The long and slender fingers of Sect Leader Zhao pluck the strings of his guzheng. The series of strum created a harmonious melody, pleasing the ears of everyone who can hear. The music he plays is slow in tempo, truly soothing. Like a mother humming to a sleeping child. Like a stream of water that flows towards the sea. Like a gentle rain that falls on one's cheek.
This melody can calm one's troubled heart and mind in a mess.
Xu Zhengming yawns as he lay down on the wooden floor. The music that Zhao Yangguang plays makes him sleepy in broad daylight.
The sect leader, Sect Elder Wang, and our silly eunuch just finished their pot of jasmine tea for the nth time of the day inside the main hall of Wan Moli Hua Palace. It's been five days since Yin Wenyan left Xu Zhengming here yet there's no sign of him coming back any time soon. Not even his shadow is coming for him. They don't even know his whereabouts, or if he already found his siblings or not yet.
Zhao Yannguang stopped plucking his guzheng and looks at the bored eunuch.
"Ming'er, would you like to drink some more tea?"
Being called out, Xu Zhengming immediately rises into a sitting position again, and attentively replies.
"Thank you, Sect Leader Zhao but I had enough. Please don't bother yourself, don't mind me." He doesn't want to be rude so he forced a smile on his lips. To be honest with himself, he can't drink another cup.
Really, Xu Zhengming wishes that the temperamental emperor would come already and get him out of this place as soon as possible. He's afraid that if he stays here for a little longer, it's no longer blood that will circulate in his veins throughout his body but jasmine tea!
They'll have jasmine tea first thing in the morning. And by nine in the morning, they'll have sweets and jasmine tea. In the afternoon, they'll bake cookies and drink jasmine tea. Before going to bed they'll have jasmine tea. For five days, this is Xu Zhengming's routine with this sect leader that's addicted to jasmine tea!
The sect leader waves his hand, "No, no. That won't do. You're my son so---"
"He's not your son." Wang Junjie interrupted him with his usual plain tone.
This made Zhao Yangguang raise his eyebrows and look at the elder's way. "Well, yeah but soon?"
"Neither of the siblings is your child." Wang Junjie is talking about Prince Yin Wenyan and his siblings.
He has an idea of what's going on in the other's mind and he contradicts it immediately. He knows that the sect leader is thinking that one of Yin Wenyan and Yin Renshu will claim this beau sooner or later.
Wang Junjie didn't close this possibility in his mind. But then again, "Even if what you're thinking right now happens, he still won't be your son." Because Yin Renshu and Yin Wenyan aren't his biological children in the first place!
"Why are you always doing this to me? Don't you want me to be happy?"
Come to think of it. Wang Junjie always contradicts Zhao Yangguang when he wants to claim Yin Wenyan, Yin Renshu, and Yin Xiulan as his children. It's been like this since the sect leader first met the three. Saying they're not his, and should stop claiming them as children instead of disciples.
This is why the three of them grew up spoiled by their shizun. He covered up for them in the past whenever they caused trouble. And now, they've become untamable, hardheaded, and do whatever they want.
For example, going against the grand empress dowager. Although it's not a bad thing, this is solid proof that they do what they feel like doing so.
Wang Junjie lowers his head and mumbled, almost whispering to himself. Like a poor puppy that's whimpering. "I want. I'm sorry."
It's not that he wants to be mean towards the sect leader. He's just being considerate of what Xu Zhengming might feel. He thinks that they should not mention anything related to parents since this young man's parents are already dead. And his father... Xu Lin's death is related to the two of them.
Unfortunately, Sect Leader Zhao doesn't seem to think this way. He's even addressing Eunuch Xu as "Ming'er", which is probably how his parents used to call him.
"Tch... Is your sorry even sincere?" Zhao Yanggunag crossed his arms on his chest. "I don't need your sorry, I want a child! Give me one."
Hearing this statement from the sect leader, Wang Junjie's butterflies in his stomach suddenly flaps its wings. "You- You know you can't... I can't!"
