FENG YU JIU TIAN [VOLUME TWO]

Chapter Sixteen

Notes:

'A weak stream flows three thousand but there's only one ladle' This is the format of the original proverb. It originates from one of the most famous novels written in China. It is called 'A Dream of Red Mansions' by Cao Xue Qin. My interpretation: Water is necessary for life. Thus the ladle (spoon) is what feeds you life by transferring the water. It can mean water is plentiful but only life can be given from one source. The authoress inserted 'Dare' and I inserted 'Li' to allow a relative comparison.

Li an old Chinese measurement equates to 500 meters (0.3 Miles).

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Once Feng Ming slipped quietly from the banquet hall, he was greeted with pitch black. As he made haste to return to Rong Tian, he occasionally encountered guards on patrol. Each personnel carried a handy spear to ward off attackers.

The warm atmosphere of the party and the lively music was isolated within the banquet room walls.

The wind was beginning to pick up and its tendrils attacked Feng Ming's bare skin. The Prince shrugged and nestled his head into his collar hoping to trap what heat he could.

The Regent King's suspicions he had desperately tried to deny were now a harsh reality. Hearing the King's accusations was one case, when it came to play it left him numb.

With a deceitful smile Official Xia had attempted to lure him into a trap. It appears no matter where he goes he was surrounded by conspiracies waiting to jump at him, even in his own backyard. He shuddered at the thought and an uneasy feeling welled inside the pit of his stomach.

He was horrified.

"Rong Tian..." he choked out as he entered the bedchamber. The calm facade he held during the banquet crumbled. He threw himself into Rong Tian's arms and whispered incoherently, "Official Xia really...he really..."

Finding his lover trembling, the King's heart melted. The Prince had directly sought his arms for comfort. He held the young man firmly in an embrace.

In a soothing voice he reassured the Prince, "Everything will be fine. He can't hurt you."

Feng ming looked up, his eyes were watery and innocent like a newborn fawn. Feng Ming's distress was pulling at the King's heart strings. He planted a soft kiss on Feng Ming's ear.

"As long as I am here, no one will hurt you." he affirmed.

Feng Ming was caught up in their moment of tenderness before his thoughts wavered to remind him of Mei Ji. The sour sentiments returned, he grunted and wiggled out of the King's hold.

He dabbed at his eyes before reporting in detail the conversation he had with Official Xia.

Once he reached the tale of a young man who won over the world's most beautiful woman just by his gaze Rong Tian understood why the young man was grumpy.

The King was embarrassed as he awkwardly explained, "I was a hot blooded youth, I heard about this incomparable beauty..."

Feng Ming interrupted him and gave him an accusing glare that had the intensity of a thousand suns. "Here I was assuming it was just a ridiculous story Official Xia spun to coax me."

The Prince was reminded of the King's flirtatious nature, perhaps monogamy wasn't his game. Maybe in each country Rong Tian had a beauty hiding in seclusion waiting for the day he became a King. Then they would come forth and all, 'willing serve as a concubine'.

Feng Ming thought about the eleven countries that were in disagreement. That was a large sum. He couldn't help but to vent his frustration. He snatched up the bedside curtains, squeezed it between his clenched fists and gnawed the material.