TWO

The moment Li Fei Long walked out from the inner chamber, Ming He and Qian Chang Xin rushed a few taijian in to tidy up the room and provide clean clothes and linens. Under Li Fei Long's orders, two yahuan entered the bedchamber to help the exhausted lady clean herself up. 

Purposely using the outer side of the room, Li Fei Long began questioning his people while he freshens up himself. 

“Who is she?” Li Fei Long asked calmly.

Sensing the underlying chill of his question, Ming He and Qian Chang Xin quickly kneeled on the floor. They both knew how terrifying wangye could be. Under his calmness, Duan Qin Wang delivers a spine-chilling aura when he became angry. 

“Answering wangye’s question, nu cai found this young lady in the middle of an illegal human trafficking transaction on the way here. She claimed she had lost her memory after she got kidnapped.” 

Intentionally skipped the part where the young girl insisted that she was the daughter of Duke Jiang, Ming He bowed even deeper and waited until Li Fei Long waved his hands to give pardon to both of them.

“Stand up”, ordered Li Fei Long.

After both of them stood up, Li Fei Long pointed it out: “Her binding feet….”

“Nu cai believes she is one the daughter from a merchant family. Nowadays many merchant families like to follow the noble's conduct. Even though this young miss insisted that she might be one of the daughters of Duke Jiang, nu cai already personally verified that it is not true.” Qian Chang Xin answered. 

Qian Chang Xin noticed the glare Ming He gave him after he mentioned the Duke of Jiang. But it was too late to retract what he said. The only thing Qian Chang Xin could do was to bowed even deeper and wait for their highness’s reaction.

“Duke of Jiang?” Li Fei Long murmured as he tried to recall the person’s identity. 

The Duke of Jiang used to serve the founder of this dynasty. When The Duke was thirteen years old, he began serving as the secretary to a commander governor. He was described as having a vast knowledge of literature. During the reign of The Late Emperor, he became an officer in the guard corps, but was said to be so poor that, in order to report to the capital Chang'an for duty, he had to walk there. 

Then he served successively as the census officer, personal secretary to The Late Emperor, and then became The Deputy Head of The Household at the Emperor's secondary palace at Luoyang. He received a marriage degree and was awarded fields, a mansion and the title of Duke of Jiang.

Li Fei Long met Duke Jiang and his son just a few days ago along with other high ranked Luoyang’s magistrates. His personality impressed Li Fei Long. Even though The Duke is one of the figures who was favored by The Late Emperor, the Duke remained humble and has maintained low key for his visit. 

“Are you sure? Have both of you investigated that she might be a bait?” Li Fei Long knew how his people work. Even though there were possibilities that Ming He and Qian Chang Xin could have slipped this time, his desire made him want this girl to stay by his side for a while. 

He threw a piece of white silk with blood stained on it to the ground. Ming He bent down to pick it up then frowned after he saw what it was.

“Is she as pure as she was?” Li Fei Long looked at his subjects to warn them.

Both bowed one more time. “Yes, Your Highness. We are certain.”

“Whose idea is it to give her love potion?” Li Fei Long was referring to the reaction that poor girl needed to bear for the next few hours. 

Ming He and Qian Chang Xin glanced at each other before quickly kneeled down on the ground. 

“It was me, wang ye….”

“No. It was me, Your Highness….”

Both tried to cover each other up. They have lived like brothers for as long as they could remember. 

“Give each of you a pouch of silver as your reward.” Li Fei Long chuckles. “From now on, her name is Lady Xīng. We will bring her back to the fu. I still want her to serve me.”

Li Fei Long turned around and walked away to the the inner chamber. He unfolded the curtain that divided the rooms. Two yahuan noticed his mood and they quickly made their way out. The beautiful girl who was half tired, half drowsy, now laying on top of the bed. 

Li Fei Long grinned with the idea of giving her a lewd meaning name. He waved his hand to dismiss the yahuan before walking back to the bed. By the time he reached the side of the bed and bent down, staring into her eyes. He lowered his head to give her a kiss. 

