MRE – Chapter 13

Chapter 13

 

“How are you, Your Highness?” Wen Rouhan asked.

 

 

“Thank you for your concern Prime Minister, I’m okay now,” Xiao Zhan said.

 

 

“How about your memories?”

 

 

“I, I’m still recalling some of my memories,” Xiao Zhan hesitantly answered. He doesn’t want Wen Rouhan to know that he’s already aware of the amulet, but still, he’s still trying to recall everything about it.

 

 

“Hmm, that’s good but I’m still hoping for your quick recovery and remember our original plan.”

 

“I am fully aware, Prime Minister,” he answered. He is still terrified with the Prime Minister, he passively threating him.

 

 

After the nerve wrecking meeting with the Prime Minister, Xiao Zhan sighed in relief while Youwen asked him if he was okay. Told to be truth, Youwen doesn’t have any idea what they are planning, they always discreetly talk about it but one thing he knew about it, it was related to the Stygian Tiger Amulet. He also conducted research about it, but he’s not sure why it is related to the empress.

 

“Wei Ying, be honest with me, what connection do you have with the Stygian Tiger Amulet?” Youwen asked.

 

 

“I don’t know as well Youwen, you know I actually forgot all about it, hehe,” Xiao Zhan said but he knew how important it is to Wei Wuxian that’s why he’s hiding it to the Wen Clan as well. He wanted to inform Lan Zhan about it, however, he doesn’t know what to say. He needs to fully recover Wei Wuxian’s memories to help him.

 

 

Youwen dismissed the conversation, but he’s still worried about the empress, especially since he’s getting close as well to the emperor. He’s still waiting for the report about the emperor, even though the emperor is getting weird or rather close with the empress compared before.

 

 

Xiao Zhan went back to his palace and to his surprise Xiao Xingchen was waiting for him in the pavilion, so excitedly ran towards him and greeted him.

 

“Xingchen! What brings you here?” He’s genuinely happy to see a beautiful lad in his palace, not just those troublesome alphas.

 

“Greetings Your Highness,” XIngchen greeted him, and Xiao Zhan advised him to sit again, and he sat in front of him.

 

 

“As an empress I would just like to ask for your blessing when will be the best date for our wedding,” Xingchen straightforwardly said.

 

“Ah, right, we need a ceremony for concubine position, but it’s really a shame that you will be married to him,” Xiao Zhan pouts.

 

“I thought you will support us?” Xingchen asked.

 

 

“Ah yes of course! That’s not what I meant, I mean yes, he has a good face, but his personality is so snobby! You know you are beautiful, and you are even my type, I am pretty sure that you have a lot of suitors!” Xiao Zhan innocently explained.

 

 

“You’re type?”

 

 

“Geh! Why are you here?!” Xiao Zhan said surprisingly.

 

 

“Why, what’s the problem visiting my empress?” Lan Zhan said.

 

 

“You ruin our moment! I’m having a fun conversation with Xingchen here and you ruin it!”

 

 

“My Emperor, good day,” Xingchen greeted Lan Zhan.

 

 

“Good day to you to Xingchen, but would you mind, I have something to discuss with the empress,” Lan Zhan said.

 

 

“I see, I bid you farewell. I will practice my sword dance first,” Xingchen hesitantly said and left the area. He noticed the changes between the relationship of the two. This is not actually the first time, when they were younger and students, some students from different clan also stayed in Gusu to learn about cultivation and one of those clans was the Jiang Clan.

 

During that time, there was a naughty student, but he has a good cultivation base, has a pretty face and is friendly with other clans as well. Xingchen grew up with Lan Zhan, but he knew how composed he was, they have their own time, but they just usually stay in the library to read some books.

 

Even then, he’s already in love with Lan Zhan and always tried his best to make him smile but he only received a subtle smile, like he’s just doing it to not hurt him. He always dreamed of becoming his empress and tried to learn different things since then. Even though they are always together, they barely talk, Lan Zhan was always focused on his book, so he just decided to do the same and not do disturb him.

 

 

Not until got sick and wasn’t able to visit Lan Zhan for almost a week. When he went back to the palace, they noticed that there’s a lot of new faces and remembered that other clans must have already arrived to stay in Gusu. He’s not interested in them, so he just walks directly to the library, but he noticed someone along the way who’s lying along the way.

 

 

“Hey hey! Are you okay?” Xingchen tried to wake up the unconscious young man.

