Secret Letter from Marquis Quyi

Su Manyan stared at the peach-colored handkerchief Xiao Lin held in his hand, his fingertips unconsciously twisting the cuffs of his sleeves. As the young lady ran away blushing, her skirt brushed against the tip of her shoe, leaving behind a sweet fragrance that now mingled with the temple's sandalwood incense and drifted into her nostrils, making her feel strangely suffocated.

"Your Highness, why are you still standing there?" Su Manyan spoke first, deliberately keeping his tone light. "If you don't leave now, the abbot will send someone to urge us to copy the scriptures."

Xiao Lin didn't move, but instead held out the handkerchief to her. It was embroidered with winding peach blossoms, the stitches were intricate, and there were tiny pearls on the corners, clearly meticulously crafted.

Su Manyan's gaze paused on the pearl, then quickly moved away, pretending to look at the Heavenly King Palace in the distance: "Your Highness should keep this girl's gift to you. I'm just a little eunuch, how dare I touch such a precious thing."

"Just take it if I tell you to." Xiao Lin's voice deepened, with a hint of impermissibility. However, he didn't actually shove the handkerchief into her hand. He simply pinched the corner of the handkerchief with his fingertips and shook it. "Do you really think I'll keep it?"

Su Manyan curled her lips, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She reached out to take it, but just as her fingertips touched the soft satin of the handkerchief, Xiao Lin suddenly pulled it back.

He stared at her red fingertips and frowned: "Why are your hands so cold? Didn't you bring the heater this morning?"

"I brought it, but I forgot it in the meditation room." Su Manyan retracted his hand and hid it in his sleeve. In fact, when he was packing up this morning, he saw that Xiao Lin was wearing thin clothes, so he secretly put the heater in his bag, but he didn't expect that he didn't notice it at all.

Xiao Lin didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he took off his cloak and wrapped it around her without saying anything. The cloak still carried his body temperature, mixed with the faint scent of cedar, instantly blocking out the cold wind. Su Manyan was about to open her mouth to refuse when she heard him say, "Don't move. If you get cold, who will make medicine for me?"

That's what he said again. Su Manyan muttered to himself, but he didn't really take off his cloak.

"That handkerchief..." Su Manyan couldn't help but lower his voice, "What are you going to do, Your Highness?"

"What else can I do?" Xiao Lin chuckled softly, raised his hand and handed the handkerchief to the shadow guard hiding in the dark, ordering it to be returned to its owner. He did it decisively, without even blinking, "Of course I have to return it. I can't delay the girl."

As if by magic, he pulled out a familiar black sword tassel. In a sacred Buddhist place, one couldn't carry a sword. Xiao Lin simply removed the tassel and carried it with him.

"Besides, I don't think this is as pretty as the sword tassel woven by A Yan."

The words were spoken so softly that they disappeared before Su Manyan could react. She was stunned for a moment, then suddenly felt her cheeks getting hot. She turned around and hurried to the meditation room: "Your Highness, please hurry up. You will be punished by kneeling if you are late for copying the scriptures!"

Xiao Lin watched her hurried back, his lips curled up. He hurried after her and saw that the straps of her cloak were loose. He reached out to tighten it for her, his fingertips accidentally touching the back of her neck. The skin there was warm and slightly sweaty, probably from being warmed by the cloak.

"Ayan." Xiao Lin called her.

Su Manyan stopped and didn't look back: "What's wrong?"

"The peach blossoms on the handkerchief." Xiao Lin's voice came from behind him, with a hint of deliberate nonchalance. "Next spring, I will take you to see them."

Su Manyan paused, the tips of her ears reddening. She clutched the straps of her cloak, saying nothing, but simply quickening her pace. The wind blew through the corridor, picking up the incense ash and her hands, hidden in her sleeves.

There was still the touch of the soft satin that had touched the handkerchief, and now it was mixed with the warmth from when Xiao Lin tied his cloak, warming his heart little by little.

When the two entered the meditation room, Yun Que was waiting for them with a scroll in hand. Seeing Su Manyan wrapped in Xiao Lin's cloak, Yun Que's eyes lit up and he leaned over and asked in a low voice, "A Yan, you went out with His Highness, why are you wearing His Highness's cloak?"

