28. A Gruesome Meeting

Meng Huo was barely standing next to Han Xin, waiting for the carriage of the king of the East to arrive. He was already dying of nervousness and he felt as if he couldn't breathe properly.

"Don't be nervous," Han Xin held his cold trembling hand, "only a short welcome, then I will excuse you immediately."

"I expect you to give me a summary, no matter how late it will be," Meng Huo whispered, reminding Han Xin to stay safe.

"I will," the prince gently squeezed the small hand he was holding and the carriage was seen.

When the golden carriage stopped, the old chubby king of the East emerged from it and stood proudly in front of the duo. "Look at my lovely couple, such a good match," he said cynically as the duo looked like a pair of leeches in his eyes.

"Welcome to the North," Han Xin said very politely, trying to refrain himself from jumping on the despicable man.

"Indeed," the king gave Han Xin a disgusting smirk, then turned to Meng Huo, "my son, are you sick, why are you so pale?" he said as he grabbed the slave's arm rather harshly, making him paler.

"I-I am fine... my king," Meng Huo squeezed his words out, trying his best not to run away. Luckily, Han Xin was beside him. With relief, he watched the prince come in between them, breaking the contact.

"My apologies, I couldn't take care of my husband well," the prince said as he pulled terrified Meng Huo behind him protectively, "as you see, he needs to rest; therefore, I hope my king won't mind if tonight's welcome dinner will be only with me."

The king fixed his squinted eyes on the slave with a disgusted expression, "your king is here, but you want to go for a rest, is that so?" he asked coldly, enjoying each second of Meng Huo's distress.

As expected, a shiver ran down the slave's spine with fear he felt.

"He is just too unwell to sit for the whole night," Han Xin tried his luck again, panic gnawing at him.

"He can endure it for a night, he shouldn't be that weak," the king declared firmly, "now show me the way, it is damn cold."

Helpless, Han Xin led the way, but he showed ultimate attention to keep Meng Huo away from the king's reach.

"Not even the queen is here, I see..." the king retorted coldly while sitting at the head of the table. However, giving it another thought, he realised it was better in that way.

"She will join us tomorrow as she can't leave my father alone for two whole days," Han Xin said with fake sadness as he sat at the other end of the rectangular table with Meng Huo next to him.

"Anyway," the king dropped the topic and gestured to his servant to come forward, "this wine is the speciality of the East, I brought a bottle for the merry occasion."

Seeing the bottle, Meng Huo's breath hitched. The orange bottle was exactly like the one he was given to serve on that fateful night. With panic, he nudged Han Xin, trying to communicate with him silently, to notify him about the poison, but the latter seemed unbothered.

"Such a kind thought! Thank you so much," the prince said blithely and Meng Huo paled even more.

"Son," the king addressed Meng Huo as he didn't know his name, "I am sure you missed serving your king," he said and gestured at him to come with his two fingers.

Han Xin wanted to argue, but Meng Huo squeezed his arm under the table, meaning it was okay. After all those preparations, he didn't want their plan to be spoiled just because he was intimidated by the king. Slowly, he rose to his wobbly feet and approached the king. With the command, the bottle was handed to him.

"Pour me first."

Meng Huo froze, hearing the king. He tried to think back to remember if the king drank the wine that cursed night, but his fear-clouded mind refused to help him. Without a remedy, he obeyed the command and poured a good amount of wine into the king's waiting cup. Then he took a step back and waited for the king's next action.

"Why are you standing there?" the king asked wryly while drawing circles with the cup.

"I-It is a custom of the East... to wait for the guest to drink first," Meng Huo lied blatantly. Apparently, his worry for Han Xin outweighed his fear of the king.

"Is that so?" It was obvious that the king was suspicious, but he decided to play along. Raising his cup up to air, he said "to my lovely couple" and guzzled down the content. Then he reached the empty cup to shocked Meng Huo, "fill it again."

With his trembling hands, Meng Huo filled the cup again, his eyes fixed on the king to see if he was showing any reaction as though he was poisoned. Interestingly, he seemed quite fine. Could it be that the wine was not poisonous? No, there must have been some trick... the king wouldn't miss an opportunity...

"Will you stand all night long?" the king asked coldly and helplessly the anxious slave went back towards Han Xin.

"Fill the prince's cup so that we can make a far-toast," the king instructed Meng Huo as he noticed the slave was going towards his own seat. Tsk, after everything was done, he had to punish him deservedly.

Meng Huo did as he was told, but he signalled Han Xin not to drink it. Although he was highly agitated, he didn't fail to see the disgusting grin on the king's face, and as a result, now he was sure there was something wrong with the wine.

When he was sure his message was received, he started to walk to his chair.

"To our extended family."

Hearing Han Xin, Meng Huo's steps halted. Brimming with apprehension, he turned around and saw Han Xin raising his cup to his lips.

"NOOO!"