Chapter 27 [VIP]

A corner of red plum blossoms adorned the object in her palm, making it vibrant and beautiful. However, the boy holding it looked haggard, his entire being shrouded in a layer of dampness, standing silently not far away. The boy's eyes, like dusty gemstones, appeared dim and obscure under the sunlit tree.

Lu Xuejin and Murong Yue exchanged glances, and he was slightly stunned. Xue Yi beside him had become an object of his corruption at this moment, making him no longer normal in the boy's eyes, and gradually distorting and deforming under the boy's gaze.

He didn't come home last night, I didn't know where he went. Now he's back, he looks fine, just a little haggard, I wonder what he did? And where did he find Hongmei?

Lu Xuejin had so many questions he wanted to ask, and at one point he wanted to leave all the people in the hall behind and go to Murong Yue's side. His mind went blank, and he briefly lost the ability to think.

"Changyou, have you listened to me?" Xue Yi's voice came from beside his ear, and the other person's eyebrows and eyes peeked out, looking at him with narrow eyes.

"Are you still feeling unwell?" Xue Yi moved closer to him, placing his palm on his forehead. His ears were ringing, and as he felt Xue Yi's breath, his gaze gradually focused on Xue Yi.

He then came to his senses and sighed softly to himself. The servant beside him brought up the wedding robe, but he didn't want to look at that gaudy red garment a second time.

"I'll do as my elder brother says," he replied casually, his tone slightly indifferent.

“How can we expect everyone to obey me? This matter requires our joint discussion,” Xue Yi said, lowering his eyes. “Since you don’t like this title, I will forbid them from using it in the future. How about we continue to call you ‘Young Master’?”

"..." Upon hearing this, Lu Xuejin looked at the person. Xue Yi was very patient, quietly looking at him, his tone seemingly considering his feelings. He raised his eyebrows, met Xue Yi's gaze, and quickly looked away.

Xue Yi reminded him that he was no longer the young master of the Prime Minister's mansion. His mind was no longer carefree, so what use was it even if others were putting on an act?

"It's just a form of address, so please use whatever you prefer, brother. If it makes you happy, then this harmless matter does have some meaning," he said.

"Since Changyou has said so," Xue Yi asked, "how about changing the way he addresses me as well?"

Xue Yi's voice was soft yet deep as he looked at him thoughtfully, carefully observing his expression. He let himself be stared at, without responding immediately. His fingertips touched the teacup, and the teacup accidentally flew out of his hand.

The teacup splashed out, the tea spilling onto the wedding dress on the tray, staining the clothes instantly. The bowl then shattered on the wall next to the servant.

The fragments landed beside Ziyan, without harming anyone. Ziyan immediately lowered her head, and the atmosphere in the air subtly changed.

“His Majesty must be tired,” Lu Xuejin said, glancing sideways. “That’s why he’s talking nonsense. He should go back soon.”

"As for marriage, I have just thought about it and I think you should find someone else, brother. We are not close enough to be husband and wife."

"Ziyan...aren't you going to see the guest out?"

A deathly silence fell over the hall. The palace servants carrying the wedding robes had already knelt down, not daring to look at the two officials before them. Ziyan responded with a "Yes," and said to Xue Yi, "Your Majesty, I will escort you back."

Xue Yi sat opposite Lu Xuejin, still perfectly calm and unperturbed, though his face appeared slightly pale. He said, "I misspoke just now, Changyou, please don't be angry with me."

"If you don't like it, why would I force you?"

"I only see other people getting married with wives by their side, calling each other 'husband'. If Changyou could be like that, it would be my greatest fortune."

Lu Xuejin pondered, "If His Majesty marries a woman with whom he shares a deep affection, he will naturally receive this honor. Even without a deep affection, as long as His Majesty expands his harem, there will always be women who come for money and titles, and His Majesty can exchange them for wealth and titles. You can become their shared husband."

“Besides,” Lu Xuejin thought of something, looking at the person, “it’s just a form of address. Some people are naturally not good at such words, why should Your Majesty force them to do it for your own preference? In the future, if a woman is not good at expressing herself, will Your Majesty only use words to judge her loyalty?”

His words silenced Xue Yi. Xue Yi rolled his dark eyes, his pale face hardening with a layer of glaze, cracks appearing on his features as he spoke. A cluster of peonies before him seemed to lose its color, withering and fading, its form utterly lifeless.

"Changyou is right, I should not force you like this."

A deep voice came, and Xue Yi's dark eyes enveloped him as he stood up and said, "I will come again another day."

The person is gone. Lu Xuejin looked out the window. Under the eaves, there was only a bunch of red plum blossoms that had been thrown down. The boy was nowhere to be seen.

