Chapter 14

Spring hunting day.

“Last autumn, Liancheng didn’t get rain for half a year, and by this spring, the crops in the fields had yielded nothing. This spring, all the prey from the hunt was used for sacrifices to pray for rain in Liancheng,” Ziyan said.

"He certainly knows how to put on a show. Have any of the officials in Liancheng offered any advice?" Lu Xuejin asked.

Ziyan: "The officials of Liancheng have come here. His Majesty approved the transfer of official silver... but the silver passed through layers of bureaucracy, and by the time it reached the common people, very little was left. In addition, the officials in charge of the official silver were all from powerful families who supported His Majesty, so the matter was naturally dropped."

"..." Lu Xuejin sighed inwardly and said to Ziyan, "Let's not talk about this anymore. How is Wei Ning doing?"

Ziyan: "Miss Wei sent a message saying she will be going to Plum Garden today."

"There's one more thing," Ziyan said, looking at her young master's expression, hesitant to speak.

"Just say it." Lu Xuejin noticed Ziyan's expression.

Ziyan: "His Majesty has ordered the young master to go with him. The guards are already waiting outside the palace."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xuejin glanced sideways. He hadn't seen Xue Yi for the past few days. Mentioning this reminded him of what happened that day, and his expression turned slightly cold.

"In that case, let the guards wait."

When Lu Xuejin and Ziyan went out, they saw the imperial carriage from afar. He did not go over, and the guards, following Xue Yi's orders, did not come to question him, but simply waited quietly outside his palace.

He and Ziyan went around to the back gate, where a carriage was already waiting. Before he reached the carriage, two figures appeared not far away. Xue Yi also saw him, his dark eyes fixed on him from afar.

"Changyou," Xue Yi called to him.

Lu Xuejin spotted the person and paused for a moment. Remembering the distinction between ruler and subject, he replied, "Your Majesty."

Calling out "Your Majesty" distanced him from Xue Yi. Upon hearing this, Xue Yi's face paled slightly. He looked at him quietly and asked, "Changyou... are you still angry with me?"

"You haven't wanted to see me lately. I know I was wrong, just forget about that day."

As Xue Yi spoke, his slender eyebrows drooped, the shadows beneath his eyes concealing a small mole. The people around him were so respectful, it was as if he were the one bullying them.

"I wouldn't dare. Your Majesty's apology is absolutely unacceptable. I've been feeling unwell lately, not because I didn't wish to see Your Majesty, please don't take offense," Lu Xuejin replied. He was polite, his tone devoid of emotion.

Now in the warm spring of March, the weather had warmed up considerably, and he had taken off his cloak. His silver, round-necked robe now revealed crane patterns; perhaps the ointment Murong Yue had applied had truly worked, for there was no trace of it left. He could only recall the image of the young man applying the medicine; he couldn't remember how the marks had been left.

Lu Xuejin kept his distance from Xue Yi. He sensed the change in the atmosphere around him; Xue Yi clearly disliked his behavior. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This man knew perfectly well what he shouldn't do, yet he had such a temper, always getting into a tantrum.

He didn't care, regardless of Xue Yi's mood. He said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I have an appointment with Wei Ning today and it is inconvenient for me to accompany Your Majesty. I will take my leave first."

Ziyan remained silent, watching as the Emperor's face turned pale and he was on the verge of fainting. The more motionless her young master remained, the more tormented the Emperor became.

Lu Xuejin had only taken two steps when a violent coughing fit came from behind him, as if the cough was about to rupture the lungs. He heard a guard call out, "Summon the imperial physician," and he stopped in his tracks.

"..." He turned his head and saw Xue Yi's face was pale, his dark eyes staring intently at him. If he took another step forward, Xue Yi might become a ghost and go with him.

He eventually turned back, and as soon as he reached Xue Yi, his wrist was grabbed tightly. A blush rose on Xue Yi's pale cheeks, and he called out "Changyou" before collapsing against his shoulder.

"What's wrong with him? Has his old ailment flared up again?" Lu Xuejin asked, catching the man.

The guard beside him replied, "Lord Lu, His Majesty has been working hard lately. The cases of the three lords have not yet been resolved, and there are many matters to attend to during the spring hunt. His Majesty has not slept for several days."

The imperial physician arrived quickly. Lu Xuejin couldn't leave this time, so she had to help the person into the carriage with the guards.

Xue Yi leaned quietly against his shoulder, her pale face showing a fragile look. She looked much better now that she had fainted.

"Your Majesty has fainted from overwork. You should rest well for the next few days. I have prescribed some calming medicine. You can take it when you go to the hunting grounds," the imperial physician said.

"I understand," Lu Xuejin said. He inquired carefully about how to take the medicine, and only after the imperial physician left did he ask the guards, "He doesn't sleep all night, so you just let him do as he pleases?"

“This,” the guard said after a moment of silence, “is His Majesty’s order, and I dare not disobey it. I hope Lord Lu will forgive me.”

Lu Xuejin: "Alright...you can go now."

The carriage swayed forward, and Lu Xuejin stared at Xue Yi's face. Faint breaths fell on his neck, weak and light. Xue Yi was not comfortable leaning against him like this, but he was sleeping very soundly.

He hadn't intended to pay any attention to the person at first, but now that he saw her faint, he couldn't help but worry. He sighed and muttered to himself in the carriage, "Xue Yanli, how old are you this year? Still acting as willful as you did when you were young."

