Ten...
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One!
Wei Ying and Lan Zhan appear right next to the First Prince and Lan Zhan uses the muting spell on him and Ciao Huji, and Xue Nanping while Wei Ying slaps immobilising talismans on all three of them.
Porta Daven and Hui Gai appear right next to them, and there's an uproar in the midst of all this chaos.
Wei Ying hadn't been prepared to face the hundred odd people staring back at him with confusion on their faces, and because none of these people are familiar with Cultivation as a whole, nobody has understood or noticed what they've done. But that doesn't mean they don't want answers.
"We can't just leave them like this," he mutters under his breath so that only Lan Zhan hears him.
"Mn. Wei Ying should explain," Lan Zhan replies with a smirk, stepping back as he firmly takes hold of the bad guys.
He hates talking in public and to the public, and why should he have to when he has Wei Ying?
But even before Wei Ying can open his mouth, there's a shout.
"Hey! Isn't that the Great Hanguang-Jun?"
"Yes! You're right! And that must be his loyal sidekick, the Yiling Laozu," another pipes up.
By this point, Wei Ying is mouthing along to the predictable words that always seem to follow his husband's title, feeling soured about the whole thing! Here they are, in the middle of a political coup, crisis, call it what they want, and suddenly everyone here is ogling them like they're celebrities. It's just insane!
And then he has a brilliant idea.
"Everyone, please calm yourselves. The First Prince has been misled by the inexperienced healers of the Palace, accidentally through no fault of their own. The Emperor is actually just fine, and is recuperating elsewhere. In fact, he's sent us here on his behalf, just to give you these reassurances that he's in much better health now, and is longing to return to Chang'An." As an improvised speech, Wei Ying thinks that is quite a good start.
He ignores the red-eyed glaring from the First Prince, but as he currently cannot budge, he's nothing to worry about just yet. They need to get this situation under control and then move on.
"He is looking forward to reuniting with his son, and his trusted advisors, all three of them, because it looks like Tang Pei is not guilty of the accusations placed at his feet. But more on that later. For now, we must go."
Wei Ying has to step back at the force of the outcry his words cause.
"PLEASE! WHAT ABOUT AN AUTOGRAPH!"
"I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO MEET HANGUANG-JUN!"
That one makes Wei Ying laugh proudly as Lan Zhan glares at the floor, hating every second.
"HE'S SO BEAUTIFUL!"
"NO, NO, THE YILING LAOZU IS THE REAL WINNER! LOOK AT HIS EYES!"
And they watch as some of the ladies start fanning themselves, looking at them coyly, while a couple in the front row actually swoon into a faint. Books are produced out of nowhere, and someone begins grinding ink and suddenly, there's an orderly line of people queuing up for a smile and a personal message from the two heroes.
Wei Ying hasn't stopped blushing at every compliment he receives, and Lan Zhan is perfectly polite yet on the cusp of simply teleporting himself out of there into a quiet oblivion. The only thing holding him back from that course of action is Wei Ying, who has discovered a whole new talent for mingling with their fans.
Each person they meet has an anecdote to tell them about how they first became fans, how the fandom has affected their lives and how much they're looking forward to the next book in the series.
It is overall, quite overwhelming.
Hours later, the hall is finally empty and they've said goodbye to all the visitors. Now it's just Hui Gai, Porta Daven, Lan Zhan and Wei Ying, and their four disguised prisoners.
"Whew! Well, that went well," Wei Ying says, standing up and stretching his body out from sitting in one position for so long.
"Mn. Unexpected." Lan Zhan glowers. All in all, he thoroughly hates this capital city and everyone in it.
Wei Ying takes his arm and giggles, and that's all it takes to bring back his good mood.
"Right then, let's go home," Wei Ying says.
They teleport straight out of the Emperor's Palace to his quarters in Cloud Recesses.
****************
The Emperor is laughing and trying to play the game Hui Gai had invented a long time ago, with the weirdly shaped metal pieces that Li XiWang has taught them. Of course she's still the best at catching them, given her experience of playing it for so long.
The three of them are sitting cross-legged on the bed and enjoying themselves; The Emperor, Prince Wu and Li XiWang, when the guests suddenly appear, causing another uproar.
Immediately, General Huang stands protectively in front of the Emperor, and both Prince Wu and Li XiWang jump up and stand next to him. Rumi remains on the bed, watching everyone silently.
Wei Ying and Lan Zhan bow first, and like dominoes, the rest follow their example. Wei Ying has to deactivate his talismans in order to make the First Prince and his two co-conspirators kneel on the ground.
The Emperor places his hand on General Huang's shoulder, silently asking him to step aside. His face is carefully blank as if he's protecting himself from what is surely going to be a difficult conversation.
General Huang bows his head slightly and moves an inch to the side, not trusting any of the three facing them now.
"A-Sheng...what do you have to say for yourself?" the Emperor's deep voice echoes around the room, as he holds himself straighter with effort.
Wei Ying is watching their interaction with trepidation, because there's no way the First Prince is going to make this easy for anyone, least of all his father. And despite his demeanour and attempts to make himself appear stronger than he actually is, his body trembles giving his fragility away.
"I do not answer to my mother's killer," the First Prince says.
"I was hoping you might have had a change of heart." The Emperor replies, his face falling. Then he notices Tang Pei and lets out an involuntary cry of distress. "A-Pei! What happened to you!" He rushes over to his side, fussing over the younger man.
"Hui Gai, can we please have Healer Fei here?" Wei Ying whispers, not wanting to interrupt anything.
Hui Gai shoots him a sinfully wicked grin. "My pleasure," he says, before vanishing. Seconds later, he lets go of a disgruntled Healer hastily putting his robes together properly.
"You asked him to bring me, didn't you?" Healer Fei narrows his eyes at Wei Ying.
"Only because he's hurt!" Wei Ying gestures towards Tang Pei who has been lowered onto the ground because he no longer has the strength to stand.
"What exactly happened?" The Emperor demands, staring between the three culprits guilty of harming his most trusted advisor, and Tang Pei himself.
Meanwhile, Healer Fei gets to work.
"Allow me to explain," Porta Daven steps forward.
YOU ARE READING
WangXian Forever Book 10
RomanceWei Ying and Lan Zhan must step up to the new challenge that awaits them when they find something that was given to them in secret. What is it, and why is it so dangerous? They embark on a new adventure to find out.
