He Lan Tianxia

Murong Junlan woke up at noon on the third day. The Emperor and Empress Dowager had given ample time to deliver the demoness to the Wubei Kingdom, even if the journey was somewhat slow.

"How did I end up sleeping here?" Murong Junlan shook his groggy head and pulled over a palace maid, asking, "How long have I been asleep?"

"Your Highness, if we calculate by the hours, you have slept for two days and two nights; if we calculate by the days, you have slept for three days and two nights," the palace maid replied truthfully.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Murong Junlan glared at the palace maid with a hint of anger, which startled the maid into taking a few steps back.

"His Majesty said that the Prince is unwell and should not be disturbed while he is sleeping."

Murong Junlan had just stood up when suddenly everything went black, and he sat back down on the bed. A palace maid, startled, rushed over to help him, anxiously asking, "Your Highness, are you alright?"

"Bring me some food." Murong Junlan probably felt dizzy from hunger.

"Your Highness, please lie down first. I'll go prepare some food for you right away." The palace maid went out to prepare the food.

Murong Junlan had no choice but to lie down again. He began to sort out his chaotic thoughts. Why did he come to the palace to sleep? It seemed like he was the one who entered the palace, and he seemed to be with his father, Emperor Shang He, oh right, and Prime Minister Jin as well. Later, he seemed to have fallen asleep because he was sleepy… Could he be having an episode? No way. If he were having an episode, even if the Emperor was busy, would his grandmother be idle? Wait, where is Jiang He? Why isn't Jiang He by his side? It seems Yan'er also entered the palace. Where did they all go? Thinking of this, he called out to the door, "Jiang He." No one answered. He called again, but still no one answered. Suddenly, he remembered that Yan'er had come that day too. Where were they?

"Someone come here!" Murong Junlan called out impatiently.

"Coming, coming, Your Highness." The palace maid who had been there earlier brought in a bowl of noodles. "Let me help you up." The palace maid helped Murong Junlan up and brought in the noodles, preparing to feed him.

"I'll do it myself." Murong Junlan took the chopsticks from the maid and began to eat. He was indeed extremely hungry, but he maintained his princely demeanor and didn't devour the food. "Have you seen my guard Jiang He and a maid?"

"No. When I came to take care of the prince, he was already asleep in bed." The palace maid didn't seem to be lying. "The Empress Dowager came twice."

"The Queen Mother?"

"Yes, the Empress Dowager also made chicken soup for the Prince."

After resting for a while, Murong Junlan regained much of his strength and got out of bed to return to his residence. Outside the door, the Emperor and his grandmother arrived.

"Your Majesty."

"My dear grandson, you're awake?"

"Just wake up."

"Is there anything wrong? Let me take a look." Murong Junlan pushed away his grandmother's outstretched hand.

"Where is Jiang He? Why isn't he here?" Murong Junlan looked at his father.

"He said he had something to attend to and went back to his residence first," the Emperor said without changing his expression.

"Where is Yan'er?" Murong Junlan asked, looking at the two of them.

"She's gone back to her residence, hasn't she? A mere maidservant, do you expect me to serve her?" The Empress Dowager feigned a hint of anger.

"Then Lan'er will return to the manor first." Murong Junlan strode out of the palace without looking back. Outside the palace, he saw his carriage was still there, so he called a coachman and rode back to the Prince's manor. Upon returning to the manor, he didn't see Jiang He; the maid said that Guard Jiang had gone out early that morning. When he asked Yan'er, the maid told him that Yan'er hadn't returned since she accompanied him to the palace last time. Upon hearing this, Murong Junlan immediately took his Red Hare and headed straight for the palace.

Murong Junlan barged directly into the Emperor's study. The Emperor seemed to have anticipated his arrival and showed no reaction, continuing to review memorials.

"You killed her?" Murong Junlan's eyes were practically spitting fire.

"No."

"Where is she?" Murong Junlan's face was shrouded in coldness.

"Go where she should be."

"Where exactly did you go?" Murong Junlan's gaze was aggressive.

"I am the ruler of a country, and I have the right to decide the fate of a maid."

"You'll regret this." Murong Junlan turned and left the imperial study.

"My son." Watching Murong Junlan's heartless departure, the Emperor frowned. The Empress Dowager emerged from behind the screen, shook her head, and sighed:

"It seems he'll have to work on this for quite a while."

Murong Junlan returned to the Prince's mansion but still hadn't seen Jiang He. So he led his fiery red hare straight to the Cliff of Broken Hearts, guessing that the "place she should go" his father had mentioned was the Cliff of Broken Hearts. The sky was overcast, the air stiflingly hot, and a storm seemed imminent. Murong Junlan, seemingly oblivious, dismounted and went to the top of the cliff. He took out his purple bamboo flute and began to play "Remembering the Flute on the Phoenix Terrace," a tune he often played for Yan'er during his convalescence. What night is this? Where are you, the listener?

