Chapter 53 Ending

Duan Mingchong bent his knuckles and tapped the table lightly.

Sui Yan lowered his head guiltily: "I... I just wanted to take a look, I didn't do anything else."

Duan Mingchong smiled and said, "Let's eat first."

Sui Yan didn't dare to ask for sweet soup anymore, so he held the bowl and drank it in small sips.

Duan Mingchong quickly put down his chopsticks, looked at Sui Yan still sipping the medicine, and said helplessly: "Why are you still feeling wronged?"

Sui Yan shook his head: "I didn't."

Duan Mingchong stared at him for a while, and suddenly said: "Your health has improved a lot. I will send someone to take you back to the Marquis' Mansion in a few days."

Sui Yan groaned, put the bowl down, and looked at him in surprise.

Duan Mingchong lowered his eyes slightly.

Sui Yan said hesitantly, "I... I just went to watch the fun. Your Highness, don't be so angry that you chase me away. At worst, I won't drink sweet soup anymore."

Duan Mingchong was so angry that he laughed: "Where did I say I was going to chase you away? What on earth are you thinking about all day long?"

Sui Yan said "Oh" and said in a muffled voice: "Then Your Highness just said..."

"This time the Fifth Prince spoke rudely to you in front of Jiang Enhe. His Majesty saw it and naturally had to do something." Duan Mingchong smiled and said, "Although I don't know how much of what you said today is true, in order to stop the rumors in the capital, His Majesty may let you ascend to the title earlier this time."

Sui Yan was stunned for a moment: "Xi Jue..."

The old marquis had spent his whole life in the military, taking his two sons, who were both talented in civil and military affairs, to fight for cities and territories for Beilan. However, his youngest son was neither talented in civil nor military affairs, so he was kept in the capital like a hostage. Marquis Sui An was probably afraid that his son would be humiliated in the capital, so he ignored other people's advice and gave the title to Sui Yan.

Fortunately, the two elder brothers of Sui Yan did not care about the title, and the emperor turned a blind eye and did not ask about it. This also made it convenient for Sui Yan to do whatever he wanted in the capital when he was young, relying on his status. Even if there was a big fuss, he was the only one who could bully others.

Duan Mingchong nodded: "I was worried that my father would strip me of my title, but now it seems that it was unnecessary."

Sui Yan absentmindedly took a sip of medicine before whispering, "I... I haven't asked my second brother yet, can this be put off until the New Year?"

Duan Mingchong: "This kind of thing will take a long time. Your Majesty will not wait. When the decree comes, will you still be able to refuse?"

Sui Yan had no choice but to lower his head and muffledly said yes.

Duan Mingchong said: "Don't think too much, I'm here for you."

Sui Yan glanced at him and nodded.

Duan Mingchong's prediction turned out to be correct. Within three days, the news that the emperor had issued an edict to promote Sui Yan to the title of Marquis Sui'an reached the Eastern Palace. To others, this was a great gift from heaven, but Sui Yan was not happy at all.

The reason is simple...

"I'm living well in the East Palace, with people protecting and supporting me. Why did an imperial decree order me to move back to the Marquis' Mansion?"

Sui Yan was holding a rabbit, sitting in a rocking chair in the side hall, basking in the sun, nodding at the golden teddy bear's head in dissatisfaction and muttering to himself.

All the palace servants in the East Palace were helping him pack up his things to take back to the Marquis' Mansion. There was an endless stream of people coming and going, and it looked like the East Palace was almost emptied.

The golden bear was caught by his tail and couldn't run away, so it could only chirp at him.

Sui Yan became addicted to talking to himself. He poked the little head of the golden bear again and again, and said dissatisfiedly: "The title of young marquis is quite good. It makes me look so young. If I remove this little word, people who don't know me will think I am a stubborn old man with a full face of beard like my father."

The golden bear couldn't get away and stretched out its claws to grab him.

No matter how reluctant Sui Yan was, three days later, Duan Mingchong still sent him back to Sui An Hou Mansion, along with his miscellaneous belongings, which filled several horse-drawn carriages.

As soon as the decree of the Duke of Xian came down, the whole mansion was in a state of excitement. When they heard that Sui Yan had returned, they all came out to greet him.

Sui Yan helped Duan Mingchong jump off the carriage. The servants at the door hurried down the stairs and bowed respectfully: "Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Marquis."

