“Fugui…”
Within the Left Virtuous King’s manor, Murong Huiying suddenly burst into tears, holding Zhou Fugui.
“Yingying, what is it?” Zhou Fugui asked softly.
Murong Huiying did not answer, only weeping more sorrowfully, her tears soaking Zhou Fugui’s chest.
Murong Huiying knew far more about Xuelin City than Zhou Fugui did.
She did not want Zhou Fugui to go to Xuelin City, but what could she do? Moreover, the Yan Emperor’s decree had already been issued, and even Murong Bolie could do nothing to stop it.
“Yingying, are you worried about me?” Zhou Fugui asked with a smile.
“Fugui, once you leave, who knows when we will meet again,” Murong Huiying sobbed.
“Yingying, I, Zhou, believe in only one saying…” Zhou Fugui said upon hearing this. “That is, the heavens never block all paths. In this world, every difficult matter has a solution.”
“Mmm…” Murong Huiying knew Zhou Fugui was trying to comfort her, but her heart felt even more pained.
“Fugui, why don’t we run away?” After a moment, Murong Huiying asked, holding Zhou Fugui.
“Eloping?” Zhou Fugui shook his head. “A last resort, not advisable! Eloping means running away, living in hiding forever, never seeing the light of day. Besides, can you bear to leave your parents and other family? This separation might be for a lifetime, or at least a very long time. It’s the same for me. Mother has already lost her eldest son. If I run away, how will she manage?”
Although Zhou Fugui opposed it, he was deeply moved. Murong Huiying, a princess, was willing to elope with him. Such deep affection! So, Zhou Fugui wrapped one arm around Murong Huiying’s slender back, his other hand encircling her delicate waist, lifting her to sit in his lap. He softly comforted her, “Yingying, you must believe in me, believe that the heavens never block all paths, believe in the dawn that follows darkness.”
“Mmm, Fugui, Yingying believes you,” Murong Huiying nodded.
“One day, I will marry you into my Zhou family with all the pomp and circumstance,” Zhou Fugui added. “I will let the whole world know that you, Princess Ziyue, Murong clan, are my wife, Zhou Fugui, and I am your… husband, yes, husband.”
“Fugui… husband…” As they spoke with emotion, Murong Huiying felt Zhou Fugui’s passion rekindle. Blushing, she whispered, wriggling in his embrace.
“Oh no!” Just as Zhou Fugui was about to engage in another three hundred rounds with Murong Huiying, he suddenly remembered something and exclaimed.
“Ah? What happened?” Murong Huiying sat up, looking at Zhou Fugui, her face still flushed.
“Ying… Ying… Alas… ” Zhou Fugui stammered. After a long hesitation, he finally said, “Yingying, you’ve treated me this way, and I should be honest with you. It’s about Miss Xiaoqing. Alas, this misunderstanding, this muddled situation, I truly don’t know what to do…”
Zhou Fugui’s mind was in a complete mess at this moment, but he still told Murong Huiying about his encounter with Xiaoqing.
Today, Zhou Fugui had disguised himself as a thief and infiltrated the Left Virtuous King’s manor, intending to end his entanglement with Murong Huiying. However, it had led to the bedroom… By breaking his word, wasn’t he letting Xiaoqing down?
“You…” Murong Huiying was so angry she pushed Zhou Fugui onto the bed. She glared at him, “You philandering ape! You actually… actually… You just… and already? You’re going too far!”
“Alas, Yingying, it was a misunderstanding, who could have known?” Zhou Fugui didn’t know how to explain.
“Is she prettier or am I?” Murong Huiying reached out and swept her long, waterfall-like hair over her shoulder, letting it cascade onto her delicate chest.
“Of course, my Yingying is the most beautiful in this world, unparalleled!”
At this moment, Murong Huiying’s smooth, fair body seemed boneless as it pressed against Zhou Fugui. Her playfully angry face, with its bright, flowing eyes and slightly trembling cherry lips, was captivating.
Murong Huiying was indeed a beauty rarely seen in the world, like a celestial maiden from the nine heavens. Thus, Zhou Fugui’s words were truly from the bottom of his heart, with no intention of pandering to Murong Huiying.
Zhou Fugui had met several beauties in this world, such as Xiaoqing, Empress Murong Qing, and Murong Xiaoxiao, but none could compare to Murong Huiying.
“Hmph, who is ‘yours’?” Murong Huiying spat at Zhou Fugui with a blush, then asked, “Do you like her more or me?”
“Of course… it’s…” Zhou Fugui smiled. “Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?”
“You tell me?” Murong Huiying gave Zhou Fugui a sidelong glance. “If you dare to lie, today… Hmph… We women of the grasslands love someone with all our hearts, and we hate them just as much. As you say, deep love leads to intense hate. But we are not like your women, who wallow in self-pity. If we encounter a faithless lover, a sharp blade will be used.”
“My lord…” Murong Huiying then playfully traced patterns on Zhou Fugui’s chest and abdomen with her jade fingers, whispering huskily, “Do you want to live or die?”
