hotmtlnovel Chapter 47 Paying Homage to the Princess
Chapter 47 Paying Homage to the Princess
Lu Siye was awakened by the sunlight.
The curtains were not fully drawn.
He lay in bed for a few minutes, then sat up and rubbed his eyes.
The room was very quiet.
It was unusually quiet.
He put on his shoes, walked to the door, opened it, and found the corridor empty.
He walked into the hall.
There was no one in the hall.
The backyard gate was open.
Lu Siye walked through the hall, into the courtyard, past the fountain, and over the low wall.
The backyard is empty.
He squatted down and touched the four tire tracks.
The soil is still wet.
They hadn't been gone long.
He stood up, looked at the open iron gate, and remained silent for a few seconds.
Zhang Lei and Liu Chuang left.
They didn't even say hello.
He wasn't surprised.
He knew this would happen.
It's not about who betrayed whom.
They were never really on the same boat.
Zhang Lei and Liu Chuang have their mission, their organization, and their "friendship between nations."
He was a wanted fugitive, a person who shouldn't be here, and a troubled person who saw something he shouldn't have seen.
The best way to handle it is to disappear quietly.
He left without saying goodbye.
No need for explanations, no need for apologies, no need to break ties.
Everyone is dignified.
Lu Siye pulled his hand away from the tire tracks, stood up, patted the dirt off his knees, and turned to walk back into the house.
He knew he would probably never be able to return to his country.
It's not because Zhang Lei and Liu Chuang would report him.
They probably won't; reporting him wouldn't benefit them, and they'd have to explain why they didn't take him down on the spot last night.
Rather, it was because the moment he lifted that canvas last night, he had already made his choice.
He chose to stand next to the creature, rather than next to Zhang Lei and Liu Chuang.
In the official narrative within China, this choice would likely be characterized as "damaging international friendships," or some other more palatable and respectable charge.
But a crime only has meaning when you have the opportunity to go back and face trial.
And he probably will never have the chance to go back.
He stood in the corridor for a while, considering what to do next.
Liara said last night that she would take him to see Tang Yuan today, but she didn't say what time or where they would go.
Her room was at the other end of the corridor, some distance away from the other rooms, supposedly for convenience.
Lu Siye now roughly understands what "convenience" means.
He walked to Liara's room door, raised his hand, and prepared to knock.
Then he heard a sound.
It came from inside the door.
Through that heavy wooden door, most of the sound was filtered out, leaving only some blurry fragments.
But those syllables were enough to make Lu Siye stop his hand in mid-air.
It wasn't the sound of speaking.
It's a different kind of sound.
A woman's voice.
It rises and falls, like ocean waves, surging in one after another.
When it reaches its highest point, it breaks into a cloud of white foam, then recedes, recedes to a very, very far place, and then surges back again.
Other sounds were mixed in.
The panting sound was like that of a wild beast.
Not one, but multiple.
Lu Siye's hand hovered three inches above the doorknob, motionless.
He listened for a second.
Then he withdrew his hand.
He took a step back, then two, then three, until he reached the other side of the corridor. He leaned against the wall, head down, looking at the shoes on his feet.
One of his shoelaces came undone. He stared at that shoelace for a few seconds, then squatted down and retied it.
After tying his shoelaces, he stood up, leaned back against the wall, and continued to wait.
The corridor was quiet.
The sounds continued in Liara's room.
He leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and began to count.
This is to give your brain something to focus on, so that you don't think about things you shouldn't be thinking about.
One to one hundred.
One hundred to two hundred.
Two hundred to three hundred.
The sound stopped when they counted to 347.
Lu Siye opened his eyes and looked at the door.
The door was not opened.
He continued to wait.
About half an hour later, the door opened.
First, a man came out.
He was very tall, probably over 1.9 meters, with broad shoulders, tattoos on his arms, and wearing a black vest.
The vest was soaked with sweat and clung to his body, outlining the contours of his chest and abdominal muscles.
His complexion was not good; he was pale, his lips were chapped, and his eyes were sunken, as if he had been seriously ill. His legs were trembling when he walked.
He walked out the door, leaned against the wall for a while, panting heavily, then took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, lit it, and his hand was so shaky that he had to try three times to get it lit.
He took a deep drag of his cigarette, and as the smoke billowed from his nostrils, his complexion improved slightly.
Then he saw Lu Siye leaning against the opposite side of the corridor.
