His appearance was so unreal, covered in snow and seemingly appearing out of nowhere, as if heaven had placed him here to comfort her.
Song Yue helped Qingchen up, took off his cloak and wrapped it tightly around her, then gently brushed the snow off her cheeks. "Aren't you cold? What's it like to lie in the snow and contemplate life?"
His voice was soft and faint, and his dark eyes were as deep as the night sky. His cloak carried a lingering fragrance, exceptionally refreshing in the chilly snowy night.
Qingchen shivered from the cold, staring blankly at the teacher in front of him, his throat feeling like something was stuck in it, unable to speak.
"Are you looking for a hotel?" Song Yue asked.
Shen Qingchen sniffed and managed to squeeze out a few words, "The inn is full."
He nodded. "The capital area has indeed been bustling these past few days. There's only one inn in Huairou, and it was fully booked a few days ago. Where were you planning to go?"
She shook her head. "I haven't decided yet." She had nowhere to go.
"Then let's not go anywhere. I had a room booked a few days ago. If you don't mind, you can stay with me."
In the endless darkness and amidst the vast snow, she suddenly felt as if she had heard the most beautiful words in the world.
"Thank you, teacher."
"Go in."
Inside the inn, the innkeeper, seeing Shen Qingchen return, hurriedly said, "Sir, I already told you, we're full. There's no point in you staying..."
“She lives with me.” Song Yue, brushing the snow off his clothes, stepped forward from behind Qingchen.
The shopkeeper was taken aback when he saw Song Yue, and hurriedly ran out from behind the counter to greet him, "It's Lord Song who's back. Lord Song said... this young master will be staying in your room..." As he spoke, he glanced at Qing Chen.
Qingchen lowered her head slightly and pursed her lips.
"Okay. Please prepare some food for us, innkeeper. We'll bring it up right away."
"Yes, yes. Please come upstairs, sir. I'll go prepare right away."
As Song Yue and Qingchen went upstairs, the innkeeper kept staring at their backs, thinking to himself that this young man was truly blessed to be taken in by the high-ranking Lord Song on such a freezing snowy day. After thinking for a moment, he went to the kitchen to instruct people to prepare a meal, adding, "Send another pot over there."
Not long after the two returned to their room, the waiter brought over a stove and hot tea, along with a hot water bottle. Song Yue accepted the gift and thanked him.
Qingchen lit a lamp. The orange light illuminated the dim room, making it feel much warmer than outside, and the snow that had been brought in by their boots was melting.
The inn wasn't large, and the furnishings inside were simple: a bed, a round table, and a few stools. A light pink curtain hung on the bed, and the quilt was a thick, bright red one with a dark lotus pattern, folded very neatly. On a clothes rack in the corner hung a dark silk robe belonging to Song Yue, resembling a nightgown, spread out flat.
The two sat down at the round table. Song Yue placed the hot water bottle in Qingchen's arms and poured her a cup of hot tea. "Are you still cold?"
"I'm not cold anymore." She shook her head, warmed her hands with a hot water bottle, and drank some hot soup. She felt as if she could finally feel her limbs again.
"It'll be warmer once the stove is burning brighter," Song Yue said, examining her closely by the lamplight. "Your lips look cut. Did you fall?"
She touched her lips involuntarily, "Mmm."
He looked at her, his tone indifferent, "Does it hurt?"
"It's a minor injury, it doesn't hurt much anymore."
"Drink slowly."
"Um."
He poured himself some tea, picked up the cup with his slender fingers, took a sip, and asked, "You've come to check on the dike again?"
Under the lamplight, his long eyelashes fell into the firelight, casting two faint shadows on his jade-like face. There was a little bit of undried tea on the tip of his lips, which shimmered with a soft luster.
Shen Qingchen covered the cup and nodded, saying, "Yes, I took the wrong road while looking for the underground canal, which delayed me for a while. As a result, the carriage didn't wait for me. None of the carriages here are willing to go to the capital at this time."
"Why aren't you getting up?" he asked, looking up at her. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, I just... can't stand up."
"If I hadn't shown up, were you planning to just let the snow bury you like that?" His tone was calm and even, but it contained a hint of reproach.
