Chapter 74 Heartache

It was rare for Sui Yan to stay in the room peacefully for a whole day. Geng Xue once asked the little nun to come over and invite him to study and discuss "Buddhism". Sui Yan felt guilty, so he stuffed a handful of preserved fruits into the little nun's hand and sent her away.

Duan Mingchong was busy outside all day and came back at night.

Sui Yan was carving something beside the charcoal basin. When he saw Duan Mingchong coming back, he raised his head and smiled at him.

Duan Ming Chong was exhausted, but when he saw Sui Yan's smile, he unexpectedly didn't feel that tired anymore.

He walked forward, looked at the sawdust on Sui Yan's clothes with confusion, and asked, "What are you cutting?"

Sui Yan shook off the wood chips and showed the half-cut wooden stick in his hand to Duan Mingchong, and said honestly: "I am cutting sticks."

Duan Mingchong looked at the neatly cut wooden sticks at his feet and became even more confused: "Why are you cutting wooden sticks? Didn't you draw a lot of good ones at Master Gengxue's yesterday?"

When she mentioned this, she got angry: "Don't mention it. Gengxue asked five or six little girls to come to me today to ask for their lottery sticks. I just grabbed a handful of preserved fruit and sent them away. Who knew that many more came one after another, clamoring for the lottery sticks, so I had to give it to them."

Duan Mingchong: "..."

Duan Mingchong rubbed his brows and began to feel tired again: "Why would you give it to them?"

According to Sui Yan's personality, if he really wanted it, he would not give it to him even if all the monks in Xiangguo Temple came to make a fuss.

Sui Yan muttered, "If I don't give it to them, my candied fruit will be gone."

Duan Mingchong: "..."

Duan Mingchong sighed, reached out to remove the sawdust from his hair, and whispered, "So you cut it yourself?"

He picked up the peeled one and took a look at it. It looked really realistic, with a row of small words engraved on it - a very good fortune, everything will go as you wish, and all your dreams will come true.

He even interpreted the fortune for himself.

Duan Mingchong was speechless.

"It would be great if you could cut it yourself. You can get whatever you want."

While Sui Yan was talking, he had already peeled one skillfully. He picked up the pile of top-notch lots at his feet and placed them on the table.

Duan Mingchong was helpless and did not stop him: "It's getting late, don't you want to sleep?"

Sui Yan didn't even raise his head, picked up a piece of wood under his feet, and said, "I still need to carve a stick holder, and I'll go to sleep after I'm done."

Duan Mingchong saw that he was very serious and could not persuade him, so he had to go and take a bath by himself.

Sui Yan felt a little tired when he was halfway through peeling the apples. He shook his sore fingers casually. Duan Mingchong, who had just finished cleaning up, came into the inner room.

Sui Yan tilted his head and was stunned.

Duan Mingchong was wearing a white middle-length robe, with his long wet hair draped behind his back. He walked out holding a candlestick and lifting the curtain. Perhaps because there was no one around, he had a blank expression on his face. The firelight reflected his face, which was gentle yet cold.

Sui Yan's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and then it started beating like a drum.

The lottery ticket holder and small carving knife in his hand slipped out of his hand, rolled down from his clothes, and fell to the ground with a slight sound.

When Duan Mingchong saw Sui Yan, the coldness on his face slowly disappeared. He looked at Sui Yan tenderly and said, "Ayan? What's wrong?"

Sui Yan suddenly came back to his senses. He picked up the carving knife and the lottery ticket holder on the ground and made a few random cuts on them. His ears flushed as he shook his head and said hesitantly, "No, no, I didn't do anything."

In a trance, he suddenly remembered the fragments of his dream last night.

Duan Mingchong's handsome face flashed by, and then he seemed to be hugged by someone, a gentle touch enveloped him, and then... nothing happened.

Even so, Sui Yan's face was still flushed, and he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Duan Mingchong said, "Oh," and said, "Then go to bed early after you finish peeling the fruits. We will go back the day after tomorrow."

Sui Yan nodded hurriedly. He glanced at Duan Mingchong lying on the bed, then he glanced dazedly at the lottery box in his hand.

There were two words engraved crookedly on the New Year's Eve tube - Ming Chong.

The word "Chong" was only half carved.

Sui Yan: “…”

Sui Yan stared at the words on the stick tube as if he had seen a ghost, his ears were red as if they were about to bleed, he seemed to be scalded, and quickly threw the stick tube that he had been sharpening for half a day into the charcoal basin.

The flames devoured it and soon it turned into a handful of ashes.

Sui Yan murmured, "I'm done."

When he unconsciously carved Duan Mingchong's name on the lottery tube, he suddenly felt that an unknown barrier in his heart seemed to shatter into powder without him noticing.

Sui Yan sat by the charcoal basin for a long time before taking a shower, changing his clothes, and reluctantly going to bed.

Duan Mingchong was used to going to bed at 11:00 p.m., and even when he got on the bed he would always read. Seeing Sui Yan climbing onto the bed with a blushing face, he casually helped him up.

Who knew that Sui Yan was like a frightened rabbit, and almost jumped out, covering the place where Duan Mingchong touched and looking at him in shock.

Duan Mingchong said hesitantly: "I... just want to give you a hand..."

Sui Yan then realized that he was overly frightened. He nodded and said awkwardly, "I'm sorry."

Duan Mingchong didn't care and said, "Go to sleep."

Sui Yan crawled into the quilt, lifted a corner of the quilt and glanced at Duan Mingchong.

Duan Mingchong read two pages, and was amused by the look that Sui Yan kept glancing at him from time to time. He put the book down, leaned over slightly to lift a corner of his quilt, and said with a smile: "What are you reading? Why don't you go to sleep?"