Their eyes met.
The man's expression changed slightly, then he looked away, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Leaning against the wall, he walked unsteadily towards the other end of the corridor.
Then came the second man.
He was shorter than the first one, but stronger. His condition was worse than the first one's. When he came out, he knelt down on the ground, supported himself with his hands, and gagged a few times, but nothing came out.
He just kept drooling; a clear, viscous liquid dripped from the corner of his mouth, forming a long, thin thread that broke and dripped onto the carpet.
He knelt there for about a minute, then slowly, leaning against the wall, staggered away.
When the third man came out, Lu Siye was no longer looking at him.
The third man's footsteps were heavier and more dragging than the first two. He would stop every few steps to catch his breath before taking a few more steps.
As he passed by Lu Siyue, he paused, glanced down at Lu Siyue, and moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing and dragged his feet away.
After the three men left, the corridor became quiet again.
Liara's room door was open, and the morning light shone through, casting a soft glow on the carpet.
Lu Siye stood on the opposite side of the corridor, without moving.
About two minutes later, Liara came out of the room.
She wore a deep purple silk robe, loosely tied at the waist, with a low neckline that revealed a large expanse of fair skin and a deep, alluring cleavage below her collarbone.
Her hair was a little messy, with golden curls cascading over her shoulders, and a few stray strands clinging to her cheeks, soaked with sweat and sticking to her skin.
A thin blush covered her face, a healthy, radiant red that emanated from within.
Her lips were redder than last night, slightly swollen, but beautifully swollen, full and moist.
Her eyes are very bright.
The brightness is abnormal.
She leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, looking at Lu Siyue, a lazy, satisfied smile slowly spreading across her face, like that of a cat that had just eaten its fill.
"Good morning," she said, her voice a little lower than last night. "Have you been waiting long?"
Lu Siye looked at her without saying a word.
Leah tilted her head, her gaze lingering on his face for a second, then she smiled.
"You eavesdropped?"
"No," Lu Siye said.
"You're lying," Liara said lightly. "Your ears are all red."
Lu Siye subconsciously raised his hand and touched his ear.
It's cold.
He was deceived.
Liara laughed at his reaction.
"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore," she straightened up from the door frame and walked towards Lu Siyue. When she reached him, she reached out her hand, pressed her index finger against his chest, and gently pushed him. "Come in, I'll change my clothes, and then I'll take you to see someone."
Lu Siye did not move.
"Who are you going to see?" he asked.
Liara had already turned and walked back into her room, her voice drifting out from inside, carrying a hint of smugness and a touch of mystery.
"Someone who can help you find her."
Liara changed her clothes much faster than Lu Siye had expected.
About ten minutes later, she reappeared at the door, wearing a pale yellow dress that reached above her knees and was very fitted at the waist.
She changed into a pair of flat shoes, white canvas shoes, which looked very ordinary, but they looked quite different on her feet.
Her hair was tied up, revealing her smooth forehead and slender neck.
She wore light makeup, almost invisible unless you looked closely, but her complexion was much better than before; her skin was fair with a rosy glow, and her lips were a light pink.
She looked Lu Siye up and down, then frowned.
"You're wearing this?"
Lu Siye looked down at himself.
"I don't have any other clothes," he said.
Liara sighed, turned and went back to her room, pulled a white shirt and a pair of dark casual pants from the closet, and tossed them to him.
"Put them on."
Lu Siye caught the clothes, checked the size, and found it was a perfect fit.
"Whose is this?" he asked.
Liara was applying lipstick in front of the mirror, without even turning her head.
"The last pretty boy like you."
Lu Siye stood there for two seconds with the clothes in his hand, then turned around and walked out of the room, changing his clothes in the hallway.
The white shirt fit perfectly, the fabric was soft, and it smelled exactly like Liara.
The casual pants were just ankle-length, which didn't quite match his hiking boots, but it was much better than his previous outfit.
He walked back to the doorway. Liara had already applied her lipstick. She turned around, looked him up and down, and then nodded.
"It's alright," she said, "at least I don't look like a savage anymore."
She walked up to him, reached out, straightened his shirt collar, and gently brushed her fingers against his collarbone.
"Let's go," she said, withdrawing her hand, picking up a small handbag from the bedside table, and walking towards the door. "The car is waiting outside."
"What kind of car?" Lu Siye asked.
Liara turned around and winked at him.
