BVAHEDLA[W Chapter 27
by VolareChu Li-fei looked at the surrounding scenery and realized that he had transmigrated to an ancient world.
The bright moon hung high, and the night was like ink, covering the entire sky.
The moonlight was like silk, covering the pond and lake surface not far away with a layer of hazy veil. The rockery in the distance was layered and staggered, and the pavilion in the center of the lake could be seen faintly. A section of dead branches stretched out from the side, the branches covered with frost and snow.
A gust of cold wind blew past, the dead branches trembled, and a touch of red quietly bloomed at the end of the frost and snow.
Goose feather-like snow fell from the sky, dyeing the usually noble vermilion walls and yellow tiles with a pure white color.
Therefore, the figures of the group of people not far away were particularly obvious against such a pure white background.
It was like an abrupt ink dot dripping on flawless paper.
Black and white were distinct, just like the deep and heavy night sky.
Chu Li-fei took two steps forward, and his white boots with dark patterns left two lines of footprints in the snow, which were then submerged under the wide and warm cloak.
Chu Li-fei couldn’t care about anything else; his sight was only focused on one person.
The person in front of him had the same appearance as Lu Mo-chen in his previous life, but he looked much younger.
Black grape-like eyes, a small nose tip red from the cold, long and curly eyelashes fluttering, with a layer of frost faintly congealed on them, and in the slightly opened mouth, pearly white teeth were constantly chattering. If you ignored the dirt all over him, he could indeed be described as jade-like and cute.
But in such cold weather, he was only wearing a thin piece of clothing. His long hair was dry and messy, with the ends still yellow, and now it was wetly sticking to his body, constantly dripping water. The strands of hair on both sides of his cheeks seemed to have frozen into ice, stiff from the cold.
He was shivering from the cold, and the water dripping down his long hair was wetting the clothes that were already ineffective in keeping him warm, further depriving him of his body temperature. The dark clothes were sticking to his body wetly, outlining the boy’s thin and bony frame, showing just how weak he was.
A cold light flashed in Chu Li-fei’s eyes. He glanced at the lake water beside him and the water stains winding along the bank to the pavilion and understood what had happened.
On the lake surface, a round moon and a red plum blossom were faintly reflected. The cold wind rustled, but the lake surface did not ripple at all!
That was not lake water at all; it was clearly ice. No wonder it was motionless, like a mirror image.
Looking at the familiar young man in front of him, Chu Li-fei only felt heartache. Even though the two might only look alike, he couldn’t bear to see the boy with the same face as Lu Mo-chen living such a miserable life.
His Lu Mo-chen should be as proud as the sun.
Chu Li-fei sighed in his heart, and in a few quick movements, he took off his cloak and draped it over the boy, carefully wrapping him up.
The cloak still carried the remaining warmth from Chu Li-fei’s body. The boy poked his head out from the thick fur collar of the cloak, and his thin body hidden under the wide cloak looked unusually comical. Strands of hair were still randomly stuck to his face, but his dark eyes looked at Chu Li-fei motionlessly, as bright as black pearls. Lu Mo-chen’s eyes showed surprise and gratitude, but upon closer inspection, there seemed to be a hint of fear and unease, as if he had been bullied for a long time. Even when he received kindness from others, he was still frightened, like a hedgehog defending himself layer by layer.
But Chu Li-fei always felt that there was something wrong with the way Lu Mo-chen looked at him.
But he must have been mistaken, Chu Li-fei thought.
After a long while, Lu Mo-chen lowered his eyes slightly, his lips moving as he whispered, “Thank you, sir.”
Chu Li-fei tucked his hair behind his ears and carefully wiped his face with a handkerchief, revealing a fair but slightly sunken cheek. Only then did Chu Li-fei turn his gaze to the other three people.
The leading man was wearing a deep purple brocade robe, with expensive mink fur lining the cuffs and collar. The cloak he wore also seemed to be made of rare high-quality brocade, worth a thousand gold.
His eyebrows were full of arrogance, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, and he was also born with an extraordinary bearing. His demeanor was elegant, and it was clear at a glance that he was used to a pampered life. He wore a golden jade hairpin, and his black hair was thick and smooth, forming a sharp contrast with Lu Mo-chen.
Through the system’s prompt, Chu Li-fei learned that he was the Crown Prince of the Da Zhou Dynasty – Lu Mo-chen.
*Lin* represents a benevolent animal, an auspicious omen of a sage king.
He was the first son born to the emperor and the empress in the year of his ascension to the throne, occupying the position of both the legitimate heir and the eldest son, and was regarded as auspicious. Therefore, after his first month celebration, the emperor issued a decree to make him the crown prince, showering him with love.
Behind Lu Mo-chen were two men dressed in fine clothes, presumably young masters from wealthy families in the capital.
One of the tall and thin young masters saw that Chu Li-fei had finally turned his gaze over and quickly flattered the crown prince, “General, aren’t you being too disrespectful to His Highness the Crown Prince?”
Lu Mo-chen smiled upon hearing this. He didn’t interrupt the young master, but waited until he finished speaking before waving his hand and pretending to be angry, “Don’t be rude to the general.”
