.

　　“If you dare to hurt Fu Er, even to the end of the earth, I will find and kill you!”

　　In just a moment, the atmosphere in the room turned heavy. The boy didn’t retrieve his hand but also didn’t attack. He only looked at this pair of master and servant smilingly.

　　“Ah, interesting.”

　　After quite a while, the boy retrieved his fan. His feet moved and he sat on a pear wood chair.

　　“I’ll introduce myself. My name is Guang Hua. I came to talk about a business with crown prince!”

　　“Guang Hua gongzi?”

　　Not only Fu Er, Ming Yue Cheng was also very shocked.

　　Rumors say that Guang Hua gongzi unrivalled in his time. Today they saw him. Such looks, such ability, really only the word ‘Guang Hua’ can match with him. It’s just what people never imagined is, that Guang Hua gongzi is actually so young……

　　Guang Hua means brilliance

　　The other party showed his intention, Ming Yue Cheng nodded. Fu Er quietly retreated and shut the door.

　　“Business? Don’t know what kind of business Guang Hua gongzi wants to do with me? I’m only a hostage. What do I have to let the famous Guang Hua gongzi set his eyes on?”

　　The other party entered the hostage fu secretly. Now he showed his identity. It seems that there really is something going on. Ming Yue Cheng sat across Guang Hua gongzi. He still looked lazy. It’s just that occasionally a touch of agility will flash in his eyes making people unable to ignore it.

　　“The throne……,” Guang Hua gongzi slowly spit out two words. “What does crown prince think?”

　　Have to say, that such direct words from Guang Hua gongzi let Ming Yue Cheng go in daze for a moment. ‘The throne’ is indeed something very tempting. But Ming Yue Cheng didn’t understand why Guang Hua gongzi looked for him and want to help him? In the world there’s no free lunch. He understood this.

　　Seeing Ming Yue Cheng’s ‘carefulness’, Guang Hua gongzi opened the feather fan in his hand and waved slowly.

　　“All the clothes of Helan Min came from my Jue Se Fang. Your fuhuang’s robe came out of my hand. If I did something on those, within a month, they will die from a heart attack. Then gongzi will have a chance……”

　　Guang Hua gongzi talking like this, Ming Yue Cheng understood why the other party have such air.

　　The love Helan Min has for Jue Se Fang has already became to the state of addiction. From a silk handkerchief, to her socks, to a side stitch in her dress must be produced from Jue Se Fang.

　　Helan Min is the mother of princess Xin and the huangguifei of Nan Feng

　　If doing it according to how Guang Hua gongzi say, put some drug on the objects, then it’ll be really that even a ghost won’t be able to detect it. It’s also the best way.

　　“What do you want? Or what do you want to get to know from me?”

　　Seeing Ming Yue Cheng become serious, Guang Hua gongzi chuckled. His pair of phoenix eyes jumped and became radiant.

　　“I’m a merchant. Merchants naturally value benefits the most. If I help your highness get the throne, I want the sixteen states of You Yun.

　　Hearing this, Ming Yue Cheng got angry. Sixteen states of You Yun. Among them Nan four states is Nan Feng country’s northern gate which connects to the three countries. It’s a military fortress. Now Guang Hua gongzi is saying that he wants sixteen states of You Yun, it’s obviously wanting Ming Yue Cheng to cut off territory! How can he accept this?!

　　“Sixteen states of You Yun? Guang Hua gongzi has big appetite! Can it be that you want to make yourself emperor?”

　　“Crown prince is too impatient. I haven’t finish talking yet! I only want the ‘special access order’ of the sixteen states of You Yun.”

　　“Special access order?”

　　Ming Yue Cheng knows about this.

　　That year when the country divided in three, the sixteen states of You Yun have also been divided. Each of the four countries occupied four states. It’s a special geographic location. The sixteen states of You Yun became the location where the merchants of the four countries gather, the place where the countries exchange things with each other. Even foreign countries will come here for transaction. So the profits are very large.

　　However, the people who can do business in the sixteen states of You Yun are no ordinary people. It may be an imperial merchant, a nobility, or a gongzi from the four great families……all of them have prominent identities. All of them have some relationship with the imperial family. They are no ordinary merchants.

　　To enter the sixteen states of You Yun and do business there, you must have a ‘special access order’. This order is extremely rare. It’s only in the hands of the imperial family. Ordinary merchants have no way to get it.