Now, this is out of character for Wang Junjie. It's not very him to lose his composure.
"Then stop going against me." Zhao Yangguang pokes his forehead and looks at Xu Zhengming again with a bashful smile. "Don't mind us, Ming'er."
"..."
"..."
Even though Xu Zhengming only knows a thing or two about the conversation they had, this is enough to let him know that these two... they have more than just a master-subordinate relationship.
The sect leader continues to speak, eliminating the dead silent atmosphere inside the main hall. "Anyways, I mean, you're already like a son to me so of course, I'll mind you." He gives Xu Zhengming a thumbs up and even winks at him. With a confident smile, he declared, "I'll entertain you with my entertainment skills! How about that. Hmm?"
"Entertainment skills?" Xu Zhengming tried to flash a smile on his face but he thinks he didn't do well this time. "I wonder what will the sect leader do this time."
He can't help but think, is he going to make another jasmine tea, blended with other flavors? Or will he brew jasmine tea using his feet?
Surprisingly, the entertainment kills that he's talking about doesn't have to do with jasmine tea or any kind of teas. He just set his porcelain-white hand onto his guzheng, plucking its strings with his beautiful slender fingers in a faster tempo. Much hurried than the melody he played earlier.
It's more like an upbeat and happy song. Not until he sings... Yes, he really started singing. He really sings! And then the song turned into a completely disturbing one.
It's not that his voice is bad, it's actually just fine. It's every word that came out of his lips that made it disturbing.
"Hold me up, tie me down~
'Cause I never wanna leave your side~
Swear to never let you down~
And it's been eatin' me alive~
You can take me home~
You can never let me go~
Hold me up, hold me up~
And tie me, tie me down, down, down~
And tie me, tie me down, down~"
Xu Zhengming never heard such a song before. It gives positive energy and could cheer up a mood. However, if one would listen to his singing... they'll most probably knit their eyebrows.
Mingming subconsciously speaks his thoughts. "This song is distressing. Causing anxiety, and arises uneasiness."
"Exactly." Wang Junjie said in a casual tone.
Good thing, Zhao Yangguang is too occupied plucking those strings that he didn't bother what the other two are talking about.
Surprised, Xu Zhengming drags his ass closer to the elder like he forgot the fact that he's wearing the sect uniform which is white.
With widened eyes, he asks, "You agree, Elder Wang?"
"Not really but I say, this song is rather strange." Like, why would you let someone tie you down just because you don't want to leave their side?
Wang Junjie, even the other sect elders, don't think his song made any sense. But who would dare to ask the sect leader about it?
For some complicated reasons, Zhao Yangguang knows this song even though it is not from this era.
The sect elder clears his throat and continues. "What I mean is that you said the exact words that the emperor used to describe this song of his."
Xu Zhengming snaps his fingers. "Right?! It sounds like he's a masochist!"
"I cannot argue with that but..." Wang Junjie waves his hand to the other. Xu Zhengming isn't so sure if he's just imagining things or the elder's ears suddenly got tinted with the color of red. "But I can assure you that he is not like that."
Zhao Yangguang got interrupted with his guzheng playing when the door of the main hall suddenly slides open. Ling Chyou, one of the sect elders enters the room with a complicated expression written on her face.
She hurried in the middle of the hall where the sect leader was playing his stringed instrument. She clasps his hands as a sign of respect before she speaks.
"I apologize for interrupting your afternoon tea, Sect Leader Zhao, Elder Wang, Eunuch Xu but I'm afraid the news I have is important."
Seeing how anxious she looks, the sect leader can't help but get serious. This matter she has with her must be a big one.
"What is this news all about, Elder Ling?"
"It's official news from the royal imperial palace, and it's quite widespread below the mountain." She said with her face ashen. "There will be a grand banquet to be held at the imperial palace, in celebration of the coronation of a new emperor of the dynasty."