Sui Yan held the rabbit in his arms without saying anything. Duan Mingchong said, "Get up and move all these things back to the Houye's backyard. Be careful not to fall."

"yes."

The mermaids rushed out and moved Sui Yan's odds and ends into the mansion bit by bit.

Sui Yan and Duan Mingchong went to the side yard together, and Jun Jingxing was feeding grass to a rabbit under a tree.

Sui Yan planted a Hatsumei cherry tree in his yard. It was early spring and the tree was full of petals.

Jun Jingxing was surprised when he saw the two men coming together, and he quickly stood up and saluted.

Sui Yan waved his hands and said, "Your Highness will have lunch at the Marquis' Mansion today, so don't ask the kitchen to prepare medicinal food - well, Your Highness, right?"

Duan Mingchong: "..."

Duan Mingchong had no intention of staying in the Marquis's Mansion for dinner, but since Sui Yan said so, he couldn't refuse the kindness, so he nodded with a smile.

Jun Jingxing glanced at Sui Yan and saw through his little plan of being afraid that he would harm him by boiling bitter medicine. He laughed helplessly in his heart, but his expression was very respectful. He bowed and left.

Sui Yan was just about to take Duan Mingchong to his room to sit for a while when Haitang suddenly ran in and said that the emperor's reward had arrived and Sui Yan had to go to receive the decree and express his gratitude.

Sui Yan was immediately dissatisfied, but he had to go, so he gave Duan Mingchong some instructions and went to the front yard wrapped in a cloak, huffing.

Duan Mingchong glanced casually at Sui Yan's bedroom. The desk and bookshelf were filled with small gadgets from the market. It seemed that he really knew how to play with them.

He was flipping through a play script on the desk when there was a knock on the door.

Duan Mingchong thought Sui Yan had returned, but when he turned around, he saw Jun Jingxing standing by the door with a slight nod.

Duan Mingchong closed the book in his hand and asked calmly, "What's the matter?"

Jun Jingxing bowed his head and said respectfully, "Mr. Qian left the city yesterday and returned to Jiangnan. Thank you, Your Highness."

Duan Mingchong smiled, put the book on the desk, and said, "Everyone can take what they need."

Jun Jingxing hesitated for a moment before saying, "Old Qian and I had already made up our minds to die. We drugged the prince and made him addicted. It would be difficult for us to escape unscathed. If it weren't for Your Highness..."

Duan Mingchong did not take credit for it, and asked, "Who is that Mr. Qian to you?"

Jun Jingxing said: "When I was young and the Yin family was still in Jiangnan, he was my first teacher. At that time, my father was busy traveling all year round, so most of my medical skills were taught by Master Qian."

Duan Mingchong nodded: "Yes."

Jun Jingxing saw that Duan Mingchong didn't seem to want to talk any more, so he bowed respectfully and turned away.

Not long after, Sui Yan came back happily from the front yard, picking a branch of peach blossom in his hand. As soon as he came in, he stuffed the flower into Duan Mingchong's arms.

Duan Mingchong accepted it helplessly.

As he got closer, Sui Yan's nose twitched slightly and he asked, "Did Jun Jingxing come here just now?"

Duan Mingchong: "Hmm? How do you know?"

Sui Yan said: "The smell of medicine on him is very special. As long as you stay with him for a while, there will be a little bit of medicine left on him. I can smell it at once."

Duan Mingchong looked at Sui Yan thoughtfully.

When he sent someone to take Jun Jingxing away outside the East Palace, he chose to discuss things in Yu Garden to avoid being seen. When he returned, Sui Yan's face seemed to be a little strange. Now that he thinks about it, it turns out that he knew that he had met Jun Jingxing before.

Sui Yan didn't notice and tugged at his sleeve: "Your Highness, Your Highness, let's go for a walk. I haven't taken you around the Marquis' Mansion yet."

Duan Mingchong had no choice but to say, "Okay."

Sui Yan happily dragged him away.

The two of them walked around the mansion and had lunch together. Only then did Duan Mingchong get up and leave the mansion.

Although Sui Yan was reluctant to let him go, he couldn't lose his temper at this time, so he sent him away reluctantly.

After the Donggong carriage left, Sui Yan stood at the door for a while. Jun Jingxing said quietly, "That's enough. It's not a life-and-death separation."