　　Now, the special access order of Nan Feng country is in the hands of Helan Min’s nephew Helan Lian Yi’s hands. What Guang Hua gongzi wants is this special access order.

　　“If your highness gets the throne and can give me the special access order, I’ll give your highness an annual bonus of one percent. What does highness think?”

　　“Three percent! I want three percent annual bonus! Doing business in the sixteen states of You Yun, how big the profit is, Guang Hua gongzi presumably knows better than I. So I want three percent annual bonus. It’s not a bit going overboard!”

　　Ming Yue didn’t hesitate the slightest and raised three fingers in the air.

　　“Good!”

　　Guang Hua gongzi accepted without hesitation. Then he took out a ‘contract’. Seeing that the boy in red even prepared this, Ming Yue Cheng knows that the other party came prepared. The other party has long wanted to do business with him. In his heart, he trusted Guang Hua gongzi a bit more.

　　They signed, put a fingerprints and each one took a copy of the contract.

　　Guang Hua gongzi carefully put away the contract. Then he gave Ming Yue Cheng a Guanyin carved out of sandalwood.

　　Guanyin: goddess of mercy

　　“After your highness return, you can use this keepsake and go to Jue Se Fang in Nan Feng’s capital. The shopkeeper Fang Bai will listen to your instructions. I will wait for your highness’ good news!”

　　“You believe in me so much?”

　　Ming Yue Cheng looked at this young man who is full of confidence.

　　“If I lose, you will also lose……”

　　“Haha!”

　　Hearing Ming Yue Cheng say that, Guang Hua gongzi laughed.

　　“Your highness is the true son of heaven. How will you lose?! Crown prince winning is me winning. A win-win deal…. everyone will make money, how will your highness not be tempted? Besides in the palace, isn’t there empress Wan who can help……

　　The more Guang Hua gongzi talk, the uglier Ming Yue Cheng’s expression become. He actually knows that the current empress Gu Yun Wan is his people. Is there something that he doesn’t know about?

　　“Unless crown prince has forgotten the three hundred twenty-one innocent people of Miao family who died unjustified; Unless crown prince can sleep well every night on empress Yun’s jade pillow…….

　　“Shut up!”

　　Hearing the last part, Ming Yue Cheng roared. With one stroke, he smashed the wooden table in front of Guang Hua gongzi.

　　“Don’t mention my muhou!”

　　The Ming Yue Cheng at this time is different from the usual romantic and player self. His eyes are blood-red and glared ferociously at Guang Hua gongzi. That look is like he wanted to cut him (GH) in thousand pieces! It’s like wanting to eat his flesh and drink his blood!

　　Miao Chu Yun, Nan Feng’s empress, because of practising witchcraft was sent to the cold palace. Later Miao family committed treason. The whole clan was executed……

　　Outsiders think empress Yun is vicious and that Miao family deserve it. Only Ming Yue Cheng will never forget that night ten years ago. The cold palace was in big fire, making the whole sky become red. His muhou used her life, used Miao family’s demise in exchange for his safety…….

　　“Cheng er, you must definitely continue to live well! Even if it’s living in humiliation; even if it’s to live and drift without purpose, you must definitely live! You must definitely get justice for muhou and Miao family. You must let the whole world know that muhou died in injustice!”

　　The last words of empress Yun while she was in the fire still rang in Ming Yue Cheng’s ears. Every night he dreamed of the smiling appearance of his muhou being burned to ashes. Every night it haunted his mind making him unable to sleep……even in death, he won’t forget!

　　‘Pa, pa!’

　　Guang Hua gongzi clapped twice.

　　“I thought that being in Xi Qi for ten years, even crown prince’s edge has been drained. Now seeing crown prince like this, I can be at ease. Crown prince, don’t use such gaze to look at me. The one you need to hate and take revenge on, is in Nan Feng. I’m not your punching bag.”

　　“Humph!”

　　Ming Yue Cheng took over the sandalwood Guanyin from Guang Hua gongzi. Arrogance covered his fierceness of before. His pair of eyes looked coldly at Guang Hua gongzi. His whole body exuded a noble air. It’s completely different from his usual player self. This is only an aura an emperor can have!

　　“When zhen ascend the throne, zhen will definitely give you punishment for the disrespect of today!”

