Chapter 71: Three Choices

  Three big men in the tent simultaneously turned their faces, all bewildered.

  Yuwen Qiming stood up somewhat awkwardly and gave Xia Tian a salute: "I've seen Your Highness."

  Xia Tian glanced at Yuan Longqiao and said somewhat unhappily, "You don't have to pay your respects to me, just as long as you don't fill my husband's head with foolish ideas."

  He rubbed his nose in confusion, and Yuwen Qiming turned to Yuan Longqiao with a puzzled expression: "Your Highness, please forgive me for my ignorance, but I really don't understand what the princess is saying."

  "Yes, I don't understand either. What are Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law talking about?" Yuan Longlin also curiously chimed in.

  Yuan Longqiao quietly watched Xia Tian for a while, feeling a bit of a headache.

  She rolled her eyes, and with a sly smile, she said seriously: "I'm absolutely not biased against people with different sexual orientations, that's your freedom." She tapped the shoulder of Yu Wenqi Ming with her toes, "However, you can't like him." She pointed at Yuan Longqiao, "He is my... Ah, husband, a married man. What you're doing is ruining someone else's family, it's immoral. You can like him, he should still be single!" Her chin still lowered, she glanced sideways at Yuan Longqiao, who had already been stunned into a daze.

  The big tent was silent for one second, two seconds, three seconds... Suddenly, two voices shouted in unison: "You said I like men!" "You made him like me!"

  “Haha!” Xiatian held her belly and laughed uncontrollably, their two expressions were really too funny. A pair of arms wrapped around her waist, warm and familiar breath blowing on the fluff of her collar, tickling her face. "You naughty little thing, behave yourself!" Xiatian leaned back, those dark eyes clearly reflecting a dazed self, his mouth curved up, soft laughter welling up in his eyes.

  In the summer, they took a ride, Yuan Longqia and others rode horses, a team of people and horses went forward in a mighty manner, and it wasn't until after a whole day's journey that they entered the city gate.

  "Neigh!" A loud whinny, the carriage slowly came to a stop. Xia Tian was curious, and just listened to someone approaching and kowtowing. "Your subordinate is at fault, causing Your Highness to be startled."

  "War Engine, rise up, this matter is not your fault."

  Xiatian knew that Yuan Longqiao and his three brothers were either in front of or behind the horse carriage, but at this moment, hearing his voice right next to him still made her feel a sweetness in her heart.

  The horse's hooves clattered, not fast, but very urgent. "I, Xiaoyang, have seen the Third Prince, the Fifth Prince, and the Seventh Prince. I don't know if Tian'er is in the carriage?" It was her big brother! She lifted the curtain of the carriage. White horse, white robe, the whole person was as clear as water, as elegant as jade, who else could it be but her big brother who looked like a banished immortal?

  "Big brother!" A clear and cheerful call, made Xia Yang's eyes well up with tears. The worries and fatigue of the past few days were all wiped away by her one call. He turned over and got off his horse, without caring about others, he rushed straight to the petite figure who had jumped down from the carriage.

  "Heavens! Are you safe and sound?"

  "Uh-huh." She gave him a big hug and nodded with a joyful smile, "I'm fine, Big Brother, is your illness better?"

  A faint smile spread across her pale face, Xiaoyang gazed at her for a moment, tenderly stroking her cheek with an affectionate expression, and said irrelevantly: "You've lost so much weight!"

  "Really? Have I lost weight? That's great!"

  "Oh no!" Xiaoyang was stunned for a moment, letting out a somewhat helpless sigh.

  "Big brother, you've lost so much weight!" Xia Tian looked up at him with an extremely serious expression and said, "Your illness isn't healed yet, is it? Are you out looking for me? I'm fine, I'm safe, don't worry about me."

