"Cousin Heng, cousin Heng!" A familiar, pretty female voice rang out from outside. Shen Lixue turned her head and saw Dongfang Yu'er standing by the carriage, waving to them. She was dressed in a fiery red dress, and the small golden bells hanging from her black hair jingled as she raised her head.
"Princess Yu'er!"
"Li Xue is here too!" Dongfang Yu'er saw Shen Li Xue and rushed over, lifted the carriage curtain, and helped her down from the carriage: "Li Xue, cousin Heng, you should also take advantage of the darkness and the small number of people to come and pay your respects to the King of Yunnan!"
Shen Lixue nodded: "There are too many people during the day, and the King of Yunnan is very busy..." Visiting elders requires sincerity; crowding with others is perfunctory and lacks genuine feeling.
Dongfang Heng stepped down from the carriage and glanced at Dongfang Yu'er: "Your elder brother has already visited the King of Yunnan, why are you here again?"
"I haven't met the King of Yunnan yet. The people have made him sound like a mythical figure, so I wanted to take advantage of the fact that there aren't many people around to meet him." Dongfang Yu'er smiled shyly and pulled Shen Lixue toward the villa: "It's getting dark, let's not delay any longer, come on, let's go into the villa!"
Dongfang Heng, Shen Lixue, and Dongfang Yu'er are all members of the royal family and have a good relationship with Nangong Xiao. When the guards saw the three of them, they did not report to them but led them directly to the living room.
As night fell, the guests all returned to their residences, leaving the villa quiet and peaceful. Nangong Xiao sat on a recliner, rubbing his legs and sighing, "Receiving so many people every day is exhausting!"
A guard hurried over: "Your Highness, a guest has arrived!"
"No, no, tell them to come again tomorrow!" Nangong Xiao's lips twitched, and he waved his hand and shook his head. It was already dark, and they still came to visit. Didn't they want him to get some rest?
"Nangong Xiao, we've traveled across most of the capital to get here, and you still haven't seen us!" With a sharp shout, a woman in red appeared in the courtyard in an instant. A long, blue whip slashed through the air and lashed out at him. The fierce wind made his black hair flutter and his clothes flutter lightly.
Nangong Xiao reached out and grabbed the long whip. Looking at the red-clad woman on the other side of the whip, her eyes blazing with anger, he raised an eyebrow and said casually, "Who do you think it is? It's you, you shrew. What do you want?"
Dongfang Yu'er swiftly pulled back her whip and glared fiercely at Nangong Xiao: "Who's looking for you? We're here to visit the King of Yunnan!"
Nangong Xiao raised his head, opened his folding fan with a whoosh, and said arrogantly, "My father is resting and will not receive guests!"
Dongfang Yu'er glanced at him: "Rest as soon as it gets dark? Who are you trying to fool?"
Nangong Xiao quickly fanned himself a few times: "My father receives officials from all over the court and sometimes discusses important national affairs. You are just a little girl who only knows how to eat, drink, be merry, and have fun all day long. What is there for my father to talk about with you?"
Dongfang Yu'er glared at Nangong Xiao and roared, "Which eye of mine saw me eating, drinking, and having fun every day?"
Nangong Xiao deliberately deepened his gaze, looking Dongfang Yu'er up and down: "Both eyes saw it. Just like now, you're standing in front of me with a whip, doing nothing. What else could it be but playing around?"
"Nangong Xiao!" Dongfang Yu'er gritted her teeth, flipped her wrist, and lashed the whip at Nangong Xiao with fierce force!
"Yu'er!" A cold male voice suddenly rang out. Dongfang Yu'er quickly retracted her whip, turned around to look at the person who had come, and complained emphatically, "Brother Heng, Nangong Xiao won't let us see the King of Yunnan!"
Dongfang Heng, dressed in white as snow, and Shen Lixue, dressed in crimson as rosy clouds, stood at the entrance of the courtyard. Against the dark night sky, they looked remarkably well-matched. Nangong Xiao paused in his fan-waving motion, gritting his teeth inwardly. These two were always seen together, which was truly irritating. "So you were here to visit my father. You should have said so earlier!"
