Chapter 61: Breaking the Cocoon 4 "Zhu Song, I want to eat red bean cakes."...
It's not an illusion, it really is Wen Fengxuan.
The moonlight was not very bright, but Zhu Song could clearly see the slap mark on his face from a distance. It was red and swollen. It was not difficult to imagine how much force the person who hit him used.
Wen Fengxuan was sitting facing the courtyard gate, his eyes naturally falling on the door, obviously waiting for someone.
Zhu Song raised his eyes and met his gaze. Wen Fengxuan's expression was calm, but his eyes were deep and lonely, like an old well that had been dry for many years.
Zhu Song walked into the yard step by step under his gaze.
"Zhu Song, I want to eat red bean cake."
Wen Fengxuan's voice was calm and hoarse, but heavy, making people's emotions fall.
Zhu Song stood three meters away from him, bowed and replied distantly, "Your Highness has come to the wrong place."
Wen Fengxuan followed him with his gaze, seemingly about to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps. "Brother, I made you some hangover soup."
Xia Yunqing's cheerful voice trailed off when he saw Wen Fengxuan. He had never met Wen Fengxuan before and thought he had ruined Zhu Song's plans. He quickly said, "I'm sorry, big brother. I didn't know you had a visitor. I'll go back to my room first."
Wen Fengxuan's gaze shifted to Xia Yunqing. He was wearing a custom-made red robe, similar in style to Zhu Song's. The red was blindingly bright in the moonlight. Wen Fengxuan lowered his eyes and called out again, "Zhu Song."
This time his voice had a nasal quality.
"It's late and the dew is heavy. I don't have what Your Highness wants. Please return." Zhu Song didn't look at him when he spoke. After he finished speaking, he walked straight into the house and looked at Xia Yunqing at the same time. "You are not a guest, please bring it in."
The atmosphere was not right. Xia Yunqing glanced at Wen Fengxuan hesitantly, nodded at him politely, and followed Zhu Song into the room with the sobering soup.
Almost at the same time, heavy and staggering footsteps were heard in the yard, starting from near and then moving away, and soon they could no longer be heard.
There was no light in the room, but Xia Yunqing could tell Zhu Song was in a bad mood, so he placed the hangover soup on the table and said, "Brother, remember to drink it. I'm going back first."
Zhu Song responded and Xia Yunqing left quickly.
The room fell into a dead silence. Zhu Song could not even hear his own breathing. His heart ached so much that he could not stand. He could only hold on to the table to stabilize his body. After a long time, he let go and sat down, picked up the hangover soup on the table and drank it all.
Zhu Song pressed his chest, and the pain became even more severe. It must be that the previous injury had not been healed. He had to go see Xu Songlan tomorrow.
Go to bed early.
Zhu Song thought so, but after he stood up, his body walked towards the door uncontrollably. When he opened the door, he thought again, the moonlight is so beautiful tonight, it would be a shame not to go and see it.
Zhu Song walked to the place in the yard where Wen Fengxuan had just sat, and a flash of red suddenly caught his eye. Zhu Song frowned suddenly. He hurried over to check. Why was there blood?
Looking up, he saw a trail of blood stretching all the way. Zhu Song's mind went blank as he ran out of the house and headed straight for the East Palace.
Zhu Song was stopped at the door, but the guards of the East Palace were no match for him and he broke in smoothly.
When they arrived at the main hall, the lights were on. Xie Ningyuan was guarding the door. When he saw Zhu Song, he stepped forward to stop him.
Zhu Song frowned and said in a serious tone, "Get out of the way."
Xie Ningyuan said, "Li Qiutong is treating His Highness and cannot be disturbed."
Zhu Song stopped and stared at him and asked, "What's wrong, Your Highness?"
Xie Ningyuan shook his head and replied, "I don't know."
Zhu Song frowned even more tightly. "What nonsense are you talking about? How could you not know when the injury is so serious?"
Xie Ningyuan's expression was also very serious. He replied honestly, "I was fine when I left, but I came back injured."