"The carriage to the palace."
The car was a black Mercedes, and it was very new.
The driver, wearing white gloves, saw Liara approaching and immediately got out of the car. He respectfully opened the back door, shielding the top edge of the door frame with his hand. After Liara got in, he went around to the other side and opened the door for Lu Siye.
Lu Siye got into the car, where the air conditioning was on full blast, creating a stark contrast with the heat outside.
The seats are made of genuine leather and are very soft; when you sit on them, you sink in slightly.
Liara sat down next to him, crossed her legs, and took out a pair of sunglasses from her handbag and put them on.
"Do you know anyone in the royal family?" Lu Siye asked.
Liara glanced at him sideways; her expression behind the sunglasses was unclear, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned.
"I know one," she said, "who used to be a prince and is now a princess."
Lu Siye remained silent for two seconds.
"Cut it off?" he asked.
Liara smiled, a very happy smile.
"It's been removed," she nodded. "I had the surgery done abroad a few years ago, and after I came back, I changed my title from Your Highness to Princess."
"The royal family isn't happy, but there's nothing they can do; after all, it's their son... no, their daughter."
She paused, then added.
"She's a regular customer here."
Lu Siye did not ask what "regular customer" meant in detail.
After about forty minutes of driving, passing through most of the city of perfume, we drove onto a wide road lined with palm trees on both sides.
The road was straight and long, stretching to the horizon and disappearing behind a green hill.
There are fewer and fewer cars on the road, but more and more checkpoints.
At each checkpoint, the driver would roll down the window, hand over a document, and then the heavily armed soldiers would stand at attention, salute, and let him through—all in one smooth motion.
The last checkpoint was a huge iron gate with the flag of Siam hanging above it.
Two soldiers stood on each side of the iron gate, dressed in crisp military uniforms and holding rifles.
The driver handed over his documents, which a soldier took and looked at. Then the soldier walked to the back window and knocked on the glass.
Liara rolled down the car window, took off her sunglasses, and smiled at the soldier.
The soldier's face immediately turned red.
He stood at attention, saluted, then quickly walked back and said a few words to an officer next to the iron gate.
The officer walked over, bent down, looked at Liara's face, then at Lu Siyue, his gaze lingering on Lu Siyue's face for two seconds, before nodding and waving.
The iron gate slowly opened.
The car drove in.
The Imperial Palace.
Lu Siye had seen photos of the palace on television, but the difference between a photo and the real thing was like the difference between a postcard and a mountain.
The photograph cannot convey that oppressive, solemn feeling that makes people unconsciously slow their pace.
It also cannot convey that ubiquitous, dazzling luxury built with gold and jewels.
The car stopped in front of a white marble building. The building was not tall, only three stories high, but it occupied a large area.
The wings on both sides extend backward like outstretched arms, embracing the entire building in the middle.
The roof is gold, not painted gold, but real gold leaf.
The pillars are white, and each one is as thick as two people could hug.
The floor is made of polished granite, so smooth that it reflects a person's shadow.
A waiter dressed in traditional clothing came forward, put his hands together, bowed slightly, and said something.
Lia returned the greeting, exchanged a few words with the waiter, and then the waiter nodded and turned to lead the way.
They walked through the hall and down a long corridor. The walls of the corridor were covered with huge oil paintings of kings and queens from different dynasties, dressed in magnificent clothes and wearing heavy crowns, with solemn and dignified expressions.
At the end of the corridor was a double wooden door, made of a dark wood that Lu Siye couldn't name.
The door panels are inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl, forming a complex pattern.
The waiter stopped at the door, stepped aside, and made a "please" gesture.
Liara pushed open the door.
Behind the door was a small room, completely different from the magnificent halls outside.
This room is more like a study.
The walls were fitted with bookshelves, which were filled with books, including hardcover books, yellowed thread-bound books, and some rolled-up bamboo slips wrapped in silk.
In the center of the room was a large desk with several maps and documents spread out on it. An ink bottle was open, and a quill pen sat on a pen holder, its nib still dipped in ink.
The owner has just left and will be back soon.
Behind the desk was a floor-to-ceiling window, which was open, and the white gauze curtains were being blown by the wind.
Outside the window is a garden with neatly trimmed shrubs, blooming roses, and a white gazebo.
A person was sitting in the pavilion.
The man sat with his back to them in a wicker chair, holding a cup of tea, watching a peacock in the garden.