***

Two bodies coiled between the sheets. Her leg was on top of his. His arm was around her waist. Leaning on his bended arms, Lei Fei Long was watching her sleeping face with a mysterious smile on his face. 

He wanted to caress her smooth skin. He wanted to lower his lips and kiss her again. But he also knew this girl must have been tired with all the action they had the whole night long.

Without realizing it, his palm shifted and had stopped right on her hips. His hand moved slowly tracing the contour of her hips. He only stopped when she murmured between her sleep and moved her body after she felt disturbed. Li Fei Long did not have the heart to wake her up. But she had awakened and found Li Fei Long smiling slyly at her. 

Li Fei Long pulls the bed sheet up to her chin after she made a funny noise annoyingly. She tried to close her eyes again and turned her body away from him to avoid his hands on her body.

“From now on, you are Duan Wang Fu’s tong fang. Your name will be Lady Xīng.” Li Fei Long announced it happily. “We will be back to the fu tomorrow morning. For the rest of the day today, you could get plenty of time to rest. I will be back to join you in the afternoon.”

She never forgot her modern name. It was just because she completely did not know anything about her current body’s life that made her wary. She was sure she heard two men discussing which family she belonged to while she was captured. But it seems nobody believed her. 

“You could call me Lady Xīng but I will never be your tong fang and I will not follow you back to your fu.”

Xing stared at Li Fei Long firmly with her big round eyes. Li Fei Long frowned, obviously very angry with her statement. Xing pulled the blanket over to cover her chest. She sat on the bed after Li Fei Long jumped out from there and stood up angrily.

“Ben wang will assume ben wang has never heard that. From now on, do not test my patience. Know where you stand, ben wang is Lóng zi, dragon son.”

Li Fei Long sat himself on the round chair at the center of the room. His eyes stared at her. His demeanor changed suddenly and became intimidating. As if hypnotized by his aura, Xing became more polite and fixed her way of sitting.

“Refer to yourself as qiè everytime you speak to ben wang.” Li Fei Long rebukes her and waited until she knows that she was just one of his subjects from now on. 

He knew she was frightened from the look of her eyes. With her long hair messed around her tired face, she can hardly stand up. She tried to keep herself covered under the sheet. Honestly, this view of her made Li Fei Long wants to pin her down to the bed again but he understood he needed to control himself. He needed to be firm with her to make her realize now she belongs to him. He knew she would be too tired to have another round of his punishment after their long night. 

Li Fei Long still wants this girl to serve him in future. If he follows his instinct, he would just be killing her with his enormous sexual prowess. 

Xing stood in front of him looking fragile and pale while her cheeks blushed. Surprisingly, she suddenly knelt before him. With her chin raised and pleading eyes, she opened her delicious lips. “Qiè… qiè is requesting for wáng ye to release… qiè.”

Usually, other women will beg to stay. He was Duan Qin Wang. He was Lóng zi, dragon son. Just right below The Emperor himself. A very close position to hold the throne. This woman who was staring at him with her teary but brave eyes, was requesting him to release her.

Li Fei Long remained silent until he knew the person before him was starting to get anxious. It was his way to intimidate people. He enjoyed the long pause before he decided on another person’s fate, their life within his hands.

“Qiè wants to find out about qiè’s family.” Xing begged once more, realizing that Li Fei Long might end up killing her on the spot if she remained silent.

“Ben wang will help you with that. In fact, ben wang can make those who harm you suffer.” Li Fei Long replied.

“But I would not be able to get back to my family once I become tong fang.” She completely forgot that she needed to use the formalities but was too late to realize it. 

Li Fei Long’s eyes squint angrily at her. “You think you would bring shame to your family once your family knew that you would only be a tong fang?”

He snorted at her. “You really think you are the daughter of Duke Jiang?” Blatantly laughing at her, Li Fei Long stood up and pointed his finger towards her.

“We will soon find out where you came from. Until that day, you are Duan Wang Fu’s special guest. After we know which family you come from, you will be formally transfer to hou yuan.” 

