The mysterious person on horseback
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The peace of the night slowly crept back and snatched people to the land of dreams.

But Feng Yanyan lay awake glaring at the wall between his room and Zhang Yunlei. Zhang mei ren was none other than the male lead's little shou. Right now, the plot hadn't even started and it was Feng Yanyan's goal to snatch the shou role!

Thinking up to this, he clenched his butt.

Even if it means he would sacrifice his chrysanthemum. No!!!

He really didn't want this but whoever gave Feng Yanyan a face and body that was even more alluring than a female's?

If he was with the male lead, he could guarantee tenderness. Feng Yanyan shuddered at the thought of any other person snatching his precious self.

He considered himself a practical person. His gender didn't matter. Love didn't matter. As long as he lived a comfortable life.

Even if it was the Asura or Buddha, he would open his arms.

But as it was, there was no Asura or Buddha here. There was only the male lead who would win in the end. Therefore Feng Yanyan was determined.

His face kept on changing from displeasure to hate to despair and yet it was still pleasing to look at.

It was a shame the perfect atmosphere emitted by Feng Yanyan would always be broken the moment he talked. He was all beauty and no brains. That was why even if the other mei ren were threatened because of his face, they knew they could do better than him when it came to plotting and scheming.

Our Beauty Feng didn't know what his fellows thought. And he didn't care either.

At this moment...

The midnight horse kept galloping in the darkness. Its rider, the woman clad in white lowered her eyes in her pondering.

Earlier events crossed her mind. The beauty who jumped from his window on the second floor. And how he bid farewell to her Sangyu.

The lady's lips curled in a sneer. "Ambitious!"

As though her stallion felt her condescending feelings, it raised its front hooves and neighed loudly in the night.

---

Early next morning, the beauties' carriages departed on schedule.

As Feng Yanyan lifted the curtains to peek, he was surprised to find Suliang well-developed. Almost like Tanglin, the capital.

Merchants offered their wares, the shops were buzzing. The carriage even passed by a plaza where the common people greeted each other. Smiling and peaceful.

Feng Yanyan's eyes hardened. This wasn't how the book described Suliang.

As it was near the Western frontier, the people in the book were jittery and insecure. All the residential windows were closed. The merchants sold their wares quietly in hidden alleys. Afraid to be robbed.

What Feng Yanyan was seeing now was a bustling and confident city. He couldn't help but feel agitated. But for his dreams, he steeled his heart.

His capture target is Ping Junwang. Nothing else mattered. Things might be a little different but he was adaptive and flexible.

All the other beauties were his rivals but the person he had to guard against the most was Zhang Yunlei.

They were sent here by the current Empress Yao who always clashed with Wan Li Wang.

This time, the Empress really made a bold move. Her Majesty sent a dozen beauties all the way to Suliang province, west of the capital, Tanglin. This province housed the frontier against the Hu Ren people.

It was also the current home of the King protecting the nation, Wan Li Wang. His Highness' mansion was their destination.

>王 - wáng - king or monarch (Wang can either mean Prince or King as the title is given to a prestigious son of the Emperor or a former King of a nation that was conquered. In this context, Wan Li is a 親王 - qīn wáng - First Ranked Prince, Prince of the Blood<

It was said that the Empress was worried about Wan Li King still not marrying so her Majesty sent beauties to entertain him.

Then what were Feng Yanyan and the rest of the boys doing here?

Well, it was because everyone in the capital knew that Wan Li King had some peculiarities. And one of them was that he liked boys!

>Wan Li Wang's title came from this proverb: 读万卷书不如行万里路 - Dú wànjuànshū bù rú xíng wànlǐlù - It's better to walk thousands of miles than to read thousands of books.<

During this time period, some nobles were open about their sexual preferences. That was why it was normal for the Imperial palace to not only recruit female beauties but also male ones.

This was decreed by the former Emperor before he passed away.

It was all a dog show for Feng Yanyan. But he still had to grit his teeth and hug the Empress' thighs if he wanted to survive and be the future Emperor's Consort. To live the extravagant life he wanted, he must survive!

Before the sun peaked, they arrived at the Wan Li palace. The outer gates were solid black with two white fierce stone lions guarding them.

Above them, the plaque showed four imposing characters. Wan Li Wang Fu. Each stroke was bold and powerful. The gates were intimidating already but the inside was even more so.

>府 - fǔ - official residence; as this is a prince/king's official residence, wangfu is often translated as King/Prince Palace<

One must know that palaces often have the colors red, blue, green and if the masters were more extravagant, sometimes gold. But Wan Li palace only had red pillars, black roofs, and white walls.

The doors and windows were deep brown, lacquered and shiny. Feng Yanyan wasn't supposed to look around but his eyes couldn't help but wander.

He also noticed the servants seemed to move in a militaristic way. He didn't know if this should be a source of concern or wonder.

They stopped in front of the main courtyard. Feng Yanyan couldn't help but gulp in amazement. He thought that Wan Li King liked the minimalistic design.

He was wrong.

The main colors were still the same, black and white. But the pillars here were a deep ebony with streaks of gold. When Feng Yanyan looked closer, he was shocked to see they employed the use of kintsugi. He read about this online before. It was how the Japanese lined broken pottery with gold to express its historical and artistic values.

In this era, the nobility monopolized the production of gold. But this wasn't the only extravagant thing in this court.

The window panes and flower windows were all accentuated with gold.

Regular window

sample design of a flower window - this would be an open window with patterns

Feng Yanyan liked it as he called this scene a humble brag. If everything was pure gold, it would be vulgar. But because the gold only highlighted certain parts, it shone even more.

Our Beauty Feng, who was very materialistic, fell in love with this residence.

When they entered the main hall, the smell of medicinal incense assaulted their nose.

Feng Yanyan's brows furrowed. It seemed the rumors were true. Wan Li King indulged his carnal desires too often which left his body weak.

Ahead of him, Liu momo also noticed this and hid the glee in her eyes. She was the Empress' trusted aid and this Wan Li Wang had long been a thorn on her master's side.

However, she also reminded herself that there was always more than meets the eyes.

The King might just be pretending so she still had to observe.

Further inside, the lights dimmed. One could only see the thin tendrils of incense smoke in every corner of the hall. A six-panel folding screen depicting a white tiger standing on top of a cliff was in front of them.

Sample of six-panel folding screen

Maybe because of the atmosphere but the beauties felt the tiger was staring at them, ready to pounce.

If not for another person's presence before the screen, these ladies and gentlemen wouldn't dare to even greet.

Ping Junwang was the only source of warmth inside the hall. He was sitting on a cushion, slowly sipping tea with a faint smile on his face.

"Greetings Wan Li wang ye and Ping junwang ye!" Liu momo led the salute.

"At ease." Long Sangyu was the one who spoke. "Wang ye isn't feeling very well today. Hence the low lights and the incense. This prince hopes Liu momo won't be offended."

"Prince Ping is too polite. This servant naturally won't mind. Her Majesty also heard of Wan Li wangye's chronic illness. Thus, this servant was made to bring tonics, medicinal ingredients, and incense."

Long Sangyu nodded. "Her Majesty is indeed thoughtful."

He then turned to the maidens and gentlemen, like he didn't know them already. "These are?"

"Answering the prince, Her Majesty was worried wangye would be lonely in Suliang so she intended to gift beauties to wang ye. Hoping your Highness will find it to your liking."

By the latter part of her sentence, Li momo shifted her body so she would face the screen more. Waiting for the person behind to acknowledge her words.

---

Edited: Feb. 10, 2023