The peacock's tail spread out, shimmering with a blue-green luster in the sunlight.
"Your Highness," Liara said, "I've come."
The person didn't turn around, but just tilted their head slightly, revealing half of their profile.
Her skin was very fair, her features were soft, and her lines were rounded, making it impossible to tell her original gender.
Her hair was black and long, draped over her shoulders, with a simple silver hair clip holding back stray hairs near her ears.
Wearing a white linen shirt and light gray trousers, with leather sandals on her feet, she looked simple and comfortable, completely different from the glittering royal style outside.
"Liara," the person spoke, their voice neutral, "you've brought a new friend."
Liara smiled, walked into the pavilion, sat down opposite the person, and naturally picked up the teapot on the table to pour herself a cup of tea.
"Hmm," she took a sip of tea and gestured towards Lu Siye, "a little kid."
The person finally turned around and looked at Lu Siye.
Lu Siye saw that face.
Very beautiful.
It's not the beauty of a woman, nor the beauty of a man; it's a beauty that transcends gender, a more essential beauty, like an uncarved piece of jade.
The proportions of her facial features are just right. The curve of her brow bone, the height of her nose bridge, the thickness of her lips, and the lines of her jaw—every detail seems to have been calculated, not a bit more or less.
But what's most striking is those eyes.
It's a deep brown color, so beautiful.
Those eyes lingered on Lu Siye for a few seconds before looking away.
"Sit down," the man said. "Don't stand."
Lu Siye walked into the pavilion and sat down on another rattan chair opposite that person.
The rattan chair is low; when you sit down, your knees are almost level with your chest, but it's very comfortable.
The man put down his teacup, folded his hands on his knees, and looked at Lu Siye.
"People from the Eastern Continent?" she asked.
"Yes," Lu Siye said.
"What are you here for?"
"Looking for someone."
The man glanced at Liara.
Liara shrugged, picked up her teacup, took another sip, and said nothing.
The person withdrew their gaze and looked at Lu Siye again.
"Who should I look for?"
Lu Siye took out his phone from his pocket, flipped to the photo, and handed it to the person.
The person took the phone, glanced at the photo, then placed the phone on the table and tapped it lightly twice with their finger.
“I’ve never met this person before,” she said, “but the fact that Liara brought you to see me means this person is important.”
"Liara rarely asks for favors."
She glanced at Liara, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Tell me, what do you want me to do?"
Liara put down her teacup, leaned forward slightly, rested her hands on her knees, and looked at the person.
"I want her to investigate someone," Liara said, without looking at Lu Siyue, but her words were meant for him. "The royal family's intelligence network is wider than anyone else's."
"If Tang Yuan ever appeared in this country, the royal family would definitely know."
The man listened without any change in expression.
There was a moment of silence.
"Okay," the man said, his tone still indifferent, "but you have to do one thing for me."
Liara smiled, but there was something in that smile that Lu Siye couldn't understand—it was like an expected helplessness, or a willing compromise.
"you say."
The man stood up, walked to the edge of the pavilion, turned his back to them, and looked at the peacock in the garden.
The peacock had tucked its tail in, leaving a long tuft of feathers trailing on the ground. It walked back and forth on the grass, head down, pecking at something.
"There will be a royal banquet in a few days," the man said. "Representatives from various countries will be attending."
"The Eastern Continent's garrison legion will also come; it's the team your friends are in."
She turned around and looked at Liara.
"I need you to help me receive them."
Liara's expression changed slightly.
It's very mild.
If Lu Siye hadn't been paying close attention to her face, he would have barely noticed.
"Hospitality?" Liara repeated the word. "How exactly should we 'hospitality' be handled?"
The man walked back to the wicker chair, sat down, picked up his teacup again, and looked at the tea leaves floating in the cup.
"They recently sent something over," she said, "saying it's a gift for the royal family, but I haven't seen it yet."
"My father... no, my emperor accepted it directly, without passing through my hands."
She looked up at Liara.
"I want to know what that is."
Liara remained silent for a moment.
"Why don't you just ask your father?"
The corners of that person's mouth turned up slightly, revealing a somewhat bitter smile.
"My father hasn't seen me for three months."
The pavilion fell silent.
Lu Siye looked at that person, then at Liara, and said nothing.
He doesn't need to speak.
This was a deal between them.
Liara was silent for about half a minute, then nodded.