Li Fei Long called Ming He and Qian Chang Xin in. A group of people rushed in with a bathtub full of warm water, new outfit, and some refreshment for Li Fei Long. Noticing how quick this group of people reacted, Xing realized they must have waited all along outside the main chamber. This group of servants must have heard their conversation earlier. 

Before the servants put down the tub, Li Fei Long ordered his bathtub to be put on the outer side of the bedchamber. Xing noticed how weird that order sounded because she caught a glimpse of Ming He and Qian Chang Xin’s stunned face before they carried out his order. 

Li Fei Long also ordered some yahuan to tuck her back inside the bed, prepare her new clothes, and to prepare her bath after he finished with his bath. Xing appeared to accept her fate which made Li Fei Long feel a sense of relief. If this woman still insisted in front of all the servants, it would be embarrassing for him. 

Back on her bed, Xing started to wonder whether this Duan Qin Wang has any feelings towards her or he just considered her as his new toy. Feeling drowsy and exhausted, she really wanted to rest as much as she could. But the noise this bunch of people made, especially the fact that Li Fei Long was enjoying his bath on the outer side of the room, made Xing blushed. She remembered every little detail of what happened between the two of them last night. 

The potion that has been forced inside her mouth made her transformed into a promiscuous sex starved creature. She cannot let herself stay in this autocrat house. Her sleepy eyes were getting heavier while planning her escape. She decided to rest before she conjured up how to escape from Duan Qin Wang’s hands.

***

After ordering the head of kitchen and servants to serve dinner for Duan Qin Wang and his guest, Lady Xing, Qian Chang Xin half-heartedly walked to the main living quarter to invite Lady Xing to join dinner with wang ye. Practically being locked up inside Duan Qin Wang’s main quarter, Qian Chang Xin felt it was not even proper to formally invite this so-called special guest. But that was his lao ye’s specific order, therefore he has to do it.

Ming He had gotten the order to start looking up Lady Xing’s background, thus from there both of them can conclude how Lady Xing’s status has escalated in Li Fei Long’s mind. 

Qian Chang Xin did not know whether he should feel relieved or regret. Lady Xing’s identity was still a mystery. Ming He and Qian Chang Xin brought her here and technically they forced her with potion to serve wang ye. When Lady Xing learned how lucky she was if this affection goes on, Qian Chang Xin was not able to predict how Lady Xing would treat him and Ming He. 

The moment he lifted his head after he half bowed to Lady Xing, he was stunned momentarily. The lady in front of him has dramatically changed since last night. 

She was dressed in silky soft material that accentuates her curves, along with some jewelries chosen for her. The neat hairstyle with bu yao above her dark black hair matched her lip color. Lady Xing sat upright on a chair with several yahuan standing behind her as if she was waiting for his arrival. Seeing the scene before him, Qian Chang Xin began to believe that Lady Xing might indeed be one of the nobles.

“Nu cai comes to invite Lady Xing to join wang ye for dinner.” Qian Chang Xin still refused to give full bow against his own feelings towards this lady. 

“Where?” Just one word and it was not what Qian Chang Xin expected to hear. Just like a picture, Lady Xing still sat there without a single movement with her strong aura.

“The dinner will soon be served here.” Qian Chang Xin did not even get the chance to lower his eyes, Lady Xin gave him a sarcastic laugh.

 “Whatever my response is, we all know that all of this is just a joke.” Lady Xin continued her fake laugh.

“Any particular request for dinner tonight?” 

As soon as Li Fei Long stepped his foot inside the room, Qian Chang Xin and all the servants bowed their heads deeply. 

Leaving Lady Xin to feel awkward to be left alone without giving any respect to the dragon son. No matter how hard her heart was, the person in front of her was still part of the royal family. Her life depended on his mercy for now. 

After watching the servants on her right and left, Lady Xing stood up and tried to bow to Li Fei Long. Her feet were giving her problems. She was not used to the shape of her feet so she lost balance as soon she bowed her head, furthermore her whole body was still weak. She felt like she did not have any more energy left. 