Chu Li-fei’s identity in this world was the Zhen Guo General (General Who Defends the Nation).
He was born into a family of valiant warriors, all loyal and righteous. His father was the famous Marquis Wu’an, guarding the northwest. From a young age, he followed his grandfather to practice martial arts in the capital. After the age of fourteen, he followed his father on expeditions. At the age of sixteen, he relied solely on a silver spear to take the head of the enemy general from among thousands of troops, thus becoming famous in one battle. Later, his father died in battle, and Chu Li-fei inherited his father’s legacy, leading the army to resist the enemy and guard the border, so that no one dared to invade Da Yan again. Until today, he has reached the position of Zhen Guo General at the young age of eighteen, a veritable young general with unlimited potential.
And recently, Chu Li-fei has made outstanding military achievements and received an order to return to the capital.
Today’s banquet was a celebration banquet for the Northwest Army.
But everyone knew that Chu Li-fei was the protagonist of the evening.
The emperor was about to bestow upon him the title of the first non-royal prince of the dynasty, from which he would gain glory and be recorded in history.
Lu Mo-chen knew this well, so he didn’t want to have a falling out with Chu Li-fei, “I wonder why the general is not at the banquet at this moment, but instead came to this secluded place?”
Saying it was a secluded place was actually giving this place face. Not far from here was the Cold Palace, and Lu Mo-chen lived nearby.
Chu Li-fei didn’t directly answer Lu Mo-chen’s question. The corners of his lips curved into a smile, without any of the murderous aura of the battlefield, as if he were a noble young master raised in a scholarly family in the capital, “Then may I ask why His Highness the Crown Prince is here at this moment?”
Lu Mo-chen didn’t get angry because of Chu Li-fei’s question; they had both left the banquet under the pretext of being drunk. But if what happened here was known to the outside world, causing everyone to be unable to face each other openly, it would be detrimental to everyone.
They were all smart people, and he was willing to take a step back.
As for Lu Mo-chen… Lu Mo-chen glanced at Lu Mo-chen’s direction casually, only to see the other party shrink back like a small animal when he met his gaze, wishing he could bury himself in the ground.
Heh, this cowardly appearance, they had a long time to come…
“This prince has been out long enough, so I will leave before the general,” Lu Mo-chen said slowly, but at the moment of turning around, he lowered his voice and continued in a voice that only the two of them could hear, “The general is a smart man and naturally knows what should be said… and what should not be said.”
Chu Li-fei didn’t answer him, not even changing his posture, as if he hadn’t heard Lu Mo-chen’s words at all.
But the other party seemed to have heard a satisfactory reply, chuckled softly, and turned to leave with the two young masters.
Chu Li-fei frowned slightly as he watched them leave.
As Lu Mo-chen said, the way they bullied Lu Mo-chen was so skilled, it must not be the first time. Could the one above really be unaware of this?
If not, then he was unwilling to care. Or rather, it was blatant favoritism.
The crown prince was favored, and his mother’s family was also powerful. His reputation for virtue was known to everyone in the court. Even if he really made a big deal out of it, how many people would be willing to offend the crown prince for an unfavored prince?
But the palace maids and eunuchs in the palace had long been accustomed to snobbery. Looking at the fact that Lu Mo-chen didn’t have a single attendant by his side, one could know what the situation was like in the palace.
Maybe I should find an opportunity to bring this child to my side, Chu Li-fei thought.
In a corner that Chu Li-fei couldn’t see, a dark light flashed in Lu Mo-chen’s eyes as he looked at Chu Li-fei. He carefully wrapped the cloak around himself even tighter, then buried his head in the fluffy and soft fur collar. His red nose twitched slightly, and a touch of red instantly climbed onto his cheeks, even the corners of his eyes were tinged with red, making him look extremely sickly.
Chu Li-fei didn’t notice Lu Mo-chen’s small movements. After watching the crown prince and his entourage leave, he sighed and sat back in the pavilion.
He reached out to Lu Mo-chen, his tone light, “Let’s go.”
Lu Mo-chen hesitated for a moment. Under the cloak, he wiped the dirt off his hands with snow before trembling and extending his thin arm, placing his hand in Chu Li-fei’s palm.
Chu Li-fei’s palm was warm and dry, but Lu Mo-chen felt as if he had been burned and wanted to escape.
Before he could react, the warm hand quickly closed, firmly holding him, shielding him from all the wind and snow.
Chu Li-fei escorted Lu Mo-chen all the way to his residence before leaving.
This place was too remote, and it took Chu Li-fei a lot of effort to return to the banquet. When he entered, the crown prince smiled and greeted him.
The two tacitly didn’t mention the encounter just now.
After three rounds of wine, the sound of singing, dancing, and silk bamboo in the banquet gradually stopped.
Chu Li-fei instantly felt many scrutinizing gazes fall upon him.
At the same time, the chief eunuch beside the emperor shouted in a sharp and thin voice:
“Zhen Guo General Chu Li-fei, receive the decree—”