She knew he cared about her, and she didn't know how to respond to his little indulgence.
"Qingchen." He looked at her and said seriously, "You can't make any excuses for not taking care of your body. Torturing your body won't comfort your heart; it will only make those who care about you worry. You're such a smart person; you should understand this. Contemplating life in the snow—I think once in a lifetime is enough?"
She lowered her head. "I understand, teacher. I won't do it again."
"Hmm." Song Yue's lips curved slightly, and he poured her some more tea. "I heard that yesterday you presented your plan for repairing the dike, and the Emperor was very satisfied. You could say it was... a stunning performance?"
Qingchen was slightly embarrassed, "The teacher knows too?"
"I heard about it first thing this morning. Although I have left the cabinet, I am still the Minister of Rites. Surely I am aware of what happened in the Qianqing Palace."
When the topic of leaving the cabinet came up, Qingchen still felt somewhat guilty, and her eyes dimmed.
"Why do you look like that?" Song Yue looked down at her fair face. "You've done even better than I imagined, managing to raise the money and improve the methods for repairing the dikes and controlling siltation. As your teacher, I'm very happy and proud. You should also be happy and proud of yourself."
"If the teacher hadn't taken the responsibility for me, I wouldn't have..."
Before he could finish speaking, he comforted him, "Alright, I know what you're going to say again. Guilt, unease, and wanting to apologize to me again? There's no need for that. What I did was what I should have done. Besides, didn't you plead for me yesterday?"
"Fallen petals are not heartless things, they turn into spring mud to protect the flowers." He continued, "You've only just caught the emperor's eye, yet you're so bold and so eager to speak up for me. I've already received your sentiments."
He paused for a moment, then said earnestly, "Thank you."
Qingchen shook his head, "...I was unable to help the teacher."
Song Yue slightly curved the corners of her mouth. "How do you know you can't help? Some things may seem unchanged on the surface, but changes happen subtly. The Emperor didn't speak or show any emotion at the time, which at least means that he wasn't averse to your plea. And that lack of aversion is precisely the beginning of change. Jin Cai has only been speaking for a few days; it's unlikely that he'll take back his words so quickly. You've already done very well."
Looking at her clean-cut face in the candlelight, he said, "Don't worry. I told you, I'll be back in the cabinet soon. Trust me."
Just then, the waiter knocked on the door, and Song Yue got up to open it. The waiter brought in the food and a pot of wine, saying, "Esteemed guests, this is a little wine brought by the manager. Please have some to warm yourselves up."
Qingchen looked at the steaming food, then at the wine jug. Song Yue followed her gaze, picked up the jug, and swirled it around. "Would you like some?"
Qingchen thought for a moment and nodded.
Song Yue was slightly taken aback. He had only asked casually, but he hadn't expected her to nod.
He picked up the wine pot and sniffed it. "This wine is too strong. You'd better not drink it."
She's a woman; if she gets drunk... that wouldn't be good.
Qingchen asked curiously, "How intense will it be?"
“…You can’t handle the intensity.” Song Yue poured some into his cup. “You should eat more.”
"Oh, okay."
Song Yue ate slowly and deliberately, as composed as ever, using his left hand to pick up food. Occasionally, he would take a small sip of wine, his eyes would squint slightly, and a thin layer of pink would quickly spread across his face.
Qingchen looked at him and felt as if he had never seen a teacher like this before.
The way he drank had a unique charm.
Outside the window, the night was pitch black, with snowflakes drifting by from time to time, their shadows hazy.
"Why did the teacher come to Huairou too?" she asked while eating.
"I'm here to help the people of Huairou, and also to help myself." He looked up at him. "Back to the Cabinet."
She didn't quite understand. He explained, "The Japanese came to pay tribute on the winter solstice, bringing 100,000 catties of sulfur and 400 imperial swords. The court bought them as usual, but they complained that the money they received was not enough, so they refused to leave and harassed the people in the outskirts of the capital, even injuring the county magistrate. I've come... to persuade them to go home."
advise?
Qingchen smiled slightly upon hearing this, "How did the teacher 'advice' you?"
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