Chapter 530 - Hidden Meaning

Lin Mengya did not reply to him instantly.

Long Tianyu turned to look at her. He did not understand what had gotten into Lin Mengya.

“I’m aware that you don’t like to get into the fight with the Crown Prince. If you really wish to lead a quiet life, then I will—”

“What are you talking about? You’re a prince of Dajin and it’s only right for you to give it you all to your nation. I was only joking with you.”

Lin Mengya lifted her head abruptly and her expression did not betray any emotions.

Long Tianyu quietly breathed a sigh of relief. For reasons unknown to him, he had the feeling that something was troubling Lin Mengya.

“Oh yes, Elder Chang mentioned the name “Shen Xie” which made an impression on me. Do you remember this name?”

In fact, when Elder Chang mentioned the name, Lin Mengya thought that this name sounded familiar. It ought to have appeared in her memory some time.

However, she was unable to pinpoint exactly where the name fitted.

She simply felt that this name was rather unusual because there was a look of admiration on Chang Tianhua’s face when he mentioned the name.

“The highly-skilled Physician Shen Xie was the Chief Elder of the Pavilion of Herbs. He was generally accepted as a miracle-working physician. It was said that he was highly accomplished in terms of his medical skills, but he came from a very mysterious background. Perhaps even no one in the entire Nation of Lintian know his true identity.”

From Long Tianyu’s words, it seemed that he knew Shen Xie’s identity.

When he saw the earnest look in Lin Mengya’s eyes, Long Tianyu finally spoke up slowly.

“Actually, this was merely hearsay. Be it Dajin or Lintian, both nations had been established for centuries. However, there was the existence of other nations before our time. It was said that Shen Xie was the last descendent of the people of the Nation of Guwei. Whether this was the truth, no one knows except himself.”

The Nation of Guwei? All of a sudden, the information from reading history books emerged from Lin Mengya’s memory.

Legend had it that the Nation of Guwei was an extremely mysterious kingdom.

Although it had died out, it was not being attacked and destroyed by another nation. The nation had in fact disappeared mysteriously in one night.

According to the records in the history books, this happened more than a thousand years ago.

If Shen Xie was truly the last descendent of the Nation of Guwei, then it would mean that the Nation of Guwei was still in existence.

It had merely been relocated for some unknown reason.

Such an incident would hardly be recorded in the history books.

It was no wonder that Cousin Chen’s father had allowed him to take up the position of the Chief Elder.

Not only was he not powerful, but he also did not have any countryman to rely on. Such a man was the safest choice for the Chief Elder.

“So this was what happened, but given how excellent Shen Xie was in his medical skills and how intimate his relationship was with the royal family, he shouldn’t have been plotted against secretly. How would those people be audacious enough to do this? Unless they had someone behind them, planning the ploy and someone backing them up.”

Lin Mengya was usually able to analyze the situation accurately and precisely.

Long Tianyu had the same thoughts. Like Lin Mengya, he had a feeling that there was an invisible mastermind working behind the scenes.

Unfortunately, no matter how vigilant they were, they were always a step behind trying to make this evil backstage manipulator back out completely and flee.

“This was surely the case. No matter how audacious Qian Yuming and his company were, they wouldn’t dare to go against the royal family. However, it would be different if someone offered them an exceedingly great benefit. Ling Ye came the day before to report to them that he had found the place where Hongyu and Sumei had settled down. However, he said that the place was heavily guarded. It was difficult for him to sneak in, but he eventually took a risk to sneak in. He said that there were many other young girls there apart from Hongyu and Sumei. Moreover, there was a specialist who was coaching them. The girls were all around thirteen to fourteen years old.

For a few minutes, Lin Mengya and Long Tianyu exchanged gazes with puzzling looks in their eyes.

According to what Hongyu said, those people had actually kept the two of them, sisters, in order to repudiate her identity.

If that was the case, what was the use of keeping the other girls?

“Teenage girls with a special coach to coach them... somehow I feel that they seem to have more uses.”

This was the time teenage girls who were thirteen to fourteen years old were pure, budding beauties.

Not to mention that it was in the olden times, even in modern times, such Lolita-like young girls like them would be very popular with male pedophiles.

Now that they had even been through some coaching. They were surely more appealing than other common girls.

Lots of men would be swooned over by these young adolescents.

Such businesses were not uncommon both in the past and present.

It was likely that Hongyu and Xiumei were being kept for other uses other than what was obvious.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Long Tianyu spied Lin Mengya looking at him from the corner of her eye and it made him uncomfortable. He wondered what evil plans she was brewing inside.

“Long Tianyu, Prince Yu, do you also fancy such young and inexperienced girls?”

Lin Mengya batted her eyelids at Long Tianyu in an attempt to measured Long Tianyu with her eyes.

“I... I don’t have such an interest.”

After holding back for a long time, Long Tianyu finally answered awkwardly.

Instead of saying that he did not like those young girls, it would be more accurate to say that he had no interest in any woman apart from Lin Mengya.

“Psst, I know you’re not some kind of freak. Oh yes, do you have any pet names? It’s not a good idea to call you Long Tianyu or Prince Yu, now that we’re so close. Wouldn’t that be odd?”

Lin Mengya leaned onto Long Tianyu’s shoulder as she tried to hide the look of loss in her eyes.

In reality, she was thinking of leading a quiet and carefree life with Long Tianyu.

Knowing that Long Tianyu’s identity was such, it would be very difficult for him to agree to her request.

She was only making a sweet-nothings statement, but Long Tianyu responded with the most practical answer.

Having been through so much together, there was, however, one statement that they had not made to each other.

Lin Mengya wondered if she would ever hear this statement from Long Tianyu’s mouth.

“Pet name? My father, the emperor, and my mother, his concubine, always call me Yu’er. Is this considered a pet name?”

Long Tianyu frowned as he gazed at the young lady who was resting her head on his shoulder.

Now what was she trying to do?

“Yu’er? Psst, it’s embarrassing for me to call you that. How about I call you Taro?”

Her eyes widened and sparkled.

Lin Mengya gazed at Long Tianyu cheekily.

“Call me whatever you like.”

“Toka” sounded a little tacky. However, since it was suggested by her, he felt a sweetness in his heart instead.

“Tako! Tako! Tako! Haha, this sounds really down to earth.”

Even though the name sounded tacky, Long Tianyu ought to feel awkward, but he actually accepted it quietly.

Holding tightly to Long Tianyu’s arm, Lin Mengya was obvious very satisfied.

Seeing how she was all smiles and how lovely she looked when she acted so coquettishly, Long Tianyu’s eyes were filled with tenderness.

He could not help but dote on her affectionately in everything.

“Tako, we’ll be able to go home soon. I’m beginning to miss Father and Brother. Can I go see my father?”

When she was done with her horseplay, she leaned into Long Tianyu’s arms and spoke with a voice that gave away the loneliness she was feeling.

“Alright, once we return to the Capital City, I’ll make a request to my father to reward the army. By then, you’ll be able to see your father.”

While he embraced her slim figure, Long Tianyu’s heart leaped at the thought of returning home.

He wondered how the emperor’s health was given that so much time had passed.

Also, he wondered how his mother was. She ought to suffer a great deal in the hands of the queen.

At the thought of his mother, his eyes looked downcast. Surely, Lin Mengya could empathize with him. She reached out and caressed Long Tianyu’s cheek.

“Don’t worry, the queen won’t dare to do anything to Concubine De. I believed the emperor would have already found this out. Concubine De would be safe in the presence of the emperor.”

Hearing Lin Mengya’s words of comfort, Long Tianyu felt his anxiety eased a little despite feeling worried.

Just when the two lovebirds were enjoying a moment of sweetness, Zuo Qiuyu, the third wheel, sneaked up to them once again.

“Cough, cough, I don’t mean to intrude. Just that Nan Rui is here and he had sent for Long Tianyu and me. I... I didn’t see anything you’re doing...”

When Lin Mengya saw an embarrassed Zuo Qiuyu, who had quickly turned away, Lin Mengya could not be bothered to ridicule him.

She merely shot him a cold look and sent the two men away.

When they had disappeared from her sight completely, Lin Mengya took out a small jade whistle from inside her sleeve.

It was sculpted from high-quality white jade. If one did not look carefully, he would have missed the character “Ya” which was engraved on it.

Indeed, it was the same character “Ya” in Lin Mengya’s name.

Lin Mengya seemed to be hesitating. It was only after a moment that she finally put the whistle to her lips.

She blew hard into it and strangely, no sound came from the whistle.

Perhaps the sound it made was out of the audible range for human beings.

After she blew into it three times, Lin Mengya eventually put down the whistle.

It was because, at this moment, a figure in red had quietly appeared before her.

Lin Mengya sat there in a daze, trying her best to control her emotions.

However, she could no longer control her tears, which welled up in her eyes and dripped down.

While she remained seated, her teardrops fell like pearls, dripping down one by one in silence.

The figure moved slowly from the door all the way to her front.

The person reached out a delicate hand with long, slender fingers and gently wiped away the tears at the corners of Lin Mengya’s eyes.

“Oops, why are you crying, lass?”

The voice sounded frivolous as usual.

There was a kind of affection and tenderness not found elsewhere in the world.

“Will you stop crying? What do you say that I perform some magic trick to entertain you?”