Li Fei Long moved forward and caught Lady Xing in his arms. He seemed happy to know that the women in his arms tried to give him respect even though she failed. This act showed how Lady Xing actually knew her position.

“You are as weak as a leaf”, Li Fei Long enjoying the moment. 

Both did not realize that all the servants in the room had to bow even deeper because they did not dare to witness how intimate the scene was in front of them. 

“Qiè is not accustomed to give proper respect.” Lady Xing tried to break off from his arms but she could not do it. 

Their strengths were at a different level. Her face started to blush because she was embarrassed. It was difficult. With all the formalities she needs to follow, Lady Xing just wanted to be back to her original state. 

“You will learn.” His words were full of confidence. Lady Xing stopped struggling and turned her eyes and looked at him directly. 

“After wang ye find out qiè’s family, wáng ye does not need to feel hampered anymore by my clumsiness.” Lady Xing just wanted him to understand that she does not want to be tangled in his life. 

“When you started to address yourself as qiè in front of me, you already became part of my fῠ.” Li Fei Long tightened his arms around her waist. This action was meant to show her that she now belongs to him.

“I have a request before we start dinner.” Lady Xing said it courageously. 

She stopped addressing herself as qiè, and ignored how Li Fei Long’s face turned sour by quickly adding, “As your guest, I should stay at the guest area, not in your main living quarter. It is not proper for a single maiden with no clear status to stay….”

The moment Li Fei Long let go of his hands, her heart felt a tint of longing. She could not finish what she was saying because she was too fixated. The noble men before her looked especially annoyed. 

Li Fei Long turned his back towards her and harshly said, “Prepare a guest room for Lady Xing.”

She then realized that they were surrounded by a number of servants after Qian Chang Xin answered that order politely. “Yes, wang ye.”

Li Fei Long kept his mouth shut the whole time. He sat down and let the servants serve dinner. Awkwardly sitting next to Li Fei Long, Lady Xing glanced a few times to check Li Fei Long who pouted and not even once glanced at her back.

After the entire menu of food was served, Lady Xing just waited for Li Fei Long to move his chopstick first. She just copied his movement. What kind of food Li Fei Long picked for himself, she also picked up the same thing to her own bowl. 

All the food was very delicious and very suitable for her taste. One of the few things Lady Xing did not regret having time traveled to this era was this type of food. Every time she savored the taste, she nodded a little. She even gave a glance to one of the yahuan who was stationed close to her. She was curious how to ask for another bowl of rice. In her mind, she wondered whether it was a proper act since she was sitting with the direct descendant of The Emperor.

“One more bowl.”

His order sounded very casual until Lady Xing turned her head spontaneously to watch Li Fei Long accepted another bowl of rice from Qian Chang Xin. 

“Give one more to Lady Xing.” Li Fei Long added after Qian Chang Xin retreated. 

Her rice bowl was swiftly exchanged. Lady Xing observed Li Fei Long still enjoying his dinner calmly. She wondered, was this man able to read her mind? But seeing how Li Fei Long casually enjoyed his dinner, she quickly soaked in her own thoughts. 

Her stomach felt bloated by the time she put down her chopstick. Once again she glanced at her side and continued to mimic whatever Li Fei Long did. One yahuan was carrying a basin and the other one was standing by with a clean towel. 

When Li Fei Long washed his hands, she did the same thing. When Li Fei Long dried his hands, she followed. When Li Fei Long rinsed his mouth, she followed suit. The difference was only she accidentally spat at the wrong spot and spurted a little on the yahuan who was carrying the basin. 

“Oh… pardon me. I did not intend to spat on you.” Lady Xing stood up and was about to wipe with her long sleeves but that yahuan immediately kneeled on the floor in fear. 

“Spare my life, wang ye, Lady Xing. Spare my carelessness.” That yahun began to kong tow in panic.

