Chapter 88 - Useless prince

A few minutes have passed. After letting Feng Long and his subordinates alone on the upper floor, Meng Zhang moves down to the ground floor, going to his room to pick his seal up. Passing through the hallway, he noticed Xie Yun was lying down on the mattress inside his bedroom. He stops and gently opens the door, entering the room:

-Xie Yun, are you ok?

-Ma... majesty...

Xie Yun moves his face and looks at Meng Zhang. His eyes are swollen and red. Meng Zhang raises an eyebrow and moves closer to him:

-What happened? Why did you cry? Could you tell me?

-Majesty... You have betrayed me...

-I... What are you talking about?

-I saw you walking with Feng Long and Yu Lexuan...

Meng Zhang smiles:

-And what does it mean? They are our guests. I must treat them well.

-You do not do the same things with me...

-But... But I always tried to do the same with you, how many times should I say that? Each time I try, I fail because you won't accept! 

-You cannot keep yourself close to them otherwise...

-Otherwise what? - Meng Zhang stares at Xie Yun.

-Otherwise... Otherwise, I'll leave the empire and go somewhere else.

-Fine. If you want to go, you can go. If you don't allow me to have a good time with my guests while preventing me from having a good time with you for whatever reason, I'm not your worthwhile companion. You must pick one, it is so unbelievably easy, even so, you can't decide.

Xie Yun gets up from the bed, and then walks to the door:

-It was a pleasure to serve your majesty for so long... I'm not worthwhile, as you just said.

-Xie Yun!

Meng Zhang walks towards him, but he runs away. Meng Zhang tries to hold him, but he stumbles on his attire, falling to the floor. He suffered minor injuries on his hands due to the fall. They bleed slightly. 

From the balcony, Feng Long can see Xie Yun rushing out of the palace:

-Yu Lexuan, Zhong Kunyi, I'll go downstairs... I feel something is wrong.

-Why? - Yu Lexuan turns, looking at him.

-I don't know exactly, but let me go alone this time.

-As you wish.

Feng Long quickly goes downstairs. He sees Meng Zhang on the floor, with both hands stained with blood:

-Your Majesty!!!

Feng Long moves quickly and helps Meng Zhang to rise:

-Your majesty, your hands must be treated in no time!

-Thank you, Feng Long. I'm fine. It was just a fall. I stumbled on my attire when I attempted to run. - Meng Zhang smiles.

-I saw Xie Yun running away from the palace. Did he hurt you?

-Not really... I saw him crying in his bedroom. He had said I betrayed him because he saw us walking together. I told him it was not the case, but, honestly, I was so fed up with it... I then said I tried to do the same for him, but he always ignored me.

Meng Zhang Hugs Feng Long tightly, he smiles and caresses him:

-Xie Yun is such a difficult partner to rely on... Well, let's try to find him and maybe get this fixed. We should acknowledge we went a bit too far from what I planned, but it was a risk I was willing to take.

-I appreciate your help, Feng Long... 

-No need to thank me... I feel very motivated to help you.

They undo the hug and start to look for Xie Yun:

-How are we supposed to find him, Meng Zhang? 

-He must be at the riverside by now. When he gets angry or sad, he goes there. I guarantee you.

-Well, so let's get there if you think this is so certain. 

Walking to the riverside, they see Xie Yun sitting on the grass. He seems to be crying:

-Let me get there alone, Feng Long. I think this time I'll have to solve it alone again.

-As you wish, majesty.

Feng Long moves away. Meng Zhang gets closer to Xie Yun, ambling:

-My prince... Please, let's have a walk together.

-You... You betrayed me...

Xie Yun seems to not accept Meng Zhang's suggestion:

-I'd never do such a thing, please.

-But Feng Long is still there!

-Ah, Xie Yun, who cares! Everyone knows I like you!

-I don't care what everyone thinks about us... I see you smiling together... 

-So what? Can't I have friends?

-Having friends is not the same thing as being in love...

-So, you think I'm in love with Feng Long. Fine, I want some proof of that.

-The evidence is all over the place. The way you take his hands. The way he looks at you... It is a deafening silence.

-Well, my attempts to love you were also a, well, "deafening silence"? All the time I tried to deepen our relationship was a deafening silence too?  

Xie Yun lowers his head. Meng Zhang squats and touches his shoulder:

-Xie Yun, do you like me or not? Why this willingness to refuse you like me? Am I not up to your expectations?

Xie Yun freezes:

-Majesty... You are forcing me to pick a side... I'm not ready...

-How come you are not ready? We've been living together for years! You are more than ready, but something is preventing you from, you know, having that atmosphere you saw between Feng Long and me...

-It takes time... Bu no... I'm just your prince, and that's it...

-Just my prince? You are the prince!!! No one in the entire empire occupies the same position as you do, and what does it have to do with our relationship? I'd still like you in the same way if you were just a commoner. 

-You will not understand...

Meng Zhang gets up and takes Xie Yun by his arm, forcing him to get up. He faces him:

-Xie Yun, listen to me: If you are not willing to say what you really think, stop complaining about my relationships. It is really tiresome for me. I'm feeling guilty for maybe not being good enough for you.

Meng Zhang hugs Xie Yun tightly:

-Think about what I said, Xie Yun. This is important for me.

Meng Zhang and Xie Yun look at each other. Next, Meng Zhang turns and walks away, letting Xie Yun alone:

-I like you, Meng Zhang... But I have no way to express it to you in a meaningful way... - He thinks.

Shortly after, Meng Zhang met Feng Long strolling nearby. Feng Long bows to him:

-Welcome back, majesty.

-Please, rise...

Meng Zhang helps Feng Long to rise. They walk back to the palace:

-So, how was your conversation? Could you get something out of Xie Yun's heart, Meng Zhang?

-Well, it was not great, but I can say your plans seem to be working, Feng Long. His heart is troubled. I could feel it. 

-Well, I'm happy if it is useful for you. At the same time, I feel a bit worried... Stress is building up on Xie Yun, I don't know what could happen if it builds up too much. 

- There is no way Xie Yun would do something crazy. He will feel sad for a period, maybe drink a lot and get drunk, but nothing else. 

-Even getting drunk is not really appropriate for a prince... When Xia Chunyu visited Anhui years ago, one of his best friends was mistakenly identified as a spy. Bai Chongye then forced Xia Chunyu to kill him. It was a tragedy, and Xia Chunyu cried for days straight. He almost died. His prince, Ouyang Ziyu, had to take his position for some time while also trying to comfort him all the time, but it was a loss Xia Chunyu thought he would never overcome. Xia Chunyu tried to binge-drink himself but was stopped by Ouyang Ziyu. Eventually, the love from Ouyang Ziyu was strong enough to bring Xia Chunyu back to sanity, even though he will cry to this day if you mention this story to him.  

-I never heard that Xia Chunyu had suffered such a loss. That's why he really loves his prince.

-Yes. They are an example of mutual love, just as I try to be with Yu Lexuan. We have our own flaws. We do not agree on everything. However, these differences are nothing compared to the attraction we feel for each other and the constant desire to be together. 

-I wish I could reach the same with Xie Yun. But, as I told you earlier, I think it will be hard.

Although Xie Yun showed some resistance to telling what he really thinks about Meng Zhang, his heart was starting to take over. It would be very tiresome for him to keep dodging the emperor's questions for much longer. 

...

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