GAMBLING 2

"You are writing a poem, Fu Wang?"

Zhu Su was startled. Looking up, he found Zhu Youdun was standing beside him.

"Ah... I am just filling my spare time... instead of daydreaming, I'd better do something useful, right?"

Zhu Youdun studied Zhu Su's writings, there were several pages of it. "Yuan Gong Ci (The Poem of Yuan Palace)?..."

"This is a poem that describes the beauty of the palace during the era of Yuan. As well as, the life of the court ladies, and how they spent their entire life serving the Lords."

Zhu Youdun took the paper, read them carefully.

"This poem also contains a conversation between a Fan Wang and a court lady?"

"Ah, yes... To be honest, I get this idea from a conversation I once had with a senior old lady."

"It's beautiful, Fu Wang..." Zhu Youdun muttered. "Beautiful... but its beauty is filled with heartbreaking sadness..."

Zhu Su forced a smile. Sadness clouded his face. "I'm in a bad mood right now. My mind is full of sadness and loss. I can't express it frontally, but I can no longer keep it in my heart, because it really hurts me. So... I write this poem..."

"Do you fall sorry for the court ladies who are forced to devote their entire life to their Lords?"

"Not only the court ladies. I am deeply touched by all women who are willing to lose their freedom just to accompany and serve their husbands whom they love..."

"Are you?..." Zhu Youdun swallowed hard. "Are you talking about Hu Wang Fei?"

Zhu Su's face grew grim. Zhu Youdun quickly apologized. "Fu Wang, I spoke wrong! Please don't take it personally!..."

"No, Youdun... you are right. I have to admit it. I... always think of Nayin. Since she left me, my heart is full of grief. At first I didn't want to admit it, because I hated her so much. I love her with all my heart, but is this how she returns me?! Betraying me and running away with Wu Qi?!?... I am so furious with her. I will do everything to make her suffer... everything! I will make her regret it because of hurting me so cruelly! I'm a Fan Wang after all, what can't I do to punish her?!... But, I can't. I can't lie to this heart.

"Nayin is not an ordinary woman. I don't need her because of her beauty, or to please me, or to give me sexual gratification, or to give children... No. She is my life companion. She encourages me when I'm in a hard life. She helps me when I need help, when my life is in danger. She is happy when I am happy, and she is sad when I am sad. She supports my dreams and all of my projects. She is the best assistant in my life. She is not like other concubines, she is different... That's why... I can no longer pretend to be tough, or arrogant by rejecting her, or hate her and vent all of my anger... I can't do that. I... want her to come back to me!"

"But... Fu Wang, I don't understand. Hu Wang Fei is allied with Yun, isn't she? Also, having an affair with Wu Qi? Why do you still bother yourself by longing for her?"

"Because... somehow, I feel like something strange is happening right now."

"I mean, Hu Wang Fei has betrayed you by running away with Wu Qi!..."

"That's the problem. Somehow, I feel that there is something weird about this problem. Everything happens so fast, we have not yet examined it carefully. Can it be that what truly happened was, it was Wu Qi who forced Nayin to run away with him? Or, Nayin ran away because she could not stand being pressured by the girls. They hate Nayin so much, so when they found that Nayin has deviated from the palace customs, they can't keep their temper and do vigilante, I won't be surprised if they bring themselves to torture Nayin."

Zhu Youdun got his mouth fell open. His father really made him shocked, because, although his spouse had treated him cruelly, he could still defend her to that point. My Heaven, how can Fu Wang be too infatuated with Hu Wang Fei to the extent that he becomes so stupid?!

"You are wrong to say that I am infatuated with Nayin." Zhu Su could seemingly guess what was on his son's mind. "It's not because I am infatuated with her. Love can wear off because of anger and disappointment. This reasoning, is simply engendered from consciousness. We have known each other for more than a dozen years, and during that time, she has done everything for me. She helped me by exerting her all efforts. Even when I was exiled by Yunwen, and at that time her career was booming rapidly, she was still willing to help me, she even joined us to escape to Mogaung, and also Ava. She is no longer an ordinary partner to me, she has done too much sacrifice for me... and the time duration she enjoyed her life as a Wang Fei is still not enough to pay off my debt to her. So, isn't that weird? For more than a dozen years she has helped me insofar, so why does she trifle away her compensation by running away with Wu Qi?"