Just as Su Manyan was about to explain, Xiao Lin spoke from behind her: "Her hands are frozen. Use my cloak to warm them up."

Yun Que said "Oh," but her eyes flicked between the two of them, and she smiled knowingly. Su Manyan glared at Yun Que, picked up the scriptures, and sat down at the desk. But when she looked down, she saw Xiao Lin quietly push a candy cake to her hand. It was the kind she hadn't finished eating that morning, and it was still a little warm.

Su Manyan picked up the cake and took a bite, the sweetness spreading across her tongue. She secretly glanced up and saw Xiao Lin, his head bent over copying scriptures. The sun fell on his profile, and his eyelashes cast a faint shadow under his eyes, which was even softer than the scripture on the desk.

The snow is still falling outside the window, and the candlelight in the Zen room is flickering gently, but some thoughts are like the charcoal fire in the stove, burning quietly and brighter in the silence.

At noon, they had a vegetarian meal in the dining hall. Su Manyan wasn't a picky eater, and he enjoyed the all-vegetarian meal with gusto. The bok choy wasn't cut into large slices, but rather cooked perfectly. Su Manyan picked up a piece, bit one end, and chewed and swallowed.

From Xiao Lin's perspective, he could only see the chubby right cheek, which moved up and down with swallowing, like a little hamster eating. He couldn't help but laugh to himself.

After dinner, Xiao Lin went to look for Si Ji. A month had passed since Si Ji returned to Hu Country with the letter. During that month, so many unexpected events had occurred that the simple-minded Si Ji was left speechless.

Today, from the shadows, he had already sensed that the relationship between His Highness and Ah Yan was unusual, far more than that of an ordinary master and servant. The atmosphere around them was like a honeyed romance. Si Ji, who had never experienced the world of romance, didn't know how to describe this situation.

To put it bluntly, if he rashly stepped between the two of them, he would be ruthlessly dismissed by His Highness; to put it more tactfully, he would feel that even the wind blowing on his face was sweet.

But he was an outsider after all, and seeing this scene, he was inevitably at a loss. He had always been helpless when it came to these love affairs.

As soon as the two of them met eyes, their eyebrows curved, and tender smiles appeared on their faces, and they didn't even glance at anyone else.

This scene reminded him of the ordinary couples who were in love. But His Highness and Ah Yan were both men, and ordinary brothers wouldn't act like this...

Little Si Ji was puzzled. He was so deep in thought that he didn't even hear the subtle footsteps outside the door.

When he heard the creaking sound of the old wooden door, he was like a clever lone wolf. He widened his eyes, dodged the long sword on the table with his right hand, kicked his legs, and stood up from the ground.

Staring straight ahead, he drew his sword and pointed it directly at the person who came.

It’s Xiao Lin.

Si Ji immediately threw his sword to the ground, his mouth wide open in surprise, and knelt down to greet him: "Your Highness! Si Ji has fulfilled his mission and returned safely."

Xiao Lin hurried forward to help him up, with a smile in his eyes: "No need for such formalities."

Si Zheji closed the door tightly, then carefully took out the reply letter from Qu Yihou from his pocket. Even when he pointed his sword at Xiao Lin just now, his left hand was firmly guarding his chest, not daring to make any mistakes.

Marquis Quyi was Xiao Lin's grandfather, his mother having long since passed away. Naturally, he was incredibly fond of his only grandson. Unfortunately, the current emperor was incompetent, and not content with forcing Concubine Xu to death, he also suppressed Xu's maternal family, ultimately leaving Marquis Quyi with an empty title. As for Xiao Lin, his fall from the glittering status of a prince to a hostage was a heartbreaking experience, needless to say.

Xiao Lin ordered Si Ji to return to the country to investigate his second brother, Xiao Ye,'s dealings with the Southern Kingdom. The previous battle was a strange defeat, and in his quest to uncover the truth, he first suspected that Xiao Ye, the commander of Yongyang Pass, was involved in some shady dealings with the Southern Kingdom.

He took advantage of the fact that he had been in the Southern Kingdom for a long time and thought that his father and second brother might have become lazy, so he joined forces with his grandfather to find out the truth.

