The Little Consort's
Eps. 10: Trapped at the King's Foot

"You?"

Li Anlan looked at Long Ji Man with a headband. His forehead wrinkled. The woman crossed her hands on her chest and walked around Long Ji Man, looking at every detail of the man's appearance from head to toe.

"Gee... Long Ji Man, are you really a king?"

"Aren't you surprised?"

"Little bit. Actually, I was expecting it."

Xiao Biqi who stood not far from the two was shocked at the bravery of Li Anlan who mentioned the real name of his king aloud. Just this time he encountered a low-level concubine who never even had the title of being disrespectful to her own king. Xiao Biqi was more surprised when he saw the reaction of Long Ji Man who did not seem to be angry at all his name was called carelessly.

"really?"

"I wouldn't be able to recognize you as king if your personal bodyguard's clothes last night weren't so conspicuous."

Li Anlan began to suspect Long Ji Man's identity as Wang Tianshi led him into Xingyue Palace. Based on the knowledge he got from Xie Roulan, Li Anlan learned that the clothes Wang Tianshi was wearing back then were the clothes of the king's personal bodyguards. It was impossible for a lowly eunuch to befriend a king's personal bodyguard who could only be found when the king was by his side. Li Anlan also felt strange when Long Ji Man came to the Houchi Lake park. There was no way a eunuch could be so free to roam around inside the palace, let alone when the curfew arrived.

"Now you know. Still don't want to salute?"

"No."

Long Ji Man nodded. Seeing his sharp gaze, Li Anlan immediately lowered his head. His tone sounded reluctant to pay his respects. Yes, however he is a king, husband and leader of this nation.

A proud smile fell on Long Ji Man's lips. The man told Xiao Biqi to come out. Despite hesitating for fear that Li Anlan was acting disrespectfully again, Xiao Biqi could not refuse the order. Long Ji Man and Li Anlan remained in the large room.

"Li Anlan, you're really great, calling your husband and king names boldly."

"I take that as a compliment."

Long Ji Man sat down in his workplace chair. Her long, well-drawn robe covered part of the floor of the room within Hongwu Palace.

"What technique did you use when treating my wounds?"

"Your Majesty asked me to see you just to ask you this?"

"Wang Tianshi said your treatment technique is very strange and unusual."

"Ah so the name of the thrush man is Wang Tianshi."

Long Ji Man looked back at the woman standing across from his desk. Instead of answering, Li Anlan instead talked about something else. Long Ji Man didn't like rambling, nor did he like it if someone switched topics while talking to him.

"Sari...A sariawan?"

"Your personal bodyguard's on thrush. So, both corners of her lips were dry, bleeding and her tongue was sore."

That term was only the first time Long Ji Man had heard. When Physician Tao Zhun examined Wang Tianshi, he simply said that Wang Tianshi had an incurable oral disease and told him to let it heal on its own. A sariawan? So, is this the name of his personal bodyguard's illness?

"I just wash your wounds with alcohol to keep them clean and free of germs, sew them up, then wrap them in cotton and gauze."

"Alcohol?"

"Sort of intoxicating liquid. Can be drunk but not over."

"Sort of wine?"

"About that."

Li Anlan's eyes shifted to the entire item arranged in the room. The furniture was made of high quality wood with beautiful carvings of dragons and lotus flowers, expensive porcelain jars, curtain coverings of top quality satin, all of which made Li Anlan swallow. The king's palace is truly luxurious!

Long Ji Man grabbed the report documents piled up on his desk. The man deliberately let Li Anlan stare and admire the entire contents of his palace to the satisfaction. A little pampering his eyes with luxury items was fine.

"But why are you hurt?"

Not a moment had Long Ji Man replied, Xiao Biqi suddenly shouted from outside the palace,

"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother has arrived!"

The shout left Li Anlan shocked half-dead. He was misbehaving, jumping on the floor with a panicked face. The catastrophe finally came.