  Two people stood in front of the horse carriage, chatting as if no one was around. Although they were siblings, their behavior seemed too intimate. Yuan Longqi had seen the closeness between the two at the General's Mansion before. He turned his head to look at Yuan Longpan, who looked shocked, and smiled slightly. Most people present probably wore a similar expression. Looking again at Yuan Longqiao, the smile on his lips instantly faded. His eyes showed no anger or jealousy, only a deep contemplation that was hard to discern.

  "Tian'er, let's return to General's mansion with Big Brother. Ever since you went missing, Father has been worried about you. Now that he sees you're back safe and sound, the old man will surely be overjoyed."

  Go back and see dad, Xia Tian has some movement in his heart.

  "Little Tian!" She was hugged around the waist, turned her head, and didn't know when Yuan Longqiao stood beside her. "Tomorrow, my fifth brother will get married, and afterwards we will go to the palace together to pay our respects, there are still some things to prepare. Moreover, your father will also go to the Wang Fu tomorrow, and you can see him then." His tone was calm, as if he were saying something very ordinary. Xia Tian blinked her eyes, raised an eyebrow, and stared at his eyes.

  "Ahem!" Yuan Longqiao felt a bit self-conscious under her clear and piercing gaze, he was tense, afraid that she would choose Xia Yang again and abandon him. He coughed twice to cover up, and pinched her waist slightly with a hint of punishment, staring at her but without any severity.

  Hehe, with a smile, Xia Tian finally let him off. Turning to Xia Yang, he said: "Big brother, I won't return with you today, tell Father that everything is fine, and we'll meet at the Wang Manor tomorrow."

  The two people in front of him, with a glance and a smile, exuded an intimate understanding, but Xia Yang only felt a burning pain in his heart, and the stars in front of him were spinning dizzily.

  The horse carriage started, and Yuan Longqiao led the people and horses brought by him, along with the Ling Wangfu guards led by Zhan Jing, slowly leaving. Jing Chu stepped forward to support Xia Yang, who had been standing still at the city gate, and sent him onto the horseback. He himself held the reins carefully and protected Xia Yang's swaying body. Silently sighing, he glanced at the deputy general beside him and waved his hand to order the soldiers who followed them to withdraw.

  In the Longyuan Hall, Emperor Zhaojian leaned on the dragon chair, looking tired as he reviewed the stacks of memorials on his desk. Zhang Deshun stood beside him, carefully observing every subtle expression on the emperor's face, occasionally serving tea or handing over a pen to grind ink. The only sounds in the grand hall were the occasional coughs from Emperor Zhaojian and the scratching sound of his brush as he wrote.

  "I beg to report to Your Majesty, Prince Ling requests an audience."

  Zhang Deshun's hand shook as he held the tea bowl, and a few drops of tea splashed onto his hand. In the brief moment that he was stunned, Emperor Zhaojian had already stood up and welcomed him out. After quickly calming down in his heart, he put down the tea bowl and hastily followed him out.

  "The child pays respects to the Emperor." Yuan Longqiao lifted his robe and stepped forward to kneel down and pay homage.

  "Get up." Emperor Zhaojian reached out and helped him up, looking him up and down for a while before nodding in relief. "Not hurt?"

  "No."

  "Ahem!" Emperor Zhaojian covered his mouth and coughed twice, regaining his usual composure. He turned around and walked towards the dragon throne, with Yuan Longqiao following behind him.

  "You go down first." Emperor Zhaojian waved his hand at Zhang Deshun.

  He took a quick glance at Yuan Longqiao standing in front of the desk, "Yes." Zhang Deshun bowed and slowly backed out of the grand hall. The door closed before his eyes, and the figures of the father and son inside also gradually disappeared. With a flicker of his eyelids, the gloom in his eyes flashed by, "Be careful to serve." He swung the dusting brush in his hand, turned around proudly and left, his gaze sweeping over the small eunuch standing on the left side of the hall door, finding that the other had nodded slightly, and the stifling anger in his heart was finally alleviated a little.