For several days in a row, ZiLi did not see Mo CangJing. Being in this unfamiliar place, and being a guest in another house, he lost his desire to go out and explore. Most of his activities took place in the front yard of the residence, with his main recreational activity being sitting in the pavilion by the lotus pond and fishing for carp.
In contrast to ZiLi’s boredom, the two brats CunGong and CunShou scurried up and down all day. With two identical faces like elves, the two children wandered about, misleading and deceiving 1 the concubines and maids of the Prince’s residence, causing the many beautiful women to become maternal and not hesitate to call the two children, who had already reached the stage of perfection in pretending to be innocent, Gong’er and Shou’er 2 .
ZiLi harbored some suspicions that those two had thrown all their intentions of returning to Chu Jing 3 to see the Emperor to bring an accusation against someone into the mountain recess! ZiLi rubbed his smooth chin with a pensive look. Have I been tricked? How can those two brats look like the kind of people who would bring an accusation against someone before the Emperor? Moreover, they have never told who they want to bring an accusation against, nor have they told anything about their parents and hometown! These are very problematic matters, so I will have to interrogate them thoroughly one day!
Please read His Majesty's Hostage Chapter 56 on Project Bezemwagen :-)
Suddenly, the fishing rod in his hand was pulled down. Has a fish taken the bait? ZiLi’s spirits lifted, and he immediately sat up straighter to hold the fishing rod, made of a bamboo pole, firmly and pull it up.
“Why can’t I, pull it up! It― it is definitely a big fish!” ZiLi exclaimed, his face red with exertion. The fishing rod was already bending into an arc shape, “It took three days of fishing to get a fish take the bait. Laozi is definitely going to pull you up!”
Standing trembling on the edge, ZiLi reached for the straight fishing line, his fingertips were just about to touch it, so he continued to lean his body forward, but in that instant, his feet slipped, and he fell uncontrollably into the lotus pond.
“Aahh――” ZiLi screamed, very startled, flailing his arm in disorder.
Just when he thought he was going to crash hard into the three meter 4 deep water, he suddenly felt a tightening around his waist and his back pressed against someone’s chest, after which the distance between him and the surface of the water rapidly increased. Before he could come to his senses, he had been spun around in mid-air and landed firmly on the ground.
“How come you are so careless!” a gentle but slightly scolding voice whispered in his ear.
When ZiLi turned around in a daze, he saw the handsome and gentle face of Mo Cang Jing. His sword eyebrows were slightly knitted and under his eyelashes there were eyes as calm as the water of a secluded spring, reflecting ZiLi’s figure. How could one not drown in eyes so calm and still, but where one stone could stir up a thousand waves?
Please read His Majesty's Hostage Chapter 56 on Project Bezemwagen :-)
It was only when ZiLi recovered from the constant pounding echo of his heartbeat that he realized the two were still holding each other in this ambiguous position.
ZiLi flustered took a few steps back, smiled awkwardly at Mo CangJing and said, “Th― thank you!”
A slightly lost expression flashed through Mo CangJing’s eyes, then immediately disappeared without a trace, returning to a warm gentle smile, “Big brother ZiLi, why are you treating me so courteously again?”
“Oh, uh.” ZiLi rubbed the tip of his nose in embarrassment.
“I have not been able to return from the palace for the past few days. I have heard from the steward that big brother ZiLi has been bored here the whole time and has not gone outside yet, so why don’t we go horseback riding together in the outskirts now that there is a moderate wind, and a beautiful sun?”
“All right, let’s do that!” ZiLi replied excitedly, as his eyes lit up. To be honest, he was really bored to death!
***
There was a clear and boundless sky and a gentle breeze, and as far as the eye could see, there was a large grassland with soft lines like the gently undulating waves of the sea. Two handsome figures on good horses galloped freely under the clear sky, the horse’s hoofs barely touching the ground. Their belts whirling around, their hair fluttering in the wind, their lively expressions, together with their hearty laughter, all depicted a vivid and lively picture.
“Go, go!” ZiLi happily flicked the reins, spurring his horse towards the finish line a short distance ahead.
Please read His Majesty's Hostage Chapter 56 on Project Bezemwagen :-)
“Yay―― I won――” ZiLi called out with a grin, releasing his hands to meet the grass-scented wind.
Mo CangJing, who was following him, also said with a cheerful smile, “It has been a long time since I have competed in a horse race so unbridled. Big brother ZiLi, although I lost I am still honored, it was a glorious defeat!”
The two, in deadly earnest, cupped their fist in respect, then looked at each other and laughed.
“You are a Prince, even if there are people more skilled than you, they wouldn’t dare to steal your thunder!”
“Hehe, that seems to be true!”
Riding with lax reins, they let their horses wander aimlessly, the horse’s hoofs throwing up clods of the green and luxuriant scenery, as they clip-clopped. The two of them did not speak, but just quietly enjoyed the rare peace and relaxation that nature had to offer. When they reached the bank of a small river, the two jumped off their horses, and splashed the clear and bright water onto their faces.
The sparkling and translucent drops of water slid down along the soft lines of the side of the face to the smooth chin. One drop fell into the grass, and one drop slid over the delicate Adam's apple and disappeared into the collar. Gentle as jade, eyebrows and eyes like a painting, the young man seemed at this moment to be enveloped in a layer of faint, hazy and diffuse, and yet dazzling bright!
When Mo CangJing came back to his senses, he found that he was already firmly kissing the young man’s two moist and glossy cherry red lips――