Long Ji Man was also panicked. It's dangerous for her mother to see a woman in this room. During this time, Long Ji Man's mother learned that her son had never been interested in women. Long Ji Man must maintain and maintain his self-image so that he can avoid harem affairs.

"Hide under the table!"

"What?"

"Hurry up!"

Long Ji Man pulled Li Anlan's wrist until the woman's body almost fell backward. Then, Li Anlan's body he told him to bend down, then dragged him under the table. Li Anlan had complained because his head collided with the top of the table. Li Anlan could not move freely because Long Ji Man was sitting in front of the table, until his body was faced with the body of Li Anlan who was crouching under the table.

"Shush."

Not long after, a woman whose age was young entered accompanied by five servant women. The woman walked gracefully towards Long Ji Man.

"Mother."

Long Ji Man saluted.

"You're being relaxed?"

"I'm checking the royal documents. What made you come all the way here?"

This man had a sweet mouth, Li Anlan's inner.

Han Yuemei, the Queen Mother of Dongling Kingdom, was the birth mother of Long Ji Man. The woman entered the palace when she was seventeen and gave birth to Long Ji Man when she was twenty. If not miscalculated, now Long Ji Man was twenty-three years old. That meant, Han Yuemei's current age was forty-three years. A relatively young age for the size of a queen mother.

Based on what Li Anlan had heard from Xie Roulan, Empress Dowager Han Yuemei only had one son. Long Ji Man's younger brothers who became princes were born to concubines. Long Ji Man was the eldest son of the late king and the son of the empress, which is why he inherited the throne of Dongling kingdom.

"Man'er, it's been four years since you took the throne. When are you going to give the royal family a crown prince?"

"My government is still corn. I don't want to rush."

"Dearly enough. You have many beautiful concubines, but none of them have caught your eye."

Of course there is, Long Ji Man said inwardly.

The mother-daughter couple chatted about the state of government and the behavior of ministers and other palace officials. Although it was only a woman, Han Yuemei's knowledge of palace politics was quite deep. It was only fitting that Long Ji Man managed to occupy the king's throne smoothly.

Meanwhile, Li Anlan who was crouching under the table slowly felt that her legs were starting to numb. Long Ji Man seemed to forget that there was a woman crouching in front of his feet with a sour face. The man talked to his mother.

"At least let me out first," muttered Li Anlan.

It's almost afternoon. Long Ji Man and Han Yuemei had yet to show any signs the conversation would be over. Long Ji Man completely forgot Li Anlan who was suffering down there. Li Anlan's entire joints were already stiff. Countless times he tingled.

Unfortunately, Li Anlan bit the hand of Long Ji Man who was hitching a ride on his thigh to turn blue. The bite suddenly made Long Ji Man aware of Li Anlan's existence. The man looked down, glaring at Li Anlan who was even glaring back at him. Long Ji Man's lips moved thinly uttering a few words in a stifled voice.

"Shut up and obey!"

"Ckk... Let me go!" li Anlan's reply was no less slow. Long Ji Man did not respond. He continued his conversation with Han Yuemei.

Li Anlan was only able to move and breathe freely when it was really afternoon. Han Yuemei had already left with her attendants. If the queen mother was silent for a while longer, Li Anlan's entire body would be completely numb.

"I'm sorry I came here. If you know it will be this way, I better just relax in Xingyue Palace."

"I didn't know my mother was coming either."

"Because now that your mother is gone, then I will also go, Your Majesty."

Long Ji Man no longer held back Li Anlan. Although Li Anlan's tone in her last sentence contained emphasis and irritated her, Long Ji Man would forgive her for this time alone.

In the middle of the journey, Li Anlan passed by a servant girl who was staring at him sharply and her forehead wrinkled. Seeing this, Li Anlan looked back at him sharply. After which, his face returned flat with no expression.

"The people of this palace are very strange."

Li Anlan hummed all the way to Xingyue Palace. The woman did not realize that the servant girl she had just passed by was still staring at her, following her every step and movement.

...***...