It was obvious that the place he was talking about was the Zhu Mansion. Could it be that Wen Fengxuan was injured in the Zhu Mansion? This was impossible. Who in the Zhu Mansion would dare to hurt Wen Fengxuan? So Zhu Song asked with certainty, "Was he injured in the Zhu Mansion?"
Xie Ningyuan nodded, and Zhu Song replied without thinking: "That's absolutely impossible."
Xie Ningyuan fell silent, and Zhu Song asked again, "Is there no red bean cake in the East Palace?"
Xie Ningyuan said: "Your Highness doesn't eat red bean cakes, so we never make red bean cakes."
Not eating red bean cakes? How is that possible?
Zhu Song's head became more and more dizzy. He couldn't even tell whether this was real or he was dreaming. He was anxious and dizzy. He couldn't even stand up and fell onto the stone bench in the yard.
The courtyard fell silent. Xie Ningyuan looked at Zhu Song for a long moment before he spoke, "When Your Highness was young, he was in Changqiu Palace with only two elderly nurses to look after him. They had been in the palace for too long, and were strict and domineering. They never treated Your Highness kindly, and would often beat or scold him. To please them, Your Highness would lie in bed for ten hours a day, pretending to be asleep.
Seeing that he was so worry-free, the girls were really happy. They thought that His Highness was unwell, that's why he slept for so long, so they would not avoid him when chatting with him while he was pretending to sleep.
One day, probably because something happened in the palace, the two sisters talked about Prince Su. They said that Prince Su looked nothing like the emperor, and when Concubine Song was pregnant, the imperial physician came to see her and diagnosed that the fetus was a girl.
That's why His Highness Gan Ning guessed the answer to Yi Kangning's riddle.
Your Highness, this journey has been very difficult.
Prince Su was able to get away with every corruption and dereliction of duty, but Your Highness was scolded every few days simply because he failed to find out Princess Jin's motive for murder. Today, he was even beaten in public by the Emperor.
Lord Zhu, I know you are angry with His Highness, but I would like to ask you to please not hurt him at least tonight.
In the two months since you left, His Highness hasn't had a single happy day."
The door opened, and Li Qiutong, with a heavy face, stood at the door, staring at Zhu Song. His eyes were red, and his voice was choked with sobs, "His Highness doesn't want to see you, please go."
Zhu Song stood up and rushed in. Li Qiuting was pushed aside. He looked at Zhu Song's hurried back but finally did not stop him.
Zhu Song stopped when he reached the door of the inner room. There was a strong smell of blood in the room. Wen Fengxuan was lying on the bed with a pale face, his hands on his lower abdomen. The clothes on his lower abdomen were wrinkled. He stared at the ceiling with lifeless eyes, and tears rolled down his eyes.
Zhu Song's heart was hollowed out. He slowly walked over and sat down beside the bed, calling softly, "Wen Fengxuan."
Wen Fengxuan didn't move, didn't even blink, and didn't look at him, still staring at the roof, or rather, he didn't look at anything. His eyes were empty, with nothing in them, but he still couldn't stop crying.
Zhu Song continued, "Remember, that night at Furong Pavilion, you promised me that if I came back alive, you would agree to one of my requests."
"Wen Fengxuan, I want you to live well."
I will give you whatever you want.
Zhu Song stood up and left after he finished speaking. After he left, Wen Fengxuan looked at him, but he walked too fast and soon disappeared. Wen Fengxuan turned over and curled up, pressing his hands tightly on his lower abdomen, and his tears flowed even harder.
Why?
Why did he only realize his existence when he lost it?
In three months, it's all formed.
Wen Fengxuan had a fever again, and in a daze he returned to his childhood.
Momo twisted his arm today because he didn't eat the green peppers. His little arm was covered with bruises. He was very sad and angry, so he slipped out of Changqiu Palace while Momo was taking a nap.
He was going to complain to his father.
He was very lucky. Although he had never left Changqiu Palace, he walked to the Imperial Garden smoothly. At that time, Emperor Liang was flying kites with other princes and princesses in the Imperial Garden.