"Where is the King of Yunnan now?" Dongfang Heng held Shen Lixue's small hand and walked forward slowly.
"Living room, this way please!" Nangong Xiao closed his fan and gracefully gestured for them to enter.
Following his direction, Dongfang Heng walked along the bluestone path towards the living room, with Dongfang Yu'er close behind. As she passed Nangong Xiao, she let out a soft snort, proudly and defiantly raising her head.
Nangong Xiao gritted his teeth inwardly. "Shrew, I'll teach her a lesson when I get the chance."
The King of Yunnan was about thirty years old, similar in age to the King of War. His handsome face was calm and composed, unlike the devilish charm of Nangong Xiao. His eyes were gentle yet sharp, and his brows bore a resemblance to Nangong Xiao's.
When Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng entered the living room, he was instructing the butler: "Starting tomorrow, no one who comes to visit will be seen!"
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. Why is the King of Yunnan not seeing any guests?
"Yes!" the steward replied, turning to leave, but then he saw the crowd standing at the door and suddenly froze: "Your Highness, Prince An, Princess Lixue, Princess Chili!"
The King of Yunnan turned around, his aura calm and steady, his eyes flashing with an unfathomable solemnity, as if he were worried about something.
Dongfang Heng's imposing presence was impossible to ignore. The King of Yunnan noticed him first, his eyes filled with admiration, and a rare smile appeared on his lips: "It's been more than ten years since I last saw you. You've grown so much and become a pillar of the nation."
"Your Highness is too kind!" Dongfang Heng's voice was as calm as ever, without the slightest emotional fluctuation.
The War King didn't mind and smiled as he looked at Dongfang Yu'er: "Yu'er is a young lady now!"
"Your Highness flatters me!" Dongfang Yu'er smiled slightly, bowed gracefully, and behaved with the poise of a well-bred lady.
Nangong Xiao's lips twitched. Let her pretend, let's see how long this shrew can keep up the act.
His gaze fell on Shen Lixue, and a hint of surprise flashed in the Yunnan King's eyes before he quickly regained his composure and smiled, "This is Lixue. The War Prince often mentions you in his letters to me!"
Shen Lixue smiled gently and gave a polite bow: "Your Highness!"
"Come in and have a seat!"
The King of Yunnan, Dongfang Heng, Shen Lixue, Dongfang Yu'er, and Nangong Xiao entered the living room and took their seats as guests and hosts.
A servant brought hot tea and then withdrew.
The King of Yunnan's gentle gaze swept over Dongfang Heng and Nangong Xiao: "With you two guarding Qingyan, we older generation can indeed resign from our official posts and return to our fields to enjoy a few days of peace and quiet!"
Nangong Xiao abruptly stopped drinking his tea, and said with a bitter face, "Father, I want to enjoy a few more years of peace and quiet, and I don't want to take over Yunnan for the time being. You'll have to work hard for a while longer!"
The King of Yunnan's face darkened: "Prince An is about your age, yet he has already made great contributions on the battlefield and become the God of War of the Azure Flame. And you? All you do every day is eat, drink, and have fun..."
He was too busy with other matters to pay attention to anything else, so he let his eldest son grow up as he pleased, never expecting him to turn out like this...
Nangong Xiao raised an eyebrow: "Father, this is not my fault. The Subei army has been defeated by Dongfang Heng. I will not be able to make any contributions if I go to the border."
The King of Yunnan's gaze turned cold, and he grabbed a cup from the table and smashed it over his shoulder: "All you ever do is make excuses!"
Nangong Xiao smiled slightly, took the cup, opened the lid, and took a sip of tea: "Father, please work hard for a few more years. After I've had my fill of fun, I'll take over your position..."
Shen Lixue smiled quietly. The King of Yunnan cared about his son very much, but he was not good at expressing it.
Nangong Xiao may seem cynical, but you can tell from his words that he deeply respects his father.
Shen Lixue looked at Nangong Xiao, only to see a black aura suddenly rise from his neck and instantly spread across his entire face. His eyelids drooped, the teacup in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter, and he fell off the chair and crashed to the ground.