He was still unconscious when they arrived at the hunting grounds, which were already surrounded by layers of guards, and a group of court officials were waiting. Song Zhao saw him, then looked at the unconscious Xue Yi, and his gaze turned to him with a hint of wariness.

Lu Xuejin: "He fainted on the way. The imperial physician just examined him. It was due to overwork... He's asleep now and hasn't woken up yet. Should I hand him over to you?"

Upon hearing this, Song Zhao said, "Please take good care of His Majesty, Lord Lu. I will arrange things for the court officials. Today is only the first day; three days will be enough. Let His Majesty rest well."

"You will stand guard outside the tents and obey Lord Lu's orders," Song Zhao instructed.

Lu Xuejin couldn't leave this time. He looked at the camp not far away, but neither Wei Ning nor the Ninth Prince were there. He met Song Zhao's gaze, and Song Zhao bowed respectfully to him.

"Please take good care of His Majesty, and let me know if anything happens."

Their planned operation was scheduled for these two days, and Wei Ning was also waiting for him. He noticed that Song Zhao was observing him discreetly, but he remained calm and responded.

"Thank you for your trouble, Lord Song. I will send someone to inform you immediately once the person has woken up."

The stove in the tent was already lit. The plum garden was empty, and in the distance, one could see the low-hanging clouds connecting with the bare branches in the woods. He stood guard beside Xue Yi, while Zi Yan brewed medicine. He would occasionally look out the window. The guards on the outer perimeter changed shifts every half hour or so and never left.

"Ziyan, do you think... he did it on purpose?" Lu Xuejin asked, looking at the unconscious person. This person certainly knew how to pick his time.

“This servant thinks it shouldn’t be,” Ziyan said to Lu Xuejin, fanning the medicine stove with a small fan as she recalled the past. “From the past to the present, the young master has always lost to the emperor because he is too soft-hearted when he makes bets with him.”

"His Majesty probably doesn't know that the young master has something to do. He just couldn't bear to see the young master leave... Whenever the young master says he wants to see Miss Wei, His Majesty is either sick or has important business that requires the young master's company."

That's not wrong. He remembered the first time Xue Yi fell ill, his father was extremely worried, and the two of them took turns guarding Xue Yi's bedside. Xue Yi had returned from the brink of death, and when he woke up and saw their concern, he was actually very happy. Later, he always pretended to be sick, and this trick was most effective against the father and son.

"Looking at it this way, I'm the one who's at a disadvantage," Lu Xuejin said, changing the subject. "When did the Ninth Prince leave the palace? He should be at Plum Garden by now."

“It should be time now,” Ziyan said, noticing Lu Xuejin’s worry, and added, “Young Master, there’s no need to worry, we have people following you there.”

Lu Xuejin responded, noticing the sky gradually darkening. Perhaps the thick clouds were weighing on his heart, making him feel inexplicably uncomfortable. He noticed that the person on the bed seemed to sense something; cold sweat broke out on Xue Yi's forehead, perhaps he was having a nightmare.

He took a hot towel and placed it on Xue Yi's forehead, changing the water several times until Xue Yi woke up. The candlelight reflected on his face, and the person on the bed fluttered his eyelashes, his pale cheeks regaining some life as he opened his eyes and looked at him.

Xue Yi recognized him, seemed uncertain, and called him softly, "...Changyou?"

Lu Xuejin: "I'm here. Brother, are you awake?"

“I’m awake. I just dreamt about you. Do you remember that time you fell into the water… I dreamt about that day again. I dreamt that you were sinking, and I couldn’t reach you no matter what I did. There were many lotus pods blooming in the water, and I sank down with them,” Xue Yi said.

That was when they were fifteen, ten years ago. He and Xue Yi were boating together when he was attracted by the lotus flowers and accidentally fell into the water. Xue Yi immediately jumped in after him. He managed to get back up, but Xue Yi started to drown. In the end, the boatman pulled them both out. When he got back, he told his father the story, and his father didn't sleep a wink all night.

Many past events were buried in the corners of his memory, and just when he was about to forget them, Xue Yi would always remember them, pulling him back to the past years and making him feel dazed. The old memories flashed by, and the person in front of him had a wet look on his face, as if he had just come out of the water.

Xue Yi's sweat-drenched brows and eyes were dark and deep, his face even paler, making him appear as lifelike and gaunt as a paper doll. It was as if a layer of lotus pods floated around them, and the mist from the past spread up with them.

“…Changyou.” His wrist was grasped, and Xue Yi looked at him carefully. The small mole under his eye swayed with the candlelight, and his eyebrows and eyes became even more prominent, tinged with moisture.

“Brother, I’m fine. You had a nightmare… Those are all in the past.” Lu Xuejin said, as someone held him down and touched Xue Yi’s pulse. Xue Yi’s heart was beating very fast, as if he had just returned from the brink of death.

He paused for a moment, recalling Xue Yi leaping into the water when he fell in. He still remembered the boy's face from back then, that cold mole surfacing and overlapping with the person before him.

Xue Yi picked him up, his chest pressing against him, making him feel the rapid pounding of Xue Yi's heart. He let Xue Yi hold him, unsure how to comfort him, while simultaneously hearing his own heartbeat. He didn't know when it had started, but he had become completely indifferent.

A note from the author: