In front of them stood four or five people dressed in white, each holding a basket, seemingly there to pick fruit. However, instead of gathering around the fruit trees, they seemed to be surrounding someone. Though they were far away, the two could clearly hear the argument thanks to their keen hearing. A young man in the group said, "No wonder I've seen fewer fruits in the forest lately; someone's been sneaking here every day to steal them."
A gentle voice replied, "The fruit forest on Mount Tai Cang is open to all disciples of the temple; how can you call it 'stealing'? Besides, with hundreds of fruit trees, how could just one person make a difference?"
The voice belonged to Mu Qing. From the glimpse of his clothing, it seemed he had changed from his usual dark attire to a simple robe. The man snorted, "If it were just for you, it wouldn't matter much. But you're not just picking for yourself; you're sneaking them down the mountain for others. That's just shameless."
Xie Lian understood. It was another case of someone picking on Mu Qing for no reason.
Mu Qing's family was poor, and his mother lived a hard life in the capital below the mountain. She used to make a living by sewing, but after her eyesight failed, she couldn't even do that. She had to rely on the money Mu Qing earned from odd jobs on the mountain. Sometimes, he would pick some fruits from Mount Tai Cang to bring to his mother. It wasn't a big deal since there was no rule against it, but it wasn't something to brag about either. Being mocked for it in public was even more humiliating. Mu Qing's voice turned cold, "Brother Zhu, I don't usually interact much with you, yet you keep targeting me. Yesterday, you even stopped me from entering the Four Symbols Palace to report to the national teachers. What have I done to offend you?"
The young man named Zhu, who served the national teachers in the Four Symbols Palace, got angry when he heard this. "You almost messed up an important matter because you didn't pass the message properly, and now you're blaming me? You were so secretive yesterday that others thought you were up to something. If you had been clear from the start, would it have come to this? I almost got the Crown Prince in trouble today because of you, and the national teachers gave me a good scolding!" With that, he threw down his basket and signaled the others to surround Mu Qing. Xie Lian couldn't watch anymore and said, "Hold on!"
The group was startled by the voice. When they turned and saw him, they exclaimed, "Crown Prince!"
Xie Lian and Feng Xin approached. Mu Qing was already pinned against a tree by Brother Zhu, but they hadn't started fighting yet. If a fight broke out, Mu Qing could easily take on twenty of them. However, if he wanted to stay at the temple, he couldn't afford to get into a fight.
Xie Lian smiled, "What are you all doing?"
Brother Zhu, a decent-looking young man who admired the Crown Prince, quickly released Mu Qing and stammered, "We, we were just..."
Xie Lian continued to smile, "I don't know why you're arguing, but Mu Qing is my close attendant. Whatever he does is usually on my orders. I didn't know picking a few fruits was such a crime."
The group quickly bowed, "No, no! We misunderstood since it was on your orders, Your Highness!" Mu Qing leaned against a tree, surprised by Xie Lian's words, then adjusted his collar and remained silent. The group, sweating nervously, apologized to Xie Lian and Mu Qing before hurriedly leaving the cherry orchard with their baskets. Xie Lian saw Mu Qing's basket on the ground, picked it up, and handed it to him, "Need help?"
Mu Qing didn't take the basket. Instead, he looked at Xie Lian with a complicated expression and said, "Crown Prince."
Xie Lian asked, "What?"
Mu Qing said, "Why do you always show up at times like this?"
Xie Lian was puzzled, "?"
Feng Xin, however, was annoyed, "What do you mean by that? Isn't it good that someone comes to help you out?"
Mu Qing glanced at Feng Xin and took the basket. At this point, Feng Xin stiffened his neck and said firmly, "Listen, what happened just now was my fault. I wasn't targeting you; I just said it casually. Don't overthink it and suspect everyone. I only care about the Crown Prince's matters, not interested in gossiping about others. That's all, so stop being difficult!"
"Ha!" Xie Lian initially thought Feng Xin's tone was too harsh, but found it amusing in the end. Mu Qing glared at Feng Xin, but Xie Lian waved his hand, "Alright, alright. Feng Xin is telling the truth. Let's just forget what happened."
After a moment, Mu Qing said quietly, "I'll look for that red coral bead later. Maybe it fell on the street."
Xie Lian thought he shouldn't seem too indifferent and said, "Alright, if you have time, please do. But if it fell on the street, it's probably been picked up by someone by now."
Mu Qing seemed to have nothing else to say and picked up the few bunches of cherries on the ground. He hadn't picked many, and was about to leave the orchard when Xie Lian looked up at the ripe cherries and picked a few more bunches for his basket.