"Okay," she said, "I'll look it up for you."
The woman's expression relaxed a little, and she picked up her teacup and raised it to Liara.
"Thanks."
Liara also picked up her teacup and clinked it against hers.
Then the person put down the teacup, glanced at Lu Siye, and the corners of his mouth widened.
"Alright," she said, her tone suddenly becoming lighter, "we've finished with the important matters, let's chat about something else."
She looked at Liara, and there was something more in her eyes.
"How many times did you do it with this handsome young man last night?"
Lu Siye paused for a moment while holding the teacup.
Liara smiled, a very open and honest smile.
"Twelve times, I guess," she said casually, "probably, I didn't count carefully."
Lu Siye's hand trembled slightly, and the tea in the teacup sloshed, almost spilling out.
That person glanced at Lu Siye, his eyes full of amusement.
"Twelve times?" she repeated the number, her tone carrying an exaggerated, incredulous astonishment. "Are you sure you're not bluffing?"
Liara picked up her teacup and took a sip.
"You'll see once you try it."
That person laughed, a very happy laugh.
Lu Siye sat there, holding a teacup, his expression calm, but his ears were red.
The woman noticed his ears and laughed even harder. Pointing at Lu Siyue's ears, she said to Liara, "Look, his ears are red."
Liara turned her head to look at Lu Siyue's ear, and the smile on her lips widened.
"That's just how he is," she said. "He blushes all the time."
Lu Siye placed the teacup on the table, took a deep breath, and looked at the person.
"Your Highness," he said, his voice steady, "I think the number twelve is unlikely."
The man raised an eyebrow.
"Unlikely?"
"Unlikely," Lu Siye said. "From a physiological point of view, the refractory period for a human male after one... well... that kind of behavior is at least..."
"Alright, alright," Liara interrupted him, patting his hand with a smile. "Stop talking, it won't be fun if you keep going."
Lu Siye shut his mouth.
The person laughed for a long time, until tears were almost streaming down their face. They wiped their eyes with their sleeve before slowly stopping.
She looked at Lu Siye, and there was something more in her eyes.
"You're quite an interesting person," she said. "You're the first person to discuss refractory periods with me in the palace."
Lu Siye remained silent.
The man picked up his teacup, drank the rest of the tea in one gulp, then stood up and patted the wrinkles on his trousers.
"Alright, let's get serious," her tone returned to its previous calm, "I'll help you find the person you're looking for. The royal family's intelligence network covers the entire country; as long as she's ever been in this country, I can find her."
She walked up to Lu Siye, lowered her head, and looked at him sitting in the rattan chair.
"But I have one condition."
Lu Siye raised his head and looked into her eyes.
"What are the conditions?"
The person bent down and brought his face close.
"If you find her," she said, her voice low so only he could hear, "you have to tell me what her relationship is with that purple thing."
Lu Siye's expression remained unchanged despite his slight jump, but his pupils contracted slightly.
The man's eyes caught the subtle change, his lips curled up slightly, and he straightened up and took a step back.
"Don't be nervous," she said, restoring her voice to normal, "I'm just curious."
She turned and went back behind her desk, sat down, picked up a quill pen, wrote a few words on a blank sheet of paper, folded the paper, and handed it to Liara.
"This is the contact information for the intelligence chief," she said. "You should contact him directly and tell him it was my idea."
Liara took the note, glanced at it, and put it into her handbag.
"Thank you, Your Highness," she said.
The person waved.
"Don't call me Your Highness, just call me by my name."
"Zarata," she said, a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth.
Liara stood up, adjusted her skirt, and bowed slightly to Charada.
"Then we'll be going now."
Charada nodded, her gaze lingering on Lu Siye for a second.
"Your friend," she said, her voice lower than before, "if she really does become the kind of person you described..."
She didn't finish speaking.
But Lu Siye knew what she wanted to say.
"No matter what she becomes," Lu Siyue said, his voice soft but firm, "I will take her with me."
Charada looked into his eyes for about three seconds.
Then she laughed.
"Okay," she said, "good luck."
Lu Siye stood up and followed Liara out of the pavilion.
Behind him, Charada's voice drifted out from the room.
"Liara".
Liara stopped and turned around.
Charada sat behind her desk, holding a quill pen and dipping it in ink, without looking up.
"Next time you come," she said, "bring some tea leaves, the kind of black tea we finished last time."
Liara smiled.
"it is good."