Clouds Drunk, Moon Slightly Sleeping

Chapter 112

"Xi Lan?" I asked, wanting to answer the question that had been nagging at me.

"You'll see him tomorrow." He said this with his eyes slightly closed, making it impossible to see the expression in his eyes, and it was unclear whether the "he" he was referring to was Qinglin, or the fox?

"Xi Lan?" A sudden pang of pain shot through my heart. Was Xi Lan like this because he knew about tomorrow's separation? That's why I could clearly feel the faint sorrow and pain in his eyes.

"Go to sleep." He smiled, his voice clear and gentle, but his eyes didn't look at me.

I lay down fully clothed, ultimately refraining from pressing for answers. But only now did I realize that something must have happened to Xi Lan. Perhaps Xi Lan still remembered me; perhaps he had some hidden reason for acting this way? The soul-protecting ring on his left little finger, the sacred golden lock on his chest, Yao Yao, the imperial edict—could they be related to the secrets of the Six Kingdoms' palaces? And just now, Xi Lan so frankly opened up to me, speaking so openly about his mother, Consort Duan, just as unreservedly as I had been in the Tianqing Palace—had I overlooked something again? "Don't forget me, I don't want to forget me"—did he say this because remnants of memory remained in his heart, or had our time together reminded him of something?

That day, eager to go home, I ran to the Heavenly Sacred Pool behind the flower wall of Zhilan Palace. Later, Xilan saved me. Did Xilan realize I was missing and think I had gone to the Heavenly Sacred Pool, or did someone inform her and then she rushed to save me? If someone informed her, then did the Heavenly Azure King also know about the secret of the Heavenly Azure Palace and the abnormality in my body?

"Did the clouds that day foresee everything, which is why their steps were so light?"

So as not to disturb our time, because it is destined to be so short.

The wind blows, the white clouds drift, where have you gone? When I miss you...

Oh, look up and smile, do you know...?

Without any warning, I just instinctively sang this song softly. I don't know what Xilan thought when she heard it. After we part tomorrow, I might never see Xilan again. "When I miss you, I look up and smile, do you know that?" That's what I told myself, and I told Xilan that she must do the same.

I didn't sleep well all night. Even after closing my eyes for a long time after singing, I couldn't fall asleep. Xi Lan probably thought I was asleep, so he came to my side and sat there all night. I lay with my back to him, and his hand trembled slightly as he touched my left cheek. Perhaps he saw the tears that slid down my cheek onto the pillow, or perhaps he didn't.

The next morning, before dawn, the person who had been sitting all night was gone. I slowly walked out of the tent and saw him in white clothes carrying a bowl as he walked towards me. Before he got close, I could smell the strong aroma of medicine.

"Although you can speak now, please take another dose of medicine." He handed the medicine to me, but didn't look at me.

I reached out and took the bowl, frowning as I drank it down in one gulp. When I handed the bowl back, there was a pill in his palm.

"What is this?" I was puzzled. This pill was quite large. If I swallowed it, it could very well get stuck in my throat and kill me.

He held the pill in his other hand, took the medicine bowl with his free hand, and then brought the hand holding the pill to my mouth. I opened my mouth and put the pill in; it was slightly sweet and seemed to slowly melt. He smiled, reached into his robe, and placed a medicine bottle in my hand, saying in a clear, gentle voice, "Take one every morning until it's finished."

"What is this?" I tried to savor the sweetness, feeling that the taste and sensation of the pill were familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had eaten it before. With something in my mouth, I asked in a muffled voice.

"It's nothing, Wei Mian will be fine after eating this." He didn't answer, just gave this instruction.

I nodded as instructed and didn't ask any more questions. It was just one candy a day, so I ate it as Xi Lan told me to. After a while, we ate breakfast and the army was ready to set off. I was still dressed in men's clothing and followed Xi Lan. I was so excited that I would see Er Linzi soon.

