FIMA Ch95: The Play Begins

That night, at the Sixth Prince’s residence.

Although the Mid-Autumn Festival was still a few days away, tonight’s moon was already almost full.

Unlike the crescent moon seen beside the hot spring and old plum tree on the mountain, it was still beautiful and bright.

Moonlight spilled onto the smooth, clean ground, like a clear pool of water, reflecting the two fragrant osmanthus trees planted by the window.

Inside, on the soft couch by the window.

Gu Siyuan, unlike his usual posture of always sitting straight, now had one leg bent and the other stretched out, lounging leisurely against the wall, casually holding a bowl of osmanthus wine, sipping slowly, showing a rare sense of ease and grace.

Looking up, he could see the moon in the sky; looking down, he could see the person in his heart.

His beloved, Xie Xuan, rubbed his head against the leg Gu Siyuan had stretched out, smiling, “Father is really sensitive. I’ve been a bit blunt these past few days, and he immediately pushed Xie Huan to the forefront. I bet my elder and second brothers are completely clueless.”

“Especially the second brother, although he survived the tiger attack, he lost an eye. Poor thing, he has no chance at the throne anymore.”

Gu Siyuan looked down, coldly watching this person who was still acting, “I only hear gloating in your tone, no sympathy at all.”

Xie Xuan immediately glared angrily, “Gu Xun, whose side are you on?”

His second brother loved watching beast fights and even built a private menagerie to watch not just wild animals but also forced people to fight against beasts, causing many innocent deaths.

Now, losing an eye to a beast was just retribution.

“Mm.” Xie Xuan snorted righteously.

The little prince was getting more and more spoiled recently.

“Of course, I am on your side.” Gu Siyuan replied casually, then continued to drink the fragrant osmanthus wine.

Xie Xuan saw his insincerity, pouted, and angrily pounded the couch before sitting up, only to accidentally bump his head against Gu Siyuan’s hard chin.

Intending to act coquettish, he immediately cried out in mock pain.

Gu Siyuan glanced at him, chuckled, and indulged him by gently rubbing his forehead, “Spoiled…”

“Hmph…” Xie Xuan felt much better but couldn’t help but complain, “I didn’t know you liked drinking so much that you’d ignore me.”

Gu Siyuan brought the bowl to his lips, “Try it. This is osmanthus wine, fitting for the season, brewed by your household chef. It’s not strong, but the taste is nice.”

Xie Xuan licked his lips and smiled, “Sure, let me try.”

In the next moment, his delicate white hand pushed the bowl of wine aside, and he threw himself into Gu Siyuan’s arms, pressing his lips against his.

His tongue met no resistance and easily slipped inside. As expected, the rich, clear fragrance of osmanthus and wine flooded his senses.

Gu Siyuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

His little prince was always delicate and mischievous, but when it came to matters of love, he was proactive and honest. This was the best part.

Gu Siyuan casually tossed the bowl of wine, and it landed steadily on the small tea table nearby without spilling a drop.

Then, he wrapped his arms tightly around the soft, fragrant person who had come to him willingly, and their lips and tongues met, each attacking the other.

“Mm…” Xie Xuan habitually hummed softly, clinging to him.

Gu Siyuan’s hands tightened, their bodies pressing together completely, familiar warmth and enticing emotions spreading instantly.

After a long while, feeling Xie Xuan’s body trembling more and more, Gu Siyuan licked and bit the soft lips of the person in his arms, as if savoring the most delicious fruit or candy, then slowly let him go a little.

Xie Xuan, weak all over, leaned against him, his half-opened, reddened lips struggling to catch his breath.

Gu Siyuan’s rough fingers gently traced the eyebrows, cheeks, and lips of the person who perfectly suited his taste, and he commented lightly, “The Sixth Prince is always proactive, but can never endure.”

“…” Xie Xuan didn’t want to respond, rolling his eyes instead.

Did he think everyone had his inhuman stamina, not even needing to breathe?

Gu Siyuan’s fingers came to his plump, red lips and pressed lightly, “So, Sixth Prince, how does the osmanthus wine taste?”

