Chapter 70
Xiao Jie was having a great time and won’t be coaxed into leaving for a while. Huan Tong brought over a table, chair and heater. “Young Master, please sit while you wait.”
Lin Qingyu instructed, “Bring over another chair for Steward Xi.”
“Madam, thank you for your courtesy.” Xi Rong said with lowered eyes, “But Xi Rong is but a servant. How could I possibly sit together with the General’s wife?”
Lin Qingyu threw out lightly, “His Highness doesn’t see Steward Xi as a servant. Steward Xi too should refrain from always labeling himself so.”
No matter what Xi Rong thought in his heart, he still maintained a humble expression on his face. “His Highness is of such a temperament that he often plays with the servants in his palace. While His Highness does not understand the rules, Xi Rong dares not to not understand.”
Lin Qingyu smiled slightly, but a bit of coldness in his eyes appeared in his eyes. “It seems that there is no convincing Steward Xi to share with me this cup of tea.”
“The Madam is unparalleled in elegance and beauty, it is simply incomparable. How can a lowly person such as this little one have the blessing of drinking with the Madam?”
Lin Qingyu no longer forced him and said dispassionately, “Then, as you wish.”
Xi Rong stood behind Lin Qingyu and took measure of this renowned beauty of the capital, revealing none of his feelings or intentions. Lin Qingyu’s appearance was impeccable, just by sitting here quietly and sipping tea, he managed to turn this cold training grounds into an elegant and exquisite picture scroll.
However, the more breathtaking the beauty, the more dangerous. Lin Qingyu had first been married to Young Master Hou and then to General Gu. He was once a close minister of the Emperor. Nowadays, though without any official position, he was free to enter and leave the palace. How could such a person not have schrewdness and cunning.
Lin Qingyu noticed Xi Rong’s gaze and said, “Why does Steward Xi look at me instead of keeping his eyes on His Highness?”
Xi Rong was exposed by Lin Qingyu but he still maintained his composure. “This little one is looking at the tea the Madam is holding. Just now, His Highness was full of nothing but praise for your home’s tea, saying that it is better than even the tea in the imperial palace. I was wondering if the Madam would be so kind as to allow this little one insight as to secret behind this tea.”
Lin Qingyu put down the tea cup and said, “Steward Xi’s every thought truly is for the sake of His Highness. In the future, when His Highness goes to preside over his fief, will you also be going with him?”
“This is but natural.”
“Are you willing though?”
Xi Rong’s long and narrow phoenix eyes narrowed, aghast. “This little one simply does not understand what the Madam means.”
Lin Qingyu caught the slight change on Xi Rong’s face and the corners of his mouth pulled up, intrigued. “If you stay in the capital, stay in the palace, Steward Xi may yet be the Imperial Supervisor, Court Eunuch of the Seal; but once you go with His Highness to his fief, you can only be a castrated steward forever.”
The word “castrated” pierced right into Xi Rong’s marrow. But as he has been stabbed a lot, he was capable of keep his balance no matter when and where: “Court Eunuch of the Seal… Madam should know what these words mean.”
“The Imperial Supervisor, Court Eunuch of the Seal is also known as the ‘internal prime minister’. He is the head of the inner court. This is the meaning that you speak of.”
Xi Rong lowered his face. He was inherently gentle-looking and reserved, paired with a somber expression, Huan Tong, watching from the side, felt chills down his spine. “Does the General’s wife not fear that this little one might misunderstand his words?”
Lin Qingyu asked back, “Then, did you misunderstand?”
When speaking to a wise man, one need only touch upon a topic obliquely. Xi Rong obviously understood what he meant but he remained silent, feigning ignorance.
His reaction was just as Lin Qingyu expected. Although Gu Fuzhou and Xiao Jie had some friendship, it was more accurate to call it a passing acquaintance. Xi Rong had only met him twice. Just as Gu Fuzhou had said, to plan together a conspiracy right now, was much too early. Lin Qingyu saying all these was just a way to sound him out and Xi Rong’s silence had already given him the answer.
Since Xi Rong didn’t trust him, he’ll let him taste some sweetness first.
“Speaking of which, His Highness has already moved out of the palace and established his own mansion, and yet he is still only the ‘fourth prince’. I remember that when the Emperor had been crown prince, several of his brothers were thereupon conferred the title of feudal kings. When the Emperor ascended to the throne, these kings went on to oversee their own fiefs.” Lin Qingyu said, “His Majesty attends to countless state affairs. Moreover, he is currently ill. I am afraid that he might have forgotten this matter. It would be ideal if someone were to remind him of this.”