He went outside, and found Fangze Palace deserted, with only departing carriages on the palace road. A red plum blossom petal had been plucked off; he picked up the bunch of red plum blossoms, and their cool fragrance instantly wafted towards him.

Ziyan understood something. "Young Master, the Ninth Prince was here just now."

At this, Lu Xuejin sighed. He brought the bunch of red plum blossoms back to the palace, holding it carefully, recalling the look in Murong Yue's eyes when he looked at him from outside the window, and presumably he knew everything.

“I will explain it to him in person when he comes.”

Lu Xuejin waited for several days without seeing a single person. After that day, Murong Yue never appeared again. News, however, came from Tengluo that the Ninth Prince had accidentally strangled two servants who had bullied palace maids and elderly people. Upon hearing of this act of justice, he turned a blind eye and ordered his men to cover it up for the Ninth Prince.

The boy's features from that day kept flashing before his eyes. As he passed through his courtyard, he saw the red plum branches that Song Zhao had dug up, and thinking of the boy's frail figure, he unconsciously paced back and forth in the courtyard. When he passed the Zhizhang Hall, he stopped without thinking.

In the Zhizhang Hall, Grand Tutor Zhao was giving a lecture.

"What are the common people? The common people are those who fight and snatch over a few coins, who scheme against others for a little profit; they are mere decorations on the beams. They are vulgar and unworthy of being considered refined, their lives as worthless as grass. You were born into wealthy families and are fortunate enough to have acquired some of the virtues of gentlemen. If you had been born into poverty, it would have been equally difficult for you to maintain good morals. Your mission is to cherish what you already possess, not to use it for arrogance and extravagance, and to strive to change the fate of the common people."

He saw Murong Yue through the window. As soon as class was over, Murong Yue, Xiao Shen, and Yue Lanxin walked together, and the three children saw him too. This time, Murong Yue didn't walk towards him.

It was as if nothing had happened that day.

Murong Yue saw him, his gaze shifting from his face to his neck. He paused briefly before looking away and said respectfully, "Greetings, Lord Lu."

Xiao Shen and Yue Lanxin bowed to him in unison, saying, "Greetings, Lord Lu."

"I was just passing by today, so I thought I'd stop by and take a look." Lu Xuejin casually came up with a reason, but after saying it, she realized it seemed to be the same reason she had given a few days ago.

"Has Your Highness eaten yet? Are you going back now?" he asked the young man with concern.

Before Murong Yue could speak, Xiao Shen said, "We're not going back. We're going out of the palace to eat at a restaurant today."

Upon hearing this, Yue Lanxin added, "Lord Lu, please rest assured. We have already obtained Lord Song's consent for this matter. Lord Song will send guards to accompany us. When we are finished, we will properly escort the Ninth Prince back."

The way the two children spoke first seemed as if they were afraid he would blame the Ninth Prince. He was somewhat relieved; it seemed that Murong Yue got along well with the two children.

Lu Xuejin: "Going outside the palace? Where are you planning to go for fun?"

“There’s a poetry gathering today,” Murong Yue said. “We’re going to listen to it. We’ll also take a look at the lantern festival while we’re at it.”

“That’s right,” Yue Lanxin said, “and fireworks. I heard that His Majesty has been in a good mood lately and has lifted the ban on fireworks in the capital. We should take advantage of these few days to go out and have some fun, and not miss the opportunity to set off fireworks.”

Xiao Shen asked from the side, "Is Lord Lu here to see His Highness the Ninth Prince?"

“Yes,” Lu Xuejin replied, “His Highness is shy around strangers. I was worried that he wouldn’t have any friends in Zhizhang Palace. But it seems that Miss Yue and General Xiao have taken good care of him.”

His words drew Murong Yue's attention. He met the boy's gaze; the boy's eyes were calm and indifferent, showing that he had learned to conceal his emotions at such a young age. He paused slightly before speaking, "I'm still worried about the three of you leaving the palace together. How about I go with you all? I'd also like to see the fireworks."

“Great!” Xiao Shen immediately agreed, then coughed twice. “It would be wonderful if Lord Lu could accompany me. I often read your poems when I was a child, and many of them are still in my study. Back then, I couldn’t go out, and I gave most of my allowance to my brother before he agreed to bring back Lord Lu’s poetry collection for me.”

Yue Lanxin remained reserved and inquired, "Has Lord Lu met with Miss Wei recently? I didn't see Miss Wei at the banquet last time. Of all the women in the capital, Miss Wei is my favorite."

The boys and girls chattered around him, and he answered their questions one by one.

“I haven’t written poetry for many years. Most of what I’ve written are just pointless whining. General, you flatter me.” Lu Xuejin said, “Wei Ning… I haven’t seen her in a long time either. I’ve heard that she’s been going to banquets with lots of women lately. If Miss Yue wants to see her, I’ll tell her about it next time I meet her.”