“Live, of course I want to live. Only a fool would want to die,” Zhou Fugui said, begging for mercy in fright.
Damn it, threatening with a blade at the slightest provocation, how could anyone endure this? Zhou Fugui lamented inwardly.
“Xiaoqing… I feel more sympathy for her, sympathy for her plight, sympathy for her difficult fate. I couldn’t bear to refuse her, couldn’t bear to hurt her feelings…” Under Murong Huiying’s “threat of death,” Zhou Fugui finally told the truth. “Besides, people are not pigs or dogs. People have feelings. Xiaoqing has stayed by my side, never wavering. How could I bear to break her heart? As for you, Yingying, my feelings for you are sincere, sincere to the bone…”
“Yingying, to be frank, I, Zhou, have always been arrogant and proud. I never expected, alas, that I would have a day of inferiority,” Zhou Fugui sighed thereafter.
“Zhou Lang, stop talking, Yingying understands,” Murong Huiying said softly, leaning her head onto Zhou Fugui’s chest, deeply moved.
No love, no inferiority. Zhou Fugui’s infiltration of the Left Virtuous King’s manor tonight was, in fact, a manifestation of his inferiority.
“You’re not going to use your blade anymore?” Zhou Fugui suddenly flipped over, pinning Murong Huiying beneath him, a sly grin on his lips, and asked.
“Are your bones itching? Wanting to be dealt with by a blade?” Murong Huiying giggled.
“If you’re not using your blade, then it’s my turn to draw mine!” Zhou Fugui declared, then pressed Murong Huiying down, acting with abandon.
Murong Huiying knew their time together was short, so she gritted her teeth and yielded.
…
“Clang… clang… clang…”
“Flying thief! Flying thief!”
“Catch the flower-stealing thief! Catch the flower-stealing thief!”
“Quick, quick, he’s heading for the princess’s residence!”
“Surround him, don’t let him escape!”
After an unknown period, the Left Virtuous King’s manor suddenly erupted with the sound of gongs and shouting, everyone yelling to catch the thief.
“Flying… thief? Flower-stealing thief?” Zhou Fugui was startled and sprang up from Murong Huiying, asking.
“Hehe…” Murong Huiying was initially shocked, her face pale. But she was exceptionally intelligent. In a moment, she understood what was happening. Pointing at Zhou Fugui, she giggled, “You, like this, aren’t you a flower-stealing thief?”
“Bad luck, that old night watchman!” Zhou Fugui had no mood for joking with Murong Huiying now and cried out in dismay.
At the time, Zhou Fugui had only knocked out the old night watchman, tied him up loosely, and thrown him into the bushes. Because he was old, Zhou Fugui was afraid of hurting him if he tied him too tightly, so he had only bound him perfunctorily.
Now, the old night watchman must have broken free, alerting the manor guards.
If Zhou Fugui were caught by the manor guards, even if Murong Huiying shielded him with all her might, Zhou Fugui would surely die.
A prisoner and convict, about to be exiled to Xuelin City, yet he was caught in the act of sneaking into the Left Virtuous King’s manor of Great Yan at night… He would be stripped to the bone, if not killed.
Murong Huiying also realized the gravity of the situation. They hastily got dressed and thought of a plan.
“Thump… thump… thump…”
Just then, the sound of doors being battered down came from downstairs, making them both turn pale and exchange worried glances.
Murong Huiying’s residence was a two-story pavilion. She lived on the second floor, while the first floor was for the maids attending her.
The pavilion was large, with thick wooden doors and walls, so the soundproofing was decent. Zhou Fugui and Murong Huiying conversed softly on the second floor, and any noise they made would not be heard by the maids on the first floor. Even if they heard some sounds, they would not dare to go upstairs to inquire without Murong Huiying’s permission.
“Bath, bath, clothes, clothes…” The second floor had three rooms: Murong Huiying’s bedroom, a bathing room, and a small, narrow privy… The situation was dire. The bedroom contained only a couch, a round table, and some wardrobes. The wardrobes or under the bed could not conceal someone as tall as Zhou Fugui. Thus, Murong Huiying pointed to the bathing room and whispered to Zhou Fugui, suggesting he hide there.
Hearing this, Zhou Fugui, naked, ran towards the bathing room. Murong Huiying then reminded him to put on his clothes.
Zhou Fugui then put on his damp black attire and hid in the bathing room. If he were caught by the manor guards now, he would have no way to explain himself…
Murong Huiying took a deep breath, tidied her dress, then felt it was not quite right and mussed it up again. With a gleam in her eye, she opened the wooden window, lit some incense, and frantically fanned the incense with a small fan to accelerate its burning. She then tidied the couch. Finally, Murong Huiying glanced around the room, finding no flaws, and slowly walked downstairs, holding up her skirt.
Beneath the open wooden window, countless torches were lit. The manor guards had completely surrounded Murong Huiying’s pavilion.