The Little Consort's
Eps. 63: Storytelling
“You took custody of Prince Ding?” long Ji Man asked in the morning.
Li Anlan nodded.
The woman had only woken up after more than ten hours of sleep. When he woke up, he found that the bedding cloth he was wearing was not the bedding cloth in Xingyue Palace. He was still half-dreaming, but the heavy voice of a man brought him to the peak of consciousness. This was indeed not the room of Xingyue Palace, but rather the room in Hongwu Palace, the king's bed!
Li Anlan turned to the origin of the voice. The handsome Long Ji Man seemed to be sitting on a chair not far from there, wearing only a thin golden-colored nightgown. Li Anlan was stunned because the usually strapping and dashing body was only wrapped in thin cloth.
Before speaking, he first looked at her clothes. As Li Anlan was shocked, the clothes she was wearing were no longer bridal clothes, but ordinary hanfu.
“Good morning, Your Majesty the King,” said Li Anlan with a forced smile, because the speech was satirical.
Long Ji Man only glanced at it with the corner of his eye. His hand grabbed the cup, then poured white water into it.
“Why did you do it?”
“Should I tell you when I just opened my eyes?”
“Hm?” Long Ji Man cleared his throat, as if threatening.
“The caregiver called Aunt Wei by Mu’er taught a bad thing. Of course I can't let it,” Li Anlan explained as she got out of bed. The woman then sat down before Long Ji Man.
“What does he teach?”
“He secretly planted seeds of hatred in the heart of Mu’er. Guess what happens if a king's sister has hatred for her own brother?”
Long Ji Man frowned. He did not understand Li Anlan's direction yet.
“Your Highness, Prince Ding's childhood is in development. What he sees, what he experiences, what he hears, will be firmly entrenched in his memory. If hatred were embedded in his heart, wouldn't it just make him a rebel? After all, such a small child should be in the care of a parent, not a caregiver whose origins are unclear.”
Long Ji Man understood it now. Apparently, Li Anlan deliberately took custody of Long Ji Mu so that the boy would avoid the bad influences taught by his nanny. Before Li Anlan was rumored to have disappeared, Long Ji Man got word that his Royal Empress took custody of Long Ji Mu in front of all the people of the Royal Academy. He also humiliated Aunt Wei by saying that the nanny exerted a bad influence, neglected her duties, and sent her home without being allowed to return to the capital.
How could a wild woman like Li Anlan think that far?
Long Ji Man no longer knew what kind of advantages his Royal Empress possessed. During this time he had been shocked many times by Li Anlan's behavior, by his actions, his decisions, his nature, and his strange way of thinking but tended to lead to the truth. In Dongling Kingdom, most women are only good at poetry, dressing up, embroidery, spending money, bullying people, and having fun. If Li Anlan was a man, he might be able to become a major and high-ranking state official.
“Your Majesty, how about those bastards?”
“You said something rude in front of your king?”
“Ck... Your Highness, do I have to call those bandits by the name of Dewa?”
Long Ji Man sighed.
“They're in jail. One person managed to escape.”
Li Anlan's grudge towards the bandits was still great. He swore if he saw them, he would punish them in his own way. Therefore, Li Anlan then asked Long Ji Man to escort her to prison, to see the damn bandits who almost made her a loser for being married off to such a ugly man. Long Ji Man agreed on the condition that Li Anlan should not act recklessly and impulsively when meeting them.
“Your Majesty, come!”
“Where are you going?”
“Prison.”
“You crazy? It's still morning. Are you going there dressed like that?”
Li Anlan glanced at his hanfunya. He almost forgot the most important thing he wanted to ask.
“Your Majesty, who changed my clothes?”
“Do you think?”
“Ah, since you teased me, that means it is not His Majesty who replaced him.”
“You think I can't do anything to you?”
“Of course you can. But, Your Majesty, I'm sure you didn't actually do it. A man like His Majesty would bother to change the clothes of one of his wives.”
“Causible. You're pretty smart about this.”
“I am indeed smart.”
Li Anlan had no more business in Hongwu Palace. He was intending to return to Xingyue Palace because Xie Roulan must have been waiting and worrying about him. For almost three days he did not meet his loyal servant. But, just as Li Anlan was about to step away, Long Ji Man held him back and made him sit back on the chair earlier.
“Tell me what you know while in Duanrou Fort!”
“Next year!”
“Then next year only.”
“Now, Li Huang An!”
It was still morning, but Long Ji Man had already asked Li Anlan to speak this much? What a shitty king! Li Anlan was starting to feel annoyed. When he wakes up in the morning, what is in front of him should be delicious food and drinks that are still warm, which can be appetizing and uplifting, not annoying questions like this.
Li Anlan's eyes flashed with a prank. He suddenly recalled that his salary as the Royal Empress this month had not been paid. Why didn't he use this opportunity to reap the benefits alone? Her husband is rich and powerful, spending a little money to buy information may not be a difficult matter.
“Good. But, one story, ten taels of gold!”
“You blackmailed me?”
“Can be.”
“In addition to money, what is on your mind that?”
“Happy.”
Never mind.
Long Ji Man chose to comply with Li Anlan's request. Her noble Empress whose double eyes were unmatched, and was the only one in the world. Smart to take advantage of the situation, good at finding excuses, agile to argue, and happy to laze around are the characters to define Li Anlan. This time alone, Long Ji Man would obey the woman for the sake of an important piece of information.
Li Anlan then recounted everything he had experienced, from the moment he exited the Royal Academy, boarded the train, felt the strangeness, saw the bodyguards and servants staring blankly, until when they are lifeless. He also told me that when he came down to make sure, someone suddenly hit him hard on the shoulder until he collapsed, and when he realized he was already in a seedy and straw-filled storage room.
“Besides me, there are several other women being held captive. They said, those bandits will sell them to the slave market.”
“Human trafficking illegally?”
“Some are legal? Everywhere, human trafficking is forbidden! That violates human rights!”
“Hak?”
“Ah, I'll explain. Oh yes, Your Highness, those bandits often kidnap poor and orphaned women. They also said that ‘tuan’ they ordered them to kidnap me, but gave no further instructions and did not tell them about my identity.”
“Tuan” referred to by the bandits is still a mystery. Who he is, how he is, where he is, and what position he has to be able to control bandit gangs, is not yet known the truth. What is clear, “Tuan” in question does indeed really exist, really someone who is in power. Whether he is male or female, old or young, as all possibilities can come true. In this era, men dressed as women and women dressed as men are often found, to look exactly the same as the original.
Appearances may be deceiving, but the identity cannot be judged from one point of view.
Li Anlan continued his story. He told Long Ji Man how he yelled until his voice was almost hoarse, only to make the guards of the reception room annoyed and scold him. If they are irritated and angry, they will be easily provoked. That way, Li Anlan could reap another advantage by taking advantage of the situation of the gatekeepers. Unfortunately, the two bandits envoys of the Ugly Chief came and dragged him to the main building in the headquarters.
“What else do you know?”
“The Ugly Chairman said that their master's status is higher than mine. Your Majesty, is it possible that the master they are referring to is a person in the palace?”
“Maybe. Everyone has their own secrets here. Anlan, from now on, beware of people you don't know, of new people you meet in this palace. We can't trust anyone yet.”
“I do plan to do it. From the beginning, I never carelessly trusted people.”
“You believe me?”
“Sure. Even though you're a king, I see His Majesty has no motive to antagonize or kill me. Otherwise, how could Your Majesty even bother to come out of the palace and look for me to that extent?”
Is he praising me? Long Ji Man asked inwardly.
The man's ears were red and his nose was expanding. Seeing Long Ji Man's embarrassed reaction, Li Anlan really wanted to laugh. This kind of Long Ji Man looks cute and adorable. The man was like a child that an adult praised for his newfound ability stood out.
No one realized that the two of them who were sitting opposite while chatting were exactly like a couple and a pair of great masters – great mistresses in large residences whose lives were harmonious. They are like lovers who are decorated with romance stories not too romantic but warm. The simple interaction connected between the two made Li Anlan and Long Ji Man look like a matching couple.
“Your Majesty, can I come back now?”
“Oh. Yeah, course. Return to.”
“Thank you for the sleep ride! Your Majesty, you owe me three gold taels!”
Li Anlan left. Xiao Biqi who was standing guard on the terrace of Hongwu Palace lowered his head in salute as Li Anlan walked out, then went inside to help Long Ji Man clean up. Today is a holiday, so the king has a lot of free time and can relax a little.
Xiao Biqi was astonished because as he walked into the king's bedroom, Long Ji Man was sitting on a chair with a smile. It's not usually the king like this. When you wake up, it's usually flat or cold, but this morning it's very different. It seemed, The noble Empress who had just left had already made her king have a good mood.
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