When we arrived at Qiqing Pass, the gates were still tightly shut, and soldiers patrolled the city walls. Although it was already dawn, for Long Yao, sending the Tianqing army through his own country's borders, even with a prior alliance, still required caution. I turned to look at Xi Lan, but before I could speak, she spoke first: "I am Tian Xi Lan, please inform General Mu."

In fact, the soldiers on the city wall had seen the large group of people approaching from afar long ago and should have gone to inform them. So when we got closer and Xi Lan spoke, they replied directly, "Marshal Tian, General Mu invites you."

The city gates opened heavily, and Xi Lan and I rode inside, only to have them close again behind us. Once inside, we discovered that Long Yao's army was already fully prepared and ready to march into Qi Qing Pass. Xi Lan and I dismounted and followed the soldier leading the way towards the central command camp. I suspected the soldier was captivated by Xi Lan's beauty; he had been dazed since earlier, and his wandering around made me wonder if he had lost his way and led us astray.

“Yun…yun…” A stuttering voice came from the side. I turned my head in surprise and was astonished to see two stone statues in front of the tent on the left. They seemed to be people I recognized. One appeared to be Xu Dingyuan, the second-rank General of Anyuan, and the other to be Chen Zhu, the third-rank General of the Vanguard. A year ago, when I was impersonating the Prime Minister, I saw them every morning at court. But what were those expressions on their faces? Their eyes were wide open, filled with disbelief and incredulity. And their expressions were so identical that I hadn’t heard them clearly and couldn’t tell who had been “Yun” for so long.

I chuckled to myself. "Yun? Is it Yun Xiang, or Yun Yizheng?" They were both major contributors at the victory banquet after the three armies annihilated Wangyue, and they must have seen me and Yun Feng appear together. So, now that I'm dressed as a man, neither Yun Feng nor I should be here at this time. They must be very confused, right? But sorry, I don't want to speak right now and can't answer your questions. You can be confused, hehe.

"What are you all standing here for?" A voice came from the right. Oh my god, it was Erlinzi's voice! Sigh, the show's over.

Sure enough, the two generals ignored my question and immediately greeted Erlinzi. As soon as they finished, Erlinzi made up an excuse to send them away, and gave me a puzzled look as they left.

I turned and grinned at the source of the voice. Xi Lan, standing beside me, watched us with a smile the whole time, saying nothing. The person standing before me was my second brother, General Mu Qinglin, whom I hadn't seen for over two months. Just like when I saw him during the Battle of Sizhou, he seemed exceptionally calm and resolute on the battlefield, exuding an imposing heroic spirit! In fact, Qinglin was always like this, not only on the battlefield but also in the court. I knew that this was the most real and most captivating side of him; this was the true General Mu Qinglin of our Longyao Kingdom! Recalling how he used to get so easily provoked by my words, I still liked him best back then. Thinking of Erlinzi back then naturally brought to mind the days I spent with Qinglin, the fox, and me—the happiest time I'd had in the nearly two years since I came here. But I also understand that time can sometimes make a person settle down and change a lot. Just like Qinglin, when I returned to Longyao from Xiuruo a few months ago, I could clearly feel that Qinglin had changed. Perhaps his feelings and his heart had not changed, but his behavior in front of me showed that he was no longer the Erlinzi that I used to bully every day.

Following Qinglin back to the command camp, Xilan chose to wait outside. This left only Erlinzi and me inside. Seeing Erlinzi's somewhat sour expression, I immediately forgot all about our earlier reunion. This kid's attitude and temper seemed to have worsened in the few months I'd been away. Becoming mature, steady, and reserved was a good thing, but if he'd become so audacious as to dare give me attitude, that was definitely not a good thing. Just as I was about to grab his clothes and give him a good talking to, Erlinzi beat me to it. Without a word, he stood up and walked up to me, actually performing a courteous salute.