　　“Then, I’ll wait and see……”

　　A ‘zhen’ let Ming Yue Cheng completely change. This man has been awakened. Then the sky of the south (nan) will change……

　　The day that Murong Qi Qi will leave is getting closer and closer. In Xi Qi when girls reach sixteen, they will be considered an adult. Murong Qi Qi happens to turn sixteen at nineteenth of September. Because she is princess Zhao Yang which was personally bestowed by the emperor and because she is Bei Zhou’s future Nan Lin wangfei, that’s why the ceremony to become an adult was exceptionally grand.

　　Although Xi Qi’s imperial family suffered a series of bad luck before, but for princess Zhao Yang’s ceremony, Longze Yu still sent over the court ritualists. Plus, the fact that Murong Qi Qi’s relations with people is not bad. Many of those members of the good families also came.

　　“Congratulations princess!”

　　Bai Yi Yue is a month older than Murong Qi Qi. She has long put her hair up. The gift Bai Yi Yue brought today for Murong Qi Qi is a hundred-year-old purple ginseng. A hundred-year-old ginseng is rare. A purple ginseng is even rarer.

　　Women in the ancient times have different hairstyles according to their age/ married state.

　　“Thank you!”

　　Murong Qi Qi has a very good impression of Bai Yi Yue. That why she gave Bai Yi Yue a ‘Begonia’s spring sleep’ on her ceremony as a gift.

　　“Princess is marrying far away. In the future if you have the need, you can take my big brother’s ring to Bai family’s store. As long as we are able to do it, we will definitely help princess!”

　　The ring Bai Yi Yue was talking about is that black jade ring Bai Mu Fei gambled on Murong Qi Qi on that night they were admiring the moon. Now Bai Yi Yue is saying this, it must also be Bai Mu Fei’s meaning. This sibling’s personality is not bad. Originally, Murong Qi Qi wanted to keep this black jade ring for future use.

　　“Yi Yue, I don’t know how to express my thanks to you two!

　　“Princess living happily in Bei Zhou is the way to thank us!”

　　Bai Yi Yue smiled sweetly: “It’s getting late. The people outside are getting impatient. Everyone came for the ceremony! Let’s go!”

　　The sign of becoming an adult is binding the hair together. Today, Murong Qi Qi’s long hair was neatly combed. It lay down her back till her ankle.

　　Usually, binding the hair together is done by the mother or the father. However, Murong Qi Qi’s birth mother Li Qiu Shui has entered the temple for fifteen years already. Although Murong Tai has sent someone to the temple to invite her, but till now she hasn’t appeared.

　　Murong Qi Qi doesn’t have the slightest impression of this mother. It’s said that not long after she was born, Li Qiu Shui has entered the temple. She threw the Murong Qi Qi who was crying pitifully for food at  Murong Tai and has never come out of the temple again.

　　All these years, Murong Tai believed that the reason Li Qiu Shui went into the temple was because of Murong Qi Qi. He felt that it’s because of Murong Qi Qi that he lost his beloved wife. So he let others bully Murong Qi Qi and he watched as a cold spectator. He was indifferent to her and paid no attention to her.

　　In fact, Murong Tai is very clear about the real reason. That woman in temple has broken the will to be on earth because the man she loved has died. But his heart couldn’t take this, so he put all the blame on Murong Qi Qi.

　　It’s just that the child is innocent……

　　“Prime minister, the auspicious time has arrived.” The ceremonial official reminded Murong Tai.

　　“Ai……,” Murong Tai sighed.

　　Sure enough, she still doesn’t want to come out, doesn’t want to see him. Even at their child’s becoming an adult ceremony, she as a mother still refused to come at the scene. But since this is the case, that year, why did she, while heavily pregnant rushed to Yangdang Mountain to tell him about Bei Zhou’s military insight and let that god like man be defeated at his hands?!

　　Presumably, she also didn’t expect that Feng Xie will die, didn’t expect that the outcome would be like that……if she had known that Feng Xie will lose the battle, and will take his life for the loss, presumable she wouldn’t have helped him. And he, Murong Tai will also not become famous because of what happened at Yangdang Mountain and become a country’s prime minister overnight.

　　In the end, is it fate playing with people or is it people’s heart playing with people? Shui er, you only remember Feng Xie’s valiant and heroism on the horse. Have you ever remembered that year in the Peach Grove when you tempted my eyes and caused my heart to be in disorder……?

