Lunar New Year (X)

I was in-depth,

I am perplexed,

With the two-man standing in front of me,

It was a miracle to be.

***

THE YEAR 1904, a century away from the present time.

Qing Long had the courage to strip off the cloth on his jaw but Althea whispered in her mind.

"Don't do it. He will recognize you..."

Qing Long stopped from what he was doing and froze. Althea was using her telepathy to communicate with him. He looked up to Althea and she saw that she was closing her eyes. She was clasping both of her hands together and praying that Qing Long could be spared. She opened her azure eyes while Lei Jie looked at her and asked, "Did you know him?"

Althea opened her eyes out of shock and unclasped her hands from her chest. Qing Long looked at him and he knew that she would be saying no. She shook her head as she smiled awkwardly and grabbed Lei Jie's hands. She swallowed all her pride for Qing Long not to be in danger. She knew that if he removed that thin cloth, he would be assaulted for even holding the destined Queen's hands.

Althea was trying to protect him, unknowingly, without even the slightest thought that crossed her mind, and she grasped the Crown Prince's hands. She widened her eyes a little, probably to say that she wanted Qing Long to left the cabin, and she sighed as she smiled back at his destined King.

"I think we need to go back to the hall, care to explain to me what happened in those months I'm away?" Althea tried not to sound so awkward, probably because she didn't know Fang Ying Yue's life and all that she wanted was to get out of this timeline alive and well in a matter of few days. She swallowed as she crossed her fingers on her back and repetitively said on her subconscious to calm down.

Lei Jie looked at her in a suspicious way and furrowed his eyebrows as he tilted his head to one side. Wang Qing Long took that time to kneel down and apologized by using his deep voice. He changed the tone of his words, for him not to be suspected that he lived deep in the mountains, and he was not from the Qing Empire. The Crown Prince was not surprised by what he did.

"I would like to apologize, Your Majesty. This will be the last time that I will be doing this," Qing Long muttered as he bowed down his head a little longer. Althea swallowed as she removed her hand and stepped forward.

"You don't need to apologize. You may now go," Althea sounded so majestic and authoritative with her words. Qing Long answered in a second and stood up, still hiding his face away from the two. Lei Jie turned his head to the side as he saw countless people who were running up the steps out of the square, counting down the last hour for the Lunar New Year.

Qing Long turned his heel around and left them all as he knuckled his fists underneath his robes. He put his hands behind his back as Lei Jie and Althea were looking at him from afar. Althea closed her eyes as she saw that he turned on the corner and whispered in her mind.

"I want to see you later, there was a lot we need to talk about," Althea mumbled in her subconscious and she opened her eyes once again in a split second. Lei Jie looked at her clasped hands and grabbed one of them. Althea was surprised by his touch but she knew that she need to act as if nothing happened. She was dragged out from the cabin once again but they were halted when someone's palanquin stopped in front of them.

She swallowed as Lei Jie unclasped his hand and he bowed down his head. There was a woman, her lips were crimson in color, and her skin was so smooth. Everyone around the area bowed down their heads as they saw the Empress of the Qing Empire. Althea swallowed as she recognized the side of that woman's face.

She opened her mouth slightly and immediately bowed down her head as Empress Zhang Lian. She was wearing her expensive ornaments, her hair had been braided in all places, with the dragon and phoenix pins adorned the strands. Her robes were of the color red and black, that was embroidered with countless images of flowers and dragon on the hems.

She was sitting comfortably on the palanquin, with the crimson lanterns with Chinese characters hung from the side, and the peasants were holding the wood steadily. She turned her close-set eyes, jade in color, and was innocently staring at the two. Her eyebrows were soft-angled, making her face look like a baby than usual.

Her nose was straight, raised at the edge, and it was prominent. Her heavy lower lips tilted its corners as she muttered, "Don't be so generous with me. I am your mother, Lei Jie..."

She turned to Althea and showed her flawless, white teeth while placing her hands on her lap while feeling the soft garments. Althea looked up as she heard that sweet and melodic voice, and it didn't look like she was a mother of a fully grown Crown Prince. She laughed as she saw Althea, or should she say that her name was now Fang Ying Yue, and said in delight, "It's been a long time since I saw you again, Your Highness."

She bowed down her head slightly as she pursed her lips and laughed.

Lei Jie was comfortable with how her mother was laughing to lightened up the mood. But he knew that what his destined Queen had done was prohibited.

The Fang Clan was a family of assassinations. But they were good at concealing their own colors.

Qing Long heard what Althea had said on his mind and stopped from the corner of the street. He looked up at the moon, who was still rising in the middle of the night and licked his lips.

"The Nian beast will now appear anytime," Qing Long whispered as he looked around the area.