Duan Mingchong's dried black hair fell down and landed on Sui Yan's pillow. The fragrance of soapberry wafted in the air, mixed with a subtle strange smell.

Sui Yan sniffed it indistinctly, his face darkening a little.

Although the smell was subtle, it was easily recognizable - it was the smell of blood.

Duan Mingchong is no longer the naive and soft-hearted person he was three years ago. Since he is in the royal family, his hands are stained with blood. Sui Yan has known this for a long time.

Sui Yan thought, "If he doesn't do this, he won't be able to protect himself. This is right."

He stared at Duan Mingchong in a daze. The young and gentle prince was still the same gentle and humble person, but his heart had changed unconsciously.

Three years ago, Duan Mingchong was too kind and gentle, which was why he was persecuted step by step; but now he is a master strategist and decisive in killing, and sometimes Sui Yan feels that he is like a stranger.

On the one hand, he felt relieved and happy, but on the other hand, he felt lost and regretful. The two emotions were intertwined, making him extremely conflicted.

Sui Yan crawled out from under the quilt and whispered, "I'm hungry."

Duan Mingchong frowned: "Didn't you have dinner tonight?"

Sui Yan glanced at the lucky number on the bedside table and said, "I forgot."

Duan Mingchong was almost amused by him and said helplessly: "You even forgot to eat. Didn't the palace people come to call you? I'll go ask them."

Of course the palace maids dared not not shout, but Sui Yan was obsessed with fortune-telling at the time and casually sent them away.

Sui Yan hurriedly grabbed Duan Mingchong and said, "It's none of their business. It's my fault. It's okay. I'll ask the chef to make some steamed buns. There's no need to trouble Your Highness."

Duan Mingchong: "But..."

Sui Yan put on his socks and a brown cloak, said a few words to Duan Mingchong, and ran out quickly.

The rooms of the accompanying servants were all next door. Sui Yan asked a palace maid and soon found Wu Mo's room.

Wu Mo was going to bed when he suddenly heard a series of bangs on his door. He asked in confusion, "Who is it?"

Sui Yan: “Me.”

Wu Mo immediately pulled up the quilt to cover his head: "I'm not here!"

Sui Yan: “…”

After a while, Sui Yan sat in Wu Mo's room, hugging his knees and shivering, trembling: "Why don't you use the charcoal basin? Aren't you cold?"

Wu Mo said: "No, no, no, not cold."

Sui Yan: “…”

Sui Yan glared at him, and finally after he had warmed up, he asked, "Where did the Crown Prince go today? Tell me everything. Don't leave out any details."

Wu Mo said, "I didn't go anywhere. I copied Buddhist scriptures and chanted Buddhist scriptures at Xiangguo Temple. I also bought a few long-life lamps and exchanged a few words with Master Gengxue. That was all."

Sui Yan saw that Wu Mo's eyes seemed to be a little wandering, and immediately patted the small table beside the bed and asked, "You are lying, he must have done more than just these things, don't hide anything from me, don't forget that your household registration is still with me!"

Wu Mo said impatiently: "I said yes, but please don't ask me to do any more messy things."

Sui Yan: "Okay."

Wu Mo then said somewhat unnaturally: "Your name is on the longevity lamp he lit."

Sui Yan: “…”

Sui Yan thought it was some important event - such as Duan Mingchong's personality suddenly changed and he killed someone, but he didn't expect it was just adding a lamp.

He glared at Wu Mo and said, "Add a lamp...wait!"

Wu Mo: "What are you talking about? Are you singing an opera?"

Sui Yan: "You said he gave me a longevity lamp!?"

Wu Mo said strangely, "Yes."

Sui Yan was stunned for a moment, then he grabbed Wu Mo's hand with red ears and shook it wildly: "Then you..."

Wu Mo immediately became alert: "Don't even think about asking me to steal the light for you, there's no way!"

Sui Yan: “…”

Wu Mo: "This is a sacred place for Buddhism. The gods and Buddhas are all watching you from the sky. Aren't you afraid of retribution?"

Sui Yan was seen through at a glance, so he had to give up the idea reluctantly.

He was happy for a while before he remembered the important matter: "Tell me everything about what the Crown Prince did."

Wu Mo looked at him and said helplessly, "You know that Duan Xichen and Duan Ruwang want to kill him. Xiangguo Temple is a place with loose security, so it is the best choice for assassination. I have said this, do you still want to ask?"

Sui Yan lowered his head. Wu Mo's unintentional words suddenly made him feel distressed for Duan Mingchong.

He nodded and said in a muffled voice, "I understand."

Wu Mo felt a little sorry for him when he saw how disappointed he was. He consoled him, "It's no big deal. He wasn't hurt. Besides, the guards of the East Palace are not pushovers. He was just frightened. It's nothing serious."

In fact, Duan Mingchong didn't seem to be scared. On the contrary, when the assassin appeared, he seemed to have a relieved smile on his face.

Duan Mingchong stared at the assassins rushing towards him, his body motionless, his eyes looking at them with almost complete coldness. Then secret guards fell from the sky, a flash of blood landed on the snow, and amid the flashes of swords and sabers, bodies fell heavily to the ground, staining the white snow red.

Wu Mo was in the dark at the time and had no idea what Duan Mingchong's expression was. He only saw that he was motionless and thought he was frightened.

Sui Yan: “Yeah.”

Wu Mo racked his brains to comfort him with a few words.

Sui Yan said in a muffled voice: "Then can you help me steal the lamp?"

Wu Mo said without hesitation: "Don't even think about it."

Very cold and ruthless.

Sui Yan: “…”

The author has something to say: God and Buddha: Hello, can you please leave my territory?