Song Heng went to bed early in the evening with the help of Eunuch Afu and Guard Li.
After I made sure he was sleeping soundly by the bed, I carefully closed the door and saw Grandpa Ah Fu standing at the door.
I was still a little curious about Song Heng's reaction to riding a boat, so I finally tried to ask quietly, "Why is he so afraid of riding a boat? He was fine with me that night..."
Eunuch Afu looked up at Guard Li who was sitting on the eaves, and after confirming that Guard Li would protect Song Heng, he made a gesture to lead the way for me.
We walked to a pavilion, and then Eunuch Ah Fu whispered, "I have watched Your Majesty grow up. Your Majesty suffered a lot when he was young."
I nodded for him to continue, and Eunuch Ah Fu continued, "Your Majesty is afraid of boats. It must be because the late Emperor taught you how to swim when you were young, which left a bad impression on you."
"What's wrong?"
"Back then, the late emperor took Your Majesty out for a playful outing, sharing a boat with Her Majesty. Your Majesty must have been learning to swim, but wasn't yet proficient. I was on the shore at the time, and I don't know what they were talking about, but in a flash, I saw the late emperor push Your Majesty into the water with his bare hands..."
"Ah." I was shocked. How old was Song Heng at that time?
"I was so terrified I was about to jump in to save him, but the late emperor rebuked me, and no one dared to move," said Eunuch Ah Fu, his face etched with pity. "Luckily, fortunately, Your Majesty finally swam to shore on his own... After returning, he fell seriously ill, and the matter was settled."
It is said that "even a tiger will not eat its own cubs". How is the way the late emperor educated Song Heng different from that of a tiger? If so, what if Song Heng had sunk back then?
I simply didn't dare to think any further.
"But since then, Your Majesty has never taken a boat again..." Eunuch Ah Fu whispered, "So when I saw you and Your Majesty board the boat that night, I was almost frightened."
I pursed my lips: "I was negligent."
Eunuch Ah Fu shook his head: "No, it's a good thing that His Majesty is on board the ship because of you. The knot in his heart must be untied..."
I nodded. "I see. Thank you."
"What about Prince Shen'an?" I thought of the prince who behaved in a rather strange and unusual way today.
Eunuch Ah Fu hesitated for a moment, probably trying to figure out how much he could tell me, before finally speaking: "Your Majesty, cherish Consort Mu. I have no need to hide anything from you."
"That night during the Fire Festival, His Majesty separated from you and was blocked by a carriage. The occupant was none other than Prince Shen'an," Eunuch Ah Fu explained. "Mingfan City isn't the main city of his fiefdom. Prince Shen'an claimed to have received a secret letter, stating that His Majesty had come here specifically to visit."
"Hua Xiang?" I said subconsciously.
"Yes," Eunuch Ah Fu gave me an approving look. "Prince Hua served the late emperor and knows that Your Majesty and Prince Shen'an have been at odds since childhood. He probably wants to use a knife to kill them. But he doesn't fully understand that Prince Shen'an and Your Majesty actually admire each other in some ways."
"Prince Shen'an invited Your Majesty aboard the boat for a competition, hoping to see Your Majesty embarrass himself and vent some of his childhood frustrations," said Eunuch Afu. "Prince Shen'an possesses talent and virtue, but he is stubborn and self-willed, and he has a mixed feeling of love and hatred for Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty, do you also want to stabilize Prince Shen'an and feel more at ease when you are about to overthrow Prime Minister Hua in the future?" I speculated.
"Yes," Ah Fu looked at me, "Mu Zhaoyi is indeed very intelligent. Today, we were too anxious and made mistakes. It is thanks to Mu Zhaoyi that she saved Your Majesty."
"I can't say, I can't say..." I waved my hands hurriedly: "You have been busy for a long time today, go and have a good rest. I will guard His Majesty tonight."
Ah Fu opened his mouth and finally responded, "Then I'll trouble you, Zhaoyi Mu."
When I went up the stairs to see Song Heng, Eunuch Afu suddenly called me again from behind.
I turned to look at him in confusion, and he looked at me earnestly: "Your Majesty, please take good care of Consort Mu. I also ask Consort Mu to take good care of Your Majesty."
I stood on the steps and smiled when I heard the voice: "I will naturally take good care of him! Don't worry, Grandpa Ah Fu!"
Eunuch Afu seemed to want to say something but hesitated. Finally, he bowed to me and left.
*
When I woke up in the morning, I found myself lying in bed with the quilt covering me properly.
It was Song Heng who was sleeping on the bed last night, and I was lying on the edge of the bed.
Song Heng walked in at this time, no longer looking tired as he did yesterday. "Are you awake?"
Seeing him like this, I felt relieved: "Well, you're leaving today, right?"
He nodded: "Well, we'll go say goodbye to Madam Zhuang and Master Mu later before taking the carriage back."
After quickly washing up, I went to say goodbye to Mr. Mu and Mrs. Zhuang.
I don’t know if it’s my illusion, but I feel that Mr. Mu has become more energetic these days. Although he was lying on the bed when we said goodbye, just like when we first met, the energy in his eyes could not be concealed.
I think Mr. Mu should be well soon.
Then Mrs. Zhuang would naturally be very happy.
Thinking of this makes me feel even happier.
Song Heng and Master Mu were still discussing some chess skills, so I waited at the gate of the manor with Guard Li.
Suddenly, I heard a clear and resounding "Gee!", and I subconsciously turned my head to look, and saw a man in a red robe riding a maroon horse coming towards me.
He was looking straight ahead as he flew past me, the red ribbon tied in his head fluttering in the wind, unrestrained and handsome.
But suddenly I heard a "whoosh" sound, someone called for the horses to stop. I looked again in the direction of the sound.
The man, holding the reins in his hand, turned around to face me as he was reining in the chestnut horse. He stopped with his back to the light, and the dazzling sun was hanging behind him. He was looking down at me from afar, and I squinted my eyes because of the glaring sunlight.
"The unruly prince and general, the dashing young man."
This sentence suddenly popped up in my mind.
He seemed to glance behind me, and then smiled at me. The smile was so bright that it seemed to be stained with the brilliance of the sun behind him, unrestrained, bold, yet clean and pure.
Then he turned around and disappeared at the end of the street.
Only the fading sound of horses' hooves and the usual hustle and bustle of the streets remained.
I turned around inadvertently and found that Song Heng had come out and was standing behind me.
I walked towards him with a smile: "Have you finished discussing this? I thought you guys were going to play a few more games."
He just stared at me blankly, making me wonder if his fear of the boat yesterday hadn't gotten over yet: "You... haven't rested enough yet?"
His lips moved, and I could see his long, thick eyelashes trembling slightly in the sunlight: "Your Majesty... Young Master Wang?"
He still didn't say anything, so I tried to probe, "Um...husband...sir?"
He seemed to come back to his senses suddenly and took my hand: "Let's go back to Beijing."
Although I was a little confused, I nodded and let him lead me: "Okay."
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