Although Xie Xuan was not very capable, he had a strong temper. He stuck out his tongue and licked the fingers pressing on his lips, deliberately sighing, “With such a peerless beauty like Gu Lang drinking the wine, it naturally tastes top-notch. How often can one experience such a treat in life?”

“Heh… ‘A beauty drinking wine,’ the Sixth Prince has quite an interest.” Hearing this, Gu Siyuan sneered, pressing harder with his fingertips.

“Hiss…” Xie Xuan gasped in pain.

Gu Siyuan ignored him, and with a slight movement of his left hand towards the tea table, the wine jar flew straight into his hand, which he grabbed firmly.

For some reason, seeing this, Xie Xuan suddenly felt a bad premonition and quickly changed the subject, “Hey, General Gu, it’s already so late. Why haven’t you gone home yet? If you drink another jar of wine, you might not be able to sleep.”

Gu Siyuan looked at him coldly.

Xie Xuan: “…”

Xie Xuan swallowed hard, “Alright, you can leave later if you want.”

Gu Siyuan weighed the jar of osmanthus wine in his hand and said coldly, “I am on leave recently, and my current assignment is related to the Sixth Prince’s residence, so I will be staying here.”

“Ah… that’s quite a coincidence. This prince welcomes you warmly,” Xie Xuan said with a flattering smile.

Gu Siyuan, of course, was not swayed by such temporary goodwill, his expression still cold, “I once heard that in certain regions of Jiangnan, there are dishes known as ‘water-wrapped in skin’ and ‘skin-wrapped in water.’ Just now, the Sixth Prince mentioned ‘beauty drinking wine,’ so if we lack ‘wine-wrapped in skin,’ wouldn’t that be incomplete?”

“…” Xie Xuan blinked, “What… what do you mean?”

In the next moment, he felt a chill on his neck.

Fragrant, clear wine began to pour down from the brown pottery jar, starting from his exposed, delicate neck, slowly flowing over his entire body.

Xie Xuan’s eyes widened.

So, this… this is ‘wine-wrapped in skin’?

Gu Siyuan said calmly, “Digging a wine pool would be too extravagant; this will suffice.”

Xie Xuan was lifted horizontally, becoming the vessel for the wine, his entire body covered in wine, all carefully tasted and evaluated by someone.

“…” Xie Xuan.

In short, afterwards, covered in bruises, there was only one word: regret.

Doing business at a loss was unacceptable. He only tasted the wine in Gu Siyuan’s mouth.

…

A few days later, it was finally the Mid-Autumn Festival.

As usual, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the palace would host a night banquet, gathering not only the royal family members but also inviting meritorious officials to celebrate together.

Moreover, since the King of Northern Border and his entourage were leaving in two days, today also served as a farewell banquet.

The banquet was still held in the Wuying Hall.

The hall was decorated with various palace lanterns, and newly potted osmanthus plants were placed intermittently, their golden flowers nestled among the green leaves, elegant and charming, with a refreshing fragrance.

Xie Xuan arrived very early.

After arriving, he didn’t care about anything else. Seeing the dishes being served, he leisurely started eating and drinking with his chopsticks.

The civil and military officials were slightly taken aback when they saw him but still greeted him politely.

Xie Xuan had been rather arrogant lately, but not towards these officials, responding to each one kindly and nodding in acknowledgment.

Soon, the Crown Prince Xie Hong and the Second Prince Xie Kuan also arrived.

Both had been in bad shape recently, and upon seeing Xie Xuan surrounded by officials while they were left with few, their expressions turned even colder.

Xie Hong, due to the sacrificial assassination case and the corruption case in Ling County, had lost many supporters, significantly reducing his power and leaving him unable to compare with Xie Xuan.

Xie Kuan, having lost an eye, was completely out of the running for the throne, becoming extremely sullen.

Although most officials were loyal, many were also opportunistic and naturally unwilling to gather around them.

After a while, the King of Northern Border and his entourage arrived, bringing along the prince and princess.

The princess’s expression was not as lively as before, clearly reluctant to leave.

When Xie Xuan was almost full, Gu Siyuan arrived and walked straight to the seat at the top of the hall.

