Chapter 248: Prefect of Mingzhou City
Translator: Guy Gone Bad
Murong Xue blinked before she followed the voice and saw a man. Looking at Ouyang Shaochen, the man said with a touch of surprise in his dark eyes, “It is Heir Ouyang.”
“Prefect Duan!” Ouyang Shaochen greeted blandly with calmness in his eyes.
Prefect Duan? Would he be Duan Wuluo, Prefect of Mingzhou City?
Murong Xue looked up at Ouyang Shaochen and saw him nod slightly.
Murong Xue looked up in the sky silently with a flicker of frustration in her eyes: it was a bummer for her to have met the defender of Mingzhou before she could do anything after her arrival…
With the hostility between the Qingyan and Nanjiang Kingdoms, their arrival in Nanjiang would probably arouse the prefect’s suspicion even though they came here with no hostile purpose. There might even be more obstacles for them when looking for the shadow guards if the prefect kept them under surveillance either openly or secretly…
For all this, the moron, Yingying was to blame. If she hadn’t bothered Murong Xue after upholding “justice” impulsively, Murong wouldn’t have had a conflict with her or bumped into Duan Wuluo…
As Murong Xue stared at Yingying sneakily, Yingying stood up and rushed to Ouyang Shaochen with sparkling eyes, her voice rending the air, “Heir Ouyang…”
When the light aroma of her cosmetics ran into his nostrils, Ouyang Shaochen seized the chance to avoid her in a subtle way with a touch of disgust in his obsidian-like eyes. He then asked, looking at her indifferently, “Who are you?”
The moment Ying Ying failed to pounce on him, tears almost welled up. She looked up at Ouyang and accused with complaint in her dark eyes, “Heir Ouyang, don’t you remember me? I’m Yingying, the daughter of the Prime Minister of the Nanjiang Kingdom… I’m Cang Ying!”
Murong Xue’s eyes widened in astonishment. In other words, she was the younger sister of Cang Qiong, the son of the prime minister! It turned out that the prime minister had two weird children: the elder son was a cruel murder and the younger daughter was a bumptious moron…
“Cang Ying?” Ouyang Shaochen frowned, shaking his head without caring for her feelings. “I’m afraid I don’t.”
Cang Ying complained, with grievances in her grape-like eyes and a reproachful pout, “During your visit to the Nanjiang Palace, I stood next to Qianze when he welcomed you. Didn’t you see me?”
“No.” Ouyang Shaochen replied hostilely with a flicker of impatience in his dark eyes.
“No way. I was such an adorable kid,” Cang Ying wept with an aggrieved look. “Qianze and I were the most adorable kids. I don’t believe that you didn’t see me…”
Murong Xue went speechless and hoped she could stop being self-absorbed…
Covering his forehead, Duan Wuluo also felt so ashamed to hear that. But there was a reason behind her behavior. Under the environment where the family spoiled her and servants praised her, Yingying turned to be innocent and unsophisticated. The servants’ frequent praise convinced her that she was the most adorable girl in the world…
Having noticed that Yingying was about to say something, Duan Wuluo cut in immediately in case she would continue her embarrassing conversation, “Heir Ouyang, what brings you here?”
“We’d love to see the fascinating scenery in Mingzhou, so here I am with my friend,” Ouyang Shaochen lied, remaining calm.
Duan Wuluo nodded and smiled at Murong Xue. “So this must be your friend.”
Ouyang Shaochen admitted in a polite but indifferent tone.
Duan Wuluo didn’t over-interpret him and said with a smile, “Nothing’s fascinating here. Just some big shops and plain roads. But the Ming Lake is a place to go. Sitting on a pleasure boat, you can see some gorgeous view: vast lotus leaves on the lake and colorful plants around the lake. Would you like to go?”
“It must be gorgeous enough for you to recommend. We’d definitely love to go,” Ouyang Shaochen answered emotionlessly.
Duan Wuluo nodded slightly and said, “Since you’re here with you friend, would you allow me to be your guide?”
“It’s a lot to ask, isn’t it?” Ouyang Shaochen said, shooting him a meaningful stare: as the prefect of a city, Duan Wuluo must have been occupied with tons of daily affairs and bothered by a large number of Qingyan soldiers stationed nearby…
“Of course not. We should welcome friends from afar wholeheartedly,” Duan Wuluo said in a bland but indescribably sincere tone.
Ouyang Shaochen kept silent for a short while before saying calmly, “If you insist.”
“My pleasure.” Duan Wuluo smiled and turned to Murong Xue. “May I know your name?”
“Murong Xue,” Murong Xue answered gently.
Duan Wuluo nodded smilingly, “Miss Murong, Heir Ouyang, this way please.”
“After you,” Ouyang Shaochen answered calmly and followed him slowly, holding Murong Xue’s hand.
Murong Xue looked grim, for she had no idea where to start the investigation after she lost trace of the shadow guards, but she found it nice to take a break on the Lake…
Watching the three of them walking side by side from behind, Cang Ying turned slightly sullen. They had no intention of inviting her and she hated their ignorance, “Wait. I’m coming with you…”
Located in the south-west of Mingzhou City, the Ming Lake was so vast that it almost stretched to the sky, on which pleasure boats drifted and around which willows, grass and flowers grew in a concordant way, creating a pleasant scene.
Murong Xue, Ouyang Shaochen, Duan Wuluo and Cang Ying boarded Prefect Duan’s pleasure-boat which had smoothly mirrored decks made of agalwood, sandalwood pillars embellished with vivid carvings of auspicious flowers, and two elegant palace lanterns hung up.
By the rosewood table on the decks sat Murong Xue, savoring every bite of the cake and every part of the lake. Under the blue sky, a cool breeze puffed across the clear lake and its bank dotted with flowers and dense trees. The soothing scene dazzled Murong Xue. “How breathtaking it is!”
“It is indeed, but only before wars start. Imagine boats smashed into pieces, dead bodies everywhere, and the lake turning red with blood…” Duan Wuluo, who was standing near the rail, sighed and looked up at the sky with his bluish-white sleeves fluttering with the wind.
Murong Xue blinked and looked up at Duan Wuluo, “So I take it you are not a fan of wars.”
“People live and work peacefully in a prosperous city under the lead of a wise king, wouldn’t that be nice?” Duan Wuluo said in a bland but meaningful tone. “Why do we have to train soldiers to fight at all costs?”
“Perhaps that’s because wise emperors share the same ambition, which is to rule the whole world…” Murong Xue let slip an answer.