I jumped back a large step, stammering and unable to speak. Why was this kid bowing to me like that? I suddenly remembered when Fox was too busy to keep me company at the Dragon Radiance Palace, and I said I was going to find Qinglin to go out and have some fun. Fox laughed and said the chances were slim, seemingly implying that the old stubborn Qinglin wouldn't dare to address me as brother as before because of my change in status. Now, it seems that's exactly what happened.

The young man stood up, but hesitated to speak.

Enraged, I jumped forward, grabbed his shirt tightly, and, gritting my teeth, was about to throw a punch when I shouted, "Erlinzi, what are you doing?"

"Qianqian." He seemed slightly taken aback by my anger, and finally blurted out the name. After saying that, he reached out and hugged me, and his voice rang out again above my head, "Qianqian, you're alright, you're really alright."

A sudden warmth filled my heart. I let go and hugged him tightly back. Tears streamed down my face as I cried out, "Second brother, second brother, second brother..."

He didn't say a word, just held me tightly. I cried for a while before letting go, looking up at him with a smile: "Second Brother, no matter what my identity is, Second Brother will always be my Second Brother."

He remained silent, his face showing surprise mixed with heartache and inner turmoil, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. Uh, it seems I've forgotten the deeply ingrained imperial mindset of this era. Now that Qinglin knows I've spent more than one night in the fox's palace, how could he, as a subject, still treat me like a brother as before?

"How about I call you Third Brother for now?" Mu Qinglin hesitated for a long time before finally blurting out these words.

My anger flared up, and I grabbed Fly's shirt by the front, yelling, "Mu Qinglin, I haven't married that fox yet! Even if I did, you'd still be my second brother. Call me Qianqian, and always call me that, understand?"

Oh my god, I'm so depressed! If I really became one of the fox's concubines, do you think Erlinzi would still dare to call me Qianqian? The emperor's concubine's given name—how could a mere subject, at most a sworn brother, just call her that? It seems even one's own father and mother have to be addressed as "Empress"—how disgusting!

"A fox?" The boy looked completely bewildered again.

I immediately felt annoyed. I guess I got too excited. Now look what's happened! If the fox finds out I told someone about this nickname, he definitely won't let me off the hook. Oh no!

"What fox? Second brother, you must be hard of hearing. By the way, Xilan has something important to discuss with you. I'll call him in so we don't delay anything important." I quickly pushed Qinglin in front of his command seat, then flew out of the tent, pulled Xilan in, and then got up to take my leave.

Wandering around, I saw the army already lined up, with only the logistics soldiers busily dismantling tents and tidying up. I strolled aimlessly, feeling as if I had entered the territory of Longyao. Being with the soldiers of Longyao made me feel particularly relaxed and at ease. These logistics soldiers, in groups of three or five, chatted as they busily dismantled and packed their gear. I smiled as I passed by, listening to their gossip. Military life was dull and monotonous, and going to war meant never knowing what tomorrow would bring. Being able to relax and chat casually like this was a great happiness for them.

"I heard that our Emperor is getting married," Soldier A said mysteriously to his companion.

I stumbled, and if I hadn't grabbed the lamppost next to me, I probably would have fallen flat on my backside. Hey, Soldier A, you look so mysterious, but your voice isn't mysterious at all! It's so gruff, I could hear you clearly even from four or five meters away.

"Really? Our Emperor is really getting married?" Soldier B was as happy as if he were the groom.

I gripped the lamp stand tightly, trying to stop myself from rushing forward to confront them and interrupt their conversation. I wanted to hear what that fox had been up to behind my back.

"Yes, I heard it was recently," Soldier A said mysteriously again, but I could still hear him clearly.

The image of that fake man flashed through my mind. Could it be? Wasn't the fox supposed to "give" her to Xiu Ruo? Why is he suddenly so tasteless as to want to marry that fake man? But the issue isn't whether he's a fake man or not, or whether he's tasteful or not. The issue is, is the fox really going to marry another woman?

"What do you mean recently? It's next spring. Before I left, my brother who works in the palace said that the emperor's wedding will be next spring." Soldier C's words seemed to have the most authority because he had brought out an "authoritative" person.