Just this morning during the imperial court session, Gu Siyuan was conferred the title of First-Class General of the Nation. After taking a few days off, he resumed his duties and returned to the palace.

Xie Xuan looked up and playfully winked at him.

The officials fell silent, ceasing their chatter and returning to their seats.

“The Emperor arrives! The Empress Dowager arrives!”

In the next instant, the voice of a guard announced from outside the hall.

Tonight was the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, a reunion banquet.

Emperor Jianzhao arrived with the Empress Dowager, the concubines of the harem, and the Fourth Prince, Xie Huan.

Everyone hurriedly rose to salute, chanting “Long live the Emperor, long live the Empress Dowager.”

Emperor Jianzhao seemed to be in a good mood today. He raised his hand to let everyone rise and said something like, “May we all live long, sharing the beauty of the moon,” before directly announcing the start of the banquet.

Music and dance performances began, and the atmosphere was lively.

By this time, Xie Xuan was already full and was now casually observing the scene.

Of course, his main focus was on Gu Siyuan, thinking to himself: My man really didn’t deserve that title. While everyone else is enjoying themselves, he’s still standing next to the Emperor. Clearly, it’s a good idea to rebel early. During this major festival, my man doesn’t even get a hot meal, and it truly pains me.

Gu Siyuan, naturally, could feel the clingy gaze on him. Though his face remained indifferent, he felt helpless inside: My little prince has completely let himself go now.

However, not everyone at the banquet was like Xie Xuan, thinking only about eating from start to finish.

Most people had other thoughts.

Whether intentionally or not, after the setbacks faced by the Crown Prince Xie Hong and the Second Prince Xie Kuan, many officials seemed to suddenly realize the existence of the Fourth Prince Xie Huan. After Xie Huan’s betrothal to the Northern Border Princess, this realization reached its peak.

Therefore, tonight, many officials were very enthusiastic towards him, with numerous toasts.

Xie Huan drank until his face was almost red.

Perhaps it was the alcohol, or perhaps he had other thoughts, but during this process, Xie Huan secretly glanced at Xie Xuan several times, as if proclaiming something.

Xie Xuan naturally ignored him.

He was entirely focused on secretly observing his great general.

However, the more indifferent Xie Xuan appeared, the more Xie Huan paid attention.

At this moment, Xie Huan glanced at Xie Xuan again. By coincidence, a palace servant delivering wine turned around carelessly, and Xie Huan’s arm directly knocked over the wine jug, spilling it all over himself, soaking half of his luxurious gold-bordered dragon robe.

The palace servant turned pale, trembling and kneeling with a thud.

Xie Huan frowned deeply.

Xie Xuan happened to look over, the corners of his lips slightly curling.

In Xie Huan’s eyes, this was pure mockery.

Xie Huan snorted coldly, then smiled gently at the palace servant, saying kindly, “It’s fine, get up. It’s not your fault. I’ll just go change my clothes.”

He was currently trying to build a good reputation. With so many people present, there was no need to fuss over a small palace servant, and he certainly couldn’t let Xie Xuan mock him.

The palace servant kowtowed deeply and hurriedly retreated.

Xie Huan informed those around him and then got up to go to the side hall to change his clothes.

Although he hadn’t brought any extra clothes, he could send someone to the Feihong Hall, where he always kept a few spare garments. His mother was also the only one in the palace not attending the banquet tonight.

However, his departure caused quite a delay.

The banquet was already more than halfway through.

The earlier part focused on discussing the customs and people of Da Liang, while the latter half was about Northern Border affairs, as the princess was about to marry the Fourth Prince. Talking about it now would help ease her homesickness.

Emperor Jianzhao assured the King of Northern Border that the Fourth Prince would treat the princess well.

The King of Northern Border nodded in satisfaction.

He originally thought that the Emperor of Da Liang favored the Sixth Prince Xie Xuan the most, but these days, he noticed that the Emperor had kept the Fourth Prince Xie Huan close by.

Thus, marrying his daughter to the Fourth Prince seemed like a good idea.

The princess, however, remained uninterested, despite her usually lively nature.

Seeing this, the King of Northern Border’s high spirits dampened slightly.

He looked towards the Fourth Prince, secretly hoping that this future emperor and son-in-law would treat his daughter well.

