CHAPTER 28

"Qin Weimin bring this letter to Hao Guowei. Zhao Gui head to Jinhang. There are fifteen-thousand troops stationed there. I want five thousand to head towards Runyang. Send another six thousand to Qintian. Leave the rest there. Mao Guanglie, head to Nanquzho, Kuizhou, and Nending, find our men and have them gather a mob." Prince Yi Feng said. These were all the cities closest to Lidonhang. With the forces he had in Runyang and the forces he was moving to Runyang and Qintian, there were easily forty-thousand troops total.

The men quickly headed off to their destinations, leaving Liang Lia Jiao alone with Prince Yi Feng. She felt oppressed. She glanced at the handsome man sitting at the desk. His eyes were calculating as he ruminated over his plans. She wanted to slip away, but every time she moved, even if just a little, his eyes would land on her. She shivered and steeled herself moving to the edge of the room to sit. She felt his eyes on her the entire way.

"Get ready to go, we're heading to the city." He stood up and put on his cloak.

She quietly got up, afraid to attract his attention too much, and followed him out of the room. When she saw Xianger, her mood picked up. Xianger nodded his head up and down in greeting, just as happy to see her as she was to see him. She smiled and coaxed him for a bit before jumping on. She rode behind Prince Yi Feng the entire way. It took several days to get to Runyang, they traveled a lot slower than she expected. Every moment she spent alone with her had her on edge. At Runyang, he passed on some orders, and they spent another two days there, before him, Liang Lia Jiao, and Qin Weimin, who had met up with him there, headed off to Lidonhang.

Though Liang Lia Jiao wasn't sure of what his plan was, she vaguely understood that he had taken her advice. She was left with a bitter taste in her mouth. Part of her hoped that he would fail and maybe even get killed in the process. Who told him to be such a jackass?

When they got to the City, they were stopped at the gates. No one expected the Second Prince to make an appearance at this time. There were too many variables, and it wasn't easy to figure out his motive. Even though they were stopped, there was no reason to keep them from entering. Prince Yi Feng rode straight to the Palace. Liang Lia Jiao could only follow.

It was her first time coming back to Lidonhang; it was rife with memories. Stepping past the palace walls was like an entirely new world and calmed down some of her panicked anguish. She allowed a stable hand to lead Xianger off with the other horses and continued to quietly follow behind Prince Yi Feng. He walked ahead of her with his hands clasped behind his back. He stood tall and domineering, his aura radiating power and exuding strength. He was met with respect wherever he went, kowtowing servants and eunuchs. Although Liang Lia Jiao knew that he was a Prince and she had given him due respect, it had never occurred to her the actual magnanimity of his position. Only now seeing hundreds of palace workers kowtowing and greeting him did she understand.

Every once in awhile, Prince Yi Feng's sharp eyes would flicker back towards Liang Lia Jiao, she would move to the side, hoping to avoid his gaze. No one knew who this pretty girl in men's clothes was, but the more attention he paid to her, the more curious they got. There were so many people looking at her; by the time they reached their destination, her entire face was red.

He led them to a beautiful courtyard filled with flowers and peach trees. In the center was a fountain. A beautiful woman in an elegant red hanfu was sitting on the edge of the fountain, looking like she came out of a painting. There was a bird perched on her hand, one of her legs was bent at the knee the other wresting flat against the fountain. Liang Lia Jiao didn't think she had ever seen someone as beautiful as this woman.

"Why are you here?" The woman said coldly.

Prince Yi Feng kneeled, "I came to visit my mother," he answered back in a soothing tone. Liang Lia Jiao had never heard him speak like this and could only assume he loved his mother deeply.

This was Consort Zeng Chen, Prince Yi Feng's mother. She was in her late thirties and favored by the Emperor. Everything from her clothes to her food was the best the Palace could offer. Despite the Emperor's favor, however, her status was declining. He was sick, and soon he would pass.

The woman turned her frosty gaze towards him. "Leave us!" she said, ordering all the servants away. Only one older woman stayed behind, waiting behind her. She stood up and placed the bird in a cage hanging from a wooden rafter. Then led Prince Yi Feng inside, shutting the door behind him.

Liang Lia Jiao let out a breath of air. Having a small reprieve from that person gave her a moment to relax. She gazed around the courtyard, and timidly took a few steps to look around. Even though she wanted to move around and explore everything, a lot of these plants were unknown to her, she was scared that Prince Yi Feng would hear her and get angry. More and more, he was making her feel constricted.