Xiao Jie’s biological mother had been nothing more than a maid from a provincial palace. She had given birth to Xiao Jie after having been favored by the Emperor for a single night. The Emperor was not very fond of this son and Xiao Jie had not even a shred of talent for civil or military affairs. The Emperor rarely ever thought of this son of his. Ordinary ministers would not be so senseless as to remind the Emperor of this matter of his title lest they incur the Crown Prince’s displeasure; if that were to be the case, the gains would not make up for the losses. As a result, the matter of Xiao Jie’s title as feudal king has been delayed until now and it has been weighing heavily on Xi Rong’s mind.
Xi Rong also wanted to use this matter to see how capable the General and his wife were. And so, he smiled and said, “I also hope that His Highness may be conferred his title as king as soon as possible.” After giving a positive response, he added, “It would be good to leave the capital, this place rife with trouble, as soon as possible.”
While the two were talking, Xiao Jie had already taken a stroll around and returned with Gu Fuzhou. Lin Qingyu handed Gu Fuzhou the tea he had prepared in advance. “General, please have a drink.”
Gu Fuzhou smiled. “Thank you, Madam.”
Meanwhile, Xiao Jie was animatedly sharing with Xi Rong the feeling of riding the Ferghana horse. “Xiao Bai might look fierce but in front of General Gu, he is very well-behaved. He goes wherever the General wills him to go. If the General wants him to go fast, he goes fast and if the General wants him to go slow, he goes slow.”
Xi Rong said, “It seems even a normal horse can do that.”
“It’s different.” Xiao Jie waved his hand and explained earnestly, “Obviously I can feel the difference. Alas, I don’t know how to describe it…”
Xi Rong said with a smile, “We’ve now seen both horse and spear. It is getting late. It would be best that His Highness returns home.”
Lin Qingyu and Gu Fuzhou saw the both of them off. Xiao Jie got into the carriage first and Xi Rong once again apologized to them for dropping in unannounced. He thanked them for their thoughtful hospitality and then finally said, “Then I shall be taking my leave first.”
“Wait a minute.” Lin Qingyu stopped him, “I’ll write down the secret behind the tea and give it to Steward Xi next time. Will that do?”
Xi Rong bowed, his hands cupped before his chest. He said, “I thank the Madam for your trouble.”
As soon as the carriage left, Gu Fuzhou rubbed his face and complained, “Why is pretending to have facial paralysis so tiring?”
Lin Qingyu turned around and went back in to the mansion. “What’s the matter? You’re the one who chose to do it.”
“I’m going to sleep.” Gu Fuzhou followed after Lin Qingyu. Ever so casually, he put his hand on the other’s shoulder. “How was your talk with Xi Rong?”
“You’re right. He’s an ambitious man.”
Gu Fuzhou smiled and said, “How could I be wrong? I’ve read the entire book.”
“Amazing, so amazing.” Lin Qingyu gave perfunctory praise. “Moreover, he must mind his physical deficiency very much. I can understand. Having the person he likes smile so innocently in front of him all the time while he can only look on helplessly as he gets married and fathers children. If it were me…”
“Wait.” Gu Fuzhou frowned, “The person he likes? Who are you talking about?”
“Xiao Jie, of course.”
Gu Fuzhou was shocked. “Why would you think that Xi Rong likes Xiao Jie?”
Lin Qingyu was bewildered. “Didn’t you write it? Xiao Cheng and Shen Huaishi, Xiao Jie and Xi Rong.”
“I also wrote down Xiao Li and the Empress. You can’t possibly think there’s anything going on between this pair of mother and son, right?” Gu Fuzhou tutted, “You don’t look it, Doctor Lin. I never took you to be so accepting. I am ashamed of my inferiority. Oh, for shame!”
Lin Qingyu found himself in a rare moment of dumfounded-ness. Gu Fuzhou’s words made it sound as thought his thoughts were so dirty. “If it isn’t love then what is their relationship?” He said coolly, “Don’t tell me Xi Rong is so servile and obedient towards Xiao Jie out of selfless loyalty.”
Gu Fuzhou said, “Before Xiao Jie’s biological mother was favored by the Emperor one drunken night, she had an affair with an imperial guard and a child was conceived. There were few people in the provincial palace and they had no proper master. That palace maid managed to hide her pregnancy for seven to eight months and successfully gave birth to a baby boy.”
Lin Qingyu was surprised, “You mean… Xiao Jie and Xi Rong are half-brothers?”