Little Wen Fengxuan hid behind the flowers and looked at Emperor Liang. He had never seen him before, but because of their blood relationship, he had a natural sense of closeness to him. He also knew that his father was the only one in the entire palace who could wear yellow.
Emperor Liang took a plate of red bean cakes and said with a smile, "Come and try some of the new red bean cakes made in the imperial kitchen today."
The princes and princesses in gorgeous clothes all ran over when they heard the news. They ran very fast, with smiles on their faces and light bodies, like happy butterflies.
"Let me try." "Let me try."
The freshly baked red bean cakes were sweet and fragrant, and the aroma was alluring. All the princes and princesses took theirs, but there was still one left on the plate. Wen Fengxuan couldn't help but walk out from the flowers and said timidly, "Father, I want some too."
As soon as he finished speaking, a hand fell on the plate and took away the only remaining red bean cake.
Emperor Liang smiled happily, "Yier likes it, so ask the imperial kitchen to prepare more."
Wen Fengxuan froze in place, the grievance of being bullied by Momo coming back to him, and he immediately burst into tears.
Then, when Emperor Liang looked at him, his eyes were filled with condemnation, "Where did you come from, little boy? You have no manners at all."
Wen Fengxuan was so frightened that he forgot to cry and quickly said, "Father, I am Wen Fengxuan."
As soon as he finished speaking, the guards on both sides came up and took him away. From then on, there were more guards at the gate of Changqiu Palace, and he was never able to leave Changqiu Palace again.
Many times in the middle of the night he would dream of that stack of sweet and crispy red bean cakes. After years, the fragrance still lingered at his nose.
Wen Fengxuan opened his eyes, it was already dawn, his lower abdomen was still aching, he closed his eyes again, not wanting to open them again.
The door opened, and a familiar sweet smell filled her nostrils. Li Qiutong called out softly, "Your Highness."
Wen Fengxuan curled up and responded, "Yeah."
As Li Qiutong walked in, the fragrance became stronger. Li Qiutong said, "This is the red bean cake that Master Zhu just sent over."
Wen Fengxuan buried his head in his knees, without opening his eyes, and said in a dull voice, "I don't want it anymore."
"Okay, I'll throw it away." Li Qiuting responded and left.
At the door, Xie Ningyuan's voice was a little loud, "Throw it away? I see blisters on Lord Zhu's hands. He must have done it himself. Is he just throwing it away like that?"
"Um."
Xie Ningyuan said with some reluctance, "Well, then."
Wen Fengxuan opened his eyes and said, "Bring it in."
Li Qiuting winked at Xie Ningyuan, and Xie Ningyuan nodded at him.
Xie Ningyuan walked in carrying red bean cakes.
"Help me up."
Xie Ningyuan helped Wen Fengxuan half sit up.
Wen Fengxuan looked at the red bean cake he had placed on the bedside, which was still steaming. "Who sent this?"
Xie Ningyuan replied, "Lord Zhu just delivered it personally. He said it was still early and didn't come in to disturb Your Highness's rest, so he went on duty."
Wen Fengxuan asked, "Did he say anything else?"
Xie Ningyuan replied, "He said if it's not tasty, please bear with me, Your Highness."
Wen Fengxuan raised his eyes and looked at Xie Ningyuan, "Did he do it himself?"
Xie Ningyuan replied honestly, "Master Zhu didn't say anything, but I saw flour between his fingers, and several of them had blisters from burns."
"Get out."
Xie Ningyuan glanced at him worriedly, and when he saw that he didn't show any extreme emotions, he turned around and left.
After the door was closed, Wen Fengxuan took the red bean cake from the table, held it and placed it on his lower abdomen. The warm breath spread to his lower abdomen, making it warm as well.
After half an hour, there was still no movement in the house. Li Qiutong was really worried and went in to check. As a result, she saw Wen Fengxuan leaning against the head of the bed and sleeping with a red bean cake in his arms, with tears still on his cheeks.
