Chapter 23 The Birthday of Crown Prince

The moon was as bright as usual. It was so quiet. However, it seemed that something unusual was about to happen. Yun Xi still liked Yue to sleep by her side, so Yue had to stay in her place every night. After the girl fell asleep in his arms, Yue gently hit at her acupoint to make her sleep deeply. He tucked her in, put on a mosquito net, and then left her room. In a small room on the edge of the phoenix tree in Xiyan Palace, the man in black was waiting for Yue. It was a rare occasion that Yue suggested to meet him tonight. He saw the signal flare and came here as soon as he could. "Master, what's the matter?" "Well, Crown Prince Yun Su’s birthday was at the beginning of next month. That fatuous king will show up." "That is so nice. The Lord will be happy to know you are ready to take action." "Go back and arrange our men to join the party. On that day, I will go there with Princess Xi. Then we can act from inside in coordination with forces attacking from outside." "Yes. As long as we kill the fatuous king and Princess Xi, the Kingdom of Yun will collapse." "Leave Princess Xi alone. If you still regard me as your master, you should forget this idea." "Master, but the Lord..." "I'll tell my father about it myself." "But... " "If you guys hurt her, don't blame me for what happens to you." "Aye." "My father also couldn't hurt her." "Master, I know I shouldn't be so talkative. However, you have fallen in love with Princess Xi so deeply. If the Lord knows, he won't spare you." "Will you tell him?" "I won't. I am loyal to you." "Well, I know what I am doing. I will explain to my father after I kill the fatuous king." "Aye." "Well, you can tell my father about it. Arrange people to mingle in the palace. Recently, don't come to me unless something important happens." "Aye." The man in black answered and then left the room. Yue took a deep breath. He hoped the assassination would succeed, and then he would be alive and stay with her. Returning to her bed, he lifted the mosquito net. The girl was still there. Yue got into the quilt and hit at her acupoint again to release it. The young girl in her dream turned around so that she could sleep in the arms of Yue as usual. Yue hugged her, hoping that such days would never come to an end and Crown Prince's birthday would never come. Yue knew it's impossible, and he could never escape his fate. The Kingdom of Yun was the only kingdom that had unified the world over the years. Today was the birthday of the noble heir of this kingdom, Crown Prince Yun Su. Early in the morning, the imperial palace had been very busy preparing the birthday banquet for the future king. Palace maids and court eunuchs were cleaning, arranging flowers, and decorating the hall with lanterns and colored hangings. Imperial Kitchen was preparing fresh food. Everyone was very busy. The number of imperial guards was twice as much as usual, and more men were sent to patrol. In such a special day, no one noticed a group of people sneaking into the imperial palace. Several soldiers on patrol were knocked down and dragged away at the same time. Then some soldiers in the same uniforms walked out. They opened the back door to lead more people in. Soldiers were replaced one by one gradually. At the same time, a few palace maids and court eunuchs were also replaced in silence. However, there were so many guards, palace maids, and court eunuchs that they couldn't replace them all. Therefore, someone sneaked into Imperial Kitchen and became the cook who prepared food for guards, palace maids, and court eunuchs. Only a few special people knew whether something was added into their food... Sunset glow shed light on the ground. Imperial Garden had been very colorful, and now it was covered by the golden light of sunset. There were lanterns and colorful decorations everywhere. Tables and chairs were placed neatly. It looked noble rather than vulgar. Actually, Crown Prince was not qualified to hold a birthday party here. However, King Yun liked him so much that he made an exception for him. Tonight, those who could attend this banquet were the sons and daughters of some ministers, including many future important figures. It was the first time for Princess Xi to attend a banquet since she was nine years old. She didn't want to have relationships with others and she came here only for Yue. The girl was not willing to be too eye-catching. Therefore, she wore a clean and simple white dress without wearing any makeup. A simple hairpin was in her simple bun. She was expressionless, but her beautiful face was so attractive. Even though she did not want to, her own pure and flawless temperament was very unique among so many people competing with each other for the beauty of looks. Yun Xi came to the table without greeting anyone. She found a corner to sit down and tried her best to mingle with the crowd. However, she did not know that such behavior had attracted a lot of men, and many women had been jealous of her. No one had met this pure beauty. She simply sat here, but people always tried to talk with her. She remained silent facing men or women. Yun Xi didn't utter a word, and Yue would tell others she couldn't speak. Gradually, everyone knew she was the unlucky sacrifice princess. Even though she was beautiful, no one was willing to get closer to a symbol of bad luck. Some men might