Sui Yan turned around and looked at him resentfully: "You sleep with me tonight."

Jun Jingxing was unhappy and asked, "Why? Aren't you feeling much better now? Do you still need me to take care of you at night?"

Sui Yan said, "No, I'm having cramps now. My calves are cramping so much at night that I can't stand it. You can help me massage my legs when the time comes."

Jun Jingxing: “…”

Jun Jingxing said unhappily, "Let Haitang stroke your hair, I won't serve you anymore."

He turned and left. Sui Yan hurriedly chased after him, chattering, "You know when I was in the East Palace, it was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who helped me massage my legs and stretch my tendons. He felt so distressed when I bumped into something. Why are you like this? You said before that my waist was soft and thin, and you kept rubbing it. Why don't you want to rub my legs now? My legs are thinner and longer... Hey! Jun Yuejian, are you listening to me?!"

Jun Jingxing still said the same thing: "Look for Haitang."

"You are a doctor, so it must be more comfortable to massage the acupuncture points. I don't want Haitang, he is clumsy."

Haitang, who was passing by carrying a flower pot, burst into tears upon hearing this, and tried her best to express her loyalty: "Young Master! Young Master Haitang is not stupid! Not clumsy at all!"

Sui Yan glanced at him.

Haitang stumbled and fell, and the flowerpot in her hand fell to the ground with a bang, breaking into pieces.

Sui Yan: “…”

Jun Jingxing: “…”

Jun Jingxing stopped and said thoughtfully: "I'll give you a massage tonight."

If this child who doesn't know how to be gentle started to rub him, Sui Yan would probably scream to the sky and he would not be able to sleep well.

Sui Yan nodded happily.

After dinner, Sui Yan took a shower and got under the quilt. He waited for Jun Jingxing for a long time but he didn’t show up. Instead, he fell into a deep sleep.

Outside the mansion, Jun Jingxing walked with a lantern into the deserted alley and waited. After a while, a small figure climbed over the wall and landed on the ground, saying in a crisp voice, "Hey, Lord Gu!"

Jun Jingxing raised the light, revealing Yuye's face, which was as dirty as a tabby cat.

Xianye smiled and said, "Are you here to settle the bill?"

Jun Jingxing nodded and took out a stack of banknotes from his pocket.

Yuye: "Wow, why are there so many this time?"

Jun Jingxing said, "You were allowed to pretend to be the granddaughter of Qian Lao and risk your life to stay in the Second Prince's mansion for so long, you deserve it."

Xianye smiled and said, "It's actually quite good in the Second Prince's Mansion. There's food and drink and people to serve. I really want to stay a little longer."

Unfortunately, after Duan Ruwang came to his senses, he sent someone to kill her, so she had no choice but to run away - this girl was quite capable to be able to escape from the Second Prince's Mansion.

Xianye picked up a few banknotes and waved his hands, saying, "No need for so much. Anyway, I have a grudge against Duan Xichen, so it's mutually beneficial. I should also thank you for giving me the opportunity to stab him myself to avenge my brother."

Jun Jingxing smiled.

After the two of them finished talking, Xianye seemed to have thought of something, and took out a letter from his pocket and said, "This is sent from Jiangnan. It was probably because of the severe snow disaster that there were too many letters piled up at the post station. I searched for a long time before I found it. Take a look."

Jun Jingxing took a glance and was suddenly stunned.

This is a special white envelope.

It is a confession.

Jun Jingxing frowned, tore open the wrinkled letter, glanced at the contents, and broke into a cold sweat instantly.

Seeing his shocked expression, Xianye also asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

Jun Jingxing's pupils shrank sharply, and he murmured, "Mr. Qian's...admonition..."

Xianye was shocked: "What? Wasn't he fine when he left yesterday? How come he died suddenly? Could it be that the prince felt that he was not safe, so he sent people to cut down the roots?"

Jun Jingxing's lips trembled slightly, and he spoke word by word with difficulty: "It's not from yesterday, it's..."

He took a deep breath and said, "It was on the third day of December last year."

Yuye was stunned.

The side courtyard of the marquis's mansion.

Sui Yan hadn't slept for a while when his legs began to cramp wildly, waking him up in pain.

He tossed and turned on the bed for a long time, gasping in pain, and cried out in pain: "Jun Jingxing... Yuejian! Are you there?"