Li Qiutong's eyes flashed with heartache. She walked over and helped Wen Fengxuan to the bed. He was sleeping so soundly that he didn't wake up even after this. A red bean pancake rolled onto the bed. Li Qiutong went to get the plate, but couldn't move it. Wen Fengxuan was holding it too tightly.
On the other side, when Zhu Song arrived at the Dali Temple, he happened to meet Gu Huaiyu who was also on duty. Gu Huaiyu was very happy to see him, "You really came."
Zhu Song smiled at him and said, "I said I would come." Then he asked, "Did anything happen in the palace yesterday?"
Gu Huaiyu teased him, "Oh, that's great. You're so well-informed even after just coming back."
As soon as he heard it, he knew the inside story. Zhu Song asked, "What's going on?"
"Come inside and talk."
The two entered the house and closed the door. Gu Huaiyu said as he made tea, "It's nothing new. The emperor summoned the crown prince last night and asked about the progress of Prince Jin's case. The crown prince's slow progress made the emperor angry, so he slapped him."
Zhu Song recalled the slap on Wen Fengxuan's face and found it hard to believe, "Just because of this?"
Gu Huaiyu didn't take it seriously. "Looking for trouble? That's perfectly normal. Besides, since this involves a struggle for imperial power, we can't just treat it as an ordinary father-son relationship."
Although Zhu Song understood Gu Huaiyu's words, he found it difficult to agree with Emperor Liang's approach. However, he had no choice but to make red bean cakes more diligently.
Zhu Song has become more and more skilled at making red bean cakes. He used to get burned, but now he is unscathed.
Every morning, Zhu Song would get up an hour early to make red bean cakes, and then send them to the Eastern Palace. Except for the first day when he delivered them himself, he would send them to his servants the rest of the time.
Time passed quickly, and in a blink of an eye, it had been two months since Zhu Song returned to Beijing. Wen Fengxuan had taken sick leave and had been recuperating in the Eastern Palace without going out. Except for the day he returned to Beijing, Zhu Song had not seen Wen Fengxuan again.
The situation at court was unpredictable. Although the virtuous prince was in power, he was too indecisive. Furthermore, although the crown prince was not favored, he was still the heir apparent. The court had just undergone a major upheaval, and the Emperor Liang did not dare to easily depose the crown prince. His status was there, so although the crown prince was in decline, he did not lose his power and could still compete with the virtuous prince at court.
Amidst the undercurrent, the annual autumn hunt has arrived.
The Autumn Hunt was a major annual event, typically lasting seven days at the Huangshan Hunting Grounds near the outskirts of Beijing. During the hunt, the troops from the eastern and western camps would demonstrate the results of their annual training to the emperor and his ministers.
Emperor Liang was seriously ill. Zhu Song had always thought that the autumn hunt would not be held this year, but unexpectedly, Emperor Liang insisted on holding it. However, Emperor Liang did not participate, and the selection of the head arrow shooter was debated for a long time.
One side believed that the virtuous prince was currently the regent, so it was natural for him to shoot the first arrow on behalf of the emperor. The other side believed that although the virtuous prince was temporarily the regent, the crown prince was the heir apparent, and in the emperor's absence, it was natural for the crown prince to shoot the first arrow on behalf of the emperor.
The matter was argued over in the morning court for several days. Finally, the wise king gave in and agreed to let the prince shoot the first arrow on behalf of the emperor.
In the blink of an eye, it was the day of autumn hunting. The princes, ministers and female relatives traveled with heavy baggage and arrived at the emperor's hunting ground in a grand procession.
After settling in, the wise king spoke some inspiring words and introduced the prize for this autumn hunt, a South China Sea mermaid pearl, which was dark blue in color, crystal clear, and felt like ice all year round. More importantly, wearing it all year round had the effect of prolonging life. It was very rare and hard to come by.
Everyone's eyes were on the South China Sea Mermaid Pearl in the hand of the Wise King. Zhu Song followed the crowd's line of sight and shifted an inch inconspicuously to the crown prince sitting opposite the Wise King.
