Chapter 65: Brothers

  The sky had not yet fully brightened, but the Longyuan Hall was already filled with officials and ministers.

  "Bang!" Zhao Jian Emperor slammed his hand on the table, his fierce anger not subsiding with time, but instead intensifying. "Is this the capital? My capital? Someone dared to assassinate my son right under my nose! What's next, storming into the palace and killing me too?"

  Hush! The officials in the grand hall all knelt down and kowtowed, saying: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! We are guilty of death!"

  Zhao Jian Emperor coughed a few times, his body swaying slightly. Zhang De Shun hurried over to support him, but the emperor raised his hand to stop him. After catching his breath, Zhao Jian Emperor's gaze swept across the officials with an air of cold majesty, his frail health unable to conceal his imposing imperial aura.

  "Convey My Imperial Order: Execute the officer in charge of guarding the capital city, and have the Imperial Guard take control of maintaining order in the capital."

  "Yes, I obey your order." Someone responded loudly.

  Yuan Longchun was kneeling on the ground with his face down, and the blue veins on his forehead were faintly visible. Several times, he almost suspected that Yuan Longchao had nine lives!

  Zhaogong Emperor closed his eyes and took a slight breath, pondered for a moment, and then raised his tired hand.

  "Zhang Deshun's eyes were extremely good, and with a flick of his sleeve, he shouted in a sharp, clear voice that echoed through the great hall: 'At ease.'"

  "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty." The officials all rose to their feet, with the more timid ones unable to resist wiping away the cold sweat on their foreheads.

  "Xia Ai Qing." Emperor Zhao Qian slowly opened his mouth.

  Xia Jingting hastened forward a step, cupped his hands and replied: "Your subject is here."

  "The matter of finding the concubine is left to you."

  "Your Majesty," Without waiting for his father to speak, Xia Yang suddenly stood up, the silver-embroidered hem of his robe fluttering lightly with each step, setting off a heroic air that was unmatched. "I request permission to search for the Third Prince." His slender eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and his thin face still looked pale as snow.

  "Yang Er, your body..." Xia Jingting disapprovingly interrupted.

  "Don't worry about the child, Father. He bowed again and said in a clear voice: "Please allow me to lead the troops to search for the Third Prince."

  Zhaogong Emperor stared at Xiaoyang who stood upright under the palace, pursed his lips and slightly furrowed his brow.

  "Imperial Father, I also want to go find Third Brother." Yuan Longli took a few steps forward and stood beside Xia Yang, looking up at his father on the Dan Throne with expectation.

  "The child also wants to go." Yuan Longqi also stepped forward with determination. Standing in the crowd, Yuan Longkui glanced at him disdainfully and turned his head away in anger.

  Yuan Longqi's words had barely left his mouth when another person, Chancellor Cai Bi, became anxious. His small eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Your Highness, you can't go! In just two more days, it will be your grand wedding with Min Hui!"

  "Third Brother's whereabouts are unknown, how can Long Qi not care about his brother's safety? The wedding day can be postponed, but finding Third Brother is urgent. I hope Lord Situ will understand." He slightly raised his face, and the flawless profile under the lamp light made him look even more handsome. "Imperial Father, please let Long Qi go with me to find Third Brother."

  Emperor Zhaoqing looked at the three young men standing shoulder to shoulder, one with a heroic air, one with a sunny disposition, and one with a gentle warmth. The anger on his face gradually gave way to delight and benevolence. "Good," he nodded in satisfaction. "Brotherly love and fraternal respect, my heart is greatly comforted. Yang Er, Xiao Wu, Xiao Qi, I hereby order you each to lead an army of one thousand men, and you must bring back Sanzi safely."

  "I obey your order."

  "Yes, sir."

  Xia Jingting and Zhao Qian exchanged a subtle glance, while Situ Bi's face turned beet red with anger that he dared not express.

  The sky is misty, and the village is wrapped in a thin fog and wispy smoke, making it seem like a fairyland. Occasionally, a faint bird call can be heard, and when the wind blows, the cornfield rustles softly.

  Ma Achai was chopping firewood in the yard, while Yuan Longqiao was putting things away and chatting with him; Dog Er was riding a broom and running wildly around the yard, having a great time playing alone; Ma Sao was busy in the kitchen, and Xia Tian couldn't help much, just arranging bowls and chopsticks in the hall.

  Yuan Longqiao's gaze swept towards the open door, and the slender figure walked back and forth, her serene beauty suddenly striking his heart. Having not slept well for a night, there was a hint of fatigue between his eyebrows, he rubbed his temples, and his eyes involuntarily looked in the direction of the hall again, his thoughts also being brought back to last night...

  The two of them came back from outside and still slept on opposite sides of the bed, but no longer with their backs to each other.

  Black, the night was as black as ink. With her eyes open, all she could see was a vast expanse of blackness. She should have been afraid, but somehow she felt at ease lying there. Closing her eyes and listening to the soft breathing beside her, she inexplicably felt a sense of security.

  The chill of autumn night has begun to creep in. When summer was awake, it still knew to keep a distance from Yuan Longqiao, but when it fell asleep, it only leaned towards the warmth.

  Yuan Longqiao had always been a light sleeper, and especially after changing places, he couldn't sleep soundly. The wind crept in through the door gaps and window frames, making the room even colder. The two of them stretched out straight under the quilt, not warm at all. As they slept, he suddenly felt something close to him, and soon his arm was being hugged. Opening his eyes, he wasn't surprised to see a head leaning against his shoulder, with warm breath passing through his clothes, his skin seeming to rise and fall along with it.

  Sweet taste, like sugar and honey. Soft touch, like wisteria or grapevine.

  His muscles tensed, his blood began to boil, and his breathing became disordered. This normal man facing his legitimate wife had to endure such inhuman torture, where was the justice! He opened his arms and pulled her into his embrace, carefully covering her with a quilt. He couldn't help but smile wryly, using all his willpower to resist the surging lust in his body.

  Then.

  Some people have sweet dreams at night, while others lie awake all night.

  "Sister, let's call them for dinner." After several encounters, Ma and Xia Tian had become familiar with each other to the point of being like sisters.

  Xiatian responded with a murmur, stepped into the yard, beckoned to Doggie, and shouted loudly: "Ma Dage is eating!" Turning around, she met Yuan Longqiao's dark eyes, but no matter what, she couldn't utter the word "husband". She rolled her eyes and forced herself to laugh, pretending to be nonchalant: "Little San, eat!"

  Yuan Longqiao was taken aback, no one had ever called him that except for his elders. But she, he raised an eyebrow, her smile looked sly no matter how he looked at it.

  "Come on, Fang brothers, let's go eat." Ma Achai put down the axe in his hand, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and called out to Yuan Longqiao to head towards the hall together.

  Madam Ma blushed and placed two large bowls filled with boiled sweet potatoes on the table, saying apologetically: "This morning our family only had this left, it's really an insult to Master Fang and his sister."

  Yuan Longqiao smiled slightly, took a sweet potato and split it in half, handing one half to the dog, while eating the other half with his slender fingers.

  Ma Sao and Ma Achai exchanged a glance, and their unease was alleviated by half. They looked at Xia Tian with trepidation.

  Although the dishes on the table were still those few plates of pickled vegetables, they lacked the bright red sorghum rice. Xia Tian was still very happy and took a large one without hesitation. When she opened the outer skin, she found that the pulp inside was purple, and she couldn't help but let out a joyful shout: "Isn't this purple yam? Ma Sao said it wasn't good, I told you that in our place, this thing is sold at a high price in supermarkets!"