Gu Fuzhou nodded. “When the palace maid delivered Xi Rong, she asked someone to get him out of the palace and sent him to a distant relative to raise. That distant relative raised Xi Rong until he was nine and then sent him back to the palace. After Xi Rong was castrated, he became Xiao Jie’s personal little eunuch. However, when all is said and done, these two are only supporting characters and there is not much written about them in the book. How Xi Rong regards Xiao Jie, only he himself knows.”
“Does Xi Rong know of his own identity?”
“He knows. And it’s because he knows that he protects Xiao Jie. As he kept protecting and protecting him, his ambitions grew. They were born from the same mother, for what reason should one be a prince and the other a eunuch? If his younger brother prince ascends the throne one day, would that not make him the imperial older brother of the monarch of a country?” Speaking of this matter, Gu Fuzhou thought that there were some things that he needed to notify Lin Qingyu of in advance. “Qingyu, at the end of the original book “Huai’s Refusal of the Monarch”, Xi Rong continued protecting Xiao Jie and in the end, he went with Xiao Jie to his fief. I told you before that Xi Rong is a smart person and he won’t easily be controlled by others. A monarch without any subtlety or shrewdness coupled with a eunuch who yearns for power, to top it off, they’re even brothers — this isn’t anything good.”
Lin Qingyu knew what Gu Fuzhou wanted to imply. He asked, “Then in the original book, was Xiao Cheng a good emperor?”
Gu Fuzhou smiled sarcastically: “The author didn’t write it in detail, only briefly mentioning that after Xiao Cheng made Shen Huaishi empress, the Dayu prospered and all nations came to pay tribute. Qingyu, if you’re someone who care about the people of the country, you should let him go, so as not to impede the fortune of the country.”
Lin Qingyu said indifferently, “According to what you said, then Jing Ke shouldn't have gone to assassinate the King of Qin so as not to interfere with the Qin’s domination of the world.”
Gu Fuzhou raised his eyebrows: “I didn’t say that.”
Lin Qingyu sneered, “If I really do manage to raise Xiao Jie to the throne, I will, of course, watch over the two brothers. If they won’t be willing to listen, then I’ll have them changed to someone who will. Xiao Jie isn’t the only one with the surname Xiao.”
“Then, it would be better if you were to become emperor yourself.” Gu Fuzhou said, drawn-out and unhurried, “How did that saying go? ‘Better seeds than nobles and ministers‘, right?”
Lin Qingyu glanced at Gu Fuzhou, his expression brightening. “There’s no joy to be had in doing bad things when you’re the emperor. — It’s boring.”
Lin Qingyu returned to the study and called Huan Tong. “Deliver a visiting card to the Nan’an Hou’s Mansion. Tell them the death anniversary of Young Master Hou is soon and I wish to go and light incense for him.”
Huan Tong was surprised. “Has it already been a year since Young Master Hou departed?”
“En.”
Huan Tong felt a sense of loss. “The days go by so fast.”
In addition to Lin Qingyu, Hua Lu too kept in mind Lu Wancheng’s death day and she had long prepared a sumptuous offering. When she was preparing the dried fruit, Gu Fuzhou happened to see her. Seeing so many things laid out, Gu Fuzhou thought that they were having guests.
Hua Lu was unsure whether to inform the General of Young Master Hou’s coming death anniversary and she cast hesitant looks towards Lin Qingyu. Lin Qingyu asked, “Did you forget?”
Gu Fuzhou said, “Did I forget what?”
Lin Qingyu hesitated for a moment. “It’s nothing.”
Lu Wancheng’s final days were excruciatingly hard. He had been deliriously ill and it was but natural that he couldn’t remember that day. Even grated that half a day of terminal lucidity, he hadn’t even been able to see.
Gu Fuzhou being unable to remember was also a good thing. After all, it wasn’t anything that would make him happy.
The day before Lu Wancheng’s death anniversary, the capital had it’s first snowfall of winter. The snow fell heavily. It kept coming down and within half a day, the courtyard was already covered in a thick layer of snow.
Gu Fuzhou returned to mansion after morning court and couldn’t wait to change out of his official uniforms. Afterwards, he went looking for Lin Qingyu in the study. “Qingyu, the snow outside’s so deep already. Let’s go build a snowman.”
Lin Qingyu wasn’t in the mood. “This isn’t the first time it’s snowed. What’s this about building a snowman?”