Zhu Youdun scratched his head. "Yeah, you're right..."

"As humans, we should repay other's kindness for us. We must know who is sincere to us, and distinguish the sincerity from pretense. I'm sure Nayin doesn't make pretense. A deceitful person won't do something as foolish as what she does... well, to be honest, Nayin is a fool. She is foolish... because she is willing to sacrifice too much for me..." Zhu Su sighed, his eyes stared outside of the window. "If I instead hate her because of this strange situation, I will be thrown into the deepest hell in the afterlife, because I have committed a big sin. I may not be afraid of the torments in hell, yet I'm afraid of the lifetime torment of guilt for mistreating my helpmate. Do you understand now, Youdun? Why do I keep thinking about it?"

Zhu Youdun also sighed. "Now I understand it very well, Fu Wang. You are a true gentleman. You are not someone who easily forgets to repay other's kindness, this quality is much nobler than great love. I am so proud of you, Fu Wang."

A Nuo rushed into the room. Then fell to his knees in front of Zhu Su. "May I report Your Highness, we have attempted to find the traces of Hu Wang Fei and Commander Wu Qi!"

Zhu Su's eyes were quickly focused. A bright red, enthusiastic flush adorned his face. "Good! Quickly bring them here!"

"That... Your Highness... will be difficult..."

"What's the difficulty?" Confused, Zhu Youdun also asked.

"They show resistance intention. And really distrust us. My men get into a fierce battle with them, and because we don't dare to attack, we are then beaten by them."

"Them? Somebody helps Wu Qi?"

"According to our observation, Commander Wu Qi gets help from highly-skilled Bai Lian Jiao elite members."

Zhu Youdun looked at Zhu Su agitatedly. "Maybe they behave in such a way because San Hu Wei looks for them, they then thought Fu Wang hates them and intends to arrest them?"

"Hmmm." Zhu Su also thought about that. Zhu Youdun's opinion was sensible. The pursuing from an army of fierce and heavily armed soldiers would fill their hearts with prejudice - he could not blame Wu Qi for this.

If he kept sending the military army, they would have a bad idea that he was going to kill them forever. So, to win their trust, he had to take another way.

"Tell me where they are. I will come there by myself. Alone, without troops accompanying me. Hence there'll be no reason for them not to believe me."

Zhu Youdun and A Nuo soon jumped to surprise.

"Your Highness! You can't do that! Too dangerous! You will lose your life!"

"After all, let say Hu Wang Fei and the Commander may not attack you, but that's not the case with Bai Lian Jiao members. They are very dangerous, and they hold an immense grudge against Huang Ye Ye. There's no way they will release you so easily!"

"But... then... Nayin will never want to come back..."

"It's only a week, Your Highness. Persuasion doesn't work just in a short time. Please be patient. It is only a matter of time, and we will find a solution soon after."

Both Zhu Youdun and A Nuo showed serious facial expressions as if to say, "This is non-negotiable!" Zhu Su was forced to give in, and chose not to extend this topic anymore.

In the dusk, Zhu Su approached a junior soldier in the lowest position of the San Hu Wei soldiers who took part in A Nuo's expedition.

"Your Highness!..." Unexpected to meet face to face with the Fan Wang himself, the junior soldier was about to kneel down.

"Come with me for a moment." But Zhu Su, who did not have time with such the time-consuming courtesies, immediately grabbed his hand and pulled him into a quiet, inconspicuous area.

"You are with A Nuo in searching for Hu Wang Fei, right?"

"R... right, Your Highness!..."

"You have managed to figure out their trace?"

"Yes!"

"Where do you find them?"

"In Taikang, a few miles outside Kaifeng."

"Ah, good... not so far." Zhu Su let out a sigh of relief. He put his arms on the junior soldier's shoulders, staring at him closely. "Take me there tonight. Don't tell anyone, and don't get caught by anyone. Understand?"

The junior soldier knew that Zhu Su was assigning him an "extremely important task". He thus knelt down. "I get it, Your Highness! I will do my best to implement your order!"

Zhu Su gazed at the dusk sun that was preparing to sink to the western horizon. His lips curved a meaningful smile. Tonight, would be a night of determination for him.