The two of them acted like nothing happened that night but Liu Qingyuan could sense the fleeting glances that the king constantly sent him. In response, Liu Qingyuan steeled his heart and no longer looked him in the eye. Every time he was near him, he reminded himself that he was an assassin sent by Gongzhuan to eliminate the very person he was guarding. There was no more room for slip-ups! Liu Qingyuan, this person, had never messed up this badly before.
If the king discovered who he truly was, he'd surely be executed and then the entire plan would be destroyed. Gongzhuan was still healing from the war, while Qiangda had bounced back greatly. If Qiangda decided to fully conquer Gongzhuan to stamp out any troubles, the result was already apparent.
Furthermore, his master had entrusted him to carry this out. He owed a debt to Mo Wu for saving his life and raising him so many winters ago. If he didn't work to repay him, he was simply ungrateful!
While Liu Qingyuan was reciting his purpose in his head, the king was trying to reconcile with him. Being born a ruler, he was bored of receiving everything on a silver platter. But now that he'd gotten a taste of something he truly wanted, he wasn't willing to let it go. Liu Qingyuan could pretend that nothing happened that night, fine! But if they were to reconcile, his behaviour was definitely no help.
Every time he tried to tease him, Liu Qingyuan no longer reacted, standing like a statue with an impassive, stone face. It made him wonder if all those times before were fake. And somehow, that bothered him more than the fact that he hadn't turned into some brainless, flattering servant. Further still, this silence was frustrating him to no end! Conversations often went like this:
"Have some tea."
"No thanks, your majesty."
"Try this cake! It's peach and osman-"
"No thanks, your majesty."
"Do you want to practice swords with me?"
"Your majesty's body is precious, it must not be hurt." In other words, 'No thanks, your majesty!' Maybe had turned into a brainless servant!
It drove the king crazy and he was so annoyed, a storm cloud stayed floating above his head, causing the servants to give him a wide berth every time they passed by. After all, though he was a kind and benevolent king, he still held their lives in the palms of his hands.
Jiang Zhilan was currently sitting in an open-air, raised pavilion by the lake, trying to practice his calligraphy but the remembrance of Liu Qingyuan's constant short response invaded his head instead. It made him hyper-aware of the stiff presence standing guard right behind him.
Liu Qingyuan was absentmindedly looking out over the lake. But unbeknownst to all, he was trying to ignore the presence in front of him. Eunuch Shuang stood at the bottom of the pavilion's short flight of stairs, sending the pair anxious glances. He distinctly felt that there was a dragon and a tiger sitting in the pavilion, a mere second away from devouring each other's throats.
The king grew more and more irritated, feeling like a thousand ants were crawling on his back from the mere presence of Liu Qingyuan. He just couldn't ignore him! He clenched the brush tighter in his grip, trying to recite Confucian* scripture in his head. The silence between them was unbearable to him but he didn't want to face the humiliation of rejection once again. He was the king of this country, save him some dignity!
(*Confucian - Ancient Chinese belief system that focuses on the importance of personal ethics and morality)
Finally fed up, Jiang Zhilan threw down his brush. It rolled across the paper, splattering ink all over the half-finished sheet. "Stop standing there like that!"
"Your majesty, please calm down," Eunuch Shuang rectified, bowing immediately like he'd been ready for it.
"Get out!" The king shouted. The attending servants paled and stepped back hurriedly, giving some privacy.
Behind him, Liu Qingyuan turned calmly. "Apologies, your majesty. This servant inquires for your advice to fix his wrongs."
"So you do know what you've been doing!"
"This servant doesn't understand." Jiang Zhilan practically kicked the chair away in frustration. It was always 'This servant', 'that servant'. What happened to the casual way of address?!?
"Look," Jiang Zhilan swallowed his pride. They'd already gotten to this point. If he pushed hard enough, the stone wall would eventually break, right? "I...I'm sorry about what happened that night but if it's not that...could you at least tell me why you're ignoring me?" The silence after his words stretched on, his cheeks growing pink with shame. Rarely did the king want to cry, but at this time, Jiang Zhilan felt like shedding tears of grievance. Liu Qingyuan didn't even look at him.
From the corner of his eyes, Liu Qingyuan could see that adorably angry face. His lips twitched and he immediately frowned to suppress it, unaware that it made his expression even colder. The maids that'd been hoping for some gossip (it was a rumoured "lovers quarrel") saw his face from afar and quickly ended their efforts.
Jiang Zhilan seethed angrily. "Is it so terrible to look at me?!"Â Liu Qingyuan finally dragged his gaze over. The coldness and indifference in them made Jiang Zhilan angrier. As the king...he'd never lose in anything!! Absolutely not!
Before Liu Qingyuan could speak, the king reached up and tore the shining spider lily pin from his hair, ignoring the way his hair unbound and fell to his waist. "Isn't this what you wanted?" He said coldly, grabbing Liu Qingyuan's hand and slapping the object into his palm. His blind belief made him overlook the fact that Liu Qingyuan could very well indifferently stab him right then and there and he'd be finished.
Liu Qingyuan's fingers twitched ever so slightly as he struggled to keep his expression the same. Cold sweat ran down his back at the realization. He knew?! Liu Qingyuan licked his dry lips and said slowly, "Your majesty, I'm not quite sure what you're saying."
With their hands clasped, Jiang Zhilan lowered his head so that it concealed his expression. He scoffed. "I thought we were at least friends," he mumbled. At such close proximity, Liu Qingyuan heard it anyways, his chest tightening uncomfortably.
Jiang Zhilan looked up, a strange expression in his beautiful eyes. 'I thought I could trust you.' The king snatched his hand away, turning and freezing at the sight of Consort Yan approaching. He quickly hid the hairpin in his sleeve but there was no time to fix his hair.
Yan Li looked startled at his messy appearance but she quickly bowed down. "Second consort greets your majesty." She stood at Jiang Zhilan's nod, gaze drifting to Liu Qingyuan and back to the king's loose hair. "Is...everything alright?"
"I was just leaving," Jiang Zhilan said coldly. The hairpin dug into his hand but he knew no matter how hard he squeezed, it wouldn't break.
Yan Li was a smart girl. She caught onto the king's bad mood. "Ah, I was just passing by and thought to say hello to your majesty. This consort won't hold you up." Yan Li bowed and the king turned to his bodyguard.
"There's no need to follow," he said coldly. Liu Qingyuan was silent, watching as the king left, his flustered entourage, tentatively and hurriedly following after him. Yan Li gave him a glance and left.
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Liu Qingyuan sighed tiredly, pouring himself a cup of tea from the pot on the small table in his room. He closed his eyes, reaching up to rub his temples. The air shifted and Liu Qingyuan's eyes snapped open, stepping to the side to avoid the dagger thrown at his face. He drew his sword in a flash, deflecting the second dagger back at the assailant. The room descended into silence and Liu Qingyuan narrowed his eyes at the open window in front of him. "Come out!"
After a moment, a slim female figure dressed head to toe in black, stepped out from behind the screen. Her face was thickly veiled in swathes of black gauze so that Liu Qingyuan couldn't identify her.
"We meet again." The bold female voice rang out. A delicate finger swept the cloth from her eyes. "Your dagger has quite a bite." Liu Qingyuan recognized those eyes but there was something familiar about her voice too...
He narrowed his eyes. "It's you."
She smiled behind her mask. "Indeed."
"What did you come here for?"
"I'm sure you know. Master asked me to remind you to keep on track. The entire organization depends on your efforts." She glared at him. "Don't ruin it for the master. He's always watching." She turned to leave but stopped abruptly. "Don't make me pick up your slack shixiong*." Liu Qingyuan watched silently as she climbed out the window, disappearing in a blur.
(*Shixiong - Senior male disciple, under the same master/shifu)
He sat down silently, sheathing his sword. He wasn't alone in the palace anymore but whether this discovery bode heaven or hell, it was up to fate. Things just got a lot more complicated.