“Stand up. It was me who accidentally spat on you.” Lady Xing frowned. She disliked this situation where it seems like she was a tyrant. 

That yahuan did not listen to her and was still kneeling on the floor. 

“This yahuan is called Ru Qing, the other one is called Ru Ming. In particular, they were both chosen to serve Lady Xing. If Your Highness feels they both lack experience, nu cai will discipline them.” After Qian Chang Xin finished his sentence, another yahuan took a knee in front of Lady Xing and Li Fei Long. 

Lady Xing was unable to see this high-profile personal eunuch of Duan Qin Wang because he kept bowing down full body in front of them. She can only sigh irritably at him. These two young servants did nothing wrong. The two of them served her very well during her stay here.

“I prefer both of them to serve me. I was quite satisfied with their performance. They did nothing wrong.” She panicked.

“If that is the case, continue serving Lady Xing well. Follow Qian Chang Xin to receive gifts for Lady Xing and prepare for Lady Xing’s needs for tomorrow's trip back to Duan Wang Fu.” LiFei Long quickly closed the case.

The way Li Fei Long commanded nonchalantly was disturbing to Lady Xing. She could only stare at all parties involved in confusion. She felt trapped but everything happened quickly back to normal like nothing had happened, she just stood there and let the servants express their gratitude towards her as Li Fei Long left the scene like a shadow.

One senior pό zi who she recognized for giving her bath last night already held her hand with full respect. She led her to follow Li Fei Long from behind. Lady Xing walked gingerly with extra care since she worried she could lose her balance again.

Li Fei Long headed to the beautiful courtyard decorated with beautiful greeneries. The crescent moon just added a touch of romantic aura in the garden. There were no clouds in the sky and the temperature was suitable for sitting outside to enjoy the moonlight.

Their small group stopped once they reached a stone table in the center of the courtyard. A board of xiàngqí was already prepared on the table along with some delicious looking pastries and a tea set. 

“If wang ye expected me…” Before Lady Xing could finish her sentence, Li Fei Long already glared at her. Lady Xing frowned then tilted her head as she was trying to figure out how to fix her sentence. “…..expected…. qiè?!”

Then Li Fei Long nodded his head and sat down on the stone chair.

She harbored her frustration inside and continued what she wanted to say. “Qiè has to let down wang ye once again since qiè does not know how to play xiàngqí. Qiè remembers how to play chess with black and white stone but not this one.” 

She forgot what was the name of that board game that was easier than this traditional chess. Even though she does not master that game either, it might be impossible for these people to get rid of this game and look for another thing to play. She just wanted to be alone and wanted this Duan Qin Wang to be gone.

  “Bring wéiqí.” Li Fei Long ordered and the servants moved fast to switch the board on the table leaving Lady Xing’s eyes widened with their efficiency.

She sat down on the opposite chair facing Li Fei Long. Tonight would be a very long night, she thought. 

“Ben wang let you choose your stone and make a move first.” Li Fei Long lifted his hand with a cocky face while the servants were preparing the board. It was like he was sure that he would win no matter what advantages she gets. 

Stiffly sat in front of this annoying Qīn Wáng, Lady Xing took one black colored stone and put the stone randomly on top of the board. She knew her face must be completely bored. She even purposely yawned but Li Fei Long just grinned like a fox at her. 

“If lady Xing feels sleepy, perhaps we could move this board to the bedchamber instead.” Li Fei Long teasingly suggested. 

Lady Xing’s face blushed at his masked sexual advance. Quickly she shook her head and moved the small bowl containing white stones closer to Li Fei Long’s hand. She pointed to the stones and said, “Wang ye’s turn now.”

Li Fei Long chuckled, then he picked one of white stones. He put down the stone with his eyes fixed on Lady Xing. “What will happen if Lady Xing loses?”

Trying to avoid those invasive stares, Lady Xing sat straight as a wall and her chin stayed up high. Confidently she put her stone randomly at an empty place on the board, she answered: “Qiè would happily go back inside and let wáng ye enjoy this beautiful night alone.”