Xiao Shen: "How can you say it's just whining without cause? If it were whining without cause, I would have been inspired by it, so it's not whining without cause."

Yue Lanxin nodded in agreement and said, "I also love Lord Lu's articles the most. It would be wonderful if Lord Lu could help me convey them. I thank Lord Lu in advance."

Murong Yue did not offer an opinion. However, Xiao Shen and Yue Lanxin did not ignore him and immediately asked Murong Yue for his opinion after speaking with him.

"Your Highness, how about letting Lord Lu go with us?" Xiao Shen asked, and Yue Lanxin looked over nervously as well.

Observing the three people's behavior, Lu Xuejin realized that the Ninth Prince clearly held more sway. He had previously had no interaction with Xiao Qi's younger brother, the only daughter of the Yue family, but he had heard about their personalities. Born into prestigious families and possessing strong opinions, they were childhood sweethearts, and yet they hadn't neglected the Ninth Prince like the others. He didn't think much of their character, but rather felt that the Ninth Prince deserved such treatment.

When asked, Murong Yue said, "I have no objection. Lord Lu can come if he wants."

As he spoke, Murong Yue paused for a moment and said with concern, "There are many pedestrians in the capital at night, which might cause you to bump into Lord Lu."

"You're worried about this?" Xiao Shen leaned closer and whispered, "Hey. He and my brother served in the military together. Don't let his scholarly appearance fool you, he can easily take down a dozen guards. Even my brother is afraid of him."

Murong Yue asked, "Really?"

Xiao Shen: "Of course, my brother would never lie to me."

“It’s alright,” Lu Xuejin said to the two children after hearing their whispers. “I’m more worried about this. There are many pedestrians, so you two shouldn’t get separated from the guards.”

And so the matter was settled. Lu Xuejin followed behind the three children, who led him through a winding path, not through the main gate, but to the south gate of the palace. A carriage was parked at the south gate. After getting in, Xiao Shen sat beside him, Murong Yue opposite him, and Yue Lanxin opposite Xiao Shen.

He noticed that Murong Yue rarely spoke. The boy sat opposite him, looking out the window after getting on the train, almost avoiding eye contact. He looked at the boy's profile, and the boy seemed to sense it, turning his head to look at him before quickly looking away.

As he spoke with Xiao Shenyue and Lanxin, he vaguely sensed a gaze falling on his profile. That gaze was dark and damp, like wet jade touching the skin, exuding a chilling aura.

Lu Xuejin asked, "Have you discussed this matter with Lord Song?"

He asked casually, but given Song Zhao's personality, he didn't think Song Zhao would let Murong Yue leave the palace so easily.

“Of course, it was Lord Song who personally agreed,” Xiao Shen said. “It’s all thanks to Miss Yue. Every time Miss Yue makes a request, Lord Song immediately agrees. Perhaps Lord Song Zhao will soon go to Prince Bingliang’s residence to propose marriage… If you get married, will you still be able to go out with me?”

“Don’t listen to his nonsense. I’ve discussed this with my father. He informed Song Zhao, which is why Song Zhao agreed,” Yue Lanxin explained, then said to Xiao Shen in an annoyed tone, “I’ve barely spoken a few words to Lord Song, so don’t tarnish my reputation. Also… if I get married, I naturally won’t see you anymore, so don’t even think about it.”

Xiao Shen said unhappily, "Who said we can't meet after we're married? Even if your husband doesn't allow it, you can still secretly come to see me."

"We can meet in private."

Lu Xuejin felt a heat on his fingertips. As he uttered the words "private meeting," Murong Yue touched his fingers, the burning sensation traveling through his skin to the depths of his pulse. He looked over and saw Murong Yue staring intently at him. The young men and women beside them seemed to be discussing their own affairs, but the listeners' words were clearly suggestive.

“Of course not,” Yue Lanxin said calmly. “After marriage, a wife needs her husband’s permission to go out.”

His fingers were entwined, and Murong Yue held his fingertips in his palm, briefly trapping his slender fingers. The touch was met with the boy's hot, damp palm, the heat piercing deep into his skin. His originally calm and composed state of mind was slightly disrupted by this heat.

Murong Yue's expression remained unchanged as he played with his fingers as if they were new toys, carefully touching every inch of his hand until the skin on his palm became warm and moist.

"Brother Changyou." Murong Yue looked up and asked casually.

"...Did you get permission to come out today?"

The scorching heat felt like it was burning him, and the boy quickly released him, as if the heat was an illusion. His fingertips still held warmth, but before he could answer, the boy looked out the window, refusing to look at him. The warmth left his palm, and he felt uncomfortable.

A note from the author: