Aftermath (A series of ELOD one-shots)

XVI. Reparations (Part 2)

A/N: There's payback, and then there's Donghua Dijun.

Also, thank you so much for all your votes and comments!  I swear, I enjoy reading your insights on our favorite tale, as much as I do writing this story. :D 

Disclaimer: DJ's portrait above not mine (credit to the artist and/or owner.)

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Su Moye, Second Prince of the Western Sea, bore a restless path to and fro the sandy corridor, jasper flute in hand, glancing every now and then at the closed door of the throne room.

His Third Highness Liansong arrived from Taichen Palace bearing Dijun's orders over two hours ago, and had immediately sought private audience with his father, Lord of the West Sea. They have not emerged since then, and the tension of waiting hung over the entire palace like an axe waiting to fall. Su Moye took it upon himself to wait outside the throne room, in case his father needed assistance, or to simply see if there is anything he can do at all to salvage the situation, seeing it was, in a sense, his fault.

He knew nothing at all of why or how a xiangliu, a pet of the famed general Kanghui, found its way to the West Sea. In fact, it was only due to the resulting furor that he found it had something to do with the ongoing feud between his idiotic excuse for a fourth brother and the Southern Sea's Crown Prince. Then there was Princess Zhihe, who apparently was desperate enough to offer herself as cannon fodder to the xiangliu, just to evoke Dijun's pity and earn herself a ticket back to Taichen Palace.

But when it comes down to facts, it was him, Su Moye, who arranged for Her Majesty and her son to travel by shore to the banquet area. Sure, it was at her behest, and he could not very well force her to take the royal boat, but he should have thought ahead and taken extra precautions. At the very least, he should have insisted on accompanying her personally, then perhaps when the xiangliu attacked, he could have...

"Mo Shao!"

Su Moye nearly tripped all over himself at the sight of Fengjiu, floating before him in some hazy portal. Rubbing his eyes, he blinked at her and asked, utterly dumbfounded, "Your Highness?" Then he caught his faux-pas and immediately bowed down. "Su Moye greets Your Majesty."

Fengjiu frowned and waved him off, peering at him with narrowed eyes through the portal. It seemed that like him, her cultivation also did not allow her to see through the portal very clearly. "Are you alone? Can we talk privately?"

"Please give me a moment, Dihou." Su Moye found a side room, cast a privacy shield with his flute, and turned back to his unexpected visitor of sorts. "There. I'm in a secure location now. But this -- isn't this the legendary time-folding magic?"

"Yes, I'm borrowing it from Dijun. I'm grounded at Taichen Palace currently, so he graciously allowed me to use it so I can talk with you."

Of course. Trust Fengjiu to have the universe's former master at her beck and call for something so trivial. Then he recalled that this is the very same Fengjiu who nearly lost her life under his care just a few days ago, and felt all color drain from his face. He is so utterly, totally done for.