"Wait... what?" Xu Zhengming can't believe what he's hearing. "Why would they have a new emperor when we already have one?"
Does everyone still think that the emperor really died? His majesty still did not make it back to the imperial palace? Where could he be? What is he doing now? Is he in a good condition?
He's not dead, right?
The bright aura that once surrounded the sect leader dissipated only to get replaced by a dark one. His face is solemn with a hint of anger. "I think my children are losing their internal war."
He rises to his feet with a tight grip on the hilt of his sword by his waist. "I need to go there."
Wang Junjie rises as well and holds the sect leader on the wrist. "Are you sure you want to meddle in their personal matter? Wen---" Elder Wang forgot that Xu Zhengming is with them for a while. Good thing he stopped himself halfway and corrected his sentence. "The emperor told us that we need not involve ourselves in this matter."
"Is his pride more important than their lives?"
For the long years of having a master-disciple relationship with the sect leader, Prince Yin Wenyan, Princess Yin Xiulan, and Emperor Yin Renshu have made a special space in Zhao Yangguang's heart. As much as he could, he would not allow anything that could possibly hurt them. Knowing that he can do something this time, he won't let this slip in his hands.
"What would the grand empress dowager, their biological grandmother, will do to ascend another ruler on the throne? Of course, she'll kill them!"
"..." Wang Junjie couldn't say anything to counter his statement.
Even he thinks that they should do something as well before everything gets to the point that things cannot be saved from falling.
"I'm going. He can hate me afterward." Zhao Yangguang headed towards the exit of the hall with his chin up. As usual, Wang Junjie followed him.
"Please let me go with you, Sect Leader Zhao!" Xu Zhengming's loud voice echoes in the main hall which made the sect leader stop to look back at him.
His face becomes a little gentle when he stares at the little eunuch. With a soothing voice, he tried to convince Xu Zhengming to stay here in the Wan Moli Hua Palace.
"Ming'er, it's too dangerous for you."
And then the next thing that everyone else witnessed is that Eunuch Xu bent down into a kowtow, with his forehead touching the wooden floor.
Zhao Yangguang can't help but let out a sigh. "Ming'er, please don't make it hard for both of us."
Xu Zhengming just ignored the sect leader's words. He didn't lift his head and pleaded. "I beg you, Sect Leader Zhao."
The emperor may be mean to him at times but he was kind to him most of the time. He's too shy to show his kindness sometimes but Xu Zhengming appreciates it very well.
He's done a lot of things for him which is more than enough for a lowly servant like him to receive. Although he doesn't know that there are actually two emperors, both of them became remarkable people to him; may it be the gentle and 'fluffy' one or the bad-tempered emperor.
He just realized it when the fake news that the emperor is dead circulated in the imperial palace. He got sad, and cannot accept that the emperor is gone. It's like a bucket of ice-cold water got poured on his head. His heart was beating like crazy to the point that it feels like he's going to have a cardiac arrest.
It's like he wants to give up on his life too.
Living as an isolated person for some time was bearable because he felt secure under the emperor's protection. The emperor is there to visit him whenever he got time.. or rather, he really makes free time to see him. However, the thought of his majesty is gone, he doesn't know how to leave by himself again. By then realized, he doesn't want to lose this temperamental emperor.
The emperor already helped him a lot of times. And now that his majesty seems to be in great trouble, he wants to be of any help even a little.
***
Author's Note:
To those who didn't get what Zhao Yangguang was singing, it's "Tie Me Down" by Gryffin. And yes, he's for some complicated reason, he is involved in the modern world. Sect Elder Wang and Set Leader Zhao's back story is complicated that I could make another novel to make things clear. XD (Actually, I'm planning to make their own novel if ever this novel will do well here.) But since they're just side characters in this story, I'll just include some details that have something to do with this novel. :)
And, as usual, I'm encouraging everyone to leave me a comment. Your thoughts about the story will be greatly appreciated!