“It hardly ever snowed in my hometown. For me, not building a snowman on a snowy day is simply a waste of one’s life.” Gu Fuzhou put out his hand to block Lin Qingyu’s eyes, preventing him from reading, “Let’s go, Qingyu. Come and accompany your husband in playing outside today, eh?”
“Get Huan Tong to play with you.”
Gu Fuzhou wouldn’t leave even after being shoo-ed away. “Doctor Lin is being so cold. Did something happen?”
Lin Qingyu paused. “No.”
Gu Fuzhou asked worriedly, “Am I bothering you? Should I go?”
Lin Qingyu was momentarily stunned. He then tried his best to smile. “How could you possibly be bothering me? I just…don’t like snow.”
Gu Fuzhou looked pensive. “Because of me, you…”
Lin Qingyu interrupted him. “When it snows, I don’t know when the medicines I have been drying will finish. For doctors, rainy and snowy days are never as good as sunny ones.”
Gu Fuzhou didn’t continue insisting nor did he go to find Huan Tong to build a snowman. He took a book from the shelf and accompanied Lin Qingyu, quietly reading.
The snow fell from day to night and it felt like even the inside was the quilt was covered with frost. Probably because of the excessive cold, it took a long time for Lin Qingyu to feel sleepy. And finally falling asleep, he suddenly woke up from a dream in the middle of the night.
There is no light in the room. He borrowed the light of the moon and snow to make out the outlines of the furniture. Lin Qingyu’s heart was beating like a drum. He got out of the bed, barefoot and looked towards the upper bunk.
— The bed was empty.
Lin Qingyu’s limbs grew cold. The dream and reality seemed to intertwine. He stood in front of the bed, forcing himself to remain calm, telling himself over and over that it was just a dream. And yet, his body still uncontrollably froze in place. He couldn’t move.
There came a creaking sound from the door behind him. Lin Qingyu turned around abruptly and saw the man’s tall figure.
“Qingyu?” Gu Fuzhou said in surprise, “Why are you awake?”
Lin Qingyu opened his mouth. He wanted to speak, but no words would come out.
Gu Fuzhou lit the lamp. When he met Lin Qingyu’s eyes, his expression changed. He walked up to him quickly and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Where were you?” Lin Qingyu forced himself to speak and found that his voice was frighteningly low and hoarse.
“I woke up from hunger in the middle of the night, so I went out and asked Hua Lu to make me a bowl of noodles.” Gu Fuzhou held his cheeks, “Why are your eyes red? Are you angry that I didn’t share; so angry that it made you want to cry?”
Gu Fuzhou’s palms were warm, so warm that it made Lin Qingyu’s eyes sting even more. Lin Qingyu shook his head, lowered his eyes and said softly, “I just wanted to… see if you were still there.”
Gu Fuzhou grew quiet. Suddenly, he picked him up and walked towards the bed. He then, placed him on it.
Lin Qingyu was momentarily dazed, feeling that this situation seemed a bit familiar. He suddenly had that mistaken feeling that he was in a dream.
Gu Fuzhou knelt in front of the bed and looked up at him. “The day I died, it also snowed, didn’t it?”
Lin Qingyu asked, “Didn’t you see it?”
Gu Fuzhou smiled: “Yes, I saw it.”
Lin Qingyu felt choked. He gritted his teeth: “…Liar.”
Gu Fuzhou made no comment on it. “Don’t think about the past anymore. Am I not doing well now?”
“I don’t think about it often.” Lin Qingyu hesitated and then said what was in his heart, “I’m… a little scared.”
He was never one to show his vulnerable side in front of others; not even in front of Lu Wancheng and Gu Fuzhou. This was the first time.
“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Think about it; I’m using General Gu’s body this time. General Gu is so strong, I definitely won’t die from illness like last time. And I’m not on the battlefield now either — Even if I were, I would just be coming up with lousy ideas in the accounts. I’m not going to die in battle.” Gu Fuzhou smiled. Even though he looked like a 30-year-old man, his smile was as bright and clear as a sunny day. “So , I will always be be here.”
But Lin Qingyu was still worried. “Is that true?”
“It’s true, I swear. — How about I write you a letter of guarantee?” Gu Fuzhou said. He really went to the table and laid out a piece of paper and started writing. As he wrote and wrote, he laughed, “However, I am twelve years older than you. You’ll probably still have to see me off in fifty years.”
Lin Qingyu tilted his head and laughed softly.
Hearing his laughter, Gu Fuzhou raised his eyes to look.
The ruthless and wicked beauty sat on the bed; a slight smile at the corner of his lips; his eyes, a deep vast pool, looking at him tenderly.