But for a while, he saw no sign of the prince, only an empty seat.

He remembered that a group of people had been toasting earlier.

Emperor Jianzhao noticed his gaze and asked Wang Chengying beside him, “Where’s Huan’er? Why isn’t he here?”

Wang Chengying quickly replied, “Earlier, the Fourth Prince’s clothes were soaked with wine, so he went to the side hall to change.”

Emperor Jianzhao nodded, “Send someone to check on him. The King of Northern Border is about to leave the capital. As his future son-in-law, he should toast him a few more times.”

“Yes.” Wang Chengying nodded and immediately called a young eunuch to check on the Fourth Prince.

By now, everyone was full. Though it was still autumn, the weather was warm, so they didn’t mind the cold soup and dishes.

They leaned lazily in their chairs, either watching the performances or chatting and networking.

The atmosphere was lively yet peaceful.

At this moment, a piercing scream shattered the tranquility of the palace night and startled the relaxed crowd in the Wuying Hall.

Everyone instinctively straightened up, looking at each other, their eyes filled with curiosity.

The palace was Emperor Jianzhao’s domain. Any disturbance was a slight to him, and an inexplicable unease filled his heart.

Emperor Jianzhao immediately frowned and turned to Gu Siyuan beside him, “Siyuan, go see what happened.”

“Yes,” Gu Siyuan replied.

Below, Xie Xuan winked mysteriously at him as he left.

Gu Siyuan could see from Xie Xuan’s glance that if anything had happened, it was likely his doing.

This little troublemaker.

The incident occurred in the Linxi Pavilion of the Ning Shou Palace garden, not far from the Wuying Hall, separated only by a plaza. Otherwise, the sound wouldn’t have reached here.

With Gu Siyuan’s speed, it took him only a moment to arrive. The door to the scene of the incident hadn’t even been closed yet.

Gu Siyuan calmly surveyed the scene. There was no need to guess what had happened; neither person had their clothes on.

He said nothing and turned to leave.

Xie Huan’s expression changed immediately. He clutched the quilt to his chest and urgently called after him, “General Gu, this is a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding…”

Meanwhile, Jiang Yuan was quickly putting on her clothes.

The real drama was about to begin.

Gu Siyuan returned to the Wuying Hall, having been gone for only a few dozen breaths, but the people who were in the hall had already moved to the doorway.

Seeing him return, Emperor Jianzhao asked with a stern face, “Siyuan, what happened? Who dared to be so disgraceful in the palace?”

Gu Siyuan looked at the enraged Emperor and thought: Ha, you better not regret this. You’ll probably get even angrier later.

He bowed and said with a cold face, “This matter concerns a woman’s reputation and the Fourth Prince’s honor. I don’t know the full details; I entered and quickly withdrew. It’s better if the ladies of the harem go to Linxi Pavilion to see.”

Emperor Jianzhao’s face changed drastically. He looked at Gu Siyuan with eyes that seemed to wish he could swallow his words.

However, murmurs of gossip had already started among the crowd, clearly intrigued by this scandal.

Especially Consort Lu, who immediately volunteered, “In that case, I will take people to have a look.”

Her eagerness to watch the drama was evident.

Emperor Jianzhao glared at her.

But Consort Lu, used to being overbearing for years and having planned tonight’s event with her son, wasn’t intimidated.

She smiled and said to the Empress Dowager, “Mother, in case I am too inexperienced to handle this, why not send a nanny with me?”

The Empress Dowager, who had always been kind to her, nodded slowly, “Very well.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Consort Lu hurried away with her people, her back filled with glee.

Gu Siyuan thought to himself that Consort Lu and Xie Xuan were indeed cut from the same cloth, both drama queens.

Moments later, a young eunuch ran over, panting, “Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, Consort Lu said that this matter concerns people dear to both of you. She couldn’t handle it herself. Miss Jiang Yuan nearly died, hitting her head on a pillar at Linxi Pavilion and bleeding everywhere…”

“Consort Lu also said that there’s nothing inappropriate to see now. It’s best if Your Majesty and Empress Dowager go to Linxi Pavilion to decide how to handle this matter.”