have a crush on her, but they also wanted to avoid gossip on such an occasion. Yun Xi did not mind it. Actually, she felt happy about it. Since Yun Xi came in, Yun Zhi had been staring at her. Fifth Princess next to him really wanted to tear Yun Xi’s charming face. Crown Prince Yun Su also stared at Yun Xi whenever he had a chance. These two people were not around her as usual, but they had been paying attention to her. Yun kept her company, and he noticed it. However, he was now nothing but her servant girl. What could he do? He regretted taking her here, but he still had to complete his task. People chatted and talked about the old days loudly at the banquet. A squeaky male voice rang, "Your Majesty is here." For an instant, people became silent and stood back in their places. Everything was in order now, different from several seconds ago. The supreme king of the kingdom of Yun was surrounded by palace maids and court eunuchs. He came to the banquet and sat on the throne at the top. Only after he said "sit" did everyone dare to sit down. King Yun was a middle-aged man, but he still looked dignified. His sharp eagle eyes showed a domineering temperament of superior people. In these years, he had never crowned a queen. After he unified the five kingdoms, he had married a lot of women. After the incident of female entertainer from the Kingdom of Wu, he no longer indulged in women. Instead, he cared more about his body. He wanted to be more healthy and lived longer. All beautiful women of King Yun were just concubines. He had fathered many children over the years, but the eldest son Yun Su was still his favorite. This banquet was deliberately arranged by King Yun for Crown Prince Yun Su. It was intentionally held in Imperial Garden where only kings were qualified to have a banquet. He wanted to win more people for his son. "Tonight is the birthday of Crown Prince. I am only a guest. Tonight, there is no king or minister. Let's have fun. Su, join your father to make a toast to future important figures. In the future, you must help Crown Prince and protect the kingdom of Yun." "Aye, father." Yun Su sat in her special golden position under the throne. He stood up and raised his glass. Everyone in the hall stood up and raised their glasses. They drank up the wine together. Strangely, there were fewer palace maids and court eunuchs in the hall, yet no one had paid attention to such detail. However, Crown Prince Yun Su frowned. The smile on his face looked more harmless and gentle. He called Qi Yuan and whispered to him. Qi Yuan received the order and then left. Several palace maids came in and lit incense everywhere in the hall. No one noticed a palace maid secretly gave Yun Su a tablet, and Yun Su took it. King Yun delivered his high-sounding speech for people to relax and make themselves at home. He also stayed with Yun Su to celebrate his son’s birthday. At the banquet, princesses and the daughters of various ministers had been on the stage to perform. Poetry, singing, dancing, music... everything sounded and looked beautiful. The atmosphere was so good. However, Princess Xi seemed to pay attention to nothing. She was too lazy to look up and silently ate the food in front of her. Some people always did not like her. Among them. Fifth Princess hated her the most. She proposed that Yun Xi should perform. A large group of girls who had hated Yun Xi also agreed. The girl in a white dress did not have any expression. She sat there quietly without a word. Everyone was staring at Yun Xi. Yue was next to her. He explained that the princess could not speak immediately. However, the noisy crowd would never listen to a servant girl. They were still jeering, especially their “leader” Fifth Princess and a group of people who wanted to please Fifth Princess and were jealous of Yun Xi. They wanted Yun Xi to perform so much and kept saying all kinds of left-handed compliments. Yun Zhi clenched his fist. However, King Yun was here so he could do nothing. Yun Su also wanted to see the performance of the girl. It’s his birthday. He would be delighted if the girl performed for him. Yun Su also felt pity when he saw Yun Xi being helpless and poor. However, he couldn't let his father know it. His little pity would bring more disaster to this poor girl. To everyone’s surprise, the man who rescued the girl was King Yun. In fact, even King Yun himself didn't expect this. He had not noticed this sacrifice he brought back. However, when Fifth Princess and others were kicking up a fuss, he saw her as a big girl for the first time. King Yun looked at Yun Xi. He felt shocked, infatuated, nostalgic, and hateful. However, such mixed feelings were overwhelmed by his missing for her pure and beautiful face. She looked so similar to her mother, that extremely beautiful woman, Meng Xi. "I think the moonlight is so beautiful tonight. How about my fifth daughter performing a similarly beautiful dance for your brother?" King Yun spoke, and everyone soon echoed. No one made trouble for Princess Xi who couldn't speak. People applauded to welcome Fifth Princess. After making sure Yun Xi was safe, Yue stared at the girl. He was still worried, but he must act now. He closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and left the party quietly. Yue soon noticed Yue had left, but she did not follow him. She now did not want to attract anyone's attention.