It was not that cold during the Frost Descent, but Wen Fengxuan had already put on a cloak. The snow-white fox fur around his collar made his already fair face look even paler. His long eyelashes cast shadows on his face. At this moment, he was staring at the South China Sea Mermaid Pearl in the wise king's hand without blinking, and he looked very interested.
After the virtuous king finished speaking, he gently said to Wen Fengxuan, "Fourth brother, please."
Wen Fengxuan nodded politely and stood up. He drew his bow and shot the first arrow. This year's autumn hunt officially began.
The autumn hunt lasts for seven days. The prey is counted every day and the one with the most prey wins.
Zhu Song was very adept at this kind of occasion. He mounted his horse and rushed into the hunting ground. Zhu Lingye shouted from behind, "Brother, wait for me." All those who wanted to go on the field did so, and the rest were some young and weak civil officials who had no intention of going on the field.
Wen Fengxuan was in poor health and had no plans to play, so he just sat in his seat.
"Why isn't the Crown Prince on the field? Is he not feeling well again? The Autumn Hunt is a time to showcase the might of Daliang. If the Crown Prince, as the heir apparent, appears ill, it will unsettle the soldiers."
The person who spoke was Jiang Shen. Wen Fengxuan knew him. He was from the Jiang family, the family of the virtuous prince's mother, and currently worked in the Ministry of Revenue.
The virtuous prince also said, "When we set out, our father specifically instructed us that since he would be away for this autumn hunt, we must perform well and not destabilize the army. If your fourth brother is feeling unwell, please go for a walk around the outskirts of the hunting grounds."
Having said that, Wen Fengxuan naturally responded, "Yeah, that's what I was planning too."
Jiang Shen said, "Then the prince should not sit down."
Jiang Shen's words were not polite at all, but Wen Fengxuan was not annoyed at all. "Master Jiang, please come in."
The wise king said, "Let's go."
Jiang Shen glared at Wen Fengxuan and left with the virtuous king.
After the two of them walked away, Xie Ningyuan whispered, "Your Highness, are we really going?"
Wen Fengxuan looked up at the dense forest in the distance, which was covered with layers of green and gold.
"What's coming can't be avoided, let's go."
"yes."
The autumn hunting was in full swing and five days passed in the blink of an eye.
In the evening, the palace maids would announce the daily prey as usual.
"The Junior Official of the Dali Temple wishes to congratulate you for hunting three sika deer, five foxes, and twelve white rabbits."
"General □□xing of the East City Camp hunted two sika deer, three foxes, and ten white rabbits."
"General Mu Liuguang of the West City Camp hunted two sika deer, three foxes, and nine white rabbits."
Zhu Song and his companions were sitting around a fire, grilling meat. Upon hearing the palace maid's words, they all applauded and cheered. Gu Huaiyu looked at Zhu Song and said with a smile, "You're first again today. It seems the South Sea Mermaid Pearl is yours."
Qu Zhoubai asked curiously, "Didn't you say before that pure hunting was boring? Why is it so fierce this year?"
Zhu Song flipped the rabbit leg on the fire and replied casually, "I find it interesting again."
Zhu Lingye approached him in a flattering manner, "Brother, you got the South Sea Mermaid Pearl, please let me wear it for a few days."
Zhu Song raised his eyes to look at him, "What?"
Zhu Lingye stretched his shoulders and said, "My shoulders hurt from pulling the bow for so long."
Zhu Song said, "If you have shoulder pain, go see a doctor."
Zhu Lingye chuckled and said, "I don't want to get needles or take medicine, so just let me wear it for a few days. I'll return it to you when it's healed."
Zhu Song said perfunctorily, "Come on, talk later."
After eating and drinking, Zhu Song returned to his room to rest and glanced at where Wen Fengxuan lived. The lantern was dim and still on, so Wen Fengxuan should not have gone to bed yet. What was he doing?
