Feng Xin

After the fall of Xianle, things were hard for everyone: the crown prince, and his parents alike. Of course, it wasn't easy for Mu Qing and Feng Xin either, considering their responsibilities had only increased. Mu Qing kept track of their expenses, managed the money, did the laundry, mended the torn clothes of Xie Lian and Feng Xin, prepared food for the parents, and tried to visit his own mother as often as possible, bringing her fruits gathered on the road or food he had cooked.

But despite the fact that the crown prince's two loyal servants and friends continued to bicker like cats and dogs, their shared misfortune brought them closer. Traveling through their homeland, they stumbled upon abandoned temples and old, dilapidated shacks in the forest. Xie Lian, the Emperor, and the Empress had separate rooms (if such things existed where they stayed), while Mu Qing and Feng Xin had to huddle together on a narrow mat on the cold floor.

Initially, both of them turned up their noses at the thought of having to share such a cramped space, but with no other choice, they quickly resigned themselves to it, and eventually even grew accustomed to it. Mu Qing constantly threatened to push Feng Xin off the mat if he ever laid a hand on him or overstepped his bounds in his sleep again. He even complained about it to Xie Lian, but the crown prince would only smile and reply, "Better to be crowded than to be lonely."

Night fell over the hut where they had stopped. Everyone in the house was already asleep, especially the Emperor, who had caught a cold and been bedridden for a few days. The Empress was also asleep, exhausted from caring for her husband, and Xie Lian had entered meditation; for the next four days, he would remain in the astral plane to increase his spiritual qi.

It was already past midnight, and the moon hung like a massive white boulder. Mu Qing woke up and noticed that Feng Xin wasn't beside him, so he went to look for him. He found him on the porch, mending clothes. In other words, he was doing the work that Mu Qing was supposed to do? Something tightened in his chest.