Crown Prince and Ghost King

Chapter 5

With his face covered by the veil, Xie Lian sat within the sedan, calm and composed, swaying along with the movement of the carriers and waiting for a change to happen. On either side of the sedan, even if he couldn't see them, Xie Lian knew  there were Mu Qing and Feng Xin, ready to spring into action at the first hint of danger.

Alongside them, the carriers were all military officers, provided by the Lord Official himself when the two generals visited his residence and revealed their plan to investigate Mount YuJun that night. Hopeful, the lord made sure to give them his best officers, although Xie Lian knew the choice was good mostly because those men could easily run away and protect themselves if the Wrath attacked.

They seemed upset, however, to be ordered around by two pretty boys, and they weren't careful with the sedan, purposefully shaking it and making the ride bumpy and uncomfortable.

Xie Lian envied their luck, because Hua Cheng wasn't there to witness the Crown Prince being tossed around so carelessly. What a grim fate they would have in front of them, if his husband learned of their behavior.

The bumpy ride was moderately annoying, though, and Xie Lian let out a low sigh. Surely the military officials felt proud of that.

«What's the matter, miss? Tears of joy at finally marrying at old age?».

Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry at Mu Qing's comment. When he spoke, his voice was calm and natural, nothing revealing the discomfort from the ride: «I suddenly realized that this wedding procession is missing something very important».

At the question asked by Feng Xin following that statement, he simply smiled: «Two accompanying maids».

He could perfectly imagine those two sharing a look and shuddering at the thought. Even the carriers couldn't help but chuckle, upon hearing the joke, and the sedan finally started following much steadier movements.

Pleased, Xie Lian leaned back into a proper sitting position and closed his eyes.

Not long after, a child's laughter abruptly sounded by his ears, rippling across the mountain, but the bridal sedan never stopped. Not even the two heavenly officials with him made a noise, seemingly not having noticed anything amiss.

Maybe Xie Lian was the only one who heard the laugh. Thinking about it, it made sense; if the ghost only targeted the brides, it was natural that the bride – him, in that case – would be the only one able to hear it. Moreover, right then the procession entered the deeper parts of Mount YuJun.

To be sure, he asked Mu Qing and Feng Xin, and he received confirmation; he was the only one able to hear the child's laughter. After a short deliberation, Xie Lian told them to pretend nothing was wrong.

Then, the voice started singing. Telling him to only cry, and not smile. Xie Lian didn't forget to keep the officials informed.

«What's the meaning of this creature running over to give you hints like this?».

Mu Qing had an opposite opinion: «Maybe they're not hints, it's possible that it's trying to encourage the opposite, and only smiling can keep the bride safe and sound. But the objective is to trick people into crying. We can't say if the brides weren't deceived like this».

«My dear Fu Yao –  Xie Lian shook his head – any normal bride would be scared to death upon hearing such a voice on the road, how could they smile?».

Besides, what was the worst that could happen, getting kidnapped? It was their objective for the night, after all.

«Still, I have to tell you all a thing. I've been smiling ever since I mounted the sedan».