Xiao Lin hurriedly opened the letter. The Marquis of Quyi explained that Xiao Ye was a cautious man who had hired assassins. These assassins committed suicide after completing their missions, leaving little evidence. Fortunately, he found an old acquaintance of Xiao Ye's in a brothel; the woman was quite intelligent.

Once, Xiao Ye was staying in her room and threw a letter he had read into the brazier before falling into a deep sleep. The woman got up to look for water and accidentally knocked over a cup, putting out the fire and preventing the letter from being burned.

She was afraid of being blamed for this, so she quietly put the letter away, thinking that if she was abandoned in the future, she might be able to use it to ask for some money.

The remaining handwriting on the letter was scant, and most of it was fragmentary. It briefly mentioned matters like food and fodder, large stones, horoscopes, and wise rulers. Qu Yihou speculated that Xiao Ye had struck a deal with the Southern Kingdom's court, collaborating to frame them, with one party securing the throne and the other resolving the war.

As for the words "fate chart" and "destiny", Qu Yi Hou Yan has not yet fully understood them.

The letter also listed Xiao Ye's increasingly rampant crimes since Xiao Lin's departure for the Southern Kingdom. Previously, everyone knew Xiao Lin was the undisputed choice for the crown prince, but even though Xiao Lin had reached the age required, His Majesty had yet to issue the decree appointing him. Now that this most influential prince had departed, Xiao Ye had gradually assumed control of government, naturally causing chaos in the court.

Whenever there was an impeachment from an official, Xiao Ye would execute each one until no one dared to speak out anymore.

Xiao Lin read the densely written words on the letter, his hands shaking with anger. The letter paper trembled violently in his hands, as if it would shatter at any moment. His heart was also pierced by a knife, just like the dense handwriting on the letter.

Even if all the ink was used up, it would still be impossible to describe the sins of the Xiao family father and son.

Si Ji looked at Xiao Lin's red eyes, took a half step forward, and stretched out his hand halfway in the air, wanting to comfort him. But his clumsy mouth didn't know what to say, and in the end it turned into a pat on the shoulder.

Xiao Lin took a deep breath, folded the letter neatly, and stored it away carefully, treating it like a treasure. When he looked up again, he had regained his former fortitude, the heroic King of Mobei once again.

"You've had a hard time on this trip. Welcome back!" Xiao Lin hid his sadness and smiled as he welcomed his returning brother. "I haven't seen you for a month. You've grown a lot taller. You're still a little kid after all."

He was joking on purpose.

Si Ji then smiled, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Xiao Lin was no longer immersed in sadness.

Xiao Lin took Xiao Lin back to the Zen room. The brothers who had not seen each other for many days were finally reunited at this moment, and cheers continued. Everyone sat down and talked in detail about the changes in the Hu Kingdom in the past month.

Si Ji suddenly remembered something and asked, "Your Highness, has your inner strength improved? Although I'm not as knowledgeable in medicine as Brother Yan Zhao, I see that you look much better. When you walked in just now, I didn't even hear a single footstep. How did you do that?"

Xiao Lin played with the sword tassel in his hand, with a smile in his eyes: "It's much better. I deliberately slowed down my steps just now, and my lightness skills have recovered a lot. This is all thanks to A Yan."

"Ayan? I never thought he really had such great abilities. I was wrong about him before. That's great. By the way, Brother Yan Zhao, who has better medical skills, you or Ayan?

Yan Zhao's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Si Ji's next sentence was even more shocking.

"Your Highness, I never expected that your relationship would become like this just in the past few days." Just now, Yunque chattered and told him the evolution of their relationship. The simple-minded Si Zheji naturally believed it. He didn't believe that Sister Yunque would lie.

Xiao Lin nearly spit out his tea: "What kind of relationship?"

"Long Yang is good."

Gasps echoed throughout the room, and everyone lowered their heads, pretending to be busy with their own affairs. Si Ji, I wish you good luck...

"Don't talk nonsense. Ah Yan and I are not like that," Xiao Lin hastened to clarify. While the relationship between them wasn't entirely innocent, it certainly wasn't. He couldn't let Ah Yan suffer this misunderstanding for nothing.

Besides, Ah Yan looked more like a woman...

At this moment, a voice called out from outside the door: "Ayan, His Highness is inside, just go in."