Little Pink Starfish

A Man Must Follow His Heart

With the blade pressed to his neck, the gang leader dared not speak. If this group had the nerve to leave him behind in the palace, then they might also have the guts to bury his corpse in it!

“Xiao Wei,” Gu Xinglang called out and shook his head. “We’re still inside the palace. What’s the point of fighting among ourselves?”

The gang leader, seeing that Gu Xinglang was siding with him, looked smug again and let out a snort at Xiao Wei, nostrils flared with pride.

Xiao Wei sheathed his blade with a cold expression and glanced at Li Wan. He said to the gang leader, “Well, now you’ve got what you wanted. But the real question is—does Miss Li want to be with you?”

That sentence hit the gang leader where it hurt. He had been with Li Wan for one night and one morning, yet aside from their first brief conversation, she hadn’t spoken a word to him. He treasured her like a rare gem, but how she felt about him—he had no idea.

Gu Xinglang also glanced at Li Wan, who still sat there like a statue. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Lady Li… Miss Li… Yuanle is still in the palace.”

At the mention of Li Yuanle, Li Wan’s eyes shifted slightly.

Gu Xinglang added, “His Majesty has already set up a memorial hall for you.”

At those words, Li Wan began to tremble—first her lips, then her entire body.

“What’s wrong with her?” the gang leader asked in alarm, seeing Li Wan suddenly shivering just from one sentence.

Gu Xinglang was puzzled too. He hadn’t said anything too dramatic, had he?

Xiao Wei rubbed his nose and said quietly, “Prince Consort, she’s afraid of committing the crime of deceiving the Emperor.” The rest he didn’t say. Our prince consort has spent too much time with the princess—he talks about treason like it’s just having three bowls of rice. Does he even care about the Emperor’s wrath anymore?

The gang leader looked at Li Wan and said, “Deceiving the Emperor? The princess and the prince consort aren’t afraid—what are you scared of? I’ll take you out of the palace. If you stay here, guarding some statue, what kind of future do you have? Don’t worry—good days are just ahead for us.”

“Get them two sets of inner palace guard uniforms,” Gu Xinglang instructed Xiao Wei. “Tell them they’re escorting me home.”

“Will that work?” Xiao Wei asked.

Gu Xinglang replied, “The Emperor’s too busy to bother with us now. Just do it. Once we’re out, who’s going to go ask the Emperor for the details? Two guards—no one will question it.”

Xiao Wei agreed and quickly went off to find the uniforms.

The gang leader was all smiles as he crouched in front of Li Wan. “We’re in the clear now!”

Li Wan looked at him, then at Gu Xinglang dozing off, and wanted to shout, For heaven’s sake! This is deceiving the Emperor—it’s a capital offense! How can you all be so calm?!

When Xiao Wei returned with two sets of guard uniforms, the gang leader dressed quickly. Li Wan, however, remained motionless.

Xiao Wei lost patience and said, “Miss Li, we’ve already done the deed. You didn’t raise any objections all night—if you confess now, it’s too late to get leniency. If you don’t come with us, not only will we die, but your entire Li clan of Chengzhou won’t escape either.”

“Why scare her?” the gang leader growled.

Xiao Wei just stared at Li Wan with a threatening gaze.

Trapped with no path of return, Li Wan finally stood and, trembling, changed into the guard uniform behind a screen.

The gang leader saw that Gu Xinglang was already dozing off and asked curiously, “Prince Consort, the princess must’ve been bouncing off walls last night, huh? You were busy too? Is that why you’re so worn out?” He’d spent the night tense, had been locked up, climbed rock gardens—but he wasn’t nearly as exhausted as Gu Xinglang.

Gu Xinglang’s eyes wouldn’t stay open. It didn’t even feel like fatigue anymore. His body felt ancient, his bones brittle, blood heavy. He couldn’t move at all. At the gang leader’s question, he simply gave a weak “Mm.”

“He’s injured,” Xiao Wei muttered, pushing the gang leader aside and covering Gu Xinglang with another blanket.

“This really normal?” The gang leader was used to battles and wounds—he’d seen enough injuries to know this wasn’t just surface-level damage. The prince consort looked more like he was in the grip of some strange affliction.

Xiao Wei didn’t respond, but he was worried too. When this was all over, he’d tell the princess—Gu Xinglang needed a full check-up. He probably had internal injuries as well.

When Li Wan finally came out in uniform, even in the smallest size Xiao Wei had found, it was still oversized.

“She’s gonna draw attention dressed like that,” the gang leader frowned. “Palace guards aren’t blind, you know.”

Xiao Wei sighed, then took off his sword and handed it to her. “I’ll go get a palanquin. You ride with the prince consort. Keep your head down. If anyone asks, say you’re a personal escort for the prince.”

Li Wan nodded and took the sword with difficulty.

The gang leader still wasn’t reassured. “You can ride palanquins in the palace?”

Xiao Wei impatiently shook off his grip. “Say the prince consort is unwell—Emperor’s orders. You got a problem?”

The gang leader shook his head. What problem could he have? It’s the Emperor’s wrath he’s worried about.

Meanwhile, Emperor Xianzong was sitting with Mo Wen in the hall beside the imperial study. He’d tried to strike up conversation several times, but all he could come up with was asking if Mo Wen wanted tea.

Mo Wen touched the celadon cup from Feng Tian’s palace but didn’t take a sip.

Xianzong laughed awkwardly. “I forgot—you don’t drink tea.”

Mo Wen gave a faint smile. “I do drink it. Just… not right now.”

Xianzong’s smile froze. How is this man so difficult?!

Mo Wen looked at him, his expression somewhere between a smile and not. “Ning Sheng, is Wuhuan truly not in Feng Tian?”

Xianzong felt like all five of his organs were giving out. He’d been scared enough of Wen Fenglin—now with Mo Wen staring him down, he felt like he was about to become a fallen emperor.

“So hard to answer,” Mo Wen said softly, “whether he’s here or not?”

Xianzong gritted his teeth. “Master, I’ve never seen Wuhuan. If Wuhuan had left Zhuri, wouldn’t he have told you first? He’s your beloved disciple—I don’t believe he’d sneak off without saying a word. That’s not the kind of person he is.”

Mo Wen chuckled. “That’s fair.”

Xianzong slapped a hand over his wildly pounding heart. His efforts to protect Wuhuan might’ve been risky—he was gambling the entire fate of Feng Tian. But as he tilted his head back and downed a full cup of tea in one gulp, he thought:
A man must follow his heart, right? Right or wrong—at least I won’t regret it.