Favored Doctor Consort

CHAPTER 15. No Way

Translator: Flying Lines

Nu Jiaha gave a smug smile and disdainful eyes. He asked, “In our place, even a three-year-old kid can play with it smoothly. But what a surprise! None of you can handle it?”

One official wasn’t convinced and he asked, “We haven’t seen such a thing before. Since you rotated it and messed up the colors, how could it be turned back? If you can, why don’t you show us?”

Others supported him and echoed, “Yes. Show us!”

Nu Jiaha snorted and sneered, “Keep your eyes open and watch!”

Just as he finished, he started to rotate the magic cube in his hand.

My Xiyue watched dully. Nu Jiaha rotated the cube rather slowly. Maybe he just wanted to humiliate the officials with the cube.

Quite a moment passed and Nu Jiaha finally turned the magic cube back. Officials had no reason to argue again.

Nu Jiaha looked at Long Jingsong sneered, “Your Majesty, I thought there are a galaxy of talents in your nation. But it turns out to be wrong.”

Long Jingsong’s face became clouded. But before he replied, Nu Jiaha turned to Long Yinfeng, who had been holding his tongue, and asked, “Prince Yinfeng, I hear you’re famous for literary grace and warlike exploits. I wonder if you can play with the cube.”

He rotated the cube again and put it back on the tray. The attendant immediately walked to Long Yinfeng with the tray.

Long Yinfeng stared at the cube, with his lips pressed together. Just when he was about to reply, Mu Xiyue reached out and took up the magic cube.

Everybody else looked at her. She first married Prince De and then the eldest prince. Due to the rumors, no one had a good impression on her.

Nu Jiaha, who was from the Western Shu, clearly knew what a bad reputation she had.  

He sneered, “Prince Yinfeng, I hear your wife used to be Prince De’s. I didn’t know you were so friendly to Prince De that you could even share your wife.”

Long Yinfeng glared at Nu Jiaha, killing intent roaring in his dark eyes.

Mu Xiyue, however, gave a slight smile and replied nothing. She rotated the magic cube quickly and said, “I saw how you played with it. You must have tried a lot to learn it so that you could show off in front of us.”

Just as her words faded away, the cube in her hands were turned back! She waved it and threw it in the tray carelessly.

Nu Jiaha looked shocked and stared at her with disbelief, “How could you...”

In his eyes, Mu Xiyue was a mere young woman. But she managed to play with the magic cube so smoothly! She was even faster than the best player in the Western Shu.

Others also looked surprised. Seemed like Mu Xiyue wasn’t as useless as in the rumor.

Especially Long Yichen, who sat opposite. His face darkened. He did never know Mu Xiyue could play with such a strange thing.

Long Jingsong laughed joyfully. He turned to Mu Xiyue and said, “Oh, Yue. You surprised me! And I really overestimated you! Today, you did credit to us!”

Mu Xiyue curtsied and relied, “You’re flattering me, Your Majesty. This is my duty.”

Long Yinfeng looked askance at her. “How lucky I am to have her!” he thought, “There’s always a surprise that she brings me.”

Long Jingsong was very satisfied and said, “I must reward you. Is there anything you want?”

Mu Xiyue thought about it and then shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

She already lived a good life with everything she expected. If there must be an answer, she wanted to leave the palace and live a free life. But she knew the emperor wouldn’t allow her.

“You can have a wish, then. When you think of something you want, come and tell me. I’ll give it to you if it’s reasonable.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Mu Xiyue curtsied and thanked.

Nu Jiaha wasn’t convinced yet. He still mocked, “Your Highness. You must be an amazing girl, or Prince Yinfeng wouldn’t have taken you away from Prince De. Why don’t you show us what you’ve got?”

Concubine Xia stood up and curtsied to the emperor and the empress. She then turned to Nu Jiaha and offered, “Excuse me, Yue used to be a naughty girl when she stayed with Prince De. She doesn’t have too much to show off. Shall I play some music for you? Please let go of her!”

Mu Xiyue smiled coldly. “Damn it,” she thought, “Was she helping me? Hell, no. She was clearly telling everyone that I was a naught girl who was ignorant and incompetent.”

“Humph!” she thought, “Today, I’ll show you what I’ve really got. Want to bully Long Yinfeng or me? NO WAY!”

“Thanks, but no thanks.” replied Mu Xiyue loudly, “I’ll do it myself. At least, I’m now the wife of Prince Yinfeng.” She stressed “wife”, just to remind Concubine Xia that she was no longer the girl in her family.

Concubine Xia was embarrassed to realize what Mu Xiyue meant. She changed her attitude immediately and said, “Yes, Your Highness. But don’t act on impulse. You’ll be sorry if you disgrace our nation.”

“Mu Xiyue, back off. Concubine Xia will play the music for you.” said the empress, not troubling to look at Mu Xiyue at all. The latter, however, smiled and looked back. “But the envoy wanted to see me. I’m afraid he doesn’t like it if Concubine Xia takes my place?”

“You’re right, Your Highness. I have no interest in someone else.” Nu Jiaha replied.

His reply embarrassed Concubine Xia again. She bunched her hands into fists inside her sleeve. Long Yichen glared at her and scolded, “Be seated! Stop disgracing me!”

Concubine Xia then sat down and glared at Mu Xiyue with resentment. “Humph, I’ll see how you make a fool of yourself!” thought she.

“Yue, what would you like to perform?” asked Long Jingsong.

“How about playing pipa (a plucked Chinese string instrument with a fretted fingerboard)?” replied Mu Xiyue.

She went to colleague at a younger age. There was a time when she was addicted to pipa. She practiced it for such a long time that she managed to play it excellently.

“Okay.” Long Jingsong replied and said to an imperial maid, “Go get her a pipa.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The maid replied and soon she fetched a pipa and gave it to Mu Xiyue. She also carried another chair for Mu Xiyue to sit in.

Mu Xiyue sat down and looked at Long Yinfeng. The latter nodded with a faint smile.

She took a deep breath and started to play pipa. A beautiful song came out and she sang to the music. Her voice was so sweet!

The sound of pipa and her voice lingered in the hall. She was playing and singing so perfectly that everybody else was spellbound.

This appalled Long Yichen, too! Anyway, Mu Xiyue stayed in his mansion for five years. Yet he knew nothing about her.

Long Yinfeng gazed at his wife. There were millions of girls in this world, but none of them, in his eyes, could be as good as Mu Xiyue. He really had eyes only for her.

She attracted everyone else when she played pipa and sang attentively. How Long Yinfeng wished he could hide her up so that no other man could see her again!