 

“F-food,” the man said.

 

 

“Food? Uhm I do not have anything with me,” Xingchen said as he look for something in his pockets.

 

“F-food, a-anything.”

 

 

“Uhm here, I have some candies, you can have this,” Xingchen offered the man his candies and suddenly he sat up straight and grabbed his candies.

 

 

“Wow! These are delicious! I badly need sugar! Thank you, you are a life saver! What’s your name?” the young man asked.

 

“Xingchen,”

 

 

“I’m Xue Yang! They just dragged me here to fill the empty slot for enrollment. Ah I need to go! Bye! Thank you again Xingchen, see you around!” Xue Yang said and hurriedly left the area. Xingchen was dumbfounded by the weird young man that he met, so he continued his way to the library to meet Lan Zhan.

 

 

“Hey fuddy buddy! Let’s hang out! I gave you flower last time! You should treat me!” Xingchen heard a voice of unfamiliar male from the library and it’s loud. So, he thought that maybe Lan Zhan is not in the library, but he still looked inside and to his surprised Lan Zhan was quietly sitting there and reding his book, while an unknown man was sitting on his table and kept on talking, not until he used his ‘Silenced Spell’ on him to stopped him talking.

 

 

“Hmmmm!” The unknown man struggled and stomping his feet.

 

 

“Lan Zhan, hello.” Xingchen entered the room. The unknown man and Lan Zhan looked at him and the unknown man was obviously asking with his eyes who is he.

 

“Wei Ying, Jiang clan,” Lan Zhan introduced him briefly as expected, while the unknown man was trying to introduce himself even though he cannot speak.

 

 

“Ya! Wei Wuxian! You’re here again!” They heard someone from the outside and the angry man just dragged the other man while he’s still waving his hand to them. That angry man might be from Jiang clan as well.

 

 

“They sure are lively,” Xingchen said, and he looks at Lan Zhan, to his surprise, he’s looking at Wei Wuxian with a gentle smile on his face, that was the first time that he saw that smile on Lan Zhan’s face, and he’s sure that it was a different smile.

 

 

 

“Xingchen? Hello to Xingchen? Hello!” Xue Yang said as he waves his hand in front of Xingchen who was in deep thought.

 

“Ah, Xue Yang, good to see you,” Xingchen smiles back at him.

 

 

“What are you thinking?” Xue Yang asked.

 

 

“Just memories from the past, why are you here?” Xingchen said.

 

“I’m not needed there, besides Lan Xichen’s there,” Xue Yang said, and he escort and accompany Xingchen to his practice instead.

 

• —-

 

“What are you doing here?” Xiao Zhan asked the emperor; they went inside their room to have more privacy.

 

 

“I need to hear what your schemes are together with the Wen Clan, we need to help each other,” Lan Zhan said.

 

 

“Hm, like what I’ve mentioned it is true that I have amnesia, and I’m still trying to recall everything, but one thing is for sure. They need me because of the Stygian Amulet Tiger, but I need to recall everything about it —” Xiao Zhan was cut off by Lan Zhan when he abruptly grabbed his hands with a worried face.

 

 

“You really have the amulet?!”

 

 

“Uhm I think so, based on my memories, why?” Xiao Zhan asked, but instead of answering Lan Zhan grabbed his wrist and almost dragged him out of the room.

 

 

“Wait! Wait where are we going?!”

 

 

“Da-ge please prepare the carriage, we will go to Jingshi,” Lan Zhan said to Lan Xichen.

 

 

“But, your majesty, it’s your –” Lan Xichen tried to stop him, but he saw the anxious face of his brother and quickly prepared the carriage. While Lan Zhan keeps holding Xiao Zhan’s hands and no sign of letting it go.

 

 

“Hey, answer me, where’s Jingshi?” Xiao Zhan asked, and the carriage arrived. Lan Zhan dragged him inside and asked for his guqin.

 

 

“Hey! Lan Zhan!” Xiao Zhan is still trying to get his attention.

 

 

“Ah, sorry, but you need to stay there for a while to recuperate, it’s my family quiet room for seclusion.” Lan Zhan said.

 

 

“Why? I’m healthy though?”

 

 

“That amulet, it will harm you,” Lan Zhan said.

 

“Huh?” Xiao Zhan was really confused by what’s happening, as time goes by, things around Wei Wuxian are getting complicated.