A Royal Engagement

Idiots

(LAO)

31 hours since the kidnapping
4pm

We convinced Qing to take at least an hour of rest and eat something before he started questioning Heise. He washed and changed clothes too. We ran through that hotel and exercise a bit like that.

"Chong is awake," I told him.

Qing looked relieved, "Good."

"He is asking us to wait for him before you start questioning Heise," I added.

"Is he on his way?" Qing asked as he shrugged on his shirt and button it.

"Most probably," I sighed in frustration. Chong is a kind of guy that will wake up from over a day of being comatose and demand that he join the Spanish Inquisition.

He should rest more. He frustrate me. Like Qing...

I stared at my friend. Even with an hour rest, Qing still looked tired. Even after that small breakdown, he still looked peaked. His emotions contained for now but I know, one pricked and he will breakdown again.

Qing looked lost again. Like always when Dayu is not with us. It's like he is floating aimlessly, he needed Dayu to anchor him down.

"Just focus on finding Dayu," I said the Qing. He turned to me. "Everything else doesn't matter, Wang Qing. Just focus on that, finding Dayu, and everything will follow. Don't worry about the news. Your other commitments. Just focus on Dayu."

Qing stared at me for a moment then he nodded.

We left the Prince's Pavilion to go back to the main Palace. In the receiving room of the Palace, we saw the King and Dayu's father talking...or more like arguing while my Uncle is standing beside them getting ready to roll his eyes in exasperation.

Quite a familiar expression cause my Uncle looks a lot like me when I am together with Qing and Dayu and they are arguing over nonsensical things.

"Uncle!" I called as a warning for them. The King and Dayu's father stopped talking and they all turned to us.

"Oh, you are both here," the King gazed at Qing. "Your mother is asking for you. Baozang had gone to your grandmother and..." the King sighed. "She is asking for Dayu..."

"Dayu visited GrandMa everyday and spend time with her. Either in the morning or afternoon," Qing said with as less emotion as he can.

I didn't know that. So Dayu really is being a wonderful grandson to the Queen Dowager. No wonder the old queen is missing the Consort and asking why Dayu is not coming.

"What did you tell GrandMa?" Qing asked the King.

The King hesitated, "Nothing yet,"

"Tell her Dayu is sick. A fever, a vicious cold. That he is resting. That Dayu is afraid that the virus he is carrying might affect GrandMa's health so he is staying away for a while. Tell GrandMa not to worry and send those sugar biscuits Dayu and her like to share together when they are having tea. So she may think Dayu sent it. That's their secret so GrandMa will think that Dayu is here but just resting," Qing adviced.