CHAPTER 30

Prince Yi Feng was staring at Liang Lia Jiao menacingly. She felt his cold eyes on her and quickly looked down. When the two left, Qin Weimin led her to a courtyard. This courtyard lacked the charm and elegance of Consort Zeng Chen's. There were several servants cleaning and organizing things. When they stepped into the room. Qin Weimin let out a heavy breath and sat down at a table. His hands rubbed his hair, his eyes were bleak and filled with exhaustion.

Liang Lia Jiao sat at the opposite side of the table. She wasn't sure how long she would have to wait. After a few hours, a meal was brought in for them.

Liang Lia Jiao couldn't remember a time that she had such a bountiful meal.

"Qin Weimin, look how much food they brought!" She said excitedly. There were dishes of steamed cabbage, steamed dumplings, pork fried in salt with fresh mushrooms, cold steamed chicken, and several cold pickled and steamed vegetables.

Qin Weimin looked at her with complacency, "It's just food."

She smiled at him wryly. "Just food. You don't know what's good and what's not." She piled some dishes in a bowl of rice and slid it to him.

He eyed the food warily. Seeing that he didn't seem to want to try the food, she added a few different items to his bowl. "No, that's enough! How much do you want me to eat?" He asked, grabbing his chopsticks and grudgingly eating.

She gave him a winning smile. She filled her own bowl with various foods and happily ate humming every once in a while, in glee.

"Where is this place?" She asked, making conversation.

Qin Weimin sighed and put down his chopsticks. "Do you have any idea what's going on right now? Why we are here? How important everything is right now?"

Lia Jiao nodded her head, stuffing her mouth full of rice while looking at him.

He glared at her. How could she eat like this if she really understood anything that was happening right now? If things didn't go smoothly now, the Prince would most likely not come back. Likely by now, the rioting had already started. The soldiers had switched clothes with the mobs rounded up by Mao Guanglie from the farming towns. Under the pretext of a non-existent sickness, the soldiers dressed as farmers, some even dressed as women, entered the city looking for doctors, and crying for help to the local officials. Once the news of the pandemic hit the population, there would be panic, and soon there would be civil unrest leading to riots.

Within a day or two, his troops would arrive to surround the city. Everything hinged on the timing. Even though Prince Yi Feng was welcomed with cordiality, it was all a pretext. Once he visited his father, there would be no going back. Either he won, or he died there.

He didn't want to explain any of it to her, he still didn't trust her. Because this whole plan had been brought up by her, he was even more on edge. There was no reason to believe her. Why Prince Yi Feng had done so, he just couldn't figure out.

"I know how important it is," she answered earnestly. She didn't like the agitated way he kept looking at her. "There just isn't anything I can do about either way. If I sit here worrying and stressing over what might happen, what will it help? I'd rather enjoy food and live-in peace. If things change, then I can only deal with it then."

He glared at her coldly, "Heartless."

She glared back," I'm heartless? What about your master? That person is heartless!"

Qin Weimin slammed his hands against the table. She felt his anger rolling off him in waves. She didn't back down, just picked up her chopsticks, and kept eating.

He shook his head in disgust and left her there alone to eat in peace.

When Lia Jiao was finished eating, she stepped out of the room and into the courtyard. Most of the servants had left, there were only two young girls still there. They kept glancing at her precariously but never spoke.

Lia Jiao walked to the back and found an artificial pond there. Inside were gold and orange fish a little bigger than her hand. Lilly pads with white and pink lotus flowers. She laid on her stomach and looked into the water. The fish swam back and forth. There was no motive or direction to their movements, they just swam. The grass beneath her was a little prickly, but it felt comfortable. She closed her eyes and rested her head on her arms.

She woke up by the unmistakable feeling of being watched. She jumped up, almost stumbling into the pond. She'd forgotten where she was. It was dark out, but there was still a little light from the lanterns in the courtyard.

"It's just me," Zhao Gui said reassuringly.

"Zhao Gui?"

"Yea, we just got back."

"You and Mao Guanglie?"

"Yes." He paused. "You were sleeping, I didn't want to disturb you, but some mosquitoes were swarming around you. I didn't mean to wake you up." He looked abashed.

Liang Lia Jiao relaxed and smiled in thanks, "How is everything going out there?" She hedged.

He was caught up by her smile for a moment. He swallowed thickly; his eyes tender. When he came to his senses, he returned her smile. "It's almost finished," he assured her. He didn't go into detail about what that meant, but Lia Jiao understood that whatever the result, it would be soon. She wondered if she would be considered a criminal if he failed. She didn't want to think too deeply about it.

She followed Zhao Gui inside. Qin Weimin and Mao Guanglie gave her a disdainful look, but she ignored it. They were acting like she did something wrong. She'd only been with them for a little over three weeks and expected her to have the same feelings as they did for that person? Not to mention, he was always making her feel small and uncomfortable.

She noticed a chessboard," Do you play?" she asked Zhao Gui.

"A little. You?"

"No, but I did read books about it. I would like to try it," she said hopefully.

He smiled amiably, "Maybe next time." He glanced towards the anxious Mao Guanglie and Qin Weimin.

She nodded in understanding. "Ok," she said happily. "It's a promise then."

His breathed hitched, he quickly looked away.

Lia Jiao was still tired, so she searched the rooms until she found a comfortable looking bed.