The music is sometimes light and ethereal, as gentle as water; sometimes melodious and graceful like a nightingale's song; with its ups and downs, sometimes slow and sometimes fast, it seems to be telling a poignant love story full of twists and turns.

A sudden clap of thunder roared in the sky, followed by flying sand and stones, and howling wind and rain. Large raindrops pelted Murong Junlan's imposing features, dancing wildly in his unruly hair. The raindrops bounced off the purple bamboo flute, their sound as sharp and untamed as pearls falling onto a jade plate.

After an unknown amount of time, a fiery red hare galloped in. Jiang He dismounted and quickly went to Murong Junlan's side. He stood quietly beside his master, without saying a word. He knew that at this moment, all words were superfluous; companionship was the best way to comfort a man.

In truth, Ling Yi sensed Murong Junlan's arrival, but he couldn't come up; he was already very weak and dared not be distracted. However, when Murong Junlan's mournful yet unrestrained flute music began, Ling Yi's mind went blank. A thought flashed through his mind: Had something happened to the Princess? Ling Yi's attention wavered, and his blood rushed to his head. Just as he focused his mind, a thunderbolt struck from the sky. It felt as if Ling Yi's heart had been touched by Murong Junlan's deepest pain. A sudden heat surged in Ling Yi's chest, a gush of hot blood erupted, and he fainted.

Murong Junlan was unaware that his momentary flute playing had instantly obliterated Lingyi's millennia-old cultivation. But one person knew: the old man in the treasure room. The old man was furious. "Your princess is trapped among the Japanese pirates, and instead of rescuing her, you're here playing the flute!" he thought. "No, I have to find a way to get him to rescue her." Seeing Jiang He standing foolishly in the rain with Murong Junlan, he cursed him inwardly, "Idiot!" So he sent a beam of light towards Jiang He. Jiang He snapped out of his daze and said to Murong Junlan, "Your Highness, the princess is waiting for you to rescue her."

Murong Junlan suddenly realized his mistake. He put his flute away, leaped onto his horse, and Jiang He immediately mounted his horse as well. The two of them then spurred their horses on in the pouring rain and galloped back to the mansion like the wind.

Having just recovered from a serious illness and been caught in the rain, Murong Junlan bathed, changed, and fell asleep on the bed as soon as he returned. Because of his worries, he woke up in the early hours of the morning. After dinner, Murong Junlan went to Yan Garden alone. He didn't believe Yan'er would still be there, but he still held onto a sliver of hope. Yan Garden was quiet; even the hawk had flown away. He then remembered that the hawk was Yan'er's little follower; if Yan'er was there, she would see the hawk. With this thought, Murong Junlan felt more confident and decided to go find the hawk the next day.

As he passed the side room, Murong Junlan stopped. He didn't want to hear what they were saying, but rather Jin Chuchu's voice had entered his ears.

"Muyao, from now on the prince belongs to us two sisters, and no one will compete with us anymore."

"Where is that demoness?"

"I'll tell you a secret," Jin Chuchu said solemnly, "but you absolutely mustn't tell anyone."

"understood."

"My father said that the Emperor and Empress Dowager have married that vixen off to the Wubei Kingdom in a political alliance. Isn't that a great thing, ha..."

"Marry into the Wubei Kingdom? A political marriage?" Murong Junlan's head exploded with a "boom." He found Jiang He, who was still eating, and said anxiously, "Let's go, let's save Yan'er." Before he finished speaking, he took a step out.

Upon hearing that he was going to rescue the princess, Jiang He forgot all about eating and immediately threw down his bowl to chase after her.

The night after the torrential rain was pitch black, the air thick with a lingering dampness. The road was riddled with potholes and treacherous with mud, yet the two fiery red steeds galloped towards the Wubei Kingdom like the wind. Having traveled for two days and two nights, they had only eaten some dry rations and drunk a few mouthfuls of spring water before desperately continuing their journey. They had to hurry; Yan'er had already been married off to the Wubei Kingdom for several days, and if they didn't get there soon, perhaps… Murong Junlan dared not think further. His heart was filled with panic, yet he secretly made up his mind that even if Yan'er married in the Wubei Kingdom, he would bring her back and make her his queen.

On the third day at noon, Murong Junlan and Jiang He finally arrived outside the city of Wubei. They saw colorful flags fluttering atop the city walls, and soldiers heavily guarding the area. Murong Junlan and Jiang He immediately returned to the outskirts of the city, found a secluded house to settle their horses, changed into civilian clothes, and disguised themselves as passing merchants before entering the city. Because Prime Minister Jin had previously told the Wubei Kingdom that the women were being sent without Murong Junlan's knowledge, and hadn't anticipated his speed, the Wubei Kingdom's checks on merchants entering the city were not very strict, and the two successfully slipped into the city.