Zhu Song shook off the unrealistic thoughts in his head and quickly went back to his room to sleep.
The next day, Zhu Song woke up early. It had rained the previous night, and the woods were slippery. Zhu Song was chasing a sika deer when his horse slipped in the mud. He was drawing his bow, ready to shoot, when he suddenly pitched forward and fell off the horse. With a thud, his right arm ached violently, and Zhu Song's eyes went black with pain.
Zhu Lingye heard the noise and rushed over. Seeing the scene before him, he quickly dismounted and asked, "Brother, how are you?"
Zhu Song endured the pain and said, "My arm is probably broken. Send me back."
Zhu Lingye quickly sent Zhu Song back to the palace. After the imperial physician came to examine him, he was found to have a fracture, just as Zhu Song had expected.
The imperial physician warned, "Master Zhu is seriously injured. You must rest well."
Zhu Song nodded, "Thank you."
After Zhu Lingye sent the imperial physician away, he quickly returned and asked Zhu Song, "Brother, is someone trying to trip you up and not want you to get first place?"
Zhu Song shook his head, "It's okay, I just fell accidentally."
Zhu Lingye frowned, "This is too careless."
Zhu Song closed his eyes and said, "Go ahead. You don't have to watch over me anymore."
Zhu Lingye saw Zhu Song's face turn pale from the pain and said nothing more, "Then you should have a good rest. I'll come to see you later."
Zhu Song rejected him, "Don't come, you're disturbing my peace. Go do whatever you want."
"Okay then. Call me if you need anything."
"Um."
As soon as Zhu Lingye left, Meng Xiaohe received the news and rushed over. Seeing Zhu Song lying on the bed with a pale face, she immediately became anxious, "How are you feeling now?"
Zhu Song replied: "Apart from a little pain, it's okay."
"There's Ganoderma lucidum in Huangshan, it's very effective in treating injuries. I'll go dig some for you." Meng Xiaohe was about to leave when Zhu Song stopped her. "Do you think Ganoderma lucidum is a wild vegetable? It's everywhere. The medicine in the Imperial Hospital is good enough. You can recover quickly without Ganoderma lucidum."
Meng Xiaohe said, "That won't do. I have to find the Ganoderma Lucidum. Besides, I have nothing to do anyway. I've had enough of chatting all day. It's a good time to go to the mountains and get some fresh air."
Zhu Song said, "What's the point of breathing? The mountain road is slippery and there are wild beasts. You can't go."
"Okay, okay, I won't go." Meng Xiaohe said as she walked out, "I'm going back to chat. You should have a good rest."
"Mom." This was too obvious, Zhu Song shouted, but Meng Xiaohe ran faster when she heard his voice.
When Zhu Song chased out, he couldn't see the person's shadow. Zhu Song had no choice but to call a few more people to follow him.
Zhu Song lay there with nothing to do, and the day passed quickly. In the evening, Zhu Song asked his companions about the day's battle and learned that he was still in first place. Perhaps it was because the rain had made the ground slippery, or perhaps it was because they had hunted too much in the past few days and there were fewer animals. In short, no one had caught anything today, so Zhu Song was still in first place. Second and third were □□ Xing and Mu Liuguang respectively.
After listening to the reports from his left and right, Zhu Song's mind became active again. He touched his right hand which was in a sling and it didn't seem to hurt much anymore.
At night, Zhu Song went to bed early, but he drank too much tonic soup during the day and felt the urge to urinate at night. Zhu Song opened his eyes in a daze and went to the toilet.
When he opened the door, he saw the moonlight as bright as day. Zhu Song walked to the corridor and looked up to see the full moon hanging in the sky, as bright as a white jade plate. He realized later that today seemed to be the fifteenth day of the lunar month.
"Fifteen." Zhu Song murmured softly, caressing with his fingertips. What a good day.
Zhu Song came back from the bathroom and saw someone sitting in the room. He frowned. What was going on? Did his feet have their own ideas? He immediately lifted his foot and walked out. He looked around to confirm, but this was indeed his room.
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