Translated by: etvolare
As for Yi Binghu, it went without saying that he wasnât invited to Pang Xiaoâs gatherings with his Dragon Rider brothers.
He felt something clawing within him everytime he heard another mention of who Pang Xiao had been feasting with, or men singing praises of the princeâs fighting prowess after sparring with him.
This man had plainly committed the grave crime of treason, so why was he living his best life? His wife was pregnant, he garnered the admiration of those around him, and even his popularity among the people grew.
Conversely, Yi Binghu was here by royal decree, yet cast aside and thoroughly ignored like a dried vegetable. The Dragon Riders couldnât be bothered with him, and even those heâd brought from the Metropolitan refused to take orders from him. They also never treated him with as much respect as they showed to Pang Xiao.
For Yi Binghu, every passing day felt like a year. If the prince continued to dilly-dallying like this, would His Majesty take his anger out on Yi Binghu when they finally returned to the capital? Though the emperor had been the one to send the decree, it wasnât uncommon for those who didnât execute his orders to his liking to still experience his wrath.
In contrast with Yi Binghuâs turmoil, Qin Yining had never lived in such comfort before.
When Pang Xiao wasnât attending a banquet, he was essentially joined at the hip with her. He served her tea and water, personally fed her, and spent the rest of his free time massaging her shoulder and legs. He even once attempted to carry her when she needed the washroom, which had earned him a swift kick from a furiously blushing Qin Yining.
Though Qin Yining had little appetite and often felt nauseous, she was elated to be so carefully doted upon by Pang Xiao.
......
On this day, Pang Xiao once again moved to take his leave.
âI really must be going. Spring will be upon us soon and we must travel slightly slower than weâd anticipated before. I estimate it will be summer by the time we return to the capital. We have already delayed our return for too long, so it will be difficult explaining ourselves to His Majesty.â
Having interacted with the prince in close quarters for almost a month now, Tao Jun could read Pang Xiaoâs strong determination to return to the capital. It wasnât right for him to keep delaying the prince like this. Whatâs more, though Yi Binghu couldnât make sugar sweet if he tried, he could definitely make vinegar sour without even attempting to. The situation would become sticky if he really decided to tattle to the emperor.
With this in mind, all Tao Jun could do was sigh. âHis Highness must treat this matter with utmost caution. I shall await your good news at these borders.â
Pang Xiao nodded with a smile and clapped Tao Jun on the shoulder. "I appreciate your concern, thank you for your hospitality.â
"Say nothing of it. Your Highness is a good friend of my former commander and a war god that my brothers admire. What Iâve done is nothing worthy of gratitude. If we have the chance to get together again in the future, we must drink together until the sun comes up."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Pang Xiao smiled. "Indeed,â he vowed. âLet us meet again.â
He then excused himself to make arrangements for departure and the servants busied themselves with organizing the luggage.
Yi Binghu could finally have a sigh of relief upon seeing him getting a move on. Up ahead were Skyaxis Pass and Skygates Pass, he certainly wasnât going to let Pang Xiao delay the trip any further. Otherwise, it would be more than a year before they returned to the capital.
His worries would later be proven groundlessâPang Xiao had no intent of postponing their journey to begin with, so he wasnât about to deliberately delay their upcoming travels. Though the guards of Skyaxis and Skygates Pass welcomed them with eager hospitality, the prince stayed only for two days before setting out once more.
Their travels were to be smooth-sailing once they passed through all four major passes of the border. Seeing their shortening distance to the capital, Yi Binghu was finally able to heave a big sigh of relief.
The closer they were, the more he could call on men from his own factionâPang Xiao would be increasingly less capable of stirring up trouble.
After a month of long faces, Yi Binghu finally broke out into a wide grin. However, no smiles were to be found just a few days later.
As the emperorâs instructions were for Yi Binghu to indulge the prince with patience and allow Pang Xiao to return with pomp and circumstance as befitting his station, every citizen on their way back knew that the Faithful Prince of the First Rank was returning to the capital with his princess consort.
Since the princess consort had killed the former Tatar khan and the prince was an awe-inspiring hero, the general populace held the couple in extremely high regard. Since Li Qitian had previously declared to all that Pang Xiao was a traitor who had defected to Tatar, it was incredibly thought provoking that he now appeared again in public with the princess consort, and with his usual entourage.
Not only did the people gossip, so did the scholars and officials exchange notes.
Ultimately, the rumor mill was divided into two schools of thought: one faction held the view that nefarious masterminds were behind the accusations of treason, since Pang Xiao had made significant contributions to Great Zhou and his princess consort had killed the Tatar khan. The emperor should severely punish those involved!
The other faction believed His Majesty was the originator behind the rumors because he envied the princeâs military accomplishments. This brought back memories of what had happened to Pang Zhongzheng back in the day.
Of course, no one dared voice the second version aloud; they only whispered it amongst themselves in secret. Since it was a sensitive subject involving confidential imperial affairs, that only made such speculation all the more convincing.