Mu Qing was slightly taken aback. Xie Lian said, "Next time you pick fruits for your mother, just say you were ordered by me. Then no one will say anything. The national teachers want me to return to the palace for a few days, so I'm planning to leave tomorrow. Why don't you go down the mountain tomorrow too? For now, let's head back."
After a long pause, Mu Qing finally said softly, "Thank you, Your Highness."
The next day, Xie Lian went down the mountain with Feng Xin and Mu Qing.
As soon as they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw a dazzling golden carriage. A young boy in fine clothes with a collar around his neck was holding a whip, lying in front of the carriage with his legs crossed, looking very pleased with himself. When he saw Xie Lian coming out of the mountain gate, he jumped up and ran over, shouting happily, "Cousin Crown Prince!"
This boy was naturally Qi Rong. Only he would have the time to wait at the foot of Mount Tai Cang to catch Xie Lian. He hopped over, delighted, "I finally caught you!"
Xie Lian smiled and ruffled his hair, "Qi Rong, have you grown taller? How did you know I was returning to the palace today?"
Qi Rong chuckled, "I didn't know. I just waited here, knowing you'd come out eventually. I wasn't going to miss you."
Xie Lian sighed, "You really have nothing better to do. Have you been studying well? Practicing your swordsmanship? If Mother asks me to check your progress again, I won't cover for you."
Qi Rong's eyes darted around, and he said, "Forget about that for now! Look at my new carriage! Cousin Crown Prince, come ride with me to the palace!" He pulled Xie Lian towards the carriage, and Xie Lian felt a bit uneasy, "You're driving?"
Feng Xin and Mu Qing followed, and normally, attendants would sit in the front. But Qi Rong frowned, raised his whip, and said, "I invited Cousin Crown Prince, not you two. You lowly people want to ride my golden carriage? Get lost!"
Xie Lian softly scolded, "Qi Rong!"
Feng Xin had met Qi Rong several times and was used to his rude manner of speaking. Mu Qing, however, had never been to the palace and hadn't interacted with this young prince before. Qi Rong was very upset, but seeing Xie Lian was leaving, he reluctantly let the two "lowly people" onto his precious golden carriage.
However, as soon as they got on, all three regretted it. Qi Rong drove like a madman, whipping the horses wildly and shouting who-knows-what, causing the white horses to neigh and the carriage to speed recklessly down the street. Xie Lian repeatedly shouted for him to stop, but to no avail. They nearly hit pedestrians and stalls several times, only saved by Feng Xin and Mu Qing occasionally pulling the reins to avoid disaster. Otherwise, they might have caused twenty casualties along the way. When they finally arrived at the palace, the carriage slowed down, and Xie Lian, Feng Xin, and Mu Qing all breathed a sigh of relief. Xie Lian wiped his cold sweat, while Feng Xin and Mu Qing bore whip marks on their hands from Qi Rong's lashes. Qi Rong stood on the white horse's back, proudly saying, "Cousin Crown Prince, how was my driving?"
Xie Lian got off the carriage and said, "I'm going to tell Father and Mother to confiscate your carriage."
Qi Rong was shocked, "Why?"
The customs of the Divine Joy Kingdom were to love gold, jewels, beauty, music, and paintings. The Divine Joy Palace was the pinnacle of all these beloved things. Passing through the grand square and walking through the red corridors, one didn't only see lavish gold and jade statues. There were exquisite paintings everywhere, and music drifted through the air, like a fairyland.
The palace was Xie Lian's home, where he had grown up. Feng Xin, chosen as a guard at fourteen, was long accustomed to it. Only Mu Qing, seeing such architecture for the first time, couldn't help but be amazed. However, the more amazed he was, the more cautious he became, not daring to show his feelings or take a wrong step.
Xie Lian first went to see his mother, the Empress Min. She was in the Phoenix Resting Palace, sipping tea. Hearing that the Crown Prince had returned, she was overjoyed, reaching out her hands even before he got close, "Finally willing to come home and see your mother?"
Feng Xin and Mu Qing waited outside the hall while Xie Lian and Qi Rong entered. Xie Lian took his mother's hand, "Didn't I just come home two months ago?"
The Empress playfully scolded, "You ungrateful child. Even Qi Rong knows to spend more time with me, but you don't come home for two months and still have the nerve to argue."
Xie Lian laughed, "Mother, you're not old at all! You're in your fifties but look like you're my age."
The Empress was delighted. Though she had a son as old as Xie Lian, she was well-maintained and still a beautiful lady. However, she pretended to scold, "Flatterer." Xie Lian noticed a jade cup on the table, emitting a strange fragrance, and asked curiously, "What's this?" He picked it up, but the Empress said, "Don't drink it! That's not for drinking."