　　“Let me!”

　　Murong Tai took the comb and walked to Murong Qi Qi.

　　It was so many years, this is the first time Murong Tai looked at this daughter so carefully. She didn’t inherit her parent’s good genes. This face put in Murong family is simply too ordinary, too common. However, Murong Tai found out today that this third daughter has a pair of eyes that are like stars. So bright, so dazzling, stealing away all the glances.

　　With eyes so touching, how can she be an ordinary girl?! Seeing her performance at the palace feast, she is not a ‘rubbish’ ah! Thinking of the recent events where Murong Qi Qi escaped, Murong Tai sighed with deep regret.

　　Although this daughter didn’t inherit his and Shui er’s looks, but she is their child. How could she be bad?!

　　“You’ve grown up……”

　　Murong Tai is full of regret at the moment. In his heart there is also a rising wave of guilt.

　　Time flew fast. That baby who cried in his arm has now grown into a graceful girl and would marry to become a mother of another. Ignoring this daughter for so many years; now facing this adult version, Murong Tai didn’t know what to say.

　　Towards Murong Tai this father, Murong Qi Qi didn’t have any special feelings. She is not the original owner of this body, how can she generate feelings between a father and a daughter?! Besides, this person as a father did so many things that was cold and ruthless. Even though, now, in his eyes shone fatherly love and there are those guilty feelings, but the person he should repent to, is dead. She is just an extra-terrestrial guest.

　　“Let me!”

　　Just as Murong Tai’s comb was about to touch Murong Qi Qi’s thick black hair, a gorgeous voice rang into the people’s ears.

　　‘Kuang……’

　　Hearing this familiar yet unfamiliar voice, the comb in Murong Tai’s hand fell onto the ground.

　　“Shui er, is it you?”

　　Murong Tai didn’t dare to turn around. He is afraid that if he turned all will be a dream. That cruel woman is so unfeeling. No matter how he cried, how he promised, she didn’t turn back. Without fondness, she only left him a cold back, making him wait for fifteen years. Now, did she really come?

　　“Husband……”

　　How long has he not heard this appellation? Murong Tai couldn’t remember anymore…… it seemed like it was on their wedding night. They were a perfect match. Very romantically, they nestled by the window. But is this ‘husband’ really as sincere as she made it sound? Does she really see him as a husband?

　　“Husband, let me comb Qi Qi’s hair!”

　　A woman in light coloured clothes appeared in front of Murong Tai. She bent down and picked up he comb from the ground.

　　“Shui er, it’s really you!”

　　Only until after he saw the real person, did Murong Tai believe his eyes. Fifteen years, he has become fat, out of shape and old. He is no longer handsome. But she is still so beautiful and didn’t have a trace of becoming old.

　　Soft white skin, smooth as jade forehead, pretty nose, smiling eyes……time didn’t leave any marks on her body. She is still the same as that year and didn’t change.

　　“Husband, long time no see.”

　　Li Qiu Shui smiled slowly. So quiet, high and generous as the winter fairy. Her gestures are like the style of the great families.

　　“Long……long time no see.”

　　Li Qiu Shui appearance made the crowd very surprised. Especially the younger generation of the great families. They know from their parents that the wife of the prime minister went into the temple, but they have never seen this wife of the prime minister, Li family’s eldest miss.

　　“Why did she come?”

　　Liu Yan Zhi wrung her handkerchief. She glared full of hate at Li Qiu Shui’s back. Although she is a gift Li Qiu Shui gave Murong Tai and because of this she enjoyed a decade of glory, but she isn’t grateful towards Li Qiu Shui!

　　This woman stayed at the temple for fifteen years. Why didn’t she continue stay there? Why did she have to come out?! Those pair of Murong Tai’s eyes which is full of adoration, made Liu Yan Zhi furious. He really missed this bitch. No wonder every time they did that thing, while moving he will embrace Liu Yan Zhi and shout “Shui er” ……

　　Liu Yan Zhi is Murong Qing Lian and Murong Jun’s mother

　　Li Qiu Shui looked at Murong Qi. Her expression is very complicated. After a long time, did she say: “Qi Qi is already so big……”

　　“Mother……”

　　Finally, she saw this body’s biological mother. The small question mark which stayed in Murong Qi Qi’s heart for so many days turned into doubt. She doesn’t look like Li Qiu Shui. They look nothing alike!