The pain from the leg cramps was neither severe nor mild. For someone like Sui Yan, who lived a life of luxury, the pain was so severe that he wished he could hit the ground with his head and knock himself unconscious to put an end to it all.

He wailed and called Yuejian for a while, and it was not known whether he became confused due to the pain, but he began to mutter Duan Mingchong's name, his face covered in cold sweat.

Just when he was about to faint from the pain, a black figure suddenly fell from the beam, knelt on one knee on the ground, and his face could not be seen.

"Young Master."

Sui Yan looked up at him in a daze, and caught a glimpse of his face in a trance. He immediately wailed, "Wuyuan, you are finally back. My legs hurt."

The secret guard who was called upon to be unwilling hesitated for a moment before walking forward and rubbing Sui Yan's legs awkwardly.

The old marquis left many secret guards for Sui Yan. He usually talked more with Wu Shi, and Sui Yan only met the others briefly without getting to know them well. What's more, Wu Yuan was sent out by him to do some work before the New Year, and he had been away for nearly half a year. He finally came back now.

Sui Yan felt much better after his legs were gently massaged for a while. He took a pillow and placed it behind his back. With sweat on his face, he looked at Wu Yuan who was standing beside him with his head down and asked, "Where have you been all this time?"

Wuyuan's face was ordinary and a little stiff. I don't know if it was because he had changed his appearance. He answered in a serious tone: "Change your appearance, act."

Sui Yan frowned: "A little more detail?"

Wuyuan was not very good at speaking, and after a long pause he finally said, "I am here to help Master Jun on the orders of the young master."

Sui Yan tilted his head: "Anything else?"

Wu Yuan held it in for a long time, his eyes turned red, but he couldn't utter a word.

Sui Yan said hurriedly: "Okay, I probably already know it anyway, if you don't want to say it, then don't say it. Why are you crying?"

Wu Yuan shook his head quickly.

His eyes turn red instinctively when he gets nervous when he speaks, but he's not about to cry.

Sui Yan thought to himself, "Oh, how cute."

Although Sui Yan said that he didn't want to interfere in Jun Jingxing's affairs, his desire to control the overall situation in his previous life made him unable to resist sending a secret guard to help him secretly. Firstly, he wanted to prevent himself from being involved in someone else's trap without knowing it, and secondly, he was worried that Jun Jingxing would not be able to talk to him about anything that was difficult for him.

After Jun Jingxing arrived at the Marquis' Mansion, Wu Yuan had been following him secretly, but he just followed him. He neither interfered in Jun Jingxing's affairs nor reported to Sui Yan about anything Jun Jingxing did, unless Sui Yan asked on a whim - but since Sui Yan let Jun Jingxing take revenge on his own, he almost never asked about his affairs.

Sui Yan only knew a little about what Jun Jingxing had done in the past few months based on his own sporadic guesses, and as for the rest, he just let Jun Jingxing and Duan Mingchong stir up trouble and turn the situation upside down in the undercurrent of the court.

Sui Yan sighed and thought, "It's all over now, I don't want to ask about it anymore."

Wuyuan seemed extremely uneasy beside him, keeping his head down and fiddling with his hands.

Sui Yan waved his hand, motioning him to go down.

He felt relieved and turned away.

Sui Yan closed his eyes and slept for a while. He heard the sound of the door being pushed open in a daze. He opened his eyes and saw Jun Jingxing walking towards him slowly.

Soon, the strange medicinal fragrance from Jun Jingxing spread around Sui Yan.

Sui Yan reached out and tugged at his sleeve in a daze: "Yue Jian..."

Jun Jingxing leaned over slightly to wipe the cold sweat off Sui Yan's forehead and said softly, "Go to sleep."

Sui Yan forced himself to hold on to his last bit of clarity and murmured aggrievedly, "My legs hurt so much, I...if I don't grow to eight feet tall, all this suffering will be in vain..."

Jun Jingxing smiled helplessly: "Go to sleep, dreams can hold anything."

Sui Yan: “…”

Sui Yan no longer had the energy to jump up and hit him. He closed his eyes for a while and fell asleep.

Jun Jingxing sat beside the couch, staring at Sui Yan's beautiful sleeping face, and after a long while he let out a sigh.

The cherry trees outside the window bloom at night, with a faint fragrance.

The moon veil is spread among the branches, and the stars fall into the sky.